Wicked Bad: WIcked³, Book 2 Page 4

  The soothing massage of the waterfall changed, begin to pulsate against her body in a sensual rhythm. The steam around her solidified, forming into the shape of a man that towered above her, looking a little too much like Jacob for her piece of mind. Only his face was kind.

  “Do not be afraid. I am here to ease you. To bring you pleasure. May I wash you?”

  Another spell. In a daze, Harrison watched as the enchanted man picked up a washcloth from a nearby rock ledge and began to lather it with soap. She’d taken charmed showers most of her life, but never one like this. Though she had heard about them.

  It didn’t take an intricate spell to make water sentient. After all, in a way it already was. But from the conversations she’d overheard, most Magians had a problem with creating something that appeared human to use for their pleasure. It was a moral issue. One she wasn’t sure she disagreed with. But, this felt so…nice. So decadent. Her own personal, elemental Poseidon. Her head might be hesitant. But her body had no qualms at all.

  He knelt at her feet, the washcloth gliding over her hips and thighs. She lowered her eyelids and hummed beneath her breath. When a hot, wet mouth closed over her nipple, she jerked in surprise.

  “This is what you want. I can feel it. Allow me to give you what you desire.” The whispered voice fell like rain against her thirsty senses. Yes. She wanted. She needed. She had needed for months, if not longer.

  The steaming man continued to spread kisses across her breasts, the washcloth sliding between her legs to press against her sex. “Oh.”

  “Give in to it. Let me please you. It’s the reason I exist.” His head lowered, his mouth replacing the washcloth that dropped at her feet.

  Harrison gave in. The enchanted tongue was doing, well, magical things. She allowed her fantasies free reign, if only for a moment. In her mind Jacob was there, his hands caressing the curve of her ass, his teeth closing gently around her clit. And then not so gently.

  She lay back against the rocks behind the waterfall, crying out in pleasure as he lifted her legs over his strong shoulders and took her with his mouth. His tongue pulsed like the hot hard water against her back, tasting her, taking her.

  Her hands gripped his wet hair, pulling him closer. “More.”

  Harrison felt him smile against her flesh, and then another presence formed in the water beside her. “Two of you?”

  The new man, this one looking a lot like that scoundrel Ric, smiled sensually. “Whatever it takes to please you.”

  The man between her thighs stood, his hands gripping her legs as the other man slid in behind her. Harrison shook her head. “We can’t, I don’t think I can—”

  “Use us to pleasure yourself. All we are is what you need us to be. Nothing more.”

  This must be what the Devil sounded like. So tempting. So alluring. What would be the harm? It was only a spell, no more than she had done to ease herself before. But they looked so much like the men she was trying to resist that it made her hesitate.

  The two charmed men tilted their heads simultaneously, studying her.

  “She is pleased by our forms.”

  “Yet, she cannot accept them.”

  The one who looked like Jacob kissed her on her cheek. “We know what to do.”

  She inhaled sharply as their forms changed once more, until the two men merged into a funnel of water swirling around her, touching, kissing and caressing her. Liquid fingers pinched her nipples, circled her clit and slid between the cheeks of her ass. They were everywhere, all around her. In her.

  The heated water hardened in between her legs, filling her sex until she cried out at the sensation. It pumped inside her and she closed her eyes, seeing Jacob’s intense expression. Those black, hungry eyes. “Oh, damn.”

  She came over and over again as the water seduced her. Small little earthquakes of pleasure. But each one just made her want more, made her hungrier. Made her realize they weren’t real. Just a well-spoken spell. And they weren’t really Jacob and Ric.

  And apparently that mattered.

  “Stop. Please.” She touched the slick shoulder of the charmed male who appeared out of the water in front of her. She smiled at his expression of surprise. “But you are not yet eased.”

  “I’m much better. You were wonderful. Thank you.”

  He set her down and bowed, evaporating into the heated air of the room. The water was a waterfall once more, just water, and she was alone again. Harrison pushed her wet hair back from her face and sighed. There was something seriously wrong with her.

  “Before you throw anything at me, princess, you should know I did knock. Quietly, but it did happen.”

  She rolled her eyes. Ric. Of course. How long had he been there? And why wasn’t she upset at the idea of him watching? She covered her breasts with her arms, a little slower than she should have, but he just smiled. “I brought a white flag and everything.”

  He held out his hand and the small, waving symbol of peace appeared out of the air, prompting an unexpected laugh. She couldn’t help it. The bastard was charming, even in human form.

  “Aren’t you scheduled for a flea dip or something?”

  He clutched his chest. “I’m wounded. Not so long ago you promised me steak and called me your prince. Now I have fleas.”

  She sniffed. “Yes, well, not so long ago you were calling me a snooty bitch before you’d even met me while your pants were down around your ankles.”

  He cringed. “I’m sorry you heard that. I listened to the gossip, and I believed it because I was jealous. I hadn’t seen you. Didn’t know how I would feel when I did. We were just following orders. I think by now you know I’m bad at that.”

  So was she. At least he apologized. Jacob certainly hadn’t. “If you’re really sorry you’ll hand me a towel and tell me whose orders you were following, where we are and what you have planned for me. Better yet, let me call home.”

  “The towel I can do,” he chuckled. “But we can’t let you go. Not yet.”

  He handed her a plush towel that had been camouflaged in the foliage, then held out his hand, gesturing toward the bedroom. “Come, we will try brunch this time without any throwing, and we’ll talk.”

  She dressed and joined him on the balcony she hadn’t even notice was there. Of course it was magically shaded. Sealed off from bugs, the sight of the gardeners below…and escape.

  But escape wasn’t in her mind. Curiosity was. And food.

  She sat down to eat and listened as he began to speak. His voice was sensual, lyrical, and it drew her into his heart-wrenching story. His name was Ricardo, and he was Magian. A bastard that belonged to no proud family line, but magical nonetheless.

  A shifting orphan, he’d learned how to survive on the streets. That people would often show kindness to an animal, share food with an animal, where they would turn away in distrust from a scruffy, dirty child.

  He’d started hanging around the more ornate hotels in Argentina, in the back where the cooks left him the tastiest bits of beef and fish. He began to forget what it felt like to be an ordinary boy. To be more than a dog. That’s when he’d smelled them. The Gryffins. They spent one night in the lush accommodations, several servants and a small, blond boy dragging behind them, and Ric had known. They were like him.

  He’d introduced himself, and they took him in to work for them in the biggest house he’d ever seen. Ric had learned quickly that the woman ruled the roost. And the woman, the boy’s mother, was more than demanding. She was cold and ruthless. She hadn’t cared that he was the same age as her son. To her he was a tool. A peon. After a few years of her abuse and insanity, he almost left. But he couldn’t. He stayed, not for the money or security it provided him.

  He stayed for Jacob.

  Ric knew that he and Jacob were two parts of a future triad, knew that when they were together, their magic was strong. And so was their passion. Jacob’s mother had not been pleased with the news. She’d wanted Jacob’s second cousin with his connections to
the older families from England to join with her son and an heiress from one of the best families in Massachusetts. Namely, Harrison.

  He put on a mock expression of superiority. “The queen doesn’t like it when her subjects step out of line.”

  Harrison choked on a spicy slice of pepper steak and grabbed the fruit juice beside her plate. “The queen?”

  Ric nodded, snagging one of her sweet potato crisps. “That is how she prefers to be addressed. They were very important in Massachusetts you know. The most powerful of all Magians. Here, though they have enough servants and lesser Magians for her to hold court happily forever, it isn’t enough. She is still an outcast in North America, and it’s clear she puts all the weight of that onto Jacob, though he was only a kid at the time. I wonder what she would have done if the seer hadn’t pointed to the Abbott heiress as our other half.”

  “She sounds like a real prize.” An image was forming in Harrison’s mind, and it wasn’t a pretty one. Not that she didn’t feel bad for Ric and Jacob. She understood family pressure, but nothing like that. Her parents, especially her mother Moira, would never choose Harrison’s friends or lovers for her own political ends. But what really bothered her was that it wasn’t the most complimentary reason to be kidnapped. Because Jacob’s mother wanted to be back on top of the social ladder.

  His nostrils flared as he watched her expression close. “Why do I feel like I said something wrong again?”

  She shrugged, pushing away from the table and turning to look out over the extensive grounds. This was a fairytale gone horribly wrong. A castle, an evil queen, an uptight prince being forced to wed without love. And Harrison? She was locked in the tower, wishing she had longer hair. Maybe a potion or two.

  A wave of dizziness nearly knocked her to her knees. “Harry… Harry, damn it, can you hear me?”

  “Lorie?” She closed her eyes, trying to focus. I’m here. But her magic refused to cooperate. It kept running into Jacob’s binding. She saw a flash of her brother’s face, his brilliant blue eyes fierce and frustrated, and then he was gone. Again.

  Ric’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  There it was, a shimmer of energy, his magic calling to hers, racing through her veins and along her skin. She looked down and watched electric arcs of familiar blue mingle with his vibrant red. She could sense his own surprise. His desire. He wanted her, more than he’d expected to. Nearly as much as he wanted Jacob.

  His hazel gaze honed in on her parted lips. He was going to kiss her. Harrison knew she needed to stop him, that there was a reason, an important reason why she needed to get away.

  Damned if she could think of what it was as he lowered his head to hers.

  “Starting without me?”

  Ric let her go, stepping away from her as though she’d suddenly grown horns. Harrison crossed her arms defensively, trying to hide how much his defection hurt. His energy was wrenched away from hers but her heart was still racing, being this close to both of them. She hated feeling this vulnerable.

  “We were just talking when something happened to her, Jacob. Look how pale she is.” Ric’s expression was worried, his voice rough.

  “Something did happen to me. I’ve been attacked, nearly frozen into an ice sculpture by some random Magian psycho, not that anyone seems to care.” She glared pointedly at Jacob. “Tricked into taking a morph home and finally kidnapped and taken to South America.” And after this last episode, she was getting the distinct impression that her brother was in danger. Maybe from the same person who’d come after her. She needed to talk to Conway. “I need my phone. Please, it’s important.”

  A muscle in Jacob’s jaw twitched. “As your match, the issue of your well being is our priority. The person who attacked you will not do so again.”

  Ric made a noise, as if he had something to add, but a look from Jacob silenced him. “And your kidnapping was unfortunate but necessary. The Abbotts are too powerful. If you were allowed to return to them we would never have the chance to press our suit. Never be allowed near you. And that I cannot allow.”

  “Allow? You cannot allow?” Harrison sneered. “If you think this is how to seduce a woman, maybe you and the oh so charming Ricardo are better off as a duet. No one allows me to do anything. Not anymore. You of all people should understand what it’s like to want to be in control of your own life.”

  Jacob’s gaze narrowed. “Been talking out of school again, have you, Ric?”

  Ric raised an eyebrow. “Somebody needed to. If only to prepare our guest.”

  Harrison snorted at the word guest, then shivered when Jacob’s dark eyes went black. “She’s been prepared. And we’ve waited long enough. I think it’s time she learned what it means to belong to us.”

  Chapter Five

  When she left the safety of her childhood home and the ever-protective circle of family and friends, she had no idea what she’d been letting herself in for. The last thing she imagined was this, being tied to the bed with an affectionate, and obviously charmed, length of rope while two determined Magians undressed her.

  She tugged at her restraints, but they just caressed her fondly, ignoring her request for release. She looked up at Jacob as he unbuttoned her sundress, feeling a new jolt of electricity with every brush of his fingertips against her bare skin. She liked it a little too much for her peace of mind. “Forcing me, physically or with your powers, will only bring more shame to your family line. The Proxenos…everyone will know. I will know.”

  Jacob shook his head with a sigh. “You enjoy insulting me, don’t you? A Siren’s call can bring pleasure unlike anything you’ve ever known. Perhaps someday soon I will show you. But I know what needs to happen for this match to be sanctioned. No magical coercion. Only passion. So much passion that you will beg us to fuck you. Beg us to make you ours completely. We won’t take you until you do.”

  Harrison bit her lip and Ric came up beside Jacob, that charmingly wicked smile once more lifting his lips. “I don’t know whose being tortured more. You or Jacob. He hates to wait, you know. Princes usually do. Be a good girl and give in quickly. You know you’ll enjoy it. I always do.”

  Jacob’s hands left her body so swiftly she only saw a blur as he turned. He gripped Ric’s hips and yanked him by the belt loops until their hips were pressed together. Ric gasped, his smile slipping as need sparked in his hazel gaze.

  Harrison watched as Jacob claimed Ric’s lips with his own. Liquid arousal pooled between her thighs, her body heating in the space of a jagged breath. Was it strange for her to be so affected by the sight of these two men together?

  No. They were hers.

  Now, where had that thought come from?

  Ric’s long fingers reached behind Jacob and cupped the tight cheeks of his ass, pulling him closer, squeezing rhythmically. Jacob groaned and Harrison swallowed hard, watching their energy grow around them, wondering if they planned to truly torture her, to keep her bound while they took their satisfaction with each other.

  Jacob pulled back, breathless. “It’s more intense now that she’s here, isn’t it? You feel more.”

  Ric nodded, dazed. “I didn’t think it was possible, but yes.”

  Jacob thrust his hips against Ric’s one last time before pulling away. “And when we are complete, when we are inside her…it will only increase. Now take off your clothes, Ricardo. Show her what she’s missing by resisting.”

  Harrison had seen Ric naked before, when he’d shifted this morning, and parts of him that night on the stairs. But it seemed new, special. He kept his gaze on her face, his own flushed from Jacob’s kiss. His lips were so full, his almond-shaped hazel eyes lit with need.

  She studied him carefully, her thighs tightening with each new patch of skin revealed. She saw some scars. Scars he hadn’t, or couldn’t have removed by magic. They only made him more appealing. He wasn’t as tall or broad shouldered as Jacob, but he more than made up for it in other areas.

&nb
sp; Ric chuckled at the direction of her gaze, and she blushed. He came closer, his grip tight around his long, thick cock. “You like what you see? I’ve been thinking about you dropping to your knees and taking me in your mouth since I saw you in the shower.” He spoke over his shoulder at the disrobing Jacob. “She was in there with one of your younger sister’s more inventive spells. But it might be broken. Didn’t even take the edge off, poor thing.”

  Harrison tore her gaze away from his erection and looked up to glare at Ric, but her attention was snared by Jacob. He spoke slowly, his tone dangerous to her heightened senses. “Did it fuck you?”

  She wanted to tell him it had, make him jealous, but she found herself shaking her head no. Later she could blame it on her shock at seeing a naked god close up. He was too perfectly chiseled, too stunning to be real. He towered over her, his massive thighs pressed against the edge of the bed, close to her pillow. His hips were narrow and lean, and dark blond hair curled like crushed velvet around his thick erection. It was so close. All she had to do was lean over, stretch her neck, and she could taste him.

  She licked her lips, and he growled. “I forgot about that. I’ll have that charm unraveled before the night is out. If you need any easing, we will be the ones to do it from now on. Tell me you understand, Harrison.”

  “Mmm hmm.” It was growing larger before her eyes. Everything about him was so large. Large and lickable. She really needed to get a hold of herself. Needed to remember that she was supposed to be resisting, insuring that they couldn’t officially claim her and trap her for the rest of her life. “Don’t you think you could untie me? Where am I going to go? We’re in the middle of the jungle, and you’ve already bound my powers.”

  Jacob lifted one golden eyebrow, drawing her attention to his too serious expression. The one she’d love to change to laughter. Why did he never smile? He smirked. “Nice try. I won’t make the mistake of underestimating you a second time. Not after you disappeared for three months, hiding in plain sight with humans. Without using your magic once. You are an incredibly resourceful, incredibly stubborn woman.”