by Emma Castle
She opened her eyes, leaned back, and was caught in his gaze.
“You want to know what it would be like to be with me? Let me show you.”
6
I fled, but he pursued—John Milton, Paradise Lost
Diana was falling into darkness, into him. She knew she couldn’t resist. She turned around to face him, a tear trailing down her cheek. Diana wasn’t scared, she was furious—furious that she wanted him, that she liked the way he talked to her, touched her, made her feel vulnerable. He reached out and wiped it with his thumb and then sucked his thumb into his mouth, moaning softly.
“There is nothing so delicious as a mortal’s tears. Shed in love, anger, fear, each one has a different taste. Yours is part anger and part fear.” He brushed his thumb over her lips, and she parted them, drawing in a breath, and then he slid his thumb between her lips.
“Suck it,” he ordered.
Trembling, she did as he ordered. His other hand slid down her back to cup her bottom, his large palm squeezing her hard. Rather than hurting, his touch felt good, too good. Her channel grew wet, and she clenched her thighs together.
Lucien removed his thumb from her mouth, smiling widely. “What a pretty pet you will be.” He took her by the hand before she could speak, and in a blinding flash a portal opened up and they stepped inside. They were back in his apartment above the nightclub in Chicago.
He led her to a room she hadn’t seen. A bedroom. She held her breath, her heart racing as she took in the room—the devil’s bedchamber. It had a fireplace, several chairs, and a couch, and the bed itself was a California king with gauzy red curtains hanging loosely around the four-poster, more for show than for concealment. It was seductive, alluring…something out of her darkest fantasies, the very ones she’d tried to hide from him.
Lucien leaned back on the edge of his bed and pointed at her.
“Remove your dress.”
She reached up to undo the zipper on the side, her hand shaking so hard it took her a few tries. Then she shimmied out of it and slowly let it drop to the floor. She wore a sensible black bra and panties, nothing fancy, and she was glad. She covered her body with her arms until she saw him shake his head. She dropped her arms back down to her sides and looked anywhere but at him.
“Can we just get this over with?” she whispered.
His low chuckle was the opposite of comforting. “My dear, we are just getting started.” Lucien removed his coat and draped it over a nearby chair. Then he rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt and loosened his red silk tie, sliding it off his neck. She watched in equal parts dread and fascination as he wound the expensive silk around his hands the way a boxer would tape his palms. She held her breath as he tightened the silk and then released it.
“Get on the bed and lie on your back, arms above your head.”
Shivering, Diana complied. She walked to the edge of the bed and lowered herself onto the silk sheets and then slid to the center of the bed. He watched her every move. She couldn’t stop trembling, and it took every ounce of her self-control not to panic when he captured her wrists and bound them together with his red tie that moments ago had been around his neck. Then he snapped his fingers, and a silver chain materialized in his hand. He looped the chain around the knotted tie and then secured her to the wooden spindles of the headboard.
“You will not move or speak, but you may make any sound you like.” He stood beside the bed, and after a moment of staring at her, he eased down onto the bed and leaned over her.
Diana closed her eyes, terrified of whatever he might do. She jerked when his fingertips stroked down her cheek.
“You can’t hide from me, Diana. Not even in your own head.” His voice was closer, and she could feel his breath as it fell upon her lips. “I can see inside your head while you’re here in my world.” And then his lips covered hers.
The joining of their mouths was like smoldering heat joining metal. She could not fight that kiss—no hot-blooded woman could. A whimper escaped her when he bit her bottom lip and tugged on it. Flashes of images—wind, clouds, the earth rising up to meet her—made her dizzy and entranced. She was so distracted by his kiss that she didn’t immediately realize his hand was sliding up her inner thighs until he gave her left thigh a light smack. The faint sting of pain caused her to jolt, and her eyes opened.
He broke the kiss and stayed where he was, leaning over her. Then he slid his hand up to cup her mound, and he brushed his thumb over her clit through the fabric of her panties. She jolted at the sudden touch and a riotous wave of ecstasy that shot through her. It felt good, so good, and she hated that he was giving her such pleasure.
“You belong to me—never forget that. You exist here until dawn to serve my pleasures and my needs. Do you understand?”
She nodded, but he frowned. “When you are in my bed, I am your lord and master. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes.” The words sent a little electric pulse through her. Don’t let your mind go there. But it was too late. The dark, secret place in her head was close, too close.
“Very good. Tonight is your first lesson. I will be lenient, just once.” He continued to rub circles around her clit with his thumb. “Some nights, I will tease you like this for as long as it amuses me. On other nights, I will take you straight to a flat surface, bend you over, and fuck you until you can’t walk. And if you continue to please me, we will explore all those hidden fantasies you think you are hiding from me.”
No… He couldn’t know about those. They were buried deep in her head, safe even from herself. She hoped.
“You have a strong will, but I can wear you down, weaken your defenses. I have all the time in the world.” He moved her panties aside and slipped his index finger into her slick folds, twirling the tip in slow, lazy patterns. She couldn’t resist wriggling, and he laughed.
“I told you not to move.” He slowly rolled her onto her stomach and tugged her panties down to just below her ass cheeks and spanked her hard three times on each cheek. She’d never been spanked before, and the sudden flush of wet heat filled her with shame. He’d turned her on by striking her, the slight bite of pain too erotic to ignore. Then he pulled her panties back up and rolled her once more onto her back. She winced as her tender bottom touched the bed. He didn’t wait long before he was parting her folds again and thrusting his fingers into her. He spoke slowly, watching her face closely as she panted and strained to control her body.
Don’t move, can’t move. He inserted a second finger into her and licked his lips.
“Damn, you’re tight. Like a fucking virgin. It’s going to feel so good when I fuck you.”
His raw, dirty words made a wild unstoppable heat flood her channel. Her few boyfriends had always been sweet, not dirty, and to her shame she liked the way Lucien was touching her and talking about her, about what he wanted to do to her.
“You like that, don’t you?” His murmur of satisfaction caused her to tremble. “You like it rough, but you’ve never had it like that, have you?” He removed his fingers from her and licked them, grinning the entire time. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it dark, hard, and dirty for you. You’ll never want sweet and slow again.”
Lucien was barely in control of himself. Diana proved to be a temptation he couldn’t resist. Not that he ever resisted long when it came to getting what he wanted. What was the point? As the king of hell, he could do what he wished, take what he wanted. Denying himself anything was only to prolong the exquisite ecstasy once he had what he wanted. And that was why he decided he would not fuck her, not fully, not tonight. He would torture her, tease her, make her come over and over, but he would not possess her. The fear and anger in her eyes hadn’t aroused him. Owning a woman’s body and soul when she surrendered them willingly was infinitely more arousing.
He slid off the side of the bed and walked over to the foot. Then he climbed onto the bed, his body moving with the grace of a jaguar as he reached over her, gripping her panties, sliding
them slowly down her legs. He dangled the fabric off his finger, letting her see them before he tossed them onto the floor.
“Spread your legs and bend your knees,” he commanded.
Diana’s eyes closed, and her face darkened with a blush that looked like a glass of merlot. Someday soon she would stop feeling shame about her body and passion. He would coax her into the darkness with him. Lucien knelt between her legs and placed his hands on her inner thighs, holding her open as he gazed down at her exposed sex. She was a pretty pink with a small patch of dark hair. Natural. He had been with too many women who changed their bodies to fit the ideal woman of a man’s fantasies. Fake tits, Botoxed lips, every bit of hair and fat removed. Fools, all of them.
He settled down, crouching now above her belly as he placed soft, heated kisses on her mound. She tensed when he parted her folds farther with exploring fingers. An animal hunger took over as he inhaled her scent, natural, full of need and sex. There was nothing more exquisite than those two scents paired together. Humans could act sophisticated all they liked, but when it came down to it, they were creatures just like any other, driven by needs for safety, sex, and sustenance. Sex was the most powerful.
A delicious shudder ran through her as he bent his head and licked her sensitive folds. The tie bit into the flesh of her wrists as she strained, and he chuckled at the erotic sight of her bound and helpless. She writhed at each lick and intimate touch, spreading her legs for him. He continued to explore her, taste her, his mouth never stopping as he worked on her wet center. A breathy moan escaped Diana, and she threw her head back.
“You’re so wet for me, pet. I could lap up your cream for days,” he murmured, rubbing his cheek against her inner thigh, knowing the scrape of his beard would rasp against her sensitive skin.
“Please,” she whimpered.
“Please what?” he replied before he fastened his lips around the bud of her clit, sucking hard.
The wild, desperate sound she made only fed his hunger. He flicked his tongue against her and then thrust into her over and over, a gentle, tortuously light penetration.
“Please stop,” she begged.
“Stop? Does it hurt?” He arched a brow as he glanced up at her face. Her breasts rose and fell with rapid breaths.
“Too…good,” she confessed brokenly.
He laughed and bent his head again. He’d always been very good at killing people with pleasure. Not that he would kill Diana, but he would let her get close enough to taste the darkness, taste the end of life as she knew it. That would heighten her orgasm so powerfully that she would melt beneath him.
He shifted so he could play with her while boldly swiping his tongue over her clit. Sliding two fingers into her, he curled them, finding a slightly rough patch on her inner walls deep inside her. The hidden G spot. Her hips bucked, and he pressed down on her stomach, pinning her to the bed. Then he fucked her with his fingers in earnest.
“Take it, baby, take it all and like it,” he growled before sucking hard on her clit again.
Her body went taut, and he felt her inner walls clamp down around him as she cried out in shock and pleasure. The fire rolled through her body and into his. He stifled a groan of his own. One of the perks of being an angel, even a fallen one, was feeling the emotions and sensations of humans around them. And right now he could feel every pulse, every throb, and every quiver as she came down from the exquisite high of her climax.
He pulled his fingers free from her, licking them clean before he crawled up her body. He settled his hips between her thighs, uncaring that her wet center rubbed against his trousers. He grasped her wrists with one hand, holding her captive as he pressed her down more deeply into the mattress. Then he brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek. He looked at her, held her gaze with his, fascinated by the glints of color in her gray eyes. Fear—not of him, but what she’d experienced—shadowed her heavy-lidded, sated gaze.
“You should never fear the pleasure I give you.”
She blinked and tried to turn her face away, but he didn’t let her.
“Don’t fight me, embrace me.” Embrace the darkness. He lowered his head to hers. He kissed her slowly at first, teasing her mouth before he let go of his control. He devoured her will to resist, consuming her with his violent need to dominate. Her body writhed beneath his as he rocked his hips, rubbing his pelvis against hers over and over. The need to fuck her almost overpowered him, but he clung to his sanity…barely.
His lips moved savagely over hers. The more he demanded, the more she gave, and then his mind filled with bright piercing light like a shaft of sunlight breaking into the darkness of a cave. Diana’s mind flooded with images, with memories, and he was helpless to stop it.
Cool water danced up to her toes, and she squealed in delight, running through the wet sand as waves rolled in.
He couldn’t stop it as the images changed again. Flames on a set of five candles flickered, and wax dripped down the colorful sides as voices sang “Happy Birthday” all around her. She dipped her tiny little finger into the icing nearest her, giggling.
He could taste her, taste the cake, feel the sea, and he shivered, trying to pull free, but she wrapped her legs around his waist, holding his body down on top of hers.
Her kisses were dangerous. There was too much joy, too much happiness. It reminded him of his grace and heaven. He wasn’t supposed to feel this. Pleasure and pain, yes. But not everything in between. Lucien tore his mouth from hers, gasping. She relaxed beneath him, her lashes fanning over her cheeks as she closed her eyes.
“Diana?” he murmured.
“Hmm?” She sounded drowsy, and he had no desire to wake her. He slid off her body and walked to the bathroom, wetting a towel in the sink. Then he returned to his bed and opened her legs, cleaning her between her thighs. Then he freed her wrists from the chain and the tie, tossing them to the floor. Diana moved, rolled onto her side, burying her face into the pillow. A soft sigh escaped her, and in moments she was asleep.
Lucien stared at her, stunned. No woman had ever fallen asleep on him. Ever. He wasn’t quite sure what to do. After a long moment, he retrieved a red velvet throw and covered her with it, tucking it up to her chin. Then he walked to his liquor cabinet and poured a glass of Speyside scotch. He downed the glass and refilled it before he returned to his bed and leaned against one of the posts at the foot, nursing his drink while studying Diana as she slept. His new pet had surprised him in more ways than he expected. He scrubbed a hand over his jaw, still able to taste the blue icing on the cake from her memories. As an angel, he had a limited set of senses. He could taste, smell, feel everything a human could, but it was rather faded, like an old photograph left too long in the sun. When he kissed Diana, the tastes, smells, and sensations had exploded through him with brilliant clarity.
It frightened him—because it shouldn’t be possible.
“What did you do to me?” he asked, but the little mortal didn’t answer. She slept so deeply, not even the devil could claim her thoughts.
He would let her sleep until dawn. Next time she wouldn’t have it so easy. One orgasm was not enough, not enough for him.
Next time, I will take what I want.
Sunlight colored the backs of Diana’s eyelids with gold. She stirred, blinking slowly as the world around her came into focus. She lay in a massive king-size bed, and red gauzy drapes shimmered in the light coming in from the window. She rolled onto her back and winced as pain twinged her wrists. She lifted one arm up and grimaced at the sight of the slight purple bruising around them. As she moved her legs, she felt velvet on her bare skin.
“What the…” She lifted the blanket and blinked in shock as she saw she wore only a bra and nothing else.
Last night flooded back to her, and she jerked the blanket up to her chin, expecting Lucien to jump out at her from the shadows. After a moment of fearful glances, she realized she was alone. Diana sat up and peered over the side of the bed. Her dress, shoes, and pan
ties were lying on the floor in a heap. Using the red velvet throw as a toga, she slipped out of bed and retrieved her clothes from her overnight bag by the bed, clutching them to her chest, and then she searched the room until she found the bathroom. She locked herself in while she dressed. Bitter shame weighed her down as she put on her jeans and a shirt. Last night she’d felt sexy and terrified.
Now she felt regret. She’d let the devil touch her, play with her, and then she’d come apart beneath him as he kissed her. And it was only going to get worse. He was going to take her fully next time. She’d tasted the promise of it in his kiss.
Yet despite it all, she’d fallen asleep on him. What had he done while she slept? She had no idea, but he’d covered her with a blanket. That was thoughtful for the devil. Diana stared at her flushed face in the mirror, remembering the feel of him between her thighs, licking, sucking, and then penetrating her with those long, elegant fingers. He’d found some dark hidden spot inside her that sent violent shockwaves of pleasure through her.
And his kiss, those hot, sensual lips on hers… It had been unlike anything she’d ever experienced. When she’d kissed him, she felt like she was falling into darkness, like she couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t need to breathe. Some part of her head screamed that she was dying right there in his arms, but she couldn’t have stopped him even if she’d wanted to. She’d been too far gone, swept away to dark horizons by the power of her orgasm and the magnetic pull of his body against hers.
Diana picked up a crystal glass by the sink and filled it with water.
She drank it all, her thirst unquenchable for several seconds. When she set the glass back down, she jumped at the sight of a crisp folded piece of paper. It had not been there a minute ago when she’d picked up the glass. The paper was thick, creamy, and expensive. She opened it up. A message had been scrawled in black ink.
