Chapter 12
TWELVE
Samantha pulled back and turned her head to look at Arcanthus. The desirous light in his eyes, paired with his wicked smile, promised unimaginable pleasure. Not for the first time, she couldn’t help likening his looks to a demon—a demon of lascivious delight.
I’m about to make a deal with the devil…and I’ve never wanted anything more.
She kept her eyes locked with his. “Yes.”
“Oh, my beautiful little terran,” he purred, “I will open the universe to you.”
He trailed his hand down from her face, his fingertips trekking over her cheek and jaw to the sensitive skin of her neck. It moved lower still, a feather-light touch that sent tingles across her flesh, brushing over her shoulder and arm, and finally stopped on her hip, opposite his other hand. The thin fabric of her dress was the only barrier between his palms and her skin; his heat radiated through the material, but the separation was too much.
She’d never felt so restricted by clothing.
Arcanthus lifted her off his lap and shifted beneath her, turning himself so he was leaning back against the armrest of the sofa. She was facing away from him when he lowered her onto his lap again.
“Lie back, Samantha.”
Samantha looked at him over her shoulder. “But don’t you need to…face me?”
“This is about you.” Arcanthus snaked his arm around her middle and drew her backward until she lay against his chest with her head on his shoulder. He turned his face toward her, running the tip of his nose over her ear. “Don’t focus on me. Focus on my touch, on what it makes you feel. Do not be afraid of your own body.”
How could she not focus on him? His sensual voice filled her ears, his hard body and arms had her wrapped in their warmth, and his delicious scent enveloped her.
He flattened his palms on her lower abdomen and slowly slid them up. His fingers crossed the low neckline of her dress, sweeping warm metal over her skin and making it quiver. His hands moved higher and higher until they cradled the undersides of her breasts.
An involuntary sound rose from the back of her throat, and Sam grasped her skirt in her fists. She stared down at his hands; their black metal was stark against the red fabric and her pale skin, creating a startlingly erotic contrast.
He curled his fingers under her dress and slowly peeled it to the sides; the silky, sheer material brushed over her nipples as her breasts were exposed.
She shivered. Her breath grew ragged, and her nipples hardened, aching for more.
“Do you crave more of my touch, my flower?” Arcanthus whispered into her ear as his tail trailed along the outside of her right thigh, which was bared by the skirt’s slit .
Samantha’s cheeks warmed, and she bit the inside of her lip. She couldn’t say the words, couldn’t ask him. She nodded.
With the fabric of the dress fully parted, he returned his hands to her breasts, cupping their undersides once more. One of his fingers teased the edge of her nipple, causing another shiver to run through her. Sam arched into his touch.
“Tell me, Samantha. Let me hear your voice.”
“Y-Yes,” she rasped.
He pinched her nipples.
Samantha sucked in a sharp breath. Her body jerked against him, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she tipped her head back against his shoulder. The jolt from her nipples pierced straight to her core like a bolt of lightning. Her lips parted with her panting breaths, and she clenched her skirt tighter.
“Demand it of me, Samantha. Demand pleasure. Demand what you are due, what you deserve.”
She whimpered before she could finally force the words out. “Touch me, Arc. I-I want you to touch me.”
He increased the pressure on her nipples infinitesimally, rolling them between his fingers. “ Why do you want me to touch you, Samantha? What do you want to feel?”
“Because I want you,” she rasped. Liquid heat pooled between her legs as her sex pulsed and an empty pressure expanded within her core. “I want to feel you.”
Arcanthus chuckled huskily, brushing his lips against her neck. “Then I am yours, my lovely little terran.”
He released one of her breasts to grasp her chin and turn her face toward his. He captured her mouth in a searing, claiming kiss. Samantha moaned as his hand returned to her breast; he kneaded her tender flesh, pinched and stroked her nipples until she couldn’t keep her body still. Her skin thrummed beneath his touch. Arc nipped her lower lip with a fang only to soothe the sting away with his tongue a few heartbeats later.
“You are so beautiful, Samantha,” he said against her mouth. “So delectable. Give me your hands.”
Intoxicated by his kiss and drifting in a haze of desire, it took Samantha a moment to process his words. When understanding finally pierced the lust fogging her mind, she released her skirt, stretched her stiff fingers, and held her hands up.
Arcanthus caught her wrists and placed her hands over her breasts before covering them with his own. The action caught her so off guard that she opened her eyes to meet his burning gaze. The thought of touching herself in front of him was shocking, but it was also…thrilling. He guided her hands to caress and squeeze her flesh as though they were his.
The corners of Arc’s mouth curved up in a smile. “Do you feel how soft you are?”
“Yes,” Samantha said.
“Close your eyes. Good. Now imagine my lips upon them, my tongue circling those hard little peaks. Imagine me taking them into my mouth, sucking hard, surrounding them in heat”—he used her fingers to pinch her nipples, eliciting a gasp from her—“before taking them between my teeth.”
“Arc,” Samantha begged, rubbing her thighs together. She was so wet she could feel her slick dripping down her ass. Her body trembled in need.
“Yours is a body worthy of worship,” he said, lifting his hands off hers. “Keep going.”
He smoothed his hands down Samantha’s abdomen as she breathlessly caressed herself. Though her touch wasn’t the same as his, it fanned the flames he’d already ignited within her. His palms left a blazing trail in their wake along her thighs, and his fingers massaged her flesh on their slow journey to her knees.
She whispered his name; it emerged from her lips in a desperate plea. Arcanthus hooked his fingers under her knees and spread her legs wide. She wouldn’t have resisted even if it had been possible.
One at a time, he draped her legs over his powerful thighs, forcing them even wider apart as he spread his own legs. With his left hand, he gathered her skirt and dragged it upward. The fabric glided over her skin until her pelvis was bare. Arcanthus swept the skirt aside and settled both his hands on the insides of her thighs, brushing his thumbs across the thin edges of her underwear.
Samantha trembled. She felt vulnerable and exposed, and yet, because it was Arcanthus, she felt safe .
“Ah, Samantha, do you know what you do to me?” He tilted his hips and forced her pelvis down; her backside brushed against the hardened answer to his question. “You have hidden yourself from everyone, but I will discover the wonders of your body. I will worship it.” He teased the shell of her ear with his teeth. “I will taste it.”
Samantha’s breath hitched.
Arc curled his fingers beneath the waistband of her panties. “And I will conquer it.”
He tugged outward with both hands. The waistband tore like paper, leaving only a scrap of fabric draped over her mound. The tip of his tail trailed up the inside of her thigh and slipped around the cloth, brushing over the hairless flesh of her pelvis, to pluck the red fabric away.
Arcanthus slid one hand back to her inner thigh and flattened the other over her abdomen as his tail crept toward her sex again. “Keep those hands moving, little terran.”
Samantha had been so focused on his tail that she hadn’t realized she’d stopped caressing herself. She set her fingers into motion again, but her attention remained transfixed on his hands and tail. She never would’ve dreamed he could use his tail for…for this . It was wicked.
The tip of his tail grazed her pussy, and her hips jolted in response. His breath was warm against her ear when he asked, “Do you want me to touch you there?”
She bit her lip and nodded.
“Command me,” he rasped. “ Take from me.”
Squeezing her breasts in frustration, she released her lip and tried to roll her hips into his touch, but he pinned her in place with his hands. She’d never felt as much desire, as much need, as was coursing through her in that moment. Her limbs trembled, and her core clenched.
“Touch me, Arcanthus,” she pleaded. “Now. I need you, now.”
His tail brushed along her sex lazily, spreading her essence, while his hand slid down her abdomen. He cupped her pussy, spread her folds, and slipped his finger down her center. His fingertip traced a circle around her clit.
Samantha cried out, squeezing her breasts, as pleasure pulsed through her. He continued those maddening circles, slow and teasing, steadily building the staggering sensations. Heat coursed through her veins. Her lips parted as she panted, her brows dropping low. When she attempted to undulate her hips again, he tightened his hold on her, halting her efforts.
She stretched an arm up and wrapped it around the back of his neck. Her fingers delved into his long hair, clutching the dark strands in her fist. Her other hand grasped his metal arm. Her thighs and belly quivered with the overpowering sensations, which were still intensifying, winding tighter and tighter. The feeling was so strong it was frightening.
“Arc,” she moaned, tilting her head back. She turned her face toward him.
He met her gaze, but his central eye—the most devilish of them—remained focused on her body. His finger maintained its steady pace, circling her clit over and over.
“Please, Arc. It’s too much. I can’t…”
“Oh, but Samantha, you can .” He spread her legs wider, and something nudged the entrance of her pussy. A second later, his tail filled her, sliding easily into her depths.
Samantha inhaled sharply. She tightened her grip on his hair as her sex clamped around his tail. She’d expected pain, had expected the burn of her tender flesh tearing, had expected the unforgiving bite of his fingertips in her skin as he drove into her relentlessly, but there was only bliss .
Arcanthus moaned and rocked his hips against her.
“So hot, so soft…so tight,” he rasped.
His tail withdrew from her sex. The hollowness it left behind was agony, but Samantha couldn’t look away as he raised his tail to his mouth and slipped it between his lips.
It was the most arousing thing she’d ever seen.
Arc sucked on the tip of his tail, tilted his head back, and groaned before sliding it out. “So delicious .”
He touched the tip to her neck and slowly ran it down her body, trailing between her breasts and over her stomach before returning to her sex. His finger increased its pressure on her clit as his tail reentered her. He pumped in and out, enhancing her ever-growing pleasure.
Sam writhed upon him, her hips undulating in time with the thrusts of his tail and the strokes of his finger. Electric currents arced through her body. Her timid, throaty moans built in a crescendo, becoming overwhelmed cries. She was lost, drowning in sensation, in torment, in pleasure.
“ Yes ,” Arc said. “Scream for me, Samantha. Let the whole city know you are in the throes of ecstasy.” He pressed on her clit more firmly.
She gave in and let the sensations overtake her.
White-hot pleasure burst inside her. She came with a guttural cry that quickly turned into a scream as his fingers and tail quickened. Heat flooded Samantha, and her body spasmed, locking up tight. She squeezed her eyes shut, arched her back and reared her head, gritting her teeth as rapture tore her apart and pieced her together again. It was ruthless; it was blistering; it was sublime .
When the sensations finally diminished, Samantha’s eyes fluttered open.
Arcanthus was watching her with half-lidded eyes that—along with his qal —glowed brighter than she’d ever seen. Hunger burned in his gaze. Slowly, he slipped out his tongue and slid it over his lips. His finger lazily circled Sam’s clit, easing her down from the heights of euphoria, and his tail remained inside her, keeping her satisfyingly full.
Samantha lay atop him, breathing raggedly, as her body shuddered in the aftermath of her climax.
Arc lowered his head and captured her mouth. His kiss was ravenous and bruising, brimming with desire. Samantha moaned against his lips.
When he pulled back, he smiled lopsidedly, bringing his free hand up to stroke her cheek. “I win, little terran.”
Though her cheeks were already flushed, another rush of warmth swept across them. She returned his smile with a big one of her own.
She felt… free , like a great weight had been lifted off her. She’d never thought sex could feel so wonderful. Hell, she’d never thought sex could even feel good . What Arcanthus had done for her… It was lifechanging.
He lifted his hand from her clit and placed it upon her thigh, giving it a gentle but possessive squeeze. “As per our arrangement…that was only the beginning. I’m ready for a real taste, now. ”
Arc’s tail slowly slipped out of her. Her sex clenched, greedy to keep him there, and she tightened her legs around his thighs. But she wasn’t strong enough to resist when he placed his hands on her hips, lifted her, and turned her to face him.
Her hair fell around her shoulders as he sat her on his abdomen and spread her legs to either side of his torso. Her skirt bunched around her waist and draped over his lap. His grin widened, flashing fangs as his central eye dipped to her pussy, which was slick with desire and bared to him.
Samantha shyly brought a hand to her chin as she stared down at him.
Cupping her ass, he pulled her closer, sliding her up his abdomen. “This flower is mine .”
A high tone—reminiscent of the bells that had signaled the end of a period when Samantha was in school—sounded from Arcanthus’s wrist, and he stilled. A moment later, the tone sounded again.
Arc gritted his teeth and growled, tightening his grip on her ass. “ Damn it. ”