Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (66 page)

“
Lucius, it’s gorgeous,
truly; I’ve never seen a house so exquisite.”

Lucius gave me a heartwarming smile.
He parked the car in the driveway and rushed around and opened my
door. He reached out, and I took his hand.

“
You didn’t think I lived
in a coffin, did you, little one?”

I felt my cheeks flame and looked down
at my feet. Of course, Lucius knew what I was thinking. His loud
chuckle made me look up, and the sight that met my gaze stole my
breath. Lucius had the most beautiful, smiling eyes. His grin
created dimples in his cheeks that took years off his normally
somber face. There truly was so much more to the man than what I
could have imagined.

“
Come, Ivy, let us go
inside and talk. Time is passing all too quickly.”

Chapter Three

We ascended the porch steps together,
and I walked into a house where time stood still. Even though I had
little experience in home décor, I knew that each piece of
furniture, each painting on the wall, had to be priceless or very
close to being classified as a rare and costly antique. I didn’t
know where to stand; I was so nervous I’d break or damage something
and ruin it forever. Lucius took my hand and pulled me into the
living room. I felt my jaw drop. The room was huge, bigger than my
entire apartment, which wasn’t saying much considering I lived in
one of the tiniest flats available in a part of town where the poor
could find affordable housing.

“
Sit down, please. Relax.
This furniture has stood the test of time. It truly is a lot more
durable than you think it is.”

I relaxed slightly and sat down on the
edge of a fancy, high-backed chair with a fleur de lis print. The
design was one of the few things I recognized, and suddenly, I felt
out of my league. Swiftly, Lucius knelt in front of me. He lifted
my chin and gazed into my eyes.

“
Ivy, never again think so
little of yourself. You are worth far more to me than any piece of
furniture or painting in this house or any other house I own around
the world.”

I smiled weakly in return, but his
kind words did little to ease my insecurities. If anything, his
mention of owning other homes around the world only made matters
worse. I squirmed in my seat and avoided his intense
gaze.

Lucius rose, “I will be back in a few
moments. Please make yourself at home.”

As soon as Lucius left, I stood and
began pacing and wringing my hands. The circumstances were so
extraordinary; what was I to do, to think, to feel? In the space of
just a few hours, a man had turned my world upside down. My
beliefs—what few I had—were suddenly conflicted, my emotions in
turmoil. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, only then
noticing the throbbing coming from the scar on my wrist. I looked
down and gasped. The living room light showed clearly how angry and
red the mark had become. Why was it inflamed now, so many years
after the attack? I stood there troubled, and to distract myself, I
took to wandering around the room. Never in all my years had I seen
such beauty in a house, such care for each chosen treasure, for
surely there was love in this house.

I stood near a low table, admiring a
Tiffany lamp, when Lucius came back into the room. He stopped and
smiled at me.

“
I procured that while on a
shopping expedition in Paris.”

I
returned his smile and shook my head.
A
shopping expedition in Paris, hmm
? We
obviously lived in two different worlds. What I wouldn’t give to
experience such things.

Lucius sat down on a loveseat, and I
chose the chair nearby, realizing the time had come for us to talk.
He’d said he had much to tell me—had brought me here so we could
speak alone, in comfort—and so I settled in, praying I had the
nerve to listen to what he had to say. I took a deep, slow breath
and looked into Lucius’ eyes.

“
Ivy,
what I’m about to tell you may be difficult for you to accept. It
concerns me and my religion, and as with any religion, it will
require much faith on your part to believe. I’m asking you to have
that faith—faith in
me
, if nothing else. Do you think you can do
that?”

I did not know what to say, so I
simply shrugged. Religion was a very sore subject with me. In my
darkest hours, I had cried and screamed, asking whatever God that
might be passing by to hear my pleas, to save me from certain
downfall. But, alas, my cries went unheeded. No, I did not believe
in any religion; I only depended on myself. I felt a hand on my
arm, the pressure pulling me back to the reality of my situation.
Again, I found myself looking into Lucius’ warm eyes. I tentatively
smiled and found myself holding my breath.

“
Many, many years ago, a
man struggled with his soul. He had a job to do, one which required
him to have complete faith in his king. In order to do his job he
had to harden his heart, for if he did not, he would never have
done the cruel things required of him. Back then, it was not all
that unusual for a man to act out of loyalty to his king and do
everything that was required of him. Those were very dark times,
Ivy. And so, this man became a hardened man, a man who ruthlessly
killed when asked, all for the love of his king. He left his family
and friends; he responded to no one, unless a summons came from
court. He travelled under darkness and carried out acts so heinous
that even the devil himself would have bowed down in reverence to
this dark knight. My dear, it pains me to admit to you . . . that
man was me.”

The breath I had been holding left my
body on a sharp exhale. I didn’t know what I expected to hear from
Lucius, but I found my heart opening as I’d listened to his tale.
Finally, I found someone who may well understand darkness and
depravity. I reached up and touched his face. Tenderly, I stroked
his cheek, and he gave me a heartbreakingly sad smile. So much
pent-up pain flowed from Lucius to me, unspoken pain emanating from
both of us. Truly, we were connected, somehow.

“
I killed many people,
people who were not necessarily bad, because I believed in my king
and his court. I sold my soul to the king, never once questioning
his power and leadership. I was so wrong, Ivy. I soon discovered
what the devil’s face looks like . . . I saw him every time I
looked in the mirror.”

I shivered, whether from the cold
evening or from the emotions brought on by Lucius’ tale, I was not
sure. He moved off the loveseat, knelt between my legs, and gazed
up into my eyes, his stare hypnotic. I reached out and stroked his
cheek. Leaning into my hand, he kissed my wrist. Only then did I
notice the scar had taken shape, and now looked like a blood red
teardrop. I gasped, and Lucius straightened.

“
What is going on? What is
wrong with me? How and why has my scar changed into the form of a
teardrop?”

Lucius took both of my hands in his
and held my gaze. “You will understand everything very soon. Allow
me to finish my story, to tell you more about where I came from and
what your marking truly means.”

I held Lucius’ gaze, but I could not
stop shivering. His touch felt like a bolt of lightning striking my
skin. Goose bumps pebbled all over my flesh, and my sensitive
nipples hardened. Lucius’ eyes widened, and he leaned into me.
Brief seconds passed with our lips barely touching, our breaths
caressing each other’s mouths. I moaned, and Lucius closed the
distance and kissed me. He pulled my upper lip between his and
suckled. Have mercy, the man could kiss! I pressed against him, and
in one smooth motion, he stood and lifted me. He moved back, sank
onto the loveseat, taking me with him.

I
straddled his knees and wrapped my hands around his head, caressing
his thick, dark, curly hair. Oh, how could a man give so much
pleasure with so little effort? My body’s heat made me feel
uncomfortable in my clothing. Itching to feel Lucius naked against
me, I pulled at his shirt. Buttons popped and flew through the air,
hit the wooden floor, and bounced away. All the while, Lucius
played havoc with my lips, sucking them, biting them, licking them.
I ground against his hardness, so obvious between my spread
legs.
Dear Gods, the man is
huge
. I could suddenly imagine myself
staying with this man—a man I’d only just met—for the rest of my
life. I felt totally out of control.

Lucius slid my loosened top down off
my shoulders. “Oh, Ivy, you have the sweetest complexion of peaches
and cream.”

I couldn’t respond; my mind focused on
one thing and one thing, only—getting Lucius naked. I ripped his
shirt off his shoulders and gasped at his physique. True, masculine
perfection met my heated gaze. I ran my hands over his smooth,
defined, muscular chest. Leaning in, I followed the path my hands
had made with my lips, kissing my way down his chest. His nipples
grew as erect as mine, and I wrapped my lips around one while
pinching the other between my fingers. Lucius grabbed my hair,
lifted my head, and cupped my chin with his other hand.

“
Ivy, please, stop, I have
little control left.”

I barely registered his words, so
desperate was I for a fast relief. Feverishly, I wrapped my legs
around his hips, while I tugged his hair and pulled him in for a
long, passionate kiss. I don’t know whose moans filled my ears; all
I knew was the more I tasted of Lucius, the more I wanted him.
Faster and faster, I slid up and down on his lap, pressing against
him harder and harder, riding him until my panties grew so wet they
stuck to my skin.

“
Lucius, please help me.” I
begged for release, speaking against his lips as we continued our
tongue duel.

Lucius grabbed the hem of my shirt and
lifted, pulling my blouse up and over my head. He then made quick
work of my bra, baring me completely to his teasing touch. Lazily,
as if we had all night, he stroked my breasts, tweaked my nipples,
drove me mad with desire. My nipples were hard as stone, and when I
dared to look up at Lucius, I gasped at the need reflected in his
eyes, which had grown dark with emotion. His breathing raspy,
slowly he lowered his head and ravished one nipple. I let out a
scream and pulled him tightly against my breast. I rode the edge of
release, and when Lucius slid his fingers beneath my long skirt and
up between my thighs, he found my panties soaked.

With a low growl, he ripped them off,
and then both of us moaned, and I arched into his fingers. Slowly .
. . ever so slowly . . . he caressed my bare skin.

“
Ivy, my God, you are
exquisite.”

He drowned out my moans by claiming my
mouth again, and my body shuddered at his expert touch. I ground my
crotch against his, and my movement caused his fingers to
effortlessly slide inside my sheath. I slammed my eyes shut, and my
body convulsed around his fingers, over and over again.

“
Ivy, sweet, you feel so
good, so tight and wet.”

I barely made out his words, but I
didn’t care—the world could have ended right there, and I would
never have noticed, such was the power Lucius had over
me.

I started to rip open Lucius’ buttoned
fly, but he pushed my hand away.

“
No. I cannot afford to
lose control now. We need to finish our talk.”

I ignored him and returned to my task,
undoing Lucius’ fly, button by painful button. Finally, his erect
cock broke free and stood at attention. I couldn’t help but stare,
so beautiful was his smooth but rigid shaft. Velvet to the touch,
his cock jerked when I ran my fingertips up the length. The tip
glistened with pre-cum caught in the Tiffany lamp’s glow. I grew
hungry, mesmerized, and I slid off Lucius’ lap, onto my knees.
Slowly, I dragged my fingernails up his thighs, watching his face
for reaction. He looked like a fallen angel, tormented but
beautiful, and I smiled and kissed the tip of his cock. A low
rumble came from deep in his chest, and he rested his hands on top
of my head. With pleasure, I started to suck his cock, breathing
deeply through my nose, adjusting to his enormous size. Slowly and
deeply I sucked him in, enjoying every sensation and taste. I had
never taken such pleasure from any man before. I felt like I had
awakened, my body blossoming this autumn night. With wild abandon,
I sucked faster and deeper, and he dug his nails into my
scalp.

“
Yes, Ivy,
harder.”

I smiled around his cock and did as
he’d requested, and soon I felt him tightening in my mouth. I
cupped his balls, massaged them, until I heard him cry out and his
seed burst against the back of my throat. I swallowed every drop of
the salty treat. Lucius grabbed me by the hair and pulled me up
onto his lap again. Holding me closely, he gave me a bruising kiss,
our tongues tasting and dueling, our breathing furious and hearts
beating hard. Any reservations I had left disintegrated; there
would be no control tonight.

Suddenly, Lucius picked me up, stood,
and then gently deposited me on the loveseat so that I lay
down.

“
Ivy, I have never wanted a
woman the way I want you right now. The little control I had is
completely gone. Please, tell me now if you want me to stop, and I
will, but if you don’t, I am going to make love to you over and
over again until the dawn awakens the earth.”