by Jill Myles
A good point—not that it mattered. Rage and hurt blasted through me, and I slapped the turtleneck sweater against his broad chest. “Because you lied to me. You never told me the truth about Rachael.” I hit him with the sweater again for good measure. “That makes you just as wrong as him.”
He grabbed the sweater, using it to tug me forward. He pulled me into his arms. “Jackie—”
I batted his hands away, still furious, but they kept coming back to stroke my arms. The Itch spiraled through me, and I moaned with need. “Noah, don’t,” I whispered. “Please.”
His hands dropped and instead of stroking my skin, he pulled me against him in a tight bear hug. Nice, and at least it wasn’t inflaming my senses like before. I settled into his embrace, pressing my cheek against his lapel. Under the clothing, he was warm and smelled wonderful, and a bolt of sheer longing washed over me. I didn’t want Noah and Zane to be bad for me.
I wanted to go back to being ignorant.
Noah stroked my back. “I’m sorry that you’re mad, Jackie. I was just trying to protect you.”
Great, he had to go and ruin it by talking.
I pushed away from him with irritation. “I don’t need protection. I’m not twelve, Noah. I’m an adult. Just like you.”
“You’re only twenty-seven years old,” he said in a gentle voice. “I’m four thousand years old. Trust me that if I think something strange is going on, I probably know what I’m talking about.”
“Funny that you bring up age, because I seem to recall you offering me a ring a few days ago, and you didn’t have a problem with me being twenty-seven then.”
His jaw clenched. “That was different, Jackie, and you know it. I want to marry you because I love you and I can keep you safe.”
The whole “keep me safe” thing was the part I kept sticking on. Keep me safe from everything? From anything in the outside world that would hurt my feelings, like the truth? Would I wake up in fifty or a hundred years to find myself living in a bubble, cut off from everything and anything that might possibly wound my tender sensibilities?
A bitter smile touched my face. Would he even know that he was hurting me? The protective instinct was so strong in Noah. I loved him for that, even as it drove me insane. He couldn’t change the way he was.
Just like I couldn’t change how I felt. “Noah, I don’t want to be protected. I can’t be.” I pushed away from him, my hands still resting on his chest. “You’re not doing me any favors by trying to shelter me from everything. Protecting me from the truth only means it hurts more when it comes out. And you know it always will.”
Noah’s jaw set in a stubborn clench that told me that what I was saying wasn’t sinking in. “Jackie, listen to me for a moment.”
Well, hell. I had no choice after that command. I gave him an exasperated look, silent and obedient.
He ignored the annoyance on my face, and shoved up the long sleeve of his jacket, exposing the tattoo on his wrist. The delicate wording crawled across his skin in a language I couldn’t read—angelic. I wore a similar tattoo on my own wrist now, thanks to Gabriel. “Four thousand years ago, I gave my word to a woman I loved.” His voice caught in his throat, but he continued on, his voice harsh. “I promised that I would always keep her safe. And I wasn’t able to fulfill that promise.”
My eyes filled with tears.
“I promised Rachael that I’d watch her and take care of her. I never imagined that Zane might destroy her. When I found her body, it was too late. She was dead.” Anguish racked his voice, and he shook his wrist at me, emphasizing the tattoo. “This is why I still wear the mark to this day. Because I could not keep my word.”
I stared at the swirling script written on his skin, Gabriel’s word burning into my own. Poor Noah. I was so torn. Part of me wanted to hate Rachael. I was just the poor imitation of her, the replacement model. But I couldn’t hate her, any more than I could hate Noah or Zane for trying to hold on to her memory with me … even if it was grossly unfair to me.
My anger diminished a little, mixed with sadness. I was so confused about the whole thing; I didn’t know what I wanted anymore.
He pulled me close to him again. “Jackie, say something to me. I can’t bear to see you look at me with such sad eyes.” His hand caressed my cheek with longing. “This pain is exactly what I wanted to protect you from, until you were ready to learn the truth.”
“Trust me, this wouldn’t have been easier to learn fifty years from now,” I said in a soft voice. Being second choice never got any easier. “Let’s not fight about this right now, all right?”
“Your eyes are blue,” he said, leaning in to lightly brush his lips against mine. “Your need is coming. I can help you with that.”
“I don’t want your charity, Noah. I can’t believe that you would stoop to offer that.”
“Not charity,” he said in a husky voice, pulling me close despite my reluctance. “Never charity.”
I felt the hunger spiral through me, felt my fingers flex against his chest. “I don’t know that I can trust you—or Zane—anymore. I don’t want to be a replacement body for someone else.”
He lifted my hand to his lips, kissed my palm. Hot fire scorched through my body. “You’re not. My feelings for you are for you.”
I wasn’t sure I trusted that, but the blood was singing in my veins and I couldn’t think past his lips skimming over my palm. I moved forward, letting the tips of my breasts brush against his jacket, and sucked in a breath at the sensation that flowed through me.
“Don’t hurt yourself just to be a martyr, Jackie,” Noah said, releasing my hand and cupping my face. He lightly kissed my eyebrow, then kissed the tip of my nose. My breath fluttered out of my throat as he continued to press small, light kisses along my cheekbones, then my jaw. My fingers curled on his lapels and my mouth sought his in desperate longing. His tongue swept into my mouth and I met its welcome stroke. Heat flared through my body, and I felt the Itch pulse harder than ever.
Even though my feelings were mixed, there was no denying the Itch. As his hand slid down to my breast my hand was sliding to his cock, stroking it through his pants. His tongue flicked into my mouth, darting and suggestive, and I didn’t need much convincing after that. When his hands slid to my ass and hiked me against him, I wrapped my legs around his waist. Unfazed by my weight, he began to carry me toward the stairs. I kissed Noah passionately as he held me against him up to my room, then tossed me down on the bed.
His warm body was laying against mine a second later. “We need to satisfy your Itch, Jackie. There’s time to think about other problems later.” And his mouth swept over mine again.
“Yes,” I said against his lips, though it came out more like “Yeth” because his tongue was sweeping into my mouth again. “But what kind of girl am I if I use you when I’m mad at you?” My fingers wouldn’t stop roaming over his clothing, desperate to touch the golden skin underneath.
“A human one,” he said, giving my jaw a small nip, and I was lost at that. If Noah wasn’t going to hold it against me, I wasn’t going to, either. I didn’t protest as he sucked on my lower lip. My tongue met his, flicking against it with desire and need. Noah always tasted so good.
His mouth began to press small kisses up and down my throat and cheeks, slow and soft, tasting me with every brush of his lips against my skin. I shivered with pleasure. His fingers stroked over my bare arms until my body was a mass of quivering nerves, and my hips began to rise with every touch. He ignored it, taking his sweet time as he pressed his mouth to every inch of exposed skin. Then he slid a hand under my shirt and began to hike it up, exposing my stomach. I wriggled as he kissed down my throat and then moved to my belly, continuing to hike my shirt as he kissed and licked my flat stomach. His tongue dipped into my navel, and when I shivered, he kissed the prickles away. Slow. Methodical. Seductive.
So, so good.
He glanced up at me, and his silver eyes had changed to a deep, liquid blue. “Clothin
g off.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. As he shucked his gray sports coat and button-down shirt, I kicked my shoes off and shimmied out of my T-shirt, jeans, and my bra and panties. He didn’t chuckle at my eagerness like he usually did, just moving back to my side when he was equally unclothed, his hand brushing out to touch my cheek again in a soft, tender move.
“So serious,” I breathed, trying to lighten the atmosphere a little.
His mouth dipped to my shoulder, sending ripples of pleasure through me. He didn’t reply to my comment, only continued to kiss my body as he pressed me down onto the bed again. There was nothing but affection and desire in each small, tender kiss. As he lavished attention on my belly and hips, I ran my hands over his broad shoulders, careful to avoid the scars on his shoulderblades. My hands grazed his chest, his biceps, and the tattoo that burned when I skimmed my fingertips across it.
Noah’s vow. Tears clogged my throat and my fingertips moved away from the tattooed script. She’d always be first in his heart.
As if sensing my emotions, Noah moved back up and his hands brushed the tears spilling over my cheeks. I felt his breath whisper over my mouth, felt him press another soft kiss to my upper lip. “Don’t be sad, Jackie. I can’t stand to see you sad.”
“Then close your eyes,” I said tightly, though the tears were already drying. It had been a command, if a subtle one.
He moved down to my breasts and began to press the same light, teasing kisses on them that he had the rest of my body. I arched against his mouth and let the sensation take over my body, the Itch throbbing its demand. His mouth coaxed my nipples into points, first one, and then the other. Just when I thought he was going to drive me into madness, he closed his lips around one nipple and gently bit, sending shock waves through my body and a gasp escaping my mouth.
He sat up and pulled me toward him until we were both in a kneeling position. He caught my hand and interlinked his fingers with mine. “Will you touch me?” he said in a low, husky voice.
Just the sound of it sent a thrill through my body, and I didn’t miss the fact that it wasn’t a command, but a request. My one hand linked to his, my other skimmed along his body, eager to comply. First, his shoulders, then down the wall of muscles that made up his stomach. Remembering where his kisses had pressed along my body, I dipped a teasing finger against his navel, and skimmed the smooth, tanned flesh just above his cock. His body clenched slightly in anticipation, and my fingers teased a bit longer, moving to the thick cords of bronzed thigh before stroking their way back up again. His linked hand squeezed tight and he leaned in to press a light kiss on my shoulder. Our bodies were so close that the head of his cock butted against my belly, and my nipples grazed his flesh as he leaned in.
Such a tease.
My fingers slid around the thick shaft of his cock—Noah’s equipment could put most men to shame. I wrapped my fingers around the thick length, enjoying his hiss of pleasure. A bead of slick moisture had formed on the crown, and I played with it with my thumb, spreading it over the head of his cock.
Noah groaned with pleasure, and his hand clasping mine grew tight. I liked that our hands were linked—it formed a delightful shivering bond between us. Instead of just seeing how Noah reacted to my touch, I could feel it in the way his hand moved. When his fingers clenched involuntarily, I knew he liked something. And he definitely liked my fingers on his cock.
Which was good, because I liked that too. I played with the wetness on its head a moment longer, then lifted my hand to my mouth, expecting his gaze to follow.
It did.
I raised my wet thumb to my mouth and let the tip of my tongue lick it clean.
He groaned and leaned forward, biting my naked shoulder. I gasped as the sensation sent a thrilling mixture of pleasure and pain through me. My free hand slid back down to his cock and I gave it a swift stroke. He leaned back slightly and groaned, eyes closing with pleasure, and I suddenly wanted to kiss him. My hand pumped his cock again and I leaned in to capture his mouth with mine.
He wouldn’t let me move too close—my lips barely grazed his own before he pulled back, his tongue flicking against my mouth in a maddeningly sensual move.
“Not fair,” I said lightly, moving up against him. With his cock still in my hand, I aimed it at my own sex, hot and wet with need, and slid the head against my body. My hips flexed involuntarily, needing him inside me, and his blue eyes burned into my own.
“Are we going to play like that, then?” he said in a low voice. His hand—still interlocked with mine—bore me down, and I released his cock and let him push me backward on the bed. His hand disentangled from mine and our palms were no longer linked.
Noah grasped my thigh and slid his hand down it, and I opened willingly for him. That was more like it.
He ran the length of his cock along my damp seam. I nearly came off the bed, gasping with pleasure. He did it a second time, this time letting the thick head of his cock part the lips of my sex just enough to let the head brush against my clit, eliciting a moan from me.
Torturer.
I hooked one leg around his waist, trying to encourage him to enter me. His cock rubbed against my wet, slick sex again and slid to the opening of my core, the head brushing against the spot where I needed him most. I arched my hips, my body clenching with need, and was rewarded with the sensation of the head pushing in, slowly, teasingly.
And then he stopped.
I gasped, needing more. My foot dug into his buttocks, trying to ram him forward to give me the relief I desperately needed. My other leg followed until I had both wrapped around his waist. He ignored my writhing and leaned over me, his eyes so very blue.
“I need you,” I blurted, reaching up to link my arms around his neck. “Please, Noah.”
His hands locked under my hips and waist, and he rocked backward in a swift, powerful motion, resting on his knees. The sudden motion pulled me upright, my body against his, seating me heavily on his cock and leaving me breathless.
He held me against him as I grew used to the sensation of being filled by his cock, my body pressed against his, breasts to breastbone. His mouth nipped mine lightly, and he flexed his hips, causing shock waves of pleasure to undulate through my body. I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck and returned the kiss, my tongue flicking against his as he gave a small thrust and rolled his hips again. Due to the position, neither of us were able to move much, but it didn’t stop the sensations from sweeping over our bodies. My breath caught with every small thrust and every roll of his hips, and his tongue would make an accompanying thrust. Speared on top of him, tongues mating, his next motion sent a small orgasm coursing through my body. I clenched against him, rolling my hips to try and make it last longer. My legs tensed around him, and I moaned his name against the next thrust of his tongue.
In the next moment, we rolled forward again, and I was pinned under Noah once more on my back. Gone were the small, controlled thrusts that he’d given while I was on his lap. He pulled almost all the way out, and then slid back to the hilt, sending another spiral of sensation through me. He did it again and again, each thrust becoming harder and faster until I was raising my hips to meet him and crying out his name.
The orgasm that had already begun continually spiraled through my body, growing more intense with every thrust until I climaxed again—this time so hard that my vision blurred and a sob tore from my throat. He came with a shout a moment later. With another thrust or two he collapsed on top of me, all damp golden skin and heavily breathing male.
I panted for breath as well, wrapping my arms around him and rubbing my feet against his thighs. God, that was amazing. I always felt energized after sex, and right now, I felt like I could take on the world.
Noah propped up on his arms and studied my face, his eyes bleached back to silver again. He leaned down and kissed me softly.
Who said succubi couldn’t be led by their hormones? Not me. I was feeling very good.
To my d
isappointment, he got up off of me and began to dress. I watched him pull his briefs on and step into his slacks.
“So where does this put us?” I asked, propping my head up on my hand and watching him.
He said nothing as he continued to get dressed, and I sighed and sat up, scooting over to the edge of the bed to do the same. The intense look had returned to Noah’s face, meaning that the gears were turning upstairs and I’d find out the answer as soon as he’d figured it out.
He tucked in his shirt and then leaned over to kiss the top of my head. “Good-bye, Jackie.”
His hand lingered on my hair for a moment, and then he moved toward the door.
“Wait,” I yelped. “What do you mean, good-bye?”
He turned, the banked emotion back in his eyes. “I mean that I’m leaving you, Jackie.”
I bolted up from the bed, wrapping the sheet around my body in an awkward toga. “What do you mean, you’re leaving me?” Fury rushed through me. “You can’t leave me! I’m the one you guys are fighting over. I get to pick who leaves who.” I stabbed my finger in his chest. “Those are the rules.”
The corners of his mouth lifted in a sad smile. “I thought you already decided who you were choosing, sweetheart. I offered you a ring and you turned it down.”
“But …” I gave him a beseeching look, blinking rapidly. My hand reached for his, found it, and squeezed. “Noah, that’s not fair. You’re asking me to commit to four thousand years.
“I am,” he said in a soft voice.
The tears I’d been holding back were replaced with anger and I glared. “This again? You’ve got to be kidding me. I can’t choose, Noah. Right now, I’m so mixed up over you that I can’t decide whether to kiss you or slap you.”
“I know you can’t choose, sweetheart.” His serious eyes met mine. “That’s why I’m opting out. There’s too much tangled up between us right now. I know it’s wrong for me to force you to choose, but I can’t sit here and watch you go to him every night. I hate the bastard, and I can’t stand the thought of him touching you, feeling like he owns an equal part of your heart. I won’t share someone with him again. It eats me up, Jackie,” he ground out. “ I can’t function like this.