by Colleen Tews
“Yeah, why do you ask?”
“You seem a little nervous, almost like you want this visit to be done and over with quickly.”
“No. I am very, very glad to be here.” I set my hand on his leather-clad thigh. Then ran my thumb along the smooth fabric.
“That makes two of us. Why don’t you take off your coat and stay awhile.” He fingered the fur.
It seemed there was more than body language after all. This was a learning process. I hoped it came with a curve. I should remember not to over think this stuff, though. This was the first time I went out of my way to seduce someone. I didn’t count people I fed upon because they were human and easy to manipulate. Raphe knew the tricks of trade.
I stood back up as smooth as I had sat. I eased my hands down the white and brown furry frame of the coat and undid each individual button. Once the suede coat slid off my shoulders I tossed it onto the couch across the room. I posed with my hands on my hips.
A smile crept along Raphe’s face as he watched me and darkened his eyes. Lust, awe, the desire to take me where I stood, all those emotions floated across that smirk. For a split second I thought he was about to pull me down to him. Instead he got up.
Raphe brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. He skimmed his hand down my ear to my neck. His fingers caressed as they traced down my neck and shoulder until my skin hid under the shirt. He etched those tactful fingertips back along my collarbone. All the while Raphe’s eyes followed his fingers. Those hooded cobalt eyes echoed each erotic, spine tingling touch. When his fingers reached my chest he spread them wide and continued his southern exploration. The farther down he touched the closer his fingers got till his index finger slid between my breasts. He hooked the base of the neckline of the shirt. “Are you always this stunning?”
“Are you always this fast with every woman that comes knocking on your door?”
“No.” His eyes backtracked the route his fingers left.
“Liar.”
“Maybe.” His eyes met mine. With his finger locked onto my shirt he pulled me in for a kiss. His soft lips pressed deep onto my own. The longer we kissed the deeper the kiss became. As if our bodies could articulate what we desired without a word our mouths opened and we explored each other deeper. Never having to come up for air was a bonus.
Raphe’s free hand slid over my waist until he reached my back. He unhooked the finger on my shirt and eased his hand around my breast then down my side where he held my waist. With his thumb at my back he moved my shirt out of his way. The feel of his well-experienced hand kneading the small of my back brought a small moan. The lower half of my body relaxed alongside him as he encouraged me with more forceful caresses.
It had been years since my last sexual encounter. Add all that pent up desire to all the sexual tension from the last couple of months that I was forced to deny and I was about to explode.
I stroked my hands over his bare arms and up his shoulders to the back of his neck. My fingertips slid into his hair and held him in place. Once I had him where I wanted I massaged.
A soft swish of doors swinging came from behind Raphe. I untangled my fingers from his hair and bent away from the kiss. Stacey stood there with two metal pints. “Here are the drinks you asked for.”
Raphe detached himself from me. He took the drinks she offered. Then passed one to me. I could not read his expression because his back was to me but Stacey looked positively pleased with herself. “Don’t you have the president of Waverley Condos upstairs?”
“Yeah, but Anouk is keeping him entertained.” She was smug and her jealousy rolled off her.
“Why don’t you join her? After all he paid for two.”
“Is there anything else you need before I go?” She offered with bile dripping off her words.
“No you’ve helped out enough.” Raphe placed a small kiss upon her forehead. He lowered his face to her ear and whispered. I strained my sense of hearing and heard what he said. “You know you’ll always be my number one.”
Stacey bowed in loving servitude, and went upstairs without a glance, without a word.
I sipped the blood from the pint without swallowing. As instructed by Sasha I sent everything into the pocket she made in my throat. There was no way to be sure if this was Stacey’s blood or Raphe’s. For all I knew he could be trying to seduce and bind me all in one night. It was the smart thing to do. What better way to make sure I was not a threat to his city?
“What does Stacey do for you?”
“Little bit everything, but mainly she oversees the affairs of the house and some finances. I rent to a few college students so she helps me keep track of all of that.” It was the universal answer to that question. I didn’t expect a detailed response. The question tested the waters and allowed me to see how hard I had to push to get closer. He did not trust me enough to tell the whole truth yet. Fuck? Yes. Open up to? No.
“Thinking of expanding outside this one house?” I admired the collection of books, videos, and a few decorative pieces of sculptured art that lined the shelves. Raphe appeared well-read, loved horror films, and had a thing for canines, of all types.
“I have a couple in the area.”
I ignored his presence as he came up behind me. He put his hand on the small of my back and rubbed me through the shirt. “So what brings you to Kent?”
“Lucian actually.” I rehearsed this a hundred times. “Like I said before I came up here from Cincinnati. I was there when he first invaded Ohio and I’ve been on the run ever since.”
“Why not just leave the state?” He wrapped his arms around my waist.
I rested back against him and secured his arms around me with my own. “I’ve lived here most of my life. I don’t know where I could go without him following me. I figure sooner or later there will be somewhere safe. Since Kent’s lasted the longest without him showing up I thought I’d be safest here.”
“Is he personally after you?” He sounded worried for me, but ego aside he was mainly worried about what I brought to Kent.
Like any good method actor I pulled from my experiences and lied through my teeth. The last conversation with Albert resurfaced. My eyes watered with the unshed tears I refused to let out earlier. “I met him when he crashed a city meeting. My sire said Lucian did it to instill fear in the people. It worked. It didn’t help matters that during that meeting he became infatuated with me. When I refused to go with him he way pissed and slaughtered most of the vampires in the city. He kidnapped my sire, tortured him, and forced him to tell him where I was. By the time my sire caved I was gone. He’s been following me ever since.” I dropped my head back. “I’ve been so scared. Every town I ran to I got booted out of. That’s why I was so shocked when you said you’d help me. No one else has.”
Raphe rotated me in his arms. I rewrapped my arms around his waist and kept my head down. “Look at me.”
I shook my head.
“Look at me, please.” He lifted my chin up.
I blinked back tears before I looked him in the eye. “You are safe here. I won’t let Lucian or anyone else hurt you. Don’t you worry about a thing while you are with me, understand?”
I nodded my head. And the Oscar goes to…me!
He kissed me quick. “Understand?”
“Yes.” That got me to giggle.
“Good.” He kissed me again and again each time slower. His warm passionate kisses grew with an eager intensity urging me to kiss back.
Instead I pulled away. “Wait. I just basically came out and told you my life story in a teary nutshell and I don’t know the slightest thing about you. Before we get all hot and heavy again I would like some tell before we go into show.”
“What?”
“You know, show and tell? It’s something little kids do in school.” He was much too old to catch the reference. I waived my hand at him. “Never mind, tell me about Raphe.”
He dropped his arms and sat on the couch. He chugged back the rest of his drink. “What do
you want to know?”
I flapped my arms at my side like a frustrated bird. “How about you start at the beginning? What House does the amazing sheriff of Kent belong to?”
He regained that laid-back pretense, this time on the middle couch cushion with both arms on the back. “I claim no House.”
“You’re Houseless?” My eyebrows arched high in disbelief.
“Yup.” He nodded.
“I had no idea the Primus was that open-minded.” Houseless vampires were nearly unheard of in any sect around the world. Sure it happened, but it was a rarity for someone to be Houseless and live long.
Vampires, especially the old ones, were creatures of habit. The older you got the more of a rut your mindset. Most vampires plotted and planned everything down to the minute details. No lineage meant you were a wild card.
“Grump is a lot of things most people don’t expect.”
“I’ve never met someone that didn’t know what House they belonged to. What happened?”
He half shrugged. “I got drunk. I met a woman. She embraced me in an alley for a hundred francs after I paid for a blowjob and I never saw her again. Pretty cut and dry.”
I didn’t mean to laugh but I couldn’t help it. It was rude. But hell, he seemed fine with how things turned out. “That is probably the worst story I’ve ever heard about someone getting a sexually transmitted disease.”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to call what we are an STD.”
“Call it what you like, but for you, it fits.”
I sauntered over to him till I stood between his open legs. “Thankfully I already have the disease.” I sent the rest of the blood from the pint to the pocket in my throat. I massaged my neck, double-checking for a bulge in my throat. Nope, no lump.
Bending at the waist I got in close over his long legs. After setting the pint on the floor I placed my hands on either side of him. “Is there anything else I need to worry about?”
“No.” We met halfway for another tasty kiss. I worked my hands up the couch as he arched his back and followed my lips.
He grabbed my ass, guiding me to him. I straddled his lap. As I settled onto his lap he asked, “Is there anything I should be worried about catching from you?”
I brushed his long raven hair, scratching his forehead with my nails, and peered into those stunning eyes. For the briefest of moments I hesitated. “Don’t fall in love with me.”
He blinked up at me. After an eternal pause, “I won’t if you promise not to do the same.”
“Deal.” I kissed him.
The swell in his pants grew with anticipation. My body slid up and down the attentive peak. He controlled the rhythmic sway of my hips with a sensuous push-pull of his hands on my backside. The feverish sexual tension climbed to the point of no return. Raphe tightened his grip and stood. I wrapped my legs around him. Without missing a beat he carried me upstairs.
He carried me down the hall past three doors to the last room. Before we reached his room from inside the second door a whip snapped, a muzzled scream followed and a woman giggled. I chortled into Raphe’s mouth.
“What so funny?” He hesitated by the last closed door.
“I was just remembering who you said Stacey had to go entertain. I thought I understood what you meant. I just didn’t know how far the entertaining would go.”
“Are you opposed to kinky toys?”
Shocked by the question I felt like a virgin being asked if she was comfortable with sex for the first time. I hadn’t thought about sex toys. It just never occurred to me. I wasn’t quite sure of what I thought about being handcuffed and flogged with a cat of nine tails while being pumped from behind. Okay, maybe I had thought about it jokingly, but never serious. Of course, I haven’t had sex since I became a vampire. I always enjoyed a nice bite on the neck during foreplay. “I’ve never played like that before but I am always up for trying new things.”
The smile that tugged his cheek beamed with new possibilities. “I promise I won’t hurt you in anyway you won’t enjoy. If I start to go too far let me know.”
“Okay.”
Raphe adjusted his hold on me and opened the bedroom door. Once inside he threw me over a maple chest onto his bed. The fresh scented black satin sheets on the king size bed wrinkled under me.
Colorful Christmas lights adorned three of the red walls in the room. The soft blinking lights brightened the room in erratic intervals. They lit up a chest of drawers and a whip made of soft black and white entwined leather that hung from the closet door.
Raphe opened the chest. After he found what he searched for he climbed on top of me in a half push-up with leather cuffs in hand. Then he bent down for another kiss. As my lips met his I tilted my pelvis up to greet him. His leather pants strained from the underlining tension. If not for my own black satin panties the leather would have chafed as we rediscovered our rhythm.
Raphe’s kisses left my mouth and headed south. Allowing the anticipation to grow he kissed across my chin then hovered above my throat. Both his hands slid under my shirt and caressed the sides of my stomach. He lifted his face from my neck and in one fluid motion removed my shirt. I raised my head and arms to make things easier for him. Once topless I draped my arms around his neck and eased him back down by stroking his back.
I had forgotten how much fun foreplay was. I wanted to help him some more but Raphe had everything under control. All I had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride. Fine by me, I didn’t shy away from some good pampering.
Instead of returning to where he left off Raphe licked my chest. He explored my breast encased in a black bra with purple lace. Raphe slid the bra down around my waist revealing dark pointed nipples. He took them into his mouth one at a time. As he worked one with his mouth his hand was occupied with the other. A deep moan escaped my lips with each flick of his tongue. A small nibble sent shivers down my spine. I dug my fingers into his upper back as our pace hastened.
After he switched from one breast to the other Raphe slid his free hand down under my skirt. He rubbed what lay beyond through satin. I moistened under his touch. With a flick of the wrist he snapped the bottom of the underwear as if it were made of tissue paper.
In a one handed push-up he came back to my face to kiss me again. It was a long, provocative kiss that distracted me from his search down under. His tenacious fingers found that one impatient spot. And he found pleasure in giving me exactly what I desired.
The pulsating pump of my hips began to pound faster against his hand, against his body. It was almost too much to handle. Just as the pleasure built to the point where I felt like I was about to explode Raphe slipped a finger into my wet opening. He wiggled his fingers back and forth with a speed and ferocity no mortal boy achieved. I pulled back from his lips and cried out in ecstasy. I got half of the yelp out before he pushed his tongue back into my mouth.
He rested the entire weight of his body along mine. Though I couldn’t see what he was doing with his free hand I heard him releasing that part of him that begged for attention from its leather cage. Once unzipped his penis rested on top of my skirt. He maneuvered back into the one armed push-up again. The pale head of his cock glistened with a slight red tint to it in the colorful flickering lights. Male vampires don’t produce seamen after being sired. Everything that flowed through us was blood.
Raphe’s hands escaped the opening between my thighs. He pushed my skirt up around my waist. The hardened tip waited an inch shy of where I wanted him to be. He ran his hands up my body, over my arms and forced them up over my head. He clasped my wrists together and bound them with the leather. Now that my hands were held in place with a pump of his hips he covered that last remaining inch.
I wrapped my legs around his backside. Together we worked to bring him in and out of me. He filled a seemingly never-ending void over and over again. Being unable to touch him was frustrating, but thrilling all at the same time. Only being able to feel what he wanted consumed my thoughts. Every inch that he allowe
d to touch me brought with it a longing for more.
I raised my lower half off the bed. Raphe took the hint and slammed into me until there was an end to the void, until he smashed into what felt like a brick wall inside me. Without injuring either of us he pumped in and out. Now that he knew where my cervix was, he held back that last instant before hitting it.
We continued our horizontal dance until that near explosion of pleasure reared its spine tingling grip on every muscle. “Oh god.”
I snapped the leather strap so I could wrap my arms around him. I held him close to my chest as the orgasm erupted. The spasms pulsated along his shaft. The orgasm sent rolling waves of pleasurable aftershocks throughout my entire body.
Every primal instinct screamed at me to take the higher ground. I used the weight of my body and rolled us over with him still inside me. Once we were flipped over I unwrapped my legs. I sat up with my hands on his chest and rode him. Rolling my hips I stared down into his eyes.
His head bowed back. He moaned in small outbursts as his body bucked under me. I sensed he was about to come. I reached out to that spot in his mind, in his heart, and fanned the flames of his passion. Raphe’s eyes opened wider with a new hungry expression.
An emotion that far outweighed blind lust, or passing fancy showed through those mesmerized crystal blue eyes. He reached up and grabbed a handful of my hair at the back of my head. He held me in place as he hammered into me until he too was bathed in a wave of orgasmic delight. Having control of his emotions I rode that wave of pleasure and increased his desire tenfold. In that moment he belonged to me.
As our bodies settled I collapsed on top of him. He slipped out from between my legs. Suddenly empty, we both moaned with disdain. I rolled off him towards the wall.
“That was amazing.” He whispered.
I found half of the leather cuffs under me. “Sorry about your cuffs.”
“Darlin', you have nothing to apologize for.” Raphe kissed me one last time. His lips quivered under the strain of moving after exerting so much energy. He then rolled onto his back and looked at a digital clock. Though it felt like hours had past since I walked into his home it was only around midnight. “How does a cat nap sound?”