by Calista Fox
Shana could see that as clear as day as she gazed into Jane’s eyes and saw the torment she suffered from being “different” from humans and missing their warmth.
But more than that, she saw the relief of acceptance, which Shana easily recognized. It was something she’d sought her entire life, after all. She also saw the flicker of desire for that one thing Jane didn’t have access to—the human touch.
Again, Shana could not only easily recognize this…she could empathize with it.
“Your lover was human when you were first with him, wasn’t he?” she asked Jane.
“Yes. For several weeks. And then he went away for a while and when he came back…” She shrugged her shoulders. “I knew something was different about him, though I didn’t understand it. Yet we were still so in love that when he finally told me the truth, I wasn’t repulsed. I didn’t run away. I wasn’t scared.”
“Because you knew he wouldn’t hurt you.”
She nodded. “I could see it wasn’t easy for him. He had to fight the natural compulsion to drink my blood. But somehow he overcame that tendency by allowing other feelings and desires to overpower his bloodlust.”
Jane let out a long breath of air, as though she were expelling demons long imprisoned inside her. “I loved him with all my heart, please don’t get me wrong. I loved him so much that I begged him to make me a vampire, so that we’d never be apart. But I always missed his warmth. That special touch of a human that no vampire can replicate.”
Shana shook her head. “You’re wrong. I mean, not so much wrong, but…” She tried to find the words to explain how electrifying a vampire touch could truly be. “Drake has strength in his hands and virility that’s thrilling. And you,” she said to Jane, “you have a quiet strength. You look so delicate, but you’re powerful and that’s magnetic.”
Jane stared at her for several moments before saying, “You’re turning all of this upside down.”
“Jane.”
Drake’s deep voice made Shana’s gaze shift to him. “What am I turning upside down?”
“She sensed something about you that, quite clearly, resonates within her,” he said. “Something similar you both share, although I don’t think she knew it at first. She wanted to help you. But she can’t do that until she admits she needs help too.”
Shana stared curiously at him. “You mean she has to accept her need for a human’s touch?”
“After fifty years of being a vampire,” he said, “yes.”
“Oh.” Shana understood intuitively, though it was realistically not understandable, why she’d felt a significant and meaningful connection with Jane earlier. It was an indescribable yet palpable bond.
Jane tried to pull her hand away, as though she felt inferior now that her vulnerability had been exposed. But Shana knew all about vulnerabilities and she held fast to Jane’s hand, keeping their entwined fingers pressed to Jane’s chest.
“It’s not a weakness,” Shana told her, “to need something beyond your grasp.”
“Really?” Drake countered.
Shana bristled, because she had a feeling he’d gotten a good glimpse of her vulnerabilities when she’d turned tail and almost run after encountering a sexual display she’d never imagined. One she’d never fathomed in her sheltered existence. One that had made her think of a lot of possibilities she’d never considered because she was too self-conscious to put herself in any position that would expose her physical flaws.
Still staring at Jane, she said, “You could have taken a bite out of me at any point. You didn’t. And clearly you don’t want to. You can control it. So what makes you think you can’t have regular human contact?”
“I’d never forgive myself if I slipped,” Jane said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Finally, Shana’s eyes lifted and she pinned Drake with a pointed look, surprising herself. “And what do you fear?”
“That someone I want to believe in me can’t, because it’s not…natural.”
In an instant, her rebuff of vampires flashed in her mind. She said, “Please forgive me. It’s not a common thing, encountering a vampire. It’s not like meeting a lawyer or a doctor, you know? Well, maybe it’s a little like meeting a lawyer.”
He actually grinned at her. It seemed to take him by surprise, but the corner of his mouth lifted in a half-assed way that told her he found her amusing.
Heat seeped through every inch of her, especially along her inner thighs. The coolness of Jane’s fingers, tangled with hers as their palms pressed together, was a welcome relief to the fiery sensations consuming her, particularly the sudden, unfamiliar feeling of something akin to flickering flames against her clit.
Her reaction to Drake, however, did not overshadow the connection she felt with Jane. She turned back to the blonde vampire. “You said we’ve not met before. Is that true?”
Jane’s gaze flitted to Drake, a somewhat quiet observer of their exchange, though Shana could see in his dark eyes that he was not having an easy time staying put over there in his chair while Shana and Jane sat so closely together. Also, she could see there were things he wanted to say, perhaps more admissions he wanted to make. She read him well, with the hard set of his jaw and the rigidity of his posture.
He watched them intently, silently, but there were questions he wanted to ask and reconciliations he needed to make. She could practically see right through him all of a sudden. As though discovering his true identity had somehow unlocked a door to who the man really was—and he didn’t refrain from inviting her inside.
But he gave Jane the floor, sitting back and listening more than participating.
In a soft voice, Jane said, “I have a gift that’s not necessarily a welcomed one either. I connect with other’s souls. I can feel what’s inside them. What elates them. What troubles them. Sometimes it’s…painful.” Her pale green eyes locked with Shana’s, making her point quite clear.
“I’m sorry.” Humiliation instantly welled within her.
How utterly embarrassing for someone else to know her internal misery. It stemmed from so many different avenues, like never having the opportunity to embrace her own heritage or make her own decisions. She’d gone along with the tutelage because she’d loved to play before it had all turned so serious and the demands on her had escalated. When she’d reached the point where she was old enough and meticulously trained, she’d joined the orchestra. She’d understood the money she made helped her parents back in Mexico, who’d had several more children after she’d left, all of whom Shana had never met.
She hadn’t had a connection with her family, nor had she ever had a friend before Yvette. And she’d certainly never taken a lover…had never even been kissed before. She longed for intimate human contact as much as Jane did, but couldn’t overcome her self-doubt to allow it to happen, the way Jane couldn’t overcome her fear of breaking her cardinal rule and hurting someone.
Jane had seen all of that?
Mortification gripped her.
“I don’t mean to thrust my personal woes on anyone else.” She started to pull away, but this time it was Jane who kept their hands clasped.
“No, it’s not like that,” she said. “It’s painful, yes. I can feel what you feel, deep down. Yet…there’s also relief in hearing you say why you’ve suffered. You’ve always felt out of place and that explains why you hurt inside. Why you feel so alone. Why you doubt yourself.”
Shana considered this for a moment as Drake leaned forward, pulling all the pieces together right along with Shana.
She said to Jane, “You relate to it. You relate to me.”
“I feel a bond with you, yes. I desperately wanted to meet you once it happened.”
Shana couldn’t deny she felt the same.
She glanced over at Drake, finding it interesting how he seemed to mentally catalog everything about her as he studied her. Her mannerisms, her features, her words. He seemed to absorb it all, missing nothing.
Begging the question,
“Why did you want to meet me?”
Again, his grin was a slow, sexy one. It cut some of the tension in the room and melted his edgy appearance. “As you’ve already discovered for yourself, Jane is impossible to say no to. It was her idea to invite you backstage. I was hesitant because, quite frankly, I wasn’t sure I could resist you.”
His words sparked the kind of excitement that made her nipples tighten and her pussy throb. She’d never been so in tune to her femininity or her sexual needs until this evening. Yet she wasn’t experienced with any sort of seduction—be it by her effort or someone else’s—so she had to clarify one point.
“My blood? Or…me?”
His jaw clenched and his eyes flashed with a hunger that had nothing to do with being ravenous for food.
“Oh.” The word left her mouth on an exhale of breath. He didn’t even need to answer her question with words. He’d done it perfectly with one very heated look. Her attention returned to Jane and she asked, rather boldly, “What do you want from me?”
“It’s not what I want from you,” she was quick to say. “It’s what I want for you.”
Before Shana could ask what she meant, Jane leaned forward, stretching upward and brushing her lips over Shana’s.
It hardly qualified as a kiss. It was a mere featherlight touch that almost didn’t exist, it was so delicate. Yet it was so deliciously perfect in every way—mostly because it delivered another unspoken answer to her questions.
“You’re breathtaking,” Jane said, her green eyes shimmering in the soft glow of the chandelier and embers.
Her whole life, Shana had wanted to hear those words. To hear them and believe in them, to be exact. And of course, she’d always wanted to feel someone else’s lips against hers.
While her insecurities and self-consciousness wanted to rebuff Jane’s words and actions, the awe in Jane’s eyes and voice could not be disputed.
The tables instantly turned. She was no longer in need of an invitation into their world. It became quite obvious to her in that instant, they were awaiting an invitation into hers.
She gently eased her and Jane’s clasped hands from Jane’s chest and pressed them against the skin exposed by her one-shoulder dress. “You’re not cold to me,” she said, knowing now that was a touch-point with Jane. Her own insecurity and vulnerability. “In fact, it’s refreshing. Because I’m burning up.”
The confidence Jane had so easily exuded up until fifteen or so minutes ago returned. She smiled and said, “You’re not at all what I expected.”
“That’s because I’ve never felt so sure of myself until this very moment.” Her head dipped and she swept her lips over Jane’s, mimicking the earlier gesture.
Jane let out a soft moan. “So warm,” she mused. “And supple. Cozy. Against my cold lips, it’s like snuggling under a thick down comforter on a crisp autumn night.”
“I want something for you too,” Shana said. “To feel the same heat I do.”
Jane stared up at her, gratitude in her eyes, mingled with a realization that they were kindred spirits. Shana could think of no better way to describe it and she wanted to strengthen the bond.
She bent her head again, and this time, she kissed Jane. Really and truly kissed her. Their lips tangled for a few moments before their mouths opened and Shana’s tongue swept over hers. The forbidden connotation related to kissing another woman was sexy and enticing unto itself. Thrilling because it was something she’d never imagined doing. Something she’d never found appealing until she’d met Jane.
But the actual feel of Jane’s cool breath mingling with her warmth and the way Jane let her lead the kiss—despite Shana’s lack of experience—made her even hotter. Jane had a way of following along that made it easy for Shana to explore her mouth with her tongue, twisting it with Jane’s before delving deep enough to make the other woman moan again.
A sense of relief accompanied the sharp prickle of desire in her cunt. Jane’s reaction to her was enough to make her let loose of her inhibitions, because Shana felt the sincerity of it deep in her soul.
From across the room, Shana heard Drake let out a low groan. She pulled away from Jane and turned her head toward him, finding him pacing in front of the fireplace.
Jane giggled, an unexpected sound. “So jealous,” she murmured.
Shana returned her attention to Jane. “Of us?”
“Of me, specifically. For being the one you kissed.”
She slid her gaze Drake’s way again. Shana wanted to kiss him as much as she’d craved the intimate contact with Jane—more, actually. But she refused to lessen the significance of her romantic moment with Jane by going to Drake.
True, he looked tormented as he watched Shana release Jane’s hand so Jane could flatten her palm against Shana’s bare shoulder. Drake’s jealousy was evident as he rubbed the back of his neck and continued to pace. But Shana was riveted to her seat, her desire sparking to life at that very moment because of Jane.
When she turned back to the other woman, she leaned forward to kiss her once more. Though, out of the corner of her eye, Shana caught Drake stripping off his suit jacket and that made the fire inside her roar to life.
So much had been set into motion with one invitation, one backstage tour, one dangerous admission of an existence Shana had never believed in until she’d witnessed Drake’s unfathomable speed and his ability to lift her with absolutely no effort when they were downstairs. Not to mention the chill of Jane’s skin and the mystifying gift she possessed.
Shana wasn’t sure what had been the catalyst for her own personal liberation—all of the above, she guessed—but she was also happy to see Drake and Jane had found an outlet of sorts themselves, by way of being able to reveal their true identities to her.
Though, that did little to relieve the torment Drake seemed to suffer.
But Shana was, for the moment, fixated on Jane. Particularly the way she slowly, but noticeably, took over the kiss, turning it more passionate as she eased toward Shana, her lithe body pressing to Shana’s, her tongue plunging deep in an erotic way.
Shana’s eyelids fluttered closed as the kiss deepened. The fiery sensations already burning inside her were stoked by the expert way in which Jane intensified their kiss without making Shana feel inadequate.
There was no mistaking she evoked Jane’s desire, despite her virginal and inexperienced ways.
When Jane’s hand on her shoulder moved slowly down the satiny material of Shana’s dress and cupped her breast, Shana tore her mouth from Jane’s and gasped for air as her eyes flew open.
Jane gave the full mound, which her small hand didn’t quite encompass, a gentle squeeze. So much more tender than she’d expected, given Jane’s strength and the excitement that lit her eyes, but effective nonetheless. Shana felt a titillating burst of erotic sensations deep in her pussy that turned into a throbbing, pulsing need demanding to be satisfied. Jane’s thumb swept over her already hard nipple and she sucked in a breath, the throbbing, pulsing need intensifying.
“Electrifying, my foot,” Shana said in a strained tone. “That’s downright mind-blowing.”
Jane flashed her a brief, albeit wicked grin before her head dropped to Shana’s chest and she pressed her firm lips to the areola and tongued the hard pebble through the material of Shana’s dress.
Shana’s head fell back on her shoulders and her eyes closed again. “That’s just too delicious for words.”
She heard Drake come to an abrupt halt. Cracking one eye open, she found him standing in front of the fireplace, his fists clenched at his sides, lust blazing in his eyes.
“Bloody hell,” he ground out. “Is it your intention to drive me out of my mind?”
Shana grinned, opening her other eye to stare at him. “If it’s at all possible.”
He smirked at her. So she had a playful side. Shouldn’t surprise him any more than the way she’d so assertively kissed Jane. A gesture that had made him wild with envy, but which had also captivated hi
m. The woman had passion in dire need of being released, no doubt about it.
Unleashed, as Jane had put it earlier.
He could see—and sense—something bold and daring lingering beneath the surface of her carefully constructed shell. With every fiber of his being, he wanted her to set herself free of her past demons and let all her inhibitions slip away. So much so, he was willing to stand back and let it happen with Jane. Yet he wanted her so desperately for himself, it was hell to sit on the sidelines.
He did just that, though. In truth, he’d already agreed earlier this evening that what transpired between the three of them was not up to anyone other than Shana. And she was clearly interested in exploring her sexuality with Jane, so who was he to intervene, really? Except that it was near impossible to be a voyeur rather than a participant.
Shana had proved capable of bringing her own powers of persuasion to the table, and the only thing keeping Drake from bringing this whole convoluted seduction to a screeching halt before he completely snapped was the fact that he sensed it was all part of the reassurance Shana needed. The proof she needed that she was desirable and that she was alluring enough to win over not only him, but Jane was well.
And, if he dug deep enough within himself, he’d have to admit that watching the two of them together was hotter than hell.
So he said, “Have your fun. I’ll play along. Whatever you want.”
Shana’s head cocked to one side. “Really?”
“I didn’t say it’d be easy,” he assured her in a dry tone. “But it’s probably for the best.”
This caused confusion to flash in her eyes.
Jane spoke before he could, whispering in Shana’s ear. “He already knows how difficult it’ll be for him to stay in control when he’s inside you.”
Shana’s jaw dropped. Her breathing visibly picked up. Her gaze locked brazenly with his and fire replaced the confusion in her eyes. For him, the die had been cast months ago, when he’d first seen a photo of her on the Internet. But he’d kept his secret obsession to himself, for the most part, until tonight. The course they were about to take was now clearly set, because she didn’t get up and walk away. The idea of making love with him was obviously an appealing one. Her lusty expression and the wild beat of her pulse at her throat spoke volumes—telling of her excitement and anticipation.