Sally sighed. “I guess most of us came here from a situation where using our abilities didn’t work out so well. Yeah, there are others here with power. No one ever says anything, so I’ve just kept quiet.” She grabbed Gen’s hands. “But I would love to get with you and Morgan.”
Gen smiled. “It’s a date. Speaking of dates, I’ve got to run. I want to knock down a few cobwebs and stash my dirty laundry before Vincent sees my place.”
“Speaking of cobwebs, have you got any condoms? Stay here, I’ll get you a batch. It’s good to be prepared, though Vincent strikes me as a guy who’s always ready.”
“You got that right,” Gen said, a wave of heat flaring low in her stomach. Right now, so was she, way beyond ready.
* * * *
Genevieve sat in her car for five minutes. This is ridiculous. No one lurked in her apartment, and she truly wanted to tidy up before Vincent arrived. She jumped out of the Honda and hurried up the stairs. The upper floor of an old house served as her home. It worked out nicely since the owner, who occupied the downstairs, traveled a lot. He was gone tonight, she saw. Good. Things could get noisy.
Tearing through the place, she flung clothes, books, and paperwork under the bed, into the closet, and anywhere she could find. She’d just run a rag over the bathroom sink and headed to the kitchen to make it more presentable when she bumped smack into Vincent.
Yelping, she dropped the rag.
“How did you get in here?”
“You didn’t lock the door. I thought I told you to wait outside.”
“I needed to do a little cleaning. I wasn’t expecting company, and I’m not ready.”
“I’m not company. You don’t have to be ready, but you do have to be safe.”
“There’s no one here. I’m fine.”
She stood inches from him and felt his breath on her cheek. His eyes darkened as he looked into hers. Tension rolled off him.
“And now are you sufficiently ready?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but he took her face in one hand and kissed her. Like they had not been apart these hours and picked up right where they’d left off in the woods. Gen moaned. Every fiber of her being burned with fire. Vincent pulled away with a gasp, pushed her front door shut with his foot, then picked her up and walked to the bedroom. He rolled her onto the bed. She sat up and started to pull off her shirt.
“No, stop. First, where is your phone?”
“In my purse, over there, why?”
He picked up her bag and handed it to her. “Turn it off.”
She dug it out and did so. Vincent pulled his from his pocket and punched a few buttons, then put it on the nightstand.
“No more interruptions. We’re going to slow down and take time for us. Now, stand up and undress for me, nice and easy. In fact, put on music and do it real slow.”
Gen bit her lip. A striptease? This hot man wanted her to do a striptease? He must have snuck into her mind as she danced around the fire.
“I could use a drink,” she said, rising from the bed. Suddenly tiny butterflies danced in her stomach. Vincent was used to wolf women. Probably ones with flat, hard stomachs, tight asses, and long legs. Gen’s body looked good, but not tough and hard. More like, curvy-in-all-the-right-places good. What would Vincent think about that?
“Me too. We’ll get there. Clothes off first. Do you have music? If not, I’ve got a few songs on my phone. I’ll put it in airplane mode so it won’t ring.” He moved a pile of papers from a chair in a corner and sat, legs spread and hands on his knees, waiting.
Gen glanced around the room. At least it was dim, with only the glow from a streetlight outside her window shining through the blinds. Not trusting what he would come up with in the way of music, she pondered a moment. Most of her tunes were MP3, but she still had some music on CDs. She did, in fact, have a whole disc of what she called Simply Sexy, songs she’d put together for amorous nights. Where was it? She opened her closet and pulled out her portable CD player, then the wallet of discs. Ah, here, and the perfect song came to mind. Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’, an oldie but goodie by Journey. Ideal for a bump and grind. An older ex-lover had suggested this one, she recalled. He hadn’t been so great in bed, but he did have excellent taste in music and wine.
She plugged the player in and stood by the window. The song began, and Gen started to sway her hips to the thumping drumbeat and the slinky piano notes. Though it had been a while since she’d moved her body seductively for a man, it all came back. Still facing away from Vincent, she slowly pulled her shirt over her head and flung it to the side. Okay, now what?
Recalling the strippers from the movies she’d seen, she turned around and deliberately ran her hands over her stomach and breasts, squeezing them together slightly so they swelled out of her bra. Was this move really corny or did Vincent find it arousing? A sharp intake of breath from the corner told her yes, he did.
She undid her jeans then slowly slid them down her hips, inch by inch, pulling her socks off with them, all the while moving to the music. Her vision had adjusted to the dark, and from across the room she could just make out Vincent’s eyes, trained on her and glittering brightly. A fresh rush of heat ran through her body, and she almost stumbled as she turned around again, presenting her back. She pulled the clip from her hair, let it cascade past her shoulders, and shook her head, throwing in a hip shimmy for good measure. Arching her back, she unfastened her bra, which she let drop to the floor. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned around. Even this far across the room she felt Vincent’s heat, rippling through the air, caressing her body. He called to her wild side, and with abandon she dropped her arms and let her body roll to the beat, bending over with her hands on her knees, swishing her ass back and forth.
Now Closer by Nine Inch Nails came on. Not her favorite, but oddly appropriate. The nasty lyrics and the fast pounding beat normally didn’t do much to wet her panties, but tonight they hit just right. Not sure how much longer she could dance without at least touching herself, she glanced again at Vincent. He apparently felt the same because suddenly he rose and came to her, grabbing her hips from behind.
“Bend over and rub your hot ass against me.”
She complied, grabbing onto the footboard of her bed for support, noting with satisfaction how hard his cock had become. Like a piece of concrete. For several moments she ground her hips against him, until he reached around and squeezed her nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. His other hand slid inside her panties, cupping her pussy. She hissed and arched her back, throbbing with need, wanting more. He would not tease her like he’d done in the woods. Enough was enough.
As though he knew she’d reached her breaking point, he thrust two fingers inside her and rubbed her clit with his thumb, the pressure there featherlight. Oh yes, that was what her body craved. His touch, stroking at her core, sending ripples of desire shooting through her.
“Let me hear you.”
She’d been biting her lip to keep from moaning but now she let go, her sounds of ecstasy released in a low moan.
She shook her ass, driving him to thrust faster and increase the pressure. Heat enflamed her, and not just the intense physical ache rocking through her body. She felt Vincent’s passion, entwined with her own, ratcheting her pleasure to a place she’d never been. With a cry she came, gripping the footboard hard, her body quivering with the release.
Vincent slowly removed his fingers from her hips and turned her around to face him. He looked into her eyes and smiled, a look full of heat and lust. He ran a hand over her breasts, then down to her belly.
“Think your panties are about shot for the night. How about we get rid of them?”
He crouched down, grabbed them in his teeth, and ripped. The protest that almost sprang to her lips was silenced as he planted a kiss right on her swollen clit and ran his tongue along it in slow circles. The tender nub felt almost too sensitive to stand the attention. Almost. He kept the pressure easy, slo
w, and as need started to build again, he stood.
“You ready for more?”
Like she could stop now. Vincent had her under his spell, and she was supposed to be the witch.
“Oh yeah. How about we take your clothes off?”
Slowly she unbuttoned his shirt, running her hands along his chest. Dark hair, nice. Down his flat belly to the waistband of his jeans. Of course he went commando. She knelt, and as soon as she slid the zipper down, his cock sprang out to greet her. Perfection. His musky male scent went straight to her brain, and her pussy clenched in response, already aching to have him inside her. But first, she took him in her mouth and smiled in satisfaction as he moaned, a long, low, guttural sound, then buried his hands in her hair. Time for her to tease.
She slid her mouth up and down, licking a drop off the tip, pulling along his sensitive head with her lips. Remembering how he’d tormented her, she took it slow, rubbing his balls lightly with her fingertips. His legs trembled and his breathing increased, along with the pressure of his hands pulling her hair.
“Are you ready to get inside me?” She stood and rubbed her body against him, the feel of his skin on hers causing a fresh burst of wetness between her thighs and an unfamiliar warmth in her heart. A sensation of unity, of completeness.
“Sweet Lord, yes. Aw shit, condoms are in my Jeep.”
“I’ve got some.” Gen grabbed her purse. She hadn’t even looked at the handful Sally had thrust at her. Studded and ribbed. Real cute. “Will these work?”
“Anything will work. Turn around, spread your legs, grab the bed again.”
She did, not sure if her knees would hold her.
“You got any high heels?”
“Uh, no.”
“Stand on your tiptoes, then, that’s right.”
Oh shit almighty. He gripped her ass and slammed his cock into her, nearly knocking her onto the mattress. Just like she thought: perfect fit, filling her up fully. He stayed there for a heartbeat, buried inside her then pulled out, almost but not quite all the way.
One hand back in her hair, the other still on her ass, he pulled her head back slightly.
“You are one fine woman, Genevieve, and you’ve got me lit up like a wildfire. I’m going to fuck you hard. You got a problem with that?”
“None at all.” Hot as she burned, wanting him as desperately as she did, whatever he did to her would be welcome.
He thrust again, over and over, finally leaning onto her back and sinking his teeth in her upper shoulder. She tensed but he stopped short of breaking the skin and only held there for a moment, as though wanting to taste her flesh. Then he stood, buried his cock one more time, and with a howl he came, his body shuddering. Leaning over her back, he rained kisses along her neck and shoulders. She felt him remove the condom and what, slide on another?
“I want to make you scream, do some yelling myself. People downstairs going to call the cops?”
“He’s gone. We can holler as much as we want.”
He flipped her onto the bed and covered her body with his, grabbing both of her wrists in one of his hands and raising her arms over her head. Normally, she didn’t allow a man this kind of control, but her desires with Vincent were anything but normal. She wanted him to take her, to do like the song said and fuck her like an animal. Why did she respond to him like this? Like she trusted him, with her body, her soul.
Then he took her nipple in his mouth, and she quit thinking of anything except the feel of his lips, his tongue, his teeth. First one breast, then the other, then he brought his mouth to hers, and as he devoured her, he penetrated her again, thrusting over and over. Another howl, louder this time, and he came again.
Lowering himself on top of her, he finally released her wrists and buried his face in her neck. “There, now I can concentrate on you.”
Oh Lord.
He slid his sweat-soaked body down hers, kissed and nipped at her stomach, her thighs, then licked her engorged lips and clit, slowly, almost painfully. She writhed on the bed, close to begging him to enter her. Every nerve ending on her skin jumped, wanting to join with him again, wanting that surprising, delicious sensation of intimacy.
Hell with this waiting. With one palm she shoved his forehead up and wriggled underneath him.
“I want you back inside me. You good for another round?”
“Fuck yeah.” He patted the mattress, searching for a foil packet.
This time he entered her slowly, and as he moved in and out, he gazed into her eyes. Lust, desire, and a trace of tenderness showed there, and when she dug her heels into the bed and arched her back in the most amazing orgasm of her life, Gen knew she was lost.
Chapter 6
Sunday.
Gen stretched her arms over her head. The sun shone through her blinds, hitting a crystal pendant hanging in the window and creating a prism on the wall. What an awesome morning! Nothing quite like wild-ass sex to loosen the muscles and clear the mind of negative thoughts. She rolled over and inhaled the pillow next to her. A whiff of Vincent’s scent made hot little tingles run from her scalp to her toes. Speaking of toes…she pulled her feet up and smiled. Vincent had sucked on them last night, running his tongue in and out between each one. An orgasm-inducing move, for sure.
Oh yeah, the perfect way to start the morning, properly fucked. Hot as the evening had been, however, she was glad Vincent had left early, barely waking her to say goodbye. This way, they could avoid the awkward bed conversation and uncomfortable decision about when to leave. It spoiled the magic of the night before. At the crack of dawn or thereabouts, Vincent had kissed her gently and reminded her one of his men would come by later today to install a security system. He must have a loyal crew and be paying them big bucks if he could talk them into working on Sunday.
Gen wallowed in bed awhile longer but finally rose. She had a lot to do today. The first thing on her list, burn copious amounts of sage in her store and do a cleansing ritual. Even if the would-be thief hadn’t taken anything, he’d left his negative energy behind. Damn him. Or her. It could have been a woman, though Gen sensed it was a man. Probably. They’d never know. Chances were, fingerprints wouldn’t turn up anything, especially if it was just kids. If not, and whoever had broken in had something to do with the people attacking the weres…
Morgan might be able to help. Her veterinarian friend was psychic, and though her abilities mostly worked with touch, maybe she could pick up something just by being in the store. But first things first. Get cleaned up and dressed before Vincent’s man arrived. Anyone looking at her would know exactly what she’d been doing. A glance in the mirror confirmed, her hair flew wildly in every direction and her mouth still appeared slightly bruised. If the guy was a werewolf, he’d smell Vincent on her a mile away.
Waiting for the cantankerous water heater to warm up, Gen brushed her hair and winced as she stretched her arm behind her back. Was that a bite mark on her breast? It was, and as she took a closer look at her body she found red in several more spots. Some looked like marks made by fingers, some by teeth. Well, damn. She knew they’d gotten wild the night before but hadn’t realized the extent. Now fully awake, her whole body tingled, like it’d been zapped by lightning. Memories came sifting back and despite the slight discomfort, she smiled.
Damn, what a night! Vincent had let loose, pouring all his energy and passion into their lovemaking. Hot and wild, exactly the way she knew it would be. As the water ran over her body, Gen’s smile faded slightly. More than just hot and wild. They’d connected on a higher level, a place she’d never allowed anyone. A place she couldn’t allow anyone, till now.
The curse could be lifted, maybe. She could have a normal life, with this guy who spoke to her soul. Was she ready for all that? A man involved in her life? After so many years of being on her own? Don’t jump ahead. One step at a time. Her instincts would guide her and anyway, Vincent had a lot going on. He probably was not ready for any kind of additional commitment, especially not with a hu
man woman. But the way he held her last night, the look in eyes as he kneeled between her legs…
Enough. Concentrate on what needed to be done today.
“Why didn’t you call me last night?” Morgan exclaimed when Gen phoned her with a brief rundown of the break in. “You could have stayed with me.”
“Sally and Greg were right there. I figured you might be busy with your guy anyway. I stayed with them awhile, but then…I’ll tell you more when I see you.”
“You what? Tell me now.”
“No, I’ve got to check my email and do a few things around my place. Vincent is going to have one of his security guys come over and put an alarm system in my apartment and shop so I need to get some stuff done first.”
“Ah ha! Your night involved Vincent, didn’t it? You saw him last night.”
“I said I’ll tell you later. It’s a long story.”
“Is it a hot and lusty story?”
Genevieve smiled at the eagerness in Morgan’s voice. Peering out her window, she saw an A to Z Security truck pull up.
“Vincent’s guy is here now. You are just going to have to wait. Can you come to my shop at noon and see if you can pick up anything from the person who broke in? Some type of energy pattern maybe?”
“I’ll see what I can do. My ability works better with touch, but you never know.”
“Thanks, Morgan. I appreciate your help.”
“You’ll be paying for my services with a good story.”
Gen grinned again. She knew she would.
After the technician finished at her apartment, they headed to her shop. He installed another alarm system there, gave her the instructions, and watched while she tested it. When satisfied she could operate it without setting it off, he left.
Digging out a sage stick, Gen lit it, and then put it out. Morgan should check the place first, see what she could pick up. Instead she strolled through her store, touching several items as she walked. A metal plant stand, a wreath made of dried flower and berries, a clay vase, all objects she’d found at thrift stores and arranged with care to decorate her shop. She loved this place. A work in progress, it changed with every season. Customers immediately sensed the good energy here. She could tell when they walked in and their shoulders dropped and frowns turned to smiles. As she walked, she paid close attention to every detail. Nothing broken, nothing out of place.
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