Chapter 20

Twenty

Ididn't like this rollercoaster anymore. One minute I thought I could trust him, only to doubt everything he said and his intentions the next. There had been a couple of moments tonight when I thought I could throw all of my faith into him, and everything would be okay; moments when I saw the man underneath all of the rings, and the tattoos.

The man who was nothing like his father, and was carrying around a lot of pain.

Barely an hour ago, down in that alley across the street, when our lips were locked and our hands were all over each other, I had felt… almost safe. Then he opened up a bit about his mom, and I'd felt like we had a real connection; beyond the purely physical one anyway.

So, why had I retreated from him as soon as we entered the hotel room? Why had I locked myself in the bathroom thirty minutes ago? On the outside, it looked like I was getting undressed and ready for bed, but really, I had needed a little time away from him; a second to gather my thoughts.

Or… many seconds, awkwardly strung out over such a long time that I was now considering sleeping in the bath to avoid going out there again.

By the time I slinked out of the bathroom, having swapped the beautiful dress I had been wearing for a t-shirt and lounge shorts, I found Lucien sitting on the armchair in the corner of the room with a pillow under his head. He was wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of briefs, and he had his feet propped up on a suitcase.

I wasn't sure whether he was awake or asleep, so I picked my way closer to the bed and went to flick off the bedroom light. That was when Lucien turned his head and opened his eyes. He eyed me up and down, then. I suddenly felt a little exposed.

"Sorry…" I said, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't asleep," he said.

"I'm not surprised." I gestured wildly towards his chair and suitcase setup. That doesn't look comfortable."

"I've slept in worse." He paused. "Get some rest… tomorrow will be a big day."

"Do you have something planned?"

"I'm working on it. Sleep."

I frowned. "You can't sleep there, your bones are going to ache tomorrow."

"I'll manage."

I pulled the bed covers down. "Don't be stubborn, and get in the bed."

"I don't need to sleep in the bed."

"The hell you don't. Come on."

Lucien seemed unconvinced. It wasn't until I slid into the bed and settled under the covers that he picked himself up off the chair and walked over. Instantly, instantly, I regretted this decision. Seeing him standing there, fluffing up his pillow wearing only a t-shirt and briefs… I had to look away. I had to turn my eyes, take a deep breath, and question every single bad decision I had ever made with this man.

At this point, it was chronic. I would, at every turn, invite danger into my life—especially when it came to Lucien Diaboli—it would've been hilarious if it didn't also get me into so much shit. Because here I was, lying on a bed into which this incredibly attractive man was about to slide into.

I could have let him sleep on the armchair, but no, he had looked a little bit uncomfortable, and so I invited him to share the bed with me. Why? Why in the world would I have done that, knowing full well that I was about to become the uncomfortable one?

Lucien finished fluffing his pillow and slipped into the bed. He lay down, facing up, and gently sighed. "Are you sure this is okay?" he asked.

No.

"Yep," I briskly said, shutting off the bedside table light. "Just keep your hands to yourself."

"My… what?"

Idiot. "Nothing, never mind. Goodnight."

Sighing my own, deep sigh, I let myself slide deeper into the bed and turned onto my side, turning away from him. Squeezing my eyes shut, I started counting sheep, hoping that would expedite the process of sending me off into dreamland.

One.

Two.

Three.

Kiss.

Five.

His lips.

Uh, twelve.

My throat.

I forgot four… fuck.

Lucien turned onto his side, facing away from me. I felt his arm brush against my back as he moved, sending that familiar warm pulse of excited energy coursing through me. I squeezed my legs shut tightly, cursing my traitorous body, and curled further into a ball, hoping that would be enough.

After a few minutes of lying there on my side, as wound up as a ball of yarn, I knew… I would not be getting any sleep tonight, because I had made a huge mistake. Without so much as a warning, I got up, grabbed my pillow, and marched over to the armchair Lucien had been sitting on earlier.

He didn't stop me.

He didn't protest.

It wasn't until I sat down and placed the pillow under my head that he spoke.

"I'll bite," he said.

I looked over at him, my breath suddenly held tightly in my lungs. "Excuse me?"

"I'll take the bait. Why have you moved?"

"No reason."

"Right."

"Just go to sleep, okay? The chair really isn't that uncomfortable."

I was lying, of course. Sure, the chair was nice enough, but sleeping in it was going to suck. I just knew I was going to wake up stiff, and sore, and probably grumpy as all hell. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than sharing a bed with him and flirting with danger.

A few seconds passed, maybe a minute spent in dark silence. Lucien sat up, his eyes flashed red, illuminating the features of his face for a brief moment. I felt his magic flare, and an instant later, all of the small LED lights in the room shut down.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Giving us privacy," he said.

"And why… why would you do that?"

"Because I don't want anyone hearing this conversation."

"I thought we were going to sleep, not talk."

Lucien got out of bed and stood up. Though there were no lights in the room, there was enough ambient light filtering through the gaps in the curtain that I could just about pick out the outline of his body as he stood upright and walked over to the armchair I was on.

My heart started to pound, my chest tightened, and my breath hitched. He stood beside the chair, then he leaned over it. "Come back to bed," he said.

"I'm… uh… I'm good here," I struggled.

"That wasn't a suggestion. You're going to come to bed with me."

He was slowly leaning in closer.

"I really can't do that."

"And why not? I need you rested, and relaxed… and I know you want to be a good girl and do as you're told. Don't you?" Holy shit.

Something about the way he purred those words did all sorts of things to me, and he knew it. Any self-control I was holding on to went straight out of the window, and I found myself instantly wet, and entirely willing to do anything he wanted me to do.

"I do…" I breathed.

"Good girls get rewarded."

Lucien moved, so he was no longer standing beside me, but in front of me. Firmly, he tugged my hips toward him, so I was almost on the edge of the armchair.

If my heart could've leapt out of my throat, it would've.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Relax…"

I felt his hands rest on my thighs, very gently, he pulled them apart. He knelt before me, moving his hands up and down my thighs, his firm fingers gently squeezing, and releasing, squeezing, and releasing. I seemed to have lost the ability to take a decent breath, or have a conscious thought. There was only the heat rising from the space between my legs, and the excited knot in the pit of my stomach.

When he brought his lips toward my left inner thigh and gently kissed it, I could've squealed. Instead, my breath skipped. He planted another kiss, this one further up my thigh, and the knot in my stomach tightened. I felt his hands gently move up my hips, his fingers sliding into the waistband of my shorts; in a quick movement he had slid both my shorts and underwear down to my ankles.

"Lucien," I breathed.

He looked up at me, a dark, red sheen in his eyes. "Yes?" he asked.

I realized then that I had lost the ability to speak. Instead of speaking, I kicked my underwear off and let myself sink further into the armchair, closing my eyes, and allowing my legs to open just a little further.

"Tell me to stop," he said, his breath tickling my warm, throbbing clitoris.

There was no way in hell I was going to tell him to stop. He hadn't even started! And I wanted him to, so badly, but he chose to tease instead. I felt his warm tongue gently flick against the edges of my already aching pussy, and I wanted to scream, but I did my best to hold myself together until he gave me what I wanted.

I had been with this man many, many times, but never in our encounters had I ever experienced anything like what I felt right now. His tongue danced gently up and over my clitoris, sending pulse after pulse of excited energy tearing through me. I didn't know what to do with my hands, whether to grab his head or grab my thighs.

In the end, I held tightly onto the armchair itself, digging my nails into it while Lucien carefully explored every nook, every fold, and every inch of me. As the pressure and tension started to build, I found my hips starting to move all on their own, bucking lightly against his mouth, his tongue.

Lucien wrapped his hands around my hips and pulled himself closer to me, his rhythm picking up the pace.

"Don't stop," I whispered. Panted. "Please… don't stop."

But he stopped, and pulled back, leaving me throbbing, aching, and desperate for him to finish what he was doing.

"What… why?" I breathed.

"Ask me."

"Ask… what?"

"Ask for permission."

Oh.

My.

God.

"Please…" I pleaded. "Could I have permission to come?"

"You may," Lucien whispered, and the touch of his tongue against my clitoris made me gasp this time.

I slapped my hand against my mouth to stop from screaming. My entire body shook, legs buckling as the knot in my stomach unraveled itself, releasing wave after wave of pleasurable relief crashing through me. My climax was powerful, probably the best one I had ever had. Lucien remained where he was, his hands gripping my hips, his tongue pressed lightly against me.

I felt like I was floating.

Flying.

When I came back down, Lucien pulled away from me and stood up. I did my best to sit upright, although my legs were still shaking. I reached for him, placing my hands on his hips, on his briefs, and pulling him toward me.

Lucien stood his ground, leaned toward me, and gently kissed my lips. "No," he said.

"No?" I breathed.

"Get into bed."

Holy shit.

Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.

I wanted to do exactly what this man told me to do, and I wanted to do it now.

This time, there was no hesitation. Lucien helped me to stand up, I grabbed my pillow, and I walked over to the bed, sliding into it for the second time tonight.

I simply lay in the bed, and waited for Lucien to get in… hoping to all the Gods this wasn't the end of tonight.