Lover Arisen (Black Dagger Brotherhood #20)(115)

“You really need to talk to someone else about this,” the Brother cut in with exhaustion. “I’ve given my honest opinion, and I’m not interested in arguing with you—”

“Devina’s still alive as of a night ago. I saw her.”

Cue the pause. “Wait, what?”

“She stood right in front of me.”

Sahvage cursed and there was another beat of silence. “So I guess this is why we got a meeting scheduled before First Meal today, huh.”

“If she’s still around, so is the Book.”

The sounds of big gulps of beer were like a heart rhythm. And then a deep exhale came over the connection. “I guess I’m not really surprised. I’d had some hope, you know. But… whatever. I’ll fight her again. I don’t give a fuck—”

“Well, see, that’s why I called. I need your help.”

Upstairs, the sound of a door opening and closing was followed by footsteps he instantly recognized.

Balz spoke quickly, but he didn’t scramble his words. He made sure they were clear. And as the door to the cellar opened, he ended the call and looked up. Erika was standing at the top of the staircase, her body a dark silhouette.

“Hey,” she said. “Sorry that took so long, but I did some shopping. I’ve got no food in this house.”

“Hi,” he murmured. “You need help unpacking the car?”

“It’s too light out. It’s just after four, so give me a minute? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

He frowned as he wanted to bring all the groceries in. Like, for the rest of the woman’s life, he didn’t want a single bag in her hand. Ever.

“Okay,” he said with frustration. “I’ll wait here.”

The door shut again, and he paced like a caged tiger as he heard her go back and forth and back and forth across the kitchen. When there was a final door closing, over at the garage, he had some idea she’d come back down immediately, but she didn’t.

She was using the ladies room.

Finally, the cellar door opened once again. “So,” she said as she started to come down the steps, “I found my car and took a couple days off of work—”

He met her halfway and swept her into his arms. Bending her back, so that she relied on his strength to keep her steady, he put his lips on hers.

And kissed the ever-living shit out of his female.

When he paused to take a breath, she was panting. “You sure do know how to make a girl feel missed.”

All he could do was growl a little. Then he scooped her up in his arms and backed down to the floor.

“I did miss you.” He sat her on the armchair, knelt down in front of her, and started off’ing her shoes. “Here, let me help you out of these. You look really uncomfortable.”

“Do I?” Her smile was lazy. And hot. “You’re a mind reader, aren’t you.”

“I sure am.” He tossed one shoe over his shoulder. “And you know what you’re thinking right now?”

“Tell me.”

Balz tossed the other shoe over his other shoulder. “You’re thinking you wanted me to go down on you all afternoon, every second we were apart.”

As she gasped, he went to work on her pants, popping the button and then lowering the zipper. “Am I wrong?”

“Well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it when you—”

“Guess what?” He stripped off her pants—and took her panties with them.

“What?” she said breathlessly.

“I can also see into the future.” Balz lowered his chin and stared out from under his brows at her. “You’re about to have seven orgasms, right under my tongue.”



* * *



Erika went from hassled to desperately, sexually starved in the fifteen-foot distance between when Balthazar started kissing her on the stairs and when he put her into the chair. Or was she on the sofa?

Who the hell cared. She wasn’t on the floor, that was all she knew for sure.

And she was also half undressed.

And fully aroused.

“I think you’re right,” she moaned as he grabbed the backs of her knees and yanked her forward to him.

He hissed through his front teeth as he spread her legs by running his hands up the insides of her thighs. And then he lowered his head, curling that huge back of his forward. She felt the first brush of his lips on her knee. After that, they were where his palms had been.

Taking his time, he nipped and licked his way to her core.

She expected him to tease her.

Nope.

As she speared her fingers through his hair, in anticipation of having to pull his face right into her, he went for it himself.

She got a full-on seal of his lips, and the sucking sent her right over the edge.

Calling out his name, Erika threw her head back and yanked at his hair. Not that he seemed to notice or care. He just made love to her with his mouth, his nose, his face, and the harder she orgasmed, the more he made her come.

Which didn’t make any sense.

But it just proved that he was correct. He could see into the future.

She loved it so much that she was starting to come again already.

On his side, Balthazar was raw and unhinged, and he just kept at it, urging her to release more and more. And God, the sight of him between her legs, at her core, staring up at her as if he were drinking in her pleasure with his eyes? It was almost too much to bear.