I wanted to open more than my mouth, but I needed to stay focused. I couldn’t let him distract me with sex appeal. I wanted to know what happened that night, why he’d been taken, and what he’d been doing—or forced to do—since.
I needed to know if I could’ve done something to stop it, to find him.
I played along, opening my mouth and enveloping the culinary delight D offered. The flavors exploded over my tongue, and I had to fight the urge to moan. But then a thought occurred to me. If I was caught in a maelstrom of arousal, of bone-deep longing for the man who could disarm me with a glance, he was caught up in the storm right along with me. His breaths quickened, and his green eyes filled with sparks of demon light as he eyed me like a meal he’d dearly love to devour.
Oh yeah, he wanted me as much as I wanted him. I was going to win this.
I savored the bite, swallowing slowly and licking my lips, hoping to drive him as crazy as I’d been ever since he showed up at HQ. It worked. He placed the fork back on his plate with a forced gentleness, leaned back on his barstool, and crooked a long index finger at me.
“Come here.”
I was powerless to deny him. I still wanted to talk, and talk we would, but who was I to refuse such a summons? If I sweetened the deal with a kiss, I’d have him singing like a canary in no time.
I hopped off my stool and closed the distance between us on shaking legs, my skin too tight under his hungry gaze. I stopped, stood beside him, and placed my hands on my hips, challenging him to ask for what he wanted. Our heights were matched when he sat, for once putting me on eye level with him. I liked it. I’d like it even more if I could hover over him, his body locked beneath mine as I rode him to ecstasy while he writhed and groaned and cursed with pleasure.
As if reading my mind, he reached out and lifted me onto his lap, giving me a thrill as I landed on the evidence of his interest.
I hissed. He was so hard, his arousal straining against my center in the most enticing way. I dug my fingers in his hair and pulled him to me for a kiss. Our lips met and I held him tighter, tried to deepen the surprisingly gentle kiss that amounted to little more than a brush of lips, light, teasing. I wanted more. Much more.
I couldn’t force him to do my bidding, but I was a master at the fine art of persuasion. I slid my arms down his shoulders and wiggled, bringing my body closer to his. I rolled my hips, shivering as friction stoked the flames of my desire. He groaned, grabbed me by the hips, and pulled me tight against his hard length as he buried his face in my neck.
“Fuck, Jane, what are you doing to me?” His whispered curse filled me with raw lust, and I wasn’t alone. His muscles twitched with the visible effort it took to hold back. I didn’t want him to hold back, not this, not anything.
“Same thing you’re doing to me.” My voice was almost as breathy as a succubus. I pressed against him, writhing and squirming as pleasure coursed through me. I’d sell my soul for the ability to make clothing magically disappear. I wanted to be skin to skin, to feel every inch of him as he glided into my body.
I’d lost this game as soon as I climbed on top of him, but by now I didn’t care. Animal instinct trampled on my resolve, my self-control, and rational thought.
Without warning, he stilled my movements with his strong hands on my hips. I growled. He flashed a wicked grin before leaning in to kiss me on my nose, my forehead, both cheeks, and my chin. Warm lips danced over my sensitive skin, teasing me when all I wanted was to finish what we’d started.
“No,” he whispered. “I waited so long. Let me savor this. I want you to savor this. The slower we go, the better it will be.”
I didn’t want slow, normally didn’t do slow, but for D, I’d do just about anything. Wait, he’d stopped moving, stopped those too-soft kisses. His eyes, fathomless and dark except for red sparks that marked him as a demon, stared into mine. What was he waiting for?
“I want to try something,” he said, voice low and husky. “It’s…a bit of demon magic I think you’ll like.”
“Try it,” I said, desire and frustration sharpening my voice. “Try anything, just don’t stop.”
He said a few words in one of the demon languages. It wasn’t my area of expertise, but I recognized the demon words for “many” and “fingers.” Before I could think too much about it, waves of sensation pulsed through my body and filled every nerve ending with delicious pleasure. D held my hips still, but somehow, he’d magicked invisible fingertips and bid them to run over my skin from the sensitive nape of my neck to my nipples, hard and straining against my thin T-shirt, as I gasped, wanting more.
But he took his time, teasing me, chasing those phantom caresses with his tongue, bringing me to the brink of completion before pulling back, only to begin the game again.
“You like it?” he asked, almost shyly.
“Yes,” I hissed. I needed more. Wanted more. I hovered over the precipice and begged him to bring me over the edge.
The strange, bubbly sensation I’d been experiencing suddenly burst from within me. D cried out in surprise and, I hoped, pleasure as I pulled his strong hands away from my hips so I could move against him and find the sweet friction I craved.
God, this was so good. Incredible. With time and his exquisite, undivided attention, I was on the verge of a climax before the main event. D could do that for me. I was close. All I needed were his hands, his mouth, a little more pressure and time.
And the strange, new, wonderful power coursing through me.
“Jane.” He whispered my name in wonder and awe. “What is this? Magic?”
“I don’t know,” I said between gasps. “But I like it.”
“Keep going,” he commanded, his gaze glittering as he leaned back a fraction to watch, to revel in what we were making together. Then he pulled my mouth to his and kissed me, really kissed me, his tongue hot and greedy as it mingled with mine. He raised his hands to my breasts, running his thumbs over the hardened peaks. I didn’t think anything could feel better than the magical sensations he created, but I soon found there ain’t nothing like the real thing.
I paused to yank my shirt off while D held me steady, his gaze running over my bare breasts. Feminine pride surged as he surveyed the terrain, but it was quickly replaced by raw need when he took one peak into his hot mouth, running his tongue over my nipple and sending a jolt of electric pleasure through my body. He grabbed my ass and pulled me to him, setting a rhythm that had me inching toward the edge of climax.
Delicious friction and pressure, his hands, his tongue, his scent, everything that was him coalesced into this moment. Damn, we’d both burned for it for over a decade, and this was just the beginning. It was the spark, the beginnings of a blaze that would surely consume us both.
“Jane.” His voice caressed me between hot kisses, snaking his hand between my legs to massage my clit. Oh my God, it was too much, too good to last. “Come for me. Come for me now.”
His voice, husky and full of passion, was my undoing. I came in an explosion of crashing waves and shimmering stars. D held me through it, whispering sweet words into my ear as I trembled in his arms. At least, I thought they were sweet words. He was speaking one of the demon languages again. I really needed to brush up.
D seemed content to hold and caress me, but we were far from done. God, if he could do that as an appetizer, I couldn’t wait to find out how he’d serve the main course. But sadly, I would have to wait. Earth-shattering orgasms aside, I was still a woman on a mission. Until he told me all the details on his summons and its aftermath, we would not be getting to the main event. I wanted to know him, truly know him, and reconnect before the big shebang.
But I wasn’t cruel.
I slipped off his lap, and before he had the chance to stop me, I pulled down his pajama pants enough to release him from their confines, marveling at his length, at what I’d done to him, what I was going to do to him.
“Jane.” I didn’t know if the plea in his voice was for me to slow dow
n or to put an end to his agony by flooding him with the delicious pleasure of release. I went with the latter.
I took him in my mouth, intoxicated by his responses—a sharp hiss of breath followed by a deep groan and muttered curses. He put his hands on my head, tried to pull me back, but I reached up and took his hands in mine, stilling them, inviting him to sit back and enjoy. I took my time, bringing him to the brink and then pulling back, making him work for it, driving him out of his mind.
“Fucking hell, Jane.” I risked a glance up and was treated to the sight of my beautiful demon coming unglued. Jaw clenched, head thrown back, corded muscles as taut and rock-hard as his cock in my mouth. “I’m going to come.”
A smile threatened to undo my good work, but I fought it. Of course he was going to come. I wanted him to come. That was the idea.
I gripped the base of his cock and increased the pace of my strokes, running my tongue under his sensitive head as he bucked and trembled beneath me. After another moment, he exploded with a deep, guttural groan that made my heart sing. I held on until it ran its course and then sat back on my heels and surveyed my work with no small amount of female smugness.
Yeah, we were good together. We’d be even better when we got to the main event.
“Damn, that was amazing. Wasn’t my plan, but it was fucking incredible,” he said, breaths still uneven.
“What do you mean?” I couldn’t think of anything better than what had just happened.
He grinned. It warmed the cockles of my heart to see the man in my kitchen so satisfied. At least I think it did. I wasn’t exactly sure what cockles were. I’d have to look that up.
“That was supposed to be just for you.”
I grinned, too. “While I appreciate your enlightened views on giving, this particular activity is always better when a friend comes along for the ride.” Then, suddenly shy, I dropped my gaze and said, “I loved watching you.”
He leaned forward, took my chin in his hand, raising my head to meet his gaze. “I loved watching you more.” Demons were so competitive. “And I’d love to explore the magic you unleashed.”
“Me, too.” It had saved my demon back in the alley, saved my ass when I made the deal with my boss, and now, it seemed that this power could unleash earth-shattering orgasms. Bonus. “It must be some kind of demon mojo. Maybe from Hannah.”
D shook his head. “Not demon magic. It’s the wrong…flavor.”
“I can’t imagine what else it could be. After all, we still don’t know what kind of demon Hannah is, so maybe her magic is as unique as she is.”
“Maybe. We can explore that, too.” His face split into a wicked grin full of promise and sin. He was temptation itself, but I would resist. For now.
I grabbed my shirt off the floor and pulled it over my head. He gave me a quizzical look but followed my lead and pulled his pajama bottoms back up. I missed the view, but it was time to put my diabolical plan into action. I sat down on the floor across from him, cross-legged, and leaned forward, placing elbows on knees and chin in my palm.
“Okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, talk,” I said. Short, sweet, to the point. He was under my spell. He’d have no choice but to obey.
He watched me, brow arched, and jaw set in a stubborn line. D was a worthy opponent. I’d give him that. But he was no match for Demon Hunter Extraordinaire, Jinx McGee.
“I never actually agreed to talk.”
“Oh, no, mister, I followed the terms of the agreement. I allowed you to feed me.” I wagged my eyebrows as I eyed the juncture between his thighs. “Quid pro quo. Talk.”
He chuckled. “While your meal could be classified as cannibalism, you’re not quite as intimidating as Dr. Lecter.”
Oh, he was such a bad boy. I’d have to give him a spanking. Later, after I’d secured his cooperation. “I’m serious.” I waved a hand down the length of my body, proudly displaying my wares with the flair of a game show hostess. “If you want more of this, you’re going to have to pay the piper.”
His brows furrowed, and he appeared thoughtful. “You’ve already made one bad deal with a demon. Sure you want to make another?”
He tried to look menacing and succeeded a little too well. But I was the woman in charge here and would not be deterred or distracted. “It’s not a deal. I’m not trading sexual favors, and neither are you. No man-whoring here. It’s simply a condition of moving our relationship to the next level. Honesty is key in all relationships, and so is communication.”
“Where did you get that crazy notion?” The corners of his lips curled as he fought a grin.
“From the Internet. Duh.” I gave him my best stern look, the one that let demons, humans, and everyone in between know I meant business. “Now talk.”
He cocked his head and grinned, a wide, feral smile that had me on edge. He was scheming. Thinking of a way to get out of chatting about his sordid past, assuming it was sordid.
At last, he spoke. “You get three questions. I’ll answer them as honestly as I’m able.”
I practically squealed in delight, bringing out an adorable chuckle from my demon boy. God, I’d missed his laugh. He didn’t laugh often, even when we were kids. I hadn’t either back then. Laughter was hard to come by in the naughty corner. Still, once out of school and gainfully employed in a profession that suited my unique condition, I’d embraced my wicked sense of humor with a bear hug and refused to let go.
I decided then and there that making D laugh would be my new personal life goal. It ranked right up there with a million dollars, a trip to Tahiti, world peace, and unlimited tequila and tacos.
“I can ask anything at all, and you’ll answer?”
“Is that your first official question?”
“No, jackass.” I shot eye bullets at him with my steely gaze. They were mostly blanks.
“Yes.” He flashed me a smirk before schooling his features to resting stern face, which was a step above resting bitch face. “And I’ll answer as long as I’m able. Some information is classified.”
I stood in front of him, giddy in my triumph. He reached out to snatch me, no doubt attempting to distract me from my mission by pulling me back on his lap. Tempting as that was, I would not be denied this rare and wonderful opportunity to delve into the psyche of this fascinating male specimen.
“You’re way too excited about this.”
“Can you blame me? Anyway, enough stalling. Tell me why your father summoned you.”
He averted his gaze and heaved a deep sigh. I waited. After a long moment, I worried he’d shut me down by telling me that the answer to my question was “classified.” He surprised me by speaking. “He summoned me because he’d been looking for me. Orphan, remember?”
I remembered all too well. Part of me wanted to throw my arms around him and keep him safe and warm forever, but this was a sensitive subject. He didn’t like pity, never had. Nor did he like to talk about or remember his life before he found me. I just nodded, hoping he’d continue.
“Yeah,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair and scrubbing his face. “He couldn’t find me until I grew old enough to track by my demon magic. Once that hit, anyone who knew my real name could summon me. Dear old Dad knew it, of course, and he summoned me the night I…left you.”
He pinned me with his gaze. For once, it was open, earnest. “I didn’t want to leave you. I’ve spent the past ten years working on a way to get back to the earth realm and back to you.”
Heart. Melt.
“I’m so sorry.” I meant it, too. And knowing he’d been forced to leave me went a long way to soothing the old wounds I’d carried with me for the past ten years. “I had no idea. I was worried, anxious, and so…”
“Angry?” He curled his lips into a smile.
I laughed, sheepish. It wasn’t like I could deny it. “Yeah, well, that too. You were dead as far as I knew. Before that, I didn’t know what to think, except sometimes I, you know, wondered if you, you know, had second
thoughts about us. Our relationship did take an interesting turn that night.”
He stood up and pulled me into his arms, instantly putting me on high alert. I didn’t want him to coddle me—well, I did, but I didn’t want to need the coddling. I’d spent many years building my armor against the world. D was one of the few people who could shatter it like glass. Double standard, but I was much more at ease being the comforter rather than the comfortee.
“Speaking of fathers, you ever find your dad?”
The question should have shut me down, rebuilding the armor around my heart. Instead, my voice was steady and my heart mostly free of the old deep ache when I answered. “Nah. Boss used all his resources, and I did a lot of investigating on my own. Nada. He’s either dead or living so far off the grid that he might as well be.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. Then he held me tighter. I fought to keep my tears at bay. Total losing battle.
I squirmed, trying to wriggle out of his hold. When that failed, I tried to start a tickle fight, but he managed to catch my wrists, holding me firm against his hard body. Putting his mouth close to my ear, his hot breath stoked the flames of arousal anew. “Don’t you dare. Never, ever doubt what I feel for you, what I’ve always felt for you.”
He was talking about that night. The night he disappeared was also the night we stopped being best pals and took it to the next level, succumbing to attraction and longing that had built over years. At least, I had succumbed. I hadn’t realized he’d been burning for me just as long.
“N-No.” My voice was little more than a squeak. He was doing terrible things to my self-control. He pulled me tighter against him, letting me feel him again, hard and ready. “M-Maybe. But it’s nice to hear.”
He ran his tongue along the sensitive shell of my ear. It sent the most delightful waves of warmth coursing through my body that pooled low in my belly. I’d never get enough of him. Even after the amazing, earth-shattering orgasm he’d just given me, I was hot and hungry and ready for more.
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