Sweet Revenge (Dueling with the Devil) (7 page)

Xavier gave a quizzical look
.“
What’s up with Bell and ol’ boy
?
”

“
Lots of history there. But it’s history
.
”

“
Interesting
.
”

Laurent turned to him
.“
She needs to move on. Maybe you can help her find some happiness
.
”

“
Hold u
p,
man…I just met her. We’re hanging for the
m
o
m
e
n
t
.
Nothing serious
.
”

“
Whatever you say. Just make sure you don’t make her unhappy. She’s my sister. I’d hate to have to come looking for you
.”
A note of seriousness filled Laurent’s voice.

“
Yeah. Cause you protected her so well from your boy over there. If she’s freaked ou
t,
it’s because
of
what he did to her. I don’t see you playing the Big Bad with him
.
”

“
That’s a long story and most of that pain is self-inflicted by Bell. I love he
r,
but
s
h
e’s got her own shit she needs to deal with
.”
Laurent glanced back at his sister and shook his head.

“
Is that a warning
?
”

Laurent shrugged
.“
You take it for what you want. Y
o
u
’
v
e got
y
o
ur
h
a
n
d
s
f
u
l
l
,
du
d
e
.
”
W
i
t
h
o
u
t
a
go
o
d
b
y
e
,
h
e
r
b
r
o
t
h
e
r
h
ea
d
e
d
toward
h
i
s
f
r
i
e
n
d
s
.

A warm sensation grazed the back of his neck. Bell’s hand traced the lines of his shoulder as she rounded the arm of the sofa and curled into his lap. Her caress was slow and melodic like notes of a love song. Her games bordered on dangerous. He understood they were playing the part of a happy coupl
e,
but her touch invoked a carnal longing inside him that taunted him with what he knew he couldn’t…wel
l,
shouldn’
t,
have. His life was messed up enough. He didn’t need a booty call with a half-crazed demoness in love with his brother to complicate things. Ye
t,
he couldn’t force Bell from his mind.

Instinctivel
y,
he stroked the small bit of exposed flesh at the small of her back
.“
What are you up to
?
”

A mixture of lemon and tequila played on her breath
.“
Why do I have to be up to somethin’
?”
Her smile dazzled as bright
a
s
h
e
r
e
y
e
s
.
This girl was trouble.

He chuckle
d,
tapping the tip of her nose
.“
I think we should get you back to the hotel. How many shots of tequila did you have
?
”

Harsh whispers from across the VIP section distracted her before she could answer. Jacque and Angel stood in a heated exchange. Laurent stepped in to mediate. Angel glared in their direction and stormed to the other sof
a,
flopping down next to her friends.

Bell sucked her teeth
.“
Good Gods. What’s she in a frenzy about now
?”
Her finger absent-mindedly trailed a line around his p
ec
s
. Xavier’s nipples tightened from the simple action.

He shifted her on his lap to create some distance
.“
I don’t kno
w,
but I think it’s time for us to be going
.”
He stoo
d,
lifting her with hi
m,
and allowed her to slide down his body.

“
Yeah
.”
A wicked grin curved up on her lips
.“
I think alone
t
im
e
i
s
j
u
s
t
w
h
a
t
we
n
ee
d
.
”

A heated blush colored her cheek
s,
when he held on to the front of her jeans and yanked her to him
.“
I wasn’t aware sex was part of this deal
.
”

He guided Bell
toward
the exit of the VI
P,
only stopping to allow her to say her goodbyes.

Still a little tips
y,
she slung her arms around her brother
.“
We’re leaving no
w
,
”
she sung.

“
Hold u
p
,
”
Jacque interrupted.

Xavier faced him
.“
What
?
”

With genuine concern in his voic
e,
Jacque answere
d,
“
We don’t think we should separate until we figure out what this thing is that attacked us tonight and kill it. It’s safer if everyone stay together
.
”

“
Nuh-uh. I’m not staying with you and that human of yours
.”
Bell’s voice cracked at the end.

Xavier placed a steadying hand on her back
.“
Thank
s,
but no thank
s,
man. I can take care of Bell just fine by myself
.
”

Laurent intervene
d,
“
Pleas
e,
Bell. I won’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you. You barely know this dude. If he wants to g
o,
let ’i
m,
but I want you to come with us
.
”

As soon as Bell’s gaze landed on her brothe
r,
Xavier knew they would be camping out with the enemy
.“
Well…I don’t know. I’ll only agree if I can stay at Etienne’s. I’m not slumming it at Jacque and Angel’s
.
”

Etienne stepped up
.“
No problem. There’s room enough for everyone. I just need to make sure there will be food. I haven’t had non-vampire guests in a couple of weeks
.
”

Sucking in a deep breat
h,
Xavier readied himself. She spun in his arm
s,
a not-so-innocent smile fixed on her fac
e,
her small hands resting just below his sternum. She batted her lashes and dropped her baby-blue orbs to the ground in a well-practiced move. It was an ac
t,
but it still affected him. When she brought her gaze back to meet hi
s,
his cock once again begged him to comply.

God she was good.

“
Babe. Please come with me. I don’t want you to be wandering out there alone. Especiall
y,
since you so gallantly saved me tonight. I owe you a little something for your troubles
.”
She fidgeted with his belt buckl
e,
lightly tracing the dark trail of hair disappearing into his waistband.

He leaned in clos
e,
for only her to hear his response
.“
I’m gonna make you regret them word
s
,
”
he murmured as he caught her earlobe between his teeth.

A shiver raked down her spine. Her delicate fingers grasped the nape of his nec
k,
holding him in place
.“
We’ll see about that
.
”

CHAPTER SIX

Bell tossed her bag on the leather club chair in the corner of the room. After a quick stop at the hote
l,
they all returned to Etienne’s place. She had to admit she enjoyed staying at the luxurious historical mansion on Charles Avenue. The colonial revival architecture represented the essence of the French Quarter.

She stripped off her clothes and closed her robe around her. She flopped across the be
d,
clicking on the television. Jacque was the last person she wanted to run into tonigh
t,
much less end up staying in the same house with him. To top it all of
f,
Xavier damn near got himself killed trying to save her.

Death came for her tonight. She never understood how unprepared she was to see him. There were too many regrets for her to be finished with this life. Xavier saved her from having to face her shortcomings. The idea of someone coming to her rescue didn’t seem all bad. Thinking someone may care for her enough to want her to liv
e,
gave her hope. Hope she may be redeemable. The
n,
she remembered Xavier needed her. Without he
r,
he would be reunited with Lucifer more quickly than expected.

She stared at the bathroom doo
r,
half expecting him to appear. The sound of the running water was inviting. She could use a hot showe
r,
especially with a fine ass specimen of demon like Xavie
r,
or Sean. Either one would do.
Note to self. Gotta get laid soon!

As she stretched across the be
d,
watching Mob Wive
s,
Xavier stepped out the bathroo
m,
a towel secured around his waist. The trapped steam bellowed out from behind hi
m,
adding an air of mysticism. It was kind of surrea
l,
like one of those cologne commercials with the ‘hot guy’ emerging from the waves. He had shifted back to himself. Water rolled along the bulk of muscles in his shoulders and chest. Faint remnants of tonight’s wound created a diagonal line across his flesh. She imagined her tongue following the line to where it disappeared beneath the white terrycloth.

“
Hey. Do you think you should walk around like that
?”
She rolled onto her side to gawk at him.

He snatched the towel from around his waist and wiped the water from his arms and back
.“
What? Don’t tell me you’re
a
f
r
a
i
d
o
f
a
l
i
tt
l
e
n
u
d
i
t
y
.
”

After taking in an eyeful of his glorious physiqu
e,
Bell threw a pillow at him
.“
No one gives a shit about you being naked. I’m talking about shifting back into yourself— back to Xavier. What if someone comes by
?”
She couldn’t peel her eyes away from him. Her mouth watered at the sight his powerful leg
s,
strong bac
k,
and his ripped abs. He had all the right equipment.
Wonder if he knows what to do with it?

“
I doubt anyone’s gonna burst into the room without knocking. I’m sure everyone else has something better to do than think about what we’re doing in here
.”
He hopped onto the bed next to her and relaxed back onto the pillows. His har
d,
exposed body tempted her to run her hands up his muscular thighs and stroke his lengt
h,
until he begged to be inside her.

She turned her back to him to watch the television
.“
You never know. Anyho
w,
I liked Sean much better. He’s hot
.
”

The speed of his movements took Bell by surprise. His thic
k,
sculpted body pressed her into the mattress. The silky texture of his lips caressed the back of her neck. He blazed a trail down her throa
t,
stirring her sexual need. She scramble
d,
attempting to push off the bed. He caught her arm
s,
trapping them above her head with one hand. The other slid beneath her robe. Her breath hitche
d,
as his rough touch wandered over her ribcage. Butterflies fluttered inside her stomach. Wet heat pulsed between her thighs when he pinched the hardened bud of her breast.

His tongue toyed with the sensitive spot behind her ear
.“
No
w,
tell me you don’t want m
e
,
”
he growled.

She lost her words when he ground his stiff rod into her ass. He released her hands and fisted a handful of her hai
r,
directing her head back. His lip
s,
like a gentle breez
e,
whispered against her skin. He skimmed along the line of her collarbone. A blaze roared through her body with his every touch. Bell became a raw bundle of nerve
s,
coming alive at his command. Hedonistic hunger infused in her syste
m,
when his incisors broke the skin of her right shoulder. He pushed her robe up around her waist. The cool air teased her legs. His shaft slowly gliding between her cheek
s,
his hand fondling her breas
t,
his mouth set out on an erotic exploration of her body eradicated Bell’s ability to fight Xavier’s advances. She moaned in defeat.

Cupping her chi
n,
Xavier gathered her close. She arched back to hi
m,
as he showered kisses along the curve of her spine
.“
Again…tell me you don’t want me
.
”

The spicy musk of his aftershave invaded her senses. The low rumble of his command beckoned her to surrender. His tongue played wicked tricks on her mind. Everything in her being rang out in warnin
g,
but she wanted him. Not only to release the sexual tension. She needed to recharge her strength for the mission. Picking up a random sex partner was difficult when you have another male as your shadow. Sexual energy fueled Bell’s power
s,
but unlike a full-blooded succubu
s,
her gifts never dissipated completely.

He shifted on top of he
r,
causing the head of his shaft to gently rub against the wet folds of her sex. As he opened his mouth to bark yet another deman
d,
she turned her head and covered his lips with hers. The minty heat of his mouth welcomed her. Her tongue explored his velvet sweetness. With practiced skil
l,
she rolled her hips bac
k,
caressing his rod with her slippery folds. Electric bolts of pleasure surged through her cor
e,
when his head of his cock rubbed her swollen clit. He drew her head bac
k,
sinking into their kis
s,
rewarding her naughty move.

She broke their connection with a slight hesitation. She had to find something to put a barrier between the
m,
making the insatiable desire manageable. Their chemistry created an undeniable attractio
n,
surfacing emotions she never experienced
.“
Give me Sean and I’ll show you how much I want yo
u
,
”
she whispered.

t t t

His heart drummed an insane bea
t,
matching the intensity in her icy blue eyes. Xavier’s little game backfired on him. He never imagined she would take it this far. He expected to be smacked or punched and thrown to the floor. Regardless of how it starte
d,
he wanted her. His strained cock begged to plunge into the succulent sweetness between her legs. She smelled of tequila and his cologne. His scent belonged on her.

Distracte
d,
he allowed her to roll them over. She straddled hi
m,
sliding up and down his length
.“
Is Sean coming out to play
?
”

He gripped her hips and held her still
.“
What? I’m not good enough for you
?
”

She leaned forward. Her finger skirted the ridges of his ab
s,
igniting a feral hunger with every movement. A devilish smile played on her lips as she brought them to his nipple. Impulsivel
y,
he ground her hips into him as her teeth sank into the har
d,
brown nub. His stomach tightened. He fought the urge to plant himself deep inside her core.

He needed an answer first
.“
Wel
l,
princess? Is the lowly demon from the Wastelands not up to your standards? Need to pretend like I’m someone else
?”
This wouldn’t be the first time he had this request. When money was tigh
t,
you would be amazed at what a person would do to get by. His mother taught him to use his looks and talents to keep the two of them fed. Nothing like being pimped by one’s own mother to fuck up your psyche.

“
That ain’t it. I don’t discriminate when it comes to sex as long as it’s good. Sean’s dark features were sexy. I’ve never had anyone like him before
.”
She lowered her gaze and played with the trail of hair low on his abdomen.

He laughed
.“
What do the humans call it? Um…A
h,
you got Jungle Fever
.
”

Her fist connected with his stomach with some force
.“
Shut up! I don’t have any such thing. Just wanted to try something differen
t
,
”
she pouted.

“
It’s still m
e,
no matter what I shift into
.”
His hands wandered up her torso. His thumbs outlined the gracious curves of her breasts.

His body knotte
d,
as the moist lips of her sex enticed his throbbing cock
.“
Then what’re you worried about. Like you said. It’s still you. And I want you to fuck me
.
”

Every piece of his willpower shattered at her words. He shifted back into the ebony-skinned mal
e,
which infatuated her so much. Her eyes widened with his transformation. He lifted her and tossed her on the mattress beside him. He rolled off the bed and grabbed his bag off the floor. He pulled out a long black leather belt and returned to the bed.

“
What the hell
?”
Bell scooted up toward the headboard.

An innocent grin tweaked the corners of his mouth
.“
What? You get to play out a fantasy but I don’t
?
”

“
The hell if I let you spank me with a belt. I like a little pai
n,
but not the kind that leaves marks
.
”

He chuckle
d,
as he mounted her
.“
I wouldn’t dare think to scar your cream
y,
white skin
.
”

Her eyes narrowed as he looped the belt around her wrists. He tightened it until her hands clasped together
.“
I’m not sure
h
o
w
I
f
e
e
l
a
b
o
ut
b
e
in
g
t
i
e
d
u
p
,
”
s
he
m
u
tt
e
r
e
d
.

Securing the remaining section of belt around the bedpos
t,
he taunted her
.“
Don’t tell me the infamous Isabella LaCoste hasn’t been involved in a little bondage
.
”