by Jodi Redford
She’d stripped the meat of her wanting from the bone, convinced she couldn’t be hurt anymore. But there were days still when she would creep toward that padlocked cage and stare wistfully at its contents. The painful truth of it surged within her, making her nauseous.
“We can make it all go away, sweet Clarissa. This endless cycle of wanting. Here you will have everything you’ve dreamed of. We will be the family you’ve always longed for.”
Another blast of that odd, saline-marinated breeze swooshed through, scattering the remaining mist. She blinked as the enormous cavern surrounding her was unveiled.
A massive lake ebbed hundreds of feet below the outcropping where she and Seven’s corporation of personalities stood. The black, oily water seethed with a sick vitality, as if it were alive and ravenously seeking whatever food source fed its evil power. Now and then, thick clusters of fireballs erupted from the waves, their red-hot glare sending off massive amounts of heat. Along the nearby shore, she noticed the condemned souls being herded toward the lake’s edge by six of the sins. She whirled, her gaze colliding with Envy’s.
“There is nothing to fear, sweet Clarissa. We will be together.”
Forever.
She woke with a jerk, her heart galloping out of control and the sheets a sweat-sodden, tangled mess imprisoning her calves. The sensation was too similar to her otherworldly chains, and she panicked, flailing her legs wildly to escape.
“Baby, easy.” Logan’s arms wrapped around her, tugging her against his chest. He brushed aside the snarled straggles of hair that’d fallen in her face, his eyes flashing his concern. “What is it?”
She gaped at him, the uneasiness refusing to release her from its tenacious grasp just yet. A gust of wind fluttered the curtains, bringing with it a salty essence vaguely reminiscent of the one from her dream. Remembrance slowly came floating back. Logan had brought her home with him last night, after their intense coupling in the store. Which meant she was in his bed, not trapped within some cavern of death. Her pulse easing back to normal, she rubbed her forehead. “Sorry, I had a nightmare.”
“Shit. It must have been a doozy.”
You can say that again. She dropped her hand and eyed the damp bedding. “I really made a mess of things.” In more ways than one. She didn’t want to think about the revelations from her dream and the glaring, hideous insights it’d delivered, so she pushed up from the mattress instead and began straightening the sheets.
Logan watched her the entire time, the tenderness in his gaze more than relaying his worry. “Do you want to talk about—?”
“No.”
His chest sank with his frustrated exhale. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, steeling himself, before he stretched his arm toward her. “Then at least come back to bed and let me love you up.”
Old defensive wounds recently ripped open from her nightmare stalled her from immediately diving into his embrace. But the lure of that secured cage of longings glowed like an irresistible beacon too. She took a tentative step forward, and then another. Her trembling hand brushed over Logan’s waiting palm, and he closed his fingers over hers before lifting them to his lips and kissing each tip of her finger with a gentle reverence that filled her with a familiar ache. She wanted to give in to it. Oh goddess, how she did. And that very fact terrified her.
To want something—someone—like this was a weakness that could annihilate her to the core. More so than hocking her soul to Seven.
“C’mere.” His voice husky, Logan flipped up the sheet with his free hand and coaxed her in next to him. Hugging her close, he rained soft butterfly kisses across her brow and her closed eyelids. His warm breath fanned her cheek, her mouth, right before his lips skimmed hers, the tip of his tongue teasing for admittance.
Completely at the mercy of the sensual haze beginning to sweep over her, she parted her lips, giving a shaky moan when Logan’s tongue enticed hers into play. Snuggled within the warm haven of his arms, everything else faded to gray.
Abandoning her mouth, he trailed hot, openmouthed kisses down her neck and collarbone. His tongue dipped into the hollow there before coasting toward her breasts. Her nipples tightened in anticipation. A moment later, a series of wet, decadent swirls prompted her back to arch and her fingers to sift through the silkiness of Logan’s hair. His goatee softly scuffed her skin as he nuzzled her cleavage and groaned. He lifted his head, revealing the fierce blaze in his eyes. “I’m gonna eat your pussy.”
She was more than okay with that plan. Whimpering, she slid her thigh along his. He rolled her onto her back, but rather than trailing his mouth down her tummy, he reached for the knob on the nightstand. At first she assumed he was grabbing a condom to have at the ready. Which might account for her astonishment when he whipped out her trusty blue vibrator instead. She blinked. “How…?”
“I borrowed it from your stash the other night.”
“Borrowed?”
“Okay, maybe stole is more accurate.” He clicked the base to On and skimmed the device over her nipples. She sucked in her breath, and he took that as an open invitation to torment the aching nubs until she thought she’d go crazy from the constant humming on her flesh. He traced a lazy line from her breasts to her navel before scooting between her legs, his broad shoulders bracing her thighs. The vibe nudged into her slit, the electric pulses that rippled through her making her squirm and gasp.
A sexy half smile tipped his mouth. “Let’s see if I can give your dolphin buddy a run for the money.” With no further warning, he twisted the vibrator so the aforementioned attachment was nestled between the cheeks of her ass. Before she could adjust to that foreign and incredibly wicked sensation, Logan ducked his head and flicked her clit with his tongue. Her entire body jerked, the air trapping in her throat. She dug her fingers into the sheets, her knuckles cramping.
Logan pumped the vibe deeper, the fingers of his free hand twining with hers as his teasing flicker morphed into an intense devouring that short-circuited her mind and body. With the dolphin doing indecent things to her nether region, Logan’s mouth tugging on her clit and the rubber shaft throbbing inside her, she broke into a thousand pieces, almost passing out from the cataclysmic pleasure of it.
Easing his head back, Logan dialed the vibrator to a lower speed. Rather than granting her a reprieve, the weaker vibrations seemed to tantalize the over-sensitized walls of her vagina, triggering a never-ending tide of small orgasms that left her dazed. Logan stretched beside her, his palm gliding along her quivering torso. He massaged the weight of her breast. “Have you ever been double penetrated, Rissa?”
She stared at him, her mind immediately conjuring a vivid fantasy. Moaning, she shook her head.
“But you’ve thought about it. In fact, I bet you’re thinkin’ about it right now.” He rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, a sensation she felt all the way down to the beating pulse of her clit. “Know what happens to naughty girls with those kinda fantasies?”
The oxygen was trapped in her lungs, making it impossible for her to do anything beyond gaze into his slumberous eyes.
“They get a pair of hard cocks buried deep in their pussy and ass.”
His raunchy words sent a thunderbolt of excitement careening through her, and she cried out, her inner muscles contracting around the vibrator. Rising onto his elbow, Logan fucked her with the device, his cock swelling and dripping precome. “Do you have any idea how fuckin’ beautiful you are when you come? Makes me wanna stay in this bed all day and give you orgasms just so I can watch your pretty nipples bead and your skin go all soft and pink.”
She managed a laughing groan. “Something tells me I couldn’t survive an entire day of orgasms.” Not that it wouldn’t be enjoyable giving it a go.
He leaned down and gently scraped his teeth across the turgid flesh of her nipple. Soothing the sting with his tongue, he glanced at her. “Can you survive at least one more? Around my cock and your blue buddy here?”
The question s
ent another flurry of pulses through her clit, and she writhed against the mattress. Yanking the drawer open again, Logan snatched a tube of lubricant. But not a condom. He caught her questioning look and took a deep breath. “You can tell me no and I’ll honor it. But the truth is I want to feel every warm, snug inch of your ass huggin’ my cock.”
She swallowed, the image in her head initiating another series of tiny quakes. Good goddess. At this rate, she did stand a good chance of dying from orgasm overload. But talk about one hell of a way to go. She bit her lip and returned Logan’s prodding gaze. “Do it.”
A low growl rumbled from him. Once again settling between her legs, he popped the cap on the lube and squeezed out a good dollop. He removed the vibe, giving him more room to work, and eased one slick finger past her puckered rosebud. She lifted her hips, aiding his motions, and he added another finger, scissoring the digits to work past the resistant band of muscle.
Having him buried to the knuckles inside her, knowing his cock would soon take their place, elicited a wanton thrill within her. She’d tried anal sex once, a long time ago, and hadn’t particularly enjoyed it. But something told her that with Logan it would be oh so delicious. Already, with just his fingers readying her, she was on the verge of climaxing yet again. That was the difference of having someone who knew what they were doing manning the wheel. And the fact that Logan was so incredibly patient, endlessly stoking the fire raging inside her, made it a million times more amazing.
Wanting to return even a fraction of the pleasure he was giving her, she scooted forward and reached for the lube. She dribbled several drops on the head of his cock before glazing her fingers through the slippery gel. She explored each prominent vein and ridge, reveling in the way he grew ever thicker and steely within her grip.
His fingers had stilled in her ass, and she caught him watching her motions, his eyelids heavy and hooded. He looked like he was struggling against the fierce urge to lift her and impale her on his cock.
Now, more than anything, she wanted him to do exactly that. Still grasping his shaft, she coaxed him back on his haunches and straddled his lap. She teased herself with the silky gland of his cock, running it over her clit and labia. His hot flesh felt infinitely titillating and wonderful in comparison to the vibrator’s lifeless rubber. The plum-shaped cap furrowed between the cheeks of her ass, bumping at her entrance. She angled her hips, and he slid inside the barest fraction. The stinging stretch made her whimper, and Logan’s fists balled on her thighs, his knuckles whitening. “Rissa, I don’t wanna hurt you.”
“You’re not.” Snagging her bottom lip with her teeth, she bore down, taking him deeper. A lush, decadent heat wave shimmered through her, making her shiver. “It feels so good. You feel so good.” And he did. Hard and unyielding, his veins a delicious friction on her sensitive tissues.
A fine tremor shuddered through Logan. His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing her jaw. “You’re better than perfect.” He eased her onto her back, pressing her knees toward her chest. A trickle of sweat sliding down his sternum, he stared at her. “You were made for my cock. Made for me.” He kissed her, his tongue thrusting deep, mimicking the slick advance and retreat of his shaft inside her ass.
She gasped, the coil of her approaching orgasm pulling tight.
“Don’t come. Not yet.” His chest heaving, Logan blindly grabbed for the vibrator. He shifted enough to allow room for the device and sank it home, powering it to maximum velocity—and her to brain-shattering climax. Starbursts of color and light exploded. They could have been real, byproducts of her magic or strictly hallucinations of her mind. She was past any ability to tell as she continued to convulse wildly beneath Logan.
“Fuck, yeah, baby. Come hard on those cocks.” He twisted the vibrator, making her buck and the cords in his neck strain. “I’m right there with you. I’m gonna fuckin’ flood your ass with my come.”
His husky vow hurtled her into a pinpoint of dark, consuming focus. The only thing that existed in that world was the flesh-and-blood cock pounding into her and the incredible pleasure it brought. Desperate to tug him into the abyss with her, she squeezed her inner muscles around him. His features tensing, he surged into her one last time, lodging to the hilt. A sound that fell somewhere between a shout and a primal howl tore from him as he throbbed inside her, his seed jetting free.
She stroked his shaking torso, hugging him tightly to her. Groaning, he extracted the vibrator and tossed it aside before kissing her, their hearts thumping in syncopation. Eventually his cock softened, and he reluctantly pulled from her. He wadded the edge of the sheet and delicately cleaned between her legs and lower. Oddly enough, the intimacy of the act made her feel more connected to him. Cherished in some small way. The notion left her uncomfortable, her vulnerabilities stirred, but she didn’t stop him.
Once he was finished performing the task, he snuggled her into his arms again and kissed her brow. “I wanna take you out on a date.”
“Why?”
“It’s what people do,” he said, dry amusement edging his tone.
It’s not what we do. They had sex. Safe, uncomplicated sex.
Her mind relived the intense experience they’d just shared seconds ago. Okay, she couldn’t deny that even the sex was moving further and further away from being simple exchanges of bodily fluids. Emotions were becoming involved, and that was dangerous. She couldn’t afford to crave him this way, long for a future that would never be.
As if he’d plugged directly into her thoughts, Logan caressed the nape of her neck, lulling her back into drowsy contentment. For a moment, at least. “You still owe me for stiffin’ me the other night, you know.”
Their anniversary dinner. She should have known he wouldn’t let her off so easy. “Fine. When?” It’d have to be soon, or he’d be out of luck. As if to torment her, Seven’s taunting words ghosted through her conscious. Four days, and you will be mine. A vise clamped inside her throat.
“I have to work tonight.” Clueless of her private turmoil, Logan brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Tomorrow.”
Refusing to dwell on her numbered days, she nodded, her fingers following the pattern of his tattoo. “I always wondered why you chose barbed wire of all things to get inked with.”
His hand stalled on her shoulder. “Do you wanna hear the official story I tell everyone, or the truth?”
She blinked at him, her curiosity piqued. “That last choice, of course.”
He sighed before angling his arm for her closer inspection. “They’re hidden in the barbs. You wouldn’t even notice if I didn’t tell ya.”
Confused, she peered at the intricate design. Sure enough, there seemed to be tiny letters secreted within each of the barbed points. She frowned, making out a C and then an L. With each new letter she uncovered, a terrible truth slowly blossomed inside her.
“It’s my name.” Afraid to meet whatever lurked within his gaze, she slid her focus to Logan’s chin. “I get it. I’m more than prickly—at the best of times.” It was no mystery that she tended to alienate others, particularly her familiars. That was part of the reason why it’d taken her three years to replace Griffin after she’d enlisted him to take over as Jemma’s guardian.
She’d seen the way she’d repeatedly wounded Griffin with her cold, standoffish ways. The idea of inflicting that pain on anyone else hadn’t sat well on her. But when she’d signed the contract with Seven, she couldn’t ignore the necessity of taking on another familiar. Because she wouldn’t be around to guide and train her replacement, the responsibility would fall upon her familiar. Logan.
When he’d knocked on her door seven years ago and arrogantly informed the other prospective familiars that they might as well hit the pavement, she figured that she’d found the perfect successor to Griffin and the answer to her problems. A familiar who was so ridiculously overconfident in his abilities—and himself—that her emotional distance and lack of ego stroking wouldn’t matter.
Obviously
she’d been wrong. She swallowed, distant shame cresting to the surface. “I never knew I drove you to brand me into your flesh. I’m sorry if I hurt you that much.”
“Shug, you’re only partly right. I did brand you into my hide.” His lips pressed into her temple when she flinched. “But it wasn’t for the reason you think. I did it because from the moment I saw you, I realized my heart was entangled.” His breath ruffled her hair. “Even then, I knew.”
The raw honesty of his confession whipped up a storm of conflicting emotions. Fear and panic. Happiness and joy. The warning bells in her head were deafening. She scrambled from his arms, almost falling off the mattress in her haste to put some distance between them. And distance from that golden cage of longings.
“Rissa…”
“I—I really need to shower and get going. I’m supposed to have breakfast with my father again.” And check that Janet had kept her word about the restricted visitor list.
“How about if I come with you? My shift doesn’t start ’til three.”
There was no way she could take having him there, the piercing ache of these disturbing feelings still too new and fresh. “I think it’s better if you don’t. He’s not been at his best lately. I don’t want to trigger one of his episodes.”
Logan gazed at her, his expression clearly displaying that he knew the only one suffering any episode at the moment was her. “Okay. Another time then.” Just as relief started to sweep her, he sat up, the sheet riding low on his lap as his shoulders leaned into the headboard. “But you’re damn well still goin’ on that date tomorrow night. You can’t keep runnin’ from me forever.”