by Jaye Shields
Em moaned as if his words had set her body on fire. She writhed against his tongue like she’d been waiting for his touch for years. His hands massaged her thighs. Reza knew this would help relax her into climax as his tongue worked her sweet bud. The view from between her legs was spectacular. Her dress was bunched up around her stomach, but Em’s hands had nervously gone to her chest and were squeezing her breasts as if it were the only thing she could do to contain her sanity.
As he lapped at her tender folds, he wondered how long he’d be able to control his own sanity. The angel moaning before him was enough to render him a madman. A madman who’d found treasure. Reza covered her core with his mouth, humming against her skin. She immediately came against his lips, and he trembled as he savored the taste of her. Gods help the person who tried to keep him from his treasure.
Chapter 4
As the warmth of sunlight reached out to caress Emmerie’s cheeks, she stirred, waking in a cozy nest of blankets. Sitting up in bed, daylight welcomed her as a new woman. What a great dream. A pain in her cheeks made Emmerie realize she had a giant smile plastered on her face. Ever since she’d met Reza, the stranger from the woods, she’d either been too pissed or too pleasure-driven to be depressed. As a matter of fact, the sensation to go skipping through the woods shot through her, and Emmerie giggled with a lightness that had long escaped her. Leaping out of bed, she tripped over her feet. The sight of the spoon lying on the ground sent shockwaves through her body. Fear stilled the blood in her veins. Please, please, please… Emmerie silently begged for the scenario to be just a dream. But the spoon spoke otherwise.
A knock sounded on her front door. Oh God. She took tiny steps through the house to the front door. Lennox wouldn’t be back for a week’s time. The sinking feeling that reality waited on the other side caused her to waver on her feet. A sledgehammer of a hangover hit her over the head as she arrived at the door. Her hand rested on the doorknob when another gentle knock caused the door to vibrate under her grip. Flipping the lock, she turned the handle, her stomach twisting into painful knots as the door opened under the force of her sweaty palm.
“Good morning, sweet. I brought you a gift.”
In the daylight, Reza’s eyes were calm amber gemstones, but his dark hair still jutted against his pale skin, making him seem as dark, and forbidden as ever. His arms were long ropes of muscle bringing forward a picnic basket full of food, drink, and a present wrapped in bright blue paper.
“Reminded me of your eyes.” He smiled from her doorstep and her knees nearly gave out. “You should have told me that Kat woman owned the gift shop here. She was quite riled upon my purchase of the paper.”
Gift. The only gift she wanted right now was a basket to puke in. Reza stepped forward, but she was too stunned to move away from her death grip on the door frame. She was sure if she let go, she’d collapse.
His voice was low and sensual, but his eyes smiled with compassion as they drilled into hers. “You didn’t seem to hold your drink well last night, so I brought some picnic items that might help you feel better.” His hand covered hers on the door frame and only a feather could’ve fit between their bodies. She tilted her head to look up at him. “May I come in? I think I should come in. I promise, no frisky business. Why don’t you change and we’ll take a walk to the lake at the clearing.”
Em slowly backed away, nodding to herself. His words became a mantra. No frisky business. No frisky business. Tell that to her lady parts which had turned to liquid flame as soon as he smiled at her.
She returned to her room, slowly pulling on a long, baby blue dress. It was the first thing she found and took zero effort to put on, a must since her fingers were trembling. When she returned to the front door, she found Reza had only taken one step inside.
“You look stunning.” He held a crooked arm out for her, but the last thing she wanted to do was feel his curved bicep against her skin. When she didn’t embrace his gesture, he reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a soft loaf of bread and tore off a small piece for her. He chuckled. “This is baked in my home village. I swear it cures the worst hangovers.”
She stepped outside and the wind kicked up, swirling the demon’s masculine scent all around her. Coupled with the warm, yeasty scent of the baked goods he brought, she was overwhelmed with two kinds of hunger. She avoided his gaze by turning to lock the door, happy that he wouldn’t be able to read her reaction to his presence. Her fingers trembled as she worked the keys.
“Can I help you with that?” His low rasp held a trace of amusement.
“Nope, I got it.” After locking the door, she took the bread from him. But when she put it to her lips, she felt suddenly erotic knowing he was watching her eat. She cast a glance up at him, and indeed, his gaze was locked on tight.
“Do you mind?”
“I love the fire in you. You know it only stirs the beast in me?” He smiled wider, and his dark hair and amber gaze made him look like a tiger of a man, capable of pouncing at any moment. His tall, muscular body walked beside her, an unavoidable and commanding sensual presence. He’d been right when he called himself a sinner; he looked as if he was crafted to do very naughty things. “You’re blushing. I promise the bread isn’t an aphrodisiac.”
Em halted in her tracks. God, she was so damn gullible. For all she knew, he’d drugged her the night before.
“Nope, it’s all you, baby.”
She glared at him, but all he did was smile in response. God. The man smiled all the damn time.
“Does that gaze full of daggers mean you’re having regrets about last night?” He winked, as if the fool already knew the answer, but didn’t care.
They arrived at the clearing and Reza reached into the basket hanging on his well-formed forearm. A picnic basket had never looked so awkward, or so thrilling. A bright yellow linen floated in the wind just before he laid it upon the ground and motioned for her to sit.
The lake looked perfect. Looking at it, calmness washed over her, and Em sat upon the yellow cloth with a subtle smile tugging at her cheeks. She tried to contain it so the brute wouldn’t be encouraged, but she couldn’t help it.
“I have a confession.” His words were a low, sensual promise, and Em was positive she didn’t want to hear what came next. “I watched you that night at the lake.”
Her cheeks became flustered with heat. The man had watched her undress. “How dare you!”
“Shameless sex demon.” He didn’t seem to have a care about the outraged expression she’d directed at him. “If it makes you feel better, I realized that night that you’re my lifemate.”
Her jaw dropped, but she forced it back in position to grit a response at him. “That does not make me feel better.”
“Just a simple night spent floating in the icy lake left such a smile of serenity and pleasure on your face. I realized then, that no other smile could do for the rest of my life. Yours is the only one I want to see. The most basic, raw things inspire happiness in you, and I love that. I want to bring that same unbridled expression of pleasure to your face every single night.”
“You’re a sex demon. Do you really have to use these lines on women?”
For the first time, the smile left his handsome face. His bright amber gaze twisted with flecks of brown like ash mixed with fire. He ran a hand through his hair and she caught his jaw lock into place. He wanted to say something, but was holding back. He’d said everything, what could he possibly not want to say?
“I know I may just seem like a sex-obsessed ass, but there is more to being an incubus than you understand. As a sex demon, I need sex to survive.”
She laughed.
“No, it’s true. If we don’t reach climax often, our health declines, we wither away. We can die from the withdrawal.” His serious expression made Emmerie believe that he’d seen it happen before.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
A chuckle was his first response. “I sneak into your home in the middle of night and pleasure a marrie
d woman. And you’re the one apologizing?”
Heat crawled up her neck and she bunched her fists. “You’re right. I rescind my apology.”
Almost as soon as the words escaped, he leaned over the picnic basket, his lips silencing her. His tongue tasted her, but she bit down, almost hard enough to draw blood.
“And here I thought you had plans to be a gentleman.”
“I’m a sex demon, not a saint.” His voice was dangerously low, and Emmerie wondered why she didn’t bring her dagger. He may have brought her the most earth-shattering climax of her life the night before, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. Actually, he was the most dangerous man she’d ever met.
“Well, be respectful.”
“I am being respectful. I just proposed marriage to you for hellplane sake!”
“What?” If she wasn’t already sitting, the words would have knocked her on her butt.
“I just professed my love and called you my lifemate.”
“I’m married, and you professed no such thing!”
Reza looked into the distance and something like a growl escaped his throat. “I just told you I want to make love to you for the rest of my life and that I never want to see anything else for the rest of eternity besides your smile.”
“No, you told me that sex demons need frequent intercourse to survive. And obviously you like the taste of forbidden fruit!”
“I’ll admit that I like the way you taste, Emmerie.” Reza’s voice was a dangerous warning. “But I am not a desperate man.”
“Oh, how grand. We’re not even together and you’re already threatening to leave me. I’m quite familiar with your popularity with the ladies. I’ve witnessed as much when you were on your back in a town alley during the young hours of morning. Now leave me alone. I’ll picnic by myself, thank you.” She glared daggers at him since she didn’t actually have any steel to threaten him with.
“I apologize if I’m not as poetic as the blacksmith. But I meant every word that I said. I’ll wither away before I have another. There’s a fire burning within you, and if you don’t set it free, it’ll set your skin aflame from the inside. You were meant for me. When you realize it, you’ll find me in town waiting for you.”
Soft lips kissed her cheek. As he departed, the scent of warm skin and spicy clove hung in the air. The man smelled just as exotic and delicious as he looked, but he’d left her shaken and confused.
Her stomach growled. Even through the sickness, she was still hungry. Reaching into the picnic basket, her hand encountered the bright blue wrapping paper. The gift. Curiosity drew her fingertips like a magnet and she ripped away the wrapping. Her fingers found smooth blown glass and her breath caught. A note peeked from the inside of the small, rectangular box. Throw away the spoon. If you dare.
The beautiful clear instrument was entwined with streams of turquoise circling the blown-glass shaft. She blushed, but excitement coursed through her. To own something so naughty was a thrill that sent a shiver down her spine. What would it be like to be with a man who only seemed to think about her pleasure all the time? Reza was dark and dangerous and unpredictable.
But the most startling thing of all was that with Reza, she was either so mad or so hot for him, that her depression went into hiding. The man she’d known for only a couple days looked deep into her soul and saw her for what she truly was. Even if his said “love profession” wasn’t true, Emmerie couldn’t help but feel tempted to leap off the cliff into sensual bliss with Reza. And in the process, she might even find herself.
Chapter 5
Emmerie had to get out of town. Pulling on her white cloak, she whistled for her brother’s dapple gray stallion. In the Aerion realm, the plane where she lived, all horses were supposed to live free. The name Aerion itself was said to be named after a horse of the gods. Since she was human, she didn’t believe in those myths, but liked the laws of her realm all the same.
Soon the stunning storm-cloud colored creature came barreling toward her through the forest. Smiling, Em leapt onto the horse gracefully and rode off in the direction of her husband’s destination. She had to tell him of her actions. Lennox deserved better. After she confessed, he would want to dissolve their marriage, and she would feel better for it. He was a good man, but she could not be his wife when she barely knew herself.
The sound of her steed’s hooves on the ground was thunder across the landscape. Tears leaked down her cheeks, whether from the wind of speed or shame of her own actions, she wasn’t sure. She was a fool to want to be free of such a perfect man.
By the time she reached the village, a whole day’s ride, Emmerie was exhausted, both mentally and physically. She gripped the stallion’s mane as the cobblestone streets of the small town greeted her. The sunset cast an orange hue on the tiny bricks as the local inn came into view. She heaved a breath, calming the nerves crawling over her skin.
Pulling back the hood of her cloak, Em entered the establishment. The warmth of the pub on the bottom floor of the inn welcomed her, as did several unsavory glances. The air around her was thick with the scent of whiskymead, a fermented mixture of exotic wheats, leaving her nearly intoxicated by the odor. A large fire crackled in the corner of the room, its vibrant color instantly reminding her of Reza’s mesmerizing stare. Crowded around the fire were several hulking patrons with colossal mugs of mead. Doing her best not to acknowledge the ruffians, Emmerie approached the bar counter.
“Have you seen Lennox Aegros? He’s a blacksmith that’s been in town.”
The bartender chewed on the gigantic smoke in his mouth, but didn’t speak, only shook his head. Negative.
Suddenly, all the eyes on her back seemed unavoidable and overwhelming. Her skin crawled at the attention directed on her. Thank God for her cloak, for she felt naked under the scrutiny of all the men in the place. Emmerie turned and walked as fast as she could from the establishment.
As soon as the door shut behind her, an unfamiliar voice came from behind. “Haven’t seen you around these parts.”
“I’m departing.” Instead of looking back at the man, she stepped forward to flee. Strong arms caught her by the shoulder and pulled her back. Emmerie parted her lips to scream, but a grotesque fist closed over her mouth, effectively smothering her cry. His acrid stench of whiskymead and sweat overwhelmed her, seeping into her pores and crawling over her skin. The brute hauled her into the alley while she flailed against his gigantic form. Her legs dangled off the ground, fear shooting through her body like a thousand needles stabbing her skin.
“Just my luck to find a traveling whore.” The whisper was a sickening promise and bile escaped her throat into the man’s palm. “Ugh, you bitch!”
He let go for just an instant and she dropped to the ground. Emmerie pulled the tiny dagger from inside the folds of her cloak and lashed out. It connected with flesh, but she didn’t take the time to find out where. She tried to flee. Emmerie stumbled to the ground as her attacker’s strong grip wrapped around her ankle like an iron shackle. He jerked her back toward him and slapped her in the face. The force was a rock, shattering her cheek into hot shards of pain, an explosion of agony that she’d never felt before. Desperate, angry fingers clawed at her cloak and Emmerie sobbed.
A high-pitched shriek bellowed in the darkening alley, and Em recognized the whinny of her brother’s horse. She turned around just in time to see the gallant steed rear up and bring its hooves down on her attacker with the force of a falling boulder. The beast of a man yelped from the pain and released his hold on her. Emmerie jumped to her feet, her tears continuing to flow as she climbed onto the horse. Immediately, her noble stallion sprang forward and tore through the town the way they came. Homeward bound.
* * * *
When Emmerie never showed up the next day, Reza decided to hell with waiting, he’d go to her. He’d botched the whole love profession thing and made it sound more like sexual bondage than anything else.
Her house on the edge of town was dark. He
walked to the lake but she was nowhere in sight. Concern sent goose bumps down his skin and Reza realized he’d never been so scared in his life. Where was she? She wasn’t in town. She wasn’t in the forest. He’d die before he lost her. If she’d run, he’d find her. He’d go to the ends of the earth, withering away alone if that’s what it meant. His heart ached. He could have no other.
As he neared her house once more, the ground shook. The thunder of an approaching horse caught his attention. Through the morning sunrise he caught sight of a dapple steed, but didn’t see a rider, only a long, dirty, white cloak. Emmerie. Reza raced toward the horse with his heart in his throat. Emmerie was a collapsed mass of blonde hair and floating white fabric. He wondered how she was even holding onto the white stallion bounding toward him.
“Emmerie!” He was at her side in an instant and wrapped his arms around her sunken form, pulling her from the steed against his chest.
“You’re really warm.” Her words escaped in a pained rasp.
His fingers found her chin and tilted her head back. The hood of her cloak fell back and revealed a pale, bruised face. Her full lips were chapped and a deathly shade of white. “What the hell happened?” The pain in his own voice vibrated down to his core.
“You’re so warm.” The words were weakly muttered as she nestled deeper into his chest.
Reza realized she was shaking and quickly took her toward the house. Locks be damned. Cradling her against his chest, Reza kicked open the front door and marched into the dark home. He made his way into the room where he’d once pleasured her and laid her gently on the comforter. He left to get her water, but she cried out.
“Reza.” The sound of his name on her lips nearly brought him to his knees. He returned to her side and pushed the blonde hair off her face.
“I’m here.” He knelt beside Em. Her porcelain skin was marred by a large purple bruise. To see his sweet angel in such a way caused violent poison to make its way through his body. His fists clenched and he fought to keep them still. He stored his restless, violent energy away and instead ran his hands through her hair in a gentle massage. “What can I do for you, my love?”
