Ruby Shadows (36 page)

“
This.” I pushed at his
broad shoulder until he lay on his back.

“
What exactly do you have
in mind,
mon ange?”
he murmured, his eyes glowing red and gold in the dim
light.

“
Paying the Sin Tax,” I
told him. “But this time
I
want to be in charge. I want to explore you the
way you explored me.”

“
Is that right?” A little
grin played around his sensual lips and he put his hands behind his
head, leaving himself completely open to me. “Well then, by all
means, Gwendolyn, be my guest.”

What are you doing?
screamed a little voice in the back of my
head.
I thought you decided not to touch
him again or let him touch you! It’s dangerous—you know it
is!

And yet, it didn’t feel dangerous—or not as
dangerous as it probably should have.

I’m going to be in charge
this time,
I told myself, stroking the
broad, bare planes of his chest and letting my fingers trail across
his muscular abs.
I say what we do and how
far we go—that way it’s safe.

“
Safe,” Laish echoed my
thought aloud.

“
Are you reading my mind?”
I asked, addressing it directly for the first time. “Is that it?
Can you hear everything I’m thinking?”

“
I only catch
snippets—things you’re thinking very loudly. And only when we are
close or touching,” he assured me. “Right now you’re thinking that
it will be safe to touch me as long as you are in
charge.”

“
That’s right,” I
admitted. “How do you feel about that?”

“
It is perfectly fine with
me. If this is what it takes to make you feel safe with me, I will
gladly give you the power.” He nodded down at himself. “Go on—touch
me, Gwendolyn. Tease me…take me. Do what you wish with me—I am
yours.”

I liked his words—liked
the feeling of power they gave me. Here he was—an incredibly
powerful demon, strong enough to kill me with a single word. Yet he
was making himself vulnerable to me—opening himself in a way that
made me want to explore him…to know him better in
every
way.

Feeling daring, I let my hand wander lower
to the crotch of his black satin sleep trousers. The hard ridge of
his cock was outlined against the silky fabric. I cupped it in my
hand, liking the feel of its heat and hardness in my palm.

Laish groaned softly and pressed up against
my touch, giving himself to me freely, begging silently for more.
And I wanted to give him more—to give him what he’d given me the
night before.

I’d never gone this far with anyone ever—it
felt too dangerous, too likely to end in disaster. But Laish was no
high school or college boy, so eager to get laid they would lose
control at the drop of a hat. He had years of experience and
maturity—I knew I could do what I liked with him and he would let
me without expecting anything in return.

Slipping my hand into the waistband of his
trousers, I grasped his naked shaft in my hand.

“
Gods, Gwendolyn,” Laish
murmured hoarsely. “Your little hand is so soft and
warm.”

“
I’m glad you like it,” I
said, a little breathlessly. I stroked his rigid length up and
down, trying to fit my fingers around his thick shaft and failing.
I liked the feel of him—the way he was so hot and hard and soft all
at the same time. His skin was silky, like rose petals, and he
throbbed in my hand, pulsing with pleasure—pleasure
I
was giving
him.

“
Yes, the pleasure of your
little hand on me is very great,” he murmured, once more answering
my thought.

“
I’m glad you like it,” I
said softly. “I like it too. In fact, I want to
see
it.” I pushed at the waistband
of the black satin trousers.

Laish lifted his lean hips obligingly and
let me slide them down to his muscular thighs. His cock sprang free
and for the first time I allowed myself to really look at it.

It was big—really big but
not in a disproportionate way. All the other demons I’d seen on
this trip had been monstrous. Laish was just right—well, on
the
large
side of
just right, anyway.

I took him in my hand again, liking the way
he fit in my palm. I stroked him up and down, enjoying the soft
groan I drew from his lips.

“
I want to make you come,”
I told him, looking up at him. “Will that pay the Sin Tax, do you
think?”

“
There is only one way to
find out.” He thrust up into my hand. “Do as you like with
me.”

His words of submission
gave me an erotic charge. I
liked
this—liked it a Hell of a lot. But there was
something else I wanted to try.

Lifting myself on one elbow, I bent over his
sculpted torso.

“
Gwendolyn?” he murmured
as I let my hair tickle him. “What are you doing?”

“
Taking you up on your
offer.” I looked up and flashed him a naughty little smile. “I’m
exploring you—is that all right?”

“
Of course. Do whatever
you like.” His eyes glowed as he watched me.

Still holding his gaze, I leaned down and
rubbed his shaft against my cheek. It was silky and hot and I liked
the way his scent was intensified here—warm cinnamon and dark spice
filling my senses and made me feel drunk with need. I liked the way
Laish was looking at me…liked the way his eyes were half-lidded
with pleasure as I rubbed my cheek against him.

“
Mmm, I like your scent,”
I told him, rubbing some more.

“
I enjoy yours as
well,
mon ange.
I
love the sweet smell of your pussy when you become aroused…as you
are now.” His eyes flashed.

I felt my cheeks burning. I knew how hot and
wet I was but could he really tell? Could he really smell my
arousal?

“
Of course I can,” he
murmured. “All my senses are heightened—especially when you touch
me. It makes me want to bury my face between your legs and kiss
you…to lick your honey right from the source. I am certain you
would taste as delicious as you smell.”

His words sent a shiver of
desire down my spine and my pussy throbbed in response. But I also
felt a tingle of fear.
Too much—too
far!
whispered the little voice in my
brain.

“
I…I’m not ready to let
you do that,” I said in a low voice. “I don’t know if I ever will
be.”

“
You mean you are not
ready to give up that much control. I understand.” Laish nodded.
“Maybe sometime in the future.”

I didn’t know about that
but I
did
know
his words had given me an idea.

“
I want to try something
else,” I said. “I’m not ready to let you, uh, taste me but I do
want to taste
you
. But will your…will it burn me?”

I was thinking of the acid-like precum I’d
seen dripping from the other demon’s shaft—the one Laish had killed
to save me.

He shook his head.

“
No. But you do not have
to—”

“
I
want
to,” I said. “I’ve never…never
done this before. And I always wondered.”

“
Explore to your heart’s
content then,
mon petite chat,”
he murmured, a little smile curling the corner of
his mouth.

“
I will.” Hesitantly, I
pressed my mouth to the side of his shaft, just under the broad,
flaring head. I parted my lips just a little and let my tongue dart
out to taste him.

Salty…spicy…wild. That was how he tasted.
And I knew I wanted more.

You shouldn’t do this.
This is wrong—it’s really bad!
cried the
little voice in my head. But for once I ignored it. I had to pay
the Sin Tax anyway, I reasoned. I might as well enjoy myself while
I did it.

Daringly, I pressed the flat of my tongue to
the side of his shaft and licked upward, like I was licking an ice
cream cone.

Laish groaned and I felt his big body tense
as I licked him again. Mmm, I really liked the hot, wild taste of
him! But I wanted more. In the dying light of the embers, I saw a
small bead of precum shining on the tip of his cock—I wanted to
taste that too.

Lifting up a little, I dragged my tongue
over the broad head, capturing the little droplet and savoring it.
It was salty and hot and it made me feel incredibly free and
powerful to taste it.

“
Gods,
Gwendolyn, your sweet mouth…” The low moan dragged from
Laish’s throat only added to my heady sense of power. Oh yes,
I
liked
being the
one in charge—liked it a lot. It made me feel so hot—so amazingly
turned on. My nipples were so tight they almost hurt and my pussy
was pure liquid at that point. And still I wanted more.

I took him in my hand again and began to
pump up and down, letting his thick shaft slide through my fingers
as I licked the broad head.

He gave a low passionate curse as he helped
me, thrusting up into my hand, meeting every stroke with one of his
own.

“
Ah, Gods, Gwendolyn…so
good…your little hand…your hot tongue…”

I looked up and saw he was watching me, his
eyes half-lidded with pleasure and lust. Another surge of desire
coursed through me as I stroked him.

“
That’s right, baby,” I
purred. “I’m going to make you
come
.”

He threw back his head, every muscle in his
big body straining for release.

“
Yes, take me,
mon ange,”
he gasped
hoarsely.
“
Make
me come…I am
yours.”

With that I felt his shaft
grow even thicker and harder in my hand and then he was pulsing,
pumping out a fountain of hot, white cream that coated my hand and
his cock and belly. Goddess, it was
everywhere
but somehow I didn’t
mind. I liked the way he felt, coming in my hand—liked the look of
almost pained pleasure on his darkly handsome face. But most of all
I liked the feeling of doing what I wanted for once instead of
shying away and denying my desire.

As well as being pleasurable, my actions had
the desired effect. As Laish came, giving himself to me completely,
I felt the now familiar ripple in the air around us and knew I had
done it.

I had paid the Sin Tax and broken the
barrier into the fifth circle of Hell.

* * * * *

Laish

It took me a while to gather myself. I
confess, Gwendolyn’s soft touch and sweet tongue on me almost undid
me. In all the long, barren, joyless years I had been condemned to
Hell, I’d had countless women—I am, after all, a demon of lust. But
none of them had stirred me like she did. Even the most skillful
touch could not rouse me as my little witch’s innocent,
inexperienced explorations did.

As I came, giving in to the pleasure, I felt
my power return. Fire is not my only source of energy and the
intense emotions of longing and desire Gwendolyn was experiencing
fed me as surely as my blood had fed her earlier.

For a long moment I lay there panting,
reveling in the afterglow of pleasure. Then I became aware that
Gwendolyn was stirring.

“
Um…” She appeared to be
looking around for something.

“
What is it,
mon ange?”
I was
concerned that she might already be regretting her actions. But as
it turned out, that was not the case—not yet, anyway.

“
I’m just looking for a
cloth or something,” she confessed, sounding a bit embarrassed.
“You, uh, made kind of a lot of, uh, cum and it’s sort of all
over.”

“
Oh, of course…” Now that
I was at full strength again, the situation was easily remedied. I
took care of the matter with a wave of my hand.

“
Oh!” She looked down at
her hand and then at my belly, seemingly surprised. “It’s all gone.
I thought you were still recuperating.”

“
I am feeling much
stronger now.” Reaching up, I drew her back down beside me. She
came willingly enough and put her head on my chest. But I sensed
restlessness in her—her desire had not been quenched.

“
Laish…” She twisted in my
arms, pressing her thighs together restively.

“
Gwendolyn,” I replied,
pulling her closer. Slowly, gauging her reaction, I slid one hand
down her body. She stiffened and bit back a gasp when I tweaked her
nipples gently and then gave a little moan when I came to the spot
between her thighs.

“
Laish,”
she protested again when I lifted her night dress
and cupped her hot little cunt in my hand. But she didn’t try to
pull away.

“
You’re still
hungry,
mon ange,”
I murmured in her ear. “Why don’t you let me ease your desire
as you eased mine?”

“
We shouldn’t,” she
whispered breathlessly as I spread her thighs. “We…we already paid
the Sin Tax.”

“
Yes, but why must
everything we do be only for business?” I asked reasonably. “Why
not allow me to give you pleasure just for the sake of pleasure?” I
was trailing my fingers lightly over the outer lips of her sex as I
spoke. Feeling her tremble at my light, teasing touch made my shaft
hard all over again.