Life in Shadows (24 page)

She let him
sort that out, staring into his eyes all the while. His hand didn’t come off
her nearly bare hip. His body didn’t move off of hers. “White picket fences
don’t sound very rock’n’roll,” he said.

“They
don’t,” Shannon agreed. “Of course, I always figured rock stars were a lot less
polite and a lot more fo-ohhh!” she broke off as his hand slipped under her
skirt and moved between her legs. She wanted that. She wanted it even more than
she realized, and now found him reacting to it. Did he know? Did he read it in
her somehow? Was it in her body language, or her demeanor?

It felt far
too good to think about now. Shannon melted into Michael’s touch, letting him
wrap his free arm around her back while his hand worked her through her thin,
lacy panties. His mouth came to hers once more, gentler this time as he knew
the effect he was having on her body.

Shannon let
him take the lead. She liked a guy who could take charge like this. If she felt
like seizing control later, she could always do so. For now, she reveled in the
fantasy of having a rock star sweep her off her feet...even if he was only a
local rock star and both her heels were still on the floor.

She clung
weakly to his shoulders. Panted into his mouth. Tensed at the jolts of pleasure
that ran through her as his thumb began to tease just the right spot.

Music
picked up in the club. Once again, it was all canned stuff, but the music
signaled the impending appearance of the next band. Lights around them dimmed.
Shannon felt herself grow hotter and hungrier. The distraction, she realized,
was exactly what she needed.

“We should
get out of here,” Michael suggested.

“Nnno,”
Shannon sighed back. “Everyone’s watching the stage now. Not us. Nobody’s back
here. It’s the perfect time.”

Michael
grinned. “Not something I’ve ever done,” he admitted.

“Me
neither.” Shannon’s voice grew pleading. It was high and breathless and she
didn’t feel the least bit embarrassed by it. “I’m not...myself...tonight.”

Her hands
went to his belt. She leaned in and kissed him fiercely as she unfastened it,
finding little trouble in freeing him. Then his lips broke off of hers. “We
should at least play it safe,” he said. “I’m not carrying a con—”

“
We
don’t need it
,” Shannon assured him in a voice she’d never used before. “
Trust
me
.” Her words surprised her, but she knew they were true—and unnaturally
persuasive.

His eyes
blinked rapidly. Then the touch of his hands became firmer and hungrier. He
pushed her up against the wall again as his mouth attacked hers. Somewhere in
the distance, fresh, new music hit and appreciative voices exploded into
cheers. The opening song wasn’t as good as Rockerdammerung’s, but neither
Michael nor Shannon were there for the music anymore.

She had his
groin free of his leather pants. Michael pulled on her lace panties, bringing
them down until he realized they had drawstrings on the hips. He shared a
knowing grin with Shannon before he took advantage of their convenience and
slipped them free.

Their
mouths were locked together in a kiss when all was ready. Shannon felt him
shift and let him grip her ass with both hands, gladly letting him spread her
to hasten the inevitable. She reached for his cock, guided him, held her breath
in anticipation...and then moaned uncontrollably into his mouth when she felt
him push up inside of her.

She loved
him in that moment, though she knew immediately it was more about the act than
her partner. Shannon reveled as he thrust in and out of her, alleviating her
suspense and anticipation while aggravating her need for release. He was a
great partner, and would be so later tonight when they got someplace where they
could really enjoy one another. He wasn’t just a random lay. He was someone she
found genuinely attractive.

Shannon’s
joy rose along with her pleasure. Monogamy was no longer for her. She carried
the unnatural lusts and needs of a woman who was clearly not human. None of
that meant she had to lower her standards.

They moved
together, grunting and thrusting and loving it.

Distant and
all but forgotten already, Shannon heard the customary cheers and applause of
the end of the first song. Her eyes met with Michael’s. They shifted together,
fucking up against the wall and enjoying it on through the next song, and then
the next. Neither had anything to say; their needful coupling was statement
enough.

Shannon’s
fingers slipped into his hair. She kissed him again, then couldn’t control her
breathing enough to continue, and finally leaned her head against his as he
brought her to the edge of orgasm. When it hit, Shannon’s arms squeezed harder
around his shoulders and her fingers dug into his scalp. She let out loud,
broken moans directly into his ear. She felt his release hit, too, and enjoyed
his voice and the sensations that her partner’s climax created within her.

They clung
together until their bodies relaxed enough to allow speech. Shannon hardly
wanted to let him go, preferring instead to keep him trapped like this. But she
knew greater pleasures were to be shared in a different setting.

“I’ve got a
hotel room nearby,” he huffed. “Thought I was going to an after party. Knew I
wouldn’t want to drive.”

“Do you
still want to go?” Shannon asked with a taunting smile.

“Think I
got a better invitation now,” Michael grinned.

* *
*

Morning
light crept up on them through the sliding glass door of Michael’s hotel room.
It was a reminder of how little care they had given to planning ahead; the pair
had simply tumbled into the room together and begun tearing Michael’s clothes
off. Shannon’s didn’t come off right away; she was fully naked now, but for a
long time that night she enjoyed playing in her lingerie.

She
straddled Michael on the bed, letting him lay back and enjoy a slow ride. His
stamina had finally waned some time ago. Shannon was happy to take up the
slack. Occasionally, his eyes fluttered closed and he just smiled as her hips
moved and as she brought him in and out of her. Mostly, though, he watched her
with undisguised appreciation.

“Can’t
believe we stayed up all night,” Michael murmured to the beautiful woman above
him. “Wish I had more energy.”

“Are you
enjoying this?” Shannon grinned naughtily.

“Hell
yeah,” he sighed. “Never had it so good.”

“Then
relax,” she said. “You put on a whole show. Probably had a full day at work
beforehand, right? I’m not holding it against you.”

Michael’s
breath grew shorter and quicker. Shannon’s grin spread further. She had him
close again. Her own rush would not be long in arriving. “Just don’t...
wanna... leave you... wanting...” Michael began to pant.

“Shhh,
you’re wonderful,” Shannon assured him. Her eyes fluttered closed. She savored
the slow climb to satisfaction. “So good. So... oh. Unh!”

As happened
several times already, her orgasm was brought on largely by the first spasms of
her partner. Shannon pushed him along by rising up a bit higher and coming down
on him a little harder, then remained there as her body was overcome by jolts
of pleasure.

She
remained on top of Michael in her for several minutes after her orgasm had
passed. Warm feelings of satisfaction flowed through her. Despite the pleasure
of coupling with Shannon, Michael’s endurance had finally reached its limits.
He dozed off underneath his partner, having given his all and then some.
Shannon smiled. He’d been exactly what she needed.

Her only
concern was over what might happen next.

She slipped
off of him quietly, pulling a blanket up over his naked body before she moved
away from the bed. He was already sound asleep. Shannon felt only slightly
tired; she needed to stretch and get some fresh air more than she needed a nap.
She found her white lab coat crumpled on the floor and put it on. Then she
slipped the balcony door open, drawing the curtains behind her to darken the
room for Michael before she stepped outside.

Seattle’s
skies were overcast as usual this time of year, and dawn had broken only a
short while ago. It should have been freezing for her, dressed only in a thin
lab coat and with nothing on her feet. Yet she felt fine. Shannon looked out at
the great view of downtown and its busy streets flooded with people going back
to work.

Where do I
go from here?

She still
had her job. The complaint from the emergency room would pass without real
trouble. Just another speed bump. As she had said to Lorelei, though, her
career felt stalled. Brad claimed their relationship had lost its spark, but if
anything had gone cold, it was her job. She still enjoyed actually helping
people, and she liked the excitement. She just didn’t know if she wanted to
deal with the low points and all the accompanying bullshit anymore.

Unique
conditions steered Shannon’s life now. She had new needs to address, and
enjoyed them more than she could say. One would think that carrying around the
soul of a demon would be a curse. So far, it had been the time of her life.

She
wondered how much of her life it would consume.

A gust of
wind rushed past. Unconsciously, Shannon turned her head as if to follow it,
but all she saw was skyline and rooftops. Then two bare feet came down on the rail
of the balcony, and Shannon was not alone.

“Oh! Wow.
Hi again. Ohmygod, are you okay?”

The angel’s
white dress looked fine, but her skin was covered in fresh scars and burns.
Rachel’s face was set in a scowl. “Yeah,” she grumbled, “I’ll be fine. Looks worse
than it is. You should see what’s left of the other dumb fuckers.”

“Are those
claw marks?” Shannon blinked.

“Hey, it
was six against one, alright?” Rachel replied irritably. “I get all dolled up
for Halloween and what do I get in return? Werewolves. Fuckin’ werewolves,
pissing all over my party like it’s just a fuckin’ tree out in the fuckin’
woods. And
 
they
 
aren’t even what actually ruined my
night!”

“What
happened?”

“Eh. Long
story, ain’t got the time to tell it. I just flew by and saw you out here. You
might be wearing a different look, but you still kinda stick out for me. The
bed-head looks good on you,” she teased happily.

Shannon’s
hand reflexively came up to her ruffled hair. She blushed, but smiled back.
“Guess I had a better night than you did.”

“Oh, it
wasn’t all bad. I would’ve appreciated spending more of it getting laid than I
did, but it wasn’t all bitches and claws. Anyway, you holdin’ up okay?” asked
Rachel.

“Yeah.
Yeah, I think I’m gonna be fine. Honestly, I’m getting to like this.”

“Good. Have
a ball. You’re doing the world a favor just by living your life. All I ask is
that you make sure you’re careful with others. Play nice.”

“About
that,” Shannon said, “how...how do I know? I mean, I’m a little afraid I’m
gonna start breaking hearts left and right.”

Rachel gave
a shrug. “Be honest. Be up front.” She paused. “Be whoever you want to be. It’s
your life.”

“I just...”
Shannon found herself struggling for the words. She jerked her thumb over her
shoulder at the room inside. “I like him, y’know? And Kevin. The guy from the
other day.”

Rachel’s
mouth turned to a bit of a frown. “Officer ShootsYourAss is a big boy. I’ve
seen him around before. No worries. Tell him your boundaries. He can deal.”

Shannon
blinked. “Wait,” she said, putting her fingers up by her head as if they were
fake demon’s horns, “you mean
 
tell
 
him?”

“Fuck, no,
don’t tell him
 
that
. It’s
funnier if he doesn’t know. Just tell him you need your freedom. He’ll be fine.
As for this one...”

Without
ceremony or even a pause, Rachel stuck her head and shoulders through the glass
door and the curtain. Shannon saw only her backside, her legs, and her wings;
everything else ended at the curtain. Then Rachel stood up straight again and
smiled.

“He’s
cute,” she said. “And sweet. But he’s not the jealous type. Broke up with his
last thing a few weeks ago and now he doesn’t want to rush into anything
serious, either. You want to make this a one-night stand, he’ll be cool. If
not? Keep it steamy and mysterious and fuck his brains out, but don’t get too
comfortable. You’ll know when it’s getting too serious. When it happens, take a
step back. And let him go if he needs to walk away.

“Remember,
you gotta play the long game on this. Play the field, y’know? You can stick
with some regulars, but it’s gotta be plural. You can’t stick with the same
partner night after night. You’ll hurt them.”

“I’m more
afraid of hurting them if I do play the field,” Shannon told her. “The thought
of fooling around wherever I go excites me. I’m kind of embarrassed to admit
that, but you know what’s going on with me, right? Can I really do this?”