How to Worship a Goddess (14 page)

Maybe his subconscious was screwing with him, making him see things that weren't there.

Hoping the demon didn't know what he was doing, he let his hands curl into fists and his nails bite into his palms, hard enough to break the skin and draw blood. No, he was awake.

Then he thought about exactly what the thing had said. He opened his mouth to ask what the hell it meant—and the thing jumped at him.

Luckily, he'd been expecting it and was ready. Reaching for its neck, Brand caught it, managing to keep his hands away from the thing's teeth before he tossed it like a venomous snake across the room, away from Lucy.

It hardly weighed anything and it hit the wall with an audible crack. Brand ran for it, intending to beat the shit out of it before it could get back up. He'd nearly reached it when the demon sprang back to its feet, teeth bared.

Christ, that was just nasty. Brand figured he'd probably better not get too close to those, so he rushed it, digging his shoulder into the thing's stomach and driving it back into the wall.

The demon hit hard but got in a good swipe across his back with its claws, making Brand draw away with a hiss of pain. Shit, that stung.

Putting some distance between them, Brand bounced on the balls of his feet and got ready for the thing to make a counter attack. The demon stood, shook its head, then hissed before it ran out the door of the bedroom and disappeared down the hall.

Adrenaline pumped through Brand's veins in an almost painful rush as he tried to catch his breath.

Why the hell had it run? Brand couldn't believe it'd been scared of him. It'd been strong, maybe not as strong as him, but still. It had claws like a tiger and teeth like broken glass. And just what had the damn thing meant when it'd said Brand wasn't exactly what he thought he was? That hadn't made any damn sense at all.

Taking another deep breath, he turned toward the bed—and realized Lucy had slept through the entire thing. Her breathing was slow and steady and her skin looked even more sallow in the brighter light of the sun.

She looked sick.

He ran for the bed, crawling onto the mattress next to her. “Hey, babe. You okay?”

She didn't answer, didn't respond in any way, and now he was beginning to get worried. Hell, he was a lot worried.

“Lucy, hon. Wake up.”

She moaned, just a small sound, but enough to make Brand's gut tighten. Bending down, he pressed his hand to her forehead. Burning hot.

“Damn. You're sick. Come on, wake up.”

She moaned again, a little louder this time. What the hell was wrong with her? Did goddesses get sick? “Wait right here, I'm gonna go to the bathroom and get—”

“Sun.” Her voice, a thready whisper, chilled him even more. “Burns. Didn't close skylights.”

Shit, she was allergic to the sun? “How do I close them?”

She tried to lift her hand but couldn't. “Switch… on wall.”

He ran for the wall, though it was only a few steps away, and hit the two switches on the wall. The overhead lights flicked on and a faint hum filled the room as blackout shades began to crawl across the skylights.

When he was sure they were working, he ran back to the bed, kneeled next to her and pulled her limp body into his arms. “Damn, Lucy. Are you okay? What can I do?”

Lucy sighed as the shades darkened the room and finally her eyelids fluttered open.

Brand blew out a long breath. “Jesus, Lucy. What the hell—

She turned into him, her body still so hot, and grabbed his head to pull him down for a kiss. He froze for a few seconds, his brain racing but his body stuck in neutral.

What
the
hell's going on?

Then his body took over and gave into the raging hunger that sent him up in flames. She kissed him like she wanted to devour him. Her mouth fused to his, stealing his breath and his sanity. Her tongue danced along his, enticing him, wiping his mind of anything that wasn't her.

He turned her until her body aligned with his. On her knees now, she pressed against him, her breasts smashed against his chest, her nipples tight little points that dug into his muscles, pinpricks of heat that taunted him.

Her pussy ground against his groin and he reached for her hips, tilting her until his cock fit in the notch between her thighs.

Both naked, he could have sworn he saw sparks fly as their skin meshed, sweat slicking their flesh as the heat sizzled and burned.

Holy
hell. She's going to burn me to ash. And I'm going to love it.

***

Burning lust, eating her from the inside out.

Lucy had woken knowing something was wrong. Her skin burned, her pussy ached, and her thoughts jumbled together like a ball of tangled yarn, confused and disjointed. She wanted sex. Needed sex to curb the effects of the sun on her body.

There, that's what had happened. She'd forgotten to close the skylight shades last night. Last night. Brandon. His body pressed against hers, his cock between her thighs, hard. Oh, so hard and hot and long. She wanted to suck it, to bite it, and force him to shaft into her deep and hard.

But she was kissing him right now and she didn't want to release his mouth.

The feel of his tongue against hers made her stomach clench and eased the sun sickness even as it stoked her desire. He tasted her like he couldn't get enough, his lips hard on hers. Forceful and oh, so masculine.

And his groan when she bit down, trapping his tongue in her mouth… Blessed Goddess, it made her pussy weep until her juices flowed down her leg. So good. She wanted him to fuck her. He
would
fuck her.

Lucy pressed even closer, her hands sliding down his biceps to his wrists. With very little force, she drew his hands up to her breasts, leaning back only enough so he could mold her breasts in his palms.

She needed him to pinch her nipples, to squeeze almost to the point of pain. She needed more. He didn't need much encouragement. He cupped her, his fingers tweaking her nipples.

“Harder, Brandon. Harder. I need—”

She moaned as he obeyed, the lick of pain arrowing straight to her clit. Her heart raced and lust pulsed in her blood. She needed more. Harder, faster.

Yet, in the back of her mind, she knew Brandon was only human. His body more frail than her
lucani
. Still, she couldn't rein herself in. Her arms wrapped around his back, her fingers clenching as her nails bit into his flesh.

She heard him hiss in a breath even as she felt his cock thicken further against her stomach.

His hands tightened for several seconds, giving her exactly what she needed until he abruptly released her, tearing his mouth away from hers.

“Jesus, Lucy, I don't want to hurt—”

With a barely coherent cry, she sank one hand into his hair and dragged him closer.

“You can't hurt me. I need you to do me hard and fast. Now.”

Through the haze of sickness and her burning desire, she heard him swear under his breath and, for a second, she thought he might pull away. That she'd frightened him with the strength of her desire.

“Open your eyes, Lucy. Come on, baby. Look at me.”

No, she didn't want him to see the madness in her eyes. She needed him to fuck her, and if he even suspected… But she couldn't
not
obey the command in his voice.

She opened her eyes and immediately lost herself in the glittering darkness of his. So warm, so mesmerizing. So damn masculine. She leaned forward and let her tongue flick out to graze his jaw and the throbbing muscle at the side. Spicy hot.

“Brandon, please.”

She let one hand drift down his back to his ass, where she grabbed a handful and squeezed. The firm muscles clenched and flexed, and when she moved her hands between his legs to scratch her nails along the tight pouch of his balls, she felt his skin go slick with sweat.

“I need you to fuck me. Bend me over and take me. I need it now. Please.”

She knew she was begging and she didn't care. All that mattered was that he made her come. Preferably soon. Before the madness took over and she really hurt him.

Blessed
Mother
Goddess, please don't let me hurt him.

She knew she was close to that edge, where desire became fury. She'd only been in that place once before and she'd sworn never to be there again. She'd been sloppy last night, forgetting to cover the windows. She couldn't be sloppy.

“Lucy—” He groaned as she let her other hand curve around his cock and squeeze. “Oh,
fuck
.”

“Now. Hard. Brand—”

He lifted and twisted her, until she was facing away from him. For a few brief seconds, he held her back against his chest as one hand pinched and kneaded her breast and the other slid between her thighs.

His breath left his lungs in a rush as he felt the slickness of her lower lips and she nearly came when he thrust two fingers into her sex.

“
Yes
. Oh Gods, yes.”

The thickness filled her, stretched her. The scrape of rough skin against delicate inner tissue made her eyes close as lightning-hot flashes of sensation shot from her pussy to her womb.

She clenched around him, trying to pull him deeper.

“Fuck, Lucy. You're tight.”

“For you. Only for you.”

He withdrew in a rush, causing her to sob out a denial and reach for his hand to make him fuck her with his fingers.

Before she could, he caught both of her wrists and pulled them away from her body just as he thrust into her again, harder this time.

Yes.

She arched her back, trying to move her hips but he withdrew his fingers completely.

“No, Brandon. Godsdamnit, fuck me.”

“Christ, Lucy, you gotta… Bend over. Now.”

She barely understood his words but she knew what he wanted as he pulled her wrists down. She bent until her cheek hit the mattress, her ass at the perfect position. She wiggled her hips, felt his cock brush against her ass cheeks before it settled in the valley between her cheeks.

Her pussy pulsed with need as his heated shaft rubbed against her. The smooth skin of his cock contrasted with the wiry brush of the hair on his thighs and between his legs.

Then it was gone and cool air caressed her ass where only a second ago there'd been heat.

She practically growled at the loss but in the next second, she felt him move into position. The head of his cock pierced her lips and, with a heavy thrust, he sank deep.

Crying out at the luscious fullness, she pressed back, wanting even more. But his hands gripped her hips in a vise so tight, she couldn't move without using excessive force. And truth be told, she liked it too much.

She liked the bite of pain as his fingers dug into her hips, the dragging friction as he pulled out and then heaved back in.

She let herself be taken, let Brandon fuck her hard and fast as she laid there and took it. Her pussy tightened with each thrust, her orgasm gathering with a strength she craved and feared. If it got to be too much, she could hurt Brandon when she came. She'd done it before, though not for centuries.

She tried to rein back some of that passion now.

“Oh, no fucking way.” Brandon's voice rasped through her control, breaking the thin strings she'd been holding onto. “I want you to explode. I want you out of control, just like you've made me.”

“Can't—”

“Fuck that.” He withdrew then slammed into her again, deeper, thicker. Enough to make her lose her mind. “Come, Lucy.”

No, she couldn't. She didn't want— He smacked the side of her ass with his open palm, hard enough to make her flinch… and explode.

Her orgasm hit her so hard, her back bowed and her vision went hazy, tinged with red. Her pussy rippled and contracted around his cock, sucking him in, milking his response. He held on for a minute at least, fucking her through the orgasm until he groaned and began hammering into her, his movements jerky and uncoordinated.

She didn't know how she managed to keep her legs from collapsing under her, how she kept her ass in the air. Probably because Brandon held her and wouldn't let her fall.

Hot jets of cum bathed her channel as her body sank into the aftermath. Afterglow, hell. She still burned like a ten-alarm fire but it wasn't painful. No, she was sated. But… she still wanted more. Was afraid she might always.

After a minute or so, Brandon groaned, wrapped his arms around her waist and maneuvered them onto their sides, his cock still thick enough not to slip out.

They lay there, both of them trying to catch their breath. Surprisingly, Brandon seemed to rouse first. He stroked a lazy hand along her hip before he propped himself up on an elbow and pressed a long, hot kiss to her neck.

And she realized the heat she continued to feel was the sun sickness as it burned off. She blew out a sigh of relief. She hadn't lost control. She hadn't torn him to shreds in the throes of madness. No, he'd fucked her into complacency. Wow. Just… wow.

“Lucy, not that I'm complaining, but are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?”

She bit back a laugh, knowing he wouldn't understand why she'd done it.

“No, you didn't hurt me and, yes, I'm fine.” Now. “I forgot to close the shades last night. I have an intolerance of the sun.”

“So it wasn't anything that blue-skinned freak did to you. Jesus, I was so worried—”

Lucy's eyes popped wide as she scrambled around on the bed to face Brandon. “What? What are you talking about?”

Brandon's eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “Damn, you really slept through the whole thing, fight and all? You were out harder than I thought.”

She felt all the blood rush to her head and actually thought she might pass out.

“Did it hurt you? Did it
bite
you?”

Vaffanculo
, she reached for him, running her hands over his body, searching for even the slightest scratch. The
tukhulkha
demon injected poison through its teeth. One bite…