Pleasure of a Dark Prince (24 page)

Long after MacRieve had left, she stared at the door, imagining what would have happened if she’d made different choices, if she could have enjoyed a night with a virile male, with no repercussions. The only thing between them was her past, her shameful past.

And her blighted future.

If the Scot was disgusted by her vow of chastity, how would he react when he knew she’d bedded the devil?

She was lying in the dark, peering at the cabin’s new fist-sized porthole, when MacRieve returned, soaked through. Without a word, he grabbed a shaving kit out of his bag, then headed for the shower.

Shaving? And he took my bow with him?

When he exited ten minutes later, he wore nothing but a towel and his cuff. His face was smooth, now clean shaven. He set her bow case by the cabin door, then shook out his hair—wolflike.

Dear gods, the man was fine. His damp skin was tan, his chest muscular perfection, with golden hair on the center. She wanted to rub her face against it.

At the mere sight of him like this, her exhaustion began to fade, her traitorous body readying against her will. She dug her curling claws into her palms and furtively clenched her thighs.

“My path is clear to me,” he said, his expression inscrutable.

“You’ll leave?”

“Nay, beauty. Was thinking.” He sat at the edge of the bed. “You weren’t completely
chaste
in the bayou that first night. So I figure we can do whatever we did then.”

“Whatever we did?”

“You can still be chaste, just no’ have intercourse. That’s why you stopped me in the swamp—if I had no’ tried to take you, I’ll bet you would’ve let me continue to my own end.”

Her lips parted. “No, you can’t know that.”

“You said you will no’ take a male into your body. Does no’ mean I canna suckle and stroke you. Does no’ mean you canna do the same to me.”

“We’ll lose control.” He could seduce her—she would surrender to that wild recklessness inside her. “You’ll try to get me to do more.”

“Will no’. I’ll wait until you tell me you’re ready. You’ll have to tell me you want me.”

She hesitated. “I might get… caught up and say something I’ll regret.”

“Then you’d have to say it when we are
no’
in bed.”

He was getting
that
look in his eyes. Her heart began racing, drowning out any lingering fatigue. Before her mind shut down, she needed to extract a vow from him. “No matter what happened. No matter what I said. Or did?”

“I’d never do anything you dinna want. Why I got this cuff from the bluidy witches.”

“I mean it! You would vow to the Lore?”

“Aye, I vow it,” he said. “Are we agreed?”

“I don’t…” She trailed off, staring up at his mesmerizing gaze. What woman could turn away a male who looked at her like this? At length, she gave a shaky nod.

He wasted no time reaching for her clothes. “Let’s take this off you.” He pulled her halter top over her head, seeming to go speechless at the sight of her dark red bra. She hadn’t chosen red because she’d known he’d see it tonight—truthfully, almost all her lingerie was now scarlet and crimson.

She must’ve been unconsciously buying them. For him…

He pressed her back on the bed, then removed his towel. Out of habit, she averted her gaze, but everywhere else on his body was titillating too. She wanted to sigh at those thick muscular thighs, dusted with more golden hair.

As he eased his towering, naked frame down beside her, he began slowly undressing her with grazing kisses. When he bared her breasts, his lips were only inches away from one of her nipples. They hardened for him, budding before his eyes.

He flashed her a wolfy, dangerous look, knowing his effect on her. “They want to be sucked.” He leaned down and wrapped his lips around one, flicking his tongue all over it. She helplessly arched up, gasping with pleasure as it pebbled in his mouth. Her gasp turned to a moan when he suckled her, hard, again and again.

Once he moved to her other nipple, he left the first one achy and damp. Dimly, she was aware that he’d continued stripping her but hadn’t acknowledged she was naked in a bed with him until he reared back on his knees.

Raking his gaze over her, his voice a deep rumble, he said, “Look at you. You make my mouth water.” His rigid penis pulsed, and a shining drop beaded the broad crown.

He began skimming his hand down her belly, but once he reached her sex, she stiffened. She couldn’t help it, even after his suckling had made her body boneless with need.

“Let me pet you. Or take my hand and show me how you want me to touch you.”

“Just… just do it like you did that night in the cell.”

“Was so long ago, I canna quite remember. Show me.” He seized her hand, and with his gaze catching hers, he sucked her forefinger between his lips, wetting it. Then he placed it against her throbbing clitoris, murmuring, “This is the finger you prefer, if memory serves.”

She was too aroused to be embarrassed, too far gone not to begin stroking herself there.

His lids went heavy, and he growled low in his throat. “That’s it, lass.” He moved to kneel between her thighs.

Masturbating to his riveted gaze, spreading moisture all around, she undulated her hips to her hand, her other arm falling over her head.

He began massaging her inner thighs, spreading her legs wider and wider, while her eyes fluttered shut.

Yet soon she felt
his
fingers stroking her folds, probing her opening. “MacRieve!”

“Keep goin’.” His chest was heaving. “I’m going to put my finger in. Nothing more. Just my—”

“No!” She slammed her knees shut.

He forced them back open. “Then just my tongue.” With his callused palms flat on her inner thighs, pinning her legs open, he leaned down and set his mouth directly upon her sex.

She sucked in a shocked breath. Lightning lit the room.

He spread her flesh, licking her up and down. “I’ve waited my whole life for this,” he rasped against her, his accent so thick. “Will never get enough of you.” Shuddering with pleasure, he began flicking, teasing, nipping….

She moaned—loudly. Rain and wind pounded the balcony doors open. A fine mist dewed her skin.

Seeming drugged with bliss, he asked, “You’ve never had this?”

“No!”

“You’ll be wantin’ it again?”

Another thorough lick had her back arching. “Ah, yes!”

“Good lass.” He wrapped those brawny arms around her thighs. “Your taste maddens me, dreamed of it, fantasized about doing this tae you.” He circled his tongue over her clitoris. “Have you imagined me kissing you here?”

“Yes,”
she moaned. She had, but had never dreamed it would be this wicked….

His pace was slow, savoring, but his body was taut, tension in every line of his corded muscles. He seemed as if he were only just keeping himself from setting upon her in a frenzy. His knee was drawn up, and his narrow hips were grinding against the bed. She wanted her hands on his rock-hard ass, wanted to feel him moving so sensuously.

As she grew closer to her climax, he gave a harsh groan against her. His eyes had flickered blue, and she’d seen a glimpse of his beast. Yet for some reason, the thought that he couldn’t quite control his reaction didn’t frighten her—it
aroused
her even more.

The tremors began, pleasure as she’d never imagined….

Just before he took her clitoris between his lips, he growled,
“Come hard for your male,”
then he suckled her.

“Ah, gods!” Her thighs fell wide open as she wantonly bucked to his mouth. Lightning flashed like bomb bursts outside. “Oh, yes!” She drew a breath,
needing
to scream. But he put his palm over her mouth for her to cry out against.

She did. Over and over…

He didn’t stop licking her orgasm the first or even the second time she pressed his head away. Just continued feasting, grinding his aching cock into the bed.

Finally, he tore himself away from her with a yell, rising up on his knees. Already he was on the verge of coming—even before he saw her spread out before him like an offering.

Her thighs were still parted, revealing her drenched sex. Her soft folds glistened. Her breasts were rising and falling with her hectic breaths.

Her eyes…
silvery and filled with lust as she stared at his swollen cock.

“Touch it.”

She rose up, reaching for him, giving him a slow stroke along his shaft.

“Cup me.” When she put her cool palm against his aching bollocks, hefting them, he choked out,
“Now do both.”
As she fondled his sac and stroked, he went nigh dizzy with pleasure. Somehow, he managed to utter the words, “Put your lips on it.”

She leaned in, looking like she was considering it but then hesitated.

“Have you ever done this?”

She whispered, “No, never.”

“Do you want tae?” When she gave a tentative nod, he said, “I’ll show you.”
She’s going to suckle it?
A dream? Another fantasy to join the thousands over the last year?

Holding the back of her head with one shaking hand and his cock with the other, he guided her closer. “Taste me, lass.” He was quaking with anticipation, fearing he’d spontaneously lose his seed.

He inhaled a ragged breath as her tongue darted out. She licked the slit; his eyes rolled back in his head, and he bucked uncontrollably to her tongue. When she drew back, he said, “Nay, Lousha, I’ll hold still. Just take me in.” Feeding his shaft to her once more, he rasped, “Suck it between your lips.”

With his gaze holding hers, he pressed his cockhead into her hot, wet mouth, groaning as her tongue greeted him. “Gods, woman!”

Still gazing up at him, she sucked it deeper, with her little cheeks hollowing—

No, no… canna hold my seed!
With a desperate groan, he tucked his hips under, somehow pulling out of that hungry heat. “‘Bout tae come.” He pressed her back on the bed, then took his cock in his fist. “Do you want me tae come atop you?”
If I canna mark you in one way, I will in another.

She gasped at his words, then nodded eagerly, arching her back.

After a single pump of his fist, he gave a brutal yell, releasing his semen over her. As he ejaculated, her body quivered with each drop of his hot seed. Again and again, he lashed her torso and breasts, her nipples….

Once he’d finally finished spending, he wiped her off with his T-shirt, then drew her tight into his arms. They lay with their hearts thundering.

Between kisses on her neck, her ears, her face, he said, “I’ll do this to you till there’s something to take the place of your vows—until you see the two of us together as your religion. Mark my words, Lousha, in time, you’ll be praying for me inside you.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

Lightning struck directly outside, a boom that shook the entire boat. But Garreth was already awake.

It was just after four in the morning—the time he was usually on the trail of Lucia, hoping to get a jump on her. If he’d even bothered to sleep.

Earlier, he’d petted her hair until she’d passed out, then he’d dozed fitfully himself—until he’d awakened with his shaft hard as wood.

After debating whether to wake her with his tongue back between her thighs, he decided not to push her too quickly. So he sat in the cabin’s chair, ignoring the ache in his shaft, and gazed at her, his favorite sight.

He’d never seen her like this before—
still
. In sleep, she panted her breaths, her brows drawn.

Another bolt. In the beginning, he’d thought all the lightning coming from her would take some getting used to. He’d thought wrong. He craved seeing it, knew it meant she was near, and it alerted him to her moods.

Lightning had struck every time just before she’d attacked him. He liked to think it was from regret….

Now things were looking up for them. The unbelievable pleasure they’d just shared was only the beginning. He’d seduce her to surrender more.

Wait, had she moaned? Maybe she had the same subject on her mind as he did.

He frowned when she did it again, and louder. No, it was a moan not of pleasure but of fear. A nightmare, getting worse. More lightning blasted down, then came a
whimper
.

“Lousha, rest easy.” He climbed back in bed with her, pulling her across his chest to run his fingers through her hair again. Though she never woke, she calmed.

Yet not before he felt tears on his chest. “Ach, love, what’s this?” he murmured, but she slumbered on.

He needed to uncover what had befallen his mysterious little mate. Lykae reveled in mysteries. He’d peel away the layers, find out everything he could about her. But with care. For Lucia, he would be patient, would temper his selfishness, his aggression.

Ah, lass, your secrets’ days are numbered.

“Still as ruggedly handsome,” MacRieve rumbled without opening his eyes, “as you found me last night, Valkyrie.”

Lucia jerked back, dragging the sheet with her. Luckily he hadn’t seen her hand poised just above his cheek. She’d been an inch away from stroking the backs of her fingers against his stubble.