Caress The Dark God [Scions of the Ankh 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (6 page)

“Tell me what you heard.” His words seemed to invade her mind. She felt herself going under as if she were in a pool of water. She fought the urge to tell him she had heard of Ammut. He seemed to be inside her head, probing around. But that was crazy. Tessa shook her head and stepped away from Torian. His eyes seemed to be funnels and then black. That was the second time she’d imagined that. As her thoughts became more focused, Torian continued to stare at her.

“You were mad at me.” It was a statement that surprised her. How would he know that?

“Yeah,” Tessa latched onto the change of topic. The anger cut through her fog. “How dare you undress me?” She put her hands on her hips and began tapping her foot.

“You want to even the score?” His tone seemed accommodating, but there was a meaning behind them, she was certain.

“Of course,” she said carefully, trying to see where he would go with this.

“I undressed you and saw you naked. I have to say, your form is more exquisite than I imagined. However, you want to even this up, yes?” Tessa nodded. Torian walked over to the bed and lay across it. He propped his head up with his hands behind his head and seemed to just wait.

Tessa stopped tapping her foot as curiosity took over. “What are you doing?”

“Giving you the chance to even the score. But if you’re not brave enough …”

“Oh, no, you think I’m going to strip you naked in that bed? That’s not going to happen and I hardly see how that evens things up.”

Torian looked thoughtful for a moment, before he suddenly bounded out of the bed to stand right in front of her. “I love the way your mind works.” Grinning, he took her by the hand and pulled her towards the door that linked their rooms.

Tessa don’t know why she didn’t protest more. Hell, why she didn’t protest at all. Her mouth had gone dry just thinking about undressing him. He was certainly challenging her endeavor to be celibate. He flung the door open and pulled her through it, and immediately shut it behind them.

“You are absolutely right,
my beauty
. That’s certainly not going to even the score.” Torian then lay down on his bed and assumed the exact same position he had on hers. “Now let’s see what you’re made of.”

“You expect me to strip you?” Tessa felt her palms get sweaty. A thrill shot through her body at the thought of unwrapping this virile man. Somewhere between her room and his, she’d taken her common sense, bound and gagged it and thrown it in the back recesses of her mind. She licked her lips as she looked at Torian. Her feet seemed glued to the floor. Her anger had deserted her, leaving nothing but the desire to rise to his challenge.

“Strip me? No, that’s quite crass, my beauty. I peeled your clothing off, savoring every inch of your skin as it was revealed to me. I drank in the perfect beauty of your form. You see, I couldn’t let you sleep in such uncomfortable clothing.” He looked at his own clothes. “I’ve had these on for a while. I need to shower and change. So if you could just give me the same care, I would more than appreciate it,
Dr. Michaels.”

He was baiting her. Reminding her that a naked body shouldn’t make her this nervous. He was a cad, rubbing it in at every chance that she desired him and he knew it. Slowly, she approached the bed, every fiber vibrating with the anticipation of seeing him unclothed. She stopped in front of the bed and took a breath.

“Unbraid your hair for me.” he ordered, his voice husky as he watched her. Of their own accord, Tessa’s fingers moved to unbraid her hair. “Toss it for me.” Tessa obeyed, tossing her head lightly side-to-side, shaking out the ringlets until they hung wild around her face. “Now, undress me,” he commanded.

He could see the flight or fight instinct kick in. Tessa’s scent was one of arousal, her demeanor that of frightened prey. However, the steel that ran down her spine was intriguing. Despite her ambiguous feelings, she stayed rooted to the spot.

Anubis rose from the bed, never breaking their locked gazes. “Well, if you’re just going to stand there, I will undress myself.” He undid the leather belt around his waist. “Don’t say I didn’t give you the opportunity for retribution.” His shoes came off and her eyes tracked his movements with sharp scrutiny. “I have had a long night and I need to bathe before I tackle the problem at hand.”

She snapped her attention back to his face. “Has there been any more news?”

Anubis laid the now discarded belt neatly across the bed. Deliberately, he took his time answering. He had to word his answer carefully. He and Thoth had been trying to piece together the mystery. As of yet, he couldn’t figure out where that strange source of power he’d felt earlier had come from. It was raw power, evil. Thoth had gotten right into investigating it.

“A few hours ago, there was an incident at a casino. Several hundred people were found dead. They exhibited the same traits as the people in my hospice. Whatever the cause of the illness, it is no longer giving people a few hours to live. It’s killing them instantly.”

“You mean the virus has mutated?” Tessa shook her head. “What the hell could it be?” She seemed to ask the last question more to herself. Anubis kept undressing. He made sure his next comment garnered her attention.

“Surely you’ve seen a naked man before, doctor?” He watched as her eyes traveled all over his body. A flush came to her face, as well as raw desire. He couldn’t resist reading her thoughts. She wanted him. Thought him beautiful. Her arousal climbed until he could smell nothing else. He could hear the rhythm of her breathing. Her reaction heightened his own. In response, his manhood reacted, and her eyes grew round as she watched.

“Wh–, what do you think you’re doing?” her strong voice belied the panic in her eyes.

“Undressing in my room. I don’t know about you, but I have a nasty habit of bathing in the nude. Care to join me?” he whispered, careful not to put a compulsion into his words. “We’re adults, Tessa.” He held out his hand in invitation. “It’s been a long night. Let me take care of you. I promise I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.”

But I want you to do everything
. He plucked the thought from her mind as it surfaced. He grinned and made his way towards her. Her eyes watched his cock as it bobbed. If possible, he got even more aroused. “I’ll behave,” he promised. He watched as she wrestled with her thoughts. Gently, he took the edges of her tank top and began to pull it up, slowly revealing part of her smooth, toned belly. “Tell me to stop and I’ll stop.”

She swallowed, but held her arms up so he could remove the top. His breath hitched as he stared at the average-sized, but tempting globes before him. The pink nipples were hard, enticing him to bend down and suck one into his mouth. He let the top fall from his hand and he wished he could just think her clothes away instantly, but that would frighten her. Besides, there was something very erotic about seeing her form being revealed before him so slowly.

“We’ll simply have a nice, hot, well-deserved shower together.” He murmured as his hands undid the button, then the zipper on her jeans. Her soft skin against his was heavenly. He paused to feel her belly and watched as her abs contracted in reaction to his touch. He tugged gently at the form-fitting jeans, bending low as he worked them past her hips and down her long legs. He stopped as he found his mouth directly in front of the juncture of her thighs. The womanly scent of her washed over him and he swallowed hard before he could speak. “I intend to help ease whatever aches you have.” Not able to resist, he blew softly at the soft curls, directing the small thermal draft to her clitoris. Tessa shivered.

Anubis stood and stared down at her. Her luxurious locks wound over her breasts and shoulders, and he imagined what they’d feel like as they grazing against his chest as she rode him hard. He tried to clear the image from his mind as his cock relayed that it quite liked that notion. “Allow me.” He turned so that her glorious firm ass was for his viewing pleasure. Slowly he began to gather her hair until nothing but beautiful curls hung to the middle of her back. He stepped up to her, his arousal between them, nestling against her backside. His hands traveled lightly up and down her arms, simply loving the texture of her skin. “Stop me at any time, Tessa,” he said lightly into her ear.

She didn’t respond and that was enough encouragement for him. He picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. It was a lavish room, with black glossy tiles on the floor and walls. A large, two-person shower with sliding doors lined in pure gold took up only a small portion of the area. An elegantly styled sink with an hourglass pedestal that was made of pure marble was matched in beauty with the large, sunken tub. It boasted clawed feet with the claws tipped in pure gold. Normally the beauty of the dark room would arrest his attention, but this time he was focused purely on Tessa.

He set her down and again resisted the urge to turn on the spigots mentally. After adjusting the water to a comfortable temperature, he beckoned her to join him. For a split second, she faltered, then followed him inside. His cock continued to surprise him, becoming even more aroused as he watched the water sluice down her body. Ribbons of water snaked their way around her waist and between her thighs. He stood transfixed, watching the water as it traveled down her long, smooth legs. He was suddenly thirsty, wanting to lick every drop of water from her body, and lick her wantonly between her legs.

“Are you just going to stare at me?” she lightly teased. “You promised to soothe my aches.” She turned until he could see her wet curls plastered to her back as water ran through them and over her backside. She was the most tempting woman he’d ever seen in his very long life. He made the soap appear in his hand, knowing she couldn’t see him. Soaping his own hands generously, he set the bar down and began to run his hands slowly over her shoulders, making the slippery substance a lubricant to massage her muscles. She moaned in pleasure as he kneaded the muscles at the back of her neck. He found everything about her fascinating.

Anubis began to rethink his promise of simply taking a shower with Tessa. He had no idea what gave him the idea that he could just shower with such a tempting creature and not want to push her against the wall and enter her — repeatedly — giving them both so much pleasure that neither could stay standing. He stepped in closer, loving the feel of his cock against her wet, slick body. He cupped a breast in each hand as he gently manipulated the globes. Tessa laid her head against his chest, just under his chin. Timidly at first, her nails gently raked his thighs. He closed his eyes at the touch as he ran one hand down her stomach until it stopped at her core. He paused, waiting for a protest, then his fingers gently worked their way into her folds. Her moan was loud.

His heart raced as he felt the difference between the water and her own cream. His fingers circled her clitoris as it budded for him. Her body became tense with pleasure as he placed kisses along the side of her neck, his other hand still caressing her breast. As her hips began to move in rhythm to his stimulation, her ass pressed against his cock, sending waves of pleasure through him, and it was his turn to moan. She was close to climaxing as he stealthily entered her mind, wanting to experience her orgasm with her. She was on the cusp, seconds away from falling into an abyss of ecstasy and he wanted to fall with her.

Anubis, I think I might have found something. Come quickly
. Thoth’s words instantly cauterized the impending climax. He pulled from Tessa’s mind quickly, but he knew it was too late. Because he had been in her mind when Thoth summoned him, more than likely she had heard it too.

“What?” The word came out confused and she turned her head to look at him. “Did you hear something? I thought I heard someone talking.”

Anubis knew his frustration must be palpable and Tessa stepped away from him breathing heavily. “We should probably…” She let the sentence trail off as she found the soap and began lathering herself.

“This isn’t over, Tessa.”

“I didn’t come here for a tryst.” Her movements became jerky and he knew she was frustrated as well.

“Let me finish giving you pleasure.”

She paused in her ministrations and he picked up on the bolt of desire that went through her. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t know you and yet here I am.” She did a quick glance at the shower. “You must think I’m some sort of slut.” She mumbled the last part to herself.

“I think very highly of you, Tessa.” Anubis frowned, not liking the idea that she feared he thought her any less than a beautiful and intriguing woman.

“Here’s what you know about me.” Tessa looked at him. “Within a very short space of time from the moment of meeting you, I was seduced like that,” she snapped her fingers, “into letting you almost kiss me. The very next day I’m naked and in the shower with you. Yes, Torian, I could see why you think so highly of me.” She turned away, washing the soap from her body.

“That’s your version.” He turned her around to face him. “My version goes like this. A beautiful woman, a doctor, no less, comes halfway around the world to help out a friend she thinks is in need. This same woman volunteers to slave the night away trying to help people in a foreign land where she barely knows anyone. I’m willing to bet, beautiful lady, that you don’t take the time to relax and enjoy what life has to offer.” As he said the words, he thought how ironic it was that he had not appreciated his own life. He had grown weary of it, exhausted from living it alone. He saw in her a reluctance to reach out, and knew it stemmed from a relationship that had been very negative. “I’m not asking you to make promises, just enjoy yourself. With me.”