Vision of Seduction (13 page)

one word arrow straight through her? It wasn't as though she would still

be here when he entered into either of those states.

"Were you ready to fight for me, Katelyn?"

A snort of laughter escaped before she could stop it, even though the exotic

way he had said her name made her want to sigh like a teenager. "You're

pretty cocky, you know that?" She pulled her arms from the water and

rubbed her wet hand over her chest and over the back of her neck. The wet

slide of her hand felt wonderful against her heated skin, and she

momentarily wondered how it would feel to pick up where she and

Grayson had left off yesterday—this time inside the large fountain with

dozens of other people watching.

Her nipples tightened into hard buds, and her clit throbbed in support of

her sudden fantasy.

Katelyn swallowed hard against her own thoughts. "I've been told many

times that I tend to be cocky, but that's one of the things you like about

me." He grinned like an unrepentant child, making her laugh.

She pretended to study him critically for a long moment. "Nope, that's not

it."

Grayson's lips quirked up at the edges, but he didn't comment.

Splashing sounds from inside the bottom waterfall caught Katelyn's

attention, and she turned to see a Klatch woman sandwiched between two

well-endowed Klatch men. All three were gloriously naked, water

streaming from their bodies, and even through the thin veil of the waterfall

Katelyn could make out the ripe curves of the woman and the hardened

muscles of both men.

The woman's legs wrapped around the waist of the first man, his large

hands cupping her ass as he thrust his impressive cock inside her. The

second man stood behind her, pumping his erection deep inside her ass,

his hands wrapped around her to pinch and pull her nipples as she

moaned out her pleasure.

Katelyn stood, transfixed, unable to break her gaze away from the intimate

threesome in front of her. Around her the other Klatch continued to splash

and play in the water, and there were even a few others having sex inside

the fountain, but for some reason, the three just beyond the waterfall

captured her attention.

Her lips parted as her breathing deepened and liquid heat rushed to her

labia and breasts, leaving her aching with need.

Grayson stepped close behind her, gently trapping her against the outer

wall of the fountain. Heat from his body burned through their clothes and

seared into her. He moved her hair aside and rested his chin on her

shoulder, just next to her ear. "Do you like watching them, Katelyn?"

She licked her dry lips and nodded.

"If you wished to participate, they would most likely welcome you with

open arms. As I said, we are a very open society." The words hung in the

air between them for a long moment before he continued. "Or we could

enter the pool and continue what we began upstairs yesterday."

Katelyn jumped as both ideas flashed inside her imagination and she

forcefully shoved them aside. "I don't think I'm quite ready to have public

group sex with total strangers, and Stone's entrance yesterday showed me I

wouldn't be ready for the latter either." Her pussy throbbed in direct

contradiction to her words, and she squeezed her thighs together to try to

relieve the ache.

She turned in Grayson's arms to face him. This position grazed her

sensitive nipples against his chest, and she remembered how his hands and

mouth had felt on her body this morning. Warm, thick arousal curled

inside her, and she glanced up to find Grayson watching her.

This man affected her like no one ever had—except for the queen—but she

would examine that later. Right now she needed him inside her. A good

sexual release would leave her clearheaded enough to think. After all, it

was just like drinking caffeine when you were tired; match the symptom to

the treatment. In this case, the treatment happened to be several

pleasurable hours with a very naked and willing prince. "I think I'd rather

have you show me somewhere more ... secluded."

Grayson's eyes darkened with passion, and the muscles in his arms

tightened on either side of her as he gripped the stone wall of the fountain.

He leaned close, his warm breath tickling her lips. His energy vibrated

around her—contained violence as though he was having trouble keeping

himself in check.

Her gaze dropped to his lips briefly before returning to those intense eyes.

"Do you…ride?"

His words slowly registered, and Katelyn's brows furrowed as she tried to

make sense of them in the context of the current topic of discussion. "Ride?"

Her voice came out breathless as her already overactive imagination kicked

into high gear, providing a very vivid picture of her riding Grayson's thick

cock.

His smile was strained as if he knew exactly where her mind had gone. "A

horse."

"Oh." Damn. Why did that have to come out sounding so disappointed?

Grayson only smiled. "Never fear, Katelyn. I am perfectly willing to

accommodate any other type of ride you wish."

7

Rita turned the deadbolt and hooked the chain on her front door before

hanging up her keys and placing her purse inside the top drawer of the

side table.

The familiar citrus scent of her house surrounded her in its comforting

embrace. She toed off her shoes just inside the coat closet as she imagined

Katelyn teasing her for being such a creature of habit and order. It was a

familiar argument between them, but Rita thrived on organization, even if

Katelyn didn't.

Thoughts of Katelyn made her smile as she padded barefoot through the

darkened hallway to the kitchen. She already missed her boisterous friend,

even though it had been only a few days since she'd run off on a spur-ofthe-moment cruise with the hunk who had been haunting the shop last

week.

Three days in a row of double shifts at the shop were definitely taking their

toll. Exhaustion weighted Rita's limbs and slowed her steps. She knew

Katelyn would happily return the favor at the end of the year when Aedan

took her on their honeymoon. "It's about time Katelyn spends more than

one night with someone," she mused aloud as she poured herself a glass of

Pinot Gris.

Katelyn was a terrific woman, one Rita would love to see happy and in a

relationship instead of married to her work. Too many years of being seen

as different because of her gifts as a Seer had jaded Katelyn and made her

friend cynical. Not that Rita really bought into the whole supernatural

angle, but even she had to admit that some of the things Katelyn "knew"

out of the blue were just plain eerie.

She shuddered as she remembered the night Katelyn had warned Rita that

her mother had died—hours before the event. Rita shook her head as the

hairs at the back of her neck prickled and stood on end. She still couldn't

explain it and preferred not to think about it at all, if she could help it.

Her eyes slid closed as she raised the wineglass to her lips.

A large hand clamped over her shoulder.

Rita jumped, her yelp echoing through her kitchen.

The glass slipped from her fingers and shattered in the bottom of the sink.

She whirled around, her breath catching in her throat until she recognized

the pale features and the blond hair that flopped over one brow.

"Aedan! You scared the hell out of me." Her heart still hammered, and a

throbbing headache began just behind her eyes as her fight-or-flight

response stalled, and she slumped back against the counter.

Aedan stood with his hands held out at his sides, a sheepish expression on

his face. "I didn't mean to scare you. I let myself in, and you left the chain

off the front door, so I figured you were expecting me."

Rita's brow furrowed, and a stab of unease churned her stomach. "I know I

set the chain. I always set the chain." She played back the events inside her

head and admitted to herself that in her exhausted state, she could've

forgotten. Even something as second nature to a woman living alone might

have fallen by the wayside when her mind had been on something else.

"You were supposed to come by the shop earlier, weren't you?"

"I got held up, so I figured I'd just drop by here." Aedan stepped forward

and pulled her into his embrace. He kissed the top of her head and then

tucked her head just under his chin, while his strong arms wrapped around

her, enveloping her in his musky scent.

After a moment, her adrenaline finally thinned, and she relaxed against

him. "Well, even though you nearly gave me a coronary, I'm glad to see

you." She punched him lightly in the shoulder. "It's been a long day."

"Have you heard from your partner yet?"

Something in Aedan's voice stopped her, but the words were innocent, and

she detected nothing in his voice she could put her finger on to explain her

discomfort.

I really need to get some sleep! I'm jumping at shadows.

She mentally shrugged off the uneasy sensation. "No, I haven't heard one

word from her, and I'm assuming that's a good thing." His body melded

against hers, and Rita wished she could close her eyes and fall asleep

where she stood. "Hopefully, she's having a great time, eating too much,

having lots of sex, and maybe even getting a nice tan."

"I still think it's dangerous for her to disappear with a man she doesn't

know anything about."

Rita leaned back so she could look into Aedan's face. "You're kidding,

right? You've never even met Katelyn. She's a grown woman and can take

care of herself." Her tone edged into frustration, and Aedan's brow

furrowed.

"These double shifts are taking their toll on you, love. I didn't mean

anything by that." He chucked her chin, and she felt foolish for her reaction

to his innocent statement. "I'm sure your friend is protective of you, isn't

she?"

Rita laughed as she remembered Katelyn's reaction to her relationship with

Aedan—a man she hadn't even met yet. "You're right. I'm sorry." She

glanced up at him again. "I'm just hungry and tired…and apparently

grumpy."

He ran a hand over her hair and grinned. "Don't worry about it, love. Why

don't I make you some dinner and then tuck you in—as soon as I clean up

the broken glass?"

Rita sighed. "I wish I knew what I did to deserve you so I could do it all

over again."

Aedan brushed a gentle kiss over her lips. "I can honestly say I'm with you

purely because of who you are, love."

***

Several hours later, Aedan slipped inside Sela's personal rooms and bowed

his head as he waited for Sela to acknowledge him. The guards openly

glared at him, their displeasure obvious because he had Sela's favor.

Aedan risked a quick glance toward Sela's large four-poster bed, which

would easily sleep ten full-grown men. The imposing, solid-oak frame and

double-pillow-top mattresses commanded the center of the room, and, in

fact, there were four steps leading up to the bed.

Both the headboard and footboard of Sela's bed had been outfitted with

padding as well as various restraints for different types of sex play. Even as

often as Aedan had visited this chamber, he had yet to see all the restraints

in use. Then again, he had always been the one restrained while groups of

humans and Cunts had used him however they wished—no one found

themselves inside Sela's inner circle without showing devout obedience.

Not that he minded, though he did prefer being dominant.

Only the last three times here had he and Sela been totally alone.

Apparently, she had sensed his willingness to indulge her other more

private wishes.

"Has your human plaything heard from the Seer?"

Aedan raised his chin to look at Sela, who had just emerged from the

bathroom.

She wore a filmy, zebra-striped wrapper and nothing else, her pale pink

nipples poking against the cloth, taunting him. Her hair spilled over her

shoulders in a straight, glossy flow of white-gold, and her pale blue eyes

blazed with intensity.

"No, my queen. She's buying the cover story the Klatch left about Grayson

taking the Seer on a cruise." He stepped forward, invading Sela's personal

space, deliberately testing his boundaries after his previous punishment.

He fisted his hands at his sides to keep from touching her before he was

invited—if he acted before invitation, it would only earn him more

penance. "However, I think she's becoming suspicious. It hasn't been easy

to make her doubt her own reactions. Also, she came home early and

nearly caught me searching her office."

Aedan leaned closer and caught the faint hint of jasmine that always clung

to Sela. "There was nothing to find we didn't already know. From what I

saw on their business operating agreement, the Seer has no family or other

business associates except for Rita. I was unable to get close enough to the

store to search the Seer's apartment."

Sela leaned forward and nipped Aedan's bottom lip hard enough to draw

blood. The sting at his lip and the unexpected violence of the action caused

his cock to surge to life. He gently licked at the wound, enjoying the way