Chapter 17
He groaned and pressed me back, more powerful than I'd expected. Together, we crashed into the library wall, rattling the shelf that held my coffee. He didn't care. His lips crushed mine, his tongue making love to my mouth, and I never wanted him to stop. Pressing my body into his, I moaned softly as I writhed against him. He groaned to match. This crazy life of mine made absolutely no sense, but I'd wanted Nick since I first saw him. Resisting him was as impossible as expecting iron to avoid a magnet.
When his lips moved to my neck, I leaned my head back. The hand in my hair tightened, holding me there, and he paused. With his mouth hovering just above my skin, he held me trapped, and I made no move to resist. Lightly, the tip of his tongue tickled the tendon. Then he kissed. That became a nip. My pulse thrummed in the pit of my stomach, and I could feel the moisture between my legs, but he was taunting me, proving I couldn't do a damned thing to stop him.
I didn't want to. "Please," I begged.
"Not here," he said, pulling himself from my grasp. Before I could reply, he slid an arm beneath me, lifting me all too easily. "Just don't let me hurt you," he whispered.
"You won't."
He made it upstairs quickly, carrying me as if I weighed nothing. Walking to one of the many doors on the long hall, he pushed it open with his back. I caught a glimpse of soothing blues before he closed it again, leaving us awash in darkness. Gently, he laid me on the bed and followed me down. I opened my knees to make room for the width of his hips, welcoming his body against mine. One of his strong arms held his weight off me.
"God, I want you," he breathed, then kissed me.
That was exactly what I wanted to hear. Gripping the back of his head, I held him close, showing him what I wanted. My legs pressed against his thighs, locking him between my thighs. His hand traveled down my body, tracing along my ribs to my hip, making me feel so small and delicate beneath him. Sexy. Desirable. Even wanton. So many times, I'd felt like I was just the easiest option, but that wasn't the case with Nick. He touched me like he wanted nothing else. His mouth moved down my throat, tasting my skin, kissing every inch of my neck with a desire I'd never felt from a man.
I surrendered to it, arching my body into him, grasping at his broad shoulders through the soft shirt to hold him closer. I needed more, wanted everything. Nick turned me on like no other man. I had to kiss his chest, to touch it. Yanking the hem of his shirt free of his pants, my hands slid beneath, feeling the skin at his waist. Slowly, I let them roam. Men like him were what women dreamed of. I'd never expected it to happen though. Oh, I'd wanted this, fantasized about it even, but never honestly believed he would actually feel the same way about me.
My palms caressed the ridges of his abs and kept moving higher, making him suck in a breath. Then down, exploring the feel of him, trying to identify the imperfections I couldn't see. He was amazing. I'd waited so long to be here, with him, like this – and it was finally happening.
My mouth teased one nipple through the cloth of his shirt, then kissed the flat muscle above it as I sought his mouth. He met me halfway with a growl deep in the back of his throat. Damn, this man could kiss, but I wanted more. Sucking at his lips, tangling my tongue with his, I let my hands find their way down until my fingers tripped over the waistband of his jeans. That's what I wanted. I fumbled at the buckle of his belt, hoping to sneak inside.
He chuckled, breaking our kiss. "If you do that, I won't stop."
My answer was breathy. "I don't want you to stop."
"Thought you had questions."
I smiled in the darkness. "Only because I didn't think this would happen. Questions can wait."
The words removed his resistance, and he pressed his hips into me, rock hard through the fabric – and it felt so damned good. His mouth sucked at my neck as his hand slid under my back. Then he shifted, rolling over, pulling me above him. With me trapped on his lap, he sat up, but his hands were still moving. Taking his time about it, he guided my shirt higher, giving me every chance to stop him. What the stupid demon couldn't understand was that I was the one in charge here.
I grabbed the hem and wrenched the fabric over my head, tossing it out of reach. As the shirt fell away, he paused. I could see dim reflections in his dark eyes as he slid first one bra strap from my shoulder, then the other, drinking in everything as I reached back to release the clasp. The material dropped into my lap.
Nick sighed softly, the same sound people make when viewing a great work of art. It wasn't one I was used to hearing in the bedroom. Gently, tenderly, his strong hands moved to my ribs, meeting the swell of my breasts, his thumbs trailing higher. Slowly, the pads drifted across my nipples, making the flesh tighten almost painfully. Then he did it again, the feeling so exquisite.
"God," I whimpered.
"You don't need God," Nick promised, his hands worshiping my body. I bucked on his lap, unable to stop myself. "Just me, Sia. I'm the only god you'll ever need to know."
Again he rolled, tossing me onto my back, sliding the last of my clothing down over my hips before he reached for his own. His mouth kissed a line from my jaw to my navel as he eased back. The sound of fabric rustling on skin filled the room when he tugged his arms free of his shirt.
His touch was like fire, sparks igniting beneath his mouth, but it wasn't enough to distract me from the marks across his body. The trickle of light from the street was just enough to see them. Every curve of every muscle on his torso was branded with a symbol, like proof of his perfection, begging my eyes to see them all.
He moved away, breathing heavy. His eyes were filled with a need so intense I couldn't describe it. I lay there, panting, afraid he was going to stop again, and watched his hands slowly work the button of his pants. He raked his eyes across my naked body and bent his mouth to my ankle, dark hair pooling on the bed. His pants made a soft thud when they met the floor, but his mouth didn't stop. It moved along the outside of my leg, over my hip as he crept closer, up my ribs, until his tongue found one nipple, his hand the other.
I arched into it, moaning, hoping he wouldn't stop, feeling his lean, hard hips against my thighs. "Nick," I pleaded.
Releasing my breast, he moved to my mouth. His lips found mine for only a quick caress, then he paused. "That's not really my name." I could feel him right there, pressing into my cleft.
"It is now," I promised.
"And when you learn the other?"
I shifted, sliding my dampness against him. "I can guarantee the repercussions won't be as bad as the ones you'll get if you leave your woman this frustrated for much longer. Stop being a god damned gentleman, Nick. Shut up and fuck me."
He huffed a chuckle as he tilted his hips, prodding me, slowly pushing in. I sucked in a breath and tried to impale myself, but the demon caught my waist in his hand. Holding me there, he took his time, teasing me with every inch until I was mewling for more. Then he thrust.
For all I knew, I was surrendering my soul, but I didn't care. He felt so damned good, filling me as his rock-hard body pinned me to the mattress. I didn't believe in sin, didn't care about judgment. My life had been full of both. What I wanted was this, the man of my dreams entwined with me, slowly withdrawing just to slide a little deeper.
He kissed me, his tongue demanding my complete attention, and slid into me again, over and over, driving my body higher, teasing every nerve in my core. I clung to him, nails gouging his back, my voice tinting each gasp of air, thinking of nothing but the swell of pleasure building inside, wanting to have all of him.
"You feel so good," he whispered into my ear. "So damned good."
His voice was pure seduction, demanding that I surrender to it. I now knew the sound had nothing to do with angels. It was better. Made for temptation, and I had succumbed. I was finally with him, and our slick bodies ground together in perfect harmony. A cry of desire escaped my lips, smothered with his mouth, and his hips drove me to places I'd never experienced.
Slowly, deeply, tenderly, Nick caressed every sensation from me that my body could handle, filling me with pleasures I hadn't even known were possible. Worries about what the guys downstairs would think and caring about the sound of my passion vanished as my body worshiped him, every nerve completely under his control.
Over and over he thrust, and I took it all, delicate skin stretched taut with the size of him, sensitive nipples wonderfully tormented as they brushed against his chest. Each stroke sent flames along my nerves, burning away my restraint, quenched only by the sweat on our skin, until, with a throaty gasp, my body found release. I came, clenched hard against him. My eyes pressed closed to focus on the waves of pleasure running through me as he grunted in the back of his throat.
A few more strokes rode me to the end, then he shuddered as he came. When he tensed, our eyes met, holding each other for that one moment, just long enough to make this feel real, like it meant something before he relaxed. His head dropped to my shoulder, his elbows holding his mass off me while we both sucked back long gasps of air.
Languidly running my fingers down the mass of hair laying against his neck, I savored the moment, feeling so complete lying in the arms of my demon. The last flutters of my release passed as I caught my breath, but I just wanted to hold him, to be close like this for one second longer.
It took a while before he shifted, kissing me as he withdrew. Then he moved to lie beside me on the bed. Nick took a long breath, chuckling in the middle. "That was not quite what I had planned for tonight."
"Oh?" I rolled onto my side to look at him. "And what was my big demon supposed to be doing?"
"Yours?" He scooted closer, reaching up to palm the back of my head.
I nodded under his hand. "I think screwing me means you're officially my boyfriend. Or do you disagree?"
"Mm. I do like the screwing part. The boyfriend part sounds interesting, too." His smile sparkled in the dim light. "And I can only guess that if I refuse, I won't be allowed to do that again, huh?"
"Exactly."
"Well, you drive a hard bargain, but it seems you have a deal, little dove. And I'm going to tell Luke to stop teaching you bad habits. The last thing I need to worry about is making deals with you."
I poked at his ribs, making him flinch back. "I will have you know that my bad habits are all natural, big boy."
He caught my wrist. "Sia? Did I hurt you?"
"Do I act like I'm hurt?"
"No, but..." He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. "I've never been with a human before. Sam said if we're not careful, it can hurt the first time."
With a laugh, I sat up. "You..." I couldn't finish without laughing again. "Nick, you're not the first guy I've slept with. Hate to break it to you."
"No, but..."
"And you were gentle. Trust me. I can take a whole lot more than that."
Another flicker of that smile appeared. "Yeah?"
"Oh yeah."
He released my hand and caught my hip, pulling me against him. Lying side by side on the soft mattress, he just looked at me, drinking in the moment. I didn't mind. It made me feel like I might matter for more than just right now, like this immortal creature beside me might even remember me when I was long gone.
"Help me get this right?" he asked.
"Get what right?"
"Us." His eyes flicked between mine. "You're not like any woman I've met before, on any world, and I'm a demon. I forget and do dumb-ass things. I can barely keep track of the rules you humans live by, and I'm going to make a mistake, but I don't want to lose you, little Muse. I want to keep you safe, make you powerful, and show you all of the wonders I've seen and, for the first time, I think it's possible. I think I've finally found someone who won't expect me to live a lie to make her happy."
"You mean you've never told anyone you're a demon?"
"Not if I could help it, no. Didn't matter if it was a fairy, satyr, or human. My kind are despised on every world." He inhaled deeply. "With good reason. Sia, we haven't always been kind to the inworlders."
"I'm sure they didn't necessarily deserve it, either. Never mind the angels and their lies." I grabbed his hand and laced my fingers through his. "And I don't give up easy, Nick. How about I tell you when you're out of line? I mean, it'll probably be at the top of my lungs as I'm throwing things, but I promise I'll let you know. Ok?"
He laughed. "That is a deal I will take." Then he sighed. "But I really do have things to do this weekend."
"Gonna tell me what?"
"Gather aether, prepare our next identities – including yours – and other rather boring tasks. The angels are coming. Right now, there's more of them than us. That means we need to be ready for anything. We need to build our defenses and make sure this place is locked from every possible plane. The war is coming, Sia. As soon as they realize what you are, we won't have the chance to do anything but keep them away. The moment you start working with aether, they will all know, and you'll be vulnerable until you can step between worlds."
In all of that, there was one thing I heard. "So you weren't ditching me, huh?"
"No, never that." He reached up and traced the line of my jaw. "I may have been a little worried that you'd change your mind, but I figured better now than later. I don't really want to fall in love with you just to end up disappointed when the rush of excitement wore off."
"What?"
He shrugged. "The idea of playing with the bad guys has its allure at the moment. We've seen it so many times, but it's not the kind of thing that lasts."
"No," I corrected. "What did you mean about falling in love with me?"
His hand paused on my cheek. "I'd like to have the chance to try. I've watched you for so long now. I feel like I know you, but I don't really, and I want to. You're the kind of woman I've waited eons to find."
"I wanna try, too."
"Yeah? You're willing to make this a long-term thing?" Smiling, he rolled closer. "I can think of a very good way to start. I do believe I've caught my breath."
I gasped, playfully swatting him away. "I'm not a toy, you big demon."
"Oh, yes you are," he said, dragging his hips across my thigh. He was getting harder very quickly. "A very addictive, beautiful, amazing toy that I plan to entertain me for a very long time. I just have to make sure I give you some very good reasons to keep coming back."
I threw my leg over his hip and pushed him onto his back so I was straddling his pelvis. "There's one that comes to mind. In fact, I think I could get used to this."
"I hope so," he whispered, running his hand down my spine. "I plan to make sure this is a night you will never forget."