Enchanting Absinthe (Sex with Strings, Book Four) Read Online Free

was. One hundred? Two hundred? Older? A Vampire’s age was impossible to tell.
    The scent of crushed herbs, sweat and sex, deep and musky, filled the corridor. Claire wanted to run her tongue over Absinthe’s skin and see if he tasted as good as he smelled. Her fingers flexed, but she kept them by her side. Despite the magic, there was still a distance between them she wasn’t used to—where was the touch, the caress? His hands on her body? It was almost impersonal…if using magic to get into someone’s pants could be called that.
    Absinthe opened the door to a change room; there were clothes on every surface and the room smelled of men. Her clit gave a little throb. She’d waited hours for this. A small light in the corner battled against the dark. It could have been a crowded corner of hell and she wouldn’t have cared as long as he got his leather pants off.
    Claire nudged the door closed and waited. The enchantment stroked and coaxed, as though it was an overly keen cat seeking attention. She wanted to brush it off so he had to stop hiding behind it, but he’d notice. He didn’t know it wasn’t the magic that was keeping her here. Just him.
    Offstage there was a look in his eye she couldn’t place—but it wasn’t joy. It was almost like he was filling a need, but was taking no pleasure in it.
    “Did you enjoy the show?” He took another drink of beer.
    She nodded, not wanting to speak and give away that she wasn’t enchanted.
    He gave her a small smile, cleared a spot on the table and dropped the towel on top of a pile of clothes. Then he set his beer down. “Come here, honey.”
    Absinthe patted the table. Claire swallowed what felt like an ostrich egg. She wanted a drink almost as much as she wanted Absinthe.
    Something to wet her lips.
    She walked toward him. She wanted to slide her hands over his chest, place her mouth on his; she wanted more than playing along like a living doll. The enchantment tightened: no longer content with visible skin, it was under her clothes, rubbing against her breasts, sliding over her bottom. But it wasn’t real. She needed skin on skin.
    He tapped her hips as he backed her against the table, his fingers leaving hot imprints on her skin as if he’d burned her through her skirt. She wanted him to leave handprints all over her body, but he was barely touching her. He used his leg to separate hers. She didn’t have to tilt her chin much to look him in the eye—he wasn’t that much taller than her—yet her breath caught in her throat as she hoped for a kiss or some indication that he was really here. It was almost as if he was the one enchanted and going through the motions.
    His cheek brushed against hers, his stubble grazing her skin, and she breathed him in. The heady scent of sweat and lust. He kissed her neck, and for a moment she thought he was going to bite, but then he drew back. The enchantment stilled, touching her without the slightest flicker of life.
    “Take your panties off,” he whispered in her ear. Absinthe’s velvety voice was at odds with the hardness of his body and the strength of his magic.
    Another check, to see if she was still willing.
    She was—even if so far it wasn’t quite what she’d expected. She’d thought his spell would’ve been different, more forceful. She wanted to reach out and break the ice that surrounded him. While she used magic to get closer, he was using it to push away and create distance where there should be none.
    Slowly, Claire pulled up her skirt. Pretending to be under his spell felt a little wrong, as if she was somehow cheating. A human would’ve just done as asked without hesitating. Hell, she had Absinthe in front of her, ready to fuck, and she was debating the finer points of magic. For a half second, she wondered if she was the one with the problem.
    She hooked her fingers into her briefs and wriggled out of them, every movement designed for maximum accidental contact. Her breasts brushed against his bare