Chapter Fourteen

 

 

Davian’s groin tightened at the prospect. Though he hesitated. “I just told you to marry someone else.”

“Yes, but you didn’t actually mean it.” A sly smile crossed her lips. “I may lack romantic experience, but I can see through a ploy such as that. And while, yes, it might better my situation in some aspects, it wouldn’t in others. It would be false. You have to know that. And Michael deserves more than a tiny piece of my heart that now only feels friendship toward him.”

“Love can grow from that.”

She shook her head. “Stop talking about this. You’d be an ogre if you knew I was with Michael, and I wouldn’t wish that on Sheena, Jocelyn and Morgan. Or your horse.”

His tense jaw loosened. “You have a point. They might resort to mutiny.”

“Never. They’re loyal to you. Devoted enough to help a human you care about.”

“I do care about you,” he said in a fierce tone. “That’s why I have to stay away from you. If the fire wraith comes back and monitors the situation, he needs to believe you no longer hold meaning for me. He’ll leave you alone.”

She snuggled close to him. “And yet, here you are…”

“Well, there’s always the chance I can talk you into returning to the castle with me until we’ve resolved this issue.”

Yes, in the back of his mind, that was still his deepest want and desire—along with making her immortal. And it was true he could force her hand. He possessed the power to demand she stay within his walls while his army hunted the outlaw demons, not merely request she go with him. But he was smart enough to know she’d be miserable away from her home for an extended period of time.

Not to mention the slayers and villagers would be in an absolute uproar over him spiriting her off again.

“I can follow your strategy for now,” she said, her breath warm against his neck. “I’ll continue to let the slayers escort me into the village when I go and I’ll keep to the cottage otherwise until the trouble passes.”

Her agreement with his precautionary measures put him slightly at ease. But it still irritated him that he had no control over her full protection. Not unless he ordered her to follow his command, that was. While a heavy hand might keep her from getting killed, she’d be distraught, anyway. So he had to find a compromise. Strike a balance.

“You won’t be left to fend for yourself, I assure you,” he said. “But after tonight, I’ll need to continue to keep an ample distance. I have to make it appear as though I’ve tired of you. The fire wraith will find another tactic to engage me, which won’t involve you.”

She gnawed her lip before asking, “It’s just a guise, right?”

He grinned, despite the piercing sensation in his heart over her hint of doubt. “You already know the answer to that. You called my bluff, after all.”

“So it truly would be hell for you if I were to marry Michael?”

“I don’t have to agonize over that anymore, now do I?”

She snickered. “You knew the answer to that before you even made the proposition.”

“It’s not an unreasonable scenario.”

“Had it been proposed a month ago, no,” she said. “But now… Yes. It is.”

His hands gently cupped her face, the gesture urging her to glance up at him. “I’ve done a lot of things wrong by my own conscience. My misguided intentions have benefited the demon world, but I didn’t stay true to my personal convictions. I can’t help but think this situation that has come about with you is my punishment.”

“Careful,” she said, as a tinge of light flickered in her eyes—one he’d never seen before from her it was so flirtatious. “You’re about to call me punishment.”

A low growl slipped from his mouth. “You find the strangest times to tease me.”

“I can’t help it. Aside from me, you’ve got to be the most tormented person in existence.”

He stood suddenly, with her in his arms. “Luckily, there are ways to ease some of that torment.”

She smiled, her lips curling against his throat. Enticing him. “Now you’re talking sensibly, my Lord.”

“Don’t mock me, woman.”

“Never.”

It wasn’t difficult navigating the small abode to find her bedroom. Though the double mattress with the aged frame gave him pause.

“You sleep here?” he asked, his territorial instincts kicking in—specifically, his desire to make her life more comfortable. Lavish, even. He could still picture her vividly in his well-appointed bed with sheets that were new, not worn and tattered. She deserved more than the modest environment she refused to leave.

“It’s not a master suite in the castle, no. But try not to knock my home. I like it here, remember?”

“I do as well,” he asserted. “You could benefit from some improvements, though.”

“Don’t go trying to marry me off again so I’ll have a man to spruce the place up. Everything in here is sufficient.”

Or exactly how it had been when her parents were alive?

Davian found the thought troubling. He did not want to insult her, but it was hard to quell the urge to send his own interior decorators to replace all the furnishings that appeared to be on their last legs. Not for his personal pleasure, since this would be his one and only visit. But for hers.

“Are you wondering if you’ll fit in my bed?” She broke into his thoughts. They still stood in the middle of the room.

“It’s obviously not long enough for my height. Perhaps not even sturdy enough for my weight.”

“How about we give it a try, anyway,” she suggested.

Her lips brushed over his and his libido sprang back into action. He set her on the mattress and she immediately reached for the hem of his black sweater and stripped off the garment. Her fingers traced the grooves of his abdomen.

“I’ve missed your body,” she murmured, her breath caressing his skin.

As she kissed his stomach and ribs, his fingers threaded her hair.

Jade gazed up at him. “You have to understand that I could never be with another man, Davian. Ever. How could one possibly compare to a king? And no mortal is built like this.”

“I don’t want you to be with anyone else,” he told her. “Nor do I want you to be alone.” A double-edged sword that cut deep.

“I have thoughts and fantasies of us to keep me company. Let’s add to the mental library, shall we?”

She deftly worked the fastenings on his leather pants, peeling the material apart and shoving it down his hips and thighs. He toed off his riding boots and then rid himself of the rest of his clothing.

Her fingers encircled his erect shaft and her head dipped to take him into her mouth.

Davian’s previous musings as to whether she was his punishment for causing so much death and destruction returned to him. No demon should experience the sort of pleasure she gave him. A beautiful human who made love to him with her mouth and set his pulse racing and his heart soaring… It was unthinkable. And yet, she aroused him instantly and seemed to enjoy stimulating him in this fashion.

The final penalty against him would come when he left her once more. This time for good.

He didn’t want to think of that at the moment. Instead, he swept her hair from her face and watched her tongue trail from base to tip, then swirl around his head, tasting him. His cock throbbed at her intimate touch and her natural instinct. She drew him into her mouth again, taking him deeper this time. His entire body ached for her.

Holding her hair back with one hand, he used the other to guide her palm to his balls. She gently cupped them, pushing him even further into risky territory.

Jade had him worked up in a heartbeat and kept him in a frenzied state. She sucked him hard and a tremor ran through his legs.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” he muttered. “Just like that.”

She continued with the thrilling pace and the massaging of his sac, pushing him to the edge. His hips moved with her rhythm and adrenaline coursed through him. She pulled him into her wet depths as far as she could, eliciting a carnal grunt from him.

“Jade.” He felt it only fair to warn her how close he was to erupting in her mouth.

Her ministrations continued, making him a little lightheaded and a lot turned on. She worked him a few minutes more and then the tremors in his legs crept up his body. His cock pulsed with a wicked beat and surged as he came, Davian calling out her name.

She didn’t shift away. He rode the orgasm while still in her mouth. His heavy breaths were the only sound in the room, save for the crackling of the fire. The heat it provided, in addition to the inferno she easily ignited within him, had drops of perspiration popping along his hairline.

When she finally released him, he chuckled, although it was a rough sound because he still hadn’t gotten his breath back. “You’re entitled to the Cheshire Cat grin.”

Her brows dipped.

“Not familiar with Alice in Wonderland?”

“No.”

“It’s a fairytale,” he told her. “You should probably read it. You might identify with Alice.”

“My life is hardly a fairytale.”

“It’s not that kind of fairytale.”

“Oh. I’ll ask Lisette about it.”

His fingers brushed her temple. “Still counting the beads she gave you?”

Jade smiled. “We’re good.”

Davian had her out of her clothes within seconds. Then he stretched on her bed, not quite fitting, as he’d suspected. He pulled her down on top of him, grabbed a fistful of blanket and sheet and tugged, yanking the linen from the other side of the bed to them, so it covered her.

He kissed her as his hands roamed her body. Her skin against his felt incredible and he knew he’d be hard for her in no time flat, demon recovery being what it was, and also because she so easily excited him.

Breaking their kiss, she straddled his hips and sat up. His hands moved to her breasts, palming them and squeezing the full mounds before teasing the already puckered nipples.

“You in the firelight…” he murmured. “You’re so much more gorgeous and sensuous in person than I can conjure in my mind.”

“So I’m not the only one fantasizing? You’re thinking of me too?”

“All the time.” Not an admission that helped their plight, he realized. But a genuine one.

She said, “I keep telling myself there’s no point to it. But then you mystically appear in my mind, despite my best efforts. Unfortunately, it’s never the same as that first time—since you’re not wittingly participating. It’s just me…”

He guided her forward, until her forearms rested on his wide chest. His hands slid down her back. “I have to stay out of your head, we both know that. Of course, that doesn’t stop me from imagining making love to you. Sometimes it seems so real, so vivid. As though I can truly hear your moans and feel your body against mine.”

“We’ve really dug a hole for ourselves.”

“Yes. But I wouldn’t change anything—pass up the time we’ve had together.”

“Neither would I.” Jade stared into his eyes, her blue gaze glimmering in the flickering light. “No matter how doomed we were from the start. I know now what I really want, and even though I can’t have it, I comprehend the reason I never gave Michael any encouragement over the past eight years is because I innately believed amiable companionship was all we’d share. Even if we’d married and had children, we wouldn’t have experienced this kind of passion.”

“I’m sorry you continually suffer because of me.”

Her lips brushed his once more as she whispered, “Who says I’m suffering right now?”

He snorted. “You don’t always have to let me off the hook.”

“I don’t,” she said. “I’ve demanded explanations from you. But you’ve also freely given ones I have no right to ask for. I appreciate that.”

He kissed her tenderly. “I appreciate that you listen. And try to understand, although you can’t possibly reconcile in your mind the things I’ve done.”

She gave a slight nod. “I have to remain true to my species. You have the same responsibility. But Davian, one thing I’ve always been taught is that humans have killed other humans for centuries. Demons have killed demons. How hypocritical would we all be if we said we fiercely protect our own kind and never turn on them?”

His eyes closed briefly. “Don’t try to justify my actions, Jade.”

“I’ll never be able to condone them. But I can’t condemn you, either. Not knowing how close my race once came to pushing a button that would reduce this planet to an even weaker state than it’s currently in. At least we have fresh air to breathe, rather than inhaling toxins from nuclear bombs that would likely kill survivors within years, if not sooner.”

“You’re well educated in human conflicts. Is that how you can stand to be around me?”

The expression on her face revealed shock that he’d made such a statement. Eventually, however, it morphed into something much less intense. Grinning again—and taking him by surprise—she said, “Perhaps. Not to mention you’re so damn hunky. Downright irresistible.”

His mouth pressed to hers. The sensations she evoked with just a kiss seared his insides. Her lips parted and his tongue delved deep. His groin tightened, his cock thickening—so quickly.

When he dragged his mouth from hers, it skimmed over her jaw and down her throat. His hands gripped her waist and he urged her upward. Her dewy folds slid along his stomach, ratcheting his desire for her. His tongue flicked over her nipple before he suckled the taut peak.

Jade gasped. Her fingers plowed through his hair. Her other forearm rested on the pillow alongside his head. His teeth scraped her tight bud. His tongue soothed it. All the while, she squirmed against him, her moist flesh rubbing along his skin.

Gliding his hand over her backside, he stroked the cleft of her ass, then pushed two fingers into her pussy.

“Yes,” she said on a wisp of air.

His other hand slipped between her parted legs and he vigorously worked the knot of nerves as his fingers pumped into her, while his mouth pleasured her nipple.

A throaty moan fell from her lips. Her spine bowed and he used the extra leverage as she lifted off his lap to stroke her faster.

“Davian. Oh, the things you do to me…”

“I want you to come,” he said against her breast.

“So close,” she assured him. “So very, very close.”

He rubbed her clit as his fingers pushed deeper. Her flesh was slick and her body responsive. Her breathy pants heightened his arousal. He wanted to bring her the same satisfaction he’d derived from her earlier.

“Yes,” she said on a small cry. “Oh, God, yes!”

Her pussy clenched and her body shook as she shattered.

Fire roared through Davian at her rapid and vehement reaction to him. He desperately wanted to be buried within her, but he let her savor the orgasm.

“You know exactly how to touch me,” she whispered. Then kissed him.

“Just warming you up.”

His hands moved to her waist and he coaxed her upward until his head was between her legs. She gripped the ledge of the headboard as his tongue whisked over her swollen pussy lips. She was wet and it made him want her with a voracious need that burned through him.

“Davian,” she said as he tongued her clit. “You are so amazing.”

Her hips lowered and he suckled the bud between her legs as he slipped a finger into her again. She moaned provocatively, spurring him on. He loved how uninhibited she was with him. How she let loose of their differences and simply gave herself over to everything he did to her, and every desire that seized her.

His tongue fluttered against the tiny pearl, then he pulled gently on her lips with his. Her hips bucked and he yielded to her silent demand for more.

Her breaths became shallow. Her body tensed. He sensed the change in her, the cresting of sensations that caused him to work harder to push her into the sort of sexual bliss that would make her cry out his name and come against his mouth. Seconds later, she did just that.

The heady rush she incited would have been enough to sate him for the rest of the evening, since he really didn’t have much time to linger in her cottage. The slayers patrolled the boundary and one would ride by Jade’s house soon. It wouldn’t bode well for Davian to have anyone spot his horse outside, least of all a slayer.

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to leave before he’d had Jade one last time.

With his guidance, she shifted again, moving down his body. His cock pressed to her opening, barely penetrating. He held her steady for a moment as her palms splayed over his chest. Then he thrust up into her heat and dampness and let out a low groan.

Her eyelids drifted closed. Her body moved with his. He could think of nothing more sensual, nothing more beautiful than Jade riding him slowly, her head back, her breasts tempting him.

Everything about her appealed to him. The soul-deep feelings he had for her made his head and his heart war with whether or not to tell her she was part-demon.

Not immortal, of course, yet more than human blood coursed through her veins. If he told her, that might actually give them better opportunity to be together. Conversely, he understood how important her humanity was to her, how protective she was of her dominant race.

The truth would likely conflict her in a way that would add even more strife to her life. He couldn’t do that to her. No matter how badly he wanted to build a bridge between their two worlds and eliminate some of the differences.

For the time being, he had to be satisfied with what he did share with her. Fleeting moments, yes. But also a physical and emotional connection he’d never experienced with any other female in his extended existence.

“You feel so wonderful inside me,” she said on a gratified sigh. “I can’t imagine anything feeling better than this.”

His hands moved from her waist up to her breasts to massage them.

“I wish we had all the time in the world,” he told her in a tight voice. The irony of knowing he could give them an eternity together pained him.

She didn’t say anything about their ill-fated affair. Instead, she leaned forward, propping herself on her forearms as they rested on his chest. She lifted off his lap and he quickened their tempo, pistoning into her as she panted softly. His hands clasped her hips and he held her in place as he fucked her.

“Yes,” she said. “That’s perfect.”

She left kisses along his skin, over his pectoral muscles and up to his throat. She clenched him tight as his cock stroked her slick walls. He pumped into her, his heart hammering and his body aching for so much more. But when it came to this situation, time was one luxury he did not possess.

“Come for me,” he urged.

Her pelvis ground against his and he palmed her ass, pushing her down onto him, their hips undulating in unison, until they were both breathing hard from the exertion and the ecstasy that arced between them.

Jade’s fingertips pressed into his shoulders and her breasts flattened against his chest. He loved the feeling of her melded to him, of their bodies joined. Emotion welled within him and he had to bite back the overwhelming desire to tell her how profoundly he cared for her. How much he wanted her, in so many ways. It wouldn’t be fair to divulge his truest feelings…then walk away.

“Right there,” she coaxed in her sultry voice. “Oh, yes. Oh, God, yes!” Her pussy clutched him even tighter as she shuddered. “Davian!” she cried against his neck as her orgasm peaked.

He thrust into her as she came. Then he rolled her onto her back and made love to her with long, steady strokes as he gazed deep into her eyes.

Davian swept strands of hair from her face and kissed her temple, her cheek, her lips. He pushed further inside her and her hips rose to meet his thrusts.

“I’m going to come again,” she said.

“Yes. With me this time.”

His strokes became faster, more forceful. His territorial feelings multiplied, taunting him. He wanted her to be his forever. He’d have to settle for these last few moments.

“Davian,” she murmured, “don’t worry about me anymore.”

Clearly, she could see the inner turmoil and dread written on his face. Exactly how transparent he was with her, he didn’t know. But she seemed to read him well.

Wanting to escape the hell he’d created for himself—for them—he thrust hard and fast and she screamed his name as she came again. Her orgasm triggered his own as her inner walls contracted and released and she bucked beneath him.

“Jade,” he murmured as fiery sensations consumed him. “You are everything to me.”