Crimson Debt: Book 1 in the Born to Darkness series (37 page)

Victor looked irritated. “What is it with you
people? Look, if it’ll make you feel any better, I swear not to lay
a finger on her—literally—the entire time she’s at my place.”

“That
does
make me feel better,
actually,” Taylor said quietly. I had expected her to be in
hysterics by this time but she looked strangely calm. “All right,”
she told Victor. “I’ll go with you.”

“About fucking time,” he growled. “Hurry. The
moon’s going to be up soon and I need to be on my land.”

Taylor gave me one last quick hug.

I kissed her cheek. “Just hang in there—it’ll
be over soon,” I whispered. “Love you, roomie.”

“I love you, too,” she said and then she
followed Victor out of Corbin’s office and was gone.

“Darling, you have to stop worrying about
your friend,” Corbin said later when we were down in his daytime
resting place. “She will be fine. Victor is rough around the edges
but he is a decent male. He won’t hurt her or starve her to
death.”

“I hope you’re right.” I sighed and sat on
the edge of the bed, then winced when the mattress rubbed against
one of my many sore spots. “Ouch!”

“Are you all right?” Corbin was suddenly
kneeling in front of me, a concerned look in his eyes.

“Fine,” I said automatically, then changed my
mind. “No, you know what? I’m
not
fine. I ache
everywhere.”

“That is my fault.” He looked so remorseful I
wanted to let him off the hook immediately.

“Hey, don’t start that again.” I reached out
and cupped his scratchy cheek. “I do have a question about it
though.”

He nodded. “Ask. I will do my best to
answer.”

“All these, uh, marks you accidentally left
on me,” I said carefully, not wanting to make him feel worse than
he already did. “Why didn’t you just, you know, heal me?”

Corbin frowned. “You mean molest you in your
sleep?”

“Oh please…” I snorted impatiently.
“Seriously—
molest
me?”

“You know that when I heal you it is a very
sexual thing, darling,” Corbin murmured. “I washed you and dressed
you as gently as I could but I didn’t want to take any more
liberties while you were unconscious. Especially after what had
just happened. I suppose…” He sighed and looked away. “I suppose I
felt I had lost the right to touch you in that way.”

“Oh Corbin…” I stroked his cheek. “Are you
really going to keep torturing yourself like this? Can’t we please
just move on and forget it?”

He shook his head. “I can’t forget. Not while
you still wear the marks of brutality I put on your skin.”

“There’s an easy answer to that,” I said.
“Heal
me, Corbin.”

He frowned. “You’re certain after what
happened between us, you still want me to touch you… to taste
you?”

My cheeks were getting hot but I nodded
anyway. “Yes. Now more than ever.” I slipped one arm free of the
dark green kimono and held it out to him. “Help me out,” I said,
nodding at the dark, finger-shaped bruises on my pale skin.
“Please, Corbin, it really hurts.”

He sighed. “As you wish, darling. But this
will be for healing
only.
I do not think we should do more
tonight.”

“What?” I frowned. “Why not?”

“You know why not, Addison. Though you claim
to be just ‘fine’ after our encounter, there is no way you could go
through what you did last night with me—no way you could pay the
Debt—without incurring some emotional trauma.”

I could see the sense in what he was saying
and it was true—after my frightening experience with his darker
side, I should probably want to run away screaming or at least put
some distance between us. Instead, all I wanted was his hands and
mouth on my skin, his body covering mine. Why was that? Could it be
that paying the Crimson Debt had healed me too? But how could I
convince Corbin of that?

The answer was, I couldn’t. We would have to
take things slowly.

“Just heal me then,” I said, holding out my
arm again. “Please?”

“All right. As long as it is only healing.”
His face was serious as he took my wrist gently in one hand and
began to lick a long, slow trail up my arm.

I felt my breath catch in my throat as the
tingling warmth spread through me, making my nipples hard and my
pussy wet. Feeling embarrassed at my instant reaction, I tried to
concentrate on the healing Corbin was performing on me. It was
amazing to watch how the bruises disappeared, melting away like
magic as he licked and kissed my tender skin. Before I knew it, my
left arm was completely healed.

“Much better,” I said, holding it out and
examining it in the firelight.

“There is more to heal.” Corbin’s eyes were
hooded as he tugged gently at the other sleeve of the kimono. “May
I?”

“Yes.” My breath was coming fast as I slipped
my other arm out of its sleeve and let the top part of the robe
pool around my waist. “Yes,
please.”

Corbin growled in approval at my voluntary
nudity and went about healing my other arm as well. By the time he
was finished with that one, my body was throbbing and I would have
been happy to skip the rest of the healing and get down to
business. But Corbin was having none of that.

“I want to heal all of you,” he said,
stroking my cheek. “I want to erase every mark I put on your creamy
skin, darling. I won’t feel right until I do.”

I could see the hurt in his eyes and I knew
this was something he
had
to do.

“All right,” I whispered, offering him my
throat, which was still raw and tender from the savage way he had
sucked it the night before.

“I think we need to reposition,” he murmured,
coming to sit on the bed with me. “Come, Addison—sit on my lap. And
you can leave the robe on the floor.”

Being completely naked with him still made me
blush but there was nothing but love in his eyes as I shed my robe
completely and crawled into his lap. Corbin cradled me in his arms
and I turned my head to the side and offered him my throat, just as
I had the night before. The position brought back no traumatic
memories—in fact, it made me even hotter, remembering how I had
submitted to him, had given everything he demanded and more.

He took a long time healing my neck,
caressing my sensitive flesh with his tongue and covering my throat
with slow, hot kisses until I thought I was going to scream.

“Corbin,” I gasped at last, squirming against
him. “Corbin, please, you’re driving me
crazy.”

“Forgive me, darling. That was not my
intent.” He looked at me seriously. “I simply want to be certain
you’re truly healed.”

“Well, I am—there anyway,” I said, sitting up
in his lap. “But I have…other areas that hurt.” I arched my back,
indicating my breasts—my nipples were so tight they ached. “Please,
Corbin,” I whispered.

I could see the lust in his eyes but there
was self-control there as well. “Very well,” he said at last. “But
you must tell me where it hurts. You are not as marked here as
other places.”

“Here.” I pointed to the slope of my right
breast. My breath caught in my throat as Corbin ducked his head and
placed a hot, wet kiss where I had indicated.

“And here,” I continued, pointing to a place
much closer to the center of my breast, right by the pale pink band
of my areola. He complied again, lapping gently at the hurt spot
though he somehow managed to avoid my nipple, which was aching for
him. Well, I would fix that.

“And
here.”
I touched my tight little
nub lightly and bit my lip. Even my own touch sent fire through me.
I could only imagine what Corbin’s mouth would do.

He frowned at me. “Are you certain? Remember,
darling, I am doing this for healing purposes only.”

“I know but it aches,” I said, which really
was
true. “They both do, Corbin.”

“Very well,” he murmured. “Then I think it
would be best if you straddled my legs so I can reach you.”

I did as he asked. Getting up on my knees, I
put one leg on either side of his narrow hips and thrust my chest
out so he could get to my breasts. I knew the pose made me look
wanton and open and that was exactly what I wanted because it was
exactly how I felt.

Corbin groaned softly at the sight of me
offering myself so willingly.

“Come here,” he growled softly and pulled me
to him, sucking one of my nipples as deeply into his mouth as he
could.

I gasped and buried my hands in his hair,
arching my back to offer him even greater access as sparks of
pleasure shot through my body. The position I was in, with my legs
spread wide to straddle his hips, made my pussy feel open and hot.
I couldn’t help remembering how good it felt when he touched me
there…when he tasted me.

By the time Corbin switched to the other
nipple, I knew I had to have more than just healing tonight. My
body needed to come—needed it badly. But how could I convince
Corbin that I wanted him—
needed
him—even after what we had
been through the night before?

Keep taking it slow,
whispered a
little voice in my head. I knew I should but it was hard advice to
follow—especially when my whole body was throbbing with need.

“Thank you, Corbin,” I said at last,
breathlessly. “I think…think I feel better now. There anyway.” I
indicated my nipples, which were dark pink and extremely sensitive
from his sucking.

“I am glad, darling.” His voice was thick
with desire but I could still see the self-control in his eyes.

“So maybe…maybe you should turn your
attention to other areas.” I nodded at the area between my legs and
he frowned.

“Yes, you are right. Your thighs suffered
much abuse.”

He was beginning to look remorseful all over
again and I couldn’t have that.

“Here,” I said, slipping out of his lap and
lying down on the bed in front of him. Feeling nervous and
vulnerable, I slowly spread my thighs, opening myself for him
completely. “You…you can heal me if you want,” I whispered.

“You know I do,” he murmured. “Come to the
edge of the bed, Addison. It will be easier for me to reach you
that way.”

Lying on the edge of the bed with my calves
hanging over the side, I couldn’t help remembering the first time
he had “healed” me, after the spanking. Then I had been reluctant
to let him in—now I was eager, letting my legs fall open to him at
once when he parted my knees. My whole body felt hot and tight and
needy and I waited impatiently to feel his hot breath on my
core.

But Corbin had been serious about healing my
thighs, which, to be honest,
did
have more than their fair
share of finger-shaped bruises. He licked long, slow trails across
my skin, making me shiver with tension and need. The tingling,
healing magic was driving me crazy. God, I needed him so badly…

I was afraid I would have to beg but finally
Corbin finished with my thighs and positioned himself over my
pussy. I closed my eyes and waited for him to begin…and waited and
waited. Finally, I opened them and looked at him, frowning.

“Corbin?”

“I used you so roughly, darling.” His deep
voice was hoarse with emotion and I could see he was still
examining me. “I cannot forget how hurt you were. You are still
very swollen here.” His fingertips trailed lightly over my bare
mound, making me shiver.

“Then…heal me,” I whispered, breathlessly.
“Like you did everyplace else.”

“But this is different,” he protested. “I
hurt you inside as well. I will need to penetrate you, Addison. To
get my tongue as deeply into you as possible to heal all the damage
I have done.” He looked up at me. “Can you open for me and let me
do that? Can you spread your thighs and give me complete access to
your soft little cunt?”

My heart was beating so hard I thought it
must be shaking my whole body but at the same time I felt a kind of
languor creeping over me, a delicious sexual flush that seemed to
take over my whole body. It made me want to give Corbin anything he
wanted, made me want to open myself to him in every possible
way.

“Yes,” I whispered, reaching out to glide my
fingers through his hair. “Oh, yes, Corbin.
Yes.”

He gave me a little half smile. “You seem
very willing to be healed, my darling.”

“Extremely willing,” I assured him. “For
anything
you might have in mind.”

“Only healing,” he reminded me sternly.
“That’s all for tonight.”

“Then
heal
me, Corbin,” I begged,
knowing there was no point fighting with him. “Please, I need you
to heal me
now.”

“Of course.” He dropped a soft kiss at the
top of my slit. “The outside first, I think.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from
moaning in frustration as he lowered his head and began to take
long, slow licks of the outside of my pussy. I was so swollen with
need I could feel my outer lips parting for him on their own but he
steadfastly avoided my inner folds until I thought I would
scream.

“Corbin!” I gasped at last. “Please, I need
you
inside
now.”

“Like this, you mean?” he murmured. Spreading
my outer lips with his thumbs, he took a long, slow, loving lick,
lapping my pussy with the flat of his tongue and making me moan and
writhe with delight.

“Yes, like that!” I said breathlessly. “Only
more, Corbin—
more.”

“I am just trying to heal you, Addison. Not
pleasure you,” he said with mock severity. “If you would lie still
and not squirm so much, the process would be much simpler.”

“I can’t help it,” I whispered as he bent to
lick me again. “The way you heal me feels so good…so
right.”

“Of course it’s right,” he murmured, licking
me again, this time paying special attention to my throbbing clit.
“We belong together, you and I. I knew it from the first moment I
saw you.”