Sing Me to Sleep (The Lost Shards Book 3) Read online

  Echo was never going to be the same again. She was irrevocably altered.

  Stygian let them into one of the adjoining rooms he’d booked, and bolted the door. He set his duffle bag on the luggage rack and carried her backpack into the next room.

  She trailed behind him, taking the hint of where he wanted her to sleep.

  “You don’t mind this room, do you?” he asked.

  She looked around. It was as beautiful and clean as the other one, with the same artistic photographs of flowers in extreme close-up detail hung on the walls. There were two beds for her to pick from, both piled with a snowy mountain of pillows. A slight scent of lemon hung in the air, telling all who entered that the room had been recently cleaned.

  Never in her life had she slept in such luxury.

  “Nope,” she said as she made another slow spin to take in her rare surroundings.

  He set her shabby backpack down on a low bench under a full-length mirror and she suddenly worried about the dirt it might leave behind.

  Stygian seemed unconcerned.

  “I’d rather you stay here since this room is farther from the elevators.”

  “The noise won’t keep me awake,” she said.

  “It’s not the noise I’m worried about. I don’t know how the rat man keeps finding you, but anyone looking for us would probably come up the elevator and find my room first, before yours.”

  That he would put himself in harm’s way like that was the most casually noble thing she’d ever witnessed.

  “I don’t mind taking the risk,” she said. “I’m used to being hunted and I’m always ready to flee at a moment’s notice.”

  He slanted a gaze in her direction. His face was masked, hiding his emotions from her. “I’ve noticed. And I mind you taking the risk.”

  Echo considered arguing with him, but her cookie was getting cold. And from what she’d learned about him, he wasn’t going to budge.

  She was determined to spend her time here enjoying the most luxurious night of her life, not arguing with a hardhead.

  She nestled into the plush recliner to enjoy the taste of melted chocolate on her tongue.

  Stygian watched her lick her fingers. Heat lingered in his indigo eyes as they followed each fingertip.

  He’d looked at her like that before, in the hallway when he’d kissed her, when she’d been ready to let him fuck her against a wall after knowing him for all of a few hours.

  “Have mine,” he offered, holding his cookie out for her.

  “I can’t. It’s too good. You have to try it.”

  “Nothing tastes as good as watching you lick chocolate from your fingers.”

  Warmth swirled in her belly that had nothing to do with hot cookies. Her mouth watered for the taste of his, her fingers trembled with the need to feel the smooth glide of his hair between them. Her pussy clenched around an empty ache only he could fill.

  “I thought you were going to keep your hands to yourself,” she reminded him with a teasing lilt in her voice.

  “I haven’t touched you.” The way he said it made it sound like the word yet was missing at the end.

  A hot spurt of lust exploded in her core, making her bolder than she would have been otherwise. “Maybe not, but that look you’re giving me now says you want to.”

  He set the cookie on the table next to her, resting on a little paper napkin marked with the hotel’s logo. Then he crossed the room, moving to stand in the adjoining doorway. Every move was precise and slow, like he was fighting himself every step of the way.

  “Better?” he asked.

  Her shards rustled in annoyance at the separation. It was then that she realized that they liked having him close to her, within the small space the Mustang provided. Within arm’s reach.

  This room suddenly seemed far too big. The idea of him leaving her and going to his own room was impossible to bear.

  “Not really.” She rose from the chair, picked up the cookie and crossed to where he stood.

  She held the cookie to his lips. “Try it.”

  He opened his mouth and let her feed him. The movement of his nimble lips and sharp white teeth intrigued her. The whole time he ate, his gaze stayed fixed on her eyes, and she was blown away by the naked desire she saw lurking there.

  Men didn’t look at her like that. Especially men as powerful and sexy as Stygian.

  Her belly quivered in response. Her skin warmed, and her heart sped up. The last bite of the cookie trembled in her hand as she fed him. Warm chocolate smeared over his upper lip.

  Before she could think better of her actions, she went on tiptoe and licked the chocolate from his mouth.

  His response was both immediate and satisfying.

  He grabbed her by the hips and spun in a move filled with urgency and strength. When she was done flying in a wide arc, he was flat on a bed with his warm, delicious weight covering her.

  Instantly, her body melted, going soft and pliant under his.

  Yes! her shards sang in unison, their harmony perfect and beautiful.

  He stared into her face as if memorizing it.

  She fumbled for something to say to break the tension riding his features. “We keep ending up like this.”

  “It’s where you belong. In my bed. Under me. Naked.”

  The blunt statement rocked her to her core, leaving her trembling. She felt so safe here, so protected from the world.

  So damn hot she could barely breathe.

  Stygian pressed his knee between her thighs, forcing her to open for him. His body settled in the space as if it had been carved out just for him. The hard muscles of his thigh rubbed against her mound, sending streaks of lightning dancing from her clit up her spine.

  She arched into him. His cock was hard, thick and throbbing against her abdomen. Feeling it lunge toward her made her whole body soften in willing compliance.

  Echo wanted him to take her. Fuck her. Make her come.

  Yes! her shards agreed, singing their praises for her good sense.

  She widened her thighs and thrust her fingers through his dark hair. Once she had a firm hold on him, she held him still so she could kiss him as long as she wanted. No way was she letting him get away from her before she got a chance to taste what he had to offer.

  Sweet chocolate and hot, salty man greeted her. His lips were firm but smooth, opening to her as if his next breath depended on the air she breathed into his lungs.

  Her worry that he’d try to evade her kiss was wasted. The man was all in, kissing her back like he couldn’t get enough. His breath danced with hers. Teasing little flicks of his tongue were followed by demanding thrusts. She met him every inch of the way, wiggling against his hard body in an effort to get closer.

  Need filled her veins until each beat of her racing heart was a demand for her submission. Kiss him, fuck him, claim him. Whatever powers drew them together had done so for this very moment, and she wasn’t about to let them down.

  She clawed at his shirt until her grip was firm enough to tug it up his thick torso. He lifted away from her just enough to rip the stretchy cotton over his head, then dove back down for more of her mouth. Between them, his hands worked to unzip her hoodie. Once it was open, he shoved her shirt up over her breasts to bare them.

  She wore no bra. With breasts as small as hers, she didn’t need one. The discovery of her bare skin made him groan.

  His hands were huge and hot on her breasts, covering the modest mounds completely. Her nipples thrust up for his attention, which he paid in a series of gentle pinches and tugs.

  “Need to see,” he said against her lips.

  Her hands roamed his back, claiming every muscular ridge as her own. She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve such a perfect specimen of masculinity in her arms, but she was going to enjoy him while she had him.

  He pried their bodies apart enough to stare at her breasts. A dark flush of lust spread across his cheeks and down his neck. His eyes were nearly black with need. The se
t of his jaw was tight with hunger.

  “I fucking love your tits,” he said.

  “There’s not much there to love.” A chill of insecurity invaded her cocoon of heat as he continued to stare.

  “Your nipples are so sweet and pink. They’re standing up just for me, begging for my mouth.”

  She wasn’t going to argue with him. Not when he was looking at her like she was some kind of delicacy—not when he might actually give her nipples what they wanted.

  They hardened even more at the thought, until they ached.

  He stripped her shirt off over her head. Her pale hair flew around her face, tangling in a wild mess.

  “Do you like your nipples sucked hard? Or do you like gentle suckling kisses? Tongue or teeth?”

  The mere idea of all of that was enough to make her pussy flood. She wasn’t sure she could pick just one. “Is ‘all-of-the-above’ an acceptable answer?”

  “Perfect answer.” His dark smile was all the response she needed. He lowered his head and went to work giving her a sample of everything he had to offer.

  She didn’t last thirty seconds before she was whimpering with need.

  The man’s mouth was pure magic, pulling sensations from her breasts she didn’t know were possible. Her pants were still on, and already she was on the verge of orgasm.

  He shoved his arm under her and held her still while he suckled and nibbled and licked. His lips and teeth worked a dark sorcery over her, but it was his tongue that was pure magic. He rolled it around her nipple and drew it into his hot mouth, sucking hard and deep. Only then did he release her with a quiet pop so he could weave the same spell on her other breast.

  By the time he lifted his head, she was shaking and incoherent. Her panties were wet and all she could think about was getting his cock in her.

  She slid her hand between them to unfasten his jeans. She could feel the impressive ridge of hot, male flesh pressing into her, but she wanted it in her hands and her mouth. If she could give him half the pleasure he’d given her, she’d own a little piece of him forever.

  He is yours. You are his.

  The voices issued that singsong statement in perfect harmony so loud, it shoved every other thought from her head.

  Echo should have questioned the voices and their motives, but she liked what they had to say way too much to argue.

  To claim a man like Stygian as her own was a potent temptation—one she wasn’t sure she could resist while still reeling from what he could do with his mouth alone.

  To feel this kind of skill on her clit…she wouldn’t survive it.

  The instant her hand slid over his erection, he went still. His dark eyes blazed with erotic intent. His nostrils flared as he pulled in the smell of arousal hovering between them.

  She gripped the thick, hard flesh of his cock through his jeans in an effort to learn what it was he liked—how he wanted to be touched.

  Before she’d even finished a single stroke, his hand covered hers, stopping her discovery.

  She froze. Worry coursed through her, dousing some of her lust. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “Hell, no. That’s the problem.”

  She was too buzzed on sex hormones to follow his logic. “Are you saying you don’t want to fuck me?”

  The muscles in his jaw bunched. He closed his eyes. “No. I definitely want to fuck you. Multiple times. In multiple ways.”

  The heat prowling beneath her skin grew hotter again. “Then what’s the problem?”

  “It’s what the shards want.”

  “So? That doesn’t mean it’s not also what we want, does it?”

  “You don’t understand.”

  The poor man was so tied up in knots, worried over something that wasn’t a problem, she had to take pity on him. He needed to relax, and the best way she could think to make that happen was to get him off.

  His eyes were still closed.

  “Look at me,” she said.

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you’re too damn sexy. Your eyes go this dark turquoise color when you’re turned on. And your nipples…so fucking pink and sweet.” His powerful body vibrated with restraint.

  “Let go of my hand, Stygian. I need to touch you.”

  He shuddered and let out a sound of pure animal need. “If you touch me, I’m going to fuck you.”

  “Good.”

  “It’s what the shards want. All of them.”

  “I don’t care. I want you.”

  He kept his gaze averted while he stripped off his jeans, grabbed a condom from his duffel bag in the next room, and slid it on. As he came back to the bed, there was an air of apprehension about him, like he worried she might have changed her mind.

  His cock bobbed in front of him, so thick and hard she knew sex with him would change everything. He was more man than she was used to. Maybe even too much.

  But there was only one way to find out.

  She went up on her knees, pulled him close and kissed him.

  The instant her lips met his, everything changed. All his restraint was gone, and in its place was heat and hunger.

  He kissed her like he’d die if he didn’t, like she was the sexiest woman on the planet. Every bit of skill he’d displayed on her nipples he used on her mouth, coaxing the oxygen from her lungs until she could no longer catch her breath.

  Every beat of her heart made her pussy throb. She’d never felt so empty before, so desperate to be filled.

  He pushed her back onto the bed and prowled over her. With rough tugs, he unbuttoned her jeans and worked them free of her legs.

  Then he knelt over her and stared. “So fucking pretty. So mine.”

  She couldn’t speak past the ball of lust in her throat, so she stroked his cock instead. So thick, hard, and hot, it made her mouth water. She had to have more.

  His fingers slid over her mound, between her thighs, to find her fevered and wet.

  His groan of approval vibrated her bones and made her muscles go weak. He didn’t even have to exert any force to get her legs to open for him.

  Lust burned across her skin and scorched her lungs. She pulled her mouth away from his to get a full breath of air. It tasted like him—dark, earthy and clean.

  Take him, sang her shards. Make him yours.

  She’d never heard a better idea in her life.

  Echo wrapped her fingers around his cock and angled her body just right. As soon as the tip of his erection was bathed in her body’s wet heat, she knew she’d won.

  He gripped her hips and buried his cock all the way inside her in a single, long thrust.

  Searing pressure consumed her. He felt even bigger than she’d imagined, and the delightful stretch lit up every nerve ending from her toes to the roots of her hair.

  She couldn’t breathe, but it hardly mattered. She had him where she needed him.

  He was hers now.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Whatever self-control Stygian had once possessed, it was gone now. Echo had stripped it away and left behind lust and pleasure.

  At least he’d had the sense to remember a condom, though it had been close.

  The slick, velvet grip of her pussy was almost more than he could stand. He could feel soft tremors rippling through her as she adjusted to his cock. And as much as he wanted to linger over this first, sweet joining—as much as he wanted to give her the time she needed to soften around him—he couldn’t.

  He had to fuck her, fill her.

  She is yours now. All yours.

  He shut out the celebration in his head. The only person he wanted to share this moment with was Echo.

  He pulled back, gliding out of her hot body as far as he could stand before moving back where he belonged.

  She let out a soft sound of pleasure that went to his head, urging him onward.

  His hips moved on instinct and need, giving her the speed and angle that had her breath catching in her lungs and her hard, little nipple
s stabbing into his chest. Sweat slickened their bodies. His mouth found hers over and over again, feeding from her while he drove them both higher.

  When the pitch of her voice shifted higher and her cries became faster and more frantic, he knew he couldn’t last much longer. She was too sexy, too beautiful, too perfect.

  His balls tightened. His cock throbbed with the need to come.

  Echo lifted her thighs higher. The soft inner skin was like silk, and that shift in her body allowed him so slide just a little deeper.

  He gave her one more slow, steady thrust, and felt the flutter along her pussy walls turn to a tight, clenching hug.

  She let out a stifled scream, and held on to him with all her strength.

  The instant he felt her come, his own climax bore down on him, shocking him with its force. Every wave of his orgasm was stronger than the last. Every hot spurt of his semen exploded out of him, giving him the kind of physical pleasure he’d never thought possible.

  Echo shook beneath him, holding onto him with her strong, supple legs. She held him close while the climax raged, then finally eased.

  Stygian struggled to catch his breath. Sweat trickled down his spine. His heart thundered inside his chest so loud he was sure people in the hallway could hear it.

  Slowly, she softened beneath him. Her arms fell to her sides, and her legs relaxed.

  He moved off of her so she could breathe, but couldn’t bring himself to stop touching her. She was far too precious for him to let go. At least not yet.

  Not ever, whispered his shards.

  He ignored the comment because it was too scary to do otherwise. He barely knew her, and despite the fact that he now knew how sweet she sounded when she came, there were no happy endings in his world.

  “Holy wow,” she muttered. “Maybe I should have kept my hands off, but I’m glad I didn’t.”

  “Ditto,” was all the breath he had in him.

  After his heart stopped trying to beat its way free of his chest, he got up to dispose of the condom. When he came back to bed, she was still sprawled out and flushed.

  He’d never seen anything more beautiful in his life.