All I Want for Halloween Read online

  They talked with their mouths full, making fun of the drunken genie as well as several unsuccessful hookups on the dance floor.

  “Oh, now that had to hurt,” the devil said. “Rejected by a zombie and her warty witch friend.”

  “Yeah, but he’s not taking it personally.” Sadie took another sip of beer, loving the fact he hadn’t gotten her a sissy glass to drink from. “See? He’s turning from the undead to slutty doctor chick.”

  “Slutty? Isn’t that non-PC?” he sneered, and she thought he sounded familiar, but the loud music made it difficult to tell. “Because I say the wrong thing about a woman, not a ‘chick,’ and I’m a caveman asshole setting women’s rights back twenty years.”

  “Well, I can say slutty. You have to say sexually adventurous.” Sadie grinned. “Kind of like telling a gay guy he’s a raging homo. Now I can say that, because my brother earned the title. But you try telling him that, and he’ll knock your head off. And call him anything else, and I’ll knock your head off.” She hefted her fake sword before leaning it against the wall. “Don’t try me.”

  He shrugged. “You have a sword. I have a pitchfork…somewhere. I think I left it by the bar.” He glanced across the room. “But hey, I have no plans to tangle with your brother. I’m here to sin until this thing is over. Nothing else, and no fights.” He paused, and she swore he added something else under his breath.

  At that moment, her brother appeared in the crowd, his gaze searching.

  “Shit.”

  “What?”

  She took Devil by the waist and turned him, noticing how he tensed but ignoring it. “Sorry. I’m having fun not mingling, and my brother is right over there looking for me.”

  He relaxed and glanced over his shoulder. “Which one?”

  “See the Phantom? He’s a pain in my ass, much as I love him. I didn’t want to come to this tonight, you know.”

  “Yeah? Me neither.” He stayed where he was, still watching the dance floor. “Uh-oh. He’s looking over here.”

  “Crap, crap, crap. This is a primo spot!” She did what any smart woman in her situation would do. She turned Devil so he completely blocked her from Elliot. “I need to blend in. Work with me, would you?”

  “Sure, what—?”

  She wrapped her arms around his thick neck and dragged him down for a kiss.

  At the taste of his lips against hers, she shuddered, not having expected he’d taste better than his beer, or that up close and personal he’d smell like man and sex and chocolate. Chocolate?

  Jesus, she must have had too much to drink.

  Then he dragged her closer and deepened the angle of their kiss.

  Sadie forgot about her brother, about the last crab cake on the plate, about how much she didn’t want to be at the party.

  And fell into the arms of a man who kissed like the devil himself.

  Chapter 3

  Sadie couldn’t be happier she’d decided to attend this stupid party. Whoa, momma. Devil’s invitation was all in his lips, his hips, and his personal pitchfork pressing insistently against her belly. Someone moaned. She thought it might be her, and then he dragged her closer, cradling her against him where it would do the most good.

  She gasped into the kiss, feeling as if she’d gone from zero to Mach 10 in a heartbeat.

  They broke the kiss and stared at each other, his eyes narrowed, assessing.

  She did her best to catch her breath and figure out how a simple kiss could light her fuse so easily. Even though she hadn’t had sex in months, she’d never gone up like dry kindling in a desert before.

  “Huh,” he said.

  Sadie just blinked at him, trying to focus.

  “That was… Damn.” He didn’t even try to hide his erection as he ground against her. Instead, he closed his eyes and softly swore, then opened them again. “A room would help get to the bottom of that kiss.”

  “You think?” She gasped as he swooped in for another hungry taste. Damn it. Just as good as the last one.

  “I have been known to think. Sometimes.”

  “You sure you’re not a vampire?”

  “No, I’m the devil.” He grinned. “Why?”

  “Because at this moment, you are the epitome of Vlad the Impaler.” She nudged him with her hips.

  He grimaced. “You’re going to hell for that.” She shifted, and he groaned. “Or I am. Because if you do that again, I might not make it to a room.”

  “Oh.” She sucked in her breath when he leaned close and kissed down her cheek to her ear.

  He whispered, “So pretty thing, you wanna go fuck in the corner?”

  She pulled back and stared.

  He chuckled. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. I heard some drunk-ass hitting on women earlier. Surprise, surprise, he seemed to strike out.”

  “Yeah, he didn’t get a hit with me either. You, on the other hand…”

  “I’m temptation made flesh,” he said, being overly dramatic. Yet the deep timbre of his voice and the way he looked at her made her feel as if he’d put her under a spell.

  “You can say that again.” She pulled him back for another kiss.

  Better than the last two. Well, hell. Sadie yanked her mouth away, grabbed him by the hand, and dragged him behind the plants. They wouldn’t be visible to the partygoers unless someone sought them by deliberately skirting the foliage. The shadows deepened, and she saw his eyes gleam before his face became a black blur.

  Perfect.

  “Right here,” she whispered.

  “Yeah? Hot damn. Sex in public. Okayyyy.” He gave a dark laugh. “Hell. I don’t have a—”

  “Condoms are in my satchel.” She grabbed one and shoved it in his hand. “Use it.”

  “Fuck me.”

  “No, fuck me.”

  He groaned and reached for her at the same time she reached for him. She’d never been so out of control before. And she didn’t care. Tonight was her night for some fun, and she’d take it any way she wanted it. I am Xena. Hear me roar. She got down to business, her hands over his chest, his belly, and lower.

  “Wow.” She felt warm flesh, a thick cock ready and willing to please.

  He growled, “Put it on me,” found her hand, and wrapped it around him with a curse. Then he shoved the condom into her other hand.

  She trembled, on fire to have him. Should she do a quick shimmy out of her panties? But first, the condom. She ripped the package and hurried to put it over him. Dear Lord, talk about a happy, happy Halloween. She rolled it over him and felt his hands on her breasts. He cupped and squeezed, gently, then with firmer insistence.

  The devil wasn’t grabby, but he sure did set her on fire.

  She felt his mouth at her throat, his hand over hers, forcing her to hold on to his sheathed cock.

  “Pump me,” he muttered into her neck, then nipped and sucked.

  She moaned, holding what amounted to a miracle of nature in her hand. She wanted him inside her, felt her body ready for him. Easy and quick, she figured he’d shove up into her, give her a good ride, then dart away.

  Except the devil had other plans. He continued to suck her neck, then her chin, then her mouth. Kissing away her will to do anything but comply.

  “Yeah, you wet for me, princess? Your pussy hungry for some cock?” His low whisper made the crude words hot. She heard his lust, and she sure as hell felt it.

  “Yes. In me.” She started to tug under her skirt to pull at her panties, but he interrupted her by lifting her as if she weighed nothing.

  He pushed her back to the wall. “Wrap your ankles behind my back,” he ordered.

  She didn’t have to be told twice. “My underwear is—”

  “Not a problem.” He slid his hands under her thighs, one hand and the wall holding her in place while he nuzzled her cleavage and inched a thick fi
nger under her panties and into her. “Fuck, you’re hot.”

  And so wet. She hadn’t realized how excited she was until he showed her. But that finger wasn’t enough. The music pounded, the crowd’s cries growing louder. The noise, his scent, the feel of his presence all around her. She was under a spell for sure, having sex in public. Sadie Liberato, party whore.

  But she couldn’t bring herself to care about possibly ruining her reputation, about being kicked out, about being caught by her brother. Because Devil pushed her panties aside and started sliding inside her.

  So big, so full, he continued to push until he could go no farther.

  “Jesus,” she moaned. “So big.”

  “So tight.” He swore, grabbed her ass in both hands, and moved.

  She sucked in a breath, perilously close to orgasm. “I-I’m going to come.”

  He moaned and slammed into her, and she came like a shot, the pleasure overwhelming. But he didn’t stop, just rode her through the best damn orgasm of her life. She wasn’t sure if she screamed, breathed, or simply endured, completely fogged over by the ecstasy of a friggin’ orgasm thrumming through her system.

  Her devil slowed his pace, no longer so intense as he took her, feeling incredibly huge as he continued to pump inside her. “So… Fuck, that’s good. Better than good. Amazing.” He kissed her, still thrusting, his entire body tense. Then he gripped her hips hard enough to bruise.

  She toyed with the hair at his nape, and he shivered.

  “Sorry. Came twice, so fast. Good thing you brought condoms.”

  “No kidding.” Was that her? All breathy and feminine sounding?

  Sadie blinked, aware a stranger, a man whose name she did not know, remained inside her. The insanity of it all kept her mute.

  He withdrew, then fiddled with the condom and his clothes, she assumed, while she straightened hers. Her panties would never be the same. And neither would her sex life. Hmm. Maybe she should frame them, have him sign her ass before he left. The thought made her want to laugh a little hysterically.

  Before she could tell him she had to go, noise from behind the wall at her back stopped them both. A glance beside her showed a hidden door, the crack all but invisible unless you happened to be fucked up against it.

  “I don’t believe you.” A woman’s muffled shriek came through.

  Next to her, Devil froze.

  “You went off script. What did we talk about, Brian?”

  “Get off my dick, Sahara.”

  Sadie wished she could see her devil. “That sounds like B-Man and Sahara from that motorcycle show,” she whispered.

  “Shhh.”

  Another man shushing her. What the hell?

  He moved closer and caged her with his big body, holding her back to the door while he pressed his ear to the crack. So close, she felt his breath against her neck and did her best to hold in a whole-body shiver. God, the man was sex personified. He had to be human though, right? No way she’d been seduced by the actual devil.

  Oh man. Now she felt the need to go to church in the morning.

  “What did you think would happen when you brought up that Hallmark crap about building engines together?” Sahara continued. “Gear has never had a schmaltzy bone in that big body. He built engines with Otis because his old man busted his balls to. The only thing you did right was bringing up that chick from Taos. You’re sure she’ll go along with our story?”

  “Yeah. That’s something, then.” Brian sounded hopeful. The douche. And here Sadie had felt bad that he’d had his friendship ruined by Gear—who wasn’t as big a jerk as she’d previously thought. “But at least now I’m not a home-wrecker. He is. You’re still beautiful and loyal. He’s the bad guy. You heard Todd. Ratings were beyond what they hoped. We stick it to Gear, start our own show, and the asshole won’t bother us anymore. I always told you I’d make the better partner, Sahara.”

  “So you did,” Sahara said, then added something else Sadie couldn’t make out. Except… Oh. The sex sounds coming through the door were impossible to mistake.

  She and her devil pulled away at the same time. They moved together toward the bamboo, and Sadie saw the mess of his face.

  Her black makeup was on his lips and cheeks. “Hold on.” He stood still as she used a napkin by her discarded plate to clean him up. “Okay, now do me.”

  His lips quirked. “Thought I did that already.”

  “Ha-ha.” She waited under his hesitant touch, curious that he seemed so gentle now. “I won’t break. Go on. Rub it off.”

  “Rub one out, more like,” he muttered, but she saw his grin. “Xena, you are one sexy warrior. I just did you, and I want to bend you over and do you again.”

  To her shock, she wanted to let him. Sadie cleared her throat and kept it light. “You say the sweetest things.”

  His rough laughter warmed her. “Yeah, that’s me. Mr. Sweet.”

  She shook her head. “Speaking of sugary sweet, can you believe what we just heard? I watched them out there on the patio earlier.” She ran down the conversation for him. “At one point I almost thought B-Man was telling the truth. But there was something not right about him. And I really don’t like that Sahara chick. What a bitch.”

  His eyes seemed to warm.

  “I mean, it’s clear she cheated on the guy. I really hate cheaters.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  She heard his underlying emotion. “You’ve been screwed over before, I take it?”

  “Yep.”

  Sadie sighed. “Me too. I really feel for this Gear guy. You ask me, though, his asshole ex-bestie did him a favor. Any woman who’d sleep with her guy’s best friend isn’t worth keeping around.”

  “Good point.”

  “Me? I’ve been cheated on before. At the end, I was happy to see him go. But still, it makes you question your judgment. Who you can trust.” She paused. “And why am I telling you this?” Maybe he really was the devil in disguise. Sadie didn’t like to share feelings. Sex? Sure. Hearts and flowers, not so much.

  “You’re telling me because I get it.” He nodded. “My ex was a waste. But my friend was worse. I mean, who does that? Screws their friend’s fiancée in the guy’s own damn bed?”

  “That’s low.” Sadie stared back at the plants. “Man, what I wouldn’t give to pound those two through the floor.”

  “I bet you could take ’em.” He winked. “You sure the hell took me.”

  Sadie felt her cheeks heat. “On that note, I’d better go.”

  “Seriously? No phone number? No ‘I’ll call you later’? No name?”

  “I know your name. Satan. The devil. You know me. I’m Xena.” She kissed him on the cheek, then brushed away a black smear of lipstick. “Have a happy Halloween.” She heard the shutting of a door behind her and turned to see B-Man and Sahara. B-Man stopped when he saw Sadie, but Sahara scowled, and then her eyes narrowed. No doubt wondering how much Sadie might have heard.

  Sadie glanced behind her and saw only the wall of bamboo. Her devil had disappeared. Smart guy.

  “Did you hear enough?” Sahara smiled through her teeth. “Had your ear up to the door, did you? And what are you doing back here? It’s off-limits to regular people.”

  Regular people? “First of all, it’s kind of loud in here. It’s a par-ty,” Sadie said slowly. Though to be fair, the sound was muted in this corner, and yeah, with an ear up to that crack in the door, you could hear everything. “Second, who died and made you boss of the party? Or are you fucking the host too?” The look she shot B-Man made it clear Sadie knew about their affair.

  “So you were listening at the door. Brian, go get Joaquin.” He gave Sadie a wary glance and left to do the skank’s bidding. “Bitch, do you know who I am? I’m Sahara Blankenship from Motorcycle Madnezz. So watch how you talk to me.”

  Annoyed on behalf of h
erself and people cheated on in general, Sadie growled, “You know what? You can shove your attitude up your ass, Blankenship.”

  The woman’s bright-blue eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger. “Slut.”

  “Shrew. Or is that too big a word for your empty little head?” Sadie scoffed. “You’re nothing but a whore hanging on to fame one desperate finger at a time. Plastic boobs, tummy tucks, and Botox aren’t enough to save your never-there future.”

  Sahara shrieked with rage and darted forward. Sadie held her ground, not expecting the cheater to do anything but threaten. To her surprise, Sahara slapped her. Then froze, as if surprised she’d gone through with it.

  The slap stung. Sadie, who’d taken some awesome self-defense classes at her gym and liked messing around with martial arts and kickboxing for fun, finally got to put her skills to use. She gave the woman a cold stare, then punched her in the face.

  Sahara went down, hard. And stayed down, moaning.

  Not done with the fight and pumped with adrenaline, Sadie grabbed the woman by the hair and yanked her head up, liking the runny mascara and tears, as well as that bruising eye. “Watch how you talk to Xena, you cheating witch.”

  “Oh my God. Come on.” Elliot magically appeared and dragged Sadie away.

  Surprised, she’d automatically let go of Sahara’s hair. Sadie would have loved to have taken a hank of bottle-blond tresses as a souvenir.

  Her brother sounded frantic. “We have to get out of here before someone sees what you did! She’ll sue, you moron. Get moving.”

  Sensing he might have a point, Sadie hustled away with Elliot, wishing she could have shown her devil what she’d done. He’d have gotten a kick out of it. Or to have shown Gear. For sure, the villain would appreciate her moves on his cheating ex.

  She sighed. As usual, she’d been a goddess in motion and no one cared.

  Elliot continued to ramble as he hurried through the crowd, dragging her with him.

  “Now this is a party,” Sadie said with a laugh. She’d met the devil, had incredible sex, and punched a conceited bitch in the face. A trifecta of amazing. “Where are we going next weekend?”