In Too Deep (22 page)

“Relax, it was only E.”

Erin studied her in silence as realization settled in. Not wanting to look the prude, she shrugged as if everything were okay and faced Adams once more, placing her hands on her hips.

“That was quite a kiss.” She tried to sound nonchalant, but inwardly she was worried. She had never taken ecstasy and she didn’t know how her body would react. She hoped it wouldn’t interfere with her plans to seduce their suspect and possibly extract the incriminating statements that would make a case stick.

“Angie’s known for her E kisses,” Liz voiced, her tone thick with seduction. The actress walked away and they began to dance, once again alone with each other.

“You’re right. This beats the hell out of the Wild West party.”

Liz laughed. “You have no idea.”

“I’d like to find out.” Erin looked up into her eyes as she made the seductive yet submissive plea.

“Really?” An eyebrow inched just above the leather mask. “This is quite a change.”

“Are you complaining?” Erin asked, toying with her.

Another laugh. “Not at all. Don’t tell me leather turns you on…I would never have guessed it from your writing.”

Erin tilted her head, curious. “What exactly did you get from my writing?”

“Well, let’s see. You’re a hopeless romantic and very, very lonely.”

The statement startled Erin. Even if she herself wasn’t Katherine Chandler, the description still fit. She fumbled for words. “Uh, well, I was hoping you would’ve gotten more than that from the books.”

“Oh, but I did.” Liz pulled her closer, tighter. “You write about all that romance and desire because it’s what you crave most in your life. True love, idealized romance, and relationships. All of it. You want it all.”

“And you think it’s not possible.” Erin could tell by her tone that she thought true love was unobtainable.

Liz paused for a moment before she spoke. “Not from what I’ve seen.”

“You’ve never been in love,” Erin declared matter-of-factly.

Liz looked into her face. “How would you know that?”

“Because if you had, then you would know that true love is something that you can’t control. It just happens. And no reason or sensibility can quell it. It just is.” Erin didn’t know where the words came from, but they were spilling out.

It was as if Erin had reached a new layer in the depths of Liz’s eyes, causing a flood of darker, deeper blue. “The E must be getting to you,” Liz said.

“You’re afraid. You’re afraid to let someone in.” Erin said the words softly, the revelation seeming very fragile to her. Liz was a brittle shell, with no emotion on the inside. Those emotions had been hidden safely somewhere else, leaving behind a tough-looking, but nonetheless very fragile shell. She could see it all now; it was so clear, and her heart pained for the woman. “It’s okay. I understand,” she continued softly, searching the striking face. She was so incredibly beautiful. “Take off the mask,” she pleaded, suddenly needing to see her face, all of it.

Liz licked her lips at the request. “I…” She looked around, seemingly unsure. “Not here.”

She gently took Erin’s hand. They began to walk and Erin took a deep breath, noticing her surroundings as if for the first time. The sound of the music, the different shades of the lights—it all felt so incredible. Amazing. It was all so beautiful. She looked at the women dancing around her. A thin sheen of sweat covered their skin, while the deep shades of blue and purple from the lights accented the contours and planes of their faces. They were breathtaking.

She tripped over someone’s foot, causing Liz to turn back to her. “You okay?”

Erin ran her hand over her own forehead, amazed at the sweat coating her brow. In her peripheral vision, she noticed the elaborate movement of the people dancing. She turned to look at them, unable to resist. But the dance wasn’t nearly as incredible when she viewed it head-on. At that moment, she knew she was feeling the effects of the drug.

“Fine.” She smiled at Liz, truly feeling the smile. In fact, she felt better than fine. She felt fucking fabulous.

Liz led her up the stairs slowly, allowing Erin a wonderful view of her backside in the tight, shiny black pants. She looked at their joined hands. Liz’s skin felt so warm, so soft. Erin lifted her hand and kissed it, needing to taste it.

Liz looked at her long and hard, her eyes lightening a shade, blazing with desire. At that moment metallic silver flakes fell upon them from the rafters above. Erin squealed with delight as her attention instantly shifted to the brilliant silver snowfall around them. The crowd below roared to life and the dancers raised their hands as a Nine Inch Nails song pumped through the sound system.

“This is so much fun.” Erin threw her arms around Liz and grinned into her neck.

The full force of the ecstasy had hit her and she knew it, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t care; her mind and body wouldn’t let her care. She felt Liz tense with arousal next to her. She couldn’t help but grin; Liz smelled so damn good.

“What is that, that you wear?” Erin lightly fingered Liz’s neck where the scent was strongest.

“It’s called Crave, by Calvin Klein.” Liz’s voice sounded tight and strained.

“Mmm. I can certainly see why it’s called that,” Erin whispered, meaning every word.

“Are you two having all the fun without me?” Angie was back and she was standing just slightly between them.

“We were starting to.” Liz was clearly annoyed at being interrupted, but her smile remained.

“I believe,” Angie said, looking at Liz, “that I owe you a kiss now.”

The music was loud and powerful and the words teased at Erin’s ears. Looking at Angie and Adams, she suddenly wanted to fuck, and she wanted to be fucked. She wanted to feel someone inside her.

Liz looked past Angie to Erin, studying her face, apparently noticing her arousal. “I don’t want any E,” she said, sounding distant.

“I don’t have any. But I still owe you a kiss.” Angie fingered Liz’s nipples through the chains.

Erin watched the erotic scene before her. She could almost feel the persistent strokes of Angie’s fingers on the dark nipples, as if the actress were stroking her rather than Liz.

“Kiss her,” she choked out, needing to see it, but even more, needing to experience it.

Liz stared at her in surprise, her cheeks flushing red at the words. Responding strongly, she grabbed Angie by the back of the head and pulled her close.

“Make me bleed, baby.” Angie’s plea was deep and throaty, igniting Erin from the inside out. Liz complied, licking her lips, her eyes hungry.

Erin watched with voyeuristic delight as the two beautiful women kissed. She could see their tongues battling for dominance. Liz took Angie’s full bottom lip into her mouth, tugging at it with her teeth and sucking on it with force. Angie moaned deeply, clinging to her. When Liz finally let loose and pushed her away, the actress fingered her lip, a slight grin curving upward at the feel and taste of her own blood.

Erin swallowed hard, as if she too could taste the blood, heavy and thick with metal, like sucking on a penny. Her nostrils flared, curious to find the scent of it, the scent of sated desire. The kiss had been powerful and hungry, and it had awakened her own need to feed.

“My turn,” she let out in a throaty, aroused whisper. She stepped up to Liz and wrapped her hands in the thick hair at the back of her head. The noise of the club receded in a tunneling fog as ravenous need clouded her senses. She could hear her own heartbeat echoing within, rushing her adrenaline-heavy blood to her extremities, to her lips, filling them, darkening them.

She closed her eyes and took Liz into her mouth, sucking in her top lip and rimming it with her hungry tongue. She felt her tremble and then, as if she had regained control, Liz grabbed Erin’s back and pulled her closer, groaning.

Erin felt the tongue in an instant, demanding entry, demanding the right to explore and lay claim. Without seeing it, she knew it was longer than her own and astonishingly agile as it tasted her entire mouth in fluid, easy motions. Wanting more, she met the hot forceful tongue with her own, swirling and dueling. She felt Liz’s hand at the back of her head, holding her still. Then Liz took Erin’s tongue in her mouth and sucked it.

Erin groaned with delight at the sensation and the flesh between her legs throbbed, demanding to be next. With hunger and need fueling her, she tugged on Liz’s dark mane, wrapping it in her fingers. Liz reacted instantly, standing on her tiptoes, lifting Erin off the ground and wrapping Erin’s legs around her waist. “I need to taste you. Now,” she said, her throat tight, her voice raspy.

She carried her to the door of her private room, balancing her up against the wall while she typed in her code.

Erin clung to her as they walked inside, the feel of the strong woman between her legs beating reason and accountability hands down. She knew what she was about to do, just as she knew she shouldn’t. But nothing seemed to matter to her at that moment except for the need to touch and be touched. Her skin felt alive. Alive as if it were its own thinking being with a beating pulse and a voracious, insatiable appetite. It craved.

She nuzzled Liz’s exposed neck, causing her to shudder. “Take off your mask,” she softly demanded.

Liz lowered Erin to the ground in front of the large bed and slowly slid the leather mask from her face.

“That’s so much better,” Erin said as her fingers lightly caressed the beautifully sculpted features that had been hidden beneath it.

Liz swallowed hard and Erin noticed. She was noticing everything now. The beauty of the woman before her, the fragility masked by indifference and distance, the delicate pulse that beat just beneath the damp skin on her neck. She was human. And that was something it seemed no one had ever considered before.

“I want you,” she said. “I want you to take me.”

Liz grabbed at the hand caressing her face. She touched Erin tentatively on her neck.

“Yes, touch me,” Erin pleaded. “Before I die.”

Liz stepped into her, taking her mouth with dominance and hunger. Erin let the sensual assault of tongue and mouth free her. She felt like flying, and for a second she almost floated away, she almost grabbed onto the string of the pleasurable balloon floating by. Instead, she grabbed at Liz’s back, digging her nails in deep, grounding her mind and body.

She heard a growl in her ear as Liz ended the claiming kiss and attacked her neck. Erin shuddered, clinging tight to the muscled back as arousal spread through her heated skin, the hot wet mouth claiming her sensitive skin. She felt warm hands trying to unlatch her bra.

“Wait,” she managed, her blood and brain swimming. She pushed herself away, suddenly conscious of the wire she was wearing.

“What is it?” Liz asked, her face hot with the flush of desire.

She studied Katherine carefully, wanting her like she had wanted no other before. Her hands trembled, the need to touch her persistent and powerful.

Erin turned quickly, making her way to the rest room. “I’ll be right back.”

*

Liz stood, unable to move, amazed at how easily Katherine Chandler had charged through her walls, moving right in to stir emotions deep within. Her breathing came heavy and quick, thick with arousal. It caught in her throat as Katherine reappeared, her black bra removed. She stood in the doorway of the bathroom, the air awakening her exposed honey-colored nipples.

Liz remained frozen as the object of her desire neared. “You are so beautiful,” she rasped, suddenly alive and driven to touch her. With her breath shaking in her chest, she lightly skimmed her thumbs over the awakening nipples, erecting their thick, hungry buds.

*

Erin nearly collapsed at the touch and she had to hold tight to Liz’s forearms. After a moment, wanting to feel for herself, she mirrored Liz’s movements, lightly caressing the dark rose of her nipples through the chains. She watched in amazement as the blue eyes before her became dark, dilating pools.

Liz pushed her hands away. She reached down and unsnapped Erin’s leather pants. As she lowered the zipper, she leaned in and bit possessively on Erin’s exposed neck.

Erin gasped at the animalistic feel of the teeth on her flesh. She grabbed Liz’s shoulders as her leather pants were removed, one leg at a time. She thought she would feel less confident and more exposed being naked in front of a woman for the first time. But as Liz placed her warm hands on her nude hips and knelt before her, all she could feel was the fierce burn of yearning.

*

“God, you’re already so wet,” Liz purred, her voice rich and heavy with want. She licked at Katherine’s inner thigh, wanting, needing to taste the glistening wet of her, already shimmering against her thighs.

Katherine clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on Liz’s shoulders and in her hair as Liz’s tongue moved against her inner thigh.

“Mmm, so good,” Liz murmured between long licks. “I’m going to lick up every last drop from you.”

“Ah…ah.” Strange and inaudible noises came from Katherine as Liz’s tongue continued its path up her leg.

“Look at me,” Liz demanded softly.

Katherine opened her eyes.

“I want you to watch.” Liz demanded, once again lowering her own piercing gaze.