by I. T. Lucas
The problem was that she would need to do everything with Leon right there, and it was kind of a spoiler.
What if she sent him away on an errand?
He was excited about trying out that damn motorcycle, and she could give him an excuse to take it out for a ride. Except that would be hypocritical of her. If she was scared to death of riding the thing, she shouldn’t encourage Leon to use it.
For some reason, though, he seemed indestructible.
It wasn’t just about his special ops past, or the bazillion languages he knew, or even the way he carried himself, which was a curious cross between a Marine and a ballet dancer. Leon gave out a sense of permanency, of capability, of fearlessness.
Nothing bad could happen to her as long as she was with him.
But that was an illusion.
Anastasia used to think that of her father, and then her mother died, proving that bad things could happen to her no matter how strong or capable she believed her protector to be.
With a sigh, she draped the sexy black dress on a clothes hanger and put it away in the closet. The box with the stilettos went on the floor underneath it.
“What was the sigh about?” Leon strode into the bedroom. “Not enough space in the closet for all the new outfits?”
She cast him a smile. “I was just thinking that it’s a shame I have no excuse to dress up. We can’t go anywhere.”
Reaching for her hand, he pulled her toward him. “You don’t have to wear anything fancy to be beautiful to me. In fact, you are the most beautiful with nothing on at all.”
“I might get a bit cold eating dinner in the nude. And if I have to do it blindfolded, you’ll have to feed me.”
His warm brown eyes blazed with an inner light. “You are treading dangerously, beautiful.” As his arms tightened around her, the impressive erection pressing against her belly was proof of that.
Not that she felt threatened. On the contrary.
Ana chuckled nervously. “It was a joke, but since you seem so excited about it, I’m game.”
She was excited as well, though she wasn’t sure whether the image she’d painted was responsible for that or it was Leon’s reaction to her idea. Maybe the two fed off each other.
In a heartbeat, he spun her around, pressing that hard length against her bottom. “I’m going to pop a couple of containers into the microwave and add a few logs into the fireplace. In the meantime, I want you to get naked and tie one of those silk scarves Amanda brought around your eyes.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good girl.” As he kissed the spot on her neck where he’d nipped her the night before, his hand slid down her belly and cupped her hot center. “I love how quickly you ignite.”
The memory of his bite sent shivers down her spine.
It was amazing how a love-bite that had hurt so much hadn’t left any marks. Maybe he’d just hit a sensitive spot because the pain had been gone in a split second, and then she’d orgasmed over and over again.
Perhaps she was into pain?
Ana used to think that it was exciting to imagine and sucked in reality, but Leon was changing her mind about many things. She’d also thought that she wasn’t into sex and could live without it, and then he’d shown up, turning her into a damn nymphomaniac.
Not that she was complaining.
Ana embraced her new hyper-sexed self with both hands.
“Only with you,” she breathed.
“I’m glad.” He kissed the spot again, and then let go of her. “Don’t take long.” He spun around and rushed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Damn, talk about fast ignition.
Ana was so aroused that she could barely keep her hands from reaching down and providing instant relief. Instead, she rushed into the bathroom and turned the water on. She and Leon had showered this morning, but it was evening now, and she didn’t feel fresh.
Standing under the spray, she turned the lever until the water was barely lukewarm, letting it cool down her overheated flesh. It helped a little, and yet it was still a struggle to keep her hands performing just the necessary soaping without touching herself intimately.
If she succumbed, she wouldn’t be ready by the time Leon finished stoking the fireplace and heating up dinner. Besides, she wanted to save all of that pent-up desire for the game they were about to play.
Ten minutes later, Ana was sitting demurely on the edge of the bed, her knees pressed together, her hands resting in her lap, and her eyes covered in one of the silk scarves Amanda had brought.
Had she known about the games Leon and Ana played? Was that why she bought the scarves?
Or perhaps Amanda had a touch of paranormal talent after all.
17
Leon
As Leon crouched in front of the fireplace and added another log, a pained chuckle escaped his mouth. What was between his legs felt as stiff and as bulky as that piece of wood, and it wasn’t showing any signs of deflating.
How could it when he kept seeing Anastasia sitting at the dinner table nude and blindfolded as he fed her?
He had bitten her last night, so he should have been able to avoid it today, but his venom glands hadn’t gotten the message, and they were pulsating in sync with his shaft.
At some point, he would have to tell her a story to explain his fangs and his glowing eyes, and the only thing that came to mind was the one Greggory had told Eleanor.
Leon just wasn’t creative enough to come up with anything better, and it irked him that the former Doomer with no education had had such a good idea. Except, Greggory probably had help from his boss. Rumor had it that Kalugal was brilliant, but he hadn’t had a chance to meet him yet.
After he was done with the fireplace, he washed his hands and took the containers out of the microwave. He brought them over to the table, added a wine bottle, two glasses, two place settings, and then snatched a pillow off the couch and put it over one of the chairs.
On second thought, he decided to cover the pillow with a towel. Who knew if it was clean, and since Anastasia was going to be nude, it was better that she sat on something that had been laundered.
Then again, perhaps a towel was too rough on the delicate skin of her lower lips? A pillowcase would do better.
He took one from the linen closet, stuffed the pillow inside it, and put it back on the chair.
Taking a deep breath, he checked his eyes in the microwave window.
They were still glowing, which wasn’t a big surprise given that his shaft and his fangs were in full readiness condition.
Damn, Leon hadn’t been so out of control since his teenage years.
Hopefully, Anastasia was waiting for him with the blindfold on like he’d told her to.
When he opened the door to the bedroom, the image that greeted him stole his breath away, and the scent that filled his nostrils made him hungry, and not for food.
He’d seen Anastasia naked before, but not like this. A silk scarf tied around her eyes, her back straight, long legs folded to one side and hands resting in her lap, she looked like a kinky masterpiece painted by a Renaissance artist.
If he had any artistic talent, he would have sketched Anastasia in that pose, and for a moment, he was tempted to snap a photo of her. But as trusting as she was with him sexually, she was skittish about everything else, and she might get the wrong idea.
“You are spectacular.” Crouching before her, Leon put his hands on her knees. “Thank you.” He leaned and pressed a very soft kiss on her lips, then snaked one arm under her knees and the other around her back and lifted her into his arms.
“What are you doing?” She squirmed in his hold.
“You can’t see where you’re going. I don’t want you to trip and fall.”
He carried her to the dining table and deposited her gently on the chair. “Is it warm enough? Or do you want me to crank the heat up even more?”
“No, it’s good. Thank you for putting a pillow on the chair.” She smoothed h
er hand over the fabric. “You even put a new pillowcase over it. That was very thoughtful of you.” She smiled up at him.
It was good that Anastasia’s eyes were covered, and she couldn’t see him staring at her plump breasts and the stiff nipples that looked as painfully hard as the log in his pants felt. If she only knew how hard it was for him to refrain from tasting those succulent nipples of hers, or from sliding his finger down her inner thighs and into the sleek heat he knew he would find, she wouldn’t think him so thoughtful.
Or maybe she would. He was holding back so they could play the game that she was excited about.
“Let’s start with some wine.” Leon popped the cork and poured it into one glass.
They were going to share.
Sliding his chair over as close as he could to hers, he lifted the glass to her lips. “Careful. It’s full.” He tilted it a little so she could take a sip.
Some of the wine trickled down her chin. “Oops.” Anastasia licked her lips.
He watched with fascination as a droplet detached itself from her chin and fell straight down on one of her nipples.
Unable to resist, he leaned and licked it off.
As Anastasia shuddered, he did the same to her other nipple.
She smiled. “Did I spill wine on that one too?”
Lifting the glass, he let a small trickle land on one turgid peak and then the other. “Now, they both need to be cleaned.”
“Oh, dear.” Her lips quivered in a suppressed smile.
He closed his lips around her left nipple and then sucked it into his mouth, rimming the other one with his thumb.
“Oh, God.” Anastasia’s head dropped back. “Let’s skip dinner and go straight to dessert.”
He pinched her nipple lightly. “You need to eat.”
She winced. “Food is highly overrated. Are you really going to torture me by making me wait?”
“I’m going to torture both of us, beautiful.” He speared one of the tiny meatballs with a fork. “Open wide.”
18
Anastasia
Despite all of Ana’s protests and all of her squirming, Leon had insisted on feeding her until he decided that she had had enough.
If that was all he had done throughout dinner, she might have survived, but he had intermittently kissed, licked, sucked, and caressed her, bringing her to the edge of orgasm over and over again and then leaving her hanging there.
“You are mean. Now I regret not touching myself in the shower.”
“Why didn’t you?” He sounded surprised.
“Because I wanted to save all the pent-up excitement for you. But if I knew that you were going to torture me, I wouldn’t have.”
“Well.” She heard him move things on the table. “Since you were such a good girl, saving your orgasms for me and eating your dinner, you deserve a reward.”
“What kind of a reward?”
“You’ll find out in a moment.” He placed his hand on her waist, and the next moment she found herself sitting on the table with her legs spread wide.
The guy was as fast as he was strong.
She heard him drag a chair closer and then sit on it.
“Nah-uh,” he murmured when she tried to bring her legs together.
His large hands landed with a smack on her thighs, keeping them from moving even an inch. “Now it’s my turn to feast.”
As she felt Leon’s hot breath near her needy center, Ana shivered, and as a moment later his tongue swiped over her slit from top to bottom and then up again, she let out a throaty moan to let him know how much she enjoyed what he was doing to her.
She loved having him in charge of her pleasure.
It used to be that the only way she could orgasm was with the help of her own fingers, but he was doing it so much better.
Or maybe it wasn’t the technique but the man himself?
There was something exciting about relinquishing control to Leon and trusting him to bring her pleasure. Ana had dreamt about that in her sexual fantasies, but she’d never expected to feel like that toward a flesh and blood man.
The slow and gentle didn’t last long, though, and soon Leon started feasting just as he’d promised.
All Ana could do was hang on for the ride. Gripping the table on both sides, she kept herself from falling back, and as the pressure became unbearable, she threw her head back and shouted her release.
Fortunately, there was no one for miles around to hear her. Someone might have mistaken that for a cry of pain and called the police.
Planting soft kisses on her quivering flesh, Leon waited for her to come back to earth, but her respite was short-lived. With speed and strength that defied logic, he twisted her around, positioning the pillow from the chair on the table before putting her face down on it.
Ana heard his pants hit the floor, and a moment later, his shaft was teasing her entrance.
When she tried to push back, he stopped her with a hand on her back. “Patience, beautiful.”
“I don’t have any. Give it to me.” She was mortified by the words that had come out of her mouth.
His hand landed on her upturned behind with a loud smack. “Behave.”
Well, what do you know? Maybe misbehaving was the way to go.
Smiling into the table, she wiggled her butt. “I don’t want to.”
That earned her another smack, which was precisely what she’d been courting, but having Leon thrust inside her would be even better.
He must have read her thoughts. Pushing in just an inch, he leaned over her and kissed her back. “You are so tight, but I can’t hold back any longer.”
“Then don’t.” She pushed back.
As he pulled out and then plunged the rest of the way in, he let out a groan that sounded part pained and part ecstatic, and for a long moment, he didn’t move, letting her get used to his girth.
Slick from her orgasm, Ana felt just a pleasant stretching as her sheath accommodated his shaft. When she was ready for more, she pushed up, and that was all the permission he needed.
Sliding almost all the way out of her, Leon slammed back in. Somehow, he was hitting her G-spot every time he surged in, the long, purposeful strokes tightening the coil inside her. Then he changed his tempo, growling as he slammed into her over and over again, going hard and fast, and then even harder and faster until she could barely catch her breath.
The pleasure building up, Ana was on the cusp of another orgasm when Leon’s hand closed around the nape of her neck, his long fingers holding her head immobile. Reaching with his other hand to massage her clit, he lowered his head to his favorite spot, where her neck met her shoulder.
Anticipating what was about to come next, Ana orgasmed.
Through the blissful haze, she heard a loud hiss, the sound she knew preceded the pain of Leon’s love-bite, and a split second later, it was gone like a mirage, and she was orgasming again.
He was still going fast and furious, his hammering thrusts wringing another orgasm out of her before his shaft thickened, and he erupted inside her, roaring like a lion.
The bliss spreading like a cloud and infusing every molecule in her body, Ana gave in to the sensation and let herself drift away.
19
Peter
“This is underwhelming.” Eleanor turned in a circle. “Anastasia was generous when she described Emmett’s office. Where did he buy his furniture, Ikea?”
Peter opened a drawer and rifled through the files he found there. “While I’m snooping around his backyard, you should look through these and see if you find anything interesting.”
“I thought that I was supposed to hide. Except, there is nowhere to hide in here.”
“If you hear anyone coming, duck behind the couch. You should be able to hear them walking down the corridor long before they get to the door.”
She lifted a brow. “Are you kidding me? It’s right against the wall.”
“So push it a foot away from it to make room. You’re skinny. That
should be enough for you. No one will notice you there.”
Walking over to the couch, she did as he suggested, and then walked to the door and looked at it from there. “I would notice that it’s not where it was right away.”
“Move the rug a foot too. If the couch and the rug are aligned in the same way they were before, it will be less noticeable.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” She pulled the rug toward the desk and then stepped back. “What do you think?”
“Looks fine. Besides, even if anyone notices, they will think that whoever cleaned in here pushed the couch away from the wall.” Peter closed the file cabinet and walked over to the office’s back door. “Wish me luck.”
“Wait.” She lifted her hand. “What if there is an alarm on the door?”
“Why should there be? This entire place is low-tech.”
“Not true. They use card keys to monitor who goes where and when.”
“That’s the only thing. And if an alarm goes off, we will just pretend to be nosy guests.”
“We are nosy guests.”
Blowing her an air kiss, he cracked the door open and peered outside. “There is no one out there, and the cottage is dark. Emmett is either sleeping or down in his lair.”
“Use your shroud anyway.”
“Of course.”
Peter planned to use it only long enough until he found a good hiding spot.
That proved to be easier than he’d expected. Emmett’s private yard wasn’t big, but it was densely planted with trees and shrubs. There were even several artfully arranged rock piles that he could hide behind.
But first, he needed to find all the exits, if there were any.
Emmett’s home was tucked in a corner, with the lodge on one side, the community compound behind it, and several storage sheds in front of it. In addition, a tall fence surrounded the place, with thick shrubbery in front of it. Emmett had complete privacy.
Pulling the shroud around him, Peter walked the perimeter, searching for a break in the shrubbery or a gate in the fence, but he found none. It seemed as though the only way in and out of Emmett’s private area was through his office in the lodge.
