by Hart, Shauna
It had to be the drug.
The club’s house wine had more than an exotic flavor. It also contained an aphrodisiac. It enabled the club’s owners a measure of crowd control.
“You don’t know what you’re saying.”
Her eyes opened and her gaze met his. “You’ve been here before. I’ve seen you.”
If his heart was still beating, it surely would have stopped in that instant. She couldn’t have seen him. Could she? His kind were used to living in the shadows, had done it for thousands of years.
Had he truly been that careless?
Had his obsession with her made him forget all of the rules ingrained in him?
He pulled her hands away from his face. But before he could back away, she reached up and pressed her lips against his. For a moment, he was too stunned to move. But then, he felt her tongue stroke his lower lip. He let out a low growl as he gave in to the temptation clawing at him. Taking control of the kiss, his tongue drove into her mouth. It traced her lips, her teeth, the hollow of her mouth before drawing her own out to play. His hands framed her face, his fingers memorizing her cheekbones, the line of her jaw.
She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen in all his years, and for this moment she was his. She pulled him on top of her, his hips settling between her legs. Her nipples hardened against his chest, and her legs wrapped around his waist as she let out a low moan.
Her heat seemed to burn through the icy layer of his skin. He wanted nothing more than to plunge into that warmth, to feel it surround him. For a moment, he indulged and let himself enjoy the way she writhed against him. He allowed her breath to fill the hollow shell of his body.
After the life he led, he resigned himself to hell long ago. But nothing could be closer to heaven than the ecstasy of holding her in his arms. Her heart beat rhythmically against his chest. She was pure hot fire, and in this moment she was burning for him.
His hands slid under her dress, feeling the smooth skin of her legs. One hand slid up her abdomen to cup her breast, his thumb teasing her nipple through the fabric of her dress.
“I’ve wanted this for so long,” she murmured the words against his mouth.
He rose up on his elbows, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at her. She couldn’t know what she was saying. He rolled away, his eyes squeezing shut as the harsh realization ripped through him.
What the hell was he doing?
If Tarquin knew, he would surely kill Alec for this.
And he would have every right to do it.
Alec leaned back on the bed, willing the strong desire to stop.
Before he could move away, she rubbed her body along his as she settled on top of him. Her hands framed his face as she pressed her lips against his. His hands curled in the bed sheets in an attempt to refrain from grabbing her, from holding her to him. He felt her tongue stroke the line of his lips. He struggled for a control he wasn’t sure he possessed.
For so long, he had watched her, wanted her, and now she was here in his arms. It was the worst kind of torture. He allowed his hands the luxury of gripping her hips as she writhed against him.
He shouldn’t be doing this.
He shouldn’t even be touching her.
He flipped her on the bed reversing their positions to put him on top. He was about to put an end to this when her soft voice stopped him with a single word.
“Please.”
Her heavy lidded gaze met his.
“It’s not safe,” he explained in a voice that sounded husky to his own ears.
She placed a tender kiss on his mouth. “I have protection in my purse.”
He frowned at her statement. Just what had she thought would happen tonight? Had she been expecting to meet someone at the club? Expecting to sleep with them?
The thought filled him with a jealous rage he had no right to feel. Just thinking of her with anyone else made his fangs extend. Luckily, the darkness of the room hid his terrible secret.
“I want to be with you,” she whispered.
Everything in his body seemed to come to life at the sound of her voice.
Deep down he knew she couldn’t possibly know what she was asking for. The drugs had surely let loose her inhibitions. But knowing that didn’t stop him from pretending for just a few minutes the words were true.
She tried to pull him down into a kiss, but he pulled away. He closed his eyes willing his fangs to retract, willing himself to regain control of the situation. When he felt his fangs retreat, he eased the straps of her dress and bra down in one fluid movement. The creamy skin of her breast was slowly revealed to him.
All he could think of was one single word.
Perfect.
He leaned down to tease her nipple with his tongue. Her moan erased the silence of the room as his tongue circled the taut bud before gently pulling it into his mouth. She reached for the front of his pants, but he caught her hand and pulled it high over her head. He eased the other straps down baring the silky skin to his view.
“You are so beautiful,” he said.
He hadn’t meant for the words to come out, but in this moment everything seemed too intense to hold back. He felt alive. And more than anything he wanted to slide her dress up her thighs and make love to her.
But he couldn’t.
As strong as the desire was, he wouldn’t do that to her. His sense of duty and honor wouldn’t let him. She thought she was making love to a man. If she knew the truth…
She released a low whimper as she continued to move beneath him. His hand slid up her thigh, raising the material of her dress to pool around her hips.
He had to stop this.
It wasn’t right.
But if he could do nothing else tonight, at least he could give her this.
His fingers teased her inner thigh before coming to the juncture between her legs. When his hand covered her mound, she released a low moan. He could feel her arousal through the thin scrap of fabric that separated them. Unable to stop himself, he slid his hand inside her lace panties.
God, she was wet.
His fingers teased the folds of her pussy before gently pushing inside. Now, it was his turn to groan when he felt how warm and tight she was. He ached to pull his pants open and drive his straining cock into that heat. His finger drove into her, feeling her inner muscles grip him. He added a second finger, and her hips lifted to grind against his hand.
He could hear her breathing become labored as his tongue continued to devour her nipples. Her hand slid down to cover his hand as his fingers moved inside of her. His cock pushed against the front of his pants. He lifted his head as he felt his fangs lengthen. He felt her pussy clamp down on his fingers as she cried out, her hand driving his further inside of her.
He listened to her heartbeat begin to steady as her body went limp beneath him. Reluctantly, he pulled his hand from her body, raising his head to look at her. Her eyes were closed as she released even breaths. Sleep had claimed the beauty beneath him as surely as he’d claimed her a few moments ago.
He knew in that instant as he stared down at the most beautiful face he had ever seen that he was truly damned.
Chapter 5
Sunlight seemed to burn Kat’s retinas, making her groan. Pain sliced through her head. She rolled over to press her face into the pillow. After a few minutes, she gathered enough strength to try again.
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and she took a deep breath. She didn’t remember much about the night before. It seemed to be a blur of fragmented images.
But one thing stood out.
A pair of silver eyes that seemed to be burned into her memory. Silver eyes that could see through every façade she created. The same eyes she had seen in her dreams.
It’s impossible.
Isn’t it?
Propping herself up against the headboard, she let the comforter fall away from her body. With a frown, she realized that she was only wearing a pair of black lace panties.
W
eird.
She didn’t remember undressing when she got home. In fact, she couldn’t remember how she got home at all. Scooting down a little, she let her head fall back against the wood. Sifting through the blurry memories, she searched to find the last thing that happened.
She remembered speaking to the owner of the club. Then, the erotic scene with the blond man whose stare made her uneasy. The next thing she remembered was…drinking the house wine.
Was it drugged?
It had to be.
It was the only thing that explained her sudden memory loss.
Her legs rubbed together causing the sheets to tangle. A delicious heat began to develop between her legs, and she squeezed her eyes shut. The ache inside of her wasn’t as intense as it normally was.
She had dreamed of him again.
The man with the silver eyes.
He had haunted her for years making her yearn for something that could never be. But the dream she had last night seemed different. More intense. Almost as if he’d actually been right there with her.
With a shake of her head, her ebony hair fell in waves around her shoulders. She was a real piece of work…In love with a dream man who didn’t exist.
A glance in the mirror over the sink proved that thinking about her dream man had created the usual response. Her pupils were dilated with longing; her nipples peaked through the black lace of her bra.
God, she was hopeless.
Hooking her thumbs in the waistband of her panties, she slid them over her hips and down her legs. Leaning down, she turned the water in the shower on with a flick of her wrist. Turning back to stare at herself in the mirror, she began to run her hands over her skin. She tested the fullness of her breasts.
A vision of her dream man’s dark head as he bent to take her nipple into his mouth assaulted her. She surrendered to the fantasy, letting her hand travel lower until her fingers slipped into the soft down between her thighs. An image of her hand covering his as he pleasured her made her moan.
Ripping back the shower curtain, she stepped into the claw foot tub. The hot water rushed over her skin. The dreams were a blessing and a curse. A blessing because they were the only moments when she felt truly alive. And a curse because none of it, not even her dream man was real.
Grabbing her loofah, she lathered it up with bath gel. She ran it over her body applying a liberal amount of soap. After hanging it up on the rack, she ran her hands over her skin. Her hands cupped her breasts, her fingers tweaking her nipples. She leaned back against the cool tile of the stall.
The image of her dream man hovered in the fringes of her sub-conscious. One hand drifted over her abdomen to settle between her thighs. Her fingers teased the tender folds of her pussy. One finger eased between them feeling the soft, slick center of her. Her head fell back against the shower wall as her finger penetrated.
Envisioning him arching over her, into her, her finger retracted to spread the evidence of her arousal. She drove a second finger into her pussy, her other hand cupping her breast. Her hips began to move of their own volition as her fingers continued to drive in and retreat in a slow rhythm.
She ached to have his cock replace her fingers, to have him drive into her body until they were both replete with satisfaction. Releasing a moan, the climax ripped through her causing her pussy to contract around her fingers. Slowly, her hand retreated from her heated core, her arms wrapping around herself.
If only he was real…
Chapter 6
Later, Kat sat at her desk, a mug of coffee in her hand. She scanned the latest missing person’s reports. She didn’t remember much about the girl from the club last night. In fact, the entire night was pretty hazy. The only things she did remember was the name Alyssa. She was hoping that if she saw a picture it might jog her memory.
But after a half an hour of staring at photos of missing girls, she was no closer to finding out what happened than when she started. Either the girl from last night was perfectly fine and Kat was overreacting, or Alyssa hadn’t been reported missing yet.
Either way, she was positive the house wine was drugged. If only she could get a sample and have it tested…
Taking a sip from her mug, she pulled her legs up against her chest; her feet perched on the seat of her chair. Rubbing her forehead, she clutched the mug tight. She was pretty sure any trace of the drug would have disappeared from her system by now.
If only she could remember something…anything.
There was only one thing she could do. She had to find a way to get back into that club. She needed to find out more about the girl she saw. Alyssa. If she could find something that tied the club to the disappearances, she could start pitching the story to the local paper.
First, she had to try to get a sample of that wine to find out what was in it.
Throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, she pulled her hair into a loose ponytail. Slipping on her sandals, she stepped out into the hallway. She spotted Mina coming out of her apartment at the bottom of the stairs.
“Mina,” she called out as she hurried down the steps.
Mina glanced up, her long straight black hair sliding over her shoulder, before locking the door.
“I wanted to talk to you about last night,” Kat began.
Mina shrugged. “What about it? You took off with some guy. It’s cool.”
Kat’s eyes narrowed as she shook her head. “No, I couldn’t have,” she murmured more to herself than to Mina.
Casting a sideways glance, Mina arched an eyebrow. “Uh huh, sure.”
When Mina started to walk away, Kat grabbed her arm. “Wait! You saw me with someone?”
Mina jerked her arm out of Kat’s hold. “Look, what you do is your business, not mine.”
All of the color drained from Kat’s face as she realized that this was definitely not a joke. “What did he look like?” she demanded. The words came out of her mouth in a stunted, hollow tone.
When Mina started to walk away, Kat’s finger clenched painfully on the girl’s arm.
“Ouch!” Mina yelped as she yanked her arm away.
“Sorry,” she replied. “Please just tell me what he looked like.”
Mina rolled her eyes as she let out a disgruntled sigh. “I don’t know. 6’3”, dark brown hair, broodingly sexy. Since you left with him, I figured you were into it.”
Kat looked away, her heart jumping painfully in her throat as she leaned against the wall for support.
Mina angled her head to the side. “Hey, are you okay? You look like you’re gonna faint or something.”
Kat slumped onto the bottom step. “I don’t remember anything after you gave me that glass of wine.” Her head fell into her hands. She assumed that last night was just a dream.
But obviously that wasn’t true. Had she really taken someone home with her?
“Is this some sort of date rape thing?” Mina asked.
Kat shook her head. “No…maybe…I don’t know,” she muttered.
Although what little Kat did remember of the night could definitely not be termed as rape in any way. In fact, it was just the opposite.
With a heavy sigh, Mina sank down on the step next to her. “What is the last thing you remember?”
Kat drew in a deep breath. “I remember going to the club. And you brought me a glass of the house wine. Then, everything got blurry.”
“You asked me to go to the club. If you’re trying to pin something on me…”
Before she could get up, Kat latched onto her. “I’m not. But something happened, Mina!”
Something.
What, she didn’t know.
Everything was just so blurry. Well, not exactly blurry. She did have some glossed over images of what happened. Actually, they were pretty erotic images. Images of her dream man with his mouth on her breast and his hand…
She had to find out who he was.
“You have to take me to the club tonight,” Kat explained.
Mina threw up her
hands. “Oh, no! I think we’ve both had more than enough!”
She grabbed Mina’s arm, trying her best not to let her fear harden her grip. “I have to know what happened.”
“What makes you think that going back there will help?”
“Maybe something will trigger my memory,” Kat replied, her gaze pleading.
Mina pursed her lips. “Maybe things will just get worse and you’ll freak out.”
Kat couldn’t deny that it was a very real possibility. But one way or another she was going to find out what happened last night.
“Please Mina, I promise I won’t freak out. But I need to know.”
Mina rolled her eyes. “I just know that I’m going to regret this.”
****
Later that night as Kat stood in front of the mirror in a form fitting black dress that floated around her thighs, she did her best to shake off the unsettling feeling which had settled in her chest since her talk with Mina. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she ran her fingers through her long, wavy hair.
What happened last night?
Ever since her conversation with Mina, she felt like she was a million puzzle pieces that couldn’t be put back together. All day she did her best to remember what happened, but all she saw when she closed her eyes was her dream man. She remembered kissing him, remembered him touching her. She remembered practically begging him to make love to her. Then, everything became a dark haze.
What worried her most right now was the fact that the man she went home with was a stranger.
He could be anybody.
Was it possible that her mind conjured images of her dream man to save her from the brutal truth?
Or were the dreams real?
Chapter 7
While on the way to her destination, Kat spotted Mina leading a group of people along the sidewalk. Curious, she stood at the back of the crowd as Mina took position in the front. Wearing a long black Victorian coat that came down to her ankles, Mina tossed her hair over her shoulder.
“Well, even though we are nearly at the end of our journey together, I have definitely saved the best for last,” she said, her tone low and sinister.
