by Nina Bangs
“Definitely.” She knelt beside him and placed her hand flat on his stomach. His muscles tightened beneath her touch. “I have many somethings in mind.”
His lips curved in a sensual smile. “Tell me what will make you scream, and I’ll do it.” He took one hand from beneath his head and reached between his legs to cup himself. “Would you like to watch my body react to the thought of sliding deep inside you, to the thought of your heat and friction driving me crazy, and to the thought of you tightening around me?”
She drew in a deep breath as his words took form and stroked her imagination. “I love watching your body. It’s supremely watchable. But I’m thinking of taking a more active role in this seduction.” She’d been right. He was excited. And it was a huge event.
Desire flooded his eyes while shadows cast his body in patterns of light and dark that gave the whole scene a surrealistic look. It fueled her sexual hunger. She could do anything tonight. And would.
“What do I want? Hmm. Got it. Tonight I want to make you scream.” She thought about that. “Okay, maybe you don’t think screaming is manly. So let’s say I’d like you to moan, groan, and maybe even shout. No loss of masculinity in that.”
“Really?” His smile said he didn’t believe her, and that he thought once the seducing began he’d take over.
Ha. Did she have a surprise for him. “Really. In fact, I want you to promise me you’ll keep your hands behind your head no matter what I do.”
“Is this about power?” His smile faded a little. He seemed to know a little about the desire for power, and what he knew didn’t make him happy.
She leaned over and dipped her tongue into his navel, making sure her long hair slid across his stomach in the process. He sucked in his breath. Too bad she didn’t have her trusty chocolate syrup with her. It would make the licking a double treat.
“No, this is about giving pleasure. My Night Woman super-intuition tells me you’re a man who’s always been on the giving end of the pleasure cycle.” Even though she was joking, she sensed a strange truth in what she said. “Let me do the giving tonight.” She smiled at him. “It’ll make me very happy. And after all, isn’t your goal as Naked Man to make women happy?”
“I suppose there’s a twisted kind of logic there.”
“Promise?” She drew an imaginary line with her fingernail around his nipple, and he shuddered. Fine, so maybe there was a little power thing going on. She got a rush every time her touch drew a response from him.
He watched her from eyes that gave none of his feelings away. “Promise.”
She couldn’t help herself. Her gaze returned to his impressive erection. Maybe he wouldn’t tell her what he was thinking, but his cock kept no secrets. It thought her idea was a blast.
Kim once more leaned over him until her breasts skimmed his chest and stomach. Her nipples were twin points of sensitized pleasure, and she bit back a moan. It wouldn’t look too good if she gave this big speech about making him moan, and then she did it at first contact.
“I want to touch all of you. Turn over.” She waited impatiently as he silently rolled onto his stomach.
Was there any view of this man that wasn’t perfect? She didn’t think so. His broad, muscular back flowed into firm, round buttocks that begged to be kneaded and . . . Well, she could write a whole book on How to Touch the Perfect Butt. With illustrations. Many illustrations. From every angle.
“I can’t do anything, huh?” He lifted his hips a little to relieve the pressure on his now overexcited cock.
“Nada.” Kim shifted to between his thighs and then ran the tip of her tongue the length of his spine.
He gasped. That was a start. Not a moan yet, but a start.
The heavy, achy feeling in her lower stomach drove her now. She brushed his hair aside, put her mouth on his neck, and sucked hard. He’d have a mark there. At least for as long as it took his superhero genes to erase it. Probably all of five minutes.
Abandoning his neck, she scooted forward until she was straddling his hips. The sensation of him between her thighs almost dragged a groan from her, but she bit it back just in time. She pressed down hard, wanting to feel him touching her right there.
He lifted his hips, bringing himself more tightly in contact with her. She rubbed back and forth, back and forth. And she moaned. Not very loudly. It was more like a tiny whimper. She hoped he didn’t hear it.
“Do you have a plan here?” His voice was low and raspy.
“Uh-uh. I’m going with free association.” She sounded a little breathless.
Kim wanted to do so many things before making him turn over. Some kneading of buns, some nipping here and there, maybe some discreet sucking. She had to abandon all those wonderful plans as her personal Orgasm Express thundered down the track, threatening to dump her at the station whether she was ready or not.
But there was one thing she had to do. She slipped off him, bent down, and nipped one perfect male cheek.
“What the . . . ?” His exclamation was part surprise and part laughter.
“Turn over.” Her breaths were coming in small gulps. This was moving too fast, but she couldn’t slow it down.
If she’d thought he was staying pretty unaffected, she was wrong. When he turned over, he stared at her from eyes that seared her with their heat. “If you’re hoping to make this a leisurely tour of my body, forget it.”
“How long do I have?” A glance at his cock suggested she might want to keep things moving.
“Not long.” He spoke through gritted teeth.
“Okay, only the important stuff.” She played with his nipples—rolling them between her thumbs and forefingers, flicking them with her tongue, sliding the edge of her teeth over them.
He moaned.
She kissed her way south, and when she reached her destination, she unpacked and settled in for a long stay. Well, maybe not so long. She ran her tongue over his tight balls, savoring the texture of his skin and the taste of aroused male before taking each one gently in her mouth.
He groaned.
She nibbled along the length of his erection and then swirled her tongue around the head. And when she finally slid her lips over him, he moaned some more. She would’ve moaned along with him, but she was too busy trying to hold back the flood of emotion that had piggybacked on her sexual frenzy.
Along with her sexual need came another very different need. One that made her want to crawl inside him and stay there. It was a tangle of emotions she’d have to think about later.
He raked his fingers through her hair, and she gently nipped the head of his cock before giving in to her own personal compulsion.
Kim couldn’t crawl inside him, so she did the next best thing. She literally crawled up his body, growling low in her throat with the pleasure of his bare skin, damp with sweat, sliding against every inch of her flesh.
His breaths came fast and harsh as he bent one knee, pressing it between her spread legs. She gasped as his knee found the perfect spot and his erection thrust hard and insistent against her stomach.
“All bets are off, Night Woman, if you don’t ride me hard and fast soon.” His words were hot against her neck.
Sounded like a good idea to her. Still straddling his hips, she knelt up. A roar from the thousands below made her glance up at the ball. It was starting to descend. Perfect. They could descend together.
“Countdown has begun.” This was one of life’s moments that seemed so right she knew it would live in her memory until she took her last breath. Not something she would tell her grandchildren about, but she’d keep it as her own personal magic moment.
She slowly and with delicious forethought lowered herself onto his erection. Kim savored every sensation. The exact second when she felt the head of his cock nudge her open. The feeling of being stretched and filled as he slid into her. The incredible moment when all of him was inside her.
The crowd’s roar rose and washed over her as the huge, glittering ball dropped lower.
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She rose from him, letting him slide almost out of her, and then she slammed back down, taking him back into her.
He shouted his pleasure, his voice blending with all the other voices rising from below them.
She increased her rhythm, up and down up and down, driving her uncontrollable need before her.
The masses in Times Square started their thunderous countdown to the New Year—ten, nine, eight, seven . . .
His own control gone, he took his hands from behind his head and clasped her waist. “Happy New Year, Night Woman.” And arching his hips, he drove into her. Over and over again.
With each powerful thrust of his hips, she screamed her pleasure. His thrusts picked up the chanted count from below even as the massive glittering ball moved lower and lower.
Almost there, almost there! Lights and sounds blurred, a backdrop to the unbearable pressure about to rip through her.
Four, three, two, one.
Ohmigod, ohmigod! The waves of release rocked her. Every sensation merged until she shook with the unspeakable pleasure. She. Would. Never. Feel. This. Incredible. Again. NEVER!
Her scream joined his shout of climax. And in front of them the ball reached its journey’s end. The New Year lit up in a flash of blinding light.
She didn’t know what year it was. Didn’t care. Past and future meant nothing. Only this moment. She closed her eyes and let her orgasm roll on, and on, and—
Behind Kim’s closed lids, the blond woman waved at her. “Have you made your choice? Will you choose Ordinary Guy and door one or Naked Man and door two?”
She was kidding, right? It didn’t matter what was behind the damned doors, she was taking Naked Man.
“Give me Naked Man and you can keep . . .” Wait. She opened her eyes.
Brynn sat beside her on the bed. He still held her hand. And he watched her with eyes that gave nothing away. But she could feel his emotions—confusion, sexual satiation, and another feeling he was determinedly blocking from his consciousness. What was it? She sensed it was something important to her.
He smiled at her. “Ordinary Guy was a dud. Rethinking that normal life you wanted?” There was smugness in his voice.
Kim couldn’t answer for a minute as she made the transition from fantasy to real world, from awesome orgasm to normal heartbeat and breathing. She allowed herself to enjoy the “coming down,” that sense of limp satiation when all you’re aware of is the slow, relaxed ka-thump of your heartbeat.
“Normal as in that fantasy? Got a little carried away with the exaggeration, didn’t you?” If he weren’t so damned smug, she’d tell him she’d already had a few doubts about her quest for the normal life. “Ordinary Guy? Please. Give me a break.”
His smile broadened. “You’re right. He was way over the top. I had a good time with him.”
Kim had to smile back. “And what kind of mind spawned Naked Man?” It was scary how real the whole thing had seemed to her.
“A sick one?”
Her smile faded. “I got the message. Ordinary equals boring, and you equal excitement. The only thing I didn’t get was why you felt the need to point it out.”
He looked away from her, and she couldn’t read his expression. “Damned if I know. Maybe I just didn’t want to see you get involved with someone like this Vic person.”
“Why not?” Something important was hovering just out of sight.
He shrugged and then grinned. “Maybe I think you deserve a superhero like Naked Man. By the way, thought you might like to know how it all ended. In that reality, you became Night Woman and made Naked Man take you along each night to help bring excitement into people’s lives.”
She’d started to reply when he glanced at his watch.
He met her questioning gaze. “Two hours, and the compulsion hasn’t hit.” Hope shone in his eyes.
“Would it equate the fantasy as sex?” She didn’t want to believe that, but she had to throw it out as a possibility.
He shook his head. “No, nothing fools the compulsion.”
It was sort of weird how they both talked about the compulsion like it was a living thing.
Swinging his feet to the floor, he slipped his shoes back on. “Mind if I stay here until it shows up? I want to keep track of the time between each one.”
“No problem. I have to work on my plans for the castle.” Climbing from the bed, she walked over to the desk and sat down.
She pretended to be working for the next fifteen minutes until the compulsion hit. Kim said the expected words, “I don’t want your body,” with complete honesty.
Because she was beginning to realize she might want a lot more.
16
Brynn waited for Kim in the lobby. He’d left her room hours ago so she could get work done on her plans for the castle.
Yeah, yeah, so that wasn’t the only reason he’d left her alone. He needed space to think about what the feelings generated by their fantasy meant in real time. And what the hell was happening to his compulsion?
“I can tell you’re thinking hard about which strategy will defeat the demons.” Kim’s Uncle Dirk sat down in the chair across from Brynn. He was still wearing a suit and still looked like he belonged in a boardroom.
Brynn tensed, but no demon detector alarm sounded. Someone would have to tell Dirk his detector wasn’t working before he ran into any unfriendly demons. He’d leave that chore to Kim.
“A lot will depend on how many Vaughns show up and if we’re able to identify the archdemon.” Brynn was keeping an eye out for Kim, so he saw Wade when the demon stepped off the elevator.
Wade spotted him and started to walk over. When he saw Dirk, he paused.
Brynn slipped into Wade’s mind. “His detector is broken. You’re safe. But just in case, I’ll have your back.” If the detector came alive for Wade, Brynn could move faster than any human to knock it out of Dirk’s hand.
Wade nodded and continued walking. He grinned as he took the third chair in the group. “Hey, Brynn. How’s it going?” But his attention shifted almost immediately to Dirk. “You’re Dirk Vaughn. Recognized you from pictures I’ve seen in fishing magazines. I’m Wade Thomas. Looks like we’ll finally be going head-to-head in Saturday’s tournament.”
Wade wore old jeans, a flannel shirt, scuffed work boots, and his dumb good old boy persona tonight.
Dirk smiled, but it was more a curling of his upper lip. “I can hardly wait.” His expression said Wade was dead meat. “I have my Triton ready. And your boat is a . . . ?”
“Got me a Pathfinder.” Wade offered Dirk his happy puppy dog smile.
“Nice boats.” Dirk’s semi-smile said he’d hoped Wade would be fishing from a wooden raft he’d nailed together. “What about your motor? I’ve had a lot of success with my Yamaha 250.”
“Mercury 250 Verado.” Wade’s smiled widened.
Dirk leaned forward, evidently ready to accept Wade as a worthy opponent. “What about—”
Okay, Brynn had heard enough. Thankfully, he saw Kim get off the elevator. “I’m meeting Kim, so I’ll see you guys later.” He didn’t think either of the men noticed when he walked away.
Brynn reached her, and when she looked up at him, everything in him clenched around needs that had nothing to do with sex. Such as wanting to sit on the beach with her at night and talk about . . . everything. Maybe take in a Rockets game together. Uh-oh. This was not good. Yanking out his mental hammer, nails, and plywood, he tried to slap up a quick privacy fence to keep out any free-ranging hopes involving Kim.
Demons and demon hunters did not find happily-ever-afters together. But what if I’m not a demon? Okay, so he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t at least thought about the possibility. But even if he wasn’t a demon, what the hell was he?
He couldn’t age and die. She’d do both. Not a situation either would find comfortable. Brynn smiled at her and then nailed that last freakin’ board up. Too bad he could still see through a knothole. Hope springs eternal and all
that garbage.
“Ready to listen to Donna Till Dawn for a while?” He took her hand. If there wasn’t anything for them beyond her time here, he was going for as much physical contact as he could cram into these days.
“Sounds like fun.” She glanced at her watch.
Brynn was starting to hate watches and all other symbols of passing time. “Then let’s do it.” He walked across the lobby to the bookstore with her.
Donna was broadcasting from in front of the store. There were several rows of chairs for anyone who wanted to watch her. Brynn and Kim sat in the back row next to Eric. The rest of the chairs were pretty much taken. Donna waved at them.
Eric grinned at Kim. “Enjoy your fantasy?”
“It was right up there with making love on a cloud.” She flushed. “Jeez, I must look like Deimos.”
Satisfied, Eric settled back to watch his wife. “I don’t get a chance to catch her broadcasts often. She usually works on weekends while I’m busy with the castle fantasies.”
Donna had finished her opening monologue and was taking calls until it was time for the night’s guest. The wide range of callers fascinated Brynn. Everyone from a man interested in remote viewing to a woman obsessed with secret societies.
Kim leaned into him. “I don’t usually stay up late enough to hear this program, but I might treat myself once in a while. Donna’s great.” She paused to listen to the next caller.
“I am the One Whose Name Cannot Be Uttered.” The voice was a low rumble of evil.
Donna’s eyes widened, and Brynn felt Kim tense beside him. Ken, Donna’s show producer, signaled to her. Probably suggesting they cut this sucker off the air. Donna shook her head.
Brynn glanced at Eric, who’d gone completely still. Time to put out a mental call to Holgarth and Conall.
Donna looked strained but calm. “I respect that you want to remain anonymous. So what can you tell us about yourself?”
“I wield unspeakable power and rule an army of evil from where I dwell in the black center of chaos.” The owner of the deep voice seemed to savor each word.
The bastard was enjoying himself. Ken was growing frantic. Probably didn’t have a clue why Donna would keep this crazy on the line. Brynn hoped she’d keep him talking a little longer.
