Beyond the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #6)

Chapter Eight

Harley wrenched her gaze from the molten gold of his eyes, feeling as if she were slowly melting beneath the potent heat of his desire.

What the hell was wrong with her?

She was in a cheap motel, on the run because she’d been stupid enough to allow her curiosity to overcome her common sense, and in bed with a king she had been taught to fear and loathe for the past thirty years.

She should be kicking some serious Were butt, not battling the urge to sink her hands in that thick raven hair so she could tug his head down and kiss him senseless.

Of course, in her defense, the man was obscenely beautiful.

Not only his lean, savagely handsome face, but his body that more than lived up to its promise once the ragged clothing had been removed.

His bronzed skin was smooth and stretched tautly over the lean, sculpted muscles that rippled with a fascinating ease. His chest was broad and tapered to a slender waist, his arms were toned without unnecessary bulk, and his hands were perfectly formed, with slender fingers that were currently stroking her shoulders with a tender touch that sent streaks of heat to all her most intimate places.

Yummy goodness from the top to bottom, and every place in between.

Damn him.

“You deliberately picked a room with only one bed, didn’t you?” she accused, her voice embarrassingly husky.

“I chose the room farthest from the office and out of sight of the road.” A slow, wicked smile curved his lips. “The fact that it only has one bed is a bonus.”

“Bonus for you, maybe.”

He lowered his head to nuzzle a spot just behind her ear, making Harley’s heart stutter in shock. When had that particular spot become so sensitive?

“I could make sure it’s a bonus for you as well.”

“You’re so full of yourself…” Her taunting words were completely ruined as his seeking lips found another point of weakness at the base of her throat. “Oh.”

“Oh, indeed,” he growled, nipping her collarbone. “Do you taste so sweet all over?”

His exotic, musky scent invaded her senses, seeping into her skin like the finest aphrodisiac. The distracting smell clouded her mind, which was the only explanation for why her hands lifted to stroke down the magnificent length of his back.

“What are you doing to me?” she muttered.

His soft laugh brushed over her cheek as he reached down to grasp the hem of her nightgown, and with one smooth motion had it tugged over her head and tossed across the room.

“Do you want a detailed explanation or will a brief overview do?” he demanded, arching back to run a searing gaze over her body, now covered in nothing more than a pair of white panties.

Harley shivered, the golden gaze a near tangible force as it lingered on her oddly heavy breasts.

“You know what I mean.”

“Actually, I don’t have a clue.”

“You’re using some sort of power to…”

He shifted, settling between her legs that had instinctively widened. Lowering his head, the raven hair brushed against the puckered tips of her nipples.

“To what?”

“To seduce me.”

His tongue flicked over her nipple, the rough stroke wrenching a moan from her throat.

“Power?”

She dug her nails into the smooth skin of his lower back. “Don’t laugh at me.”

He continued to tease her nipple, his hardening erection pressing with flawless precision against her feminine core. Oh…God. It felt good. Insanely good.

“Laughing is not what I want to be doing with you,” he said, kissing a path between her breasts.

“Giuliani.”

With a low groan, Salvatore surged upward to claim her lips in an openmouthed kiss that was hard with unrestrained hunger. Need blazed through her like wildfire, searing away any hope of resistance.

“I don’t know what power you’re talking about, cara, unless it’s the potent appeal of my manly charm,” he husked against her lips. “Which I’ve been told is irresistible.”

Her hips arched upward in blatant invitation. “I don’t believe you.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t want you. I don’t even know you.”

He chuckled, scorching a path of kisses down her throat. “We have all of eternity to become better acquainted.”

She retained enough sense to shy from his possessive tone. The only thing in her life she was certain of was the fact she was tired of being manipulated by others.

From now on, she intended to be in charge of her own life.

“Not likely,” she warned, scraping her nails up his back. She reveled in his violent shudder of pleasure. “And if you think this means I’m ever becoming your stupid queen, then you can just think again.”

“Cristo, Harley,” he breathed. “Can’t I even kiss you without you arguing?”

“I just don’t want you thinking…”

His hands skimmed over her body, his mouth planting restless kisses between her breasts and down the quivering plane of her stomach.

“I’m not thinking, cara,” he rasped. “And that is supposed to be the point. Let yourself go.”

Harley nearly came off the bed when his tongue dipped into her belly button, a shocking bolt of pleasure aiming straight between her legs.

Lord. Salvatore’s lovemaking was as intense and ruthless as his personality.

She felt like she was being battered with sensations. The relentless exploration of his hands, the thrilling expertise of his lips, the hard thrust of his erection.

It was like being tossed into the middle of a maelstrom with no idea of how she got there.

“You mean you want me to give myself to you?” she managed to demand.

He lifted his head to regard her with open amusement. “How delightfully Victorian. If you prefer, I can give myself to you.”

“Good.” Way past the point of no return, Harley decided the only thing left was to take charge of the situation. Running her hands up the curve of his back, she plunged her fingers into his hair, and with one smooth motion she was flipping Salvatore onto his back and straddling his waist. She smiled smugly as she gazed down at his startled expression. “Then you won’t mind if I’m on top.”

Hell, no, Salvatore didn’t mind.

What werewolf didn’t like a woman who knew what she wanted—and was daring enough to take it?

Especially if that taking included his body, which was primed and ready to please this female.

Of course, he would prefer if she wasn’t glaring down at him as if she was debating between kissing him senseless or breaking his jaw.

Spread across the lumpy mattress, Salvatore allowed his hands to skim up her bare thighs, his gaze drinking in the sight of her delicate face framed by the fall of golden hair, the shimmering hazel eyes. His heart thundered in his chest as his gaze lowered to linger on the perfect breasts tipped with rosy nipples before lowering to the slender curve of her waist.

The male in him reacted with predictable desire to her naked beauty, but the stirring of his wolf was unexpected. He’d never experienced having his animal so close to the surface during sex, and he was caught off guard by the violent excitement that pulsed through his blood.

She sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes glowed with the inner fire of his beast, filling the room with a golden light. But it wasn’t fear that rippled over her features. It was the same raw need that clawed at him.

“You wanted to be on top, cara,” he said thickly, his hands lifting to cup her breasts, his thumbs strumming her hardened nipples. “Shouldn’t you be taking advantage of me?”

Her eyes narrowed at his blatant challenge, her hands tightening in his hair as she leaned down to kiss him with a rough passion that made his wolf growl in pleasure. She tasted of vanilla and woman, magic and power all wrapped in sweet temptation.

Salvatore’s hips lifted off the bed, rubbing his aching cock against her. Even through the satin he felt scalded by her heat.

Dio. He needed to be in her.

He needed to mark her with his passion, with his scent, with his very essence.

As if sensing his possessive animal instinct, Harley sharply nipped his bottom lip.

“This means nothing, Giuliani,” she muttered.

His hands followed the curve of her waist, ripping off her satin panties.

“Whatever lets you sleep at night, cara.”

“Arrogant bastard.”

Salvatore sucked in a sharp breath as Harley planted a path of wet, demanding kisses over his chest, her hips rocking against his erection. Arrogant? In this moment he would have happily gone down on his knees to beg Harley to put him out of his misery.

“Harley.”

His plea was cut short as she wiggled down his body, the tormenting kisses heading ever lower.

Gritting his teeth, Salvatore shifted his hands to clutch the blanket beneath him. It was that, or toss her back onto the mattress and take her with a furious hunger.

Unaware of how close he was to the edge, or perhaps simply enjoying her power over him, Harley continued to drive him mad, her lips sending tiny shock waves through his body. Then without warning, her seeking mouth closed over the tip of his cock, the moist heat branding him through the satin of his boxers.