by Jill Knowles
“I’ll stay in town until those creeps have been taken before a grand jury and I’ve finished my story. Or series of stories, most likely.” He flashed her a smile. “I’d better make sure and reserve my hotel room indefinitely. I have a feeling rooms are going to be at a premium here pretty soon.”
I’m going to keep this man for as long as he’ll let me. “Or, you could give up your hotel room and move in with me.” She took a deep breath. “Make Keily, and my house, your permanent home base.”
Dax’s hand tensed, clenching almost painfully on hers. “I’d like that.” He paused, then continued, “But before we can make any plans, you need to see me. All of me.”
“I know. I’m ready.” She was confident that she could handle anything. She loved him, and that gave her all the courage she needed.
Dax drove on autopilot, his mind seething with hope and anxiety. If Maggie couldn’t accept him in his true form, he would be devastated. And -- maybe -- a bit relieved. Other than his parents, no one in his family had much luck with love. If she could accept all of him, would their relationship work out? They’d only known each other for just over a week. Granted, it had been an exceptionally busy week, but still. He glanced over at her. Her eyes were closed, and she was biting her lip. Dirt smudged one cheek, and she was in dire need of a toothbrush and mouthwash to tame the lingering scent of day-old garlic. He couldn’t imagine his life without her.
I have to try. If he walked away from her without knowing, he knew he’d regret it for the rest of his life.
* * * * *
When they arrived at the house just before noon, Maggie was stunned to see Julie’s car parked in the driveway. Wordlessly, she handed Dax her house key and nodded toward the front door. He gave her a questioning look, then shrugged, winced, and got out of the Jeep.
Maggie steeled herself for another ugly confrontation and walked to the other woman’s car.
Julie got out of her car, standing beside it as Maggie approached. The two women stared awkwardly at each other for a long moment, then Julie blurted, “Charlie got a job at Mountain View Elementary School in Bend. We’re moving right away.”
Relief made Maggie’s knees weak. “Congratulations. I hope it works out for you.” It was a cop-out, she knew, but Maggie was glad that she and Julie would get some distance, and maybe some perspective on their crumbling friendship. She didn’t think it would happen. Sometimes there just wasn’t a happy ending.
“I’m sorry,” Julie said.
“Me, too.” They stared some more. Maggie couldn’t stand it, and gave the other woman a quick, clumsy hug, gratified when Julie returned it. “Good luck.”
Julie winked at her, and for a moment, the years fell away and they were back in high school. “You, too. He’s cute.” Then her expression sobered and the illusion fell away. “I should go. I need to pack.” She got into her car and started it, hastily backing it out onto the street.
Maggie watched as Julie drove away, wondering if they’d ever be friends again.
* * * * *
Dax sat on the couch, a cat on each side of him. He wanted a hot bath, a nap, and for Maggie not to not rip his heart out and stomp on it when it was time for his show and tell. Crank looked up at him and made a funny rurnk noise. He scritched the tortoiseshell under the chin. Rusty, the orange marmalade tabby, had her eyes squeezed closed and was purring hard enough to shake her whole body.
Outside, a car started. A few seconds later, Maggie came inside. She picked Rusty up and sat down beside Dax, settling the cat in her lap. “I have a proposal for you.”
“I’m listening,” he said, sternly telling his heart to stop leaping at words like “proposal.”
“Let’s each take a quick shower and then have a long nap. We can talk when we’re both rested and coherent.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, he said, “That sounds fabulous.” He let her pull him to his feet and lead him toward the bathroom. “Do you have some shorts and a shirt I could wear? I don’t have anything with me.”
She studied him, assessing. “Your hips are narrower than mine, so my stuff will be too big.” Brightening, she said, “Wait a minute. I have a pair of spandex biking tights that should work. They’re too small for me.” She ducked into the bedroom. He leaned against the doorjamb, watching as she rummaged in the bottom drawer of her dresser. “Ha. Here they are.” She pulled a pair of dark blue spandex shorts out. “Now for a shirt.” She searched some more, and finally decided on a plain black t-shirt with the collar and sleeves torn out. She stood, groaning as she rubbed the small of her back. “Do you want the shower first?”
“Nah, go ahead.”
“Such a gentleman.” She handed him the clothes and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Chapter Eighteen
Dax awakened to the feeling of being watched. He opened his eyes and smiled at Maggie, who leaned forward and gave him a gentle, affectionate kiss on the cheek.
He brushed his thumb over her jaw. “Thanks.” Stretching, he raised his hands over his head and arched his back until his vertebra popped. As he relaxed, he noticed that she was staring at him, eyes glazed. He toyed with the idea of pouncing on her and kissing her senseless, but decided against it. Now was not the time to get sidetracked by lust. “Food first, or show and tell?” He hoped she’d choose the latter. The ants skittering around in his belly made the thought of food unpleasant. She’d seen him briefly before, and accepted him, even teased him about his “foofy” tail, but he was still terrified. My track record for unconditional acceptance really sucks.
“I’m not hungry.” She stroked his chest, pausing to tug on a nipple ring. “Well, not for food, anyway.”
“Thank the powers,” he said, breath whooshing out of him in relief.
Maggie scooted up in the bed until she was sitting up against the headboard. Resisting the temptation to sit beside her and pull her into his arms, he mirrored her position, but at the other end of the bed. She gave him a quizzical look, but didn’t say anything, just moved her leg until her toes were touching his calf.
“I guess I need to give you some history, first. I’ve only had one other serious relationship in my life. It was also with a human woman. My kind doesn’t do well in relationships with other demons.” He shrugged his good shoulder. “We’re a territorial people. My parents are the only people I know who’ve made it work, and even they’ve had their ups and downs.”
She nudged his calf with her toe, a silent message of understanding.
“I met Gina in a speakeasy my father owned in Reno, during Prohibition.” Guilt and regret welled up in his throat, threatening to choke him. Dax swallowed, pushing the emotions away. “She was so beautiful. She was the most sought-after prostitute in the place. I was managing the bar, and we started spending time together after my shift. I loved her.”
Maggie blinked and looked surprised for a moment, but made a “continue” motion rather than interrupting. He searched her face, but found no disapproval, just concern for him.
“I was prepared to spend the rest of my life with her.” He shook his head at his own folly. “I was young and in love, and rejection never occurred to me.” It had been the farthest thing from his mind on that horrible evening. “Oh, I wasn’t completely naïve. I knew she’d be upset, maybe even frightened at first, but I was sure that she’d still want to be with me.”
“She didn’t,” Maggie said, the words a statement rather than a question.
“No.” A short bark of laughter escaped him with the word. “No, she didn’t handle things well. She started to scream, and it triggered a nervous breakdown.”
“Damn,” Maggie whispered.
“Yeah. After she recovered, I tried to see her, but she’d start screaming every time she saw me.”
“I’m sorry.”
He gave her a bittersweet smile. “Looking back, I realize that I didn’t know her at all. I only saw the surface, and had no idea that there was anything deeper.” He’d l
earned that particular lesson quite well. And he’d never trusted his judgment about women again. “Since then, I’ve just had a long series of short term, casual relationships.”
Maggie caressed his leg again. “Show me, Dax. I’m not afraid.”
He swung his legs off the edge of the bed and stood up. The clothes he wore weren’t optimal for what he needed to do, so he said, “Do you mind if I borrow your robe?” Maybe it was silly, but he didn’t want to be naked when he transformed.
“Anything you need.”
Please mean that, he thought. He padded to the bathroom and stripped off his clothes. Pulling on the claret-colored satin robe, Maggie’s scent surrounded him. After a brief moment to savor being wrapped in her fragrance, he went back to the bedroom, stopping in front of her. “Ready?”
At her nod, he shifted into his true form.
The actual moment of change was subtle, but the results were anything but. Dax still looked like Dax, but he was clearly not human. Now that she had the leisure to really look at him, she realized just how inhuman he was.
His skin was a beautiful, silvery blue-gray, like polished marble. His muscles, long, lean, and well delineated, made him look like a living statue. Tiny, perfect horns grew out of his forehead, peeking from beneath his bangs. They were no larger than the end of her index finger and looked like they were made of obsidian. His eyes were solid, deep blue, with slit pupils, like a snake’s. The tips of his sharp canines were just visible behind his top lip. When he licked his lips, his tongue was nearly the same color as the thigh-length robe he was wearing, and she remembered how it had felt when he’d kissed her last night.
Movement caught her eye. She looked down, seeing the tail that curled around his left leg, the twitching fluffy tip betraying Dax’s agitation.
“I’m, um, larger in this form. And a bit differently shaped.”
Her gaze flicked up to his face and her heart ached for him when she saw how nervous he was. Gina really did a number on you, didn’t she, Dax? She repeated her earlier words. “Show me.”
Fingers tipped with sharp black talons untied the robe and pushed it off his arms. Dax let it fall to the floor and stood in front of her, naked. Her first concern was the ugly black bruise that covered his left shoulder, the reddened marks where the bear’s fangs had torn his skin, and the newer purple-red bruise from his fall. “Oh, jeez, I forgot about your shoulder.” Standing, she started toward him.
“Maggie.” His voice was full of fond exasperation. “My shoulder will be fine. And this is definitely not the time to render aid.”
“Sorry.” She sat back down and couldn’t resist teasing him. “Where were we?”
As it had the first time she’d seen his body, the sight of his wide shoulders and nicely muscled chest with dark, pierced nipples made arousal thrum low and hot through her veins. .
“Oh, my,” she murmured when she saw his erect penis. It was, well, big. She was guessing he was about ten inches long, and as big around as her wrist. As she examined him, it seemed to grow even longer. A thick vein spiraled up from his groin, circling his shaft several times, and finally stopping just beneath the flared head. Heat surged between her legs, soaking her panties. She trailed her gaze back up him like a caress, until she could see his face. “My demon.”
The tension leached from his muscles at her soft words, and he smiled at her. “My treasure.”
“You’re beautiful, Dax. May I touch you?”
“Please do.”
She stood and walked over to the hamper, pulling off her shirt as she did so. “Sit down on the edge of the bed.” Her shorts and panties came off next, and joined the rest of her laundry. Padding back to her waiting lover, she stopped in front of him. “Scoot back a bit more.” She motioned to him until his thighs were fully supported by the mattress, his cock jutting up from between them like an obscene exclamation point. Wanting to disabuse him of any lingering doubts, she straddled his thighs and sat down in his lap, trapping his shaft between their bellies. Before he could do more than blink, her mouth was on his. She savored the kiss, exploring his mouth with leisurely strokes. He let her take the lead, opening to her with a quiet sound of surrender. Breaking the kiss, she sucked on his lower lip for a moment and sat back a bit.
Sitting on his lap, she was at eye level with his forehead. Maggie caressed his face with her palm, trailing her fingertips up over his heated skin until they were resting just below his right horn. “May I?”
His nod pressed the horn against her skin. She ran the tip of her index finger over it, surprised that it was warmer than his skin. How interesting. The horn didn’t just look like obsidian, it felt like the smooth stone, as well. The top was rounded, not sharp, as she’d expected. Entranced, she stroked it, rubbing her finger over the tip.
“Powers, Maggie,” Dax moaned.
An imp of mischief creeping into her, she pressed a kiss to the tip of the horn, then parted her lips and licked it.
A strangled cry left his mouth, and his cock jerked against her.
“You like, that, huh?”
“Yes,” he bit out.
“Hm.” She licked him again, then covered the hard peak with her mouth and sucked, swirling her tongue around it. His body tensed beneath her, quivering. Kissing her way across his forehead, she claimed the other horn with a teasing lick and a quick suckle. Remembering a hot spot, she slid her hand around his back, and down, finding the place where his tail joined with his spine. She massaged the area around the base of his tail, making the tufted tip twitch violently.
He groaned, collapsing back on the bed.
Maggie rode him down, giggling. She shifted off of him and rested her head on his belly, contemplating his penis. “I don’t think I can get my mouth around it.”
He gave a full body twitch. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“Nope.” She took his shaft in her hand, running her thumb across the flushed mushroom head, spreading pre-come over it. Curious, she raised her hand to her mouth and licked his fluid from her skin. The flavor exploded onto her tongue, reminiscent of cloves and cardamom. “Spicy. I like it.”
“It likes you.”
Laughter erupted from her at his words. “Question. Can you get me pregnant or give me any diseases?”
“Nope. We’re two different species, so pregnancy is out, and my Incubus half protects me from any and all STD’s.”
“Good. I love you, Dax, and I want this humongous cock inside me.” She contemplated it for a bit, then added, “And that’s gonna take some preparation.” She moved up the bed until she was lying with her head on the pillow. “Any suggestions?”
“Weeelll.” He dragged the word out as he moved between her legs. “I could suck your pussy, then fuck you with my tongue.”
Her pupils dilated, and the scent of her arousal deepened, but her voice was steady and matter-of-fact when she said, “That should work. Carry on.”
He grinned and slid his hands under her knees, pushing them up and back. “Hold yourself open for me.”
“If that will make things easier.” With a put-upon sigh, she wrapped her arms around her legs, exposing her swollen cunt to his gaze.
Maggie’s pussy was flushed dusky rose with her excitement, and her come glistened, beckoning him. He pressed his face between her legs, drawing her labia into his mouth and sucking roughly. She moaned at the abrupt contact. Dax laved her pussy lips, drunk on the taste of musk and apples. Seeking more of that incredible flavor, he pushed his tongue inside her, letting it extend fully.
“Oh, jeez. Oh, Dax.” She bucked against him, pulling her legs higher.
He extended and retracted his tongue several times, fucking her with it, but concentrating on the hot satin of her vaginal tissue. There it was -- that place where the muscles had a slightly rougher texture. With his hands on her ass holding her in place, he pulled back until just the tip of his tongue was licking over her sweet spot, making her writhe and squirm beneath him. He tormented her there for a long w
hile, keeping her on the edge of climax, not giving her quite enough pressure to push her over the precipice. She shuddered beneath him, twisting and fighting to force him to give her what she needed. When his face was slick with her sweet fluids, he moved his left hand just enough to catch her clit between his thumb and index finger, pinching her overheated bud as he pushed his tongue into her as deep as he could.
Maggie screamed, her entire body clenching as the climax swept over her. He pulled his tongue out of her and crawled up until he was crouched over her. She released her legs, letting them fall to the mattress, limp. “Bastard,” she panted, pulling his head down so she could kiss him.
He chuckled against her lips.
She pushed on his good shoulder, urging him over onto his back. Straddling him, she positioned his cock at her entrance. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated on relaxing her muscles and sank down onto him, impaling herself on his enormous shaft. “So full.”
“Slowly,” he said through clenched teeth.
“No shit.” She eased down further, until she’d sheathed him completely.
“Maggie, sweet Maggie, you’re so tight. So hot, like fucking a fist of honey.”
She rocked, getting used to the extreme fullness. A flex of her thighs raised her up, and she moaned as the vein surrounding his shaft bumped against her sweet spot. She relaxed, sinking back down on him, then repeated her actions, until she was riding him. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist and rolled them over until he was on top.
