by Emma Castle
Lucien’s merciless mouth rained hungry kisses upon her, and she didn’t want to stop. When he released her, she protested with a frustrated growl, but then she was being turned around on the steps, her back facing him, and before she could even think, he was jerking her bottoms down to her knees. Then he pressed an unyielding hand on her neck, forcing her to brace on the poolside, bent over, her knees resting on the top step. The head of his thick shaft rubbed along the seam of her opening, and she moaned low as he pushed inside.
“Tight,” he ground out, pushing deeper. “Fuck, you’re so tight.”
When he thrust all the way in, she gasped for breath. He filled every inch of her. There was no space between them, no end, no beginning. Then he started to move, slow and hard, pressing into her and then pulling out. Her arm scraped on the rough pool deck as she tried to keep from jerking forward each time his hips smacked into her ass. Normally she needed her clit stimulated, but being fucked like this turned her on just as much.
“That’s it,” he urged. “Take it all in, babe. Let me hear you moan,” Lucien ordered.
She bit her lip to keep from making a noise. The moment she let out a panting breath, she tried to widen her legs. He had his legs on either side of hers, caging her in as he halfway leaned over her, still gripping her neck.
“You belong to me now. There’s no going back.” His warning came through a haze of fiery sensations, and her body rushed toward a climax. When she came, it felt like she died. Her breath ceased, every atom in her body seemed to freeze in place, and her mind blanked.
Falling…wind whipped around her. Pain sliced her back. Feathers all around her, my feathers… Gone forever. The glittering spires of the city of heaven vanished as the veil between heaven and earth was ripped open and she crashed to the ground…
9
Flowers of all hue, and without thorn the rose. - John Milton, Paradise Lost
Lucien immediately knew something was wrong. One minute Diana was panting and writhing beneath him, and the next she crumpled into the pool.
“Diana!” He pulled out of her and lifted her up in his arms. She was limp, her face pale. Her chest rose and fell, but he couldn’t seem to wake her. He cursed and closed his eyes. Seconds later they were in the hut on the water, she was naked on the bed and dry, and he was too. He turned down the blankets and tucked her into the bed. Then he laid her head on one of the pillows and brushed her hair back from her face.
What the hell had happened? He had slept with countless human females, and none of them had ever collapsed like that on him before.
“Diana,” he murmured more gently as he tucked her deeper under the fluffy white comforter of the bed. She didn’t stir. He sighed heavily, pressed his hand to her cheek, and closed his eyes. Flashes filled his mind—feathers, wind, the vanishing lights of heaven.
How did she see my past? My memories?
Lucien’s eyes flew open, and he stared at Diana. Had she glimpsed part of his fall? No one should be able to see inside his head, no one but…Father. He was torn between wanting to recoil from her and wanting to hold her closer. Finally he surrendered to the need to have her closer and climbed into bed with her. After he wrapped his arms around her, he was calm enough to breathe.
“Diana, what are you doing to me?” he breathed. Lucien tilted his head, and then he leaned down and feathered his mouth over hers in a brushing kiss. He froze when she stirred. Her lashes fluttered, and she looked up at him.
“What…happened? I thought we were in the pool and—” She glanced around them and then down at their bodies cuddled close in the bed.
“You…fainted,” Lucien said, frowning.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ve ever fainted after sex.” Her nose wrinkled, and he was surprised by how adorable it was.
I’m the devil. I should not find anything a woman does adorable. Yet he did find Diana adorable. She was delicious, adorable, and fuckable. Normally he liked his bed partners to be wildcats, with hissing cries, claws raking down his back, and heartless cold eyes staring into his. Diana was soft, warm, and all too full of light.
I’m the devil. I’m the one who is supposed to be temptation personified. Yet she is the one tempting me…back to the light.
Oh, how I have missed the taste of light and innocence.
“Are we leaving now that we’ve had sex?” she asked.
There was a faint vulnerability in her question that intrigued him. She thought he would take her home after this? With another woman he might, but not her.
Lucien studied her face in the dim light, watching the rippling patterns from the illuminated water below.
“Dawn is still hours away. We can stay here if you wish.”
If you wish… Had he ever uttered those words to anyone?
“I like it here,” she admitted. She shifted beside him and gasped. “Where’s my swimsuit?”
He chuckled. “Gone. I brought you here the moment you passed out.”
“I can’t sleep naked,” she whispered.
“Yes you can. Everyone does it.”
“I don’t.” She lifted her chin, but the act of defiance only made him laugh. He gave her throat a playful nibble, and she wriggled beneath him in pleasure.
“Close your eyes, then, and go to sleep,” he commanded, but his tone was teasing.
“I can’t just go to sleep,” she scoffed. “I’m lying in bed with you naked.”
He slid one hand down between their bodies, then cupped her mound. She jolted as he slid one finger into her.
“Why don’t I fuck you again and wear you out? You can’t fight sleep if you’re too tired.” He thrust his finger deeper, seeking the spot that made her arch.
“Ahh!” She whimpered when he found her G spot. He worked it harder, faster, until she shuddered and her walls clamped around his digit. The climax was swift but strong, and she relaxed, panting. Even he was impressed.
“Wow.” Diana suddenly yawned and snuggled deeper into the blankets. She didn’t even seem to notice when he pulled his hand from between her legs. He licked his fingers, tasting her sweet juices and loving the flavor. But her eyes were already closing, and she didn’t see how much he enjoyed getting her off and tasting her.
“Another time,” he said. There were still three hours until dawn, and he couldn’t leave her. Well, he could—but he wouldn’t.
Lucien pulled the blankets up around their bodies and watched the light ripple over the wooden ceiling until his own eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep with Diana in his arms.
Dreams full of seaside picnics, birthday cakes, and smiling faces haunted him with their mortal lightheartedness, chasing him into darkness with their sweet light.
“Lucien.” Andras’s voice jerked Lucien awake just as dawn was capping the horizon. The window of the hut was glowing with the golden light. Andras stepped into view as Lucien blinked drowsily.
“What is it?”
“You’re needed back in hell.”
Lucien growled. He didn’t want to move from this bed. Feeling the warmth of Diana’s body against his own was too enjoyable. The last thing he wanted to do was go into the cold depths of hell. Everyone assumed that hell was all fire and brimstone. But most of hell was cold and dark.
“What’s happening, Andras? I’m not moving until I’m certain it’s worth my trouble.”
“It’s the housewives. They’re causing trouble again.”
“You’re joking. Please tell me you’re joking. If I have to listen to one more of those women demanding a glass of pinot grigio…” Lucien growled, his eyes blazing red. He hated those damn selfish women.
“Give me a few minutes,” he finally said. Andras nodded and vanished.
Lucien looked down at Diana where she slept peacefully. He wanted to stay here with her in this small bit of paradise, but he couldn’t. The levels of hell, not just the gates, needed to be tended or else all hell would break loose—literally.
With a low growl of irritation, he
slipped out of the bed and snapped his fingers. Clothes manifested on his body. With another snap, he stared through a doorway to his apartment in Chicago. He wrapped his little mortal up, still asleep in a bedsheet, and carried her through the portal into his bedroom. He settled Diana onto the bed, and she curled into a ball, murmuring something. He retrieved two more blankets and layered them over her. He glanced around, noting the partially open curtains.
Dawn was here, but she could stay here as long as she liked. Normally he wanted women he slept with out of his room right away, but with Diana, he admitted he liked having her here. She belonged to him. It was only natural he kept his possession close to him, wasn’t it? He wasn’t getting soft, and he damned sure wasn’t losing his edge. He was still the biggest badass there was. He just liked having his pet nearby, that was all.
Lucien glanced toward the feather still floating in the glass case, hoping she wouldn’t touch it. His skin prickled, and the scars between his shoulder blades ached, longing for the wings he’d lost.
No. I’m not that creature anymore. Father made sure of that when he let my brother Michael tear the wings from my back.
He closed his eyes, reliving the sensations of flying from millennia ago. He could still feel the wind whipping around him and the chilly condensation of the clouds as he used to break through the tears in the dimensions between heaven and earth. The missing wings were like phantom limbs. He swore he could still feel them, but he knew that was just his body’s imagination.
Diana stirred a little on the bed, turning on her side to face him. One hand stretched along the empty bed as though she searched for him. His lips twitched. He was irresistible to all women, and even quite a few men. The hunger for dark pleasure had no real limits, not when it came to craving the devil. He was like catnip to mortals. When you lived in the light, you always craved the taste of the dark, and sleeping with the devil was as dark as one could get.
“Sir?” Andras appeared in a doorway that hadn’t been there seconds before.
“I’m coming.” He chanced one last look at Diana before he stepped into the darkness, following Andras.
Diana awoke in Lucien’s bed, less surprised than the last time to find herself there. When she moved, she winced. Her forearms were scratched from bending over on the pool deck while Lucien fucked her. Holy shit, she had slept with him, and it had been amazing.
God, I’m going to need some serious therapy. I had sex with the devil, and I liked it.
She pulled back the covers and winced as she realized she was completely naked.
“My bag!” She cursed. Had Lucien forgotten it at the villa in Belize?
“Lucien, I need my bag,” she shouted. Could he hear her from wherever he was? Surely he could.
Pop! She jumped as her duffel bag appeared on the floor by the bed.
“Thanks,” she said to the air, feeling that she was talking to herself.
I’ll just add it as one more thing to talk to my therapist about.
Diana slid out of the bed, grabbed her bag, and headed for the bathroom. Lucien was gone, and she’d already given in to him, so part of her didn’t care if he saw her naked now. She ignored the twinge of guilt over the fact that she’d really enjoyed last night. He’d gotten her to surrender to her own base desires, ones that would keep her blushing for days if she ever had to tell anyone about them. And the worst part was, he’d been right. Sex with him was out of this world.
She eyed the massive shower at the end of the bathroom and suddenly grinned. Oh yeah, she was totally going to shower here. The shower was a beautiful black marble structure surrounded on two sides by glass. A big white marble bench sat in the corner, and rotating showerheads were built into the front of the shower. Diana turned on the spray and waited until the steam cocooned her before she climbed in. The hot water singed her skin deliciously, and she sighed. As she washed, she touched herself carefully. She was sore between her thighs, but it didn’t feel bad. She been truly fucked and fucked hard, but it had been so good. She couldn’t resist exploring herself, slipping a finger inside. Her body trembled at the penetration. She’d never done that before, and she couldn’t deny the new changes inside her made her want to explore her sensuality in ways she never had until today.
“Now that is a welcome sight.”
She gasped and spun around at the sound of Lucien’s voice. He stood just outside the glass, watching her.
“Oh please, don’t stop. I’m quite content to watch.” He put one palm on the glass and leaned in, as though to get a better look.
Shame and embarrassment rippled through her. She shouldn’t have been doing this where he could see her.
“I…” The words died upon her tongue as she noticed that his pupils were slightly red. Was he mad or—
“Please, darling, touch yourself. Give me what I want,” he said. “Let me see you climax by stroking that little bundle of nerves. But if you’re too scared or embarrassed, I’d be happy to join you. I’m sure I can give you what you need.”
Her nipples tightened, and an ache tugged low, sending ripples of excitement through her body. “I know,” she said breathlessly.
She shivered with longing. She wanted his cock inside her, stretching her and filling her almost to the point of pain. Yes, that was what she wanted. She couldn’t admit that to him, because it felt like giving in to him, surrendering, and that felt wrong…even when she’d signed a contract to do just that, obeying his commands and yielding to her secret, hidden sexual desires.
His eyes softened, and the eerie red glow subsided as he seemed to read her thoughts.
“I could take you…if you didn’t say no.” There it was, the dark offer she needed. If she said no, he would stop, but he would take her if she didn’t say no. She backed up in the shower, her palms flattening against the wall behind her as he slowly began to undress. By the time he was down to just a pair of black briefs, her body hummed. She hadn’t forgotten the pool, how it had felt to be owned by him. It had felt wrong, and yet part of her felt free.
Lucien opened the shower door and stepped inside, now completely naked. It was her first chance to really see him. He was chiseled perfection, each muscle defined and sculpted, but he didn’t really look like a bodybuilder. His body was that of a warrior, honed and hard-edged. And his hands…they were elegant yet not weak. His long fingers were designed perfectly to touch her and make her burn with desire.
He really had been an angel. No one could have been that perfect.
“No turning back now, darling,” he whispered as he closed the shower door and reached for her.
His hands gripped her hips, jerking her against him, demanding that she submit. His body branded hers with heat as he pressed her back against the wall.
“Do you like the idea of me fucking you without asking for permission?” he whispered against her ear. “Knowing that I’ll just take what I want because I own this little body?” He smoothed his hands down over her breasts, cupping them before he gave each nipple a sharp tug.
“Answer me,” he demanded, fisting his hand in her hair and pulling so there was just a hint of pain, a pain that made her body explode with life.
“Yes!” she shouted, her cry bouncing off the shower walls.
“Yes, what?” He gave her hair another tug, and he slipped his other hand between her thighs to find her clit. He pressed his fingertip down hard on it, the pressure too much for her sensitive bud. She jerked in his hold, trying to escape the onslaught of pleasure.
“I want you to fuck me without asking,” Diana panted.
“Good girl,” he praised before he nipped her ear with his teeth in a playful bite. She wanted to hate his condescending words, but she didn’t. They made her hotter. She wanted to be that good little girl who pleased him, who gave herself over to him in every way and received intense pleasure in return.
She whimpered as he gave one ass cheek a harsh slap, then sighed as he rubbed the sting away with gentle strokes. He covered her trembli
ng body with his own as he claimed her mouth with his. Lucien gripped one of her legs, jerking her thigh up so her leg curled around his hip. Then he lifted her other leg up. She sucked in a sharp breath as his cock impaled her while he pinned her to the shower wall. The marble seared her skin from the heat of the water, and she lost herself in his seductive taste. His cock filled her, blocking out all thoughts and leaving only primal need. She clawed at his back as he fucked her slow and hard against the shower wall. The more they kissed, the more her control, her thoughts, her very breath seemed to slip away…away into him. Only one thought broke through the rush of darkness. Could the devil consume her soul?
Light…sweet light…feathers gone…pain too much…wind…
Diana struggled to breathe as the darkness closed in, but she heard his voice.
“Stay with me. Don’t look away.”
Her eyes opened, and she focused on Lucien’s dark eyes. His pupils held only a hint of a frightening crimson hue. He gripped her ass, holding her up as he continued to fuck her, and the rubbing of his body on her clit and his thick shaft filling her were too much. Her body exploded with invisible fire, and her senses shattered as she came. She was dimly aware of him ramming into her over and over, jackhammering toward a desperate climax. For long seconds, they remained fused together, bodies dripping wet from sweat and the water still running down.
“Fuck.” Lucien buried his face against her neck. His body trembled as he slowly let her go, and she landed on shaky legs. She used the shower wall for much-needed support as she caught her breath. She couldn’t shake the images or sensations of what she’d experienced when she kissed him, that sense of falling from grace and the unbearable agony and pain at losing her wings…his wings. It was his memory, not hers, yet she felt it as though it had been her own.
Lucien jerked the shower nozzle toward his chest, covering himself in the spray, and then after a second he glanced her way, his black gaze unreadable. Suddenly he vanished.
