by Nina Bangs
He grinned. Amazing. Sex had been many things in his past, but fun wasn’t one of them. Driven by his compulsion, he’d stayed focused on his partner’s orgasm, pushing aside everything else—like finding pleasure in his senses, like laughter, like sharing in the woman’s joy.
Honesty made him admit he’d probably been striking back at the bastard that created him in the only way he could. The Big Bad might be able to force him to have sex, but he sure as hell couldn’t make him enjoy it.
Kim put a stop to his trip down memory lane by skimming the pop across his lips. Then she leaned over and covered his mouth with her own.
Brynn opened his mouth to the sweetness, the softness, the heat of her mouth. He savored not only the taste of her but also the textures, subtle differences in smoothness but all erotically exciting.
While his brain still retained some control over his body, he plucked the pop from her limp grasp. Rolling onto his stomach, he held onto the pop while he savored the cool roughness of the sheet against his body. The scent of clean sheets would forever after be a major turn-on. “Let’s see what impossible pleasures we can conjure.”
Kim flopped onto her back and laughed at him. He could picture himself watching her like this down through the years of their lives together. And after her life ends, then what? Grimly he pushed aside any doubts.
Hitching himself up to a kneeling position, he took his own turn licking the pop and watched her eyes heat with passion.
“You’d better have great plans for that pop or else I’ll take it away and”—there it was again, the slow, sensual smile that made him so hard he wanted to drop the pop and fast-forward to the climax of this scene—“do things to you with it.”
“Oh, I have all kinds of plans, sweetheart.” He rolled the pop back and forth across each of her nipples until she thrust her breasts into the caress, begging for something more, something sweeter.
He leaned over and flicked each nipple with the tip of his tongue. But Kim was into her own fast-forwarding. She grabbed his hair in her fist and dragged his mouth to her breasts.
Covering her nipple with his mouth, he sucked the sugary taste from it, twirled his tongue around it to make sure he’d gotten all the sweetness, and then realized the sweetness would never end when he was touching Kim’s body with his mouth.
She moaned her excitement, and for the first time in his existence, he really listened, really allowed the sound to give him pleasure.
Brynn didn’t give her time to recover as he repeated the process with her other nipple and then rolled the pop over her stomach. He followed the sweet trail he’d created with his tongue, tasting the flavor of candy and woman, an irresistible blend.
“I know where you’re headed with that candy, O Great Explorer, but if you touch me there, I’ll explode. End of adventure.” Her voice was hoarse with need. “So go there at your own risk.”
He sat back on his heels to think the problem through for, oh, five seconds. Then he smiled.
She looked suspicious. “I’d never trust a man who smiled like that.”
“Good.” Once again he licked the pop, using lots of tongue. Then he slid his fingers over his swollen cock, calling her attention to it just in case she hadn’t noticed.
She widened her eyes, and her breathing roughened. “You’re so ready.”
He stroked himself with slow deliberation. “I want you so much that every moment I deny myself makes the pressure increase until I don’t think I can take one more second. But the pleasure is in holding on just a little longer and thinking about how unbelievable it’ll feel when I slide inside you, feel you clenching around me all hot and wet.”
Brynn almost stopped there but found he wanted Kim to understand how special she was. “With all those other women I never tried to make it last. As soon as they were ready, I was ready, too. I didn’t care about prolonging the pleasure because I didn’t care about them. I care about you.” I love you. He could say it so easily in his mind. Now if he could just make it come out of his mouth.
Tears shimmered in her eyes as she reached up to slide her fingers across his chest. Uh-oh. He hadn’t meant to make her sad.
Brynn smiled his sexiest smile as he rubbed the pop over the head of his cock. He closed his eyes and experienced the feel of the candy touching him, smooth and slick from both their mouths. Then he opened his eyes.
Seeing the intent in his eyes, she bent her knees and spread her legs as he shifted to between her thighs. Clasping his cock, he rubbed the head back and forth over the spot he wanted unbearably sensitive for him. Her harsh breathing told him he was right on target.
He slipped his hands beneath her cute bottom and lifted her. Then he lowered his head and slid his tongue across the nub of flesh that held the taste of Wicked Red and wicked woman.
Her hoarse cry was another sensory memory to add to the meager store he’d collected so far. He intended to add many more over the years. All with Kim.
His orgasm threatened to blast him into an infinite number of tiny throbbing bits of energy if he didn’t act right now. He couldn’t even remember putting on protection. He didn’t need it, but Kim didn’t know that. His hands shook as he replaced his mouth with his cock. “Sorry.” His heart pounded hard and fast. “Can’t wait any longer.” His breaths came in huge gulps, and he couldn’t put together any more words.
Brynn slid into her, slowly at first, but then the beast took him and shook him in its jaws. With a wild shout, he plunged into her, felt her wrap herself around him, felt her warm welcome for all that he was. And as he thrust deeply and withdrew, thrust and withdrew, emotion tore at him. Something hard and brittle inside him shattered forever.
Their orgasms exploded together. Throughout the centuries, Brynn had remained coldly analytical as he brought women to completion. There was nothing cold or analytical about this.
It was rolling, thrashing, pounding flesh against flesh, and animal sounds of pleasure. It was gasping cries as spasm after spasm rocked them. And it was lying bathed in sweat, waiting for the tremors to die away, for breath to return, and hearts to slow their jackhammer pounding.
Brynn still shook as he rolled onto his back and pulled Kim on top of him.
She smiled tremulously down at him. “My God, that must’ve registered on the Richter scale around the world.”
He didn’t say anything for a minute as he soaked up the sensation of her soft, damp body plastered against him. Oh, yeah, he could get used to this for as long as they had together.
Then he smiled, and he hoped she saw everything in his eyes he couldn’t yet put into words. “You’re one hell of a woman, demon-hunting lady.” He delivered a playful smack to her bare behind, and then stuck around to gently knead her perfect cheeks.
She made a face at him. “You’re pretty much okay yourself.”
Brynn widened his eyes in mock surprise. “Only okay? Maybe we need to do this again so I can up my rating.”
Kim glanced over at the clock. She sighed. “No time. We have to get dressed and go downstairs.”
Nodding, Brynn swung his feet to the floor and stood. “You can use the shower first. I’ll get dressed and spring our two disappointed voyeurs from the closet.”
As soon as he’d dressed, he opened the closet door. Two pairs of eyes shone in the darkness. Grabbing both detectors, he put them on the bureau. “Have a good conversation in there, guys?”
Fo’s eyes were wide and filled with awe. “It sounded . . . wonderful. I’ll never feel that, will I?”
Brynn drew in an embarrassed breath. They’d been pretty noisy. “I don’t know, Fo. You’re just starting to explore what you can experience. You might not feel it in the same way Kim and I do, but who’s to say you can’t find a different way.” He wasn’t sure what he’d said, but it seemed to satisfy Fo.
“You’re right. I have to keep experimenting.” She slid her gaze to Gabriel. “But not with him. He was so nice the first time we met. This time he was saying stuff I didn’t
like.”
Gabriel’s eyes glittered with amusement. “Hey, babe, it’s all about evolving and getting tuned into possibilities. You and I could do great things together.”
Fo glared at him. “It isn’t going to happen.”
Gabriel winked at her. “Hot, babe. Really hot.”
Fo looked uncertain about how being “hot” made her feel.
When Kim emerged from the bathroom, he took his turn under the shower. As the warm water sluiced over his body, he tried to look past the coming battle. He wouldn’t even consider that anything could happen to Kim. He’d be there to make sure she stayed safe. Then when it was over, they’d talk.
And do other things. He smiled.
21
They met at midnight in the darkened lot behind the park. Kim, Brynn, Eric, Conall, Holgarth, Sparkle, Asima, Lynsay, Deimos, and two hundred eudemons.
The eudemons were the stuff of nightmares. They were all glowing red eyes, long, pointed teeth, razor-sharp clawed hands, and cloven hooves. Oh, and tails. Couldn’t forget the tails.
The other Vaughns had wisely chosen to stay in their rooms tonight.
As Kim listened to Wade, she repeated her inner mantra, They’re the good guys. They’re the good guys.
“Eric has to come with us. Once we drive the cacodemons from their hosts and blister their demonic asses, you’re gonna have a lot of freaked-out humans.” Wade waved his clawed hands around to emphasize how much they needed Eric. “And stop going all big-eyed on me. You either want my true form that can waste the cacodemons or my hot human form that can’t kill squat. Your choice.”
Brynn moved to Kim’s side. “She’ll live without your hot human form for a few hours. And Eric says he’ll follow behind you guys to change the humans’ memories. Good thing he has that handy vampiric ability to move at the speed of light and be everywhere at once. Or at least that’s the way it seems to me sometimes.”
Kim was worried. “Uh, no offense, Wade, but you sort of stand out in a crowd. There’re still some ordinary people on the streets. What if they see you? It’ll start a panic.”
Wade grinned, and it was not a pretty sight. “We’re like shadows in the night. No one will see us except the cacodemons.”
Holgarth raised his voice. “We’re ready to go forth and slay the enemy. I wish the eudemons and Eric good fortune in ridding Galveston of the evil forces.”
Kim sighed. “I think Holgarth’s a Napoleon wannabe.”
“Everyone else get into the van.” Holgarth adjusted his pointed hat and headed for the parking lot with his small but motivated army trailing behind.
Conall drove while the others sat and stared at each other.
Asima crouched beside Conall. “Stay close to me, Conall. If anything goes wrong, I’ll get both of us out of there.”
Conall glared down at her. “You’re a royal pain in the butt, cat.”
Asima calmly washed her face. “Thank you. I try my best.”
Sparkle sat beside Kim and Brynn. She was the Deadly Dominatrix tonight. Black leather pants, thigh-high black leather boots, and black leather vest. She sighed as she looked Kim up and down.
“Kim, Kim, it’s our duty as women to dress sexy for every occasion. You should’ve told me you didn’t have anything to wear to a demon battle.” Giving Kim a last commiserating look, she turned her critical gaze on Lynsay, who sat across from them with Deimos. “Now there’s someone who really needs my help. If she’s going to date Deimos, I’ll have to give her a few tips on dressing sensually with style.”
“Are we almost there, Kimmie?” Fo was riding shotgun in Kim’s jacket pocket.
Holgarth sat beside Deimos. “There’s the chapel. My God, there must’ve been a sale on Easter egg dye.”
Brynn had his arm wrapped around Kim’s waist, and he leaned forward with her for his first glimpse of Ye Olde Victorian Wedding Chapel. “Pink, blue, and yellow. Cheerful but ugly. Strip the paint from that sucker and you’d have a nice house.”
Holgarth tapped Conall on the shoulder. “There’s a parking space right in front of the chapel. I’m sure they know we’re coming, so there’s no need to do any sneaking.”
Conall followed Holgarth’s directions, and everyone piled out of the van to stand staring at the chapel. Kim already had Fo out as Brynn pulled Gabriel from his pocket.
“I don’t know how much help Gabriel will be, but he did say he could destroy nonhumans.” Brynn spoke low to Kim.
“Now what?” Deimos’s eyes gleamed with the excitement of being on his first real action assignment.
Kim hoped her sister would keep an eye on him. Lynsay might be the human half of the duo, but she was a rung up on the maturity ladder.
Holgarth held up an imperious hand to get their attention. “There’s a light in the chapel, so someone’s waiting for us. We’ll simply go in together and confront the archdemon if he’s there. If not, I’ll do my best to close the portal.”
“Um, about confronting the archdemon.” Kim refused to back down from Holgarth’s glare. “I know you have tons of really impressive power, but if you remember, we didn’t do a great job of stopping him at the castle. Have you come up with any new strategies since then?”
Holgarth adjusted his hat and looked wise. “This time Sparkle and Asima will help, won’t you, ladies?”
Sparkle avoided his gaze by flicking a speck of dust from her leather pants. “I’ll do my best, but sex is my thing. If you want me to seduce the archdemon, I’ll give it a shot.”
Holgarth looked grumpy. “Well, do what you can.”
Asima scratched behind her ear. “I have a great deal of power. If Conall’s in danger, I’ll use it.”
Conall cast all of them a helpless look. “Why me?”
“Messengers of Bast don’t have loose lips.” Finished scratching behind her ear, Asima blinked her big blue eyes. “I think we need to stop talking and get moving.”
“Speaking of power, Sparkle, what’s Ganymede doing?” Brynn thought as Kim did, that this army didn’t have nearly enough firepower.
“When I left he was eating a bowl of ice cream. By now he’ll be watching a late-night movie.” Her frown said she wasn’t happy about that.
Evidently giving up on Ganymede, Brynn glanced at the others. “Okay, let’s do it.” He led them onto the porch, stood to the side of the door, and knocked.
“An action hero would kick the door down.” Deimos’s take on the situation.
“Yeah, and an action hero would get his head blown off.” Kim’s take on the situation.
Beady red eyes peered at them through the small pane of glass in the door. “Come right on in, dearies. Miss Abby’s been waiting for you.”
Everyone looked at the red eyes and then at each other. Kim had a really bad feeling about this.
Holgarth took over command. “Lynsay and Kim are the only ones here who aren’t immortal, so they go in last. If the archdemon is inside, everyone will throw whatever power they have at him. I’m certain it’ll be enough. Remember that last time the archdemon escaped from Dirk before the full effect of our combined powers could harm him. In common terms, he was running scared. This Miss Abby isn’t in the same league as the archdemon. We’ll question her, and then Fo can destroy her.”
Kim still wasn’t convinced the forces of goodness and light would walk away from this encounter without a few demonic dings from the One Whose Name Cannot Be Uttered. “So what if we give it our all, and the archdemon laughs in our faces?”
Holgarth offered her an exaggerated sigh. “I’m positive that won’t happen. But we can always call for Eric to join forces with us.” He placed himself directly in front of the door so that he could enter first.
Hey, if he wanted to be first, it was all good with Kim. She shared a glance with Brynn that told her he had his doubts about this operation, too.
She moved to Sparkle’s side. “Hypothetically speaking, how long would it take to get Ganymede here if we really needed him?”
Sparkle looked as though she’d been wondering the same thing. “Ganymede can move through time and space at will, so he could be here right after I put out a call.”
Brynn nodded. “Keep the lines open to him. Just in case Napoleon’s advisor there gets us in over our collective heads.”
All conversation stopped as the chapel door swung wide with an ominous creak. Miss Abby stood in the open doorway, smiling at them. “Welcome, welcome, dearies. Come in and relax at Ye Olde Victorian Wedding Chapel.”
Everyone crowded into the parlor. Kim kept Fo hidden under the flap of her jacket. A quick glance around showed no big yellow arrows labeled Portal to Hell Here. There were a few folding chairs for guests to sit on, and the rest of the furniture in the room was old and shabby. There was an open area at the back of the room ringed by artificial flowers and backed by a huge pink fake wedding cake that was a larger version of the bubble containers. The four-foottall cake rested on a table draped in white lace.
Sparkle leaned close to Kim. “Miss Abby’s a trendsetter. She can call her new style shabby tacky.” Then she spoke to Miss Abby directly. “You know, a demon can be sensually stylish at any age. You really need to lose the cardigan, flowered dress, and knee-highs. And those chunky shoes are a disaster. Maybe some Hermes goatskin lace-up sandals, hmm? Have you considered lasic surgery? I’m sure you have I’m-as-hot-as-hell eyes, but those glasses don’t do them justice. You need to do something with the hair, too, because those white waves are so not sexy. I’d suggest soft brown with blond highlights. Very youthful. A cosmetic surgeon could—”
“Be quiet!” Holgarth thundered, and everyone flinched.
Miss Abby smiled sweetly at Sparkle. “How interesting. Maybe we can chat later, dearie.”
“There will be no later, demon.” Holgarth sounded as though he was speaking through clenched teeth. “Where is the archdemon and the portal?”
“You want to see the portal?” Miss Abby looked delighted. She walked briskly over to the cake, her girdle squeaking merrily. “It’s right here.” She reached for a CD player that sat beside the cake, and hit Play.
