"Dance with me, Sugar," Bastian said, lips close to my ear. A zing of adrenaline rushed to my fingertips. The hand at the small of my back was heated, heavy.
"Sure," I managed despite my suddenly dry mouth. Instead of heading towards the stairs, I reached around and grabbed his hand. His rings were cold against my skin, a contrast to his warm palm. My stomach flopped. I led us onto the dance floor, ignoring the erratic beat of my heart. I wasn't normally nervous about dancing. But this? The pulse of the music set a drum beating inside me, reverberating straight to my bones, making my skin hum.
I found a spot amid the crowd and turned to him, dropping his hand, taking a couple of playful steps away and then back, giving him a come-hither smile. His eyes darkened, pupils dilating. My arms lifted over my head; I swept my hips back and forth, laughing, giving in to the lightness bloom in my chest. Our eyes locked. I felt his stare burrow deep, latching on, snaring me. He stalked forward, all predator, then wrapped his hands low around my hips, splaying them against my backside. His arms tightened, pulling me flush to him. I tilted my head back, maintaining our connection, moving my hips against his. We took small steps forward and backward.
The feel of him against me, his rock solid chest, the bulge in his jeans, the press of his thigh between the apex of mine, sent heat dumping into my core. My pulse kicked up, drumming heatedly against my clit. I bit my lower lip, silencing the tiny noises I wanted to make.
I kept my movements loose, sensual. He showed me exactly how he might move against me if there weren't clothes between us. The length of him promised so much pleasure, hard as iron as I slid back and forth over him. I pushed a little harder, teasing. A growl rose from his throat. His hands crept up to my waist, circling around me, gripping me, possessive. The beat of the music intensified, matching his expression, the raw want blossoming over his features. His fingers tightened, guiding the flow of my torso side to side. Snap-snap, my head followed the movements.
We moved like we'd been dancing together all our lives. I allowed him to lead, flowing like water where he guided me. A flash of something playful darted across his gaze as the music hitched. I knew what he planned before he moved. He kept our hips pressed tight, sweeping my upper body around and back in a circle, bending me backward at the waist. I arched. The world went upside down for a moment. I straightened, chest slamming against his as a laugh escaped my lips.
He rumbled. "You're an absolute joy, Sugar."
To dance with, he meant.
"Right back at you, Goblin."
That brought a smile—such a rare thing. I fixed my gaze on the dimple. Then, before thinking better of it, I inched up a little higher and kissed it—that crease in his skin. He stilled, just briefly, and then our dancing continued.
His eyes glittered, blackened with unmistakable desire. I was treading dangerous territory here. A dull ache built between my legs, hot, wet. Our movements grew more erotic. I fisted the fabric of his shirt, all but groaning—
A scream split the air, rising up over the music. The crowd surged like a tidal wave, more shouts echoing. Bastian cursed.
I spun around, just in time to see a fist fly—wolf shifters. The world froze for a moment, and then the dance floor collapsed into chaos.
"Time to go," Bastian growled, wrapping his body around mine, enveloping me. Black shadows swirled around us. I had a single breath, then I was falling...falling...falling. My stomach lodged high up into my throat. I thought it might explode out of my mouth. Ugh!
"Bastian!" I screamed. I felt him wrapped around me, and yet, there was nothing.
Night air rushed in, and Bastian's arms fell away.
Everything tilted on its axis. My stomach lurched. My knees buckled and the ground rose up to meet me.
"Fuck." Sure hands caught me around the waist, just before my knees hit the pavement, hauling me up from behind. They remained in place.
I doubled over, breathing hard, bracing my hands on my knees. "What...the...fuck?!" My vision swam, half tears, half dizziness. "I think I'm going to vomit."
"Deep breaths, Sugar." A warm hand rubbed my back, the other keeping hold around my waist.
I held my position, gasping. Things began to settle. I gulped and swallowed. I took a slow breath through my nose and held it, counting to five, then released it. My nostrils flared as I took another, and another. Then I began to calm.
"You good?"
I straightened.
Bastian rotated me to face him, keeping an arm around my back, smoothing some hair back from my face. Green eyes darted between mine, pupils still dilated.
"What the hell was that?!" I seethed, glancing around. "Are we...did we just teleport or some shit?" We stood in his driveway, steps from the front porch.
"Something like that." His jaw tensed. "I couldn't take any chances moving through the crowd. The Vault's the last place you want to be during a supernatural fight."
"That was sickening," I snapped, staring up at him, glaring.
"Sorry, Sugar." He didn't look sorry at all. "Why do you think I told you not to drink? Your stomach would be spilled on the pavement right now."
I made a hissing sound of disgust. Never mind that his arm was still wrapped around me, my body pressed tight to his. For stability purposes, of course. "You restricted my drinking, but didn't think to warn me as to why?"
"Didn't know it would be necessary—hoped it wouldn't be." But the twitch of his lips said otherwise. "Come on."
Ugh! His asshole was totally showing.
My nausea subsided as he turned and led me up the porch stairs. The night air was a direct contrast to the loud music of the club. Crickets and cicadas chirped. A bullfrog croaked in the distance. Bats chittered. The trees surrounding his property were filled with life.
"How did you do that, anyway?" I managed, as we stepped into the house entryway. I bent to unzip my booties, placing a hand against the wall for balance. I skip-hopped to get out of the other. Still breathing harder than normal, I backed up flush to it, leaning on it for support as I watched him.
"Magic, obviously," he said, shucking off his boots, leaving them beside mine. He stood to his full height, regarding me with a lifted eyebrow. A perfectly fucking shaped pierced eyebrow. Asshole.
"Yes, but how? I didn't know goblins had magic like that. I thought you were fighters, warriors. And yet, I've seen you disappear things. You must be..."
Really powerful.
He heard the words even though I didn't speak them. Stalking over, he invaded my space, bracing his hands on either side of me. All the sensations dredged up during our dancing surged to the forefront. "Impressed, Sugar?"
I snorted, rolling my eyes. But truthfully? I was impressed.
"Who are you?" I whispered, breathless, before I could help myself. His face was inches from mine. There were tiny gold flecks in his green eyes. The scent of musk and citrus soap wrapped around me, filling my nostrils.
"You really want to know?" His voice was open, honest, eyes darting between mine. I nodded, not sure I could speak.
"I'm a bastard fae, Sugar. Lowest of the low. My mother's fae, father's a goblin. That's where I got my affinity for metals, the reason I was able to transport us like that."
"You use metal for magic?" My eyes darted to the piercings on his face, the one in his septum, the other in his eyebrow. I'd seen a flash of silver in his mouth, too, just now. Realization dawned on me. "Your piercings? That's why you have so many?"
"I use them to store energy." His low chuckle sent tingles skittering across my skin. "I don't punch pretty things into my skin for the hell of it. Though, I do dig the look. Apparently, chicks do too."
Huffing, I said, "Right. It is kinda hot." Sparks crackled in the depths of his eyes. I swallowed. "So...the more piercings and jewelry you have, the more energy you can store? And what, you use the energy for magic?"
"That's the simplest way to put it, sure."
"That sounds..."
"Extremely rare?" An arrogant grin spread across his lips.
"I was going to say interesting. But yes, I guess it must be rare. Not that I'm an expert." I was highly aware of our proximity, how close his body was to mine. Not quite touching, but close enough that heat spread between us.
I cleared my throat. "What happens if all your jewelry is removed? You lose your power?" He made a thoughtful sound but didn't answer. I tried to keep a serious face and added, "I guess that's a secret you probably don't want to tell me?"
He huffed. "I can do a little magic on my own. Not entirely helpless, Sugar. Got my mother's fae magic. Like the healing." His eyes darted to my wrist. It hadn't bothered me since. "But transporting us just now? That took a quarter of what I had stored in the jewelry."
His gaze swept over me, a slow perusal that had heat dropping low in my belly. I licked my lips and his eyes darted at the movement. "So..." I said, feeling the need to continue, if only to distract us from the inferno rising between us. "If someone were to remove everything, you'd be severely disadvantaged? We would have been stuck in the club?"
"I've got other back-ups." His words were almost distant, like he was focused entirely on something else and merely going through the motions of answering. Focused entirely on me.
"Oh?"
"My tattoos."
My eyes darted to his arms. Realization dawned. "The ink?"
"Mmm-hmm." The reverberation in his throat had me squeezing my thighs. He inhaled, nostrils flaring, then glanced down, a small smile tugging at his lips. Oh, fuck. Was he smelling me?
"They aren't just for show. Metal powder mixed into the ink. That's why they look slivery when they catch the light."
"Oh," I said, breathless. My chest was rising and falling faster. Thinking was becoming difficult.
"Now are you impressed, Sugar?" His purring voice pitched low.
Yes. So freaking impressed. Wait—no. What the fuck? Since when did I care? What the hell was going on here? I inched to the side, sliding along the wall. He took two steps, keeping me caged.
A flicker of predator filled his gaze, there and gone. "Where do you think you're going?" A glint of silver flashed between his teeth, bringing my gaze to his lips. He noticed. That arrogant smile returned in full force, turning wicked.
"You...you have a tongue piercing?" I managed, stalling.
"Wanna find out?"
Shivers raced down my skin. I made a desperate noise, neither yes nor no. He moved closer, bending the arms that caged me, slowly, until the fabric of his clothes brushed mine. His head dipped, but he held his face an inch from mine. When he exhaled, minty breath brushed my skin.
I whimpered, knees weakening. My palms were flush against the wall, fingers splayed wide, anchoring me to reality.
His gaze burrowed into mine and time froze. I didn't stop him, even though he gave me ample opportunity to. Soft lips brushed mine, the barest of caresses, filled with a request. My eyes fluttered closed. Desire drenched with promise spread through me. Everything else vanished—
Then it was gone, taken, just as quickly as it had come. His lips disappeared.
A mewing protest fell from my lips. I lifted my head from the wall, chasing after those lips I wanted so badly. There was the barest of hesitations, and then his mouth returned, crashing against mine, this time hungry, claiming. Roaring noise filled my head—my blood rushing past my ears. I met him, eager, as if I could devour everything about him in a single kiss. He groaned, pressing his body to mine, his hard length. Heat exploded between us.
I gasped, opening my mouth to suck in a breath. His tongue swept in. A press of metal, almost invasive against me, and I groaned. He kissed the same way he handled his motorcycle, with an expert, focused ease. A zing of eager pleasure shot straight down my spine, right to my core, curling my toes in their socks. I was caged, sandwiched between the wall and a powerful goblin-fae body.
Our kiss intensified. His fingers twisted into my hair at the nape of my neck. My hands lifted from the wall, tangling in the fabric of Bastian's shirt near his middle. His hips ground against mine. The feel of his hard length against the apex of my thighs brought a sound to my throat, a keening, needy noise. I should have been embarrassed, but I couldn't think.
He ripped his mouth away. "I thought you didn't do fuck boys," he bit out, chest heaving, pressing me deeper against the wall. He looked frenzied. Unhinged. "Your scent says otherwise."
Fuck. I'd always wondered if that was true, if supernaturals had a superior sense of smell. If they could smell things like fear and arousal. "I don't know what you're talking about," I lied, pathetically. "And—I don't."
His chuckle was more of a low grumble. "Well then, my apologies for kissing you." He pulled his hands from my hair and made to step back.
"No!" A pathetic sound of protest burst from my lips. My fists tightened in the fabric of his shirt.
He lifted an eyebrow. "No?"
I bit my bottom lip to keep from saying more. His eyes darted to it. "I...maybe...I can make an exception?"
He huffed. "Oh?"
My eyes were wide, regarding him, giving everything away. Right now? I didn't care. Tomorrow? I might beat myself up over it.
"Then perhaps, so can I," he said.
I exhaled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, Sugar, that I don't do humans."
I opened my mouth, then closed it. "Do, as in, do? Or..."
"Do, as in, anything. Your race—" He stopped himself, jaw clenching. Something passed over his features. Something that looked a lot like hatred, there and gone.
I frowned. The heated moment suddenly began to cool, right as my logic returned. What the hell was I doing? Perhaps this was a sign—I needed to slow down. I took a step to the side, attempting to get free of him. His arms returned to the wall. "We're not done here."
My eyes narrowed. I opened my mouth to say—
His lips crushed against mine, kissing, devouring. My stomach dropped straight to my thighs. I flexed my abdominals, trying not to give in to the rising pressure in my core. His tongue swept deep into my mouth, stroking along the roof, across my teeth. The metal ball of his piercing made me shudder; I made a tiny noise in response. He groaned, rocking his hips against mine, spreading my legs with his thigh.
A whimper fell from my chest.
His fingers tangled into my hair again, this time, pulling. His other hand wrapped around my throat beneath my chin, tilting it up, until the feel of his warm palms had my face caged, right where he wanted. His tongue sank deeper. The hot metal of his piercing tickled the ridges on the roof of my mouth. Heat prickled across my skin, down my body.
My desperation exploded—a mindless, rabid animal that wanted only one thing. Him.
What would his piercing feel like elsewhere? Between my legs? Wetness flooded my panties.
The hard length of him ground into me. The pressure of his cock against my apex had my core humming. A familiar desperation had me tightening. Oh, God. He was going to make me come—just like this.
"Fuck," Bastian ground out, breaking our kiss but not our connection. He looked as if he was physically trying to restrain himself. His eyes darted between mine. A blaring ringtone broke the tension. His pocket vibrated against my hip. Bastian cursed again, but his eyes didn't move. His phone stopped ringing. I never realized silence could be this loud. It started right up gain.
He growled, releasing my head, then fished it from his pocket, glancing at the screen. His brow furrowed. He slid the answer toggle and lifted it to his ear. "Bastian speaking."
I heard a voice on the other end, male, but not enough to make out words. Bastian's frown deepened, face darkening. "I'll be right there." He hung up, slipping the phone back into his pocket.
"You're...you're joking, right?" I managed between my panting breaths. Was he seriously going to get me riled up and just...ditch?
His throat bobbed, eyes fixed on mine.
"Well," I huffed, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. "I guess I'm no stranger to my own fingers. I'll just finish the job myself, then. Go...do whatever it is you do." I tried not to let my irritation show. I pushed at him, weakly, to get free.
His eyes darkened, but he didn't move. A second stretched into two, into three, emotion crackling between our gazes. Indecision played out over his features. Then his mouth fell against mine, yet again, another growl rumbling deep in his chest. I huffed out a breath, trying not to get lost in his taste. This time, his hands explored my body. He pawed me everywhere, like he couldn't decide where to touch first, like he wanted to touch every inch of me simultaneously. At last, he palmed my breast with one hand, brushing his thumb over my nipple, through the fabric, while his other traced circles across the exposed skin of my tummy.
My breathing turned erratic. Every angry thought slid right out. He had me right where he wanted.
Keeping hold of my breast, he slid his other hand down, wedging it between his thigh and my apex, gripping my pussy with possessive intent. A zing of desperation had me clenching against the pressure. Fuck, I was tightening.
"See now, Sugar? I'm not sure I'm okay with the idea of you using your fingers on yourself," he ground out. "What's a few more minutes, hmm?"
The pressure disappeared and his fingers swept beneath the waistband of my skirt, toying with the seam of my panties. He hesitated, waiting for permission. Waiting for me I realized. I sucked in a deep breath. Lost. I was so lost. Lost to the heat of desperation dragging me under.
Don't do something you'll regret, that voice in the back of my mind taunted. I knew it was probably right, and yet...
I nodded.