The Fairy Tales Collection (15 page)

“So are you,” he said hoarsely.

“Wh-what?”  She whispered.

“You’re soaking wet as well,” he said.

She tore her gaze from his body and glanced
down at her own.  Her white shirt was now transparent and clinging to her and
her hardened nipples were clearly visible through her bra and shirt.

Like a woman in a dream, she watched as
Duncan’s big hand reached out and he traced her nipple with the tip of his
index finger.  A moan escaped her mouth and he made a harsh growl when her back
arched.

He stepped closer, his arm snaking around
her waist, and pulled her against his wet chest.  He dipped his head and
claimed her mouth roughly, pushing his tongue past her lips to taste and
tease.  She moaned again and melted against him as he wound his hand into her
wet hair and held her tightly.  The touch of his mouth was sending waves of
pleasure through her lower body and she cried out when he ground his erection
against her.

His hand cupped her full breast and
squeezed forcefully.  She gasped and dug her nails into his back when he kissed
her throat with an open mouth and roving tongue.  He nipped her sharply, the
rough rasp of his beard scraping red marks against her skin, and she made a
soft moan of submission.

He took her mouth again, forcing it wide as
he took what was his.  His fingers plucked at her nipple and it sent a bolt of
pleasure straight to her crotch.  Her pussy throbbed and pulsed as he pressed
her up against the counter.

“I want you, Ella,” he muttered against her
mouth.  “Will you give me what I want?”

Fuck, she wanted to say yes.  His hard
mouth and rough hands had driven all of her doubts from her mind and she
couldn’t remember why it would be so wrong to take him to her bed.  The last
person she’d had sex with was Marty and it hadn’t exactly been thrilling.  His
touch had never made her feel like she was going to explode if he didn’t fuck
her and fuck her right now.

She opened her mouth to say yes - to say
hell,
yes -
and they both jerked when there was a loud knock on the door.

“Ella?  I know you’re in there, open up.  I
need the keys to your car.  Mine’s dead again.”  Ana’s shrill voice made her
cringe and she tried to pull away from Duncan.

“Ignore her,” he muttered almost
pleadingly. “She’ll leave.”

“She won’t,” she whispered.  “Besides, she
has a key and she’ll – “

She pushed away from him just as the lock
turned and the door opened.  Ana walked into the tiny apartment, her mouth
dropping open as she stared at Duncan and Ella.

“What the hell is going on?”

“The pipe under the sink burst,” Ella said.

Ana’s gaze narrowed as she stared at
Duncan’s half-naked body.  “What are you doing here?”

“Duncan booked a massage appointment,” Ella
said hurriedly.  “Then the pipe exploded and he was just, uh, helping me with
it.”

Ana ignored her completely.  She crossed
the room, ignoring the water she was stepping in and grasped Duncan’s upper arm
with one smooth hand.  “Duncan, if you wanted a massage you should have just
called me.  I’m excellent with my hands,” she trailed her fingers up and down
his bicep, “and I certainly wouldn’t have charged you to do it.”

She let her gaze land briefly on Ella
before smiling at Duncan again.  “It’s so nice of you to help Ella with her
burst pipe but she’s so clever I’m sure she can repair it on her own.  I, on
the other hand, am positively useless when it comes to mechanical things.  Do
you think you could take a brief look at my car before you leave?”

“Sorry, but I really should help Ella clean
up,” Duncan said.

“Oh, Ella doesn’t mind,” Ana said sweetly. 
“She’s used to doing things for herself.  Aren’t you, Ella?”

“Yeah,” Ella muttered.  Ana’s sudden
appearance had drowned her sudden and completely inappropriate lust for Duncan
and she watched as Ana tightened her grip on Duncan’s arm.

“Please, Duncan?”  She pleaded.  “I would
really appreciate it.”

“I don’t know anything about cars,” Duncan
said.

“Well then maybe you could give me a ride
downtown?” Ana said.

He sighed.  “I can’t leave this mess for
Ella to clean up.”

“I told you, she doesn’t mind.  She wants
you to help out her sister.”  A hint of impatience had appeared in Ana’s
voice.  “Tell him, Ella.”

She gave Ella a pointed look, one that
clearly suggested she would make Ella’s life a living hell if she didn’t agree,
and Ella smiled stiffly.  “I don’t mind at all.”

She hated the thought of Duncan being alone
with Ana but what had almost happened between them was a mistake.  If he didn’t
leave, she’d be apt to let him talk, or more likely kiss, his way into her bed
and while that would be one hell of a fun night, his interest in her would wane
and where would that leave her?  Pining for a guy she couldn’t have.  Better to
forget that she wanted him and just let Ana have him.  She would get him
eventually and if Ella defied her now, she’d never hear the end of it from Ana
or her stepmother.  The thought made her shudder and she looked away from
Duncan’s steady gaze.

“I’d really appreciate it if you’d give Ana
a ride, Duncan.”  She nearly choked on her words as an image of Ana riding
Duncan in his bed rose in her mind.

“Fine,” Duncan said before running his hand
across the stubble on his face.  She wondered if she was imagining the hurt in
his voice as he stomped into the bathroom.  He returned fully-dressed and
placed some money on the end of the massage table. 

“Thanks for the massage, Ella,” he said
almost angrily, and was out the door with Ana before she could tell him to keep
his money.

* * *

“Duncan?”  Bennett’s voice echoed down the
hallway as the front door slammed.

“I’m up here!”  Duncan shouted irritably.

The floor shook as Bennett tromped up the
stairs and stuck his head into the room.  “Hey, what’s up?  Your text seemed
urgent.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to
the exhibit tonight with Belle and Ella?”  Duncan didn’t look away from the
large canvas in front of him as he added more black to his paintbrush and
jabbed the canvas with hard, heavy strokes.

Bennett shrugged.  “I didn’t think about
it.”

“Didn’t think about it?”  Duncan said. 
“You’re taking your girlfriend and her best friend to my show and you didn’t
think about it?”

“What’s gotten into you, man?”  Bennett
asked as he crossed the room and lowered his body into the paint-flecked chair
near the window.

“Ella is into art.  Did you know that?” 
Duncan pointed his paintbrush accusingly at Bennett.

“No, why would I?”

“She’s especially into Samuel’s work,” he
hissed at him.  “He’s her favourite goddamn artist.”

A wide grin crossed Bennett’s face. 
“That’s great.”

“No it isn’t!”  Duncan said.

“The woman you’re in love with happens to
love your art.  I don’t see the problem,” Bennett said.

“One – I’m not in love with her and two –
what if she finds out that I’m Samuel?”  Duncan snapped.

“So what if she does?  Honestly, I’ve never
understood why you’ve kept it such a secret anyway,” Bennett replied.

“Because if people knew I was Samuel, I’d
live under constant scrutiny,” Duncan said.  “Shifters are supposed to keep a
low profile, remember?  How long do you think it would take for people to
figure out I was a goddamn lion shifter?”

“How would they find out?”  Bennett said. 
“It’s not like you’re going to start shifting in front of them.”

Duncan sighed loudly before adding more
strokes of black to the canvas.  “The High Council would lose their shit.  Shifters
need to fly under the radar, not bring attention to themselves in the human
world.  Besides, I like my privacy and I have no interest in having damn art
groupies pounding on my door day and night.  It’ll happen, Bennett.  You have
no idea how insane people in the art world are.”

“Just relax, Duncan.  No one’s going to
find out you’re Samuel,” Bennett said.  “Least of all Ella.  Just because she
likes your art doesn’t mean she’s going to figure out it’s you.  She doesn’t
even know you’re an artist.”

“I’m going with you tonight,” Duncan said
suddenly.

“What?  No way, man.  You can’t go to your
own exhibit.”

“Of course I can.  No one knows what Samuel
looks like, remember?”

“Duncan, I don’t think it’s a good idea. 
Ella was over earlier today and I overheard her telling Belle what happened
last night.”

Duncan glared angrily at him.  “Nothing
happened.”

Bennett gave him a dry look and Duncan
sighed before dropping his paintbrush on the stool beside him and wiping his
hands with a towel.

“I should never have asked Ella to give me
a massage, Bennett.  Jesus, just having her touch me got my damn lion so worked
up I could barely contain him.”

“Apparently you didn’t contain him,” Bennett
said with a grin.  “At least not according to Ella.”

“Yeah, well, she didn’t exactly appreciate
it.”

Bennett gave him an odd look.  “What do you
mean?”

“Her stupid stepsister barged into her
apartment and when she asked me for a ride downtown, Ella couldn’t wait to get
rid of me.  She practically handed me to that bitch Ana on a goddamn platter. 
She man-handled me the entire ride.  I had to knock her hands from my crotch
like half-a dozen times.”

Bennett’s laugh cut out at Duncan’s loud
growl. 

“Sorry, it’s not funny, I know,” Bennett
said.  “Listen, I don’t know a whole lot about Ella’s relationship with her stepmother
or stepsisters but from the little bit Belle has told me, their relationship is
pretty awful.  They’ve done some horrible things to her.  I get the feeling
that Ella just does what they want because it’s easier for her.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not some – some prize she
can just hand over to her stepsister,” Duncan said sullenly.

“Tell me what’s really bothering you,
Duncan.”

Duncan stared moodily out the window.  “I
want Ella Cinders so badly I can barely think straight and my lion is driving
me fucking crazy with its constant demands to take her.  I mean I’ve always
wanted her but ever since I saw that shithead Marty with his hands on her…”

He trailed off and rubbed at his forehead. 
“My lion has claimed her and I don’t know what the fuck to do about it.  She
doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“I don’t think that’s exactly true,” Bennett
said.  “Things were getting pretty hot and heavy between the two of you last
night.”

“Yeah, before she decided to just let her stepsister
have me,” Duncan said bitterly.  “It was a moment of insanity for her, nothing
more.  She’s hated me ever since we were kids and just because I turn her on,
doesn’t mean that’s going to change her feelings.  Hell, plenty of people fuck
someone they hate.”

Bennett shook his head.  “I don’t think
that’s true.”

“Whatever,” Duncan muttered.  “What time
are you picking me up tonight?”

“Duncan, why do you even want to go?  If
Ella drives you so crazy why torture yourself?”

“You couldn’t stay away from Belle, could
you?”  Duncan said.

Bennett hesitated before shaking his head. 
“No, I guess I couldn’t.  So does this mean you’re going to tell her you’re a
lion shifter?”

“Of course not,” Duncan said heatedly.

“Why not?  I told Belle that I was a bear
shifter and it didn’t even faze her.”

“Yeah, well, didn’t you tell me her mother
was a tiger shifter?  She’s predisposed to be accepting of it, even if she’s
fully human.  Ella wouldn’t understand and besides, just because my lion has
claimed her and wants to fuck her doesn’t mean I’m going to start a damn
relationship with her.  I just – just need to get her out of my system, give my
lion what it wants, and then it’s done.”

“That’s romantic.”

“I don’t do romance and you know that, Bennett,”
Duncan said.

“Yeah, well you’ve also never freaked out
over a woman like this before.”

“I’m not freaking out over her,” Duncan
said.  “And you were gone for eighteen years.  You have no idea about my
relationships with women.”

“True.”  Bennett raised his eyebrows at
him.  “But you honestly don’t consider threatening to tear out the throat of
any man that goes near her, freaking out?”

“That’s my lion, not me,” Duncan
protested.  “Besides, once I’ve slept with her, that will stop.”

“Sure it will,” Bennett said.

Duncan gave him a dirty look.  “What time
tonight, Bennett?”

Bennett sighed before standing and heading
toward the door.  “We’ll pick you up at five-thirty.”

“Why are we stopping here?”  Ella peered
out the passenger window of the truck.  Her eyes widened when the door to the
modest cream-coloured bungalow opened and Duncan stepped out.

“What the hell?”  She reached forward and
grabbed Belle’s shoulder.  “Why didn’t you tell me Duncan Gillis was coming
with us?”

“I just found out right before we picked
you up,” Belle said.

“You should have told me!”  Ella snapped.

“You wouldn’t have come if I did and you’ve
been looking forward to this for months,” Belle said.  “It’ll be fine, Ella. 
It’s kind of cool that Duncan is into art as well, don’t you think?”

Ella groaned and sat back in her seat.  She
stared at the back of Belle’s head as Duncan approached the truck.

It’s fine, Ella.  You were going to have
to see him sooner or later and this will give you the chance to apologize and return
his money.

Her stomach twisted at the memory of last
night.  Her first client booking and she had fucked it up terribly.  She could
only hope that once she apologized and returned his money Duncan would keep the
disaster of an evening to himself.  She’d never be taken seriously if clients
found out that she practically threw herself at them after a massage.

It’s only because it was Duncan.  Chill
out, girl
, her inner voice said. 
If you’d just
do what you want and fuck him, you could finally get him out of your damn
system and go back to your normal life.

The door opened and she gave Duncan a
tentative smile as he climbed into the truck and buckled his seat belt.

“Hi, Duncan.”

“Hello, Ella,” he said briefly before
staring out the window.

Her stomach dropped to her ankles at the
coldness in his voice and she looked away as Bennett started the truck and
drove down the street.

* * *

“Well, that drive was awkward as hell,”
Belle said to Ella.

Bennett and Duncan were checking in their
coats and she gave Belle a weak smile.  “I’m sorry.”

“For what?  It’s not your fault Duncan’s
being all awkward and weird tonight.”

“It is,” Ella said miserably.  “He’s
obviously upset about last night.  I can’t believe I – I practically attacked
him in my apartment.  What kind of massage therapist does that?”

Belle squeezed her arm.  “From what you
told me, it kind of sounds like Duncan started it.”

“It doesn’t matter.  I’m supposed to be a
professional.”

Duncan and Bennett were approaching them
and she took a deep breath.  “Can you give Duncan and me a minute?  I’m going
to apologize and return his money and maybe that’ll help.”

“If it doesn’t, I’m going to kick his ass,”
Belle said.  “I’m not letting him ruin a night you’ve been so excited about.”

“He hasn’t ruined it,” Ella said.  “Even if
he’s still upset I’ll feel better after I’ve apologized.  It’s a big gallery. 
I can give him his space for the evening.”

Belle reached for Bennett’s hand as the two
men joined them.  “C’mon, honey, let’s go check out the artwork.”

She tugged on his hand and after a brief
glance at Duncan and Ella, he followed her.  Duncan gave Ella a stiff smile and
started after them.

“Duncan?”  She said.  “Can I speak to you
for a moment?”

He hesitated and staring over her shoulder
said, “What is it?”

“I wanted to apologize for last night.  I
did a terrible job with the massage, you were more tense after than before I
started, and I – well, what happened yesterday was terribly inappropriate.  I
made a fool of myself and I’m very sorry.”

She fumbled in her purse before holding out
the money he had given her. “Here.”

He frowned.  “What is that?”

“It’s your money from last night.  You
didn’t enjoy the massage and I’m not going to charge you for something that you
hated.”

“I don’t want the money back,” he said.

She tried to press it into his hand. “Please,
Duncan.  I’d feel much better if you let me return it.  As well, I know this is
a lot to ask but if you wouldn’t mind not mentioning to others what happened
last night, I would appreciate it.  I’m usually very good at massage and if
other people find out that you didn’t enjoy it, it’ll sink my business before
it even gets started.”

“You think I didn’t enjoy the massage?”  He
said slowly.

“Obviously you didn’t,” she said.  “And
that’s fine.  It’s all my fault and I feel awful that I didn’t do my job
properly.  I’d like to offer to try again free of charge if you’re interested.”

She gasped when he stepped toward her and
cupped the back of her head, ignoring the looks of the other people as they
stepped around them.  “Let’s get something straight.  I enjoyed the massage and
I’m not taking my money back.”

“You didn’t,” she protested softly.  “You –
you were so tense and you made me stop halfway through and – “

“I made you stop because I was so turned on
that I was ten seconds away from tossing you onto that damn massage table,
tearing off your clothes and fucking you until you were screaming my name.  If
I’d let you touch me a minute longer, I wouldn’t have been able to stop
myself.”

Her bottom lip dropped and he stared at it
before groaning softly.  “Jesus, Ella, do you have any fucking idea what you do
to me?  I want to bury myself in your sweet pussy so badly I can hardly think
straight.”

“Duncan, that – that’s not a good idea,”
she said shakily as her limbs trembled and her pussy throbbed.

“You thought it was a good idea last
night,” he muttered as his gaze lingered on her mouth.  “We both know I would
have been balls-deep inside of you with those hard nipples of yours in my mouth
if your goddamn stepsister hadn’t shown up.”

“It – it was better that she did.  It
stopped us from making a mistake.”

A look of hurt crossed his face.  “So
that’s why you served me to her like a pig on a spit?  Because I’m a mistake?”

“What are you talking about?”  She said. 
“I didn’t serve you to her.  She needed a ride and I was trying to be nice.”

“No, you were trying to avoid what you know
is going to happen between us eventually,” he said.  “You want me, Ella
Cinders.”  He inhaled deeply as his fingers tightened around her skull.  “I can
smell it on you.  I want you too and I will have you.”

Her throat was bone dry and she was so
unbelievably aroused that her knees felt weak.  He meant every word he was
saying.  For a moment she could actually see herself in his bed.  She could imagine
lying on her back with her legs spread obscenely wide.  In her mind she could
feel her nails clawing his back as he thrust his cock into her and gave her
what she wanted, what she
needed
.

“You’re mine, Ella.  The sooner you realize
that, the better,” he said in a low murmur.

“A mistake,” she choked the words out.  “It’s
a mistake, Duncan.”

His eyes flared bright yellow for one
heart-stopping moment and then he took a step back and released his grip on her
head.  “Let’s go.”

“G-go where?”  She stuttered.  An image of
Duncan leading her to Bennett’s truck, of him opening the door and bending her
over the seat as he tugged her dress over her hips and unbuckled his pants,
sent another overpowering wave of lust through her.  He would fuck her right
there and to hell with anyone who was walking by.  She didn’t care if they saw
her, didn’t care if they knew she was being fucked in a parking lot.  All she
really cared about was having Duncan’s cock, of having that ceaseless empty
ache between her legs filled by him.

He inhaled deeply before he muttered an
obscenity and gave her a sharp look. “Fuck, Ella.  Are you trying to kill me?”

“What do you mean?”  She whispered.

“Whatever you’re thinking about?  Stop
right now.  I only have so much goddamn willpower.”

He started to head deeper into the gallery,
giving her an impatient look when she didn’t follow him.  “Are we going to look
at the damn art or not?”

She nodded and, keeping a safe distance
from Duncan, followed him into the gallery.

* * *

“What are you doing here?”  His agent spoke
into his ear and Duncan glanced nervously ahead of him.  The others had
wandered ahead and he drifted to a stop, waiting for them to round the corner
before turning to his agent.

“Hello, Reva.”

“What are you doing here, Duncan?”  Reva, a
slender woman with long, flowing hair, glanced around the gallery before saying
in a low voice, “You never come to your shows.”

He shrugged.  “Just thought I’d check one
out.”

“Well, it’s good to see you.  Did you get
my email about the show in London?”

He nodded. “Yes.  Go ahead and book it.”

“I will.  Your new painting is turning
heads, you know.”

“Is it?”  He said absently.

“Yes.  We’ve already had twelve bids on it
and it’s only an hour into the show.”  She gave him a pleased look.  “I was
thinking maybe you could paint a few more of this woman.”

He thought of the dozens of paintings
stacked neatly in his art studio and shook his head.  “I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”  She said.  “Duncan, you could
make a lot of money from this.  Seriously, it’s your best work yet.  I don’t
know who this mystery woman is but it’s obvious she’s your damn muse.  Why not
capitalize on that?”

“I said no, Reva,” he said harshly and then
sighed when she frowned at him.  “Sorry, I’m a little on edge tonight.”

“Understandable,” she said before patting
his arm, “but unnecessary.  It’s going very well.  If you came to more of your
shows, you’d realize that.”

He laughed.  “Next you’ll be telling me to
reveal myself to the art world.”

“Oh God no,” she said.  “Part of your
allure is the mystery.  People are dying to know who this Samuel is and I, for
one, am hell-bent on keeping them guessing.”

He laughed again.  “That makes two of us.” 
He bent and kissed the woman’s cheek.  “Thanks for all of your hard work, Reva. 
I don’t say thanks enough.”

“No, you don’t,” she said with a grin. 
“But I’m used to working with artists so I don’t even notice anymore.  It was
good to see you, Duncan.”

“You too, Reva.  Listen, has there been any
interest in the tire swing painting?”

She nodded.  “Yes.  Three bids so far.”

“Put a sold sign on it, would you?”  He
said.

“What?  Why?”

“I’m taking it off the market.  I’ll email
you an address.  After the show can you package it and send it by courier? 
It’s imperative that the person doesn’t know you’ve sent it.”

She nodded.  “I can do that.  But, Duncan,
it’s got some high bids on it.  Are you certain you want to do this?”

“Yes.  Thanks, Reva.  Take care, okay?”

“I always do,” she said with a small
smile.  He watched her walk away before heading after the others.

* * *

“Holy shit,” Belle said softly.  “I don’t
know a lot about art but this is amazing, right?”

Ella nodded slowly.  They were standing in
front of Samuel’s newest painting and she couldn’t tear her gaze away from it. 
A blonde woman, her long hair drifting down her naked back in soft waves was
sitting in the vast empty plains of Africa.  She was turned at a slight angle,
her face completely hidden but the heavy curve of one pale breast and the swell
of her belly hinted at with soft strokes of the paintbrush. 

A lion, its fur a slightly darker shade
than the woman’s hair was sitting on his haunches beside her.  The woman’s head
was leaning against his shoulder and her left arm was curved around his back,
her fingers disappearing into the heavier brown of his thick mane.  The lion’s
tail was curled completely around the woman’s waist like a belt, the end of it
brushing against her full hip.  Her naked backside and legs were concealed by
the thick, brownish-yellow grass she was sitting in, and her other hand was
gently pulling on the strands of grass.

Belle leaned closer.  “The lion is
amazing.  How someone can create something so life-like with some paint and a
few brushes, is incredible.”

She poked Ella gently in the side.  “The
woman reminds me of you.”

“What?”  Ella gave her a startled look.

“The woman in the painting, she reminds me
of you.”

“No she doesn’t.”

“She does,” Belle insisted.  “Her hair is
like the exact same length and colour as yours, she has the same body shape as
you do, and,” she leaned even closer until her nose was almost brushing the
painting, “she has an almost identical scar to yours on her upper arm.”

Ella stared at the crescent-shaped scar on
the woman’s arm, feeling an odd little prickle in her scalp.  It wasn’t almost
identical - it was exactly the same.  The only difference was that it was on
the woman’s left arm and hers was on her right.