“You can’t say never. In species as long lived as we are surely at some point someone—”
“No. Never,” Viève said definitively.
“But your mother mated with a human…so it’s not impossible that someone would want to—”
“No. Just…trust me. The odds of a male Wraith wanting the likes of me are astronomical. I think they’d rather cut it off.”
It was blunt and crude, and it was clear she meant every word of it. This fair, pretty little Wraith honestly believed herself unworthy mating material. And probably not with just a Wraith. Viève’s low self-esteem ran deep. It radiated from her like a dark sun.
“Well then, it is their loss and I feel very sorry for them,” Marissa said, hugging Viève around her shoulders tightly.
It was very kind of her to say such things, but Viève understood it was just politeness. Still, it was nice to be on the receiving end of it.
However misplaced the sentiment might be.
Chapter 11
By the time Kamen returned to his rooms, he was completely exhausted. He had expended a great deal of magic that night and the sun had since risen outside of the polarized glass windows of the house. He was weary right to the bone, but he would not rest unless he had Viève well taken care of.
“Where are Viève’s rooms?” he asked Jackson once he found him.
“She doesn’t have any,” Jackson said with bemusement.
“Why would you not give her rooms? Is she any less worthy than the guests I just brought whom you have situated comfortably?” he asked, his voice sharp with his mounting anger.
“Kamen, she is more than worthy and we tried to give her her own rooms, but she insisted on staying in your rooms with you.” Jackson frowned. “If you do not want her there then I will have her taken to her own rooms immediately. I figured we would sort it all out when you got back. Perhaps you should go and talk to her.”
“Yes,” he said absently. “Perhaps I should.”
He was more than a little stunned as he climbed the stairs toward his rooms. They had not discussed where she would be spending her days, but he found it hard to believe his shy little Wraith had just boldly decided she should sleep in his bed without so much as talking to him about it.
But as he entered the outer room of his suite, he was presented with something that must have made perfect sense in her mind. She was sleeping on the couch, a nice, tidy little bed made up of sheets and a blanket on the cushions. She stirred when he entered the room and then was awake an instant later, sitting upright quickly.
“I hope you don’t mind. If you do I’ll just get my own rooms. I just…the thought of being all by myself in this big house was a little overwhelming. Especially knowing that most of the people here don’t like Wraiths. At least I could be sure you like me a little. I thought so anyway. But I can move any time if—”
She broke off when he rounded the couch and came toward her. She braced herself, thinking he was going to kick her out and telling herself this had been a very foolish idea from the beginning. What had she been thinking? Just because they’d had one sexual encounter didn’t mean she had any right to commandeer his couch!
He reached out to grab her hand, then jerked her out of her makeshift bed.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“Shut up,” he said sharply.
She shut her mouth with a click. Tears welled in her eyes, more emotion from her human half, more weakness. She had known she was going to end up causing trouble somehow. She was famous for it. She never did anything right.
He swung her up into his arms so suddenly it made her dizzy. She was wearing a nightgown she had borrowed from the enormous wardrobe of women’s clothing they had in the house. Was he going to put her outside in nothing but this thin pink silk gown?
He took two strides and she suddenly realized he wasn’t heading for the door leading into the hallway, but was moving toward the one leading into his bedroom. It stood slightly ajar and he kicked the door open. The light flashed on and in four steps he was beside the bed and lowering her down onto the coverlet.
“Oh no! I can’t take your bed!” she cried. “Thank you for the offer, but you don’t have to be polite with me. I’m used to just—”
“I said shut up,” he said sternly.
She did. She fidgeted with the lace on her gown as he pulled the tails of his shirt free of his pants then unbuttoned the cuffs. He stripped it off, revealing a beautifully broad chest shaped with incredibly delectable muscles. Her mouth went dry, then began to water as she envisioned herself running her tongue over each and every one of those muscles. Wouldn’t that be nice?
His hands dropped to his belt and her eyes dropped with them. He kicked off his shoes as he worked his belt free. It slid off his waist, out of the belt loops of his pants. He curled it up and put it on the top of a nearby table. Then he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants.
“If you don’t want to sleep with me, now is your chance to say so,” he said quietly.
“You told me to shut up.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “You may speak for this purpose. Do you want to sleep with me?”
Her throat went dry. “Yes,” she whispered. “But I didn’t think…that is, I’m not expecting you to do this.”
“That much is clear,” he said grimly. “Viève, you and I are going to come to an agreement.”
“What kind of agreement?” she asked as she watched him slide his pants down over his hips and thighs. He did this so slowly it was almost like a tease. But she knew he wasn’t doing it on purpose.
“You and I are going to agree that, until one of us plainly says otherwise, we want each other. And with that want will come some certainties.”
“Okay…”
“Certainty number one. You can tell me anytime, anywhere, and anyhow you want me. I will not become angry, I will not become offended, and I will not shut you down.”
“But surely—”
“Certainty number two. You are to consider yourself wanted at all times. As such you hold an incredible value. Call it currency, and you can cash in any time you like.”
“Any t—”
“Any time,” he said firmly.
“All right,” she said, something fluttering to life inside her chest. He wanted her. Until he said otherwise, he wanted her. He sounded so sure of it.
“Certainty number three,” he said, folding his pants neatly and draping them over a chair back. “If you ever devalue yourself in front of me there will be a swift and severe punishment.”
“P-punishment?”
He stood before her wearing only his boxer-briefs and yet it still felt as if he had on more clothes than she did. His presence was a self-assured and commanding one. One not to be argued with.
“Yes,” he said as he bent down and climbed over her body. She laid back on the pillows, her hands fluttering against his chest. “It will come in the form of a sexual encounter that will put all others to shame.”
“I’ve only had the one,” she said, amusement creeping into her voice.
“For now. I’m about to double your experience.”
“You are?”
“I am,” he said. Then he caught up her mouth in a blistering kiss that left her absolutely breathless. “Now, this doesn’t mean you can denigrate yourself just to get this experience. Remember certainty number one?”
“Yes,” she breathed.
“You can simply ask for it any time you want it.”
She blushed and covered her cheeks with her hands. “I wouldn’t know how.”
He bore his gaze into hers. “Learn,” he said.
“All right,” she whispered.
Then he was kissing her again, the heat of it scorching her, just like the heat of the nearness of his body was scorching her. It penetrated through the flimsy fabric of her nightgown as if it wasn’t even there. He slipped a hand under her waist and pulled her body up into tighter contact with his. She arched
into him even as she allowed him to devour her like a starving man devours a buffet. He started with her mouth, then broke from it to catch the skin of her throat between his teeth. He nibbled at her there a moment then licked his way down to her collarbone. He drew his mouth against her, sipping at her and nipping at her and then suddenly closing his whole mouth to her skin and sucking. He did this all down the plane of her chest until he reached the fabric of her gown where it covered her breasts.
His hand came up and he slipped a thumb under the spaghetti strap of the gown and slowly drew it down her shoulder and arm. Then he paused, seeming to second-guess his strategy.
“No, take it off. I’ll not have it in my way.”
He moved to her side and waited expectantly.
Even though she had technically been naked in front of him already, she had never stripped for a man before. She covered her cheek with one hand and reached for the hem of the gown with the other.
“Why do you do that?” he asked suddenly, making her freeze.
“Do what?”
“Cover your face every time you blush.”
“Oh.” She fiddled with the hem of her gown self-consciously. “Wraiths don’t blush. Every time I do, it just reminds everyone how different I am. So I guess I try to hide it.”
“But you wear blush,” he noted.
“Yes. To try and cover up the fact that I blush naturally. I guess I figure maybe they’ll just mistake it for makeup.”
“Does that work?” he asked, bemused with her logic.
“Not really. But I do it anyway.”
“How about you not worry about it with me,” he said, taking her hand in his and drawing it away from her face. “Don’t try to hide it. I actually enjoy your blushes. They make you very pretty and very tempting.”
“Oh no. Not pretty,” she said, blushing again and trying to lift her hand. But it was caught firmly in his and he didn’t let go of it.
“Yes, pretty. You are not among Wraiths here. Here no one is judging you based on anything but what they see before them. And what they see is a very pretty woman with a very pretty blush on her cheeks.”
Tears pricked at her eyes and she blinked them away. She wasn’t going to cry just because someone had finally called her pretty. She simply wasn’t.
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Good. Now let’s take this gown off. As much as it complements the color on your cheeks, I would have you naked for me.”
This time when she blushed she didn’t even try to cover her face. If he said it didn’t bother him, then she would take him at his word.
She reached for the hem of the gown again and he reached with her. Together they pulled it up her body and then over her head. It fell to the side of the bed and now she was completely naked beside him.
She could hear the deep sound of his breaths as they moved in and out of his body. She watched as his eyes drank her in. He reached to drift soft knuckles over the rosy tip of her right nipple, then ran his fingers down her body until they were caught up in the little gray curls hiding her sex from him. Her breaths quickened, but he did nothing more than toy with the curls slowly, watching his fingers as he did so.
“You’re perfect,” he said, then before she could argue he caught up her mouth in a kiss that, had she been wearing socks, would have blown them right off. Then his fingers slid down and dipped between her damp thighs. “So welcoming already,” he observed. He caressed the ready folds of her womanhood. “Good gods you’re hot,” he said heatedly.
She could only respond by letting her thighs fall open for him, giving him free access to whatever he wanted. Whatever it was, she would give it to him. Just as long as he kept making her feel like this. Like she was special, and sexy and hot. She hoped the feelings never stopped.
She touched him on his chest, tracing the muscles she had longed to map. She had imagined him as a bookworm, but his body did not suit the image. His body was thick and strong and physical. It was battle-ready, muscle roped with veins that gave life-giving blood to them. Her fingertips coasted over his nipples and he hissed in a breath. She repeated the caress, this time using the edges of her nails. He rewarded her with another blazing kiss. She clutched at his sides, feeling dizzy as his fingers delved deeper until one found her clit and began to circle around it flirtatiously. The touch enlivened every nerve she had. She gasped softly against his mouth and he growled with pleasure.
“There it is, yes? Right there?”
She could only nod.
“And what of here?” he asked as he thrust his finger inside her suddenly. He left his thumb to toy with her clit, refusing to abandon it. She moaned and nodded again.
“Good,” he said. “So long as I am doing it right.”
She had to laugh. “You have doubts?” she asked breathlessly.
“Not one. But it never hurts to check in with one’s partner when it comes to these things.”
“You are most considerate.”
“Now you do the same. Ask me what I like.”
She regarded him shyly, but his fingers inside her emboldened her. She drew her hand down a set of rock hard abdominal muscles and touched the elastic waistband of his underwear. Then she dipped her hand beneath and found her fingertips brushing against hard heat. She stroked the head of his cock gently.
“Do you like this?” she asked.
He shook his head and she bit her lip. She reached down and wrapped her hand around his length and stroked him root to tip. He growled softly, his hips surging forward.
“This then?” she asked.
He shook his head again. She frowned. He liked it. She could tell. They both could. So what was it he wanted?
She ran her hand down his length toward his body and cupped the soft sac beneath the rod.
“This?”
“Very close,” he said tightly.
“Well, what is it you want?” she asked with no little pique.
“I want it all. Everything. I am selfish and voracious. I will not be satisfied until I have you wrapped around me any and every way imaginable.”
“Oh,” she breathed. “Then let’s get rid of these.” She reached to snap the band of his underwear.
“As long as you can do it without me having to let go of you.”
An intriguing trick, but she thought she could manage it. She slid the material over his hips and pushed them down as far as she could without breaking his hold on her. He shifted and kicked them away. She immediately caught him up in her hands again, stroking him thoroughly, listening voraciously for every catch in his breath, for every low groan that escaped him. All the while his hand worked magic inside her. She panted with pleasure, rolling her hips up into his touch. His head dipped down and he took her nipple in between his teeth. He sucked it into his mouth again and again until the sensation combined with the stroking of his hand to bring her to her first blinding orgasm.
Her cries filled his ears and her hands clutched at his body. He was hard as nails with his want of her and he would not wait any longer to have her around him. He removed his fingers from inside her and pressed her legs further apart to make way for his hips. He slipped himself out of her hands and with a single thrust he sank deep into her body. He didn’t miss the slight wince that crossed her features.
“I’ve used you too well?” he asked, concerned.
“No. It’s nothing. A passing thing. I do not care so long as you stay inside me.”
“But you would let me know if I hurt you? Ever?”
“I would let you know,” she assured him.
“Good. Because I would not have you harmed in any way.”
“You do not harm me in any way. You pleasure me beyond all reason.”
He smiled at that. “Good. That’s as it should be.”
“Seeing you smile gives me pleasure as well,” she said.
“For you the effort is easy. And now…” He thrust smoothly into her and she smiled at the pleasure of it. “I wish to make you smile.”
“For you the effort is easy,” she said on a low purr.
“There will be nothing easy about this effort,” he promised her.
But all the same, he watched her carefully for the first few strokes to make sure she wasn’t in any pain. She didn’t reflect any on her face, so he had to be satisfied with that and the belief that she would keep her word and tell him if she was in any.
He reached to touch her breasts, his hand gliding over first one then the other, his fingers pausing only to tug gently on a nipple. When he had her purring like a kitten, he bent his head to her and took her mouth so he could catch her moans and sighs against his tongue.
He made love to her slowly and thoroughly, leaving no part of her body untouched. Later he would leave no part of her untasted. He vowed it to himself.
“Gods you’re so hot,” he growled against her ear.
“And you’re so hard,” she growled right back. It made him smile, hearing her so bold. He knew it didn’t come easy for her, but she was relaxing in his company and allowing herself to stretch her wings. Given a little time, her confidence would improve. But it would be a long road. The Wraiths had done quite a number on her, battering her down until she barely thought she had a right to any enjoyment in the world. Yet he saw her as strong. One had to be strong in order to survive. To survive and carve out a little place of pleasure. Her gardens were her haven and she had crafted her world to suit her so long as she was out there. Now she needed to realize there was far more to the world than just a little plot of flowers and a house full of mean-spirited people.
He wouldn’t let her go back there. Whatever happened, however all of this panned out, he would make her see that her little cell in Iowa was not the be-all and end-all of the world. That there were other places that would accept her for who she was without tearing her apart in the process. Whatever happened to him, he would see her have a better future.
Perspiration dampened his skin as he quickened his pace. Pleasure zinged through him in hot streaks, lighting his nerves on fire. He wondered at himself. Here he was having sex for the second time in a matter of hours after so many years of nothing. He should be exhausted—and he was—but his energy with her seemed to be boundless.
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