Pursued (22 page)

“You know I would never hurt you,” Merrick said softly.
“Never.”

“I know.” Elise felt a lump in her throat. God, why did he have to be so sweet and kind? Why couldn’t the bond between them be real? But there was no use wishing for things she couldn’t have. “I’m okay,” she said, daring to stroke his rough cheek with her fingertips. “I…I’m not so afraid anymore. As long as you don’t, you know, try to get on top of me or anything…”

“Of course not.” He gave her a half grin that exposed his fangs. “Wouldn’t want to ‘squish’ you.”

Elise laughed and felt a tight little knot in the center of her chest loosen a bit. Everything was going to be okay—at least she hoped. “I’m going to let you go now,” she said softly and turned the key.

Merrick slipped out of the cuffs and sat up, rubbing his wrists. “That’s better.” He looked at Elise. “You all right, baby?”

“Fine.” She fought the urge to shrink away now that he was up and free. Images of the dark male shadow standing at the door of her room and Buck growling protectively on her bed tried to rise in her mind but she pushed them back down.
Remember how safe you felt in his arms until you started remembering,
she told herself.
Until the vault started leaking…

“Hey…” Merrick reached out slowly, obviously trying not to startle her, and cupped her cheek. “Are you
really
okay? Or are you just saying that?”

“I’m all right.” Elise nuzzled against his large, warm palm. “Really I am. Let’s just, uh, get on with the demonstration. Okay?”

“You got it.” He leaned back against the headboard, just as she’d done, with his thighs spread in a relaxed stance. He cupped his shaft in one large hand, fisting it loosely and looked at Elise. “Sure you want me to do this?”

Feeling nervous all over again, she nodded. “Yes.”

“All right. You have to start slow…” He suited actions to words, stroking slowly upwards from the root of his cock to the broad head, still shiny with precum, and then back down again. A low groan rose in his throat and his eyes were half-lidded as he kept his gaze trained on her.

Elise bit her lip at the erotic sight. She’d never been interested in any kind of porn but the image of Merrick slowly stroking himself, his big, capable hand moving up and down his thick shaft was beginning to make her pussy feel like it was on fire. “What…what are you thinking?” she whispered as he continued to work.

“Just looking at you. Thinking how beautiful you are. Imagining…” His deep voice trailed off and Elise found herself looking into his eyes as he continued his performance.

“Imagining what?” she demanded breathlessly.

“Going down on you.” His eyes wouldn’t let her go. “Spreading you wide and licking that sweet, wet pussy I can see between your thighs.”

“Oh!” Elise pressed her thighs together tightly and pulled her knees up to her chin.

“Don’t.” Merrick shook his head. “Don’t do that, baby—don’t hide from me. You’re beautiful.”

Reluctantly, she parted her thighs again—giving him just a glimpse. “Even…even there?”

“
Especially
there,” he assured her. “And you smell so sweet. Gods, what I wouldn’t give to taste your honey. Don’t worry,” he added quickly. “I know you’re not up for it tonight. But I can’t help thinking about it…thinking about
you
, while I do this.” He nodded down at his hand which was moving more quickly.

“Oh…” Elise’s heart was pounding so hard it was hard to think what to say. Then she noticed something. “You
do
have a rhythm. I…I see what you mean now.”

“I’m glad you get it.” Merrick stopped for a moment, his hand still at the base of his cock. “You want to try now?”

“Don’t you want to uh, finish?” she asked hesitantly.

“Do you want me to?” he murmured, his eyes half-lidded as he looked at her. “Do you want to watch me come, baby?”

“Yes.” Elise was nearly trembling now. The lust inside her was rising high, like a tide that might carry her out to uncertain and dangerous seas. But somehow she couldn’t bring herself to retreat from it. “Yes,” she said again. “I want to see you do it. I want to watch you come.”

Merrick started again, moving in time to the internal rhythm he’d spoken of. But though Elise knew she was supposed to be watching his hand, she found her gaze drawn to his eyes instead. Those beautiful, mismatched eyes—one blue and one gold but both blazing with desire for her…only for her.
He’s thinking of me. Imagining what he wants to do to me. How he wants to taste me…

Elise knew it was true and still she couldn’t stop looking at him, couldn’t break his gaze. She could feel her breath growing short, almost as if
she
was the one about to come. Her nipples felt achy and hard and her pussy was so hot she felt molten from the waist down. And then, with a low growl of pleasure that sounded suspiciously like her name, Merrick came.

At last she was able to look away from his eyes. She saw his thick shaft jump in his hand and then the short, hard spurts of creamy white decorated his flat belly.
So much!
she thought, amazed at how he continued to come.
And all that would be inside me. If we…no! Can’t think like that.

Merrick groaned softly and leaned his head back against the headboard. He was no longer coming, but Elise couldn’t help noticing that his shaft was still as hard as ever. Was that normal? Or was it another one of those Kindred things, like the mating fist at the base of his cock?

At last, he sighed. “Gods. Guess I’d better get cleaned up.”

“No, wait.” Elise put out a hand to stop him when he started to get up. “I’ll get a washcloth.”

She ran to the small bathroom and fumbled in her bag for a soft square of terrycloth. It was actually one of the facecloths Olivia had given her but she hadn’t seen anything else resembling a washcloth on the Kindred ship so it would have to do. She wet it with warm water and went back to the bedroom where Merrick was still leaning back against the headboard.

“Thanks.” He held out his hand for the cloth but Elise hung on to it.

“Could I…would you let me do it?”

“Sure, if you want.” He gave her a warm smile. “I told you, baby, touch me anyway and anywhere you want to. I’m fine with it.”

“Thank you.” Elise wasn’t sure why she wanted to do this so much, only that she did. Leaning over him, she stroked the warm washcloth over the flat, muscular planes of his belly, cleaning away the evidence of his pleasure. Then she moved lower, stroking slowly around the base of his still erect shaft. “Why…”” She tried to think how to ask it. “Um, why are you still…”

“Hard?” He gave her a lazy smile. “Kindred trait. We don’t need a recovery period like human males do. We can have multiple orgasms—the same way females can.”

Elise sighed fretfully. “I’d settle for just having one at this point.” Though the
hunger
wasn’t gnawing her any more, she was still tense with unfulfilled desire and she knew nothing else would take the edge off, or keep the
hunger
inside her at bay, for any length of time.

“Do you want to try again?” Merrick asked softly. “Did my little, uh, demonstration help?”

To be honest, watching him stroke his cock until he came all over his flat belly had done little but feed the fire of her desire. But Elise didn’t want to admit that she’d been too busy lusting after him to get any helpful technical pointers. “I
did
see the rhythm you were talking about,” she said cautiously. “I’m just not…not sure how to apply it to my own, uh, situation.”

“Would you like me to help you?” Merrick asked softly.

Elise pressed her thighs together. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t…don’t feel comfortable with the idea of letting you, you know, taste me there.”

“Not like that, baby. Like this.” Slowly, gently, he drew her between his legs so that she was sitting between his thighs. “Now look.”

“Look at what?” Elise protested and then saw that he was pointing to the silvery reflective surface of a viewer, which happened to be positioned on the wall across from the bed. She was surprised to see the two of them reflected in it, Merrick’s large male body surrounding her own slender female form. Her long black hair was tousled, her brown eyes wide, while Merrick’s mismatched eyes were still half-lidded as he looked at her. But despite their differences, they looked right together. Somehow, in a way she couldn’t quite put her finger on, they looked like they
belonged
. “Oh,” she whispered.

“Oh is right.” Merrick stroked her hair away from her face, giving her a clearer view. “Look how beautiful you are, Elise,” he murmured, pointing to her reflection in the viewer. “How beautiful you are
everywhere
.”

“What do you mean?” she asked softly.

Merrick didn’t answer with words. Instead he parted her thighs, slowly, gently, but so steadily Elise didn’t even think of trying to stop him. When he was finished she was completely bare, her wet, naked pussy on display in the viewer for both of them to see.

“So fucking beautiful,” Merrick breathed in her ear. His large hands caressed her legs, sweeping up and down her inner thighs but never touching her throbbing center. “Look at your soft little pussy, baby. See how hot and wet and swollen it is. It needs to be touched.
You
need to be touched.” He kissed her cheek. “Why don’t you try again, but this time, watch yourself. Watch what you do and see what feels good.”

“Watch in the viewer while I touch myself?” Elise felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment, but there was another emotion in her too—desire. Desire so great that the heat of it threatened to consume her from the inside out.

“Why not?” Merrick asked reasonably. “Just try it. Try to get a rhythm going, like I showed you.”

“It’s different for you,” Elise objected. “You have a bigger, uh, instrument to work with.
Much
bigger.” Despite her protests, she watched as her right hand stole stealthily down between her legs, almost as though it had a mind of its own.

“Slowly,” Merrick cautioned her as she dipped her middle and index finger into the slippery well of her pussy. “Take it slow at first, baby.”

“Yes, I remember.” Slowly, carefully, Elise began to stroke. She could feel the sensitive button of her clit throbbing beneath her fingertips and she shivered as each touch of her own hand sent another shower of sparks throughout her body. God, it felt so good…and yet…” I’m still not getting anywhere,” she said aloud. “I mean, watching you made me feel so…so…”

“So what?” Merrick prompted in a soft growl.

“So aroused,” Elise admitted at last. “So hot I couldn’t
think
straight. I mean, you’d think I’d go off like a rocket. That I’d be able to come as quickly as you did.”

“It’s not like that with females.” Merrick stroked her inner thighs soothingly. “It takes awhile to build them up. Takes awhile to make them come.”

“Do
you
know how to do it?” Elise caught his eyes in the viewer. “How to…how to make a woman come? With your hands, I mean,” she added quickly, looking away. “Not…anything else.”

“I know what you mean.” He nodded. “Yeah, baby, I can make you come. Do you want me to?”

Elise felt her cheeks get even hotter. “Oh, I didn’t mean—”

“Yes, you did.” Merrick’s hands stopped stroking and simply rested on her inner thighs. Once more their eyes met and held in the viewer. “Do you want me to touch you?” he asked softly. “Do you want me to stroke your soft little pussy and make you come, Elise?”

Elise couldn’t deny it anymore. It felt good when she touched herself but it felt
right
when Merrick touched her. It was as though the
hunger
was demanding more than just an orgasm from her. It was demanding that Merrick be the one to give it to her. Which made sense when she thought about it—after all, the need inside her was coming from the bond she shared with him. And artificial or not, it had to be fed. “I…I think I need you to,” she whispered at last. “For…for the bond. For the
hunger.”

“Of course.” Merrick nodded knowingly but she caught the flash of lust in his mismatched eyes anyway. “Of course, baby.” Slowly, tenderly, one large hand slid down her thigh and cupped her trembling mound. Then he was silent.

They sat like that for what seemed like a long time, not speaking with his warm palm just cupping her, until Elise wiggled in anticipation. “When…when are you going to begin?”

“I already have,” he murmured in her ear. “Didn’t I tell you we have to take it slow?” He rubbed her lightly, barely touching the well-trimmed patch of curls at the top of her mound. The soft, barely-there touch sent a shiver through her and fresh wetness to her pussy.

“God, Merrick,” she whispered raggedly. “Please…”

“All right,” he said softly, apparently relenting at last. “But I don’t want to rush this—any of it.” He nodded at the viewer. “Watch while I do this, Elise. Watch me stroke your hot little pussy until you come for me.”

She moaned breathlessly as he opened her, parting her swollen outer lips with his middle and index fingers to reveal her hot pink interior. God, but she was so slick and hot and wet. How could her body be reacting this way? After so many years of complete inaction it was as though she was coming to life in a way she’d never even dreamed was possible. Coming to life and going into overdrive.

“Gently, now,” Merrick whispered in her ear. Slowly he slid one long finger across her slick petals. Elise caught her breath as she felt him stroke her—not on her too-sensitive clit itself, but right alongside it—in a way that made her feel so good she could hardly hold still.

“Oh! Oh, please…” she heard herself moan as he continued that one, slow, simple motion. “Please, Merrick…
please!”

“Just watch,” he murmured. Elise could feel his cock throbbing against the small of her back and knew he was as turned on as she was by this gentle, intimate encounter. “Just watch and learn, baby.”

Elise couldn’t have torn her eyes from the viewer if she knew that looking would make her go blind. The sight of herself spread out on his lap as one long, thick finger slid slowly in and out of her swollen folds was almost as mesmerizing as the unfamiliar but instantly addictive sensation of him touching her. “Merrick,” she begged softly. “It feels so good…almost
too
good.”