Night Play (Dark-Hunter #6)(5)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

And he had never taken a woman like Bride. One who wasn’t biting and clawing at him as she demanded he please her. Something inside him relished the rarity of this.

The gentleness.

In a life where violence and territory and blood wars reigned, it was nice to have a reprieve. A tender lover’s touch.

The human side of him craved this.

It craved her.

Bride bit her bottom lip as Vane nudged her legs apart. His breath scorched her thighs. He closed his eyes and laid his head against her thigh as if he were savoring just being with her. The tenderness of that action brought a lump to her throat.

She ran her fingers down his stubbled cheek, letting the manly feel warm her even more. He nipped her fingers playfully.

She smiled down at him until he nudged her legs farther apart and took her into his mouth. Bride hissed in pleasure as her legs went weak.

It was all she could do not to fall. He devoured her. There was no other word for it. He licked and teased until her head spun, and when she came for him, it was forceful and deep. Bride cried out as her body was turned inside out by his touch.

Vane growled at the sound of her pleasure, at the taste of it. Like all males of his kind, he took pride in her orgasm. There was nothing sweeter than hearing the screams of a lover cli**xing. Nothing sweeter than knowing a male could fulfill the female.

He kissed his way up her body slowly until he was again on his feet. She looked up at him with awe shining bright in the amber depths of her eyes. He took her hand into his and led it to his throbbing erection.

Bride swallowed as she sank her hand deep into the denim. His short, crisp hairs teased her fingers as she found what she sought. He growled deep in his throat like a wild animal as she wrapped her hand around the hard length of him.

The man was huge and he was already wet and straining.

Cupping her face, he kissed her passionately while she stroked him. Her body thrummed with heat at the thought of having his hard c**k deep inside her. He pulled away from her, then quickly jerked his boots off. Bride held her breath as he reached for his fly and unzipped it.

She watched in a passion-numbed daze as he slid his pants down and she caught her first sight of him in all his glory.

Commando!

There was nothing sexier than a man who dared to wear nothing under his clothes. Then again, there was nothing sexier than the man in front of her.

He was bold and commanding. Wild. And he made her shiver uncontrollably.

Tossing his pants into the corner, he moved her away from the wall. Bride was thankful her dressing room was larger than most. It had been designed to accommodate women with baby strollers or toddlers. And it gave them plenty of room to maneuver.

Vane moved around to her back. She stared at him in the mirror. He was a full head taller than she was and the sideways, hungry grin on his face undid her. "You are so beautiful," he said, his voice deep and hungry.

She’d never felt that way. Normally, she avoided looking at herself in mirrors. But there was something terribly erotic about seeing the two of them reflected in the three mirrored walls.

He brushed her hair from her neck, then nibbled the sensitive flesh there. He slid his tongue around the beads of the necklace.

His hands cupped her br**sts before he trailed one hand back to the dark auburn triangle of hair between her legs.

Somehow, he lowered them slowly, in unison, to the floor. She wasn’t really sure how he did it without breaking his hold. The man was incredibly strong. She leaned back against him where his body was hot and prickly. Masculine.

His tongue swirled around her ear, then plunged deep inside at the same time he entered her from behind. Bride cried out in pleasure at the sensation of him filling her.

He lifted his head so that he could watch her face as he thrust himself even deeper.

Bride couldn’t speak or think as pleasure overwhelmed her. All she could do was watch him make love to her. Watch his hand pleasure her in time to his forceful thrusts.

Vane growled again at the feel of her wet, welcoming body. Her body was much softer than a she-wolf’s. Born fighters, they were hard-muscled and tough. A she-wolf would be trying to bite him. She would be clawing his arm, demanding he give her more satisfaction. Demanding he move faster and harder until she came again.

But not Bride.

She didn’t make any demands as he took his time, with slow and easy strokes. She didn’t try to throw him out. Instead, she leaned back against his chest and made the most incredible sounds of pleasure with every stroke his body delivered to hers. She completely surrendered herself to him.

The trust it took for her to do that

He’d never known anything like it.

He’d spent so many months dreaming of what she would be like in his arms. Now he knew.

She was divine. She reached over her head to sink her hand in his hair so that she could hold him close. "Oh, Vane," she breathed, nuzzling her cheek against his.

He felt his powers growing as he kissed her cheek, and he quickened his fingers. She jerked and moaned in response to him. He felt himself growing even larger. The wolf in him was snarling in satisfaction.

It howled at the feel of her hot, wet body wrapped around his. And as always, it gave his magical powers a surge. Sex always charged his species, making them stronger.

More dangerous.

She covered his hand with hers. The sight of her spread out while he thrust into her made his heart pound even harder. His powers shivered through his body, sparking and dancing until he was raw from it.

Bride couldn’t breathe from the intensity of her pleasure. This was the most incredible encounter of her life. He was so thick and hard inside her. So commanding. And oddly enough, he felt as if he were getting bigger. He filled her to capacity, but it wasn’t uncomfortable in the least.

And when she came this time, it was even more forceful than the last. She screamed out with such satisfaction that it made her hoarse. Weak. Her body shook uncontrollably as he continued to give her even more.

"That’s it, baby," he whispered to her. "Come for me."

And she did. In a way she had never orgasmed before. It was so primal and powerful she wasn’t even sure how she survived it. Oh mercy! How could anything feel so wonderful?

Every stroke he continued to give her only made her orgasm more. Made her entire body sensitive. This had to be the longest cli**x of her life!

Vane kept a tight grip on her as he felt his own pleasure mounting. He quickened his strokes as he neared the peak.

Bride turned her face into his and laid the sweetest kiss imaginable on his lips. It sent him careening over the edge.

He wrapped her in his arms as he released himself deep inside her body.

Unlike a human, he wouldn’t be finished quickly with this. His orgasm would last for several minutes.

Holding her tight, he used his powers to heighten her pleasure and to hide the time he stayed inside her while his body spent itself. He leaned his head against her neck and just reveled in her scent. Reveled in her.

He buried himself deep, then gently rocked her in his arms while he let his release and an unfounded sense of peace and comfort wash through him.

Vane couldn’t take his eyes off Bride as his body finally relaxed. Slowly.

Peacefully.

He held her in his lap and watched the slight smile that still hovered on the edges of her lips. This woman was a goddess. Pure and simple. Lush and full, she was everything a man could ever desire.

"That was incredible," she breathed, reaching up to run her fingers along his jaw. "Yes, it was," he breathed gently, still amazed at what he had felt inside a human female. Maybe Acheron had been right after all. Maybe there was more human in him than he thought. It was the only reason he could think of for why he felt the way he did right now.

A phone rang from outside the dressing room.

She jumped in his arms, then checked her wristwatch. "Oh no," she breathed.

"That’s probably Tabitha. I’m supposed to meet her and her sister for dinner tonight."

Vane sighed. For some reason he couldn’t name, he didn’t want to let her go.

Didn’t want her to leave his side.

If she were one of his people, she wouldn’t even think about leaving until dawn. But she wasn’t.

And wanting to stay here was crazy. He was a wolf under a death sentence and she was a human.

What they had shared had been exceptional, but it was time he put her out of his thoughts.

Forever.

Kissing her cheek, he withdrew from her and got up to dress.

Bride felt a bit awkward as Vane handed her her clothes. He didn’t ask her for her number or for anything else as he pulled on his pants and boots.

Did he regret what they had done?

She wanted to ask him for his number, but her pride wouldn’t let her. Maybe she was being stupid, but given Taylor’s actions she didn’t want to risk another dent to her ego tonight.

Vane buttoned her dress, then pulled his shirt on over his head. "Is your car nearby?" he asked.

"It’s parked in the back, but I was just going to walk over to the restaurant. It’s only a few blocks away."

He brushed her hair with his fingers. There was an air of sudden sadness to him. "Would you like me walk with you?"

She nodded.

He held the curtain open for her. She ducked out and turned to watch while he tucked his T-shirt into his jeans. He raked his hand through his hair to settle it back into place.

All the playfulness was gone from him now. There was something almost predatorial about him.

He went to wait outside while she set the alarm and locked the door.

She felt even more awkward as she straightened to smile at him outside her store. The air was a bit chilly, but he didn’t seem to notice. He draped an arm around her shoulders as they headed toward Tabitha’s favorite restaurant, Acme Oyster House.

They didn’t speak while they walked. Bride wanted to, but what did a woman say to a guy who had just given her the best sex of her life?

A guy she didn’t know.

A guy she would most likely never see again.

Oh, how she hated this. This was the first time in her life she’d ever had a one-night stand. It was disconcerting to have been so intimate with a complete stranger.

He slowed as they neared the restaurant.

Bride peeked in the large, painted window. She’d been right, her friends were already there and she saw Tabitha dialing a cell phone. No doubt Tabitha had been the one calling, and if Bride didn’t go in soon, she would start to worry.

"Well," she said, pulling away from Vane. "I guess this is where we say goodbye."

He nodded and offered her a kind smile. "Thank you, Bride."

"No," she said, touching her necklace that he had given her. "Thank you."

He kissed her hand, then turned, tucked his hands inside his pockets, and walked slowly down the street toward Bourbon. Her heart heavy, she watched that deadly masculine swagger.

"Bride?"

She turned to see Mina Devereaux standing in the open doorway. "You okay?" she asked.

Nodding, Bride forced herself to go inside. Mina led her to a table near the window where her sister, Tabitha, was seated.

"Hey, Bride," Tabitha said in greeting as she unwrapped a cracker. "You okay? You look a little distracted."

"I don’t know," Bride said as she took a seat across the table from Tabitha.

"I’ve had the strangest day of my life and I think I may have just made the biggest mistake of all time."

Only she wasn’t sure if the mistake was sleeping with someone she didn’t know or letting him leave her.

Chapter 2

His heart heavy with regret, Vane made his way through the French Quarter down to 688 Ursulines Avenue where the bar Sanctuary stood on the corner. The redbrick building had saloon-type doors with a sign outside that featured a dark motorcycle silhouetted by a full moon on a hill.

A tourist attraction, the biker bar was crowded as always with natives and tourists. There were already several motorcycles lined up on the sidewalk outside that belonged to the local biker gang who called themselves the Vieux-Doo Dogs. The first time he’d seen the gruff bikers enter the building, Vane had laughed The biker humans had no idea that Sanctuary wasn’t just a place for them. It was one of the very rare true havens for his kind.

All over the world and in various time periods, certain Were-Hunter families had established places like this one where Katagaria members could hide out while running from their enemies. But of all the known animal havens, Mama Bear Peltier’s Sanctuary was the most respected and renowned. Mostly because hers was one of the few establishments that welcomed Dark-Hunters, Apollites, Daimons, and gods equally. So long as you came in peace, you were allowed to leave with all body parts intact.

As the Sanctuary slogan went: Don’t bite me and I won’t bite you.

Anyone who breached that one rule was quickly sacrificed by one of Mama Peltier’s eleven sons or her exceptionally large mate. It was a well-known fact that Papa Bear Peltier played with no one but Mama Bear.

Though Mama and her boys were bears in their native form, they welcomed all Katagaria branches: lions and tigers and hawks and wolves. There wasn’t a single known group that didn’t have at least one member hiding here.

Hell, there was even a drakos, and as a rule the dragons seldom made the twenty-first century their home. Due to their size, dragons had a tendency to live out their lives in past times where a smaller human population and open fields made it easier for them to hide.