by Beverly Rae
“Of course.” The crooked smirk he gave her warned her in advance. “But loss hasn’t seemed to hurt the power of their lungs.”
She playfully slapped the hand she’d just held, then wrapped her hand around her drink. “Watch it, bub. My sisters and I are tighter than a noose around a condemned man’s neck.” What a thing to say, Allie. Sheesh!
Tom lifted his hands to her, palms out. “Hey, it was only a joke.”
Their conversation flowed on as though they’d been long-time friends who had only now started to recognize that their connection could grow stronger, deeper. Allie listened to him describe his childhood and his life after college. She added bits of information from her comparatively unexciting life without telling him too much. How much she said, however, didn’t matter. Just sitting next to him was enough.
Even as the crowd began to thin and the hours passed, they remained, sitting close together, talking about the important events in their lives as well as the meaningless things. At one point, the assistant manager came by to check on them, but they barely acknowledged his presence. Allie had never experienced a night like this, one spent simply talking with a man.
“So tell me, Allie Tristan, do you always do what your sisters tell you to do?”
Startled, she wanted to deny the accusation, but then thought better of it. From what little he’d seen, she did follow their orders. “Not always.”
He reached out to slip a strand of her hair between his fingers. “Uh-huh. Just what I thought. You’ve got a wild streak, don’t you?”
Had she gone too far? She bit her bottom lip and focused on his. Or had she not gone far enough? She wanted him. And in a different way than she’d wanted Steve or Mitch. Could she trust her body not to take over and drain him? After all, she’d already fed tonight. Why would she need to do so again?
“I think everyone has a wild streak.” She dared him, not with words but with her eyes. “If they have someone around to bring it out in them.”
“Then let me bring out your wild streak, Allie.”
Tom pressed his mouth to hers and slipped his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. Allie sighed and rid her mind of any thoughts other than how warm his lips were. A tingle shot through her, sizzling her to the core. Her pussy tightened, lust flowing into the sensitive parts of her body.
“Now that I’ve had time to consider what happened, I have to say it was a good night’s work.”
Meg touched her wineglass against Hilly’s. “I didn’t think so at first but, on second thought, I agree. After all, we got Allie what she needed and no one died. Mitch and Jim will wake up tomorrow morning and not suspect anything other than having gone on a bender. And, thanks to my forget-me spell, they won’t have any memory of the Tristan sisters. Much less Allie’s withdrawal from their energy accounts.” She ran her tongue over her upper lip, catching a drop of wine. “Are you sure they’ll be all right?”
“Definitely. I checked on them again. They’re out cold and snoring enough to scare away the stray cats.”
“Good. Now we can relax.”
The sisters leaned back on the couch and grew silent, savoring their drinks. The quiet of the home swept over Meg and she sighed and closed her eyes, content to be by her sister’s side.
“Meg, maybe we should check on Allie.”
Aw, damn. Forcing her tired eyes open, Meg drowned the remainder of her wine, then scowled at her sister. “Stars and moon, Hilly. For once in your life, take it easy. She’s fine.”
Hilly glanced at the hallway leading to her sister’s bedroom. “I’m sure she is, but still…”
Groaning, Meg took Hilly’s hand and stood, pulling her older sister along with her. “Come on. We might as well check on her, because I know you won’t relax until we do.”
Together the sisters strode toward Allie’s room. Hilly knocked on Allie’s door and they waited, hoping for a reply.
When none came, Meg uttered a curse and wiggled the doorknob. “Locked.”
“Oh, my word. She never locks her door.” Hilly shot her a suspicious look.
“Yes she does.” Meg bit her lip, then told her sister the rest of her thoughts. “She does. But only when she has something to hide.”
“Meg, we have to get this door open.”
“Yeah. I know.” Uttering a curse under her breath, Meg said a quick spell, then waved her hand in front of the doorknob. The door creaked open, allowing the sisters to barge inside the room.
Meg snatched the sheets off the bed, exposing the two pillows underneath. “Shit. Can you believe she pulled this old trick?”
Hilly, however, was already one step ahead. “Where the hell is she?” She flung open Allie’s closet doors and pushed aside the hanging clothes to search in the back.
Meg arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you really think she’s hiding in the closet? I don’t know about you, but Allie quit playing hide-and-seek about ten years ago.”
“She pulled the old pillows-under-the-covers routine, didn’t she?” Hilly whirled around and stomped to the other side of the room. Going down on her hands and knees, she checked under the bed. “She has to be somewhere.”
Meg fought back a laugh, knowing her sister wouldn’t find the situation—or the fact that her bottom was stuck in the air—the least bit funny. “I doubt you’re going to find her under there. But watch out for the dust bunnies. Those little buggers can take one helluva bite out of you.”
“Meg, this isn’t funny.” Hilly rose, then strode over to the window. “Who knows what might happen to her. Or to someone else.”
Meg flopped onto the bed and watched her older sister push open the window.
“Ah-ha! Just as I suspected. It’s unlocked. I’ll bet you anything she slipped out of the house through the window. All while we were busy cleaning up.”
“Ya think, Sherlock? And by cleanup, you mean taking Mitch and Jim out to the alley for a little snoozy time. Come on, sis. What’s the big deal? She just fed. It’s not like she’ll need energy anytime soon. Hey!”
She scrambled over the bed to the other side as Hilly rushed at her. “How do you know, Meg? We have no clue how long she can last before she’ll need another man to feed on.” She paused and snatched up an ornate green bottle sitting on the nightstand. “Oh, my word. I’ll bet you anything that she forgot to take her potion, too. Now I really am worried.”
Her sister had a point. Without her non-attraction potion, Allie’s succubus allure was bound to attract a lot of men. Men who might not take no for an answer. “Okay, that’s not good.”
“Really?” Hilly pocketed the bottle, took a big breath and fisted her hands on her hips. “All right, let’s stay calm and focused. How do we find her?”
“To bad we didn’t put a GPS locator on her. Or implant a chip like they use for lost dogs.”
“Meg.” The warning in Hilly’s voice was unmistakable. Her irritation and worry formed lines in her forehead. “You don’t think she went back to the club and that man, do you?”
“Of course she did. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“But she promised me she’d leave him alone.”
Meg rolled her lips under to keep from chuckling at her sister’s disbelief. “Yeah, ya think she’d obey you better than that. Not.”
“Then let’s get going.”
Hilly was halfway out of the room when Meg hailed her. “Hang on. Don’t get your panties in a bunch, big sis. I have an idea. Let’s be sure our hunch is right and we don’t end up on a wild goose chase, wasting valuable time. Follow me. Oh, and bring Allie’s hairbrush with you.”
Meg led the way into their combination work-slash-junk room and rummaged through her collection of herbs, preserved animal body parts and various other ingredients for spells and potions. “Good. Here’s what I need.”
She dumped the ingredients onto the big table in the corner, then reached for the slow cooker and plugged it in. She patted the cooker like she’d pat an old fri
end, satisfied with her choice. After all, who said witches had to use cauldrons anyway? She’d take a good old Crock-Pot anytime.
“What are you mixing up?” Hilly peeked over her shoulder.
Meg added water from a nearby pitcher, then edged Hilly away. “Give the master some room to work. I’m mixing up a finder spell.”
“I thought that was only good for finding things like lost keys.”
Meg sprinkled in a dash of frog’s toes. “Usually. But I’m hoping it’ll help find missing sisters, too. Now give me a few strands of Allie’s hair and we should be all set.” She spooned the hairs into the concoction, stirring everything together until all that remained was a brown blob with the consistency of pudding.
“Would you like to do the honors, Hilly?”
“Uh, no thanks. The last time I tried that, I almost burned my hand off.”
“Wuss.” Meg shot her sister a quick smile, then carried the gunk into the bathroom and dumped it into the sink. The awful smelling mess bubbled and gurgled, staining the sink a terrible color. “Here goes nothing.”
“Let’s hope you’re wrong about that.” Hilly positioned herself next to Meg and stared into the goop.
“Quiet, now. Concentrate and look. Come on. Show us where Allie is.”
The mixture swirled as though ocean currents had set it in motion. Bubbles burst, releasing an awful stench while bits and pieces of frog toes popped to the surface.
“Argh. Why do your mixes have to be so revolting?”
“First, I don’t think that’s true. But sometimes, they have to be. Just like the best medicine is usually the worst tasting.”
“Then this should help us find our little sister in a flash and cure cancer at the same time.”
Meg peered into the glop and nodded. “When you’re right, you’re right. At least about locating Allie. I already see something.”
Hilly leaned closer, her nose scrunched up and her brow furrowed. “Where? I don’t see anything.”
Meg pushed her away to get a better look. “That’s because you’re a shape-shifter and not a witch. Ah, I see her and you were right. She’s at the club with what’s-his-name.”
“Oh, for cripe’s sake, Meg. Why did she go there against my express order not to?”
Meg opened the drain and turned on the faucet to wash away the mixture. “Gee, I don’t know. But if you were a young woman with burgeoning sexual desire and you’d met a very handsome man earlier in the evening, wouldn’t you want to see him again?”
“At least tell me she’s not draining him.”
“Nope. Not yet anyway. But we’d better get over there before she does something we’ll all regret. Especially Mr. Hottie. Let me grab a potion and we’re off.”
Chapter Six
Allie broke off the kiss, forced her growing desire under control, and smiled at Tom.
“That was nice,” he said.
“Uh-huh.” Perhaps too nice? Had she made a mistake coming back to the club? She gazed into his rich green eyes, then shoved away her concern. No. She’d keep her succubus urges at bay and enjoy his company. Nothing more. After all, she’d already taken energy from the other men. Why would she need Tom’s?
She leaned against the cushion of the booth and let her wishes take hold. Could she ever have a love like the heroines in her favorite movies? A love where she didn’t have to worry about hurting the man? A love where she would be adored just for being herself and not because of her succubus allure? And failing a true, long-lasting love, could she at least have sexual escapades like Meg without almost killing her partners?
She glanced at Tom and wanted to say something witty, but never got the chance. Tom crushed his mouth to hers, cupping the back of her head. At first she tried resisting, tried to keep her resolve not to give in to her attraction, but within seconds she knew she couldn’t. Groaning, she slid her arms under his to grip his back, pushing her breasts against his chest.
The kiss was magical. That was the only word Allie could think to describe how Tom’s lips felt pressed to hers. His warm lips against hers made her shudder with a delight she hadn’t known could exist, hadn’t dared dream she might experience. He nibbled her lower lip and she sighed, then felt him smile at her girlie gesture. But she didn’t care. At that moment, nothing mattered except staying close to him.
Demanding yet gentle, Tom drew in her tongue until he could play his with hers. Keeping her lips to his, he ran a hand along her leg, pausing a moment at the hem of her skirt before sliding his fingers under the material. He hesitated again, waiting for her to give him a sign. She uncrossed her legs, silently giving him permission to move upward. Her body was as alive as when she drew life from another, yet in a more subtle, more meaningful way. Her skin tingled and heated. Absently, she wondered if this was what everyone enjoyed. Was normal attraction always this good? Or was it because it was Tom?
Allie arched, wanting him to know how good he felt against her. Her nipples pebbled at the warmth coming from his body at the same time her panties grew wet.
Tom abandoned her mouth and she let him ease her head back as he traveled kisses downward to the hollow of her neck. She gasped, the thrill his touch gave her possessing her breath as surely as he possessed her body. He cupped her, then fingered the thin material of her panties out of the way until he found her folds. The fire inside her instantly blazed into an inferno and she struggled, trying to cage the craving that had suddenly roared to life, demanding to take his energy.
She knew it was hopeless, knew that she’d failed. The part of her that wanted him was ready to take the risk and told her other side that everything would be all right.
Deciding to believe the voice inside her head, she reached up to grip his hair and tugged at him, roughly dragging his head up so she could meet his eyes. “Not here.”
He gritted his teeth, then looked around as though only now remembering where they were. Taking her hand, he dragged her from the booth.
“Boss, I have a question about—”
“Talk to Rob. I’ll be in my office. Don’t disturb me.” Tom waved off the stunned waitress and kept moving toward the back of the club. Several pairs of eyes, male as well as female, followed them. Their gazes, filled with envy, glared at her. She giggled, happy to be the center of attention for a different reason than her usual allure.
Tom’s office was large and decorated just as Allie had imagined a man’s office would be. A large desk dominated the room, but she barely had time to look at anything else before she landed flat on her back on the sofa shoved against the outer wall. Tom sat beside her instead of lying on top of her as she’d hoped he would.
“You have a couch in your office.” The fact that he did made her a bit uneasy, but she shoved away the bothersome feeling.
“I often spend a lot of late hours here after the club closes and I’m too tired to drive home.” Tom removed her top, then tugged his off as well.
His chest was solid, his abdomen firm and enticing. His tanned skin showed that he liked the outdoors, and strong callused hands alluded to a life that had seen manual labor. She lay still, watching the muscles in his arms move as he tugged her skirt down her legs. His broad shoulders fascinated her and she reached out for them, needing to know if they felt as hard as they looked. Warmth burst from his skin into hers, and she moaned, more than ready to skip the foreplay. She tried to hold on to him but lost contact when he shucked his jeans to the floor.
“Kiss me again.”
Tearing her gaze away from his body, she sought his eyes and smiled. “Are you telling me or asking me?”
“Whichever way gets you to do it.”
His sense of humor was nearly as captivating as his sexiness. In fact, humor was part of his sexiness. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him down and touched her mouth to his. He took her lips, gently, sweetly. This was how she’d imagined a kiss should be: tentative, endearing, yet burning with the promise of more. She wanted him, wanted more than even his kiss could give her. S
he welcomed his tongue while his hands explored her curves.
Tom lifted his body over hers as she’d hoped he would. He fondled her breasts, rubbing the taut buds to send shivers through her. She groaned, loving the way the heat from his hands warmed her skin. Bare skin pressed against bare skin, impossibly soft from such a hard body. But it was his hardness between her legs that sent her lust soaring.
She grew hotter, the heat scorching her from the inside out. Unlike with the other men, however, she didn’t sense a hunger. At least not the same type of hunger she’d experienced earlier. This hunger was stronger, more insistent, demanding more than mere energy. She cried out as he bent to take a nipple between his teeth and arched her back for more. She clasped her hands behind his neck, holding him, wanting to never let him go.
Yet somewhere, down into the darkness of her mind, she wondered what she was doing. Wondered if she could resist taking him. If she could have what she wanted without harming him. But the thought was squelched again by the touch of his hand on her breast, the sensation of his shaft between her legs.
Maybe if I only go a little way? I can stop when I need to. I’ll have to stop. And I’ll have to stop soon.
His hand delved between her legs to tear away her panties and found the nub that ached for him to massage it. Startling her, her orgasm burst from her, beginning at her core then spreading outward to shake her frame. Draining the other men hadn’t done this to her. No, this was different, as special as Tom was. She thrust her pelvis at him, forcing him to readjust and push two fingers inside.
“I need to get a condom, Allie.”
She opened her mouth to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but she couldn’t speak. Her succubus nature protected her.
Tom made the decision for her by reaching into the pocket of his jeans. Pushing away from her, he put on the condom he’d found in his wallet, then bent to kiss her. “It’s okay now.”