Lights, Camera…Monsters Page 14

  He looked away from her, the muscles along his jaw flexing.

  “I mean it, you do not own me. I could walk out the door right now and go have a gang bang with fifteen bikers if I wanted.”

  His hands clenched and unclenched, the muscles in his forearms flexing as he did so.

  “I could do that, and you would have no right to stop me.”

  He nodded, short and hard, but she could feel his frustration vibrating off him in waves. It was proof of how screwed up she was that Lena found this incredibly arousing. It was clear how much he wanted her, how much he hated the idea of anyone else touching her, but when confronted by her assertion of independence, he acknowledged it.

  She laid her hand on his forearm, hello muscle definition, and squeezed. Luke turned to her, his eyes glittering in the shadow of his face, like those of a jaguar in the murk of the forest.

  “But I won’t do that. Not because you said I can’t, not because you own me, but because I’ve made a commitment to you.” Lena’s voice hitched a bit as she said commitment, expecting him to bolt from her room, but Luke continued to look at her. “You’re living with me, and we’re having sex. To me, that’s a commitment.”

  Luke’s arm turned under her hand, sliding until their fingers tangled together. “I would never touch another after having touched you.” Lena’s heart trembled as his accent deepened, his word patterns falling to archaic forms that lent credence to his words. “I desire none save you, crave no one’s touch but yours.”

  “Luke…” Lena swayed into him, divinely seduced. He hesitated before meeting her in the kiss, a soft pairing of lips that contained the promise of fidelity they’d just voiced. It lasted for long perfect moments, Luke’s hands carefully cradling her back, just holding her. Lena felt as treasured as Sleeping Beauty, awakened with a kiss.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered when the kiss broke. “I didn’t mean to hurt you or scare you. After what you said, all I could imagine was some human man touching you, and I couldn’t stand it.”

  “I understand, but you can’t do that, can’t treat me like you own me.”

  “I’m sorry. I will never do it again.”

  “Let’s not be hasty,” she grinned at him and walked her fingers up the side of his neck. “I was super hot, I mean like unbelievably hot. I definitely want to do it again, but we both need to understand it would just be in play, you don’t really own me. As soon as my leg is better I have this slave-girl fantasy I want to try.”

  Luke signed heavily and then leaned back, helping her to curl up against him. He rested his cheek on her head and then said, “Human females are complicated.”

  Lena laughed. “I think human males have a club you can join.”

  “I heard you crying.”

  The laughter died from Lena’s lips at the heartbreak in his words. “Luke…”

  “I never want to make you cry or hurt you, yet that seems to be all I do.”

  “No, don’t think that. You make me feel beautiful, more so than I’ve ever felt before. You let me be myself, listen to me and respect me. You cared for me when I was sick and don’t think I’m a slut for wanting some kinky sex. I don’t think you will ever understand how rare that is to find.”

  It was pure truth. As she realized what she was saying, Lena cuddled closer to Luke, as if he would slip away. It was insane that she had such strong feelings for him after such a short time, that she’d invited him to live with her after a matter of days, but when she thought about all the reasons he was unique and different, it made perfect sense. Her cynical outlook on relationships was making her doubt, but her heart knew exactly what he was worth.

  “Are you sure?”

  “More than sure. I cried because I got a little stressed out. That sex was crazy, sexy and scary, all at the same time. I liked it, but didn’t know if I should. I wanted to do it again, but didn’t want you to think you owned me and would start beating me up or something.”

  “I promise I will never hit you.”

  “You take that back. I expect further spankings.”

  “Ah, right. I promise to never hit you…”

  “…in anger.”

  “In anger,” he repeated, kissing her temple.

  “I have a question.”

  “Then I will answer you.”

  “If I were a monster, would you own me?”

  “I…don’t understand.”

  “I mean, if I was a female monster and we were dating, would you own me or something like that?”

  “My people are completely loyal once they have committed.” He tilted her chin up for a kiss, stalling any further questions.

  Lena, let it go.

  He probably didn’t want to talk too much about his people, considering they were on the brink of annihilation. But his short answer allowed her to make several inferences.

  She’d reacted as if a human man had done that, but as soon as she calmed down Lena had been able to remind herself that he was playing with a different set of rules, and what he’d done might be completely acceptable, even desirable, among his people. Feeling quite worldly for having examined the situation for a culturally relative position, Lena stroked his bare shoulder, trailing her fingers over the skin marked by his tattoo, which seemed to vibrate under her touch.

  They were both too tired for more sex, so when the kiss ended they settled back onto the couch.

  “You know I’m going to have to retaliate,” Lena told him, fingers bumping over the ridges of his muscled stomach.

  “Retaliate?” he asked warily.

  “Yup. I think I may need to get a strap-on. A big one.” She peeked up at him, lips twitching as she tried to repress her smile, but Luke was looking at her expectantly. “You don’t know what a strap-on is?”

  “No.”

  “Well.” Lena sat up and straddled his lap, carefully positioning her leg to avoid strain. Settling her hands on Luke’s shoulders she leaned in and bit his earlobe. “It’s a way to, say, even the playing field.”

  “Maybe you’d better describe it.” He’d gone from curious and wary to hostile and wary. He was learning.

  Lips pressed against his ear she whispered to him. Luke went ridged as she described what it was, how she would wear it and what she would do to him with it. She nipped his ear once again and leaned back.

  Luke’s face was frozen, lips pressed together, jaw and cheekbones in sharp relief as his eyes glittered with panic.

  “Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

  Luke’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he managed to stutter, “If that’s what you…what you really want.” His voice held the high-pitched squeaky note of a prepubescent boy.

  Lena couldn’t hold it any longer. She collapsed into gales of laughter. Loving him all the more because, however strange or unnerving he might find it, he would have done it, for her.

  Wait…love?

  Her distraction allowed Luke to tumble her onto her back in the couch, and she forgot about the wayward thoughts of love when he started tickling her, growling playfully.

  “You are a very mean woman to tease me so,” he whispered against her neck, his fingers inside her robe trailing over her ribs.

  “I’m sorry,” she giggled. She had a brief moment of insecurity, wondering what he would think of her for giggling, if he thought she was immature or less intelligent because of her behavior, but he smiled down at her, and there was nothing but pleasure and joy in his eyes.

  Lena took a deep breath, and relaxed.

  “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I know I don’t, I want to, let me in.”

  “I’ll come out.”

  Lena, who’d been leaning against her closed bedroom door, ear to the wood, backed up. The knob turned, stopped, then slowly turned the rest of the way. Lena resisted the urge to push the door open and rubbed her palms against her robe. The door eked open, allowing light to slide into the dark bedroom.

  A claw tipped hand, large and rough, curle
d over the edge of the door, in the best horror movie tradition. Lena clenched her teeth together to stifle the instinctive cry. She could not stop herself from backing away, but did her best to appear to lean against the wall rather than be plastered against it in fear.

  Luke opened the door fully, the half light and shadow from the hall painting the bones and mounds of muscle that roped his monster form. The half-light made him more frightening, and clenched teeth could not stop her small whimper of fear.

  Luke started to close the door.

  “No, no, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” Lena said, voice strengthening with each word as she pushed the fear back.

  “You are meant to fear me, it is best if we don’t do this.”

  Lena pushed away from the wall and slid into the doorway, preventing him from closing the door and placing her hand over Luke’s. His talons were cold against her palm, with a ridge along the back. Hoping she would be less overwhelmed if she took it one thing at a time, Lena traced his talons with her fingers, examining them. They were dark, black as his wings and nicked.

  “What happened?” she asked as she traced a deep gouge.

  “Fight,” he whispered in the monster’s low threatening grumble.

  Lena shivered, but it was not from fear. Sliding her fingers under his curved talons she lifted his hand from the door. The monster, her monster, let her do it, docile under her touch. That gave her a sense of power, and Lena curled her fingers around his talons, his hand too large for her to hold properly.

  She backed down the hall, drawing him from the darkened bedroom where he’d retreated to change forms. He ducked under the doorway, twisting his torso to let his massive shoulders pass through. Lena pulled him down the hall to the living room.

  “Maybe we should move the coffee table…”

  At her words Luke bent slightly, lifted the table in one hand, and moved it into the small foyer. The door was now blocked, and Lena shivered at the realization that she was locked in here with him. There could be no escape.

  She looked at her monster, his massive shoulder stooped slightly, head bowed, wings pulled in tight, wrapped over his back and shoulders like a cloak. Nothing in his manner was threatening—he looked unhappy, nervous.

  Seeing him hurting cured Lena of her fear. He was such a sweet and gentle man…er…monster, it was not fair that he should hurt.

  “Luke,” Lena stepped up and pressed her hand to his shoulder, his face was a bit too high to reach. “I want this, I want you like this.”

  “You don’t need to prove anything to me.”

  “Maybe I need to prove something to myself.”

  “And I am the means?”

  “No, you are reason.”

  Lena pushed onto tiptoe, hand braced on his shoulder, his flesh cool to the touch, the red-brown flesh thicker than that of human skin, almost rubbery. As high as she stretched on her toes she still could not reach his face.

  “I’m trying to kiss you, but you’re not helping.”

  “Are you sure you want a kiss?” Luke opened his lips, peeling them back in a teeth-baring grin. His long fang-like canines were shiny with saliva. The rest of his teeth were equally sharp. All the hair on the back of her neck stood on end in reaction.

  “Ah, maybe not,” Lena dropped back onto her toes and frowned at Luke. She was going to have to get creative. “Can you sit down?”

  Luke nodded his lips sliding back into place over his dangerous teeth, and sank on his haunches. It was like watching a horse or dog sit back, his legs pressing down until the joint hit the ground. He reached forward with one long muscled arm and braced his fist against the floor for balance. His wings unfolded to help him balance, spanning her living room, different and magical among the knickknacks from Anthropologie.

  Crouched there in his monster form he looked like a gargoyle, protecting and watching the city below. The enormity of what he was, what his very existence meant, settled on her, but then he said something—maybe her name—and the rumble of his voice brought her body to life. Beneath the robe her nipples beaded into hard peaks and when she shifted from foot to foot the wet folds of her sex slid against one another.

  “Luke,” she murmured her voice husky and rough, a match to his, “look at me.”

  He raised his head, those disquieting eyes settling on her, and Lena untied her robe, sliding it from her shoulders so she stood naked before him.

  Luke shuddered, the movement magnified in his wings, which shivered with a sound like ship sails ruffled in a breeze. She had power over him, power enough to tame a monster.

  Lena stalked him, placing one foot in front of the other, making him watch as she came closer, her hips rolling on each step. “Do you want me?”

  “Yes,” he growled.

  “How much?”

  “More than you could ever know.”

  Lena was right in front of him, his hot breath fanning her breasts, those dangerous teeth mere inches away. She slid her hands into his hair, which was rough, like twisted thread, and coarse as if those threads were raw silk, at the same time. “Then pleasure me.”

  At her command Luke licked her breast. His tongue was long and rough, like that of a tiger, and she moaned as it abraded her nipple.

  “Too rough?”

  “No, more, again.”

  Again his tongue slid between his teeth, stroking her breast, scraping her nipple. She moaned once more and he went wild.

  His hand came around her waist, large enough to nearly circle it. The tips of his talons pressed into the flesh of her belly, making small dents but not breaking skin. The duller tip of his thumb talon pushed into her belly button, causing her to suck in a breath.

  He switched to her as yet untouched breast and gave it three hard swipes, using his grip on her waist to pull her torso against his mouth. Lena’s fingers tightened into fists in his hair and Luke growled against her. The resulting flutter of fear dumped adrenaline into a body already sensitive with arousal.

  The drag of air across her lips was incredibly sensual, the cold air of the room contrasting with the heat of his breath. His dangerous claws pressed so closely to her—forbidden and arousing.

  “Your touch, oh please, I need you.”

  He lifted her, simply picked Lena from the floor, her toes off the floor.

  “Spread your legs,” he demanded, words barely discernable in the rough growl. She spread them as the peaks of his wings swooped forward, functioning as additional appendages. He hooked the pointed tips of his wings under her knees, lifting and spreading her legs as he tipped her back.

  He didn’t stop until Lena’s legs were well spread, her wet and ready sex easy access for his tongue…and teeth. He still supported her with one hand around her waist, and Lena tipped her head back, hair sliding across her shoulders to fall behind her head.

  The tips of two talons teased open the seam of her sex, even scratching lightly along the outer lips as he coaxed her body open. Cold air flooded her sex and Lena’s hands curled into fists, needing something to hold onto.

  “Play with your breasts,” he instructed before pulling her body to his mouth. Not yet touching, merely breathing.

  Lena’s hands found her breasts, fingers squeezing nipples that were still wet from his tongue. She pinched them, fingers sliding and slipping off the bright pink tips.

  “When you play with yourself,” he growled, “I can see the reaction in your sex.”

  “Please, please touch me.”

  “Do you want my tongue?”

  “Yes.”

  “My…fingers?”

  “Yes.”

  “My cock?”

  “Yes, yes, yes.”

  “Good,” he growled. His talons opened her sex, pressing the lips wide. Then his tongue, rough against sensitive flesh, scraped over her. Lena screamed, but the intensity of his touch robbed her of thought and speech, so that her utterance was nothing more than a puff of breath.

  His tongue swept over her again, whipping away her bod
y’s lubricating warmth so that his tongue swept over her with rough demand. Her clit throbbed under the rough touch, which went on and on, his tongue long and insistent. Her fingers tightened around her nipples as he licked her again.

  She came, body rocketed to orgasm by his insistent touch, the danger of and pleasure of him controlling and manipulating his body, all the while knowing he would never harm her.

  Lena opened her eyes as the world swung around her, her legs slipping from his wings so that she dangled in his grip. He set her on the raised portion of the counter, spreading her legs wide. Lena’s breath shuddered through her, body still twitching from the orgasm. She blinked open her eyes to see Luke towering over her, his fangs glinting wetly in the light, his wings spread, blocking her view of the room behind them.

  The tip of one talon traced her open sex, scraping over her clit. She was still so sensitive that the small touch raked a scream from her and her hands dug into his upper arms, nails pressing into his thick skin.

  The talon left her clit, stroking south to toy with the inner lips of her sex and the entrance to her body.

  “You are to remain still,” he growled, then slid his talon inside her. Lena’s mouth opened in shock. He was cold and unbearably hard inside her. She felt the faint press of the tip of his talon, explaining why he’d ordered her to remain still, so that he wouldn’t hurt her.

  She looked down, between her spread legs, to see his talon embedded in her. The white of her thighs and red flush of her sex appeared soft and vulnerable when penetrated by the black claw. His finger moved the pointed tip of his talon pressing into her g-spot and Lena’s body was wracked by a second orgasm.

  Luke wrapped his free hand around her hips, holding her still as she trembled from the force of her orgasm. Lena was shaken. She’d never come from g-spot stimulation, and she felt as though she’d been handed a live wire.

  “Luke,” she whimpered as he withdrew from her body, “that was…that was…”

  “I think you are ready now.”

  “For what?” Even as she said it Lena’s attention was drawn down Luke’s body. “Oh,” she whispered faintly.