by Jessica Lee
“Fuck,” he rasped. “Hot and delicious.”
“You are so bad,” she whispered.
“You have no idea, baby,” he rumbled. Then his mouth was on her again. Licking, sucking her flesh, working his way up toward her throbbing bundle of nerves.
“God, yes,” she mumbled. “Markus.”
He circled the swollen nub with his tongue, taunting and teasing her. Her core ached. So damn empty. She needed his mouth on her. Needed him inside her.
“I-I…Markus.” She closed her eyes, unable to take it anymore. “Please…” The only word she could manage to utter, but it didn’t matter. He seemed to anticipate her needs. Knew exactly how to take her to the edge, dangle her there, then when she didn’t think she could take another moment, he took her higher.
His mouth closed over her clit as two fingers sank deep inside her. The universe zoomed into sharp clarity. Suddenly nothing else existed, nothing mattered except the male between her legs and the exquisite things he was doing to her body. A tremor rocked her, and her core clamped down on the thick intrusion. So incredibly good.
“Oh God…” she groaned. It was too good.
Alex’s back arched, and she could have sworn she’d taken flight. A scream resonated in her ears, a sound unlike anything she’d heard before. Yet it was her.
On its own accord, her pelvis rocked into him over and over again. She grasped for his head, pressing him tighter against the center of her pleasure. Behind her eyelids, stars danced. Her limbs were lighter than air, and she never wanted to come down.
“Markus…” His name was a moan inside her throat. She sighed, and gravity slowly regained its hold on her body. His fingers slid free from her, and the delicious pressure inside disappeared. She bit back a groan of displeasure from its loss.
She glanced down and met Markus’s satisfied smile. “You look quite proud of yourself, vampire,” she said, her voice hoarse.
“I am a male who takes pride in his work.” Bringing his hand forward, Markus slid two of his fingers into his mouth. His gaze never left hers as he proceeded to lick them in a slow and methodical manner. A process that said these are the digits that were inside you. The ones that made you come again and again. And you are delicious.
Dear God, the way his mouth, his lips, moved over his fingers… Her orgasm was too fresh, too recent. As if she were a junkie struggling through rehab, flashbacks of the way he’d drawn the pleasure from her clit slammed into her with HD clarity. She didn’t think it was possible, but her core pulsed yet again. She gasped from the stab of pleasure.
His fingertips left his mouth with a slight pop, then he was over her, staring down at her. Larger than life, the lethal alpha male surrounded her and had Alex struggling for her share of the oxygen in the room.
“Markus…” She panted. “The things you do to me.” She shook her head, trying to clear the buzz inside her skull.
“You’re so damn gorgeous when you come.” His voice oozed pure testosterone. It was the kind of sound that, if she hadn’t already been naked beneath him, she would have been dropping her panties. “I could do that all night long.” He skated a kiss across her lips. “Listen to you scream my name as your body trembles. So damn hot.”
Alex moaned. “I want you,” she whispered against his cheek, the stubble scratching her and sending chills in its wake. “Let me do the same for you.” She clutched his shoulders, pressing him back.
The hard ridge against her thigh said he was more than ready for his own release, and Alex couldn’t wait to be the one who got him there. She scooted out from under him, turning onto her side, and snagged the hem of his shirt. Markus covered her fist with his hand.
“Not tonight,” he said, stopping her cold.
“But…” How could he not need this? Her mind went back to the previous time they’d been together and he’d helped to bring her to her first orgasm. He’d walked away then as well. “I want to,” she said. She glanced down at the obvious and significant bulge in his pants. “You can’t tell me you don’t want it.”
“Of course I do.” He squeezed her hand. “But you’ve just recovered from a pretty bad stab wound. Let my blood do its job and rest tonight.”
“I feel fine.” She frowned. “I’m not that fragile.”
“Yes, I know you’re fine.” He grinned, leaned in, and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Fine as hell.” Withdrawing, he added, “This was about me pleasuring you.” Before she could object again, he rolled from the bed and onto his feet. “Later.” He strode around the bed and toward the bathroom. “Rest, Alexandria,” he called at the door. One arm came up, his hand capturing the doorjamb before crossing the threshold, but he didn’t look back. “What I told you tonight—about my past—I want you to know I’ve never shared with another soul. Not even Arran.” He closed the door.
Alex flipped over onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. Her mind whirled at the revelation. She’d actually glimpsed and touched the real Markus Santini. He’d opened up and allowed her to see the dark stains and scars on his soul.
There was good reason why Markus had so easily hardened and become Marguerite’s lethal weapon. The seed had already been planted by his father. The man had forced him at a young age to become a killer. But he was capable of so much more than being the hand of death. Deep inside, she knew he possessed the ability to feel compassion for others.
For him, she’d let her guard down.
And oh my God, she’d enjoyed every minute of it. Mentally, she screamed into the thick padding of feathers. She hadn’t been prepared for the pleasure he’d brought to her body. Worse, she hadn’t been ready for the feelings constricting her heart like a fist when he’d closed the door.
Alex rolled onto her back and smoothed a palm over her sternum. Blowing the hair out of her eyes, she stared up at the ceiling. She refused to put a name on the cauldron of emotions feeding the tightness in her chest.
What the hell have I done?
Chapter Seventeen
Markus couldn’t sleep.
He sat with his legs propped up in the spare chair, his eyes closed, but he was very much aware. The steady drum of the shower in the other room filled his ears, torturing him with images, fantasies, of what moved under the water’s spray: Alexandria, naked, her skin glistening as water sluiced down her back.
Groaning, he repositioned, unable to shake the mental picture. His cock jerked, and he grunted from the relentless ache inside his balls, no matter how many times he jerked off.
After their encounter, he’d had to relieve some of the pressure when he’d bathed, but the reprieve had been only temporary. The moment he’d stepped back inside the bedroom, the scent of her arousal lingering in the small space, a wave of desire had hit him with hurricane force. He’d been a kite in a whirlwind of lust no longer able to control which direction he blew. And Alexandria was the eye of the storm. His calm center. However, if she knew the whole story about the monster in her bed, she’d send him crashing back down to earth.
Yet when she’d drawn him into the bed with her, there’d been no way he could resist touching, tasting, and pleasuring her. Watching her come with her flavor on his tongue had been intoxicating. No other drug on the planet could compare. One taste, and he was addicted. If he lived for the next millennium, bringing her to orgasm every night, it still wouldn’t be enough. He would never get enough of Alexandria. But she was an addiction he had to escape.
Once this was all over and he knew she was safe, he had to let her go. That was why he refused to ever permit himself inside her. He couldn’t allow things to ever go that far. If he ever spilled his seed within her, felt the tight walls of her pussy squeezing his cock—and he knew she’d be tight as hell—no one would ever take her from him.
He was a son of a bitch. A murdering bastard. He deserved every nasty name in the book. But he wasn’t so much of a dick that he’d condemn a female he cared about to a life with him. Fuck. She’d done this to him. Gotten under his skin
and forced his heart to open, to feel. But he didn’t know how to do this. How to care so damn much without pulling her into his darkness.
The sound of the shower on the other side of the door slowed to a trickle, and the faucet released its familiar squeak having successfully cut off the flow. Alexandria shouldn’t have been awake this early. Based on the lingering fatigue in his limbs, the sun hadn’t fully set. But the last two days hadn’t actually been typical.
Markus stilled his movement, staring at the nothingness behind his eyelids. With any luck, she’d climb back into bed and rest a little longer. Then once darkness fell, he had business to take care of.
Namely, hunting down Enrique.
Putting an end to the disastrous chapter of his life titled “Marguerite.”
Alexandria didn’t deserve to live with a target on her back because of his past. Markus coiled the sheet around his fingers. “I swear, Vixen, with every fiber of my being,” he whispered into the shadows. “I’ll set things right. I’ll make sure any threat to your safety is eliminated—permanently.”
It’s what he did best. His father had made sure of it.
The bathroom door clicked and opened. Alexandria barely made a sound as she padded across the floor, then cool fingertips glided over his bare abs. His breath stalled, and her hand roamed south.
Oh fuck. What was she up to?
Her palm settled on his fly covering the swollen ridge of his cock, and his brain short-circuited.
“Alexandria…” he forced out through his clenched jaw. His eyelids popped open, and he captured her wrist. Although the voice inside his head roared for him to allow her access.
“I don’t know why you didn’t join me in bed this morning.”
“You needed rest,” he grumbled, her palm not budging from its resting place on his erection. “Not something more.”
“Well, it’s been hours, and I’m feeling much better.” Her free hand traveled over the tats along his arm.
“The sun hasn’t set yet. You shouldn’t even be up.”
“My dreams wouldn’t let me sleep,” she said. “My mind kept replaying what happened last night.” She lifted her leg and inserted it between his. Markus dropped his feet from the chair and pushed back, giving her more room between his thighs. “And what didn’t happen last night,” she added, a seductive smile playing on her mouth as she went down on her knees.
Ahh, hell. He shook his head. “Vixen, come on. You’re not playing fair.”
“I think I’m playing more than fair.” She knocked his hold away from her wrist and proceeded to open the button to his jeans right before she lowered the zipper.
He should stop her.
A decent man would get his ass out of the chair.
Alexandria reached inside and delicate fingers wrapped around the end of his cock. She pulled it free, dragging a groan from his throat in the process.
But since when had he been a good and decent man?
Glancing up, she ran her hand up and down the shaft. He moaned.
“Damn, what am I going to do with all this?” A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Lips he knew felt like the delicate petals of an awakening rosebud. Dewy soft, waiting for that first kiss of sun and rain. “I can barely get my fist around you.”
Opening wide, Alexandria sank her mouth over the flared head. Silky, wet heat engulfed him, and he seized the arm of the chair with his fists. The wood released a loud pop under the pressure.
“Shit…”
Lower and lower she traveled the length of him until the head of his cock bumped the back of her throat. Holy fuck. His balls jerked, drawing tight. No way would he last with her. Not like this. He was too hot. Too hot for her, for too long. But damn, watching her go down on him…a fantasy come to life. An unreal moment in time.
She coughed and drew back, spiraling her hand back up his length. At the top, she glanced up from under her lashes and flattened her tongue along the back of his cock. Watching him, she slowly worked the sensitive underside in small circles.
“That’s it,” he hissed, and his head lolled. “Christ. You’re killing me.”
Up and down, she moved over his shaft, her palm gently squeezing his length as she tortured him with her tongue. Teasing him. Drawing him so damn close, then backing off.
His breathing reduced to harsh pants. Her tongue dipped into his slit, and Markus reared his head.
“You taste so damn good,” she mouthed over him, her lips caressing the sensitive flesh.
Cum raced to the forefront of his cock, ready to blow. He growled and seized the base of his shaft with his fist, shutting down his orgasm. “Son of a bitch!” he gritted out, and kicked his chair back away from her.
Not like this! He wouldn’t come like this with her.
“Markus!” she cried out from her position on the floor, her eyes wide with confusion. “I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong?”
“Fuck, no, baby,” he said, his words guttural, and tugged her onto her feet. “I want you too damn much.”
He claimed her mouth with his own, the taste of his pre-cum on her tongue. Her hands were on his back, nails biting into his flesh. Gripping her hips, he ground his erection against her, desperate for the feel of her.
Unable to take another second without being inside her, Markus broke away. “Need you.”
“God, yes,” she gasped.
Dizzy and frantic with need, Markus guided her around. Placing a palm between her shoulders, he bent her over the side of the bed. She’d dressed in the thin slip of a nightshirt he’d brought back for her, the hem stopping at midthigh. He grabbed it, yanked it up, and exposed her bare bottom. His cock throbbed at the gorgeous sight of her pussy, the folds swollen and glistening with arousal. For him. He cursed, barely able to draw enough oxygen into his lungs from the heavy burden of lust pulling him under.
“Dammit, Markus. Don’t stop.”
Grabbing the aching girth of his cock with one hand, his other braced on her hip, he moved in closer. The head of his shaft nudged her heated core, arcing another bolt of desire up his spine.
“Please,” she muttered. “It’s okay. I want you.”
It’s okay. Her simple two words of validation echoed inside his skull. It’s okay.
But taking her wasn’t okay. Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes. She’s not yours to possess. If Alexandria knew what he’d done to her, this would never be okay.
Summoning every thread of control, Markus stumbled back.
“Shit!” He swiped a hand down over his face and spun around. He had to get some air. Needed air that wasn’t drenched in her scent. He bolted for the door to the upstairs and swung it open.
“Markus!” she called out. “Where are you going?”
Taking the steps two at a time, he charged for the surface. The only thought on his mind: escape. If he didn’t, there was no way he wouldn’t be buried to the hilt inside her.
On the first floor of the cabin, Markus targeted the front door. Footsteps pounded on the stairs behind him. He had to get out. Markus flipped the dead bolt and snatched the doorknob.
“Don’t you dare cut out on me!”
Closing his eyes, he sighed. “Let me go, Vixen.”
“Why?” she croaked. “I don’t understand. What did I do wrong?” Her voice sounded strained. Hurt.
Fuck. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her even more. It was the one thing he’d tried to avoid. Rearing back an arm, Markus swung forward and slammed his fist into the wood. He slapped both palms onto the battered door and hung his head between his arms. “It’s not you,” he groaned.
“Isn’t that what they all say?” she scoffed.
“I’m telling you the truth.” Facing her, he pressed his back to the door.
“Then I don’t get it.” She shook her head, padding closer.
His pulse thrummed at her approach, still too high off her scent. He curled his fists, needing the strength.
“Your body tells me you want me.
” Her focus lowered to the hard evidence between his legs. “But you won’t touch me.” Her throat worked. “At least not in that way.”
“I can’t,” he bit out. “End of story.”
Alexandria’s eyes flashed, and she bridged the gap between them. “The hell that’s the end of it! You can’t just do that to me and expect I’ll walk away without questions. You have no idea what it cost for me to—”
“To what?”
“Never mind.” She reversed course.
“No, you don’t.” Markus pushed away from the door and captured her before she could escape. “Tell me.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She shook him off.
“Sorry.” He grasped her shoulders and spun her back around. “You don’t get a pass that easily, not after you had me spilling my guts last night.”
“You just blew me off like I wasn’t good enough for you to actually take to bed, and now you expect me to open up?” She slammed her palms into his chest, knocking him back, and stormed toward the basement stairs. “Go to hell.”
“Dammit!” He descended the staircase after her.
“Leave me alone,” she shouted the moment he crossed the threshold. “You wanted away from me so damn bad, get out!”
“You don’t understand, Alexandria.” He tried his best to be patient, which defied the core of his being, as he edged toward her. Except the vixen countered his every move. “Would you stand still for one minute while I try to talk to you?”
“Shoe’s on the other foot now, asshole.” She sneered. “How the hell does it feel?”
A spark of anger ignited, but he quickly snuffed it before it burned out of control and he said something he didn’t mean. He needed to stay calm. Bracing his hands on his hips, he mentally started a countdown from ten. At least the momentary battle between them had quenched some of his lust, allowing his brain to function at a higher capacity than early caveman.
“Sucks, doesn’t it?” she added, crossing her arms and planting herself in one position. “Start talking.”