Maslow's Needs

by Sheri Gilmore

  Instantaneous relief, but not gratification. Reality seeped around him, bringing more frustration and anger. She should be fucking him, not his brother. He should be receiving the full force of her energy, not Drayden.

  His fingers brushed the head of his cock. His balls tightened.

  His time with her would be here soon enough. Nolan settled back against the line of clothes and closed his eyes. He had all night.

  * * * * *

  The pressure on her nipple eased, and Drayden released her to lick around and under her breasts. Her skin throbbed and burned. Jessi clenched and unclenched her fingers, realizing she had handfuls of his hair. She eased her grip, but let the silken strands continue to slide through her fingers. Her breath released with a sob. “W-What did you do to me?”

  His head lifted to reveal a smile.

  Lucifer at his most charming.

  He licked her nipple once more; she shuddered. A trace of blood on his tongue disappeared into his mouth. Her eyes widened, and her gaze flew back to his.

  His eyes glittered around dilated pupils before he closed them in a look of pure unadulterated pleasure at the taste of her blood in his mouth. When he spoke, his voice sounded slurred. “I sucked your soul out through your nipples.”

  “Oh, my God.” Her throat burned and ached. She’d screamed and panted so hard her voice cracked with the effort to speak. She tried to get up, but Drayden refused to release her.

  “We’re not finished.” He spoke the words quietly, but she heard steel wrap around the velvet of his voice.

  “What more do you want?” Her heartbeat accelerated. She should fight, but deep in her mind a voice soothed her anxiety, telling her all was as it should be.

  He straddled her hips, pulling her hands above her head with one hand. He smiled again as he reached over to the nightstand with his free hand. A drawer opened with a rattle of the handles. He rummaged for a second, then came back to her with a long silk cord in his hand.

  Jessi shook her head. “No.” The terror of Molly’s death flashed through her mind again. “No, you won’t tie me down.” Ignoring the persuasive voice, she pushed and twisted to free herself.

  Drayden’s weight stretched the length of her body, forcing her to lie still beneath him. His fingers massaged her scalp, and his lips caressed her face and jaw. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.”

  “You already have.”

  “What?”

  “You drank my blood.”

  He snorted. “That was a sip, and you can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy every second of it.”

  She stiffened, but didn’t contradict what he said. She had enjoyed what he’d done to her and knew she’d probably beg him to do it to her again. Her eyes searched his, seeing the sincerity of his words.

  Dammit. She hated wanting him like this. Her bottom lip quivered; she bit it. A whimper escaped her throat.

  “Shh. Trust me, Jessi. The pain I’ll give will be your ultimate pleasure.” His eyes widened in the dim light. His voice surrounded her body and mind. She sighed, then nodded.

  He smiled and murmured soothing sounds, easing the silk cord around her wrists, drawing her hands together. His soft whispers and lips nipped at her neck. He drew the cord tight, and her arms stretched above her head toward the headboard.

  Why didn’t she fight? She frowned.

  “It’s okay.” He kissed her eyelids. “I’ll take care of you.”

  She shivered at the promise she heard in his voice. The memory of his teeth on her nipples forced a flood of moisture from her cunt. She heard him laugh.

  “So impatient; so ready.”

  The cord zinged along the edge of the headboard and pulled tighter. She flexed her fingers and was surprised to find she could move her hands easily, but not enough to break her restraints. She opened her eyes to find Drayden studying her. The smile had disappeared.

  The hazy glow slowly evaporated. Her gaze narrowed. “How did you do that?”

  He didn’t ask her what she meant. He shrugged. “Vocal persuasion combined with focal persuasion.”

  Goddammit! Twice in two nights she’d been hypnotized. So much for her protection spell. “Well, I guess my astral spikes didn’t faze you.”

  He laughed. “Been dabbling in witchcraft, Detective?”

  “Apparently not enough.” She looked at her bound wrists and tugged.

  Drayden moved above her, drawing her attention back to him.

  “If your psyche really considered me a threat ‑‑” He straddled her hips. “‑‑ and you performed the ritual correctly ‑‑”

  “We did.”

  He frowned at that. “Then your astral spikes would have activated.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her. A brief brush of his lips across hers, just enough to make her crave more.

  She pursed her lips together. “So, unconsciously, I trust you.”

  “Exactly.” He splayed his fingers in front of her face.

  The flash of ten long, blackened nails encompassed her vision. She swallowed against a new dryness that closed over her throat. “What are you planning on doing with those?”

  His teeth sparkled behind the fan of his fingers. One by one, he lowered them until she had a clear view of his face.

  “You liked them so much last night, I thought I’d let you enjoy them some more tonight.”

  He sat up, then stroked the nails of his fingers down the slope of her breast while his thumbnail stroked up the underside.

  Still sensitive from the oral abuse she’d received, Jessi hissed and arched her back in response to the shivery sensations across her skin. She tightened her abdominal muscles to ease the throb between her legs.

  He repeated the torture.

  She jerked her hands to stop him, but the silk cord limited her action. She clenched her teeth so tight her jaw hurt. At the third brush of his fingernails, she gasped and a sheen of sweat broke across her upper lip.

  “Please. Stop!”

  “You don’t like this?”

  “Hell, yes, I like it.” She twisted her hips. “It’s driving me crazy.”

  “How so?” He dragged his nails with excruciating slowness over first one breast, then the other.

  “Arghh ...” Jessi screamed and pulled at her restraints. “It ... you have to fuck me.” She raised her head between her arms and looked at him. “Now.”

  “Right this second?” His eyebrow rose.

  Her chest heaved; her body burned. She’d kill him. She’d never begged any man to fuck her, and she wouldn’t start now. But Drayden Maslow drove her crazy like no other. He ruled at the top of the food chain. Giving orders was second nature to him.

  “Yes. Right this second.”

  She added the last because the look on his face said he didn’t like to be told what to do. He was a man who was accustomed to having his commands obeyed. A thread of excitement tingled across her skin to her clit. She refused to concede to his dominance of her. Yet.

  Chapter Eleven

  Drayden would give her what she wanted, but not in the order she had asked ‑‑ correction: demanded. Jessica Tanner had a stubborn streak he found refreshing and irritating at the same time. Not many people, especially women, questioned his actions or demanded anything from him. She did both.

  He narrowed his gaze on her bound hands. A little torture would do her good. “I think you need a lesson in patience, my dear.”

  Her nostrils flared and her gaze narrowed. The anger and excitement that reverberated from her to him spiked his energy level to an all-time high.

  He closed his eyes on a groan, knowing his magickal powers were at a peak. He could exist on the strength of her chi for weeks, but knew that if he didn’t turn off the conduit between them, the craving for her blood would take hold of him. With one small taste of her, he risked losing years of training to do without a donor. Years wasted with just one more taste. He clenched his fists against the hunger.

  He had to have more ... soon, or the
bloodlust would take over. The other danger of indulging in her too much and too often would be leading her into the life of a junkie. She would crave the energy exchanges as much as he craved her blood. The only difference would be she would allow anyone to give her that high, not just him. The flash of jealousy took him by surprise. He frowned.

  Deciding not to risk such a delicate hold, he grabbed her waist and flipped her onto her stomach. She would never forgive him if he made her dependent on his kind.

  She turned her head to look over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”

  Sweat peppered his forehead with the effort he exerted not to taste her. “I’m teaching you a lesson.” His fingers gripped her hips to pull her closer to his straining cock. The thin barrier of her skirt and thong panties teased his swelling flesh. He rubbed his dick back and forth along the cleft between her ass cheeks.

  Her head came up again. “We’re not doing that.”

  He laughed and pressed in closer. “I bet I could change your mind.”

  “No.” Her eyes flashed a warning at him.

  Drayden shrugged. “I’ll let you have your way, but one day you will give me that ass ... willingly.”

  She bit her lip, but didn’t argue. He knew then he could do whatever he desired with this woman. She might fight him, but she’d eventually give him what he wanted, because it would be what she wanted, too. With a growl, he flipped her skirt up over her hips and pulled her thong down to her knees.

  He might deny himself any further taste of her blood, but he’d be damned if he would pass on the taste of her pussy. First, he needed to teach her who gave the orders.

  He brought his hand down hard across her right buttock. Smack!

  “Oww! What the hell ‑‑”

  Smack!

  “Dammit, Drayden.”

  Her hips bucked between his knees, but he tightened his thigh muscles to prevent her from escaping.

  “Now, what was it you were asking me to do?”

  She threw him a look of pure hatred over her shoulder. Her nostrils were flared, and her cheeks were as pink as the handprint spreading across the pale skin of her ass. She opened her mouth, and he raised his eyebrow at the same time he raised his hand.

  Her bottom lip trembled, then she lowered her gaze.

  “Will you ... fuck me?”

  His hand came down. Smack!

  “What did you ask?”

  Tears glistened in her eyes, and she bit her lip.

  Drayden had to admire her determination not to cry. He watched her take a deep breath, then swallow her pain. A quick glance down revealed her excitement. Her pussy gleamed in drenched juices of desire. She might fight, but she wanted him.

  “Will you fuck me ... please?”

  The last word was no more than a whisper, but she’d said what he wanted to hear.

  “Good girl.” He kissed the red mark on her ass, letting his tongue swirl and soothe over her heated skin. “I’ll gladly fuck you, as soon as I’ve tasted that sweet cunt I’ve been smelling for the last hour.”

  She moved to turn onto her back, but he held her in place with his hands on her hips. When she stilled, he eased his hands to the inside of her thighs and pushed her legs further apart. He felt her shiver beneath his touch.

  He dropped his legs over the side of the bed and knelt on the floor, putting his face on an even level with her hips. With his thumbs, he spread her firm cheeks apart. A rich, musky scent teased his nostrils and, ultimately, his cock. Like Pavlov’s dogs, his mouth watered in anticipation. She wiggled her ass to signal her own urgency.

  Drayden leaned forward and swiped her juice-coated cunt with his tongue. The clean, acidic flavor forced a groan from deep within his chest. His mind whirled a second before he drove his tongue deep into her pussy.

  Over and over he speared into her moistness while the moans of her desire drove him further along the tide of pleasure. Never had he tasted anyone so sweet, so desirable. He couldn’t get enough of her essence. He rubbed his nose and tongue up and down her cleft. At the bud of her ass, he snaked a rigid tongue close and pushed into her.

  She tensed for a second, but relaxed when he rubbed his hands up and down her thighs. He bit the soft swell of her ass above her thigh, as a reward.

  A gush of nectar eased over his thumb lying closest to her cunt. He flicked his tongue-ring over her clit, then bit her again; she moaned.

  “Like that?”

  Her head came back. Long tresses slapped her back, and she hissed into the room’s darkness. “Yes.”

  “I bet you like this more.”

  Drayden rose behind her. He pulled her hips closer to him with one hand, letting his nails bite into her skin. His other hand tangled into the lush mass of her hair. Synchronizing his movements, he pulled her head back hard at the same time he thrust his cock into the hot confines of her body.

  The contraction of her vaginal muscles around his dick had the last of his control slipping into oblivion. He pumped harder.

  Her cunt sucked him in further.

  He pumped faster.

  Her moans became screams, echoing around him, forcing him to repeat the motion and strength of his thrusts over and over.

  “Goddammit.” Just at the point of no return, he realized he hadn’t used a condom. Grabbing the base of his cock, he pulled from the depths of paradise. Without halting his thrusts, he worked his dick with his hand ‑‑ hard and painful.

  Jessi squirmed in protest.

  “Put your legs together.”

  She complied; he eased his cock between her thigh muscles, leaving his hands free to pinch and tease her clit.

  “Okay, baby, squeeze me tight.”

  “I-I need you in ‑‑”

  “I know, but I have to get some protection.”

  The pressure of her thighs around him eased some of the throb, but not the deep, bone-shattering craving he’d experienced while inside her body. Leaning over to the nightstand, he grabbed a rubber. Pulling free of her thighs, he had the foil ripped off in a matter of seconds and rolled over the head of his dick. He grabbed her hips and, with one thrust, sank the full length into her. He closed his eyes, savoring the utter delight of her tight flesh wrapped around his.

  A tingle in his balls told him it’s time. He caught her thighs between his, slapped her ass hard, and resumed his thrusts. The tiny moans rising from her told him she was on the verge, the same as he. Catching her under her arms, he lifted her into a sitting position before he eased his feet onto the mattress. He shifted her weight and yanked the panties from around her ankles. The silk cord pulled tighter.

  “Let your feet rest on the bed and support your weight.”

  What in hell was he doing now? Jessi followed his instructions, biting back the smart remark that threatened to erupt from her mouth. Her butt throbbed from where he’d spanked her. Even though he’d made her wetter than she’d ever been, she wasn’t about to incur his disfavor again. At least, not so soon. Her feet pushed against the mattress; his arms tightened around her waist.

  “Keep your knees bent.”

  She nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her. Before she could answer him verbally, he thrust. “Ohh, my God.”

  Her hands clenched around the cord. Then, out of desperation, she clutched his arms, liking the play of muscles beneath her fingers. She tightened her thigh muscles in preparation for more of the deep, penetrating lunges.

  The crown of his cock burrowed deep into her cunt, rutting and burning all the way with the long, thick shaft close behind. She’d felt him deep before, but with this angle, the penetration could be experienced at an entirely new level of sensation and ... pain.

  Her legs shook, then buckled.

  Drayden’s voice, hoarse and stern, growled in her ear. “Get up.”

  “I-I can’t.” She reached out with both arms to support her weight against the mattress. “My legs won’t cooperate.”

  Taloned hands grasped her upper thighs, scraping skin in their haste t
o pull her toward him. She flinched, but didn’t cry out. Her legs slipped over the edge of the bed, forcing her to lie flat on her stomach. Her arms stretched taut.

  Drayden came up close behind her, still grasping her thighs, and wedged his hips between her legs. She scooted her hips forward to rise up onto her elbows, but he pushed her back down with the weight of his body on her back.

  “Stay.” His lips brushed her ear, and she shivered. “And don’t move. Understand me?”

  She swallowed the tinge of fear at the velvet threat in his voice. She would never admit how much he excited her with his domination. “Yes.”

  He licked her ear and neck. “Good.”

  With that, he eased his hands under her hips, lifting her higher, spreading her legs wider, and thrust. All in one fluid motion.

  A silent scream lodged in her throat as her mind swirled out of control with flashes of thought whirling in and out.

  Her body adjusted to the onslaught of his thrusts. The stirrings of an orgasm lay on the verge of her consciousness as the sounds of sex enveloped her ‑‑ damp skin slapping together, bursts of panted breaths, and deep guttural moans. The auditory stimuli combined with the tactile ‑‑ strong hands holding her, what felt like twelve inches of cock working in and out, fingernails biting to the point of pain.

  Jessi felt the tingle in her toes before it snaked up her ankles into her legs. When the tingle reached her abdomen, the spasms took over. Her head jerked back to allow a scream to jettison across the room and hit the adjacent wall. Halfway through, she felt the head of his cock swell. The sensation of fullness increased, as did her pain.

  His thrusts had pushed her forward on the bed, allowing slack again in the cord. She wrapped her hands around his upper arms and hung on for the remainder of the ride. He might be causing her pain, but the most exquisite pleasure coursed through her abdomen and vagina.

  He shuddered and groaned one last time before collapsing on top of her, crushing her into the soft contours of the mattress.

  Time had no meaning. A clock ticked in the distance. The skin of her arms cooled, but her body stayed warm; the heat he generated wrapped around her. She stroked the tips of her fingers over his skin, idly, letting her mind drift into a trancelike state. She blinked twice, then closed her eyes against a wave of exhaustion.