Hammer Down: Children of the Undying: Book 2 (17 page)

“I’m not human.” He reached under the hem of her shirt, fingertips brushing her belly. “It makes things…different.”

It was something she’d never had to contemplate, something she didn’t understand. “Tell me how.”

He traced a slow circle around her navel, leaving heat in his wake. “Sex and violence get tangled up. Not violent sex, but violence makes me crave sex. And I get violent about the people in my bed. Protective. Territorial.”

She’d seen the evidence of it already. “The fight with—what was his name? Drake?”

“Drake.” He splayed his hand against her. “Being inside you in the network didn’t feel half as good as just touching you like this.”

“Because this is real.” His hair was soft under her fingers, and Devi ached to kiss him again. “It’s real, and that makes it harder to walk away and pretend this didn’t happen.”

“It’s real,” he agreed. “It’s messy, dirty. And it’s the best fucking thing in the world.” He stroked his thumb along her side and braced his arm on the bed above her head, his body covering her. Surrounding her. “I’m going to taste every damn inch of you.”

Impatient to do the same to him, Devi raised her head and touched her tongue to his shoulder.

He groaned, low and sharp, as if something inside him had snapped. He plunged his fingers into her hair, tilted her head back and claimed her mouth. The kiss was wild, untamed and unyielding, all teeth and tongue and harsh, needy sounds.

Blood roared in her ears, another delicious detail virtual sex had lacked. Her body jerked when he clutched her closer and rubbed her shirt against her bare nipples, every tiny sensation magnified because it was
different
from the way she’d felt him before.

Devi gasped when he dug his teeth into her lower lip. “Want you.” The whisper was almost lost to his mouth.

“You’ll get me.” He reared up and pulled at her T-shirt, coaxing it up. “On my terms. You got shot in the damn back today. Some things I don’t compromise on.”

“I could ride you.” Her nails dug into his shoulders. “That won’t hurt me.”

His eyes blazed. “Maybe. Lift your arms, unless you want me ripping this off by mistake.”

She did as he asked—no, as he
ordered
. Heat followed the path of his hands as he eased up her shirt, his gaze never leaving her face.

He lingered on the skin he bared, and Devi took over, dragging the cotton quickly over her head. It was the fastest way to touch him, and she did, molding her hands to the solid planes of his chest.

“It isn’t the same,” he murmured as his fingertip teased around one nipple. “The network is never good enough.”

“But we’re here now.” Devi soothed her tongue over the spot where his neck met his shoulder. She tasted the heat of his body and the salty tang of sweat. “Stop thinking about it. It was a dream.” Good when it was all you had, but a sad substitute for reality.

He dragged her into his lap to straddle his thighs. He curled his fingers in her hair again, tilting her head back and baring her neck. “Do you keep protection?”

“For what?” As soon as the words left her, she realized he was talking about condoms. “Oh. No, I don’t usually need any.”

He hesitated. “You have an implant?”

“Yes, and…”
No reason to blush, damn it.
“I don’t really do this much.”

Zel’s lips touched her throat, parted so he could lick the spot where her pulse throbbed under the skin. “We don’t have implants and condoms are rare around here. Anyone who doesn’t want kids gets busy in the network or not at all.”

Tanner had a stash of condoms he stocked during their travels, but mentioning that she even knew about them probably wasn’t the best idea. “Is it all right?”

“Fine.” Teeth closed over her pulse. Hard.

Pain and pleasure mingled, and Devi cried out. She’d never felt such sheer physical need, and it overwhelmed her. “I want you.” Her nails scratched into his skin, and she had to drop her hands from his shoulders.

“I know.” He soothed the bite with slow, hot licks, then moved lower, to her collarbone, and repeated the process.

She arched against him, grinding in his lap, desperate to relieve her mounting tension. He seemed determined to prolong their encounter, even if it tormented them both.

She’d have to be proactive. Devi stroked up his back again and wove her fingers through his hair. She brushed kisses over his cheek and jaw, down to his neck and the spot she’d licked before. This time, she bit him.

That got a reaction. A growl ripped free, and the next time his teeth closed against her skin it was on the swell of her breast.

The heat that rose in response almost cut off her breath. “We can bite each other all day,” she whispered, “or you can show me what it’s like.”

“What what’s like?” He didn’t wait for an answer, just closed his lips around her nipple, tongue lashing over it with hot, fast strokes.

Claiming.
She tried to say it aloud but could only whimper and pull his hair, holding him close to her breast. His rumble of approval vibrated against her skin as he reached lower, dipping under the waistband of her pants to grip her ass and grind her against him.

“Can’t—” Her voice failed, and she shuddered. “Can’t we go faster?”

Zel lifted his head until his lips hovered over her ear, his breath hot. “You got hurt when I was supposed to be taking care of you. I’m not sliding inside you until I’ve had my hands and mouth on every goddamned inch of your body, so I know you’re okay.”

His words dissolved the little control she had left. She’d come to his room expecting quick relief from the need that made her ache. Instead, he held true to his word, tracing the lines and curves of her body with painstaking thoroughness.

Devi writhed under the sensual assault, gasping and shaking. Finally, when she’d had all she could take, she caught his hands and held them still. “Lie down, Zel.”

For a moment she thought he’d tug free, but then he smiled and relaxed on the bed. “Just that?”

“Yes.” She kept her gaze on his face and slipped her fingers under the waistband of his linen pants. With the barest pressure, she eased the fabric down.

He clenched his fists around the blankets on either side of his hips. “I don’t lie still easily.”

She pulled open her own pants and lowered the zipper. “Did I say you had to?”

His gaze tracked her movements. “Sort of. How’s your back feeling?”

That hungry stare felt good. “My back hurts less than the rest of me.” Devi teased one finger along the top of her panties and slipped her hand beneath the lace.

Zel groaned and grabbed her hips. “If we can’t get your pants off in about five seconds, they’re getting ripped.”

She eased to the bed and wiggled free of the garment. His were easier, and Devi caught her breath on a gasp as she pulled the loose linen down his legs. His body was large, powerful…and aroused. “Oh.
Oh.
”

He laughed hoarsely and dragged her back over his body. “They never get that detail quite right either.”

Apparently not. The considerable thickness of his erection brushed her belly, and she kissed him with a whimper. This time he kissed her back with teeth and tongue, everything hard and deep and hungry enough to set fire to both of them. His fingers flexed on her hips, grinding her against the base of his cock.

It could have been hours before he tore away and urged her up. “Now. Ride me.”

Only the promise of having him deep inside her could have convinced Devi to give up the slick glide of his shaft against her sex. She moved carefully, aligning her body over his. “Take me.”

He did, with one slow, hot thrust, pushing up into her. She tried to stifle her sharp intake of breath as he stretched her, but he heard it anyway and froze. “Too much?”

It was, and she’d scream if he stopped. “No, just—” She rocked her hips to meet his, and the almost uncomfortable feeling of fullness vanished, chased away by a wave of hot satisfaction that stole her breath in an entirely different way. “Oh God.”

His face was a mask of intense concentration as he began a slow grind, guiding her into every movement without looking away from her face. “You’re tight.” His voice shook. “You sure you’re okay, honey?”

She managed a trembling whisper as she leaned forward and braced her hands on his shoulders. “Yes.” The position gave her the leverage she needed to move more, to transform the grinding into short thrusts that drove her toward the edge, hot and fast.

“That’s it.” He cupped her breast and slid his fingers down to stroke between her legs and center on her clit. “Come for me.”

That touch alone sent a spasm of pleasure racing through her, and Devi cried out. Her hands slipped off Zel’s shoulders and hit the bed, and she rode him harder.

He rained hot kisses on every inch of skin he could reach and matched her rhythm, a rasping moan tearing free every time their bodies slammed together. “
More.
”

“I can’t—” Too quickly, her body tightened around him, her muscles tensing in anticipation of release. The last few days had been nothing but wanting, aching with need, and she couldn’t brace herself against the overwhelming rush of sensation.

He helped her move as he began to rock up, driving deeper. Devi opened her eyes, fixing her gaze on his face.

He watched her like he’d never seen anything more perfect than her face as pleasure cinched tight. “Tell me what you need. Anything. I’ll give you anything.”

What she needed was to kiss him. Devi met his open mouth with hers and sought his tongue as the unbearable tension twisted and broke, flooding her with ecstasy. She shook above him, her teeth biting into his lip, and his growl of triumph trembled against her mouth as he rocked her through her release before giving in to his own.

Her limbs wouldn’t hold her, and she collapsed against his chest. Even the hours of sex in the network hadn’t prepared her for the sense of
completion
, for feeling like she never wanted to move from this spot and lose the sweet press of his skin against hers.

Zel let out a low sigh as his hands settled on her lower back, fingers brushing the taped edge of the gauze. His deep, unsteady breaths evened out before he spoke. “That’s the only advantage to the network, I guess. Unchecked stamina, even with the hottest woman in the world riding you.”

Devi touched his face before nestling her chin against his neck. “You gave me what I needed.”

“Good.” His breath stirred against her forehead, warm and intimate. “If I weren’t so damn exhausted, I’d be giving you what you needed again in five minutes. Tonight you might have to settle for fifteen.”

“We can sleep.” Being in his arms was enough.

“Can we?” Reluctance colored the words, like he didn’t want to say them but knew he had to. “There’s a lot we should talk about.”

“It can wait.” It had to, otherwise he’d drive himself beyond exhaustion.

“One thing won’t.” He stilled, and tension trembled in the muscular chest beneath her. “Lorenzo thinks Cache might be willing to stay. Might want to, even.”

Devi raised her head and met his eyes. “She feels like she’s needed here.”

“She is. I don’t have a fucking clue what to do about Trip, and in the meantime our network will fall apart. No one else we have is good enough.”

“Trip mentioned someone named Marci?”

“Marci McClure, a summoner bound to one of the halfbloods,” he elaborated. “She’s good—brilliant with avatars, really—but hardware isn’t her thing. And she can’t do a lot of the stuff those other two can.”

“Cache talked to me about it. Your friend’s right. If she’s welcome, she’ll stay.”

He relaxed and closed his eyes, relief clear on the planes of his face. “She’ll be welcome, I think. I need to talk to the full council this afternoon. Not just about Cache and Trip, but about everything. The spy and his mission. That Nicollet has figured out a way to kill over the network. It changes everything.”

It was terrifying, having the safety and anonymity of the network stripped away. “I think it’ll be a while before I link up to the Global again.”

“You and me both. I asked Trip to put a ban in place. He seems certain our local network is secure, but we don’t have the resources to host much beyond the challenge ring and a few entertainment options. People will get restless.”

“You have to deal with that difficulty when it comes.”

“Yeah.” His fingers resumed their slow, gentle stroking, tracing down from the top of her skull in a soothing, repetitive gesture. “What about you?”

“Will I get restless?” she asked in a whisper, braced for the answer. “Or do I want to stay?”

He was every bit as cautious. “If you wanted to make sure Cache was settled in all right, there’s a place for you, too. But if you can’t, I promise I’ll take care of her for you.”

It was easy to tell which reply he preferred, but Devi needed to be more than welcome. More than convenient. “It’s all right, Zel. If what you want is to ask me to stay.”

“Is it?” His fingers tightened in her hair, gentle but strong. “It seems like it’s a little crazy. But I already told you I don’t want you to leave.”

Devi traced the ridge of his collarbone. “I’d stay anyway. For Cache, mostly. But also…to get to know you.”

He smiled, slow but warm, so warm, and nothing compared to the heat in his eyes when he repeated his earlier words. “There’s a place for you.”

She shifted up his body, moving slowly, until she could reach his mouth with hers. “Not willing to give up the hot, non-virtual sex yet?”

“You just wait, sweetheart.” His fingers curled in her hair again, urging her head back so he could taste the line of her jaw. “They don’t have names for the things we could do together.”

“Yes, they do.” She relaxed, giving in to his touch. “We just probably don’t know them.”

He laughed and kissed her again, soft kisses trailing from her cheek to her temple as he guided her head back to his shoulder. “Bet Cache and Trip would. Techies always do. I think too much time in the network corrupts innocent minds.”

“Yeah, I seem to remember the network corrupting us pretty well the other night.”

Laughter rumbled up, vibrating under her cheek. “You sure that wasn’t your nonexistent dress?”