Lord of the Dark (29 page)

Turn the page and you’ll be
ADDICTED!

From Lydia Parks,
coming soon from Aphrodisia!

J
ake Brand tipped his chair back on two legs, wrapped his hand around a glass of whiskey, and took in the sights as if he had all the time in the world. In a way, he did. At least, in the foreseeable future, he had a decent shot at eternity.

The young blonde leaning over a table, shaking her backside in his direction, was another matter. In a few short years, her firm breasts would start to sag and her tight ass would droop. If she were lucky, some lonely trucker would offer her his life savings and a ranch-style home in the outskirts of Albuquerque before that happened.

But tonight, Jake planned to entertain the sweet young thing in exchange for dinner.

“You sure are taking your time with that drink,” the blonde said, frowning at the five-dollar bill on his table.

Jake plucked a folded fifty from his shirt pocket and dropped it on top of the five. “I’ve got nothing but time, darlin’.”

The young woman’s eyes widened and her red, full lips stretched into a greedy smile. She snatched the bill from the table and stuffed it into the back pocket of her denim miniskirt.

She winked at him. “I’ll be back for you in just a minute.”

“I’ll be right here,” he said, grinning. He watched her hurry to the bar, toss her towel under it, and whisper something to the bartender.

The burly redheaded bartender glanced over at Jake and nodded, and the blonde started back for Jake’s table, swinging her hips as she tapped out the background song’s rhythm with her high heels. He liked the way the shoes made her legs look a mile long. The thought of those legs wrapped around him caused a pleasant reaction, and he moved to adjust his tightening jeans.

She didn’t stop at his table, but continued forward until she stood straddling his thighs, her hands locked behind his neck as she swayed back and forth in time with the music. “My name’s Candy,” she said, her voice soft in his ear. “You like candy, don’t you?”

“Hmm,” he said, inhaling her scent, weeding out vanilla shampoo, cheap perfume, stale cigarettes, whiskey fumes, and sweat. Yes, he definitely had the right dinner partner. “I can eat candy all night long.”

“Oh, baby,” she whispered, “You make me hot.”

He chuckled at the insincerity of her words. Undoubtedly, few of her many customers cared if she meant them or not, and he didn’t, either. Before the night was over, he’d get the truth from her, and she’d be more than just
hot
.

Jake ran the tips of his fingers up the backs of her exposed thighs.

She stepped back to frown down at him. “No touching. That’s house rules.”

He grinned again, enjoying the way her simple emotions played across her face.

He lowered his voice a notch. “I could bring you to a quivering climax without touching you, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.”

One corner of her mouth curled up in cynical amusement. “You think so?”

“I know so.” Jake used the Touch to retrace the paths of his fingers with his thoughts, remembering the warmth, the smoothness, the soft hairs on her upper thighs.

“
Hey
.” She took another step back and stared into his eyes.

Jake pushed a simple concept into her simple mind.
Pleasure like you’ve never known
.

She swallowed hard, hesitated, and then moved forward to straddle his thighs again. He could smell her excitement as she sat on his legs and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I don’t know how you did that,” she said softly. “And I don’t really care. You wanna go in the back room?”

“I think we should go up to my room.”

She nodded, then turned her head to kiss him. Her warm breath caressed his skin before her lips met his, and he closed his eyes to enjoy the heated tenderness of her mouth. Her tongue slid across his lips, moving precariously close to the razor-sharp points of his teeth. Jake let a groan escape as he enjoyed the way her heat enveloped his growing erection, in spite of the clothes between them.

Candy ended the kiss and stood, drawing Jake after her with her small hand in his, leading him upstairs. The noise of the saloon-turned-strip joint faded below them as they climbed, leaving only a bass vibration in its wake.

“Which room?”

He nodded toward the door at the end of the small hallway. “Six.”

“The best.” She raised one eyebrow. “You rich or something?”

“Something.”

“Oh, I see.” She tossed her head, sending her blond waves into a dance around her shoulders. Candy knew exactly how attractive she was. “So, you’re a man of mystery. Your name isn’t
John
, is it?”

“No, it’s Jake.” He withdrew the key from his pocket, unlocked the door and pushed it open, then stepped aside as his young visitor entered. She didn’t look around; she’d seen the room before.

“Jake.” She turned in the middle of the room and smiled as she surveyed him from head to toe. “You know your fifty bucks don’t buy you much. You want a blow job, or straight sex?”

Jake laughed then. “How do you know I’m not a peace officer?”

“A cop?” Candy grinned. “I know cops. Half the force comes in here after their shift. You’re different, but you ain’t no cop.”

He nodded as he crossed the room and sat on the foot of the bed. “You’re right about that. I’m different.”

Candy tugged at the hem of her shirt, her head cocked seductively. “For twenty more, I take off my clothes just for you, baby.”

Jake pulled off his boots and dropped them onto the floor. “I’ve got a better idea. How about a wager?”

The young woman straightened and narrowed her eyes. “You tryin’ to tell me you ain’t got no more money?”

He withdrew a hundred from his pocket and dropped it onto the bed. When she reached for it, he covered her hand with his own. “Not so fast there, sweet thing. Don’t you want to hear my proposal?”

“
Proposal
?”

“For a wager.”

Candy withdrew her hand slowly, then folded her arms across her chest. “I’m listening.”

Jake stretched out on his side, studying the girl. “How long have you been at this?”

“At what?”

“Hooking.”

Candy frowned. “You ain’t some kind of preacher or something, are you? If you think you’re gonna convert me—”

Jake silenced her by raising one hand. “You’ve got me all wrong, sweetheart. I’m definitely not a preacher.”

She waited, her hands now on her hips.

“I’m willing to bet you one hundred dollars that I can bring you to a screaming climax in the next half hour.”

Her eyebrows shot up and then she burst out laughing.

Jake watched her, enjoying her amusement.

“Right,” she said between guffaws. “A
screaming
climax?”

He nodded.

When she managed to regain control of herself, she dropped down onto the edge of the bed, extending her hand. “You’re on, Jake.”

He took her hand in his, enjoying the warmth. Then he sat up and raised her hand to his lips.

“But you gotta wear a rubber.”

Jake looked into her blue eyes. “Do I?”

Candy nodded. “Safe sex or no sex, that’s how I stay alive.”

“I promise we will run no risk of infecting you with anything.”

Jake rose and drew Candy up to stand in front of him. Watching her face, he ran his palms slowly up her sides, peeling her shirt off over her head.

She stared at him with calm resolve, but goose bumps rose on her skin where he’d touched her. “Your hands are cold,” she said.

“You’ll just have to warm them up for me, darlin’.”

He unsnapped her skirt and pushed it off in the same manner, sliding his palms over her rounded buttocks and down the backs of her thighs. As she stood before him in her high heels, he stepped back to drink in the sight of her.

Her breasts were full and firm, with large, dark areolae. As he studied them, her nipples puckered, and he knew she liked to be watched.

Her waist, narrow with youth, led his gaze down to her partially shaved pubic mound, the line of dark brown hair giving away her true color.

Then there were those legs. Damn, they were long.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, aloud but to himself. “This will be fun.”

Jake stepped closer and eased his hands down from her shoulders to her breasts, memorizing the shape and warmth of them, twisting the nipples playfully before moving on to her waist and then her ass.
Nice
. He nuzzled her neck to get more of her scent, then pressed his lips to the top of her shoulder. The sound of her heart beating drowned out the hum of the room’s air conditioner, and he let himself enjoy it for a few moments before turning back to the task at hand.

He moved his mouth to hers, covering her lips with his own as he eased one hand into her soft blond hair. His other hand he slid down her back to the smallest point and pulled her gently to him.

Her hands rose to his chest for balance.

He opened her mouth then, and ran his tongue around hers, catching the taste of whiskey and tobacco, as he moved his hand around her hip and eased it between her legs. Her swollen vulva parted for his fingers as he slid them back and forth, hinting at entering her, stirring her juices.

Her hands flattened against his chest.

Jake eased one finger deeper, stroking her clit, and her fingers curled. She drew on his tongue, and he continued to stroke, enjoying the way her hot little bud swelled.

Candy tore her mouth from his. “You said…a
screaming
climax.”

“Yes, I did,” he said, his mouth near her ear.

Her hips began to rock to the rhythm of his hand, and she gripped the front of his shirt in her fists. “Damn, you’re good,” she said, “but I don’t scream for no man.”

Jake chuckled as he slid his hand out from between her thighs. “Good, darlin’, ’cause I don’t want this to be too easy.”

Candy rubbed against the front of his bulging pants. “Even if I ain’t screaming, you don’t have to stop.”

“Don’t worry, sweet thing, I’m not about to stop.” He reached down with both hands, cradled her ass, and lifted her from the floor.

She wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck.

Jake carried her to the bed and eased her down as he kissed her. The girl knew how to kiss, and he felt his erection hardening to the point of discomfort. He unbuttoned his pants to relieve some of the pressure, then he withdrew from her.

Her eyes blazed as she looked up at him, partly with passion and partly from whiskey, no doubt.

Jake parted her legs, knelt at the edge of the bed, and kissed the insides of her thighs as he drew her to his mouth.

Her cunt was hot, salty, and wet, and he slowly licked the length of her, savoring the taste. Her legs opened more in response, and her ass tightened. He continued with long, slow laps as he listened to her suck air between her teeth, and he enjoyed her quickening heartbeat. Not long now, and he’d have her ready, sweetened, primed for him.

Jake pushed his tongue between her cunt lips and lashed at her clit, then drew it carefully between his teeth and sucked.

Candy’s back arched, and she moaned as she neared an orgasm.

He moved away, nibbling at her thighs.

She grunted in frustration and he smiled.

Closing his eyes, Jake pushed his thoughts out then, moving the Touch up the length of her body like a hundred butterfly wings, caressing every part of her at once, flitting across her nipples and stomach, as he slid his fingers into her cunt.

Her hips rose up off the bed and she cried out in joy. “Oh…God…that’s good,” she said between panted breaths.

She clamped down on his fingers and flooded them with her juices as he moved in and out of her, traveling across her damp skin with his thoughts, feeling the conditioned air blow across her breasts, finding her pulse in a hundred spots at once.

His burgeoning cock emerged from the front of his pants as he enjoyed Candy, pulling her to the edge of her resistance, then pushing her away.

She cooed, and then groaned, and then growled with disappointment.

Continuing the Touch, Jake rose and removed his clothes. He loved the feel of heated flesh against his own when he drank. Letting the Touch drift lower now, he stretched out on top of Candy and kissed her neck, her jaw, and her shoulders.

She wriggled under him as the treatment intensified. His thoughts rolled over her cunt, then dipped in and out.

“Fuck me,” she said, digging her fingers into his back. “Please. I’m on fire.”

“Yes,” he whispered, easing his cock between her legs.

She thrust up into him, taking him into her all at once, and he almost lost her.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” he said, drawing back.

She locked her legs around him before he could withdraw.

“Good lord, get on with it.”

Jake glanced over his shoulder, surprised to find Thomas Skidmore standing beside the bed, pale hands fisted on his narrow hips.