by Elle James
The white granite and artificial lighting illuminated the room, giving it a large and spacious appeal worthy of something out of an architectural magazine.
“You’re not coming to my place ever again.” I rolled my eyes. “How can you lower yourself to step foot in my hovel when you have this?”
He smiled. “It’s taken me years to make this as it is. But I prefer your stimulating company over my...accoutrements. Come.” Blaise held out the hand of his undamaged arm. “I could use some help getting out of these clothes.”
“Uh, no.” I refused to take his hand, knowing that touching him only made me that much less in control of my own actions. He was like a date-rape drug, erasing all my self-imposed reasons for abstinence. “We’ll only end up in bed.”
“And is that such a bad place to be?” He winked.
“Damn it.” I stomped my foot, something I never did, but that this demon had me doing on a regular basis. “Do I have to slam your face into your granite tile to get you out of my system?”
“No, but perhaps making love will help.” His grin faded. “Really, I could use your help. The blood on this shirt has dried to my skin. A demon’s body recovers on its own, but it takes time and this clothing will not repair itself.”
The sudden stab of guilt reminded me that he’d taken on a wolf for me. The least I could do was help him out of his shirt. “Fine.”
As I stepped closer, his unique scent wrapped around me, drawing me closer. “But no funny stuff.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “I promise...no funny stuff.”
I made quick work of sliding his jacket off his shoulders, the black leather sporting a dark stain over the rips in the arm. Careful not to disturb his wounded arm, I eased the sleeve off and tossed the ruined garment to the floor. His shirt hung open. In our rush to leave my apartment, he hadn’t had time to button.
As I smoothed the fabric over his chest, his breath caught and held. Not until my hands pressed into the solid muscles of his shoulders did I realize I wasn’t breathing as well. “This is crazy.”
“The lust building inside or you undressing me? Your thoughts are as conflicting as your actions.” His good hand rose to capture my waist. “And you smell amazing.”
“Oh, you like the stench of female perspiration?” I laughed shakily, pushing the shirt down his arm. When it stuck on the dried blood, that nudge of guilt overrode the way my pussy clenched. “We’ll need to get this wet to get it off.”
“The shower is through that door.” He nodded toward a darkened room.
“Could we do this over a sink?”
“I’d prefer to get the disgusting odor of werewolf off my entire body. A sink won’t do that.”
I sighed. “You’re killing me.” But I let him lead the way toward the dark doorway, knowing once inside the demon’s lair, I was a goner.
Chapter Six
As we entered the bedroom, subtle lights came on along the baseboard, illuminating our way.
“Nice.” I swallowed hard, kept my gaze ahead on the bathroom door and ignored the king-sized bed in the center of the room. A man could seduce several women in that. “I suppose you never bump into furniture in the dark.”
“Not unless I want to.” The bathroom light sprang on. It, too, was a subtle glow, not a full-out glare. “Interesting image you have going there.”
His grin spiked my anger, a welcome respite from the pounding urgency of lust making me want to experiment with the firmness of the mattress. “I’m leaving.” I turned and would have walked out of the bedroom, but for the hand that grasped my arm and pulled me back against his naked chest.
Alarm bells went off in my head. “Let go of me,” I whispered. The longer I leaned into him, the less resistance I could muster, the stronger my desire grew. “I have to get back to work.”
“I know you want me.” He spoke the words aloud, the rumble in his chest vibrating all the way through mine.
“So? I can control my desire.” Another lie. I could no more control the flood of desire than I could stop molten lava from flowing downhill.
“Can you?” he challenged, his good hand slid up my arm to pull the hair back from over my shoulder, exposing my throat to the cool air and his warm breath.
“Yes.” My head tipped, allowing him better access, belying my affirmation.
He bent to press his full, sensuous lips against my skin.
My knees buckled and all resistance fled as he turned me and kissed me full on my lips, capturing my breath, my imagination and locking me in for the duration.
His tongue slipped between my teeth and thrust along mine, his fingers tangling in my hair, drawing me deeper into his web.
With no more strength to defend against his onslaught, I leaned into him, my hands spanning his waist, slipping around to caress his tight buttocks, pressing him closer, his cock nudging my belly.
Adrenaline leapt in my veins, molten hot blood roaring through my body, pooling low, igniting a flame I could not deny. I had to have him. There in the bathroom. Soon. Or I’d explode with need.
“What are you doing to me?” I whispered. My fingers searching for and finding the button on his jeans.
“Nothing you don’t already want.” His lips caressed my temple, my cheekbone, brushing my eyelid.
The rivet slid through the button hole and I had the zipper down, and shoved the waistband over his hips in record time.
His cock sprang free, engorged, heavy and hard, bumping against my bare midriff.
Too many clothes. I had on too many clothes.
Take them off. A voice urged inside my head. Was it his or mine?
Did it matter?
I tore the remainder of my shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor, the amulet dangling between my breasts. I leaned against him, the heat of his skin against mine searing a path straight south, generating a rush of liquid. With shaking hands, I shoved his jeans down his thighs, my fingers trailing over taut muscles.
One foot rose and I pushed the jeans off, taking his leather shoe with it.
He shook off the other shoe and stepped on the denim, removing the last of his jeans.
Blaise stood naked but for the shirt stuck to the blood on his arm. The breadth of his shoulders filled the room, each muscle firm and defined.
Deep scratches slashed across his chest, the blood already dry, the edges of his skin well on its way to mending.
I trailed a finger across the scar. “Must be nice to heal so quickly.”
“It has its advantages.” He slid a hand between my skin and the waistband of my jeans. “But I’m not without limits.” With deft movements, he flipped the button free and dropped my zipper.
“You take too long.” Beyond impatient, and past caring that I had broken all my newly formed rules, I ripped off my jeans and boots and reached behind him to turn on the shower nozzle. “Get in.”
He grinned, his dark eyes gleaming. “Yes, ma’am.” He stepped into the large, granite-lined shower, taking me with him.
I didn’t argue, figuring the sooner we did the nasty, the sooner I’d be free of my desire for this demon and ready to focus on capturing the evil one.
Water sluiced over his shoulders, soaking the shirt, dried blood loosening its hold on fabric and skin. In seconds, the garment slid away, dropping with a plop to the shower floor.
I kicked it aside and stepped into Blaise’s arms. “Let’s do this.”
Blaise’s brows dipped. “You think it will be that easy? That quick?”
“It has to be. We have a baddie to catch before he ensnares more women as sex slaves.” Though my words were blunt, my body felt anything but hardcore. Water lubricated our connection, making my hands glide over the planes of his chest and downward to the erect shaft prodding my belly.
My fingers circled him, rising up and down, pumping him hard, as if he needed his engine primed. Which he didn’t. He couldn’t possibly get bigger or harder.
The gashes on his injured arm had already started to heal, the crusted blood washing away with the water’s spray.
I circled his calf with mine, pulling myself closer until my pussy rubbed against the coarse hairs of his thigh. A moan rose up my throat and I set it free, the sound echoing off the walls.
Blaise reached beneath my buttocks and lifted me, wrapping my thighs around his waist, his cock poking my entrance.
I wanted him inside me so badly I ached.
But he held off. Balancing me with one hand, his other reached for a ledge above the showerhead, returning with a foil packet.
A burn of jealousy made me stiffen. “Bring women here often?”
“No, but I’ve been thinking about you every night. Hoping I’d have you to myself. Here.” He handed me the packet.
I hated myself for believing him, but ripped the condom free and slid it over his penis, eager to consummate this little get-together.
No sooner had the condom covered him then he was inside me, thrusting hard and fast.
I grasped his shoulders, pushing myself up and sliding down, matching his movements, wanting him to go faster, to drive harder.
He turned with me in his arms and pushed me against the granite, his hands gripping my thighs as he thrust one last time, bending to take one of my breasts between his teeth as his cock throbbed against the walls of my vagina.
“See? It didn’t take long,” I said, my breath coming in short gasps.
“We’re not nearly done.” He lifted me and carried me dripping through the bathroom and laid me out on that decadently huge bed, the satin comforter cool against my heated skin.
“I really need to be topside,” I muttered, unable to make a move with Blaise pressing me into the mattress, his body settling over mine.
“Not yet.” He pushed up on his hands, his muscles flexing as he bent to capture my nipple between his teeth. “Let them think you’ve disappeared.”
“But this is all wrong.” My back arched off the bed, pressing my breast deeper into his mouth.
“All wrong,” he agreed, his breath skimming along my ribs, working his way lower to that triangle of hair guarding my most sensitive zone.
I drew in a shaky breath, capturing my bottom lip between my teeth, my hands digging into his full, thick hair. “Oh, boy.” As if perched at the top of a steep drop on a roller coaster ride, I waited, unable to release the air.
His fingers threaded through the curls, parting my folds to expose that thick sliver of skin, the bundle of nerves throbbing in anticipation of his touch.
As his face leaned close, my heels dug into the comforter, lifting me upward.
His tongue flicked my clit, sparking a string of electric shocks pinging throughout my body. He swirled, laved and lapped at the center of my desire, sending me rocketing to the edge.
When he pushed his fingers into my wet entrance, I came apart, my hands convulsing against his scalp, urging him closer, pushing him away with each wave of ecstasy washing over me.
He tortured me, strumming me like a harpist, the melody building to a crescendo, the blankets and sheets whipping around the two of us as the tide swelled, carrying us along in its wake.
At the peak, I dropped over the edge and fell into a bottomless abyss, my mind spinning. I squeezed shut my eyes and held on, riding the storm to the end.
When I returned to earth, I opened my eyes.
Blaise lay on his side, propped on an elbow and gazing down at me. A smile curled the edge of his lips, his longish black hair stood on end and there was a light slash of blood across one cheekbone. “You really have to channel the energy of the amulet before someone gets hurt.”
“How did you get that cut?” I reached up and caressed his cheek, the movement of my body against the satin comforter, stirring me to life yet again. Forcing myself to focus on him and the room around me, I pushed to my elbows and gasped. “What the hell happened?”
The room was a disaster. The extra throw pillows that had been on the bed were strewn across the floor, the chair in the corner lay on its side against the far wall and the dresser had moved three feet away from the wall, the decorative statue that had graced its shiny surface lay in a broken tangle of sheets and clothing across the room.
Blaise frowned. “You don’t remember?”
“Nothing after you got me off...” I could feel the heat of a blush rising up my neck, filling my cheeks. I’d never spoken so openly about sex with a man. Then again, Blaise wasn’t just a man. He was a demon. One I’d sworn off and hadn’t been able to leave alone.
“Sweetheart, that amulet has your own powers so hyped up, you don’t know your own strength.”
“I told you. I don’t have powers. You’re the demon. I’m human.”
“Whatever you choose to believe. But when it comes down to it, use your powers to protect yourself.” He kissed my lips, the caress sizzling but brief, then he skimmed his fingers across a nipple. “We need to go.” Blaise rose from the bed and strode naked across the huge bedroom into a closet.
As if the rug had been ripped from under me, I sat up. “That’s my line. We’d have gone a lot sooner had you not dragged me into your cave.”
I wrapped the sheet around my body and scooted to the edge of the bed. Holding tight to my toga, I dashed into the bathroom and snatched up my damp jeans, shoving my feet into them. I lifted my tattered T-shirt from the puddle where it lay on the floor and shook it. Not much left after ripping the hem off to stop the blood flowing from Blaise’s arm.
I shivered at the recollection of the wolf tearing into him.
“Here.” Blaise wrapped a dark cotton long-sleeved shirt around my shoulders and pulled me against him. “I’m fine. Demons heal quickly.” He turned me to face him and buttoned the shirt up my front, his lips curling upward. “You look like a lost child in this shirt.”
A glance in the mirror confirmed his assessment. Not only was the shirt big enough to fit two of me inside, but my hair stuck out like that of someone from a horror movie. “Great.” I wet my hand and finger-combed my hair, but no amount of damage-control was helping.
I jammed the tail of the black shirt into my jeans, the wads of fabric bunching against my skin. Too bulky to zip, I yanked it back out and tied the tails in a knot around my waist and folded the sleeves up until I once again had use of my hands.
“Ready?” Blaise stood in the doorway, looking as well-put-together as a GQ model.
Which only made me feel even more like a drowned kitten. Thank goodness I didn’t give a damn about my looks. “Ready.” I stepped into my shoes and we headed for the underground entrance.
As Blaise reached out to pull the heavy metal door open, it smashed inward, a strong burst of fetid air blowing in with it, knocking me back as easily as a if I’d been struck by a bullet.
Chapter Seven
A man ducked low and entered Blaise’s home.
Blaise had staggered backward, but re
mained on his feet.
I pulled myself up off the floor. “What the hell?”
Shoving me behind him, Blaise’s chest puffed out and his demanded, “Who the hell are you?”
The man glared at Blaise. “The man about to save your sorry ass. Hurry. We have to get her out of here.” He nodded toward me.
“I’ll decide when I need to come and go.”
“If you want to overtaken by a pack of angry werewolves in animal form, stay. Otherwise, follow me.”
I refused to take a step. “You haven’t told us who you are. Why should we follow you when you could be leading us into a trap?”
“I knew your mother. She would have wanted me to make sure you survived.”
All the wind left my lungs as if I’d been punched in the gut. “What do you know about my mother?”
“Plenty. She loved you and wouldn’t have wanted you to die needlessly.” He held out his hand. “Are you coming, or not?”
“Not.” I stood with my arms crossed over my chest.
“Suit yourself, but the wolves have explosives and plan to use them.”
Blaise glared. “How do you know this?”
“Let’s just say the otherkin grapevine has many branches.”
“You’re one of us.” Blaise stated. It wasn’t a question.
The stranger nodded.
“And that’s supposed to make us feel better?” I laughed. “Nicolae is a demon and he’s determined to bank on his power. How do we know you aren’t in on his plan?”
A shout echoed in the distance outside the entranceway.
“Because I don’t care about the amulet. He does, and he won’t let anything or anyone stand in the way of him retrieving it.”
“If you don’t care about the amulet, why are you here?”
His gaze bore into mine and silence stretched for long moment. “No time to argue. I’m leaving. Follow me if you want to live.” The stranger ducked out of the low entrance.
Something about his face niggled at the back of my mind.