The Beckoning of Beautiful Things (The Beckoning Series) (17 page)

Her breath caught in her throat. She placed her hand on his face and softly turned him back toward her. “A chance to what?” she whispered.

“Before I had a chance to really…”

“Really what?”

He tucked her hair behind her ears. “You’re all wet, cariño. Are you cold?”

“No. Not with you encircling me.” A shy smile formed on her face. “You keep calling me all these sweet sounding names
, and I don’t know what they mean.”

“You’ll learn. They all mean affection, warmth
, and…” He smiled a sweet, mischievous smile.

“And?”

“And I want you so bad I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“That’s not what you were going to say,” she spluttered. “Not that that’s a bad sentiment.”

“How do you know what I was going to say?”

“You were going to say something else.”

“What was I going to say? You tell me.” His mischievous smile grew wider.

“You were going to say…” A deep inhale filled her lungs. She let it out slowly. “You were going to say…”

“Yes?”

“You were going to say love,” she blurted.

He laughed and pulled her close. “Was that so bad? Do you feel broken now?”

“No, I feel like everything inside is swirling and strange,” she said into his shoulder. “And kind of wish you’d said it first.”

“Your heart’s been locked away, too, am I right?”

“Uh huh. You’re right.”

He leaned back, gave her one more mysterious smile, and planted his mouth on hers.

She pushed him back in protest. “Daniel, wait. I might not be able to control myself.”

“Sounds like a good time to me.” He lowered his mouth on hers again.

She began to melt, then stopped and pushed him away. “We don’t know what I might do to you.”

“We don’t know what I might do to you either. But I bet it’s going to feel good.”

A wash of sweet, syrupy nectar poured from her core on a stream of sensation and longing.
Want.

Daniel pressed her against the tree, surrounding her with
200 pounds of muscle, heat, and passion. The solid cedar steadied her, the coarse, scraggy bark digging into her back, while the front of her was being devoured. She thrust her pelvis to meet his, ignoring her palms flat against the chafing texture of the tree behind her. Her head tipped up, the back of her skull against the tree, her tongue forming knots and coils with Daniel’s.

The crackles of electricity inside began to spark like lightning flashes.
I can do this. I can control this. Do as Tom advised and paint with my imagination.

Daniel released her mouth and let out a husky groan. “Oh, yeah, mi amor.”
A slow, sexy smile formed on his face as he regarded her. “I can handle you, you know. I can take whatever you’ve got inside. I’ve never been tested before but I’m ready. You just caught me by surprise the other day. Bring it on, girl.” His hands swept along her shoulders and pushed her coat open. He coaxed it from her bare limbs where it fell into the muddy ground.

She moved her hands up to his jaw and pulled him back down to her mouth. Moans and groans filled the air, along with the distant barking of Sober. The rain pelted down harder, breaking through the barrier of branches, dripping on Marissa’s head and face. Billows of steam puffed from her arms as the cool air met her searing heat.

Daniel eased away from her, laughing. “Look at you! You’re like a steam engine!”

“Do I look funny?” she asked. She held her arms out. “I guess I must, huh?”

“Pretty much. Don’t worry, this is a new experience for me, as well.” He cast his eyes at the sky. “It looks like the rain is stopping. Good.” His gaze wandered along her body.

Daniel’s eyes are a sable brush. He’s stroking color down my arms. It flows between my thighs. It drips down my legs, wet and creamy.
It soaks into my skirt, pasting the wet fabric to my skin.

Daniel tipped his face back up to look at her. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice filled with wonder.

“I’m doing what Tom suggested - using my imagination. I’m picturing you painting me with your gaze.”

“Well, look at what’s happening.”

Ripples of color marked her skin. The color mixed with the rain and fell from her arms in colorful drips that soaked into the mud below her feet. “Wow! I was just imagining that your eyes were painting color on my skin.”

“That’s amazing. Let me do it again. Keep doing whatever you were doing.”
 

His eyes moved slowly along her arm.
He’s painting reds and purples, blues and greens. He loads his brush with oil and strokes softly along my bare skin.
“Wow!”

“What do you feel?” he asked. He seemed completely focused on whatever the heck he was doing.

“I feel like you’re spreading colored clay along my skin. Hot, gooey, oozing clay.”

“Try this. Tell me what you feel now.”

Again his gaze slowly roamed along her arm.
Peacock blue. Rich gold. Vivid green. Cerulean.
Color tracked along her skin and drip, drip, dripped onto the forest floor. The silky softness of the color drops tickled as they rolled from her arm landing with a plop in the dirt.

“Super wow.”

“One more. How about this?”

His eyes focused on her neck, in the place where Frankie had inserted his razor sharp talons and dagger-like beak into the tiny bird.
 “Turn on the lights. Let your electricity flow.”

“Are you sure?”

“Just try it. We can stop it if it gets to be too much.”

She swallowed, closed her eyes.
Pigment infused with electricity. Brilliant electric flashes. Northern lights. Lightning storms.
Sensation surged through her limbs, and her eyes shot open. Electromagnetic impulses arched and sizzled along her skin with a color display like the Aurora Borealis. The color drops splashed to the ground with a hot sizzle, like dropping water onto an iron pan on high heat. “Mega wow.”

“How does it feel?”

“It’s shooting up and down my neck. It’s like your mouth on my neck, wired for current.”

“I’m going to stop what I’m doing. Tell me what you feel now.” He cast his gaze at the ground.

“The voltage just lessened a lot. I can still feel it, but it’s not as intense.”

He flicked his eyes to her breasts. “Now?”

“Oh, God, Daniel! That’s turning me on, big time!” Her now pink and purple breasts glowed in soft rosy hues, the light a soft glow radiating through her silky shirt. “Want a taste?”

“You want me to?”

“Yes.”

He stepped towards her. “You really want me to?”

“Yes.” Her head fell back into the tree with a soft clunk.

His fingers pushed up under her bra. She sucked in a mouthful of air. He slowly unclasped the front of the brassiere
, and her breasts fell free.

Daniel looked at her briefly, the very edges of his mouth turned up seductively. He lowered his head onto her nipple and sucked, hard.

The intensity of the light show sparking off of her breasts mesmerized her. It flowed like rivulets of lava into his mouth. “Can you feel that? There’s light streaming out of me.”

“Mmm,” was all he said, and his sucking intensified.

She gripped his head and moaned. Her knees started to give way when the frantic bellowing of Sober, yards away jolted her attention. Her head popped up. “Oh, what’s wrong with him now?”

Daniel released her breast. “Just when I was getting to the good stuff,” he panted. He turned to look toward where she was looking. “What is that? Does he have a man trapped in the tree?”

“Oh, God,” she said. “It’s Jason. What’s he waving? Are those binoculars?”

“It looks like it,” Daniel replied. “That man is a fool.”

“Completely,” Marissa agreed. Her eyes dropped to the box lying innocuously on the ground. “The box! I completely forgot why we’re out here in the first place!”

“Oh, that,” said Daniel, adjusting the substantial bulge in his jeans. “I hate to tell you this
, but I believe you have unleashed El Demonio.”

“I’ve unleashed El Demonio?” Marissa squeaked.
“What do you mean?”

“Just that. I’ve been asking around about your mother. Did you know that your mother and my father were close friends? I don’t know why he never mentioned that to me. I guess he felt like I’m on a need to know basis – about just about everything.”

“I take it you and your father aren’t close?”

“No.” His face darkened. “Not in the least. But that’s not important. What
is
important is making sure you’re safe. Your dog there may be a…what did you tell me he was the other day?”

“A demon chaser,” Marissa answered. “I called him a Demon Slayer when he leapt in the pond after that chill seized me and that dark figure stared at me through the water.”

“He may well be that for you. Tell me what happened before we deal with the dog’s quarry.”

“I found an object bound with twine. I untied it,” she began.

“Releasing the bindings of the spell,” Daniel finished. “Oh, cariño.” He pulled her roughly to his chest. “You’re lucky to have Sober Dober. You don’t know what you’re dealing with yet. Your mother probably cast some sort of spell, binding El Demonio so that he could not harm you. You untying that twine released his essence. Since you were inside your own home, he could have then sourced you. He still might be able to. That image can never enter your home again.”

“What will we do with it?”

“You’ll not touch it. Leave it to me. I’ll take it somewhere and destroy it.”

“Is that, um, dangerous or anything?”

“I don’t think so. I’ll ask Tom’s advice. Don’t worry, cariño.” He scrutinized the baying dog and the yelling man in the tree. “Let’s have some fun with your ex, shall we?”

“What shall we do?”

Daniel contemplated a moment, stroking his jaw with his hand. “You know how we had a combined effect on one another a few moments ago?”

“Uh huh. Me as an electric paint by numbers canvas.” She smiled.

“Me as the co-artist.” He glanced over at the dog leaping and baying at Jason in the distance. “I’m afraid your dog’s going to be hoarse if he keeps this up. Let’s try a little experiment, shall we?”

“I’m game if you are.”

He turned Marissa so her back was against his torso and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. “So you’re going to release the current. Let it flow, mi corazón. I’m going to use my eyes to send the current over to the treed man.”

“You’re not going to hurt him, are you?”

“Not much. At least, I don’t think so. This is an experiment, remember?”

“I don’t want to hurt him or kill him, Daniel.”

“I don’t want that either. But he must get the message. He’s a nuisance and a threat. He’s no El Demonio, but I believe he’s capable of harm. Mr. Harmonia needs to be taught a lesson.”

“Well,” Marissa began.

“Cariño, it’s for his own good. More importantly, it’s for your own good. I can’t stand to think he’s continuing to stalk you.” He kissed the top of her head. “Ready?”

“I guess so.”

“A little more confidence, please.”

She sighed and tightened her resolve. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Okay, we’ll start with you.” He swayed softly side to side, causing her to relax against him. “That’s it. Perfect,” he encouraged. “Now feel what I have for you, dulzura.” He pushed his tented pants against her lower back. “All yours, mi amor. I can’t wait to share it with you.”

Delicious swirls formed in her belly and heart. The current started to throb through her veins. As the intensity increased, she rubbed her behind up and down his stiff erection.

“You’re going to make me come if you don’t stop that, little vixen.”

“I can’t help it. You feel delicious against my back.” She looked up to see Jason, watching her, his mouth agape. A wave of self-consciousness and doubt swamped her mood.

“Come back, cariño.”

“I don’t like to be watched by that creep.”

“We’ll take care of any lingering memories he might have. Let him be. We have to stoke the fires. And he has to be in my line of sight.” Once more he kissed her scalp tenderly. “Focus on me. Focus on us. We’re your future. He’s your past. Close your beautiful eyes.”

She closed her eyes and sank back into the sensation, allowing the electrical current to resume.

“That’s it, cariño. My beautiful, beautiful lucero.” He resumed swaying back and forth, as if they were dancing to a melody only the two of them could hear.

Buzzing sensation rippled in her arms and torso. She held out an arm. It whirled with light. “So cool.”

“So hot,” Daniel countered. “We’re almost there, girl, almost there. Ready?”

“Mm hmm,” she said dreamily.

“When I tell you to, watch the tree over there.”