Page 44 of Dance With the Devil (Dark-Hunter 3)
She stepped back again. "I told you, I will contact the Oracles and have them bring him home again."
"You better, Artemis. Because if you don't get him under control, the world is going to become the very thing that makes you wake up screaming at night."
Zarek lay on the beach, still inside Astrid, as the waves ran over their bodies. This dream was so real and intense that he never wanted to wake from it.
What would it be like to have her for real?
But even as he thought about that, he knew the truth. A woman like Astrid had no use or need for a man like him.
It was only in his dreams that he could be wanted. Needed.
Human.
He moved to her side so that he could watch the water run over her naked body. Her hair was wet, plastered to her skin. She looked like a sea nymph that had just swum ashore to bask in the warm sunlight and seduce him with her curves and silken skin.
She looked up at him with a sweet smile that made his heart pound as she ran her hand over his arms and chest.
Astrid lay in silence, watching him, too. Zarek looked so lost now, as if their lovemaking had left him confused.
She wondered what it would take to tame this man, just a little. Only enough so that other people could see what she saw.
At least now he let her touch him without cursing or withdrawing from her.
It was a start.
She trailed her hand lower over the hard planes of his chest, down the perfect definitions of his abdomen. Hunger ignited in his eyes as she moved her hand lower.
Astrid licked her lips, wondering if she dared be even more bold with him. She still wasn't sure how he would react to anything.
She played with the small, crisp hairs that ran downward from his navel, raking her fingers through them. He was already starring to harden...
Zarek held his breath as he watched her. Her hand felt wonderful on his body as she drew circles around his navel and trailed her fingernail down the short, light dusting of hair on his stomach.
Already he was craving her again.
Then she moved her hand lower.
He growled as she cupped his sac in her palm. Her warm hand enclosed him, squeezing him exquisitely.
His groin jerked, and all the blood rushed back into the region, making him hard and aching for her.
She ran her finger down his shaft to the tip, where she toyed with him. "I think you like it when I do that."
He answered her with a kiss.
Astrid moaned at the passion he showed. He throbbed in her hand while his tongue danced with hers, exciting her to the highest level of need.
She pulled away reluctantly, desperate to give him what was unknown to him.
Kindness.
Acceptance.
Love.
The word caught in her mind. She knew she didn't love him. She barely knew him, and yet...
He made her feel again. Touched the emotions she had feared were forever lost. She owed him much for that.
Kissing his lips lightly, she scooted down his body.
Zarek frowned at her actions. He didn't know what she had planned until she laid herself over his stomach. Her bare back was exposed to him as she continued to stroke him with her hand.
He ran his hand through her long, wet blond hair, trailing it over her bare back while her breath tickled his hip. Her skin was so soft, so tender. There wasn't a blemish anywhere on it.
She moved lower.
Zarek gasped as she took the tip of his shaft slowly into her warm mouth.
He was frozen by pleasure. The feel of her lips and tongue caressing him was unlike anything he'd experienced before. No woman but Astrid had ever touched him there. He'd never allowed it.
But he doubted he could deny her anything after this. She had laid claim to him in a way no one ever had.
Astrid moaned at the salty taste of him. When her sisters had told her about this, she had always considered it obscene and nasty. At the time and for centuries afterward, she couldn't imagine herself ever doing something like this with a man.
But she did it for Zarek; there was nothing obscene about the feelings inside her. Nothing obscene about the way he tasted.
She was giving him a rare moment of pleasure, and strange as it seemed, she enjoyed it, too.
He gripped her shoulders and groaned in response to every lick, nibble, and suckle she gave him. His warm response urged her on. She really wanted to please him. To give him all the things he deserved.
Zarek arched his back, letting her have her way with him. It amazed him that he allowed her to do this. Never before had he trusted a lover with his body. He'd always been in complete control.
The woman didn't touch him. Ever.
She didn't caress or kiss him.
He bent her over, did his business, and walked off.
But with Astrid it was different. He felt as if he were sharing himself with her. As if she were sharing herself with him.
It was mutual and wonderful.
Astrid started as she felt Zarek's fingers slide down her cleft. Opening her legs for him, she gave him access as she continued to pleasure him with her mouth.
Zarek turned more to his side all the while his fingers stroked and delved.
She shivered at the warmth of his touch as the cool surf rushed around them. The heat of the sun on her skin was nothing compared to the heat his touch provided.
He made her burn.
He nudged her legs farther apart.
Astrid moaned as his mouth covered her.
Her head swam in pleasure as he ran his tongue over the center of her body where she craved more of his touch. His tongue flicked across her, spearing her. Enticing her.
