Getting Familiar with Your Demon: That Old Black Magic, Book 4

by Jodi Redford

  Sitting back on his haunches, he tugged her sleeveless sweater over her head and freed the clasp on her bra, leaving the cups to dangle beneath her armpits. He slicked up his fingers with her wetness again before painting her nipples with the moisture he’d collected. Then he went about savoring every drop as he licked and sucked the turgid peaks. The way Marabella wiggled around, it was safe to hazard she was enjoying it just as much as him. He returned to her mouth and shared her taste. She was timid at first about allowing that taboo, but eventually her tongue welcomed his in an encouraging glide, and their kisses deepened until they were forced to come up for air.

  His lungs bellowing, he stared at her for a long moment before hunkering in front of the couch and tugging her toward the edge of the cushion. He shoved her skirt above her waist and hooked her behind the knees with his hands. Spreading her wide, he gazed at the glistening bounty laid out before him. Mine. Tuning out the possessive growl in his head, he ducked and feasted on the succulent pussy he’d been dreaming about for hours. Days. A fucking lifetime.

  He was like a kid in a candy store, wanting to gorge on his favorite treats all at once. So he did. Sucking her clit between his teeth, he licked and flicked it with his tongue while he fucked her with a pair of fingers stuffed in her pussy. When his tongue grew jealous of his fingers, he switched positions, alternating between the two until Marabella was writhing and gasping.

  Fuck, he wanted to feel her come. It was a fierce need boiling inside him. Lifting his head, he watched her face as he sought her G-spot. She bucked against his hand, almost dislodging his fingers. He steadied her on the cushion and continued his pressure on the sweet spot guaranteed to rocket her over the edge.

  “Sam, it’s too much. I—I can’t take anymore.”

  “You can. You will.” His thumb brushed her clit lightly, teasingly, before circling the slick nub with firmer strokes that matched the tempo of his fingers plunging inside her pussy.

  Her eyes rolled back and her mouth opened on a silent scream as her body bowed into a tight arch. The walls of her pussy clamped around his demanding fingers, milking them with strong spasms.

  He nearly came with her. Giving her time to come down slowly, he removed his hand and licked his fingers clean, her musky taste managing to do the impossible—make him even harder. His entire body rigid with barely leashed need, he stood and kicked off his boots before fumbling with his T-shirt and jeans. Once naked, he scooped Marabella into his arms so they could trade places on the couch. He didn’t have any condoms, and it was a safe bet she didn’t either. In her dazed, post-orgasm bliss, it’d be easy enough to take advantage and slip inside her unprotected. Some unrecognizable sense of chivalry stopped him from doing such a bastard thing.

  Shit. Imagine him not being a bastard for once. Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t find other ways to enjoy her. “Come here, baby. Rub that sweet pussy on my cock.” Gripping her hips, he showed Marabella what he had in mind. Splaying her palms on his chest, she complied with his request, undulating in a way that made his balls tighten. Moaning, he let his head fall back against the couch cushion. “Fuck yeah. Like that. Feels good, Bella.”

  She leaned forward and kissed him softly. Up close, her eyes held a dreamy, satiated quality. “I’m glad I’m making you feel good, Sam. Because what you just did for me…it was incredible.” She nibbled his bottom lip before giving him a shy smile. “I’d like to do that to you too. Oral sex, I mean. Would…would you like that?”

  Chuckling, he kneaded her ass cheeks. “Baby, I don’t think there’s a male alive who doesn’t like having his cock sucked.”

  She cast her gaze down toward the vicinity of his lap. “True. But I’ve never done it. I might disappoint you.”

  He stared at the crown of her head. “You’ve never given a blowjob?”

  “I told you. You’re the only one I’ve ever been with.”

  “I didn’t realize that encompassed anything beyond penetration.” Another disturbing wave of primal satisfaction rolled through him again. It made no sense why it should please him that he’d been—and would continue to be—her first in all ways. But he wasn’t so foolish to turn away a delicious proposition handed to him on a silver platter. “I’ll teach you.”

  Her lips twitched. “You’re going to teach me how to give a blowjob?”

  “Yes. And there’ll be a quiz afterwards. So pay close attention.” He waggled his brows, earning her laugh.

  She scooted off him and crouched between his legs. Her fingertips trailed through the light dusting of hair on his thighs, making their way to his groin. By the time she finally grazed his cock, his muscles were coiled with tension and a sheen of sweat glazed his chest.

  “You’re so soft and smooth here.” Wonder lacing her voice, Marabella caressed the head of his cock.

  “Sweets, it’s never a good idea to use the word soft when describing a dick.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I meant it in a nice way.”

  He grunted. Without warning, she bent forward and engulfed him in her mouth in one lush downstroke. He choked on a strangled groan.

  Lifting her head, she offered him an unbelievably phony look of concern. “Sorry, am I not doing this right?”

  “Little minx. Don’t you know it’s dangerous playing with a demon?”

  An indecipherable shadow passed over her eyes. “Actually, I do.”

  “But you’re going to anyway, aren’t you?”

  “Y-yes. I can’t help myself, Sam. I want you too much.”

  She wasn’t the only one suffering from that particular dilemma. Wishing he possessed enough strength and sense for them both, he coaxed her attention back to his waiting cock. With a hungry moan, she slid the head past her lips. He gathered the curtain of her hair in his fist so he could better watch her bobbing motions. A shiver trembled through her, and she arched toward his hand in a telling way. There was undeniable submissiveness in the gesture. It only fired his strange possessiveness into overdrive.

  “Look at me while you’re sucking my cock.”

  She immediately obeyed, and unwarranted pride flowed through him. He attempted to ignore it before ultimately admitting defeat. So her submissiveness pleased him. It didn’t mean a damn thing. It certainly didn’t mean he envisioned her belonging to him. Of taking care of her. Because he sure as hell didn’t know how to take care of anyone but himself. And half the time he did a shitty job of that.

  Her suction grew more intense, her cheeks hollowing. Desperate noises hummed from the back of her throat, the vibration a sexy torment. A warning tingle buzzed at the base of his spine. He was seconds away from coming, but he didn’t want to do it in her mouth. Gently cupping her chin, he disengaged and stroked his shaft. Once. Twice. That was all it took for him to shoot off, streaking her delectable breasts with his seed. He shuddered and groaned, the orgasm sucking the very life force from his limbs. A moment later, Marabella snuggled contentedly against him, either unmindful or uncaring of the mess he’d made of her.

  He only wished he could be as equally oblivious to the fact he’d just deliberately marked her like some primitive claiming.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Filtered sunlight streamed through the closed blinds in Marabella’s bedroom. Blinking against the intrusion, she peeked toward the alarm clock on the nightstand. Seven thirty. If she planned to make it to the Alliance headquarters and get back in time to open shop before ten, she had to get her butt up and moving. Stretching her arms over her head, she indulged in a lazy yawn. The mattress dipped and a pair of hands slid around her rib cage, pulling her snug against the warm, naked body that’d just settled next to her.

  Sam. A lush heat wave spread through her as she remembered their sexy interlude on the couch last night. The ecstasy he’d brought her to—it was crazy to think such a thing was even possible. And then witnessing that same intensity play out across his face while she pleasured him with her mouth? Oh yeah, she could easily get addicted to that. To him.

&nb
sp; His hands ghosted upward and massaged her breasts. It was shocking how effortlessly he worked her nipples into stiff peaks. Then again, should she be surprised? He’d proved time and again his slightest touch had the ability to turn her body into a quivering, desperate mass of nerve endings. Easing his thigh between hers, he coaxed her legs wider. The position felt odd, and she wasn’t entirely certain of his intention for maneuvering her into it. But then his cock nudged with definitive purpose at her entrance.

  “Sam?” She tried to wiggle around to look at him, but he banded his arm around her waist.

  “Shhh.” He took her hand and directed it between her legs. “Guide me inside you.”

  She encountered his latex-sheathed cock and frowned. “You’re wearing a condom.”

  “I walked down to the corner drugstore the second the sun came up.”

  “What if someone had seen you?” She sighed. “That wasn’t very smart, you know.”

  “No one saw me. But you’re right. Apparently a raging case of horniness has killed off my remaining brain cells.”

  Much as she wanted to be angry about him endangering his cover, it was difficult to stay focused on anything but the teasing glide of his shaft within her grip. Biting her lip, she explored his length.

  His ragged breath tickled her ear. “Put me inside you, Bella.”

  Shifting the angle of her hips, she grasped him at the base of his shaft and bore down. The inner folds of her labia parted for his cockhead, and he surged deeper, stretching her tight on his thick girth. His possession of her body shot a decadent spiral of excitement through her. She shivered, and his fingertips grazed the goose bumps dotting her arms before seeking the hand still wedged between their joined bodies and repositioning it so that their laced fingers hovered on her clit. She knew what he wanted her to do, even understood now why he’d chosen to take her from behind. It was easier to comply with his wishes when she didn’t have to look him in the eye.

  Grateful that he’d saved her from that awkwardness, she caressed her sensitized clit. His bold fingers displayed no hesitation in assisting her motions. That, combined with the slow in-and-out plunging of his cock, soon banished any traces of embarrassment about pleasuring herself in front of Sam. She gave full rein to the hedonistic sensations sweeping over her and moved her body in concert with his. Their rhythm was sensual—like an exquisitely choreographed dance. She’d never felt so connected with someone. So free and uninhibited.

  Sam shifted onto his back, momentarily breaking the spell of unity between them. She floundered for a moment, uncertain what to do, but he gave her no time to ponder the intricacies of his new position as he turned her to face him and aligned her pussy with his cock again. With one smooth thrust, he was buried deep. Much deeper than he’d been before. She gasped, and he tunneled his fingers through her hair, hauling her forward to meet his devouring kiss.

  And that was exactly what it felt like. A ravishment. A total conquering of her body and soul. The irony of that thought wasn’t lost on her, but the ramifications of giving herself completely to a demon who collected souls for a living fell to the back of her mind as Sam’s tongue plundered her mouth. He battered all of her defenses until the only existence left in her world was him. One hand loosened from her hair and grasped her hip, pulling her into the demanding force of his thrusts. She opened her eyes and became ensnared in the dark intensity of his gaze.

  “Come for me, Bella. Now.”

  The emotional tidal wave that crashed into her was nearly as overwhelming as the orgasm that followed suit. In that moment, as her body broke apart, so did her heart. Any prayer she’d harbored of safeguarding that particular organ from Sam’s stealthy pilfering disintegrated before her eyes.

  She’d fallen in love with him—the last person on earth she stood to have a future with.

  He pumped inside her one last time, his fingers digging into her skin as he gave a hoarse groan. Fascinated, she watched him come. Like last night, she was struck by how beautiful he was in the throes of pleasure. It was probably the only time he truly lowered his guard.

  Unable to resist, she stroked his jaw, the soft bristles from his growth of beard a tantalizing rasp beneath the pads of her fingers. She skipped her fingertips down the warm column of his throat and kissed the spot where his pulse beat erratically. Venturing farther south, she traced her lips over the network of silvery scars patterning his broad shoulders and chest. She gave one particularly nasty scar a gentle kiss. “How did you really get these? And don’t tell me a cat. I didn’t believe it the first time you handed me that lie.”

  He remained silent. She lifted her gaze and found him watching her with a hooded expression. Hard to say if it was due to post-orgasmic exhaustion or if he’d erected the shield he always seemed to use when she pushed him to reveal too much. She lightly grazed her nail over another scar that curled along his pectoral muscle. Its proximity to his heart made her stomach churn. How many close brushes with death had he lived through?

  “I stopped keeping track of where I picked up a particular scar,” he finally offered in a strangely flat voice. “Suffice it to say, I’ve run into my fair share of souls who weren’t ready to go down without a fight.”

  She waited for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, she scooted forward and brushed her lips over his. Pulling back, she cupped his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “Whatever Antoinette and the others made you do.”

  His guarded gaze returned. “There’s no need to beat around the bush. You know what my job entailed.”

  “You were only carrying out orders, Sam.”

  “To kill and steal.” He rolled her off him and sat up, his face an expressionless mask. “Don’t make the mistake of martyring me, babe. I sure as hell knew what I was getting myself into. And whether you like it or not, being a soul collector was something I was born to be. If not for the shit that happened with Antoinette and Pricilla, I’d damn well still be one.”

  If his aim had been to shine a spotlight on the vast chasm of differences standing between them, he’d more than succeeded. But the sad, pathetic reality was that it didn’t change the fact she loved him.

  He shoved up from the bed and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving her with a twisted tangle of sheets. And an even bigger mess of her heart.

  Forty minutes later, adequately composed for her upcoming visit with her mom, she made her way down to the shop. Cass was waiting for her on the other side of the door. She blinked at Sam’s cousin in surprise. “Wow, talk about perfect timing.”

  Cass offered a sheepish grin. “Not really. I’ve been down here for almost an hour.”

  “What? Why didn’t you come upstairs?”

  “I did at first.” Her cheeks pink, Cass coughed into her fist. “You and Sam sounded like you were busy, so I decided to let you guys have some privacy.”

  Oh goddess. Cass heard them having sex? Or maybe she was referring to them arguing. Marabella decided to do her embarrassment a favor and pretend it’d been that last option. Pasting on a strained smile, she waved Cass through the doorway. “Well, I’m ready to go if you are.”

  They stepped outside, and Marabella led the way to the lot where her convertible was parked. After an awkward silence, Cass cleared her throat. “I know Sam can be difficult at times, but I think you’re good for him.”

  Okay, so maybe Cass had overheard the argument. Fumbling the key into the ignition, Marabella gave Cass a doubtful look. “I don’t think he considers it that way.”

  “You have to understand something about Sam. It’s easier for him to be a, well, miserable son of a bitch, for lack of a better description.” Cass rolled down her window, letting some of the stale air escape. “He wasn’t always that way. At least not for the most part. He’s always had a penchant for rudeness, but that’s also kind of a demon thing. In case you didn’t know, most of them aren’t exactly known for their social graces.” She caught Marabella’s sidelong glance and laughed.
“Before you accuse me of calling the kettle black, let me remind you that I’m only half demon. I might not enjoy the business side of being a reaper, but at least they’re not shady, dishonest assholes.”

  “You’re not giving me much reason to want this thing—whatever it is—between me and Sam to work out.”

  Cass’s shoulders drooped on a heavy exhale. “Bluntness is a reaper trait. We tend to tell it how we see it. Nik is much worse than me, but it’s still something I have to work on.”

  “Why? I prefer you tell me the truth when it comes to Sam. Because goddess knows, he’s not willing to allow me close enough to know anything about him beyond the crude, tough-guy exterior.”

  “But you know it’s there. You’ve seen glimpses of it, haven’t you?”

  She let the engine idle while she pondered Cass’s question. “Sometimes he…looks at me in a certain way. Like the darkness has momentarily lifted, and he’s…”

  “Happy?”

  “I don’t know.” She recalled the brilliant smile that erupted across his face last night when they’d been joking during dinner. “Maybe.”

  “He hasn’t been happy for a long time. I used to wonder if he’s forgotten what it even feels like. But ever since that first night with you, I’ve seen traces of the old Sam again. Along with some…new aspects.”

  “New aspects?”

  Cass fidgeted with the crease of her khakis. “There’s something else you need to know about demons. They don’t feel guilt and remorse like you and every other human does. This is what’s given them the reputation of being evil, but really, most of them aren’t. They just don’t have a conscience. Or at least not a very strong one.”

  Marabella mulled over Cass’s words, trying to correlate them with what she knew Sam to be and his actions from the very first moment she’d met him. “He certainly didn’t have much of a conscience when it came to seducing me to get his way that night.”