SKIN (Demon Chaser 4)

by Charlene Hartnady

  “Gabriella, but you can call me Gaby.” She took his hand and for a second was tempted to lie about being a skin. His big, warm hand felt good wrapped around hers. His eyes stayed on her face even though she had yet to try and cover her breasts. “Are you always in the habit of saving random strangers? I have to say that for a minute there I thought you weren’t going to make it.”

  “I could never turn my back on someone in trouble, especially when demons use their strength against humans. Those morons were so sure that they had me that they didn’t pay too much attention. I’m big, I’m a wolf so therefore I’m slow right?”

  “You played them. Damn, you played me. You acted slow, took all those punches on purpose. Got them to believe you were on the back foot. When they came in close and dropped their defenses you took them out. Wow, I’m impressed.”

  He grinned, “Thanks. How is it that you manage to look so much like Macy?”

  “I’m a skin.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “I believe you when you say you’re not Macy, but you definitely smell human.”

  Damn, how the hell did she go about explaining this one?

  Chapter Two

  “I really am a demon skin.”

  Phoenix used to run into Macy countless times at the court house. She worked as a journalist and therefore often hung out waiting to interview those involved in high profile cases, himself included. The little blonde left a trail of blithering idiots in her wake. There was something about her that turned rational thinking men into hankering school boys. Sure she was pretty with her pert nose and pouty lips. Not to mention her amazing body, tight and toned with abundant curves in all the right places. Although Phoenix had understood what all the fuss was about, he’d never been affected himself. Until now. This female looked like Macy, yet it made sense that she wasn’t. Something had changed. Even though she looked the same, she wasn’t.

  Light bulb moment, “You don’t smell like Macy.”

  The blonde had always smelled of vanilla and apples. The crisp green kind. She’d always smelled really good but not in a way that had him interested.

  “How do I smell then?”

  Edible was the first word that came to mind. He took a deep sniff, the scent so powerful he could almost taste it. The blood rushed straight to his cock. Hounds be damned, standing naked in front of this woman was not a good time to be sporting an erection but he couldn’t do anything about it. She smelled so damned good, dark chocolate, ripe cherries and sex. How could he tell her that when she’d just escaped from the clutches of those bloods? She wouldn’t understand that her scent had nothing to do with what had just taken place. Hell, it was quite possible that the bloods had taken her because of it. It didn’t excuse what had happened. “You smell like food stuffs.” He prayed she’d drop it.

  Her brow scrunched together and she sucked in a plump bottom lip. “What kind of food?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “Spit it out already.”

  Phoenix sighed, “Cherries and chocolate.” He’d be damned if he told her about smelling of sex.

  “I smell like something someone would want to eat?”

  Phoenix had to suppress a groan. He nodded not trusting his voice. The thought of tasting her had his dick hardening up a whole lot more. To bury his tongue between her luscious thighs and...He really needed to change this line of conversation and pray that she didn’t look down any time soon. “You also smell human. I don’t scent any form of demon inside you.”

  “I don’t understand what’s going on. Up until ten minutes ago, I was a demon skin. I suddenly couldn’t see in the dark, couldn’t run, or scent anything beyond the surface. I can’t sense my demon. What the hell is wrong with me?” Gaby raked her hand through her hair and looked down. Her head snapped back up. “What the hell is that?” she gestured towards his still hard cock.

  Phoenix took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s just you smell really good and you’re not wearing much.” He struggled to keep his eyes on her face and failed glancing down. Shouldn’t have done that. Full, lush breasts tipped with pink, tight nipples. He quickly looked away cursing. “It would help if you at least tried to cover up. Please.”

  “I thought you wolves were comfortable naked with the whole shift thing you have going on.”

  He’d seen every woman in his pack naked on many occasions. It would be difficult to run as a pack if that was not the case. Gaby was right, they all felt comfortable in their own fur and such periods of nudity were never sexual. Gaby was not a member of his pack though, hell, she wasn’t even a wolf. He felt guilty for wanting her right now, but couldn’t help it. “We are comfortable with being naked, but this is different. I’m really sorry. It’s important that you know that you’re safe with me. I wouldn’t try anything I promise.”

  “Pity.”

  “What did you just say?”

  Gaby shrugged, she chewed on her lip for a few seconds. “I said that it was a pity.”

  A man only had so much restraint. Phoenix shut his eyes and clenched his teeth for a beat. “It’s important that you know, I’m a wolf.” He opened his eyes, looking into the deep blue depths of hers. “We have high sex drives and I’m very attracted to you. It would be better for you not to start something if you can’t finish it.”

  The smell of sex surrounded him, this time it had a very definite tang of arousal. Her tongue slipped out, sliding across her lips and he couldn’t help but to track its lazy arc.

  “I know that this sounds insane because most women would probably be a crying mess after being almost raped. Not to mention my being a human all of a sudden but”—she raked a hand through her hair—“bottom line, I’m not human. I’m a skin. We don’t do all that unnecessary emotion. Here’s the deal, I haven’t had sex in a very long time and you’re well...” Her eyes travelled the length of his body. “We’re attracted to each other. I think we would be good together. I need to move on from all this ugliness”—she gestured around the ally—“I need to come. Is that so bad?”

  Phoenix had never had a woman so openly admit to her needs. It turned him on beyond reason. He was tempted to fuck her out here in the open. To peel off her capris and ride her against the wall. Hounds, he couldn’t wait to taste her lush breasts, to hear her cries as he took her over the edge. But if this was going to happen...who was he kidding...when this happened, it would be somewhere where they could enjoy their time together without interruption.

  “Look Phoenix, I’m not asking for a relationship or anything. Come back to my apartment. No strings sex. I won’t expect you to call me in the morning or anything.” There was a stubborn tilt to her chin. Gaby had mistaken his silence for hesitation.

  “How far is your apartment?”

  She answered.

  “My car is just to the right of the alley. I always keep a spare set of clothes in it. Let’s go.” Phoenix gestured in the direction he had come from.

  ****

  Her demon might be missing but she sure as nuts wasn’t human. The whole bloods thing had caused her to experience human emotions for the first time, but she would damn well put the incident behind her like any self-respecting demon skin. Even if it killed her. There was a tiny voice that told her she probably shouldn’t be doing this, but she pushed it back.

  Gaby’s hand shook as she opened the door to Macy’s apartment. Humans were weak, they let emotions govern them. She squeezed her hand shut for a couple of seconds until the shaking stopped.

  Gaby had, had a couple of one night stands before. There was something about sex with a really hot stranger that pushed her buttons. This gigantic wolf pushed each and every one and he hadn’t even laid a finger on her yet. She looked down at the designer shirt that covered her modesty. Phoenix was very much the big bad wolf but he also had a styled haircut, drove a fancy fuck-off car and wore expensive clothing and aftershave. He intrigued her. Made her want to know more about him, but tonight was about scratching an itch.

  “Would you lik
e something to drink?” she turned to face him. Phoenix wore a pair of faded jeans that rode low on his hips; his massive chest made the air evaporate in her lungs. He looked almost better than when he was completely naked, but only because she knew what was underneath the denim.

  “Water would be good.”

  Gaby grabbed a bottle from the fridge and tossed it in his direction. With agile grace, he caught it with ease. There had been no four leaf clovers or wishing on any stars, but Gaby felt like a lucky girl indeed. She hadn’t been this excited...well...ever. If her demon had still been around, it would have taken over. Oh yes, she’d have jumped him the moment they closed the door. He would’ve been flat on his back in an instant and she’d be riding him like a pony. They’d more than likely be gearing up for round two by now but she was alone, no demon in site. It scared her.

  Gaby reached for the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of scotch and a tumbler. She poured herself two fingers, paused, and then poured herself some more before downing the contents in one burning slug.

  “I’ll leave if you’ve changed your mind. You’ve had a rough night. Maybe this is a bad idea.”

  “I’m fine.” To prove a point, she turned to face him, tugging her shirt over her head as she did. His eyes stayed on hers, not yet convinced so she undid her capris, slid them down and stepped out of them. All that remained were a pair of white cotton panties. If only she’d known this was going to happen she’d have borrowed a pair of Macy’s silk, lacy thongs or dug deep into her own drawer. He growled, his eyes raked down her body stopping at the juncture of her thighs.

  “Damn, you smell so good.” He sniffed and growled again.

  Okay well maybe cotton had been a good choice after all because it was super absorbent and all that. Her pussy wept for the man in front of her.

  “Are you sure? Because once I touch you I don’t think I’ll be able to stop. Once I’m inside you...” His voice cracked it had become so deep. He paused, shutting his eyes for a second. “Once we get to that point, I know stopping will be impossible. You need to be sure. I won’t be gentle.”

  Gaby took one small step towards him. “I’m sure.”

  His big strides ate up the space between them, his eyes still intently on her. There was a pulling on her panties and the sound of tearing. When she looked down she was bare. Just a thin landing strip remained. Phoenix dropped to his knees. His hands closed on her thighs to pull them apart. His hot breath fanned her pussy for a second before his lips closed on her clit. He sucked twice before swiping his tongue across the tight bundle of nerves. Gaby cried out, which shocked her because she normally never made a sound during sex. Another shocking reality was that she was about to come and he’d hardly touched her. This worried her because she’d often heard human women complain about how difficult it was for them to orgasm, how once they finally did get there, that it was almost impossible to come a second time. For whatever reason, she wanted to orgasm with him inside her. To feel his heavy cock slide in and out until she came apart. The thought had her grinding her teeth to keep from coming. Just thinking about it was enough to send her over the edge let alone his hot mouth and skilful tongue which were toying with her shamelessly.

  “Stop,” she pulled on his hair. “I need you to fuck me.”

  He looked up at her, his mouth glistened with her juices. His eyes had a feral edge. Phoenix growled exposing a set of decent canines. Not nearly as big and sharp as what they would be if fully distended, but there none the less. He looked formidable, sexy and he was all hers...at least for tonight. She put a hand against his chest and gave a gentle shove. Phoenix allowed himself to fall back into a sitting position. She straddled him, her hands running up and down his chest. Her fingers found the clasp on his jeans. Gaby stretched up wanting to taste his lips, to feel his kiss.

  “No, my teeth, I could hurt you.” He grabbed her around her middle, turning her on all fours and caging her with his body. He must have pulled his pants down because next thing his dick was rubbing up against the seam of her pussy. Normally she preferred to be the one on top, the one doing the fucking but she needed him so badly she had to bite her bottom lip to stop herself from groaning. His hand cupped her ass before sliding to her lower back and up her spine. Phoenix pushed gently so that her upper torso lowered closer to the ground. The same hand slid around cupping one of her breasts which he kneaded softly, carefully. His dick moved up and down along her seam, massaging her entire length, but without making a move to enter her. It felt so good, he had her panting. This time she bit her lip to stop herself from begging him to take her. He bent further forward until his mouth was on her ear. “I’m going to fuck you now Gaby. Put your hands on the floor to brace yourself.” She did what he said. Phoenix put the head of his cock into her pussy and she cried out. Appalled at how needy and completely primal her cry had sounded.

  “So fucking tight.” His statement ended in a vicious snarl that would’ve had adrenaline surging through her if she hadn’t been so turned on. He pulled back and forth inching his way in with maddening slowness she knew was necessary or he might hurt her. She didn’t know if it was this human body or the sheer size of him, but it had never been this difficult before.

  “Am I hurting you?”

  She tried to talk but could only whimper as he pushed in another excruciatingly delicious inch.

  He stopped moving. “Are you okay?”

  “Don’t stop,” was all she could grind out.

  His next push had him fully seated, his hips up against her ass. Phoenix pulled all the way out groaning as he slid back in. Growling as he pulled out. She was making the most ridiculous whiny noises, her breathing was ragged and choppy but she couldn’t seem to stop.

  “You need to brace now, Gaby.” He grabbed hold of her hips so hard that she might have bruises in the morning, but none of it mattered because he was thrusting into her. There was a loud slapping sound as their flesh connected. His balls thudded up against her. At first the air froze in her lungs. It felt so good it almost hurt. A throbbing need to come that pulled on every cell of her body. When his finger pressed against her clit, she screamed as her orgasm flooded through her. It went on and on until she thought her hearts might stop with the sheer pleasure. Then he was tensing over her growling as his semen gushed into her in hot spurts. His teeth closed on her neck for just a second before he pulled back withdrawing from her completely.

  “I’m really sorry. Are you okay? Shit, are you bleeding?”

  “I’m fine. Why are you sorry? That was the best damned sex I’ve ever had.” She put her hand to her neck and pulled it away. “I don’t see any blood. It’s a bit tender. It’s fine, a little bite never hurt anyone.”

  “Let me take a look.” Phoenix kicked his jeans off, which were bunched up at his ankles, and moved over to her. “A little scratch, but I never broke the skin.” He exhaled, looking relieved. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think of wearing a condom. I wanted you so damned badly.”

  “Calm down. Skins only go into heat once or twice in their whole lifetime and they need to be mated for it to happen.”

  “I hate to point this out, but you’re human at the moment and wolves and humans are able to reproduce easily.”

  “I’ll get the morning after pill just to be on the safe side. The last thing I want is a baby.”

  Phoenix visibly relaxed. “I don’t want any children.”

  “As in ever?”

  “Ever,” he turned dark eyes on her. “I don’t plan on mating with a demon wolf and all the half bloods I know have had tough lives.”

  “There are a couple of demon species that allow interbreeding, so you never know.”

  “My pack is lenient to most species, but I want a human mate. There is something about human women that...interests me.”

  His remark hurt which took her completely off guard. “Are you with someone?”

  He smiled. “No. Wolves are generally monogamous. I wouldn’t be here if I already had someone warming
my bed.”

  “So you’re not with a human but know that you will end up mating one?” Damn, it still stung. The fact that if she wasn’t human right now he probably wouldn’t be here and that ultimately it didn’t matter because this was clearly a onetime deal, she shouldn’t care either way because she had been the one that had made the no-strings-attached offer in the first place.

  Phoenix stood making his way to the kitchen counter. He opened the bottled water and downed the contents. “Something like that.” He reached down and snagged his jeans. “I think I’d better get going.”

  “I thought that wolves had high sex drives.” She stood and went over to the fridge taking out a bottle of water for herself. Normally she didn’t care too much about the skin she was in. Although she was all woman, she didn’t mind putting on a male skin if the job called for it. Right now she was incredibly happy that Macy Night had been a sexy woman. The thought of Phoenix walking out the door just now had her tied up in knots. She wanted him again. One more time to purge him from her system.

  ****

  His gut told him it would be best to leave. Although Gaby smelled like a human, he believed her when she said that she was a demon skin. She looked the spitting image of Macy Night, and yet she was not the same woman that he had seen countless times. Every demon sense he possessed told him she was telling the truth. Which made things even stranger when he couldn’t seem to bring himself to put his jeans on. Demon skins were not the type that you usually wanted to hang out with, much less fuck.

  Sex with this female, regardless of her species, was exactly what he wanted though. Make that needed with a determination he couldn’t quite understand.

  “Do you have any condoms?” he asked.

  “No. I told you that it’s been a long time for me.”

  Again, he believed her. Her pussy had been tighter than that of a virgin. Just the thought of her snug, wet sheath had his cock twitching back to life. Her time in the refrigerator had caused her nipples to tighten into hard jutting points.