Damon wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her in place. “Where do you think you’re going?” His voice was husky, his breath warm and sweet on her face.
“Nowhere, I hope.” At least for now.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered near her ear.
Her body trembled at the sound of his voice, and her nipples hardened. Her eyes closed involuntarily as she breathed in the sweet scent of his breath. He smelled like summer fruits, and suddenly her stomach churned. She was so hungry, famished. Right now, the hunger burning between her legs and every inch of her bare skin superseded everything else. She couldn’t let this moment slip away.
Damon lifted a hand to her chin and slowly tipped her head back. He leaned forward to press his lips against hers. “You’re also delicious.”
Alex opened her mouth to his kiss. There was nothing innocent flowing between them. She needed this man to smooth away everything that was falling apart around her.
She melted against his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. He kept one hand on her chin and the other on her waist, but she wished he would use his magical touch on her. Desire welled up inside her, and she couldn’t wait to get him in bed.
This is the only way. I need to completely purge Ulric from my memory.
Damon stopped kissing her long enough to stare into her eyes. His were so dark, there was no way she could deny their mutual desire. He pushed a hand through her hair, his fingers catching in her curls and forcibly pushing her head back. With her neck exposed, he flicked his tongue over her pulse. Every touch of his full lips excited her further, but when he started blowing on the skin he moistened with his tongue, she could hardly keep from squirming in his embrace.
Alex licked her lips. “Are you sure you don’t make everyone feel this way when you touch them?”
“I’m positive,” he said, running his tongue along her neck. “You’re the only one I can get this reaction from.” He placed one of his hands just below her bellybutton, and the breath caught in her throat. The coils of climax were already stirring, racing beneath her skin, as if his hand was able to draw them out.
Damon’s fingers slid lower, toying with her pubic hair.
“Go on. Don’t hold back,” she whispered against his neck. “Touch me where you’ve wanted to touch me since we met.”
In response, he ran his fingers up and down her lower abdomen, sending an onslaught of sparks along her body. Each flicker penetrated lower, slowly seeping in, until an orgasm caught her by surprise.
Her legs gave out on her as she struggled to catch her breath. The pleasure was so intense, she felt boneless.
Damon lifted her up into his arms, and she spread her legs around his waist. He growled in her ear as he carried her across the room, until she was caught between the wall and his hard body.
“You’re so incredibly sexy. Do you know that?”
She laughed. “I thought we were going to savor this, together.”
“Relax. I’ve got more where that came from.”
Alex wiggled against him, stroking him over the fabric of his pants, until she felt his erection. She enjoyed teasing him as he watched her with raw lust burning in his eyes.
He covered her mouth with his, growling into her.
The reaction only made her hotter. She was having this effect on him, and it made her burn with longing. Being desired by a man so much that he lost total control always gave her a rush she couldn’t get enough of. Every time they’d been alone, he’d managed to drive her insane with desire and climax, while still displaying a tremendous amount of self-discipline. It felt good to see him letting go.
As his tongue lapped at hers, she ran her hands over the smooth skin of his shoulders, slipping the shirt off his back. She enjoyed the way his muscles twitched under her fingers.
“How are we going to get your pants off?” she asked, pulling on his waistband.
He took a sideways step and lowered her butt against a piece of wooden furniture. “Undo the cord, and you’ll find out.” He separated their bodies only enough to allow her to move.
When she untied the cord, the loose fabric sitting on his hips slid down his legs and reached the floor. He stepped out of his pants and closed the distance between them, again. He wasn’t wearing anything underneath, and the feel of his warm skin against hers made her tremble.
“Oh, my,” she whispered, licking her lips. “Impressive.”
He laughed, and the sheer joy of it made butterflies flutter inside her stomach.
Alex couldn’t take her eyes off his caramel-colored body. The flawless, smoothness of his skin, the defined muscles everywhere she looked, the thin cover of hair starting just below his bellybutton and disappearing underneath their joined pelvises. She was practically sitting just centimeters from his erection, and it made her giddy with anticipation.
Damon pressed his mouth to hers and kissed her long and hard. He sucked on her tongue until she closed her eyes and arched her back. He was all smiles as he pulled away long enough to cover her right breast with his mouth. The action caused her back to press higher along the wall, giving him the perfect angle to suckle her. He kept his green eyes pinned on hers as he licked the nipple with his tongue, his thumb flicking the other one.
She spread her legs a little wider to invite him in that direction, but he didn’t enter her. Instead, he slid his thumb off her nipple and ran his hand down the middle of her body, leaving behind another line of magical sensations along her skin, until he reached her thighs. He sucked her nipple into his mouth and nibbled on it while pushing his fingers inside her. Two fingers moved in and out of her, leaving her wanting more. He added another one, and she clenched around him, arching her spine so he could access her properly.
Alex was glad he’d found something to prop her up against, because she couldn’t hold herself up. Too many vibrations warred within her.
She murmured, lost in sensation. Nothing mattered but the way he made her feel with his mouth, hands, and body. The tiny sparks his fingers delivered tore through her every time he pushed them inside. She felt so good—as if her body was floating. She was going to come again, very soon. His fingers slid in and back out of her so slowly, she thought it might take a while to reach her peak this time. Instead, the added magnetism on his fingertips seemed to draw it out, pulling everything to the surface until she was blinded with it.
Alex licked her lips. “Oh, Damon.”
He didn’t stop. His fingers were deep inside her. His tongue had abandoned her nipple and was now in her mouth.
She felt as if she was going to explode into a thousand tiny particles of pleasure if he continued this very sensuous, but languid, touch.
“I want to pleasure you over and over again,” Damon whispered along her skin. He dipped his tongue into her mouth. “I’ve wanted you since the moment we met.”
Alex screamed when another orgasm tore through her like a violent, pleasurable attack—his fingers moving inside her, and the words and admissions driving her insane. As she came, letting the pleasure of it flow through her body like a warm rush, Damon finally entered her. The action only added to the intensity of what he’d done to her.
He took a step forward and gripped her butt so tight, she wondered if she’d be bruised when they were done.
I don’t care. It’ll be worth it!
He set a rhythm, which turned out to be the complete opposite of his touch. The calmness had been abandoned, replaced by a crazed fervor which increased with his every thrust.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist you any longer,” he whispered, those green eyes never leaving hers. “I had to have you, had to get inside you. I couldn’t take it, anymore…”
She couldn’t speak and instead wrapped her arms around his shoulders, enjoying every time he drilled so deep into her that she felt it in
her core.
Wow. He’s amazing.
Damon was just what she needed.
Alex rocked her hips against his, rubbing herself against him and meeting him halfway. She couldn’t stop the gasps and whimpers escaping between her lips, and it made his smile widen. The sensation mounted to a fever pitch, and the only magic going on in this room right now was from their raw act of intense sex.
When she surrendered to ecstasy again, they shuddered together. He moaned and she echoed it, but something she’d never felt before happened. As they shared their mutual orgasm, she felt an amazing stirring deep inside her, and it shook her to the bone—sending a multitude of sparks racing inside her.
“Do you feel the magic flowing between us?”
She held on tighter to his shoulders, her mouth open, because she couldn’t keep the groaning under control. It felt like an overflowing orgasm refusing to end, even though the physical friction between their bodies was spent.
“Alex, that’s my magic touching yours,” he whispered in her ear, before shuddering all over again. “It’s spilling into you.”
She couldn’t speak, nod, or wonder if he meant it as a euphemism.
For the first time since they’d met, Alex couldn’t deny she felt something that couldn’t be explained away with lust and sex.
Chapter Nineteen
Ulric stood under the shade of the trees below the room Alex was staying in. He could hear the familiar sounds of sex spilling from the window. His mind filled with the many times his hands, tongue, or cock had been the reason for her crying out that way, but she wasn’t calling out his name this time.
As much as he wanted to charge into the room and yank the other man off her—so he could shred the prick to bits and then consume him—Ulric found he couldn’t do more than claw his fingers against the wall.
Every bit of strength he’d possessed—and ultimately exerted—since he got here was slowly fading.
He fell on his ass, not caring about the dirt, rocks, and bark scratching his naked flesh. Right now, all he could think about was rest. Without the light of the moon on his back, he didn’t seem to have any real sense of motivation or hunger.
I’m so tired. I just want to sleep.
Still, he couldn’t shake his distraught and anger toward the woman he loved. How could she have looked at him like he was an odious beast? How could she take his admission of love and spit in his face as if he didn’t matter? Was this her intention from the moment she’d left his room on Anteris, to forget about him by fucking other guys? He knew for a fact that she hadn’t been sexually involved with anyone for a while. He’d made sure his spies found out. So, what had changed?
His heart ached. He had to do something about turning this pitiful reaction around. He was Ulric Cale, the owner of the Anteris Space Station. The man who could have as many chicks as he wanted, and all he had to do was wink to get their attention.
The one time he let himself take someone seriously, she betrayed him.
Ulric rested the back of his head against the wall and closed his eyes.
Defeated, he let darkness smooth away the sunny glare of the day, but not before he heard the undeniable sounds of mutual climax filtering out of the window.
Alex, you’re going to pay for this.
Chapter Twenty
“So, tell me about this,” Damon said, dangling the leather cord of the choker above her face.
Alex stretched her arms over her head, unable to shake the memory or the sensations their sexual connection roused along her body. Even now, every time she moved, she could feel a twinge of pleasure tease between her legs and echo in her lower abdomen. The sheet slid down her front to reveal her breasts.
“Well?”
Her attempt at distraction didn’t work, but she didn’t cover herself. “Do you still feel the…uh…? I’m not sure how to ask the question.” How could she put it, without sounding like an idiot? Do you still feel an echo of your orgasm? That definitely sounded stupid.
He pulled the choker into his palm and engulfed it. “Yes, I still feel the residuals teasing me, if that’s what you’re asking. I’ve never felt this before, so I don’t know how long it’ll last.”
“Do you know what it is?” She bit her bottom lip, curious to hear how he’d attempt to explain it. She might not believe in magical powers, but when they’d climaxed at the same time, something strange had definitely flowed between them. It reminded her of when she temporarily felt his heartbeat and rage in the gardens.
“It’s because our magic is finally joined.”
She raised an eyebrow.
The ghost of a grin teased the edges of his mouth. “Okay, the energy building up between us when we…ah…” His voice trailed off, and he licked his lips. “Before, we were just attracted to each other, but now, the inner vitality drawing us together has connected. We’ll probably be able to feel an echo of each other’s moods.”
“What does that mean?”
He smiled. “More explosive orgasms for both of us, I suppose.”
“Oh, I can definitely live with that type of magic.”
Damon nodded. He’d made his way over to the other side of the bed and was now sitting beside her. He was still naked as well, so she tried to keep her gaze off his groin area, which was difficult when she still felt the buzz of what they’d done to each other at daybreak.
“Now, tell me about this key of yours.”
She took a quick breath and released it. Avoiding his eyes, she turned to look out the window. The sun was setting already, and she couldn’t help but feel a chill sweep through her. Even though the room was warm and Damon sat so close, a sense of foreboding washed through her.
As much as sex with Damon had numbed her body to everything else, her mind was still filled with things that didn’t make sense—some of which she wanted to stay in denial about.
If Ulric had managed to get into this room once already, what would stop him from doing it, again? Did he know she was with another man right now? She couldn’t help but wonder how he would react if he did. No, I know exactly how he’d react. He wouldn’t like it at all. Ulric had seemed so focused on his admission of love, to the point of obsession.
There’s nothing I can do about it. At least she’d slept for most of the day without having to deal with any of this.
“Look, Alex. I know this was found near the dead bodies for a reason. I don’t want to push you, but I need to find out what’s going on.”
She glared at Damon. He misunderstood her silence, but his sudden pushiness still irked her. “Is it because you’re starting to doubt me as well?” She toyed with the new bandage around her hand. The skin was starting to itch underneath.
“No, that’s not it. But—”
“I don’t know what to tell you, because I have no idea how it got there.” Okay, so that was a blatant lie, but it wouldn’t make it any better if she said: Oh, yeah, Damon. I think one of my former lovers stowed away on my ship to surprise me, because I left my lucky necklace behind. While he was at it, he somehow managed to turn himself into a beast thing. Why don’t we meet with your Priestess and discuss it? That would not go over well.
“Okay, fine. You don’t know how it got there, so why don’t you start by telling me what it is?” His green eyes were shiny, curious but not angry.
“It’s a key.”
Damon shook his head, setting his dreadlocks on a frantic dance around his face. “Yes, it is, but what is it for?”
“It opens something, of course—”
He moved before she registered what he was doing. With his face inches from hers and his eyes glowing like matching jewels, he stood over her. She hadn’t seen this hard edge to him before. He sighed—in obvious frustration—and dumped the choker on her chest. It slid between her breasts and stopped at her st
omach.
“If you want to keep playing games, that’s fine. Unless I know some truths, I won’t be able to help you when Elroy moves on the attack,” he finally said.
His sudden anger burned beneath her skin. How did he go from calm to this so quickly? She’d obviously underestimated him. “He can’t prove anything. He didn’t even see…”
“He didn’t see what?”
Alex shook her head. She grabbed the bronze key and held it in her hand. It now fit inside her palm, not like the night Louis first gave it to her. Her life had changed so much since then.
Five years after taking over the ownership of Promise, she’d spent a lot of credits to have a new security system installed on the ship. While she was there, the technician had suggested she also change the locks to get in and out of the ship. She’d agreed but left the original warded lock this key fit into on the outer hatch. It would always remind her of where she came from and provided a way to get inside if the electronics malfunctioned. Even though she’d also, eventually, upgraded the ignition, this key could still be used as a backup if the automatic controls on the dash failed.
A lot of good it did when I was passing this stupid planet. Of course, that’s because she’d forgotten it.
“Look, I’m sorry. You’re right.” She might not have to go into all the nitty-gritty details about Ulric, but she did want Damon to know about the key she valued as much as her ship. “This used to be the key to my ship.”
He cocked an eyebrow and sat down on the bed, his back pressed against the pillows. “Used to be?”
She tried for a chuckle, but it came out a little wrong. “Yeah, the ship belonged to my father. My ship’s name is Promise, and my father gave it to me when I was just a kid. I won’t bore you with the family troubles that led to a kid running away from a planet she despised, but I will tell you it means the world to me.”
“So, your father gave you the key?”
Promise Page 14
