Pursued (20 page)

The
hunger
snarled inside her like a starving animal but still she hesitated. “Would…would I have to be naked too?”

Merrick gave her a steady look. “You know the answer to that. We need as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. Anything less isn’t going to cut it.”

“I know,” she said in a small voice. “It’s just…I’m shy. I…I know you’ve seen me naked before but—”

“Blindfold me,” Merrick suggested softly. “Cuff me down and blindfold me. Then do whatever you want…whatever you need.”

Elise looked at him uncertainly. “You’d let me make you helpless like that? You’d trust me that much?”

He sighed. “You can be fucking sure it’s not an offer I’d extend to anybody else in the whole Goddess-damned universe. But, yeah baby. I trust you.”

The
hunger
snarled again and she made a decision. “All right.” She nodded. “Let’s do it.”

There was some discussion about which way he should be lying on the big bed. Her first thought was to have him on his back but that felt too threatening somehow. Part of it was how massive he was, even in repose. And part was the fact that his semi-erect shaft was put on display in a very disconcerting way. Elise tried, but she found it difficult not to look at. It was so long and thick…God, how did he even
use
that thing? It was more like a Billy club than a cock, which made her glad they weren’t doing anything but touching tonight. But despite her misgivings, she kept wondering what it would feel like in her hand, if it was as hot and as hard and solid as it looked.

Merrick obviously saw the way her eyes kept returning to his shaft. It seemed to harden and lengthen the more she looked at it. “Sorry about that,” he muttered, shrugging. “It’s been awhile. And you’re fucking gorgeous—I can’t help reacting.”

“I…I don’t mind,” Elise lied. “But, well, maybe if you lay on your side instead…”

That seemed to work better. She could still see his erect shaft, but it was mostly hidden by his thighs. And with his hands cuffed behind his back, he seemed much less threatening somehow. She was sure having him in this position wouldn’t bring up any unwanted memories.

Before she undressed, Elise went around behind him and tied on the blindfold—the black sash of a silky black and red robe one of the girls from the Mother Ship had given her for her trip. It covered Merrick’s eyes pretty well, though she thought he might be able to peek out a little from under the bottom edge which was mostly lace. Still, it gave the illusion that he was unable to see and Elise found that made her feel
much
more at ease than if he’d been blatantly staring at her. She finished by arranging a pillow under his head to make sure he was comfortable.

“There.” She stepped back at last, examining her handiwork. Merrick looked a sight. Naked, lying on his side with his arms bound behind his back and his eyes blindfolded, it was as though he was a hostage she had taken. A prisoner, helpless despite his size and strength.

It looked kinky but it wasn’t, not really. It was about his desire to help her, to give her what she needed without frightening her. Once more Elise felt touched that he would offer her this level of trust. She wondered if he’d ever allowed anyone else to make him this helpless and knew he had not.
He cares,
she realized.
Really cares. And I don’t think it’s just the artificial bond…or not all of it, anyway.

“Not to rush you or anything, but I’m ready when you are,” Merrick rumbled and she realized she’d been just standing there, staring at him for a full minute.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Quickly she began to disrobe. The dress she was wearing was loose and simple, easy to slip out of. What wasn’t so easy was what came next—taking off her bra and panties. Elise looked again at the edge of black lace on the bottom of the blindfold. Was Merrick watching her? “Can you see me?” she asked uncertainly.

“I can smell you,” he growled softly, not answering the question. “I can smell your sweet heat from over here. You need this baby, so stop worrying and come take it.”

Elise decided to do as he said. Quickly and decisively, she pulled off her lacy white bra and panties and dropped them in a little heap on the floor. Then, though it was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, she crawled naked onto the bed with him.

She wasn’t sure what to do at first—how to touch him. She thought about hugging him but she was shy about starting with such an intimate embrace. The idea of pressing her naked body to his made her nervous and also incredibly hot. Then it came to her—start at the top and work down.

She’d always wanted to touch his head, she realized. To feel the prickly black stubble of his skull-cut hair. Lightly, she ran her hand over it, enjoying the warmth of his scalp, the roughness of his hair against her palm.

Merrick shivered and she drew back at once. “I’m sorry. Is that okay?”

“Fine,” he assured her, his voice slightly hoarse. “I just wasn’t expecting it. But go on, baby. Touch me however you want—I don’t mind.”

The warmth and reassurance in his deep voice gave her courage to try again. Scooting a little closer, Elise ran a hand over his head again and then let her fingers trail down one rough cheek. She was pretty sure that he shaved often but she had never seen him without a beard shadow—it must grow fast.

She turned her attention to the rest of his face. His features were blunt…solid, as though carved out of granite, yet they felt soft and mobile beneath her hands. She ran a finger down the bridge of his nose and over his lips, which were surprisingly full and sensual for a man.

To her surprise, Merrick kissed her fingertip, prompting her to linger there. When she didn’t move, he parted his lips for her—an obvious invitation. What did he want? Elise wasn’t sure until he sucked her finger gently into his mouth. She gasped in surprise but didn’t pull away. The warm, wet suction seemed to do something to her, especially when she felt him bathing her finger softly with his tongue. What was he trying to show her? How he would kiss other parts of her body if he got the chance?

"Mmm…" The low purring growl of desire rising in his throat as he lapped gently at her fingertip seemed to confirm her thought.

Disturbed and aroused at the same time, Elise pulled back slowly and cupped his cheek again. Then she turned her attention to something else that interested her—his scar.

Carefully, she traced one fingertip over the cruel white line which ran the length of his face, bisecting his eyebrow and narrowly missing his eye. Merrick shivered under her touch like a nervous animal but said nothing.

“How did you get this?” Elise asked softly, hoping he wouldn’t mind the question. There were other scars on his big body—plenty of them. But this was the most obvious—and the most cruel.

“Got in a fight,” he said briefly. “With a male who hurt someone I loved.”

Elise felt her heart fist in her chest but she tried to ignore the sensation. After all, they were both adults. She couldn’t expect him to have never cared for anyone before her. “Oh?” she said lightly. “Was she pretty?”

“Beautiful. But I don’t want to talk about her now.” He sighed and pressed his head forward gently, nuzzling her hand. “Someday, baby, I’ll tell you all about my scars. When you’re ready to tell me about yours.”

“I see.” Elise stopped tracing his scar and moved her hand down to the strong cords of his throat instead. “I don’t know if that will ever happen,” she said softly, running one hand from his neck to his shoulder. “I don’t know if I’ll ever…ever be ready for that.” It was the closest she could come to acknowledging the vault and everything inside it. It wasn’t much, but Merrick seemed to understand and appreciate her effort.

“That’s all right. We don’t need to talk about it now. For now just touch me.”

Elise did as he said. Her hands slipped from his shoulders and down his muscular arms. She could feel his biceps and triceps tense beneath her wandering hands. With pleasure? Sexual tension? She tried not to think about it too much—or to consider the fact that while she was starting to feel better—less
hungry
as it were—she was still nowhere near satisfied.

An old song hummed briefly in the back of her mind,
“I can’t get no…satisfaction…”
What would it take to give her that feeling of emotional fullness—of complete satisfaction? What would it take to feed the
hunger
until it left her alone, for even a little while? Elise was afraid to consider it. Instead she tried to keep her mind blank and let her hands do the work her mind was too frightened to contemplate.

Merrick was half turned over now so that instead of his profile, she saw him more face on. Somehow, though, it didn’t bother her as it had before they’d started this little exercise. He was so big and warm that touching him—exploring him—was exactly what she imagined stroking a tiger would be like. Without all the fur, of course, but his size and the caged violence inside him—evident even in repose—put the image in her mind and she found she couldn’t forget it.

He made soft, deep sounds of pleasure when she stroked him, her hands wandering over his muscular chest and down his corded abdomen. She played lightly with the flat copper disks of his nipples, circling them with one teasing fingertip until Merrick made a growling sound of frustration.

This isn’t supposed to be sexual,
she thought and hastily withdrew her hand…only to travel lower. His thighs and legs were powerful, lightly dusted with coarse black hair that felt ticklish under her palms. Elise stroked all the way down to his strong ankles and big feet before coming back up again.

She hesitated over the broad, plum-shaped head of his cock, protruding from between his thighs. It was even harder now, she saw, and there were droplets of clear fluid welling up on top. She wondered briefly what those pearly drops would taste like on her tongue and then pushed the thought away hurriedly. What was
wrong
with her? She never had thoughts like that—
desires
like that. And yet now, it seemed she did. Slowly, hesitantly, she let just her fingertips trail down, stroking lightly between his thighs, just where his shaft was. There seemed to be a swelling at its base—was that normal or just a Kindred thing? Honestly, Elise hadn’t seen enough naked men to know, not that she’d ever wanted to.

“It’s okay.” His deep voice brought her back to herself and she snatched her hand away.

“What?”

“I said, it’s okay,” he repeated. “Touch me however you want to, baby. However and wherever. I don’t mind.”

Elise wished briefly that she could allow
him
such free access to
her
body but even the thought made cold sweat break out on her forehead. “I thought you said it doesn’t…doesn’t have to be sexual,” she whispered through dry lips.

“It doesn’t,” Merrick assured her gently. “But it can be if you want it to be. If you
need
it to be.” Slowly, he arched his back, giving her greater access to his bound and naked body. “Go ahead, baby—do what you want. Take what you need.”

“I…I shouldn’t need to do that. To touch you there,” she whispered. Inside her head a little voice murmured,
Don’t you mean you shouldn’t
want
to?

Merrick didn’t answer. He still looked relaxed—or at least most of him did. His shaft was rock hard and solid, thrusting up from between his thighs like an invitation.

What does it feel like?
Before she could stop herself, Elise had leaned forward and cupped it in her hand.

Merrick let out a ragged gasp but he didn’t pull away. He just laid there, his big body tense as Elise touched him. The long shaft was much too thick to encircle with her fingers but she tried anyway. To her surprise the skin of his cock felt like velvet—or maybe rose petals. But it was hot too, much hotter than the rest of his body. Elise enjoyed the sensation. It was like holding a living creature in her hand—solid, hot, velvety and very, very male.

“Gods, baby,” Merrick groaned hoarsely when she slid her fingers up to the blunt, plum-shaped head and all the way back down to the swelling at the root of his cock. “Your sweet little hands are so
soft
.”

Elise spared a glance at his hands, bound helplessly behind his back by the shock cuffs and wondered what they would feel like on her bare skin. Big and callused but gentle was her guess. Gentle and very warm.

“What’s this?” she asked, trying to push the forbidden image out of her head as she stroked the swelling that ringed the base of his cock. “Is it a Kindred thing?”

“A Beast Kindred thing, yeah. Like my fangs are Blood Kindred.” He grinned briefly, showing the fangs in question. Half the time Elise forgot he had them—they really only showed when he smiled and he hadn’t had reason to smile much lately, she guessed.

“What is it?” she asked, determined to keep the conversation going, to keep things as normal as possible.

“It’s called a mating fist.” He caught his breath in a sharp hiss as Elise let her fingertips trail lightly over it. “It’s only used during sex. Bonding sex.”

“What does it do?” she asked curiously.

“Swells inside your pussy to tie us together,” he growled softly.

“It does? Why?” She shifted, parting her thighs slightly. Hearing him talk dirty made her feel hot and achy.

“That way the sex lasts longer and I could come in you again and again and make you mine. Bond you to me forever—the
right
way.” He groaned again. “Goddess, baby, you’re driving me fucking
crazy
.”

Elise felt a surge of empowerment. Merrick was a big, powerful male yet here he was, literally helpless in her hands.
She
was the one touching
him,
not the other way around.
She
was the one calling the shots—giving him pleasure, doing whatever she wanted. It made her feel strong and sexy in a way she never had before—in a way she’d never even imagined. Then his words began to register.