“Ah, freedom.” Joshua removed the band from his hair and shook it out, then walked into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. He turned on the cold water, shivering as the icy drops hit his overheated body. When his erection eased off enough, he turned on the hot water, adjusted the temperature and took a shower.
Finished, he grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist and padded into his bedroom. He dropped the towel and climbed between the silk sheets. His last coherent thought before sleep claimed him was about Devra and when he would see her again.
* * * *
Joshua paced the confines of his study like a caged animal, too restless to concentrate on anything but her. He couldn't eat, couldn't sleep without dreaming of Devra. “One week. One hellacious, long, arousing week and I still can't get her out of my thoughts.” Was this what it felt like when one found his mate? Could it be that Devra was the one woman for him? He wasn't sure, but there was one thing he did know with certainty. He wanted this woman like none before her. Her scent filled his senses, rushing through his veins and pumping in his blood like a drug. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get her out of his mind, some part of her was always there. Teasing him. Taunting him.
“Why in the hell can't I get this woman out of my head?” Unbidden, a vision of Devra with her auburn hair hanging around her face in disarray, and her emerald green eyes dark with desire flashed before him. She was sexy as hell and he had to have her. Now! Maybe he should seek her out and take her. Make love to her until they were both exhausted. Maybe then he could get her out of his mind, his soul. After pacing the length of the room a few more times, Joshua came to a decision. It was time to find out if this woman was his mate.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and reached out with his other senses, searching for that elusive scent that belonged only to Devra. He sorted and shifted through many essences before filtering out the one that was uniquely Devra. Yes! He inhaled deeply drawing her into his body. Deeper, as deep as he could get her. Her essence touched the very center of his soul, latching on, not letting go. His body hardened with need, pulsed with hunger. He had to go to her, had to see her if only from afar. He had to know if the raging beast threatening to rise within would overpower him.
With just a thought, Joshua now stood in Devra's darkened bedroom, his presence concealed. The darkness didn't hinder his vision and he grew annoyed when his search turned up no woman. Joshua examined the bedroom and found it to his liking. The king-size cherry sleigh bed standing in the center of the room caught and held his attention. The bed was covered in pillows, all shapes and sizes. He couldn't make out the color of the comforter, only that it was a dark color. By the looks of the other furnishings, Devra liked antiques. Every piece in the room had a story to tell. But the bed held him spellbound.
He had taken a step closer to the bed when the bathroom door opened, stopping him dead in his tracks. The breath whooshed from his chest when the object of his search appeared. Naked as the day she was born, her hair piled loosely on her head, Devra padded into her bedroom and headed straight for her soft bed.
Letting his gaze roam over her lusciousness, his cock responded to her beauty, growing thick and long in his jeans. His mouth watered at the invitation her breasts issued. Pert, rosy nipples glistened in the near darkness, tips he wanted to suck and nip. His gaze drifted lower and he smiled. Between her legs was a neatly trimmed bush of auburn curls covering her secret place. She was a natural redhead, which explained her fiery temper and passionate nature.
She wasn't one of those skinny model types. Her body was fuller and perfect by his calculations. He'd figured she was about five feet ten from when they'd stood in the hallway the other night. Just the right height to mold to his body. Her legs were long, and perfect to wrap around a man's waist. The kind of legs that went on forever.
His cock pulsed.
She climbed into her big bed, lay on her back and rested her hands atop her stomach. His body stiffened, her arousal filling the air around him, pushing him closer to the edge. His hands balled into fists when her hand drifted toward the damp petals of her womanhood, her fingers gliding through the wetness he could see and smell. He wanted to touch her badly. To run his fingers through her juices, to taste her.
A tiny whimper escaped her lips. She slid her hand under the pillow by her head.
He narrowed his eyes, wondering what she was up to. In the next instant he had his answer. A vibrator! A nice big one from the looks of it. He estimated it to be about his size. When she slid the vibrator easily into her channel and flipped the switch, Joshua knew this was not something new. No, this sex toy was a well-used favorite.
Her deep-throated moan drew him back to her and what she was doing. God, she was so sexy lying there with her legs spread, working the fake dick in and out. Her strokes were slow and smooth, designed to bring her to climax at the precise moment she wanted. She had done this many times. He would soon change that. He had better ways of giving her pleasure.
Joshua's cock pushed against his jeans, throbbing to the beat of each stroke of her toy.
Her other hand moved to her breasts, pulling and pinching them into stiff peaks. Her juices coated the vibrator, making penetration easy. She moaned, moving her toy slowly in and out, her tongue darting out to lick her dry lips.
His ears perked as she moaned his name. “Oh, Joshua. Yes … right there.” Her hand moved faster now, plunging the vibrator in and out of her slick heat. His eyes widened when she turned the speed up a notch. Her climax grew closer—the beast now raging to get out, Joshua took a step toward her, aching to put his cock where her toy was, before he caught himself.
With great effort, he stopped and held himself still, watching while Devra pleasured herself. Unconsciously, his hand drifted toward his now aching cock, straining against his jeans. He stroked his length from top to bottom. He wanted to loosen the button, pull down the zipper and release his dick, but knew that would be a dangerous thing. Once out, he would have no choice but to join her on that big bed of hers, spread her thighs and sink balls-deep into her liquid fire.
“Yes … yes … right there,” she whimpered, the toy moving more quickly now, bringing her to the very edge. With one last stroke she came, her juices gushed, leaking out around the vibrator, dripping on the bed.
He had to get out of there, now.
With one last look at Devra, Joshua wished himself back to his empty house.
Once home he stripped out of his clothes, got into the shower and turned on the cold water. The icy coldness hit his hot body, like snow on a cold winter day. If he opened his eyes he'd probably see steam rising from his body where the water hit. He pressed his palms against the wall hoping the hunger would ease, that the desire would fade to a manageable state. After a few minutes he cursed. It wasn't going to ease.
Joshua squirted liquid soap in his palm and then gripped his cock, sliding from the base to the head. He tipped his head back, closed his eyes and fantasized it was Devra's hand wrapped around him, stroking him, holding him. He could feel her tongue lick his chin, his chest, and swirl in the hair covering his male nipples. He groaned.
He could actually feel her move lower, licking a path across his chest, and down his stomach. She lingered at his belly button, dipping her tongue in, before moving down a little more and taking his cock in her mouth.
Her lips circled the head, licking, sucking, teasing, before drawing him fully into her mouth. His breath hissed as he thought of her nipping the little ridge, arousing him even more.
She took every bit of his nine inches without complaint, her cheeks hollowing, and sucked him hard.
In his mind, he gripped her hair and took over. With a firm hand, he showed her the rhythm he wanted and fucked her mouth with long, slow thrusts. With each stroke the head touched the back of her throat, thrilling him, titillating him. The beast was raging within, trying to escape. Not yet. He wouldn't relinquish control yet.
But he could feel it, the explos
ion just ready to happen. Mentally, he thrust his cock in and out of her mouth, faster and faster. One stroke, two.
“Devra,” Joshua shouted. His release nearly brought him to his knees with its intensity, and his semen spurted on the tiled wall and in the tub. His body slumped against the wall, his legs too wobbly to hold him up. The need was appeased for the moment, brought down to a dull throbbing. Still there, but with less intensity.
Finally in control once again, he cleaned himself off, turned off the water and stepped from the shower. He grabbed a fluffy black towel from the shelf and wrapped it around his waist.
He rubbed another towel over his head, drying his hair, and then spot dried the rest of his upper body before tossing the towel to the floor. He rubbed his hand over his face, sighing at the irony of it all. “My mate can't be a pliable woman who will do whatever I command. No, I have to get an inquisitive, intelligent woman with a kissable mouth and hot body.”
He no longer doubted that Devra was his mate. Tonight was proof of that. Transporting to her house with nothing but a faint strand to follow was highly unlikely unless she was his, and her orgasm had thrilled him beyond imagination. God, just watching her masturbating and thinking of him was getting him hot again. There was one final test to be sure if she was truly his. Joshua had to find someway to get Devra into his bed. Once he'd made love to her, he would know without any doubt.
Too keyed up to sleep, Joshua went into the bedroom, grabbed a pair of silk pajama bottoms from the foot of his bed, and slipped into them. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, wondering what in the hell he was going to do about his hunger for Devra. If he went to her now and told her his thoughts, the woman would probably laugh him right out of the room. “If she doesn't hit me first.”
His thoughts drifted back to her bedroom, seeing her naked and aroused, calling out his name as she brought herself to a shattering climax. “Dammit,” he muttered, “I need my woman.”
But, that wasn't going to happen tonight.
Absently, he picked up a rubber band to secure the long hair clinging to his neck. Joshua wandered to the window, and looked out into the inky black night, wondering if she was still thinking about him, still aching for his touch. He was so tired. Living for over four hundred years, but never aging past his present years, and watching life go on around him sometimes weighed heavily on his shoulders. He rubbed his palm over his face, sighing at the injustice of it all.
Being a psychic vampire might not have been his wish, but he'd made the best of it. The first few times of fucking a woman just for the power had been new and exciting. After so long, it wasn't fun anymore. He didn't indulge that side of his nature as he once did—instead he focused all his hunger and need in his music, each song more enchanting than the other. But now, he simply wanted his true mate. He craved what his parents had, the closeness, and the joy they shared together, wanted to go to bed each night holding the woman he loved in his arms and wake the next morning the same way. Children! Did he want them? Yes, with Devra.
And what about his music? Until his confrontation with the lovely reporter, he thought his emotions and feelings flowing in the music weren't enough to cause trouble, but it looked like this lady felt everything he put into his music. The question was, why? Was it because she was his true mate? He needed to find the answers and soon. Otherwise, the spitfire was going to expose him to the world. He had no doubt in his mind that Devra would do it.
Restlessness occupied his soul, his mind, not allowing him to sleep.
He had to do something. Think of something else besides making love to Devra. Leaving the bedroom, he headed downstairs to the kitchen to grab a cold drink from the fridge. He popped the top and took a swig, letting the cool liquid glide across his tongue and down his throat. When he finished, he licked his lips.
Now maybe he could go and compose another song. A song that reflected his thoughts, his feelings. One that curbed his hunger and need for just a while. As he sat down to play, his thoughts drifted to Devra, her strength, her needs. His fingers moved across the keys and the melody drifted through the silence of the house and out into the night sky. Several hours later, the song finished, Joshua stood and headed to bed. It was time to rest. His restlessness was gone.
Tomorrow he would begin courting his lovely reporter. Joshua smiled with satisfaction.
“Get ready, love. Soon you'll be mine.”
* * * *
Devra took a breath and removed the vibrator. God, that had been one of the most powerful orgasms she had in a while. In her mind's eye, it had been Joshua making love to her. It had been his dick thrusting into her tight channel, not her sex toy. She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes, too tired to do anything else. Without warning a vision of Joshua standing in her bedroom watching her while she masturbated flooded her mind. Just the thought of him watching her made her body heat and her vagina clench in need.
What would he think if he knew she pleasured herself while thinking of him? Would he find it disgusting, distasteful? Or would it set him on fire?
A tiny smile graced her lips. “Hmm. It would sure be interesting to find out.” She yawned loud and unladylike, dragged the sheet over her body and snuggled into her pillow. Tomorrow she would start her extensive research into the life of Joshua Thomas and learn everything she wanted to know … and maybe more. The more was what she really wanted. The up close and personal knowledge of his body and what turned him on. Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would have all her answers.
She yawned again and slowly drifted down into the depths of sleep.
Chapter Five
“Two long weeks! That's how long it's taken me to find you again, you jerk,” Devra muttered as she drove to Governor's Lounge.
Disappointment and anger had waged a war in her heart when she'd gone to Jazzy's last week to catch Joshua's show only to discover he wasn't playing there again for several weeks. It had taken a lot of digging, begging and pleading before she'd finally given up. No one seemed to know where he was going to be. You'd think the man would get an agent and publicist. Then she'd spotted a poster announcing Joshua was going to be playing at Governor's. She couldn't contain the bubble of excitement that threatened to spill from her lips. Finally!
Tonight she would corner him again, but this time she would get results. Now, driving to the bar, she wondered if her choice of attire was smart. She glanced down at herself, and had to smile. She was dressed to kill. Her sundress was made of silk, so gauzy that it appeared almost sheer in the light. The pale peach color accentuated her auburn hair and green eyes, and the sweetheart style neckline showed a little more cleavage than she usually did. But what the hell? She was after a man.
That thought brought her up short. When had he become more than a story? She couldn't answer that exactly, but the other night when she'd pleasured herself, screaming Joshua's name as she climaxed, it brought with it a rush of emotions too strong to deny. Somehow this man, with his hauntingly erotic music, had gotten under her skin and wouldn't go away.
Tonight she was on the prowl for a sexy, dark, and brooding piano player with eyes that saw deep inside to where her hidden thoughts and desires lay dormant. Spying Governor's, she pulled in and found a parking place just being vacated, close to the front. “Hot damn! Up close for once.” Once again the parking lot was flooded with vehicles, advertising another packed house. She checked her reflection in the rear view mirror and added a bit more lipstick, pinched her cheeks to add color and smiled. “Okay, girl, go get him,” she told her reflection before gathering her keys and purse, and getting out of the car.
As she started toward the club she saw a dark sedan pull up to the side door. The passenger door opened. A man climbed out then turned to speak to the driver. Squinting, she tried to make out his facial features in the semi-darkness, wondering if it was Joshua. Suddenly, as if he could read her thoughts, he lifted his head, looking directly at her.
Her hand flew to her exposed throat. It was him and he was lo
oking right at her. His intense gaze feasted on her for a few seconds more, then he turned and entered the building, leaving her standing in the middle of the parking lot like a total idiot.
Devra snapped out of her reverie, and glanced around the deserted parking lot, hoping no one saw her standing like a deer caught in the headlights and about to die. “Get it together, Devra Preston,” she muttered, walking quickly to the door and entering the lively place. “As mother would say, head up, shoulders back. Show them what you've got, girl.” A cacophony of sounds greeted her when she entered the establishment, soft music, tinkling glasses, and whispered words. She looked around the place, taking in everything she could. Her eyes strayed to the stage and a twinge of disappointment ran through her when she didn't see Joshua. The guy performing was good. He played the saxophone with grace and ease, almost like he was making love to it. Women in tight black pants and long-sleeve crimson colored silk midriff-baring blouses worked the room, waiting on tables. It was more crowded here than Jazzy's had been a few weeks ago, she cursed under her breath.
“How in the hell do I find a seat in here?”
She was jerked from her thoughts when a man took her lightly around the upper arm and a voice whispered against her left ear. “Come this way. There's a table reserved for you up front, near the stage.” Devra found herself tugged through the masses, across the crowded dance floor and to a vacant table right smack in front of the small stage. What the hell did he mean, a table reserved for her? Nobody had known she was coming, especially not Joshua. Or had he? She was about to ask when the man suddenly stopped.
A chair was pulled out and she was pushed into it. “Hey, watch it, buster. Who do you think you're pushing around?” She turned to give him a frown but he was gone. Turning quickly, she looked for a man walking away from her, but saw none.
“Way to go, Devra. Some observant reporter you are. You don't even know what this guy looks like, yet here you sit trying to find him.” She snorted, and then turned around to face the stage. The saxophonist was gone. The stage set had been changed. In the center sat a baby grand piano, a padded bench and nothing else.
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