by S. K. Yule
She carefully stood and rubbed her hands slowly up and down his chest while admiring the hard muscles clearly defined through his black shirt as they tightened even more when he took a deep breath and held it. Poised. Waiting. His lashes fluttered closed. She began working the buttons open but only got to the third one before he grabbed her wrists in a painful grip, which wrung a surprised gasp from her. She tried not to wince, not wanting to give him the satisfaction, and stared into eyes of onyx. Depthless, gorgeous eyes of onyx.
“So, you are a slut, too.” Jericho gritted his teeth. “Don’t worry, baby. I don’t give a rat’s ass if you are. All I can think about right now is pounding into that soft, wet flesh of yours.”
“How dare you! You come in here and jump me like an animal in heat and then call me a slut!” Sabrina was beyond angry. She was furious. She jerked one of her hands away only to bring it around and up in a wide arc and slap him hard across the cheek. Her mouth opened into the form of a small o. She watched in horror as red welts began to raise, a perfect mimic of her fingers outlined on his smooth skin. Even though she knew the welts would heal in seconds, disappearing without a trace, her chest tingled with regret. She glimpsed the flash of red in his eyes right before she was tossed across his lap, face-down. She bucked her hips trying to get free.
“I can’t believe you fucking hit me! You just made one big mistake, bitch.”
Shit! She was certain that no woman had ever dared do such a thing to him. She flinched when Jericho’s palm came down in a hard, stinging slap on her backside. He was relentless, spanking her with his open hand. Thwack! Her skin tingled. Smack! Stinging pain brought tears to her eyes. But after a few torturous seconds, the pain turned to something new . . . pleasure. Her ass radiated heat, and she felt the wetness between her legs once again as excitement rode her hard. She squirmed, but not in effort to get away this time.
* * * *
His attempt to punish her turned on him with the first smack to her firm ass. Each slap after the first coaxed the scent of her desire to rise stronger in the air, making his nostrils flare to drag her deep in his lungs. The luscious, smooth skin left exposed by the material turned dark pink from his attention, and she began arching toward him instead of flinching away. He thought his cock might burst through the zipper of his jeans at any moment. This was the first time he’d ever spanked a woman, and he began wondering why he hadn’t tried it if it resulted in this reaction.
He held her down harder across his lap, then ripped her panties off with a flick of his wrist. A tortured gasp floated through the air, and he plunged one finger into her hot sheath of wetness and almost came when her tight muscles clamped around him. He groaned when he imagined pushing his cock deep into her as she stretched around him. Pulling from her, he loved the way his skin glistened with her juices, and slid two fingers home while he continued to give her a sharp smack here and there on her ass. She arched and cried out, and he slapped her ass harder and plunged deeper, his heart thundering as her muscles quivered around him.
“Oh, God, Jericho, please!” When she pushed her hips down on him and his fingers slid inside her once again, buried to the knuckles, a strangled growl clawed its way free from his chest.
“Come right now for me, Sabrina.” He shoved deep into her again, and she did exactly what he’d commanded of her, coating him with her desire. He savored the feel of her clenching muscles around him for an agonizing moment before he stood and tossed her limp body facedown on the bed. He scowled when she tried to flip over on her back.
“Don’t move.” She froze. Good. Maybe she was finally learning who was in charge around here.
He pulled his clothes off then kneeled between her legs on the mattress. He put one arm under her waist and pulled her luscious ass toward him. She whimpered when he grabbed his cock and buried it to the hilt with one hard thrust. His muscles locked, frozen, and they were perfectly still while he savored the feel of her around him for a moment before beginning a frenzied motion as old as time. He thrust in and out of her slickness, his balls slapping her soft labia with each impossibly deep stroke. Her muscles gripped him mercilessly, coaxing him. His blood sang a sweet ode to Sabrina, and a light sweat covered his heated skin.
He pounded into her, oblivious to the fact that he hated her, thinking nothing, feeling nothing but the warm heaven gripping his cock. She cried out and shook when her orgasm overtook her, once again sending aftershocks through him. He threw his head back and shouted as he came deep in her, filling her with his seed. Hot ripples of pleasure tore through him in endless waves while she caressed and wrung every last drop from him. He fell in a limp heap over her back, then pulled her thick hair away from her neck; sank his teeth into her soft skin, tapping a vein; and drank her essence deep into his being. He knew she was already weak from not eating, but he couldn’t help himself. Denying himself a taste of her would be like denying his next breath. He drank her blood until he knew she could stand to lose no more. Then he closed his eyes, trying to rein in control over himself once again, and slowly pulled his teeth from her throat.
Chapter Two
As his body cooled, his temper heated. The impact of what he’d just done punched him in the gut. Jericho pushed Sabrina’s limp, sleeping form away from him, got off the bed, and pulled his clothes on haphazardly. What the hell was wrong with him? He never lost control, yet the mere memory of riding her made his cock twitch in urgent anticipation. Sabrina was supposed to be his enemy, and now he’d betrayed the memory of Jade with her. His fists clenched, and he wanted to hit something, wanted to lash out at Sabrina even though he knew he was to blame for what had happened between them. She was not the cause of the confusion or guilt boiling in him, not directly anyway. He’d brought it upon himself when he’d climbed into bed with her of his own freewill.
He’d never before experienced the raw abandonment he’d just felt with Sabrina. Not with Jade or any other woman for that matter. That pissed him off even more. Why hadn’t he simply bled her dry like he’d planned on doing? His emotions never ruled him . . . until now. He stared at her with both lust and rage. He took several deep breaths. It wasn’t like he hadn’t killed before. But he only did so when necessary. Something held him back this time, and he didn’t think it had anything to do with what was between Sabrina’s legs. He laughed out loud. Well, it had something to do with it, but he knew it was much more than that.
He was beginning to doubt himself. He didn’t care much for that feeling either, because he couldn’t remember the last time he had done so. Any other enemy would be dead already. Had he been wrong about Sabrina’s guilt all along? If there was any one thing he hated more than doubting himself, it was being wrong. But his instincts were rarely wrong, and he was sure that they were what held him back in the first place. He knew he would regret it if he didn’t listen to them. They had never failed him before.
The question now was what was he going to do? Sabrina hadn't said one word in her own defense since her capture. He’d figured that was because of her guilt, but now he wasn’t so sure. Was it possible that she could actually be innocent? He had to admit he hadn’t actually seen Sabrina kill Jade. Sabrina had only been standing over Jade when he’d arrived. The vivid images of that night still made his stomach clench each time they played through his mind.
Sabrina had denied killing Jade, and now, thinking back on it, he couldn’t blame her for pulling the disappearing act. His anger had been too raw to allow for common sense. If she hadn’t disappeared when she had, he had no doubt she would be dead and none of this would be happening now. Wouldn’t he have done the same thing had he been in her shoes? She was a worthy fighter, but she had to know that he was stronger since he was older and twice her size. Still, he knew that if he had cornered her, she would have fought fiercely to the death. Now the acts that he had taken so long ago as admissions of guilt seemed to have other possibilities.
Okay, Jericho, what now? The need to feed was beginning to fog his thoughts. He ha
dn’t been able to take enough from Sabrina and if he didn’t give her some blood soon, the decision would be made for him because she would starve to death. He took another calming breath and left the room.
* * * *
Sabrina rubbed her gritty eyes and huddled deeper into the covers. She felt like she had slept for days and thought she could probably sleep at least another week. She was so tired and weak thanks to that bastard Jericho draining her nearly dry. Not only had he called her a slut, but he had also dealt the final insult by drinking from her. He knew that their kind didn’t just go around biting each other. It was considered a very intimate act by most Night Wanderers, including herself. And, yes, even though sex was intimate, he knew she would have never agreed. Yeah, dumbass, why do you think he didn’t ask? She snuggled deeper into the warm covers as she mumbled to herself. Even if he had asked and she said no, she was pretty sure it still wouldn’t have stopped him. Jericho was a man who took what he wanted.
She’d never admit to him that she thoroughly enjoyed him drinking from her. Maybe one day she could return the favor. Yeah, right. She was quite certain that, with the way he felt about her, he wouldn’t let her teeth anywhere near his neck. He was proving to be quite a confusing man. After all, if he hated her so much, why had he slept with her? Slept with me? Ha! That was a mild term for what he had done to her. Thoroughly fucked her? Yes. Made love to? No. More like possessed her, owned her, ruined her for any other man. Surely even men wouldn’t sleep with someone they loathed, would they? Men! They were all sex-starved asses. She balled her fists and closed her eyes tight, determined to go back to sleep and forget about Jericho for the time being.
Sleep had barely claimed her when Jericho was once again demanding that she wake up. The sound of his voice rolled over her like lava, burning through her skin and heating her core. Now I know what a damn potato feels like cooking in a microwave. Why should he have such an effect on her? Hell, he was the sexiest man she had ever laid eyes on, but that was no reason to feel such comfort at the mere sound of his deep, gravelly tone.
“What do you want Jericho? Back for some more fun before you finally decide to kill me?” She peeked at him from the blanket wrapped around her like a cocoon, and the venomous look he shot her stole the rest of the words fighting to tumble out of her mouth.
“Don’t push me, Sabrina.”
She watched as he picked a fluffy robe up off the chair and handed it to her. She quickly grabbed it, careful not to touch him, and struggled into it before throwing the covers off. She sat up on the side of the bed and warily eyed the mug Jericho was now holding out to her.
She finally reached for it after deciding it didn’t matter what was in it as long as it was something that would soothe her parched throat. The coppery smell of fresh blood assailed her senses as she brought the mug closer, and her nostrils flared at the delicious aroma. Need clawed deep inside her stomach, and she gulped the rich liquid down then set the empty container on the bedside table and glared at him.
“Why did you give me that? Is something wrong with it?” She shivered when his hot gaze roamed over her, lids half closed, only hinting at the promise of carnal pleasure she knew was burning in their concealed depths.
“No, nothing’s wrong with it, Sabrina. Believe me, if I decide to kill you, I won’t drug you or poison you first. You’ll know I’m doing it.”
“Oh well, gee, thanks, Wally. Wait a minute. Did you say ‘if you decide to kill me,’ or was I hearing things? Did you change your mind?” She sat up straighter, wondering if she was stupid for allowing hope to enter her heart.
“I didn’t say that.”
She watched as he turned his back to her and brushed his fingers through his thick hair. Her fingers itched with jealousy to do the same. “You didn’t not say that either. Are you finally going to realize I didn’t kill—”
“Don’t say it! I don’t want to discuss it!”
Grrrr! She’d had enough. She stood and walked around his big frame to face him, dragging the chains still holding her prisoner. Damn, the man was huge. Huge everywhere, as she recalled. “Don’t you think it is time to discuss it?”
His voice was laced with anger. “Look, I’ll say—”
“No!” The widening of his dark eyes at her rebuttal, as if he couldn’t believe she had dared speak to him that way, almost pulled her lips into a grin.
“I have had enough of this, Jericho! You either come to realize the truth and finally figure out that I did not kill Jade, or you stay blind and finish this. I can’t take anymore.”
After a few tense moments, he relaxed a bit. “Look Sabrina, I don’t know what I think anymore. If what you are saying is true, then I spent the last one hundred years tracking you for nothing when I could have been finding out what really happened.”
“Well, we all screw up, Jericho. Deal with it.”
“Don’t push it, Sabrina. I’m beginning to think there is more to this than I initially thought, but it doesn’t mean you weren’t involved in some way, even if you didn’t actually do the dirty deed yourself.”
“Oh, please! Do you know how many people would have loved to slit Jade’s throat? I mean, did you actually even know the woman at all, or were you just as blinded by her charms as every other man she screwed?” She sucked in a sharp breath when a flash of red lit Jericho’s eyes.
He grabbed her by the arm and jerked her to him until they were pressed tightly together. “Do not talk about her like that! It’s none of your business what I did or didn’t know about Jade.”
“Fine. You’re right. Your relationship is none of my business, but she is my business because you think I had something to do with murdering her. And, again, I had nothing to do with it—not that you will listen to me.” Damn pigheaded man! She knew her eyes must nearly be shooting sparks in support of her anger. But instead of the anger she expected to find in his eyes, she saw something else. She sucked in a breath and held it.
He framed her face with his hands and stared at her with smoldering eyes. “I want to fuck you again, Sabrina.” She gasped. “Kiss me.”
“What? Why would I—”
“Don’t act like you are immune to what is going on here between us. I know for a fact you aren’t.”
She blushed when he sniffed the air and knew he could undoubtedly smell her desire. He tightened his hold on her, pulling her into his hardness so she knew he wasn’t immune either.
“Now, kiss me. Kiss me like you know you want to, Sabrina.”
She hesitated for only a moment. Fine, she did want to kiss him, but at least she could make him suffer a little first. She stood on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth, then another on the opposite side, and pulled back. “Happy?”
“You know I’m not. Do I need to spank you again?”
Holy hell! Her ass tingled in response. She’d never been spanked in her life and frankly had never seen the appeal of it, but being spanked by Jericho Tavi? Hot damn, and give me some more, please! “Um—” She felt her cheeks heat. Both sets.
“Do it, Sabrina. Kiss me.”
She stood on her tiptoes once again, ran the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip, and cried out in relief when his growl of impatience fired the blood in her veins. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Open your mouth for me, Jericho.”
She gasped when things changed and he took control in the blink of an eye. His tongue was deep in her mouth, tasting, savoring, igniting her. He tightened his arms around her waist and bent her backward while she clung to his neck for support. He pushed the robe open, moved his mouth to her nipple, and sucked it into a hardened peak. She melted with each pull of his hot, wet mouth on her sensitive skin. Her legs turned to jelly; without the support of his strong arms, she would be a heap on the floor.
He wrung gasp after gasp out of her as he tongued each nipple, nipping then soothing each one with slow licks before starting the torture all over again. Each pull of his mouth tugged invisible strings co
nnected to her core, tightening it in anticipation. It was hard for her to fight the need building so fierce inside her, but he had dominated their lovemaking last time. This time she wanted to touch him and see his magnificent physique up close and personal.
“Please, Jericho.”
“Please what, Sabrina?” He bit a little harder on her nipple, which wrought a louder moan from her swollen lips. “Please, more of that?”
It took all of her willpower to push him off her and back against the bed where he tumbled onto the thick mattress, then propped his weight on his elbows and watched her with hooded eyes so black with desire she feared they would sear her soul.