"Stop talking."
His mouth took possession of hers. With firm lips, he coaxed hers open. Christophe's kisses were gentle. Surrounded by his warmth, she didn't care one bit about magical objects or quests she couldn't possibly complete. They were just one man and one woman discovering each other.
He pulled her closer as his hands roamed her body through her clothes. She shuddered. Yes, she'd waited for this and she wanted it, all of it, every single moment.
"Skin," Christophe whispered in her ear.
She pulled back to regard him. "What?"
"My language." He visibly swallowed, his throat muscles contracting. "It's going to get worse and worse in English. The more I desire you, the less capable I am of making myself understood. I feel like…a child."
"We don't have to talk." She stepped back, a surge of brazenness filling her veins. "You want to see my skin? I can make that happen."
When had her hands ever been so steady? She pulled her wet shirt over her head until she stood in front of him, her naked torso exposed, only her white cotton bra keeping her from being entirely topless.
She still held onto the key that warmed to her touch. Looking down, she realized she'd have to set it somewhere if she didn't want to make love to Christophe while she gripped it at the same time.
"Give it to me."
How had he known what she thought? "Do you read minds?"
"You looked down at it."
"What?"
He nodded toward the key. "You stared in its direction so I knew what you had to be thinking about."
"Oh. So no mind reading then?"
He grinned. "None."
His hand rubbed the fabric of her bra causing the skin beneath it to quiver into goosebumps.
"Touch me."
"Yes." He pulled her up against him, demanding with his mouth all kinds of erotic pleasures. She wanted to experience all of them.
"I don't have any experience with this." She moaned as his fingers traveled down her neck.
"Neither do I. But I somehow suspect we'll figure it out."
Her heart warmed at his words. He'd had the same desire for only her that she'd had for him.
"I want some skin too, okay?"
He nodded, his eyes glistening while he looked at her. Pulling his shirt off his body, he gave her what she asked for. His chest looked well defined and lean. She ran her hands over him, loving the way her fingers tingled when she touched him.
He had a smattering of dark chest hair. She ran her fingers through it, loving the way he shuddered when she touched him. He'd warned her that language would fail him, and she suspected he'd been correct. In fact, she hoped that had happened, because otherwise, his silence would be very concerning to her.
She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his chest. His skin tasted salty, and she licked her lips.
Christophe pulled her against him, kissing her deeply. She melted in his embrace, her knees nothing more than jelly. He hauled her up into his arms, carrying her with him to the bed.
Lying over her, he covered her body with his own. A very evident hard bulge strained through his pants. She reached out to cup it, and he hissed, muttering something she didn't understand. His tone made his words clear, however. He didn't want her doing that again.
She grinned. "I guess I don't want you to be over before this gets started."
Not that she had any idea how long it should exactly go. He shook his head and kissed her again. This time the joining of their lips felt more fevered. Her mind whirled.
This was what she'd craved for so long, a true joining.
He pulled at the strap of her bra. "Off."
She smiled. "Yes. It's a front latch."
Christophe nodded, fiddling with her bra until he got it off. His eyes met hers. "You're perfect." He kissed her nose. "My Ruby. The most beautiful gemstone on the planet."
Ruby swallowed. "Wow. When you find your words, you really find them."
He took her nipple in his mouth, sucking on the peak. She grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him tighter. Her body ached, and she squirmed beneath him.
As he sucked on one of her breasts, he squeezed the other one. She arched on the bed. When had they suddenly gotten so sensitive?
She tugged at his pants. If he got to touch her, she wanted the right to do the same. He helped her out, pulling them down before she could struggle doing it. In the meantime, she took off her own pants.
This happened to be the first time for both of them, but that didn't mean she was unable to grasp the basics of the whole thing. The pants had to come off.
He wore dark blue boxer briefs. The spray of brown hair that covered his chest made it all the way down past his belly button to where it disappeared under his underwear.
"You're a beautiful man. I mean, maybe I shouldn't say that. I have no idea what sexy women say in these kinds of circumstances. I really don't."
He ran his hands under her pink panties. "They say whatever it is you wish to say since you are the only sexy woman in the world. There is nothing you could utter that I would not wish to hear."
She kissed him because she had to. His response told her he had fallen equally under the spell that filled the room around them.
Her one wish would have been to enhance the mood with candlelight. As she thought it, the room darkened and every candle she owned illuminated.
Christophe raised his eyes to look at her. "Wish fulfillment?"
"Oui." She answered, deliberately using his language.
He grinned. "Please, mon coeur, speak in French whenever you would like. It makes me hard as hell."
That's a phrase he knew? Hard as hell? She pulled down his underwear and took his penis in her hand. He hissed out a long breath and closed his eyes.
Although she'd worried that she wouldn't know what to do when faced with this situation, she found that not to be the case at all. Thirty-two years old and Ruby had never been to bed with anyone. But, she knew how to touch Christophe. She understood instinctually when she should be gentle and how he wanted to be touched.
"I have to tell you something." Was that her voice sounding so low, so sultry?
He opened his eyes. Passion met her gaze. She squeezed his cock tighter, and he bit down on his lip, his breathing quickening.
"By all means, tell me." He moaned. "Just don't stop doing what you're doing. Please."
She'd done this to him. When, in her entire life, had she had so much power over another person? Never. And the truth was she wanted nothing but to give him pleasure, to make him as happy as she possibly could.
"I can't get pregnant. Well, according to Isabelle. There are no accidental pregnancies with Outsiders. No diseases. We can only conceive under very specific circumstances. It has to do with the moon and a great deal of planning."
"So what you are saying then is that we do not need to worry? About—what is the word?—protection?"
She nodded. "Exactly."
"Wonderful."
Christophe positioned himself farther down on the bed so he could get closer to her pussy. She tensed up. What would it feel like to have someone touch her where only she herself had ever pleasured?
The chanting she had been hearing on and off since she'd first touched Christophe started in her ears again. He hadn't mentioned hearing them, but she'd bet the farm that he had too. Eden had told her it was the voices of the ancestors blessing whatever was about to happen. It meant the person had followed their destiny, had done something that would help the cause.
Apparently, sleeping with Christophe fell into the category of "good" things she could do. It certainly felt that way to her.
He inserted one finger inside of her, then found her clit.
She'd stroked it many times in the privacy of her own room. Silently when she'd been a young woman, for fear of getting caught, and still as quiet as she could be when she got older because of the sense that she didn't want others to know what she did.
Now? She moaned s
o loudly she wondered why the walls didn't come down around her.
"You like? Hmm?" He took his finger out of her and sucked on it, closing his eyes seeming to savor the taste. "I like it too." His eyes opened, and heat pooled in them.
She had never, in a million years, thought herself sexy. But the way he regarded her? It changed everything. In his eyes, she appeared the woman she'd always wanted to be.
He bent over. "I have to taste you some more. You are intoxicating, like a fine wine. You have so many flavors. I must discern them all."
His tongue swept out, finding her clit. She sucked in her breath. His fingers had been phenomenal but there were certain things he seemed to be able to do with his tongue that he hadn't done with his fingers.
"Christophe." His name slid out of her. Her pussy wept, and she felt like she might come apart around his mouth.
He made an appreciative noise, letting her know that the juices surging out of her body tasted good to him. She grabbed his back, clawing him with her nails. Pressure mounted in her, and she had no idea what to do with it. She thrashed her head back and forth on the pillow.
He didn't stop his ministrations. How did he know how to do this to her? All thought fled her mind after that question. Her body exploded around him. She'd never understood the description before, but it proved to be a true phrase. Her body shook, and her juices spilled out like a river pushing through a broken dam.
She called out his name. After a while, he lifted his head to regard her. She panted, looking back at him. She knew she must appear a mess. Her hair probably stuck up in a million different ways. Yet he looked so properly put together he could immediately leave this room and go out to dinner if he wanted to.
Not fair.
With her right hand, she reached out to stroke his erect cock. He shook his head, grabbing her hand. "No. Won't make it."
Christophe grabbed her arms and held them over her head. Her core, which had just stopped throbbing, immediately perked up again.
"This okay?"
She nodded, unable to form words.
"I want to keep you safe in my arms, protected where I can feel you. I have to know that you're okay at all times."
Whatever he wanted or needed. She craved it, too. To belong to him, to know they would always be together after being apart for so long.
He positioned his cock at the edge of her core and with a swift move pushed inside of her. Her muscles clenched around him. He was so large, how on earth would he ever get all of him in her? But he slid slowly, breaking through her barrier as he pushed. She'd thought it would hurt, but it really felt like more of a pinch. Immediately, the pain left, and she quickly forgot it.
Inch by inch, her body stretched to meet him.
"Merde. So tight. So perfect."
Slowly, he began to move. With each thrust of his body, he tightened his grip on her wrists. She'd never have imagined she would like the sensation of being held down but she really, really did. Her hips moved to meet his every press.
When she'd exploded on his tongue, it had felt like the world shattered around her. But now? With him inside of her, joined as close as they ever could be, instead she couldn't get over the rightness of it.
The same pressure that had pushed her forward began again in her womb. But this time she knew she wasn't alone in it. Every gasp she made, Christophe countered. She loved the way his eyes devoured her face. He bit down on his lip. She raised her head until she could nip at it herself.
His eyes widened, and then he grinned, driving into her even harder. She cried out as his thick cock rubbed against her clit in just the right way. The world spun around her, and only Christophe remained solid in the storm.
She gripped onto him for dear life, their bodies moving fast together. Sweat slid down her arms.
"Tell me you're mine, mon coeur. Give me your words."
"Yours. Always. Forever," she said from the depths of her heart, from the place where she hid her most sacred truths. The part of her that had always known she was an Outsider; that the destiny she'd lived so far hadn't been the right one because it hadn't included Christophe.
Colors spread in front of her eyes while she came apart. Over and over again, her pussy wept and her muscles clenched. He called out her name, and she felt the hot surge of his semen entering her body. She knew she couldn't get pregnant, but in that moment, she wouldn't have cared if she had, she might even have liked it. Anything created out of their joining would only be fantastic.
She panted, holding him close to her when he collapsed. Her hands, now free, stroked his back. She could feel where her fingernails had dug into him earlier and she winced. If their lovemaking was always going to be like that, she was going to have to file the nails down.
He rolled her over on top of him, pulling her into his embrace until her head pressed against his chest. She raised her eyes to look at him and found his lids sealed shut. His breathing sounded strong and even. She grinned, unable to stop the giddy feeling from surging inside of her. Christophe had passed out. She'd really worn the man out.
Adjusting herself until she felt more comfortable, she lay quietly, listening to him breathe. He didn't seem to be a snorer, which would be a real gift to their relationship. The rain hit the top of the mansion, drumming steadily.
When he woke up, there would be decisions to make. As much as she wanted that stick from the preacher, there seemed little question now that they had to go get Colin. Christophe's brother could not be allowed to languish in some torture chamber. Not now that she knew that together, she and Christophe could manipulate their powers.
Her eyes drifted shut. When they woke up, they'd figure something out. Her eyes closed all the way. She couldn't remember when she'd ever been so tired, but then again she'd been waiting to sleep next to him her entire life
Chapter Nine
Sebastian stared down at the unmoving body of Drew Dubowski. In sleep, the man actually appeared pleasant. But Sebastian knew that to be the furthest thing from the truth. He'd lived with the man for three years.
Drew could spit bullets when he wanted to.
Drew had been his first attempt to turn an Outsider. Years before he'd made any real effort on Gabriel and Alexa, he'd tried with Drew. Of course, that hadn't turned out as he'd hoped, but it did seem to have stopped him from taking his soul mate, which made Sebastian smile.
The Outsiders would never have the power to overtake him until they'd all given into their destinies.
Sebastian staggered backward as a pain in his chest almost brought him to his knees. Damn it. He'd lost another one. Two more of the Outsiders had managed to mate.
He shook his head, scanning the ones he still had left to communicate with. Drew—who lay in front of him on a hospital bed, machines that would never be able to fix him even as they beeped away—hadn't mated. Marina and Drew still stayed apart. Zane hadn't paired up with anyone. Leonardo remained mateless and would always be that way since Alexa loved Sebastian so thoroughly. Zane hadn't yet met Raquel and likely never would. Even though they were both criminals, they ran in very different circles. Leonardo would never find either of them. Even if he did, they'd both laugh in his face before following him home.
Colin, stuck in Sebastian's torture chamber, hadn't met Gia. As long as he could keep him strung up that would never take place either. Sebastian nodded to himself. The last possible mating had taken place. So what? It wouldn't matter in the long run.
Now all he needed was Drew to be where Colin was. He blinked, throwing the man forward on to the floor of his chamber. Colin looked up at the noise. He stared down at his new companion.
"No." Colin shook his head back and forth. "This has to be stopped."
Drew's eyes opened, and Sebastian laughed. "You don't wake up in a hospital but a torture chamber brings you right around. You're so predictable."
One of his biggest nemeses out of the group, Drew sat up slowly. He blinked rapidly, obvious confusion dancing on his face. "Marina?" His
throat sounded dry. If Sebastian gave a shit, he'd get the man a glass of water. Better he should suffer. That was, after all, what this place was about.
"No, sorry." Sebastian formed a body just long enough to shove Drew into an identical machine to the one Colin resided in. "Marina isn't with you. She's dead."
Drew jolted at the lie. Sebastian had long ago learned how to tell a lie so completely that no one had the slightest idea he'd not told the truth. Not even Drew with all of his powers.
"She can't be dead." Drew's eyes breathed fire at him. "I would know it."
Sebastian leaned over him. "Would you? You're not even mated because you're such a coward. Can you reach her telepathically? You and Isabelle can do that with your mates. Tell me the truth. Is Marina anywhere you can find her?"
Drew closed his eyes. He'd never be able to talk to Marina from their location. Sebastian's people had designed this place to be Outsider proof. Once Outsiders came in, they could not power their way out.
He turned on the machine, and Drew screamed. Not a manly yell or a grunt to show he withstood the torture. No, the constant thorn in his side let out a howl that made Sebastian cackle with glee.
Colin winced. "Torturing a man who is clearly injured is kind of cheating, don't you think, demon?"
This was not his first round with Colin either. Colin had stolen his spell book when he'd been twelve years old.
Before Sebastian had come into his full powers, he'd been robbed.
Sebastian stroked the side of Colin's face. "Not so tough now, are you? Now that we're full grown."
Colin ignored him, which made Sebastian grit his teeth.
"Hey, pal," Colin said to Drew. "What's your name? I'm Colin Knight."
Drew winced, the pain still spiraling through his body. Sebastian loved these devices. The next world he took over, he'd bring them with him. It could be adapted for so many fun uses.
"Colin." Drew exhaled. "Drew Dubowski. Are you an Outsider or just some human that Sebastian is torturing? Usually, I can tell but my mate is dead and I think it's done something to my powers."