Declan glanced at her with an odd expression on his face, as he opened the door. Elysia could see a white tiled kitchen beyond it. “Are you okay?” he asked with a frown. “You shivered.”
She smiled up at him, trying to ignore the odd sensation of having been in the house before. “I’m fine. Just anticipating another round of orgasms when I fuck you,” she teased.
Shoving aside the wild pinging of her vampire senses, she followed him up the stairs. This night was for releasing her pent up sexual tension, not questions about why she would feel so instantly at home in the black dragon’s house.
Chapter Three
Declan stared out the plate glass window of his office at Antaeus International, his eyes on the coastline that stretched as far as he could see. He hadn’t been good for a single thing today. His mind had been on Elysia ever since she’d left his house just before dawn. He gazed in the direction of Granville Cemetery, seeing the distant patch of green that signified the park like acreage. Gods, he had been two thoughts away from a full hard on all day. He’d showered, but he swore he could still smell her on him. It was as if she had marked him with her scent.
Life played out so strangely sometimes. He hadn’t wanted to go to the Undertaker’s Ball. Ever since Elysia stopped going to industry events, he’d had no interest in them himself. This time he’d had no choice. His older brother Sean had slapped the ticket in his hand, given him a hard look from his golden eyes, and demanded that Declan represent the family and the company at the ball. Knowing that Sean’s lethal gaze meant business, Declan caved in.
He’d been making small talk with two of his managers when he spotted Elysia. Instantly, his cock had wanted to go meet her. Luckily, the reaper robes had hid his eagerness. As he strode across the room toward her, every meeting he’d ever had with her flashed through his head. True, that was a sum total of three times, but each one was memorable to Declan.
The first time he’d met her had been at the big party Sean had thrown when Declan returned to the family business after having been away in Europe. Declan had instantly been attracted to Elysia’s cool beauty. Her violet eyes lit him on fire. She’d smiled at him, shook his hand, and then turned away to nuzzle Austin Stone, that pretty boy fuckhead. Austin had had the gall to smirk over the top of her head at Declan as if to say, ‘I’ve got her and you’ve got nothing but a stiff dick, loser!’ Elysia had been so lost in Austin that she’d never noticed his attitude toward Declan.
The second time he’d met Elysia had been at her engagement party. Declan didn’t know how Sean had managed to drag him to that event, but Declan figured it had something to do with the bender he’d been on ever since hearing about Elysia’s engagement to that rat bastard Austin Stone. Declan vaguely remembered Elysia being concerned about him being too drunk to drive and Sean assuring her that the company limo would take his brother home. At least, he hadn’t puked on her shoes or anything.
Declan grimaced as he recalled that episode. He was a thrice damned fool. He always had been when it came to Elysia. The moment he’d met her, he’d wanted her for himself. Something inside him had just clicked and all the pieces of his life had fallen into place when he’d looked at her. Her relationship with Austin, something that had started long before he arrived on the scene, had grated on his nerves.
The third time he’d spoken with Elysia, Austin had dumped her at the convention three years ago. He had been torn between taking care of her and tearing Austin limb from limb for hurting her and humiliating her. Taking care of her had won out. When she’d spun away from him saying she needed to throw up, it had broken his heart.
In the three years since her public breakup with Austin Stone, Declan had only seen her a couple of times in the distance, always surrounded by her brothers, always cold and aloof. Tonight, was the first time he’d seen her alone in years. She looked very obviously unattached and looking for fun. The defiant expression in those violet eyes did something to his stomach and his head. Now that her overprotective brothers weren’t around, he had a chance to get close to her and he wasn’t going to screw it up.
Declan leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. Oh, man had he not screwed it up.
Instantly, his thoughts were assaulted with memories of the night before. If someone had told him that his first sexual encounter with Elysia Granville would be in a mausoleum while both of them were dressed in absurd Halloween costumes, he would have laughed himself silly. For more than four years, he’d had a fantasy of making love to her in his bed, of spreading her hair across his pillow and spending hours worshiping her body. He never would have thought that lust would ignite between them to the point that it didn’t matter where they were so long as he could bury himself in her hot depths.
“What’s wrong with you?”
The annoyed voice of his brother Sean broke into Declan’s thoughts. His eyes flew open and he spun around in his chair, grateful for the desk that hid his lap and the huge hard-on he sported as a result of his thoughts.
“What are you talking about?” he said gruffly, avoiding his brother’s sharp eyes. He shuffled some papers on his desk, trying to order his scattered thoughts.
“You’ve been in here all day, but you haven’t been here. You don’t answer your phone. You’re not checking your email. You didn’t order lunch or go out.” Sean planted his hands on the surface of Declan’s desk, leaning in and capturing his brother’s gaze. “What’s wrong?”
Pinned by the all-knowing eyes of his older brother, Declan sighed. “It’s all your fault,” he admitted.
Sean blinked, then his mouth turned up in a slow smile. He straightened and walked over to the door, shutting it. He sat down across the desk from Declan and asked, “What happened at the ball?”
Declan got the distinct impression that Sean was hugely pleased with himself. Which made no damned sense at all. “If you must know, I met Elysia Granville,” he grumbled.
Sean grinned openly. “Actually, I do know. Everyone we know knows. If you had bothered to come out of your office and out of your sexual stupor, you’d know the entire office is buzzing about you and her,” he said smugly.
Declan’s eyes widened. “Shit. I should have known.”
His brother nodded. “Yeah, you shoulda.” He sat back in the chair, his rugged face wreathed in an expression of wry amusement. “One minute, you were standing with Brian and Maire and the next you made a beeline for Elysia like the two of you were magnet and metal. Everyone in that room saw you head right for her, saw her flirt with you, and watched the two of walk out of the ball minutes later and not come back. It’s stirred up a helluva lot more gossip than Austin Stone dumping her at the convention ever did.”
Declan groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. He just could not catch a break some days. He had a feeling Elysia would be severely pissed at this new turn of events. “I never thought of that,” he muttered.
“Obviously not,” Sean said. “You realize that our whole world knows what’s going on. Austin Stone never did anything privately. He’s a PR guy. He lives for the spotlight. When he decided that his career could be best fostered by hooking up with the most attractive and powerful woman in our industry, he slammed Elysia with his megawatt public persona. She never had a chance. Austin made sure that they attended every event no matter how small. He took every opportunity to show off the fact that Elysia Granville was his. When he decided to jettison her for Laurie Valetta, he did it the same way he does everything… in a classless public display. Only that time, it was guaranteed to humiliate Elysia in front of every one of her peers.”
Sean looked at his brother with a speculative gleam in his eyes. “You think that after what happened at the convention that Elysia could ever walk into an industry event unnoticed? For three years, she’s stayed away. When she did attend an event, she was flanked by brothers who would tear anyone to shreds if they came near her. Last night, the gossip mill fired up the instant she walked in alone. Then you made a beeline for her and m
inutes later, the two of you leave and don’t return. Didn’t you stop to think about how that would look to every person in the room?”
Declan’s stomach roiled. “No,” he admitted, feeling slightly sick at the thought of how Elysia would take all the gossip. “I walked up to her and she came on to me and my brains took a hike.”
Sean chuckled. “I don’t blame you for thinking with your pants. She’s smart and gorgeous. Besides, I know you’ve always had a thing for her.” His eyes sharpened then as he stared at his brother. “Tell me this, was it worth it?”
A long deep sigh escaped Declan. “Oh, God. A thousand times yes,” he groaned, closing his eyes briefly. He’d never been one to keep secrets from Sean. Mostly because Sean always found them out anyway. “I sent her flowers and asked her to dinner tonight.”
His older brother nodded. “Then you’re serious about her?”
“When have I not been?” Declan replied, his eyes widening a little at the fact that Sean even had to ask. Sean knew that Declan wasn’t the type to have a thing for someone for years without it being serious. “The first time I ever saw her something tugged inside me. You saw how her engagement affected me. I couldn’t face that party sober and I barely knew her. She’s always profoundly affected me.”
“So after years of waiting, how did you hold up last night?” Sean asked, one brow quirked up inquiringly.
Declan made a face. “At first, about as well as a sixteen year old losing his virginity,” he said in a self-deprecating tone. “The instant she touched me, I thought I was gonna come. I don’t know how I stopped myself. We never even made it out of the cemetery.”
Sean’s face went slack with shock. “You’re kidding me.” Declan shook his head and Sean started to grin. “Holy shit. I’ll never be able to look Marius and Colin in the eyes again. You banged their sister in Todd’s cemetery.”
Declan bristled. “I didn’t do it on purpose, Sean! Jesus! Don’t you think I’d rather have taken her home? God only knows what she thinks of me today.”
Sean laughed and stood up. “Hopefully, she’s just like you and can’t think.”
“Even if what happened between us didn’t leave her head as muddled as mine, I think I accounted myself pretty well. At least, I hope I did,” Declan sighed, a little grin curling up the corners of his mouth.
Sean laughed harder. “Good for you, little brother. If she’s that special to you, I’m rooting for you.” He put his hand on the door handle, about to leave, then turned back to look at Declan with a slight frown. “Dec, do you think… I mean, do you know… is she your soul mate?”
At Sean’s words, Declan felt like he’d been hit with a wrecking ball. He hadn’t wanted to think that Elysia might be his soul mate, but after last night, the way she made him feel, the way he responded to her, the way his inner dragon demanded to have her… as much as it scared him to admit it, he almost certain of it. His brother saying the words out loud was especially frightening. He shook his head at Sean, not ready to expose himself. “I’m not sure. Part of me says yes, but another part of me is in total denial,” he admitted.
Sean nodded understandingly. “I know the feeling. I went through the same with Careen. You’ll get it sorted out,” he said soothingly.
As the door closed behind his brother, Declan spun around in his chair, his eyes seeking that little patch of green in the distance outside his window. “Yeah, but does she want to be sorted out?” he murmured with a frown.
Elysia had been everything and more than he had ever dreamed of once they’d gotten to his condo. He was fairly sure of his own feelings, but Elysia’s were a mystery to him. Since he was alone once more, he gave his memory free rein, reliving every moment of the night, trying to figure out her motivations and where he stood with her…
Chapter Four
Elysia in his bedroom was a dream come true. She looked around the room and seemed pleased with it, something that made his stomach tighten. Since neither of them needed the lights, he didn’t turn them on, but he did open the blinds and let in the moonlight. Elysia turned toward him and a shaft of light turned her hair silvery. She reached for him with one hand, grabbing a fistful of the reaper robe. Heart thundering in his chest, he let her pull him close. She slid her hands up to his shoulders. Thrusting her fingers into his hair, she pulled his head down to hers.
Declan kissed her leisurely, his mouth moving firmly over hers. When her lips parted on a sigh, he cupped her head in both hands, his palms against her neck, his fingers speared through her hair. He deepened the kiss, his tongue teasing the wet flesh of her lower lip. A soft moan escaped her and she twisted her body against his, her hips moving restlessly. He dropped one hand to her back and slid down the zipper of her costume. Gravity took over and the slinky black material sagged, then landed on the floor. Elysia kicked it away.
His hands skated over her naked skin, his fingertips learning its fine texture. It was warm and plush, the exotic scent of frangipani rising from it as he touched her. Declan was on sensory overload. The woman he’d wanted for years was in his arms, and now that his overwhelming lust had been banked a little by their first encounter, he was ready to spend hours learning her body.
“I’m naked and you’re not,” she complained softly against his mouth.
Declan lifted his head. Her honey colored hair spilled over his arm as she looked up at him. Her violet eyes were filled with desire. It was a pure emotion, nothing else clouding her expression. She wanted him. Elation raced through him. This was better than any fantasy he had ever dreamed up about her.
“Your wish is my command,” he told her truthfully.
She flashed him a brilliant smile, filled with amusement and passion. Her fingers slid down his chest, pulling open the Velcro fastenings of the reaper robe. She smoothed it over his shoulders, pushing it off of him. Declan sucked in a breath as she delved beneath the hem of his tank top, her fingers brushing his ribcage as she pulled the shirt up. He ducked his head and she yanked the shirt over it, tossing it in the same direction that she’d kicked her costume.
For a moment, Elysia stared at his naked chest, her eyes flickering over the black lines of the tribal style dragon tattoo that stretched from his right pec, over the point of his shoulder and upper arm and down to his deltoid in back. Her enigmatic expression made Declan clueless to her thoughts. He started to feel uneasy when suddenly she smiled again and her fingers reached for the waistband of his jeans. He held his breath as she popped the button fly and slipped her hands inside the denim to curve over his ass. He watched her with narrowed eyes. Her lower lip caught between her teeth as she gazed at the parts of his body she uncovered.
The jeans fell to the floor and he kicked them away. Now, clad only in black boxer briefs, his erection full and straining at the front of the cotton underwear, he waited for her to strip away that last barrier. She rubbed her knuckles against his erection through the briefs. Declan prayed silently for control as his cock jerked. No other woman had ever created such a firestorm of lust within him. Keeping his dragon under control around her was difficult under the best of circumstances. In a sexual situation, it was sheer torture. His mind thought only of tossing her belly down on the bed, taking her fiercely from behind, and enveloping them both in his dragonfire as they came. Of course, sharing his dragonfire with someone meant taking them as mate. In the century he’d been alive, he’d never had the urge to do that until the day he’d first seen Elysia.
Declan’s breath came out in a whoosh as she slipped her hands into his briefs. All rational thought left his brain. He barely hung onto his control as her hands brushed over his hips and ass, pushing the briefs off. His erection sprang free, the thick head already wet with a copious amount of pre-cum. She wrapped the fingers of one hand around him and he closed his eyes, fighting not to make a fool of himself in front of her.
“Is it true what they say about shifters?” Elysia murmured, her fingers spreading the wetness over his turgid flesh.
“What’s that?” he grunted trying to get his breathing under control so he could speak.
“Their recovery time is much shorter.” She gazed up at him, her expression curious as her fingers tortured him with slow strokes.
“Yes,” he hissed, wishing he could just show her rather than tell her. “A dragon’s sexual metabolism is very different than that of any other immortal being in the Darkworld.” Deciding to stop being so cautious, he said boldly, “I could take you a half dozen more times tonight if that’s what you want.”
Elysia sucked in her breath sharply. Her violet eyes went black as a slight flush mounted her cheekbones. “It is what I want. Please?” she whispered, her voice a passion laced thread of sound.
Declan broke from her hold and strode over to his bed, tossing the covers back. The plain white sheets gleamed in the moonlight. He beckoned to her and she walked toward him. His blood raced as he stared at her body. She was tall and long legged, but her hips were full and curvy, her waist tiny, and her belly flat. A tiny jewel glittered in her navel. His eyes skittered over her lean ribcage to the full, round globes of her breasts. They jiggled a little as she walked, the hard cotton candy pink nipples thrusting toward him. He licked his lips in anticipation of tasting their sweetness.
When Elysia reached his side, he pushed her down on the bed. Caught off guard, she sprawled, her thighs opening. Spying the wet pink flesh, Declan dove between her legs, his knees denting the mattress. His shoulders pressed her thighs further apart. She moaned loudly as he looked at her pink pussy, his fingers spreading her open, brushing at the hairless swollen lips.
“Oh, Declan!” she gasped as his mouth sought out her swollen clit.
He swirled his tongue over the sensitive nub and she shivered. The sweet salty flavor of her burst on his taste buds, and he drew in a deep breath. Between her scent and her taste, he was in heaven. He rubbed his face in her wet flesh, making her cry out as he stabbed his tongue deep inside her. His fingers and tongue teased and stroked her. His ministrations were rewarded with little mewling sounds that caught on a gasp every so often. Her hips pressed into his face as he finger fucked her and licked her clit. Pushing two long fingers deep into her and pressing upward to catch her G-spot, his mouth sucked hard on her. The simultaneous stimulation sent her over the edge.
Shifting Winds Page 3
