Exposed: Laid Bare (Laid Bare #1)(8)

As the night wore on, time became lost. I discovered I wasn’t me. I was a body made for sex. I was pulled, pushed, bit, tasted, and filled in every way, every way. Not even that hurt. I just looked into Lucien’s eyes before he turned me around, and then all I felt as he pushed into another previously untouched place was indescribable pleasure.

When everything was over, I lay curled up on the floor. Lucien was nestled behind me. When my body came back down to Earth, I felt his touch everywhere. I tasted him in my mouth, my skin felt seared with him, and my body was filled with him. I was high on Lucien Chambers, and every part of me tingled in the aftermath of too many orgasms to count and too much of him.

“You’re not an ordinary man, are you?” I mumbled weakly.

Lucien pulled me closer to him and kissed the top of my head. “No, Miss Vaughn, I am not an ordinary man.”

Nestled in his arms, I felt so soothed and comforted. It was like I had come home. Still, I had many more questions. However, I was unable to articulate a single one.

Empty of myself, yet filled with the essence of Lucien, I fell asleep.





I woke with my cheek pressed to new carpeting. As I inhaled the scent of fresh glue and fibers, I knew I was no longer at Lucien’s house. I’d been returned to my apartment with the recently redone floors.

Rolling onto my back, I thought about the night before. The last memory I had was of Lucien confirming that he was no ordinary man. Then, I had dozed off.

“What is he?” I questioned as I stared up at the ceiling.

Suddenly, with those words uttered and out there, all my senses came back to me, and, dear God, I felt everything.

Letting out a litany of, “Ouch-ouch-ouch,” I rolled to my side and curled up in a fetal position.

Every part of me hurt like hell. The silky fabric of the green wrap dress, which had been placed back on me, rubbed at my sore nipples. My legs ached, and my rug-burned back and knees were on fire.

But the worst pain by far was between my legs.

Lucien Chambers had definitely had me in every way possible, and I was feeling all the sexual fury he’d unleashed on me in all my secret places. Even so, beyond the discomfort, I felt myself grow wet.

How could that be? I wondered.

But sure enough, the mere thought of Lucien and the things we’d done made me wild with lust. Aroused, I trailed my hands down my body and untied my dress. I wanted to be naked, and soon I was.

As I writhed wantonly on the carpeting, I wished Lucien were here to give me more of what I’d had last night. Reaching between my legs, I spread the growing dampness with my fingers. I touched myself gently, at first, but that was not enough. I rubbed more vigorously, almost to the point of passing-out painful, sensitive as I was. Memories of the prior night fueled my actions, though, and moaning for the man who’d unleashed this wild side of me, I brought myself to orgasm.

With a final shudder of release, I whispered his name, “Lucien.”

I didn’t know what he was or what he had done to me. But there was one thing I was sure of—I wanted more.



After a long, hot shower, I wrapped a thick chenille robe around my body. Relaxed, for now, I made a cup of coffee and decided to download the photographs I’d taken of Lucien to my computer. As I was attaching the cable from the camera to the computer at my desk, my cell phone rang.

Glancing down, I saw it was Veronica calling.

“Shit.” I bumped my cup as I picked up the phone, and liquid spilled onto the desk surface. Quickly, I mopped up the mess with the sleeve of my robe.

When I finally placed the phone back to my ear, I could hear Veronica saying, “Dahlia, are you there? What’s going on?”

“Hey, I’m here,” I replied as I settled back in my seat. “I just spilled a little coffee. Everything is fine.”

“Fine, really?” Veronica scoffed. “Where have you been? I called you a dozen times last night.” She sighed. “Didn’t you get any of my messages, Dahlia? How’d it go with Lucien? Damn, did you even come home last night?”

I swiveled in the desk chair, pondering how much I should tell Veronica.

“Dahlia,” Veronica said slowly, “are you there?”

“Yes, yes,” I replied. “I’m here.”

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked, but before I had a chance to reply, she burst out with an exuberant, “Oh, my God, you didn’t come home last night, did you?”

“Uh…”

“Holy shit, I can’t believe it.” Veronica sounded stunned. Excitedly stunned, but stunned nonetheless. “Did you lose your virginity to Lucien-f*cking-Chambers?”

“Um…”

“You were with him, I know it,” she declared. “I hear it in your voice, Dahl. Something is different with you.”

Ha, understatement of the year. Something sure was different with me. I’d gone from a virginal, scared young woman to a lustful, horny-ass vixen. All thanks to Lucien and whatever crazy powers he had over me.

Clearing my throat, I admitted the truth to my cousin. Not all of it, of course, but I did tell her, “Yes, Veronica, it’s true. Lucien Chambers took my v-card.”

“I knew it!” she exclaimed. “Damn, it must’ve been good, too. You sound more relaxed than I’ve ever heard you.”