Demons Prefer Blondes

by Sidney Ayers

  They should have been training, but the lure of his body, his scent… everything about him was too strong to resist. Sucking in a deep breath, Rafe sat ramrod straight. Yet he grasped her hand tighter. Despite the power in his grip, he clenched his teeth. Turmoil swirled deep within his silver eyes. What was he thinking? Did he want her? Did he hurt? She could only imagine.

  His spicy scent wafted to her nose, filling her entire being. Intoxicating warmth spread from her head down to her toes, and some tender spots between. His hand gripping hers only intensified the effect as energy pulsed through their fingers. Every receptor in her body fired with need.

  Damn him, he better act fast before I explode.

  “Please, Rafe,” she whispered. “Let me kiss you again.”

  With a daring she was now becoming accustomed with, she pressed her body closer, her cheek brushing the stubble along his chin. It sent delightful tingles racing through her body.

  Taking a deep gulp of air, his body shivered against hers. His fingers poised to take her in his arms—or so she hoped. Yep, he wanted her. The pulse bobbing in his neck couldn’t hide the fact.

  “Oh bloody hell,” he growled. Mmm. She loved that sound. Throwing that stubborn resolve of his out the window, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against the hardness of his chest. Pleasure spiked as energy flowed between them. Rafe’s eyes glowed like two giant moons, full and bright. Good, he felt it too.

  It filled them, sending heated jolts through their bodies. Strange as it seemed, they were connected. Not just in the physical sense either. It drove her mad with desire. Desire she never knew existed. There was no doubt now, he was the one who had the control over her—no matter how hard he tried to deny it.

  Lifting her chin with his thumb and forefinger, he gazed down into her eyes, beckoning her to jump into the depths of the swirling silver pools. Yes, they shouldn’t be doing this, but nothing seemed so right… so perfect.

  Ahh… Perfect. She held back a chuckle. Rafe was wrong about one thing. Perfection did exist. And he was it. From his silky dark locks, every angle and curve of his ripped physique, and those eyes. Especially those eyes. Even now they sparked glints of silver. She could get lost in those eyes… Oops! She already had.

  “Rafe?” she whispered, trailing her breath along his skin, aching to lure him deeper. Somewhere she desperately wanted him to go. Now she just needed to convince him.

  “We’re safe right now, you know.” Tracing her finger along his cheek, she flashed her attempt at a sultry gaze. From his gulp, she guessed it worked. “You’ve warded the house, and Squeaky’s now Serah’s problem. We’re finally alone.”

  “We still need to be careful,” he whispered throatily.

  “How bad can just one more kiss be?”

  Without reservation, she brought her lips to his. Should she close her eyes or keep them open? She’d never questioned herself before. More heat kindled between their skins. She kept them open. That way, she could enjoy the spark of his gaze.

  Crushing her to him, he growled, a deep and guttural rumble that sent moist heat flooding deep into her core. She was done for.

  “I can’t control myself anymore.” His gaze, full of longing, sent her heart rate skyrocketing. “You’ve enraptured me. And, for the first time ever, I don’t bloody care.”

  Bonus! He wanted her. They would discuss this enrapturement later. Now, she had a demon to kiss. “So what do you care for, Rafe?”

  “Right now?”

  Trailing her finger down his cheek to his chin, she nodded. “Yes. Right now.”

  “All I care about is you, your body against mine, and…” he rolled his lip beneath his teeth.

  “And?”

  He blew out a deep breath, his silver eyes glinting. “Kissing you. There I said it. I want to kiss you.”

  “Sounds delightful,” she murmured, toying with the zipper of his jacket. Leaning into his muscled body, she blew a warm breath of air along his earlobe.

  The groan he made was music to her ears. She licked her lips, reveling in the ecstasy she was sure coursed through them both.

  “That sound turns me on so much.” Her lips feathered against his cheeks, down to his neck. All the while, her hands roamed across the mountains of his pecs and brushed across his black leather jacket. He didn’t need that anymore.

  “Why in the hell are you still wearing your jacket?” she asked, inching the zipper down. Allowing her fingers to linger along his arms, she pulled the coat down off his shoulders.

  A slow smile curved his lips. “I have no idea,” he murmured, tracing his tongue against the tender skin of her neck. Ahh, yes, he’d found her sweet spot. She melted into him, gasping as pleasure spiked.

  With smooth efficiency, he whipped off the coat and flung it across the room. The tall lamp swayed back and forth as the coat sailed past. Ahh, accident averted. Then again, right then she wouldn’t have cared if the house caught fire.

  Curling her fingers in his hair, she pulled his mouth to hers. Whoa! It was great having such control over a man. Liberating. She trailed her hands up and down his chest, swirling her fingertips against each rigid plane.

  Like the fire that roared in the fireplace across the room, an inferno raged inside her. She hadn’t felt this way in… forever. No one—not even Josh in the five years they dated—gave her this spark, this insane desire. Only Rafe.

  She needed him more than ever. The closer his body pressed into hers, the more her desire grew. Her heart thrummed an erratic beat and her breath caught. Now if he would only lower those gorgeous lips of his to hers…

  “Rafe, kiss me. I know you want to. I see it in your eyes,” she murmured, nuzzling her cheek against his. “Please?” Flashing him a pleading gaze, she swirled a fingertip against the hard steel of his pec. He sucked in a ragged breath as the pulse bobbed at his throat. Sizzling energy cracked between them. She wouldn’t back down now.

  “Lucy,” he murmured, fisting her hair and pulling her face to his. Ahh, it was about time. He took slow tentative nips at first, his lips grazing hers. Even the lightest of touch sent heat pulsing. They were connected… together as one.

  Groaning, he pressed his lips firmer against hers, his tongue swirling between her acquiescent lips. Heck, more than her lips were acquiescent.

  With care she’d never experienced from a lover, he edged closer, nudging her against the pancake-thin mattress. His hands teased and stroked, sending fire licking across her skin. Flames of need ripped through her veins, edging her on.

  “Lucy,” he whispered, tracing his tongue along her ear. “We shouldn’t do this.”

  No way were they stopping now, not after they’d gotten this far. “Like hell we shouldn’t.”

  Twisting her fingers in his shirt, she ripped it from his body and threw it to the floor. Her eyes widened. Hands of steel! Bonus!

  “Oh, God, Lucy,” he said with a ragged breath. He gazed down at the shredded shirt and back up at her. His eyes sparked, not in the gentleness she witnessed earlier, but something all the more primal. Her breath caught as liquid heat pooled in her loins. It was about time. For a brief second, he paused, confusion clouding his gaze.

  “What are you waiting for?”

  “I wanted to be gentle.” Brushing his hands up her body to stroke the curves of her breasts, he lowered his mouth to her neck. Kisses became licks, then licks became nibbles as the energy grew, to consume them whole. Insane desire throbbed its way through her. If he remained so gentle, she’d burst into flames.

  “I don’t want gentle—not now.” They could do gentle later, after they cooled down. And she knew she’d like gentle too. But now, she was too wound up, too hot and bothered.

  Rafe pressed in closer, his silver eyes glinting with desire. From the size of the bulge nudging her, he was just as turned on.

  She took matters into her own hands. With force she was now becoming accustomed to, she flung him back and straddled his hips. Leaning over him, she ground her pelvi
s against the bulge in his tight leather jeans. It felt so good.

  A loud roar, deep and animalistic, burst from him. Sweeping his hands up her body, he pulled her sweater and T-shirt up. Her soft skin sizzled against his rough calloused fingertips.

  “I can’t control myself,” he murmured, snaking his tongue along her ear.

  “Me neither.” This lack of control spurred her on and pulled her in deeper.

  Hauling her against his body, he devoured her mouth like it was his last meal. Lips melded together while tongues clashed, feeding the friction. His hands, rough and strong, kneaded and massaged her sensitive skin as he edged the sweater up. If she thought she was exploding earlier…

  “God, those hands,” she murmured. Arching her back, she helped him pull the sweater off. The sooner they got naked, the better. If this was her inner sex demon, then she was more than willing to unleash it. She’d never felt this inferno before, and she didn’t want it to stop.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, tracing a fingertip along the underwire of her plain cotton bra. Ahh well, she knew she should’ve worn that lacy VS number. Now Rafe was stuck with Hanes instead.

  “Sorry about the underwear. If I knew we’d be alone…”

  He reached up and brushed a strand of her hair from her cheek. “I love it.”

  From the swirling of his silver eyes, he spoke the truth. This, of course, sent more rippling energy coursing through her body. Flashing a sultry smile, she threw her head back and ran her fingers through her hair. With a soft moan, she licked her lips.

  Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her waist and moved his hands up her back, sending sizzles dancing across her bare skin. Any hotter and it would turn into the Fourth of July instead of Christmas.

  “You amaze me. I’ve never been with such an assertive woman before,” he said with a nibble to her ear. Fumbling with the bra hooks, he growled. “I see undergarments haven’t changed much through the ages.”

  “Here, allow me.” After all, assertiveness seemed to be a turn-on for him, and she wanted him turned on. With deftness she never knew she had, she slid one hook off, then the other. Slipping the straps off her shoulders, she allowed the cottony material to fall and expose the curves of her breasts. Who would’ve guessed she’d be doing a strip tease for a demon, or that she, herself, was a demon? So surreal yet so damned hot.

  “So beautiful,” he said on a broken breath. Tracing his fingertips along the trim of her bra and the tender flesh of her skin, he tugged at the bra and freed her breasts from their cottony restraints. She hadn’t bared herself to a man in so long, she thought she’d be afraid. After all, she was nearing thirty and her body wasn’t near as young as it was five years ago. Strangely enough, with Rafe, she had nothing to fear.

  Meeting his turbulent gaze, she took his hand in hers. Tension quivered between them as their hearts matched beat for beat. “What’s the matter?”

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Lucy,” he murmured as he brought her hand to his lips. Turning her wrist, he brushed them across her skin with petal soft kisses. “I haven’t done this in over two hundred years.”

  Her breath caught and her heart hammered in her chest. “I already hurt.”

  His face fell, silver swirling into gray. “I knew we shouldn’t.”

  Oh man, no way in hell were they stopping. She took his face in her hands and looked him right in those magnificent silver eyes. “No, Rafe. I hurt for your touch.” She took his hand in hers. With a lick of her lips, she placed his hand on her bare breast. Tingles of heat radiated between them. She needed him, and he needed her too. “Touch me.”

  His movements excruciatingly controlled, he traced his fingertips along the undersides of each breast, the rough calluses of his fingers rubbing against her skin sent heated friction through the both of them. His eyes sparked, fueling her already raging desires. If he continued this teasing assault, she’d combust right there on the futon. Then again, was that a bad thing?

  She pressed his hand closer. “I’m a big girl. I can take it.”

  “Are you certain?” he asked with a quirk of a brow.

  Hell yeah, she was. “More than you know.” She traced her fingertips down the planes of his chest to linger along the eight-pack that were his abs. The way those hard muscles tensed and flexed beneath her touch sent shivers of molten ecstasy ripping through her.

  With a deep throaty groan, he traced his fingers across the ripened nubs of her nipples. They jutted up and pebbled in eager anticipation at his exploration. “So sexy,” he murmured with a nibble to her neck. Zings of ecstasy erupted inside her.

  The energy, hot and voracious, rolled from him, yet he still fought to remain gentle. Time to make his mind up for him. Her fingers darted lower, to trace along the buttons of his fly. Flicking them open, careful not catapult any across the room, she gazed up at him. “Please, Rafe?”

  A loud groan burst from his mouth. “You’re a temptress, Lucy.”

  “I learn from the best,” she said, popping another button.

  “Who’s that?”

  Sliding up his body, she smiled. With a sly grin, she lowered her mouth to his lips. “You,” she breathed, her breath sizzling against his skin.

  “I haven’t had such a need in a long time.”

  “You said that already. And just so you know, I’ve never had this need before either.” Her tongue darted from her mouth and traced slow circles along his lips. “So what in the hell are we waiting for?”

  A low growl ripped from his mouth, sending her heart thrumming a crazy beat. In a blink, Rafe grabbed her and pulled her against him. His lips ground into hers, hard and demanding, sending her body aflame. Fingers laced in his hair, she closed her eyes and parted her lips. Her tongue lashed against his, quick and hungry. The cool peppermint lingered between their mouths, sizzling against the heat that burned inside.

  Like smooth silk, Rafe’s hands slipped down over her breasts to brush against her taut nipples. Taking one of the rosy nubs between his thumb and forefinger, he tugged and twisted. Liquid excitement swirled within her body. Fingernails grazing his chest, she returned the favor, swirling around one of his tender nubs. Taking it between her fingers, she pinched. Never had she been this forward with any man. Then again, none of her previous lovers held a candle to Rafe.

  Rafe’s breath of excitement spurred her on. “Oh God,” he murmured as he swirled his tongue down her neck.

  “Do you like that?” she asked, raking her fingernails lower down his steely abs.

  His eyes clouded over, another moan escaping his lips. “Too much.”

  “There’s no such thing as too much,” she said, reaching for his waistband. Curling her fingers around the offending leather—offending mainly because he was still wearing them—she pulled his pants down further to expose the growth of hair that trailed down toward his secret treasure. And she wasn’t one for secrets.

  Neither was Rafe, much to her delight. His hands moved with expert precision, swirling over her breasts down to her waist. Hands firmly gripping, he pushed her further into the cushions.

  “Mmm,” he murmured as he lowered his head, his breath inches from an aching nub. His tongue snaking around the sensitive peak, he took it into his mouth. Tugging the flesh between his teeth, he nibbled and sucked. Blazing energy ripped through her. Her fingers fumbled with his pants as a loud gasp rent the air.

  And in a flash, Rafe ripped his mouth from her engorged nipple. Concern and regret flashed in his eyes. “Did I hurt you?”

  Hurt her? What the hell was this man on? “No,” she said through ragged breaths. “But if you don’t do that again, you’ll be the one hurting.” With much gusto, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hauled his face down to her other breast.

  His breath danced across her tender skin. With smooth practiced strokes, he swirled his tongue around the areola. Teeth grazing against the swollen nipple, he groaned. “I need you.”

  Those three words sent her
over the edge. Not to mention, she felt the same exact way.

  “Mutual,” she said, her voice breathy. With a flurry of frenzy, she moved her hands back to his pants and scrambled to pull them down off his legs. Thick, corded muscles flexed beneath her fingertips, sending heat flickering between them.

  “Do you have somewhere more…” He nipped the tip of a tender nub. “…comfortable?” He stretched his legs, as much as he could on the pancake-thin futon.

  She drew circles around those massive quads, reveling in the heat that radiated. With a lick of her lips, she smiled. “My bedroom.”

  With reluctance, she pulled her fingers from his ripped legs and pointed down the hallway. She’d only known this man two days, but it was as if their bodies were in tune, like they’d known each other much longer. And, now, here she was, about to bring him into her bedroom for some very private bonding. Not even boring Josh had that luxury in the five years they dated.

  “Good,” Rafe said, the hot breath along her ear broke her reprieve. Thank you, Rafe. No way she’d allow memories of Josh to ruin this moment.

  Giving her no chance to change her mind, he hauled her up in his arms and bounded from the futon. With a kick of his leg, he sent his pants flying. Wrapping her arms around his neck and lacing her fingers in his silky hair, she allowed him to carry her.

  Holding her tight in his ripped arms, he darted across the living room toward the hallway. Lips firmly pressed to his, she kissed him with a hunger she never possessed. Drinking in his minty essence, she traced her fingers across his chest.

  Moaning against her mouth, Rafe returned the kiss as he stumbled over a blanket. With a sexy growl, he kicked it out of the way and took determined strides toward the bedroom.

  Chapter 20

  Regaining his footing, Rafael rushed down the hallway, Lucy clinging to his neck. Protocols be damned. He was too excited to think straight. There wasn’t anything they could do now anyway, at least not until the storm demons let up. Soft curvy breasts crushed against his chest, she snaked her tongue along his lips.