Flashes of the night before flickered behind my eyelids as I breathed in the scent of his skin, but all I could see were the images of pale skin on pale skin. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist and stood up straight, lifting me easily off of the floor to keep me pressed against his body. I could feel his heart beating against his chest into mine, slow and steady. I found myself remembering his kisses They were always deep, always slow, letting me set the pace and the need, shattering my illusions of desperate human need. I caught his lower lip with my teeth, pulling it into my mouth, sucking on it gently before letting go and diving in for another kiss. His mouth was hot and inviting. He broke the kiss first, moving to my neck and down to the bend of my shoulder. I was a little surprised that he went to the side that was unmarred by the bite and gave him points for that.
I lifted my chin and reached one hand to run my fingers through his soft cherry red hair, gripping a handful at the back of his head. I felt him smile against my skin when I pulled, he hesitated a moment before nipping at the muscle in my neck, sending shivers down my spine. The bite on my shoulder throbbed, sending happy little pulses all through my body. I squirmed in his grip, all my earlier worry washing away from me as the heat between our bodies began to grow. Maybe I didn’t remember bringing him home, but I could certainly understand why I did. He took a step forward until my ass bumped into the edge of the counter.
He set me down and I opened my legs to wrap them around his waist, making me rock back a little. I let my hands fall to the tops of his shoulders, my nails biting into the exposed skin. He lifted his head away from my neck and found my mouth again. I pulled him closer to me with legs and hands, feeling his hips pressing into my thighs until there was no more space between us. He was hard and ready for me and I was very aware of the fact that I hadn’t grabbed any underwear in my flight from the bedroom. Only the thin cotton of his boxers kept us separated. I could feel his fingers digging into my hips, translating his need for me. In my mind, I saw his eyes boring into mine, our foreheads pressed together as he thrust inside of me. I gasped against his mouth as the memory flashed in my mind.
“Mm, Taryn,” he whispered when I broke away from the kiss. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deep, as if he was trying to hold on to whatever control he still had. I knew if I made him smile it would be a little cocky, almost a smirk, but that it would make a light shine in his eyes. I closed my eyes and shook my head against the confusing memories that were stealing this moment from me. His fingers slid over my hips, around my waist, and up the small of my back, curling into the skin to feel the bite of his nails.
I arched against him, pressing myself against him, feeling the cloth rub all the right places as his nails dragged a slow, teasing rake down my back, just this side of pain. I realized he was still waiting for me to decide where this was going. If I wanted to push him away right now, he wouldn’t fight me. If I ripped off his boxers, he’d happily go along with that too. I had always been terrified to try anything with a human before because there were such horror stories about how enamored they would become with fae creatures; elf, pixie, fairy, it didn’t matter. Once they were struck by a fae creature, their whole world would become obsessed with us, unable to think of anything but satisfying a never ending craving. But if I had already slept with him and he was still controlling himself, albeit by the skin of his teeth, maybe he wouldn’t become struck by me.
I could hear Roxy’s voice in my head telling me I was thinking too damn much and to just rip those boxers off and get what I wanted. I smiled at the thought just as he opened his eyes. He furrowed his brow at me for a moment, but then his soft, pink lips slipped into a smile, arching one brow and looking for all the world like a smirk, just like I knew it would. I reached between us and gripped the waist band of his boxers and shoved them off of his hips until they fell to the floor around his feet. He stepped out of them and kicked them away. I inched closer to the edge of the counter and grabbed his shoulders again, rocking back to open myself for him. I wrapped my legs back around his waist and pulled him to me.
The tip of his cock pressed against me. I closed my eyes and wriggled closer, letting it rub against me. I pulled him in for another kiss while I swirled my hips, making the tip of his cock rub against my clit, pulling small noises from my mouth. His tongue pushed past my lips, finding mine while his hands gripped my hips again, his arms trembled with the need to push himself inside of me, but I didn’t want that, not yet. I felt myself throbbing with expectation as I rocked my hips faster, my clit swelling with need, becoming wet with anticipation. I rocked back, his cock slipped down to my opening, pressing the tip against me. He groaned into my mouth, his nails bit into my hips, and his cock trembled against me temptingly. I held him there, pushing just the tip in and out of me, feeling the head swell eagerly. I felt the hidden magic inside of me begin to swirl and come alive as his desire made the air around us grow warm. My eyes flew open in surprise; humans didn’t have magic and they didn’t help raise our magic. How then was this happening? My body clenched around him as the magic lashed out of me, making my body throb with want, making me forget my train of thought. Daniel groaned again, the sound rumbling in his chest, deep and animalistic. If I kept this up much longer, he was going to lose that patience that had so impressed me. I let the magic run free, lashing at our bodies, making us both swell, making me wet and ready for him. I didn’t know why my magic was working with him, but I decided to take advantage of it while I could.
I stilled my body, his cock still pressing at the edge of my opening, begging for more, and I opened my eyes, looking up into his face. He opened his rich, chocolate brown eyes and met my gaze. I could see the effect of my magic swirling in their depths. His fingers clutched at me again, the pain bringing me out of his gaze, and I whispered, “Fuck me, Daniel.”
I grabbed the edge of the shirt I was wearing and ripped it off of my head. I wanted to feel all of that hard, curved muscle pressed against my skin. I threw the shirt somewhere over his shoulder and grabbed his upper arms, tightened my legs around him, and pulled him into me. I was wet and ready for him, his cock thrust into me, his hips finding a home between my thighs. He was thick enough to push my walls and long enough to fill me without hurting. I arched my back, pressing him deeper into me as I rolled my hips, his hands still gripping me. My eyes fluttered open and closed; I wasn’t even sure if I was seeing the wall behind me or the ceiling above. I felt his lips around my right nipple, pulling a moan from me as he suckled my breast. I felt my body clench around him, making him force himself into me with each new thrust. His teeth grazed the soft skin of my breast. My nails scraped along the swell of his shoulders. His tongue swirled around my nipple, drawing on it, making it hard, making me moan.
I began to rock my hips up and down, finding the rhythm of his body, encouraging him to go deeper, faster. Incoherent noises fell from my mouth, wanting to tell him more, harder, but I couldn’t manage the words. I felt the bite on my shoulder starting to throb, pushing me closer to the edge of my orgasm far too quickly. I grabbed his hair and pulled his head back, making him release my breast and arch back. I pressed my body against his, feeling the hard muscles of his chest against my bare breasts. I bit down on the muscle of his shoulder, smothering the scream that was building in my throat. I bit hard enough to make him groan and thrust deeper into me, his body arching against me. I uncrossed my ankles, opening my legs wider for him, and managed to beg, “Harder, Daniel, please! Fuck me harder!”
He slammed into me, his hips pounding against my thighs, his cock finding the end of me. My body rocked freely with his. I tried to rub my clit against him each time his body slammed home into me. I could feel my nails cutting into his shoulders, but he groaned and grunted for me through the pleasure and pain. I felt the warm, growing sensation of the orgasm cresting inside of me, making me shake, making my body clench around him, making my nipples pucker with need. The orgasm tore through me just as he slam
med into me one more time and I felt him release, a roar tearing from his throat and his nails biting into my skin as I tore at him. We screamed our release to the ceiling. He shuddered against me, rubbing my clit and making me squirm until another, slower orgasm rolled through my body. I pressed against him, holding him against me with my legs wrapped around him until the aftershocks subsided, letting me enjoy every toe curling one.
I dropped my head to his shoulder, clutching him to keep myself upright as my body calmed. I could feel the magic heavy and full in my body, as if I had stored up magic over the last few days rather than the last twelve hours or so. I felt a trickle of sweat roll down his back and onto my legs, still wrapped around him. My breath slowed and my heart found a regular beat. He lifted his hands from my hips and slid them around my waist, pressing me into a hug as he rested his cheek on top of my head.
I opened my eyes to stare past his arm into nothing, trying to marshal my thoughts. How had I gone from fleeing my bedroom to sitting on the counter with my legs wrapped around a man I didn’t remember bringing home? His name was on my lips, a memory that had fought its way through the drunken, lust-filled fog. I could see him above me, smiling down at me as I clutched the sheets in my fists. The memory made me tremble. He chuckled, feeling my tremble through his body still wedded to mine. He drew in a deep breath through his nose and sighed it out, reaching with his hands and stretching his whole body, pushing his hips into me. I closed my eyes, unable to resist enjoying the sensation. He was still almost completely hard inside of me; he had more stamina for a human than the stories gave them credit for.
“Good morning, then.” He smiled down at me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head before he stepped back, pulling out of me slowly. I realized my thighs were trembling and thought better of hopping off of the counter. I pressed my knees together, trying for some modesty, but, sitting naked on the counter in the slanting afternoon light, it was a feeble attempt at best.
“Afternoon, really,” I corrected. My voice was soft, almost shy, and I couldn’t manage to look him in the face just yet.
“Right,” he agreed, walking away to pick up the discarded boxers. He turned his back to me as he stepped into them; my eye was drawn to his round, full ass and the muscles lining his back. The tops of his legs were thick with muscles, long curving lines disappearing into his knees with none of that creepy hair most humans had. For a one night stand, I hadn’t done too badly. I glanced away quickly when he turned back around from picking up the shirt I had tossed. I expected him to pull it on, but instead he walked back to me and held it out for me.
“Thanks,” I whispered and quickly pulled it on, feeling better with the armor of cotton covering me. Not that it had been much help moments ago. It was strange feeling self-conscious, especially with a human around, but there it was.
“Coffee smells good,” he said, still standing in the middle of the kitchen.
“Oh, yeah,” I glanced up. “Please help yourself, mugs are in there.” I indicated the cabinet and slid off the counter slowly, landing lightly on my feet. I tried to be casual as I walked back down the hall and headed for the bathroom to clean myself up a little.
I stood in front of the mirror, clutching the sink for support while I tired to figure out just what the hell was going on. How did I raise magic with a human? I remembered the sparks igniting at my fingertips when I realized I wasn’t alone. That meant I had been calling up and storing magic the entire time I had been with him. I picked up my head and looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were still glowing faintly with power, dimming slowly as I calmed down. There was no question about it, we had raised power together. I tilted my head back to look at the ceiling and felt the skin on my shoulder tug uncomfortably around the bite mark.
“Son of a goblin,” I cursed, realizing the Hunter’s bite was having this strange effect on me. It was also probably the reason why I couldn’t remember bringing Daniel home with me last night. I grabbed a fresh pair of underwear before I came back out. Daniel was sitting at the small, round kitchen table with two cups of coffee before him
“Took a guess and added cream and sugar since you had it in the kitchen,” he said.
“Yeah, good,” I nodded, stepping into the kitchen and taking the chair across form him. I reached for the mug closest to me and held it between my hands, not because I was cold, just so I had something to do with my hands.
“Tare, you alright?” he asked, surprising me with the familiar nickname. I looked him in the face finally and realized there was a shadow of a bruise around his left eye, like it had been black days ago, but was on its way to fully healed. I wondered if I had something to do with it until I noticed his ears weren’t as smooth as they should be. I knew if I punched him in the ear, it would blossom like cauliflower. That made me glance at his hands and I saw that his knuckles were a little uneven, as if they were always just a little swollen.
“Are you a fighter?” I asked. He furrowed his brow at me, his mouth turning down in a frown for a moment.
“Yeah,” he said slowly, “I told you that.”
“Oh, right,” I looked down into my coffee, away from his questioning stare. “Guess I don’t remember much about last night.”
“What do you mean?”
“I had a lot to drink last night,” I said. “At the club, before we met.”
“Um,” he chuckled, but it sounded uncomfortable. “Yeah, I know that, luv. But we didn’t meet last night and you weren’t at the club last night.”
“Excuse me?” I looked up at him again, my face mirroring his in confusion.
“We met two nights ago,” he said, sitting up in his chair and leaning towards me.
“What?”
“Yeah, it’s been two days since we’ve been here.”
“That’s impossible.”
“I’m so glad I’ve made such an impression on you,” he said, but I could tell he was teasing me.
“The last thing I remember is walking out of the club and then waking up this morning,” I said, looking around the room as if the secrets of the last two days were hidden in the walls.
“Yeah, we met on your way home. These two trolls we’re giving you a hard time, I saw you, so I came to help you, then I offered you a ride home. When we got here, you offered me a drink to say thank you,” he explained it all and nothing sounded familiar to me.
“And that drink turned into two days?”
“Well, yeah,” he laughed, relaxing back into the chair. “We haven’t really been out of the room much.” That would explain why my thighs were trembling after one quickie on the counter.
“What the hell was in that liquor,” I said quietly, more to myself than to him.
“You weren’t drunk,” he said, sounding almost insulted, as if I had accused him of taking advantage.
“I didn’t seem drunk?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Not at all. Besides, even if you were drunk that first night, you wouldn’t still have been drunk yesterday or last night.” I felt my eyes go wide and my cheeks flame as I realized what he was saying and why the memories were flashing in my mind. We’d been on a two day sexcapade!
“I don’t understand.” I shook my head, causing my hair to swirl around my shoulders and face. “This just isn’t like me. I don’t pick up a guy off the street and keep him locked up in my apartment for two days having my way with him!”
“Well, I did rescue you,” he said, that endearing smirk curling over his lips.
“What?”
“Those trolls,” he said. “They were harassing you. By the time I got to you, one of ‘em had already picked you up and was walking off with you.” I tried to remember what he was talking about, but I hadn’t even remembered yesterday yet, let alone two nights ago.
“Elf magic doesn’t work well against trolls,” I said. “Their skin is too thick.”
“Yeah,” he nodded.
“So how did you managed to take on a troll? Or two for that matter? I mean, you
’re a human.”
“Trolls have weak knees,” he smirked, pausing to take a sip of his coffee before he explained. “All that weight they’re carrying around, their calves and knees are genetically flawed. One swift kick in the knee and they crumple like a soda can.”
“I’ll have to remember that.”
“So, I took out the bloke that didn’t have you, then I pulled a smash and grab with the other and we were on my bike in a flash.”
“Your bike?”
“Yeah, got me a nice Softail Classic.”
“A Harley? I rode a motorcycle?” He nodded again, sipping his coffee. “Damn, too bad I don’t remember.”
“You really don’t remember any of this?”
“Well, I’m getting flashes of things, but not much.”
“You remembered my name,” he said with a wink that made me smirk. I raised my coffee cup in a salute, inclining my head, and said, “Yes, I did.”
“If you weren’t bombed, what do you think it was?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it might be this,” I grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled, exposing the now quiet bite mark on my shoulder.
“I asked you about that, but you told me not to worry about it.”
“Strange,” I said, resettling my shirt. “It’s a Hunter’s bite. I was bitten at the club.”
“Oh,” he said, comprehension dawning on him. “You were at that club.” The club Roxy had taken me too didn’t have a name because it didn’t actually exist, at least not officially. If the human police knew about it they would’ve shut it down ages ago, everyone inside arrested and collared. So the owners tried to stay under the radar as much as possible, including having no sign and no name. It was like a supernatural speakeasy.
“Yeah, that club,” I sighed.
The Elfbitten Trilogy Page 7
