The wolves were open and frequent with their sexual partners, at least until they found the one who was their other half. For centuries, Vulcan had chided the males for the arcane and ludicrous idea that they could spend centuries with one person.
He finally understood.
The bite of her short nails into his shoulders made him shiver.
Vulcan lifted Destiny in his arms and carried her to his bed. Hopefully she failed to notice how fast he moved. If she did, he wasn’t doing something right.
At the last minute, he tossed her onto the center of his bed and was rewarded with a high-pitched squeal and eyes bright with laughter.
He felt like beating his chest. Standing there, watching her spread out on his bed like a damned goddess, he wanted to taste Destiny, to touch her, to be inside of her in any and every way possible. The base need felt so primal it was almost animalistic.
“You are magnificent.” Vulcan crawled up the bed, and balancing his weight on his outstretch arms, hovered over her body. “I need to do this slowly. I want to—”
Destiny interrupted him when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his.
“Stop thinking,” she said, tracing his upper lip with her tongue. “Stop talking.” She sucked on his lower lip and released it with a small pop. “And for the love of all that’s holy, I want you inside me.”
“The things I want to do to you,” Vulcan said, groaning as he slid his hands down Destiny’s body, parted her thighs, and moved his hips closer to heaven. “I don’t want you to think…. This matters.” He brushed her hair off her forehead. “You matter.”
Not Amina—but Destiny.
“Thank you.” She bit down on her lip before she spoke again. “It means a lot that you said that. I’m okay with what this is, what we are.” She scraped her fingers against the back of his neck. “Don’t hold back. I want all of you.”
“I don’t know if I can do that.” She had no idea what she asked of him. Not only could he hurt her physically, but there were dark places in his soul no amount of light could penetrate. Not even hers.
“That’s what I need Vulcan. Give it to me.”
“Be careful what you ask for, Destiny. You might not like it.”
“I doubt that.” She grabbed a handful of his hair and tugged. “So are you going to keep talking, or are we going get to fucking.”
“Your wish, sweet woman, is my command.”
She smiled again and all he saw, all he wanted, was his Destiny. He knew this probably made him the biggest kind of fool, but he was ready to let the past go and step out on faith.
Then he lowered his head and kissed her.
Chapter 16
This wasn’t the first time Destiny had been kissed. But oh, sweet merciful heavens, this was definitely one for record books. Vulcan tasted like magic, and dreams, and a bit of mint.
After he left her home on Sunday, she believed her crazy response an anomaly because she’d lusted after him for so long. No. His touch was everything she’d hoped for, and those expectations were high. Now, lying naked beneath him, as his warmth thawed her frozen heart, she realized that the first incredible kiss was a mere peck in comparison. With each connection, each brush of flesh against flesh, the bond between them strengthened. Whatever repercussions came later were inevitable, but the here and now was nirvana.
As the kiss wound down and he attempted a retreat, a mewling sound came from the back of her throat.
“Damn you taste good,” he murmured, gently moving his lips against hers over and over again, escalating her pleasure.
“Less talking more kissing.”
“Are you always so bossy?” Vulcan’s voice did that grumbly thing, and woo baby, it wound her up even higher.
“Do you always talk at inappropriate times?”
He chuckled. “Not usually, unless it’s dirty.” He bit down on his lip, and she knew he could read the phone book and she’d find it hot. “You like that?”
She had no idea. But she nodded anyway. What did that say about her former lovers? What did it say about her?
“Want to know the first time I knew I needed to fuck you?”
Oh dear, she didn’t believe it possible, but her heart rate accelerated to near stroke levels. Maybe she should have passed on this part. Especially since she was damned near panting from wanting him so badly.
“Talk to me sweetness. I’ve waited so long to have you in my bed. I want to hear everything. I need to know you’re with me every step of the way.”
“When was the first time you knew you wanted to…” Destiny cleared her throat. This was harder than she imagined.
“Say the word, baby.”
“Fuck me.” Hey now, that rolled off her tongue quite easily. “When was it you knew you wanted to fuck me?”
“When I walked into your gallery to talk about selling my glasswork and saw you bent over your desk.”
“I was wearing ratty jeans. That’s not exactly sexy.” Had she just admitted that?
“I disagree. They had a rip right below the right cheek.” I stood watching your ass and imagining what you wore beneath them.”
“You do know that sounds a little creepy, right?”
“Hell no.” He nudged her legs farther apart and ground his hips against her. But not in the spot she needed most.
She shifted her hips to get him in one of the two places that would give her what she needed, but he wasn’t cooperating. “I changed my mind. Let’s skip the dirty talk and get on with it.”
“Get on with it?” His dark eyebrows shot up. “What kind of man do you think I am?”
“I don’t know, but I’d like to find out before I turn eighty-four.” She wrapped her legs around his hips. Vulcan chuckled again, and she knew it was a sound she could absolutely get used to.
“There’s a time for savoring and a time for fucking.”
“I vote for fucking, unless you plan on hiding my body?” He frowned. “You know, because I might die from this savoring business.”
“Is this where I remind you of your previous lack of sympathy for my predicament?”
She glared at him, but he continued speaking.
“I spent the last two years running when what I should have been doing was chasing.”
Holy cow. He was killing her, but at least when she hit the pearly gates (she hoped that was her destination) she’d arrive with a smile on her face. “For a man who doesn’t speak much, that was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.” She caressed his soft beard with one hand as he kissed her.
Looking into those indigo eyes was like falling into the ocean at midnight—dark, bottomless, and peaceful. Finally, when she could take no more, Destiny closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall. And since every descent eventually came to an excruciating end, the best she could do was hope that this landing wouldn’t leave scars.
Vulcan ended the kiss with a small nip on her lower lip and whispered into her mouth. “I’m going to fuck you now.”
“Wait.”
“Now you want me to wait?” His words were laced with humor rather than irritation, which made him even more irresistible.
“Not really, but it’s easier to say this while I’m naked. I knew I wanted this the first time I saw you, too.”
Vulcan kissed the corner of her mouth, and if she’d planned on saying anything else, her mind drew a blank as his soft beard and even softer lips moved down her body. When he reached her stomach, she buried her fingers in his hair and pressed her head back against the pillow.
“Look at me.” Vulcan nipped her inner thigh, and she squeaked. “I want you to see me, not imagine some other man.”
“Okay.” At this point she’d do almost any kind of kinky shit he wanted.
He lifted her legs and laid them over his shoulders, and Destiny tensed waiting for that first touch. What if this was all a letdown? It wouldn’t be the first time a man talked a big game and was a total dud.
Not this time.
With that first touch of his tongue, her body vibrated. Not with need or anything romantic. What she felt was primal, powerful, and downright terrifying. It took everything she had to keep her eyes open.
“You taste as good as I imagined.”
“And you are one talented man.”
Vulcan chuckled. He did it with his mouth pressed against her, and boy, it set every nerve ending on fire. This was something she would have to commit to memory. With his too long and way too sexy hair, and eyes determined and wild, Vulcan was every woman’s carnal fantasy. And for the next few hours, she would remain the center of his attention.
That was a great place to be.
Vulcan, taunted and teased, satisfied and stretched her, while controlling her body and her will. When she finally orgasmed, how she managed to avoid passing out, she’d never know.
As she lay there trying to relearn how to breathe, Vulcan kissed her stomach and everything between there and her mouth. When he finally hovered over her, his lips damp with her pleasure, his breathing was as heavy and fast as hers.
“I think you just killed me.” Destiny raised her head and kissed him. “That was… wow.”
“Sweetheart, hold on.” He reached over, pulled the nightstand drawer open, and withdrew a strip of condoms.
She pulled them from his hands. “Let me do the honors,” she said, tearing a condom from the strip and ripping the package open with her teeth. If she hadn’t wanted him inside her so desperately, she would have teased him about his ambition. “This,” she rolled the latex onto his thick shaft, “is a thing of beauty.”
When the condom was fully seated, Destiny gave him a gentle squeeze. Right then she was thankful for the raging blizzard outside. Being trapped with Vulcan wasn’t a hardship after all.
For the second time since they got naked, he executed a ninja move. He shifted both their bodies, so his back was against the headboard and she was straddling his lap. She wasn’t going to over analyze his Thor-like powers. Nope. Not at all.
Once again, she wrapped her fingers around his shaft and placed him at the entrance where she wanted him most.
They gazed into each other’s eyes, all jokes and playful banter gone. This felt important and even a little life changing—at least for her. If anyone were to ask how she came to this conclusion, she’d struggle for an explanation. It just… was.
Destiny eased herself down, taking Vulcan in little by little. As he filled her, she gave a shout out to the gym gods for all the squats she’d been doing.
“Kiss me,” he demanded, his voice raspy and deep with need. “You feel…”
She took from him what she wanted, what he gave so freely. His hands dug into her hips as her tongue delved into his mouth.
If there were gods in any Pantheon listening right then, she wanted to thank them for putting this man in her life, and in her bed, and as his hips started moving, inside her body.
Eventually he got tired of her being in charge and flipped her over onto her back. She wanted this to last. She wanted to hold on. But when he slid those massive hands beneath her hips, and tilted them, all was lost.
“Vulcan, you feel so good… I… I—”
“Let go, beautiful. Go ahead and shatter, and I’ll put you back together. Then I will break you part again. I plan to teach you, taunt you, and tempt you never to let another man in your bed.”
Destiny wanted to close her heart to Vulcan’s honeyed words. As she fell deeper into his gaze, she realized she was in way over her head. One minute she’d been whole. The next, everything she’d ever known had been blown to smithereens. She could’ve sworn she saw stars, hell she probably saw another galaxy. When she opened her eyes to find him staring down at her. She witnessed something even more beautiful than her own orgasm—his.
He came with a shout, but still, their gazes held, and something happened. It was like a movie on fast forward. For an instant they were no longer in Wyoming. The storm and even the cabin no longer existed.
One thing, however, was the same. She and Vulcan had done this before.
Chapter 17
Vulcan drummed his fingers against the steering wheel and smirked as he glanced at Destiny.
“Could you look a little less pleased?” she asked, leaning against the headrest.
“Can’t help myself.” He reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. The touch, oddly enough, almost more intimate than the touches they’d exchanged over the last couple of days. And he now knew her body most intimately. “Are you okay?”
“I am,” she answered, rotating her hand and interlocking her fingers with his. “Better than okay.”
“Good.” He returned his focus to the road. Before he’d made love to Destiny the first time, he’d felt lost, but by the time they left the cabin, there was no real choice but to place another plan into motion.
“Between Colorado and Wyoming I’ve experienced my share of spring storms.” She frowned and stared at the buffalo grazing in the green fields lining the main (and only) road into town. “That snowstorm was beyond ordinary.”
“Mountain weather can be weird.” He trailed his thumb along the back of her hand. The storm may have been impulsive. No, it had definitely been impulsive. Yet regret was nowhere in Vulcan’s pile of tangled emotions.
They rode in a silence that grew more uncomfortable the closer they got to town. “Destiny,” he said, squeezing her hand. She tore her gaze from the passenger window. “After everything we’ve done to, and with, each other the last forty-eight hours, you should be comfortable enough to share anything. Now talk to me.”
“That’s just it. The last few days didn’t fit in with my plans. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want it to end.”
“Perhaps I wasn’t clear. It doesn’t have to end.” Declaring his intentions internally was one thing. Communicating it vocally and, apparently, clearly—well he’d rather be covered in honey and tossed into a vat of fire ants. In his mind, he’d woo her, and she’d eventually realize they were in a committed relationship. But, as usual, she wasn’t going along with his brilliant plan. “We’re good together. Ending isn’t what I had in mind.”
“Perhaps I wasn’t clear. Being one of a cast of many doesn’t work for me. I’m not built that way. No harm, no foul. We can remain friends—I hope.”
“I don’t need a friend.” She sucked in a breath, and he cursed. This wasn’t going as planned. “No. You and me, Destiny. That’s it, no one else. We can take this as slow or fast as you want.”
“Just you and me?” Disbelief laced her voice.
“Yes, beautiful. Are you good with that?”
She bit down on her lip.
“Just you and me.” She hadn’t given him the resounding yes he’d wanted, but it wasn’t a no.
“As long as we take this slow,” she said.
“I can do that.” He didn’t bother fighting the grin. “You might want to tell Surfer Boy you’re off the market.”
“I’ve dated other people since we’ve known each other, never seemed to bother you before.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Oh?”
“You weren’t mine then.”
“And now?” she asked, her voice a breathy rush of air.
“Where are we sleeping tonight?” He didn’t want to talk about the relationship; he just wanted to have one.
“What happened to easing into things?” she asked, chuckling, and the tension he’d detected minutes earlier seemed a thing of the past. At least he hoped so.
“No date? No wooing?” She puckered her lips in a cute pout.
“Tomorrow evening, you and me. Wear something pretty.”
“That sounds lovely. Are you free tonight?”
“Sorry,” he shook his head. “No.”
“Oh.”
Everything about her made him want to kiss the hell out of her. “I plan to spend it with a certain woman to ensure the last two days weren’t a drug-induced haze.
” Vulcan rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. “And what I had in mind doesn’t include pretty dresses—unless they’re on the floor.”
“Alrighty then. My place, I’ll cook. Anything you don’t eat?”
“I’m flexible. But if you go to the store, could you pick up some whipped cream? I have something special in mind for dessert.” They’d finally reached the first light and thankfully it glowed red. As soon as he pulled to a complete stop, he cupped his hand around the back of her neck, pulled her close, and kissed her as if he’d not been inside her a scant two hours earlier. How in the hell had he wasted so much time? For him, an immortal, time meant less than nothing. But for her?
Each day took her closer to death.
A horn blared behind them, and Destiny nipped his lower lip and pulled away. “I missed you too,” she whispered.
The asshole behind him honked again and instead of moving, Vulcan kissed the tip of Destiny’s nose before he drove off. Little did the male behind him know the only reason Vulcan didn’t make the wheels fall off the little green Prius was the woman beside him.
They chit-chatted about nothing and everything for the next couple of miles. As comforting as he found the chatter, he wished they were back at the cabin having the conversation in front of a blazing fire, with her wearing little more than a satisfied smile.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked, sounding suspicious.
“Nothing.”
“Baloney. I know that look.”
“Oh, do you?”
He paused at the crosswalk, allowing a group of happy tourists to pass. “Then why don’t you tell me?”
“I wish I could show you, but let’s just say the last few times I’ve seen that grin, I became a very happy girl shortly after.”
“You’re right. Am I the only one thinking reality doesn’t sound like such a great idea?”
“No, I’m with you, but we can’t hide forever. Hopefully, it’s not too late for me to figure out something with the realtor.”
Haunting Hephaestus (Gods of Olympus Book 9) Page 11