He pulled his shirt off in one smooth motion, the fuck me lines formed by his lean hips even more pronounced by the shadowy moonlight.
I sucked in a breath when his hands fell to the button of his jeans, quickly unfastening them and unzipping the zipper. He stepped free of them wearing only his briefs and hopped into bed with me as if he’d done it a thousand times before. Without saying a word, he turned on his side and pulled me towards him until my mouth was inches away from his.
Lachlan lifted a hand and swept a lock of my hair off of my face, tucking it tenderly behind my ear. “You should sleep now. I’ll be here.”
There was a hint of red wine on his breath, but it only reminded me of his easygoing smile and the laughter he was so generous with. Of the way his eyes had crinkled while we had played the game and the dirty things I’d learned that he had done and all the things I’d admitted I hadn’t.
Shame flooded me when I realized it had been only hours since Matteo had stroked me to not one, but two orgasms in the pool.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Lachlan’s voice brought me back to the present, back to his sculpted jawline and soft lips.
“I’m a horrible person, that’s what I was thinking.” It was as close to the truth as I wanted to tell him.
“You’re not a horrible person,” he said, raising a hand to rub away the crease between my eyebrows. “You’re a succubus, babe. And a woman. A gorgeous one who, from the sounds of things during that game, has been suppressing her desires for way too long.”
How did he do that? It was like he was in my head. A dizzying thought occurred to me. “Can you read my mind?” I blurted, hoping like hell the answer was no.
He smirked. “Nope. Wish I could though.”
“How did you pretty much know what I was thinking?”
“Pretty much, huh? I must be slipping,” he teased.
“What does that mean?” I was thoroughly confused.
“It means that I can read people. Body language. Judging by yours, I thought that you were thinking about the game, about everything we shared. The things I’d admitted I’d done in the past.” It was uncanny how accurate that was. I wasn’t about to admit it, though.
“Well, I wasn’t,” I lied, my cheeks flaming.
“Bummer.” His eyes burned into mine, twisting me up inside at the same time that the spot between my legs started demanding attention like a damned beacon lighting up the night sky.
“W-why bummer?” I asked.
He couldn’t possibly want me, especially knowing that I’d been in the pool with Matteo so recently. Wasn’t that what we women had been told so often? Men didn’t want used goods?
“I was kind of hoping you wanted me to show you some of those things.”
My mouth went dry as I looked up at him. “You were?”
“Fuck, yes,” he answered without a moment of hesitation. “Truth?”
“Always,” I whispered with a nod.
“Matty told us that he explained some of how the biology of this works.”
Embarrassment crept back into my veins like it was a living organism, burrowing its way back home.
“I reckon he left out a few things in the heat of the moment. Not that I blame him, I don’t think I would’ve been able to explain a single damn thing before I got you off. But he’s a good guy, he mentioned that he wanted to set you at ease.”
“What did he leave out?” I managed to squeak.
“That we were handpicked for you, that we all signed on because we wanted to. Wanted you.” My stomach dropped at his words, even as my sex clenched. “It just so happens that we’re also the best protection squad they’ve got, but apparently we share more than a single-minded focus and style when we fight.”
“What else do you share?” I was almost afraid of his answer.
Almost afraid it would make me feel even more hot and out of control than I already did.
“Our taste in women. You, more specifically.” He stroked my cheek with the backs of his fingers and held my chin gently. “We all knew exactly what we were getting into. You never, ever have to doubt that we all want you. Or feel guilty about sharing your affections with each of us.”
Somehow, his words were slowly undoing the knot that had been forming in my stomach since Matteo had told me. I inched closer to him, my lips brushing his as I spoke, heart in my throat. “Kiss me.”
And, oh god, did he. Lachlan kissed like an angel even though he was a demon. His lips were soft and firm and demanding. His hands tunneled into my hair and gripped it firmly but without causing me any pain. His tongue dipped into my mouth possessively, stroking me and licking me as he brought our mouths together over and over again.
That same power that I felt from Matteo was pouring into me, a hundred times more intense than it had been before. I didn’t know if it was Lach or the fact that we were in bed, alone. All I knew was that I needed more.
The ache building between my legs was almost as intense as the one that had taken nearly an hour to build on the back of Damon’s bike. My sex swelled and the space between my legs grew slick. My clit throbbed and I arched my hips against Lachlan’s for some relief.
He was hard as the steel I had thought he was chiseled from earlier in his briefs. His erection ground into me in the most delicious way, making me desperate for it. For him.
“Lach,” I moaned. “Please.”
“Sit up,” he breathed against my lips. I followed his command and he tugged my pajama top over my head, leaving my breasts bared to him. “Fucking beautiful.”
My nipples, already puckered from the kiss, hardened so much I was sure they would be able to cut diamonds under Lachlan’s gaze. His lids were at half-mast, his pupils dilated. It was insanely sexy to see him like that.
His hands found the waistband of my flannel pajama bottoms and he rolled them off hastily, leaving my panties in place. Sitting back on his heels, he ran his eyes over me, his breathing growing heavier and faster.
I wanted him so badly that I nearly couldn’t breathe, but despite his earlier words, I was swamped by guilt that he was the second guy to look at me like he wanted to devour me that day.
It was too much. For a girl who had gone her entire life with barely any sexual contact, I couldn’t bear it. Lachlan sensed my shift in emotions and he pulled back immediately.
“What is it? You okay?” He pulled me into a tight hug. His racing heart and the heat of his erection made me feel even more awful about what I was about to do.
“I can’t, Lach, I’m so sorry. I want to, I really want to, but I’m too overwhelmed.” My honesty surprised me.
“It’s okay, baby girl, calm down,” he whispered as I slumped against him. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
But I did.
How was it fair for me to feed off them like they were selections at a buffet? And worse, how could I be falling for more than one of them at a time? Not just as sources of energy, but as men? What sort of human being did that?
That was the kicker, though. I wasn’t a human being. Not anymore.
As Lach held me into the night, I finally drifted off.
And I couldn’t help but wonder if Luci wasn’t the only monster in town.
Chapter 9
I woke up alone the next morning, though I couldn’t blame Lachlan for fleeing after I’d left him high and unfortunately not dry since he’d spent most of the night before wiping away my tears. Grabbing the pillow next to me, I pressed it to my face and let loose a string of curses.
The pillow still smelled like Lach, so I flung it across the room. I didn’t deserve his intoxicating scent. Someone let out a grunt and my eyes popped open.
“What the hell?” Damon said as he neatly sidestepped the pillow and came to sit at the edge of my bed with a puzzled look on his face. “What was that for?”
My cheeks grew warm. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
“Apparently not. What did the pillow do to offend you?” His tone was ligh
t, though his eyes were serious.
“Nothing, it’s just…” I was lost for words, there was no way that I could explain myself to the alpha-est alpha male in the house. Instead, I opted for punching the mattress before I met his questioning gaze. “I’m fine.”
“Clearly,” he responded dryly, then his eyes became soft. “Lach told me about your dream earlier.”
Motherfluffer. These guys clearly shared everything.
As if he could sense my discomfort, Damon continued almost apologetically, “He had to, Stevie. There are no secrets between us. Not when it comes to your safety.”
“My safety?” I asked. “It was just a dream. I’m fine.”
“It was more than that,” Damon admitted with a grim shake of his head. “He didn’t want to scare you any more than you already were, so he wanted to wait until it was morning to tell you. I convinced him to let me do it.”
“To tell me what?” I asked, fear suddenly replacing my confusion.
“The woman in your dream was definitely Luci. And, if you saw her in your dream, that means that she saw you too,” he told me, carefully watching my reactions like he always did.
I tried not to let my fear show as I swallowed hard. “Okay, so what now?”
His tone was matter of fact as he replied. “In your dream, you said you guys were in a field. That’s good because she saw the same thing you saw in your dream, which means she likely doesn’t know where we are, but still, we’re going to need to take you shopping.”
I raised an eyebrow at him and cocked my head. “There’s a murderous succubus queen trying to kill me and you think retail therapy is the answer?”
Damon’s answering grin was humorless. “It’s not exactly retail therapy. We’re going to have to dye your hair and get you a bit of a makeover so that you don’t look so much like yourself. It’s a precaution but it’s a necessary one.”
“You want me to look less like myself?” I questioned.
Damon’s eyes darkened. “Not want, need. There’s a massive difference between the two.”
“Is there?” The breath caught in my lungs under his intense stare.
“There is.” The air between us changed, like it was charging and cracking with electricity. The guilt from the night before resurfaced and I hurriedly pressed on.
“Okay, you need me to look less like myself. Where do we start?” There was no question now that Luci knew I existed and that she was hunting for me. If changing my hair color and getting new clothes meant I was doing some small part to keep my protectors from the fate I had seen in my dream, I would do it every day of the week.
If Damon was surprised that I didn’t put up more of a fight, he didn’t show it. “With breakfast, I should think. After that, we’ll go to town.”
The hunger curled around my belly again, and suddenly I wanted to lunge forward and go to town on him, but I held back. From Damon’s knowing, pointed look, I might as well have screamed the sentiment at him though.
“Are you sure that demons can’t read minds?” The question was out of my mouth before I could stop it. Damon looked perplexed for a second, a thoughtful look crossing his sharp features.
“Yes, I’m sure.” He stood. “Shower. Breakfast will be done soon.”
Damon was gone as quickly as he had appeared, leaving my head spinning and my guilt freshly replenished for the day.
I took a quick, relatively cold shower. Knowing that I was going to be trying on new clothes, I chose a simple outfit that wouldn’t take too much time to get on and off. The guys were talking in the kitchen when I got there, all of their hair still wet from recent showers and bacon sizzling in a pan.
Rex was manning the stove and nodded at me to sit. “How would you like your eggs?”
“Surprise me. I’m easy.”
As soon as the words left my lips, I wanted to pull them back, but I managed to keep my mouth shut.
You okay? Lachlan mouthed from across the table. I nodded and was rewarded by a slow, sexy smile.
“So shopping, you say?” I asked, glancing around the table. “If that was your thing, you should’ve kidnapped my friend Brie instead. She loves the mall.”
“Shit, that was what we forgot,” Matteo said, his eyes crinkling with laughter. “We were supposed to take the one with the shopping addiction.”
Lach snapped his fingers. “I knew there was something. Shall we make the trade then?”
The last remnants of darkness that had been hanging over me since my nightmare seemed to lift as the boys began to banter back and forth. And, despite this new threat, breakfast was a loud, messy affair with lighthearted conversation and easy jokes.
In my wildest dreams I never would have thought I would be that comfortable with the guys given the circumstances, but they were impossible to resist and their good moods were infectious.
Even the lingering guilt seemed to seep out of my bones when I realized that none of them looked at me any differently, they didn’t seem to resent or despise me. No one looked like they were jealous or angry. If anything, they were warm and comforting and before I knew it, we’d settled into an easy rhythm.
It was almost like it was natural, like I was meant to be with these four loud, sometimes crass massive hunks of man.
When it was time to go, Damon insisted that I ride with him again. The winter air was cold and crisp, smelling like snow as I climbed onto the back of his bike and slid my arms around him. Quickly, I found myself relaxing against his back and hanging on to him with an ease and comfort I’d never have imagined. In the space of a day, everything about the dynamic between us had changed.
I was still turned on by the vibrations of the bike and the feel of his body so close to mine, but I embraced the desire instead of rebelling against it. By the time we reached the salon on the outskirts of the city, something had shifted in me.
Something vital.
I’d been trying to retain my humanity. But like I’d realized the night before, I wasn’t human anymore. That didn’t mean I had to be a monster. If I cared about these men, too—and I did—and they truly wanted to be with me and being with one of the others didn’t hurt them? Then would it really be so bad if…
We were the only customers that early in the morning and the waiting stylist eyed my protectors jealously. A wave of possessiveness crashed unexpectedly into me, but I fought it back. I had no right to be jealous here. Who wouldn’t look at them? They were all gorgeous.
Now, if she touched them, I’d rethink…
“What will it be today?” a woman with a severe blonde cut asked as she approached us.
Damon nodded at me. “Whatever she wants, but we’re going for something completely different.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed as she thought, her gaze taking in my features before a brilliant smile spread on her mouth. “How different?”
“How different can you go?” Lachlan asked.
“Oh, honey,” she said. “You have so much to learn about what a girl and a pair of scissors can do.” She turned her smile on me and stuck out her hand. “I’m Alice, by the way.”
“Stevie. What did you have in mind, Alice?”
She led me to a chair in the corner and studied my reflection in her mirror. “Have you ever gone blonde?”
“No, but there’s a first time for everything, right?”
“Atta girl,” Matteo murmured, blowing my reflection a quick kiss. Instead of blushing, I caught it and winked at him. Man, this new life was weird.
“Are you lot staying?” Alice asked, whipping around to face the guys who were forming a loose line behind her.
“We are,” Damon said with a clipped nod.
“Well, okay then,” Alice muttered and returned her attention to me. “I’m thinking golden blonde. It will make your eyes pop and your skin glow, what do you think?”
“I think that I’m in very capable hands. Do your worst,” I agreed.
Within minutes, Alice was painting gloopy liquid onto my hair, maki
ng it stick to my tingling scalp. As soon as she was done, she turned on an egg timer, secured a plastic cap on my head and stuck a dryer over me. The last move was merciful since the guys had started debating if hair salons were where the myth of what aliens looked like had originated.
All too soon, my newly golden locks were falling to the floor as Alice worked her particular brand of magic with the pair of scissors she’d mentioned earlier. I could see them tense and flex every time Alice came too close to my skin. By the time she was done, however, I hardly recognized myself.
The guys nodded in appreciation of my new look, but it seemed optimistic to think that they all liked it. Even if their eyes said otherwise.
“Where does one go shopping for clothes around here?” Lach asked Alice before we left the salon.
“There’s a boutique around the corner, it’s pricey but it’s private,” Alice answered as Damon pulled a couple of bills from his pocket and paid for my haircut. It felt wrong that he was paying for me, but they all assured me that he had been given the money for my well-being.
“Thank you kindly,” Lach said to Alice after she’d given us the instructions on how to get to the boutique.
“You look gorgeous,” Rex’s gruff voice sounded in my ear, closer than I’d ever been to him before. The others seemed to have heard his comment.
“Stunning,” Lach agreed.
“You two are way too conventional with your compliments,” Matteo chimed in. “Our girl looks better than Hermione did for the Yule Ball.”
My heart fluttered at the compliments, and Matteo’s reference that I was their girl, but even more so at Matteo’s quiet declaration. “When did you read Harry Potter?”
“Last night,” he replied, his gaze solemn. The feeling in my belly spread like warm taffy and I wanted to sit him down, straddle him, and plant a long, hot kiss on that sweet mouth.
“What the fuck is a Yule Ball?” Rex asked, joining the other two guys who were loping across the street.
Damon appeared at my elbow, his breath so close to my ear that it tickled. “They’re not wrong, you know.”
Her Demon Harem: Reverse Harem Duology 1 (The Succubus Chronicles) Page 7