The Red Shoe Chronicles : A Fantasy Romance Anthology

by N. R. Larry

  “So you’ve studied me…”

  “I know the tales related to my favorite constellations. Orion was supposedly placed among the stars after his death, to be pursued by Scorpio.”

  “Pursued for eternity, exactly, and without a woman in sight. Unless you care to spread those legs for me.”

  Eden squeezed her thighs together, suddenly uncomfortable. “I’m good, thanks,” she murmured.

  “Then what is it you really want? Since you are clearly against having a good time, we might as well get down to business.”

  Disappointment wrinkled his brow for a moment as he looked her over, his eyes lingering a little too long on her chest before his face shifted. His cheeky smirk revealed a small dimple winking at her.

  Damn that arrogant ass.

  “Tell you what,” he said at last. “I have a proposition for you.”

  Her stomach sank further. “Oh no.”

  “Oh yes. I have been watching you, Doctor Eden Daniels. Watching as you struggle to make your equation work. I know what numbers you need to tweak to reach the next step.”

  Her head snapped up at his statement.

  “Allow me to love you, to please you the way you deserve and the way the shoes have designed, and I will give you the missing piece to your formula.”

  Chapter 4

  “Are you blackmailing me?”

  She couldn’t think of anything else to say, faced with the prospect—however unlikely—of finally finishing her equation. The one thing she’d wanted, the one thing she’d asked the fairy about. Excitement warred with dread, then warred with another deeper emotion she didn’t care to name.

  But it started with a D and rhymed with attire.

  Orion nodded, his gaze leveled on her. Had she ever seen eyes so blue? “I am,” he admitted. “I know the missing piece of your puzzle, little one. I would be happy to give it to you. And all you have to do is allow me to love you tonight, allow me to give you the pleasure you need and deserve. It’s why I’m here. Then you will have your equation.”

  Suddenly she couldn’t shake the idea of this great hunter as some kind of sex slave. Bound to her and her pleasure and then, once her 48 hours were up, forced to go on to the next woman. Or perhaps not. Hadn’t he said he was at the tail end of a thousand-year dry spell?

  Though she didn’t know the details, she didn’t have much of a choice. Did she? He could solve her equation dilemma and at the same time fulfill her sexual desires. He’d said as much.

  Why not let him? a little part of her argued. The part focusing on his muscles and the twitch of his erection. Why not get what she needed out of this deal? Not just hot sex with a hot figment of her imagination, but help with her project too. It would be the first big break of her life if she could get her equation to work.

  And even if it was just a delusion, a dream, there was the possibility that her subconscious was actually able to provide the information she sought. Yeah, that made sense. So much of the human brain was completely unused. It was possible her own brain had devised this method of revelation.

  The fairy godmother, the shoes, her old buddy Orion, the promise of sexual fulfillment…all theatrical to convince her to play along.

  She’d never taken a risk like this in her life. She’d always played on the safe side. But really, what did she have to lose?

  Eden stared down at those bright red shoes, curling her toes again. “Fine,” she agreed slowly, letting out a breath. “But you have to promise me.”

  “I’ll promise you anything, love,” Orion replied saucily.

  “Promise me that if I go through with…with…”

  “Letting me fuck you until you scream?”

  She swallowed over the statement like it was a lump in her throat, though her core pulsed at the conjured image. “Yeah. The, um, pleasure part. You have to promise you’ll give me the missing piece I need for my equation.”

  He nodded. “You have my word.”

  And for some reason, she believed him.

  “Okay.” Her next exhale was shaky. “O-kay.”

  “Yes?” he clarified.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  It wouldn’t exactly be a hardship. She hadn’t been with many men, and none of them compared in any way to the handsome hunter before her. If he was a figment of her imagination, she wasn’t giving her imagination enough credit. He was an incredible specimen of masculinity.

  Eden kept the shoes on, as she’d been told, and took a tentative step toward Orion. The hunter resumed his lounging position on her bed with the cocky confidence of a man who knew his own worth. And knew how to keep his partners sexually satisfied from start to finish.

  Had she ever seen a better-looking man? His looks drew her, his unexpected humor hooked her, and his smile sealed the deal.

  As she slowly approached the bed, he devoured her with his eyes as if she was the most tempting creature he’d ever beheld. If Eden were honest with herself, she wanted that look. If she were honest with herself, she wanted it badly, and the damn red shoes had nothing to do with that feeling.

  Orion beckoned her forward with a crook of his finger. “Why don’t you come closer?”

  “Can’t blame a girl for trying to resist you,” she murmured. “Faced with her own deteriorating mind, after all. It’s a natural reaction.”

  She definitely still hadn’t ruled out the insanity bit. She’d gone over the edge, truly, and in the morning she might find this was all a dream. But better to have the best damn dream of her life than to wake up to regret.

  God, she was crazy.

  “What are you going to do to me?” she wanted to know.

  “Whatever you want,” he purred. “And I know exactly what you want.”

  She was done fighting it, fighting her attraction to him. Done with stopping herself from doing what she really wanted in this life, all in pursuit of a dream she may never attain.

  Having a dream was one thing. Forgetting to live while you chased it was an entirely different matter.

  “Come to me, Eden.”

  She couldn’t say no, not when a spark of devilment flared in his blue eyes and he chuckled, almost having the good grace to look ashamed of himself. Almost, but not quite.

  “I don’t…” she stammered. “I’m not—”

  But Orion was done speaking. Done with any kind of words not pertaining to their pending union. He rose and stalked toward Eden, grabbed her, his large palms taking hold of her butt cheeks and squeezing. A low growl started in his throat and rumbled down his chest and through her as he jerked her against him.

  Holy Toledo.

  She clung to him when he lifted her, carrying her to the bed as her legs wrapped automatically around his waist, the thin fabric of her panties barely restraining him when his erection pressed against her core.

  Her blood fired. Had it really been a year since she’d allowed someone to touch her this way? Eden had always considered herself picky with the men she chose to warm her bed, because early on in her life she’d made mistakes. She’d chased men for her pleasure and came away with nothing but heartache. She’d invited men to join her who didn’t or couldn’t fulfill her needs on the levels she craved, men who were there for their own pleasure and not interested in growing with her together as a couple.

  Too many hurts in too short a time until she decided she’d had enough and would never make the same mistakes again. Thus the self-imposed celibacy until she met someone who truly deserved her.

  Funny how little it took for her to change her mind tonight. Eden was naked in seconds. A few minutes of conversation and boom, panty-less the moment Orion reached down and tore the fabric from her body with no effort at all. Then he hooked a finger at her cleavage and ripped away the flimsy bra just like it was tissue paper.

  “Try to breathe,” he demanded, a soft warning growl in his tone as he stared at her. “You don’t need to be afraid. Not of me. Never of me, Eden.”

  She tried to do as he asked and found her he
art beating much too fast. His body trapped her against the bed. With his teeth bared, the hunter leaned forward and gently bit the soft area at the base of her neck, dragging his teeth toward her collarbone.

  “If I had my way with you, this wouldn’t end after two days.” His voice, a low murmur, caressed her skin the way his hands did.

  Eden lost herself to his touch. Tried not to moan when he pinned her wrists above her head and kissed his way down to her bare breasts, her nipples two perfect peach-colored buds, hard, aching.

  He licked. “You are the sweetest woman alive, Doctor.”

  Chapter 5

  Orion’s left hand slipped down to cup her breast, his mouth latching on as his tongue flicked wickedly against her nipple before his lips closed around it, suckling. She did gasp then. The sensations were too much for her body to handle after such a prolonged abstinence. The space between her legs grew hotter and wetter.

  Part of her still shied away at the idea that this man had appeared out of nowhere in her bedroom less than twenty minutes ago. Yet here they were, about to take what she’d always considered to be the most serious step in a relationship.

  He was a total stranger about to take her on the ride of her life. And she wanted the ride.

  She wanted him to take her however he wanted, rough and hard and fast with that beautiful cock of his, until she couldn’t do anything except breathe.

  Excitement and nervous energy coursed through her.

  Odder still, she trusted him to do exactly what he’d said he would. His greedy reaction to her seemed a testament to his word.

  He continued to suckle at her breasts, first one and then the other, as though nothing mattered to him as much as her pleasure and he was determined to deliver. Meanwhile, his other hand slipped lower to caress the dampness at her core. Orion’s fingers slid between her folds.

  “I know what you want,” he whispered against her skin. He kissed his way back to her mouth and captured her lips with his own. “I know what secrets you keep.”

  “H-how do you know?”

  “I simply do. You’ve told me many of them, staring up at me in the night sky. Others I feel inside since you chose me for this. You are the X to my Y.”

  She giggled. “You are too sappy.”

  Orion dropped his head down between her legs. His hands pushed her thighs apart, and although embarrassment had her wedging her knees closer together, he used his own to spread them.

  And then he devoured her.

  A small eep escaped her when he took her core in his mouth, his tongue stabbing deeply before he licked and sucked her toward completion. Her hips bucked against him and her breathing came hard and fast. Desperate sounds escaped her as every nerve stood on end under his ministrations.

  And here she was, squirming beneath his mouth, his tongue, his fingers trailing along her hip bones while he ravaged her. Then, when she moved too much for his liking, he pressed a hand to her chest to keep her still. Her nerves lit like firecrackers.

  Dear God, no one had ever gone down on her like that. Most of the time it was a hassle even getting them that close.

  But Orion…

  This stranger.

  This ancient stranger from mythology—

  She tangled her hands in his hair as he drove her over the edge, the orgasm ripping through her in a shattering spasm. He continued to lap at her, his tongue teasing her through the first crest.

  He didn’t wait any longer to claim her. Using his knees to keep her legs open, he slid his way higher, his chest against hers and his fingers probing to make sure she was ready.

  “We can’t, it’s…” Eden struggled to think of a reason why rushing forward was madness. Why they should wait, enjoy the foreplay, maybe try kissing a little longer. “It’s been so long for me. Too long.”

  Orion leveled the head of his cock with her entrance. “Trust me, little one. I know. And I won’t hurt you. You are safe with me on all levels.”

  She’d better be, or she’d kill that fairy godmother.

  He surged forward slowly. One hard inch after the other until he buried himself deep, her velvet folds encompassing his length. Eden gasped as he filled her. Stretched her. Her hips tilted up to meet him, taking him deeper still, all the way to the hilt.

  “You’re so fucking tight,” he gasped out.

  She gripped him as he gave her a moment to accommodate his size. Her knees came up and those damn stiletto heels dug into the bed as she braced.

  Too long. Too long.

  Too long, sure, but if it led to this…

  Her mind whispered those words as he began to thrust, over and over, her pleas driving him to increase his tempo. His hand came around her neck and squeezed lightly. Exerting his dominance over her even as his cock branded her from the inside.

  He knew instinctively how to move with her, how to hold her and what she liked to get her hotter than ever. Hips plunging, he bent to bite her neck, keeping her contained, marking her. Claiming her.

  Orion took her higher, all the way to the stars until she whimpered his name. Throwing her head back and matching his tempo until they reached a fever pitch of desire. Her body felt like it went up in flames.

  Eden cried out, the second orgasm ripping through her in a way she’d never experienced before. Her womb convulsed around his cock and that, more than anything else, shocked her.

  Orion didn’t last long before his own orgasm rose and heat spread through her.

  For a long time after, she lay gasping, staring up at this strange man who’d just appeared in her bed. Confusion had her lifting her hand to caress his cheek. Push sweat-soaked hair out of his eyes.

  Why did that make her feel confident? Sexy?

  “I’ll be ready to go again in ten minutes,” he told her on an exhale.

  She felt her eyes bulge. Ten minutes? Her body quivered. “After a year of nothing, you are going to have to give me a little more time to recover.”

  “Try a thousand years, little love, then get back to me.”

  He ducked down until his forehead pressed against hers and their breathing evened out. The room rocked around them.

  She was ashamed to admit it took her much too long to realize her imagination and her galloping heart had little to do with the literal shaking of the room. Until the roof ripped right off the house.

  Chapter 6

  Eden screamed, closing her eyes and ducking as Orion sheltered her body with his own as debris rained down.

  So much for afterglow.

  “Watch out!”

  Reflexes had him rolling both of them off the bed, his shoulders hitting the floor before he rolled, taking the brunt of the blow instead of her. She clutched at him until her fingers dug into his muscles hard enough to bruise.

  The wind picked up around them, strengthening and blowing her discarded clothing laundry across the floor. The force of the gust tore dresser drawers loose and the closet doors clear off their hinges. Orion hesitated only a moment longer before grabbing Eden by the hand and tugging her to her feet. Both of them naked. And her still wearing those ridiculous red shoes.

  “Come on, we need to go,” he called out, struggling to be heard over the screaming of the wind. “Hurry!”

  Eden couldn’t tell what was worse, trying to run in the high heels or the fact that she’d just had the most mind-blowing sexual encounter of her life and it literally tore off her roof.

  “Keep the shoes on!”

  It was Orion’s final warning before he grabbed her, swinging her into his arms and bolting from the room when she clearly wasn’t moving fast enough.

  “What’s happening?” she yelled to be heard over the melee.

  “The Scorpion is here! Someone unleashed him.” Orion growled, ducking as pictures flew off the wall and glass shattered.

  She had to give him credit. He didn’t lose his cool. When the rest of her house looked like a tornado touched down in it, he dodged debris and carried her like she was a cat, weighing nothing.

/>   “I don’t understand. Scorpio is a constellation. How can anyone—”

  “You don’t understand. The constellations are based on real-life events. Real lives. Mythology to you, truth to me. And Scorpio is real enough that we need to get out of this house before he attacks with his full strength.” Orion shook his head and headed for the front door. “I only know one person strong enough to release him. But she couldn’t—”

  “She?”

  He rushed them down the stairs and outside, a boom echoing from the bedroom followed by a mighty crash. The rest of the roof coming down, surely.

  Maybe her insurance covered vengeful acts by mythological creatures?

  Eden didn’t worry about her nakedness when they burst outside, the night sky clear and brilliant overhead, the August breeze slightly chilled. She had bigger problems to consider. Such as the shadow rising over her house in the distinctive shape of a scorpion’s tail.

  “Your car?” Orion barked out.

  She clung to the man like a baby monkey, nodding, hoping she’d been delirious enough to leave the keys in the ignition as she sometimes did when she got home. Habitual behavior because of overworking. Orion strode toward the passenger side and threw open the door to dump Eden on the seat.

  He slid behind the wheel a moment later, his hands fumbling for the keys.

  “You don’t know how to drive! Do you?” Was that still her screaming? Instinct had her reaching out to grab the seatbelt and slide it across her breasts.

  “I’ll learn,” he said simply.

  Then he cranked the engine. Tires squealed as they rocketed out of the driveway a split second before the giant scorpion stinger whipped over the house and crashed down through the cement where the car had been parked.

  Eden didn’t comment on his driving, not sure what was more worrisome: this ancient Greek warrior attempting to navigate a vehicle he’d never driven before along a quiet residential side street or the demonic giant scorpion tailing them. She pointedly ignored the shadows in the rearview mirror.