“I’ll be there in twenty.”
Chapter Seventeen
If she lived to be a hundred years old, Maya didn’t think she’d ever top the sight of Ronin flying onto the roof of the club, his wings flapping masterfully as he landed. Large, white, and full, they looked exactly how she imagined an angel’s wings would. One quick shrug of his shoulders and they were gone, as if they’d never been there at all.
“Way to be inconspicuous,” Taeg said.
“I kept to the shadows. Besides, you know how most people are. If anyone saw anything, they’d probably think it was just stress.”
Taeg grunted. “Or too much alcohol.”
Ronin stepped over to where the unconscious demon lay on the ground. The back of his shirt sported two ragged rips where the wings had apparently torn through. He gave the demon a quick glance and then looked back and forth between her and Taeg. A grin tugged the corners of his mouth up. “Gave you some trouble, did he?”
“I could handle him fine,” Taeg snapped.
Okay, apparently he was irked that she’d helped him. But what had he thought she’d do—stand by and scream like a girl while he fought the demon to the death? That wasn’t her. He should know that by now.
“I’ll take care of the demon,” Ronin said.
“Thanks, bro.” Taeg knelt and rolled the demon onto his side, and yanked the dagger out of his stomach. The demon twitched and let out a soft yell before going silent. He wiped the bloody knife on the demon’s clothes, then re-sheathed it. Then he repeated the action with the dagger she’d rammed into the demon’s back. Standing, he handed the now-clean weapon back to her. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
He strode toward her and grabbed her hand.
“But your stomach—”
“It’s fine. Already healed up.”
She had time to do no more than lift the corner of his shirt to confirm the bleeding had stopped before he tugged her forward with an impatient frown on his face.
“I want to get out of here before patrons start heading up to check things out,” he said. “I have a feeling attendance will die down rapidly if demons start figuring out they aren’t safe from the Council’s reach here.”
Considering they’d raced through the entire packed club to apprehend the fugitive, Maya thought it might be a little late for that particular worry, but she didn’t argue as she followed him.
They passed Vinnie on the way down the stairs. He examined Taeg. “Get him?”
“Yeah,” Taeg said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Thanks to you.”
Vinnie cocked a brow. “You’re lucky I was doing the rounds when he tried to escape. Next time try to keep it out of the club, though. We don’t want to sketch our patrons out.”
“I hear you, man. And I appreciate it.”
With those words, Taeg continued forward, keeping a tight grip on her hand. They made it outside and into the car before he spoke again. “So that was your first bust. What did you think?”
She grinned at him. “It was fun.”
His lips twitched. “I thought you’d say that. If it weren’t so dangerous, I’d hire you on as my assistant.”
Maya gave him a dirty look and he laughed. “That’s right, I forgot. You’d probably want me to be the assistant, wouldn’t you?”
Joker. She shook her head, staring out the window.
“Seriously, slayer,” he continued in a soft tone. “You did good back there. Even if you do have a hard time listening to directions.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t bother to hide the smile that crept to her face. Praise felt nice. Especially by him.
Taeg’s right hand reached out to take hers. “Listen, it’s been a long day, and tomorrow I need to make that trip to Faelan. Let’s go back to the apartment and get some rest. I’ll be nice and let you have the bed again.”
The thought of sleeping in his bed made her pulse race. Because tonight she didn’t want to be in it alone.
Oh Jesus.
Now that all traces of alcohol had cleared her system, she was more nervous than she’d ever been in her life. It was one thing to dream about doing naughty things with a demon, but to actually do them? And he was so experienced, while she... wasn’t.
Maya closed her eyes and rested her head on the seat. She concentrated on taking deep, even breaths. It would be okay. No big deal. People did these kinds of things all the time. Some with demons, though most of them probably didn’t realize it.
“You okay?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she whispered. Just nervous. And excited.
When the car came to a rolling stop in front of Taeg’s apartment building, he got out and walked around the car. After opening her door, he held his hand out to her. Maya took it and rose to her feet. Her legs gave a mortifying wobble. She was so nervous. How was she going to make it through this night?
“You sure you’re okay, sweetheart?”
She gave him a weak nod, trying not to let her embarrassment show. He led her to the front of the building, unlocking the door and holding it open for her.
With each rhythmic clunk of her boots on the steps, her heart pumped faster and louder. By the time he unlocked the front door and moved aside for her to pass, she was a bundle of raw nerves, ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
“Maya.” Taeg closed and locked the door before turning back to her with a frown on his face. “I can tell something’s wrong.”
“No, it’s just—”
“Listen, about what happened back at the club. About what I said.” He shifted in place, nervously running a hand along the back of his neck. “You don’t have to—”
“Oh, shush.” Holding back a laugh, she moved forward to place her fingers over his lips. Here she was, freaking out about sleeping with him, and he thought she wanted to reject him again. Well, there was only one way to let him know how she felt. She gave him a slight push and his back hit the door.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his eyes widening.
Running her hands up his chest, she only had one millisecond to enjoy the look of shock on his face before she rose to her tiptoes and covered his mouth with hers. At first his lips were tender and slack under hers, as if he still hadn’t caught on. But then he exploded with movement. A low groan rumbled in his chest and he closed his arms around her, pulling her in so tight she could hardly breathe. But hey, who needed to breathe?
He cupped her backside, lifting her up to mold his erection between her thighs. He was so hard, and she felt so empty. She squirmed against him, trying to calm the ache between her thighs, but it wouldn’t go away. There was only one thing that would alleviate the hunger she felt now.
Taeg broke away, breathing hard. “Do you have any idea how much I want you?” he whispered hoarsely into her ear. “How much I’ve wanted you from the moment I first saw you?”
“Yes,” she whispered back. “Because I want you just as much.”
He groaned and carried her toward the bedroom. His red eyes, the eyes that would have once filled her with hate, glittered with passion. “Let’s not wait any longer.”
§
Maya looked up at him with an expression he never thought to see from her. Desire. Longing. She wanted him. Right now nothing else mattered.
He set her on her feet and grasped the hem of her dress, sliding it upward.
She placed her hand on his. “Wait.”
He frowned. “Wait?”
She bit her lip, looking nervous. “The lamp is still on. Aren’t you going to shut it off?”
That was what worried her? Thank the devil. For one second he feared she’d decided to stop, and that would’ve killed him. He gave her a little grin. “Why on earth would I do that, slayer? I want to see every inch of you.”
She fidgeted and brushed her hair off her shoulders. “What about... protection?”
“Protection?” He should have known she’d worry about that. “We can use it, but just so you know, demons don’t carry any d
iseases and demon-human pregnancies are extremely rare.”
“Yeah, but they do happen. Like with your brother.”
He shook his head. “Brynn’s part demon, even if it is a tiny part. Otherwise, the odds are pretty damn slim.”
“But still possible?”
“Statistically speaking, you’re more likely to win the lottery ten different times than get pregnant from me.”
“Really?” When he nodded, she looked down before shyly lifting her eyes. “In that case, let’s leave it. I’d like to feel you skin-to-skin.”
He practically choked at her words. They evoked sensual images of the two of them that had him nearly crawling out of his flesh with desire. Not only that, but they were evidence of how much her opinion of him had changed over the past few days.
She trusted him.
“I want that, too, sweetheart.”
When she urged his hand upward, he lifted her dress to reveal tiny black panties. One more tug and her breasts came free.
His cock hardened with a painful intensity. “You are so fucking beautiful.”
She stepped back and hesitated for the briefest of moments before she hooked her thumbs under her panties and slid them down.
For a moment he forgot how to breathe. She was even more beautiful than in his dreams, if that was possible. That bare, heavenly spot between her thighs called to him, making his cock pulse in anticipation.
Down, boy.
He pressed his lips to hers, teasing her with a flick of his tongue against the seam of her mouth. She sucked it inside. Letting out a loud groan, he wrapped his arms around her and maneuvered them to the edge of the bed.
He finally broke the kiss. “You have a body made for pleasure, little slayer. One that should be worshipped.”
She only moaned, pulling him in.
He trailed kisses down her throat. Along the upper curve of her shoulder. Devil, he couldn’t take it anymore. Her breasts arched upward, enticing him to have a taste. So he bent and took one into his mouth while he kneaded the other.
“Oh,” she cried. “That’s so... ”
Mmm... sugar and spice. And a million other tastes that made him ache to come right then and there.
“Have you dreamt about me doing this?” his inner devil prompted him to ask. When she didn’t answer he sucked harder, tugging on her nipple before switching to the other breast and lavishing the same attention on it.
His hand crept down to her legs, still pressed together. If he had his way, she’d have them spread in the most wanton of ways before the night was through. Her body was made to tease. He slid two fingers between the crease of her thighs, groaning at the moisture he felt there.
“Taeg,” she gasped.
Hell, even her voice was sexy.
“I have to know what you taste like.” Sliding off the bed, he dropped to his knees in front of her. Damned if she didn’t look apprehensive.
“What are you doing?”
“Just relax, sweetheart.”
Her chest heaved. She was so enticing, the hardened tips of her nipples begged for his touch. His mouth. Soon enough. Right now he had other things on his mind. He placed his hands on her knees and pushed her legs open, baring her to his view.
“Taeg!”
“Slayer, just looking at you makes my mouth water.” She was slick with moisture, the tiny pearl of her clit begging for his attention. So he gave it, with one long lick.
“Whoa.” She tensed and jumped beneath him.
“Relax,” he said with a laugh. If he didn’t know better, he’d say she’d never had anyone go down on her before. But that had to be freaking impossible. He gave her another stroke before running his tongue around her clit.
Her legs shook and she dug her hands in his hair, tugging on it painfully. Devil, but she was wound up tight. Letting go of her knees long enough to unwind her hands from his hair, he gently pushed her back onto her elbows.
She gave him a look that was half-perplexed, half-aroused.
“Lean back.” He turned his attention back to her body, spreading her knees further before closing his mouth around her and sucking in on her clit. She let out a cry, arching her lower body off the bed.
Damn, but she had the sweetest taste. He could feast on her for hours without tiring.
“Sweeter than candy,” he breathed. Then he proceeded to show her just how sweet she tasted, licking and sucking until her legs shook uncontrollably and she screamed.
His cock gave a hard thump in his pants, as if to say, What about me? He ignored the pain.
She let out a loud gasp and tugged his head up from between her legs. “That was... incredible,” she panted, and the look on her face said she meant every word.
“Sweetheart, that was only the beginning.”
§
She was in heaven. She was in hell. This was torture of the most amazing kind.
How could I have gone my whole life without experiencing this before?
If she’d had any doubt about Taeg’s sexual prowess before, she didn’t now. The man was a sex god. Even after he’d given her the most amazing orgasm ever, he still worked her with his mouth and tongue. His fingers rubbed along her seam, making her ache for more. She was beyond the point of embarrassment.
“Please.” She arched her hips upward.
“What do you want?” he asked with an impish grin.
“I... ”
“Do you want my fingers inside you?”
“Yes!” That was what she wanted.
His smile was devilish. He lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper. “What about my tongue?”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“Do you want my tongue inside you?” The look on his face made it clear there was no shame in wanting that. Desiring that. Oh no, it was obvious that he wanted it. And that was the biggest turn-on of all.
“Yes.” Her head fell back onto the bed.
His laugh was soft and silky, eliciting an answering hum from between her thighs. “I want that, too, slayer. More than you know. Let me show you.” His mouth closed around her clit, sucking hard. At the same time two fingers slid inside, pumping in and out of her with a rhythm that set her blood to boiling.
Oh... holy hell.
She lifted back onto her elbows, her thighs tightening around his head when he replaced his hand with his tongue, sliding in and out with long, deep strokes that drove her insane. Then his fingers joined the action and she was gone. Clutching his hair in her hands, she ground herself into him, shrieking when her release overtook her.
Stars exploded in her vision, blinding her with bursts of color. She must have lost touch with reality for a moment because when she came to he was lying next to her, still fully clothed, but panting as if he’d just run a marathon. He rolled to face her and slid his fingers up and down her hip, gracing her with a slow, satisfied grin.
“You are breathtaking, slayer. Don’t you ever forget that.” Bending, he pressed a firm kiss to her lips. He tasted of salt and her feminine essence, and it was astonishingly arousing.
“That was... amazing,” she confessed when he pulled away.
“Agreed.” He grimaced and the reason for that became immediately clear. He was still hard as a rock beneath his pants. How could she have forgotten, even for a second? He’d spent all of his time on her, without showing any concern for his own pleasure.
A demon had given her two mind-shattering orgasms, without taking anything for himself in return. How wrong she’d been. How ignorant. Well, the least she could do was pay him back in kind. Her heart thudded as she reached for his shirt and tugged it up. He helped her lift it over his head. But when she reached for the button of his slacks, he placed his hand over hers.
“Maya, are you sure?”
More than ever. She wanted him. Needed him. “No way in hell we’re stopping now.”
When she guided him onto his back, the sound he made was halfway between a laugh and a growl. He watched through half-lidded eyes while she
tugged his zipper down, then slid his slacks off his body, pausing only to take off his shoes and socks. His boxers were tented to impossibly large heights, eliciting a panicky moment of self-doubt. What was she supposed to do with that? But when she pulled them down, freeing him, all of her niggling doubts faded away and instinct took over. This was a dance as old as time.
He was so breathtaking. So hard.
“So big,” she gasped.
A ghost of a smile crossed his face. It turned into a groan when she brushed her fingers across the tip. His cock pulsed beneath her, and suddenly it was imperative that she taste him. Closing her fist around him, she made an experimental swipe of her tongue along the tip.
“Sweet devil.” He canted his hips. “You’re going to kill me.”
“Sorry,” she said, though she grinned. She wasn’t sorry in the least. Payback was a bitch, wasn’t it? She traced her tongue from the base to the tip, and from the sound of his groan, he liked that, too.
Hmm... maybe there was no wrong way to do this. Closing her mouth around him, she slid up and down, sparking a rhythm that seemed to drive him crazy. She couldn’t resist teasing him. “You like this?”
“You know I do.” He chuckled. “So it’s going to be torture, huh, slayer?”
“Just returning some of what you gave me.”
His lips twisted into a wry grin. “Catch on quick, do you?”
She repeated her movement, licking and sucking his thick shaft until at last he grabbed her head and started pumping his hips. The answering pulse between her legs made her breath catch. Even though she’d already come twice, something had been missing. This.
She needed him. Inside her. Pulling back, she looked at him from between hazy eyes. “I want you. Make love to me, Taeg. Now.”
He hesitated. “Are you certain this isn’t something you’re going to regret tomorrow?”
The man was the most infuriating mixture of gentleman and rake. Right now, at least, she wanted the man who didn’t give a damn about the consequences. Well, she had an idea how she might convince him. Crawling forward, she straddled his body.
Mark of the Sylph (Demons of Infernum, #2) Page 19
