His mouth turned down. “This isn’t a brothel.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I’m just trying to understand what’s expected of me here. You seem to know enough about me to realize I’d do just about anything to be able to control this ability of mine.”
He tucked a finger under her chin and arched one dark brow. “Anything?”
She swallowed hard. He didn’t need to unblock his feelings for her to sense what he was asking her. Was she truly willing to accept him as her teacher and guide into this magickal world he dangled before her? Would she do whatever he ordered without question? “Yes. Anything.”
“Is it then your intention to fully engage in the challenge set before you today, to embrace all the powers meant to be yours and accept your destiny?”
Nicole had the fleeting thought that there were a lot more questions she should be asking, but the subtle pulsing in her core had become a steady drumming throughout her body. Her pussy dampened in preparation of what she imagined would be a very satisfying and memorable sexual encounter. It had been so damn long. And considering the fact that she’d never experienced an orgasm triggered by another person, no repercussion she could think of was worrisome enough to make her pass on the experience he seemed to be offering.
It wasn’t as though he were asking her to sign a legal contract.
He tipped up her chin to bring her attention back to him. “Nicole?”
She smiled softly. “Yes, I agree to anything.”
“Then let’s start again. Introduce yourself to me…with a kiss.”
She shifted slightly toward him, raised her head and lightly touched her lips to his.
He huffed. “That peck told me you’re a ten-year-old girl who’s never kissed a boy and I’m your…cousin?”
She flushed. “I don’t even know you.”
“If you kiss me as a woman, that will change.”
“It’s been a long time,” she murmured and looked away.
He slipped one hand under her knees and lifted her onto his lap as though she were weightless. “I promise, you’ll never have reason to say those words again. Now, this time, tell me something about yourself no one else knows.”
His penis thickened against her hip and her cunt responded with a gush of wetness. He had positioned her perfectly to deliver her kiss, but what was it she wanted the kiss to say? I want you. I want your cock driving into me until I’m crying with pleasure. Yep, that about summed it up.
She threaded her fingers into his hair and held his head as her mouth very slowly closed in on his. He remained perfectly still, waiting for her to prove just how mature she could be when it came to kissing. And she was determined to make him wait a little longer. Her mouth met his directly, gently giving him a closed-mouth caress, then she softly brushed her lips back and forth over his, kissed each corner and brushed again. When he continued to show no reaction, she gave up trying to tease and went for a deeper kiss, pressing her lips to his, parting them and slipping the tip of her tongue between.
The moment he eased his tongue forward to touch the tip of hers, she gained the confidence to be more brazen. Her mouth moved hungrily over his, her teeth nibbled his lower lip and her tongue challenged his to a duel.
And she finally got what she was going for.
One of his hands squeezed her hip as the other clasped the back of her head. His mouth was no longer a passive recipient but entered the game with a passion to match her own.
Suddenly the block he’d put between their minds disintegrated and she was assailed with his feelings, a mad jumble of emotions, pleasure and pain, joy and devastation, light and very, very dark. But in the midst of all of it she felt his honesty. He had not lied to her, nor did he intend to.
And yet she also sensed there was something he wasn’t saying. A purposeful omission.
She tried to put distance between them but he held her firmly and continued to claim her mouth regardless of her distraction. The emotional onslaught lessened and, in a matter of seconds, the only emotion she got from him was desire. Intense, burning, all-consuming desire. For her.
He wanted her. At least as much as she wanted him. And knowing how excited he was spiked her arousal to a boiling point. She wasn’t just feeling her own need. His also raged inside her in a way she’d never imagined possible. She had never experienced anything so wondrous and frightening at the same time. There was no longer any awareness of where she was or why. Nothing mattered but reaching the top of the sexual mountain she—no they were scaling. Together.
Without ending the delicious kiss, she straddled his lap and pressed as much of her body as she could against his—her thighs clamped on his hips, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. The zippers of their jeans met in the middle of the desperate clinch. She shifted her hips and moaned when a jolt of pleasure shocked her clitoris, even through the layers of denim.
His hands cupped her bottom and urged her more firmly against his erection. He eased her hips away then pulled her into him again. Back and forth. Back and forth. Catching the rhythm, she moved into him on her own. She moaned in appreciation of the pleasure he gave her, gave them both, and his deep-throated response vibrated into her very being.
She picked up the pace, moving her cunt to increase the pressure precisely where she could receive the greatest sensation, then shifted a bit more until she sensed his exquisite enjoyment as well.
For so many years she’d had to rely on her imagination to attain a sexual release, but not in her wildest fantasy had she guessed the real thing could feel this good. Nor had she imagined her greatest arousal to date would occur with all her clothes on.
Though she was anxious to experience a climax, she wanted to feel his naked flesh against her own. She slipped her hands between their bodies and tugged on the button at the top of his jeans.
Abruptly the gamut of his feelings flooded her senses even more powerfully than before and they both stiffened while he rebuilt the block. Only this time he took away his desire as well.
Nicole felt as though she had been dropped in icy water. Her body was still aroused but everything was now one-sided. And wrong. Very, very wrong. She leaned back and looked into his eyes with a question she didn’t know how to phrase.
He kissed her softly then moved her back to her own spot next to him on the bed. A heartbeat later, he grinned. “So much for the introductions.”
Chapter Two
Nicole blinked at him. He obviously found the situation quite humorous but she was too bewildered to come up with a witty reply. “What? Why? Did I do—” He lightly touched her lips with one finger and she stopped trying to verbalize her bewilderment.
“I apologize. I wasn’t prepared for…quite so much. At least not so quickly.” He took a slow, deep breath and took both her hands in his. “It did, however, suggest your challenge won’t be that much of a challenge.”
She smirked at him. “And now you’re talking in riddles.”
“I only meant we are obviously starting out with good chemistry. Sex magick doesn’t require it, nor do the two people even have to like each other, but it does make it easier and the result is much stronger. And, of course, it’s more fun.” He winked at her.
“You said that before. Is this a game to you?”
His expression immediately hardened. “Never. Magick is not a plaything. It must always be respected because it’s neither beneficial nor evil on its own. Anyone who wields it must always keep all the possible outcomes in mind. I just prefer having fun to being serious. Don’t you?”
She frowned. “I suppose I would…if I had the option. It’s a little difficult to have fun when you’re alone all the time.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “Okay. I’ve added teaching you to have fun to my list. Are you ready to begin or did you have another question?”
“Begin? I thought we already had.” That earned her another of his sexy grins, which had the power to tickle her insides. “Actually, I have a ton of question
s, but maybe you could at least explain how it works.”
“It?” he asked, arching one eyebrow.
A wave of heat shot down to her clit. “I know how it works. I meant the magick part.”
“When a person has sex, or rather great sex, whatever else was in his or her mind is put aside and all thoughts get totally focused on one thing—pleasure. That same sort of singular focus is required to practice meditation and develop psychic abilities. But in sex magick, the focus on pleasure is used to create energy to manifest another desire.”
She wrinkled her forehead. “I’ve never been able to meditate. My mind just wanders.”
“It’s my job to make sure it doesn’t. I assure you, I’m very good at what I do.”
Her nipples tightened as though he had just given them each a tweak, but his hands still held hers. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“Basically, when two people add a shared intent or wish to the sexual experience, the energy supporting their combined thought is empowered by their building arousal. The more physically excited they become, the more energy focuses on their mutual desire and the orgasm becomes the rocket that transports their intent from thought to reality.”
“I always thought magick involved casting spells and making potions.”
He grinned. “Some of it does. Mine doesn’t. And when the time comes, you’ll choose what works best for you. Now are you ready?”
“Just one more thing. Have you been doing something to me? Something to turn me on, lower my inhibitions?”
He chuckled. “There is a continuous flow of sexual energy throughout the manor, and I will admit I tend to…emanate sexuality unintentionally. But if you didn’t find me sexually attractive, you could easily resist all of it. The arousal building inside you and how far you were willing to take our introductory kiss were both caused by good old-fashioned chemistry. Well, except for the enhancement your empathic abilities created, which is what made me lose control of the block. On the other hand, if you felt your nipples get pinched a minute ago, that was me having some fun. I was sure you wouldn’t object.”
He was right. She didn’t feel even an inkling of objection. “Do it again.”
“No.”
She blinked in surprise. “Why not?”
“Giving you any further pleasure without making skin-to-skin contact would hardly help you get over your problem with being touched.” He gave her a moment to accept that. “And now, as your teacher, I say no more questions. For now at least. Stand up, please, and take a few steps back.”
To her surprise, she realized she was actually turned-on by his ability to arouse her without actually touching her. Wondering what other surprises he might have in store for her was enough to have her silence the rest of her questions and get on with the so-called challenge. She rose, walked a few feet away and quietly awaited his next instruction.
He slowly scanned her from spiky hair to worn sandals. “I am curious about something. You are an incredibly beautiful, enticing woman. Yet your choice of hair color and makeup suggests you believe you need additional decoration. I don’t understand.”
She gave a dry laugh. “I’m not suffering from low self-esteem if that’s what you’re suggesting. If anything, I’ve tried to make myself less attractive. You know how Mother Nature gives deadly creatures bright coloring as a warning to others. I sort of took my cue from her. Everyone is better off if they keep their distance from me.”
“So you don’t actually prefer the way you look right now?”
She shrugged. “It’s just something else I’ve gotten used to out of necessity.”
“But if you don’t love it and you have no reason to warn me away, I’d very much like to see you a bit less…colorful. Would you mind?” He lifted his hand but waited for her okay before redecorating her.
“I believe I’ve already granted you permission to have your way with me,” she said, shocked at how easily the innuendo slipped out of her mouth.
He grinned and waved his hand at her. “Oh yes, much better.”
She turned toward a mirror on the wall and noted her hair was now her natural shade of light blonde and her makeup was reduced to the minimum needed to keep her pale features from disappearing completely.
In the mirror, she watched him walk behind her to the vase of flowers. She turned in time to see him touch a leaf and turn it into a black silk scarf, which he carried to her. “How do you do that?”
“Transmutation. It’s one part of alchemy. All matter has the identical origin. I can’t create or destroy it, but I can change its form. Now, close your eyes.”
She obeyed, and the silk scarf tightened around her head, keeping her eyes shut beneath it. “Is this really necessary? I already agreed—”
“Yes, it’s necessary. You need to learn to control your sixth sense. Shutting one down will help a little. As we begin, the block will be in place. I will take it away very gradually while you use the psychic energy I’m releasing to create a block of your own.”
As she stood there, blindfolded, the fear of not being in control of what was happening almost made her change her mind. Then she remembered something she had sensed when he’d lost control of the block. She’d felt his honesty strongly enough to know everything he had said so far was the truth. And she was perfectly safe in his hands. That was good. But there was something more. Not a lie exactly, more of an absence of truth, an omission. Something he held back from her.
“Focus,” he ordered sternly.
She took a slow breath and tuned into her intuition. As soon as she confirmed a sense of safety surrounded her, she unclenched her fists. She mentally reached out to him and easily met the block. She could tell the instant he weakened it. She tried to rebuild it but the temptation to discover the omission was greater than her desire to learn.
“Again.”
His tone left no room for hesitation. This time, as he removed the block, she was able to partially restore it from her side. By the fourth attempt, she finally caught on to the technique and was so excited she hopped up and down, clapping her hands in victory.
“Don’t get cocky,” he said, but his reprimand was more teasing than severe. “Now, remove your clothing.”
“I beg your pardon?” Nicole’s surprise caused the question to come out an octave higher than normal.
His lips brushed her cheek as he whispered, “Remember when you said you were willing to do absolutely anything I told you to?”
Of course she remembered. Just as she remembered why she had agreed so easily. This man had the power to end her solitary existence.
“Have you changed your mind?”
She shook her head and mentally searched for any speck of exhibitionism that might be hiding inside her. At least with the blindfold in place, she didn’t need to see him watching her. She could almost pretend she was alone…if it wasn’t for the damn chemistry swirling between them. She sensed him directly in front of her, waiting for her to come to grips with the agreement she’d made, waiting for her to quit fighting her instinct to protect herself.
He had suggested part of her personal challenge was to become accustomed to being touched. Considering the blindfold and what he had just instructed, she guessed another part of the challenge involved trust. If she could turn herself over to a virtual stranger, that would be a major accomplishment.
There was no help for it. She wanted to learn what he could teach her, which required following his instructions implicitly. And if that meant getting naked, so be it. However, he had left the how of the striptease up to her. Perhaps it was her turn to have a little fun with him.
She removed her sandals and kicked them aside. Easy enough.
Next she unbuttoned her jeans and dragged down the zipper, exposing her navel and the top edge of her pink, semi-sheer thong. She was glad she usually wore pretty underwear, even though she was the only one who could appreciate it. Now, knowing a very sexy man waited to see what she had under her plain jeans and t-shirt, the pretty
underwear gave her a sense of being the beautiful, enticing woman he had called her.
Her fingers curled around the hem of her tank top and slowly raised the material to reveal the matching bra. The more skin she revealed, the more she wished she could see his face. Once she got the top off without disturbing the blindfold, she tossed it toward where she imagined Brett sat.
Nicole unhooked the front closure of her bra, but turned around before removing it. Her fingers brushed over her nipples, which had tightened into little peaks of excitement. She kneaded her breasts and felt a lovely ripple of pleasure run down to her cunt. To her surprise, this striptease was turning her on and she wanted to let him know that in a nonverbal way. She let the straps slide down her arms then tossed it behind her. She had hoped to at least get a chuckle out of him, but he gave her no encouragement of any kind. She even began to wonder if he was actually watching.
An inch at a time she shimmied the jeans down over her hips, knowing once they were off, she’d be as good as nude. Only when she bent forward to pull them off completely was she rewarded for her efforts in the form of a sizzling shot of desire from him. It only lasted a split second, but it rekindled the fire within her. She slowly straightened, running her hands up the backs of her legs. She rubbed her ass cheeks and thought about how much better it would be when it was his hands on her. Her cunt reacted to the thought with a gush of wetness. More than ready to get on with what she desperately wanted to happen, she eased the thong off her hips and down her legs.
She had done it, removed every stitch of clothing, but she couldn’t make herself turn around no matter how aroused she was. It didn’t matter. She could sense him moving closer, now inches away, circling around her without touching, like a jungle cat sizing up its prey. His body heat caused her own temperature to rise.
A finger ran down her spine and back up, leaving a trail of goose bumps. Across her shoulders his fingertips grazed, then down and up both arms, making her hungry for more substantial contact. As though he heard her, his hands roamed down the sides of her body, over her hips and cupped her bottom, then he trailed his fingertips down and back up her legs.
ServingNicole Page 2
