Shadowwalker

by Rhonda L. Print

  Raven placed a finger under my chin and lifted my face to his. “Did you ever act upon it, Zen?”

  The first tear caressed my cheek. “No!”

  “And that is why you are afraid of the dark?”

  “Yes.”

  He leaned closer and swiftly kissed my tear away. “I have been in the dark for a thousand years, Zen. Until you…”

  His lips ravaged mine once again, tongues dancing, lips melding together and the delicious taste of him flooding my senses.

  Without breaking the kiss he stood, bringing me with him. The motion was fluid and effortless, and I relished in the feel of his muscles flexing beneath my fingertips.

  He swiftly moved up the stairs, his lips leaving mine only long enough to close the sliding door to the underground.

  I moaned into his mouth as he set me on the bed. His fingers lingered at the sliver of skin between my shirt hem and waist of my jeans. “Talk to me, Zen,” he breathed into my mouth.

  I pulled my head back and looked at him questioningly.

  “You haven’t said a word about my admission that I wanted to restrain you.”

  I couldn’t help the slow smile from creeping across my face. “Yes.” I kissed him again. “I believe I said I’d try the things that suit me.”

  His eyes widened in surprise as one side of his mouth quirked into a sexy half smile.

  “And what suits you?” He cocked his head with a look that said he wanted to eat me alive.

  “Let’s find out.”

  Raven sank down onto me, supporting his weight with his arms as he lowered his mouth to mine and hovered there. His tongue darted out and slid across my lips. “I’ve wanted to do that from the moment I first saw you,” he breathed. He kissed me then, a soft, sweet sucking motion that drew a moan from me. His lips moved to the soft spot just behind my ear and then trailed light kisses along my jaw.

  I let my fingers glide up his back, caressing him, enjoying the feel of them as they tightened and bunched beneath my touch.

  His lips moved down my neck as his fingers pushed up the hem of my shirt. He moved slowly, skimming my skin until I felt as if I was on fire with need. “I hope you haven’t grown attached to this shirt,” he said before ripping it down the middle and exposing my skin. He leaned back and gazed down at me, his fingers tracing the edges of my bra. “So beautiful,” he crooned before his lips followed the path of his fingers and down my stomach. “Oh, I like this.” He tugged at the jewel in my belly button lightly with his teeth. “I like this a lot.” He sucked it into his mouth and then swirled his tongue around it as I moaned at the ceiling in anticipation, my hands digging into his hair.

  He licked the edge of my skin while he undid the button of my jeans and oh-so-slowly unzipped them. He peppered my newly exposed skin with light, teasing kisses as his hands slid behind me, sliding down my jeans and taking my panties with them. I kicked them off and looked down my body to see Raven as he ran his nose up and down the apex of my thighs. With a growl he pushed my legs apart, leaving me open and susceptible. I tensed instinctively and propped myself up on my elbows.

  Raven’s eyes met mine in an unspoken question.

  “I’ve never allowed myself to be so vulnerable before,” I muttered, slightly embarrassed.

  “So no one has ever kissed you here before.” His face was alight with mischief and wonder.

  “No.”

  “Jesus, Zen. What you do to me. You are so bewitching.”

  His tongue darted out and I watched as he stroked it against me, tentative at first and then each swipe growing more urgent. When he buried his face between my legs and suckled on my clitoris, every nerve ending in my body danced with delight. Eyes closed, my head fell back to the pillow as he thrust his tongue into me, alternating between long sensuous licks and swift stabs, making love to me with his hot, wet tongue.

  I panted, desperately trying to control my breathing as everything else spiraled out of control; the coil of desire winding tighter and tighter.

  Raven was relentless, and I writhed and danced underneath his expert tongue as it circled around and around, all the while his eyes stayed pinned to mine.

  “Come for me, Zen. Let me taste you.”

  He sucked on the most intimate part of my body and then flicked his tongue out and gave me one last long stroke, and my world shattered around me as I called out wordlessly.

  When my senses returned, Raven was lying at my side, his fingers trailing along my stomach in slow circles.

  “Do you trust me, Zen?” He looked up at me, his eyes the color of a storm cloud, and a wicked smile touched upon his lips.

  “Yes,” I whispered, surprised that my voice was still filled with need.

  He rose out of bed and I reached for him, grabbing him by the waist of his jeans and yanking him toward me. I needed to see him, feel him, taste him beneath my tongue. I undid the button and slid down his zipper, pushing at his jeans until he sprang free. He was glorious, hard, and all mine. “Zen…” he managed before I took him into my mouth and straight to the back of my throat. I sucked hard and was rewarded with a small groan of pleasure. I swirled my tongue around him and gripped the back of his ass, thrusting him farther into my mouth.

  “Whoa, little one. I don’t want to come this way, this fast. I am far from finished with you.” His breath was raspy, voice husky with desire.

  Desire for me.

  I released him but couldn’t help the smile of triumph from spreading across my face.

  I had the same effect on him that he had on me.

  He stepped out of his jeans. “Close your eyes.”

  I took a moment to admire the view. Raven was tall, lean with a V cut that led to a drool-worthy sight. He was large, in both length and girth, and had just the slightest curve to him.

  He pursed his lips and then tsked me. “Oh, little one, I’ll have to make sure you close your eyes.” He reached into the closet and produced the blindfold, and then slowly stalked back to the bed looking every inch the sexy predator that he was.

  Chapter 14

  I was suddenly alarmed as he brought the cover to my eyes and reaching up to halt his hand said, “Will anything hurt?”

  His eyes flew wide with horror, and he sank to his knees on the side of the bed. “God, no! I would never, could never cause you harm.” He trailed the back of his knuckles along the side of my cheek. “This is all for our pleasure, little one. Not for pain. It will be intense, but if it is too much, just tell me to stop and I will.”

  My body relaxed all at once; like a balloon deflating, the tension just left me and I smiled up at him. “That’s why you asked if I trusted you.” It was a statement, not a question.

  Raven returned my smile, stood, and planted a soft kiss on my lips. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes.” His boyish, almost gleeful grin was the last thing I saw before the satin blindfold settled on me.

  I felt the bed dip beside my head and pictured him, one hand on each side and hovering above me. I could feel his lips linger a hairbreadth away from mine. The anticipation alone sent ripples of pleasure pulsating across my skin.

  “What shall I do with you first?” He brushed his lips against mine. “Hmm…”

  I felt him move off the bed and listened intently; my mind whirled with the question of what he was doing, what he would do next. I lay on the bed, totally naked, unable to see, and quivering with need.

  Holy shit! This was so fucking hot!

  I heard the rip of Velcro and muttered, “Restraints.”

  “I think you’ve heard quite enough.” Raven placed one ear bud in me and a slow, sultry song began to play. “Too loud?” he asked, his lips against my other ear.

  “No,” I breathed.

  “Good.” He slipped in the other ear bud, and I was now effectively blind and deaf, only the soft tones of the music filling me. He kissed me, his lips prodding and coaxing mine to open, and I obliged. As his tongue explored my mouth, his hand began to roam across my bo
dy, caressing my skin and setting it afire wherever he touched.

  He kissed his way down the angle of my cheek, my neck, and paused at each breast to suckle and tease before making his way down my stomach. He tugged lightly at my navel ring and I moaned.

  I could feel his smile against the flesh below my belly button, and then he nipped lightly and continued his journey south.

  Only his mouth touched my skin, and sensations were so much more because I could neither see nor hear him.

  His breath skimmed over my sex, and then suddenly he was gone. I groaned at the loss of his lips, and a moment later felt him intertwine his fingers with mine and lift my arms above my head. A soft fabric encircled my wrists as Raven secured them.

  Both of his hands skimmed down my body until he reached my thighs. He pushed them apart, and after a quick, teasing lick, moved down my legs. Grasping my ankles, he pulled me down the bed as far as the arm restraints would allow and then spread my legs wide and secured my ankles.

  I was spread-eagle, open, vulnerable, and pulsating with anticipation. I had never before let go of so much control, and my emotions ran the gamut from fear and trepidation to glorious wanton lust.

  Raven’s hands were on me then, massaging something slick, warm, and tingly onto my skin. He worked from the bottoms of my feet and slowly moved north; his thumbs grazed my clitoris as his fingers continued kneading up my torso. He stroked each arm in turn from the fingertips up, and finally both hands met at my shoulders and neck.

  Everything, absolutely each little thought left my head under the assault of the sensations Raven was causing. It was…liberating.

  My startled yelp turned into a low groan as Raven ran a vibrating wand across my breasts. Nipples tight and blazing with sensitivity, I pulled against my restraints. Over and over, Raven circled me, under and around my breasts in a slow spiral and then across my taut nips, ripping an audible sigh from my throat.

  The tempo of the music grew upbeat, again with a song I’d never heard before, and Raven’s motions grew quicker as well.

  He could hear the music too.

  His mouth covered one breast while he held the vibrator on the other. He sucked hard and then reversed sides while I panted out soft moans. The vibrating wand moved south, and his mouth trailed it, leaving wet, sucking kisses in its heated path until he reached my core.

  I wanted to see him, there, worshipping me, for that’s what it felt like, and thrashed my head both in revelry and an attempt to remove the blindfold.

  Raven stopped and removed one ear bud, proving that I was right and that he, too, could hear the music. “If you don’t hold still, I will stop.” His voice was throaty and breathless. “Do you want me to stop, Zen?”

  “No,” I breathed. “Please. Don’t stop.”

  He chuckled softly; it was a sound filled with both joy and satisfaction. “Then behave.” He popped the ear bud back in and lowered his mouth once again to me, and the vibrations became more intense, slowly winding the coil of need within me.

  With hard suction his lips left me, only to be replaced by the vibrations. Oh-so-slowly he circled the wand around me and then turned up the vibrating speed and ran it up and down my clit before sliding it into my opening. Up, down, in and out, he continued. Screaming, I bucked against my restraints, everything below my navel clenched in ecstasy and begging for release. The music escalated, reaching its crescendo, and just when I was about to explode around him, he stopped. All sensation ended, and I was left lying on the bed, covered in a sheen of sweat, with only my own frantic heartbeat pounding in my ears and begging.

  “Raven! Please!” I shouted through the short bursts of breath heaving in and out of me.

  As my breathing slowed to a normal rhythm, the sweet sounds of a piano filled my ears, and Raven’s hands skimmed my body from the tops of my shoulders down my breasts, hands splayed and kneading. He reached my hips and caressed them, sliding his hands under me to cup my ass and slide his fingers between my thighs. He traveled down to the back of my knees and back up, where his thumbs began a slow torture, matching the beat of the piano music coming from the ear buds. The vibrations began once again, directly to my clitoris and then resuming the up, down, in and out routine. My climax built much faster this time, my legs stiffening with my impending release. Raven added his mouth so it became a pulse of up, down, in, out, tongue, the pressure increasing. The coil of need and passion wound tighter with each motion, and as the music of the piano reached its fastest pace, my world shattered in white hot release of immense intensity.

  Raven kept the routine going throughout my climax, prolonging it as his hands held my hips steady to the mattress.

  When conscious thought returned, I realized why he had brought me so high and then stopped before I could come. It would not have been nearly as explosive as it was when he finally did allow me to reach my peak. The ear buds had been removed, my ankles freed, and Raven was untying my wrists. He rubbed some circulation back into my hands and then slowly removed the blindfold.

  “Welcome back.” He wore only a self-satisfied smile, and I beamed back at him for a moment before I remembered something.

  “You didn’t…”

  “I’m not finished with you yet. I want to watch your eyes as your carefully constructed control slips away while I’m inside you.” He swept a sweat-soaked strand of hair from my face. “Was it too intense,” he asked warily, “too much?”

  I couldn’t hold back my smile. “No.” I shook my head slightly. “It was amazing.”

  He captured my mouth and then shifted so he was hovering above me. I lifted my knees to give him better access to where I wanted him most and shuddered a scream when he pushed himself inside me.

  My over-sensitized body was still throbbing from my multiple climaxes, yet the feel of him filling me, stretching me, felt like I was finally coming home. This was where I belonged, where Raven was meant to be.

  He started slow, his groans punctuating each thrust of his body inside mine. “Can you feel it, Zen? The spark?”

  “God yes, Raven! From the first moment I saw you.”

  “You belong to me now, little one. I won’t let you go.”

  “I don’t want you to.” I had fallen for him. No, more than that, I was drowning in Raven with no desire to come up for air.

  I loved him.

  Chapter 15

  A blazing orange sky bled into pale blue and then midnight cobalt as the sun dipped below the mountain range. I was reluctant to go back out onto the balcony, but Raven assured me it was safe, that he should have been more careful, and in his arms, I felt more secure than I had ever before.

  He held me tightly, my back to his front with his strong arms wrapped around my body.

  “And you’re more careful now?” I teased, still holding the glass of water he’d given me.

  “I was distracted,” he said softly.

  “Oh.”

  Turning me in his arms and placing a kiss on my forehead he said, “Don’t be sorry, little one. I have only myself to blame.”

  “Still…”

  He shook his head. “No, Zen. It is me who is to protect you. I failed.” The ferocity in his voice sent chills down my spine. “It won’t happen again. Although,” he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me, “you are a fine distraction.”

  Distraction? I shivered against him. “Is that all I am?”

  “You should rest,” Raven said after a few moments. “Let’s get you back inside.”

  “I’m not tired,” I said, confused by his change in mood.

  “I have work that I have to attend to.” He spoke as he guided me to the bed. I sat dutifully and placed my untouched glass of water on the nightstand. Reaching down, he kissed me tenderly, lowering my head to the pillow. Just as I was surrendering myself to the kiss, he ended it. Abruptly he stood and dragged the covers up to my chin. “Rest.”

  “I already told you that I’m not tired.” My voice was filled with disbelief and humor.

&nb
sp; What was with him?

  “I will not argue with you. Now go to sleep,” he ordered, and then left the room. His tone was similar to the one my father used with me when I was disobedient.

  What the hell was with him?

  I’m not a child, and he sure as hell wasn’t my dad. I ripped the covers off me and stormed out of the room to find the hallway…empty.

  “Son of a bitch,” I muttered to myself and then marched down the hall toward his office. I reached for the doorknob and jumped, startled by the roar of his voice on the other side.

  “I don’t give a damn what Mouse thinks. If he thinks I’ll let him lay one hand on her…” A short pause then, “Yes I’ve searched her, there is nothing embedded under her skin. Of course she doesn’t know, do you think me daft?” Another pause. “I put it in her water, she’s fast asleep…”

  In my skin? He searched me? Betrayal ran thick and bitter in my veins. And what the hell did he put in my water?

  So that’s what all of that was about? Not attraction, maybe not even desire but some psychotic method of searching me? That would explain the “go to bed” order that I got. He’d done what he set out to do and now he needed me out of the way.

  I felt…used. I was utilized and placed back on a shelf to be dealt with later. My head ached, and I was suddenly bone-tired and weary of the whole situation. It was all just too much. I had to get out of here.

  Wandering back to the bedroom, I began to formulate my plan. I had about three hours until dawn broke. I just had to bide my time. There was still a couple of hundred dollars in my wallet and my credit cards. Since I was sure he’d be able to find me with those, I’d have to rely on the cash. He’d said he’d been watching me for months, so he’d know everyone I’d go to unless…

  Shit!

  I would have to find someplace I hadn’t been before and hide.