“Christ,” he muttered when he saw her. “You don’t even look like the same person.”
“That’s the idea,” she answered. “Take off your shirt.”
“Now?”
She nodded. “If you’re going to be a part of my show, you’re going to have to be good. I won’t have tonight tarnishing my reputation.”
She swallowed hard when he showed his washboard abs and poured a little bit of oil on her hand. Rubbing it over his muscles, she did her best to avoid what she knew would be his intense gaze.
“If you wanted to touch me,” he whispered as he rippled under her, “all you had to do was ask.” She could tell he was enjoying her touch.
“I hope it takes more than this to turn you on, because I’m about to do a lot worse to you on stage,” she said as she tried to gather her wits. “Come on. My entrance is in a few minutes.”
She directed him behind the curtain. “When the lights go out, I need you to walk this chair about six feet to the other side of the pole. I want you on stage, but I still need room to work. Sit in it and don’t move. That’s all you have to do.” She looked at him uncertainly. “It’s going to be dark. Just hold your hand out until you feel the pole and count six paces.”
“Lana.” He captured her hand. “I can see in the dark. I’ll be fine.”
“You can see in the dark?”
“One of my many talents,” he whispered. The lights went down, and he leaned over to capture her lips. “Break a leg.”
He kept the kiss light, but he couldn’t help but take a few quick licks with his tongue. She gasped, and he slipped away. He needed a bit of revenge after having to endure those soft hands running up and down his abdomen.
Not sure what to expect, he sat in his chair and waited. Soon, the music came pumping through the speakers and a spotlight cut through the darkness. He watched one slender leg reach out.
Click. Click. Click. Click
“Ladies and gentlemen.”
Click. Click. Click.
“Tonight I have a special treat for you.”
Click. Click.
“He makes me breathless.”
Click.
He held his breath as her voice wrapped around him. Fuck. She could sing. He leaned back and slumped in the seat. The spotlight barely touched his face as she stepped into view. Turning, she positioned herself between his legs and dipped low.
“He makes my blood sing.”
She came up, and he held his breath. Double fuck. He was not expecting a lap dance. The siren turned and straddled him. He did his best not to moan as she settled on top of him.
“He does everything right.”
She grabbed his hand and ran it over her breast. As she leaned back, he naturally moved with her and stopped as her legs came up around his head and settled on his shoulder.
“But it’s just a one. Night. Fling.” She pushed her stiletto heel gently on his chest and pushed him back. He brought her up and released her as she ground her hips one last time, planted a kiss on his lips, and pushed herself away.
She stepped back to the pole, and he let out his breath. Dear God, the way that woman moved was beyond unnatural. It seemed almost effortless as she swung herself around the pole and released one of the gauzy pieces of cloth over her bikini. The crowd whistled, and he realized now what she was talking about.
This wasn’t some tawdry show meant for leave a man hard and unsatisfied. This was a seduction meant to bring them back again and again.
“You wanted me to promise you forever, but all I’ve got for you in tonight. I’ll give you all my love, but come the morning light, I’m just a ghost in your bed. I’ll haunt you till you’re dead. But baby, I know, you’ll remember me, and I’m the best you’ll ever have.”
She came back and twisted around him a few times, and when the song was coming to an end, she pulled at his hand, and dropped to the floor.
Naturally, we went down with her, and as she arched her hips, he dipped his head low. That tantalizing neck was calling him, and he trailed a tongue over it. He heard a hitch in her voice, and so did the audience. They were going wild, and she tipped his head up.
“Tonight’s all you got, so you better impress. Make me believe that you’re the best. I’m. Ever. Gonna. Have.”
He wrapped a hand around her waist and brought her hips up as he trailed a tongue down her naked abs. The lights dimmed, and under the cover of darkness, he couldn’t help himself.
He pushed the material aside and gave her slit a quick lick.
Her moan echoed in the speakers, and she pushed him away. The audience loved it. She quickly got to her feet, pulled off her heels, and slipped off the stage.
The girls squealed at the side stage. “That was amazing. Who is he? Can I have him?”
She laughed and pushed them away. The lights came up, and they went on to their finale.
Alone, he spun her around and pushed her up against the wall. “Wait,” she cried out. “Not here. Please.”
He saw the longing in her eye, but he wouldn’t take her if she wasn’t ready. He released her, and she ducked in the room.
He had a raging hard-on, and he did nothing to hide it. After a few minutes, she came out looking like her normal self in sweats. She tossed a cloth at him. “Here. You can wipe the oil off before you put the shirt on.”
Gone was the seductress. Standing in front of him was the exhausted dancer who had another life to live.
And he still wanted her.
Chapter Five
What was she thinking? She’d crossed the line with the dance, and he’d crossed it even more with that stunt at the end. Neither could deny that the other was more than ready to complete the job. She’d felt the bulge in his pants as soon as she’d straddled his lap, and he’d tasted her.
The crowd, of course, had loved it.
He sat stoically silent in the driver’s seat, and she tapped her finger on her leg nervously. What in the world could he be thinking?
“You’ve got a nice voice,” he said finally.
“Thanks,” she said in a high-pitched voice. Embarrassed, she cleared it. “I’ve been singing since I was a kid.”
“I can see why you don’t call yourself a stripper.”
“I...uh...came up with the routine when I was strapped for cash. I presented it to a few strip clubs around, but this was the only one that would allow me to do it without actually stripping. They said if I brought in a crowd within a month, I could be a regular. After they saw the results, they told me I could forgo the lap dances as well. It was a great gig, and the other girls love it. So, it worked out for everyone.”
“I’ve never been in front of so many people in my life,” he muttered.
“You certainly didn’t have performance anxiety,” she said without thinking, and he laughed hoarsely.
They fell silent until he pulled up the apartment.
She barely made it inside before he grabbed her hand and pushed her up against the wall. “If you don’t want this, tell me now,” he said as he ran his hands up under her sweatshirt.
She hesitated for a split second. She did want it, but she knew nothing about him except that he wasn’t one hundred percent human. Did she really want to cross this line?
“I want you,” she whispered, and she reached up to wrap her fingers in his hair as his mouth captured hers.
Everything inside her melted as his tongue slipped inside. She’d gotten a taste of the passion inside him, but nothing compared to the real thing. A low moan escaped her as his fingers edged under her bikini top and slipped around her nipple.
“Cole,” she sighed.
“You drove me crazy on that stage. You’re lucky I didn’t take you right then and there,” he muttered as he lifted her shirt to get better access. She reached for his shirt and undid the buttons. Finally, her hands could roam his abdomen, and she explored eagerly.
“I didn’t intend for it to go that far,” she admitted as he traced his lips down her n
eck. “But once I started, I couldn’t stop.”
He pulled down her sweatpants, and as he cupped her ass, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. Rubbing herself on him, she did what she wasn’t allowed to do on stage.
Moan and twist herself around for better access.
“I’m so ready. Please,” she begged as she tried to put pressure on her clit. There were still too many clothes in the way.
“If I’ve only got tonight, I want to make it good,” he panted as he struggled to hold her still.
“Baby, you can have every night if you give me what I want right now,” she said and blushed. She never spoken like that.
He pushed them off the wall and carried her into the bedroom. She clung tightly to him and ran her tongue along his salty skin. He grunted before dropping her on the bed. She watched as he hurriedly dispensed of his pants and crawled on top of her.
She took a moment to stare into his eyes. She’d get lost in that intense gaze if she gave herself enough time. Reaching up, she stroked his jaw. “I don’t usually do this. I know that because of my job, you might think…” her voice trailed off.
He kissed her. “The only thing that I think about you is that you’re smart, talented, brave, beautiful, and that you criticize yourself way too much. If you want me to stop, I’ll stop. Otherwise, lie back and enjoy yourself.”
She clamped her mouth shut, and he reached down and touched his lips to the hollow of her throat before moving lower to each nipple. She shuddered as his tongue swirled around it. Again, he slid even lower to dip into her belly button. And finally, he was slipped her bikini bottom down.
“I just got a taste,” he murmured.
She curled her toes in anticipation. “Please.”
He smiled and leaned down to lick her slit. “So sweet. Did you like it then?”
“Yes,” she moaned.
“Do you want more?”
“Yes, please,” and he buried his face in her. She shrieked when he slid a finger and then two inside her. In and out and occasionally his tongue joined them, but when he’d slipped his tongue over her hard and aching nub, her hips arched off the bed.
“Cole,” she gasped, but he didn’t let up. Over and over again until she couldn’t take any more. Gripping the sheets, she could only cry out as her body convulsed, and she fell apart.
He nuzzled her tenderly until her body settled, and then he moved up to her mouth. “Perfect,” he whispered.
He stared down at her before leaning down to taste her. She’d been everything he’d fantasized and more. Even before he entered her, he knew that she was meant to be his. Nothing else would have pulled them together so quickly. Nothing else would have him spilling his own blood to save her, and nothing else would have made them fit quite so perfectly.
But when he slid inside her, he knew. He naturally hit that spot that made her eyes fly open and gasp. They moved together in a perfect rhythm, and she squeezed her muscles to an imaginary beat that surrounded them. It was a song his soul knew well.
He cradled her head as he moved inside her, and they both knew this was more than a one-night stand. She gripped his skin in desperation, as if she were afraid he’d somehow disappear, but he couldn’t leave her now if he tried.
Over and over again, he pumped inside her, and finally her breathy moans and those wet folds were too much for him. As she came and screamed his name, he gripped her hips and anchored himself to the hilt.
“Lana,” he cried out as he emptied himself.
He collapsed on top of her, and rather than try to ruin the moment with a conversation, they both fell into a heavy sleep.
Chapter Six
The attack came out of nowhere. They had fallen into an easy rhythm over the next few days. School. Sex. Sleep. Sex. Schools. Sex. Sleep. They could barely keep their hands off each other, and neither acknowledged the rapidly growing situation. So when the attack came, she was unprepared. She’d almost forgotten why he was there in the first place.
Lana had sent Cole out to take the trash, and when she turned around, a man and the demon were staring at her.
The demon towered over them both, and he lashed out his tongue like the way that snakes smell their prey. “Now, now,” the stranger cautioned. “We don’t want to get rid of her yet. She’s going to be very useful.” He turned his eerie gaze towards Lana. “Come with me, my dear.”
“Why would I do that?” she asked as she backed into the counter. Maybe if she grabbed a knife, she could defend herself. Her heart was in her throat, but she was determined to not let fear rule her this time.
In the blink of an eye, he moved. Suddenly, he was standing over her and gripping her wrists. “Because if you don’t, I’ll see to it that my pet slaughters your hybrid lover right here and now.”
She closed her eyes. Cole was supposed to protect her, but she knew he’d be outnumbered. “Okay,” she whispered.
He whipped his head around. “He’s close. We have to move, now.”
She felt a sharp pain in her neck, like something bit her, and then she knew no more.
Cole could smell the demon before he even reached the apartment. Fear fueled his adrenaline as he broke out into a run, but Lana was gone by the time he hit the kitchen.
He frowned. There was no sign of a struggle. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could feel her. He knew he could if only he concentrated.
Sure enough, his skin tingled, and he began to follow it. The sun was already low on the horizon, and by the time he found himself at the empty warehouse, it was dark.
He wanted to simply break into the warehouse, but what would that accomplish? Why would the demon kidnap Lana rather than just outright attack? They weren’t known for their patience.
Cresher had to be involved. There was no other explanation.
But why did Cresher want her? He tried to reign in his anger. If he crept any closer, Cresher and the demon would smell him for sure, but he had to know what was going on.
He would do everything in his power to save Lana, even if it meant that it would get him killed.
When Lana woke, she was stretched out on what looked like a gurney. She immediately sat up, and her vision was blurry. “What the hell is going on,” she cried out hoarsely.
She wasn’t bound in any way, so she slid off the gurney and tried to focus her sight. What had they done to her?
“Easy, my dear. It may take some time for it to reach your blood stream. You’re just feeling the side effects of the sleeping agent. You woke up much sooner than I expected,” a voice said pleasantly.
She bumped into something, and she heard some things crash to the floor. “What did you do? What’s going to hit the blood stream?”
“I injected you with pure demon blood. I’m thinking of creating my own army. My name is Cresher, by the way. And I have to congratulate Cole. You are lovely.”
Demon blood? She leaned over and immediately vomited. That poisonous and rancid blood was running through her veins. It would kill her.
“Oh, dear. That was not the reaction I wanted. Perhaps you should sit down.”
Hot searing pain began to course through her, and she fell to the floor. God, she wanted to keep it together, but the pain was enough to make her curl into a ball and scream.
“Fuck!”
Lana moaned and opened her eyes. Her vision was clearing, and she saw a ball of fury launch itself into the room. The demon howled in pain as Cole managed to draw some blood.
She pushed herself up and watched, almost in slow motion, as the demon turned around and gripped Cole’s head. She knew it was going to break his neck, and fury like she’d never known rose up inside her. Without even thinking, she growled, pushed herself up, and launched into the fray.
Knocking them over was like knocking over a feather, but Cole hit the ground so hard he started to bleed. The demon howled in pain, and Cole screamed her name, but she paid no attention. Her body was suddenly capable of doing anything she wanted it to
do, and now she was going to make sure this demon never hurt anything ever again.
They toppled over to the floor, and she felt its nails rip into her skin, but she didn’t care. Nothing hurt as much as the blood that seared in her veins, and that was nothing compared to the rage inside her. She felt something sharp under her, and when she reached down, she felt a blade pierce her skin.
Without a second thought, she gripped it, slashed it through the air, and aimed for the neck. A high-pitched scream ripped through the air, and as the demon fell to the floor, nearly decapitated, silence descended the room.
“Lana? Lana, put the scalpel down.”
She heard Cole’s voice through the haze, and she dropped the blade.
“Cole, he did something to me. He infected me with demon blood. I want to kill him. I’m going to kill him,” she hissed.
“He’s gone. Cresher’s gone, Lana. And you killed the demon. So the only thing we need to focus on is you. How do you feel? Can you see me?”
She turned her head at the sound of his voice, and when she squinted, she could make the outline of him. “Cole? Cole, I hurt. It hurts.”
“Okay, baby. I’m going to give you something to make you sleep. Do you trust me? I need you to trust me.”
She nodded her head, and she felt him place something cold on her chest. Darkness claimed her.
“I think she’s coming around.”
Lana felt a warm hand holding hers as she became aware of her surroundings. Her body felt heavy, like she’d been drugged, and she immediately rolled to her side to reach for Cole.
But there was nothing there. No bed. No Cole. “Cole?” she muttered as she opened her eyes.
Cole was there, holding her hand, but a few other men were also watching her. She gasped and sat straight up.
“Easy,” Cole said soothingly. “Easy, Lana. You’re in no danger here. This is Damien. He’s the leader of the Slavante Brotherhood, and these are some of my brothers. Do you remember what happened?”
BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE: The Unforgettable Billionaires: The Complete Collection Boxed Set 1-12 (Young Adult Rich Alpha Male Billionaire Romance) (Alpha Bad Boy Billionaire Romance) Page 97