Shadows of Bourbon Street

by Deanna Chase

  “Holy fuck,” Kane said.

  I turned to him, noting the hard lines of frustration creasing his forehead and his determined stance. “We’ll be okay,” I said softly and cupped his cheek with my palm.

  Sparks shot from his skin into my fingertips, almost bringing me to my knees.

  His eyes blazed with molten fire while his pulse quickened. But all of that was minor compared to the raw desire streaming off him. It wrapped around me, caressing me with coaxing fingers, sending shivers everywhere.

  I wasn’t sure he knew exactly what he was doing to me, but his body was mirroring the trembling lust claiming mine. I wrapped my hand in his and dug my fingernails into his palm. “Take me home,” I said in a husky tone.

  His gaze shifted to my lips, and for a moment I thought he was going to devour me right there on the porch. But then he gave my hand a quick tug and pulled me toward the car. Once strapped in, he stared straight ahead and said, “Forget the house. It’ll take too long. I can’t wait.”

  “Hotel?” I asked and couldn’t keep the excitement from my tone, even though I knew we had more pressing matters.

  Kane didn’t say a word. He just put the car in gear and peeled away from the curb, leaving a trail of rubber on the asphalt.

  Chapter 8

  Kane sped through the streets of Coven Pointe. Instead of getting on the bridge to head back over to his house in the French Quarter, he headed west on US 90. He kept one hand on my knee. His touch sent a sensual spark straight to my center, and I struggled to not squirm in my seat.

  “Hurry,” I whispered.

  He kept silent, but his hand tightened and the car shot forward with a tiny burst of speed. At the second exit, he swerved and cut off two cars. Less than a minute later we were parked in front of a chain hotel that advertised free cable and continental breakfast.

  Kane cut the ignition but didn’t move to get out of the car. He pulled his hand away and gripped the steering wheel as if he was struggling to regain control.

  “Kane?”

  He hung his head but answered, “Yes, love?”

  “Take me inside before I combust right here in your car.”

  His head snapped up and damn, those eyes. They were so full of the desire and conflict he was trying to keep contained. But he should know better than to try and keep his emotions from me. They were almost an extension of mine.

  “Please. I want you to.”

  “But…” He took a deep breath. “It feels wrong. I don’t want—”

  I pressed my fingertips to his lips, stopping him from whatever he was going to say. “It’s not wrong. It’s you and me. And right now, you need me, babe. I can feel how much you need the physical outlet. Let me do this for you. I want you. This thing… it’s affecting me too, you know. It’s not wrong. With us, it’s never wrong.”

  “Jade,” he started, but when his lips brushed against my fingers, a groan came from the back of his throat. His tongue darted out, tasting, and then he wrapped his lips around my fingertip and sucked. A dart of pleasure hit me hard, and this time I moaned.

  My response only made him suck harder, and my entire body lit with fire. I needed to feel his hands, his lips, his skin. I needed it like I needed to breathe. His fingers inched their way over my thigh and slid upward. I wanted to beg for more, beg him to take me right there in the car, but we weren’t going to be able to get close enough. Good God, I wanted all of him and I wanted him everywhere. “Hotel, now,” I forced out.

  But my demand went unanswered. Kane’s hand moved higher between my thighs and his expert fingers pressed against my most sensitive spot. Pleasure burst through me and my hips bucked against him.

  “Oh Goddess,” I cried as I threw my head back against the seat. Breathing heavily, I grabbed at his shirt and pulled him close, our mouths barely an inch apart. “If you don’t get me inside that room in less than five minutes, we’re going to be breaking a few laws.”

  His eyes dilated and he pressed forward, crushing my mouth with his. Our tongues tangled, warring with each other, and then just as abruptly, he pulled away and jumped out of the car.

  I sat, clutching the edge of the leather seat, trying to come back to myself. Even though he was striding through the sliding glass doors, his touch was still everywhere. My neck, my thigh, my sex. He’d branded me and I couldn’t think. Couldn’t even move from the trembling desire consuming me.

  A knock on the window came out of nowhere and I jumped, hitting my head on the car roof. “Crap.”

  A young man in his early twenties smiled at me and gestured toward the hotel.

  I opened the door. “Can I help you?”

  “Hello, ma’am. Mr. Rouquette has asked me to escort you to your room.” He smiled again, his eyes kind.

  “Uh, where is Mr. Rouquette?”

  “He’s inside. He says he’ll meet you in your room momentarily.”

  “Okay.” This was highly unusual. I mean, the hotel wasn’t a roadside motel, but it wasn’t the Ritz, either. Still, Kane had gone in and this guy was wearing a hotel uniform. Who knew what Kane was up to? I grabbed my handbag and slammed the car door.

  “Do you need help with any luggage today?”

  I was about to shake my head no when I remembered I still had my wedding night bag in the trunk. And although I had a feeling my sexy lingerie would be pretty much a waste, considering the electricity already sparking between us, I fished the spare key out of my purse and popped the trunk. “Yes, thank you.”

  The bellman grabbed my bag and together we headed into the hotel. He escorted me to the top floor, and when we reached room twenty-eight ten, he knocked once before sliding the plastic key into the slot.

  Once inside, I tipped him and then stood alone in the middle of the room. There was a king-sized bed, plenty of down pillows, and a print of the New Orleans skyline on the wall. Nothing special, but nice enough.

  Where the heck was Kane? With nothing else to do, I pulled my sexiest Victoria’s Secret outfit out of my bag and disappeared into the bathroom.

  A few minutes later, I heard the hotel room door open.

  “Jade?” Kane called.

  “Just a minute.” I slid on my strappy black heels, the same ones I’d worn on our very first date, and then slipped back into the room.

  Kane stood at the end of the bed, his shirt off, holding two champagne flutes. The moment he saw me, his gaze traveled the length of my body from head to toe and back up again. When our eyes met, I felt a blush work its way up from somewhere around my belly button.

  “Nice corset,” he said.

  “I thought you might like it.” I smiled sweetly.

  “Take it off.”

  I raised one questioning eyebrow. “That’s pretty demanding. I thought you might like the pleasure.”

  His gaze dropped to my generous cleavage. He licked his lips. “I’d very much like the pleasure. But if I take it off you, there won’t be anything left of it.”

  My smile widened with anxious anticipation. “In that case…” I crooked a finger at him. “Come closer.”

  He shook his head, the muscle in his neck pulsing with barely constrained control.

  “Okay then.” I trailed a finger down my neck and over the swell of my breast. His eyes tracked my progress as I moved lower to the front silk ties. I fingered the silk, watching him. And when I saw him swallow hard, I tugged.

  “Off,” he commanded again.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Jade,” he all but growled.

  I brought my other hand down and loosened the ties just enough to slip the corset down. It slid over my hips easily and landed with a soft swoosh at my feet.

  “You are so damned beautiful,” he said breathlessly.

  “Your turn,” I said, standing before him in nothing but my heels and red lace panties.

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nbsp; His gaze dropped to the V between my legs and once again he licked his lips. Heaven help me if I didn’t almost orgasm right then and there.

  “Kane,” I said, my voice hoarse.

  He raised his eyes to mine and clenched his fists at his sides.

  “Your jeans,” I commanded.

  Something close to sheer desperation flashed over his face, but the expression disappeared just as fast. And in one swift movement he had his fly open and jeans off. Then he was on me, hands sliding up my thighs and over my hips. “This isn’t what I imagined for tonight,” he whispered into my ear.

  “It’s not far off from what I was imagining,” I teased and pressed my breasts against his hard chest.

  He shivered against me. “God, Jade.” Then that magical spark was back, dancing across my skin everywhere he touched me, bringing every nerve ending to life. His left hand came up my side, sliding over my breast, and kept moving up the length of my neck almost as if he was claiming every inch of me with his touch.

  I tilted my head back, arching into his touch, wanting that delicious rush to take over my entire body.

  And Kane didn’t disappoint. His lips touched the sensitive spot just below my ear, and he trailed hot, needy kisses to my collarbone, scraping and nipping with little darts of pain and pleasure. I grabbed at his shoulders, digging my nails into his skin.

  The fire burning inside me was more intense, more consuming than anything I’d ever experienced before. I couldn’t get close enough. I wanted Kane everywhere, over me, inside me.

  “Tease me,” I breathed and arched my chest up, bringing my nipple inches from his mouth.

  He smiled against my skin and nipped the swell of my breast harder. Then without warning he twisted me around so I was facing the wall. Both of his hands came up, cupping my breasts. His thumbs and forefingers closed around each nipple, squeezing until that glorious pleasurable pain shot straight to my center. I ached with intense need.

  “Kane,” I moaned and pressed my backside to him, needing to feel him.

  His length pulsed against me as he bit the nape of my neck. “I’m going to take you right here,” he said, his voice strained with need.

  I whimpered and answered by yanking my red lace down. Spreading my legs slightly, I bent and arched my back, giving him all the access he needed. “Do it. Now.”

  A deep, possessive growl erupted from Kane as he gripped my hip with one hand and ran a firm but gentle hand down the length of my spine. And then he was pressing into me, his fullness invading me in the best possible way. I rocked into his intrusion, my eyes rolling back in my head at the sheer bliss of having him inside me.

  Magic pulsed and swirled in my chest, making me come alive. The sensation was so new, so overwhelming that my head began to swim in a sea of pleasure and pure sensation.

  Then Kane’s hands moved, one teasing my right nipple, the other inching toward the V between my legs. My magic pooled and as he pumped into me, my power built and concentrated everywhere he touched and teased. The magic intensified with each tantalizing caress. Excitement consumed me and my body became tight with certain release until my magic spiraled into a crescendo of unwieldy power.

  Kane shifted, leaning forward, and slowed his pace. His breath was hot on my neck as he said in that sexy, hoarse voice of his, “Let go, Jade. I want to feel you lose control.”

  Then he slammed into me, over and over again. My muscles tightened, and powerful magic burst and shattered through me. Pleasure I’d never known gripped my body and crashed through me in never-ending waves. All the while Kane continued to thrust into me, letting me ride out my release.

  Finally I cried out and went limp against the wall with Kane still filling me from behind. He buried his face in my neck and kissed me softly, trailing whispered promises of more to come.

  “That was…” He paused to rain kisses on the other side of my neck.

  “Fucking crazy,” I whispered, leaning into the wall to hold myself up. I was so weak I could barely stand. And all the magic I’d built up had burst forth and seemed to evaporate into nothing.

  “Jade?” Kane asked, sudden concern in his voice.

  “Hmm?”

  “Are you all right?”

  I nodded and rested my head against the wall. “Just spent, I guess.” But as I shifted, I realized he was still anchored inside me, hard as if we’d just started. My eyes popped open and I pressed back into him. “Hey, you’re not done.”

  He chuckled into my ear and then pulled away, slipping out of me. The shock of his retreat left me shivering with loss. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to control the trembling.

  “Babe.” Kane wrapped his arms around me. “Come here.”

  I twisted in his arms, certain his incubus status was responsible for my current state. Yes, incredible orgasms tended to take something out of a girl, but this was more than that. Still, this was Kane, and despite my vulnerability, I felt loved, safe.

  He pressed a kiss to my temple. “Let’s move to the bed.” He lifted me up, and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist, holding on while he carried me.

  Pulling the covers back, he smiled down at me and laid me on the bed. As his gaze swept over my naked body, he trailed those tantalizing fingers of his down my leg and gently freed my feet from the heels I’d so carefully selected. He smiled at me and the tenderness in his eyes told me he’d remembered. I’d worn these on our first date. The night I’d twisted my ankle and Kane had carried me home.

  He climbed in beside me and tucked the blankets around us.

  “I don’t know why I’m so cold,” I said. The chill would not leave.

  “I bet I can warm you up.”

  “I’m sure you can.” I snuggled into him. Heat instantly warmed me from the inside out. “Wow. What just happened?”

  He shook his head and nibbled once again just below my ear, his hands roaming seductively over my bare skin. “It’s the incubus connection, I think.”

  Right. He was full of my magic now. “How are you feeling?”

  His smile turned lopsided. “Good, except I’m still going out of my mind wanting you.”

  Of course he was. He’d brought me to orgasm before he let himself go, like he always did. I ran a gentle hand over his cheek and gazed up at him with undisguised love. He was everything I ever wanted and, in this moment, I felt like we were true partners. He wasn’t standing by while I dealt with the crisis of the week. We were in this together, and if my magic helped him to do what he needed to do, I would continue to give it to him. I lifted my head up, bringing my lips to his. “I want to give myself to you.”

  “You already did, pretty witch.”

  I shook my head. “No. Not really. Or not totally.” Our lips met and the kiss started slowly, tentatively, as if he was trying to gauge how far I wanted to take this. But when my hands curled in his hair and I draped one leg over his hip, his tongue darted hard and fast against mine in a war of friction. Then he was on top of me, pressing his weight against me.

  That magic spark we’d shared earlier came roaring back, and although I’d expected the effect to be weaker, it was stronger. Much stronger.

  Kane pulled back, his eyes wide with both wonder and fear. “I don’t think we should—”

  I pressed my fingers to his lips. “Don’t think, Kane. Not now. I have something to give you. Please let me.”

  The look in his eyes changed and suddenly all my hesitation was gone. That live wire came to life inside me and with each caress, each touch, it only built. And when I spread my legs for him, he pressed into me in one smooth thrust, filling me so achingly deliciously that I let go of all control. My magic spilled from me to him and formed a shell around us. We moved together in a perfect harmony of love, lust, and desire. Then when he brought me once again to the edge of release, I tightened myself around him and cried, “Now.”


  Kane stared down into my eyes, his dark ones lidded with lust, and thrust once more, hard and deep inside me.

  My body spasmed and wave after wave of magic-filled pleasure crashed over me. But this time Kane didn’t wait me out. He thrust once, twice, and again a third time. Then he groaned into my ear. Our bodies shuddered together, but as Kane spilled into me, something else took over.

  My magic. And the intoxicating tendrils of power that lived deep in my chest rose and fell and then burst from me like a breach in a dam. As Kane absorbed the release, I could feel his wonder, excitement, and pure elation. It was a raw craving that was finally being filled.

  Still locked together, his body arched above me as if my magic rushing into him was too much for him to handle. All I could do was watch in equal parts awe and horror. This was my magic we were talking about.

  The realization brought me back to myself, and although I knew Kane hadn’t taken anything from me I hadn’t willingly given, I suddenly felt helpless. Empty.

  “That’s enough,” I cried and pushed him off me. I scrambled out from underneath him and clutched the covers to my chest.

  Kane rolled over and stared at the ceiling, seemingly unaware of my outburst.

  “Kane?” I asked tentatively.

  He turned his head and blinked a few times. Then he sat up and faced me. “Jade?”

  “Yes?”

  He reached out and ran his fingers lightly over my lips. The familiar signature of my magic tingled over me with his touch. “You gave me something precious. I intend to use it wisely.”

  “You’d better,” I said, still feeling hollow from my loss.

  “But right now, I need to give some of this back.”

  I glanced up at him, startled. He just smiled and leaned in to kiss me.

  Chapter 9

  “But—”

  His kiss cut off my protest. I automatically opened my mouth, welcoming him, but all the passion we’d built between us was gone. It wasn’t that I didn’t want Kane to touch me. It was that the all-burning need had been satisfied.