“Huh,” she said.
“What?” He used his chopsticks to spear a snow pea pod out of one of the cartons on the table. She was still staring at him when he sat back. His eyebrows arched. “What, Selina?”
She licked her lower lip, and his gaze zeroed in on that unconsciously sensual movement. That tongue had slid over his body the night before, and he wanted that again. He wanted more from her. A lot more. For whatever reason, she’d decided to give him just that, even though they were working together day and night. His blood heated at the thought of the nights they’d have, and he reached out to run the tip of his finger from the top of her foot to her bent knee.
A shiver went through her, and her gaze darkened in rising awareness. “I’ve never met a Normal like you. At least not one so young.”
“What am I like?” He didn’t really care. His cock had gone hard in his pants, and he leaned closer to her to kiss her shoulder. Her perfume filled his nose, something sweet and edged in exotic spice. Perfect for her, and a heady aphrodisiac when mixed with the scent of her musky desire.
“Confident. No bullshit.” Her voice was just a little breathless, and he liked that. She swallowed audibly. “Comfortable in your own skin.”
He’d thought the same thing about her, but he wouldn’t argue with the assessment. Dodging live fire in a battle, and having life drop-kick him more than once meant he’d learned what he was made of a long time ago. He knew himself, and his chosen careers hadn’t left a lot of room for illusions, innocence, or any kind of bullshit. “And most Normals aren’t like that?”
“No.” Her breath caught as he eased his hand under the edge of her pants and between her legs to tease the lips of her sex. She was wet, ready. “Especially not Normal men. Fragile little male egos that annoy the shit out of me. Toddlers have more maturity.”
He snorted and leaned back, withdrawing his hand. “Wow. Okay. Tell me how you really feel.”
“You’re wearing too many clothes.” Her gaze roamed over his body. “That’s how I really feel.”
“Oh, yeah?” He chuckled, liking the way she looked at him, the way she talked about him, probably more than he should.
“I can take care of that for you.” That little pink tongue darted out to lick her lips again, and his cock jerked in response.
“Feel free.”
A wicked grin formed on her face, and she snapped her fingers. Goose bumps rose on his flesh—one of the few indicators humans had when magic was in use around them. A rush of warm air swirled around his legs, and when he looked down, his clothes were neatly folded and sitting beside his bare feet. “Huh. There’s a trick I haven’t seen before.”
“You like?” She purred, running one nail up his naked thigh. Her pajamas had also magically disappeared.
“Uh-huh. I like.” He reached over with his chopsticks and pinched her nipple.
“Hey!” She laughed and jerked back, smacking his hand away, but she shivered and both her nipples beaded tight. “Those things are greasy with Chinese food.”
“You know, you’re right. I think I got something on you. Here, let me take care of that.” He dropped the chopsticks on the table, bent forward, and sucked the tip of her breast into his mouth.
She moaned, her fingers threading through his hair. He liked her hands on him, but he wanted her silky skin rubbing against his. He wanted inside her. Tugging on her legs, he shifted their position until she stretched out beneath him on the couch.
Ah, yeah. That was what he’d craved. Every inch of her slender body pressed to his. He flicked his tongue over her nipple, circled it, bit it lightly, and loved her sounds of pleasure kissing his ears.
He touched her everywhere he could reach, the outsides of her thighs, up her ribs, the undersides of her arms. Sliding his hands until he held her wrists, he pulled them over her head to pin them to the couch cushion.
Humming in her throat, she tugged at her wrists, but he held them there and sucked her earlobe into his mouth to distract her from the fact that he had her pinned. She could escape using magic, but she’d have to focus enough to put together a defensive spell. He’d found in his work that having a diversion ready to go at all times could save him from getting fried by even the most powerful Magickals.
Now he used that to his advantage. He liked the way Selina’s stretched position arched her into him, pressed her breasts firmly against his chest. Sucking on her earlobe, he scraped it with the edges of his teeth. Her moan, and the shock of a hot pleasure spell streaking down his skin, told him the last thing on her mind was escaping his hold.
Her legs wrapped tight around his waist, lifting her hips to rub her soaking pussy against the head of his cock. His teeth sank into her lobe and a groan ripped out of him. She squealed and tilted her head to shove her ear into his mouth. Jesus, she was so responsive, especially with those cute little elf ears. Something else he’d be taking shameless advantage of for as long as he had her in his bed. Or on her couch. The floor. Wherever, whenever he could get inside her.
“Gods, Laramie.” She tugged at his grip on her hands in sharp, insistent jerks. “Will you fuck me already?”
Hell, yes, he would. He shackled her wrists together in one hand, and used the other to reach between them to grasp his cock. He rubbed the head over her slippery folds and her hard clit while she arched herself higher and tried to force him into her pussy. He was tempted to make her wait, to tease her until she went crazy for him, but he didn’t have the restraint left.
He wanted her too much to wait.
Guiding himself to her opening, he eased in the first inch of his cock. He had to grit his teeth against the staggering sensation of her tight, slick heat closing around his dick. The sound of need that exploded from her did nothing to help his control. She snapped her hips up to take more.
“Jack, Jack, Jack,” she chanted his name, and he couldn’t take the temptation.
He thrust deep, hilting his cock in one swift movement. She screamed, tried to escape his hold on her again, and ground her pelvis upward. A groan dragged out of his throat at the explosion of sensations. Her body moving against him fed a need he’d never known he had, something that went deeper than he wanted to even consider. Dark, sizzling magic poured from her, sent fire arcing over his skin. Not a real burn, but it sank within him and fanned the flames inside. It was consuming, demanding he give everything to the experience.
He bucked his hips, driving deeper into her, then withdrew and did it again. Jesus, it was perfect. He buried his face in her throat, sucking and biting the tendon that connected neck to shoulder. The intensity of the spell she cast raised every hair on his body and sent a shudder running through him. That wrenching dual perception of her desires and his melded in his consciousness. How she loved the way he pierced her, filled her, tangled with how it felt to thrust into her wet pussy.
They both groaned in pleasure when he bit her throat, sighed when her legs tightened around his waist, rocking her body into his. Through it all, his rhythm didn’t falter. He plunged his cock into her, over and over, needing that connection.
“You feel so fucking good, Selina. Tight. Wet.”
She twisted in his arms, jerking at his restraining grip, but he held tighter and moved to kiss her mouth. A diversion was definitely in order. Her lips parted under the pressure of his, her tongue thrusting out to tangle with his. The kiss went wild in moments, each of them biting, sucking, tasting, and taking. He slid his free hand between them again, rubbing her clit in time with his thrusts. She moaned into his mouth, and he felt her sex fist around his cock. A few more strokes, another flick of fingers over her clitoris, and she went over into orgasm, her explosive ecstasy bursting within his consciousness.
It was the most erotic thing he’d ever experienced,
knowing
—not just guessing—exactly how much pleasure he gave her, knowing how much she enjoyed his touch, how he turned her on, turned her inside out and made her scream. Nothing had ever even come close to this. Magic or chemistry, he didn’t know. He just knew it was phenomenal.
Every plunge of his cock into her wet pussy caused another wave of climax to crash through her, sent another shock of a spell roaring over him, until he could do nothing more than give in to the orgasm that beckoned. The magic, the sheer physicality of being on her and in her, her soft skin on his, her slender wrists trapped in his hand. It was too much to resist, and his hips hammered against her, the slap of their skin echoing in the room as come burst from his cock to fill her.
He groaned, shuddering. Burying his face in her throat, he sighed and relaxed against her. He should get up. Magickal or not, he was bigger than she was and he had to be crushing her. In a moment, he would move. Right now, he let himself enjoy the sensation of her pliant and soft body under him, of their hearts pounding, their breathing ragged gasps.
It was the best sex of his life, reaching down and taking hold of something deep inside him. Burning off any frustrations that cropped up during this case was going to be a lot of fun.
For the little time they had together, he wanted as much as he could get. It was all he could promise either of them, all he’d ever been able to promise since his wife made sure before she died that Jack knew all the problems in her life began and ended with him.
It occurred to Selina when she woke up later that night and went to the bathroom to pee that she should probably tell Theodore their quarry had resurfaced. Not the best time or place to think of the old man, but it didn’t change the fact that she should let him know. The Normal had retired years ago, after age had slowed him too much to do the job with any hope of success. Though she suspected his wife’s leukemia had done it more than anything else. He’d quit hunting to stay with her to the bitter end.
Skirting past the bed so she wouldn’t wake up Jack, Selina picked up her cell, walked out into the living room, and sat on the couch. Grim lumbered up from where he’d been sleeping in front of the fireplace and came over to rest his chin on her thigh. He made a questioning noise in the back of his throat.
She stroked a hand down his neck. “Nothing’s wrong. Just calling Theodore.”
He yipped, and Selina shushed him.
“I’ll tell him to say hello to your sister. Just don’t wake up Jack.”
Grim sighed but remained silent. She continued to pet him and used her free hand to scroll through her numbers until she reached the one for Theodore Holmes. She glanced at the clock. It was late, but the man lived alone now. He’d pick up.
“Hello?” The young voice of a teenager came through the line.
“Um ... I’m looking for Theodore Holmes. Is this still his number?” It was programmed into her phone, so she knew she hadn’t misdialed. Had he changed his number without telling her? Her heart squeezed—had he died and she hadn’t heard about it?
“Sure, one second.” There was a rustling sound for a moment, and then she heard in the background. “Grandpa, the phone is for you.” A pause. “I don’t know, I didn’t ask. Some lady. Did you pick up any chicks at the grocery store today and give them your number?” She laughed at whatever the response was to that.
The line picked up. “I’ve got it, Riley. Hang up now. Hello, who the hell is calling me at midnight?”
Selina cleared her throat. “Good to hear from you, too. There was a time when midnight wasn’t so late.”
“Grayson.” The tone warmed considerably. “There was a time when I wasn’t an ornery old cuss.”
She grinned at that. “No, just an ornery cuss. Not an old one.”
A grunt was the only reply he had for her.
“So, your granddaughter is visiting? Sorry I woke her.” Small talk with Theodore was like pulling teeth. With no anesthesia. He’d talk your ear off for hours about how best to hunt, trap, and kill a vampire, but idle chitchat wasn’t his forte.
“Riley lives with me now. She gives me a run for my money on ornery.” There was a rich irony and affection in the tone, as if he knew an old bastard like him shouldn’t be raising a young girl, but he liked it all the same.
Selina’s eyebrows almost arched off her forehead. “You’re child-rearing now?”
“Someone had to. She’s a good kid.” There was a wealth of love in that simple statement, but he gave no more explanation than that. No information about whether Riley’s parents had died, or abandoned her, or given up on her as a lost cause. Typical Holmes not to fill in any personal blanks. “Are you just checking in to make sure I’m still kicking or did you need something?”