Semi fallen, p.9
Semi-Fallen, page 9
Lucien tried to pull his hands away, but she held him firm. Some gut-deep instinct told her that if he pushed her away now, she’d have zero chance of breaking down the wall he seemed so intent on putting up around his heart.
And she was going to take a brick of C-fucking-4 to that wall if it was the last thing she ever did.
When his eyes opened again, the guilt and pain she read in their blue depths hit her like a punch to the gut. “It’s OK,” she whispered. “You’re safe. And I’m fine. You didn’t hurt me.”
He leaned down, leaving one hand on her throat, his thumb dipping into the hollow at the base, and moving the other to the mattress beside her head to support his weight. Her breath got stuck somewhere between her lips and her lungs when he ran the tip of his nose over the sensitive spot just below her ear and took a deep breath.
He said something in her ear. She couldn’t hear it, of course, but she felt it.
Mine.
“Yes,” she whispered back. “Mine.”
His big body shuddered against hers, and she knew his self-control was at an all-time low. He was fighting to restrain himself, to do what he thought was right. What was best for her.
Well, fuck that.
She was an adult. She knew exactly what was best for her. And in this moment, Lucien was everything she needed.
He needed her, too. She could feel it in the tense set of his muscles, in the way his hand was tightening ever so slightly on her throat. He was hanging on by a very thin thread.
And it was time to cut it.
Lane slid his hand slowly from her throat down to her breast, letting him feel the way her heart hammered against her ribs. He hissed out a harsh breath that she felt stir her hair. She hissed out a harsh breath of her own when his hand flexed against her breast and he brushed his thumb lightly over her nipple.
It was worth noting, too, that her nipple was hard enough to be considered a weapon.
He pulled back just enough to let her read his lips when he said, “Tell me you don’t want me. Tell me no. Push me away.”
His eyes and his mouth were saying two very different things. His mouth was telling her to say no, but his eyes were telling her he might die if she did. So, she looked him in the eye and said, “Yes.”
Lucien’s eyes fluttered shut as he said, “Damn you,” he whispered. “Damn us both.”
Then he captured her lips with his and she knew there would be no more conversation.
And no turning back.
It was a dream. It had to be a dream. His reward for surviving the nightmare of his captivity in the hell dimension was this dream of Lane, barely clothed, smelling like heaven, tasting like sin, beneath him in his bed.
It had to be a dream because reality was never this good.
Lucien’s heart thundered harder and faster than it ever had. His senses were overloaded. The sweet, warm scent of her skin against his, the wet heat as she sucked his tongue into her mouth…it was too much.
There wasn’t any coming back from this.
His control was precarious, then damn near nonexistent when she reached below the sheet and found him naked, hard, and ready for her.
Suddenly her clothes were offensive to him. How dare they stand between him and his mate’s bare skin?
Well, he could certainly take care of that quickly enough.
She gasped into his mouth as he grabbed two fistfuls of her tank top and ripped it down the middle. Her pants put up a little more of a fight, but he managed to shred those, too.
“Sorry,” he murmured as he tossed what was left of her clothes to the floor.
She might not have seen the apology on his lips, but he didn’t care enough to repeat it. He’d buy her however many new tank tops and pajama pants as she wanted. All that mattered now was that he had her naked in his bed.
The need to bury himself in her tight, wet heat, to claim her as his own, nearly undid him. But Lane deserved better. She deserved more than some finesse-less rutting beast.
He had to slow down. Do better. Focus on her, not on his own needs and pleasure.
The smile that stretched across her wet, shiny lips as he nudged her legs apart with his knee and pinned her wrists above her head was full of joy and confidence and need. And her body was…damn.
Lucien had seen the finest art this dimension had to offer. But looking down at Lane’s body? Every sculpture, painting, and sketch by masters he’d ever seen paled in comparison.
Lane was tiny, but perfectly proportioned. High, firm breasts just large enough to fill his palms, a waist so trim he could span it with his hands, gently rounded hips, strong, toned legs…hell, she wasn’t just art. She was inspiration for art.
She squirmed under his scrutiny, but didn’t try to cover herself. “Now,” she whispered.
He smiled down at her. “I’ve waited a lifetime for you, sweetling. Literally crossed oceans of time and space to find you. Why would I rush now?”
Because he was killing her, that’s why.
Lane had never in her life been this turned on. It was starting to feel like a matter of life and death. If she didn’t get this man inside her soon (like, really soon) she might actually die.
But that and every other thought in her head left the building when he let go of her wrists and skimmed one hand over her breast, across her stomach, and down, down, down until it slipped deftly between her legs.
“You can still change your mind, you know,” he said, dipping down to trail his tongue over the spot where her shoulder met her neck.
He obviously still wanted her to reject him as her mate. He wasn’t capable of it anymore, but he still wanted her to do it.
Yeah, right. Not happening.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered. “Please.”
She felt his answering growl reverberate across her heated, oversensitive skin. And that’s where she parted ways with coherent thought, because that’s when his rough, callused fingers started moving.
If she’d ever had any doubt they were fated mates, this would’ve obliterated it. Because he touched her like he was the only one in the world who knew exactly what her body needed, as if he alone could anticipate every possible scenario that would reduce her to a puddle of moaning, whimpering, writhing need at his feet.
Lane was biting down on her lower lip to stay quiet when she suddenly realized she didn’t have to. She couldn’t hurt Lucien. And so long as she didn’t scream with full power, no animals in the woods around the house would be injured.
So, when he leaned down to suck one of her nipples into his hot mouth, she let go and surrendered control to him, moaning out loud for the first time in, well, ever.
She might have had a stroke when he pushed two fingers into her and unerringly found and stroked her g-spot. Might have blacked out when his teeth closed around her nipple and gave it a sharp tug that bordered on painful.
And still, he tormented her until her thighs trembled and her breathing huffed in and out of her lungs like she’d just run a marathon. He tormented her until she begged him to fuck her.
Please. Please. Please...
That’s when he stopped.
Lane whimpered. She was so, so close. Why was he torturing her like this?
She didn’t even realize she’d asked that question out loud until he said, “I’m not torturing you. I’ll give you everything you need, I promise. But the first time I make you come? It’s not going to be with my fingers. Well, not just my fingers, anyway.”
That was a lot to process. First of all, he’d said he was going to make her come. Yippee! And since he said “the first time”, he must’ve intended to make her come more than once. Again, yippee! The number of possible ways he could make her come without using his fingers was…staggering.
She never got a chance to do the math on any of that, though, because her brain went on strike as he slid down her body and stroked his tongue over her clit, all while his fingers continued their assault on her sanity.
That’s all it took. Two or three strokes of his tongue and she broke, reduced to a shaking, sobbing, wet, orgasmic mess.
And still it wasn’t enough for him.
Lifting his head just enough for her to read his lips, he growled, “Again.”
His plan tonight was obviously to make her come until she couldn’t remember her own name. He was well on his way, too. He kept at her, fingers sliding in and out, tongue applying the perfect amount of pressure, until she came a second time, so hard and powerful it was almost painful.
Wow. Just…wow.
She’d never had orgasms like that in her life. She would’ve sworn up until this moment orgasms like that only existed in romance novels. It had been…transformative. As if her DNA had been pulled apart and pieced back together again so that she was now a brand-new person.
One that was officially ruined for all other men.
Lucien straightened and brushed the back of one hand over his mouth as he stared down at her in wonder. “So fucking beautiful,” he murmured.
Which was a lovely thing to say, especially since he was looking at her as if she alone was responsible for the sun rising every day. But she was out of patience. The time for pretty words was past. Like, two orgasms ago.
So, Lane sat up and neatly flipped their positions in a self-defense move so perfectly executed Seven herself couldn’t have done it any better.
Enough waiting, she signed. I need you. Now.
She thought for a second or two that he might argue with her. After all, he was one of the most powerful beings on the planet and she’d just crawled on top of him and told him how this was going to go down. She didn’t imagine that too many supernatural beings would be OK with that turn of events.
But to his credit, Lucien merely spread his arms wide and said, “Take what you need, sweetling. I’m yours.”
Oh, thank God.
CHAPTER 18
Lucien had the distinct impression he was going to find out exactly what happened when angels died soon, because when Lane slithered down his body leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses in her wake, he knew he wasn’t going to survive it. The pleasure was going to destroy him.
Seeing her tiny hand wrapped around his cock as she peered up at him through a veil of thick, dark lashes, was almost more than he could handle.
Almost. Because if he was going to die, this was the way he wanted to go. So, he wasn’t about to stop her.
Her lips brushed over him lightly. She was teasing him, and he loved it.
He slid his fingers into her hair and stared down at her. Was there anything in this world or any other more erotic than Lane holding eye contact with him as she sucked his length into the back of her throat?
The answer was no. Lucien could attest to that with absolute certainty.
“So fucking good,” he rasped.
Turns out he was wrong. Her smiling around his cock was the most erotic thing he’d ever seen his life.
His fingers tightened reflexively in her thick, dark hair. His body was screaming for him to thrust into her mouth, but he wouldn’t. She’d lost so much control in her life lately. This—his body, his heart—he could give her control over.
She moaned and he shivered at the sensation. He wasn’t going to last like this. He was powerful, but he was so close to his breaking point.
So. Fucking. Close.
Lucien eased her head back. She shot him a questioning look.
“I’ll lose control if you keep that up,” he said in answer to her unasked question.
What if that’s exactly what I want?
Fuck. He really was going to die tonight, wasn’t he?
Well…so be it.
She let out a sharp gasp as he reversed their positions again, dumping her on her back beneath him.
“Then you might want to brace yourself, sweetling. This might get rough.”
Lane fought the urge to do a fist pump at Lucien’s proclamation. Rough was exactly what she was going for.
Her heart was pounding so hard she wondered if he could hear it. She’d loved being in control for that brief moment. Having one of the most powerful beings in the dimension groaning and barely hanging onto control as she’d sucked the hot, heavy weight of him into the back of her throat was…beyond description.
It had been so freeing, in fact, that when he stopped her, she almost resisted. But as much as she’d enjoyed her flirtation with complete control, she was ready to hand the power back to her mate.
Her mate. It was still weird to think of him like that. Weird, but right at the same time.
Lucien crawled up her body, letting his eyes caress every inch of her along the way. Then finally—finally!—he lowered his weight onto her.
“You’re sure?” he asked one more time.
She nodded, grabbing his hips with both hands. “Yes,” she whispered. “Very.”
She felt his powerful body tremble at her words. His eyes dropped to her lips, then lifted again. “You understand that there’s no rejecting the mating bond if we do this?”
Lane repressed an eye roll, but just barely. She let go of his hips to sign, I never wanted to reject it in the first place! That was all you. I always wanted you, and—
Whatever she’d been about to sign next was lost on a moan when he thrust into her, not stopping until his hips met hers and they were joined completely.
“Mine,” he growled.
Mine.
Lucien grabbed both her hands, pinned them at either side of her head, and laced their fingers together. Lane wrapped her legs around his waist and held him as tight as she could as he drove into her, over and over again, controlled but deep, while his mouth plundered hers.
She thought she’d taken all of him because she’d never felt so full in her life. Then he proved her wrong by shifting his hips and somehow sliding in even deeper.
He pulled back just enough to let her read his lips as he said, “You feel amazing. So tight. So wet…”
“Then let go,” she whispered. “You won’t hurt me.”
Lucien didn’t answer. He must’ve gotten the message, though, because he let go of her hands to shove an arm under her, hoisting her up higher to steady her as he pumped into her harder and faster.
His jaw clenched as he tightened his grip on her and angled his hips so that the base of his cock hit her clit with every thrust. All she could do was thread her fingers into his hair and hold on for dear life.
It didn’t take long for her to come so hard that she’d probably be dehydrated for days. His name tore from her lips on a ragged scream, most likely shattering every window in the house. Her vision blurred and every muscle in her body clenched and contracted.
He followed her over the edge shortly after, thrusting into her one, two, three more times before his entire body tensed and he dropped his forehead to the nook where her shoulder met her neck. She couldn’t see the groan on his lips, but she felt it against her skin.
It could have been hours, minutes, or days later that they stayed in that position, him collapsed on top of her, her toying with his hair as they both struggled to catch their breath.
But now that she was starting to come out of her orgasm stupor, she found herself wondering what was going to happen now. Was he going to tell her it’d all been a mistake? That she’d taken advantage of his weakened state? That they were—
He lifted his head and said, “It wasn’t a mistake.” She shuddered at the ferocity in his eyes.
She didn’t seem to have the strength to lift her arms to sign at the moment, so she whispered, “I know. But I didn’t know if you knew that. And…how did you know what I was thinking?”
He sighed. “I can’t begin to explain how, but I felt you thinking that.”
Weird, she thought.
“Yes, very,” he murmured.
His expression was such a mix of awe and horror that she laughed. Out loud. Which was something she hadn’t done since, well, ever. It was…liberating.
Lucien’s gaze traveled over her features as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “So beautiful,” he said.
The heat in his eyes was enough to give her a sunburn, and she knew in that moment she’d never get used to—or tired of—having that look directed at her.
Mine.
That’s when she realized she could finally move her muscles again. She let her fingers slide down his back until she had a nice, firm grip on his ass.
The sharp hiss he sucked in was intensely gratifying.
She gave him a good, hard squeeze before whispering, “How about now? Can you feel what I’m thinking now?”
A squeal escaped her as she found herself flipped over and onto her knees, then she moaned as he slid into her from behind.
Well, that answered that question. Apparently, he could feel what she’d been thinking in that moment.
CHAPTER 19
“I have never been more humiliated in my life.”
Lane glanced over at Haven as Lucien opened a rift to the location the witch had given him. That can’t be true, she signed.
Haven crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. “You think there’s anything more humiliating than having my parents and every dhampyre at Section 8 sitting around discussing my virginity?”
Lane thought about it for a moment before signing, What about the time you laughed at the Spaghetti Factory and shot pasta out your nose onto Roan’s plate?
Haven winced. “Yeah, that was bad. But this is still worse.”
What about the time you got drunk at Sally Britton’s Halloween party and ended up peeing in her coat closet?
Haven thought about it for a second before saying, “No, this is still worse. But thanks for trying to distract me.”
Any time.
Lucien had been standing there patiently with his chin on his chest, the very picture of an annoyed alpha male. “Can we go now? Or do we need to further discuss your feelings?”
Haven’s face brightened. “Aw, that’s really nice of you. Thanks for caring! And now that you mention it—”
