Bloodlust Denied by Christina Phillips Page A

Six
     
    Disbelief clawed through her heart. The duke was a powerful man, but only a man. Had her preternatural potency deserted her? She felt no weakness, no draining of her vigor but what other answer could there be? Under normal circumstances, no mortal surpassed her physical strength.
    The duke gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. The uneven light from the swinging lantern threw shadows across his face and his beauty was dark and malignant. A demon from Hades intent on exacting retribution for the sins she had committed against his brethren.
    She couldn’t allow him to see her fear. Inhumanly strong or not, he was still merely a human. She’d proved that beyond all doubt three wretched years ago.
    As such, he couldn’t truly harm her. And certainly, he could never kill her.
    Yet still her heart pounded, her blood thundered, and her limbs trembled at the knowledge that at last she had met an adversary whose motives she could not fully conceive.
    But threaded through every beat, every erratic breath, apprehension shivered. She wanted the duke, but she was no longer convinced she could leave him at any moment, that she could easily return to Thanatos before their separation impacted upon their well-being.
    “What do you want?” Her voice was barely audible.
    His eyes glinted with wicked amusement. Abandoning her jaw, he untied the front of his breeches.
    “Use your imagination, Miss Craven.”
    Fascinated, she watched him stroke his thick cock and rub his thumb over the dark head. A heavy heat tugged low in her belly and pooled between her thighs. Even after all this time, she could recall how his erection had strained against her fingers, how he had filled her tight channel and stretched long-unused muscles.
    She wanted to feel all that again. And more.
    Trembling fingers reached for him and glided over his throbbing shaft. Gods, he was so hard and hot and a moan rasped along her throat. The aroma of arousal filled the confined space within the carriage, seeping into her mind, her blood. Without conscious thought, she lowered her head and breathed in his heady, irresistible scent.
    Powerful fingers tangled in her hair, rendering her immobile. But she didn’t want to move, couldn’t tear her gaze from him.
    “Open your mouth.” It was a guttural command. “And I’ll fuck you the way I wanted to fuck you three years ago.”
    She tried to look up at him, but could only move her eyes, so brutal was his hold upon her head.
    “I owe you nothing from three years ago.”
    His lips bared in a mockery of a smile and for one brief second the flickering light played tricks on her mind, as she imagined she caught an elusive glimpse of vampiric fangs.
    “You owe me everything, Morana. And by the devil I’ll see you pay in full.”
    Her heart thudded against her ribs, so violently she wondered they didn’t splinter, and desire spiraled low in her belly and flooded her pussy.
    He couldn’t force her. No matter what he thought. She tore her gaze from his hypnotic glare and feasted on his glorious erection. Experimentally she flicked the tip of her tongue over his glistening slit and the salty, exotic flavor of man tantalized and intrigued.
    She flattened her hands against his thighs and swirled her tongue around his swollen head, exploring uncharted territory and untouched horizons. The knowledge that she was on her knees before him, as if she was his pleasure slave, should infuriate. Yet excitement sparked deep inside as though despite appearances, she was the one in control.
    Her tongue danced to its own erotic symphony, licking and tasting. Fog rolled across her memories and for a fleeting second, she was certain she’d done this before, that they had done this before. She faltered, confusion skating through her lust-soaked mind.
    Had she explored a man’s body in this way once before? Why couldn’t she remember?
    “There’s nowhere to run this night.” His smoky voice tore her from her futile