Page 13 of Kiss of Steele (The Royal Occult Bureau #9)

THIRTEEN

AND WE DID it again. Searching the darn, ruddy ship, only to find absolutely nothing. It wasn’t even frustrating at that point, just boring.

As the SS Florentia approached Sicily, we spent our days going up and down ladders and stairs and sneaking into narrow passageways slick with engine oil and smelling like sweaty socks. We’d found the cash-filled wallets of two passengers, a wedding ring a lady had lost a while ago, and a seagull eating from the garbage bin in the kitchen. But no trace of the lamia.

Since I refused to spend another hour buried in some obscure passage of the ship on a brilliant June day and since I was still fatigued by my ordeal, I lounged on one of the sunbathing chairs on the main deck, enjoying the warmth and the light on my skin. Curse the lamia. If it wanted me, it knew where to find me.

Oliver paced in front of me, nervous like a father about to have his firstborn. Rennie sat next to me, elbows on his knees as he followed Oliver’s moves with a hawk-like gaze.

“It can’t be possible.” Oliver ran a hand through his blond hair, snarling. “Where is it? Why didn’t it show itself?”

“Maybe it lost interest in me.” I closed my eyes and wondered if I would acquire a nice tan. Fashion was so odd. Until a few years ago, tanned skin was considered unfashionable, even vulgar. Pale skin had always been a favourite feature for the ladies. They’d protected their skin from the sun with parasols and cosmetics. But since holidays and cruises to distant places had become popular, so had a tan. A tan meant holidays, holidays meant money, and money meant fun for society, and I actually liked that?—

“Did you hear me?” Oliver was scowling at me.

“No.” I didn’t think I had any obligation to be polite to him.

“I think you should have a look at the conservatory,” he said. “We haven’t checked it recently, and it’s my best bet to find the lamia’s nest. Maybe it likes the plants and the warmth.”

I rolled my eyes, but before I could answer, Rennie stood up. “Monia is tired because, just in case you forgot, someone had the brilliant idea to traumatise her by forcing her memories out while knowing the procedure could be lethal.”

Oliver stepped closer to him. Only a few feet of charged masculine aggression separated them. “We have already discussed that.”

“And you still sound like a bastard for what you did to her.” A muscle in Rennie’s neck ticked.

As much as I loved that he was standing up for me, I was perfectly able to defend myself. So I rose—groaning inwardly at my ruined sunbath—and stepped between the two stags about to butt heads.

“Gentlemen, please. I can decide for myself.” It was becoming my motto and I loved it. I turned towards Rennie. “Rennie, I would like to take a walk. Would you please escort me?”

“I’d be delighted,” he said through gritted teeth. Without taking his eyes off Oliver, he took my hand and strode off. “Where would you like to go?” he asked after we had left the main deck.

“The conservatory.” I laughed. “I just didn’t want to give Oliver the satisfaction of knowing I agreed with him.”

He laughed too, his gaze softening.

The conservatory was indeed a beautiful place to spend a sunny day. With its tall ferns, rhododendrons, and orchids, it gave the illusion of being in a jungle. The other good thing was the other passengers snubbed it, for some reason. They preferred the shows at the theatre or the concerts while I found the lush plants and the quiet to be soothing. The scent of jasmine filled the air when we entered the garden. The slosh of water came from a fountain with water lilies floating around.

“You really don’t like Oliver, do you?” I asked, taking his arm.

“Do you like him?” A little growl crept into his voice.

“I can’t forgive him for having nearly killed me, but to be honest, I’m glad to have my memories back. Finally, my life makes sense. Now I know where the fear and sense of oppression came from.” I shook my head. “I regret having asked my parents to cleanse my memories. I shouldn’t have done it.”

Rennie held my hand tightly. “I want to punch the poncy bastard for what he did to you every time he breathes. But I didn’t like him even before the incident. It’s a feeling.”

We strolled through hibiscus plants with red flowers bigger than my hand and orchids that released a sweet fragrance into the air.

“I find it odd that the bureau wants to capture the lamia alive.” I touched one of the flowers. Drops of water glistened on the petals. “Lamiae are rare, but the bureau’s priority is people’s safety, not research. I don’t understand what the bureau is thinking.”

“That’s a bloody good point.” He stroked my hand. “We should take a closer look at the documents he so quickly showed us.”

“I agree.” The heat and humidity formed a soft mist that veiled the emerald leaves. “Do you think the lamia left?” I asked.

“I don’t know. No one knew a lamia could kiss without killing a person. Everything we’ve learnt so far is new. Perhaps it’ll reappear when it’s hungry again.”

“How will I know I’m meeting the lamia, if it doesn’t appear as Sandro or Edward?”

Rennie paused in front of a spot from where we could see the sea. “I asked your parents the same question when we were in Venice. The reason your mother thought the lamia was an incubus is because its eyes darkened when he was about to kiss you. Do you remember it?”

I thought about that night, weeks ago, when Sandro and I’d been alone at the ball. “When he leant closer, I actually closed my eyes. Then my mother screamed, and when I opened my eyes, Sandro was already leaving. But I didn’t see his eyes changing colour. But wait. Yes, it’s true. In Tunis, I noticed his eyes becoming glossy and black.” I glanced at him. “After we kissed.”

His thumb brushed my knuckles in slow, gentle circles that seemed to tell me I was precious to him. “How was it?”

“What?” My breath came out a little quicker.

“Kissing Sandro when you really liked him.” His voice lowered.

I shifted my weight. “Well, I have to say it was magical. He looked like my ideal man, straight out of my fantasies. So of course, his kiss was simply perfect. Too perfect now that I think about it.”

“Too perfect?” He kept stroking my hand with the rough pad of his thumb.

“The kiss lacked passion or wildness. I knew exactly what and how he was going to do it. He was a product of my imagination, in a way, so his actions were following my own wishes. There was no excitement, no surprise.”

“And when I kiss you?” He stepped in front of me, slowly pushing me against the wall.

I loved the rough edge in his husky voice. “It’s wild. I’m on the edge all the time, and I like it. Why don’t you do it again? You promised you would.”

His mouth was over mine in a moment. The kiss didn’t start slowly, but like a punishment. The tip of his tongue pried my lips open and explored every inch of my mouth with urgent, confident strokes. When the hard muscles of his chest pressed against my body, my knees weakened. Rennie devoured my mouth with an intense hunger that woke my desire. As his big hands took my waist, he kissed my jaw and neck, whispering my name. My core throbbed, remembering his touch.

“Anyone can see us,” he muttered against my skin. His thumb brushed the underside of my breast before stroking my nipple through the fabric of my shirt.

I didn’t want him to stop. Even my body didn’t want him to stop, if the way my back arched, thrusting my breasts deeper into his palm, was any indication. So I trailed my hand over his inner thigh, heading towards the unmistakable bulge in his trousers.

He sucked in a shaky breath and kissed my collarbone. “This is a dangerous game.”

An exciting game. I could become addicted to the way he breathed hard when I touched him. Brushing my lips over a tempting spot on his neck, I stroked his long shaft. It twitched in my hand at the same time as Rennie made a growling noise deep in his throat. I loved that sound. It made me feel desired.

I ran my hand up and down his length, savouring every groan as it left his lips. “I’m curious to know how...” I paused, wondering if I really, really wanted to end the sentence.

He pinched my nipple hard enough to make me moan. “What are you curious about?”

My chest lifted and lowered quickly. “How it would feel inside me.”

His growl from before became the most sensual sound I’d ever heard. With deft fingers, he undid the first buttons of my shirt. I pressed my hand over his hard shaft in response, and he paused, closing his eyes and muttering a curse that would have earned him a slap from my mother.

My nipples peaked when he lowered the hems of my shirt and chemise, exposing them to his hungry gaze. Then his mouth covered my breast and his tongue flicked over my aching nipple. The sensation speared through me and heated my core with wet desire. He sucked hard, and each pull caused the throb between my thighs to intensify. It bordered on pain.

In a frenzy, I slid my hand inside his trousers. I was worried he might stop me. But the moment I touched the silky skin of his rock-hard shaft, he hissed and sucked on my nipple harder. He felt even bigger with my hand touching his naked skin. Steel sheathed in silk. I had to squeeze my thighs together to ease the ache between them at the thought of him sliding inside me, stretching me.

I was going to die in a pool of pleasure. “Please,” I said, although I had no idea what I was pleading for. “Please.”

He bunched my skirts and lifted them to my waist while tonguing my nipples. Then his rough fingers were stroking the delicate skin of my inner thighs, and I stopped breathing for a moment. His hips rubbed against my hand. If possible, his shaft grew bigger as I gently ran my hand up and down it while rubbing the blunt head with my thumb. I didn’t know what I was doing, but it didn’t seem to matter.

I gasped when his fingers found the spot that ached the most. He caressed it gently with slow circles, spilling a burning sensation into my body. I rocked my hips until we were both moving while touching each other, stealing kisses and biting our lips.

His hard finger entered me and stroked a spot deep inside me. A crescendo of sensations was flaming through my body. The conservatory disappeared as I focused only on Rennie’s scent and touch. I was on the verge of a monumental cliff. At a flick of his tongue over my nipple, energy burst inside me. I was shattered by the strength of my feelings and sagged against him. But he wasn’t finished with me.

He slid his fingers in and out of me, rubbing and kissing me harder. His hands, lips, and tongue were suddenly everywhere on my body, making me squirm again and making me moan his name until he wrung out of me another powerful release. White flashes danced in front of me with the pleasure. Only then, his assault slowed. He watched me, a light of triumph in his eyes.

“Who makes you feel better now?” he asked, still stroking my wet, sensitive core.

“It’s not a competition,” I said among pants.

“Maybe.” He pinched my little nub and tweaked it, making me shudder with need again. “But I want an answer.”

“I don’t know.” I was wheezing. “I’m not sure.”

“You aren’t sure?” He pressed the pad of his thumb over my nub while rolling my nipple between his lips. His teeth grazed the swollen tip of my breast while his fingers were sliding in and out of me. The third release shuddered through me so hard my knees nearly buckled. He held me upright, scattering kisses over my breasts.

“Well? Do you have an answer now?” he asked.

“You,” I said, breathless. “Only you.”

He kissed me again, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth and grazing it with his teeth. Then his fingers were between my thighs again, doing their magic while playing with my nub and stroking the spot inside me that made me shudder. I didn’t think it was possible, but energy built up inside me again! The new release—I wasn’t sure what number it was—rocked me so hard I bit Rennie’s lips and squeezed his fingers between my thighs. The pleasure was too much. My legs were trembling. Only his arm around my waist kept me on my feet.

Exhausted, I reclined my head, closing my eyes. Could someone die from too much pleasure? Rennie scattered sweet kisses on my face. His stubble scratched my skin, sending tiny thrills of pleasure down my spine.

“Oh, Lord.” I put my hands on his shoulders.

He chuckled against my skin, buttoning my shirt and adjusting my skirt. “This is only a taste of what I’d like to do to you.”

His words caused more wetness to pool between my legs. “My goodness,” I muttered, inhaling deeply.

His teeth trapped my earlobe and gave it a little yank. “If I could, I’d eat you between your legs, lapping at your sweet honey until you forget your name, and my name is the only thing you remember. Then I’d thrust inside you to make you feel how much I want you.” He took my hand and placed it over the straining evidence of his desire trapped within his trousers. “I want to draw out every last ounce of pleasure from you. And dammit, you’re so responsive, I want to take you for a week straight until my cock hurts, until you’re so satisfied you’ll feel me inside you even after I’ve finished with you.”

My heart was racing. No one had ever talked to me like that. And it was darn exciting.

“Would you let me take you from behind?” he continued mercilessly. “Let me pinch your nipples while I pound inside you from behind? Will you ride me naked? I want you to swallow me whole as well, see your pretty lips around my cock.”

I nodded. My mouth hung open, and my brain burst with wild visions. Nodding was all I could do since my tongue had been shocked into silence.

Smirking with all the power of the seven sins, he kissed me softly. “One day, you’ll be mine, and I yours.”

“One day?” That was a bit too vague. My burning lady bits didn’t like vagueness. They wanted to know when he was going to do all those delicious things to me, possibly on a date in the immediate future. “Tell me when.”

It was amazing how his features could go from ‘lost in lust’ to professional in a fraction of a second. I was sure I looked dishevelled, with my cheeks flushed, lips kiss-swollen, and hair rumpled. Not professional at all.

“You know I can’t say when.” He cupped my cheek. “I’m on duty, technically, and I’ve already taken too many liberties with you.”

“But what we’ve done here... I quite liked it.”

He laughed and kissed me again. “I’m glad you did, and I promise it won’t be the last time.”

I was pouting. Shamelessly. “I’m not happy with that. It’s still too vague.”

He kissed my hand. “When this is over, I’ll court you with your parents’ blessing.”

“Sod my parents’ blessing.” I was surprised by the audacity of my own words. But I meant them. “Mother will never give you her blessing. She’s too protective of me and too snobbish for that.”

“Monia.” Again that warning note in his voice. “I’ve already crossed a line. I shouldn’t touch you. I won’t touch you again.”

“Is that a challenge?”

His brow shot up. “It’s a promise.”

So it was a challenge.