Mortal Temptations Read online

NICO remained where he was, watching Patricia stare at him with her beautiful blue green eyes. Her hair tumbled down in thick curls that he wanted to furrow with his hands.

  Her face was beet red. “Andreas was just—”

  “I know what Andreas was doing.” Nico locked the door Andreas had just banged behind him, the click loud in the stillness. “He was finding out whether you wanted him, if he would be up here pleasuring you with me.”

  Patricia left her chair. Damn, she was a sexy woman. He could feast on her. He could teach her things she couldn’t imagine, sex so powerful she’d be in a stupor for days. He had the gift of Dionysus for pleasuring, and he could give pleasure beyond mortal understanding of it. He could hurt with pleasure, or he could heal with it, whichever way she wanted it.

  Her voice was strained. “He told me that anything you feel about me is part of the spell.”

  “Partly. But I can’t imagine a man not falling for you, love.”

  She watched him steadily, keeping herself from softening to his flattery. “He also told me I could never fall for you.”

  He shrugged, pretending to be matter-of-fact. “When you’re done with me, you’ll tell me to go. That’s how it works.”

  “And I’m not allowed to have any say?”

  “You won’t want me anymore, and you’ll be surprised you ever did. It’s a powerful curse. What I feel isn’t going to matter.”

  “It matters to me,” she said stubbornly.

  Nico went to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll give you the greatest pleasure I know how to give. I’m happy to do it, not only because I’m compelled to, but because I think you deserve it. But you shouldn’t pretend it will be any more than that.”

  He rested his hands lightly on her shoulders, letting his thumbs play along her neck. He was skilled at seduction and soothing a lady in distress, but right now he only hoped she wouldn’t pull away.

  She reached up and lightly kissed his lower lip.

  The telltale pain began in his gut, the need to pleasure her before agony took him. Nico fought to slow down so he could savor her. Pleasure didn’t equate with speed; slow was best.

  Through the ages he’d been forced to service women who used their power cruelly, delighted they’d ensnared Nico as their pet. In ancient times, they’d known about and accepted his divine nature; as the world changed, he’d been forced to hide it more and more. Now came this woman who could see his divinity and wasn’t frightened by it, who told him she loved his wings and was sorry he’d been cursed.

  He breathed in the sweet scent of her hair as he leaned to kiss her fully. She exuded confidence that the inscription would be the key to setting them free, and once free, they’d be able to pursue what he felt between them. But Nico knew damn well nothing would be that easy.

  Patricia gently suckled his lip, and his already rock-hard cock leapt. He needed relief and release, and he needed her. But he had to do this on her terms.

  She dipped her tongue inside his mouth, licking behind his lip before she eased away. “This time I want you out of your clothes. Strip for me, Nico.”

  His blood went hot. She wanted to play.

  He moved to the speaker positioned above the door and turned up the monitor, which let them hear the music playing in the now-open club below. The gritty beat of Nine Inch Nails filled the room, and Nico started a striptease to it.

  He hid a smile at the way Patricia’s gaze fixed solidly on him as he skimmed off his shirt and tossed it aside. He let his hips gyrate like a male exotic dancer’s, while he moved in a circle around her. He didn’t look at her, letting the movements of his body show her how much he wanted her.

  She laughed, a light sound in the middle of the harsh music. Nico skimmed his hand through his wet hair, letting it fall haphazardly. He danced plenty downstairs in the club, and he’d always been able to quickly learn the dance rhythms of each decade. It was all much the same: the energy of moving to a beat, using the body to entertain and entice.

  Patricia’s smile was huge. “Take it off, Nico.” She laughed.

  Nico unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. He teased her by holding the fly open but keeping his back to her, working his ass back and forth to the music.

  She cheered. At last he shoved the pants down his legs, letting them rest on his thighs, while he laced his hands behind his head and kept dancing.

  “This is better than Christmas,” Patricia shouted over the music.

  Nico enticed her for a while with his pants half down, then he kicked out of his jeans and faced her, wearing nothing but a thong. Patricia’s laughter died, but her eyes retained a hot glow.

  He danced up to her, gyrating his body against hers, still not looking at her. He wound one of her arms around his neck and placed his hand on her hip, making her dance with him.

  She was warm and soft, and he could smell her excitement. The tips of her breasts grazed his chest through her shirt and bra, and he was so hard his tip was poking above his waistband. His body wanted him to take her down, strip her, fuck her, but he forced his need back.

  He teased and danced, fitting her supple body against his, enjoying the feel of her against him. She laughed. “Do you do this in the club every night?”

  He bent her back over his arm in a parody of a ballroom dance, and smiled into her face. “No, sweetheart. This is just for you.”

  “Well, good, because you’d probably get arrested.”

  Her blue green eyes sparkled with excitement, but her smile was slow and lazy. As the music charged on, he laced his arm behind her neck and scooped her up for a kiss.

  She was beautiful all over; he’d seen that when she displayed herself for him this afternoon. A woman made for sex and loving, but she’d never learned how to open herself to it. He would enjoy teaching her how.

  “Nico,” she murmured against his mouth. “You haven’t finished stripping.”

  He placed her fingers on his waistband. “Take them off me.”

  Patricia grinned. She kissed him, slanting her mouth hungrily over his. Then, in one smooth movement, she yanked his underwear down to his calves.

  She remained on her knees, her gaze resting on the enormous cock in front of her. “Oh, I think I like this,” she breathed.

  Nico was very glad to hear it. “What do you want me to do, love? I’m all yours.”

  “Get out of that underwear.”

  He kicked it off and stood in front of her in his skin. Her gaze roved slowly down him, a warming stroke that was almost as good as her touching him. Her breath came faster, and he stood very still as its warmth touched his cock.

  His body thrummed with joy when she flicked her tongue over his tip. It thrummed even harder when she opened her mouth and gently slipped her lips over the flange.

  He clenched his fists. Patricia slid him into her mouth as far as she could before drawing back. Wet, hot, lovely mouth, and a woman interested in giving him pleasure.

  Patricia nipped the skin beneath his tip, sharp teeth scraping. He loved it. Then she wrapped her lips around him again and began to suck.

  Her lashes curled against her cheek as she closed her eyes. A strand of lighter gold curled across her hair, attracting his fingers to brush it straight. His hand stayed on her hair, furrowing it, letting the silken curls flow through his fingers.

  Patricia was enjoying herself. She cupped his balls, fondling him until he parted his legs to let her get at him more fully. Her mouth worked with her suckling, lips curved tight around him.

  She looked up at him and smiled around his huge cock in her mouth, and he felt the buildup surge of his climax.

  She withdrew, but before he could register disappointment, she leaned lower to lap the underside of his stem to his balls. Every hot stroke of her tongue built his climax higher, and when her fingers joined her mouth, he knew he was going to explode.

  He wanted to see his seed on her face, wanted her to laugh at him while she was wet with it. But that wasn’t meant to be. The cold
links of the chain at his throat burned, not allowing him what he wanted.

  She looked up at him, eyes glowing warm, oblivious of the torture inside him. “Touch yourself for me,” she said, her voice breathy. “Like you had me do for you.”

  Not as good as her touching him, but not bad. Having her watch him . . . He moved with sudden pleasure.

  “Wings and all,” she whispered.

  Oh, gods. Make him insane.

  He let his wings lift from his shoulders, displacing the tattoo. He fanned out the wings, then brought them around to close himself and Patricia in their warmth.

  He wrapped his hand around his erection, stifling a groan. A dark shudder went through him as he began to stroke himself, his grip burning. His cock didn’t want him, it wanted Patricia, but he had to do this her way.

  Patricia’s green blue eyes rounded as she watched him, the sinews on his arm bunching and twisting as he pulled at himself. His wings slithered across his thighs, the sensitive tips dipping between his legs to warm him.

  He kept his gaze on Patricia as he pumped himself, his body rocking a little in rhythm. The music blared on from the speakers, a terrific counterpart.

  Nico loved Patricia’s eyes, that aquamarine sparkle like the sun on warm sea. Her lips parted as her breath quickened with his. Her pulse flickered in her throat, and he wanted to lick it just there, tasting her salty skin.

  Patricia unconsciously nodded her head a little, as though silently encouraging him. Come for me, Nico.

  He wanted her under him, her sweat-soaked body begging for it. Or maybe so incoherent she could only make sounds that weren’t words. Her head would drop back, and she’d groan her pleasure, her breath sweet on his face . . .

  He shouted as his seed roped out around his fingers, wet and warm. Her eyes rounded as the liquid dripped all over his hands.

  Nico closed his eyes and rocked back as sensation after sensation chased through his body: hot, cold, longing, satiation, the need to crush her against him and kiss her until he bruised her lips.

  “Here.”

  Nico opened his eyes. His body was scalding hot, his hands shaking. Patricia stood in front of him holding a towel.

  That simple, practical gesture made him want her like crazy. Even coming didn’t keep him from needing to shove her onto the couch and delve into her clothes. His penis was still hard, and it craved her.

  She could run while he chased her like a cat hunting his prey, and when he caught her they’d tumble together to the soft grass. She’d open her legs for him, and he’d find his joy inside her.

  He longed for it with every breath.

  Patricia was smiling at him, eyes glowing. “You came for me.”

  “Did I?” He took the towel and shakily wiped off the gob of come. “I guess I did.”

  “I liked it.” Her smile contained both shyness and triumph. “I like that I can get you hot and bothered.”

  “That was easy. I’ve been craving you.”

  “Have you?” She cocked her head, giving him a teasing glance. “You don’t just want me for my ostracon?”

  He stroked one finger through her hair, loving the feel. “You found me passed out in your store, and instead of shooting me, you fixed my wing. I think that’s incredibly sexy.”

  She laughed. “For your next turn-on, I’ll give you a Band-Aid. You won’t be able to keep away from me then.”

  He leaned to her and ran his tongue around her lips. “There are so many things I can teach you, Patricia.”

  Her smile was wicked. “I look forward to learning.”

  “You brought me off. How about I return the favor? With my mouth? Or my hands?”

  She looked him up and down, face flushed. “With your wings,” she said.

  PATRICIA wondered how she’d ended up here, spread-eagled on Nico’s huge bed while Nico knelt at her feet and gently moved her ankles apart. She wondered even more that she’d agreed to let him tie her hands to the bedpost with soft silk scarves.

  He was beautiful: all naked, glossy muscle, his cock rigid and dark. The bed filled with the feathery goodness of him as he tickled and touched and slid strong feathers between her legs.

  Her mind flashed to the feeling of him inside her mouth, the joy of watching him masturbate himself. She thought of how his wiry hair curled around her fingers as she cupped his balls, thought of the firm length of his cock and what it had tasted like.

  Smooth. Hot. Like the best melted chocolate.

  That thought led to a vision of coating his cock with melted chocolate and licking it off.

  “Mmm.” She wriggled on the bed, liking the feel of the covers under her bare butt, the smooth silk around her wrists.

  Her legs were spread wide with him between them, cool air touching her pussy. She brought one foot up to caress his back, liking the smooth warmth beneath her sole.

  “That’s it, love,” Nico whispered. “Feel me.”

  “I don’t feel anything but you.”

  “Good.”

  Her pussy was hot and full. She started to reach for him but was pulled up short by the silk tethers and made a noise of frustration.

  Did Nico take pity on her and loosen her hands? No, he kept pleasuring her with his feathers, never touching her with his hands.

  “I’m going to come,” she cried. “I want your mouth on me. Please.”

  “Are you sure?” Nico the torturer asked.

  “Yes. Please.”

  He smiled, his feathers still rubbing her, tickling, teasing. Just when she thought it would be too late, he leaned straight down and fastened his mouth over her. He sucked on her nub, nibbled and teased, then delved his tongue straight inside her.

  Patricia jerked at her bonds, feet going crazy on the bed. She came and came, pressing her pussy to his wonderful mouth, crying out as his tongue tantalized and rubbed and sucked.

  Patricia writhed one last time, Nico holding her hips in his strong hands while he lapped her.

  “Thank you,” she gasped, then she crashed down onto the bed, the waves of her climax rolling over her.

  Nico laughed again, his voice so dark. He rose, his hair tangled, his eyes burning with a strange light. He wasn’t human—the bed filled with feathers was evidence—and the fire in him was different. Powerful, heady, dangerous. It was like touching lightning.

  “You’re beautiful, Patricia,” he murmured. “You taste like ambrosia.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered again. Or thought she did. Oblivion hit her within moments of her climax, and she fell into the hardest after-sex sleep she’d ever experienced.

  When she woke again, her hands had been untied and a sheet pulled over her body. The shower pattered quietly in the bathroom, and a bedside lamp cast a small circle of light over the bed.

  Andreas was leaning against the bedpost at the foot, smiling at her.

  7

  YOU look happy,” Andreas said.

  Patricia gasped and tugged the sheet to her chin. “What are you doing here?”

  “I live here. This is my bed.” He lounged even more negligently, his light blue eyes tracing the outline of the sheet.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  “About four. Club’s just closing.”

  “Oh, shit. I need to get home.” Patricia started to sit up, then clutched the sheet closer, remembering she was naked beneath.

  “I’m sure Nico would be delighted if you stayed,” Andreas said.

  “What about you? Would you be delighted?”

  “Oh, yes.” His look turned predatory. “I think I would.”

  “I was joking.”

  “I’m not.”

  She studied his hard body in jeans and a T-shirt, the Andre’s logo stark on his chest. The paw print meant him, she realized. His leopardness.

  “You’ll want your bed,” she began, hoping he’d take the hint and leave so she could get dressed.

  “Not necessarily. There’s another bedroom upstairs, in case we need it.”

&
nbsp; She looked at him in surprise. “Do you and Nico usually sleep in here together?”

  “Sure.” He shrugged massive shoulders. “Why not? It’s a big bed.”

  The thought of the two of them curled up, large, muscular bodies filling the bed, made her mouth dry.

  “Nothing. It’s just that . . .”

  “I’ve been hanging around with Nico for over two thousand years. There’s been plenty of times we had to sleep together for warmth and protection. Not that we hit the sack at the same time every night. There’s always something to do.”

  “Inscriptions to find. Dyons to fight.”

  “Something like that.”

  Patricia drew her knees to her chest and circled her arms around them. “Why do you think this particular inscription will help you?”

  Andreas’s eyes went bleak, as though he were trying not to hope. “Because there are hieroglyphs on there that might refer to Nico and me. I’m willing to have this Egyptologist you find translate it and find out.”

  “It’s worth a shot, you mean.”

  He nodded, his white black hair catching in the lamplight. “It may be nothing. We’ve had false hopes before.”

  She hugged herself a little tighter. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

  “Part of it was our own damn fault. We liked to enjoy ourselves too much. Like now.”

  “You think Nico is enjoying himself too much with me?”

  “No. I think I am.”

  She stilled. “And what do you mean by that?”

  “I’m enjoying thinking about snatching that sheet from you and looking at your lovely body.”

  Her hands automatically clenched the sheet. “That wouldn’t be fair to Nico.”

  “I said look. Not touch.”

  Patricia’s entire body heated. Andreas was already gazing at her as though he could see right through the sheet, and she didn’t know why that excited her so much. She liked Nico and wanted to be with him, not Andreas. She liked Nico’s laugh, his smoldering eyes, his touch, his caring.

  But she suddenly wanted Andreas to look at her.

  Slowly she skimmed the sheet from her torso, then leaned back on her elbows and pushed the covers all the way off. She stretched out her legs and lay there, stark naked, for Andreas to see.