Robert Crane - Soulless

“You are quite the charmer,” I said, vacillating between confusion and feeling flattered. “What will you do if I do say no to your offer?” My hand clenched tighter around my drink, and my breath caught in my chest.

“You haven’t heard it yet.” His smile took on an otherworldly quality, getting brighter. Or was that the alcohol? “Listen, this is just like Red Rover as a kid. You picked the wrong side and I’m just asking if Sienna can come over.”

I looked at him and cocked my head. “Red what?”

“Never mind,” he said with a shake of the head. “To answer your question: if you say no, I’ll learn to live with my deep, bitter disappointment and hope that you’ll still be okay with me trying to seduce you.” His smile grew wider, and I found for a flash that I wanted to slap it off him. But just for a second, because damn…he said it with a hell of a lot of charm.

I let go of the breath I had been holding and turned back to the bar, allowing myself just a sip of the whiskey. “You might not be glad if I go along with that. Don’t you know what a succubus does to a person?”

He chuckled dryly. “I do. I’m very familiar with it, in fact.”

I reached down and pulled off my gloves, slowly, as he watched, then took my drink in my hand and felt the perspiration of the glass mingle with my own and slide down my fingers as I pressed it to my lips and took another swig. “Then are you really sure you want to try that?” I set the glass back on the bar.

He moved fast, faster than I would have given him credit for, probably because I could feel the second whiskey already taking effect. His hand slid across and grabbed one of mine and I felt his skin against mine, slightly warm, mine a little sticky from the light layer of sweat that came from always wearing a glove. I didn’t pull away and he cradled my hand in his, bringing his other around, holding it.

“Please,” I said after a moment. I started to tug my hand away, but he held onto it, staring into my eyes. I started to count in my head, knowing it wouldn’t be long before he’d get weary and pass out. 1…2…

I pulled at it again and he didn’t surrender it, instead leaning closer to me. “It’ll be all right,” he said, bringing my hand to his lips for a gentle kiss….3…4…5…6…my eyes widened as he looked back up to me, cradling my hand in his….7…8…9…

“You should let go,” I said again, more urgently this time, but I didn’t pull away….10…11…12…

“I don’t want to,” he breathed, his face next to mine, the smell of his cologne mixed with the beer on his breath in a medley of strong and sweet, and he brought his lips to mine….13…14…15…16…17…18…I couldn’t remember what came next and it didn’t matter: there was just the smell of him, the taste of him…

He pulled away for just a second, looking me full in the eyes. “I’m like you…and you can’t hurt me. We…are made for each other, you and me.”

I took a breath, a word filling my mind with possibilities, with a legend I’d only heard of and never given much thought to; of a type of meta, my equal and opposite, the only one who could keep my powers at bay. I felt it in my head, in my heart, and on my lips, and it was beautiful; a breath of hope for someone who’d been hopeless for far too long.

“Incubus.”

He didn’t let go of me, not across the lobby, not in the elevator, when the passion was rising and we kissed again, a roaring chorus of excitement building in my head and body. We didn’t part when it opened to my floor, nor when we hit the wall of the hallway. I fumbled for my room key as we staggered, blindly, one of us walking backward nearly all the time, to my door. I threw it open and we were in, the lights already on dim, as though they were set in anticipation of our arrival.

My jacket was shed instantly, so seamless I hardly noticed it come off and wondered if it had been he or I that had done it. I tossed my gun and holster onto my open bag, followed by my shoes as I ran a hand over his smooth chest, reveling in the fact that I could touch him without fear. We broke apart, breathing heavy, and he smiled at me as I fumbled to undo the buttons on his shirt. He reciprocated, much more smoothly than I, and we hit the bed, lips once more intertwined.

I felt the weight of him on top of me, his chest pressed against mine, his fingers working on the snap and zipper of my pants. No sooner had he gotten them undone than my jacket began to ring. Loud, musical, the tones a perfect distraction to the symphony of touch and sensation that was going on a few feet away. He caressed me, running a hand along my side, making me shudder while I wished he would finish what he had started and get my pants off. I let the tips of my fingers slide over the smooth skin on his back, holding him in place, pulling him closer to me.

His lips pulled from mine for a second. “Is that your phone ringing?”

I craned my neck to kiss him again. “I don’t know, and I don’t care.” My hands reached up to the back of his neck and pulled him closer. I felt his tongue in my mouth, tasted the beer flavor, and then he pulled away, running gentle kisses onto my chin and then down my neck. I felt his hands as they ran over me, the touches a delight, all different kinds of pleasure running through my skin. The phone had stopped ringing, wherever it was, and I couldn’t be happier as I lay there, breathing heavy while he touched me.

The first heavy knock on my door jarred me, causing me to jerk in surprise. I looked at him, locked eyes, and I shook my head. “Just ignore it,” I said, running a hand through his hair. A second knock came, louder and more insistent than the first. I leaned back, letting my head fall against the pillow as some of the heat left me. “Oh God, why now?”

He chuckled and lay his head on my belly. “Because it’s the worst possible time.”

The knocking came again, sustained, persistent and louder. “Sienna?” I heard Kat’s voice, then knocking again. “I know you’re in there; your phone’s GPS is still transmitting.”

“Go away!” I cried. “Come back in an hour!”

“I can’t!” she shouted back. “Ariadne just called, and we’ve got things to deal with!”

I felt a kind of surly whine come from my lips as James laughed softly against my stomach. He kissed me on the belly and rolled off me, allowing me to get to my feet and stagger to the door. It took all my restraint, once I had opened it just a crack to see Kat, not to reach out, grab her by the head, and slam it in the door for interrupting my efforts to lose my virginity. “What?” I felt the acid drip from my tongue, looking daggers at the pretty cheerleader who didn’t have any problems at all sleeping with her boyfriend.

She looked paler than usual, but then again, she had looked like that a lot on this trip. “Ariadne called.”

“Yes, I heard you the first time.”

She looked to either side down the hallway, then back at me. “Can I come in so we can talk?”

“No,” I said. “You can leave so I can get back to doing what I was doing!”

Her brow crinkled and she looked mildly offended. “What were you doing?”

I let out a heavy exhalation and felt my hand go to my forehead as I bowed my head. “Ugh, never mind. What did Ariadne want?”

“She got your message and was calling you back.” Kat looked at me with wide eyes. “Also, leaving us with that Reed guy while you went to the bar? Not cool. You’re lucky I woke up first.”

I felt a wash of chagrin. “What did Scott say when he woke up?”

“He’s still kind of out of it, but he didn’t seem too happy.” She shook her head and glanced past me, suddenly stiffening. “Is there someone in there with you?”