The Order Boxed Set (101 page)

“Please,” she muttered, and his gaze flicked up to find her watching him, her lips parted, her eyes dazed. Holding her gaze, he slowly stroked his tongue over her swollen clit. Her eyes fluttered closed, and her head fell back. He stroked again, and a shudder ran through her.

He pushed one finger inside her. While she was tight, there was no barrier to his entry so at least he didn’t have to worry about hurting her. He slid in and out in rhythm with his tongue. She was mumbling under her breath now, but he couldn’t make out the words. Besides, he was drowning in the taste of her. She was close; he could sense it in the tenseness of her muscles. Taking her clit between his lips, he suckled, and a long drawn out moan escaped her throat. He shoved another finger into her, hard, while he bit down gently, and she came apart for him, her clit throbbing, her juices flowing. He waited until the shudders that wracked her body died down then nipped her again, sucking hard, and this time she screamed.

Without waiting, he shifted up her body, positioning himself between her thighs, and shoved into her in one fluid move.

Mine.

The thought flashed through his mind, and for a moment he went blank. No way was she his. But she felt so fucking good wrapped around his cock. Tight and wet and hot as hell. For a second he savored the feeling, and then he started moving inside her. He pulled almost all the way out then slid back in, the friction delicious, and already his orgasm was building at the base of his spine, flooding his balls with sensation. With the next stroke, he ground his hips against her clit, and again on the one after that, until she was writhing beneath him.

Her head fell back, and she screamed again. He stared down into her face as he came. Her eyes were wide open, and he went still as he saw the whirling crimson sparks in their depths. “Holy shit.” But the shock of seeing the demon flash in her eyes wasn’t enough to stop him. Need clawed at his spine as he pumped into her, spilling himself inside her.

As the residual ripples of pleasure shivered through him, he rolled onto his side, pulling her against him.

She wriggled closer. “Thank you.”

He pushed his worries aside—he’d talk to someone about the whole demon thing, but later. Right now he had a naked woman in his arms and a job to do.

To try and convince her that she really wanted to spend more time with him. That once was nowhere near enough.

Chapter Six

Nothing had ever felt this good.

Every inch of her body tingled, her skin so sensitive. As she rubbed up against him, pleasure shot down her nerves, sizzled in her blood. It was as though a new sense had awoken inside her. As her release had broken over her, something had changed, like a door unlocking, flooding her with heat and power.

Was that normal? Was it always like this?

Somehow she didn’t think so.

But maybe she wasn’t thinking straight because Carl was nuzzling her neck, his lips soft against her throat, then nibbling with his teeth, sharp little bites that sent shocks shivering down her body to settle in her groin. He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so she straddled his hips, her sex pressing against his hair-roughened belly, and she wriggled and sighed as pleasure shot through her. She liked this position, and she could already feel him hot and hard beneath her. Shifting so she hovered above him, she slid her hand between them and gripped him in her palm. Her fingers wrapped around him as she positioned him at the entrance to her body and then slowly impaled herself on the long, hard length of him.

She watched his face—his eyes darkening, his nostrils flaring as his hands moved to grip her hips and grind her down onto him, and then upward to cup her breasts and tease her nipples while she adjusted to the size of him.

This time they made love achingly slow. She lifted herself up, almost withdrawing, then leisurely pushed down until he filled her totally. He urged her closer so he could lick and kiss her breasts, and wave after wave of heat flowed through her blood, heating her skin, blazing down her nerve endings. Finally, he grasped her hips and changed the angle so each stroke pressed her clit against him. Part of her didn’t want to come, didn’t want this to end, didn’t want to return to real life and the decision she knew she had to make. But the pleasure was building and building until, unable to hold it back, she burst into a thousand sparkling pieces.

This time she was ready for the flick of power as she came hard. For a second her vision tinged with crimson, then she blinked and it was gone. She sensed Carl reach his own release, his spine arching, his expression fierce as he came inside her.

She collapsed onto his sweat-soaked chest, breathing in the musky scent of him, listening to the heavy beat of his heart as it slowed. Finally, she lifted her head. He was so beautiful her heart ached. How could she ever let this go?

But he wasn’t hers. He was here to do a job, nothing more.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his gaze searching her face.

Was she? She wasn’t sure. She searched inside herself and came up with something safe to say. “I’m hungry.” Actually, she was ravenous. She wanted a nice big juicy steak with the blood running. Or maybe she could shift, go catch something, bite into it, and let the warm blood fill her belly. Would Carl think that was weird? He was a werewolf, after all.

“Let’s go feed you, then.” He sat up, still inside her, and she winced slightly as he pulled free. Would she ever feel that again? Not only the pleasure, but the connection she’d never experienced with another.

Not if she followed through with her plan to leave.

Her clothes lay scattered around them, and she pulled them on as he dressed in silence behind her.

The drive back was bittersweet. She loved the feel of him in her arms, pressed up between her thighs. Resting her head against his back, she closed her eyes and let the wind blow through her hair.

At the sea’s edge they found a restaurant that promised them steak at ten in the morning.

“Steak, rare,” she told the waiter. Relaxing back in her chair, she looked at Carl. “What?” she asked as his eyes crinkled at the corners, that small dimple playing in his cheek.

“You’ve got an appetite. Been getting some exercise?”

She picked up a bread stick and nibbled it. “It’s weird. I’ve never eaten much meat, but lately I’ve been craving it. Red meat, the bloodier the better.”

He cocked his head as he studied her. “Since when?”

“A few weeks now.” It coincided with the start of all this. While she’d never been happy, she’d been vaguely content. But recently she’d felt restless, on edge…hungry. She shrugged, took a gulp of water, then drew a pattern on the white tablecloth with her fingertip. Raising her head, she gazed out over the restless roll of the waves. “I’m not going back,” she said. “I won’t be a slave again.”

“Even if it means you die?”

She looked at him sharply. “You know that for sure?”

He gave a curt nod. “I spoke to Ash.”

Her heart stuttered and then started a slow, steady beat. “Oh.” But it was nothing she hadn’t suspected. She wouldn’t think about it now. Carl was waiting for her to speak, no doubt to break down and beg him to take her back. Not going to happen.

“Some things are worth dying for.”

Anger flashed across his face. “And there are a hell of a lot of things worth living for as well.”

She had a flashback to the feel of him inside her.

“Look,” he said, “come back, and we’ll find a way around this. There has to be a way to break the sigil.”

“You think he’ll free me, just like that?”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

She shook her head. “Because he’s not a good man, or a philanthropist, or a social worker. He’s a demon.”

…

The thing was, she’d lived with demons all her life—maybe she did know better than him. But Ash had always seemed like a reasonable guy…for a demon.

Crap. He needed to know how much to tell her. Ash had said keep the demon shit to himself until they had her back. Just in case. That was fine when the plan had been to haul her ass straight back to the Order. But everything had changed when she’d saved his life.

The waiter brought the food, and Carl sat back to watch her eat. She didn’t look up until her plate was clean. Her eyes closed as she chewed. “Oh God, that is so good,” were her only words until she put her knife and fork together. She took a sip of water and looked at him over the rim of the glass.

“You said you spoke with my lord—” she broke off and shook her head—“with Asmodai. Did you tell him you’d found me?”

He gave a curt nod.

“And did you tell him you’ll take me back?”

“Yes.”

“And do you plan to?”

“I don’t know yet. It depends.”

“Depends on what?”

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. He didn’t know the right approach to take with her. He was great at the strong-arm stuff. He’d be brilliant if all he had to do was throw her over his shoulder and haul her back where she belonged.

But where was that?

In the Abyss with Ash? Or, God forbid, with her father?

Fuck, no. She belonged in the sunlight. With him.

And where the hell had that thought come from?

Mine
.

The word whispered through his mind. Again. And it was so fucking untrue. He didn’t do the whole “mine” thing. He was too fond of his own way.

“You’re taking a long time to answer,” Shera said dragging him from his not-too-happy thoughts.

“I can’t let you die.”

She bit her lip. “And I won’t…can’t go back with you.”

Suddenly anger erupted, spilling out, and inside his wolf howled and scratched his claws down Carl’s spine. “So you’ll wander off, party for a couple of weeks, and then drop dead. Except I think it will be a little more dramatic than dropping dead. Demons seem to have a thing for spontaneous combustion. Are you ready to burn, Shera?”

The color leached from her face. “Why are you being so cruel?”

“Because this morning I fucked you, and now you expect me to sit back and watch you let yourself die. All for some fucking stupid freedom shit.”

She leaned in and glared. “It’s not stupid.”

“Freedom is just another way of saying you have nothing to lose.”

She was silent for a moment while she processed that. “Do you have nothing?”

He thought about it. What did he have? No pack, no family, a job he loved but could walk away from. He had possessions but nothing that he couldn’t bear to lose. And he liked things that way. He glanced across at Shera, as she twirled her hair around her finger, her expression serious as she waited for his answer. She was so fucking beautiful.

Mine!

Shut the fuck up! She is not fucking mine.

He took a deep breath. “Nothing I’m not willing to walk away from.”

“That’s sad.”

He didn’t bother to answer. Maybe it was sad. “Look, I’ve got an idea.”

A hint of wariness entered her expression. “You do?”

“I’m not going to haul your ass back. I owe you my life. But I’m not going to let you walk away either. I think you’ll come to your senses before the end—”

“No, I won’t.”

“God, you’re stubborn.”

She gave him a slight smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He shook his head. “Anyway, what I propose is—we stay together.” Something flickered in her eyes, and he held up his hand. “Don’t think this is a proposal or anything. I’m good for a quick fuck but nothing more. I don’t do relationships.”

Her expression went blank. “I never asked for a relationship. If you remember, my ideal man was a stranger.”

“Well, that’s good. As long as we’re straight.”

She sniffed. He remembered that haughty expression from when he’d seen her in the Abyss. She was hiding behind her bitch mode again. “So we stay together…?” she prompted.

“You have a list of things you want to do before you…spontaneously combust.” He wasn’t going to let her forget that part. “I suggest we do them together. More fun than alone.”

“Don’t you need to get back?”

“They can manage without me for a while.”

She stared out to sea, and he could almost see her brain working. “Why?”

“Because I like you, and I don’t want to see you die.”

“Oh.” He was guessing not many people had said that to her in her life. If any. Now, that
was
sad.

“What do you think?” he asked when she remained silent.

“You’ll come with me dancing, and horseback riding, and…bungee jumping?”

He swallowed. He had a thing about heights. “Yes.”

“And you won’t try and take me back?”

“I won’t take you. I will try and persuade you, though. And I will try and find a way out for you. And in between all that we’ll fuck each other’s brains out.”

A blush spread over her skin, her eyes darkened. “Deal.”

They spent the afternoon on the beach, lazing on the hot sand, teasing each other with small touches, little kisses. Cooling down in the blue water. She seemed to love the sun, sprawling almost naked on the silky sand, soaking up the rays, her skin turning to darker gold.

He was having fun. That wasn’t something that played a huge part in his life.

But now the sun was going down.

She wore a miniscule scarlet bikini that tied at the sides, and he spent an inordinate amount of time imagining how easy it would be to tug on the tiny bows. He rolled onto his front to hide his growing erection and felt her fingers trail down along his spine, over his ass, tickle his thighs and he hid his head in his arms and groaned. He hadn’t felt this horny since he was a teenager.

He lifted his head, found her watching him. “Let’s go,” he said.

She nodded and started to gather their things together. When she straightened, he took her arm and started towing her toward the villa. As soon as the door shut behind them, he pressed her up against the wall and kissed her. “You’ve been driving me wild all afternoon,” he murmured when he had to come up for air. “Time to pay the price, kitten.”

He turned her around, rested her palms on the wall, and tugged on the two ties that held the top so it fell to the floor. For a second, he cupped her breasts, then he dropped to his knees and undid the ties on the bottoms, peeled them away, and bit down on the curve of her ass. She gave a tiny squeak but didn’t move and he rose up, thrust his thigh between hers, spreading her legs. Dipping a finger between them, he found her deliciously wet and ready for him. A second later, he was inside, and she was hot and tight, and it felt so right and so good.