by Emily Bex
“Are you all right, bel rosso?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Should I continue?”
“Please, yes,” she answered, though her throat felt as if it is closing.
He stood and unhooked the bra and slid the straps down her shoulders, painfully slowly. As the bra dropped to the floor, he cupped each breast in his hands and rubbed his thumbs over each nipple and his touch…. oh god his touch. He was picking her up again and laid her on the bed.
With his eyes locked on her, she watched him as he removed the leather jacket, and then pulled the t-shirt over his head, and stood there a moment, shirtless in those tight, low-slung leather pants.
He sat on the edge of her bed, and pulled off his boots, then stood again to peel off the leather pants. Commando...should have known. He was beyond beautiful, he took her breath away.
She had to take a deep breath, remind herself to ‘breathe, mi amore.’ He slid into her bed next to her, and somewhere in her head, there was a voice saying, ‘last chance, last chance, last chance to back out’ and she told the voice to ‘shut-the-fuck-up’.
He leaned into her, his mouth at her ear, and in a voice as soft as a whisper asked, “Are you sure, Kate?”
“I’m sure.”
And with that, his hand was in her hair, his lips on her lips, and his leg across her legs. She slid her hand up his back and relished at the feel of his skin. He enfolded her in his other arm and pulled her to his bare chest. Skin on skin, does anything feel better?
“Si, there are things that feel better, and I am about to show you.”
She was spinning out of control. Was she more taken back by the sudden realization he could read her thoughts? Or by the answer he’d given to her question? She was beyond the point of no return. She could only take this path wherever it led, wherever he led.
He covered her mouth with his and began that slow probing with his tongue, and she moaned into his mouth. She felt his grip on her tighten, and his hands started their exploration. He caressed then squeezed her breasts, his hand slid down her waist, over her hip, and across her ass. His touch was lighting a path of fire on her skin. He rolled her over, never letting her go until he was on top of her. She felt pinned down by him, just like in the dream, and she loved the feeling, his weight on her, this feeling of being captured. His hand slid between her legs and his fingers probed to find her already wet and waiting for him. He growled into her mouth, a feral wild animal growl that sent a shiver down her spine. She could feel his engorged cock against her leg, the heat from him, and she wanted him. The truth was, she’d wanted him since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he had intimidated her.
“Relax, I bring you only pleasure.”
His touch, his voice, his words, everything he did was adding fuel to the fire.
“Please, lover,” she begged.
He looked into her face, with a deliciously wicked grin and said, “Are you begging me, mi amore?”
“Yes, yes...I’m begging you!”
He covered her mouth with his and pushed his tongue deep. He slid his hand under her at the waist and lifted her back into an arch as he pushed her legs wide with his own. She felt his cock at the opening of her sex. She was so wet for him. She could feel her juices on her thighs. He pushed the head of his cock inside her and she gasped into his mouth.
She could hear his responding chuckle, and then he thrusts hard and deep. There was savagery to his movements, a forcefulness that took her by surprise. She threw her head back, breaking the kiss. As she cried out with the pleasure of him, her back arched of its own accord. He moved his hips, thrusting into her, and her hips responded to his rhythm. Her hands were gripping his back, clawing, as she wrapped her legs around his hips so she could receive all of him. The dream...this felt like the dream. She could feel his cock throbbing inside her, and she was so undone.
***
In one quick motion, he rolled onto his back so she was now straddling him. She sat upright, her hands resting on his shoulders as her hair swung forward. He placed his hands on her hips and guided her motions as she rode him. He loved the look of lust on her face, and how she had succumbed to him. His hands explored the curve of her hips, and the slender waist, and back down to the firmness of her thighs. He loved looking at her as she took pleasure in his body.
Rarely in his long life had he ever been concerned with the woman’s pleasure, although he knew from their response, he left them more than content. Women had been a means to an end, a way to serve the demands of his body, and being skilled in seduction was vital to any vampire’s survival. He took what he wanted, and moved on, or had an arrangement for convenience. Watching her now, his bel rosso, as she sat atop his cock, grinding her hips, her eyes closed, her lips parted, brought him as much pleasure as the physical sensations that rocked his body. He couldn’t take his eyes from her, as the orgasm hit her, and she threw her head back and cried out, before collapsing on his chest.
Before she could catch her breath, he rolled with her again, so he was back on top of her. “Don’t stop now, bel.”
***
Kate was still gasping for air when he flipped her on her back and continued to thrust deep inside her. She wrapped her legs around his hips, as he rode her hard, with the same primal thrust she felt in the dream. He toyed with her, teasing, slowing down the pace of his strokes, almost withdrawing from her. She grabbed at his hips, pulling him toward her, as she tightened the grip with her thighs. Again she heard his low chuckle.
He increased the speed and force of his thrust, and she buried her face in his neck and inhaled his scent. It was heady and erotic as if she needed anything else to make this fire burn hotter.
“Cum with me, mi amore,” he breathed into her ear, and it was all she needed to hear. She felt herself begin the free-fall into the orgasm to end all orgasms, as spasm after spasm washed over her. She felt like she was spinning out of control...out of body...he owned her body. She sank her nails into his back, and she moaned. She was lost to him. His entire body tensed as he growled in a rumble that came from deep in his chest, and she felt the vibrations of it in the room, as he released into her.
Fill me, fill me...I want you to fill me up. Oh god, oh god, oh god...that did not just happen. That cannot be real. She was gasping for air, her heart racing, and her body covered in a fine sheen of sweat. She felt his body relax on top of hers, as he held his weight on his elbows, and looked down at her. His own breath ragged, his heart beating hard against hers.
With one hand, he reached down and brushed back the fine hair clinging to the sweat on her face, and leaned in and kissed her forehead, her nose, and her lips. Such savagery and gentleness, all rolled up in one man. He kissed her lips softly, followed by another.
“My savage lover,” she whispered.
“Bel rosso, you have no idea.”
Oh really? But I want to. I want to have an idea. I want him to show me. I want to see all the darkness inside of him. And he can take me there. I can feel it.
“Be careful what you wish for, mi amore. I can make you feel things no mortal man can.”
She was silently processing his words, as they felt hauntingly familiar. Didn’t he say that in my dream? And that mind-reading thing. How do you turn that off?
She looked up at those blue eyes, “Do you make wishes come true, Shade?”
“Si, I can make your wishes come true.”
She smiled up at him as he rolled off of her. She already missed the feel of his weight on her. She already felt empty. She wanted him again, and again. Oh he is so going to break my heart. She knew his nature. He was a player and she had better get used to it.
“No, a promise is a promise, remember? I will not break your heart. Now the sun is coming up, so I must leave you. But I will come back to you if you want me. Think before you answer because you promised you would not break my heart as well.”
“I think I love you, Shade Medici. I don’t know how, or when, or why, bu
t I think I love you. So please, come back.”
“Si, it will be as you wish.”
And with that, he was gone, as in gone. He has disappeared right in front of her eyes. What the fuck? She looked around the room. Oh please tell me this was not a hallucination. Please tell me this was not one too many Jell-O shots.
She slid from the bed, grabbed her robe, and slipped it on. His clothes lay scattered on the floor. Walking back into the living room, the fire was still burning in the fireplace and there were two wine glasses on the table, one with the remnants of her wine, and the empty one tipped on its side. He was here. He was real.
She picked up her laptop and went to Google and keyed ‘mi amore’ into the Italian to English translator, ‘my love’. He had been calling her ‘his love’ all this time? She keyed in bel rosso; beautiful red. Her heart melted. She didn’t think she loved him. She knew she loved him.
17
Shade twirled the cell phone in his hand, smiling to himself. He’d left her last night, sated, and knowing deep in his heart she was his. She’d let down all the barriers and let him in. He still had a lot to prove to her, but he saw no problem in doing that. He wanted to court her for a while, win her heart. He didn’t want her to think it was only about the sex, it wasn’t. She was the one. The one he’d spent his entire life looking for...his mate. Now he had to convince her beyond a shadow of a doubt because he was already convinced. Hitting speed dial, he waited for that sexy voice to answer.
***
Kate dreamt about him after he left. How could she not? And all day, she’d thought about him, found it hard to concentrate on her work. She didn’t tell Shannon she’d slept with him. She wasn't ready to share that information yet. It felt too personal, too private. It felt too 'theirs'.
She was still wrestling with the idea of what he was, even with his fangs, even with his self-admission. She was having a hard time wrapping her head around it. And that disappearing act. What was that? She thought of calling him but didn't want to be one of 'those girls’. She was home now, with no distractions, and beginning to wonder if she’d just imagined the whole thing when her cell phone rang and it was him. She stared at his name on her caller ID and then curled up in the armchair before she answered.
"Hello, lover."
He chuckled softly when he heard her pet name for him, and he rather liked the sound of it rolling off her tongue. “Good evening, bel. Miss me yet?"
“I missed you the second you were gone. About that…your leaving. What was that about? I've had men in a hurry to get away from me before, but I believe you set a new record.”
He felt a bit uncomfortable, shifting his position, with his feet propped up on the dining room table. Just the sound of her voice made him hard, and he thought about the sensual noises she made beneath him last night.
“I apologize, bel. It is just something I can do. There is more to me than what you see. I can only hope you wish to learn more about me, my life, and how I can enhance yours. So tell me, did you enjoy the party last night?"
“The party? I don't think it was the party I enjoyed, Mr. Medici, as much as it was you. And I hope to learn a lot more about you. You’re being mysterious already. What do you mean, it's something you can do? What exactly did you do? Your disappearing?”
“I know you have many questions, Kate. Would you allow me to come over, sit with you, and I will gladly answer all of your questions. I am sure this seems quite out of the ordinary, to say the least. But I feel it is important for both of us, that we are together when you ask and I answer. You can see my face, feel me, and I can hold you in my arms, si?”
“I, of course, I’d love for you to come over.”
He heard her hesitation. “Did I detect a moment of doubt there?”
“No doubt, just surprised, I think. Unexpected.”
“I will be there in no time, or do you wish to set a time specifically for me to call on you?”
“No, now is good. I just want to change out of my work clothes and throw on some jeans, so come on over.”
"Si, mi amore. See you soon."
Shutting off the phone, he laid it on the table, threw his feet to the floor and teleported right in front of her, and watched her startled face, the phone still in her hand. She hadn’t even hung up yet.
"Buonasera."
She dropped the phone as she stared at him open-mouthed. "What...what is that, Shade? How do you do that?”
He leaned over the chair where she was seated and kissed her softly on the lips. Taking her hand, he lifted her to her feet and snuggled into her neck, inhaling the erotic scent of roses that was hers and hers alone. “Are you complaining, bel?"
“No, not complaining. Just confused. How did you get here? Do you fly?”
"Something like that. It is called teleporting. We can teleport to any location we wish. I wish to be here with you, so I think about where it is I want to be and I am there. I can go extremely fast, faster than any mortal can see, or I can slow things down a few notches, check out the area around me. It is very useful.”
"So, I guess that whole thing about having to invite a vampire in before he enters your house is a myth. But then, I thought vampires were a myth.”
He walked to her couch, sat down, and patted the space next to him. "Come, mi amore. Get comfortable. I believe this may be a long night."
She smiled and snuggled next to him, laying her head against his chest as he slipped his arm around her.
"Most of the things you know about my kind are myths, we invented those myths as self-preservation, to keep mortals afraid, and from prying too deeply. Immortals are no myth. I am here to confirm that. Does that scare you?"
“Not anymore. I think I feel more curiosity than fear. So, the night I was in trouble when the guy was following me. Is that what you did? Is that how you got to me so fast?”
“Si. I got there even quicker than you knew. I held back as long as possible.”
“But this morning, when you left me, why did you leave so suddenly?”
He kissed her gently on the neck and whispered, "Because the sun was rising. I cannot be in direct sunlight. It will kill me, and yes that is one myth that is a truth for some immortals."
She looked up at him. "So, you go to a crypt? Sleep in a coffin? Shade, what about Rissa? She said she was a vampire, but I’ve seen her in the day.”
Did she just say crypt? Squeezing her hips, he chuckled. "Kate, slow down. You are asking a lot of questions. And I will answer them all. First of all, I go into what we call a death slumber. It comes to me when the sun arises. I can fight it off some, but it is never a good idea to fight through the slumber. That is when I rejuvenate my system and heal. It is similar to a mortal sleep only deeper, I do not actually die. My heart still beats and as you can see, I do not have the clammy cold skin as you have been led to believe. I awaken once the night approaches. As for Rissa, she is what we refer to as a day-walker. She can choose when she sleeps, be out in the sun and moon. Alec is a day-walker as well. As for a crypt, I do not own a coffin or a crypt. I sleep in a bed, just like a mortal man, but in a room shielded from daylight.”
“So can you become a day-walker?”
Shaking his head, he tried to be careful in his description, so she understood but wasn’t frightened by what he was telling her and, of course, some details he’d leave out for now. He wanted to be honest with her, but they were just beginning this journey and he’d never had to explain a damn thing about his life to any mortal, and definitely not one this important to him.
"No, I can never become a day-walker. You are born with your gift. Each immortal is given a gift, a talent, a weapon in some cases. They can use it to their advantage or for wicked purposes. Rissa and Alec's gifts are day-walking."
Kate looked confused. “Born? You mean when you are changed or converted?”
Kissing the top of her head, he found her so fascinating, so intriguing, how she wanted to know so many things, and she was not backing down, not i
ntimidated by his answers.
"Most of us are born immortal. That means two immortals have mated and birthed a child from their union. As for Rissa, she was once mortal like you. Alec chose her as his mate, which required he turn her into an immortal. Does that help you to understand?”
“Born? Vampires have babies? I thought...I thought you had to be bitten or something. So you were born? You were a little boy with parents? I thought you stayed the same. I mean, whatever age you were when you got, what did you call it, turned?”
He kissed the side of her long beautiful neck. "I do believe we are getting in deep here, mi amore. I have never truly had to explain my existence to a mortal. But yes, I had a madre and padre, grew up knowing nothing but immortality as my life. I was given limited exposure to the mortal world as a young boy. That time was spent teaching me skills to survive in the mortal world, as well as how to protect myself against some immortals. Once we begin to mature into adulthood, the aging process slows greatly. Immortality, it is also a word we have adapted to our culture. We can live for thousands of years, but we do eventually age and die.”
Kate sat silently next to him, appearing to absorb this information. "So that drinking blood thing, that is a myth as well?"
“No, that is very real.”
“So you...bite? Wait, I need to process this. Do you only bite other vampires?”
He turned her around so she was facing him, he wanted to see her face, know that she understood and wasn’t frightened.
"Kate," he slowly tucked a stray crimson lock behind her ear and looked into her eyes. "I bite to feed. It is the only nourishment I take into my system. Blood is food for me. I feed from mortal and immortal alike.”