Charmed (9 page)

Gritting her teeth, Chloe soon found it hard to keep up both the maddening pace of her swaying hips and the hand pressed to her pussy. However, her dilemma was quickly solved when the familiar slowly crawled up Tristan’s legs and settled his face between her parted thighs. Chloe watched in fascination as the young man moved her hand away and replaced it with his tongue, strumming it in time with Chloe’s hip movements.

“Ah fuck!” Chloe cried as she dove over the edge, for the familiar’s unrelenting tongue and the enormous cock pulsating deep in her pussy were just too much for her overexerted senses.

* * * * *

Simon curled his lip in disgust. His brother, as luck would have it, had obviously reconciled with his wife, considering their carrying on like animals in heat.

Swallowing the bitter bile threatening to choke him, Simon wondered for the thousandth time why things always came so easily to his older sibling. Women, money, even the love and respect of their people.

Unlike Tristan, he had to fight tooth and nail to obtain only a fraction of the success that seemed to always befall his ever-present thorn in the side. But just when he thought he’d be able to come out on top, his achievements always paled in comparison.

Even when he’d led the Warwick coven to victory in the deciding battle of an attempted coup by the Radamakin fraction in the late 1700s. His expertise on the battlefield was still overshadowed by his brother, who’d left the control of the army to him so that he could personally hunt down Lord Radamakin himself for trying to usurp Tristan’s absolute rule of the Warwick coven.

Simon had thought he would finally receive the respect and admiration he deserved for a hard-fought battle against ten thousand treasonous vampires but Tristan had still upstaged him, for many of their people saw Tristan’s actions as noble, while Simon was seen as just following orders.

Although that had been over three hundred years ago, Simon still had not forgiven Tristan, for it was the first and last time he’d been given the opportunity to finally break free from his older brother’s overbearing shadow.

Until now.

Just when he thought he would have to spend the rest of his life living in the shadows of his virtuous brother, he’d finally been given a reprieve in the form of his sister-in-law, the one woman who hadn’t been so easily taken in by his brother’s charm. In fact she was so immune that his brother had to resort to charming her, which was not only an abuse of his powers but a direct breach of their moral code.

Tristan had unknowingly given him the means by which to lift the heavy shadow he’d been carrying around all his life. And hopefully if everything went as planned, he would be the new leader of the Warwick coven.

* * * * *

“Wake up, sleepyhead. It’s time for us to leave. It’ll be dawn soon. And I don’t want to spend my night of rest on a pile of slippery pillows.”

Chloe stretched her arms over her head and smiled lazily up at her handsome husband.

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sleepy if you hadn’t been fucking me for the past two hours,” Chloe purred.

“And I wouldn’t have been so insatiable if I didn’t have such an alluring partner.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault now that you wanted to go on and on and on…” Chloe replied, rolling her eyes heavenward. She yelped when Tristan leaned down and bit her on the shoulder playfully.

“I think there can be worse things to complain about but wanting to spend my time stuffing my cock into my wife’s pussy isn’t one of them,” Tristan drawled. He then sat back on his haunches and hauled her up beside him. “Now hurry up and get dressed. I want to get back to your apartment and fuck you properly.” He handed her a long caftan that had miraculously appeared next to her torn dress.

Needing no further inducement, Chloe was dressed in one minute flat. Although she’d just chastised her ardent husband for his rampant lustiness, her sexual appetite was just as insatiable, despite the fact that she would be sore for the next few days.

Once they were both dressed, Tristan practically dragged Chloe out of the conservatory. Instead of descending the stairs as expected, he crossed the second-floor landing and entered what appeared to be the home’s guest wing. He stopped just inside the archway, pressed her up against the wall and began placing heated kisses in the crook of her neck. Sliding his hands down her body, he settled them on the rise of her buttocks.

“I swear,” Tristan groaned, “I can’t think straight when you’re near me. Love, would you think me rude if we didn’t make it back to your apartment? We could hole ourselves up in one of Raleigh’s guestrooms for the day instead.”

Chloe gasped when his large hands slid lower and cupped her ample flesh. His fingers splayed open and he pulled her up roughly against his hard cock. As expected, she melted like ice cream on hot asphalt when he touched her. She was so hot for him that he could have asked her to fuck up on the roof and she would have done it, no questions asked.

“You put on a great show back there,
brother
,” Simon jeered.

“Clear off, Simon!” Tristan growled. “One more word and I swear you’ll regret it…” His hands suddenly dropped from her body and he positioned himself between her and Simon. Although he didn’t say any more, his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.

Chloe’s interest was already aroused by the underlying tension that had passed between them earlier in the evening. But it was Tristan’s menacing undertones and defensive manner that moved her to confront her brother-in-law.

In an effort to stop this nonsense before things became physical, which they seemed close to becoming considering the rigidness of Tristan’s shoulders, Chloe stepped away from the wall and placed herself between the two brothers.

“Spit it out
now
, Simon. I’m getting tired of your little riddles.”

Tristan slid his arm around her waist and pulled her up against his hard body. He leaned his head down and spoke close to her ear, his warm breath fanning the baby hairs at her temple. “He isn’t trying to say anything, love. This is just a little sibling rivalry,” he purred, his thumb gently stroking her belly.

Jeez, he was really pouring on the charm now, Chloe thought as she tried to clear her head. Despite the seriousness of the moment, she couldn’t help but be affected by her husband’s closeness. If her stilettos weren’t so pointy, her toes would be curling.

“Sibling rivalry?” Simon snorted. “Don’t put me into this, brother. This was all
your
own doing. And what you did to her was despicable! So much so that I’m almost ashamed to even claim you as family.”

Despite the effect her husband was having on her rising libido, Chloe felt the hackles on her back raise. Pulling herself free, she stepped away from Tristan. If he was playing her false, she was gone for good. Mind-blowing sex or no.

“Say what you have to say, Simon, and be done with it. What’s this big secret you’re hiding?” Chloe asked, coming to stand in front of him. If he had half a mind to flee, he couldn’t now for she practically blocked him in.

Chloe looked into Simon’s handsome face and she noted the hard press of his lips, the slight tic of a muscle in his lean cheek and the almost pained expression in his clear blue eyes. Obviously her close scrutiny disconcerted him because he averted his gaze.

Although she appeared cool and calm on the outside, Chloe wanted to reach out and grab on to Simon’s jacket lapels and shake it out of him. What was he waiting for, for Pete’s sake? This wasn’t some silly soap opera where you kept the audience on edge until tomorrow’s episode. This was her life he was messing with and her possible future happiness with Tristan. If he didn’t spill the beans soon, she might have to revert to violence as well and beat this well-guarded secret out of him.

However, just when she felt the urge to kick off her heels and remove the diamond studs in her ears, Simon pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning against. He silently adjusted the silk tie knotted at his throat. When he finally looked at her, Chloe was surprised at the change in his expression.

Whatever she’d read earlier was now cleanly wiped away and replaced with a mask of boredom. His eyes appeared cold and distant. Suddenly remembering the mixed company she was in, Chloe took a cautious step backward.

Simon cleared his throat as if readying himself for a speech or in his case a dramatic monologue. If she wasn’t mistaken, he now seemed to relish his newfound role in this sudden game of intrigue.

“Chloe,” he began but then paused.

Oh, this is just too much
, Chloe thought. But before she could throttle him, he continued. “I’m sorry but I think you should know that my brother has not treated you with all fairness or honesty. When you were in Vegas, my brother told me that he charmed you.”

Chloe wasn’t sure she’d heard her brother-in-law correctly, which wasn’t surprising considering the blood pounding loudly in her ears, but she was pretty sure he’d just said that Tristan had charmed her during their short courtship in Vegas.

“Did you just say that Tristan charmed me?” Chloe asked, making sure she’d heard correctly.

Simon nodded his head with such seriousness that Chloe threw back her head and laughed. For goodness’ sake! He was acting as if he’d just told her Tristan was a polygamist or had slept with the family dog. Not that her husband had literally charmed the pants off her on more than one occasion and would probably do so again, before the night was over.

“Is that all?” Chloe sighed as she snapped open her clutch and pulled out a tissue. She then proceeded to wipe at the tears threatening to ruin her mascara.

“I don’t think you understand what I’m telling you. When a vampire charms a human, they have the power to control their thoughts and actions. He tricked you into marrying him and I believe he is doing the same in order to reconcile with you.”

Chloe’s head came up slowly and she stopped repairing her makeup. “Are you trying to tell me that Tristan placed some kind of
spell
on me to make me want him? Possibly even fall in love with him?”

When Simon nodded his head, Chloe felt her body temperature rise. “So what I’m feeling right now might not be real?”

Simon nodded his head once again. And this time she actually saw red.

Chloe shoved the soiled tissue back into her clutch, snapping it shut loudly. She then spun around and faced her husband, who was uncharacteristically quiet. She placed her hands on her hips and waited for him to refute his brother’s claims but, instead of coming clean, he slipped his hands in his pockets and looked at some invisible spot over her head.

Not willing to let this be easy for him, Chloe stalked over to him and grabbed a hold of the lapels on his jacket. Yet he still didn’t look at her.

“Look at me!” Chloe hissed. “Did you do what he’s just accused you of, Tristan?”

Tristan sighed heavily as if a great burden were riding his shoulders. When he looked down at her, his green eyes appeared glassy with tears.

“Chloe, love, I can explain,” he pleaded as he reached up and covered her hands with his own but she shook them free as if they burned her.

“Don’t. Touch. Me!” she yelled, backing away from him, her eyes beginning to pool with unshed tears.

“I see everything clearly now,” she announced, averting her gaze away from him. “Oh my God…I’ve been such a fool. Not once but twice! For here I was thinking that I’d finally found someone who I had strong feelings for and who returned them as well, but now it seems all I’ve been is some silly pawn. Well, it must have been a pretty strong spell because I think I would have practically followed you to the ends of the earth…”

Tristan opened his mouth to speak but Chloe held up her hand to stop him. “Save it, Tristan, there’s nothing you can say at this point to rectify the situation.”

Thankfully, Chloe still had her pride for when she spoke she chanced a glance at him and the look of utter devastation on his face was almost her undoing. Because despite the fact he no longer controlled her mind, she knew deep down inside he still held a piece of her heart.

Needing a moment to gather her bearings, Chloe slowed her breathing. In…out…in…out. Somewhat satisfied, she lifted her head regally, sniffing back the tears that threatened her makeup.

“Simon, could you take me home, please? It seems like I have suddenly become unescorted.”

“Of course. It would be…my pleasure,” Simon replied from close behind her.

“Good, I’m done here.”

Chapter Seven

“I’ve really made a mess of it, haven’t I?”

Tristan waited for Raleigh’s answer. They were in the older man’s drawing room playing a game of billiards. Because of Tristan’s troubled thoughts, Raleigh was beating the pants off him.

“I guess if what Simon said was true. Yes, you have. Good God, man! What were you thinking? You of all people should have known better. You could have upset the whole natural order between vampires and humans.”

Tristan sighed. Raleigh was right, just like Simon had been right earlier. But could any of them understand wanting someone so badly that you would do anything to have them? Probably not. He was obviously the most selfish bastard on the face of the earth at this moment.

“I know I was being selfish. But the thing is only half of his allegations were true. I will admit that I used my charms on her to get her to marry me but I didn’t use them to manipulate her feelings for me. We both know that our powers can only influence one’s actions and thoughts, not what is in the heart.”

“Did you explain this to her?” Raleigh asked.

“No,” Tristan replied dejectedly. “She didn’t give me the opportunity to explain myself.”

“So now she thinks that all of the things she’s felt up to now weren’t real but magic? Oh, you are in a mess,” Raleigh murmured.

“I could just strangle Simon right now,” Tristan spat out.

“Well, it wasn’t
his
misguided judgment that got you into this mess. He was just looking after your wife’s welfare.” He then bent over the billiards table and readied himself for his next shot. After the eight ball rolled into the right corner pocket, he looked up at Tristan as if he were deep in thought.