by Opal Carew
“Shh,” he whispered. “Beck and Aniyah are right outside, remember?”
She had completely forgotten. “Should we stop?”
He brushed her mouth with his. “Do you want to stop?”
“No.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to be careful not to make too much noise.”
Simone never thought she was all that loud in bed anyway, but as Drake caressed her breasts and played with her nipples, she found herself having to bite her lip to keep silent.
Thinking that turnabout was fair play, she decided to see if she could get Drake to make a little noise of his own. She ran her hand up between his legs and tenderly cupped his balls, lightly massaging them. He groaned against her mouth.
“Shh,” she said softly. “You said we had to be quiet.”
He kissed his way along her jawline to nibble on her ear. “You’re being a bad girl.”
She laughed. “Not yet. But I’m going to be.”
As she spoke, she slid her hand up from his balls and grasped his shaft in a firm grip. She stroked him slowly, focusing on the sensitive head of his cock. She rubbed her thumb over the bit of pre-cum on the tip, using it to help her hand glide along his length.
Drake groaned again and reached down to grab her hand. “Maybe we ought to save that little technique for later. Let me touch you for a little while.”
He didn’t wait for her to reply, but instead ran his hand down her tummy to the juncture of her thighs. Always eager for him to touch her, she parted her legs, giving him complete access to her pussy. He cupped her in his palm, teasingly running his fingers along her folds before sliding them inside. She caught her lower lip between her teeth to stifle a moan as he gently pumped his fingers in and out.
“You’re so wet,” he murmured.
“That’s because I want you inside me right now,” she whispered urgently.
Simone expected Drake to either pull her on top of him or settle himself between her legs in the good old-fashioned missionary position. But instead, he lifted one of her legs slightly as she lay there on her side. She never made love face to face like this before, but as he gazed into her eyes while he slowly slid inside her, she decided she’d definitely been missing out. There was something very sensual and romantic about it, as if they were connecting on more than just a carnal level. With a moan, she wrapped her leg around him, pulling his cock in even deeper.
For a while, they just lay entwined like that, kissing and nibbling on one another’s lips. Then Drake lightly caressed her breast, teasing and playing with her nipple. The rosy peak hardened so much she thought she was going to scream against his mouth. Just when it seemed as if she couldn’t take it anymore, he slid his hand down to cup her bottom. She never realized her ass was so sensitive until she made love with Drake. But as he alternated between light caresses and firm squeezes, her pussy purred in response.
Simone sighed into his mouth and slid her hand up his chest to wrap her arm around him. She could spend the whole night locked together like this. If she were disciplined enough to stay still, that was. But of course, she wasn’t. And once she started moving, the whole idea of lasting for hours disappeared.
Drake dragged his mouth away from hers with a groan to kiss his way down her neck. After a moment, he rocked his hips in time with hers and gripped her ass in his strong hand, pulling her against him more forcefully. With each little move, her clit rubbed against the base of his cock, sending little ripples of pleasure through her.
As he slowly pumped into her over and over, Drake had to quiet her repeatedly with his mouth. But it was so damn hard to stay quiet with her clit rubbing up against him. The sensations it produced were driving her absolutely crazy. Having his thick cock buried deep inside her at the same time felt so wonderful it made her want to scream out for the whole world to hear.
Simone stifled another moan as a familiar tingle begin to build between her legs. Oh God, she was going to need a gag to hold back the scream that was going to come out with this orgasm.
Most of the time her climaxes came on her fast, like a roaring wave. But this one was different. With the minimal thrusting he was doing and the friction of his cock rubbing against her clit, Drake was pushing her steadily up a long, steep incline. When they reached the precipice, the drop on the other side was going to be insane. Like the wildest roller coaster she’d ever been on.
She was right. She gripped his hair in her fingers and bit her lip hard as she started to go over the top. She arched her body, grinding her clit against him as hard as she could. It was as if she was some adrenaline junkie in need of a rush. Her orgasm tore through her, one loop-the-loop after another as she came over and over.
She had no idea if she was still being quiet at that point or not. Hell, she wasn’t even sure if she was still on Earth.
Just as she was coming down, Drake stiffened and buried his cock deep inside her with one hard thrust, his groans of release muffled against the curve of her neck. As he emptied himself into her, Simone swore she could feel the heat of his cum. That only made their lovemaking that much sweeter.
As Simone lay in Drake’s arm’s afterward, completely and totally spent, Aniyah’s words came back to her. You are in love with Drake, aren’t you?
An hour ago when the other woman had asked her that, Simone hadn’t been able to give her an answer. But now she knew what she felt for Drake had to be love because she couldn’t imagine feeling anything stronger for any man than she did for him. If this wasn’t love, she didn’t know what was.
Chapter Fifteen
Simone woke up the next morning to find sunlight streaming through the window. Squinting at the brightness, she rolled over with every intention of snuggling into the pillow again and catching more Z’s, only to blink in surprise when she saw that Drake was already awake beside her. Seeing his handsome face on the pillow reminded her of their lovemaking the night before and her subsequent realization that despite just meeting him a few days ago, she was indeed in love with him. She wanted to shout it out to the world, but decided she might want to keep it to herself for a little while. The women’s magazines always said that men got scared off by the “L–word” if a woman said it too soon.
He gave her a lazy grin. “Have I told you that you look beautiful in the morning?”
Though she appreciated the compliment, she couldn’t help making a face. “You have, but I’m not sure your vote counts since it’s a known fact that excessive sex addles a man’s mind.”
He chuckled. “I might be a little addled, but that doesn’t mean I’m not right.”
Simone shook her head and kissed him. “What time is it?”
“Almost noon, I think.”
She hadn’t realized it was so late. Then again, she and Drake hadn’t gotten to sleep until almost four in the morning. “Beck and Aniyah must be wondering when we’re going to get our lazy butts out of bed.”
“You’re probably right. I guess we should get up.” His mouth curved. “But it wouldn’t be that hard to persuade me to stay in bed with you, if you’d like to addle me a little bit more.”
Simone laughed. In all honesty, she would rather have stayed in bed making love to him for the next fifty years or so, but they needed to get up. Beck and Aniyah were probably waiting for them. She reluctantly pushed back the blanket and climbed out of bed.
“Come on, lazybones,” she said. “I’ll addle you some more later.”
He flashed her a grin. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
When she and Drake walked into the living room a little while later, they found the apartment empty. Thinking Beck and Aniyah were probably in the shop, she and Drake went there.
Beck and Aniyah were in the front part of the shop talking to a handful of people. The strangers, two men and two women of African-American descent, looked at her and Drake curiously. Their gazes lingered on Drake for a long time before they turned back to Aniyah. Beck murmured something to the group, then walked over
to Simone and Drake.
“You two sleep okay?” he asked.
Drake nodded. “Yeah.” He jerked his head toward the strangers. “Who are they?”
Beck glanced at them. “I guess you could call them the neighborhood watch. Aniyah wanted to let them know the priestess is probably going to be paying us a visit tonight.”
Alarm flared in Drake’s eyes. “She told them about me?
“Relax. She didn’t give them any details, so they have no idea you’re a half-zombie freak,” Beck assured him. “She just told them you got on the bad side of a powerful Voodoo priestess and that she’s looking to settle the score. Aniyah told them she wasn’t going to let that happen, but she wants the locals to be prepared.”
“For the zombies, you mean?” Simone asked.
The PI nodded.
Simone didn’t like the thought of innocent people getting hurt because of her and Drake. Maybe staying here wasn’t such a good idea, after all. Maybe they should try to find a place with less people around. But when she said as much, Beck shook his head.
“Don’t worry about that. The Voodoo priestess isn’t interested in hurting anyone but us. Besides, Aniyah can do a few things to help keep the locals safe and get this old bitch at the same time.”
“You mean that plan you mentioned last night?” Drake asked.
Beck nodded. “Yeah, that plan. But it’d be better if she explained it to you.” Before either of them could press him on it, he added, “You two must be hungry. I grabbed some doughnuts and coffee from the deli on the corner earlier. The coffee’s probably cold, but the doughnuts are pretty good. Why don’t you have something to eat while you wait for Aniyah to finish up?”
Simone’s stomach growled at the mention of food and she glanced at the box of freshly baked doughnuts on the counter beside them. She usually avoided the things like the plague, but right now she was too hungry to care about her diet. She and Drake hadn’t eaten anything since the grilled cheese sandwiches they’d had last night and she was starving. Taking out a chocolate doughnut, she bit into it with a little moan. Beck was right, they were delicious.
He was also right about the coffee being cold, but she was used to drinking iced coffee so she didn’t mind it. She could tell from the look on Drake’s face as he took a sip from his cup that he didn’t agree. He didn’t say anything, though.
Simone and Drake were just finishing their doughnuts when the people who’d been talking to Aniyah left. After they were gone, Aniyah came over to where Simone, Drake and Beck were standing.
“They’ll spread the word throughout the community,” she said. “By nightfall, no one will be on the street and all of the homes will be protected. If they stay inside, they’ll be safe.”
Drake’s brows drew together. “You think she’ll wait until then to send her zombies after us again?”
Aniyah nodded. “Like I said last night, she’s powerful, but not powerful enough to raise the dead and command them to do her bidding this soon. Even if she could, she wouldn’t. She knows an army of zombies walking down the street in broad daylight would arouse attention even in New York.”
Simone hoped the other woman was right. “How do we know she’ll come after us at all?”
“Because she’s already back in the city looking for you.”
Drake’s frown deepened. “How do you know?”
“I used the blood from Simone’s shirt to make a spell that allows me to know where the bokor is,” Aniyah said.
“Like the spell she used to find me?” Drake asked.
Aniyah nodded. “Yes.”
“If we know where she is, why don’t I take the fight to her and just get this the hell over with?”
Simone looked at Drake in surprise. He couldn’t seriously be suggesting he confront the Voodoo priestess on his own? If he was, she wasn’t going to let him do it. She opened her mouth to tell him so, but Aniyah spoke before she could say anything.
“Because she would know you were coming, Drake. You’re right about taking the fight to her, though. We just have to go about it a different way.”
Drake folded his arms across his broad chest. “And what’s that?”
“We wait until she attacks with her zombies,” Aniyah said. “She’s sure to send as many as she can raise, so she’ll have to be close by to command them. While she’s concentrating on doing that, we’ll surprise her.”
Simone didn’t like the sound of that. Standing around waiting for zombies to attack them seemed like a suicide plan to her.
“That’s where I come in,” Beck said. “While she’s focused on her zombies, I’ll sneak up behind her and do it.”
“Do what?” Simone asked. She had a sinking feeling he wasn’t talking about making a citizen’s arrest and handing the old woman over to the police.
The PI looked at Drake. “You didn’t tell her?”
“Tell me what?” Simone asked.
Beck sighed. “Simone, the only way to break the curse on Drake is to kill the Voodoo priestess.”
“Kill her?” Simone echoed.
“I know how it sounds,” Beck said. “But this isn’t something the police can deal with. She’s an evil Voodoo priestess with magical powers. Do you think the cops are going to be able to help us with that? She’s not going to let you and Drake live happily ever after. She’s coming here with the intention of killing you and most likely Drake, too. Since Aniyah and I are helping the two of you, we’re probably on her hit list as well. She won’t go away just because we ask her to. Killing her is the only way to put an end to this.”
She chewed on her lower lip. What Beck said made sense and she would have no problem killing the old woman in self-defense. But he was talking about murder—as in slipping up behind the priestess and killing her when the old woman wasn’t expecting it. Simone wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She looked at Drake to see him regarding his friend with a serious expression. She was about to ask him what he thought of the idea when he spoke.
“Beck’s right. Killing that old woman is the only way to put an end to this. But I’ll do it, not him.”
Simone blinked. Concern about whether they should be killing the woman or not fled her mind to be replaced by terror at the thought of Drake being the one to face her. “Are you crazy? Drake, it’s too dangerous.”
The muscle in the side of his jaw flexed. “It’s just as dangerous for Beck. I’m not going to let him risk his life while I stay here safe from harm. He wouldn’t even be involved in this if it weren’t for me. Neither would you and Aniyah. This is my fight and I need to be the one to end it.”
The doughnut and coffee she had earlier churned in Simone’s stomach. “But Aniyah just said the Voodoo priestess would know you’re coming if you tried to confront her. You’ll never be able to get close enough to kill her.”
“That’s not necessarily true,” Aniyah said.
Simone whirled around to look at her. “What do you mean?”
“If he tried it right now, yes,” Aniyah agreed. “But in the middle of the zombie attack, she’ll be at her most vulnerable. She’ll be so focused on controlling them she might not notice Drake.”
“Might not?” Simone demanded.
“I can do a spell to confuse the bokor and make her think Drake is someone else,” Aniyah explained. “The glamour wouldn’t normally fool her, but during the attack, it could work. It should at least be enough for Drake to get close to her to do what he needs to do. All I’ll need is a few drops of his blood.”
Simone shook her head. “Not good enough. I won’t let you do it, Drake.”
He reached out to take her hand in his. “I have to do it, Simone. If I don’t, she’s never going to leave us alone and you’ll never be safe.”
“But…”
“Simone, I can’t let Beck do this. I just can’t. I need you to understand that. I’ll be careful, I promise.”
Tears burned her eyes and she blinked them back. She didn’t want to cry in front of Aniyah an
d Beck. She didn’t want to argue with Drake in front of them, either. So instead, she nodded and promised herself she’d talk him out of going through with this crazy plan later when they were alone.
But getting some time alone with Drake turned out to be more difficult than Simone thought it would be. Aniyah wanted to work on the glamour spell, which meant she needed a few drops of Drake’s blood. Simone watched in silence while the woman pricked his finger with a needle big enough to be used for knitting, then collected the drops in a small copper bowl. At the sight of it, Simone’s stomach churned again. She’d always been a little squeamish around blood, but knowing it was Drake’s blood made her even more queasy.
Before Aniyah went to work on the spell, she asked Drake and Beck to bring up bags of rock salt from the cellar so Simone and the two men could line the doors and windows of the nearby buildings with it.
“If the salt keeps the zombies out, shouldn’t we put it around your shop, too?” Simone asked Aniyah after the two men had left the room.
The other woman glanced at her as she walked over to a table of Voodoo dolls. “We’ll put some around the back entrance to keep them from getting behind us, but the goal is to draw the zombies to the shop. For the plan to work, we need the bokor to think she has all of us trapped here. Playing on her arrogance is the only way Drake can get close enough to do what he needs to do.”
Simone frowned at the reminder, but said nothing as she watched Aniyah pick up a small, colorful bag from another table. No matter how rational Drake tried to make it sound, this plan still scared the hell out of her. If Aniyah’s glamour spell didn’t work, Drake would be completely helpless against the priestess. She was just about to confess her fears to the other woman when Drake and Beck came up from the cellar, bags of rock salt in their arms.
Thinking she might have a chance to talk to Drake outside, Simone followed him and Beck outside. But once again, her plan was thwarted as the locals came out to help them with the salt.
Simone kept expecting the people to ask Drake what he’d done to make the Voodoo priestess curse him, or to admonish them for bringing his problems to their neighborhood, but all they did was say something to them in a language neither she nor Drake understood, then smile at them kindly before going on their way.