Midnight Craving: Midnight Vice, Book 1 Page 6

  Blinking, Jace stared up through the waves of black hair to an inky sky scattered with stars. They were outside, on the hood of Isla’s car. They were alive. His arms tightened around her shoulders. She shuddered against him. Hot tears splashed his neck.

  Almost frantic, he clasped Isla’s face so he could see her eyes. They’d returned to their usual violet. Relieved, he brushed away the hair clinging to her teary face and wiped away the pinkish foam on her chin. He then kissed her more passionately than he ever had. In that moment, he desperately needed Isla to know just how much she meant to him and just how terrified he’d been of losing her. Isla’s hands gripped the front of his shirt as she held onto him, obviously unwilling to end the kiss either.

  Only the approaching sirens blaring in the distance forced them to separate. Not wanting to deal with all the legal bullshit that was sure to ensue, Jace rolled off the hood and dragged Isla with him. He slipped his hand into her jeans pocket and fished out her keys. Rather quickly, he shuffled her into the passenger seat and strapped himself into the driver’s side. Pedal to the metal, he fled the scene. Her hand drifted toward his, her fingers intertwining with his over the gearshift knob. Jace wasn’t sure where he was going so he kept driving.

  “Over there.” Isla pointed to a darkened loading and unloading lane behind a strip of closed boutiques. Like most places in the Woodlands, the stores were surrounded by pine trees and other shrubbery to give them an upscale and elegant air. More importantly, all that dense greenery would completely hide them from prying eyes.

  He’d barely killed the lights and engine when Isla pounced on him. Gripping his stubbled cheeks, she claimed his mouth with a hungry kiss. She tried to straddle his hips but the steering wheel prevented it. With a little maneuvering, Jace managed to slide over to the passenger seat. Isla planted her knees on either side of him and rocked her hips against him as she kicked off her shoes.

  Jace knew their coupling wouldn’t be particularly pretty or gentle but he could have cared less. The rush of living, of having survived, overwhelmed him at that moment. He needed to feel Isla’s hot skin against his, needed to bury his cock inside her as reassurance that she was really alive and there with him.

  They were all fingers and hands and tongues as they unzipped their pants and shoved aside undergarments. Isla’s pants were trickiest of all and took a few laughable attempts of leg straightening and weight shifting before they were whisked free of her body and dropped on the floorboard. Her pussy dripped silken heat as she held the base of his cock and lowered herself onto him. Jace couldn’t remember ever being so hard. He bit his lip at the sensation of her wet cunt closing around him in the most intimate of embraces.

  Eyes closed, Isla sat completely still for a long moment, as if savoring the feeling of their joined bodies. He caressed her face, careful of the already scabbing slit in her cheek. Her lower lip looked fat, probably from a self-inflicted bite wound during her seizure. Jace kissed her gently then, cautious of causing more harm. Isla’s hands drifted over his stubbled head as their mouths mated. When she moved up and down, Jace’s stomach flip-flopped. It just felt so good.

  Her lips ghosted against his cheek as she rode him hard and fast. “I don’t need much.”

  “That’s all right.” His words were grunted as he tried to keep himself in check. “Me either.”

  Isla captured his mouth again. Like a belly dancer, she flicked her hips back and forth and in tight circles. She ground her clit against his pelvis. He cupped her ass, squeezing the firm cheeks and aiding in her forceful movements. Her lips separated from his by the barest of millimeters. Tiny pants buffeted his wet lips. He tightened his grip on her backside and snapped his hips, rising up out of the seat to meet her rocking motions. Lust exploded within him. Hunger for her filled him.

  Her fingernails bit into his neck as she went wild on his cock. The car bounced as they both sought the highest peaks of ecstasy. Jace couldn’t breathe as he came, his eyes clamped shut as he slammed his cock balls deep. Isla’s thighs gripped him, holding him there, just there, as she milked the last glorious sensation.

  Breathless and clutching, they pressed their foreheads together. Isla was the first to laugh, a tiny giggle bubbling from her throat. Slowly it evolved into the deepest belly laugh he’d ever heard escape her lips. Unable to stop himself, he joined her raucous and nearly hysterical laughter. After everything they’d been through, it just felt right to laugh his ass off.

  When they quieted some time later, Isla draped across his lap, her head on his shoulder. His hands sifting through her hair, Jace wondered if this was the last time he’d ever be this happy again. With a thud, he realized he really did love her. Earlier, in the wine cellar, he’d experienced that moment of clarity. Now there was no question. This wasn’t lust or infatuation. No, this was beyond anything he’d ever imagined he could feel. In such a short time, she’d captured his heart so completely, he didn’t know if there was ever any hope of freeing himself from her clutches.

  He suddenly understood why he’d never been able to shake his attraction to her even after his immunity to her succubus blood should have protected him. It hadn’t ever been the demonic allure. It was all Isla, all along. They were obviously meant for one another.

  And he couldn’t keep her.

  The curse would filter out of her body by morning, and she’d cast him aside as she had every other man he’d seen her date. There was only one thing to do—push her aside first and save whatever scraps of his dignity and sanity he could.

  Chapter Six

  Standing in the hallway outside Jace’s apartment, Isla wondered what the hell she was doing. After nine excruciating days of separation, she just couldn’t take it anymore. But what the hell am I supposed to say when he answers? Oh, hey, just wondering if you felt anything for me at all?

  Isla rolled her eyes and wiped her hand down her face. It shouldn’t be this difficult.

  Her heart clenched as she thought of how many times over the last week she’d hoped to see his number on her caller ID or his face on the other side of her door. After their last tryst in her car, they’d been called in for a debriefing. The higher-ups were none too pleased by the fact they’d burned down a mansion in one of the ritziest places in town. There were going to be a lot of nosy journalists and questions from people with enough money and pull in the Greater Houston area to make life for Midnight Vice a whole hell of a lot harder.

  Always the standup guy, Jace had taken full responsibility for the whole mess. He’d insisted he’d been responsible for Isla’s cursing and everything that followed. Isla had tried to intervene but there was no swaying Jace. She’d been given one week of medical leave without pay. Jace had taken a one week suspension without pay but had escaped the review board. For that Isla was eternally grateful. If he’d lost his job for her, she didn’t know if she’d have ever forgiven herself.

  Jace hadn’t seemed too terribly upset when they’d parted that night so why hadn’t he called? At the very least, Isla had expected a general sort of welfare check. Yet day after day, night after night, Jace had completely avoided any contact with her. The idea that he found it so easy to cast her aside after the intense day and night they’d shared hurt more deeply than she ever cared to admit.

  Yes, the sex was beyond amazing, but to Isla it had been so much more than that. For the first time in her life, she’d felt secure. Whether he knew it or not, Jace had offered a promise of normalcy that she’d so longed for all these years. Most importantly that spark between them was undeniable. It was more than lust. It was something real, something so few people ever found. She refused to let it just slip through her fingers now.

  Obviously Jace’s total silence was some sort of message and yet here she was, standing on his doorstep, hands trembling, throat tightening, eyes threatening to spill tears. Isla had tried to convince herself that passionate, frantic quickie in the car had been the result of the last remnants of the curse working its way through her system, b
ut she knew differently. She’d wanted Jace of her own volition. She’d craved him so desperately, she felt as if she might have died if he’d turned her down. And he hadn’t. He’d taken her willingly, right there on the front seat of her Chevelle.

  That had to mean something, didn’t it? Or was it just Jace taking advantage of his last chance for a taste of her? Whatever the reason, Isla had to know. She couldn’t live another day wondering if maybe…

  Fingers flexing, Isla lifted her hand to the door. She hesitated and considered tucking tail and running. Refusing to give in to her cowardly inclination, Isla sucked it up and knocked. An agonizing wait followed. Would he answer?

  The metallic screech of the deadbolt sent her heartbeat into overdrive. Her pulse pounded against her eardrums. Knees weak, Isla hoped he wouldn’t send her away before she had a chance to talk to him. The door swung inward, revealing Jace, barefoot in a pair of jeans and a dark grey tee, its thin fabric stretched across his muscled chest and bulging biceps. Visions of Jace leaning over her, arms rippling, hips snapping as he fucked her filtered through her mind. Oh, God.

  “Isla!” Jace’s astonished tone was easily detected. “What—what are you doing here?”

  She swallowed hard. “I needed to see you.”

  Her simple reply appeared to surprise him for the tiniest of moments. With a stiff nod, Jace steeled his facial expression and stepped aside. “Come in.”

  As Isla slipped past him, she caught the tantalizing scent of his soap and his uniquely male smell. Her tummy flip-flopped as she remembered his sudsy hands caressing her curves and sliding between her thighs. The door shut behind her, and it took every ounce of her willpower not to shove him up against it to ravish him. She inhaled a settling breath and turned to face him, hoping she could find the right words to say what needed to be said.

  Jace leaned against the door looking ever-so-devilishly handsome. She could feel his heated gaze raking over her ruffled blue skirt and orange tank top. Their eyes met briefly and quickly separated.

  “So,” Jace said carefully, “you needed to see me.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because.”

  An amused smile playing upon his lips, Jace cocked his head. “Because?”

  This was it. Isla lifted her gaze to his face and locked eyes with him. “Because I think I love you.”

  Jace’s arms fell to his sides. Shock registered on the hard lines of his face. His lips faltered as he tried to speak. His jaw ticked. “Think or know?”

  There was no question. She knew absolutely and unequivocally. “I know.” She took a timid step forward. “I love you, Jace.”

  He put up his hands, as though unwilling to accept her admission. “Isla, the curse—”

  “—is done. Finished. Jace, I love you, and sure, maybe it took that curse to push us together, but I truly believe we would have found our way to one another eventually.”

  Jaw tightening, Jace gulped. Isla thought she saw the faintest watery glimmer to those slate blue eyes. “Isla,” his voice was strained, “are you sure? Please be sure.”

  Finally understanding how incredibly afraid he was of rejection, Isla crossed the space between them. Her hands shook as she cupped his face. His gaze bore into hers. “Jace, this is all me, and I’m telling you that I love you.” She pressed a trembling kiss upon his lips. “I love you,” she whispered.

  Jace made a sound of utter and complete desire that thrilled her to the very core. His arms wound around her waist, crushing her to his hard body as his lips finally claimed hers in that kiss she’d been craving so badly.

  As their tongues danced, an electric shiver of white-hot heat rippled through Isla. Instinctively, she just knew this was the universe’s way of confirming their fate as a couple. However bizarre their start, this was simply meant to be.

  When Jace’s hand slipped under her tank, Isla shuddered. His rough warm hands slid across the flat span of her tummy and up toward her breasts. Already her tingling nipples stood fully erect, poking through the cotton fabric. She’d worn no bra and was so incredibly glad she hadn’t. Jace cupped the weight of her left breast and rubbed his thumb across the stiff peak. She sucked on his lower lip and ran her hands down his washboard abs. Her fingers wasted no time in unsnapping the button closure of his jeans or lowering the zipper.

  With an impish grin, Isla slipped her hand into his pants and groped his erect penis through his boxer briefs. Jace groaned against her mouth. The low rumble made her melt. She squeezed her thighs together as her pussy clenched with need.

  Later, Isla thought, and slowly knelt in front of Jace. He’d made her feel so good so many times. Now she wanted to return the favor.

  As if unwrapping a present, Isla peeled down Jace’s boxer briefs and tugged his jeans out of the way. His thick throbbing cock sprang free. She couldn’t help herself and flicked her tongue at the tip. Jace sucked in a sharp breath and placed his hands against the door behind him. Smirking at the effect she had on him, Isla loosely stroked his length and fondled his sac. She licked her lips and let a little saliva pool on her tongue before taking just the head of his penis into her mouth. She molded her lips around him and worked her mouth back and forth, letting a little more of his length slip between her lips each time.

  Halfway down his cock, Isla experienced the sudden and overwhelming urge to take all of him. Relaxing her jaw, she slid her mouth down his penis. When her nose bumped the crisp hairs, Jace grunted with pleasure. Wanting him to know just how good she could make it for him, Isla slipped her tongue along the underside of his cock as she moved back up and then quickly deep-throated him again. This time the tip of her tongue bumped against his balls. Her gag reflex kicked in but she managed to muscle through it by focusing on the sensation of her lover’s cock nestled in the far recess of her throat. She’d never shared anything so intimate with any man before this. Just the thought of making him come in her mouth made her so incredibly wet.

  Teasingly slow, Isla slid her mouth back to the tip and concentrated on sucking the top quarter of his cock. She pulled her mouth away just long enough to lick her palm. Her slick hand stroked his penis in the opposite direction of her mouth while her other hand played with his sac. Jace’s hand tangled in her hair but he didn’t make the slightest attempt to capture her face or try to forcefully ram his tool down her throat. Instead, he seemed only to want to touch her.

  “Oh, baby,” Jace murmured. “Fuck, you look so hot sucking on my cock.”

  Isla loved it when he talked dirty like that. She hummed her appreciation around his penis. His hips pumped subtly as he rose up on his toes to meet the movements of her mouth. Isla knew he was close and picked up the pace. Her tongue slithered along his frenulum. She tightened the strokes of her hand. Jace breathed heavily. His grip intensified on her hair. Isla wanted to see his face when he came. She glanced up at him and that was all it took. Jace jerked suddenly and shuddered as his hot come splashed into her mouth. Eyes locked with his, Isla savored his flavor and continued stimulating him until he begged her to stop.

  As she swallowed a mouthful of come, Jace collapsed back against the door and shook. His cock, the glans shiny and wet, slowly deflated. The second he regained his composure, Jace bent down and swept her right off the floor. He kissed her deeply as if wanting to cement their intimate bond. Like a man on a mission, he carried her straight to his bedroom and set her down. Their lips still together, Isla let him remove her clothing. Naked and needy, she crawled into the center of his bed and watched him hastily shirk his garments.

  An instant after his boxers hit the floor, Jace was on top of her. She reveled in the feeling of his weight and heat pressing her down into the comforter. His lips danced across her chin and along the curve of her neck. Closing her eyes, Isla enjoyed the sensation of his kisses against her collarbone and the swells of her breasts. When he sucked her nipple between his lips, she arched into him. The teasing graze of his teeth against the sensitive peak drove her
wild. Heat flooded her womb.

  At a torturous pace, Jace worked his way down her body, peppering her skin with kisses. When he reached her toes, he coaxed her to roll over onto her belly. Jace started at her ankles and kissed, licked, and sucked his way all the way back up to the nape of her neck. Straddling her thighs, he kneaded her derriere and let his knuckles brush against her pulsing sex. Isla squirmed when the head of his cock bumped against her cleft. She wanted to feel him inside her so badly.

  Confusion colored her features as Jace lay down next to her. He reached for her and effortlessly dragged her onto his chest. His hands disappeared into her hair as he slid his lips against hers and tongued between them. When he broke the kiss, he looked positively sinful. “I want you to sit on my face.”

  A ripple of shock reverberated through her body. “What?”

  “Let me eat that pretty pink pussy, baby.”

  Isla’s eyes widened at his filthy words. She’d never done that before but the excitement of trying something so new and kinky turned her on big time. Smiling, she nodded. “Okay.”

  A triumphant grin brightened Jace’s face. He helped her settle into position, guiding her hips as she settled her knees beside his ears. She felt so incredibly open and vulnerable with her sex hovering just inches above his face. Biting her lower lip, she experienced the tiniest tremble of uncertainty.

  “It’s all right, Isla.” Jace caressed her lower back. “Just close those eyes and let go.”

  Isla’s eyelids drifted together. She licked her lips in anticipation. Jace’s hands gently pulled her down over his mouth. His nose nuzzled her folds before his tongue swiped her slit. She trembled as his tongue found its way between her lips and flicked at her clit. Her hands drifted to her breasts, cupping and toying with her nipples as Jace made love to her cunt. There was just something about straddling her lover’s mouth that heightened the experience. Every lick and suckle seemed magnified a thousand times.