Blood Wolf, page 3
“My car is out front,” Suzanne said.
“Just a little detour. You won’t be harmed.”
“Please, I really just want to—”
Suzanne gasped as Rex pushed her into a trio of men waiting behind the café.
“Here you are,” Rex said. “Fresh. American, no less. Take only a taste. You know the rules.”
He disappeared into the shadows.
Suzanne’s heart pounded as the three men eyed her. Their lascivious gazes seemed to melt through her clothes. The big blond from the café stepped forward and cupped her cheek in one large, calloused hand.
“Mighty pretty,” he said.
Dear God, no.
“What do you want? I don’t have any money.”
“It’s not your money we’re after, lass,” the second man said. His black eyes burnt holes in Suzanne’s skin.
“God, please don’t hurt me.” Her heart hammered. “I-I won’t tell anyone about this. I swear I won’t.”
“You’re right about that,” the third man said. His long nutmeg hair rustled in the night breeze. “You won’t remember it.” He stepped forward, pulled a strap of Suzanne’s tank down over her shoulder so it draped along her upper arm, and grabbed her breast roughly, pinching the nipple. “She’s stacked mighty nice.”
Suzanne’s breath came in rapid pants, and her heart stampeded.
God, please let it happen quickly. Quickly, and with minimal pain.
The blond stepped forward. His pale hair was caught in a low ponytail, and a few wisps hung around his harsh face.
Lord, he’d be handsome if he weren’t so evil.
His green eyes smoked as he gazed into Suzanne’s. “We’ll be quick, lass. I promise you that.”
Suzanne squeezed her eyes shut, and something grazed her neck. Lips? No. It felt sharp. Something scraped against her skin.
She opened her mouth and let out a piercing scream. “Help me! Someone help me! Please!”
4
Suddenly, a rumble emerged from the darkness. Suzanne opened her eyes only slightly to see a dark figure step forward. Briskly, he pushed the nutmeg-haired man to the ground and then dispensed with the black-eyed one. Before the blond could harm Suzanne, the tall figure wrenched him from her and slammed his ponytailed head into the brick wall of the café.
Suzanne screamed and sank to the ground, hot tears falling from her eyes. Her stomach clenched, and she doubled over, but then forced her body to straighten, unable to tear her eyes from the man who had rescued her.
“You ever come near her again, and I’ll kill you, do you understand me, you bastard?” The stranger’s Scottish lilt was deep and husky. Again, he pounded the blond man’s head into the wall.
Suzanne watched in horror as blood gushed from the man’s ears and mouth. His skull thudded against the reddish stone, and several streams of crimson trickled along the brick.
“Please stop! You’ll kill him!”
The stranger turned and stared at her, one arm still holding the blond. The irises of his hazel eyes swirled in the moonlight. He returned his attention to her attacker.
“I won’t say it again, you fucking pile of sludge. You stay the hell away from her.”
The blond man, miraculously still alive, buried his nose in the stranger’s neck and then looked up, and his gaze met Suzanne’s.
“Voldlak,” he said, and fell to the ground.
The stranger knelt in front of Suzanne and gathered her in his arms. “Trust me,” he said as he carried her to his motorcycle and placed her on the seat. “You’ll have to hold on to me.”
He started the engine, and with a few roaring gusts, they rode off.
Petrified, Suzanne clung to the muscular form in front of her. She had never ridden on a motorcycle before, and her fear, combined with the stress of her near rape, caused her to sob uncontrollably. When they finally reached the castle, the man parked the bike and carried Suzanne gently inside and up to her room.
He opened the door, and still holding her, let her feet touch the floor. “I-I don’t know how to thank you,” she said. “If you hadn’t come along when you did—”
“What the hell were you thinking?” His bellow shook the room. “Don’t you know better than to go into town alone at night?”
“I-I—”
The man crushed her body to his and buried his face in her neck. “If anything had happened to you…”
“I’m f-fine. Really. Oh God, oh God.” Tears fell down her cheeks, their heat burning little trails into her delicate skin.
“You’re all right now.” He pressed his nose to her neck. “It’s over. It’s over.”
“Th-Thank you.”
His Scottish lilt had softened to an almost English accent. He pulled away from her for a moment, and even in the dim light of the candles, she could see he was extraordinarily handsome. Wavy dark brown hair fell to his collar and framed his perfectly sculpted face. His eyes were the color of jade veiled in light cognac.
“Mo cridhe, you’re beautiful.” His eyes grazed over her face and then her body.
“I-I’m a mess.”
“Can you smell me?”
Suzanne shook her head, confused. “What?”
“God, I want to fuck you.”
She blinked, unable to ascertain whether she had heard him correctly.
“I want to touch you everywhere, mo cridhe. I want to bury my face between your legs and make you come again and again, until I’m drowning in your cream. I want to thrust myself so deep inside you that you won’t be able to tell where I end and you begin, and then I want to fuck you until you cry for me. I want to absorb you into my body—”
Suzanne pulled away, her skin crawling with invisible bugs. “Oh my God. I just escaped a gangbang. You’re not going to…rape me are you?”
His eyes softened and looked sad, forlorn. “God no, love. I’d never hurt you.”
“Wh-Who are you?”
He walked farther into the room and sat down on the bed. “This is my room.”
“You’re Dougal’s son?”
“Aye. Damian.”
“Of course you may have your room back,” Suzanne said. “I never felt comfortable taking it. I’ll move out tomorrow.”
“Don’t bother.”
“Where will you stay?”
“Here.”
Suzanne jerked her head toward him. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. I’m staying here with you. I belong with you and you with me. I want your fragrance near me, you near me.”
Suzanne swallowed, confused by Damian’s words. “Look, I appreciate what you did for me tonight. Really I do. But saving my life doesn’t give you license to my sexual favors.”
“Don’t you understand?” Damian stood up and pulled Suzanne into his embrace again. “Don’t you feel this? My heart is beating for you. I can’t think of anything but you, of getting inside you. Can’t you…what’s your name, anyway?”
Suzanne rolled her eyes. “All this sexy talk, and you don’t even know my name.”
“I will in a minute.”
“Fine. It’s Suzanne.”
“Suzanne. Beautiful.”
“Damian—” She enjoyed the caress of his name on her lips and tongue.
He grasped her hand and held it to his chest. “Can’t you feel it?”
Suzanne trembled as he lowered her hand from his heart to his crotch and pressed her fingers into the stiff ridge beneath his jeans. “I’m hard for you. I’ve been hard since I first smelled you.”
“You smelled me? What in the world?” She removed her hand from his arousal and tried to shake free of his grip. He held her hand firmly, though, and roughness scraped her palm. Her eyes widened at the scabs on his fingertips. “My goodness, what happened to you?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s not nothing. You look like you’ve been clawing a brick wall. Are you all right?”
“I said it’s nothing!”
She shrank away at his harsh tone.
“I’m sorry, mo cridhe. Don’t back away from me. Please.”
Puzzled, Suzanne gazed into his greenish eyes. Mo cridhe. My heart, in old Scottish Gaelic. She didn’t realize the language was still spoken, but then, Padraig was a small village in the northern Highlands.
Pain and torment filled his eyes, but she also saw kindness and compassion. His gaze burned onto her and inflamed her. Her pulse quickened and tingles rushed over her skin. Between her legs, a flicker of desire sparked. She wanted him.
She slowly inched forward, her knees wobbly, and fell into his embrace. He lowered his head until his lips touched hers.
“Suzanne,” he whispered against her mouth, “open for me. Please.”
Heady turbulence rushed through her. His voice, even in a whisper, spoke to her soul.
She parted her lips, expecting him to plunge into her mouth, but he entered slowly, cautiously, and took only the smallest taste. She let her tongue touch his, and she shuddered. He tasted of cloves. Cloves and sweet wine. She deepened the kiss. His groan signaled approval.
He thrust his body into hers, and he pushed his arousal against her. Damian trailed his lips from her mouth to her cheek and then to her neck, and he inhaled deeply.
“You taste even better than you smell, mo cridhe,” he said. “Touch me.”
“Wh-What?” Suzanne’s voice cracked.
“Touch me. Put your hands on me. Please.”
Her arms dangled limply at her sides. Touch him? Her nerves tightened in her stomach, and her arms trembled as she slowly raised her hands and grasped his sinewy shoulders.
“Ah, yes, that’s it, love.” He groaned, and his body quivered beneath her fingertips. He nibbled and sucked at her pulse point. “God, I want you. I have to fuck you. Please.”
Suzanne’s eyes clouded with lust, her pulse raced. Oh, she wanted him. Sex with him seemed like a terrific idea. At least that’s what her body thought, and her mind wasn’t far behind. How easy it would be to surrender to him. To this gorgeous enigmatic man who wanted her. What a soothing salve for her shattered ego. In one night, she could reverse the damage Wade had done. So tempting.
But it couldn’t happen.
It was unimaginably difficult to break away. Especially when she saw the agony in his smoking eyes.
“Suzanne?”
“Look, I’m sorry, but we just met.” God, you’ll never know how truly sorry I am. “I appreciate what you did for me tonight, and I promise I’ll never go to town alone again. But I just can’t sleep with you. I don’t even know you.”
“Aye, you do. You feel the connection. Don’t deny it.”
Suzanne’s skin erupted into tiny bumps. She did feel a connection, and it scared her. “This is insane.”
“No, it’s not. I can’t explain it, love, but I feel it. I’ve been hard since you came here. I hadn’t even met you, yet I knew you were in trouble tonight, and I came for you.” He raked his fingers through his mass of dark waves.
A bolt of lightning struck her pussy. He was so gorgeous. “You don’t understand. I just got out of a messy relationship. It would be a mistake for me to…” She paused, his words sinking into her mind. “What do you mean you knew I was in trouble?”
“I felt it. I knew exactly where I had to go to find you. I smelled your fear.”
“Damian, what is it with you and smell?”
“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. But I am certain of one thing.”
“What?”
“That you’re mine.”
“Oh.” Suzanne sighed as his gaze seemed to penetrate her. She didn’t doubt that he believed the truth of his words. This beautiful man said more with his smoldering eyes than most people said with language. She couldn’t deny that she felt a bond with him.
But that’s textbook, she told herself. I’m attracted to my savior. Who wouldn’t be?
Damian approached her, took her hand in his, and caressed her palm with his scabbed fingertips. “I don’t expect you to understand this when I can’t explain it to myself. But there is not a doubt in my mind that you belong with me.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know your hair is the color of burnt mahogany, and it feels like silk against my skin.” He sifted her tresses with his fingers and cupped her cheek. “I know your eyes are like the night fog, with little golden sparks that pierce the thickness around my soul.” He ran his thumb across her lower lip. “I know your mouth tastes of wintergreen and fresh blueberries. I know your body feels like heaven pressed to mine. I know your beautiful name fits you. I know there’s an idiot somewhere who let you go, but I thank God for his stupidity.” He lightly traced the angle of her jaw line. “I know you’re mine.”
Suzanne quivered. Her nipples tightened and her clit began to pulse. This man was seducing her with mere words. She was close to climaxing already, something she had only managed previously by masturbating. Never with a man.
“I won’t force you to lie with me,” Damian said, “but I will share this room with you. That’s not negotiable. I need to be close to you.”
“I can’t allow you to stay here. If you want the room—”
“I said it’s not negotiable!”
Suzanne jumped as Damian pounded his fist into the adjacent wall.
“I need to be with you. I need your scent near me.”
“What you want is impossible.” Her voice cracked with nerves. “I refuse to share a bed with a man I just met.”
“I will leave you alone, but we will share this bed.”
He lifted his shirt over his head and threw it over a chair. She gulped in a sharp breath. His chest was golden and beautiful, pure muscle accented by a smattering of black hair. Suzanne instinctively looked away as he began to unbuckle his jeans.
“No.” He cupped her face, forcing her gaze onto his. “I need you to look at me. To see me.”
As if in a trance, Suzanne stared as Damian slowly removed his shoes, jeans, and boxers. His cock sprang from a curly black nest. Perfectly formed. Beautiful. She resisted the urge to reach for it.
“Now you,” he said. “Undress.”
“I can’t.”
“Aye, you can. I need to see you.”
She edged away slowly. “I’ll just go to the bathroom, and—”
“You’ll undress here.” He grasped her arm. His touch was forceful, yet gentle. “Don’t be afraid. I would never harm you, mo cridhe. I swear on my life.”
Suzanne shivered as she slowly pulled her tank top over her head. Next, she kicked off her sandals and lowered her jeans, until she stood before Damian in her bra and panties.
“Very beautiful.” There was no mistaking the lust in his hazel eyes. “The rest, please.”
Her hands shaking, Suzanne reached behind her, unclasped her bra, discarded it, and let her ample breasts fall gently against her chest. Damian sucked in his breath. She hadn’t been worried. She knew her boobs were spectacular. But the panties concerned her. Her thick and bushy pubic hair had been a source of contention between her and Wade. He had wanted her to shave and trim it into a neat little strip, but she had always refused.
“Don’t be nervous,” he said gently, as if sensing her unease.
His words consoled her, and it seemed natural to ease her pink panties over her hips and let them drop to the floor. She stood before him, naked and vulnerable. Her heart nearly stopped as she waited for his appraisal.
He stepped toward her, cupped her breasts, and gently rubbed his calloused thumbs over her nipples. One hand trailed down her belly to her mound. He laced his fingers through the thick hair, his breathing heavy, his cock engorged. “Perfect,” he said gruffly. “Perfect, mo cridhe.”
“Now what?”
He kissed her softly on the cheek. “Now, I hold you next to my body. We share our heat, our intimacy.” He brushed his lips over hers. “And we sleep.” He lifted her and laid her gently on the bed. He crawled in beside her and cuddled her in his arms.
Suzanne lay still, nestled in the comfort of this mysterious man. The light fleece of his chest tickled her nipples. She felt safe. After what had nearly happened to her, she needed this sense of security. He had saved her, and now he protected her.
She listened to the hypnotic rhythm of his breath and soon fell into slumber beside him.
5
When Suzanne awoke, Damian lay on his side, his hand propping up his head as he stared at her. His smoking eyes scalded her naked flesh.
“Good morning, Suzanne.”
“Good morning.” The light of dawn streamed through her window and illuminated the fascinating man next to her. He had seemed handsome last night, but now, bathed in the sun’s rays, he stole her breath.
Several dark curls fell over his forehead. Suzanne instinctively reached out to smooth them but stopped midway, embarrassed.
Damian clutched her hand and led it to his face. “Don’t be afraid.”
“I just…your hair is in your eyes.” She pushed the offending locks behind his ear. His tresses felt sleek and velvety beneath her fingers. She whisked her hand away.
He smiled and held out his arms to her. “Come to me. Please, mo cridhe.”
Her heart lurched, and a flutter surged between her legs. Oh God, I want him. She glanced at his mouth—such a sensuous full-lipped mouth that promised endless delights—and then into his eyes. The jade irises were swirling again, as they had when he had attacked her assailants.
Odd. Very odd. But arousing.
“Come,” he said. “Just a hug. Please.”
One hug wouldn’t hurt, would it? He was so gorgeous, and that body… She had never seen such a well-formed man. She leaned into his embrace.
“Ah, love,” he said, his deep voice husky. “That feels nice.”
Damian pulled her close and caressed her shoulders and her back. She reciprocated and ran her hands over the definition of his upper arms and then up his neck and into his beautiful hair.
He buried his nose in her tangled mass of hair and inhaled. “Mmm.”
What was this fascination he had with her scent? Suzanne didn’t understand, but at the moment, her body ached with the need to touch every part of him. She slid her hands along his neck, over his muscular shoulders, and onto his back. But where she expected more of his smooth skin, raised and jagged bumps met her fingertips.
“Just a little detour. You won’t be harmed.”
“Please, I really just want to—”
Suzanne gasped as Rex pushed her into a trio of men waiting behind the café.
“Here you are,” Rex said. “Fresh. American, no less. Take only a taste. You know the rules.”
He disappeared into the shadows.
Suzanne’s heart pounded as the three men eyed her. Their lascivious gazes seemed to melt through her clothes. The big blond from the café stepped forward and cupped her cheek in one large, calloused hand.
“Mighty pretty,” he said.
Dear God, no.
“What do you want? I don’t have any money.”
“It’s not your money we’re after, lass,” the second man said. His black eyes burnt holes in Suzanne’s skin.
“God, please don’t hurt me.” Her heart hammered. “I-I won’t tell anyone about this. I swear I won’t.”
“You’re right about that,” the third man said. His long nutmeg hair rustled in the night breeze. “You won’t remember it.” He stepped forward, pulled a strap of Suzanne’s tank down over her shoulder so it draped along her upper arm, and grabbed her breast roughly, pinching the nipple. “She’s stacked mighty nice.”
Suzanne’s breath came in rapid pants, and her heart stampeded.
God, please let it happen quickly. Quickly, and with minimal pain.
The blond stepped forward. His pale hair was caught in a low ponytail, and a few wisps hung around his harsh face.
Lord, he’d be handsome if he weren’t so evil.
His green eyes smoked as he gazed into Suzanne’s. “We’ll be quick, lass. I promise you that.”
Suzanne squeezed her eyes shut, and something grazed her neck. Lips? No. It felt sharp. Something scraped against her skin.
She opened her mouth and let out a piercing scream. “Help me! Someone help me! Please!”
4
Suddenly, a rumble emerged from the darkness. Suzanne opened her eyes only slightly to see a dark figure step forward. Briskly, he pushed the nutmeg-haired man to the ground and then dispensed with the black-eyed one. Before the blond could harm Suzanne, the tall figure wrenched him from her and slammed his ponytailed head into the brick wall of the café.
Suzanne screamed and sank to the ground, hot tears falling from her eyes. Her stomach clenched, and she doubled over, but then forced her body to straighten, unable to tear her eyes from the man who had rescued her.
“You ever come near her again, and I’ll kill you, do you understand me, you bastard?” The stranger’s Scottish lilt was deep and husky. Again, he pounded the blond man’s head into the wall.
Suzanne watched in horror as blood gushed from the man’s ears and mouth. His skull thudded against the reddish stone, and several streams of crimson trickled along the brick.
“Please stop! You’ll kill him!”
The stranger turned and stared at her, one arm still holding the blond. The irises of his hazel eyes swirled in the moonlight. He returned his attention to her attacker.
“I won’t say it again, you fucking pile of sludge. You stay the hell away from her.”
The blond man, miraculously still alive, buried his nose in the stranger’s neck and then looked up, and his gaze met Suzanne’s.
“Voldlak,” he said, and fell to the ground.
The stranger knelt in front of Suzanne and gathered her in his arms. “Trust me,” he said as he carried her to his motorcycle and placed her on the seat. “You’ll have to hold on to me.”
He started the engine, and with a few roaring gusts, they rode off.
Petrified, Suzanne clung to the muscular form in front of her. She had never ridden on a motorcycle before, and her fear, combined with the stress of her near rape, caused her to sob uncontrollably. When they finally reached the castle, the man parked the bike and carried Suzanne gently inside and up to her room.
He opened the door, and still holding her, let her feet touch the floor. “I-I don’t know how to thank you,” she said. “If you hadn’t come along when you did—”
“What the hell were you thinking?” His bellow shook the room. “Don’t you know better than to go into town alone at night?”
“I-I—”
The man crushed her body to his and buried his face in her neck. “If anything had happened to you…”
“I’m f-fine. Really. Oh God, oh God.” Tears fell down her cheeks, their heat burning little trails into her delicate skin.
“You’re all right now.” He pressed his nose to her neck. “It’s over. It’s over.”
“Th-Thank you.”
His Scottish lilt had softened to an almost English accent. He pulled away from her for a moment, and even in the dim light of the candles, she could see he was extraordinarily handsome. Wavy dark brown hair fell to his collar and framed his perfectly sculpted face. His eyes were the color of jade veiled in light cognac.
“Mo cridhe, you’re beautiful.” His eyes grazed over her face and then her body.
“I-I’m a mess.”
“Can you smell me?”
Suzanne shook her head, confused. “What?”
“God, I want to fuck you.”
She blinked, unable to ascertain whether she had heard him correctly.
“I want to touch you everywhere, mo cridhe. I want to bury my face between your legs and make you come again and again, until I’m drowning in your cream. I want to thrust myself so deep inside you that you won’t be able to tell where I end and you begin, and then I want to fuck you until you cry for me. I want to absorb you into my body—”
Suzanne pulled away, her skin crawling with invisible bugs. “Oh my God. I just escaped a gangbang. You’re not going to…rape me are you?”
His eyes softened and looked sad, forlorn. “God no, love. I’d never hurt you.”
“Wh-Who are you?”
He walked farther into the room and sat down on the bed. “This is my room.”
“You’re Dougal’s son?”
“Aye. Damian.”
“Of course you may have your room back,” Suzanne said. “I never felt comfortable taking it. I’ll move out tomorrow.”
“Don’t bother.”
“Where will you stay?”
“Here.”
Suzanne jerked her head toward him. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. I’m staying here with you. I belong with you and you with me. I want your fragrance near me, you near me.”
Suzanne swallowed, confused by Damian’s words. “Look, I appreciate what you did for me tonight. Really I do. But saving my life doesn’t give you license to my sexual favors.”
“Don’t you understand?” Damian stood up and pulled Suzanne into his embrace again. “Don’t you feel this? My heart is beating for you. I can’t think of anything but you, of getting inside you. Can’t you…what’s your name, anyway?”
Suzanne rolled her eyes. “All this sexy talk, and you don’t even know my name.”
“I will in a minute.”
“Fine. It’s Suzanne.”
“Suzanne. Beautiful.”
“Damian—” She enjoyed the caress of his name on her lips and tongue.
He grasped her hand and held it to his chest. “Can’t you feel it?”
Suzanne trembled as he lowered her hand from his heart to his crotch and pressed her fingers into the stiff ridge beneath his jeans. “I’m hard for you. I’ve been hard since I first smelled you.”
“You smelled me? What in the world?” She removed her hand from his arousal and tried to shake free of his grip. He held her hand firmly, though, and roughness scraped her palm. Her eyes widened at the scabs on his fingertips. “My goodness, what happened to you?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s not nothing. You look like you’ve been clawing a brick wall. Are you all right?”
“I said it’s nothing!”
She shrank away at his harsh tone.
“I’m sorry, mo cridhe. Don’t back away from me. Please.”
Puzzled, Suzanne gazed into his greenish eyes. Mo cridhe. My heart, in old Scottish Gaelic. She didn’t realize the language was still spoken, but then, Padraig was a small village in the northern Highlands.
Pain and torment filled his eyes, but she also saw kindness and compassion. His gaze burned onto her and inflamed her. Her pulse quickened and tingles rushed over her skin. Between her legs, a flicker of desire sparked. She wanted him.
She slowly inched forward, her knees wobbly, and fell into his embrace. He lowered his head until his lips touched hers.
“Suzanne,” he whispered against her mouth, “open for me. Please.”
Heady turbulence rushed through her. His voice, even in a whisper, spoke to her soul.
She parted her lips, expecting him to plunge into her mouth, but he entered slowly, cautiously, and took only the smallest taste. She let her tongue touch his, and she shuddered. He tasted of cloves. Cloves and sweet wine. She deepened the kiss. His groan signaled approval.
He thrust his body into hers, and he pushed his arousal against her. Damian trailed his lips from her mouth to her cheek and then to her neck, and he inhaled deeply.
“You taste even better than you smell, mo cridhe,” he said. “Touch me.”
“Wh-What?” Suzanne’s voice cracked.
“Touch me. Put your hands on me. Please.”
Her arms dangled limply at her sides. Touch him? Her nerves tightened in her stomach, and her arms trembled as she slowly raised her hands and grasped his sinewy shoulders.
“Ah, yes, that’s it, love.” He groaned, and his body quivered beneath her fingertips. He nibbled and sucked at her pulse point. “God, I want you. I have to fuck you. Please.”
Suzanne’s eyes clouded with lust, her pulse raced. Oh, she wanted him. Sex with him seemed like a terrific idea. At least that’s what her body thought, and her mind wasn’t far behind. How easy it would be to surrender to him. To this gorgeous enigmatic man who wanted her. What a soothing salve for her shattered ego. In one night, she could reverse the damage Wade had done. So tempting.
But it couldn’t happen.
It was unimaginably difficult to break away. Especially when she saw the agony in his smoking eyes.
“Suzanne?”
“Look, I’m sorry, but we just met.” God, you’ll never know how truly sorry I am. “I appreciate what you did for me tonight, and I promise I’ll never go to town alone again. But I just can’t sleep with you. I don’t even know you.”
“Aye, you do. You feel the connection. Don’t deny it.”
Suzanne’s skin erupted into tiny bumps. She did feel a connection, and it scared her. “This is insane.”
“No, it’s not. I can’t explain it, love, but I feel it. I’ve been hard since you came here. I hadn’t even met you, yet I knew you were in trouble tonight, and I came for you.” He raked his fingers through his mass of dark waves.
A bolt of lightning struck her pussy. He was so gorgeous. “You don’t understand. I just got out of a messy relationship. It would be a mistake for me to…” She paused, his words sinking into her mind. “What do you mean you knew I was in trouble?”
“I felt it. I knew exactly where I had to go to find you. I smelled your fear.”
“Damian, what is it with you and smell?”
“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. But I am certain of one thing.”
“What?”
“That you’re mine.”
“Oh.” Suzanne sighed as his gaze seemed to penetrate her. She didn’t doubt that he believed the truth of his words. This beautiful man said more with his smoldering eyes than most people said with language. She couldn’t deny that she felt a bond with him.
But that’s textbook, she told herself. I’m attracted to my savior. Who wouldn’t be?
Damian approached her, took her hand in his, and caressed her palm with his scabbed fingertips. “I don’t expect you to understand this when I can’t explain it to myself. But there is not a doubt in my mind that you belong with me.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know your hair is the color of burnt mahogany, and it feels like silk against my skin.” He sifted her tresses with his fingers and cupped her cheek. “I know your eyes are like the night fog, with little golden sparks that pierce the thickness around my soul.” He ran his thumb across her lower lip. “I know your mouth tastes of wintergreen and fresh blueberries. I know your body feels like heaven pressed to mine. I know your beautiful name fits you. I know there’s an idiot somewhere who let you go, but I thank God for his stupidity.” He lightly traced the angle of her jaw line. “I know you’re mine.”
Suzanne quivered. Her nipples tightened and her clit began to pulse. This man was seducing her with mere words. She was close to climaxing already, something she had only managed previously by masturbating. Never with a man.
“I won’t force you to lie with me,” Damian said, “but I will share this room with you. That’s not negotiable. I need to be close to you.”
“I can’t allow you to stay here. If you want the room—”
“I said it’s not negotiable!”
Suzanne jumped as Damian pounded his fist into the adjacent wall.
“I need to be with you. I need your scent near me.”
“What you want is impossible.” Her voice cracked with nerves. “I refuse to share a bed with a man I just met.”
“I will leave you alone, but we will share this bed.”
He lifted his shirt over his head and threw it over a chair. She gulped in a sharp breath. His chest was golden and beautiful, pure muscle accented by a smattering of black hair. Suzanne instinctively looked away as he began to unbuckle his jeans.
“No.” He cupped her face, forcing her gaze onto his. “I need you to look at me. To see me.”
As if in a trance, Suzanne stared as Damian slowly removed his shoes, jeans, and boxers. His cock sprang from a curly black nest. Perfectly formed. Beautiful. She resisted the urge to reach for it.
“Now you,” he said. “Undress.”
“I can’t.”
“Aye, you can. I need to see you.”
She edged away slowly. “I’ll just go to the bathroom, and—”
“You’ll undress here.” He grasped her arm. His touch was forceful, yet gentle. “Don’t be afraid. I would never harm you, mo cridhe. I swear on my life.”
Suzanne shivered as she slowly pulled her tank top over her head. Next, she kicked off her sandals and lowered her jeans, until she stood before Damian in her bra and panties.
“Very beautiful.” There was no mistaking the lust in his hazel eyes. “The rest, please.”
Her hands shaking, Suzanne reached behind her, unclasped her bra, discarded it, and let her ample breasts fall gently against her chest. Damian sucked in his breath. She hadn’t been worried. She knew her boobs were spectacular. But the panties concerned her. Her thick and bushy pubic hair had been a source of contention between her and Wade. He had wanted her to shave and trim it into a neat little strip, but she had always refused.
“Don’t be nervous,” he said gently, as if sensing her unease.
His words consoled her, and it seemed natural to ease her pink panties over her hips and let them drop to the floor. She stood before him, naked and vulnerable. Her heart nearly stopped as she waited for his appraisal.
He stepped toward her, cupped her breasts, and gently rubbed his calloused thumbs over her nipples. One hand trailed down her belly to her mound. He laced his fingers through the thick hair, his breathing heavy, his cock engorged. “Perfect,” he said gruffly. “Perfect, mo cridhe.”
“Now what?”
He kissed her softly on the cheek. “Now, I hold you next to my body. We share our heat, our intimacy.” He brushed his lips over hers. “And we sleep.” He lifted her and laid her gently on the bed. He crawled in beside her and cuddled her in his arms.
Suzanne lay still, nestled in the comfort of this mysterious man. The light fleece of his chest tickled her nipples. She felt safe. After what had nearly happened to her, she needed this sense of security. He had saved her, and now he protected her.
She listened to the hypnotic rhythm of his breath and soon fell into slumber beside him.
5
When Suzanne awoke, Damian lay on his side, his hand propping up his head as he stared at her. His smoking eyes scalded her naked flesh.
“Good morning, Suzanne.”
“Good morning.” The light of dawn streamed through her window and illuminated the fascinating man next to her. He had seemed handsome last night, but now, bathed in the sun’s rays, he stole her breath.
Several dark curls fell over his forehead. Suzanne instinctively reached out to smooth them but stopped midway, embarrassed.
Damian clutched her hand and led it to his face. “Don’t be afraid.”
“I just…your hair is in your eyes.” She pushed the offending locks behind his ear. His tresses felt sleek and velvety beneath her fingers. She whisked her hand away.
He smiled and held out his arms to her. “Come to me. Please, mo cridhe.”
Her heart lurched, and a flutter surged between her legs. Oh God, I want him. She glanced at his mouth—such a sensuous full-lipped mouth that promised endless delights—and then into his eyes. The jade irises were swirling again, as they had when he had attacked her assailants.
Odd. Very odd. But arousing.
“Come,” he said. “Just a hug. Please.”
One hug wouldn’t hurt, would it? He was so gorgeous, and that body… She had never seen such a well-formed man. She leaned into his embrace.
“Ah, love,” he said, his deep voice husky. “That feels nice.”
Damian pulled her close and caressed her shoulders and her back. She reciprocated and ran her hands over the definition of his upper arms and then up his neck and into his beautiful hair.
He buried his nose in her tangled mass of hair and inhaled. “Mmm.”
What was this fascination he had with her scent? Suzanne didn’t understand, but at the moment, her body ached with the need to touch every part of him. She slid her hands along his neck, over his muscular shoulders, and onto his back. But where she expected more of his smooth skin, raised and jagged bumps met her fingertips.
