Lost Paradise (7 page)

I wanted him somewhere else besides my hand.
Moving my hips closer to his, I put the head of him against my
underwear, wanting him to feel how wet I was for him, how ready my
body was to accept his. Then I moved them aside just enough to rub
the head of his cock on my clit. Lash shifted with a jerk, then
went still. I pushed my pelvis toward his, sliding the head of his
penis inside just a little. Lash made an agonized cry. I braced
myself for him to grab me, eagerly anticipating the shove of his
flesh into mine. But he remained where he was, breathing
rapidly.

What was he waiting for?
Suddenly it
hit me: he was waiting for me to tell him what I wanted.

“Please, Lash,” I whispered. “Take me.”

As soon as I said the words, Lash was in
motion. He yanked off my underwear and pushed down his pants
further, almost ripping them off in his desire. A half second
later, he rolled me on top of him, settling my hips on his as he
slid in with a loud hiss of pleasure.

“Ahh!” I cried, throwing my head back,
grabbing fistfuls of his T-shirt in my hands.

Lash began moving at once in long purposeful
strokes, even as he reached his hands up to unfasten my bra. My
breasts swung free, my bared nipples stiffening instantly. He slid
his hands up to cup my breasts, rubbing his hands over my nipples
as he thrust. I tried to push up his shirt, wanting to feel his
chest, but he quickly stopped me with his hands. Grasping my hips,
he pushed me down on him forcefully, driving into me over and over.
I grabbed hold of his T-shirt again with both hands, moaning
loudly.

God, he felt so good!
“Kiss me,” I
groaned. “I want to feel your tongue—”

Lash pulled my upper body down on his
immediately, sliding his arm around my shoulders as he kissed me
deeply. His tongue caressed mine, licking eagerly, exploring as his
mouth devoured mine. He made no noise, except a soft hiss now and
then of pleasure.

Muffled cries escaped my lips as waves of
pleasure washed over me.
God, I was so close!
I needed
him to bring me!
“Bite me!” I gasped yearningly. “Please!”

Lash broke the kiss and moved his head down
to my neck, sinking his fangs in. I came screaming. His hand snaked
out quickly and covered my mouth, muffling my cries. I shook hard
in his grip.

Before my climax faded, he rolled over onto
me, covering my body with his. He moved frantically, shoving
himself inside as far as he could. He jerked suddenly, spilling
himself with a soft cry. As before, he withdrew from me almost
immediately and lay on his back making soft hisses, jerking as his
orgasm ebbed. He didn’t touch me at all, or say anything.

Slowly, in the space of several minutes,
rationality returned. Before I had entirely come back to myself,
Lash pulled on his pants, got up, and left the room.

Feeling sordid, I used the opportunity to
clean myself up the best I could, and put the little clothing I was
wearing back the way it should be. I was just finishing washing my
face when Lash appeared with my jeans, socks, and sneakers.

Ah.
“Thanks,” I said as he handed them
to me.

He nodded. “Are you ready for lunch now?” he
asked politely.

“Yes,” I said, pulling on my jeans and the
rest. As I followed him to the kitchen, neither of us said
anything.

I was grateful he was making this easier for
me by not talking. Or maybe he didn’t want to talk. This wasn’t a
romance: what he’d done was just another part of his job, even if
he did enjoy it.

No one was there when we got there, even
though it was noon. Either someone had overheard us and everyone
had cleared out, or some crisis had happened. Either way the
silence was great. I needed time to think.

My plan to control myself had worked, giving
me a theory: The Lust had chosen Lash because it had wanted someone
to drink my blood. The question was why.

There was also the weirdness that Danial had
spoken of back on vacation: w
hy was I able to climax when The
Lust hit me during this pregnancy, when orgasm had been impossible
during my previous pregnancy?
Devlin usually bit me during The
Lust, but his drinking my blood wasn’t required; at least, it had
been sated without me asking him to. Also, as it had been with
Danial, sometimes The Lust came and went without my climax, as its
goal seemed to be Devlin’s orgasm. Lastly, Dev’s bites usually
caused substantial pain after The Lust left. In contrast, Lash had
bitten me twice. Neither wound had been painful; in fact, I didn’t
even feel the bites now. Yet his biting had brought me immediately
both times.

Why was The Lust interested in him at all?
Lash is no vampire.

“Sar,” Lash hissed, closing the kitchen door
behind us and locking it. “I need to go back to the ballroom. Stay
here while I’m gone. Don’t let anyone in, unless it’s Dev. I’ll
call him and tell him to come down and get you.”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

“Always a pleasure,” he hissed with a small
smile, then turned to go.

“Wait,” I said suddenly. “I don’t know what
Devlin may have said to you about taking blood from me, but—”

“Shit!” Lash swore, stopping and turning to
me. “I’m not supposed to take any, am I? Dev was bitching about
it.”

I touched my neck. “I’m fine. Your bites
aren’t even bleeding.”

Lash flicked his eyes to my neck. “You heal
faster now, because of the blood Dev gives you.” His tone was
annoyed. “All the same, I shouldn’t have.”

“Camlyn said my blood levels were fine. No
one is taking my blood now but you. It’s okay. You seem to like
it.”

“It’s not the taste, though you taste good,”
Lash said hesitantly, then stopped.

There was something he didn’t want to tell
me. What?
“And?”

He looked at me a moment, as if weighing his
response, then closed the door, locked it, and came back to stand
in front of me. “You remember the night I first tasted you?”

When you were being an asshole.
“Yes.”

“Remember how I fell asleep?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“It wasn’t because I was just warm, and
comfortable, though I was both of those.” He paused. “I have what
you might call a mild headache, from the potion I take. It’s
present all the time now; day after day, month after month. I’ve
gotten used to it over the years, so much so that I didn’t notice a
difference when I first drank your blood. But as I was watching
Titus heal you, it suddenly hit me that it was gone. The relief
from finally being free of the pain was so good, I relaxed
completely, falling asleep.”

The constant pain he was in was probably the
reason why he was so irritable most of the time. Now he was
pain-free and he’d just been laid for the first time in months. No
wonder he was verbose. “How long did it last?”

“Almost a week.” His tone was wistful.

What he’d taken had been insignificant and I
owed him big for saving me. “Then take some each week when I come
here to see Dev. The small amount you take won’t hurt.”

“Why are you offering it to me?” Lash said
suspiciously. “I’m not that good of a lay compared to Dev, at least
from what I’ve done with you so far—”

“I don’t want you to be in pain,” I said,
flushing at his bluntness. “And your bites are—”

“I’ll take it if we have sex,” Lash said,
getting up. “Otherwise, no.”

“Why not?”

Lash shoved the chair, sending it sliding to
crash into the table. “Because you’re running some angle by
offering me your blood.” His words were cold, and hard, all trace
of gentleness gone. “What do you want from me?”

I knew I should keep my mouth shut, but I
didn’t. “The Lust seems to like you best,” I said quickly. “It was
thoughts of you that brought it, those first times it rose with my
other lovers. You almost brought it when Kev was holding me, even
though I was terrified. I thought if you took it every week, maybe
between that and Dev—”

Lash backed away from me a step. “It can’t
like me better than Dev. I’m not a vampire. I don’t believe
you—”

“I don’t know why, either!” I replied
desperately. “It doesn’t make sense. But the only angle I’m working
is to control myself.” I swallowed. “I don’t want what happened
this afternoon to happen again.”

“You’re telling the truth,” Lash hissed. “At
least what you believe to be the truth.” He came closer to me. “As
for Devlin’s other guards, don’t worry. I plan on making a harsh
example this evening. They don’t always remember verbal warnings.
They always remember bloodshed, particularly when it’s their blood
staining the floor.”

His casually evil tone sent a shiver down my
spine. “So you won’t consider my offer?”

“I’ll take some if we have sex again,” he
agreed. “I won’t take more than I did today, a few swallows or so.
If my pain gets worse, I’ll ask you for some when you visit.
Good?”

I nodded. “As long as you take some if I ask
you to.”

“Well, of course,” Lash replied irreverently.
“I’m not anxious to be hammered.”

I let out a snort of laughter. “Sure—”
Abruptly I remembered the hammer smashing Vince’s teeth, then Kev
grabbing me. I sat down quickly, sickened and upset.

“Are you okay?” Lash said, laying his hand on
my arm.

When he touched me, The Lust rose its head
high.
Yes…He could have me here on the kitchen table, just like
he had Cin on the pool table at Davy’s…

Madness engulfed me. The sex hadn’t helped!
The Lust still wanted him. Shaking my head, I reached out, and
gently pushed his hand off me. “No.”

Lash moved back from me, leaning against the
counter.

Yes, this was just like in the kitchen at
Theo’s old place. Lash had been great that night. He’d be even
better here…

I trembled, trying to push my urges away. I
fought my desire to touch him, to have him, to open my mouth and
tell him to take me now. Slowly the feeling passed, leaving me
shaky and weak.

The Lust had never risen so quickly again
after being sated. Never. Devlin had tried one night, being in one
of his moods. He had been unable to raise it once he had sated it.
Lash had raised it again within minutes, with almost no effort.
What was going on?

“I smell your desire,” Lash hissed softly.
“If you need me again, just say so.”

“I do,” I whispered. “And I’m scared to
death.”

Lash came over to me, grasped my arm, and
pulled me to my feet. His arms went around me. “Why are you
scared?” He began backing me slowly toward the table.

I wiped at my eyes, even as desire flooded
me. “We just did this—”

Lash pushed my pants down carefully, then
lifted me to sit on the table’s edge. “That’s okay. A man likes to
be in demand.” He leaned in and kissed my neck, his fangs pricking
me.

I leaned back from him, then raised a hand to
his face. Carefully I touched the tip of one hooked fang that was
always revealed by his scar. “You’re not a man.”

Lash smiled wider, both curved fangs
glistening as his forked tongue snaked out to stroke my cheek.
“You’re right, I’m not. But I’m what you need—”

The Lust engulfed me. Frenzied, I went for
his belt buckle. Lash kissed me feverishly, as I dropped his pants.
He grasped my rear with both hands, then pulled me forward quickly,
impaling me. I let out a moan, and he kissed me again, devouring me
as he began to thrust.

Lash stroked my tongue with his, then ended
the kiss. Baring his fangs, he sank them into my neck. Heart racing
I clasped him to me, kissing his neck, his face, anything within
reach.

“Deeper,” I hissed needfully. “Harder.”

Lash lifted my ass, then moved backwards
while supporting me, easing us down into a chair. He drove in
another few inches, then began to move fast, straining. My orgasm
built quickly. In seconds it burst. As I began to scream, Lash
withdrew his fangs and covered my mouth with his. Where I ended he
began, his muscles clenching beneath me as he came.

As The Lust faded, I pushed back slightly
from him, panting, not sure what to say.

He grasped me and gave me a chaste kiss, then
released me. Carefully I stood up.

As he came free of me, Lash let out a soft
hiss of satisfaction. Then he was all business as we both put our
clothes back on.

When I was dressed, I turned to him. “I’ll
stay here and wait for Devlin.”

“You won’t have to,” Lash hissed, going
towards the door. “He’s heard us.”

Devlin’s room was above the kitchen. I
flushed as Lash unlocked the door to admit Devlin, his golden eyes
tinged red.

“What happened?” he asked snidely. “You get
her this far and give up?”

Lash faced Dev accusingly, his normal humor
oddly missing. “What happened is your favorite asshole grabbed Sar.
He and Vince planned to rape her and blame The Lust. In the process
of handling that, The Lust rose—”

Devlin snarled, his eyes glowing red like hot
embers. He gripped the doorjamb, sinking his nails deep into the
hardwood with a creak. “Did you kill them?”

“They’re in the ballroom,” Lash hissed. “I’ll
take them to the dungeon.”

“They said it was payback for me killing some
of them that night you came for me,” I whispered.

“Take them to the dungeon!” Devlin thundered.
“Now!”

Lash nodded. “Kev’s out cold for today, but
Vince will recover as soon as his neck is reset. You want them
healed up for you, or you want me to take care of it?”

“Just take them there now,” Devlin answered
curtly.

Lash nodded, then left.

Devlin grabbed hold of me, crushing me
against him. “I’m sorry this happened,” he murmured. “Teleport now
to Danial. Tell him you’ll spend tonight with him. I’ll come to you
later on tonight, be with you there at his house—”

There wasn’t going to be a later for us, but
I felt too much guilt rejecting him right here after he’d just
heard me have sex with Lash. “It was close, Dev. I’m all messed
up.”