Shadow of the Ghoul (Halfblood Legacy Book 2)

by Devin Hanson

  “Christ, Alex,” he groaned. “You’re perfect.”

  I turned his head and bit him lightly on the earlobe before whispering back, “And you’re wearing too much clothing.”

  He shivered and ran his spare hand up the back of my shirt. His hand was cool, but not cold enough to be unpleasant, and he flicked the clasp on my bra open after fumbling it a few times. I pulled back from him far enough to give his hand room to slide around and cup my breast.

  Jason had big hands, broad and strong, with long fingers. My nipple felt tiny between his fingers as he rolled it gently back and forth. I groaned at the sensation. The lust coming from Jason was heady as strong liquor and it stirred my own arousal into hot, tingling need.

  The muscles in Jason’s back shifted as he lifted me away and set me down on the bed. Before I could complain, he stripped his shirt off and tossed it aside. Whatever exercises he did for volleyball, I heartily approved. His shoulders and chest were corded muscle, hard and lean, and I could count the ripple of his abs as he leaned over me.

  Not to be out-done, I pulled my own shirt off and my bra came with it. I was way past the taunting dance of a strip tease. Clothes now were just a hinderance getting in the way of sex. I reached for the buttons on my jeans but Jason caught my hand.

  “What’s the hurry?” he asked.

  “Do you just like teasing me? Or do you—oooh.”

  Jason’s hot mouth closed over my breast, sending shivers down my back. The combination of the suction and the flick of his tongue made my groan and forget what I was going to say. I reached down and grabbed at the front of his jeans and felt his hard length trapped sideways.

  He didn’t stop me as I worked his belt open and got his jeans undone. I slipped my hand down along the taut muscle of his stomach and into his pants. I grabbed him and pulled him out through his fly, then with both hands started working up and down his length.

  Somewhere behind him, I heard his shoes hit the ground. He rolled off me to the side long enough to shuck his pants off. “You know what,” he said breathlessly, “I think you’re correct. This is urgent.”

  “You’re damn right it is. Oh!”

  Jason rolled off the bed and grabbed my jeans by the waistband, then yanked them down to my ankles. My jeans were far too tight to slide down, so they ended up being pulled inside out. I started trying to kick my boots off, but he dragged my knee into the air and ducked his head and shoulders between my legs.

  “Hold up. My boots are—ah! Ah, shit, no, don’t stop. Forget the boots!” I arched my back and tried to push my sex harder into his mouth. The short stubble on his cheeks rasped against the sensitive skin at the top of my legs and sent shivers through me.

  Jason’s tongue danced across my clit, coaxing tremors from my legs. I tangled my hands in his hair and lifted my hips even higher as his tongue sank deep into me. I closed my eyes and let the sensations wash over me, forgetting the fear and the worry, and just existed then, in that moment.

  My mounting pleasure started inching toward orgasm as the flick of Jason’s tongue turned into a gentle sucking. It had only been a few minutes, but I was already starting to tip over the edge of no return. Beneath my hands, the hard muscle of Jason’s back bunched and twisted as he shifted his position.

  “Nooo,” I groaned, as Jason ducked out from between my legs. “I was so close!”

  Without a word, Jason rolled off the bed. He leaned over me and hooked one strong hand around my waist and dragged me to the edge of the mattress on my stomach. There was a moment of confusion as my feet tangled in my jeans. I started trying to wrestle one of my boots off, but before I could, he picked me up from behind with his arms hooked under my knees.

  I felt him bump against my ass and slide up between my cheeks. I reached down to guide him, but couldn’t get my arm bent in the right angle. He slipped up and down the length of my sex a few times and I felt him get slick. Then he lifted me up and lowered me down. For a moment, the head of his dick pressed against my asshole and a thrill ran through me. That wasn’t something I had done before, but right then I was about ready to try anything. Then he slipped past and plunged into my sex.

  I groaned and wrapped one of my arms around the back of his neck. There wasn’t much I could do to participate beyond flex my hips and try to keep him from slipping out of me. It was an angle that I had never been penetrated at before, and with every thrust, his length rubbed along the most sensitive part of my insides.

  The building orgasm from his oral ministrations had faded in the shift of position, but now it started building up again rapidly. The surging flow of lust coming from Jason was rising toward an inevitable peak, racing up to match my approaching completion.

  “Alex,” he husked in my ear, “I’m getting close!”

  “Don’t you dare stop. Keep fucking me!”

  Jason grunted something inaudible, and stiffened. He flexed his hips forward and I felt him push into me all the way to the root. Then deep within me, I felt the hot rush of his cum. The heat set off my own orgasm and I cried out, shuddering in his arms.

  Gently, Jason lifted me off of him and set me down on the bed. I stretched languidly, enjoying the aftermath of my orgasm. Jason lay down next to me and sighed with contentment. We kissed slowly and I tasted a hint of myself on his lips.

  “Sorry I couldn’t last longer,” he said softly. “It’s been over a year for me.”

  “Mm. You did just fine.” I stretched a hand down and found him still half hard.

  He chuckled and started to shift away, then groaned as I grabbed him hard. “Easy, there. I’m still tender.”

  “Maybe. But seems like you’ll be ready for round two soon.”

  “You’re a hot one, aren’t you?” He caught my other hand and used it to drag me over on top of him.

  I straddled his hips and sat upright so I could reach back to my boots. It was tough with my jeans wrapped around them, but I managed to work off first one boot then start on the other. I got a little distracted halfway through when Jason sat up and started nuzzling at my chest.

  “I thought you weren’t ready?”

  “Getting there,” he grinned.

  I got my second boot off and shifted back forward. “Now then. Where were we?”

  “We were discussing my recovery time. I’m not sixteen anymore, you know.”

  “Ah. Well, how’s this?” I pressed my hips down against him and dragged the tips of my breasts up his chest.

  Jason reached down and grabbed my ass with both hands. “I was going to ask,” he said as I squirmed against him. “Why me? You could have had any guy in that club.”

  “You mean because you’re not super handsome?” My voice spiked upward as he slipped the last digit of a finger into my ass. “Ooh.”

  “You like that?”

  “Mm. Maybe?” I reached back and found him rock hard again. “Is that what you want?”

  “You want to?”

  He pushed his finger further into me and I gasped. “Oh. That’s different. Maybe not just yet.”

  I shifted back and slowly impaled myself on him. Jason left his finger in my ass and the extra pressure made me feel even fuller. “Fuuuck.”

  Jason reached up with his other hand and squeezed my breast. I started riding him, pushing back against his hand. He thrust his hips up at me as I panted and dug my nails into his ribs. He hinged up at the waist and wrapped his unoccupied arm around me, pinning me in place so he could reach even deeper inside me with both penetrations. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, my grinding against him growing erratic.

  The lust coming from Jason, combined with the pleasure he was giving me, was making it hard to focus. Some distant remnant of logical thought worried about the potential damage I was doing to Jason’s mind, but that fragment was quiet and far away. I wouldn’t be lasting much longer, at any rate.

  Jason’s breath was starting to turn ragged too. He was lasting a lot longer this time, and though I was enjoying the sex, I a
lso wanted it to finish. The finger wasn’t painful, exactly, but he had really big hands and it felt like he was tickling the bottom of my stomach.

  Then, abruptly, it was like a switch was flipped in my head and my orgasm exploded out of nowhere, hard enough to make me see stars. Distantly I was aware that I was wailing and shaking, and it was only Jason’s strong arm about my waist that kept me in place.

  I broke free of his grasp and flopped sideways onto the bed, one hand cupped over my sex, the other pinching at my nipple, dragging the shuddering waves of pleasure out. Jason was moving, and for a moment I thought he was getting in position to keep having sex with me. Then the head of his dick bumped against my cheek.

  He hadn’t finished yet? The flow of lust was still coming from him as strong as ever. I opened my lips and pushed him as far into my mouth as I could go without choking. He was slick with my juices and slightly salty.

  Jason’s hands gathered my hair back and gently held my head in place as he thrust into my mouth. I bent forward and found an angle where I could take him a little bit deeper. The lust spiked upward and I felt his dick pulse before a surge of cum hit the roof of my mouth.

  I swallowed and milked him softly as he hunched over me, groaning with pleasure. Finally, he started to soften and I sat back on my heels with a grin.

  “Ho-ly shit,” Jason groaned.

  “What was that about not having stamina?” I smiled. I leaned forward and kissed him, and after a moment he wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

  “I’m really glad I had the balls to sit at your table,” he said.

  “I am too. Do you do that with all the girls you sleep with?”

  “The thing with the finger?” He chuckled and shook his head. “Never. I’ve always wanted to, though.”

  “It was pretty wild, not going to lie. Next time will be easier, I think.”

  “There’ll be a next time?” His eyes widened and a smile split his face.

  “You think I’m going to let someone go who can fuck like that? No, you’re mine now.” I kissed him hard.

  “Damn,” he said a minute later after I came up for air. “And I thought I was the one doing the hunting.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  My phone rang, startling me out of sleep. I untangled my limbs from Jason’s and dug through the discarded drifts of clothing on the floor until I found it. It was Sam’s number, and I threw a guilty look at Jason before picking up.

  “This is Alex.”

  “Hey,” Sam greeted me. “Did I wake you?”

  “Mm. Doesn’t matter. What’s up?”

  “What’s up? It’s almost nine. Lara’s been chomping at the bit.”

  “Oh.” Jason was sitting up, a blurry look on his face. I waved at him and smiled. “I gotta take a shower. Um. I’ll be at the precinct in an hour?”

  “Shit. Okay, hurry! I’ll try to keep Lara from getting too impatient.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Sam.”

  I hung up and went over to Jason and bent to give him a kiss on the forehead. “Work called. I gotta run.”

  “With the police?”

  “Yeah.” I called it over my shoulder as I ducked into the bathroom. I decided there wasn’t time to wash my hair, so a quick lather and rinse would have to do.

  By the time I made it back out to the room, Jason was out of bed and making coffee, dressed in boxers. I paused in the doorway to admire his back and shoulders. Funny that he didn’t think he was attractive. I was seriously contemplating being late to my meeting with Sam and Lara in favor of another round of sex.

  “Here’s coffee. You take cream or sugar?”

  “Yes and yes. Thanks.” I sipped at the offered cup and grimaced a little. “Better double that. Travelodge doesn’t splurge on its roast.”

  Jason sipped his own which he had left black. “Oh. Yeah, that’s bad. You know, I don’t think I ever asked you what your last name was. I’m Jason Wells.”

  “Alex Ascher,” I shook his offered hand with a grin.

  “So, should I call you Al as a nickname? Or is Alex short for something else?”

  “Ugh. Don’t you dare. Alexandra. But the only people who call me that are stiff-necked or assholes.” I started untangling my underwear from my jeans.

  Jason kneeled down to help me tug my boots from where they were trapped in my pant legs and we ended up staring into each other’s eyes from a few inches away. He swallowed. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Alex,” he said. “Sorry if that comes off as creepy.”

  I kissed him to cover my guilt. That wasn’t surprising. It was a side effect of my mother’s heritage. I just had to manage his exposure to me to keep him from becoming obsessed. Like that sweatpants guy, what’s his name. Paul Becker.

  “It’s sweet,” I assured him. Reluctantly, I decided more sex wasn’t the best idea. Besides, I was already thrumming with energy. Between two rounds of enthusiastic sex with Jason and spending the night in a packed hotel, I felt vibrant and more alive than I had in months.

  I finished dressing and got my phone. “Time to go, Jason. Can I have your number?”

  “Thought you’d never ask.”

  We traded numbers and a last kiss before I hurried out the door. I only felt a little bad about seeing the yawns and bleary stares of the other guests. One bad night of sleep wouldn’t hurt them.

  My phone was running on fumes and checking traffic to find the best route to the precinct put me down into the single digits of battery power left. I really needed to set up a go-bag. Something with a spare change of clothes and a phone charger for when I inevitably had to spend the night away from home without warning.

  Traffic was surprisingly light and I reached the precinct before the hour was up. Sam was pacing in the lobby when I showed up and he hurried over to me, relief on his face.

  “Alex! You made good time.” He paused when he reached my side and eyed me up and down. “You look… well.”

  “Thanks. Yeah, traffic was light.”

  “You…” he cleared his throat. “Spent the night safely?”

  I frowned. Was Sam being jealous? It was pretty clear what he was really asking. “Is that a problem? You made it clear you weren’t interested.”

  Sam blushed and dropped his eyes to my boots. “No, I mean, I just wanted to—forget I said anything.” He shook his head and took a deep breath. “Lara is waiting for us.”

  I followed after Sam, trying to rein in my growing irritation. Did he think I was just going to wait for him to overcome whatever moral objections he had to having sex? I didn’t have a badge or a gun to protect me. The deeper we went into this ghoul investigation, the more danger I found myself in. Sex was the only leg up I had on the nasties in the night. I wasn’t about to go celibate because Sam had a crisis of conscience. If he wouldn’t pony up, I’d find someone who would.

  We reached Lara’s office and went through the door. Lara was hunched over her laptop and looked up when we entered, then went straight to the blinds and snapped them closed. “You’re late, Alexandra,” she said sourly once we were blocked from view.

  “Late to what?” I asked. “Nobody had given me a time to meet. What’s the big rush about anyway? I’m useless in a forensic investigation.”

  “That’s the thing, though.”

  “What?” I demanded. Between Sam giving me grief over sleeping with someone else and Lara’s obtuseness, I was about to turn around and walk out. “What’s the thing?”

  “All the bodies were gone,” Sam said from behind me.

  “Gone?” I turned on Sam and noticed for the first time that his eyes were sunken with exhaustion. He looked like the only thing holding him up was coffee. “Where’d they go?”

  “We don’t know,” Lara said. She slammed her laptop closed and collapsed back in her chair. “The dock was clean. Recently sprayed down with saltwater. The bodies, the burned cars, all of it was gone by the time we got back. We had the Coast Guard stop the Bari before she could reach international waters
and pulled their manifest. They had no container on board matching the number or description of that medical container.”

  I stared at Lara. “Where did it go? Did you see the number of bullet holes in that thing? They couldn’t have hidden it.”

  “Our working theory is the Bari dumped it overboard before we could get a helicopter into the air. We have divers searching the ocean floor in the Bari’s wake.” Sam said from behind me. He crossed the office and slumped into the other chair. “Nothing so far.”

  “Well…” I looked between the two detectives. “That’s good, isn’t it? We don’t want to get bogged down with a secondary investigation right now, do we?”

  The detectives looked at each other.

  “Not exactly,” Lara said.

  “We called in the cavalry,” Sam explained. “What else could we have done? There had been a full-blown gunfight, dozens dead, armed extra-nationals on American soil. It was the deadliest incident in Los Angeles in decades.”

  “Then they showed up and found nothing,” Lara said bitterly. “The captain has us on suspension while IA looks into it. According to my union rep, over a quarter of a million in taxpayer dollars was expended in an emergency mobilization over… nothing. All we have is a wet dock and a confused cargo ship captain with a tight schedule and a litigious holding company that’s furious over costly delays.”

  “Oh. Shit.”

  “Now you understand our urgency,” Sam said.

  “We’re on desk suspension until it is determined if we were playing a prank or not. I have enough of a reputation that I’m getting the benefit of the doubt, for now.” Lara gave me a bleak smile. “But if nothing turns up in the next twenty-four hours, I might as well turn in my badge myself.”

  “What about the ghoul?” I asked. It came out as a squeak.

  Lara sighed. “You’re on your own.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Christ. If the captain finds out we’ve instigated quarantine protocols in the morgues on top of everything else he’d flip his shit.”