Tequila Sunset (Last Call #4.5) Read online

  “Caitlin’s too young to understand what he is.”

  Her condescension set his teeth on edge. “And me?”

  Iris met his gaze, and the challenge in her eyes wasn’t enough to cover the tiny thread of nervous vulnerability -- or the desire that stirred in her every time they were alone together. “Alpha werewolves think they can handle anything.”

  He ignored the challenge, though doing so made his hands shake and his words rough. “Leo’s as whipped as any man I’ve ever seen. So either his girlfriend’s an astronomically terrific lay, or you demons aren’t as immune to emotion as you make it sound.”

  “I never said we were immune.” She took a step closer, crowding his space, and for the first time he felt power rise in her as she stared up at him with dark, dangerous eyes. “If I didn’t love you enough to want you safe, I would have fucked you straight into hell by now. You can’t trust me.”

  He wanted to grab her. Kiss her. Instead, he took a deep breath and steadied himself. “Love doesn’t send people to hell, Iris.”

  “The things I want you to do to me might.”

  Don’t even think about asking, Elliott. “That’s bullshit. Give me another excuse.”

  Her mouth opened and then closed again, as if she hadn’t been prepared for such a casual dismissal of what was apparently her best argument. “I… that’s reason enough.”

  It didn’t come close to balancing out the nights alone in his bed, dreaming of her. “No. It isn’t.”

  She huffed and spun on her heel before stalking toward the door. “That’s it, then. If you’re so cocky you don’t think anything can touch you, it’s pointless to argue. You should go home now.”

  His steps were longer. Zack overtook her before she could open the door and pressed his chest to her back, trapping her against the wood. “I never said nothing could touch me.” The scent of her filled his nose, heated his blood, and he nudged her ass with his hips. “Tell me what you want that’s so wrong, and we’ll see.”

  Her breath caught, and he could smell her arousal as she braced her hands against the door. “An alpha werewolf told me once that nothing made him as hot as a strong woman’s submission, and that was my specialty. I decided he wasn’t worth the risk, and I stayed away from strong werewolves after that.”

  “Your specialty was faking it… or not faking it?”

  She shivered, and the words came hesitantly, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to give him the truth. “I faked submission. But I didn’t always want it to be an act.”

  If he’d tried to imagine Iris telling him these things, it wouldn’t have worked. Yet here she was… His hands clenched against the door. “Is that the problem you keep talking about? That you want to submit to me?”

  “I would submit to you. And giving up control is dangerous for a demon.”

  Refuting her words would be easy. Refuting them confidently, on the other hand… “I think I can handle it.”

  “You think so?” The whispered words sounded like a challenge, and a moment later he found out why.

  Power flooded the apartment, unleashed from whatever restraints she’d kept it under for so many years. He was used to the steady prickle of Leo’s magic, but Iris’ felt different. Not stronger, but more persistent. Magic curled around him, brushed his aura and left behind a tingling feeling of arousal. And deeper, underneath it all, was the silent promise that he’d found a woman who would take everything he could give her and revel in the sexual abandon.

  His mind darkened until only a single image remained, a vivid scene painted in shades of longing and lust. Iris, standing before him as she was now, only naked and trembling.

  Zack sucked in a ragged breath as he pictured pinning her hands against the wall over her head and sliding his hands down her back to the curve of her ass. She moaned and bared her throat when his fingers slipped between her legs, and he --

  He shook himself from the fantasy. If it had been anyone but Iris, he’d have dragged her to the bedroom and fucked her into exhaustion and beyond. Instead, he swayed closer. “Let me try, baby. I’ll be careful.”

  She moaned, and the stiff line of her spine melted into a submissive arch as her head fell forward. “This is why I didn’t dare tell you. I’ll let you do anything you want to me, Zack. Do you understand? Anything.”

  It took a willpower he didn’t know he possessed, but he let his hands fall to his sides and stepped back. “Then invite me to your bed, Iris. Now.”

  Iris turned slowly and gathered the hem of her dress in her hands. Large brown eyes stared at him as she pulled the fabric up and over her head. When her face appeared again, her eyes were closed and her face held nothing but slack, desperate need. “Take me to bed. Take me wherever you want. Just… take me.”

  Zack hauled her into his arms before the dress hit the floor. He covered the scant distance to her bedroom quickly with long, eager strides, barely able to stop himself from tossing her on the bed and tumbling after her. “How? Tell me.”

  “Don’t ask me that unless you’re sure you can handle the answer, Zack.”

  He did toss her on the bed then, but stepped back and lowered his hands to his shirt. “I asked. I want an answer.”

  She rolled onto her stomach and up to her knees, presenting him with the smooth curve of her ass encased in white panties with honest-to-God lace edging them.

  When she spoke, her voice was nothing more than a husky whisper. “Sometimes I have dreams that start like this. Only my hands are tied to the bed and I’m blindfolded, and all I can do is wait for you to touch me, to make me come again and again…”

  “I can do that, Iris.” If she wanted domination, he’d give it to her. He’d make her come so hard she couldn’t see, and then…

  Then, when she was still shaking with the force of her pleasure, he’d make love to her.

  Iris curled her fingers around the worn fabric of her quilt and tried not to think about how weak she was. Behind her she heard the sound of leather whispering against a belt-buckle, and a dark tendril of magic unfurled inside her, taunting her with the possibilities. So many ways she could tempt him, so many things she could goad him into doing. Inside her, the power whispered for her to find a way to take control again, to give him just enough of what he wanted to bring him to his knees. Enough to make him beg for more.

  She closed her eyes and focused on the sound of his shoes hitting the floor instead, fighting a whimper as her magic flared and gave her another taste of his desire, this time infused with the pure radiant heat of love. So many men had desired her, but none of them had loved her. Wanted her, without a doubt. Coveted her, even. But love…

  No one had ever loved her. No one had ever been this dangerous.

  The bed dipped under his weight, and denim chafed her bare legs as Zack gripped her hips and rolled her onto her back. His fingers skated up her arms, guided them to the pillows above her head. “Don’t move your hands, and don’t open your eyes.”

  She curled her fingers around the sad, threadbare pillowcase and fought another wave of temptation. “Be careful. I don’t know if I can keep the magic under control.”

  “What will happen if you let go?”

  Iris fought a shiver. “You’ll meet my dark side. I’ll fight you for dominance and you might not like it.” You might not like me.

  He just snorted. “After all this, you want to keep lying to me?” His hand skimmed up her leg, over the back of her thigh, and his fingers slipped under the edge of her panties. “Let go.”

  She didn’t want to, but the heat that shot through her in the wake of his touch was too much. Ianthe would break free sooner or later, and Zack would see who -- and what -- she truly was.

  And maybe he’d end up walking away from her after all. Better now, before she knew what she was missing. When he was still whole and could go on to live a full, safe life without her.

  It was easier than it should have been to unleash the demoness hidden beneath the skin. The magic that had circl
ed before spiraled inward, bringing with it a rush of pleasure. Her body felt liquid as goose bumps rose on her arms and her nipples tightened painfully beneath the constricting fabric of her bra. She arched her hips a little and opened her eyes, fixing her gaze on Zack’s face.

  He looked almost feral. His jaw clenched and his eyes blazed, and he tugged lightly at the delicate fabric of her panties. “I told you not to open your eyes.”

  Husky laughter filled the room, low and dark, and it had been so long since she’d heard it that Iris barely recognized it as her own. But the words that came next felt all too familiar -- truth that finally escaped after decades of living a lie. “And I told you my dark side isn’t always a good little girl.”

  “So I see. But even bad girls know to play nice until they get what they want.” Zack bent his head with a growl and nipped at the sensitive skin of her stomach. “Close your eyes.”

  A tiny voice whispered for her to push him more. To challenge him and see how far he’d go. To see how far she could make him go.

  But it was Zack, and her body ached for his touch more than her magic hungered for the chase. She squeezed her eyes shut as the first tiny thread of hope grew inside her. Zack’s love for her made him dangerous, but she’d never considered the converse.

  Her love for him made him powerful.

  “Thank you.” He gathered her hair in his hand and urged her head back. She felt the wet brush of his tongue on her throat and then the sharp bite of his teeth, almost distracting her from his other hand sliding inside her panties.

  She sucked in a breath and reached down to tangle her fingers in his hair. “Again. Harder.”

  “Uh-uh.” His fingers ventured lower. “Tell me more about those dreams of yours.”

  Frustration rose hard and fast at his refusal, but Iris ignored it and stroked at the back of his head instead. “I could… I could show you.” It came out sounding more nervous than seductive, and she braced herself for a swift rejection.

  He froze and whispered, “All right. Show me.”

  The trust was almost intimidating. Iris closed her eyes and let the magic rise again, this time focusing on the soft brush of his fingers and the heat of his body. She let him see the things she’d dreamt of, knowing the images would flash through his mind in vivid Technicolor. First the fantasy of being backed against the wall, her hands pinned over her head as he taunted and teased. Then his fingers in her hair, him growling encouragement as she sucked his cock. The feel of his hand as he landed a stinging slap to her ass and soothed her at once with his tongue in her cunt…

  Zack tensed, and a low, tortured growl shuddered out of him. “Is that what you want?” His teeth scraped her chin, and one fingertip teased over her clit and was gone.

  Her hips jerked, chasing the touch. “Yes. All of it.”

  He bit her again, this time on the shoulder, and pulled his hand from her underwear. “Get up and finish undressing.”

  Iris felt the heavy weight of his gaze as she moved to the edge of the bed and climbed carefully to her feet. When she turned she found Zack relaxing against the mattress, his eyes intense.

  It was impossible not to tease him. She lifted her hands to her bra but avoided the small plastic clasp nestled between her breasts in favor of brushing her fingertips over her too-sensitive nipples.

  He rose up on his knees and beckoned. “Come here.”

  It was only one step back to the bed, but she paused with one knee braced against the edge of the mattress. “I thought you wanted me to get undressed.”

  “You’re too slow.” He curled his fingers down into the cups of her bra and jerked. The thin garment yielded with a loud snap as the clasp broke.

  Her other knee hit the bed and she whimpered. “You are so much hotter than anything I dreamt about.”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw, and Zack groaned softly. “I don’t know how much longer I can pretend you’re not driving me out of my mind, Iris.” His thumb swept over her nipple. “Bend over the bed.”

  Leaning down to brace her hands against the bed brought her face even with his cock where it strained against his underwear. Longing gripped her, and she nuzzled her cheek against the shaft with a soft sigh. “Let me make you come,” she whispered, the words a soft plea. “Then you can do anything you want to me.”

  His cock jerked, and another groan rasped out of him. “That wasn’t my plan, you know.”

  “Then tell me your plan.” And I’ll do it. I’ll do anything… The thought should have terrified her.

  He moved off the bed, one hand trailing down her back, and knelt behind her. “I’m going to make you come until you can’t stand it anymore. Then I’m going to take you.” As he spoke, he tugged her panties down her legs.

  Iris fisted her hands in the thin quilt and locked her knees. “I spent a hundred years as a notorious seductress and you’re the first man to turn down having my lips wrapped around his cock.”

  The stubble on his cheeks rasped over the backs of her thighs. “I’m only saving it for later.” His hand curved around her hip, and he stroked her ass with his thumb. “I saw this in your head. You want me to spank you while I eat your pussy.”

  It was the perfect reverse of everything sex had always been. She’d spent her life plucking fantasies from men’s minds and playing them out. Now Zack had seen into her mind, and she had given him the power. Only the knowledge of what that power had cost her made her hesitate. “Don’t do it just because I want it. Don’t do anything you don’t want to.”

  His deep laugh vibrated over her skin. “You’re kidding, right? Honey, I’ve been dreaming about getting my tongue inside you for months.” His hands moved, fingers parting the slick, swollen lips of her cunt, and his tongue dipped around her clit in a lazy circle.

  Heat shot through her, followed by a wave of languid pleasure that made her body tremble. Nothing had ever reduced her to helplessness so swiftly. The demon disapproved, not just of her vulnerability but the willingly relinquished power. She wanted to twist free of his grip and drop to her knees, to go down on him so fast and ruthlessly that Zack was the one unable to resist the lure of pleasure.

  The urge rode her hard, and she whimpered and rocked forward a little. “She’s winning, I can’t -- I can’t stop her --”

  The heat of his mouth disappeared, and his open hand landed on her ass in a painful slap. “Shh.” Then he returned, licking and sucking, stroking her with skill and determination.

  Her head flew back and she cried out, torn between conflicting needs. His tongue teasing at her clit might be clever enough to wrench pleasure from her body, but the power inside her was only impressed with the strength. The domination.

  The plea escaped her before she could stop it. “Again.”

  “Shh.” He bit her, a quick graze of teeth, and smacked her ass again. “Greedy.”

  Arousal reached the point where pleasure bordered pain. The magic escaped her grasp, twisting around him even as she struggled to bring her power back under control.

  But fighting was the wrong thing to do. This time the vision slammed into both of them, forcing her breath from her body as the vivid image formed behind her closed eyes. She whimpered as she watched the Zack of her vision drag the drawer out of her bedside table and spill its contents onto the floor.

  In the vision his strong fingers closed around the solid weight of her vibrator, and Iris fought a wave of embarrassment as her magic showed Zack how she’d squirm if he thrust it into her cunt, and how she’d beg if he worked it into her ass.

  His growl echoed in the room, and his fingers tightened on her hips. “Are you doing that on purpose, just to drive me insane?”

  Iris closed her eyes and fought a shudder. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Zack, I can’t stop it --”

  “Why does it embarrass you?”

  “Because you -- you’re seeing --” She tried to control her panting breaths, but her entire body ached with the need to relieve the twisting pleasure inside her, the need to co
me. “Please, Zack, please… let me -- help me --”

  “Anything you want.” He bent his head as one hand slid down from her hip. Two fingers grazed her cunt and then slid inside, curling and stroking. After one more fierce growl, Zack closed his teeth on her ass.

  She’d never come so hard before. Pleasure slammed into her, weakening her knees and driving her to the bed. Everything throbbed in time with the spikes of pleasure, and his name left her lips again and again.

  It was perfect bliss, and it was all because of him.

  He stopped only long enough to pull away and flip her over onto her back. One of her feet hit the floor, but the other leg wound up draped over Zack’s shoulder as he leaned over her and thrust his fingers into her again. “One more time, Iris, and I swear to God, I’ll fuck you so hard you can’t stand up anymore.”

  She curled her trembling fingers around the quilt above her head and stared up at him as anticipation gripped her. “I haven’t had a man inside me in seventy years, Zack.”

  His eyes blazed, but a surprising smile curved his lips. “Then it won’t take long, will it?”

  The words drove a whimper from her, and this time she didn’t even try to stop the magic as it spun its web around them. She didn’t know what Zack saw, didn’t know whose fantasy played out in his head.

  And she didn’t care, because whatever it was, he could handle it.

  He could handle her.

  They were locked in an embrace, his cock deep inside her. They barely moved, were too busy staring into each other’s eyes and whispering things he couldn’t make out but understood anyway.

  Then the mental image -- his fantasy -- faded, and Zack focused every bit of his attention on making Iris whimper again, on making her arch off the bed and convulse under him. “I’m going to fuck you, Iris. And when I’m done fucking you, I’m going to make love to you.”

  Iris moaned at the words and dug her head back against the bed. She was tight around his fingers, so tight that being inside her would be torture. Watching her was torture. She begged with every movement, begged him to claim her.