Carnal Knowledge (3 page)

“Welcome to my humble home,” he said, nudging her inside.

Her eyes widened as she took in his place. “Humble my ass.”

He grinned in response.

It was big enough she could yell and get back an echo. Raw iron

beams extended overhead, light flooding down from huge fluorescent

fixtures, revealing a sumptuous living space that encompassed the entire

second floor. Blackened glass closed in the walls on all sides.

She couldn’t understand why someone would want to live with so

much space. It creeped her out having a thirty foot ceiling, and she couldn’t help but keep looking up at the dark space above the lighted beams. It made her feel naked, watched. Anything could be hiding up there. No way could she live here. Not that he was asking.

“All right. Let’s get your pale ass into the bathroom so I can get you

cleaned up. I want to make sure this isn’t all your blood.”

“I had no idea you cared.”

Kaeli grunted and followed him to the bathroom. He seemed better

now, could walk on his own, but she had a suspicion he was acting more

hurt than he was just so she’d stay near. There was some hint in his body language--something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Or maybe she

just had a nasty suspicious mind.

CARNAL KNOWLEDGE

Celeste Anwar

19

The bathroom stood near one wall, and beyond she could see the edge

of a bed. The area had been closed in, almost like a wrought iron arbor

hung over the space, keeping the ceiling to a normal low. Inside, the

bathroom was as obscenely large as the rest of his place. A whirlpool took up one wall--large enough for a small orgy. A shower stood off center,

encased with etched glass doors sparkling clean. Everything gleamed with

polish and care. A beveled mirror took up the space above a dual, marble

sink, and recessed lighting edged the ceiling with a mellow glow.

Men, they always denied loving the bathroom. She could tell this one

spent a lot of time in here primping. He had to with all that gorgeous blond hair.

“Who gets the job of cleaning this place?”

“I do.”

She was impressed and it showed. The man cleaned. Most bachelors

lived like they were in frat houses. His mama raised him right. “All righty.

Take off your shirt.”

“So soon? We hardly know each other.”

Ha! As if any straight man wouldn’t jump at the chance. “Boy, there

ain’t a shy bone in your body and you know it. You’ve been plastered to me almost the whole way here.”

He dropped down on the lip of the whirlpool, smiling slightly, his feet

propped on the marble steps. She narrowed her eyes. “You ain’t acting like you’re much hurt.” That wasn’t entirely true. She could see his mouth

tighten as he pulled his shirt off.

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Celeste Anwar

20

His chest and neck were smeared with dried blood, obscuring her

appreciation for his beautiful muscles. At least there wasn’t any gushing like a fountain. She wasn’t so sure she could handle that right now.

Kaeli picked up a washcloth from the sink, wet it, and began wiping

the grime from his neck and chest. Beyond a red welt, she couldn’t find any sign of a wound. Nothing on his back or chest either. Only old scars. She ran her fingers along his scalp, feeling for lacerations. Nothing.

The hairs rose on the back of her neck. There’d been a tear on the

crook of his neck before. She’d seen it with her own eyes. Felt it. She hadn’t imagined what had happened--no one had spiked her drink. She was

as lucid now and then as she ever had been in her life.

Kaeli stepped away from him, noticed a slight shiver of his skin. He

watched her steadily, his eyes glittered with interest and something more ...

something primal.

“What the hell is going on here?” she demanded.

“What do
you
think is goin’ on?”

“Don’t start playin’. I saw what happened. I saved your ass. You

owe me an explanation. Who was that guy?”

He sighed and bent, removing his boots and dropping them to the

floor. He peeled the black socks off his feet, tossing them at a hamper.

“Vampires,” he said after letting her stew in silence several minutes.

He was joking. Had to be. This whole damn night was one big joke.

Only he wasn’t laughing, and the dead serious expression on his face

confirmed he was nuts--or telling the truth. And she was just crazy enough to almost believe him. “You mean like the Goth kind, right?”

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Celeste Anwar

21

He smiled as though humoring her. “I mean the undead, humans-are-

food kind.”

Kaeli leaned against the wall for support. “Why’d they attack you?”

The look he slanted her chilled her bones. She could almost forget he

was “injured.”

“I’m a werewolf,” he said with a little growl that danced along her

nerves.

Jesus! She had to get out of here. Her feet wouldn’t budge. “That

doesn’t explain much.”

“My friend angered the vamps by taking a human mate marked and

favored by one of their own. He’s been at it for days. I only went to Inferno to stop him, for all the good it did.”

Mates. It sounded so ... barbaric. “Don’t y’all have your own?

Mates?”

If this was a joke, she didn’t like it. Her humor tended toward the dry

and sarcastic. Practical jokes were beyond her.

“Lycan women are rare,” he said, his eyes darkening.

That didn’t make any sense. Who’d have the puppies? She almost

laughed, but she didn’t think he’d appreciate it. “Why don’t you make

some? In the movies, all it takes is a bite or scratch--”

“No. Human women almost never survive the transformation.”

“Downer. So you take human mates?” she said, not really asking.

The whole idea was preposterous.

“Some of us do ... to ease the loneliness.” His jaw hardened, and his

hands clenched into fists.

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Celeste Anwar

22

“I get the feeling you don’t agree. What about me? Would I make a

good mate?”

He relaxed fractionally. “Ah, chere, you could tempt a priest to

forsake his vows.” His gaze lingered on her breasts and the wide curve of her hips.

Unfamiliar heat crept up her neck. She was suddenly very aware of

how close she stood to him, how much bigger he was than her--injured or

not. It wasn’t a fear of being hurt that had her awareness jumping, but a fear of having too good a time and getting addicted. It wasn’t like men were

beating down her door or anything. She pushed off the wall with her

shoulder. “I have to go. You make a good argument, but you’re nuts.”

“No one ever believes until it bites them on the ass.” He stood,

matching her stance.

“Are you coming on to me, or are you just teasing?” She narrowed

her eyes. Maybe there was some truth here, unless she’d completely

mistook what she’d seen. It wouldn’t be the first time some acid head had run through a barrage of .22 slugs.

He grinned as if to say he was, then unbuttoned the fly of his pants.

“Do you like being chewed on, petite?”

Kaeli swallowed, propping a hand on her hip to look relaxed. She

glanced down at his relatively clean chest and the sunburst tattoo. Hadn’t she promised herself a good time on this trip? Gorgeous, crazy men

deserved nookie too. She watched the black leather fly fold open with eager eyes. “Depends on what you’re chewin’ on.”

He slumped against the door, halting the unveiling of his girl toy.

Dammit
. “Something the matter?”

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Celeste Anwar

23

He rubbed his eyes tiredly, pushing his long hair out of his face.

“Venom. From the vamp. They release it when feeding or killing. I should be dead now, but it’s hard even for Lycans to come down from an attack. If I get into the shower, I’ll feel better.” He looked at her, an elusive quality in his gaze. “Care to help?”

“Ha ha ha.” Did he have to keep reminding her about that? She’d

just started getting into the fantasy ... now he’d spoiled it. Like it or not, he genuinely seemed like
something
was wrong with him, and she couldn’t very well jump his bones now. She doubted she’d have a very good time if

he was too tired to even stand.

“Sure, I’ll help,” she grumbled, slipping her feet out of her shoes and

opening the glass door. There was enough room inside she could run the

water and not get wet, and still have him behind her without touching.

Steam clouded the glass almost instantly, and she could see the blurred

image of him removing his pants. She quickly glanced away as the door

opened and he stepped inside, turning her mind to getting the water

temperature and jet stream force right so she could leave.

The door clicked shut and a weight fell against her back, pushing her

into the hot, streaming water. “Shit!” she yelped, blowing the water out of her eyes and turning as the weight slipped down her back and legs.

Navarre sprawled on the shower floor, arms thrown out carelessly,

faint red water swirling around him as it washed the residual blood away.

He was also buck ass naked, and his cock stood nearly straight up, hard as a rock. Kaeli couldn’t decide which emotion reigned: humor, horror, or

concern.

She decided irritation was her friend.

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Celeste Anwar

24

She’d already discovered he was quite the story teller ... might he also

be an actor? She was tempted to leave him there to drown. “Asshole. You got me wet. Get up. The game’s over.” Kaeli nudged him with her toe. He didn’t budge.

Steam billowed, making the remaining dry patches of her clothes

cling to her body. She picked at her shirt uncomfortably, irritated, looking down at him. He was playing a trick, she knew. Everyone always played

tricks on her. “Navarre! Get up!”

No response. She nudged him again, but he didn’t even flinch. Panic

made her heart race. Maybe he’d overdosed on viagra or something.

“Fuck!” She
knew
she should’ve taken him to a hospital. Kaeli

dropped to the floor, cupping his face, splashing water on him. “Fuck, shit, hell, damn! Don’t be dead. Fuck!”

She gave him a shake, and his eyes opened just as he wrapped his

arms around her, hauling her close. Kaeli’s knees slipped out from under

her and she fell against his chest with a grunt and enough force to stun her for several long seconds.

His lips curled into a slow smile, and his amber eyes crinkled with

amusement.

“You bastard! You damn faker--you tricked me!” She planted her

palms against his chest and pushed away, to no avail. His grip tightened, flattening her breasts against him. She could feel every detail of his body through her saturated silk blouse, the hardness of his chest and belly. And she remembered with horror that he was naked--and erect as a damn tower.

She squirmed, felt her skirt ride up her splayed thighs, exposing her

to the rough hair of his legs.

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Celeste Anwar

25

“You got a dirty mouth, ma petite,” he murmured, smelling her skin,

his lids bedroom heavy with lust.

“You think you got something to clean it out?” Jesus, he hadn’t

looked so big when she was standing above him--something about

perspective.... His cock seemed to swell against her hip. She felt weak just thinking about him burying it inside her.

“Maybe. What would it take?” he asked. His husky voice stroked her

senses, and she had a hard time concentrating just listening to his drawling, mesmerizing accent. The man’s voice was enough to wipe out coherent

thought, igniting a proliferation of carnal images.

With an effort, she looked away from his mouth and blinked back

visions of him dragging it over her skin. He was close enough his breath

tickled her lips, and she could smell the faint scent of scotch on his breath.

“Damn.” She was dying to be kissed.
Jesus
!

He frowned, arched a brow. “Petite,” he said in a warning voice.

“What you have in mind ain’t gonna clean me out,” she said,

frowning back at him. Though she was certain she’d feel like she’d been

reamed if he poked it into any of her orifices. Her legs might not close for days.

“I like a challenge. We can always ... try. There’s no harm in that, is

there?”

He trailed a hand down her back, massaging the base of her spine,

just above her ass. She desperately wished she could ignore how good it

felt. “I thought you were hurt.” Hell or high water--nothing short of cutting it off could stop a man from a piece of ass if it was willing.

“I got better.”

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Celeste Anwar

26

“Right. Werewolf.”

“I jus’ playin’, petite.”

Playing? About everything, or being hurt? She didn’t want to ask.

“I like how dirty your mouth is.” He slipped a hand around the back

of her neck, pulling her down.

Kaeli turned her face at the last moment, not sure why she was

suddenly afraid. He released her at her gentle push, and she backed off onto her knees, looking down at him, breathing heavily like she’d run a race.

Something slipped behind his eyes, making them darken. The look he

gave her scorched. “You should go. While you still can....”

Kaeli snatched a shirt that lay carelessly on the floor of his bedroom