Ariana was suddenly thinking about blood, lust, and passion all at once as she watched life pump hard through Quinn’s veins, though it was merely a hot glow inside her now thanks to Lucca’s calming blood. Moving her hands back up to Quinn’s sculpted chest, she began a slow glide down over his beautifully ridged abdomen.
As he shuddered at her touch.
But as she glided her hands up around to his back, he suddenly said, “My turn.” Opening his eyes, he pinned her with a beautiful, carnal gaze. Lifting her hands to his lips, he kissed them. And then set them in her lap as his hands moved up.
Unbuttoning her silk blouse with slow, erotic delight.
Ariana had almost forgotten she still wore her riding outfit from her day with Lucca. All of it seemed far away now as Quinn’s hands eased down, deftly undoing one button after another without grazing her chest. It left her heightened, needing him to touch her as he finally got to the last button at her navel, undoing it then reaching up and brushing one hand over the corsage of orchids pinned to her shoulder. Ariana’s breath caught, having forgotten about Lucca’s gift.
But Quinn only smiled, a soft wistfulness in his eyes. “Lucca got this for you, didn’t he?”
“He did. We stopped at a flower shop in the city.” Ariana spoke quietly, not wanting to break the mood. But Quinn was not breaking anything now as he stroked the flower; erotically, as if it were Ariana’s most intimate places.
His gaze went to her neck as his fingers eased over now –opening her silk blouse away from her collarbones. Ariana’s breath caught, power diving into each other as they shared thoughts, feelings, and emotions. She understood that Quinn wanted to bite her – and she wanted him to.
But lifting an eyebrow, he paused as the slightest smile curled his full lips. Simmering as if dark honey could melt into fire, his power and body heated so fast Ariana’s breath caught. She didn’t know how he went from friend to commander to dark lover so quickly, he just did.
And as Quinn roared into dark lover mode now, Ariana’s heart sang.
Gliding his fingers over her skin, his touch slipped over her collarbones and chest, her shoulders and up onto her neck now, heated with fire. As he caressed her with the softest touch, like he played music in the night, Ariana swayed, her eyelashes fluttering as her chin lifted. She felt like he played her like an orchestra; conducting and moving her, gathering and releasing her in the night. As he did, she felt that strange hum begin inside her yet again.
The Music of the Spheres.
As that darkly ephemeral music rose from her body to Quinn’s touch, spilling out of her, she felt it harmonize into him through their bond. His own body and magic were suddenly producing that low, dark resonance, like a choir of angels at midnight. As Ariana’s lips opened, she felt a sigh come from Quinn. Opening her eyes, she looked at him.
And saw him smolder in the night.
“What are you doing?” Ariana asked, as she both saw and felt his power gathering hers and releasing it, stroking it and manipulating that music all through the room – and deep inside her.
“Seducing you.” He breathed as his dark eyes shone with fire and delight as his fingertips traced her skin. With a deft glide, he eased her silk blouse from her shoulders, letting it fall to her elbows like his tux shirt hung from his. They were matched now, except Ariana had a bra on, one of the lacy beige ones from her wardrobe. His fingers glided over one strap, sliding it gently down her shoulder before doing the same on the other side. Exploring down, his fingers dipped beneath the edge of the bra as he watched her. As his fingertips grazed her nipple, Ariana’s breath caught. Desire flooded her, the Music flaring inside her as Quinn stared her down.
“Tell me what you want, Ariana Summers.” Quinn spoke as he watched her.
“I want you to fuck me.” Ariana breathed, hot and wild now with the power of the Music flowing between them in the night. “I just want you to take me in your arms, crush me close to that damn fine body, and fuck me until I scream, okay? We can enjoy foreplay later, but for now… god, I just want it. And I don’t want to wait anymore.”
“As my beauty wishes it.” Quinn spoke softly. And then he was launching to the bed, so fast Ariana hardly saw it.
Pinning her with his strong body as power blazed between them in the night.
CHAPTER 20 – CONTROL
Quinn was preternaturally fast as he moved in a blur, throwing Ariana to her back on the bed with his lean, strong body. With a growl and his eyes on fire with lust, he thrust his hands quickly beneath her and lifted her up like she weighed nothing, heaving her more solidly onto the bed. As he pinned her wrists over her head, trapped beneath his hands, Ariana breathed hard, her heart thundering. Passion blazed between them as Quinn ground down upon her with a deep, sexy forcefulness.
Hard and ready for what came next.
But thrusting up to his hands and knees suddenly, he straddled her. With a furiously roaring look in his eyes and a scalding flare of his fire-dark aura, he gripped his strong hands into the fabric of her riding pants and ripped them like tissue paper, hauling them off her. Ariana gasped and her eyes widened as he ripped his tux pants apart next, tossing their ruined fabric aside. She had come up to her elbows in shock, breathing hard as she was left in her underwear and bra; gazing down at her like a demon, Quinn breathed hard in just his cobalt silk briefs, firm and straining at the fabric.
But his sudden motion had been both arousing and frightening for her; with a shocked whirl, her moon-dark magics pulled back from him in the night. He seemed to check himself then, as Ariana stared up at him with wide eyes.
Elated yet also terrified of his power.
Gentler, Quinn came back down, crawling over her and nuzzling her lips with his nose with a gentle sexiness now rather than force. “Forgive me.” He breathed passionately as his heart pounded. “I forget that you are not a Vampire and are not used to our strength in the bedroom.”
“It’s alright.” Ariana breathed quickly, though her magic gave her away, still swirling in a confused fashion around her.
“No, it’s not alright. I need to be more careful, until we know how much you like and can take.” Quinn spoke with heat now as he reached around with one hand, sliding it up her back. His motion was erotic, Ariana’s breath catching as she arched – as he found the clasp of her bra and had it undone one-handed. Sliding the straps gently down her shoulders now rather than tearing her bra away like a maniac, Quinn was tender but still roaring as he bared her. It made Ariana heat again as the lace slid away, her magics stabilizing as she was left in just her underwear now; their gazes connected as she reached down, trying to slide Quinn’s underwear off.
But as her fingers slipped inside the waistband of his silky briefs, he sighed, his lips curling up in a wry smile. Laying his long, superheated body down gently but lusciously atop her, Quinn returned to pinning her, though it was smoldering now rather than furious.
