by Wendy Stone
“I think I like this,” he grinned, slipping further down her body. His eyes raked over her breasts before his mouth slipped over a nipple.
He suckled lightly, drawing a cry of pleasure from her lips. Pulling away, she felt his mouth move over the lower curve of her breast, nuzzling the reddened tip with his nose before sliding further down.
Marissa felt his mouth on her stomach and stared down at the top of his dark head. Her hands went to his hair, sifting through the long strands as she moved her hips, inviting him lower. “Lukah,” she whispered, “My Lukah.”
She felt his smile against her lower belly and even through her need felt her own lips curve as well. Before she’d been taken, she’d thought of leaving. She’d despaired at never seeing her parents again, her family, and had panicked. But now she knew she would never leave him. He was her family; he and their children would be her family for the rest of her life.
“I love you so much,” she moaned. “I couldn’t live without you either.”
He kissed the softness of her mound, his fingers slipping along the thick lower lips of her sex. Parting them, he dipped his tongue between, just the lightest of touches against her flesh. It sent her passions soaring, leaving her hanging breathless upon the precipice of ecstasy.
One little nudge would send her over. Her heart thundered in her chest, a keening cry breaking from her lips. His tongue flicked across her clit. That one tiny touch burst the twisted bubble of tension inside, sending waves of sweet heat crashing over her. She cried out his name, her hips twisting under his mouth, her body tensed as each separate pulse of pleasure careened through her.
Lukah lifted his head, his fingers finding her delicate opening, pressing inside. She felt the spasms of her muscles fluttering over his skin, wishing it was his cock inside of her.
“Please,” she cried. “Please, I need you in me. Now!” Her demand brought him up her body and he hooked her legs over his arms, his cock sliding inside with an ease that told of her arousal.
His mouth found hers, tongue thrusting into her mouth. He was hard and deep inside, stroking her passions even higher.
“Again,” he growled against her mouth. “Come again, my love. Let me feel it around my cock.” An animalistic grunt escaped his lips and he arched his back, going even deeper.
His strokes were hard and fast, hammering into her. Her hands were on his shoulders, gripping tight. He was pushing her fast into another orgasm.
“Now, Marissa,” he roared, his body shaking as he emptied himself in her. She cried out his name, lost in the hazy world of intense pleasure.
The fall from ecstasy was slow, her body panting as she tried to regain her breath. He let her legs down, relaxing against her, his head lying on the ground next to her ears. His breath tickled a strand of her hair, causing it to brush against her face.
“I had planned something a bit longer than that,” he said, lifting his head enough to look into her eyes. “I’d thought of a lengthy loving under the moon, but you,” he chuckled and shook his head. “You’re too much, my love.”
“And here I thought I was just enough,” she managed to say. She stretched under him, feeling a satisfying soreness in her muscles. “Now, how about you carry me back to the house? We can try that long, lengthy lovemaking there.”
He tried to rise, pretending to fall over. “You’ve weakened me. I guess you’ll have to carry me.”
Marissa laughed, her heart lighter than it had been in days. “Get up,” she said with a mock growl. “Maybe I should call Nashe and have him come and carry me?”
She found herself pinned once more beneath her mate’s lean body. “Nashe is busy with his own female.” Quickly jumping to his feet, he bent and hauled her over his shoulder, slapping her bottom when she fought. “You wanted carried, now lay there and enjoy it.” He started through the soft grass toward the house.
“I was thinking more along the lines of being swept off my feet, held high against your chest. Carried like I was a delicate, fragile princess that you cherished,” Marissa complained, reaching down to tweak the muscular buttocks that were twitching in front of her face.
“Hey!” He pulled her back, holding her against his chest. “If you don’t want to be dumped on your cute little ass, watch what your pinching back there.”
The stern look on his face disappeared and he grew serious as he stared into her heather eyes. “I almost lost you, I almost had the best thing in my life taken from me. I won’t let it happen again.”
* * * *
Shurene rose from the bushes at the edge of the path, watching the two young lovers moving toward the house. She could almost see the love between them. The sight sent a wave of despondency through her. Jealousy ate at her constantly. She’d never feel that again. She’d never have another lover.
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” she growled. With a flip of her hair, she turned and headed toward the fence.
Chapter Eleven
Nashe gently ran his finger down the curve of her cheek, wanting so badly to wake her. He smiled as he thought of how she’d felt in his arms last night, of how she’d responded to him. Even now, he could feel his cock stir at the memories. They’d made love for hours, never tiring.
“I never want to let you go,” he murmured, pressing his lips tenderly against her mouth. But if he didn’t go, and soon, the freshest of the products needed for the restaurant would be gone. He slid out of bed, making sure to cover her so that he wasn’t tempted to wake her from the inside out, and hit the showers.
He was ready quickly, slipping into comfortable old jeans and a western-styled denim shirt. A pair of boots on his feet, he wrote her a quick note, wishing he had a rose to leave on her pillow. Bending, he breathed in her scent, kissing her once more. Then he was gone.
The market district was close to his apartment, something he’d made sure of when he rented the place. The idea of trying to get cross town, of trying to find parking or catch a cab at this time of the morning was almost ridiculous enough to be funny. He stopped at the small coffee shop at the corner, getting his usual. Then he walked the six blocks, hearing the hustle and bustle of the market.
“I never thought to see you out this early,” a voice said from behind him.
Nashe turned, grinning. “Kadian,” he said, clasping the were-dragon in a manly embrace before letting go to slap him on the shoulder. “You should have found me a few blocks back. I’d have bought you coffee.”
Kadian reached out, snaring the half-empty cup from Nashe’s hand. Taking a long hit, he smiled. “Thanks for the coffee.”
Shaking his head, Nashe laughed. “You haven’t changed a bit, not in the, what is it, two hundred and sixty years I’ve known you?”
“Two hundred and sixty-five, but who’s counting? I was kind of shocked to see you at the jackal club last night. I thought you hated jackals.”
“Come on, walk with me,” Nashe said, turning Kadian toward the huge, sprawling market place. “I have to do some buying for the restaurant.”
“Sure, but only if you tell me what’s going on. I mean, shit, I’ve never seen you so gone over anyone the way you seemed to be with that sexy blonde.”
“Her name is Terry and she’s mine, so keep those pretty hands of yours off of her.” Nashe stopped at a stall, picking through a basket of Roma tomatoes. “Nice,” he told the woman standing behind the counter.
“Have I ever given you anything but?” she joked. “The usual?”
“Yeah, I can’t believe I’m going to let you take me again.” Nashe grinned at the woman who seemed to blush under his electrifying green gaze. He blew her a kiss before moving on.
“I do kind of have pretty hands, don’t I?” Kadian said, holding them up as if inspecting them. “You haven’t asked what I did with Chris Antreneaux.”
“I was getting there,” Nashe said, stopping in front of a crate of salmon on ice. He lifted one, checking the eyes as well as the gills. Grinning, he signaled the seller and made arrangemen
ts, arguing fiercely over the price.
Kadian stood back and waited, watching as both men juggled figures. Nashe slapped the man on the back before walking away, a smile on his lips.
“I don’t know how you do this,” he said, following Nashe to another stall.
“It’s what I live for,” Nashe grinned, picking through a bin of mushrooms and placing his order. “Fresh is a hell of a lot better than canned any day. Now, about Chris. I saw you flying off with him, I think half the city saw it. Where is he?”
“You know Carmella,” Kadian said. “She’s become a member of some kind of police for our kind. I dropped Chris off with her and let her know what he’d done. I don’t think he’ll be bothering you again.”
“Carmella is a cop?” Nashe laughed. “That girl used to be all about breaking the rules. Now she’s enforcing them?”
“We did used to have some fun, didn’t we?” Kadian smiled at the memories that warmed his mind. “Now, what’s all the to-do about this Terry of yours? Is she the one?”
Nashe scowled, dropping the onion he was holding back into the bin. “You know there will never be a ‘one’ for me. You know why as well.”
“God man, you tried the change with Althea when people still used leeches to suck out the demon poison. Medicine is changed, people have changed. You don’t think that there might not be a way for the two of you?”
“I can’t risk it.” Nashe headed toward a small stall where he knew he could get more coffee. He spun in fury when Kadian grabbed his arm. “Just leave it alone, Kadian. I’m more than grateful for your help last night, but now you’re treading in an area that doesn’t concern you. Just fucking drop it.”
“I can’t. You couldn’t have seen her eyes last night. The girl’s in love with you.”
His words hit Nashe like a fist in the gut, sending his thoughts spinning and his breath backing up in his lungs. He bent slightly at the waist.
“You know it, don’t you,” Kadian accused. “How are you going to handle watching her growing old and dying? Or do you plan to run again, just drop out of sight. Now, when you finally have what you want in life? It’s been your dream for years to open a restaurant, to find a place to call home. I know you want a mate. I’ve seen the yearning and the jealousy in your eyes when you see others so happy and in love.”
“I can’t do this now,” Nashe growled, his eyes glowing as he fought to stay human. Pain filled him at the thought of leaving Terry. “Oh, fuck me,” he hissed. “I love her too.”
“I knew it,” Kadian said, rubbing his nails on the front of the leather jacket he wore.
“I have to tell her goodbye.”
“What?” Kadian growled. “No! Damn it, man. You love her and she loves you. You find a way to work it out.”
“Why do you care?” Nashe said, turning on his friend. “Why the fuck did you have to come here and tell me all of this? I was blissfully ignorant. I was happy for the first time in my life.”
“Because you deserve more. You deserve it all, Nashe. All those years hiding, running, staying away from everyone and everything you loved because of what happened to Althea. You can’t live like that.”
“I know,” Nashe said, feeling defeated. “I know.” He looked up at Kadian, eyes full of pain. “I just don’t know what to do about it.”
* * * *
Terry stretched, her eyes fluttering before they opened. She looked around the strange place that was Nashe’s bedroom, enthralled as well as intrigued by the different objects. He had masks from Africa, some painted with terribly horrific faces, all sprouting wild manes of hair from their wooden heads. A statue of some goddess stood in the corner, the beautiful marble covered by coats and a couple shirts. How could he use something like that as a clothes tree?
Paintings of nudes, of pastoral scenes, of nymphs and satyrs were on the walls, each done in bright water colors. A spear stood in another corner, a small wrinkled head hanging from the haft amidst a dozen wild feathers. Terry sat up, staring at the head. It couldn’t be real, could it?
As she sat up, a crinkle of paper caught her notice and she picked up the note he’d left for her on the bed.
Beautiful , it began, making her smile. A warm glow filled her.
You were sleeping so soundly I didn’t have the heart to wake you. I have to go in this morning and buy supplies for the restaurant. I’ll be back around ten. If you want to see a happy man, don’t move out of my bed before I get back. I’ll see you soon.
He’d signed it simply with an N.
She glanced at the clock on the stand. It was only nine. She had an entire hour. Lying back in the bed, she reached over and grabbed his pillow, bringing it to her face to breathe in his scent.
“Oh, God, I’ve got it bad,” she sighed, rolling over and cuddling the pillow. Her body ached with pleasant soreness. She could remember every minute of last night. Nashe had been demanding, as if he couldn’t get enough of her, bringing her to one amazing climax after another. His eyes had barely left her face, even when he’d sent her soaring into bliss with his hand, he’d watched her.
She couldn’t help but remember asking him what he was staring at.
“You,” he’d answered, his voice deep, husky. “Just you.”
A shiver went through her. His eyes had spoken volumes as he said those simple words. “Shit,” she whispered, throwing his pillow back on the bed and sitting up, hugging her knees with her arms. “I don’t love him, do I? I can’t, there’s no way I could be in love with him this quick. It’s infatuation. You’re infatuated with him, Terry. That’s all. Don’t drag more into this than what it is.”
Suddenly, lying here and waiting for him didn’t seem like the best idea in the world. She threw back the covers, stepping naked out of bed. His robe, a dark green velvet that certainly didn’t look like something a man would buy for himself, lay across the end of his bed. Grabbing it, she started to shrug into it then stopped.
“Oh, God, it smells like him.” Holding the soft material to her face, she let it infuse her senses. It smelled a bit like the after shave he wore, something musky and elemental, something that just emphasized his natural scent. Slipping her arms into the material was like slipping into his embrace.
“Stop, Terry. Just fucking stop acting like a lovesick teenager. Next thing you know I’ll be writing Mrs. Nashe Wolfe on all my notebooks.” She started toward the bedroom door. “You’re being a complete idiot.”
Opening the door to the rest of his apartment, Terry couldn’t help the gasp that came to her lips. The walls were painted gray, black leather furniture placed in a cozy array around a wide screen television set. Bright red pillows and a soft velvety feeling throw made splashes of color against the black. Stark black and white paintings populated the walls except for one picture. It was crudely done, faded by time. A panther slunk through the underbrush, its green eyes fixed upon the person painting it. In the background, a silver wolf cavorted amid a litter of pups, seeming to be at ease with the panther.
Terry walked closer, studying the lines and the colors of the piece. She knew very little about art, but she could tell that this one was very old.
With a sigh, she went back down the small hall, opening doors until she found the bathroom. Pulling out a towel from the linen closet, she turned on the water, sighing when the spray came from the ceiling tiles. Stepping into the water, she tipped back her head, letting the heat of it beat down upon her.
His shampoo bottle was tucked in the corner of the tub and she poured a bit into her palm, enjoying the scent that she’d become accustom to smelling on Nashe. After washing her hair and her body, she let the water run over her.
“Face facts, Terry,” she whispered to herself. “You’re falling in love with him.”
A little voice in her head berated her. But you barely know him. She sighed, turning off the water and quickly drying, using the towel to wrap her hair. Staring around the bathroom, she could feel him everywhere, his razor next to the sink, his t
oothbrush sitting in a holder. The toothpaste was on the sink as well, the cap missing.
The towel he’d used this morning was hanging on the bar next to the shower, still damp. When she closed her eyes, she could almost hear him; shaving, brushing his teeth. He was every where around her.
“I’ve got to get out of here,” she moaned, yanking at the towel around her hair. Going back to the bedroom, she picked up her clothes, the same clothes he’d taken off of her last night with such infinite care, his hands warm and wanting.
She pulled them on, refusing to think of last night, of how he’d touched her, how he’d kissed her. Grabbing her purse, she took two minutes to yank a brush through her long hair, pulling at the tangles with a vengeance that left her scalp hurting. Terry took the note he’d left her, turning it over and digging a pen out of her purse.
The blank page mocked her. What could she tell him? Uh, sorry I ran but I realized I do want forever with you and I panicked? Yeah, that would go over like a stack of bricks onto a glass house.
Terry paced the floor, staring at the paper and the pen. Sorry, Nashe, but after some careful soul searching, I decided I don’t just want to be fuck buddies. Argh! With a growled “fuck it”, Terry stuffed the paper and pen in her purse and ran for the door.
The elevator took forever. Glancing at her watch, she realized that her hour was almost over. The stairs beckoned and she pulled open the door to them, not hearing the bing of the elevator as the doors opened and Nashe stepped out. Terry grabbed the railing, racing down the flights of stairs. Hurrying through the small lobby, she burst out onto the street, taking a deep breath of city air.
There was a snarl of traffic on this street, so instead of trying to get a taxi here, she walked down to the cross street. A taxi sat at the corner, letting out a passenger. Terry hurried to grab it, sliding in and giving her address to the cabbie.
