“Also,” he added. “You’re going to have to do something about your penchant for arriving to work late. I can’t tolerate too many mornings of Randall giving me the stare of death for fifteen minutes. It might eventually work.”
His announcement surprised a bark of laughter from her before reality kicked in. “I haven’t been able to find anyone to watch Freddie for me. Not full-time anyhow,” she amended.
“I’ll do it,” Tam called out, reminding Ella they weren’t alone.
Ella chewed on her bottom lip, trying to decide what to do. They did seem to have fun together.
Samuel brushed his fingertips along the back of her arm, drawing her gaze to his. “Freddie will be safe with Tam. She is my ward. I’d trust her with my life.”
“Okay,” Ella agreed. Tam cheered and Ella’s shoulders sagged in relief. She wasn’t sure if it was due to finally finding a zombie-sitter or learning Tam’s connection to Samuel.
CHAPTER SIX
It was six weeks of bliss. Forty-two nights of heated glances, stolen kisses, and roaming hands setting set Ella’s skin on fire before leaving her unfulfilled. It wasn’t his fault. It was hers. It was driving her insane. She wanted to attack him. There was a doubt lingering right on the edge of consciousness, waiting to pounce every time they were apart. Was it her spell? Did a crazy Valentine experiment keep him around when under normal circumstances he wouldn’t have given her the time of day?
“That’s not me,” Samuel said again.
“I painted it. I’m looking right at you. It is too you,” Ella argued, refusing to back down.
“I’ve seen myself many a century. I don’t smile like that.”
“How many,” she began before snapping her teeth together to keep from finishing the question. He might answer her. She didn’t want to know or rather, she feared his answer. Concentrating on the center of the discussion, Ella peered closer at the canvas. In truth, she knew it wasn’t Samuel’s usual smirk. It was the smile she wanted him to have. It was the one she caught him with when he didn’t think she was watching.
Tapping the picture with the tip of his finger, the image transformed to the wicked Samuel who came out to play when he was turned on.
“How did you...never mind,” she tacked on with a sigh.
“Perhaps you prefer this,” he said tapping it again. This time his mouth began a series of changes. It went from happy to sad and back to happy again. It appeared to be making funny faces at her.
“For the love of,” she began, but he chose that moment to haul her against him. Running his hands down her back, he cupped her ass. He lifted her to his lips.
Between kisses, he spoke against her skin. “Oh, so magic isn’t so grand when you’re on the other end of it, is it? I enjoy giving some of it back to you now and again.”
As if struck by lightning, Ella knew what she had to do.
“I need to give you something.” Pulling away, she took him by the hand. Leading him down the hall, she glanced back to find his eyes smoldering. However, he kept his careful smile in place. It was the one Ella had come to recognize as Samuel’s you-can’t-hurt-what-you-can’t-touch smile. She hated it. “It’s in here,” Ella explained, waving Samuel inside her bedroom.
“Ah, I know what you’re in need of.” Nodding his understanding, he flipped up the hem of his kilt. His body was hard all over. His member was no exception. Long and hard, his shaft stood at the ready. Ella froze in her tracks. Her mouth watered at the sight. Damn, he was so outrageous at times. She loved it.
“No, not that,” she cried, despite her body’s immediate reaction to the sight of him. Half of her brain screamed she was an idiot, and for a second that half took control of her mouth. “Wait,” she said, stopping him when he began to drop the material back in place. However, the reasonable part of her brain wrestled her libido under control. “No, I really didn’t bring you in here for that.” She wanted him in a bad way, but not until she was sure.
“Mhmm, too bad.” With a sigh, he set himself to rights. “I could’ve made it worth your while.”
Ella’s brain stuttered to a stop. An image of wrapping her legs around his tightly sculpted hips exploded inside her head.
“I am such an idiot,” she admitted as she moved to the bedside table. Forcing her hormones under control once more, she pulled the tiny vial filled with oily liquid out of the drawer. Samuel inhaled sharply at the sight of it. She’d kept the necklace in her bedside drawer ever since they decided to keep seeing one another. She hadn’t looked at it again since.
“I want you to take this.” His eyes locked onto it. They moved from the tiny bottle to her face.
“Okay,” he answered, but he made no move to take it from her.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Hot liquid rushed to her core. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I’ve realized something.”
At his answer, she found herself studying his expression closer. Did he realize he didn’t want her? Her heart plummeted at the thought. In spite of his erection, she wondered if his proposition had been genuine. Oh, she didn’t doubt he would’ve followed through, had she been willing. However, now there was something different about his eyes. He seemed truly aroused from the inside out. Her body was more than ready for him.
“What did you realize?” Her voice came out in little more than a whisper. She didn’t want to break the spell.
“This,” he said, taking the potion from her rapidly numbing fingers and tucking it safely back inside the drawer. “Isn’t what continues enticing me to this place. You’re an idiot for thinking it.”
Snagging her by the waist, he towed her against his body until she hugged every inch of his. “It is you that lures me here. I cannot resist your call.”
She had no idea her body knew how to dial the sexy-guy-booty-call hotline, but she was thankful nonetheless. Burying his fingers in her hair, he tilted her head as he bent to her neck. He nibbled a path to her ear. Chills covered her skin. She wondered if she should be doing the whole prim “no, stop, this isn’t right” thing. She couldn’t. Opening her mouth, she really tried, but a moan escaped.
“I intend to fuck you,” he warned.
“Thank God,” she sighed before she could stop it.
The rumble of the deep chuckle in his chest only turned her on further.
“Could you do it a little faster?” she pled when he only continued nipping at her skin. If she was really going to do this, she wanted it now. It had been a torturous few weeks. She wanted to press her knees together and relieve the pressure building there. She wanted to claw the clothes from his body and climb him like a mountain. She wanted him inside her now.
She’d never truly considered the freedom of a man wearing a skirt before, but she took advantage by yanking it up and wrapping her fingers around his cock. It was his turn to moan as she tugged the silky skin, stroking him firmly. If she was going insane, then he was going with her.
Swatting her ass, he rubbed away the sting. “Naughty girl, you have no patience.”
“Too fucking right,” she agreed, stroking his cock once more. “And you have too much.”
With a growl, Samuel shoved her down onto the mattress. His chest heaved and his eyes shined with lust. It was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. She wanted more. Deliberately taunting him while holding his stare, she pushed her shorts down her hips, taking her underwear with it leaving the lower half of her body bare for him.
“The shirt too.” Her pussy clenched at the desire in his voice. Doing as he bade, she tugged the shirt over her head and unsnapped her bra, tossing them both to the floor.
His eyes roamed the length of her nude body. Her nipples hardened to a painful point and her knees fell open in anticipation.
“Delicious.”
She’d never felt more desirable than she did with only his one word.
“I’m going to taste you now.” He dropped to his knees at the edge of the bed.
“Thank y
ou, baby Je...fuuckk,” she cried as he flattened his tongue over her clit. Gripping the blanket between her fingers, she held tight as her hips left the bed, attempting to be closer to him. Based on his earlier hesitation, she expected him to torture her. He kept up a steady pressure, lapping a quick pattern that had her chanting his name. The muscles in her stomach tightened. She dug her heels into his back, urging him on. Tiny pulsations fired to life before exploding like fireworks throughout her pussy. Before the final wave could pass, Samuel covered her body and buried his cock inside her. A second orgasm hit her as he filled every inch of her canal, stretching her wide. Her womb begged for everything he could give. His tongue stroked hers. She could taste her own juices adding to her lust. With her knee hooked over his elbow, he gave her no time to adjust before surging home again and again.
His kiss was every bit as powerful and overwhelming as the rest of him. He filled every molecule of her with his presence until she truly felt they were one. The stroke of his tongue matched the rhythm of his hips.
Just as she’d enjoyed the pleasant discovery of the freedom of his kilt, she found out what men loved about long hair. Wrapping his braid around her wrist, she attempted to control him. Tilting his head away, his eyes closed. He drew in a sharp breath. The flush of arousal high on his cheeks hinted at how close he was to finding release. When his eyes opened once more, his silver irises seemed almost iridescent.
“Come for me again,” he ordered. Proving he was the master of her body, she did. Waves of pleasure flowed through her limbs. His muscles hardened as he surged forward once more before finding his release.
“Holy crap,” she breathed at the sight of him in the throes of passion. Every line of his face sharpened until it seemed as if no one else existed except for her. She felt loved.
Ella had been driving him mad. Gods, he’d wanted to be inside her so badly he thought he’d snap. He’d jacked off so many times after leaving her each night he couldn’t believe his dick hadn’t fallen off. Of all the possible reasons for her hesitance, Samuel had never once considered that stupid freaking potion until he was looking at her hesitant face as she offered it to him. As if a handful of cooked herbs, and Zeus knew what else, could possibly keep him here. It was her. She’d managed to burrow so deeply into his brain and heart he couldn’t shake her loose. It took everything he had to stay away while she worked during the day.
There wasn’t a boiled liquid that could bring about the pure obsession he felt for her. She squeezed his cock with her inner muscles. His gut twisted with desire. Sex wasn’t enough. He wanted to own her. He’d never felt this way before. Lowering his weight gently, hoping not to crush her, he touched his lips to hers. With a quick roll, he was on his back with her straddling his hips. Surging upward, he let her know he was nowhere near finished with her despite his release.
“I’m ensnared by your beauty,” he confessed between kisses. “Fascinated by your mind and held captive by your body. You’re an addiction from which I have no desire to be cured.”
She possessed the type of body that begged for a man’s touch. She wasn’t one of those stick figures, which caused a man as powerful as he was to fear she’d break. Instead, her curves enticed his hands to explore every inch. To him, she was the perfect mixture of soft and firm, making him want to lose himself in her.
Balancing her weight on her palms, she rocked against him with a moan. “I’ll be here to feed you anytime,” she offered.
Snagging the back of her head, he pulled her mouth to his. He spoke against her skin as her pussy tightened around his cock, causing it to jump.
“You won’t be able to keep me away,” he promised before licking the seam of her lips. The salty taste of sweat mixed with the sweet flavor that was her own caused him to want her even more. He’d not been merely spouting poetic. He was irrevocably hooked.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The idea of Randall as a shaman pecked away at the back of Ella’s mind. At the oddest times, she’d catch herself staring at him, watching for clues. She knew Samuel had been telling her the truth about the man. There was still a part of her hoping he was wrong. If Randall was capable of powerful magic and couldn’t find a cure for Freddie, then what chance did she have?
“Why did you hire me?” The question burst from Ella as she watched Randall unpacking a box of herbs.
Glancing up, his face seemed devoid of all emotion. She wondered if he was hiding something.
“You’re a witch,” he answered simply, taking her by surprise. “I can’t very well have some ignorant riffraff hawking items out of my shop while having zero knowledge of what they’re dealing.”
Ella felt there was a compliment hidden in there somewhere, but she struggled to see it.
Wiping his hands on his red and already stained t-shirt, Randall moved to lean on the counter next to her.
“Now, it’s my turn to ask a question.”
A smile touched Ella’s lips at his words. “I didn’t know we were playing twenty questions, but I’m in.”
“I don’t know that game.” She wanted to stamp her foot at his inhuman ability to be human. “However, I do get what you’re suggesting. I’m willing to play along. Are you dating the dark one now?”
“Yes. Are you a shaman?”
“No. Have you asked him why he always only wears a kilt but isn’t a Scot?”
“No. If you’re not a shaman, then what are you?” she shot back as quickly.
“I’m a wizard. Aren’t you the least bit curious about his background?”
“No. Do you think you’ll ever be able to cure Freddie?”
“No. He’s going to break your heart.”
Ella pulled a face. “That’s not a question.”
“I know. It was a statement of fact,” Randall told her sadly.
“Okay, then. Do you know anyone who can help me with Freddie?”
Randall looked disappointed in her as if she should be seeing something right in front of her face. With a huge sigh, he gave up. “Very well, if you’re determined to be blind, then there is nothing I can do. There is a magical being living deep in bayou country, a Voodooist mind you, so it’s very dangerous, but they might be able to help you.”
Ella jumped up and down as she snagged Randall around the neck, hugging him tightly. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
With a sniff, he gave her a light pat on the back. “Yes, well, you shouldn’t thank me yet. I can’t promise it will help. If you’re going to do this, then you should take the giant ass with you. If nothing else, he is deadly and can keep you safe.”
***
“Oh, no, no, no. You can’t go messing with no voodoo.”
While Ella had been prepared to argue with Samuel, the unexpected opposition came from Tam. In her hot pink bustier and bright orange tutu, she looked exactly like an outraged rainbow.
“Samuuueellll, tell her she can’t go,” Tam demanded with a pout.
The pair turned to Samuel, each expecting him to back them up. Instead of appearing torn, he simply shrugged. Ella watched the muscles in his chest shift with the motion, feeling a bit of feminine pride in his beauty. She still couldn’t believe he was hers. “If she is determined in this, then I cannot stop her,” Samuel said like a man resigned.
Refocusing her persuasive skills on Ella, Tam tried a different approach. “Then Freddie and I won’t go.” Her chin took on a stubborn tilt. “She is liable to want Freddie’s poor bones for her black magic hoodoo, and them folks like the taste of Tam better than even Freddie does.”
Instead of backing down, as Tam was clearly expecting, Ella nodded in agreement.
“Okay.”
“What cha mean ‘okay’?” she asked with her green eyes flashing in anger. “Are you gonna head in there with no Tam and Freddie guarding your back? What the hell is wrong with ya?”
“I mean, okay,” Ella answered with a shrug. “It’ll be quicker with just the two of us.”
“But Ella,” Tam whined. “She�
�s gonna put the stank eye on you, and then what, I ask? You’ll be stuck with a zombie, plus you’ll have pink eye and a club foot,” she said without giving Ella time to answer.
In spite of her best efforts, Ella laughed. Tam’s pout deteriorated into a full-fledged sulk.
“I’m sorry, Tam,” Ella said when the guilt began to eat at her. She looked over at Samuel, expecting he’d back her up again. Instead, he gave her the what-you-gonna-do shrug. Men! She was on her own.
“Look, I promise if this woman’s eye gets the least bit stinky, then I’ll high-tail it out of there, okay?”
Staring down at her lime-green high-top Converse sneakers, Tam refused to meet her eyes. She gave a tiny nod and Ella nearly groaned in relief. One obstacle down and one cheesy eye left to go.
***
Ella never slept. That was the main reason Samuel allowed this crazy black magic witch-hunt to proceed. A huge part of him hated she went to such extremes for another man, but neither could he let her go alone or stay away from her. “Deep in bayou country” turned out to be the last room inside the Bayou Country Club, which would’ve been funny in itself to Samuel without adding in the actual Voodooist, who looked more like a sleazy car salesman than any magic man.
Everything was white. The couch, the walls, chairs, and tables were all blinding in their cleanliness. At the center of it all, appearing as a slimy stain on an otherwise spotless handkerchief, was Pierre Lacombe, Voodooist extraordinaire.
The man possessed all of four brown hairs in the front of his head. He used those to cover the pale bald spot at the back. This feat obviously needed a ton of oil to accomplish, a fact, which seemed to hold Ella mesmerized as they took the seats offered to them after a rather lengthy introduction that was uncomfortable at the very least.
Whereas they both had been expecting chicken bones, burning incense, and even a possible club-foot-curse, what they got were some hot wings, cigar smoke, and Ella’s ass grabbed.
That final thing alone was a killing offense in Samuel’s eyes, but the greasy-haired man who wore too many gold chains held onto his life by his immediate prophecy.
Voracious Vixens, 13 Novels of Sexy Horror and Hot Paranormal Romance Page 69
