The Beckoning of Beautiful Things (The Beckoning Series) Page 18

  She pictured a falcon spreading its wings to shield its prey, and she swallowed her excitement. What is he doing to me? What is he going to do to me?

  As if in response, he leaned toward her, and covered her lips with his succulent mouth. His tongue delved inside her mouth, teasing hers open, inviting her tongue to tangle with his. His wet lips trailed along her jaw to her neck, nibbling and sucking her flesh. A million birds’ wings fluttered insistently along her slick core, seeking release.

  He sought her eyes and said, “I can’t wait. I just can’t wait any longer. I’m going to claim you, now, mi corazón.”

  A tiny voice in her head protested. Claim me? Honestly? The rest of her wasn’t listening, not one little bit. I’m going to melt. I’m going to combust into flames and just melt all over the sofa. I’m going to soak into the velvet any minute now.

  Daniel seized one nipple in his mouth and sucked.

  “Oh, God,” Marissa groaned.

  She wound her fingers into his thick hair, tugging on his silky locks, eager, impatient.

  “Not so fast,” he said, gently untangling her fingers from his tresses. “Your beauty must be savored.”

  He teased her belly with his stubble-covered jaw…lifted her hips and eased her pants down along her thighs with rough, calloused fingers…nipped her satin panties with his teeth and guided them off her legs.

  Marissa stopped breathing. She waited, taut, open, expectant.

  The tip of his tongue slid from his mouth. He flashed a dangerous smile. Spreading apart her legs, he bent his head toward her nether region, letting his lustrous hair tickle her inner thighs like a thousand tiny feathers.

  She stilled, like a bird, hovering, waiting to explode into flight.

  He extended the tip of his tongue toward her swollen bud.

  She laid taut, open, eager, his hot breath puffing against her honeyed pink lips.

  He drew his tongue up and down the length of her in a slow, lazy sweep.

  She arched like a bow, moaning.

  He continued to lick her, sliding one finger, then two along her moist folds before coaxing her to open and accept his fingers into her slippery core.

  Marissa gasped and pulled his hair. She lifted her head to see light shooting from her core into his mouth. He seemed to eagerly imbibe the light, like it was food. Her eyes widened. One lick later, her head fell back, completely drugged. This is my heroin, she thought.

  He feasted at her core – slow, deliberate, and sensual. He licked. Stopped. Licked again. Stopped. Savored. Paused. Swirled his tongue around her pearl until she was insane with arousal. Paused, the tip of his tongue touching her folds. Trailed his tender tongue up and down again. Rested his mouth against her folds, breathing heat into her. Pushed his fingers deeper until her muscles clenched around him. She moaned and arched her hips. I’m addicted to this man, her reasoning mind cautioned. Go away, her wanting mind protested.

  The excitement built in her like a typhoon, blowing thought and feeling from its path like they were matchsticks. Engulfed in sensation, she arched and undulated against his mouth, completely unfettered. She cried and moaned. She prepared to surrender into the fiery bliss of her oncoming orgasm. Daniel quickly pulled his sweater over his head, pushed down his trousers, and guided his erection inside of her.

  “This orgasm is mine, cariño.” He pushed inside of her in frenzied movements, matched by her own. “I claim you, mi corazón. You are mine, from here to hereafter,” he roared.

  Marissa exploded around him, like a detonating bomb. Her body shook and shuddered in full body release as fractured images flew from her head like gunshot – a falcon in flight, snagging its prey from the air…the face of Josephina, her eyes pleading…her own face, exultant, her hair whipping in some foreign landscape…her arms extended holding the heads of men by their hair. Far, far away, in the recesses of her mind, that tiny voice spoke. The heads of men?

  The orgasm shook her, making her feel slightly crazy. It rolled up through her with tsunami-like intensity, clearing everything in its pathway. It ripped through her like a forest fire, burning away everything unnecessary.

  Daniel thundered and bucked inside of her, calling out “Sum petatur in te omni tempore. Caelum et mare et clamo postea. Meus es tu.”

  The hair on her head prickled in alarm. What’s he doing? What’s he saying? The words blew away as the orgasm shuddered through her with the intensity of an earthquake. She fell back against the pillows, exhausted and replete.

  Daniel relaxed on top of her, shifting slightly so that he did not crush her. His fingers sought her tangled hair, and he whispered in her ear. “Sum petatur in te omni tempore. Caelum et mare et clamo postea. Meus es tu.”

  “English please,” she whispered back.

  “It is done. You are mine now.” He buried his head in her hair, his breathing deep and slow.

  I’m his? Marissa’s rationale mind squeaked. Her sated-self purred with delight as they both fell into a deep, deep sleep.

  Chapter 20

  Marissa awoke to the slurping tongue of her Doberman along her cheek and mouth. She groaned and pushed him away. She lay in her own bed, covered with blankets, alone, except for her dog. She sat up, startled. Fragrant smells of cooking food wafted from the kitchen.

  “Daniel?” she called.

  “Cariño,” he called in return, from the other side of the house.

  She snagged her robe from the floor and pulled it around her torso. Patting Sober’s head, she prepared to meander out to the kitchen. This feels awkward, she thought, recalling the night before. Was that wanton creature really me? The ache between her legs told her that it was.

  When she stepped into the kitchen, Daniel stood at the stove, wearing jeans and another loose fitting sweater, gently tossing scrambled eggs mixed with some kind of meat.

  “I’ve foraged in your kitchen to find eggs, bacon, and bread for toast. It’ll be ready in a moment.”

  “It smells wonderful.” She eyed the sweater. “Do you keep spare clothes in your car?”

  “I don’t usually, except for my gym clothes. But I did put them in the car the other day. A guy can always be prepared, can’t he?” He flashed a warm smile in her direction.

  “How did I get to the bedroom?”

  He turned from the stove and mimicked bending down, scooping her in his arms, and lifting her. “Like that. You were sound asleep.”

  “Geez, I must have been if you carried me to the bedroom without waking me.” She noted butcher paper opened on the counter, dabs of blood clinging to the shiny brown surface.

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s chorizo. I’m preparing my infamous Eggs Navid for you.”

  “Where did the meat come from?”

  “A deli over on California Ave. They make it to my specifications. I had them deliver it.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Questions, questions, cariño. Let’s see, it looks to be around 10:15,” he said, peering at the clock on the back of the stove.

  “Wow. I never sleep this late. Good thing we had a three day weekend. Sober must be starving.”

  “Nope. Fed, exercised, happy.”

  “Exercised?”

  “We went for a mud run through the back woods there.” He lifted his hand toward the window. “It was quite sloppy, hence the change of clothes.” He drew an arm up and down his torso.

  “A run?”

  “It keeps me in shape, dulzura.” He reached for plates on the counter, lifted the pan from the fire, and scooped the eggs out of the pan. “That and lifting weights.” He opened the microwave and pulled a plate of bacon out. “How many slices for you?”

  “Um, two, please.”

  “Two pig belly strips, coming up.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “That doesn’t sound too appetizing.”

  He smiled at her. “Coffee?”

  “Please.”

  “Toast with jam?”

  “Yes, please.”

 
; He waved a hand toward the kitchen table. “Sit.”

  She wandered over, Sober by her side.

  Daniel set the plates in front of her and leaned over for a lingering kiss, seizing her head in his warm hands, entwining his tongue with hers. Her belly flared with indescribable sensations, like coils and knots of longing, all intertwined with Daniel. That’s different.

  He released her and beamed, whipping out his imaginary notepad. “Right here,” he said, tapping the make-believe paper. “Don’t start what you can’t finish,” he said, adjusting his jeans. “We may have to explore this further after breakfast.”

  “I’m game,” she replied, reaching for her fork. “Mmm, these eggs are delicious.” She nibbled on her toast next. “Did that jam come from my fridge? It’s fantastic.”

  “No, it also came from the deli. The strawberries were picked yesterday from my garden.”

  “You have a garden?”

  “Yep. I can’t wait to show you.”

  “Yum. And they make it to your specifications, right?”

  “Exactly.” He smiled. “But it’s not hard to make good jam. It is hard to get berries as good as these.”

  She sipped her coffee and set the cup down on the table. “Daniel,” she began.

  “Yes, love?”

  “What were you saying last night when you, um…”

  “When I exploded in your beautiful pussy?”

  Her cheeks flamed. “Yes, then.” She stared out the window at the gloom soaked yard. Another rainy day in the Pacific Northwest…

  “It was a simple binding spell.”

  Her head twisted to meet his eyes. “Binding what to what, exactly?”

  “Binding your soul to mine forever more. I said ‘I have claimed you for all time. I proclaim it to the sky and the sea and the hereafter. You are mine.’”

  Her eyes widened and a shudder shot up her spine, like someone slammed a mallet on the Ring the Bell game at the carnival, driving the little puck sky high. “Are you joking?”

  “Why would I joke about that?” He flashed a captivating smile at her before forking a bite of eggs. He popped them in his mouth with a look of delight on his face.

  “You can’t do that! You can’t just bind your soul with mine without asking permission! And you can’t just slip things like that into the conversation like we’re talking about the weather!”

  “Shall I refresh your coffee?”

  “No. Yes. Don’t change the subject,” she spluttered.

  “So that’s a yes?”

  “Yes.”

  After he’d topped off her mug, she continued. “Don’t you think I should have been consulted? Binding our souls together sounds kind of intense.”

  “Oh, it is. But what would you have said?”

  “I’d have said no.”

  “And there you have it.” He lifted his coffee cup to his lips and took a sip. “Excellent coffee, Ms. Engles.”

  “Thanks.” She pushed her eggs around on the plate. “It’s too soon for a…a…a soul binding, don’t you think?”

  “Typically, yes, but in our case, it was essential to move fast.”

  “So did someone suggest this in your ether meeting?”

  “It was advised, yes. But I was not adverse. I had already thought of it.” He winked at her.

  Her stomach lurched. What did this mean for her future? “So, we’re, uh, bound together forever? That’s it? I don’t know whether to jump for joy or run screaming into the forest.”

  He looked at her and kindness radiated from his face. “Dulzura, I’m sorry you weren’t consulted, but it was essential that I do this. With El Demonio on the hunt, I have to keep you safe until you master your powers. After you’ve mastered them, you’ll be able to undo it if you wish.”

  Her face brightened slightly. So there’s a way out?

  “It might take time, though, to become that skilled.”

  “I still think I should have been asked.”

  “Probably. I was just doing what needed to be done.”

  So we’re back to the Marines, she thought glumly.

  “You look cute when you pout, mi amor.”

  She frowned. “I’m not a puppy dog, you know.”

  His eyebrows went up and that same, deliciously mischievous smile split his face. “Oh, I do know that, Ms. Engles. You are a most delectable woman. To be inside of you…” His voice trailed off, and his eyes fell shut. “Mmm. It was as if the Goddess of Lightning embraced me.” His eyes slowly opened and the corners of his mouth crept up. “I believe she did.”

  His sonorous voice stirred the fluttering birds inside. Once more, spirals and twines of energy wound between the two of them as if their souls were two snakes, seeking perpetual union. “Oh, dear,” she said, making fists on the table. “I’m afraid I’m in over my head.”

  “Oh, yes, mi corazón, we both are. Isn’t it lovely?”

  It’s weird to be having a conversation about bound souls and me not being consulted, with him not reacting in the least. Jason and I would be in a shouting match at this point. “Uh, I guess so.”

  “You guess?” He tapped the end of her nose. “Splendid statement. Did you hear that, Sober? We had the best night I’ve ever had in my life, bar none, and she guesses it’s a beautiful thing. Whatever will we do with her?” Sober stood up, wagged his tail, and wandered over to the table. He sniffed Daniel, regarded Marissa, and sat down, expectant.

  “The best night ever?”

  “Absolutely. Unparalleled.”

  “It was for me, too,” she said somberly, reaching over to pat Sober. “Until you bound our souls.”

  “Did it hurt?”

  “No.”

  “Are you now damaged?”

  “No.”

  “End of discussion. It was essential.”

  “You had to do it?”

  “Yes.” He smiled at her as if nothing was wrong. “It was my pleasure to feed you, love.” He stood up and began to clear the table.

  “You don’t have to wait on me, you know. You’ve already done enough.” Like bind our souls without asking.

  “I want to wait on you. A beautiful woman deserves to be pampered. Now you sit, enjoy your coffee. We’ve got a lot to do today.”

  “Like what?”

  “We’ve got to swing by your jeweler’s so I can set up an account. I’ll, of course, pay for everything. I am Night Numen tear-sucking, soul and duty bound. It’s imperative that the jewelry be fashioned immediately. Then, we head out to Tom’s for more instruction.”

  “Oh, no,” she groaned, clutching her head. “I have to watch eagles kill bunnies? I love bunnies.”

  “I’m not sure what he’ll have you do, but whatever it is, it will be for your own good. But before we head out, I’ve got something else I’d like to do…with your permission, of course.”

  So now he asks my permission. She rolled her eyes. “What is it?”

  “What I started earlier.” He leaned down once more and gave her another intoxicating kiss.

  As her protests and concerns drifted away, sucked up into the fan over the stove like unwanted smells, she gave in to the tidal wave of sensations washing through her body. Want. Oh, help me, God, why do I still want this man? Maybe this soul bound stuff wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

  Chapter 21

  Marissa’s hand intertwined with Daniel’s, resting on the center console, as they sped to Carnation to see Tom. Their after breakfast lovemaking session had been quieter than last night, but still extremely fulfilling. No more spells had been cast, as far as she could ascertain – unless you counted falling deeper in love with someone you did not understand in the least a spell. “I wish this rain would stop.”

  Daniel glanced at her. “It’s the Pacific Northwest, dulzura. That’s what feeds the green up here.”

  “I know, but it’s so beautiful here when the sun is shining.” She gazed disconsolately out the side window at the gray, dripping landscape.

  “I can think o
f lots of things far more beautiful.”

  A delicious heat struck the back of her, like he had thrown warm honey at her neck and upper back. Her head whipped around. “What did you just do?”

  “Nothing. Just testing the connection.”

  “What’s your assessment?”

  “That we are without a doubt soul bound.” He thrummed the steering wheel with his hands. “You’re one of those beautiful things, you know, cariño.”

  “Just one?”

  “Not just any old one – you are the most beautiful thing that has ever beckoned to me.”

  “I’m not a thing.”

  He smiled. “No, you are not a thing – but you did beckon to me in a most enchanting manner.”

  “If I did it, I was completely unconscious, you know. I can’t be held accountable for my actions.” She smiled.

  He took his hand from her embrace and flipped on the turn signal.

  “Daniel…”

  “Yes, dulzura.”

  “When I, um,” she began.

  “Came around my deliciously hard cock buried inside of you?” he finished.

  She swallowed and her face flushed as the coils in her belly sought union. She ran her palms up and down her thighs. “When that happened…each time…my mind got kind of psychedelic – I saw all these images whirling around, like I was looking through a prism at all these fractured, colorful images. Some of it was beautiful, but some of it was rather disturbing.”

  A trace of a frown crossed his face. “What did you see?” He made a sharp right turn onto the road that led to Tom’s.

  “Well, I saw your Josephina. I saw El Demonio or what I imagine he looks like.” A shiver flew up her spine. “I saw vistas and landscapes. And I saw myself standing in the wind holding men’s skulls dripping blood onto the Earth.” She shook her hands like she was trying to flick the blood off her fingers. “It freaked me out.”

  Daniel veered off the road and slammed on the brakes, skidding in the mud. “What did you say?”

  “I said I saw myself standing in the wind holding the heads of two men.”