Playing Their Parts: A Kindred Tales Novel

by Anderson, Evangeline

  The words had hurt her badly and pushed Cassie into a string of bad relationships ending with her failed marriage to Keith. But she resolved not to let the fact that her partner only wanted a friendship with her to hurt her now. After all, Stone only wanted what she wanted—not to ruin the best friendship either of them had ever had.

  We can do this, she told herself. We can touch each other intimately and still go back to being friends and partners—as long as we don’t actually have sex.

  The question was, how was Stone going to touch her?

  Gently and slowly, if the way he was stroking her cheek was any indication. Cassie felt herself melting against her partner’s big hand. She was still looking up at him, looking into those piercing, pale blue eyes which had gone half-lidded with desire.

  “So beautiful,” Stone murmured, looking down at her. “Do you know one of the things I love about you, Cassandra? The fact that you have no idea how fucking gorgeous you are.”

  “Stone…” She could feel herself blushing.

  “You said I could tell you how I felt when I touch you,” he reminded her.

  “Yes, I know.” Cassie bit her lip. “It’s just…I never dreamed you thought those things about me.”

  “I could never say them before,” he murmured. His big hand slid down her cheek and Stone cupped the back of her neck instead. Looking into her eyes, he tilted his mouth towards hers.

  “Wait!” Cassie gasped, just as his lips barely brushed hers. She pulled away from him to see that Stone was frowning.

  “What is wrong? I thought we were going to practice touching each other?”

  “Touching but not kissing,” Cassie said.

  “And what is wrong with kissing?” he wanted to know.

  “It’s…too intimate,” Cassie told him. “It’ll make it too hard to go back to being just friends again if we go around kissing each other.”

  “Very well.” Stone nodded and pulled away. “May I kiss other parts of your body, then?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Oh, um…what parts?” Cassie asked. Her heart was drumming against her ribs, and she was getting warm all over.

  “Your hand, for instance.” He lifted her right hand and brought it to his lips, placing a soft, hot kiss on the back of her knuckles. Then he flipped it over and placed another soft kiss on her palm…then her wrist…then the inner bend of her elbow.

  It was the same way he had kissed her when he was showing her that he wouldn’t hurt her with his fangs and once again, it affected her deeply.

  Cassie felt her pulse quicken and her stomach fluttered. His warm, spicy scent surrounded her, making her want more. Once again, she was at a loss for words. Who could have predicted that her big, scary-looking Kindred partner could be such a gentle lover?

  “I…I guess my hand is an all-right place to kiss,” she whispered.

  “What about your neck?” Without waiting for her reply, Stone leaned forward and brushed her hair out of the way. She felt his warm breath against the sensitive column of her throat and then he was leaving a slow, hot, trail of kisses along the side of her neck.

  “Ohhh,” Cassie heard herself moaning. She could feel just the tips of his razor-sharp fangs but they never so much as scratched her. Tingling pleasure ran down her spine—her neck and throat had always been extremely sensitive erogenous zones for her, but she’d never been with a man who had realized that before. The most her ex, Keith, had ever done was give her an embarrassing hickey on the side of her neck. He had never understood how to make her light up from the inside out the way her partner was, with his slow, gentle kisses.

  “Oh, Stone,” she moaned and then she felt his big hand slipping into the metal bra she still wore, to cup her breast and gently thumb her nipple.

  “This is where I wished to massage you earlier,” he rumbled softly in her ear. “Will you allow me to do so now?”

  “I…I suppose it can’t hurt,” Cassie gasped. “If you want to.”

  “I do.” And then he was removing her top so that he could palm both her naked breasts in his big, warm hands.

  Cassie moaned again as the big Kindred continued to kiss the side of her neck, even as he massaged her breasts and teased her tight nipples. She could feel sparks of pleasure rushing through her, her whole body warming and responding to her partner’s gentle, knowing touch, the way it never had when her ex or any other man had touched her.

  And then he slid off the couch and knelt in front of her. He was so tall, they were still eye-to-eye, even with Cassie sitting and Stone kneeling.

  “May I kiss you here?” He thumbed one tight nipple, sending sparks of pleasure from her breast straight to the place between her thighs.

  “You…you want to kiss my nipples?” Cassie whispered, biting her lip.

  “No, I want to suck your nipples.” Stone’s voice was a deep, hungry growl as he looked her in the eyes. “I want to take them deep in my mouth and suck them until your soft little pussy gets wet and hot for me, Cassandra.”

  “Oh, Stone!” she exclaimed breathlessly. But she really couldn’t complain about his dirty talk. She had, after all, told him it was all right for him to say whatever he needed to in order to get into character.

  “If you’re worried about my fangs, don’t be,” he rumbled, tugging gently on her right nipple. “I can take your nipple in my mouth without so much as scratching you. May I show you?”

  “I…I guess so,” Cassie whispered, pressing her thighs together.

  The big Kindred didn’t need any more encouragement. Ducking his head, he sucked one ripe peak into his mouth.

  Sure enough, Cassie didn’t even feel his razor-sharp fangs. She only felt his hot mouth molding around the stem of her nipple while his talented tongue laved her tender tip until she thought she might go crazy with need.

  “Oh…oh my God, Stone. That feels amazing,” she gasped as he switched to the other nipple and began sucking it as well.

  “I’m glad.” He looked her in the eyes. “Are you getting wet for me, Cassandra? When I suck your nipples, does it make your soft little pussy all hot and wet?”

  Cassie shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

  “I…I don’t know,” she whispered. She was ashamed to admit that she’d never been more wet and ready in her life.

  “Can I find out?” His fingertips hovered at the waistband of her metal bikini bottoms.

  Cassie felt a moment of unreality. Was this really her stoic partner, sucking her nipples and asking if he could finger her pussy? And more importantly, should she let him do it?

  “I…I don’t know,” she whispered.

  “It is more than likely that I will have to touch you here when we are filming a vid,” Stone pointed out, his fingertips playing along the low waistband and down over the metalwork that separated them. “It would probably be good for you to get used to letting me stroke your soft inner folds, Cassandra.”

  Cassie couldn’t hold out any longer.

  “All right,” she whispered. “I…I’ll take it off.”

  She reached for the side buckles that held the metal bikini bottoms on but her partner’s long, clever fingers were already there, opening the buckles and helping her slide the bottoms off.

  It suddenly occurred to Cassandra that she was naked now, except for her boots. And yes, she had been naked with Stone before, during the massage, but she had been face down the entire time. This time her nudity was full-frontal and she wasn’t at all sure what her partner would say.

  She didn’t have to wonder for long. Stone was drinking her in, his pale blue eyes roving hungrily over her naked body.

  “So Goddess-damned beautiful,” he murmured hoarsely. “From your full breasts and hips to your soft little pussy. Gods, Cassandra, you have no idea how many times I’ve fantasized about this moment.”

  “You mean you fantasized about seeing me naked?” Cassie fought the urge to cover herself. She still felt self-conscious, but it was clear that Stone liked what he was seeing.r />
  “Yes, but more than that,” Stone murmured, looking into her eyes again. “I fantasized about you letting me see you naked—about you opening yourself to me and letting me stroke your beautiful body with no shame between us.”

  “No shame,” Cassie repeated breathlessly.

  “Now spread your legs for me,” he murmured, resting one big, warm hand on her upper thigh. “Spread and let me see if your soft little pussy is wet for me.”

  “Stone!” she protested, feeling her cheeks heat with a blush. But she found herself complying with his demand anyway, opening her thighs and leaning back on the couch to let her partner see her sex.

  Cassie looked too and bit her lip with embarrassment to see exactly how wet and ready she was for the big Kindred. Her outer pussy lips were swollen with need and as she parted her legs, they opened to show her pink inner folds, slick with her juices.

  “Gods!” her partner groaned, taking in the sight. “Look how wet and ready you are, Cassandra!”

  Reaching between her legs, he cupped her in his big hand, not touching inside her yet—just holding her possessively.

  “Stone?” she whispered, making his name a question.

  He caught her eyes and held them with his own.

  “I’m going to touch you now, Cassandra. Going to spread open your pussy lips and stroke inside you. And you’re going to open for me and let me do it, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, Stone,” Cassie heard herself whispering. God, what had happened to her cool, logical partner and who was this dominant, sexual male who had replaced him? Stone had never talked to her like this before—never touched her like this before—but she didn’t want him to stop.

  “That’s good, Cassandra,” he murmured. And, keeping his eyes locked with hers, he began to touch her.

  Cassie gasped as she felt one long finger slide into her slippery folds and begin a slow, gentle exploration. Stone seemed to know exactly how she liked to be touched, even though they had never been intimate before. He charted a course around the aching button of her clit, sliding around and around the sensitive little bundle of nerves until Cassie moaned and shifted her hips helplessly.

  “Does it feel good, Cassandra?” he growled softly, still looking into her eyes. “Do you like it when I stroke your soft little pussy and slip my fingers inside you?”

  “Stone!” she moaned, shifting again. “You…you shouldn’t ask me things like that!”

  He looked at her directly.

  “I will ask and you will answer.”

  There was a note of authority in his deep, growling voice that Cassie felt helpless to disobey. She also felt helpless to drop her gaze, even though it felt incredibly intimate to look into the pale, blue depths of her partner’s eyes while he fingered her pussy.

  “All right,” she whispered. “I…I’ll answer.”

  “Good. Now tell me, do you like it when I pet your pussy, Cassandra?” he growled again.

  Cassie bit her lip and dropped her eyes.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, Stone, it…it feels good.”

  “Look at me,” he demanded softly. “Don’t be ashamed, Cassandra—look at me while I touch you—while I make you mine.”

  She raised her eyes again, panting with desire now. As they spoke, he continued to trace around and around her clit, driving her closer and closer to the edge.

  “I’m looking,” she whispered. “I’m looking, Stone.”

  “Good.” He gave her a slow smile. “I want to look into your eyes while I make you come.”

  “While you…while you make me come?” Cassie wasn’t quite sure about this. They were supposed to be practicing touching each other. But wasn’t this going too far? “Stone…” she began to protest, but he didn’t let her.

  “As soon as you come for me, I’m going to thrust my fingers deep in your soft little pussy and fuck you with them,” he growled hoarsely. “I want to watch you ride my fingers and feel your soft inner walls clench all around me and know that you’re coming just for me. Do you understand, Cassandra?”

  His hot, dirty words and commanding tone were too much for Cassie.

  “I…I understand!” she gasped and then she was coming—coming so hard it felt as though the orgasm was a living thing being pulled from her body. Her toes curled and her breath came in short little pants as pleasure washed over her in a tidal wave. She wanted to close her eyes with the intensity of the orgasm but she couldn’t—not while her partner was looking at her, challenging her to hold his gaze as he stroked the last ounce of pleasure from her.

  Then, just as he had promised, Stone slid two long, strong fingers into the mouth of her pussy and deep into her channel. She gasped again as he touched bottom inside her, making her arch her back as fresh pleasure washed over her.

  “Tell me how it feels, Cassandra,” he growled softly. “Tell me how it feels to let me touch you—to let me fuck you so deeply.”

  “It…it feels good!” Cassie gasped, her hips pumping helplessly in time to the rhythm of his fingers inside her. “Oh God, Stone—it feels amazing.”

  “That’s good.” Leaning forward, he kissed her neck again and this time she did feel his fangs, skating dangerously along the sensitive, vulnerable skin of her throat, threatening to pierce the flesh at any moment.

  “Stone,” she whispered. “Are…are you going to…to bite me now?”

  For a moment she felt the tips of his fangs sinking into her flesh. Instinctively, she tilted her chin back, baring her throat, giving him easier access. At that point she would have given him anything—if he wanted to bite her, she was willing to let him. More than willing.

  But then her partner backed suddenly away from her, pulling his fingers out of her at the same time.

  “Stone?” Cassie panted, looking up at him uncertainly.

  “I cannot.” His voice was low and troubled. “If I bite you, I will want to do…other things. Things which have nothing to do with friendship.”

  Then he rose and strode into the ensuite bathroom, leaving Cassie bewildered and alone.

  Thirty

  Gods, what’s wrong with you? You nearly bit her! Nearly injected your essence!

  Stone paced in the narrow confines of the fresher, trying to get control of himself. Both his fangs and his shaft were aching, longing to penetrate his partner’s willing flesh and Claim her as his own while bonding her to him forever.

  But I can’t do that—I can’t!

  Like every Blood Kindred, his fangs produced a pale blue liquid called essence. This essence was capable of both healing a Blood Kindred’s mate and bonding her to him. When injected into a female’s bloodstream, it produced instant orgasms. But it also engendered a strong feeling of possessiveness in the male who did the biting and injecting—a desire to Claim so intense it was difficult to overcome.

  Stone knew if he bit Cassandra and injected her with his essence, it would be next to impossible not to bond her to him as well. It was simply the logical next step for a Blood Kindred—his body would expect and demand it. If they wanted to keep their friendship and partnership intact after this mission was over, he dared not bite her.

  But that didn’t mean he couldn’t taste her juices and at least dream of biting and bonding her.

  Slipping the fingers he had thrust deep in her pussy into his mouth, Stone closed his eyes and unfastened his leather trousers. Gripping his aching shaft in one hand, he stroked himself as Cassandra’s sweet/salty flavor exploded across his tongue. Gods, how he longed to taste her honey straight from the source!

  But for now, this would have to be good enough.

  Dreaming of filling his partner’s soft little pussy with his cock as he slid his fangs into the tender flesh of her throat, Stone came.

  Thirty-One

  Cassie wasn’t quite sure what had happened. Why had Stone left so suddenly? Had her question about him biting her upset him that much? Was he offended somehow?

  Her body was still humming with pleasure and release. Sh
e had to admit, Stone had given her the best orgasm of her life. Somehow he seemed to know just how to touch her body to give her pleasure. And that deep, dominant voice of his…the way he’d looked into her eyes and told her exactly what he was going to do to her…well, Cassie wasn’t sure what to think of that.

  He’s a natural Dom, she thought, thinking back to the lessons she and Keith had taken with the dominatrix—a tall woman with ebony skin and a commanding manner who had been named Madam Electra.

  Cassie had stayed “after class” one day, hoping to get some answers for why she just couldn’t allow herself to be submissive to her ex-husband. To be honest, whenever Keith had tried to order her around, she’d had a terrible urge to laugh. He just seemed…silly. And definitely not sexy at all. When she’d explained her feelings to Madam Electra—after Keith had gone, of course—the other woman had nodded thoughtfully.

  “I think your problem, my dear, is that you do not respect your husband enough to be submissive to him. Also, he is not naturally a Dominant, which makes it difficult for him to dominate a strong woman like yourself.”

  “He certainly shouts at me enough—when we’re fighting, I mean,” Cassie had told her. “And orders me around. Well, he tries to. Isn’t that being dominant?”

  “No, my dear.” The dominatrix had given her a pitying look. “That is being a bully. There is a vast difference in submitting yourself to a loving Dominant that you respect and love and allowing yourself to be bullied by someone who doesn’t deserve either your love or your respect.”

  “Hey!” Cassie had objected, frowning. “That’s my husband you’re talking about. And we came here to try and put some spice back in our marriage—not put cracks in it.”

  “The cracks were already there before you came to me,” Madam Electra said coolly. “You asked for my professional opinion and I gave it to you.”

  “But—” Cassie began, but the dominatrix wasn’t finished.

  “A true Dom doesn’t rant and rave like a drill sergeant shouting at a new recruit,” she continued sternly. “A true Dom will rarely raise his voice. He will command your respect without any effort on his part and you will give yourself without hesitance or restraint when he tells you to.” She had brushed Cassie’s cheek gently with her fingertips. “I hope, for your sake, that you will one day find a true Dom, my dear. I think if you do, you will finally be able to give him both your heart and your complete submission.”