Night

by Jessica Florence

  The more I thought about Dorian, the more firmly I decided that I was going to go out tonight after shift to dance and get laid. I needed to get my mind off him once and for all.

  My resolve gave me more pep in my step at the end of my shift, as I went into the quiet breakroom to grab my coat and wallet from my locker. I didn’t care who the lucky guy was. Tomorrow I would start looking for something more real. Tonight was all about satisfying myself sexually so this flutter in my stomach would vanish whenever Dorian came near and stared at me.

  I turned around to head out when I froze. Dorian was there and the look on his face was completely predatory.

  “Have a good night, Dorian,” I murmured before walking toward the door he was standing just in front of. He didn’t say anything, but as soon as I was within arm’s reach, his hand shot out and gripped my wrist, keeping me from going further.

  “You’re not going to fuck another man, Esme. If any cock is going to be inside you, it’ll be mine.”

  Those words.

  They shouldn’t make my heart beat faster, but they did.

  “You have no say in that matter,” I said breathlessly, wishing I’d waited a few seconds to speak so I wouldn’t sound so affected by his words.

  His body moved and mine turned instinctively with his, facing each other. Every bell in my head was going off, warning me to back away.

  “I do.”

  He took another step forward and looked down at my lips.

  “Dorian.” His name was part plea and part prayer. My mind didn’t want him to do what he was leaning down to do, but my body was moving toward his, ready to feel what he’d give me.

  We were inches away from each other’s lips when I looked into his eyes.

  “I hate you,” I whispered before his lips descended on mine.

  Chapter Eight

  Esme

  I was grumpier than ever the next day at work, so much so that Melissa Ann felt the need to corner me in the bathroom and make me talk.

  “Girl. I’m done being around your pissy self. I’m the pregnant hormonal woman; you need to relax yourself before I get all riled up with you,” she huffed, checking the stalls to be sure there was no one else in the bathroom.

  “Dorian kissed me yesterday.” I wasn’t ever good at keeping secrets, and I wanted someone to talk to about it. While I knew she’d get all excited, she also knew Dorian was an asshole, particularly to me.

  She bit her lips to contain her excitement and waited for me to continue before freaking out.

  “He kissed me soft, and then hard, and dammit, I liked it. But that’s not the best part! The best part would be when he got paged and left me standing there without another word.” I was so frustrated. He knew what he was doing. Somehow, he guessed I was going out to get laid last night and wanted me thinking about him so I wouldn’t do it. And he succeeded.

  Melissa Ann looked at me with a face that said I was a dumbass.

  “You do know he’s the chief physician in the hospital, right? He’s a busy man. It’s not like he made his own pager go off.”

  A point I was well aware of, but still. I was frustrated, both sexually and mentally. I didn’t want to waste brain space thinking about the man who’d been a complete asshole to me.

  He would be the type of guy to screw you then kick you out of his house. I didn’t want that! I wanted a man to screw me senseless then cuddle me afterwards. Dorian was no cuddler. Nothing about him screamed gentle at all. His kiss last night was gentle for all of two seconds before the heat took over us and the devouring began just like before.

  “I hate him,” I told her, and she nodded.

  “Fine line between love and hate, my dear.”

  I shook my head at that statement. There was no love between us, that was for sure. Now lust, I could agree on. That was there in spades, but love? No way in hell could I fall for a man like him, and I doubted he was even capable of love. I doubted he loved anyone but himself.

  “You know my vote, but I can see you are going to fight just letting the man have his way and getting it out of your systems, so what are you thinking?” She knew me well, but the fact is I had no idea what I was going to do. That was what was frustrating me—despite everything, my heart kept speeding up whenever I saw him today, even in passing. I didn’t want it to.

  “I don’t know. He isn’t the man for me.” I leaned against the wall and sighed.

  “He doesn’t need to be the man for you, but there has always been a pull between you two. You’re both losing the fight of denying it. My vote is give in and see where it goes. He plays asshole hard, but I bet he’ll love even harder once he realizes it.”

  I wasn’t holding out for love with Dorian. That was hopeless, but maybe it was time I let my body lead with him. It was obvious that was all he wanted. Maybe after that we could move on. He’d go back to ignoring me, and I could find love without this sexual tension getting in the way of everything.

  “Thanks for waking me up, Mel.” I walked over and gave her a hug. She always knew when I needed a smack on the head, and this was what she did. I felt officially smacked on the head.

  “Just name the firstborn after me, and we’ll be even,” she joked, and I pulled back to laugh.

  “Evil woman.”

  We left the bathroom, and I indeed felt lighter.

  I was in uncharted waters, but I knew where the lighthouse was, and he was currently staring at me with hungry eyes.

  Feeling brave after my talk with Melissa Ann, I walked over to him and stood close. If I didn’t get this out now, I might never feel like it was the right choice.

  “You win,” I whispered, while looking around making sure no one heard me. When his eyes met with mine again, they were furrowed in confusion. Did he not get what I was saying?

  “And what is it I won, exactly?”

  An exasperated sigh escaped my lips. Did I really have to spell it out for him? I thought we were on the same page here.

  “You win my body, but never my heart. Just so we’re clear.” I was laying that out there right now. My heart was going to have very thick walls and a moat surrounding it when I was around him.

  “I never wanted your heart, Esme.”

  I didn’t flinch at his words because at least we were both in agreement that this was completely for release and not love.

  He didn’t say anything else, and I kinda thought he was going to drag me off somewhere to take advantage of my mood right now, but he didn’t. He just stood there looking at me, an unreadable expression on his face.

  Right. We were back to these awkward silent moments that had been happening frequently between us lately.

  “So, I’m going to get back to work. I’ll, uh, page you.” I turned and walked off.

  I’ll page you. Wow.

  No wonder I was still single.

  Work went by quickly and then the next day Dorian was off. I thought we would have jumped each other already, but he didn’t seem like he was in a rush, and that sort of bothered me. Had I been the only one that was feeling this undeniable physical attraction between us? Maybe he only wanted me because I was denying him, and now the challenge was over.

  Chapter Nine

  Dorian

  It was chemical attraction, plain and simple.

  I needed to fuck Esme until there was nothing left but heavy breaths and fast-beating hearts between us.

  It had been two days since I checked into the future and saw her with someone else, another man touching her creamy skin and kissing her, feeding from that hunger she had brewing inside her.

  I moved without thinking toward the breakroom and made her think of nothing else but my touch. If she needed relief, then I would be the one fucking it into her.

  She thought she would just page me whenever her need arose, but I doubt she would be that brazen. Although she had walked up to me with a determined look on her face when she claimed I’d won her body but not her heart.

  I scoffed at the thought.
Her heart was never on the table. Laughable that she was thinking she needed to put that out there. A few fucks and that would be it.

  But for today, my desire for her had to be put on hold.

  In order to stay immortal, I had to infuse the blood of the gifted with my own. It was a process that took a few hours, and I was bedridden until it was over.

  I watched the infusion machine churn my gold-tinged blood with the donated blood of a god-powered man.

  There were always people donating, not thinking about their powers when they did it. I used to take the donation from the people on the streets as I found them, but the hospital had so much now that I hadn’t needed to get my hands dirty for quite some time.

  Two hours left.

  My eyes closed, and I attempted to clear my head and rest, but that didn’t happen.

  Instead I thought of all the ways I was going to enjoy my prize.

  By the time the machine beeped, signaling that my transfusion was done, I was rock hard and pissed off that she’d somehow made me want her as badly as I did.

  I stood and took care of cleaning the machine before getting dressed in simple clothes— jeans, boots, button-up shirt, and a jacket.

  Though I wouldn’t be wearing them for long, it would at least keep the chill off my back. The weather had warmed slightly, so instead of snow falling, we had rain.

  It might drop down into freezing temps by the morning, though. Seahill was a bitch in the weather department. No one knew what she would do.

  Esme should be getting off her shift soon, and then she’d walk to that shitty apartment of hers that was nearby. I could bring her back to my apartment, but I was anticipating that some material items would become collateral damage from this heat between us. Better her things than mine.

  I flashed into my office and quickly exited the room on foot in search of the woman who was responsible for my vexed mood.

  She wasn’t hard to find; I had seen where she was going to be from the future sight, but what I hadn’t seen was Dr. Liam smiling at her, romantic interest clear as day on his face.

  Interesting. I wondered how long this has been in the making.

  As if she could feel me walking toward her and the doctor, her eyes met mine, and her eyebrow arched as if to ask why the hell was I here.

  “Let’s go.”

  My words came out harsh, and Liam’s spine straightened at the tone.

  “Dorian. I didn’t know you were here. You’ve gotta get out of the hospital, man, and enjoy your time off.” He laughed, thinking I was here because I was a workaholic. Wrong.

  I didn’t acknowledge him, instead keeping my focus on Esme.

  “I’m almost done, if you wanna wait.” She spoke softly and then walked around Liam to the computer. His gaze was moving back and forth between us, and even though I knew he could tell something was different, it didn’t stop him from stepping closer to her, blocking me from her view.

  “I’ll see you around, Esme. Let me know if you need a ride on Sunday. It’s really not an imposition at all.”

  I was on edge already, and his offer just pushed me over into a territory that was not safe for humans. But I remained unaffected on the outside, smiling coolly while seething inside. I plan on fucking her so thoroughly tonight that she wouldn’t spare him a thought, let alone ride in his car.

  “Thanks, Liam.” Her words were rushed, and not completely dismissive.

  He took his leave, giving me a look that said he wasn’t going to bow out.

  Good thing I was the villain in this story. He could have her when I was done. I’d use her body and then when this need was gone, he could have what was left. Maybe she’d even offer up the doctor that heart of hers.

  “I think you’d make an adorable couple.” I still wore the mask of indifference on my face when she turned to look at me. She gazed at me for a minute then turned her eyes elsewhere, a muscle in her jaw flexing as if she was trying not to lay into me with her thoughts on my behavior. Perfect, the backbone she’d found was soft again.

  “It’s none of your business. Now, I’m assuming you’re thinking you’re going to call in whatever this is, but I’m tired and definitely not in the mood now. So, you can go back to wherever you slithered out from. Maybe tomorrow.”

  She left for the breakroom, and I stood there for a moment, considering my next move. I could let her have tonight and cause some chaos in Seahill with one of my creations. That would at least burn some of this energy out of me. Or I could follow her and assist her into being in the mood. Both easy tasks.

  Chaos of the mind, my only solace from a hell created in paradise.

  I’d favored that saying for a long time. When my mind was in chaos, I was able to feel something other than the pain of living this life of hell on earth.

  Esme was my chaos, and right now I was burning for her.

  She had already left the breakroom and was out the door when I caught up to her. Not even the pouring rain could put out the spark that would surely ignite with us together.

  Chapter Ten

  Esme

  I felt him behind me, and I knew he was going to pull one of his favored “grab me by the arm and kiss me” moves.

  So I decided to act first.

  I spun around and waited for him to reach me. It took all of ten seconds, and our lips clashed in the downpour of rain.

  He groaned into my mouth, and I was greedy for every sound he made.

  I’d been frustrated and stupidly self-conscious that he didn’t want me once I became available to him, but the way he was kissing me suggested otherwise. Dorian wanted me badly—very badly.

  “You’re not going with Liam anywhere,” he growled while his fingers gripped my waist, pulling me tighter to his body.

  “I’m not your pet, I can do what I want.” I moaned as his mouth moved down my neck and back up to my lips.

  Inches from connecting again, he spoke against my mouth.

  “You’re wrong.” He pressed his lips hard to mine, punishing me for voicing my thoughts. My hands wrapped around his neck, snaking my fingers through his soaked hair while we ravished each other’s mouths. Well, I was in the mood now. In fact, I was more than in the mood. I was on fire for him.

  “My apartment,” I mumbled, wanting to feel him against me immediately.

  “I won’t be gentle,” he warned. I didn’t care. I didn’t know what kind of man Dorian would be in bed, but I knew he wouldn’t be the sweet, make-love type of guy. I was expecting lots of hard fucking. Twist my arm a little, but I was okay with that. Did anyone ever turn down a hard fuck session? No. The answer was no.

  “I never asked for gentle.”

  With those words out in the air between us, he pulled back and gestured for me to lead the way.

  The short walk up to my apartment was agonizing. We kept our hands to ourselves, and I don’t know why he didn’t touch me, but I knew my reason was because I wouldn’t stop for the rest of the night. I was done with this fight between us; I wanted to feel our bodies move together and let him use me.

  I unlocked my apartment and turned around to face him.

  “You better not be a bad lay.” I don’t know why I said it—maybe to feel stronger, like this was nothing to me besides sex. And it was just that, but somewhere deep in my stomach I felt that flutter.

  “The worst.” He smirked and reached out to push back some of the soaked hair that was plastered to my face. The touch was surprisingly soft, but I knew it wouldn’t last.

  We stood there for what seemed like forever before I moved into my apartment, and he followed, closing the door behind him.

  With our gazes locked on each other, one by one we started taking off our wet clothes until both of us were bare. Only then did our stare roam over what was right in front of our eyes.

  Oh my God.

  God.

  Dorian was a god.

  There was nothing but hard muscle and smooth skin that covered every dip and bump. Heat blossomed over my
body, knowing that that man was going to be touching me.

  “Get on the bed, Esme,” he ordered, and my eyes flew up to his. The smirk that was on his face at the door was gone now. This man looked like he was barely holding on and might snap at any minute.

  Feeling like a dangerous woman, I turned around and slowly crawled up the bed with my ass in the air, a perfect tease for his eyes.

  I heard him growl, and I smiled. Yes, teasing him was quite amusing.

  When I turned around, settling in nicely against the pillows, I waited to see what he was going to do with me. I was his prize, after all. He wanted to fuck the curiosity out of his system, so he would probably get right to it. I was ready.

  Slowly, just as I had done, he reached the bed and moved toward me, his hands skimming my legs, moving up and splaying against my hips.

  His lips went right for my nipple, making my back arch from the touch. He moved from one to the other, making sure neither breast was feeling lonely, before hot, open-mouth kisses with swirls of tongue moved up my chest and neck, then landed on my lips.

  “Never thought a temptress lay beneath the sweet.” His hand moved down my hip and gently touched my core. He rubbed little circles over my clit before plunging one finger inside me. I cried out, and he reveled in the taste of it against his lips.

  As soon as he was moving his finger inside me, it was gone.

  In a flash that hand was spreading my legs to accommodate his body between them. This was it. I was going to have sex with Dorian, the last person on earth I ever thought I’d be in this position with.

  There were no words spared when he pushed into me slowly, the exact opposite of what I thought he’d do. He was unhurried, like he had all the time in the world to fuck me.

  Our eyes both watched as he sank deep into me. No sight would ever top this.