Mastered by the Genie (Mastered By Series) Read online

  She longed to run her hands along the bare skin of his chest, to feel the iron-hard muscles beneath her fingertips. Her gaze slid down his chest to the ripped washboard muscles of his stomach, then to the top edge of his pants. She could see a ridge growing beneath the fabric. It would be so easy to slip her fingers under the waistband and tug it down to expose his gigantic erection. She would climb on top of him and his length would slide into her and set her on fire.

  He stepped toward her.

  Her gaze jerked to his face. She saw a clear invitation in the smoldering depths of his eyes. Panic set in and she stepped back.

  She had to stop this insane line of thinking. This whole situation made no sense.

  “You’re telling me you’ll give me wishes because I freed you from your imprisonment, but now you’re asking me for a wish?”

  “You don’t quite understand. You didn’t free me from my imprisonment. The crystal chose you to have three wishes. You merely released me for three short days, long enough to grant those wishes. At the end of that time, or once you’ve made your third wish, I will be imprisoned once again.”

  His features carried a startling burden of pain.

  “I am hoping you are a compassionate woman who will understand my need to hold someone… to touch someone. I have been alone for a very long time.”

  His words stirred something deep inside her. A need to touch someone, to be touched by someone. Really touched.

  He fixed her in a green-eyed vise, his eyes dark and filled with yearning. She imagined his strong arms sliding around her, his full, sexy lips capturing her own in a hot, passionate kiss as the warmth of his body pressed the length of hers, sending her balance off kilter, stealing the breath from her lungs.

  “I am only requesting something we both want.”

  Her spine stiffened. “Why do you think that?”

  He shrugged. “I am a genie. I know things that mortals do not.”

  Damn. Could the man read her mind? More likely her body language, she realized as she tried to calm her breathing.

  She nodded at the crystal. “How long has it been?”

  “Thirty centuries.”

  Her jaw dropped. She hadn’t had a man in over a year, and sometimes the need inside her grew intolerable. How could he stand it?

  He stepped closer. The heat of his body caressed her, bumping up the intensity of her longing.

  “And now that I see you, the hunger within me is becoming unbearable.”

  He stood inches from her body, gazing down at her with hot need. She longed to shift onto her toes and feel those full, masculine lips brush against her own. Again, a memory stirred within her. Had she dreamed of this man before? Glimpses of flesh on flesh, bodies wrapped in hot, steamy foreplay swirled through her mind. Had he been a dream lover?

  “I can’t just… I mean, we don’t even know each other.”

  “But you do hunger for me. I can see it in your eyes.”

  She glanced away, not wanting him to read her so clearly and not wanting to see the yearning in his eyes, which so clearly went beyond lust.

  His hands encircled her shoulders, sending electricity sparking through her.

  “Celeste, think of the possibilities. Without even spending a wish, I will give you the greatest pleasure you will ever experience.”

  Zurvan watched her, knowing she sought to hide her feelings from him and was failing miserably.

  She drew herself from his grasp and moved several feet away, positioning herself with the sofa between them.

  “What man doesn’t think he can do that?”

  “True, but how many genies have you met?”

  Her mouth quirked up in a shy smile, which he found totally entrancing. Hunger jolted through him like a bolt of lightning. His delicate thread of control burned to nothingness and he moved—or rather, shifted through space—to close the distance between them.

  A small gasp escaped her as his right arm curled around her waist, drawing her close to his body, the fingers of his left hand a feather-soft touch on her cheek. Their gazes locked and he felt a tremendous need build within him. And within her.

  She stared at him, mesmerized. He paused, his lips a whisper’s breath from hers.

  “I must kiss you. There is no force in this world, or any other, that can stop me,” he murmured. “Save one.”

  A tiny breath shivered from her lips, but no fear tinged her water-colored eyes. And in those watery depths he saw passion begging to be unleashed.

  “And what force is that?” she whispered.

  He brushed her lower lip with his own. The soft warmth of her took his breath away.

  “You,” he breathed. “Only you.”

  He drew in another breath, conscious of the effort, intoxicated by her closeness. His need for her was unbelievable in its intensity. His fingers brushed lightly across her temple.

  “Celeste, I will not do anything you do not want me to. Please do not say no,” he begged.

  She shook her head.

  His breath stopped as he attempted to summon the strength to pull away.

  “I’m not saying no.”

  Her delicate words jolted through him like molten lava. He wanted to devour her lips with a white-hot passion that would consume them both, to take her, fast and hard, again and again, until the entire energy of the universe flooded through them, exploding in a carnal mass of exquisite flames.

  Instead, he lowered his mouth slowly, watching the hunger in her eyes ignite into a blaze of passion rivalling his own. At the delicate brush of her lips on his, his heart lurched within his chest.

  Chapter 3

  Celeste clung to him, lost in the flood of sensations from his mouth on hers, from the gentleness of his touch. The intensity was mind-numbing. She wanted more. She wanted to fling off her clothes and feel his naked skin on hers. Her breasts swelled in need, and the aching in her groin demanded all the sensual delights he’d promised.

  Panic lanced through her. Oh, God, she had to stop this. She flattened her palms on his chest, almost losing it again at the feel of satin skin over taut muscles.

  “Wait.”

  The word barely made a sound, but she knew he’d heard because he stilled instantly. She could sense the extreme control he exerted as he slowly eased away from her. An inch.

  “I can’t go to bed with a stranger.”

  His mouth turned up in a grin that totally devastated her.

  “We won’t be strangers for long,” he murmured.

  Memories stirred once again. Dreams, long forgotten, rose to the surface of her consciousness. Her insides quivered at the memory of his loving touch, bringing her to ecstatic heights of passion again and again. He had been a man with this same face, but in those dreams, he had not been a stranger. Between them, there had been a bond of love. Her soul ached at the knowledge that, in those dreams, she had needed him more than life itself.

  But those had been dreams. This was all too real. He was too close, yet she couldn’t pull away. She liked his arm tucked around her, and the warmth of his body along the length of hers.

  Slowly, he lowered his face again. His breath caressed her cheek, and her thoughts tangled into a mass of nonsense.

  “Tell me you need this, too.”

  His seductive words melted through her. Oh, God, what she needed was to feel his mouth on hers, to entangle her limbs with his, to draw him into every part of her.

  His lips nuzzled the corner of her mouth. She sucked in a breath as his lips found her earlobe. The need inside her overwhelmed every thought, every sense. She felt every cell in her body surrender.

  Why should she deny herself what she needed? What he so willingly offered? As long as she didn’t kid herself this was love. As long as she kept it in perspective, everything would be fine. This wasn’t love. It was a fling. Three days at most.

  “Tell me.” His breath swirled around her ear.

  She melted against him. “Yes,” she whispered. “I need this, too.”
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  She flattened her hands on his chest and caressed his hot, hard flesh. She ripped open his shirt and stroked slowly over his nipples. He sucked in air as she lightly pinched them, then teased them to pebble-hardness. She leaned forward and licked one, loving the feel of the hard nub beneath her tongue. He gasped.

  He tugged off his shirt and flung it to the ground. His fingertips stroked the flesh along the edge of her bra-top, sending fiery ripples through her. Her head fell back as his lips followed his fingertips. Her breasts, half-naked in this skimpy harem thing, ached with need. She flicked the clasp at the front and released it.

  Zurvan felt his erection grow incredibly hard as Celeste peeled the fabric away to reveal her full, round breasts. Her nipples stood rigid with need. He trembled at the sight of her, half naked, raw hunger in her eyes. He wanted to crash his lips upon hers, to plunge into her body in an explosion of white-hot sparks.

  Instead, he breathed deeply and eased toward her for another kiss. A small gasp escaped her as his right arm curled around her waist, drawing her close to his body, flesh touching flesh.

  Their gazes locked and he felt a tremendous need build within him. He gently brushed his lower lip on hers, then drew it between his own, glorying in her softness. He traced the inner edges of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. She sighed and he settled his lips firmly on hers as her arms encircled his neck.

  The sweetness of her lips, the lingering, loving feel of her in his arms, unnerved him. This was deeper than lust. More than the need of one person for another. Why did she have such a profound effect on him?

  Their lips parted, and he stared deeply into her eyes. She needed him. Intensely. As much as he needed her.

  He kissed her again, a lingering, tender kiss. Her hard nipples burned into his chest. He dipped down to taste one, then the other. Honey-sweet. The rigid softness aroused his tongue. Her intake of breath reverberated through him. He sucked her thrusting nipple into his mouth, drawing on it deeply.

  “Oh, that feels so good,” she murmured.

  He lifted his gaze and captured hers. “My name is Zurvan.” He nuzzled her neck through the silkiness of her hair, breathing in the sweet coconut-almond scent. “Let me hear you say it.” He captured her nipple in his mouth again.

  “Oh, Zurvan. Yes.”

  Hearing his name in her breathless, needy voice excited him. He cupped her other breast, reveling in the feel of her nipple pressing into his palm. She arched against his hand. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to a large canopied bed covered with plush emerald velvet and laid her down. He nuzzled her neck, then captured her other nipple in his mouth and sucked it until she gasped with pleasure.

  Her fingertips brushed the top edge of his trousers. “Why don’t you take these off?”

  His mouth turned up in a devastating grin. “You certainly know what you want.”

  Celeste glanced down as the green satin garment shimmered and then disappeared, leaving rock hard flesh under her fingertips. His exquisite cock stood tall and proud. Enormous. Powerful. And right now, all hers.

  She delighted in his gasp as she touched him with the tip of her finger, tracing the length of his erection and swirling around the head of his penis. It twitched as she slid her fingers around his testicles, stroking them gently. She wanted to explore every texture of his masculinity, to note every reaction to her touch. Disappointment fluttered through her as he drew her hand away, linking his fingers with hers.

  “If you do that, this will end far too quickly.”

  She disentangled her hand and shifted it to press against his shoulder.

  “We have three days, don’t we?” Smiling, she rolled him onto his back and prowled on top of him.

  She leaned forward, nibbled his earlobe, and shifted upright, straddling him. His fingers brushed her stomach as they hooked under the iridescent fabric, then slowly eased it down. As he bared her most private flesh, she felt embarrassment surface but drove it back. I have only three days, and I will enjoy every moment.

  The fabric shimmered to nothingness. His hand stroked from her navel, downward. Her ragged sigh turned to a low moan as he dipped inside her. His intimate touch triggered a longing so powerful she nearly cried out. She couldn’t stand it anymore. She needed him. She had needed him all her life.

  Raising her body, she positioned him then plunged downward, capturing him inside her. The feel of his iron-hard strength dragging along the slick walls of her vagina nearly sent her screaming over the edge of ecstasy. His cock, so willingly captured within her, nudged at her womb. This was masculine power in its purest form, controlled by her and pleasing her.

  She lifted, then surged downward again. He filled her like no man ever had, in a way that promised an ecstasy she’d never known. She felt his hands around her hips and a gentle motion as he rolled her over. His dark gaze, filled with an agonizing tenderness, held hers as his hips pivoted back and forth, driving his hardness deeper and deeper.

  “Oh, Zurvan,” she moaned.

  A golden force built within her, surging upward, setting every cell afire. With each thrust it rose higher and higher.

  “Zurvan,” she cried again.

  “I’m with you, my darling.”

  She clung to him as together they burst into orgasmic flames.

  As she floated back to this world she felt his hands on her back, gentle, caressing. He rolled onto his side, taking her with him. Her head nestled in the crook of his neck.

  She felt secure with his arm tucked around her and the warmth of his body the length of hers. How wonderful it would be to stay this way forever.

  Conscious thought slipped away.

  Chapter 4

  Drifting back through the haze of sleep, Celeste felt warm and secure, snuggled in the warmth of a strong embrace. Awareness of a hard chest against her cheek and curly hair tickling her nose slowly brought her to full wakefulness.

  She smiled. Zurvan.

  She opened her eyes to see him propped on one elbow staring down at her. Moonlight illuminated his handsome features, and the intensity of his dark gaze astonished her. Concern arched through her and she reached up and touched his whisker-roughened cheek with her fingertips.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I promised you the greatest pleasure you will ever experience.”

  “Yes, I remember.” She grinned at the memory of the intensely erotic orgasm she had shared with him. “Thank you.”

  He returned her smile and nuzzled her neck. “I think it’s time I delivered on that promise.”

  She plucked at a lock of his long silky black hair. “Umm… I think you already did that.”

  “No, I was too caught up in my own pleasure. I intend to show you what real pleasure can be.”

  At his words, her heart raced and excitement zinged through her. “That seemed pretty real to me.”

  He drew the covers down, exposing their naked bodies. Despite the warm night air, goose bumps pebbled her flesh as his gaze lingered on her curves. He pushed himself to a sitting position, cross-legged, set a pillow on his legs, and drew her head onto the pillow. He stroked from her neck down her chest to her belly, then up and around the curve of her breasts, back to where he started, completing a circle. A tingling started in her body, rippling from his touch outwards.

  He repeated his caress, enlarging the circle. His fingertips brushed the swell of her breasts, slid down to her lower belly, then back up. Tingles turned to tremors, quaking the length of her.

  His fingertips brushed her nipples, moved down her belly, and sent tremors dancing along her flesh. He brushed the soft, outer flesh of her womanhood, then travelled upward again. Her legs opened, inviting. She yearned for him to touch her more intimately. He brushed her breasts again and she longed to slide his hands over her breasts, to press into the warmth of his palms.

  This time, on the downward journey, his fingers slipped into her folds briefly. She moaned at the sweet need he aroused, triggering molten heat to liquefy wi
thin her. He continued his caresses until her craving for him became a painful need.

  “Zurvan, let’s make love.”

  He smiled, his tender gaze glittering in the soft moonlight.

  “I have built up your energy so you are ready, but not to make love.”

  He slid from under her head and moved to the end of the bed, taking in her nakedness, her legs spread in readiness for him, but not making a move to join her. He stroked her legs, starting at her ankles, then moving slowly upward. He caressed her inner thighs with gentle strokes, and she moaned at the delicate, yet highly erotic, sensations.

  She shifted, wanting him, needing him to slide inside her. On hands and knees, he prowled toward her. He spread her legs wider, and she could see the burning need in his eyes. Still he made no move to join her. With his fingers, he touched her moist flesh. She moaned, feeling liquid heat release within her. He stroked around her sensitive, highly aroused flesh. He leaned closer and she felt his tongue touch her.

  Like a flash fire, sensations ignited within her.

  “Oh, Zurvan.” Her husky voice came out needy and hoarse.

  He answered with a swirl of his tongue, then a quick plunge inside. She moaned and he drew her flesh into his mouth, gently sucking, then nibbling. His hands stroked across her belly, around her back, to grasp her buttocks.

  The tip of his tongue teased her clitoris. She bucked at the intensity of the sensations. Her breathing and heartbeat accelerated. Another few seconds like this and she’d fly to ecstasy.

  He leaned back and smiled at her. “Not yet, my love.”

  He stroked her breasts, then moved away from her slightly. He puckered his mouth and blew. His breath danced across her moist flesh. Then it glided against her like insistent fingers seeking their way, slipping inside, sliding along her vagina. His breath became a warm, erotic connection to him. He was inside her, yet he wasn’t touching her.