by Lauren Dane
It was too late to call Meriel and bounce the whole thing off her. The sun would be rising in a few hours anyway. She finished off her chamomile tea and snuggled under the fluffy comforter. The air-conditioning was set to extra chilly, just how she liked it. She willed sleep to come so the look on William’s face would just go away.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Three days later, Nash opened the door to his house and took William in with a raised eyebrow.
“I can’t believe I’m even here,” William mumbled.
Nash yanked him into the house and shut the door. “What’s going on?”
William groaned and went into the large living room. Everywhere in the house he sensed Dahlia’s touch. Vivid colors, but simple, classic lines. A little bit Old World and a little bit new. Sort of like his sister-in-law. A woman he’d been dead set against Nash marrying and had been proven wrong about.
He sighed and threw himselfonto a couch, tossing an arm over his eyes. “I need your advice. I can’t believe I’m here, but you’re the only married man I know with a hot wife who isn’t cheating and has a relatively normal life.”
“Well, with flattery like that, who can resist? I take it we’re talking woman trouble?”
He sighed. “Yes. Nash, I met this woman and it’s only been, like, a week, but I can’t get her out of my damned head.”
“Have you nailed her yet?” Nash laughed. “Sorry, Dahlia and I have this thing. You don’t want to know. Anyway, haveyou had sex with her? Maybe you just need to get her out of your system that way.”
“I fucked her on my desk five nights ago and I would have the night after that all over again if I hadn’t been interrupted.”
Nash went silent and William peeked from under his arm to see his brother’s look of surprise. “Your desk at the Dollhouse? You had sex at work? You never do that. Your office? Your desk? I’ve had sex at the Dollhouse, but you? This woman is more than just a fuck, William. Who is she?”
That was the damned truth. “You’ve had sex at my club?”
Nash waved it away. “We’re talking about this mystery woman who got you to break your code. Who is she? What’s she like? How did you meet?”
“She’s chief of security for some corporation Leah embezzled a chunk of money from. Leah is apparently in Vegas and Nell, that’s her, came to see me about it. She’s…she’s not a woman I’d normally look at twice. She has Scorpions and Judas Priest CDs in her car. A ’69 Camaro, by the way. She’s a jeans and T-shirts woman, but she cleans up rather well. But Christ, I actually prefer the faded jeans and boots. Boots, Nash. And buttrock. She’s hard.” He paused a moment. He couldn’t very well tell his brother Nell was a witch warrior of some type. “Not the kind of woman who appears to be given to shopping and manicures. She doesn’t even wear much makeup.”
“So what? You’ve known her a week, you said, and you broke your no-sex-at-work rule with her. She’s not your usual type, but damn it, have you considered the reason you prefer that other type is that those women you involve yourself with are shallow? You get to have sex, you don’t haveto love them, you give them shiny things and move on. Is this Nell a woman of substance and that’s what’s got you all knotted up?” Nash took a deep breath and William sat up to look at his brother better.
“William, you should be happy. Let go and let yourself enjoy this Nell. Stop questioning why you like a woman in a T-shirt and realize she’s got excellent taste in cars and apparently men. Is it so awful to think you might want to spend more than a few days with a woman?”
“She doesn’t live here anyway. I don’t even know if she’s still in town. Okay, that’s a lie. I got mad at her and kicked her out of the Liege even though I really didn’t have the authority. Anyway, she’s at Bellagio. I checked to see if she’s still there. Like I’ve done every day since our fight three days ago. I am so fucked.”
Nash laughed. “My advice, since you asked, is to let go and see where this thing could lead. And we want to meet her, too. Not right away, so get that look off your face. But soon. Now, have you eaten today? I was making lunch. Come on back to the kitchen and we’ll keep talking.”
* * *
Nell stepped out of the cab at the hotel nearest Darkness and smoothed her very short skirt into place. As she walked, the click of her tall high-heeled boots sounded against the pavement.
It wasn’t often she played the sex-kitten part, but it was fun to try on every now and then. She had to meet a contact in the club so she thought she’d tart it up a bit to blend in. It was Saturday night and Darkness would be filled with paranormals of all stripes out to have a good time.
One of the doormen was waving her through when helooked up and then put a hand out to stop her. “A human called to you. Our spotter says he saw you come this way. You have to deal with it.”
“Care to be specific? Where? I didn’t hear anything.” Damn and double damn. She’d have to go and make something up to smooth things over. If she ignored it and whoever it was came to investigate, they wouldn’t get in, but it would be trouble.
“Across the street. A male.”
The Liege was across the street and there happened to be a male over there who knew her.
She turned and carefully exited back to the street and saw William standing on an outdoor plaza on the retail level of the Liege.
He saw her, too, and waved like he hadn’t chucked her ass onto the street and then hadn’t bothered to call to apologize in the five days since. Hmpf. She did know he’d called to see if they were still staying there, though. She’d gotten that little snippet from the concierge whose mind was very susceptible to magic.
By the time she made it to him he’d procured a frosty glass of something and handed it to her when she approached. “It’s hot, so I thought you might appreciate something cold to drink. Would you like to go inside?”
“Why?”
His smile slipped a few watts. “Why? You came over here.”
“Because you called my name.”
He looked confused for a moment, the spell clouding his mind until he remembered calling for her. She was an idiot for reminding him. She needed to deal with this thing between them. Nell couldn’t afford to make these kinds of rookie mistakes.
He took her arm and led her off to the side of the wide plaza, away from prying eyes and ears. “What the hell did you do to me?”
She shook herself free. “Look here, Emery, I didn’t do anything to you. You called my name, I came over. If you didn’t want me over here, ifyou didn’t care about my whereabouts, why call Bellagio every day to see if I’m still staying there? Don’t play games.”
William wanted to shake her for looking so good. Wanted to stop the way she made him feel. Vulnerable. Christ, he needed her and he did not want to.
He clung to his anger to keep him afloat in the sea of her; the scent of her, of her essential being, wafted through the air between them.
“Bullshit. Something happened. I know it did. You did something to my head.”
Her eyes widened and then narrowed. “I didn’t touch your head, asshole.” She paused, looked from side to side and then the background noise died down to nothing but their breathing and the beat of his heart pounding in his head. “There. Feel that? That’s me doing something. Before you run off squealing like a girl, I just put a little protection around us so we can’t be heard.”
“Squealing like a girl?”
She waved a hand and took a sip of the iced melon drink he’d brought out for her. After he’d seen her across the street and called her name. But then he hadn’t. Or had he?
“You messed with my memory!”
“I did not.” She sighed loudly. “I’m going to explain and you’re not going to repeat what I tell you to anyone. If you do—” she held up a hand, fingers pressed over his lips tostay his interruption “—if you do, my friends and family would be in danger, so you won’t. I’m telling you now, if I give you these words, you won’t be able to share them unless I let y
ou. Do you understand? I’m going to use magic on you, but only if you agree.”
She waited while he thought it over. Did he trust her enough? When it came right down to it, he supposed he did. He’d seen what she’d done in the garage to those people who’d tried to hurt them. She could have easily done the same to him if she’d wanted to.
At last he nodded and she relaxed.
“Now, across the street there’s a club of sorts. A club where my kind can go and be safe. The entrance is warded in a sense by spells so humans don’t go bumbling in. That’s what happened. You saw me and then once I’d entered the wards, you forgot. If you were walking past, you’d feel a need to keep going. All you’d see is a wall. Now that you know, I’m meeting a contact about your fiancée, so I’ve got to get moving.”
He took her arm again, not wanting her to go. “You used a spell to make me forget? How is that not you messing with my head?”
“The spell isn’t mine. Spells like that one have been in place for longer than you’ve been alive and they’re in place to protect my people and those like me. Stop acting so wounded. What is your issue anyway? You’re, like, this supersuccessful man. You’re handsome, well-spoken, obviously educated, rich, successful, people with pink parts seem to like you. So what is your deal? Does this Eeyore thing you’re doing make the ladies all hot and bothered? Because, I have to tell you, it makes me want to sneer at you and steal yourlunch money. Buck up and stop being a pussy. This isn’t about you. Now, if you’ve wallowed enough, I have to go to work.”
She shoved the now-empty glass at him and he only barely swallowed the snarl that rose as a result of her provocation.
“Fine. I don’t like being toyed with. I’m sorry if I accused you personally. Let me come with you. Keep you safe. I promise not to say anything about what I see.”
She paused a moment, a half smile perched on her lips. “That’s quite sweet, Eeyore. But I’m good. I have it handled. I’ll see you around.”
He sighed, annoyed with her refusal and his need to be with her just a few more minutes. “Humor me.”
“You’re going to see stuff you’ve never seen before. Can you deal with that?”
“Like what?”
“Vampires. Demons. Weres of many stripes. Mostly they’ll look just like you and me, but they’re not. I need you to understand that right now. They are not fluffy bunny paranormals like you might read about in some novel. They’re predators.”
“Like you?”
“To a certain extent, yes. Witches organized into clans do adhere to the basics of the Rede even though we’re not Wiccan. We do not use our gifts to harm or bully. But if I have to harm to save myself or protect my people, I will. I don’t feel guilty for what happened in the garage, William. It was kill or be killed.” She shrugged. “If you want to come with me, you have to take responsibility for whatever you see.”
He looked at her. A warm wind blew her curls around her heart-shaped face. Challenge glinted in her eyes and he knew if he went with her, he was taking another stepinto…well, into whatever the hell they had, or were building. Or whatever.
He should say no. Turn around and walk inside. Go on with his Nell-free life. She’d go on and do her business and eventually be gone from town and he’d never see her again.
“All right, then. Let’s go. They let, um, humans in?”
She took his hand. “If they’re with one of us, yes. Don’t look at anyone for too long, okay? And trust me. It’s different in there, but it’s safe.”
He let her lead him and it changed his entire life.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Nell spoke quietly with her contact, getting the information on where Leah and the mages were holed up. She passed him some money and walked back over to the table where William sat quietly, pretending not to be fascinated by the place.
“Come on upstairs with me. It’s quieter and you can look at the place from a better vantage point.”
She led him to one of the balconies that framed the second story of Darkness. Up there it was lush. The ultramodern chrome of the downstairs area was still there, but plush, thick banquette seating lined the walls and the railing was built in such a way that one could sit, drink and still see much of the action below.
“So? What do you think?” she asked after they’d sunk into the cushions.
“I just had no idea. This whole universe exists and I didn’t know about it. I’m fascinated and repulsed all at once.”
She nodded. “It’s always here, just beneath the surface. Most of the time people see it and because it’s so strange their brains just reject it. I suppose that’s what keeps us safe. Those wards aren’t to harm your kind, they’re to protect us.”
“From what? You’re the ones with superpowers. I mean, if anything, we’re the ones who need protecting.”
“From that very attitude. There are billions of humans on the earth. There are millions of us. Not hundreds of millions, either. We keep to ourselves and hide our abilities because there are those who’d hang us, put us in camps, round us up and use us if our existence was well-known. We’re wary for a reason.” She shrugged. “We have rules. We don’t harm you all unless it’s in self-defense. Some of us need more policing than others, like vampires who can pass on their state via fluid transmission.”
“There are, like, what? Cops for you guys then? More than what you do?”
“I’m a cop of sorts for my Clan. For witches. I don’t go out and hunt werewolves or vampires who go rogue. There are those who do that though, yes.”
“Tell me about it.”
She laughed. “I really can’t. In the first place I don’t know that much and in the second place, it’s not my story to tell.” She shifted, putting her beer down on the low table, feeling the pulse of the music low and deep, in the same place where her need for him resided. Her skirt rode up to just below the fold of her lap and she let it.
“Why are you here with me now, William?”
He put his drink down, sliding his palm up her thigh. “I don’t know. I can’t not be. I want to touch you so bad. What is it about you that draws me this way?”
She widened her thighs in invitation, and in the low light she noted his pupils swallowing nearly all the color in his eyes.
“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. So just touch me and let yourself want. Give it free rein. You’ve got nothingto lose.” Her voice was a whisper, but she knew he heard her, even above the music.
He closed his eyes a moment, the war within himself clear on his face. But when he looked at her again, it was clear which side had won.
“Open all the way.” His normally smooth voice had gone rough, sending a thrill through her.
His fingers glided up the supersensitive skin of her inner thigh, his eyes still locked on hers.
“Are you wet?”
“Touch my pussy and see for yourself.” Please.
“Here?”
“Why not? We’re alone up here. For now. It is Las Vegas, after all.” That, and if he didn’t touch her she thought she might die.
He got to his knees, pushing hers wide until her skirt hiked up, exposing her panties. “I find myself needing to own you, Nell. It’s…unusual for me. I don’t need to possess the women I’m with. But you’re unusual.”
The tips of his fingers brushed against the slit of her pussy, sliding gently back and forth. Even through the material of the panties she knew he felt how wet she was. For him.
“Well, cat got your tongue then, witch?” A smile canted his mouth and the suave veneer slid away just a bit, exposing the more carefree man just beneath. Crap, she was in deep with him.
“I could ask if you need help getting those off. But I figure you’ve got more than enough practice in the removal of panties department.”
“You’re quick with the comments there for a woman whose pussy is wet and ready.” He raised a brow at her.
Reaching down, she made quick work of removing her panties before taking his hand
and putting it back over her cunt. “Whatever it takes to get you working.”
Spreading her pussy wide open, he leaned his head down and took a taste, just the barest whisper of a tongue flick against her clit. It sent her up an inch with a gasp.
William heard nothing more than her breathing, felt nothing more than her flesh against his hands and mouth. Her taste filled his senses, her scent drowned him. She was everything as he knelt there and worshiped her. Her body was magic, wending her taste through him, addicting, sharp and ultimately her. So unique he knew he’d miss her every time he took a breath for the rest of his days.
The idea of her walking away gripped him, scared him, made him want to ask her to stay so they could explore what they might make together as a couple.
As if she felt his panic, she reached down and sifted gentle fingers through his hair, soothing even as they inflamed his need for more.
Nell felt the cool air against the flesh of her slick pussy as he ran his thumbs through her, bringing her honey up and over her clit. William didn’t just touch her, he consumed and she didn’t know what do to with it all.
A groan from deep inside pushed through her lips as he began to lap at her. Slowly, gently, but voraciously.
There weren’t any words, but they didn’t need them. He told her how he felt with his mouth against her as surely as she did by offering herself to him so openly. Whether or not the other fully accepted that, she didn’t want to face just then.
William told her so much in his touch. With the slight rasp of the shadow of his beard as he ran his chin against the sensitive skin where thighs met body. Delight trilled through her when he began to flick the underside of her swollen clit quick and hard with the tip of his tongue like some secret language.
She’d ceased to notice they were in public, ceased worrying about whether anyone would come up the nearby stairs. All that mattered was his mouth, his hands, their union of the physical and emotional.
Nell knew she was sliding quickly toward an orgasm—not just any orgasm, but a big one. It built in her toes, slid down from her scalp. Her thighs trembled against his palms as he held her open.