Acheron (Dark-Hunter #14) - Page 38
It wasn't Ash who brought Tory's clothes to her later. He sent them up via Aimee which was a bit disappointing, but if he wanted to be a coward after locking her in, so be it. Besides, she liked Aimee who had a biting sense of humor and a very keen wit.
It also gave her time to plot revenge on the tall Goth who irritated her to distraction.
With nothing better to do, Tory took a shower in the small bathroom, careful not to get her sutures wet. She was extremely bored with her bed rest. She didn't understand how she could feel so good given what had happened to her. Honestly, she was only a little sore from the almost fatal wreck.
It was so strange.
Not wanting to be alone where thoughts of Dimitri and worry for her team made her ache, she left the room and headed into the bar area, seeking distraction. As she came out, Justina and Katherine got up from a small round table where they'd been sitting-Justina facing Tory's door and Katherine scanning the bar around them.
She didn't know where the other priestesses were, but the fact that those two were still here made her arch an eyebrow.
"What are you doing?" she asked them, curious about their nervous twitching.
Katherine looked away sheepishly. "We were watching you to make sure no one disturbed you."
Well at least the man hadn't made them keep her locked in the room. She should be grateful for some small liberty. "Ash's orders?"
Justina smiled. "I finally found someone even bossier than you. Who knew? Not to mention he's a lot more fierce."
Ha, ha, Tory thought sarcastically. She didn't really find that particularly funny-most likely because she was on the receiving end of his bossiness. "So where is he?"
Probably out chasing the redhead or some other woman.
Katherine pointed over the banister down to the stage area. Tory looked below, then gaped as she saw the one man at the back of the stage who didn't have a spotlight on him. There was no mistaking the giant dressed only in black as he played a black guitar emblazoned with red flames.
Justina joined her at the banister. "The band's guitarist jammed two fingers right before they were supposed to play so they begged Ash to cover for him."
Tory was absolutely stunned as she watched his long fingers fly over the neck into perfect chords. "Get out."
Justina grinned. "Yeah, I know, he's impressive isn't he?"
No, he careened past impressive and went straight into the realm of guitar god. Because she played herself, she could easily appreciate the talent it took to make what he did look and sound so effortless. He didn't make a single mistake.
And when he broke into a screaming solo that rivaled Hendrix, Rhodes or Van Halen, the crowd went wild.
Before Tory even realized what she was doing, she was heading down the stairs to watch him play at closer range.
Ash didn't normally look at the crowd what few times he'd filled in with the Howlers-which was only during practice sessions or when the bar was closed to anything not preternatural, but for some reason he felt an uncharacteristic compulsion to do so now. He immediately saw Tory in front with Justina and Katherine behind her.
Time seemed suspended as he met those beautiful brown eyes that always seemed to see through him, straight into his soul. As he stared at her, he forgot everything else, especially when he finally heard her thoughts above those of the people around him.
Why do you live in the shadows away from everyone else? You should be out front and shining with that talent. I've never heard a better guitarist. How do you do that? Were you born with a guitar in your hands?
She looked at him in awe. You are so beautiful, Acheron. All of you. Why do you hide from the world and from me in particular? I would never hurt you . . .
The sincerity of those words reached out to him in a way nothing had before. But more than that were the other glimpses he finally had into her. Some of them he would never have guessed. Her soul was beautiful. Her heart unbelievably kind. He was used to dealing with those who, like him, were jaded. Those who expected only the worst from other people and the world.
But not her. She saw even the evil around her with a childlike hope.
Gods, how he wanted to touch that purity. To feel the magical way she saw the best in people, even when they didn't deserve it. Most of all, he wanted to see himself the way she did. To be the person she thought he was, instead of the animal he knew himself to be.
Just for one minute.
This had to be the greatest gift anyone had ever given him and she hadn't even realized she'd done it. It was just who and what she was. That was what made it perfect.
And he wanted to return the favor to her as they ended the God-smack cover they were playing. He went over to the lead singer of the band, Angel Santiago, who had long brown hair and a cocky grin, and whispered to him.
Angel shook his head, laughing. "For you, man, anything." Angel went to the others while Ash adjusted the mike in front of him to accommodate his height.
An instant later, Ash cringed as a spotlight was turned straight on him. He'd never craved this kind of attention and every part of him wanted to run for cover.
But Tory had a stupid fantasy and the part of him that she'd unknowingly touched wanted to give it to her.
His throat dry from embarrassment and fear, he met her gaze. "This is for Soteria." He went into the opening strands of Nickel-back's "Savin' Me." The moment he did, he wanted to die as he realized how badly he'd just screwed up-in public. The club was filled with people and animals in human form who knew who and what he was. Beings who would be dying to know who Soteria was and why he'd dedicate a song to her when he never did such a thing.
More than that, he'd most likely angered Tory by linking her name to his. Damn it. He knew better. No one wanted to be seen with him. Ever.
When was he going to learn that one basic fact? Decent people only wanted to interact with him in private. He was an embarrassment. A freak.
But it was too late now. All he could do was see this through and hope she didn't publicly bitch-slap him for the affront when it was over.
I'm such an idiot.
Tory couldn't breathe as she heard Ash sing. He had the most amazing voice. Low and deep, it sent shivers over her.
Good gods of Olympus . . .
She'd never heard this song before but the lyrics were beautiful . . .
Heaven's gates won't open up for me.
With these broken wings I'm fallin'
And all I see is you.
Those lyrics brought tears to her eyes. All her life, she'd had a fantasy about a great-looking guy in a band singing to her. She knew how stupid it was, but to be here right now having Ash of all men sing to her.
It was surreal and it was wonderful. Most of all, it made her want to cry.
And when the song ended, the spotlight was turned off. Ash set his guitar on the stand by the drum set and jumped down from the stage.
"We'll be taking a twenty-minute break," the lead singer said.
Tory barely heard him as Ash approached her slowly and for the first time she saw hesitancy in his powerful gait. Unsure, he stopped in front of her.
Ash cringed, dreading her reaction. "I'm sorry if I-" He was going to say embarrassed you, but before he could get the rest of the sentence out, she pulled the sunglasses off his face and grabbed him into the fiercest kiss he'd ever known.
Everything around him receded as her lips set fire to his entire body. It wasn't demanding or painful. It was a kiss of commitment. Of caring.
One that made him growl with need as she cupped his face with her hands, then trailed them down his body to hold him so close to her that his head spun with disbelief.
And in that moment, all he wanted was to be inside her. To have her hold him like this while there was nothing between them. Just bare skin to bare skin.
Tory couldn't breathe as she tasted Acheron. His body was so incredibly hard. She doubted there was a single molecule not muscled and ripped. Except for his lips. They were as soft as a whisper and tasted of raw masculine power.
"Damn Ash, get a room."
Ash tensed at the sound of Dev's voice as the bear walked past him. But he was still incredulous that Tory had grabbed him like this in public. No woman had ever done that before. He'd always been relegated to the shadows-to places where no one could see them together.
The fact that she'd kissed him openly . . .
It was heaven.
Biting her lip, Tory pulled back to see his face mottled with red. Whether from anger, exertion or embarrassment she couldn't tell for sure. "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't offend you."
Ash shook his head as he laid his hand to her cheek. Pulling her against him, he buried his face in her hair and inhaled the sweetness of her scent. It was a scent he wanted to bathe in until it coated every inch of his flesh and branded him as hers.
Tory closed her eyes at the tightest embrace she'd ever had. She hugged him back and just held him while people walked around them. She'd never really been one for public displays of affection, yet with him it was different.
Nothing seemed to matter except being with him right here and right now.
Ash squeezed his eyes shut as raw emotions tore through him. Let her go. Shove her away. It was the sanest thing to do. The safest thing to do.
But he couldn't. He'd lived his entire life for other people, trying to please them and failing with every attempt. First it'd been his human father, then his uncle. The clients he'd taken.
And then Artemis.
He'd never been good enough to earn their love. Never good enough for them to make him feel the way Tory did. To her he was neither whore nor god. Neither property nor a source of shame.
He was just a man.
And that man wanted to make love to her.
Don't be stupid. Don't. You'll only get hurt, Ash. You know better.
Artemis will make you suffer until you beg for death . . . and then she'll torture you even more.
Yet when he looked into those deep brown eyes that saw him as a human with feelings, he was lost. Most of all, he was tired of taking nothing for himself. Of sacrificing himself for other people's happiness while he had no one who made him feel like he mattered.
Surely he deserved to have someone hold him close and soothe him. Would that be selfish?
His resolve bucked under the weight of conscience. Fuck it if was.
If he had to pay for this later, he would. He'd suffered unbearably for a lot less than Tory. And she'd be worth every scar.
Stepping back, he took her hand and led her to the stairs and up to her room. He closed the door, isolating them from the sounds and people downstairs, then turned to face her.
Tory was unprepared for the ferocity of his kiss as he pinned her to the wall. He'd always been so reserved and cool that she'd never suspected how sexy it would be for him to lose control like this.
The fact that she was the one who drove him to it only made her hotter. His lips tormented her as his hands began unbuttoning her blouse. She swallowed at the heat pounding through her. She'd never been with a man before.
And she barely knew him.
Yet she realized Pam was right. If she didn't sleep with Ash, she'd regret it for the rest of her life. There was something about him that made her restless and calm. Something that touched her heart in a way no one ever had before.
She wanted to be with him. To hold him close and never let him go.
Ash pulled back from her lips as he opened the last button of her blouse. Her breasts, covered by purple lace, were small and inviting. Adorable and perfect. He kept waiting for her to push him away and reject him.
She didn't.
Taking a deep breath, he reached to the gold clasp between her breasts. He met her gaze and the raw hunger there set fire to him as he opened her bra and spilled her breasts to his gaze. He cupped the right one in his hand, amazed by the softness of her skin as her taut nipple teased his palm. Dying for a taste, he dipped his head down to gently suckle her.
Tory gasped as he flicked his tongue over her nipple. With every lick, her stomach contracted sharply. His mouth was so hot as he sucked and played. His breath scorched her skin. She cupped his head to her, unable to believe how much pleasure he gave her.
He moved to her other breast as he unzipped her pants. Tory felt herself getting wet already. "Touch me, please," she begged, dying for something to sate the fire inside her.
Ash obliged her as he slid his hand under the waistband of her panties. He let the small hairs tease his fingers as he sank his hand down further until he could separate the tender folds of her body and run his finger down her cleft.
She made a strangled cry of pleasure. Smiling in satisfaction, he dipped his hand down lower to let her moisture coat his fingers before he moved his hand up to massage her.
Tory cried out as she felt her body exploding with pleasure. She'd never had an orgasm before. It was raw and it was unbelievable and even a little frightening. Words couldn't describe what she felt. She clung to Ash as he continued to heighten the ecstasy. He sank to his knees in front of her.
Still shaking and weak, she looked down to meet that hungry silver gaze. He reached up to pull her jeans down her legs with a feral intent that made her even more breathless. She lifted one leg and then the other so that she was completely bare from the waist down. Her shirt was open.
Ash couldn't breathe as he took in the sight of her like that. She was so beautiful and all he wanted to do was please her-to have her hands on his body, not hurting him or demanding he submit to her to make her feel more powerful. Just simply pleasing him. Soothing him. He brought her delicate hand to his lips so that he could taste her fingertips. The scent and sweet taste made his cock so hard it was all he could do not to attack her where she stood. But he wanted to savor her slowly.
The one thing in the universe that he excelled at was this and he wanted her to know the height of his skills.
She reached down to brush his hair back from his forehead. Ash buried his face against her thigh and nipped the tender flesh there as her hand touched his cheek.
"Please don't pull my hair," he breathed in a ragged whisper, not wanting anything to spoil this moment.
"I would never hurt you, Ash."
And that was why he was willing to risk the wrath of a goddess to be with her. For once in his life, he wanted to make love to someone who didn't make him feel like shit for it. Covering her hand with his, he turned his face so that he could kiss her soft palm.
Tory was stunned by his tenderness. He reminded her of a skittish fawn as he suckled her fingers. And when he looked up at her, she saw the unadulterated pain and torment inside him. His soul was as naked to her as her body was to him.
He licked her palm in one sensual swipe before he rose up to bury his lips against the center of her body.
Tory cried out as pleasure blinded her. She reached for his hair, only to catch herself. Instead, she clasped the door knob with one hand and bit her knuckle on the other one.
Her body took on a life of its own as he licked and teased her with his tongue. He lifted his hands to spread her wider so that his tongue could flick and delve deep inside her.
Ash reveled in the taste of the most private part of her body. The remnants of her last orgasm made him hungry for his own, but more than that, it made him want to hear her scream out his name.
Dying to be inside her, he slid his finger in, then froze as he found the last thing he expected.
He went cold inside.
"You're a virgin?"
Tory scowled at the venom in his voice as he spat the word out as if it were disgusting to him. "Is that a problem?"
He jerked away from her as if he'd discovered leprosy. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't think it would matter."
He cast her a feral look that made her pull her blouse closed. "It matters. Damn it, woman!"
She was completely baffled by his unexpected response. Why would he be so angry over the fact that she'd never been with another man? "I thought men liked having virgins."
Ash raked his hand through his hair as he struggled to keep his temper in check. But it wasn't just anger he felt. There was shock, guilt and a hunger for her so profound he wasn't sure how he kept himself from her.
"I'm not most men." He picked her jeans up from the floor and handed them to her.
She gaped at him. "So that's it? You're just going to leave because I've never been with anyone else?"
"That's exactly what I'm going to do." He tried to reach the door, but she put herself in front of it as she raked him with her own furious glower.
"Oh the horror of this situation," she said, her tone so thick with sarcasm he'd need a chainsaw to cut through it. "So what you're telling me is if I go downstairs and get laid by some other man first, I'll then be good enough for you?"
Jealousy ripped through him at the mere thought.
She narrowed her gaze suspiciously. "You don't like that idea either, do you?"
Ash struggled to breathe as images of her with someone else tore through him. No, he didn't want her with anyone else, but at the same time he didn't want to be her first. He didn't want to hurt her and honestly, he didn't want her to remember him or have any regrets. She deserved better than that. Someone better than him to sleep with her. "How can you be a virgin at your age?"
"I'm not ninety, Acheron. Good grief. I told you, I have a bad history with men. Every time I ever tried to sleep with one, something happened. Either someone came in on us or . . . in one case the guy fell off the bed as he climbed in and broke his collar bone."
She took his head in her hands and forced him to look at her. "I want to be with you, Ash. No strings. No commitments. I'm a big girl and I'm not going to turn into a stalker. I just want to love you for a little while."
Those words seared him and at the same time he wanted to curse because they made it impossible for him to walk away from her. "You don't deserve to be laid in a room in a bar for your first time."
"And that right there is why I want to be with you. You're the only man I've ever met who would even think about that."
Because he knew what it was like to be ruthlessly violated and to be haunted by it. For some reason, the first encounter lingered in everyone's memory. It was why he'd always made sure to take special care with virgins and why he'd been so good at what he did. No one deserved to be humiliated the way he had been. To cry from the pain of it and be laughed at while he begged for mercy.
Stop your damn blubbering, whore. It'll be over when I'm finished with you. He'd then been backhanded so hard, it'd broken his nose. There now. That pain'll get the other off your mind.
Why with all the powers that he had could he not purge his own memories? Why was eleven thousand years not enough to make the pain turn dull?
All he wanted was one moment free of those memories. One safe place where no one reminded him of what they'd made him. Of what he'd done to himself.
Tory frowned at the shadows she saw in Ash's eyes as if some painful memory tortured him. She wanted to soothe that ache more than anything. Why wouldn't he let her? "Ash?"
He reached down to put his hand on the scar where they'd operated on her. "You shouldn't be out of bed."
"I'm not in pain. I don't understand it, but I'm not. And I don't want to go to bed alone. Are you going to make me beg?"
Anger curled his lips. "You don't ever beg for anything."
She pulled his head down so that she could kiss him.
Ash growled as she stirred inside him an animal part that scared him. But he refused to give in to it. "I won't tup you like a whore in a backroom, Soteria. Let me finish playing with the Howlers."
She eyed him suspiciously. "Then you'll be back?"
The hesitation in his eyes made her hurt for him. He drew a deep breath before he spoke. "I'll be back."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
She kissed the tip of his nose, hoping he was being honest with her. "I'm going to hold you to that."
Ash swallowed. She didn't have to. Once he made a promise, he was bound by the laws of the universe to see it through or die. "Rest until I get back." He gave her a deep kiss.
Tory melted at the feeling of his arm around her while he cupped her cheek with his other hand and ravaged her mouth.
He pulled back and drew another deep breath as if fighting for the strength to leave her.
She smiled at him. "Don't make me wait too long."
He nodded as he left her to dress.
Tory pulled her clothes on before she went outside again to find Justina and Katherine back at their chairs. Heat rushed over her cheeks until she remembered that the room was completely insulated from noise. "Can I borrow your cell phone?"
Justina pulled it out and handed it to her.
She called Pam. "Hey sweetie . . . no I'm fine. I'm at the Sanctuary Bar over on Ursulines. Any chance I can get you two over here?"
"Sure. We'll be right there."
Tory hung up the phone and returned it to Justina. "Just FYI, I'm going to head out for a few minutes, but I'll be right back."
Katherine's expression turned stern and immovable. "You're not going anywhere without us. We're under strictest orders to keep you safe at all costs."
Ash . . . she could almost beat him for it, but then again that protectiveness was part of what she adored about him the most. At least sometimes.
Unwilling to fight, Tory held her hands up. "Fine. Just don't tell Ash. We'll slip out and be back before he finishes the next set."
Katherine didn't look convinced. "I'm not so sure about this."
"Oh, come on. It's just around the block a bit. We'll be fine. Besides forewarned is forearmed. We know to watch for them."
Katherine was still resisting.
"I trust her," Justina said. "She's stubborn, but not stupid. Tory wouldn't do this if she really thought there was a problem."
Katherine finally relented. "All right. So where are we going?"
Tory grinned. "It's a surprise."
Tory hesitated in the doorway of the overly bright store. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all . . . She looked over her shoulder at Pam who was proudly sporting her most prized possession, her vintage 1984 Duran Duran tour T-shirt.
"I don't know about this place. Isn't there another, less . . . um, extreme place to shop?"
Pam pushed her forward, into the store. "Oh shush, get inside. This is one of my favorite places and it's perfect for what you want."
Which didn't really endear it to Tory since Pam's fashion sense was the polar opposite of her own. While she was sedate, Pam was outrageous.
Kim pushed her from behind while Justina and Katherine opted to stay outside on Bourbon Street. "Come on, people, we're blocking the exit. Fire hazard here."
Tory's eyes widened as she went deeper into Pandora's Box, which was covered with spiked black leather corsets and teddys. All kinds of sex toys and pasties. Oh my word! She might be adventurous, but really, some of this stuff was just too much for her . . . like the men's bikini briefs that held an elephant's trunk where a certain piece of male anatomy would be. "I thought we were going to the little lingerie store on the corner."
"This is so much better." Pam pulled her to a display of edible panties.
Tory cringed at the thought of putting something like that on-would Ash even like it? "I'm not ready for all of this. Can't we ease me in slowly?"
Pam scoffed. "You're such a prude! How can a woman who lives to base jump cringe over edible panties?"
"Cause no one sees my panties when I base jump and they certainly don't eat them off me."
Pam gave an evil laugh. "Believe me, the panties are a lot more fun than base jumping. And given Ash's height, think of it more like pole vaulting." She wagged her eyebrows playfully.
Tory rolled her eyes.
"How about this?" Kim held up a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs. "These could be fun . . . ooo and look at the sex dice. You get to roll for positions and acts."
"Hi, can I help you guys?"
Tory turned around to find a woman not much shorter than her with long auburn hair and a very round, pregnant body. Dressed all in black, she had a spiked purple collar that was decorated with chains and amethysts. She smiled as Pam turned to greet her. "Hey girl, how did those whips work out for you?"
Pam beamed with pride. "Like a charm, until we broke up. Men suck."
The woman winked evilly. "Yes, but that's when we love them best."
Pam laughed. "Tabitha Magnus, meet my best friend Tory Kafieri."
Tabitha sucked her breath in sharply as she wrinkled her face up and waved her hand in a kill gesture at her throat. "Ex-nay on the Greek ame-nay. Hubby's in the backroom doing taxes and he has a mental problem with all things Greek."
Kim looked shocked. "Really? I thought he was Italian."
"He is. It's that whole Rome versus Greece thing that he never really got over. He's a nutcase, but I love him."
Pam gestured to Tabitha's belly. "Obviously, and considering your condition and the store you own, I'd say you love him often."
Tabitha laughed insidiously as she placed a protective hand over her distended belly. "Honey, if you ever saw that man naked, you would, too." She grinned. "So what can I do for you guys?"
"Tory is planning on having sex."
"Pam!" Tory would have crawled under the nearest rack except for the fact it contained sex swings and other items she didn't want to think about.
Pam gave her an innocent blink. "Well you are, aren't you? It's not like Tabby can't tell from the mere fact that we're here. Not to mention you can see that she's had some herself." She pointed to Tabitha's stomach again.
Tory growled at her as she shook her head, then spoke to Tabitha. "I apologize for Pam. I accidentally hit her in the head with a baseball when we were in fifth grade and knocked her out cold. She's never been right since."
Tabitha laughed. "You can't embarrass me. Believe me. Pam and I are cut from the same cloth. So tell me a little bit about this guy and I'll find you the perfect thing for him."
Tory smiled at the mere thought of Ash. She didn't know why but it made her giddy and warm. "Well he's tall and dark-haired."
"Tall, please," Pam scoffed while Kim laughed. "The man is a giant. She found the only six-foot-eight guy I've ever seen. Ooo and Tab you ought to meet him. He's Goth and gorgeous."
"And Greek," Kim whispered.
Tabitha frowned as she looked at them suspiciously. "Really? He sounds just like a friend of mine . . ." Wrinkling her nose, she shook her head, "But no, it couldn't be him."
"Him who?" Tory asked.
"Ash Parthenopaeus."
Tory's eyes widened.
Then so did Tabitha's. "NO!" she breathed in total disbelief. "You're getting a piece of Ash? Oh my God, girl, you go!" Tabitha started waving her hands and cackling excitedly. "If you want to make some real money, make pictures. I know women the world over who would pay big to see him naked, myself included!"
Pam high fived her.
Tory buried her face against Kim's shoulder while Kim patted her on the head. "There, there, baby. We'll hide her body in the trunk later."
Tabitha began running around the store, pulling things down from racks and shelves. "Ash definitely requires something black . . . no wait. Red. Racy red." She held a red furry teddy up, made a face and shook her head before Tory could even comment. "Not really your color. Oh wait!" She ran to the back room, then came out with a sheer black babydoll that had small skull and crossbones with tiny pink bows on their heads. "Perfect for Ash. He'll love it."
Tory had to agree. But it made her wonder just how well Tabitha knew him. "Tabitha have you and Ash ever . . . ?"
"Please, no. Don't I wish." She leaned over to whisper in Tory's ear. "And don't tell my hubby I said that cause it would just make him mental. But before I met my baby, I dreamed many a dream of taking a bite out of that man if you know what I mean and since you're here I know that you do."
Tabitha went to a bookshelf at the back of the store and grabbed two books down. "You'll want these too."
Tory frowned at the one on top that featured a woman in a corset holding a cucumber. "How To Tickle His Pickle?"
Tabitha nodded proudly. "My personal fave. It's all you'll ever need to know to make a man go crazy."
The next book was even stranger. This one was even shrink-wrapped. Tory looked at it suspiciously. "Manga Sutra?"
"Ash loves manga." Tabitha patted the book and grinned. "He'll be very interested in that one, not that I think he doesn't know everything in it. But . . . could come in handy." Tabitha went to the front of the store and opened the glass cabinet near the register before she started pulling other things out.
Tory's face flamed at the items Tabitha piled on the counter. "They make flavored nipple cream?"
"Oh yeah, great stuff. It's not only flavored, but tinted to make you a bit rosier and best of all, it has a dab of menthol to make your nipples really hard so they're extra sensitive and men go wild for it. They just love stiffened nipples."
Kim and Pam laughed.
Tory covered her face with her hands and wanted to die of embarrassment. It was bad enough to have this stuff, but the fact that Tabitha knew Ash just made it all the more horrifying.
She was sure he'd be mortified to know that a friend of his had helped her pick this stuff out. And by the time she was being rung up, Tory was almost too embarrassed to go back to Sanctuary and face him.
As she dug out