West (A Darkness Series Novel)

by Stacey Marie Brown

  Oh. Holy. Shit.

  She leaned back as she stripped off her camisole. “I think your breasts are flirting with me,” I said.

  She smiled coyly. “Then teach them a lesson. Punish them.” I don’t think I could have been more surprised by her words or more turned on.

  Her bra hadn’t even hit the floor when my lips moved over her breasts, making sure I appreciated each one. Rez’s breathing grew more labored as she arched into me. I could feel the heat building, especially between her legs, and it only twisted my thoughts, ignoring the alarms going off in my head.

  Warning. Warning. Unseelie King’s mistress. Step away now. Keep penis and hands to yourself at all times.

  “Rez...” I forced myself to pull back, trying to ignore her bare chest, toned stomach, and curves.

  She took my pause to start untying her pants.

  “Stop.” I grabbed her hands. “I am going against every instinct and desire in my body, but we have to stop. We can’t do this.”

  “You’re telling me no?”

  “Barely.” I looked away. “I like my life and my dick attached.”

  A glint sparked in her eyes as she took my hand, sliding it into her pants. “Feel that?”

  I gulped, nodding, scalding heat pulsing off her. She pushed my hand farther down, encouraging me to feel her. Without my consent, my fingers dipped between her skin and her underwear, finding her. Her lashes fluttered and she moaned.

  “That day in the hotel…” She swallowed, licking her lip. “The thought of you getting off to me. I know you felt it, too. That intense power was like nothing I have ever experienced. You were all I could think of. I wanted so bad to actually feel you inside me. And I have every day since.” She leaned back so my fingers could slide deeper inside her, her voice husky and sexy. “This is more than merely enjoying the act of sex. You do this to me. I can’t breathe or think when you are around me. And right now I want nothing more than you to fuck me. Over and over.”

  The more brazen and vocal she became, the more I lost my mind. I was getting the slight impression the little siren who kept reserved and controlled in her daily life let it all go behind closed doors.

  I laid her back on the bed, tugged off her pajama bottoms, and tossed them across the room. I wasn’t surprised I found the match to her bra…lace-trimmed black panties. She was the type who would always be put together. But here and now, I was going to do everything in my power to unglue her. Shatter her in the most unbelievable way.

  Slipping the underwear over her hips, my mouth worked from her stomach to her thighs. My tongue and lips replaced my fingers. She let loose a sharp hitching cry, then a string of dirty words. She clutched my head, opening herself more for me.

  I knew I was good at this. Many, many women had told me I ruined them for others. I got off on it, but more as a competitive thing. I didn’t do it really for the girl, but for the guy after. Satisfied in knowing the women would compare everyone to me. With Rez, no thought filled my head except wanting to please this woman beneath me. I listened for cues, for what she wanted and liked. I was about to lose my shit at her noises and cries.

  “West...please,” she begged, tugging at my hair. “I want you. Now.”

  “But I’m not done, darlin’.” I grinned at her.

  “No. You aren’t.” She dug her nails into my scalp, riling me. “So get going and fuck me till I can’t breathe.”

  Seeing the fierceness in her eyes, the wild need in her expression, I was a lost man.

  “And don’t hold anything back.” Her mouth pressed to mine as I moved up. Our kiss was deep and aggressive, her legs tightening around my waist. Common sense was gone. Reality stepped outside. I positioned myself, teasing at her entrance.

  “West...please,” she begged.

  I slid inside her. Oh. Jesus.

  She gasped. We both paused as I moved farther into her. The magic we had felt before was nothing like this. It engulfed us, rubbed against my body with intense strokes, heightening every nerve till I couldn’t breathe. My head spun. Sex always felt good, but this was beyond pleasure. I had never felt anything even remotely close to her. She shook underneath me, vibrating with need, her hands pulling my ass toward her and me deeper into her as I started to roll my hips. Her soft moans became louder the harder and faster I moved.

  I put one foot on the floor, gripping the metal frame, her body curved up for me, wanting more. I pulled back and then plunged in deeper, rocking her. A cry came from her throat, her nails digging into my back. I drew back and thrust in again.

  She felt so incredible; I could barely keep standing. My leg shook, but it gave me more leverage as I drove deeper and faster into her. A small voice in my head was screaming at me to stop. I was sticking my dick in the Unseelie King’s woman. The biggest no-no ever. You could slaughter a whole neighborhood under his protection, try to kill him, or break a bond, but nothing was as bad as taking something he felt he owned. Rez was his. He would not let anybody touch her. And no one would be stupid enough to try.

  Except me.

  Sweat trickled down my back, and I pumped harder, Rez bucking wildly against me. All I knew was the King could have walked in and I wouldn’t have stopped. Nothing felt so right or so good.

  “Oh gods, West...” She put her arms over her head, pushing back against the footboard, keeping herself in place.

  The classy, elegant woman was gone. Her eyes sparked with heat, her mouth screaming out obscenities, telling me what she wanted, and her body violently moved with mine.

  “You like it dirty, don’t you, darlin’?”

  “Yes,” she growled, her gaze fierce. “But only with you. You do this to me. I want to completely lose myself. Shatter me. Break me free so they hear me in the next country.” Her words undid me. The beast inside roared to life with vigor, taking her…demanding her with everything it had.

  We both made noises I had never heard before. The bed rattled the room like an earthquake. The metal frame bent under my fingers, curving with the force I thrust into her.

  “Holy shit,” I bellowed, the beast taking over my cry as I felt her climax clenching around me. Mine followed in a heavy intensity causing me to feel I was nowhere near earth. Her body still pulsed and clamped as I gasped for breath with a moan. My body went limp, dipping over her. The twisted metal was hot in my hands as I loosened my death grip. I shut my eyes, riding the last bit of the wave, not ready to leave her body. She’s mine.

  Fingers skated over my ass to my back, opening my eyes. My gaze caught her deep brown eyes, which sparkled in the light. Neither of us could talk as we stared at each other, catching our breaths.

  Her hand came to my face, she leaned up, and kissed me deeply. In that moment I knew—no question this time. The feeling consumed my body, so clear, so firm, there was no doubt. I was a goner. The beast had claimed her. Claiming someone was not in a dweller’s control. The beast saw past rules and offenses. It was primal and comprehended only what it wanted.

  It was also rare. I had been with a mind-boggling amount of women, human and fae, since I turned fifteen. I couldn’t give a ballpark figure, but they would fill several ballpark stadiums. And only once before had the beast gotten close to declaring its claim.

  I stared at the beautiful woman below me. The one it had no right to possess. Shit. What were you thinking? I pulled away, moving off her.

  “What?” She sat up, her cheeks flushed from excitement and physical activity. Damn, she was insanely beautiful.

  Get away. Get away, logic screamed at me. I rose from the bed with a jolt, rubbing my temple, I sauntered over to the window. Anger at myself for letting it happen slipped down my arms, crunching my hands into fists.

  “West?” Rez’s voice softly said my name, uncertainty ringing through it. The sound of her bare feet padded over to me, but I didn’t need to hear her. I could feel her now. Her magic, her energy hummed along my skin and in my body like an alarm. Mine.

  No! Not yours.

&n
bsp; I bit down on my lower lip, keeping my gaze out the window. She came behind me, timidly touching my waist. Only a moment ago there was nothing reserved or sweet about her as she tore into my skin. Her uninhabited side only caused me to like her more. Rez didn’t fit into a box. She was sassy, sweet, strong, timid, funny, serious, passionate, timid, shy, dirty, sophisticated. And insightful.

  “Hey.” She kissed my shoulder blade. “Not now. Not in this room.”

  I snorted. “Then when, Rez? The walls don’t make it a safe area where you are suddenly available.”

  She sucked in through her teeth and moved to my side, staring out the window. I tried not to notice how the moonlight spread over her naked sweaty body and reflected off her long, dark hair.

  “Do you want me available?”

  “Doesn’t matter. You’re not.”

  “Yes, it does.” She turned to me. “Tell me honestly, do you only want me because you know I’m safe? If I were single, would it be more than sex to you?”

  “It’s not you’re merely dating another man, darlin’. You are the Unseelie King’s mistress.” I clenched my jaw and fought the natural instinct to take what the beast declared as his. My nature was far more primal than a demon’s, but Lars’s status and power gave him full right to his possessions. Rez was not someone you controlled or owned, but the basic need of my beast didn’t understand “sharing.”

  “Yes, I am. But as I told you, that has been in title only for a long time.” She folded her arms and glanced away. “The moment Ember came into Lars’s life, he was reminded of his true love. I tried to fight Aisling’s ghost for a long time. But it was pointless. Even in death, she will always win.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” I swung to face her. “You think he will let me take you from him?”

  “Let you take me?” Her eyebrows curved up, her lips pressing together. “Do I have a say in what I want?”

  I dipped my head. “Of course.”

  “Well.” She brought her hands to either side of my face, lifting my head. “What I want is for one night to forget everything. No pain, nightmares, memories, past lovers, or right or wrong. Because the only thing I know is when I am with you everything feels right in a way I haven’t known in a very long time. If ever.”

  The Dark Dweller stirred in my chest…along with other parts of my body.

  She pressed her body into mine, tugging my face closer to hers, her voice sultry. “Who knows what we’ll have to face tomorrow? Tonight I want to be with you.”

  A growl logged in my throat, and I wrapped my arms around her, drawing her in. “I’m at your command, darlin’.”

  “Then I order you to screw me senseless,” she whispered against my mouth. “All night long.”

  I blinked a few times, a grin hitching my lips. “I am loving that dirty mouth of yours.”

  “And I am loving everything…” Her hands ran over my torso, slithering lower. Her fingers wrapped around my dick as she kissed me deeply. “Now, let me show you how dirty my mouth can get.” She shoved me against the window, my butt cheeks squeaking around the glass as she went on her knees.

  The rest of the night we gave over to our relentless passion, our mouths and hands never losing contact. We paused once to get water, but all it took was watching water trickle down her chin and breasts and I was ready to go again. Dark Dwellers were insatiable by nature when it came to sex, never feeling quite satisfied. Even with Cammie, the beast was always restless for more.

  Rez was as voracious as me. My endless need to be inside her was not only about pleasure but also because it was the first time in ages I’d felt stillness in my soul. It was hard to explain. The peacefulness I had with Cammie had been wonderful, but this was on an entirely different level. I never felt more alive—buzzing with intensity and at the same time calmer.

  The beast was happy, finding peace in the worst place possible. But it didn’t care. Whenever I was in her it made itself at home.

  The morning brought reality back with a blinding light. My lids squeezed against the rays of rare sunshine in Ireland for this time of year. I couldn’t help feeling mocked. I just condemned my life, but the sun shone, the birds sang.

  Bastards.

  I dug my face into the pillow, stretching out like a lion, my injuries stinging slightly, but mostly I felt fine. Better than fine. The beast was calm…purring. It was so freakin’ content and happy I didn’t even know how to respond. Never in my life had I not felt it treading on the edges, restless and ready to act. This new sensation was bizarre.

  With Rez, my beast was completely content and relaxed. I mean, so calm the supposed killing machine was fuckin’ purring like a kitten. What the hell was that? Damn. This was not good.

  It didn’t stop me from reaching out, to feel her skin, the arch of her hip beneath my fingers, her taste. But my hands hit empty space, and I popped my eyes open. I was alone in the bed.

  Her name was on my lips ready to call, when my eyes caught her over by the window. She was folded up in the chair, a coffee cup in her hand, wearing socks and one of my hoodies, which hit her mid-thigh. The steam rolled and danced in the sunrays as it rose from her cup.

  The sight of her in my clothes aroused me all over again. Her long, glossy hair draped around her to her waist, glinting in the sun as she stared out the window. I couldn’t help but notice the imprints of my butt cheeks on the glass, rousing memories of the night before. We had been relentless. I guess if we were going to break the rules, there was no reason to do it half-assed. I was pretty experimental, not much I hadn’t tried, but it wasn’t even about that. It was how absolute we gave ourselves over to each other, wholly letting the passion take us. Neither of us held back, and it was the most amazing night of sex I ever had.

  And it was probably the last. It has to be, I told myself.

  I watched a slight smile trace her mouth, her fingers touching her lips, a deep blush coloring her olive complexion. Oh Jesus, is her smile because of me? Air retracted in my lungs, and my skin prickled, rushing with the need to make sure that smile stayed on her mouth forever, always for me.

  “Hey.”

  “Dammit.” Rez jumped, spilling a little liquid from her cup. “You scared me.” She hurriedly wiped her leg dry.

  “Sorry.” I planted my feet on the ground, the blanket barely covering me.

  “It’s fine. You simply caught me daydreaming.”

  “About me, I hope?” I grabbed for my boxer briefs off the floor, my gaze never leaving her.

  “Maybe.” She blushed deeper.

  “I’m gonna take that as a yes.” I winked. “Hope I’m as good in the memories as in person.”

  She looked away from me, her whole body flushing. Heat radiated from her like a kiln, hardening me like a freakin’ piece of pottery. The beast picked up his head, sensing the change. I inhaled and forced my legs into the fabric of my boxers. Normally I would walk around naked and not even blink an eye, but I needed to draw the line between us again, much as I hated it.

  I stood, thinking I was headed for the bathroom, but my beast took me straight to her. She gazed at me when I reached the chair, her eyes so dark, rich, and deep they matched the coffee in her cup. I bent over, my fingers grazed her jaw, pulling her head toward me. My mouth took hers and my body responded. The beast wanted her. My willpower might have been stronger if she didn’t kiss me back with such emotion. The ceramic hit the floor with a crash, hot liquid splashing our legs, but we ignored it. I enfolded my arms around her waist, pulling her to me. Our breaths grew labored as our kisses became more eager and intense.

  “As much as I like you in my clothes, I need this open now.” I unzipped the hoodie. My hands moved over her body. She had only put her underwear back on, which I wiggled off quickly, leaving my sweatshirt on her. Her fingers yanked down my shorts. Lust filled the space, blurring my mind and vision. Our mouths never left each other, I picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around me. This time I took her back to the window and pressed her again
st it. She broke the kiss, her eyes on me, pulling herself up higher on me before sliding slowly down again.

  When my brain short-circuited and I suddenly forgot how to speak English, Gaelic would flow out instead. This usually happened only when I was livid, drunk, or sleeping. I knew Rez had twisted my mind when all I could speak were swear words in my old language.

  “Gaelic with a southern accent. Gods, that is hot,” Rez gasped as I picked up the pace. The sunshine flickered off her skin as I pounded her into the window. With a loud crack, we splintered the glass.

  “Shit, West. The window is breaking. I can feel it.” She struggled to speak, gasping for air, her body demanding more from mine.

  Without a pause, I gripped her ass with one arm, the other swept everything off the table. Maps, cups, and dishes all hit the floor with a clatter. Her thighs clung harder to me as I moved her to the edge of the table. She hit the top and arched back for me, and I knocked the table into the wall.

  The beast took over. I lost all my senses except pleasure, which was heightened. Neither of us was quiet or gentle. All the power of earth and water collided in an explosion. And more Gaelic erupted from my mouth as we plunged over the edge. At least the beast was polite enough to make sure she went first, then followed, wholly letting go.

  She fell back on the table, gulping for air. I leaned over her, her legs still tight around my waist. I placed my forearms on the table next to her head, catching my breath.

  “I hadn’t planned on doing that,” I panted. Where was that line I talked about earlier? What the hell happened to backing away?

  “Me neither.” She smiled, her body still not ready to let me go. “But I wanted you. Badly.”

  “Me too, darlin’.” I bent to kiss her when a ringing noise erupted from the floor. Lying near my foot was the walkie-talkie mobile device.

  I froze.

  Rez looked down and then both our gazes locked on the caller ID. Lighting up the screen in bright, bold yellow was the Unseelie King’s code name and number.