Branded by Lust: 4 (Night Seekers)

by Holt, Desiree

  “You’re right. Personally I don’t want to confront this beast in the dark until we can corner it like we’ve done before. Meanwhile, I don’t know about you but I froze my ass off out there today.”

  “Whew!” Rebecca let out a breath. “I’m glad I’m not the only one. I feel like an icicle.”

  “At least we managed to get the word out to some of the most logical people.” He swallowed the rest of his coffee, stood up and reached out a hand to Rebecca. “I’ll call Rance later and see how everyone else did and if Ben Crater reported in. But first on our list is a hot shower.”

  Rebecca rose to her feet, Logan’s palm warm against her chilled fingers. “I vote for that. Um, is that a solo activity?”

  He grinned. “You know the saying. Save water, shower with a friend.” He took her empty mug and carried it with his into the kitchen. Then he was back leading her to his bedroom. “I’ll turn on the water, let it get heated.”

  They undressed together. Rebecca stared at Logan’s cock, rigid and thick and swollen. The head was dark purple and a tiny bead of fluid sat directly on the slit. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from it.

  “How do you manage to get so hard in the freezing cold?”

  Logan chuckled and pulled her against him. “It’s not freezing now. And in a minute we’ll be a lot warmer.”

  He tugged her into the bathroom and into the steam-filled shower. This morning she’d noticed the enormous size of the shower and the multiple showerheads, all spraying a delicious mist. Logan turned her to face him, brought his own face closer to hers and licked her lips with his hot tongue.

  The shivers that skated down her spine had nothing to do with the hot water and everything to do with the hot man. She opened her mouth and welcomed his tongue, sliding her own over his. Dancing with it. Dueling with it.

  His hands sloped down over her shoulders and her arms then met at her breasts, cupping them in his palms. His thumbs brushed over her hardened nipples, sending shards of lightning streaking to her cunt.

  She tried to grip Logan’s shoulders, the skin slick with water and slippery beneath her hands. His tongue and hands were driving her crazy with need. When he broke the kiss she had to draw in a huge gulp of air to steady herself.

  Logan uncapped the bottle of shower gel, squirted some into a palm and worked it into a rich lather. With a strong sure touch he spread it liberally over her body, paying particular attention to her breasts, her thighs and her throbbing pussy. She moaned softly as he pinched her nipples. When she arched to give him better access he chuckled. A rusty sound. And when his fingers found her labia and stroked them with a gentle slide she tried to lift her hips and push herself down on his touch.

  But those busy fingers gave her no chance. They stroked and petted, paying special attention to her clit. Streaks of heat flashed through her body, which was not at all cooled by the water. Instead the more he stroked the lather over her the hotter she got.

  “Turn around,” he growled softly, his hands manipulating her body.

  When she complied he lifted her arms and pressed her hands against the tile then went to work on her back. He began at her ankles, nudging her legs apart so he could caress the backs of her knees and her thighs. When he reached her pussy his finger skated slowly upward into the heat of her cunt, twisting to get the best friction.

  Rebecca heard a whimpering sound when he moved those fingers into the hot crevice of her ass and she realized the sounds were coming from her. She wiggled her hips when he circled the tight ring of her anus, the tip of his finger just barely pushing inside. But even in the fog of lust that surrounded her she realized how selfish she was. She was the one doing the taking in this relationship—or whatever you called it—and Logan was doing all the giving.

  With supreme effort she turned around, brushed Logan’s hands away and wrapped her fingers around his thick cock. Prodding him with her other hand, she urged his body around so the mist poured directly onto his cock and balls, washing away the soap. Then, opening her mouth, she took him inside, letting his shaft glide over her lips. He filled her mouth, leaving her little room to maneuver, but she managed to trace the thick vein around it with the tip of her tongue.

  He tasted of male musk and the outdoors and traces of the rainwater-scented gel. Logan leaned back against one wall of the shower, groaning as she slipped one hand beneath his thighs to cup his balls. She kneaded them with her fingers as she continued to suck hard on his cock.

  Logan rocked his hips back and forth, his shaft sliding in deeper each time. She squeezed the root lightly with her fingers, feeling the vein pulsing beneath her thumb. He invaded every one of her senses, his scent, his taste, the sound of his groans, the rigid feel of him in her mouth, the sight of him, body rigid, fists clenched as he rode the wave of pleasure she brought him. His cock swelled even more, crowding her mouth, and she tilted her head back to take him deeper.

  Then, without warning, he jerked himself from her mouth and dragged her to her feet.

  Rebecca looked at him, startled. “What—”

  ”You have the sweetest, most talented mouth in the world. Just feeling your lips and your tongue on my dick drives me out of my mind.” He cupped her face. “Which is why I pulled out. I’m too close to the edge. We have to catch you up a little.”

  “But—”

  But I like tasting you. Sucking you. Something I usually refuse to do with men I’ve dated. None of them had the same appeal to me as you do.

  “But nothing, sugar. Just relax and enjoy it.”

  He lifted her so she stood on the tile bench built along one wall and lifted one leg so it rested on his shoulder.

  “Just hang on tight, sugar,” he rasped. “We’re going for a fast ride.”

  He spread the lips of her pussy wide and licked the length of it, once, twice, three times. Rebecca shuddered, bracing herself with the palms of her hands against the shower wall. Logan swirled his tongue around her clit before dragging it down to her opening and thrusting it inside. He licked and tasted and lapped, touching every sensitive nerve.

  Deep inside her the coil of heat began to unwind, surging everywhere, muscles flexing and pulsing. She shivered with delicious anticipation, while the shower continued to envelop her in a fine mist. Tiny sobs bubbled up from her throat as she reached for the elusive peak of satisfaction. But Logan kept her just teetering on the edge, almost there but never quite there.

  Then suddenly he wasn’t there anymore. She blinked her eyes open and saw him turning off the shower.

  “Logan?”

  “Hush.” He kissed her lightly, the brush of a butterfly’s wings. “I want this next part in a comfortable bed.”

  He dried her with a huge towel then blotted himself dry. Rebecca sensed him vibrating with the same tension gripping her. She wanted to tell him to hurry up but before she could he lifted her and carried her into the bedroom, laying her gently on the bed. She reached out her hands for him but he brushed them away and crawled up between her legs. Bending her knees, he pressed them outward so she was completely exposed to him. His eyes darkened, desire dancing in them like flames.

  “I could look at you forever.” His voice was deep but uneven, a sign that his control was shredding.

  Rebecca arched to him eagerly. She wanted his hot shaft inside her now, but Logan continued to tease her with his hands and his mouth, all the while murmuring every erotic thing he planned to do to her.

  Then at last—at last—he pulled a condom from the nightstand and rolled it on with hands that shook just slightly. For one brief moment Rebecca wondered how many other women he’d had in this bed. How many condoms he kept stashed for easy use. Then she couldn’t think anymore because Logan slid his hands beneath the cheeks of her ass and lifted her to his mouth.

  Rebecca groaned again—wanting his cock inside her, filling her—but god, that wicked tongue set her on fire. He licked every inch of her pussy lips and nibbled on her clit. She was shaking with need, her pulse pounding.
Her hands grasped for any part of his body she could reach, her nails scraping on his sweat-slicked skin.

  “Please,” she begged. “Please, Logan. Don’t make me wait any longer.”

  When he raised his head, a hoarse laugh rumbling deep in his throat, his lips were shiny with her juices.

  “You got it, darlin’.”

  He placed the head of his cock at her opening and with his eyes focused directly on hers he plunged deep inside her.

  Yes! Yes, yes, yes!

  Rebecca wrapped her legs around him, squeezing him with her thighs.

  When he held completely still she wanted to scream at him to move. To pound into her, give her the release hovering just out of reach.

  He bent his head and ran his tongue over her lips, leaving a trace of her taste carried from his mouth to hers. Then, finally he moved, but so slowly it was erotic agony. In, out, keeping to a measured pace, pushing her to her limit then easing back.

  But the muscles in his neck were corded and she knew he was reaching the very limit of his control. She thrust her hips at him, pressing into the small of his back with her heels and lifting herself right into him. She knew the moment his control broke. His hips moved harder and faster, his thick shaft pounding into her again and again, his body angled so the head dragged over her sweet spot.

  Her heart was racing so fast Rebecca could barely breathe.

  Now, now, now, she chanted in her head, eyes closed as she silently urged Logan to take her over the top.

  And then she was there, the orgasm breaking over her and shattering her like fragile crystal. Logan was right with her, his cock pulsing inside her stretched vagina, her muscles clamping down tight on him as they spasmed over and over. She was weightless, falling through space with crystal lights flaring behind her closed eyes. As her body went lax the harsh sound of her breathing mingled with Logan’s, cutting into the sudden silence in the room.

  Finally Logan rolled to his side, his cock still buried deep in her cunt. He stroked her damp hair back from her face and dusted kisses over her cheeks, her nose and her mouth. Then he gently eased from her body and off the bed.

  Smiling down at her, he said, “I think we need another shower.”

  * * * * *

  Ben Crater paced restlessly in front of his fireplace, facts and feelings churning together in his gut like marbles tumbling in a cage. Today was unsettling to say the least. If he closed his eyes he could still see the creature in the barn, fiery red eyes glowing from its horrific body. He was sure he stopped breathing until the beast turned and ran off. And somehow vanished into thin air.

  After Rebecca Black and Logan Tanner had left, assuring him he wasn’t hallucinating, he’d booted up his computer and googled the Chupacabra on the internet. What he found terrified him as much as seeing the creature itself. He separated the really far-out stuff and the articles that were obviously fiction but what he was left with made him sweat.

  Logan Tanner had actually seen the creature. Stood next to the dead body. Only to have another one show up hundreds of miles away. Ben had been through some bad shit in Afghanistan and Iraq but today he’d found out what real terror was. He was doubly glad he’d bought the Remington 7600 pump action 30-06 rifle. He had hunting in mind when he made the purchase, but since the episode earlier today he kept it by his side. He’d certainly made sure he had it strapped to his snowmobile when he went out searching that afternoon.

  “Keep it handy,” Logan Tanner had told him.

  Amen to that.

  He’d covered miles today and hadn’t even found a trace of the beast, or a snow cave where it might be hiding.

  But that wasn’t the only thing making his spine tingle. The moment he touched Tanner’s hand his nerves went on high alert. It wasn’t just the contact that sent him a signal. It was the faint trace of scent that caught him, a scent he was familiar with because it was also his own. A scent he’d learned how to disguise out of necessity. But he caught the very faint trace of it with Logan.

  Was it possible that the man was actually a shifter? Maybe a wolf like he was?

  Ben sat back in his chair and raked his fingers through his hair.

  Holy shit. What was happening to his dream of hiding away in a quiet place in Montana?

  He powered down the computer and went to refill his coffee mug. In the morning he’d report to Sheriff Danvers’ office and begin the hunt again.

  * * * * *

  Jade Robinson parked her car in the garage, walked into her house and dropped her purse and her keys on the kitchen counter. It was almost eight o’clock. She hadn’t meant to stay so long but having dinner with her friend Claire was always a treat. And she hadn’t been doing much in the way of relaxation lately.

  Certainly Logan’s warning hadn’t done anything to ease her nerves, and she couldn’t seem to get it out of her head. She wished he’d been more explicit about what kind of danger she was in. She’d left lights on when she headed out for dinner, not wanting to come home to a dark house. But even with that she had an inexplicable jittery feeling.

  He’s just being an old woman about this. That’s all.

  It wasn’t as if she was totally isolated, for heaven’s sake. She might be the very last house on her street but she did have neighbors. Okay, so maybe the houses were much farther apart here and her nearest neighbor was a mile away. Still, there were places more isolated than hers.

  And she did have an alarm system. Which she reset as soon as she parked her car and entered the house.

  She also went to fetch her shotgun, a Mossberg 500 that her father used to hunt with. It had long-range capabilities and bullets that packed a punch as they blasted from the three-inch chambers. Jade was more than capable of handling it. Whether the “danger” came from an animal or a human, Jade was fully prepared to protect herself. Still, she went around checking all the doors and windows and turned on all of the outside lights.

  Fixing herself a cup of tea, she curled up on the couch and tried to watch television. But after jumping at every little noise she went upstairs to her bedroom, taking the shotgun with her. Maybe tomorrow she’d call Logan and get more details out of him.

  Another chance to talk to him. Maybe get him away from that little bitch hanging on to him. Or maybe not.

  Whatever he was talking about she could more than handle. She’d hunted with her father for years and was no novice with wild animals. She and her Mossberg had bagged many a kill. She’d be fine. No worries.

  * * * * *

  There was nothing less tempting for Logan and Rebecca than getting dressed and going out into Overlook.

  “Where’s the best place to pick up gossip?” Rebecca asked.

  “Bar in Overlook called The Thirty Aught Six.”

  She lifted an eyebrow.

  Logan grinned. “Named for the kind of bullets Dan Chizeck uses when he hunts. A 7.82 mm cartridge.”

  Rebecca chuckled. “I guess it’s as good a name as any. Do they serve food?”

  “Most local bars do,” he told her. “Why?”

  “I think we should go there and hang out. Maybe pick up some gossip.”

  Logan reached for her. “I think we should hang out in this nice big bed.”

  “I think we should hang out in the bar in Overlook,” Rebecca said. She laughed and batted at his hands. “Come on. We can get dinner there and maybe slip in a few questions.”

  He rolled himself on top of her. “Persuade me.” He licked her lower lip. “Or at least promise me I’ll get a reward.”

  “I think you’re turning into a sex addict.”

  “Then it’s your duty to help me get over it. By giving me as much as I want.”

  She pushed at him. “Yeah right. But if you drive us into Overlook I will sufficiently reward you when we get back.”

  “I’ll hold you to it.” He nipped her lip. “And a lot more.”

  Rebecca was sure it was close to freezing—maybe even below that—when she and Logan left and climbed into his
big truck.

  “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all,” she teased.

  Logan laughed. “Should we go back inside and warm up?”

  She rubbed his thigh. “Later. Work first. Then I can promise you plenty of heat.”

  “And by the way, just in case you were wondering, I’m well prepared if we run into the beast. I have a Mossberg 935 Magnum Autoloader. It will stop an elephant. And if we need the helicopter like we have the last few times, Ric will have one in the bird with him.”

  “Doesn’t it scare you,” she asked, “that we need such firepower to destroy the devil beast?”

  “What scares me more is we never seem to run out of them.”

  They were each lost in their own thoughts as they entered Overlook. The Thirty Aught Six was located just off the main street. A square building set off by itself. Rebecca noted that the parking lot was full.

  “Is this kind of crowd normal for a cold night in the middle of the week?”

  “This place stays busy all the time,” Logan told her. “And it’s the best place to pick up gossip. Come on.” He went around and opened her door for her. “There should be some nice little tidbits floating around.”

  The place was as crowded as Rebecca expected. Mostly men with a dozen women scattered around the crowded bar. Peanut shells covered the floor and lanterns cast a soft glow over the room. A couple was just leaving a table in a back corner and Logan immediately claimed ownership of it. They had barely removed their jackets when an older waitress came over with her order pad in hand and a big grin on her face.

  “Lordy, Logan. I wasn’t sure we’d ever see you here again.”

  He smiled at her. “Can’t keep a bad penny from turning up.”

  “If all the bad pennies were like you I’d start collecting them.” She looked at Rebecca. ”This your lady friend?”

  “Rebecca and I work for the same company right now.”

  “That still a big secret, whatever took you away from the ranch?”

  “We playing Twenty Questions, Lil, or are we gonna get something to eat before we starve to death? Not very good customer relations.”