Desire After Dark: Lords of Pleasure (22 page)

Stepping back, she inspected him from head to toe. There was
an ugly bruise around his throat, but other than that he seemed okay. “Taryn reported you were stolen by ogres. He and the guard would’ve retrieved you safely in town if you hadn’t run off!”

“Taryn was with them? I didn’t know. I wasn’t even sure they were your men, and I wasn’t about to get into even more trouble, so I ran. Which got me into bigger trouble because that pissed off one of the ogres, and it caught me.”

He told her about how the damned thing almost beat him to death, and then about being saved by Legion. He’d been beaten to hell and exhausted, so the demon put him up for the night and took care of him. She was beyond thankful for her friend’s timely intervention and would tell him so at the first opportunity.

“Thank the gods you’re okay. I was starting to become afraid we wouldn’t find you.”

“You
didn’t
find me,” he pointed out. “Legion did.”

“Smart-ass. Come upstairs and rest. I’ll have some food brought up, too.”

“That sounds fantastic. Legion let me drink from him, but I haven’t had food in days.”

“Poor baby. Come on.”

Taking his hand, she led him upstairs. She never wanted to let him out of her sight but knew she’d have to, soon. Gods, how much of their precious time together had been wasted because of those damned ogres?

But for now, she must put aside awful thoughts of their time together coming to a close. Now that he was safe, she simply wanted to make the most of what they had left.

Before she had to send him away.
Stop it!

On the way up, they ran into Jinx, who was on his way down. “Get Luc something from the kitchen, would you, sweetie? And let Taryn know that our wayward vampire has returned safely.”

The faery smiled. “Right away, mistress. Glad you’re okay, sir.”

“Just Luc, not sir. And thank you, it’s good to be back.”

Flushing, the boy nodded and hurried down the stairs.

“I think I embarrassed him,” the vampire said, amused.

“He’s a servant. He’s not used to addressing one of his masters by name.”

“Am I his master? I thought we were both your slaves.” More teasing. She could tell by the way his blue eyes twinkled and his lips quirked.

“You were never really a slave from the second you arrived, and you damned well know it.” Pulling him into her room, she shut the door.

“Maybe so. But I enjoy serving you in all ways, my love,” he murmured, holding her close.

My love.
All she had ever dreamed of was right here, in her arms. Today, she wouldn’t let herself think of losing him. She’d cherish him all day and into the darkness. But she didn’t respond to the endearment. She couldn’t.

“And I’m glad you do. But right now I want you to eat and rest, in that order.”

“Oh. Sure.”

A flash of disappointment crossed his face, and guilt twisted her gut. He’d obviously been looking for her to acknowledge his sweet words in some way, and she’d let him down.

Like a coward, she hid in the task of ordering him a meal and having it sent up. Then she hustled him off to the shower—alone. “Go. You smell like sex. What, or should I say who, have you been up to? Attacked by ogres my ass.”

“I was, and I was nearly killed, too. I can’t help it if a certain demon can’t resist me.”

“I’ll bet.” She eyed him. “I’m surprised he didn’t try to steal you away like he promised me.”

“Oh, he did. He just didn’t succeed, that’s all.” Luc winked and gave her a sexy grin, apparently having decided to forget his disappointment in her earlier lack of response. “The old mind-control trick didn’t work on me.”

“It didn’t?” she asked, paling.

“No,” Luc said happily, heading into the bathroom. His voice called back to her as he turned on the water. “And I’ll bet you’re dying to know why, but you’ll have to wait until I’m done. Serves you right.”

Kass had a sinking feeling she knew why Legion’s attempt to steal Luc hadn’t worked. That was going to make saying good-bye so much harder.

Soon he was back, toweling off his hair and reaching for a fresh pair of silk sleep pants she’d placed on the bed. He opened his mouth to say something, but a timely knock sounded on the door.

“Come in,” she called. Jinx wheeled in a cart laden with dishes and left quietly. She gestured to Luc. “Sit down and eat.”

“It does smell great.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, he grabbed the cart and rolled it closer. “You joining me?”

“No, I already ate,” she lied. If she tried, she’d be sick.

“Okay.” With a shrug, he dove into the heap of roast and potatoes, eating like a starving man. He scarfed three-fourths of the meat and four rolls, and drank three glasses of water. When he was finished, he sat back on his elbows with a groan. “I’m going to burst.”

“Let’s hope not. I have plans for you.”

“Really?” He studied her thoughtfully. “Could’ve sworn you
were trying to get rid of me, and here I’d just gotten home safe and sound.”

Home. Did he have any idea what he’d just said? She struggled not to let tears form. “Not at all. I was merely trying to see to your comfort.”

“Since when? I thought I was here to please
you
,” he teased.

“You are. But I never said I wasn’t flexible.”

“That you are.” He leered at her, making it clear he was referring to flexibility of the carnal sort.

She shook her head. “I think it’s time you rest.”

“But it’s the middle of the morning.”

“And I’m not going to listen to any arguing from you,” she said, pointing.

With a sigh, he crawled up the mattress and laid his head on a pillow. “Fine. Nap with me?”

She didn’t have the heart to refuse such a plaintive request. As soon as she lay down beside him, he wrapped around her like a vine, kissing the top of her head. She liked that, a lot.

After a full minute of silence, Luc spoke quietly. “Legion’s mind control didn’t work on me because I’m falling for you, Kass.”

“Luc, this is way too serious a conversation for us to have right now, don’t you think? We haven’t known each other that long.” Having to say that to him, feeling the stiffening of his body against hers and hearing the hurt in his soft reply, scored her soul.

“I—I guess. But we have to talk, sooner or later.”

“We will. Sleep.”

Long, torturous minutes passed before the tension finally left his body. At last, his adventure caught up with him, and his breathing evened out in deep, exhausted slumber.

Oh, they would talk. But when they did, she was going to rip out his sweet heart.

Luc awoke ready to play. Or at least his body did, if the hard length nestled against her hip was any indication. His blue eyes, however, were more than a bit wary as he blinked away sleep and simply studied her.

“Did you take a nap?” he finally asked.

“For a bit, but I couldn’t sleep much,” she confessed.

“Thinking about me?” His teasing was cautious, his expression guarded.

“Always.” She couldn’t help but reach out and trace his full, sexy mouth. He was such a wonderful, worthy man. Her soul wept that he couldn’t be hers for keeps. He deserved so much better. Maybe there
was
something she could give him. “Before, you said you enjoy serving me in all ways. Maybe you’d let me serve
you
for a change,” she said huskily.

His expression darkened with lust. Hope. “You mean that?”

“I do.” Her pussy got wet at the mere idea of letting him have complete control. “If you’ve rested enough.”

“Honey, have I ever.” He rolled to his back, his erection tenting his silk pants. “The question is where? Here?”

A flush warmed her skin, desire beginning to simmer. “The dungeon.”

“Are you sure?” He kissed her slowly, slipping in his tongue to taste at leisure.

She arched into him, giving her answer with body language. He responded eagerly, cupping her breasts through her top, pinching her nipples lightly. Little zings of pleasure tweaked her
nerve endings and raised her pulse. Grinning, he drew back and waved a hand.

“Beam us up, Scotty. Or down, rather. I don’t want to wait.”

She cocked her head, perplexed. “Who’s Scotty?”

“Never mind. It means translocate us, sweetheart.”

“Oh. Should’ve just said so.” Grabbing his wrist, she barely gave him time to squeeze his eyes shut, then she transported them.

The dungeon was dimly lit as usual, sparkling clean and ready for use. Walking over to a table full of toys, he picked up an anal plug and fingered it.

“Out of curiosity, how many men have you allowed to dominate you over the centuries?”

“Very few,” she said honestly.

“Why haven’t you? Has there been a trauma in your past? Control issues?”

She thought about that. “No trauma, not like you mean. I guess you could say I’m a product of my upbringing.”

“You had parents?”

“No, I was sprung from Zeus’s forehead,” she said dryly. “What do you think?”

He shrugged. “You could’ve been. Anyway, that explains a lot. The entire realm expects you, as a Valkyrie, to be the badass chick. Roles are hard to break sometimes.”

“You got it exactly right.”

“How many men have dominated you here?” He gestured to the dungeon.

“None.”

“I’m conquering virgin territory, then.” He looked very pleased about that.

“I wouldn’t go
that
far.”

He snickered and she watched him stroll around, examining the various toys, testing their weight, make, and durability, and making his decisions. When he’d seen all he wanted, he pointed toward a padded spanking bench bolted to a raised platform.

“There. That’s where I want you, naked, kneeling, and cuffed.”

Quickly, she removed her clothing and tossed it into a nearby chair. Luc grasped her arm with gentle fingers and led her to the bench, helping her kneel.

“Knees braced apart, wrists out to your sides next to the cuffs.”

She positioned herself, trying to recall the last time she’d made herself this vulnerable to a man, but she couldn’t come up with a memory. Perhaps she never had, because there wasn’t anyone she trusted more than Luc. Even Taryn would never have this privilege.

Excitement spiked as he fastened her in, making certain the furry cuffs weren’t too tight. Apparently pleased, he returned to the table and selected something sort of heavy, if the metallic scraping noise was any indication.

“Spreader bar, baby. Ankles apart.”

Obediently she did as he ordered. Her arousal spiked because she knew the best was yet to come…and she was right. He snapped her ankles in place, exposing her fully to whatever he wanted to do. Then he moved away again, and she heard clinking glass on the table. When he returned, his fingers probed between her legs, slick with oil. Her slit tingled and ached. If she could’ve spread wider, she would have.

Her ass cheeks were spread, and his fingers rimmed her hole, dipping past the ring of muscle and easing into her passage to slicken her there. One finger. Two. Three. Stretching, massaging, making her melt into a puddle of sensitized nerves. So good.

Just when she wanted to scream, the blunt head of a plug breached her entrance. Carefully he worked it inside, and it glided in with only a bit of burn. It felt naughty to be filled this way, and she wanted more. Once the plug was seated all the way, he fetched another object. This one was flat, and she knew it was one of her favorite wooden paddles. He rubbed it on her upturned ass in circles.

“Feel this? I’ll bet this one has some sting to it. What do you think?”

“Yes, it does.”

“Hmm. Your skin is going to look so pretty, all red from my spanking. Are you ready?”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly.

He made her wait, squirming. One minute? Two? When the first smack hit, she gasped in surprise more than hurt. The sting was pleasant. Immediately, pain dispersed, the shock traveling to her pussy where it became warmth. And warmth became arousal.

“More, please.”

She wasn’t ashamed to ask. A submissive in the proper zone had always turned her on, and more, she respected a partner for trusting her to see to his needs. Luc would take care of her and respect her in turn, she knew.

The next blow was harder, increasing the sting. The pleasure. The one after jiggled the plug and rubbed it against her inner walls with delicious torture. The blows increased and she moaned, reveling in the rush of pain mingled with the dark delight. If this kept up, she was going to come before she was ready!

“Please,” she whimpered. Had she actually made that needy sound?

“Please what, baby?”

“Fuck me, please. Need your cock….”

“You beg so beautifully, honey,” he praised. “I’ll take care of you.”

The plug was removed carefully, replaced by the blunt head of his cock. Her ass was filled slowly, the sweet torment almost too much to bear. When he pushed in all the way and the material of his silk pants brushed the backs of her thighs, she had to fight off her orgasm. There was something naughty about him fucking her while he was dressed, only his cock exposed, as if she were his captive whore.

Sliding in and out, he fucked her, groaning in gratification. “I’m not going to last, baby.”

“Don’t try. Please, give it to me hard and fast!”

He did, pumping with stronger, deeper strokes. “Oh yeah. So tight.”

A few more thrusts and he was shafting her hard, giving her exactly what she’d demanded. Their flesh slapped in noisy rhythm, and there was nothing but his cock. Luc, owning her as she’d never allowed before.

As no one else but he would ever own her again.

“Oh! Yes! Gods, Luc!”

Her orgasm swept her away in a red tide, and she rocked back to meet him as he stiffened. He spilled into her with a shout, bathing her with heat. Gripping her hips, he milked the last of his cum into her, making the passage nice and slick. Floating back to reality gradually, she went limp, brain and body refusing to cooperate any longer.

“That was wonderful, baby,” he whispered, kissing her temple. “Let me help you out of these.”

Her ankles were freed first, then her wrists. At his soft directive to stay put for a minute, he moved off. Water ran in the sink
set in the counter on the far wall; then he was back, using a warm, damp cloth to clean her with great care. His tenderness made her suddenly ache to cry.