by Sarra Cannon
“I washed and waited. When you didn’t come, I thought you’d left.” Her hand was still firmly between her legs. Her cheeks flushed. Her wet blond strands dripping. Her entire body glistened with the water that was still spraying from the shower head. She shrugged, her breasts shifting with the movement. “I wasn’t done.”
“Well neither am I, not by a long shot.”
Phoenix pulled her from the shower. He lifted the hand that had been on her pussy and sucked on the fingers that had been inside her. Hounds she tasted good. Another growl was torn from him and his canines extended, reminding him that he needed to tread carefully. It wasn’t that she was a skin or even that they were risking pregnancy that worried him the most, it was that he had almost mated her. If his teeth had broken her skin while they were having sex, they would have been bound together. He couldn’t risk kissing her either. Aside from the risk of accidentally mating her, it would be better if they didn’t kiss because there was something about this woman that drew him in. He would fuck her again. Take her many times and in many ways, but come morning he would leave and make sure that their paths never crossed again.
Christ, he needed her again so fucking badly. Aside from the delicious aromas of cherries, chocolates and sex, she reeked of full blown arousal. So addictive. He knew that he should towel her dry and take her to the bed. Knew that he should take his time this time around and explore her body, but he couldn’t wait that long to be inside her. “Gaby, I need to fuck you again.”
Her hooded eyes turned to him and she nodded, “Sounds good.”
“I’ll try to be gentle.” He was already moving her to the vanity, placing her on the slab of marble.
She wrapped her legs around him and smiled. “I won’t break.”
He had to bend his knees slightly to position the head of his cock at her opening. “I’ll take my time when we do this again. I need you too badly right now.” She nodded. Her eyes dipped as he pushed into her. Her head rolled back and her lips parted. This time, even though she was impossibly tight, he sank home in one easy thrust. “Lean back onto your arms behind you.” He slid his hands around her thighs, trying to keep his hold gentle. She’d said that he couldn’t break her, which while true as a skin was not true right now. Humans could break easily. He needed to keep a handle on his demon. Phoenix repositioned her so that her ass was almost off the vanity. Using firm easy strokes, he fucked her while gritting his teeth to keep them from extending any further. Already his balls were pulling up in anticipation of his pending orgasm.
The pulse at the base of her slender, porcelain neck drew his attention. What the fuck was wrong with him? He longed to sink his teeth into her, to taste her blood, to bond with her. If he had been able, he would have pulled out and run from the apartment. As it stood, he was helpless but to continue. He pumped more furiously, his balls pulling tighter. Holding back his orgasm almost hurt and sweat beaded on his brow.
Gaby made the most amazing noises. Her eyes, so hooded that they almost looked closed, but he knew she watched him just as he watched her. Then her legs were locking tighter around him and her hands flew up, they clutched at his biceps. The first flutter of her pussy walls against his cock almost took him over the edge. He growled, clenching his jaw. She was moaning and with every thrust the flutter became a light squeeze and then she was screaming his name as her pussy walls clamped down hard on his cock. He roared as his semen jetted into her.
Sex had never been this good.
Chapter 3
Gaby crept into the Demon Control Agency operational headquarters using the back entrance. She really didn’t feel like running into anyone. She hoped that she wasn’t walking like a cowboy. It sure felt like it. She’d woken up to an empty bed after an hour or two of sleep, at most, after a night of marathon sex. They’d made love...make that fucked so many times that she’d lost count. He’d made sure that she had orgasmed every time. She was swollen and sensitive and needed to get to medical before going to file a report.
Aside from a pair of glasses, Doctor Devlin Taylor was nothing like your cliché mad scientist, he was pretty darned hunkalicious with a body that filled his lab coat. There were even rumors of multiple tattoos.
His nostrils flared as she walked into his office. Damn, even though she had showered, he could probably smell what she’d been up to last night. Sex without a condom left a scent on the woman for days after.
Devlin was a demon dragon. Most humans were oblivious to the fact that there were different demon species among them living inside of fellow humans. All fairytales, folklores, and myths had grounding and truth to them. Creatures like werewolves, vampires and trolls all existed although many of the details were just old wives tales. Such as that holy water killed vampires, which were actually known as demon bloods.
Gaby was still concerned that she couldn’t feel her demon inside her. The one that gave her, her powers.
“What can I do for you this morning?” His nostrils flared again as she took another step into his office. He leaned back onto his desk and folded his legs. If it weren’t for the bulging tendons in his neck, she’d say he looked the picture of calm.
“Don’t I smell a little different?”
He openly sniffed in her direction. His eyes narrowed before darting down the length of her body and back. Devlin did something she’d never seen him do before, he fidgeted, starting by folding and unfolding his legs. He stood and took a step towards her, then turned and walked behind his desk and sat down there. His eyebrows were drawn together in thought. “I’m concerned.” He left the sentence hanging. Devlin closed his eyes for a while, and then pinched the bridge of his nose for a few seconds. His eyes flew open. “I’m sorry, I’m being rude please”—he gestured to the seat across the desk from him—“sit.”
“I know, it’s a little strange isn’t it?”
“Have you come to me for an explanation or do you know what’s going on?” He adjusted his glasses, leaned forward, grimaced and dropped back again.
“I was hoping you could shed some light, Doc.”
“I’m sorry. I need to open a window. I’m not going to be able to carry on with this conversation otherwise.”
What the hell? “I smell like a human not some form of rotten cabbage smelling alien, even though that’s how you’re looking at me.”
His eyes widened in shock. “You’re right, I hadn’t even noticed.”
“Wait just a minute. Explain what it is we’ve been talking about for the last minute.”
“You smell really good. How do I explain this without sounding like a complete jerk?”
Phoenix’s words came back to her, he’d said that she smelled like food. “Edible?”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “It could be that you’re ovulating at the moment. In heat and excreting some sort of pheromone.” He swivelled in his chair and opened the window behind him as wide as it would go. “I wish we knew a bit more about demon skins.”
She wished she knew more too. Her people mostly kept to themselves. Elusive and highly dangerous. Skins were one of the demon species that often stepped out of line. She’d been raised by humans and had only found out who she was as a young adult. That was when she had decided that she wanted to work for the agency and had started her training as a Demon Control Agent, more commonly known as Demon Chasers. Once she’d graduated, she’d used the agency’s DNA database to track down her parents and had found out why they had abandoned her, why her whole race shunned her.
“You had sex last night and didn’t use protection.”
Shit. Her hearts stopped beating for a second or two before the first one started up again, the second following close behind. Pregnancy was the first thing that came to mind after a comment like that. The last thing she wanted was a baby to complicate her life. Phoenix had made it clear that he wasn’t interested in any kind of relationship. He was into humans. He didn’t want to be a father, especially to a half-breed baby. Gaby took a deep breath. Her plan had been to take som
ething to stop a pregnancy from happening before it could happen. Damn, she was babbling inside her own mind. “I don’t want a baby. You need to give me something please.”
“The best course of action would be to do an ultrasound to check if you are in fact ovulating and then take action accordingly. Let’s not jump to any premature conclusions. We’ll also do a blood analysis, as certain hormones will be spiking if you are. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” Devlin took a jar of Vicks out of his desk drawer and dabbed some of the camphor under each nostril. He then took out a surgeon’s mask. “Please take off your shoes and lie on the bed,” his voice was muffled behind the mask.
She did as he asked.
“Great, undo the top button of your jeans and pull them down slightly. Lift up your shirt to just under your breasts.” He cleared his throat, donned a pair of surgical gloves and made his way to her.
The gel was warm, he used a gloved hand to spread it over her tummy before placing the head of the ultrasound wand thingy firmly onto her belly. Devlin moved the device over her skin up and down and from side to side before zoning in on a spot he seemed to be interested in. His brow was furrowed.
“Oh my, this is interesting.”
“What is it?”
When he didn’t answer, Gaby looked at the screen, trying hard to decipher what it was exactly that he was looking at, but all she could see were what looked like globs on the screen. Patches of dark with lighter areas.
“Alright, this uterus looks clear. No thickening of the uterus lining or swelling of the ovum.”
“What do you mean this uterus?”
“You have two uteri, Gaby. Please tell me that you knew.”
She shook her head. She was a demon for Christ’s sake, they never got sick and they healed quickly. This was probably the second time she’d ever been to the doctor.
“I’m sorry. It’s news to me too. I knew that demon skins always have twin pregnancies, and now I know why.” Devlin moved the device across her belly. “You have a single birth canal that splits into two uteri, each uterus only has one follicle and fallopian tube.” He paused, zoning in on another spot on her tummy. “This one is also clear. No signs of a pending or recent ovulation.”
At first she couldn’t respond, was too dumb founded about the news of having two wombs. Then the lack of any sign of ovulation didn’t ease her concern any. “I think I’d rather be safe than sorry and take something just to be sure.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I can give you a shot but I have to warn you, it’ll put you out of commission for a day or two.” Then he took on a worried look and removed the mask, grimaced and put it back on. He’d said that she smelled good, yet he was acting like ripe cheese had nothing on her.
“On second thought, I keep forgetting about your current human condition. The shot I was referring to was developed for demons and may be too powerful.”
“I may not smell like a demon, but I am one. I’ll take the shot.”
“I recommend that we take some blood and then monitor the situation over the next few days, if you show any signs of ovulating then we’ll give you the shot and admit you. I’d prefer not to take any risks.”
“Well, Dev, I also don’t want to take any risks. What are the chances of my falling pregnant if I take the shot?” This whole situation was bad enough when there was a small chance of her falling pregnant with one child, let alone twins. Even if that chance was as low as one percent, she wasn’t risking it. Not after having worked damn hard to prove herself as an agent. Not with a man who didn’t want anything to do with her.
“You’ll be sick, Gaby. Twenty-four...forty-eight hours of vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, severe cramping. Some species have reported bleeding.” His eyes were stern.
“Give me the shot.”
He shook his head, running his hand through his hair. “Fine.” He walked over to a small refrigerator in the corner and took out a small sealed vial. From a drawer to his right he pulled out a sealed syringe. Gaby raised herself to a sitting position and grabbed some of the paper towels to remove the gel from her tummy as she watched him skilfully assemble the syringe and needle and then draw the contents of the vial into it. She was just standing to button up her jeans when he waved his hand at her.
“Turn and pull your pants down a little.” She did as he asked, pulling the jeans down off of her left ass cheek.
“I said a little, not all the way down,” he sounded angry. She pulled her pants back up a tad. “I’ll do this on the condition that you keep your phone with you. I’m calling you every two hours to check on you. If you don’t answer, I’m sending an ambulance. Are we clear?” He swabbed the area on her backside.
“Yeah.” The needle stung as it pierced her skin and then some more as the liquid entered her system. Pain, not something she was used to. Where the hell was her demon? For just a second she closed her eyes, feeling guilty about the less than one percent chance that there could have been a life inside her...make that two lives. At least this way she would stop this before anything could happen. Before genetic material had enough time to become a life. The last thing the world needed was more unwanted children. Half-breeds at that, but she knew deep down that she was lying to herself. She did want children one day. If only things had been a bit different, she felt a lump rise in her throat and swallowed it down. Silly, because the chances were just so small. Maybe she didn’t know about having two uteri but she did know that skins only came into heat after they were mated, and even then it happened only once or twice in a lifetime.
“You have exactly thirty minutes to get home and in bed. Keep a bed pan handy. And, Gaby...” She had just finished doing up her jeans and turned to face him. “Keep your phone handy.”
“I will, thanks.” She set her watch. It wouldn’t do to become gravely ill before making it home. That report would have to wait. She was calling in sick for a few days.
— —
Gaby had just pushed the button to open her car doors when a voice behind her startled her. “Hi.”
She turned and almost knocked into a massive chest.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Tim.” The man was dressed all in black, as was required for sting operations. He was tall, built like a brick shithouse and was young. Must be one of the newbies.
She reluctantly took his hand. His nostrils flared and an uneasy feeling settled into the pit of her stomach. “I’m Gabriella. I need to go.”
“Please, no.” He had yet to let go of her hand. “Have coffee with me please.”
“Thanks, but no. I need to go home now.”
“I could come with you.” He looked shocked at the admission. “What I meant to say was dinner. Would you like to have dinner some time?” His nostrils flared again and his hungry gaze dropped to her breasts. She wore a sports bra and a black tank top but boobs this big were kind of out there no matter what the outfit, which was beginning to irritate her.
Gaby tried to pry her hand away, “Let go.” He did, but it was with reluctance.
“Look, I’m sorry, but I have to say that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. I...” he sniffed at her. “God, you smell so good.”
Something was seriously wrong with her. First those bloods, then Phoenix, Doc Devlin and now this newbie. All of them had told her how good she smelled. The bloods had almost raped her, Phoenix had fucked her for hours. He had acted like he couldn’t get enough of her. Kept promising that the next time he’d take it slow, but every time was with that same urgency. It had turned her on to know that she’d had that effect on him, especially considering he’d known Macy but they had never been together. He had wanted her, Gaby, not just what she looked like on the outside. Maybe she had been wrong though. There was something about the way she smelled ever since she lost her demon that was turning men just a little bit nuts. Even Devlin had treated her like the plague, although she now suspected it was because he was turned on by her.
“Turn around and walk away.”
“I can’t do that.” He licked his lips, his nostrils flaring every time he inhaled. He slid his hands around her waist. “I’m sorry. Oh God, please,” he sounded agonized. “I need you.”
“Take your hands the fuck off me. Turn around and walk away.”
He made an agonized sound. Tears had welled in his eyes and sweat beaded on his forehead. “My mother raised me better than this. I can’t take my hands off of you. I’m doing everything in my power to stop myself from tearing your clothes off.” Whatever was happening to her, it was getting worse.
She punched him square in the face, blood gushed from his nose. It momentarily broke the spell and he turned and ran. Poor kid, it wasn’t his fault. Gaby had to be certain though, she got into the car and locked the door, pushing a number on her cell phone as she did.
“Dev, sorry to interrupt.”
“Are you home yet?”
“Nearly. You said I smelled good yet you treated me like something that came up from the sewer.” For the first time in her life she felt her cheeks heat.
“Yeah and the point is?”
“Were you turned on by me?”
There was a moment’s silence. “Um yes,” he cleared his throat.
“How bad was it?”
“It was bad, really bad, even with the mask,” he paused. “I’m really sorry, Gaby. You know I view our relationship as strictly business and all that. I would never...”
“I know, Devlin. Chill.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank the gods. I’ll call you.”
“Thanks.” She dropped her phone on the seat next to her. There was no reason to feel so upset about this. She’d had fantastic sex with a gorgeous demon wolf, so what if he was only there because she was excreting something from her skin. Who was she kidding? She dropped her head onto her steering wheel. The thought left her feeling depressed. What was wrong with her? Men couldn’t keep their hands off her to the point of wanting to rape her, she was about to become sick for the first time in her life, and all she could think about was Phoenix and the fact that he’d only wanted her because of how she had smelled. Best she suck it up, she only had ten minutes to make it home. The first minor pang of nausea hit.