Courting the Darkness (9 page)

Tears pooled in her eyes again. “I’m afraid he’ll never let me go.”

He frowned at the desperation in her voice, suddenly concerned that she may have promised more than she could deliver to his king. “Exactly what kind of deal did you make with Drake?”

“He didn’t give me much choice.” She shrugged. “I agreed to try to cast the spell he wants.”

“Did he offer you anything in return?”

“He said that if I could allow him to walk in the daylight, I could have anything I want.” She paused. “He also added if it was within his power to give.”

“Those were his words?” She nodded in response. “If Drake is anything, he is a man of his word. If it is within his power, he’ll give it to you.”

“Good.” She smiled as her plan unfolded. “I have to make a phone call to another witch from my coven. She’ll know about where I can go around here to get the ingredients for the spell. I need you to drive me there.”

CHAPTER
TWELVE

With trembling fingers, Desiree dialed her friend Sherry’s number from the cell phone. The phone rang a dozen times before Sherry picked up.

“Yeah, it’s about two-thirty in the morning.” She suddenly felt guilty about calling her friend at that hour. “I’m sorry about the time, but this is important.”

“Where have you been? We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“It’s a long story.” She sighed into the receiver. “And I don’t have time to go into it now. I need you to get on the computer and pull up our directory.”

“I heard him,” she remarked in concentration. “I’ve got the directory up for that area. Now, Desiree, tell me, you’re stuck in a cave in Sevierville with a guy named Mica? I want every detail.”

“It’s not what you think,” Desiree remarked impatiently, “and it will have to wait for another time. I’m in a jam and I need ingredients for a spell.”

“What kind of spell?”

“I’m not at liberty to say, but it’s a huge spell—one with permanent effects, if you get my drift.”

“Let me get this straight. You're stuck in a cave in Tennessee with a guy named Mica, and you need to cast a huge permanent spell, and you won’t even tell me what it’s for?”

“Sherry…”

“Okay, okay, I’ve got the directory up. There is a witch there; her name is Agatha. She has her own apothecary behind an all night laundry on the main road. It will be on your right just before you get to Pigeon Forge. She has a spell cast over the place, and unless you’re a witch, you can’t even see it. She’s a night owl. She should be up.”

“Great!” She rolled her eyes. “Not only can you see in the dark, you have excellent hearing as well.” She placed her hands on her hips in irritation. “Is there anything you’re not good at?”

He threw up his hands in mock defense, laughing. “You tell me.”

She laughed with him. “The only faults I’ve found so far are your short temper, and your aversion to taking orders.” She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “I’m stuck out here with Mister Perfect.”

She leaned into him, resting her cheek against his chest again to break eye contact. “Just what are you trying to get me to admit to?”

He placed his arms around her, holding her to his body. “You had me confess all earlier. I want to know what you really think about me.”

Gripping her shoulders, he pushed her away to stare levelly into her eyes. “I will not leave—unless you order me to go,” he remarked, suddenly feeling unsure.

A half-smile touched her lips. “I thought you said you didn’t take orders too well.”

“I don’t…and if you gave me that order, I don’t think I would take that one too well either. I had hoped you might want me to stay.”

She looked away, uncomfortable with sharing her feelings. “You scare the hell out of me sometimes, but I want to see where this leads. I don’t want you to go anywhere.”

He lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Good,” he remarked gruffly. “Now that my leaving is no longer an issue…” He dropped her chin, opening the driver side door of the Express Van. He reached inside and started the engine and the heater. Closing the driver’s door and walked to the rear, opened the back hatch, and smiled. “Ladies first.”

She looked inside the van, and then looked back at him, returning his smile. “You’re going to make me ride in the back?

He stepped toward her and lifted his hand, caressing her cheek with his fingertips. She caught her breath. “No, I thought you might like to get out of the snow.”

She felt a flush of heat with his caress. “That’s sounds like it might be a good idea,” she whispered, swallowing hard. “I think.”

He chuckled softly. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“No.” She smiled, climbing into the back. “I’m just a little nervous.” Sitting down, she looked up at him. Her eyes followed his every movement as he climbed into the van behind her, closing the door.

He leaned forward, cupping her face in his hand. His long, wavy hair fell onto his face. She reached up, caressing the locks with her fingers, and then rubbed them against her cheek, smiling at the silky feel. “It’s so soft.” She closed her eyes, burying her face in the hair she held in her hand. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted the run my fingers through it”

His cock swelled, straining the zipper in this leather pants. “Why didn’t you?” His voice was gruff and restrained.

Opening her eyes, she grinned flirtatiously. “If I had known how nice it felt running through my fingers, I wouldn’t have been able to help myself.” She bit her bottom lip, gazing intently into his eyes, watching his pupils dilate and darken with desire. She felt a thrill jolt through her, her heart skipping a couple of beats before it raced at a maddening pace.

He tilted his head, his mouth descending on hers, hot and demanding. His tongue stroked hers in rhythm, exploring every crevice, igniting a shared hunger. With a groan, he eased his tongue deeper. She moaned, meeting his tongue with eager strokes of her own. She leaned into him, her breasts pressed against his chest. Her nipples beaded, aching at the tantalizing friction. He slipped his arms around her, deepening the kiss. Splaying her fingers, she slid her palms up his chest to encircle his neck with her arms, fisting his silken locks between her fingers. That molten kiss sent heat scorching through her veins to every nerve ending, pooling hot and throbbing between her thighs.

Suddenly, she felt daring, and tore her mouth away from his, gazing boldly into his eyes. Raising her slender hands to the buttons on her flannel shirt, her fingers unfastened the buttons in a slow, deliberate show. His eyes followed the path her fingers were taking, watching in anticipation as the last button let go. She rose up on her knees, reaching up to remove the shirt, and eased the fabric off her shoulders.

He smiled roguishly, plucking the shirt away, tossing it into a heap on the back seat behind her. The sight of her full breasts threatening to spill over the top of her low cut lacey bra attracted his full attention. With a quick movement of his fingers, the bra followed the shirt over the back seat before she knew what was happening. His eyes focused on her lush breasts with hunger. Lifting his eyes, his smile broadened.

She smiled in return, her pink tongue darting out, running across her bottom lip in anticipation.

He reached up with his large hand, cupping her breast, running his thumb over her beaded nipple. His cock heated, growing larger, barely restrained behind the zipper. “You’re so beautiful, and so perfect.” Leaning forward, he brought his lips to her pert nipple, taking it into his mouth and teasing it with his tongue.

The moment his lips made contact with her over sensitive nipple, the ache between her legs grew. Breathing in short gasps, she arched her back, trying to get closer.

Her musky scent teased his senses. His lips worked their way in a soft trail of kisses to her neck, stopping to nibble on her ear. “You don’t know what you do to me.”

She would not be able to take too much more of this sweet torture. Running her fingers across his chest, she gripped the fabric of his shirt with her fists in impatience. “Show me…I want to feel what you feel.” She reached over, urgently tugging at the hem of his fleece shirt, working it up his torso. Pushing her hands away, he crossed his arms, grabbing the hem of the shirt, and pulling it up over his head. Her hungry eyes took in every ripple in his washboard abs and traveled up to his broad, well-muscled chest. She ran her fingers through the mat of dark hair, his muscles quivering and jerking everywhere her fingers touched. “I was right, you are perfect.”

Sitting back, she pried her tennis shoes off, dropping them over the backseat onto the floorboard. She rose back up on her knees, lifting her leg over to straddle his lap. Settling herself over him, she felt his hard erection bulging against her through the fabric. She lifted an eyebrow in a challenge, smiling playfully; she wriggled her hips to tease him.

Gritting his teeth, he grabbed her hips to stop her, neck corded with the strain. His hard shaft, seeking release of the sweet torment, inched further up toward the waistband of this leather pants, threatening to spill prematurely. He had not had that happen since he was a teenager when he’d lost his virginity. He felt his control over his actions slip a little, wanting nothing more than to bury himself to the hilt in her sweet, wet softness. “If you don’t slow down, I’m not going to be able to control myself.”

She threw back her head, laughing in a teasing manner. “Then don’t.” She reveled in the new power she held over him.

Growling, he grabbed her by the rib cage and her over onto her back, straddling her on the cot. She smiled up at him. He bent down, running his tongue around one of her pert nipples, drawing it into his hot mouth, suckling it. Closing her eyes, she squirmed beneath him. He smiled, giving the other one equal attention. Running her fingers through his hair, she drew his hot mouth closer to her, arching her hips against him. Her eagerness was his undoing. He bit down, piercing the skin, suckling, drawing in deep.

She sucked in her breath first in the initial pain, and then let it back out in a sigh as his venom hit her blood stream, creating a mild euphoria, leaving her moaning in pleasure. “Mica…please…” she whimpered breathlessly. “I…oh God,” she panted. “And people call
me
a witch…”

Withdrawing his fangs, he kissed the tiny wounds. Tracing a path down her body with his tongue, her skin twitched and quivered in response. He stopped at her, navel looking up at her. Biting her lip in anticipation, they locked eyes. He popped the snap to her jeans, easing the zipper down. Her tongue darted out, licking her lips, as she continued to stare eagerly into his eyes. He smiled, slowly inching down the fabric from her hips. When it reached her knees, he tore his eyes from hers and looked down. Hooking his fingers in her lacy bikinis, he swiftly pulled them to her jeans, removing them both. He ran his hands across her bare skin from her waist to her hips in admiration. “You are perfect,” he remarked. Looking back up, he locked eyes with her again. “There’s no turning back now.”

“As if I could, or even want to. I think I would die if we don’t finish.”

Sliding his hands back up her body, he laid down on the cot next to her. Caressing her cheek with his fingertips, he brought his lips to hers in a sweltering kiss, sliding his tongue in, stroking, and exploring. He kissed his way from her jaw line down to her neck, nuzzling, nibbling, and kissing the soft spot. In a gentle caress, his hands slid across her body, squeezing and kneading her buttocks.

She groaned, hooking her leg around his hip, drawing him closer. Her fingers caressed his abs, finding the waistband to his soft leather pants, tugging at the smooth material as her fingers sought the elusive snap.