Forbidden Love Series Book 4: From The Ashes

by Danielle James

  When she tried to tiptoe back through the bedroom, Jacque sat up in the bed. “That was more than two minutes.”

  “Thought you were coming after me?” Frankie smiled at him. His hair was a mess, meaning that it was lying flat against his head. He looked so different without his spikes. Almost, respectable? She laughed to herself.

  “Get back here,” he said, patting the bed next to him. “I’m not ready to get up yet.”

  “But what if I am?” Frankie asked.

  “Nothing to do here during the day but sleep,” he said.

  “What if I don’t want to do anything here? What if I want to go into town?” she asked. The growl that filled the room answered that for her. “Ok, ok, just for a little while,” she said, climbing back under the covers.

  He immediately grabbed her around the waist and hauled her against his body, her back to his chest. There was no mistaking his hard on that was pressed against her butt. He pushed his legs up so that they were touching from head to toe, and snuggled his face into her neck. He breathed in deep, and Frankie knew he was smelling her blood.

  “When is the last time you fed?” she asked him.

  He said something without moving his mouth, so Frankie understood exactly none of it. It kinda sounded like ‘I don’t know.’ She turned her head toward him, but still couldn’t look at him. “Seriously,” she said. “When.”

  “I had a bottle yesterday,” he told her.

  She had noticed that he seemed weaker than before and he seemed worn out. It never occurred to her that he wasn’t feeding until then. “Do you need to drink?” she asked.

  “I will,” he told her. Was she offering? There was nothing Jacque wanted more than to drink from his mate, but she had been so skittish, he was afraid to even suggest it.

  Instead, Jacque pressed his hips against her harder. “There is something I want more,” he said in her ear. He didn’t wait for her to reply, but instead started kissing her neck. When she sighed, he loosened his hold on her so that his hand could roam.

  Frankie thought he was going to feed from her, and she wanted him too. She wanted to do that for him, but instead of taking what she offered, he kissed her. She loved the way his lips felt on her skin. He moved his hand over her belly and eventually found his way under her shirt. She wasn’t wearing a bra so he had no trouble finding her breasts. He let his hand move slowly, gently touching the underside of them and circling around before cupping one breast in his large hand.

  “So soft,” he murmured against her skin. He was kissing her neck and shoulder, letting his tongue slide across her artery that was pulsing wildly in her neck. His fingers found her nipple and he toyed with it, forcing it to stand at attention and beg for more. He rocked his hips into her behind and Frankie knew exactly where this was all going.

  He was naked under the sheets, but she was wearing a nightshirt and her panties. She knew that wouldn’t last long and she could hardly wait. She wiggled her hips against him and smiled when he responded with a very sexy growl. “I want to touch you,” she said.

  “Not yet, ma Chere,” he told her. “I will never last once you put your hands on me.”

  He caught her nipple between his thumb and finger and rolled it. Frankie gasped at the pleasure that rocketed from her nipple straight to her core. He let her go then and yanked her shirt up. He allowed her to move only enough so that he could pull the shirt over her head. When she was lying back down, he turned her so that she was on her back.

  “I want to taste them,” he said, bringing his head down. He took one hard nipple into his mouth and laved his tongue over the tight bud.

  “Oh god,” Frankie gasped, shoving her hands into his hair. “Suck,” she commanded, holding his head to her chest. He did. Oh boy he did. He closed his lips around her nipple and sucked hard. Frankie’s hips shot off the bed and Jacque moved to hold her down with his body. He was almost lying on top of her.

  He worked her nipple with his mouth until it was almost too sensitive and tender. Then he moved to the other one. Frankie thought she could come just from this. But then, he added to it. He moved his hand down and cupped her over her panties. “Wet,” he said around her nipple, feeling how excited she was through the fabric.

  “Jacque,” Frankie moaned, and tried to move her hips for more stimulation.

  “Patience, Ma Chere,” he said. He released her nipple and kissed down her belly. “So good,” he said, loving the way her skin tasted on his tongue. He worked his way down, pausing to stick his tongue in her little belly button. Frankie laughed and he smiled against her skin.

  He worked slowly until he came to the hem of her panties. “Pretty,” he said. He was aware that she had reduced him to one word sentences, but he couldn’t muster up the ability to care. He could smell her scent strong now and his brain was in full forward mode.

  He kissed her mound gently on top of her panties, then pulled them off. He looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and Frankie loved it. No one had ever looked her like that. She didn’t have much time to contemplate it though, because he dropped on her like a snake striking. One second he was admiring her, the next, he had his face buried between her legs, lapping at her like he was starved.

  “Oh god!” Frankie yelled out, grabbing a fistful of his hair. He ran his tongue all around her clit until it was swollen and sensitive. That piercing in his tongue added a unique and wonderful extra pressure. “More,” Frankie gasped. “Want more.”

  Jacque groaned and shoved his tongue inside her. He lapped up her sweetness, savoring it as it filled his mouth and slid down his throat. He pushed his hands under her butt so he could lift her to him, granting him better access. He licked and sucked until she was forcefully shoving her hips at his mouth.

  “Do you still need more?” he asked her.

  “Oh yes,” she breathed. He ran his fingers over her slit and found the entrance. He played with the outside while returning his mouth to her clit. He sucked the nub into his mouth and applied gentle pressure with his teeth. He allowed two long fingers to slip inside her at the same time he bit her clit harder.

  Frankie screamed out as she came hard on his hand. He loved the way her body tightened up around his fingers and he thrust them in and out hard, keeping the waves coming from her. He kept her clit on his tongue while she rode out the orgasm.

  When she finally began to relax, he rose up. “That was incredible,” she said.

  “I am not done,” he told her as he positioned himself between her thighs. “I cannot live another minute without being inside you.”

  “Yes,” she said, holding her arms out to him. He brought his torso down and she wrapped her arms around him. “Kiss me,” she said.

  He brushed her lips with his and then sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. She moaned and opened up her mouth, allowing his tongue inside. He was thrusting his tongue in and out, while the tip of his cock brushed against her opening.

  “I must,” he said, unable to finish the words.

  “Yes,” Frankie said, opening her legs wider to accommodate him.

  He pushed himself into her only a small amount. She was so tight, he wasn’t sure he would fit. But he was going to get inside her one way or another. He pushed another inch. She scored his back with her nails, making him shake all over.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said. “So tight,” he said against her neck.

  Frankie had waited so long to be with him, she wasn’t going to wait anymore. She knew he was being gentle, and she knew she was very small compared to his very big cock. But she was determined. She hadn’t had sex in forever, but she knew she could take it.

  She raised her mouth to his neck. He seemed to really like it when she bit, and so she did. She set her teeth to the cord of his neck and bit hard. His body jerked and he cried out, shoving himself deep inside her in one thrust.

  Frankie let his neck go when she screamed out as he entered her. He looked at her face, worried he had hurt
her. She wasn’t hurt, he was just so damned big she was gonna need a minute to get used to him.

  “It’s ok,” she told him. And it was. She was full, as full as she could get and then some, but it was an amazing feeling. “I want you to move now,” she said, bringing her legs around his hips and locking her feet behind his back.

  Jacque did as he was told and began to move slowly. Frankie shivered from head to foot and used her legs to pull him deeper inside of her. “Ah, you kill me,” he said, pushing until he was inside her to the hilt.

  Frankie exploded in another orgasm, her body squeezing him, demanding that he come with her. He managed to ride out the waves without losing control, but just barely.

  “I want to see you as I make love to you,” he told her, flipping them both over so that she was on top of him. “Ride me,” he demanded.

  Frankie smiled and positioned her knees for the best leverage. She moved up and down on him, her hand on his chest, her nails biting into his skin. “Fuck,” she said aloud.

  “Oh yes,” he agreed as he shoved his hips upward. Frankie pulled on his arms and he sat up with her. He wrapped his arms tight around her as she continued to ride him. He ran one hand down her back and squeezed her bottom. He then found the tight little opening between her cheeks. She was so wet, he had no trouble spreading the moisture from her pussy to her ass. He gently pushed one finger inside her. When she didn’t complain, he pushed in another.

  “Oh Jacque,” she cried out, “Yes!” She pushed her hair off her neck, exposing the delicate skin.

  “Do it,” she commanded.

  “Are you sure, Ma Chere?” he asked.

  “Damn it Jacque, bite me,” she said as she forced herself down hard on his cock.

  “Oh god,” Jacque said as he absorbed the impact. “Fuck me yes.” He leaned in and ran his tongue over the skin of her neck. “Mine,” he growled as he sank his fangs deep.

  “Yes!” Frankie gasped as he bit her. She felt his fangs go in, but it didn’t hurt. It was amazing. He was inside her in every way that he could be. As far as she was concerned that was exactly where he belonged. She ground her hips hard against his cock, the forward motion taking him deeper into her pussy, the backward pushing his fingers deeper in her ass.

  But she kept her neck very still as he drank from her. She had been so lost without him, so alone, and now, she was here with him. She didn’t care if she regretted it later, for now, he was hers. She had him for now and that was all that mattered. She knew she had belonged to him from day one, and she gave herself freely to him now. She didn’t just give him her body and her blood, she gave him her heart as his body jerked and she went over the edge with him in the most intense orgasm she had ever experienced.

  When he pulled his teeth from her skin and licked the wound closed, Frankie dropped her head on his shoulder and everything went dark.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Antonio opened his eyes and stretched his arms over his head. He felt like he had been asleep for a million years, and could probably sleep a million more. His head felt soupy and his eyes felt like someone had poured sand in them. He sat up on the side of his bed and scratched his head. He was in his room and everything looked exactly the way it should, but still, something felt off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something was definitely different.

  As he was deciding to get up, he heard the soft sound of someone breathing beside him. He twisted his body around only to see a beautiful young woman sleeping on the other side of his bed. She had dark hair and long black eyelashes to match. They rested on her cheeks, casting a slight shadow. Her features were petite and perfectly proportioned. Her body was the same. He didn’t know her name, but at the same time, he knew that he knew her.

  How much had he drunk? He didn’t remember boozing it up the day before, but obviously something had happened. Perhaps that was why he felt hung-over. Given that the woman was still dressed, he hadn’t done his job properly. Then again, he was wearing pants. Damn. His heart quickened its pace in his chest and his skin tingled all over. He could feel his pants getting tighter as his cock tried to stand up and take notice. He hadn’t taken her; that much he was sure of, but the way his body responded to her, he was certain he would before he let her leave.

  He turned and lay back down on the bed, this time more beside her. He trailed his finger along the skin of her arm, relishing the way it felt so soft and smooth under his touch. She felt like satin to him. He allowed his finger to linger on her skin, moving lightly down her arm and onto her hand and then back up again. He touched her face softly.

  She breathed in deep and turned her head into his touch. Then she opened her eyes. His heart stopped in his chest then started again, thundering like a herd of wild horses. Her eyes were the color of sapphires, and just as brilliant. And then she smiled and Antonio thought he might die right there.

  “You’re awake,” she said softly.

  “So are you,” he said.

  She turned so that she was facing him with her head propped up on her arm. “I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sleep forever.”

  “No, not forever,” Antonio said. He wished he knew her name. He also knew there was no way to ask without getting slapped. How do you ask a woman who was sleeping in your bed her name without sounding like a total jackass? He decided there was none.

  “What is it Antonio?” she asked.

  “I’m sorry Love, I think I may have had a little too much to drink last night,” he began. “I am so sorry but, I can’t remember your name.”

  Macy sat straight up. “You don’t remember me?” she asked.

  “I’m truly sorry,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Oh just great,” she mumbled as she got out of bed. “I give up my career and my life as I knew it for a man who can’t even remember my name!”

  “You what?” he asked, getting up with her.

  “Macy,” she said, “My name is Macy.”

  “A beautiful name,” he said.

  “What exactly do you remember?” she asked with her hands on her hips.

  Antonio thought hard. He remembered lots of things. But as he searched his mind, he realized that there must be some blanks. “The last thing I remember before waking up beside you is fighting,” he said. “We were all fighting. Dragons. Faeries. Wolves. I can’t remember how that turned out,” he continued, his brow wrinkling with worry.

  “Aww shit,” Macy said. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes I’m sure,” he answered. What had happened? Now that he knew he couldn’t remember, he was getting concerned. Had he been injured? A good blow to the head that affected his memory would explain it.

  “Damn it,” she cursed again. Then she opened the bedroom door and started yelling. “Jacque! Frankie! “Angel! Hell anybody? Get your ass in here.”

  It didn’t take long for the whole family to fumble into his bedroom. Everyone was disheveled and looked like they had just woken up. When Frankie and Leigh came in, Antonio took a step back.

  “Whoa, Frankie!” he said with a smile. “When did you get here?” And then he looked at Leigh, whose belly was so much bigger than it had been. It was like she tripled in size overnight. What the fuck was going on here? And then he understood. His family was trying to prank the prankster. Not a chance. “Ha ha guys, really funny, but you won’t get one over on me,” he chuckled.

  “Hey my man, you look pretty good for a dead guy,” Rebel said, finally joining the room.

  “Dead guy,” Antonio repeated.

  “Yeah,” Rebel smiled. “So glad you’re back.”

  “I think there is more to this than we think,” Angel said, coming closer to Antonio. “I can feel his confusion. Antonio, tell us, what is it?”

  “He doesn’t remember,” Macy answered for him.

  “Remember what?” Leigh asked.

  “Oh, all the important stuff,” Macy answered, waving her hand in the air as if to encompass everything. “He didn’t know my name and
he doesn’t remember anything after the fight.”

  “You mean,” Gage began but never finished.

  “He doesn’t remember being dead?” Frankie finished for him.

  “I am not gonna fall for this prank,” Antonio remarked, crossing his arms over his chest. “You are trying the master, and it ain’t gonna work.”

  “I am so sorry, Mon Ami,” Angel said. “But this is no joke. Look at everyone. We have changed. Look at Leigh. She is nearly full term.” He placed his hand on Antonio’s shoulder and opened his mind to him. Angel showed him all the things that had come to pass since his death. He showed Antonio the night of the fight when he threw himself in front of Angel, saving their leader and sacrificing his own life. He showed him the memorial service they had and let him feel the pain his family had been through.

  Antonio jerked away from Angel. “No,” he said, taking a shaky step back. It couldn’t be true. It was a lie! “It’s not true!”

  Antonio continued to stumble backward. He knocked over a lamp but ignored it and kept trying to get away from what Angel had shown him. When his back hit the wall, there was nowhere else to go. “It cannot be true!” he yelled. He had to get out of there. Had to do something. He was alive damn it! Antonio pushed forward and shoved his way through the crowd of his family. He felt bad when he almost knocked Jessica down in his hurry to escape, but he didn’t stop to apologize. He bolted out of the bedroom and down the stairs. He didn’t stop there. He ran out of the house and headed down the beach at full speed.

  When Jacque would have gone after him, Angel stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Let him go,” he said. “He will come back to us.”

  “I pray that you’re right,” Rebel said, taking his wife and walking away.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Merrick paced his living room. What had happened? He turned on the television earlier that evening when he woke up confused, only to become more confused. Months had passed since the last time Merrick remembered.

  What had he been doing all that time?