Black Dawn

by Rose Wulf

  He looked away and sat up, swinging his feet to the floor. “Your friends are coming.”

  “Oh.” Izzy flopped onto her back and from the corner of his eye he saw her chest rise and fall in a long, deep breath. “Damn.”

  His lips twitched with the urge to grin at their shared sentiments, but instead he turned an arched brow in her direction. She immediately flushed and he had to dig his stubs of nails into his palms to keep from falling on her. Instead he asked, “How’s your head?”

  Izzy blinked at him for a moment before propping herself up on her elbows and gently prodding around on her head. “Better,” she finally said at about the time the key hit the door.

  Darr nodded briefly and stood. “I’ll be outside if you need me.” He grabbed his shoes, doing his best to pretend he didn’t see her pout, and vanished as the door swung open.

  ****

  The remnants of a headache and soreness in her shoulder that Izzy had to deal with for most of the rest of the day were nothing compared to the tingling in her lips or the ache between her legs. And she wanted to confide in her two best friends, she really did, but she couldn’t. Not on this. Human-demon relationships were generally frowned upon in society and Britt already disliked him as it was. Besides, Izzy was pretty sure Darr wouldn’t want it gossiped about. The problem was that on her own Izzy didn’t know how to interpret that kiss.

  Does it even qualify as a ‘kiss’?

  It had been so sensually intense, and escalated so quickly, that Izzy felt like they’d practically started at third base. The very memory of his tongue sliding around her mouth, combined with the grinding surge of his hips over hers, or his hand on her butt was enough to send heat pooling low in her belly again. If he popped up in front of her and pinned her to the tree she was leaning against, or the grass she was sitting on, and tried to take her right there in view of everyone at the resort, she wouldn’t stop him. Hell, the idea was kind of exciting.

  Get a grip, girl. Really, whatever had possessed Darr to react to her like that, she knew in her gut it was a fluke. Maybe it was just a man’s ‘morning hormones’ combined with a terribly long dry spell. She often wondered—or worried, rather—that he spent many of the nights away with another woman while she slept, but the few times she’d prodded for information about what he did in reality hadn’t left her with any solid conclusions. To hear him tell it he stayed and simply stood guard in the house all night long. Every single night. All by himself.

  “Why aren’t you at the beach?”

  Izzy jumped a bit, realizing she’d been so lost in thought she hadn’t sensed his approach. How embarrassing. “Didn’t feel like it,” she replied on a sigh. Which was about as honest as she could be. She didn’t want to say she couldn’t stop thinking about their morning, let alone convince her body to get past it.

  “Are you feeling all right?” Darr knelt down at her side, the concern in his voice breaking her resolve and pulling her gaze to his.

  She could spend all day drowning in those ashen eyes.

  Swallowing heavily, Izzy nodded. “I am.” She fell silent and the moment became awkward. What should she say? Was he still thinking about their kiss? Did it even mean anything to him?

  The brush of his touch startled her back into the moment and she found he was sliding her sleeve back, apparently in order to study her shoulder. Still, the tips of his fingers grazed her bare skin and she fought not to let the shiver show.

  “Your shoulder looks good,” he said. His gaze lifted back to hers but his hand didn’t move. “So what’s on your mind?”

  Damn him for knowing her so well.

  Forcing a semi-smile, Izzy caught his wrist and brought his hand up to cup her cheek. He offered no resistance. “I was … thinking about this morning.” Not what she’d meant to say, but she’d always found it so hard to lie to him. And, really, how bad could acknowledging something that had happened be?

  Chapter Four

  “Why would you do that?”

  Izzy didn’t really know how to take that question. Was that better or worse than some expression of regret? “Why wouldn’t I?”

  Darr pulled his hand away and rested his knuckles on the grass. “You know why.”

  Was he serious? Izzy choked on a confused laugh and sat up properly. “No, actually. I really don’t.”

  This time he frowned as if he thought she was being deliberately oblivious. “Izzy, look at the facts. I’m a demon. I’m sworn to protect you from any and all harm, but otherwise we’re incompatible.”

  Her heart lodged in her throat, Izzy swallowed and shoved to her feet. “I refuse to accept that.” She spun on her heel, not wanting to see the frustration her response would surely generate. Not wanting him to see the tears she was fighting back. Now she wished she had gone down to the lakeshore with her friends. Playing in the sun and the cool water despite her once-raging headache would surely have been better than this.

  A strong hand latched onto her wrist as she started up the wooden steps to the cabin. “Izzy.”

  Closing her eyes and releasing a breath, Izzy forced herself to turn to face him. She owed it to him—and probably herself—to hear him out. Only he wasn’t interested in talking, apparently.

  Darr closed the distance between them with one large step, releasing her wrist in favor of sliding one hand behind her head and anchoring the other on her butt in order to lift her to his lips. Like earlier, his kiss was demanding. He took full possession of her mouth, sweeping his tongue inside and stroking hers in a rhythm that had her aching all over again.

  Izzy moaned and gave in to the kiss, shoving her confusion aside. This was what she wanted. His taste, his touch, his passion, she wanted all of it. So she looped her arms around his neck and locked her legs around his waist. Through the denim of her cutoffs and the denim of his black jeans she could feel his arousal. He was just as hard as he’d been that morning and that knowledge only made her want him more.

  Darr groaned and moved forward, and the next thing Izzy knew, they were toppling onto her bed. He rolled until she landed over his chest, a hand on her thigh keeping her legs around him. He released her butt and trailed that hand up her spine, sending delicious shivers through her body even as his hips bucked in time to another stroke of his masterful tongue. She rocked her own hips forward encouragingly, trying to catch his tongue with hers.

  She broke the kiss when his tongue slipped free of hers again, and she opted to trail her tongue along his jaw, enjoying the poorly-stifled moan that rose up in his chest. Licking and nipping until she reached his ear, Izzy whispered, “How about I show you how compatible we are?”

  His hips bucked a little harder in response and she took that as a good sign. With a teasing nip on his earlobe, Izzy sat up, still straddling him, and sought out his gaze. As soon as she found it, she lifted her shirt over her head, revealing the emerald bikini top she’d worn the day before.

  Darr growled almost possessively and his hands burned invisible trails up her sides until he’d found the tie to her top. One sharp tug released it and he tossed it away with one hand while capturing a breast in his other.

  Izzy moaned low and rocked into his touch, throwing her head back as he palmed her breast. He caught the other breast and synchronized his touch, squeezing and molding all while his hips continued to buck up beneath her. And God how she wished they could just unzip their respective jeans and take that final step, but her swimsuit bottoms would still be in the way. Not to mention whatever he might wear beneath his own pants. But his touch on her chest had set her aflame and she couldn’t be denied.

  Her hands dragged down his chest, earning low growls and groans, before landing on his belt buckle and quickly releasing it. When she tugged his zipper free, his hands receded and she had just enough time to wonder if he was chickening out before he flipped her over, coming to kneel behind her and hooking his fingers into her shorts.

  Izzy’s cheeks flushed as she realized what position he intended to take her
in, but she couldn’t deny the thrill of it. She’d never made love in this position and it seemed appropriate that he’d be the one to change that.

  Darr let the denim scrape her skin as he dragged it down—along with the bikini bottoms—until it was gone, tossed aside somewhere. The bed dipped when he returned and he guided her hips up with one hand. Another hand slipped between her thighs and urged them apart. When he was satisfied, he leaned over her, the hand on her hips sliding up to catch one of her breasts again and tug at her nipple.

  “There’s no going back from this, Izzy,” he warned, his delicious voice thick with need. Just the sound of it made her core pulse demandingly.

  “Take a deep breath, Darr,” she whispered, arcing her butt into him for emphasis. “I want this. I’m ready.” She gasped at the pinch on her nipple and nearly missed the mouth that latched onto her shoulder.

  He trailed wet, hungry kisses down her spine, his hands following at her sides until one of them dipped again between her thighs. And this time he went for gold, one finger slipping inside her as his thumb pressed on her nub. Izzy gasped loudly and rocked her hips, her body begging him to do that again. He inserted a second finger, plunging them deeper and adjusting the pressure on her nub. He flicked, repeated his previous motion, and Izzy cried out as pleasure erupted inside her.

  But Darr didn’t give her any time to recover, removing his hand and grabbing hold of her hips before surging into her center mid-climax.

  Izzy screamed as ecstasy erupted inside her, blurring her vision and making her weak for a long moment. She was aware of Darr moving, rocking, and shallowly thrusting behind her. Working her body back up to a state of desperation in record time.

  “Oh,” she moaned as he sank deeper again. Her hips reflexively rolled backward, into him, as her senses came back to her. “Mmm,” she hummed, her hands digging into the sheets beneath her.

  Darr leaned over her again, releasing one hip in order to balance his weight while he continued pumping into her. “Let me hear you,” he rumbled, his lips somewhere over her spine near the nape of her neck. He emphasized his command by driving in deeper.

  Izzy made another sound somewhere between gasp and moan and ground her butt into his pelvis, her body desperate to take him deeper. “Harder,” she begged breathlessly. “Please.”

  He trailed his tongue down her spine until he was sitting up behind her again, reclaimed her hips, and surged home with more force than ever before. And when Izzy cried out in pleasure, he did it again.

  She could feel her second orgasm coming and her breathing doubled. “Darr!”

  He growled, reached around her, and did something indecipherable to her clit at the same time as he thrust into her. White light exploded behind her eyes and Izzy distantly heard her own voice crying out as her body rocked with the force of her orgasm.

  ****

  Darr held Izzy close as she slept, her body needing to restore its energy after three explosive orgasms in a row. His own demonic heart was still beating wildly in his chest. He hadn’t anticipated his own reaction, let alone hers. One minute he’d been concerned that her injuries were causing her pain and the next minute he was kissing her again. He barely even remembered what they’d said to each other in between. But he did remember that her obvious distractedness had been because of him and the morning they’d shared.

  A morning that didn’t come close to comparing to their afternoon. It was like something had snapped inside him, and when she’d wrapped her legs around his hips, their fate was sealed. He needed to have her, naked and writhing beneath him, and nothing was going to stop him. The only problem was, now that he had a taste of her he doubted he’d be able to contain himself in the future. He’d be aching for her again in an hour he was sure.

  He was so distracted he nearly missed the sounds of Britt and the others approaching the cabin. Shit.

  Carefully easing out of Izzy’s arms, Darr melded with the shadows around him to quickly pull his clothes on. He’d just finished adjusting the comforter around her shoulders—her clothes conveniently hidden by the comforter as well—when the cabin door swung open.

  “Feeling better…” Britt said as she led the way inside.

  Britt and Letty stopped just inside the cabin, the other two opting to wait out on the porch.

  Darr held a finger to his lips and gestured toward the door. They took his lead, stepped out, and he stopped in the doorway.

  “Is she okay?” Letty asked quietly.

  Darr nodded. “She’s just tired. She didn’t sleep well last night.”

  “We’re going to grab dinner,” Britt said. “Won’t she want to eat?”

  Probably. Swallowing his sigh, Darr said, “I’ll wake her. She’ll be out in a couple of minutes if she’s up for it.” Which he was sure she would be, but he chose to embrace his reputation of being overprotective in order to further his little lie. Because the last rumor he wanted to spread about the woman he protected was that she was also sleeping with a demon. As if she doesn’t have a big enough target on her back.

  Closing the cabin door, Darr turned and made his way back to the bed. He could sense Izzy was already stirring.

  He knelt by the bed and brushed some red wisps from her face, whispering, “Time to get up.”

  Izzy groaned and stretched, flopping onto her back and arching in the process. The comforter barley covered her rosy nipples and his dick throbbed. But this time he fought the urge and instead held his position, waiting for her to wake up fully.

  “Darr? What is it?” Her voice was sleepy, but he could tell her memory was functioning by the adorable pink flush on her cheeks. She rolled back onto her side, facing him, and tugged the comforter up just a bit.

  “Your friends wanted to know if you were planning on joining them for dinner,” he replied. Jerking a thumb to the door, he added, “They’re outside.”

  Her eyes went wide and her head snapped toward the lone digital clock beside Letty’s bed. “Oh my God!” She scrambled up, not pausing until she noticed her clothes beside her. Looking back to him, she asked, “What’re these doing here?”

  He couldn’t stop the grin. “I didn’t think you wanted your friends to know what we did this afternoon. If I was wrong, I’m happy to correct that.” There were all sorts of fun ways he could make her friends squirm, really. Not that he disliked them, he just didn’t feel like sharing Izzy’s company at the moment. Not now that he’d gotten such a good taste of her.

  Lifting the top to her swimsuit, Izzy chucked it at his head. “You will do no such thing!” She scrambled from the bed, shirt and shorts in one hand, and moved toward her borrowed dresser.

  Darr lifted the swim top and grinned. “Thanks for the memento.”

  Izzy paused, fresh pair of panties in hand, and looked back at him. And then she groaned. “Wow, I never pegged you for being such a guy.”

  As she rushed through dressing for a public appearance Darr stood. “You thought I was what, then? A robot?”

  “No, of course not,” Izzy replied as she zipped up her shorts. “I just … I don’t know, I didn’t figure you were the trophy type.”

  Darr stepped into her space and spun her around before she could tug her shirt over her head. With a hand at the small of her back and another tangled in her hair he pulled her close and, their noses touching, he said, “In case you’ve forgotten, Izzy, I am a demon. I may know how to play civilized, but I’m a violent ass at heart.”

  The smile she offered him destroyed his argument easier than a sword might destroy wet paper. “Sure you are, Mr. Bad-Ass.” She pressed her lips to his and slipped from his grip. “But you’re lying to one of us I’m afraid.”

  He snorted and tossed her swimsuit top to the bed. “Sure I am. You know I’ll be trailing you tonight.”

  “You trail me every night,” Izzy returned, tearing a quick brush through her hair. It made the usual god-awful ripping sound and he cringed as she winced.

  “Slower,” he instructed on reflex,
moving up behind her.

  “Kinda in a hurry,” Izzy returned. One more horrid rip later she set the brush back down and grinned up at him. “Besides, I’m done. Now remember, Britt wants you out of her line of sight.”

  With an incline of his head, Darr replied, “I remember.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and stepped into a late-afternoon shadow obligingly.

  ****

  Izzy tossed the blankets aside as she startled awake sometime that night. Her heart was still racing wildly in her chest and she rested a hand over it as if the motion would settle her pulse. Or her breathing.

  Darr…

  He was often the focus of her dreams, it was true, but this one had been different. In this one she’d been blatantly manipulating his tie to her to keep him in her bed. And it wasn’t until they’d gotten in a nasty fight and he’d declared that he wished she would just kill herself then, that Izzy had finally been jarred awake. What does that mean?

  Earlier that very day, after years of silently yearning for him, they’d finally been intimate. And the reality of his prowess in the bedroom obliterated all her favorite fantasies. She wanted to be on cloud nine—proverbially, of course—but her heart hesitated. What if her dream was telling her something? What if her dream was trying to tell her that Darr was—or would come to be—seeing their affair as her abuse of their bond?

  What if she got so desperate someday that she really did threaten to kill herself to keep him with her?

  No. She couldn’t imagine herself doing that, let alone doing that to him. She’d have released him from their bond years ago if it was within her power. But maybe he didn’t really know that. Should I tell him my feelings? Or would her saying that come off as manipulation somehow?

  Or, worse … what if Darr was the one manipulating her?

  Her throat constricted at the thought and she struggled to take a deep breath. No, surely that wasn’t it. That seemed as inconceivable as her deliberate manipulation of him. But still … the very fact that these thoughts existed in her mind somewhere had to be a sign of something. Perhaps she’d been right before about resisting a relationship with him. Or perhaps it just needed to be talked about.