I fought the wave of agony crushing me. I just…fucking needed so bad to climb inside her. Save her from the ghosts of her past. "I got you, love." I rubbed my face along hers and pressed her as tight as I could to my body. "You're mine. You're safe." It was my promise to her, and my declaration of war on whatever demons that dared keep her from me. Keep her from my love.
***
The next morning, I watched Tara while she slept, stroking the hair next to her face. God. She was fucking beautiful. So beautiful. Look at her. Fucking angel in sleep
A soft knock sounded on the door and I turned and looked at it, willing whoever it was to go away.
They knocked again and Tara moaned softly. I looked down in time to see her snuggle her face into my chest. The sight of it brought a profound revelation. Fucking wow. This… this is how she should always wake up. With me. In my arms.
"What are you doing?" Her whisper held humor.
I stroked along her side and hip with careful fingers. "Watching you."
Her lips smiled against my chest and I couldn't keep my own grin back at how fucking awesome that felt. "Somebody is knocking." She slid her mouth and nose against me.
"I fucking know. I want to kill them," I whispered softly.
She giggled as they knocked again, harder.
I laid a kiss on her forehead and growled as I sat up. "Coming," I yelled. "Yet not. Get dressed, love." I looked over my shoulder, longing for every bit of her silky skin. When she got her robe on, I opened the door to find Steve standing there with wide eyes and scary grin on, clutching a laptop to his chest with one hand, coffee with the other. "The scores for the rounds so far are being posted live," he whispered. "You'll want to see them."
My gut tensed at how his tone indicated the exact opposite. I stepped aside with a sigh of dread.
"Good morning sunshine," he literally sang in his strong soprano voice.
Tara nodded and tossed a wave, pushing hair behind her ear as he set up on the small dining table.
Tara met my gaze and I winked at her, seeing the look of worry in her face. Premonition? She had to know her first domination was an epic fail.
Steve tapped at his keyboard, mumbling. "Aaaaaaand here are the current scores for the teams." He pointed to the screen. "That would be us. And that…" He singled out a number, "would be the score for your first demon domination."
Tara angled her head. "Oh. Two hundred and fifty. That's…that isn't bad, right?"
"These are the others' scores." Steve scrolled down. "The highest score is one thousand."
"What!? One thousand?" She gasped and looked at me like she were clueless. And judging by her face, she was.
"Sweetheart—"
"Don't!" her hand shot out at me. "Do not even say it, I dominated that first mission. You saw, I went in there, I-I-I laid it all out and I forgave him. I mean what do they want from me? Shoot him? Because I could if that's what they want, but that doesn't really seem like dominating a demon." She finished her heated rant with a wild look on her face.
"Well," Steve nearly whispered, "it would seem the audience is scoring the success of the main domination events."
"Ugh!" Tara went to pacing and chewing her thumbnail. "No wonder! The audience isn't qualified to judge something like that!" She paced in exasperation, her steps getting shorter with her fuse. "This is the extreme epitome of ri-fucking-diculous, Bane."
My brows shot up at the odd use of my last name. That couldn't be a good sign. "Maybe—"
"Maybe what? Maybe what?"
I tried again. "Maybe—"
"Maybe they're on drugs? Loopy?" She nodded and paced faster.
Steve turned in his seat and looked at her, releasing the bank vault clamp on his mouth. "Maybe forgiveness and sweetness isn't what they'd consider…dealing?"
She turned her wrath on Steve. "Really? Really?" She put her bracelet to her mouth. "This. Is not. Fair. I have had therapy for this. Authentic, professional therapy. That should count! For something! More than two hundred and fifty goddamn points. I have dealt with this shit, do you hear me? Except for that…bitch Rita. Which is a brand new thing, but I handled it, you saw I did. I did not let the fact that my best friend…" Tara's voice suddenly broke and she stopped pacing. My heart ached and I ventured closer to where she stood with her back facing me and shoulders sagging. "I mean…" she began in a small voice, "I need a little time, that's all. To-to process this. I'm only human. Please, give me another chance."
At the start of her wail, I wrapped my arms around her from behind her, not letting her get away. She sagged in my arms, and I turned her and pulled her close to me. "Fuck them love. They're fucking clueless. We'll make it up in the next one, I promise. You'll see." I kissed the top of her head over and over.
"Yes, and there are the small assignments. You both have made excellent scores there," Steve said.
"Of course she did. She's amazing," I whispered.
"I need a shower," she mumbled wearily.
I led her to the bathroom, hating that she wanted solitude instead of me.
"We leave in one hour," Steve called. "Our second destination is four point three hours from here. We're on schedule. If everything goes smoothly."
She shut the door with a nod, looking like she couldn't care less.
Steve sat with a sigh and a shake of his head as he shut the computer. "Do you have any idea what the next domination is about? I mean, maybe we can help prepare her?"
I sat on the bed and put my elbows on my knees. "I'll see what I can find out."
"Yes, you do that."
I looked at Steve when I heard an odd volume in his tone. He had his lower lip punished between his teeth and torment furrowed his forehead. His blue eyes shot toward the bathroom. He got up and retrieved the hotel pad of paper and pen. "I'm going to the store to pick up a few items." He scribbled on the paper for several seconds. "You have anything you'd like to add to the list, put it here. Give it to me when we get to the car and we'll stop on the way out." He placed the pen exactly on the pad with that scary pointed grin and stood. "Call me when you're ready." He gave a single half bow and spun on his heels.
I stared at the pad of paper and figured out his game. I casually went over to it and sat, picked up the pen and read his note. I googled the name on the next appointment. Mr. Sennat was a janitor at Tara's elementary school. He apparently locked her in a closet and forgot about her. Fired for it, ruined family business. She was seven. Soiled herself etc etc. Demon of humiliation??? Fear of closets??? Janitors???
I wrote random items on the paper, keeping it legitimate looking. I stood and paced. Fuck. She's been knowing this was coming and having to face it alone. Look at that first fucked up assignment. Left at the altar. I should have kicked his fucking ass. Maybe that's what they were wanting, it's what I fucking wanted. Fucking bastard. How could he leave her at the altar?" And yet, thank God he had.
I got up and pulled on a clean t-shirt. I needed to find out where she stood with this next thing. See if I could prepare her. Talk about what she has in mind.
***
Mr. Sennat.
I closed my eyes as the water hammered my eyeballs. Why should facing him be more scary than facing my ex? Probably because I was guilty. Had to be that. I'd gotten him fired. Later I'd learned that he'd lost his son. Then his wife left him. I quit following him after that, it was too tragic to keep up with.
My body kept reminding me about other problems. Lucian problems. God, waking up next to him, his chest, was so amazing. He tasted like warm safety might smell. It was weird but yet so real. And the way he touched me. So careful and…God, so careful. And when he hugged me… felt like he was making love to me with his arms and hands. I could let him do that all day. Like he was absorbing me into his body, and he loved it. Wanted it. Craved it.
He craved me. Yes, that. I could see it in his eyes, feel it in his touch. And it always set me on fire. And scared the shit out of me. I was so close to getting lost in him. Lik
e really really lost. Then what? Then I would screw up the game and Gramma would be stuck in hell.
Dammit. He needed to back off a bit. Give me room to think in air not saturated with Lucian Bane. And yet there my heart went, hammering in anticipation of the next text. Would he dominate me? Would I dominate him? Would it be something I hated? Loved? Something he hated or loved? My clit throbbed with the thought of sucking his cock.
Why did I love doing that to him? I'd never liked doing that. Even ewed about it. But God…sucking him was…out of this world hot. Those sexy sounds of awe and extreme pleasure. I. Loved. Giving him that. Loved it. Not about to deny it either. The look in his eyes when he watched me. The way the blue turned like the sky just before a kick ass storm. The way his full lips parted, his brows drew together in that agony of pleasure.
No, it was more than that. It was that other look I had to see. I'd never seen that look in a man's eyes. Only in his. It was almost… like he was begging. Begging me for something. Something way bigger than me, way too profound for me, too exceptional. But the look said I knew exactly what it was and I just had to give it.
But…I really didn't know what he thought I had that was so spectacular. What mixed signal was I giving off that made him think that? I wasn't trying to be something I wasn't. I was just being what he made me. And really…that person was a stranger to me. Maybe he thought I knew that person he brought out and I was pretending when I was the real me. If that was the case, he had it backwards. That woman he made me into was the stranger. And really… I didn't like her. She was foolish and reckless and wide open. Everything I trained myself not to be.
But damn it. I loved being her for a little bit. For Lucian. He deserved it for being so sweet to me. For risking himself, giving himself so freely. Foolish man. So brave. So sexy. So breathtakingly beautiful. He deserved to have her.
And I deserved…dealing with Mr. Sennat.
Chapter Seven
"Why do the details matter?" Tara said exasperated.
I reached and placed my hand on her far hip and pulled her to me. "I want you here. Sit close to me. What the fuck is wrong with you?" I spared a second to wish we hadn't been ordered to wear jeans and t-shirts except when something else was assigned. I couldn't help wondering what she would choose on her own. I was willing to bet it wouldn't be that prosperity green t-shirt.
Her throat went into those convulsions of exasperated noises. "Where I sit isn't the issue!" Her squeaky tone said I was behaving like a two year old.
"It fucking is the issue. You belong close to me."
She gave me a glare with only her eyeballs. "You are going to lose this game for us with all of your mushy crap. How am I supposed to keep my game on if all you ever do is…"
I quirked my brow, loving that she'd said those words. "Being close to me throws your game off? Odd."
"What's odd about it," she muttered, looking out the window.
"How I can't think unless you're touching me."
She rolled her eyes. "Really."
"Really," I insisted firmly at her disbelief. "Now, tell me about Mr. Sennat and let's devise a game plan to dominate this challenge."
"Ugh. It's…stupid."
"Then tell me."
She went silent and I waited in the steady hum of remote highway under the tires. The car suddenly jolted and swerved, followed by the distinct walloping of a flat tire as Steve guided the vehicle onto the shoulder of the road.
"Great," she said in a small voice. "We're going to be late."
"It's just a flat, we'll fix it in ten minutes." I got out of the car and looked around at the desolate land all around the single highway. I gave in to the stretch taking over my muscles, then opened my door. "Maybe you should stretch your legs for a bit, love."
Tara got out of the car and I helped Steve get the tools necessary to change the tire.
"Ugh, no, no, no!" Tara cried.
I looked up and she held her phone up, her eyes wide with a it's a stupid sex text look.
I fought not to be disappointed in her attitude, but that was hard. "We have a sext, Steve."
He straightened from the trunk and looked at me, briefly clueless. Then that weird smile slowly took over his face and he sent me on my way with a childlike shooing sweep of his fingers. "I'll ace this tire and you guys ace that." He added an awkward wink that made me eager for the confines of the car.
I got in the car and shut the door. "What does it say," I said, not looking at her.
She gave an offended huff. "So enthusiastic."
I gave her a glare. "Might have something to do with your initial disgust over it."
"Well it's not about that, it's about the time."
I nodded slowly, not convinced. "Just tell me what we have to do."
"Well, you'll be happy to know you don't have to do much of anything."
"You know me so little, love. I happen to love doing every single thing to you." My anger did a disappearing act when she removed her t-shirt and sat in her sheer bra. The way it squeezed her cute tits made my cock ache.
I suddenly wanted to slide the head of my dick all over her breasts and hard nipples while fingering her pussy with one hand and her mouth with the other. Fuck, yes.
She leaned back and undid her pants and I sat there waiting for instructions. I was pulled back to reality when her forearms hid her tits from me. I looked up to find a pretense of annoyance alongside her clear desire. "Undress."
"Yes ma'am." I fucking loved that her command was a breathless whimper. When I was done, I sat back with my legs open and cock in hand. She stared at it and excitement roared through me. "What's next?"
Her eyes flicked up to mine. Already she had that sex-drunk look. My favorite fucking look on her face, goddamn. "I…" She seemed to struggle to think then handed me the phone.
I took it, realizing that I liked how she wasn't comfortable with vocalizing sexual things. Fucking sweet and adorable. My cock jumped hard as I read the text.
Tara rides Lucian while talking dirty to him.
Dear God. Her talking dirty to me? Could my heart stand that much fucking pleasure? I looked up at her and slid my hips down on the seat and grabbed my cock, making it stand nice and tall. "Hop on sweetheart."
She looked all around, at everything but me, and bit her lip. Finally she made a noise of defeat and moved closer.
I resisted the urge to help her climb onto me, wanting to make sure we scored as high as we could.
"Fuck, love. Your pussy is so fucking beautiful, you know that right?" I stroked my cock along her folds when she mounted me. "Yes, let me make it hot baby. Then you can talk to me. Talk so fucking dirty to me." I thrust my hips with a grunt, the heat already unbearable, making me ready to drive relentlessly into her.
She held on to my shoulders and closed her eyes then slowly lowered on to my cock.
"Ffffuck, love. All you baby," I gasped, watching my cock disappear into her searing heat. "Fuck me nice and slow, mm yes, I fucking like that."
Her moan shot out like she'd been holding it back and her nails dug into the muscles on my shoulder blades. She made it all the way down and I watched her nipples and tits heave, her stomach tighten with the hard clench of her pussy on me.
"Jesus," I gritted out, fighting not to grab her waist, praying she'd command me to. I couldn't resist flicking my hips hard and Tara cried out. "Fucking dominate baby, I'm waiting," I whispered.
"Hold me," she gasped.
I sat up and pulled her close to my body, pressing my face into her breasts. "Fuck, you like that?" The question came unbidden, like my body craved to hear it.
"Yes. I love to feel you."
I held on to her shoulders and rubbed my forearms all over her back, pressing her tits into my chest. "Tell me baby."
Her fingers raked up into my hair, making me dizzy. "Suck me." She grabbed my head and moved me to her nipple and I obeyed with ravenous urgency. "God, yes. Suck my nipples." She kept my cock buried deep inside her and flicke
d her hips. "Oh, God yes. Your cock feels so good deep."
I growled and sucked her other nipple. "Fuck, baby. Talk to me."
"Kiss me." She turned my face up with firm hands and dove on my mouth, her hunger picking up speed. "Love to taste you baby," she whimpered in my mouth. "Grab my hips. Fuck me good, please."
"Fuck," I groaned, latching desperate fingers to her hips and biting down with a ferocious hunger. I jerked her hard onto me and moved her back and forth onto the head of my cock. "That baby? You want that?"
She cried out, her head falling back. "Yes, that, Jesus!" She suddenly grabbed my face again and kissed me, her hunger more aggressive. "I want your finger in my ass."
I growled and bit softly at her lip before making her suck my finger and wet it.
"Yes, yes, fuck my ass baby." She lifted up off my cock then slammed back down just as I found her exit.
I teased my way in, the heat in my balls furious. "You like your ass fucked baby?"
"God yes, yes." She reached and began playing with her clit. "Watch me Lucian. I like when you watch me. But don't stop fucking my ass, God don't stop."
I could only focus on not coming everywhere with her words. "Fucking gorgeous pussy, your fingers buried in those lips fucking kill me, tell me you know that."
"I do, I know, yes. I love to make you crazy, want to make you so hot, baby. Fuck my ass Lucian. Deeper. Fuck my pussy harder. Oh God baby."
She was fucking there. We both were. I moved my finger in and out of her deep and fast. "Your ass motherfuck I want to fuck it with my tongue baby, tell me you like it when I do that."
"Lucian!" she cried, riding me faster, harder. Her tits bounced and her finger worked her clit rapidly. "I want to fuck your ass baby, I want to fuck you so good again, tell me I can, please."
Her words brought such a furious orgasm. I pulled her against my body and latched onto her shoulder, working her harder on my cock while I fucked her sweet ass.