The Vessel Read online

  “Take me back to your house.” I felt his hand tighten around mine momentarily before he looked over at me again. Although he kept his expression pretty neutral, I saw a spark of surprise on his face, watched the way his nostrils flared slightly from his rising arousal. He parted his lips slightly, his breath coming out faster. He knew what I meant. I could see it written on his face. “I want to go back to your place, Lucius.”

  I heard this low sound leave him. He wanted this just as much as I did.

  He nodded slowly. “Okay,” he finally whispered.

  My heart was pounding in my chest as he started driving again and went the way that would take us east. And the closer we got, the more anticipation moved through me, the more I became hot, aroused. My pussy was wet, my nipples hard.

  Maybe this was too fast, getting in bed with him when I should have waited, should have gotten to know him better. But I felt like I knew Lucius as well as I knew myself, and that’s why this felt so right.

  This was going to happen, and I wasn’t about to stop it.

  22

  Lucius

  We’d been at my place for the last thirty minutes. I poured us each a glass of wine, and we were now sitting on the veranda. I loved hearing her talk. She could talk about paint drying and it would be the most interesting conversation I ever had, all because she’d be the one telling me.

  I was pleased that Elise enjoyed herself so much tonight. I realized I strived, yearned for that, was addicted to her happiness.

  The image, memory of just an hour ago of her telling me she wanted to go back to my place had pleasure and satisfaction consuming me. The fact that she wanted me as desperately as I wanted her had the very male part of me roaring. I didn’t want to rush this, and we were doing things on her terms, her timeline, but fuck, I was so hard for her.

  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t so damn aroused for her that my balls ached, and I sported a constant hard-on. The need to be with her was so powerful it drove me insane. And if things naturally progressed the way I knew we both wanted, it would just bring us closer together. It would make this bond we had inseparable.

  But even if all she wanted to do was sit here and drink wine and talk, fall asleep in my arms while I stroked her hair, so be it. It would honestly be the most perfect fucking night I ever had.

  Elise set her empty wine glass down and rested her head back on the chair, looking up at the sky. I stared at her profile, her features so feminine. God, I’d never been in love with someone before, but what I felt for Elise, what had been growing inside me since the first moment I met her, was unlike anything I’d ever experienced in my life. These emotions were new, the sensations unknown.

  Was this love? Could you fall in love with someone so swiftly, so profoundly, that it changed your entire world? Could you fall for someone and it steal your sanity until all you felt, all that mattered was… her?

  I didn’t know, but I wasn’t about to fight this. I was already in too deep with Elise to let her go, to let anyone else have her. She was mine.

  She glanced over at me and gave me the kind of smile that told me she felt good and warm from the wine, but not so far gone that she wasn’t fully aware of what she wanted.

  “What?” she asked softly, this teasing note in her voice. I was staring at her so intently; I knew that.

  “Nothing,” I said just as softly. “You’re just so beautiful it mesmerizes me.” I watched as her cheeks turned pink from my compliment. “And you are, Elise, so damn gorgeous it makes my chest hurt and has me pretty possessive of you.” I leaned forward and rested my forearms on my thighs, staring at her, unable to look away. I could see her respirations increase, watched her breathing catch as my words really sank in.

  For long moments, neither of us spoke, our gazes locked. Everything in me heightened, aware of where this was leading. She licked her lips, that little pink tongue running over the plump flesh. My cock was already hard, had been since she told me she wanted to come to my house, and right now, at the sight of her, my shaft jerked in appreciation and desire.

  “The way you’re looking at me,” I groaned out, my voice rough.

  “What way?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. But hell, I heard her, and it heated me up like I was on fire, burning alive.

  “Like you want me to eat you alive, Elise.” She wasn’t wrong about that, and the rough sound that left me had every alpha part of me feeling satisfaction. “Does that scare you?”

  She slowly shook her head.

  “How does that make you feel?” God, I wanted to hear her say it.

  She was silent for so long I thought maybe I pushed it, crossed lines, went too fast. But then she stood, surprising the hell out of me as she started walking toward me. I stood as well, didn’t even stop as I reached out and wrapped my hand around her waist, pulling her in close to my body. She gasped as her hands went to rest on my chest, as her head tilted back and she looked into my eyes.

  “It makes me feel… warm in the best of ways.”

  I closed my eyes and groaned again.

  “I want you, Lucius.” She looked into my face with wide eyes. “Do you want me?”

  Did she really think after everything that I didn’t?

  I swallowed roughly and felt my cock jerk. Instead of replying verbally, I pressed my massive erection against her belly. I leaned in so our lips were a hairsbreadth away. “Does that answer your question, baby?”

  She nodded slowly and parted her lips, her warm, berry-scented breath intoxicating me further.

  “Yes,” she said and closed her eyes, a moan leaving her. “Take me to your room, Lucius. I want this more than I can even describe.”

  And just like that, all my control fucking snapped.

  * * *

  We found ourselves back in my room, the heat almost suffocating, the pressure intense. I was barely hanging on, my control thin, my need too powerful to ignore anymore.

  “Are you sure you want this?” I asked, needing to hear her say it again and again and again. I’d never get tired of her expressing her need for me.

  She nodded.

  “No, say it, baby. Tell me.” I was being demanding, but I couldn’t help it.

  “I need you, Lucius. I really need you.”

  I took hold of her chin with my thumb and forefinger and pressed my mouth to hers. I swallowed her gasp and trailed my tongue along the seam of her lips, tasting everything that made Elise up. She was so fucking addicting, and I couldn’t stop myself from fully pressing my mouth on hers, my body to hers.

  Her moan was a sweet sound, an intoxicating one, and when she opened her mouth wider for me, allowing me access to the hot, wet, tempting cavern, I gladly slipped my tongue inside and gave her what we both needed.

  Elise pressed her tongue against mine, moving it in a slow cadence that had me growing impatient, that had my cock getting harder, thicker. Pre-cum lined the tip. I felt that evidence dampen the front of my slacks. I could sense the hesitance in her, as if she were scared of going further, afraid of her own desire. I was going to drive her mad with need, have her so worked up she was begging for my cock.

  And the fact that she was so unsure had something inside me waking, growing primal and so fucking impatient it wanted to claw its way out and devour her.

  I wanted to take that innocence for myself, to claim her like no man had ever taken her. And I had no doubt I could open her eyes to see that, to show her she was mine. If she thought this was a one-off time, Elise was fucking mistaken. No one else would have her. No other man would taste her, sample the nectar between her thick, gorgeous thighs.

  She. Is. Mine.

  I pulled back but cupped her chin with my thumb and forefinger again, staring into her eyes, conveying what she meant to me without saying a damn word. I would take her in every way possible, in any way she’d let me. And when Elise didn’t think she could take any more, I’d give her even more. So much more.

  I wanted her to know what we were doing, th
at this was irrevocable, consuming… permanent. I wanted everything from her, and I wanted to give her everything. And by the time this was all said and done, Elise would know that without any doubt in her mind.

  23

  Elise

  If I died right now, I wouldn’t even care. I felt so free and anxious, but the good kind, the kind that had me seeking more, so much more. I wasn’t about to question the fact that I was his employee, that this was frowned upon. But then again, he was my boss and made the rules.

  If he was okay with this, not caring if his own rules were broken, why should I give it a second thought?

  I wanted to feel him touch me all over, to consume me. I wanted those strong hands stroking over my body, those lips caressing the most sensitive parts of me, the most intimate parts. To have all that raw power wrapped up in a six-foot-five frame, the lean, hard muscle, the strength that poured from him, was almost too much for me to even comprehend. I could have orgasmed just from the pictures in my head of Lucius and me.

  The way he kissed me, held my face, started off almost gentle, but the longer we were pressed together, his hardness to my softness, was winding both of us tighter and higher. I felt it inside me, and I felt it pouring out of him.

  But then he was devouring my mouth, became more demanding, nonverbally telling me he needed everything from me.

  And in this moment, I wanted to give him all of me.

  I felt Lucius move his hand along my jaw and then to the back of my neck, gripping my nape tight and pulling me impossibly closer. My chest was pressed right to his, my breasts against his pecs, my nipples hard enough to cut glass. I had my palms on his chest, curling my nails against the crisp material of his shirt, wanting to crawl inside him and never leave. He made me feel so good, made me want more than I ever even fantasized.

  And then I let him fuck my mouth. And in all honesty, that was exactly what Lucius was doing. He fucked me between my lips fast and hard, and I could feel all that primal, fiery energy moving through him and into me. I could picture him above me, his hands on my inner thighs as he forced me to take the massive cock I could feel digging against my belly.

  God, I’d never met a man—envisioned a man—who had so much raw sexuality pouring off him. And Lucius had that in spades.

  He tilted his head to the side, deepening the kiss. I followed suit. My heart pounded hard behind my ribs. I heard that pulse in my ears, felt it in my throat. I clenched my thighs together, my pussy so wet, so incredibly soaked that I felt it seep through my panties, the delicate material pressed to my folds, to my engorged clit.

  Lucius used his teeth to bite my bottom lip, causing a flash of pain before he smoothed the sting away with his tongue. I couldn’t stop the moan that spilled from me.

  Lucius broke away and panted, resting his forehead against mine, his eyes closed. I could make out the way his jaw was clenched, the fact that it was clear he tried to control himself.

  I didn’t want that.

  And as I was about to say that, Lucius pulled back and opened his eyes.

  “Elise,” he whispered then groaned, his jaw clenched even more.

  Tell me what you want.

  “I—” He paused, his throat working as he swallowed.

  “Tell me.” I actually said those words, surprised at myself for being bold. That wasn’t like me, but then again, sleeping with my boss wasn’t either.

  Until now.

  When he opened his eyes this time, there was this hard edge to them. I realized it was a look of carnal need.

  “I want inside you, Elise.” He ground his cock against me, and I gasped. “I want that so fucking badly.”

  A chill coasted over my body and cooled my overheated flesh, but still, I was burning alive. The feel of my nipples no doubt poking obscenely against my shirt wasn’t lost on me. And when Lucius pulled back, looking down because he no doubt felt that evidence, my mouth dried. The look on his face was pure… lust.

  We said nothing as we stood toe-to-toe, as I was keenly aware of how much taller and broader he was than me. I felt small and petite, feminine in his presence. That was amplified when he touched me, said the dirty things to me. I let my gaze roam over his chest, taking in the white shirt he wore, how it molded to his toned body, how his muscles were bulging under the material.

  He slid his hand down my arm, along my waist, and curled his big fingers around my hipbone. All his hard, defined lines were pressed against my softer ones, and my body hummed, my pussy tingling, my nipples aching.

  “So fucking gorgeous,” he murmured, and I felt a fresh gush of moisture leave me at the deep rumble of his voice. I had to clench my thighs together to stem my intense arousal, but all that did was add pressure to my clit, causing that lust to increase tenfold.

  “Touch me,” I begged, not ashamed to be so damn needy for this, for him.

  And he gave me what I wanted.

  Lucius leaned in and kissed me again. He wasn’t slow and gentle. He took possession of me. He moved his hand up my side, over my belly, and cupped one of my breasts. I moaned, the sound leaving me before I could muffle it. I couldn’t help but arch my back, thrusting the heavy, aching mound harder into his palm.

  “That’s it,” he groaned against my lips.

  The slow glide of his lips along my jaw had me closing my eyes and letting my head fall back, giving him better access. I needed so much more. Lucius’s other hand pressed against the base of my spine and slowly made its way lower until he was now cupping my ass.

  “Lucius,” I moaned, not meaning to say anything, but the feel of one of his hands covering my ass and the other molded around my breast had all common sense leaving me. When he started moving his thumb over my hard nipple, back and forth, using slight pressure, I would have given him anything he wanted. He licked and nipped at my throat, sucked at my flesh until I knew there would be a love bite, a bruise… his mark.

  “Fuck,” he said coarsely. “I’ve thought about this moment more times than I can count. And fuck, it’s better than I could have ever imagined.” As if to emphasize his words, he thrust his massive cock against my belly, grinding his dick into me, and I remembered how I’d seen all that hard flesh in the nude. I knew how big he was, knew I’d be able to feel that steel pipe fully as he stretched me, filled me. “That feel good?”

  I nodded then licked my lips and murmured, “It feels so good.”

  He hummed low, the sound so deep and rough it was like a wild animal growling. I turned my head to the side, needing to feel his mouth on mine. He dragged his mouth back up my neck, over my jaw, and ran his tongue along the corner of my mouth. I gasped at how sensitive it felt, how it made my body tingle. He continued to kiss and lick the side of my mouth, not giving me what I really wanted, but teasing me, tormenting me in the most erotic of ways.

  “Tell me what you want, Elise,” he whispered against my mouth. “Tell me what you need and it’s yours. Anything. Everything.”

  I wanted pure, unadulterated sex with him.

  He pulled back and stared into my eyes. My breath caught at the look he gave me. He searched my face; all the while, his thumb continued to tease the puckered flesh of my nipple, his palm caressing my ass.

  I swallowed, knowing I wouldn’t keep the words locked in my throat. They needed out. He needed to hear them so he’d give me what I wanted.

  I didn’t know how this would end or how it would look after the fact, but that wasn’t something I was going to worry about right now.

  So, I stared into his blue eyes and said a softly, “I want you, Lucius. I want all of you.”

  24

  Elise

  The groan that spilled from his mouth after I spoke was rough, uncut. He had his hands on my shoulders and used a little pressure to push me down until I was on my knees, looking up at him, my mouth parted, desire slamming in and out of me so fast I couldn’t grasp it, couldn’t contain it.

  By the look on his face, the fact that I was on my knees, I knew what he wanted, k
new what I wanted. I was out of my element here, but I wanted to take the very male part of him into my mouth and pleasure him, to see him unravel like I had.

  Swallowing the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat, I waited for him to make the next move. I didn’t want to seem that inexperienced, and if I tried taking his hard cock out, I knew my fingers would fumble.

  He groaned deeply and took one step back. My heart raced as I watched him go for the buttons on his shirt. He never once took his eyes off me as he popped them free, one by one. He shirked off the expensive material until it fell to the floor, and then I took in the very muscular part of his body he revealed.

  The rolls of muscles that made up his six-pack, his defined pecs, his bulging biceps that had my mouth watering in female appreciation, they all had wicked arousal pulsing through me.

  God, I was so turned on.

  Lucius didn’t move, just stood there letting me look my fill, just let me take in every inch of him. My gaze landed on the crotch of his slacks, at how the dark material was tented from his desire for me. I was the cause of him being so hard.

  Remembering him naked played through my head. I swore I only had to look at his dick for a few seconds before the image of it was branded into my memory.

  I could read his mind as he stared at me, a silent demand for me to comply. And I did just that.

  I started undressing while I sat on my knees, the floor hard and cold, but the discomfort only seemed to turn me on even more. He didn’t move, didn’t make a sound as he watched me take off layer by layer until I was in my bra and panties, staring up at him, wet and aching between my thighs, ready for whatever he wanted to give me.

  I felt my pulse throbbing between my thighs, couldn’t help but picture his hands down there, his mouth on the most intimate part of my body. Just a look from him drew out my needs and wants and combined them all into one erotic desperation.