by Katie Reus
“Right there,” she said, not even sure what she was referring to. She just knew she wanted more of this. His talented mouth, his thrusting fingers, or maybe the way his thumb was now teasing her clit in a rhythmic little pattern. She wanted everything he was doing and more. So much more.
Everything was perfect yet not enough. Goddess, she was so greedy for him. Greedy in a way she was having a hard time wrapping her head around.
He chuckled low again and then took pity on her because he continued southward. By the time his face was between her legs, her entire body was trembling with want and need. Her flames had now burst out at least twenty feet in every direction. She was so confused by how massive they were, how they weren’t burning anything—how he was the one who seemed to bring them to life.
When he sucked on her clit, her entire body jerked and she let out a groan of pleasure, the erotic sensation spiraling through her in soft waves. Hot damn, her toys had nothing on his talented mouth.
Just as quickly, he gentled his tongue, barely teasing her and definitely not taking the edge off. Tension buzzed through her as a climax drifted on the edge of her consciousness. If he just picked up the pace, she would come. But he knew what he was doing, knew he was making her crazy as he started thrusting his fingers inside her faster now. He was getting her worked up and then slowing down.
She speared her fingers through his hair, clutched onto his head. “I need to come,” she somehow managed to get out. She didn’t care how desperate she sounded, how hungry. Her body was on the precipice, and damn him, she needed a release. Needed him.
Without a word, he slid another finger inside her and found the perfect rhythm with his mouth and tongue.
She arched against the grass, falling into a sharp orgasm, her flames wrapping around both of them now, embracing him as he ramped up her orgasm higher and higher.
She’d barely come down from her high when he crawled up her body, his expression wild and a little feral.
“Yes?” he asked.
She knew what the question meant. “Yes.” She wanted him, all of him. At least right now, in this moment. There would be no more barriers between them.
Keeping his gaze pinned to hers, he positioned his cock right at her entrance and soooo damn slowly, he pushed forward.
Her inner walls clenched around him as he took his time, easing her into this. Suddenly she rolled her hips upward, taking all of him. Oh, yeah. Too much and not enough.
Her head fell back even as she arched up and held on to him tight. She shoved at his chest once, the urge to roll over and take control, to ride him hard, punching through her. But he grabbed her wrists and held them above her head in a show of pure power.
She’d never been dominated before, and was surprised how much she liked the feel of him pinning her to the grass, thrusting into her hard, over and over. She loved the sensation of completely letting go as he took over everything.
He kept his eyes pinned to hers, the moment impossibly intimate, until she felt another orgasm building. It should be impossible, but it was happening.
“I need more hands,” he growled out in pure frustration as he dropped one hand to cup her breast. “Because these are perfection and should be worshipped.” Another animalistic growl.
Pleasure rolled through her at his words, at the truth of them. Then his mouth was on hers again, devouring and taking as she wrapped her arms around him, needing to hold on to him. As if he could somehow ground her, anchor her.
She felt as if she was caught in a storm, an out-of-control tornado that wouldn’t stop, and Lachlan was her anchor.
She started orgasming again and as she let go, he did too, emptying himself inside her as he groaned out her name. “Star!” He raked his teeth against her neck but didn’t break the skin as he came deep and hard inside her.
For some reason it disappointed her that he didn’t mark her, but the notion was swept away with the wind as they both found release, cresting together until they collapsed against the grass, sated and satisfied. For now.
Because she wanted more from this male. So much more, and she wasn’t sure if she should tell him the truth of what she was. She wondered if postcoital bliss was muddling her brain, making her even consider telling him.
Sighing at herself, she curled up against his chest, enjoying these few quiet moments under a blanket of stars. Because she knew this peace wouldn’t last.
Chapter 24
As Star rode on Lachlan back toward the city, she wasn’t sure where her head was. Her body? Oh, she was feeling incredible—and ready for round two. Then three and four and oh holy hell, she had to stop this madness train she’d jumped on. She’d never imagined sex would be like this. Yeah, she might have fooled around a little, but she’d never been able to let go of her control.
For so long she felt like she’d been playing a role, especially after becoming famous. She’d constantly had to be aware of what she said, where she went, who she associated with.
But tonight with Lachlan? Having sex with him—no, making love? That sounded weird, but even though it had been raw, it had felt somehow familiar and incredible aaannnnd she needed to get out of her own head or she would start spiraling. Lachlan had clearly done something to her because he was making her think things she shouldn’t be. Considering things she might want for just herself… Nooooo.
Star shut all those thoughts off and buried her face against his scales, simply inhaling the wild scent of him. Enjoying the pureness of this quiet moment.
Thankfully the flight back to the city was uneventful and short, not giving her much time to get lost in her thoughts.
Lachlan flew in a loop around the city before camouflaging himself and landing in an empty park about a mile from Cynara’s club. After he shifted back to human, he immediately took her hand in his once he’d dressed, making it clear he wasn’t going to break the connection between them. She loved the small, possessive way he held on to her, as if he couldn’t bear to not be touching her. Because she felt the same way.
The walk through the Quarter was mostly silent as they strode along the uneven sidewalks. Once they made it back to the heart of the Quarter, nearing Cynara’s club, tension curled in her belly as she glanced at the people on the sidewalk. There seemed to be more people out tonight, the city coming alive this late. There was a nip to the air so everyone had on light scarves or sweaters and boots.
“Come on.” Lachlan dropped her hand and hooked his arm around her shoulders before guiding them into the street. There weren’t any cars since driving had slowed exponentially after The Fall. In the street there was more room for the two of them and Lachlan definitely needed it, given his size.
She also liked the feel of his arm around her, wanted to wrap her body around his again once they had some privacy. Still, that tension settled low in her belly and she scanned the people they passed, humans and supernaturals alike. All her muscles were bowstring tight and she had no doubt that Lachlan could sense her worry. Worry that Oscar or his people were lurking nearby, watching and waiting to strike right here on the street.
“We’re almost there,” he murmured quietly, tightening his grip on her.
She laid her head on his shoulder. “I know. I just hate knowing that he’s here. Or nearby. Just stalking my sister, thinking he’s going to take her. I want to rip his head off and throw it into a volcano.”
“We’ll find him.” A soft, deadly promise. Then he kissed the top of her head as they turned into a quiet alleyway.
For some reason, him kissing her head felt ridiculously intimate. Like something a couple did. But they weren’t a couple, were they? She wasn’t sure what they were, she just knew that she was confused—and that she wanted to get him naked again as soon as possible. It was like a switch had flipped inside her and now she kind of understood that whole hedonistic vampire lifestyle. It wasn’t laziness! It was raw, burning hunger pulsing through her.
“I want to get you naked again soon,” Lachlan murmured
as they rounded the club building toward the back—as if he’d read her mind.
“Are you a mind reader now?” she asked as they approached the back door. The place took up nearly a city block, so it explained how they had extra space here for bedrooms and living spaces.
“No, I’m just reading you.” His rich, dark scent intensified, wrapping around her and giving her comfort.
At the back door, the same security guy who’d been there before nodded when he saw them and opened the door without question. “Head the same way you did before and bypass Cynara’s office door. The bedrooms are farther down the hallway and loop around the rest of the club. It’s all insulated and you’ll see clearly marked doors. Your people have already settled in.”
“Thanks,” she said, stepping inside with Lachlan.
They hurried up the stairs, and as she reached the top she spotted Marley stepping out of one of the doors in the long hallway. Of Barbadian and Irish heritage, she had amber eyes, sharp cheekbones, pale brown skin, and often wore her long braids pulled up into a ponytail so they stayed out of her way. Tonight she actually had on regular, whole jeans instead of the ripped-to-shreds ones she normally sported, sparkly black heels and a skimpy, black bandeau top that just covered her breasts.
“Hey! Was wondering when you guys would get back. I heard about what happened. I hate that he got away—” Her eyes widened slightly as she reached them. Then she inhaled not so subtly.
Star cursed, because of course Marley would scent the sex lingering on them. Damn snow leopard senses!
Her friend looked between the two of them, a smile tugging at her lips, but she contained herself from saying anything. “Everyone has assigned rooms. Aurora is downstairs with Cynara right now in the VIP section. I’m headed to see Kartini, but I’ll be downstairs in a little bit. Your room is around the corner. The blue door. Number twenty-seven.”
“Which room is mine?” Lachlan said.
“Pretty sure it’s number twenty-seven too.” Marley snickered as she headed back down the hallway, her braids swaying against her back.
“Go find your sister,” Lachlan said to Star, surprising her.
“What?”
“I can read your expression. You’re worried about her.”
“Come with me,” she said, slipping her hand into his and squeezing his fingers.
He blinked once, but squeezed back. She knew that them holding hands—not to mention that she smelled like sex—would signal to her crew that she and Lachlan were a thing. And screw it, she needed his touch. Needed him, something that was hard to wrap her mind around. For so long it had been her and her crew, literally since birth. Now? She couldn’t imagine Lachlan leaving, not being part of her life. And that terrified the hell out of her.
It didn’t take long to make it back downstairs—using an elevator and navigating a bunch of complicated hallways until they stepped out into the VIP room. At least they didn’t have to walk through the main floor of the club, which was nice. Though she could easily see over the railing below. There were tons of people dancing, a huge dance floor, multiple bars, high-top tables, flashing strobe lights, males and females walking around with shot trays—pretty typical club stuff. Well, if you discounted the random shifted animals partying it up on top of the platforms. Seriously…was that… She blinked. Yep, that was a brown bear wearing a fluffy pink skirt.
“I…have never seen that,” Lachlan murmured.
She looked up at him, glad he appeared as bemused as she felt. As they strode across the VIP section, she immediately spotted her sister sitting with Cynara and a female who was likely a dragon, given her height. Man, it was like dragons were everywhere.
“Go sit with your sister,” Lachlan murmured. “I see some people I know.”
She looked up to find him nodding at two males sitting at a table near her sister’s table. One of the males—with red hair, a red beard and broad shoulders—smiled in surprise when he saw Lachlan and shouted something she couldn’t understand. Maybe ancient Gaelic? She wasn’t sure what the words meant but it was clear that Lachlan liked the guy if that genuine smile of his was anything to go on.
Star also acknowledged to herself that she was glad the people he was going to talk to were males. She shouldn’t care at all—had never thought of herself as the jealous type—but now that she’d gotten a taste of him, she’d decided he didn’t need to be talking to any females. Which yeah, was beyond banana crackers crazy but whatever.
Winding her way through high-top tables and bypassing a small dance floor, she nearly stumbled when a familiar song came on the speakers. It was weird to hear herself singing in a setting like this, but she recovered and kept walking.
“You’re here!” Cynara slid off her chair when she saw her and gave her a brief hug. “Good timing too.” She looked at the tall female with slightly tangled jet-black hair sitting at the table next to Aurora. Ooooh, Kartini would love to do this female’s hair. Even with her sitting down, it was clear the female was tall, and she had the kind of cheekbones Star could envy. “Prima, this is Star, Aurora’s sister. And she is who you hear singing over the speakers right now.”
“Oh, I like this song very much.” The female leaned forward slightly and inhaled in a way that was very much not human. Like, she wasn’t even trying to hide what she was doing. Not to mention her gray eyes flashed to her dragon and stayed there, the dragon peering out at Star with pure curiosity. “And I like your scent.”
Okay, so Star was going to just push past that. “Are you guys having a good time?” she asked as she sat down.
Aurora looked relaxed for the first time in ages, so she wasn’t going to bitch at her for being out in public. Because this really wasn’t public anyway. Star was just being an overprotective big sister and she knew she needed to pull back on that. It was just so damn hard not to worry about her. Until Oscar was dead, Star wouldn’t be able to completely rest. Especially after the long-ass day she’d had—being attacked by Oscar’s dragons, trekking through the bayou, giving Lachlan her blood to heal him, threatening a jackass vampire coven, then hunting down Oscar and finding him gone. Seriously, how had this only been one day? It felt like four years had passed.
“You and your sister really do have very unique scents,” the female named Prima said suddenly as she watched her.
Cynara simply face-palmed herself. “Prima!” she groaned.
“Thanks, I think,” Star said as Aurora just laughed and took a sip of her martini.
“There’s a uniqueness to the two of you, but yours is different. It’s almost like one scent overlaying the other, a dual thing. As if you have…” Her eyes narrowed ever slightly as she looked at Star, but then she shrugged. “So, your sister tells me that you and your band will be performing here in the coming weeks.”
“That’s right.”
“I have never been to a concert before. I’m quite looking forward to seeing you perform.”
Star found herself smiling at the almost formal way the woman spoke. “Thank you.”
They talked for a few more minutes, though Aurora was mostly quiet, sipping on her drink and looking out at the crowd, taking everything in.
When Cynara and Prima started talking, Star scooted closer to her sister. “Did you get settled in okay?”
Aurora reached under the table and squeezed Star’s hand once. “I’m fine. And I know I can’t tell you to stop worrying about me, but I can feel your tension. And I really am fine. It’s okay for you to not worry about my needs 24/7.”
She frowned at her sister. “What are you talking about?”
Aurora had started to respond when the bearded male that Lachlan had been talking to came up behind Prima and wrapped his huge arm around her front, sort of caging her against him. He murmured something to Prima in a low Scottish brogue, then bit her earlobe.
Prima nipped at his shoulder, then slid off the stool. Without a word to any of them, she dragged the male away.
As soon as she vacated the sea
t, Lachlan slid into her empty seat and gave Star a heated look she felt all the way to her core.
“I’m probably going to get out of here,” Aurora said, slipping off her chair. “I’m pretty beat.”
Star started to do the same, but her sister shook her head.
“Stay,” Aurora said.
“I’ll walk you to your room.” She’d barely gotten a chance to talk to her.
Her sister sighed, clearly annoyed with her or maybe just frustrated. “Okay.”
“I’ve got my phone on me,” she said to Lachlan, loud enough for him to hear over the thump of music and people.
He gave her a heated look, his eyes practically glowing. “Dinnae worry about me, lass. I’ll meet you soon.”
Oh, God, she hoped so. As she stepped away with Aurora, Teague and Cian appeared out of nowhere and joined Lachlan and Cynara at the table.
“What were you doing downstairs?” she asked as soon as they got to Aurora’s room, which ended up being pretty incredible. The bed was round and huge enough for five people. A purple tufted headboard made up most of the wall. In one corner of the room a softly humming hot tub was running, with flower petals already in the water. There was a soft purple glow to the room, giving it a soothing, spa feel. “I didn’t think you were going to be out in public while we were gone,” she added.
“I’m thinking I don’t have to answer the question because the answer is obvious. I was perfectly safe and enjoying the company of other people.” Aurora’s tone was dry as she looked at Star.
Star winced because she knew she was being way too over protective. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m trying not to be such a psycho. Even if it doesn’t seem like it. I swear I’m trying.”
Aurora grabbed her hands and tugged Star toward the oversize bed. At the edge of it, she pulled Star so that they were both sitting. “Look, I love you. Soooooo much. You raised me and I have more memories of you than I do of our parents. You’ve always been more like a mom to me than a sister and I know those lines get blurred for you as well. I just…”
