Darkness Taunts

by Susan Illene

  This was a dangerous game I played. I’d have to give him free reign over my body without letting my emotions get involved. What would he do to me? Dozens of pairs of eyes watched us and they all expected something. Could I really stay for this? I didn’t get a chance to make a run for it.

  Lucas pulled me toward him and settled us at the farthest side. The booth was designed with more than enough space for me to sit in his lap. My back and thighs tingled where they came in contact with him. I wanted to adjust my butt into a better position, but stayed still. Signs were already beneath me that this was affecting him too. Dear God, I wasn’t going to survive this. What had I been thinking?

  He’s an arrogant ass who could easily kill you, Melena. Remember that!

  “Relax,” he whispered in my ear. “Don’t let them think you fear me.”

  Oh, I had reason to be afraid. How many times in the past had he threatened me? My hands gripped the table like a lifeline. “I’m trying.”

  He took hold of my chin and tilted my face up toward his. “Tell me you want this.”

  I tried not to look into his familiar golden eyes, but couldn’t stop myself. Passion had replaced the coldness that had always been there. His gaze might have even reflected the slightest bit of concern—for me. My senses were too confused with my own emotions to make much sense of his at the moment.

  “Tell me,” he repeated.

  What had he been talking about? I frowned. He’d turned me into brainless mush in a matter of minutes. Things would only get worse from here.

  “Tell me you want this,” he repeated.

  His lips were close—only a couple of inches away. If I told him, I’d find out what they felt like. How many times had I wondered?

  “I want this,” I breathed. Thinking about long term consequences was overrated. Now was what mattered. Didn’t I read some somewhere enemies made great lovers?

  He leaned his head down and I closed my eyes. The moment our lips touched everything but the two of us disappeared. We didn’t take it slow. Maybe after more than eight years of knowing each other it seemed like a waste of time not to dive all the way in. I gripped the back of his head the same way he did mine and opened my mouth.

  Our tongues clashed. We melded our bodies together and sparks sizzled between us. We’d always had a strong reaction to touching each other, but this felt like more. It was as if now that we’d given in we had no restraint left.

  Maybe we didn’t. He kissed me until I ran out of air. I averted my face, gasping for breath and noticed a waitress hovering next to our table. How long had she stood there watching us? Lucas showed no sign of it bothering him. He ordered for me again, but this time he got my favorite—Long Island Iced Tea laced with grenadine.

  His fingers played along my arm while we waited for the waitress to come back. I watched his strong hand move across my skin and couldn’t believe they were really touching me. Had he ever thought about doing it before? What made him want to do it now? I was grateful when my drink arrived—being this close to Lucas had turned my mouth dry.

  “I wouldn’t normally encourage you to drink that vile stuff,” he said as I took my first sip, “but I’ll let you have it this time if it will make you more comfortable.”

  Sitting in his lap with his arms wrapped around me made it hard to think straight. It took a moment for me to come up with a reply. “It’s not like you’re the one drinking it. I don’t know what the big deal is.”

  “Oh, I’ll be drinking it,” he said close to my ear, “every time I taste you.”

  I hadn’t thought it was possible to get more turned on. Damn him for having such a strong effect on me. “You should have gotten something for yourself.”

  “You’re all I need for now,” he said.

  I kept the drink in my hand with the hope it would buy me a little more time before he started back up again. Just hearing him talk did erotic things to me.

  “Since when did you become Casanova?” I asked.

  He nibbled my ear. “Never.”

  “Don’t be so sure,” I said. A seductive Lucas made for a more difficult challenge. My wits were the only thing that kept me strong against him under normal circumstances.

  He ran his right hand ran down my bare thigh and pulled it over his own. His fingers traced a lazy path along the inside. “I know you’re hiding behind that glass.”

  My back arched as his fingers slid up. “I wouldn’t want you to waste your money since you’re paying for it.”

  He took the drink from my weakened grip and set it on the table. “You can finish it later.”

  His left hand grasped my untouched thigh and pulled it over his other leg. Then he widened both of his to force my knees far apart. The table blocked anyone from seeing down there, but I still felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. My short skirt rode high enough now it left me exposed. “What are you doing, Lucas?”

  He grabbed a fistful of my hair and forced my head up toward his. “Making sure everyone knows exactly who you belong to tonight.”

  Our lips met and the heat built up even higher between us. He tasted my tongue and left no doubt the flavor didn’t bother him nearly as much as he claimed. His free hand ran back up my thigh until it reached the juncture between my legs. I jumped when he slid his fingers under my panties to touch the sensitive folds underneath.

  “I knew you’d be wet for me,” he said.

  I tried to pull away; suddenly embarrassed by my reaction to him. He used those same hands to kill people—to rip their hearts out and take off their heads. I’d seen him do it enough times. How could I take any pleasure from them? What kind of person did that make me? Worst of all, now he knew how much of an affect he had on my body. No amount of promises could make him forget something like that.

  He kept his hold on my hair and held me still. My legs were locked wide open with no way to close them. I gripped his arm, trying to pull it away from my body, but couldn’t budge it. His fingers were tracing lazy circles over and over the slick folds between my thighs. It mesmerized me as the tingles built higher and higher. Squirming didn’t do anything but make it worse. The growing bulge pressing against my backside let me know he was enjoying himself. Realizing I was the one to do that to him turned me on even more. He wasn’t immune to me either. I tried to remember what had upset me so much, but nothing came to mind.

  “Don’t fight it,” he said. “Just feel.”

  His other hand let go of my hair. He ran his fingers down my chest until they dipped inside the bodice of my dress. When he squeezed my nipple, I moaned. His chin nudged my head to the side. Soft lips pressed kisses along my neck, leaving a trail of blazing heat. At the same time his fingers slid into the entrance between my thighs. I discovered a new meaning for sensory overload.

  “When was the last time someone touched you here, Melena?”

  I tensed. How could he be asking this? “None of your business.”

  “It’s been well over three years now. Perhaps closer to four. Why?”

  How did he always know so much about me? I dated enough no one else suspected my long dry spell. I grasped the hand between my thighs. His fingers were creating an ache with their smooth up and down motions pushing farther inside with each thrust. They felt better than anything I’d ever experienced before. “Don’t,” I whispered.

  “Tell me why.” He was too strong. I couldn’t stop him from burrowing a third finger in deep. My legs didn’t bother to ask my permission before spreading to give him more access. Had I thought those tingles felt amazing in other places? It didn’t compare. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like if he replaced his fingers with the real thing.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I managed to say.

  His thumb rubbed the swollen nub on the outside. “You stopped sleeping with other men close to the time of a very specific event. It matters to me and I want to know why.”

  Despite my mind losing itself to his touch, I knew what he meant. “The explosion,” I mum
bled. “It left an ugly scar on my side. I didn’t want anyone to see it.”

  “Bullshit, Melena,” he growled. “You’re a beautiful woman. No man would care about that scar—I sure as hell don’t. Now tell me the real reason.”

  The tension was building. He knew how to work his fingers to drive a woman insane. It no longer mattered that more eyes than I cared to think about watched us. I clutched the seat and held on for dear life as the first wave got close. Just a little bit more.

  He stopped and pulled away. I groaned.

  “I won’t let you finish until you tell me,” he said.

  I shook my head back and forth. “I don’t know.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “Why are you doing this to me?” I asked.

  “Answer the question.”

  My body almost shook with need. If answering him would get me what I wanted, I’d deal with the consequences later.

  “None of them compared,” I whispered.

  He resumed working his fingers again, but kept them soft and teasing. Not enough to send me over. “None of them compared to what?”

  I wanted to sob. His touch felt so good, but his words were forcing things from me I didn’t want to admit, especially to myself. “You protected me, Lucas. You took the force of that explosion onto yourself and kept it from killing me. Years of you saying how you wanted me dead, but that one day changed everything.”

  “What does it have to do with your sex life?” he asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  I whimpered when he stopped moving again.

  “We have an agreement. Whatever is said or done here tonight, we won’t bring it up again if you don’t wish it. Now tell me.”

  “I can’t.”

  He kissed my shoulder gently. “Why?”

  I couldn’t help tilting my neck to give him better access. “Because it won’t change anything.”

  “Let me be the judge of that.” Sharp teeth grazed my skin.

  I drew a ragged breath. “Because of you, Lucas. I know it’s stupid, but I feel like I can face anything when I’m with you. No one else gives me that.”

  He held me tighter. “I’m no hero, Melena.”

  “You don’t think I don’t know that?” I squirmed in his lap. “You have no idea how much I hate you.”

  “Oh, I know—more than you realize,” he said with a tinge of self-deprecation. “Thank you for answering my question.”

  His hand moved back between my thighs and worked its magic in ways that had me writhing in his arms. The tingles became unending jolts of pleasure. They built higher and higher until the world around me disappeared. I stood at the edge and somehow knew if I jumped off I’d never be the same again.

  “Let it go, Melena.”

  I didn’t need any more encouragement. His words gave me the final push. Fangs sank into my neck. The brief pain heightened every other sensation. Unimaginable bliss overrode every thought as he slowly pulled blood from me. For reasons I couldn’t describe I wanted him to keep doing it, though the idea of it had always repulsed me before. It was Lucas, and somehow, that made it different. I wanted everything I could get from him. Needed to focus on that precise moment and forget everything else.

  He gripped me tighter as he sucked harder. In a brief flash we were linked, mind and soul. I could feel how much he enjoyed doing all the things he did to me. It almost bordered on an obsession for him. As if he needed to bring me pleasure in order to redeem himself, though something told me he wasn’t aware of that—or willing to acknowledge it. I wanted to investigate that part of him further, but the height of my orgasm hit. Stars exploded behind my eyelids so that nothing but the pleasure of his touch remained.

  I must have blacked out because when my awareness returned his arms were wrapped around my body holding me close.

  “Feel better?” he asked.

  “Mmmm” was all I could get out.

  He pressed a glass against my lips. “Drink.”

  I took several sips before letting him take it away. How did I get so thirsty? Then I remembered. “You drank my blood.”

  More memories came back. I twisted around in his arms trying to inspect his mouth. “You have fangs.”

  His lips lifted, but none of his teeth looked out of the ordinary now. “Where do you think vampires get them from?”

  He had the silencing spell up. “But you drank my blood. Won’t that weaken you?”

  My senses were still too groggy to do a full check of him.

  His fingers played against the skin of my arm. “I only took a few swallows. Not enough to do any real damage.”

  “Why would you risk it, though?” His behavior tonight clashed with everything he’d said and done before. I was seeing an entirely different side of him.

  He readjusted my body until I sat sideways in his lap.

  “It was the only way I could feel what you were feeling,” he admitted. A little too much knowledge reflected in his eyes.

  He must have picked up on some of my innermost thoughts as well. Things I didn’t want to admit to myself either. Something had happened between us. I felt closer to him in a way that went beyond anything I’d ever felt.

  My fingers crept under his loosened shirt. I’d wanted to touch his chest since the other day when I’d gotten my first look at it. “You shouldn’t have been able to link us together like that.”

  He sucked in his breath as I raked my nails down his rigid stomach.

  “Never assume anything is impossible.”

  That only sounded a little unnerving. I squirmed and realized he was still rock hard underneath me. He’d given me the greatest orgasm of my life and taken nothing in return. Despite my lingering issues with him, I couldn’t leave him hanging like that. Not after what he’d done for me. My hand reached for his belt. “You didn’t finish.”

  Lucas stopped me. “Do you know what it means to give you pleasure in front of others and take nothing for myself?”

  “No,” I said. I kept my focus on his fathomless eyes, not wanting to think about the “others” in the room. They’d seen enough to know what he’d done. That should have bothered me more than it did.

  He leaned his head forward and kissed me so deeply I almost forgot what we were talking about. “It means I showed you my highest regard in front of everyone present.”

  My brows knitted. “I don’t understand.”

  “You don’t need to, but others will get the message.”

  I felt a vibration coming from his pocket. “Your cell phone is ringing.”

  We adjusted our position so he could reach it. Once he pulled the phone out, I settled back into his arms knowing our time was almost up. No matter how I felt in this moment, it couldn’t last. We would always be at odds with each other. As he spoke into the phone I knew I was right. His body tensed the more he talked, even if nothing he said revealed the problem.

  “We have to go,” he said after hanging up.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  Dark emotions broiled under the surface of him and regret filled his eyes. He traced a finger along the side of my face. It lingered at my lips. I could tell he wanted to do more, but he held himself back.

  “The demons attacked again.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  With every step toward Lucas’ car I built the barriers between us back up higher. I’d gotten more than I bargained for by giving in to my attraction to him—a whole lot more. The man was even more dangerous than I realized. He’d always been more than strong enough to kill me, but now I knew he had the power to destroy my heart and soul. I couldn’t let that happen.

  To make matters worse, he’d used pleasure to get me to confess private things. Now that we weren’t touching each other, mortification set in. He’d meant his promise when he said he’d never bring it up, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t think about it. Lucas wouldn’t have asked questions like that without a reason.

  I couldn’t look at him when he opened the passenger
door for me. He shut it after I climbed in and got in on the other side. I pulled my overcoat tighter and stared out the side window.

  “Melena, about tonight…” he said as he started the car.

  “Don’t,” I said, still not looking at him. “We agreed not to talk about it ever again. You got what you wanted and so did I. It’s over.”

  I could feel his eyes on me. Anger was building inside of him, but a thread of disappointment was there too. What had he expected?

  “Very well, sensor.”

  So we were back to being impersonal. Good, just the way I wanted it. He shifted the car into gear and drove it at warp speed through the streets. In what couldn’t have been more than a few minutes we arrived at a bar near the docks. Salty air hit my face when I got out—unassisted this time. Lucas came up and walked beside me, but we might as well have been on opposite sides of the parking lot.

  I sensed werewolves inside the place, along with Micah and Aeson. Everyone looked up when we entered. A big guy who had to be one of the strongest werewolves I’d run across, aside from Derrick, sat at the bar dabbing at some blood from what must have been a broken nose. It was already healing.

  Everyone else had gathered next to a stage on the other side of the room. All the usual instruments were up there, but they sat abandoned. Aeson held the center of attention while he spoke with all the patrons. Micah stepped away from the group and met me and Lucas halfway.

  His eyes widened on me. The shock coming from him said he knew we’d been up to something. I’d done my best to get myself together before leaving the club. What Lucas and I had done shouldn’t have been that obvious. My coat covered the bite mark and nephilim didn’t have an enhanced sense of smell to worry about. Yet he stared at me in a manner that said something gave me away.

  He rounded on his brother. “What did you do?”

  Lucas leaned toward me and whispered in my ear. “Didn’t you mention you needed to visit the ladies room? Now would be a good time.”

  I crossed my arms. He knew damn well I’d already made a quick trip before we left the club. “Nope, I’m good. I’d love to hear your answer to Micah’s question, though.”