POSSESSED BY DESIRE

by Elisabeth Naughton

  * * *

  A jolt rushed through Ashur’s entire body when Claire placed her hand in his. He looked up at her face, narrowed his eyes and searched her features for…what, he wasn’t sure.

  Did he know her? Had they met somewhere he just couldn’t remember? He let his senses guide him, but didn’t pick up anything unusual from her. She was human, not djinn, so there was a slim chance they’d met before—albeit very slim. In his younger years, he’d crossed over to the human realm a few times, mostly out of morbid curiosity of a race he didn’t understand, but when his father had found out he’d forbidden Ashur to cross again. He hadn’t been in the human world in years, and judging from Claire’s late-20-ish age, that last trip had likely been when she was a child. But still…there was something familiar about her. Something different. Something…enticing he couldn’t define.

  His mind spun as she led him toward the hut she’d motioned to moments before. The sweet scent of gardenias rose in the air around him. As he followed. Stepping inside, he took in the interior. It was small—only three rooms. An archway opened to a kitchen to his right, and ahead a door led to what he suspected was a bathroom. But the main room of the hut housed a sitting area complete with couches and tables on a bamboo floor, and beyond that a four-poster bed covered in mosquito netting.

  He waved his hand, calling up a power he hadn’t used in months. Candles on the bedside tables sparked to life and slow music from speakers somewhere in the room filled the space.

  “Clever,” she said. “I wish I could do that. She turned to face him. Drew in a breath. Blew it out. “So how does this work? Do we just…you know…get down to business?”

  She was nervous. Which was good, because it meant he wasn’t the only one. Trust before pleasure. The words were engrained in his mind. Even though his stomach churned with excitement, he needed her to relax in order for this to go as planned.

  “May I sit?” he asked, gesturing to the couch.

  “Um. Sure, I guess.” She frowned. “Sorry. It’s not every day you summon a pleasure slave, you know?”

  He chuckled and eased down onto the cushions. “Why did you summon me, Claire?”

  Her cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink, and again he had the sensation that she wasn’t what she seemed. She sat on a chair opposite him before he could let his thoughts get away from him. And then he was too entranced by her to do anything but watch the way she twisted her hands in her lap, shifted them to the cushions beneath her, finally sat on them as if she were trying to stop herself from doing something totally out of character. Like grabbing him.

  Grab me, maya.

  The thought came out of nowhere and sent another jolt through his system. Except this one was heat and life and excitement. And he welcomed it. After all his months of prison and training, he was as anxious to—what had she called it?—get down to business as her.

  She wasn’t exotic like Nuha, or breathtakingly beautiful like Zoraida, but she was pretty—big blue eyes, wavy auburn hair, and a tiny scar near the corner of her mouth that made him wonder what those lips felt like, what they’d taste like against his tongue. Her body, from what he could see, was long and lean, like an athlete, and he couldn’t wait to see more. But the spark he caught in her eyes when she looked at him told him she was sizing him up in the same exact way, and the “more” would have to wait.

  “Well?” he asked.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” she said with a lift of her chin. “What reason does a woman have for summoning a pleasure slave except for pleasure?”

  Add quick to her list of attributes. He smiled and relaxed further into his seat. “Most have a reason. A recent breakup, loneliness, general curiosity, even a desire to learn a new technique.”

  He lifted his brows in anticipation of her answer, which in turn made her roll her eyes, and he found himself laughing. “I can teach you a great many things. Whatever you like. However and whenever. Until you’re satisfied. That is my job.”

  Her cheeks turned even pinker. “I know.”

  She bit her lip. Seemed to be thinking over what she wanted to say. And as he waited, he realized her reaction was not what he’d expected. Aside from that strange feeling he got near her, he sensed there was something more than mere distrust at the root of her hesitation. “I take it you don’t want me to teach you anything?”

  “No it’s not that. I just…didn’t expect the discussion part to all of this.”

  “You called me, remember?”

  “I know I did.”

  “Then what’s the problem?

  She pushed from her seat, began pacing the width of the small room. “It’s…complicated.”

  Nuha and the other instructors had told him this might happen. He scooted to the edge of the couch, rested his forearms on his knees. “Is this the first time you’ve summoned a pleasure slave?”

  She shot him a look. “Of course.”

  “You’re nervous. It’s natural. Tell me, are you a virgin, Claire?”

  “What?” Her feet stumbled, and she almost tripped but caught herself by grasping the back of the chair she’d been sitting in earlier. “No. Of course not. That’s a silly question.”

  But the pinking of her cheeks again told him she wasn’t all that experienced either. Perhaps what she needed was a small dose of…honesty.

  “What if I told you this was new for me as well?”

  Her feet stilled, and she looked over at him with those mesmerizing eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean” —Trust before seduction— “you are my first assignment.”

  Her brow lowered, and her mouth dropped open, but she quickly closed it. “You’ve never pleasured a woman?”

  “Not a human woman, no. But do not worry, I’m well versed in all aspects of pleasure.”

  She moved around the chair, her interest obviously piqued. “How does one go about training for this kind of…assignment?”

  “Months of preparation and instruction.”

  “From whom?”

  “Teachers.”

  She eased down onto the chair again, tucking her long legs under her, honest curiosity lighting her face. “Female djinn? Were they slaves as well?”

  He shifted. This was not the direction he’d expected the conversation to go. His anxiety rushed back. “Some were.” Most. “But that shouldn’t matter to—”

  “Who do you serve? Why are you here, Ashur?”

  The question threw him off kilter. She was leaning forward, her face flushed, her eyes wide, eagerly awaiting his response. And another sense that she was not what she seemed rushed through him.

  Some instinct deep inside told him not to mention Zoraida or his imprisonment. Carefully, he said, “I serve you, Claire.”

  Her gaze held his a long beat, and then slowly, she eased back in her seat. “That remains to be seen. What if I’m not satisfied with you? Will your master send another?”

  He clenched his jaw to keep the anger at bay. Sending another was not an option. “She won’t need to. Trust me. I will be exactly what you seek.”

  Claire’s entire face relaxed. And heat crept across her features—a heat he felt crackle clear across the room. Something had shifted in her demeanor, but he couldn’t pinpoint what.

  She pushed out of her seat and held her hand out to him, all signs of her earlier nervousness now gone. “Why don’t we see if you are? Come. Show me.”

  His blood pulsed, and he hardened beneath the soft cotton of his pants as he looked at her outstretched hand. This was what he’d wanted—to be sent to a woman who truly wanted him—so why was he hesitating?

  Trust before seduction…

  Something in his gut told him he was not the one about to do the seducing.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Claire waited for Ashur to place his hand in hers as she’d done earlier to him. And when he did, the heat of his skin permeated her own, sending another rush of desire coursing through her veins.

  He was one of Zoraida’s plea
sure slaves. She had no doubt now. Djinn, regardless of race, existed in highly patriarchal societies. There was likely not another female master besides Zoraida anywhere in the djinn realm. Did that mean he was Tariq’s brother too?

  Claire hadn’t talked to Mira much in the months since giving Mira the spell she’d needed to free Tariq from Zoraida’s hold. Once Mira had trapped the opal in that bottle then accidentally tossed the bottle into the river, Claire had been more focused on finding the amulet than on whom it could be linked to next. But from the few conversations Claire had had with Mira via phone, she knew that both of Tariq’s brothers had been imprisoned with him—brothers he was still desperate to free.

  She wanted to ask but knew better. In the end, it didn’t matter if Ashur was related to Tariq or not. Claire wasn’t here because of Mira’s new husband. She had other things to worry about.

  The look on Ashur’s face also warned Claire not to get too personal. He was suspicious of her intentions. She needed to remember not to rush things and let him think he was driving the seduction.

  Which meant she needed to be at least a little vulnerable.

  She drew him toward the bed, then turned to face him. “You want to know why I summoned you?”

  He lifted one brow in question.

  “Because I’m tired of going through the motions of life. I want to feel.”

  It wasn’t a total lie. It just wasn’t the whole truth.

  “Any human male could do that for you.”

  “No, I don’t think he could.” She knew for certain he couldn’t. “I don’t want any messy entanglements when this is over. I want to be able to walk away when I have what I want.”

  He ran his fingers over the fire opal at the base of her throat. “And when will you have what you want, Claire?”

  When you take me to the djinn realm.

  “When I’m thoroughly satisfied, of course,” she said, her pulse picking up. “The ball’s in your court now, djinni.”

  He chuckled. “You play this game well, maya. I have one question before we get down to your…satisfaction. Where did you get the opal?”

  Her stomach tensed, the nerves warring with the heat swirling in her veins as he stroked the opal. From what Mira had told her about her interactions with Tariq when he’d been a pleasure slave, she knew Ashur wore one too, but his wasn’t visible in this realm. When she crossed to his world, she’d see it.

  Where did he wear it? What did it look like against his tanned skin? And why couldn’t she seem to think straight when he was touching the opal like that? Oh, he was good. His hands weren’t even on her skin yet and she was ready to melt.

  “Maya?”

  Princess. He kept calling her princess. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity—she was far from being a princess—but some place inside her warmed to the word. Had he called his instructors that when they’d been teaching him how to pleasure a woman? Or was she somehow…special?

  His eyes darkened with desire as he leaned close to her ear before she could tell herself that was a stupid question. His hot breath rushed over the tender skin of her neck, sending a shiver down her back. “You keep me waiting, maya. Do you not want my touch after all?

  His lips barely grazed the outside of her ear, and heat flooded her veins. She closed her eyes and leaned into him. “No. I mean…yes, I want it.”

  Ever so gently, he trailed his lips down her neck, a whisper of a touch, until a shiver rushed through her entire body. “Then answer the question.”

  “I…I found it.”

  “Where?”

  She lifted her chin as he grazed those lips along the hollow at the base of her throat and moved up the other side of her neck. Oh wow. That felt good. Better than she’d expected. He’d obviously been trained well. “On the beach.”

  “On this island?”

  She nodded. Then trembled when he brushed those wicked lips across the skin just below her ear. Lifting her hands, she gently rested them on his chest. His hard, warm, muscular chest. “Yes.”

  “And how did you know it was linked to a djinni?”

  His lips grazed the outside of her other ear. Instinctively, she moved closer, until the long, lean line of his body pressed against hers.

  Oh, he was hard. His erection pressed against her belly, telling her he wanted her just as much as she suddenly wanted him. Tingles spread from her belly between her legs. And vaguely she realized she’d never reacted to a human like this. But right now she didn’t care. He felt too good. He smelled like musk and citrus, and the heat of his body seeping into hers was making her light-headed. She fought the urge to slide her legs around his hips. Craved the fullness of his erection pressing against her core. Wanted…him, for purely selfish reasons that had nothing to do with Sura and the others in her order.

  “Claire?” he asked in a throaty voice. A voice that sent a shudder through her whole body.

  “I…I study folklore,” she mumbled as he continued to torment her ear. As her skin continued to vibrate. “I’m a professor. At a university. I know the story behind the firebrand opals.”

  His touch disappeared. Cool air rushed over heated skin. Confused, she opened her eyes and looked up. But his face was no longer flushed with desire. Instead, his brow was wrinkled, his dark eyes searching hers for…oh, shit…truth.

  “How does a human know of the firebrand opals?”

  Shit, shit shit…

  “I…” What could she say? How could she cover this? He couldn’t know what she really was. She needed…

  She needed him as desperate for her as she’d just been for him.

  She rose up on her toes and pressed her mouth against his before she could change her mind. His entire body tensed. Djinn reacted to physical contact. It was one of their weaknesses. She’d been taught long ago that they were ruled by their desires, and judging from the erection she’d felt earlier, she hoped that was still true. Hoped it would be enough to distract him from his line of questioning.

  When he didn’t move a single muscle, she tipped her head, changed the angle of the kiss, and slid the tip of her tongue along the seam of his lips, hoping, wanting, waiting…

  His lips parted. In surprise? Bewilderment? Want? She didn’t care. She took the opportunity to dip into his mouth and taste him for the first time.

  Darkness. Spice. Lust. Sensations bombarded her from every direction. She stroked her tongue against his, moaned into his mouth, felt herself slipping even though he hadn’t kissed her back yet.

  You may even enjoy it. Sura’s parting words echoed through Claire’s mind as she continued to kiss him. She knew she shouldn’t. Knew she needed to stay in control. But he tasted so good. Felt so alluring pressed against her. Burned so hot where their skin met…

  A growl rumbled from his throat, and then his arms were around her, his mouth opening, his tongue taking charge and sliding along hers, his body pressing tightly against hers, just the way she wanted.

  Oh yes. He was still hard. Desire beat out curiosity. Her thighs ached, and that place between her legs throbbed in a way it never had before.

  He turned her toward the bed. Thought slipped out of her grasp when he reached behind her and parted the netting. She kissed him deeper while he lowered her to the bed, groaned when she sank against the mattress and his weight finally pressed into her.

  Yes, yes, this, just this…

  Her goals, why she was here, why she’d summoned him seemed to fade into the background. All she knew was his mouth. All she felt was heat and passion and desire. He kissed her again and again, dragged his hand down her side and pushed her shirt up so he could glide the palm of his hand along her rib cage. She shivered, groaned at the warmth and tingles dancing across her skin, gasped when he finally released her mouth and trailed his lips to her ear where this time he licked and suckled her lobe until she thought she’d go mad from the pleasure.

  “What are you doing to me, maya?” he whispered. “You smell so good. I want you in ways I haven’t wanted anot
her.”

  She closed her eyes, tipped her head to the side to give him more access. Felt the same way. Which was strange. Forbidden. Wrong. “Not even your teachers?”

  He nipped her earlobe, then suckled the sensitive spot. “Never my teachers. Not like this.”

  A thrill rushed through her at his words. It was another line, but this time it didn’t bother her. His hips flexed, his hardness pressing against her, and she groaned again, lifting her hips to meet his. Oh, that felt good. He’d barely touched her and she’d already felt more pleasure than she ever had before.

  She wanted more. Wanted the pleasure he’d claimed he could give her. Wanted what she’d never had.

  “Show me,” she mumbled while he trailed his lips down her throat. “Show me how much you want me, Ashur.”

  With quick fingers, he pushed her shirt up over her breasts, flipped the front clasp on her bra and pulled her torso away from the bed long enough to strip the garments from her body.

  She gasped when he released her and fell against the bed. Then groaned when he palmed one breast in his big, warm hand.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered.

  She dragged her gaze from the ceiling to his face. “Small.”

  He was staring at her breasts, his face flushed with his arousal, his hand moving over her nipple to tighten the tip and make her tremble. “Perfect.”

  He lowered his mouth to her breast, breathed hot against her skin. She closed her eyes, arched against him. Knew, in the back of her mind, that she was losing control and that he was turning the tables, seducing her. But she didn’t care. This felt too good. This felt too right.

  Then his tongue stroked her nipple, and the sensation shot straight to her sex. She moaned and arched against his mouth.

  “Yes, maya,” he whispered. “You like that. Don’t you?”

  “Yes, yes, oh yes.”

  “More?”

  “Much more.”

  He chuckled, moved to her other breast, used the tip of his tongue to graze the stiff peak, then drew the entire areola into his mouth and finally suckled.