by Zoey Marcel
“Fine,” he said with thinly concealed vexation. “Follow me to the kitchen and we’ll have some.”
“I thought I would go to the store to buy some.”
“Nice try. You’re not getting out of this.”
Damn his intelligence.
“Maybe you don’t have the kind I’m in the mood for,” she tried.
“What kind do you like?”
“Raspberry.”
“We have it.”
Damn it. Of course they did.
“Sounds good. Can you show me where you keep it?”
“Follow me.” Joaquin headed toward the stairs and Claire started to follow before bolting in the other direction.
“Shit!” He ran after her, sounding even angrier than before.
She was dead if he caught her. She fled out the back door and into the early morning air, where he couldn’t reach her. He stopped short at the door since he couldn’t set foot in daylight. His dangerous glare warned her of the serious trouble she would be in when she returned. She had to come back some time.
Claire spent the day enjoying the town and trying not to think about how Joaquin would kill her when she got back. It was refreshing not to hear Rochelle nagging her today. Perhaps Claire had appeased her by running out on Joaquin this morning.
It was Halloween and the temperature hovered around fifty-eight degrees, with glowing sunshine casting its splendor on the crisp autumn landscape. It had alternated lately between rain and sunshine, though they had a bit of snow once or twice at night, but it melted in the day when the sun warmed the ground up.
Tonight was the Halloween party at the club and Claire wanted to pick out a cute, sexy costume but couldn’t decide which one she wanted. She nearly hyperventilated when she turned and collided with Nex.
“Nex, you scared me. What are you doing here?”
“Keeping an eye on you.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I’ve been following you all day and you never knew I was there. You’re lucky my intentions are honorable.”
She raised an eyebrow with a coquettish smile. “I doubt that.”
He charmed her with a salacious grin. “What are you doing?”
“Picking out a costume for tonight. I can’t decide which one to get, though.”
“Get this one.”
Claire almost laughed at the haste and enthusiasm with which he pulled the costume off the rack. She studied it a moment before winking at him. “Did you pick that one because it’s revealing or because it comes with a plaid miniskirt?”
Nex gave her a toothy grin and glanced down for a fraction of a second, but the sexy chuckle combined with the simple modesty of lowering his eyes for a moment stole her heart. Claire loved the provocative, penetrative connection simmering in his greenish-gray eyes. She adored the roguish charm of his face, his short, brown hair which she loved to mess her fingers through, the scruffy bad-boy look his brown mustache and stubbly beard gave him, and the fuzzy, punishing rasp of it against her cheek when she nuzzled her face against his. She melted whenever she heard his sultry Scottish accent, and her heart fluttered whenever the sound of his sexy laugh filled her ears.
Despite her independence, it touched her how protective he was of her, the tender, fierce way he seemed to care for her and the rush she felt every time he put his hands on her. Even a simple moment like this, shopping and laughing with him, felt more real and meaningful than any make-out session or petting from her ex-boyfriend. Odd how she hadn’t known Nex as long but felt more relaxed and natural in his presence than she had her ex’s.
The only time she wasn’t relaxed around Nex was when he looked at her with those hungry eyes and stalked toward her like he wanted to eat her. The look was pure, raw sexuality and she didn’t know how to resist it.
“Both,” he finally said.
It took her a minute to realize he was talking about the costume. “You do love plaid. Well, it is really cute. I think maybe I’ll get it, but I want to try it on first. I won’t be able to go outside in such a skimpy costume in this weather, though.”
Nex smiled gently at her, but his alluring eyes appeared sad. “I miss you, Claire.”
She felt a pain in her heart. That was weird. The only time she’d ever felt her heart ache was with remorse over what she did to Rochelle. “I miss you too.”
He stepped forward, glanced around for observers and pulled her behind a cardboard set, the front of which housed some flesh-eating ghoul next to a green-faced witch stirring the lime-green contents in a cauldron.
Claire’s heart fluttered when Nex put his arms around her, palms resting gently on her back as he bent down to kiss her. She stood on her tiptoes to get closer to him, basking in the smooth firmness of his coaxing lips and the way his facial hair tickled her skin. Her hands journeyed up the hard planes of his torso, recalling with wicked pleasure the hair that feathered his chest and made him look even manlier than he already did, if that were possible.
His strong, rough hands were gentle and adoring as they caressed her back and arms. The way his cock lifted in his jeans and flirted with her tummy thrilled her. The warm, wet taste of his saliva mingling with hers reminded her of their fluids fusing together when their bodies moved as one. His palms slid under her shirt, fondling her back in appreciation as they made out slowly, deeply. She lifted the hem of his gray shirt just enough to let her hands wander beneath the fabric to stroke the hard ridges and bulges of his abs.
Nex pulled back slowly, drinking deeply of her enthralled gaze as he snaked his fingers up her nape and through her hair. “I need to be inside you, Claire, right now.”
Her system flashed with heat over his smoldering whisper and her pussy clenched its mutual desire to conflate their bodies. “I want that too, so much. I just can’t right now. Not without Joaquin’s permission. He gets to decide when and with whom I have sex for the next few weeks.”
Nex rolled his eyes. “Damn him.”
“It’s only for a few weeks. Besides, I got a couple of encounters from it.”
“Aye, but this past week of abstinence has been bloody torture. I don’t suppose it affects them, as they have each other, but with you temporarily under his jurisdiction it’s a damned nuisance for us.”
“I know, but it’s only for a few more weeks. Then, after I do the show, he’ll be done with me and I’ll be free to go wherever and do whatever I want.”
He hooked a finger beneath her chin and elevated it so she had eye contact with him. “Come away with me when this is all over. You will never want for anything with me and I would never let anyone or anything harm you.”
His ardor moved her, but she couldn’t risk Rochelle’s wrath or put his life in danger by burdening him with her problems. “I know, but I can’t. I’m sorry to have to hurt you like this, but I know you’ll move on and find someone else.”
He cupped her cheeks and locked eyes with her. “This isn’t a meaningless dalliance for me, lass. I want you forever and I won’t rest until I have you that way like I was meant to.”
Her eyes closed in sorrow. She wanted a happy ending and a true romance too. She wanted to love someone like Nex and be loved back by him. She wanted someone to hold her, joke around with her and stand by her forever. She wanted…him. But it wasn’t in the cards for her. She had cursed Rochelle inadvertently and this was her sentence. Fitting, perhaps, but damnably heart-wrenching it most certainly was.
“I wish I could be your girl,” she whispered in desolation. “I want that more than anything, but I can’t.”
“Because of Rochelle?”
“Yeah. No. I mean, it’s more than that. I’m a…very physical person.” Declaring that she was part demon out loud probably wasn’t a good idea, but at least he knew what she meant. “I have needs that are far stronger than any human.”
“You don’t think I can fulfill them?”
“No, it’s not that. You satisfy me completely. It’s just…if you were ever tired o
r got busy and I didn’t get any intimacy for a long time…my drive is so strong and I need it to function properly. I don’t have to have it every day, but I do need it badly, more than most people. If you didn’t want me…I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You’re worried you will be unfaithful to me if I can’t meet your needs,” he realized.
Claire’s eyes squeezed shut as her conscience was bombarded with shame. What must he think of her? She wasn’t a cheater and would never hurt him, but once when she was drained from the prolonged period of celibacy from even sexual thoughts, she had done the unthinkable to Rochelle in her dream. She wasn’t a lesbian, nor was she attracted to Rochelle in that way, but her drained energy from the abstinence Rochelle enforced on her and even her thoughts at times had reduced Claire to desperation and aggravation. She imagined a willing version of Rochelle in her dream and had lain with her. Claire never forgave herself for that, even if it had only been a dream. Rochelle’s soul was trapped inside her body and Claire knew she felt it—what she did to her.
If sheer need and desperation had driven her to create a willing apparition of Rochelle in her dream, was infidelity really beneath her? She liked to think so but feared her demonic nature and hated it with a passion. If not for her soul and Rochelle’s inside of her, she would be truly evil and it scared her to think of what she might be capable of without the luxury of a conscience.
Nex looked at her seriously, tone hushed and sincere. “I would never deny you, Claire. Is this about your feelings for Joaquin and Dakarai?”
His intuitive knowledge startled her. “What? No. I mean, I like Dakarai a lot, but Joaquin is an asshole.”
“Then why do you submit to him and permit him to train you into his slave?”
“Because I want to keep my job.”
“There are other taverns and brothels you could work at.”
Claire felt her cheeks warm and averted her eyes. “For the last time, it’s not a brothel, Nex. It’s a sex club and no one is paying for services.”
“If you are truly only doing this to keep your job, then why do you keep talking about leaving when this period of captivity is over?”
He had her there. She didn’t even know the answer to that. She loved her job, but the longer she allowed Joaquin to train her, the worse she seemed to incur Rochelle’s wrath. Claire knew she had to leave to protect the three men she secretly liked to think of as hers, but she would at least enjoy her time with them and leave when this was over.
But why wait? It would be safer for them and a little less hard on the heart for her to say good-bye now rather than waiting until later, when she became even more attached. She convinced herself that she was trying to help Joaquin out by filling in for him as his temporary sub, but truth be told the thought of saying good-bye to them broke her heart.
“I had a ménage with you once before and I would be willing to do it again,” Nex told her.
“Yes, but not permanently. That’s not what you want, is it?”
He thoughtfully considered this for a moment. “I don’t know. I only know that I would do anything to be with you.”
He knew all the right things to say to seduce her will and her trust. And worse, he actually meant them, which made resisting him that much harder. But resist she must. It was the only way to keep him safe and prevent him from discovering the horrible person and lunatic she was with her self-inflicted Rochelle issues.
“That’s really sweet, Nex. I’m honored that you want to be with me, but we haven’t known each other that long. I think when our blood touched in the cellar it did some sort of weird shifter crap to our minds. Neither of us is thinking clearly.”
“You’re wrong, Claire.” He stepped forward and brushed the back of his finger against her cheek. “For the first time in my life, I am thinking clearly and I have you to thank for that. The mingling of our blood bonded us, it’s true, but it didn’t do anything that wouldn’t have happened to us eventually anyway, even if it had been left up to chance. It only sped up the process. We are perfect for each other. We would have realized that in time, even without the aid of the mating heat.”
“Maybe you’re right, but we don’t know anything about each other. All you know about me is that I’m a sleazy bartender who has hideous nightmares and all I know about you is that you’re a tiger shifter who used to kill people in fourteenth-century Scotland.”
Nex’s finger recoiled and he sighed, expression heavy and contemplative. “You should get that costume. I’m sure Joaquin and Dakarai will like it as much as I do.”
She opened her mouth to say his name when he walked away, but nothing came out. She let him walk away and it killed her inside.
* * * *
Claire sat alone in the courtyard on a bench near the big oak tree. The BDSM furniture had been moved indoors since the days were colder and often wetter now, but it still made for a nice atmosphere to sit under. She wished she had some nice tea to drink but had no intention of going inside yet to get some. She knew Joaquin would be in there waiting for her, ready to beleaguer the crap out of her until she caved and gave him the answers he sought.
Of course she would have to go in this evening and get ready for work before the club officially opened, but for now she was content to soak up the cool autumn day, enjoying the subtle shifts between sunshine and overcast skies. There were still some colored leaves on the trees, but a good deal had already made the inevitable descent to the ground. Most had been raked, but there seemed to be an adequate number of rebels who defied this. Watching the occasional leaf float slowly to the ground in a natural sort of dance was magical to her.
Small, whimsical cloth ghosts hung from two of the branches and swayed eerily in the breeze, some of their faces designed to intimidate while others harbored adorable, even comical expressions that were really quite charming.
A strand of orange and purple lights had been interwoven along the balcony and looked especially marvelous at night when they cast their incandescent glow into the spooky darkness.
A few hay bales and several orange pumpkins as well as white ones had been placed strategically here and there around the courtyard in place of the furniture and flowers, which had been retired for the season but would return again come spring. The ambiance was perfect for Halloween, and the inside had been decorated even more so.
She heard the familiar beep of a card being scanned and approved at the gate. It opened and then closed, allowing two men and a woman to come into the courtyard. The one man she recognized as Mark Montego, one of the cops who worked with Sheriff Ben Easton. But the other slightly taller man she didn’t know. She heard Mark call him Jack and assumed it must be Jack Dillinger, the alpha of a pack of five werewolves that lived at the ranch they owned and raised horses at. The woman with them must be their fiancée, Morrigan Weaver.
Claire had seen them at the club a few times but didn’t really know them. But Temptation was a small town, so she felt like she already knew them, since there were few secrets here.
They seemed surprised to discover they weren’t alone but gave her a friendly greeting regardless.
“I can leave if you guys would like some privacy,” she offered, hoping they would permit her to stay. She wasn’t ready to face Joaquin just yet.
“You don’t have to go,” Jack told her. “This courtyard was made for exhibition and voyeurism.”
Mark’s eyes widened nervously and he inched toward the gate. “She’s enjoying herself in the peace and quiet. I guess we should go.”
Jack grinned wickedly and tugged him to a stop by the waistband of his jeans. “We’re not going anywhere, Mark. We’re going to bend Morrigan over that hay bale and hump her brains out.”
Morrigan blushed. “I don’t want to traumatize the poor woman with the sight of me in the buff.”
Mark kissed her head. “Don’t be crazy. You look amazing naked.”
“He’s right, doll,” Jack agreed. “If anything, you’ll convert this woman into a
lesbian after seeing you.”
Morrigan turned pink and Claire giggled. “I’ll try not to stare too hard.”
Jack smiled. “Stare all you want to. They don’t know it yet, but getting it on in front of a practical stranger is going to make them hotter than they can stand.”
The trio wandered over to the stack of hay bales and Jack set one down on the ground. Morrigan stripped and bent over it like they wanted her to while the men lowered their pants just enough to pull their erections out. Mark stood on one side of the bale in front of Morrigan and slipped his cock between her lips. Jack stood on the other side of the bale behind Morrigan and bent over her as he buried himself in her vagina.
The erotic sight combined with their lustful sounds made Claire wet and wishing her men were around right now.
The gate beeped and opened, closing behind Nex as he came through, looking determined. He approached her swiftly and confidently. “I’ve been thinking about what you said.”
Claire stood for him. She wasn’t sure why. “About what?”
“You said we didn’t know each other well enough to make this work.” He stopped in his tracks and locked eyes with her. “You may not think so, but I know you, Claire. I know your hair catches the rays of sun and shimmers like gold. I know your eyes sparkle like aquamarine gemstones when you laugh. I know how soft your lips feel wrapped around my cock. I know the dulcet taste of your kiss sets my body on fire. I know what heaven is every time I feel your body against mine.”
She felt her heart move at his words, touching something buried deep inside of her.
He stepped forward slowly, closing the distance between them as he spoke to her in a caressing voice made of velvet. “I know winter is your favorite season. I know you like the taste of strawberry margaritas. I know your two favorite colors are turquoise, because it reminds you of the tropical waters of the Caribbean, and black, because you like the Gothic look on occasion for parties. I know your favorite coffee is caramel macchiato, and I know you look like an angel when you sleep.” He stood before her, looking down into her misty eyes. “I may not know everything about you, Claire, but what I do know has me crazy about you. And I know the more I discover about you, the more in love with you I will fall.”
