by Jackie Ivie
She didn’t even miss it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
He’d called this special. That was an understatement of desperate proportions. Every moment carried a sensory trigger. She was so perfect! So womanly! Holding her made it difficult to find the words to describe just how he felt. Despite her claim, she was a portrait of innocence. Her every action revealed it. Adam knew he’d just been offered the greatest gift. That made everything even more special. Poignant.
Real.
He needed patience here. He had to rein back physical needs and desires he wasn’t sure he could even describe, let alone contain. He had to control this somehow. Restrain it. And then dominate it. It was a supreme challenge. He only hoped he was up to it. Everything on him was beyond ready. Loaded. Primed. Cocked.
And he needed patience?
The concept was almost obscene.
Adam lowered his head, snagged her lips again, and felt her immediately tense. Warning bells sounded through his skull. Settled to a dull ringing. The sound slowly subsided as their kiss deepened while Adam forced back an instant thirst for more.
Much more.
Shit.
This was tough. Close to grueling. His shaking intensified, as did the emotion behind it. That ratcheted everything about this to an unbelievable level. Each breath he managed was rapid. Harsh. Hers weren’t far behind. The sound mixed. Added range. Her lips were the stuff of fantasy. Kissing sent messages rocketing through the space. And all of them were aimed at one place. Each one a direct hit right to his groin.
Despite his intentions...without even conscious thought, Adam’s knuckles slid down her belly. Skin flinched and quivered beneath his touch and that didn’t even stop him. Her tongue timidly flicked against his, flinging sparks. Then more of them. And then he had to fight those, too.
He reached clothing. Stuck his index finger beneath the waistband of her denims. Flipped the button free of its buttonhole with his thumb. Her breath hitched. She went rigid for the smallest span while he waited. And then, with the slightest tremor, she relaxed, the move swaying her against him.
It wasn’t much.
But it was everything.
Adam unzipped without a hint of caution. The sound was loud. Her reaction just as visceral. She went tense again. She might even have gasped.
Patience, Adam!
His mind sent the message. And he tried. Adam pushed material out of his way with fingers that shook. Peeled the jeans down, off her hips. Past her thighs. Quested around the material. Cupped a hand about one side of her buttocks. Used the grip to lift her. Fully from the floor. And up against him.
Close.
He’d been off slightly. Jezebel was beyond womanly. She was soft in the right places. Firm. Curved. Rounded. Incredibly hot. The aura of femininity, personified. Adam shuddered in place. And somehow kept still until she gave a sign that she wasn’t about to expire of fright. He would have accepted anything, but this one came in the form of a moan.
And it was incredibly sweet.
Women’s fashion needed work. The pants fit snugly. They fought every effort to free her. Adam was forced to break the kiss. Lift his head. Look down at her. And watch as every breath he made pushed his chest against hers. Each time, it put a well of shadow into the space between her breasts. The span of cotton cloth she still wore enhanced the view, adding to her arsenal. Adam rocked back onto his heels. Sent a frustrated howl into existence. The sound was raw. Deep. It hurt his throat. It got sucked into the space about them as he looked back down. And how did she repay this torment?
She lowered her lashes, smiled shyly, and then she licked her lips.
Oh.
Double shit.
This was beyond containment. It engendered primitive measures his mind didn’t clear. He hiked her onto his shoulder, pulled the boots off her feet, and then he peeled the damn denims from her legs. Tossed them. He didn’t see where they landed. He didn’t care. Her panties suffered the same fate, only they tore.
He’d been wrong earlier. This wasn’t just agony. It was tantamount to torture. And it was ending.
Right now.
Her sleeping platform lurched as he launched onto it, rolling to place her on her back. Beneath him. But still well above an embrace. Out of range. And that was changing, too. Where his bared skin connected to hers was a delectable experience. Beyond scope. Reason. And experience. Adam pushed upward, the move placing her legs between his. Her limbs locked in place. While his dick tried to drill a path through her thighs, just above her knees.
“Oh, Baby. Oh, Jez. Oh, sweetness. Love.”
Adam flicked the clasp of her bra apart by feel. He wasn’t even aware that he’d done it, until paradise got unleashed. Her breasts were breathtaking. Perfect. Incredibly soft. Amazingly full. Pressing against him, they sent stimuli. Electrical current. Complete havoc. While her tight little nipples might as well be stabbing right through flesh. Reaching his heart.
Oh, heavens!
He wasn’t sure he could contain how this felt. Ecstasy tinged the sensation. At her glory. This wonder. He felt the slightest bit unworthy. But then she arched gently, sending that thought into oblivion. Adam’s response wasn’t containable. The growl was loud. Joy-filled. He filled one hand with a breast. Lifted it. She arched further, bringing her nub into range. Adam lowered his mouth and licked. Her squealed reaction lifted them both completely. They hovered momentarily. His eyes saw it. His senses felt it. But he didn’t question it. His mind was on complete hiatus. They dropped back down. The pad beneath her jumped slightly. Adam lowered his head again, and this time he didn’t just lick her nub. He latched on.
Suckled.
And enjoyed.
Panted cries filled the room, escaping on the heels of her every exhalation. They were high-pitched. Entirely feminine. Adam shifted, moving her legs apart with a knee, so he could fill the space. His other hand snaked down her torso, and found her core. His thumb touched her nub. Sparks shot through the room. And an unearthly-sounding shriek followed. Jez’s entire form pulsed with a movement that shifted everything. Him. The platform. The world may even have rocked sideways. Adam didn’t note it. Or care. He was exactly where he wanted to be. Intent. Positioned.
And then he was vibrating.
“Adam!”
His name was another high-pitched cry. It carried surprise. Astonishment. Amazement. And then it turned into a cadence that included his name, interspersed with all manner of indecipherable words. Each recitation came quicker. Sharper. Louder.
“Oh, Adam. Oh! Adam. Oh! Adam. Adam! Oh!”
She pulled in a sharp breath. Her shaking intensified. And this time when she launched his name into the space, it carried vibrations that should have resounded off the walls. Shattered anything made of glass. It sent shivers rippling all over him. Along with a depth of pleasure. That he’d caused it. And he was just getting started.
“Oh, baby. I can’t wait. I can’t even...! Oh, Jez. Love. You are so sweet! So perfect! So unbelievably—ah!”
The last word was accompanied by a shove upward, into position. And there he stopped. Suspending time. Want. Need. His entire frame was locked in one big shuddered movement. His rod perched at her entrance. The tip barely touching.
“Oh. Oh. Adam. My...Adam.”
Her legs went about his hips, thighs flexing to bring him close. Closer. And that was it. Holding back was impossible. Adam pushed into her slowly. Easing his way...but it was difficult. She was so tight. Incredibly snug. Her cavern enveloped him. Slick and heated with passion, yet taut with inexperience. He might as well be the novice, because nothing had ever felt like this. Ever. And then he was in. Clamped inside a realm of heaven. Where he stopped. Trembled. And managed to stay still. Rigid. Unmoving. As he waited for her to adjust to him.
And...finally!
It was her movement, pushing just the slightest at him that fully joined them. Adam lowered his head. Snagged another kiss. Caught and encased her moans. Exulted in every heart-pound
ing moment. But his body was in the grip of something outside his control. Massive. He nearly pulled from her, and then hovered, caught in an ecstasy of tension for an infinitesimal moment. As though silently beseeching. Her eyelids drifted downward in consent, and this time, when he entered her, it was a shove that rocked her. His withdrawal did the same. And then he was ramming. With fervent, hard movements.
She was so moist. So hot. So incredibly female. The platform didn’t have much bounce at all. It was probably constructed of wood, but it didn’t hamper him. It was sturdy, stable, and he was caught up in something beyond primal. His every cell hot with want. Heavy with desire. Racked with voracious need.
The platform began to creak with his every push, barely noticeable at first. But it gained in volume. And then a rasping noise started accompanying each withdrawal. Creak.
Rasp.
Creak.
Rasp.
The sounds somehow matched a rhythmic throb he’d sensed more than heard. That didn’t alter anything. He almost didn’t trust his own senses anymore. He knew the sound had been there. Hovering at the edge of consciousness. Existing just beyond decibel range. Now, it gained volume. Intensity. Speed.
Rasping. Creaking. Rasping.
Their breathing was an addition, making a tangible entity of sounds. While her breaths came in small rhythmic pants, each one tinged with a feminine-sounding sigh, he was sucking in air, launching each exhalation with a heavy grunt, and then doing it again. The commotion of sound swelled about them, making a symphony that accompanied his every thrust. Each withdrawal. The return thrust. Over and over.
Again.
And again.
Faster.
Harder.
A knot of pressure swelled into being in his loins. Enlarged. It added impetus to each thrust. The withdrawals. Return shoves. Jez’s movements grew wilder. Her sighs louder. Her body tensed. She flung her head back...and this time he felt her satiation as well as heard it.
And that released his.
A wall of pleasure slammed into him, altering everything. Experience. Even time. He’d never felt anything near this. His breath halted. His body went rigid. His heart experienced palpitations that carried immutable rapture. Unbelievable joy. A heretofore unknown bliss. His loins pulsed with uneven surges that carried world-shattering ecstasy while a vista of wonder opened in his mind. The combination was indescribable. Beyond any ability to measure. For a span there, Adam entered a realm of color-imbued divinity. Pure. Radiant. Infinite in scope.
Infinitely rare in achieving.
He caught sobs as the experience started to fade. Slowly ebbed. And then disappeared. The errant emotion receded as he rejoined reality. Re-entered the physical plane. His body was still conjoined with Jezebel. Oddly, his arms hadn’t given out, dropping his weight onto her. It was a small thing, but felt like a victory. Her legs still enwrapped his hips, encasing them. Her hands were against his pecs, giving one explanation to why he hadn’t collapsed - she propped him. And the pad atop the platform was askew. A quick look gave him that information. The top portion sagged over an edge, bowing the pad out of view.
He moved his glance back to Jezzie.
And his heart dropped.
Adam’s eyes widened as it started pounding from the region of his belly somewhere.
Uh oh.
This was a major issue. New territory. Really enjoyable. And really terrifying. He was falling for her? Oh, no. No. He couldn’t fall in love with her. It was out of the question.
Oh. Adam. Adam. What are you doing? She’s out of your league.
What was he thinking? She wasn’t even in the league. But oh! She was stunning. Her hair was a tangled mass of darkness. Her lips full. Swollen-looking. He couldn’t tag her expression, but if he had to peg it, he’d call her stunned. He locked gazes with her. Searched her eyes for a hint that maybe she felt the same. Or something. Anything. And that’s when he tried to smile.
He’d been trembling with the remnants of ecstasy. The sensation dissipated as he regarded the depth of her eyes and lost himself in them.
But he started shaking due to something else. Something different.
And completely foreign.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“So. Hey. Beautiful. Um...you have any blankets?”
“Blankets?”
Jezzie lifted her head and regarded Adam for several long moments. He felt so alive. And so very warm. Surely he jested. How could he possibly be cold? What they’d just done had been massive. Passionate. Hot. The satisfaction she’d experienced made the impression even more vivid. Pleasure still radiated throughout her body. It was so surprising. She’d been expecting pain. Followed by a bit of brusque pounding that would have him grinning, while she was left tender. Perhaps even bruised.
And what had happened?
She’d received an infusion of something unbelievably wondrous. He’d taken her to such heights! Her. Jezebel. The dark angel with such little chance of redemption, everyone avoided her for fear of contamination. It actually felt like she’d glimpsed heaven. She’d experienced what happiness, love, and joy felt like. She’d even got to linger!
It just wasn’t feasible that he asked for blankets.
Adam winked. Jezzie’s heart swelled markedly. The sensation sent more wonder radiating through her. She’d never felt so content. Full. Blessed. Heaven was the only viable comparative she could imagine. She probably glowed. Every portion of her pulsated with it, reminding her of his vibrancy. Vitality. And his amazingly amount of virility.
Oh!
Jezzie smiled even as she blushed. And that sent even more warmth. It added to how his chest heated through her palms. Contact with his hips, buttocks, and thighs could easily burn her legs. And where they were connected sent a scorch-level sizzling sensation through her nether regions. Still.
And he asked of blankets?
The question was as odd as his tone as he asked it. Unsure. Tentative. That didn’t match the cocksure manner he usually wore like an overcoat. Jezzie frowned slightly at the puzzle he presented.
“Is that a no?”
He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to the top of her nose. At the same time, she felt him sliding from their most intimate contact. She lowered her legs slowly, her limbs grazing his. He pushed up and rolled to one side as if his weight might be a bother. Then he crooked an arm to hold his head as he looked down at her.
“Yes,” she finally replied.
“Yes?”
“You are correct. There are no blankets here.”
“No blankets. How do you sleep? And don’t say ‘like the dead’. Okay?”
He grinned as if it was amusing. Jezzie didn’t respond in kind. He finally sobered and then blew a sigh over her. And that wasn’t remotely cold, either!
“Fine. No blankets. Got it.”
“We don’t need blankets,” she finally answered.
“Then somebody needs to turn the AC down a hair.”
“There is no air conditioning.”
“How about heat, then?”
She shook her head. “The rooms are climate controlled.”
“To what? Alaska?”
“They are kept at the optimum temperature of sixty-five degrees. Fahrenheit. Always.”
“All right. Maybe I’ll just go get a hot shower. Don’t worry. I’ll be quick. Or you can come along.”
“These rooms don’t have showers, either.”
“Fine. Hot bath, then. Just point me in the direction of the bathroom.”
She shook her head again.
“What now?”
“There is no bathroom, Adam.”
“What kind of place doesn’t have a bathroom?”
“This kind.”
“Fine. No bathroom. No mattresses or box springs. No blankets. If this is a hotel, it’s the pits.”
“Exactly.”
He looked confused.
“You are at Hotel Pit.”
He grinned. Her heart responded again. Her
eyes widened. She instantly narrowed them. Not just due to the light. She had to hide.
“Well. Some things are named right. Obviously, this is one of them. I think you need better accommodations, hon. And I know just the spot. Perfect for vacationers. Thrill-seekers. Lovers.” His eyebrows rose and fell several times. Jezzie nearly returned his smile.
“This isn’t a hotel, Adam.”
“Good thing. I mean, really. Who would decorate in such a bland manner? Forget to design bathrooms? And fail to stock amenities like blankets?”
“It’s a purgatory.”
He pulled back and sat, one knee bent. His other leg trailed over the side of the platform.
“A purgatory?”
“I’m a dark angel, Adam. I told you. That means I reside in purgatory.”
“I didn’t mean that. I got that part. I’m just having a bit of trouble with the ‘a purgatory’ thing. As in – there might be more of them.”
“There are. Several. Located throughout the world.”
“Does that mean you’re mobile? What a dumb question. You can move instantly. Of course you’re mobile. And you probably don’t rest. Geez, Adam. Way to look stupid, man.”
He smacked his forehead with his palm. Jezzie’s lips twitched before she answered.
“Purgatory is a place to go because there is nowhere else.”
“No resting? Well. Heck. Here I always said I’d sleep when I’m dead. Sounds like that’s out.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“It’s an expression, love. To explain away need of sleep. So you can get more done. Live life a little more. Forget it. Tell me a bit more about these other purgatories. Any of them have heat? Better lighting? Maybe...a little, I don’t know, contrast?”
Oh.
He’d called her love again. And so easily! As if it was true.
Jezzie also sat. Folded her legs. Faced him. Pushed the hair off her shoulder. Watched him glance down to her nakedness. Return his gaze to her face. A tremor scored him, shifting the padding beneath them with it. That sent a shaft of pleasure through her. And even more warmth. She had to clear her throat before speaking.