Before she could blink, he vanished again. Focusing on his words, she tried to tune out the rest of the world as she concentrated on locating him. How did she let her instincts guide her? The hunters had been teaching her how to fight and use weapons; she’d been taking kickboxing and jujitsu since she was eighteen. But during all of those things, she’d been moving and going. The idea of stopping and listening had never occurred to her before.
In the distance the sweet trill of a bird echoed through the mountains. The call was picked up by another, and then another, until their song reverberated across the land. A breeze stirred the tendrils of hair clinging to her nape. She heard nothing other than the birds. A crunch of dirt caused her to twirl around, but he wasn’t there. Hands pressed against her back before vanishing again.
“Closer,” he murmured.
Quiet, she told herself. Forget your growing frustration. Breathe. Listen.
Another step sounded to her right, her instinct was to turn in that direction; she pushed it aside and took a step to her left. She felt the rush of air on her right, a chuckle brushed against her cheek. “Better,” he whispered before moving away again.
A step on her left made her heart leap; she forced herself to remain calm and immobile. She didn’t know how or what made her do it, but she threw her hands up in front of her and felt his solid abs. It was a glancing blow, a brief brush of her hands over his flesh, but it was the best she’d done so far. A smile curved her lips. Her joy was short lived as she felt his hands in her back, and then on the front of her shoulders.
Ian chuckled again. He could feel her aggravation mounting as she turned toward him. He’d already moved beyond her reach again. The breeze he created ruffled her hair; he could smell the floral shampoo she’d used this morning, hear the increased beat of her heart. She remained still, unmoving as he slid around her again. Her eyes remained closed, her lips pursed. He admired the curve of her breasts, the firmness of her ass in her jeans. He’d suggested this in order to try and keep her alive; he continued to do it now so he could enjoy every subtle nuance of her facial expressions and her determination to try and get him in some way.
Assuming he was going toward her back again, she whipped around. Thrown off balance by the abrupt movement, she took a stumbling step to the side and sprawled on the grass beside the drive. “Shit!” She slapped her hands on the ground. Those fugly sneakers stepped into her line of view again.
“I think that’s enough for today.” His elegant hand stretched down toward her. The impulse to slap it away crossed her mind, but she’d already acted like a petulant child when she’d punched his toes. Reluctantly, she took hold of his hand. Warmth spread through her body, her lungs contracted as air expelled from them at the contact. He pulled her to her feet and stood her up before him.
Her hand tightened around his, but he released her and briskly stepped away. She’d wanted him to keep his distance, she reminded herself. Even as she thought it, regret twisted in her belly. It felt like the Grand Canyon was growing between them and she hated it. Her shoulders slumped, her hand fell limply back to her side when he walked away from her.
His posture was rigid as he climbed the steps and entered the cabin.
Chapter Thirteen
Ian propped his feet up on the table and stared at the crackling logs across the way. His eyes were focused on the fire, but he was acutely aware of the woman sitting to his left. Her wet hair fell in curling tendrils around her face. Her eyes were focused on the sketchbook in her lap, but he could see the clear bluish green color of them in the flickering firelight. He’d made a deal with the devil when he’d promised to stay away from her, but he’d had no choice. She’d had to come back with him. She couldn’t be allowed to return to her life until he knew his family was safe, until he knew she would be safe.
The smell of apples and soap drifting from her tickled his nostrils enticingly. This was the longest he’d gone without sex since he’d stopped aging. He could feel the lust slinking through his blood, sliding into his groin, and clawing at his chest. He’d fed on some deer in the woods earlier, but it wasn’t the same, it wasn’t enough to ease the growing tension in him. All he really craved was to touch this woman, to have her beneath him, to be inside of her and to feel her skin against his.
His fingers flexed with the urge to slide them through her hair, over her face, down her breasts…
He shut the thought off as more blood flooded into his cock, and he felt himself begin to harden. Rising to his feet, he paced over to the fire and rested his arm on top of the mantle. He could always go into town, there had been a small bar there, or perhaps the waitress was still at the diner. She wouldn’t say no to having him in her bed, not like the woman behind him would.
The woman he truly desired.
If he didn’t have sex soon, he didn’t know what he was going to do. He wouldn’t injure her, he hoped anyway, but he didn’t know if he could trust himself around her, not right now. The most damnable thing of it all was he knew if she would only allow him to touch her, she could calm this raging insanity inside of him. It didn’t have to be sexual, a simple touch from her had soothed him before, when he’d been trying to teach her to fight better earlier, but he didn’t dare touch her. She might bolt and never agree to come back this time if he did.
“Are you ok?” her husky voice sent a shiver down his spine.
“Fine,” he lied.
“You seem tense.”
Turning toward her, he stared into her questioning eyes. She was so close, and yet so far beyond his grasp. “Feeling a little caged right now.”
Ian restlessly paced the floor over to the door. He had to get out of this cabin, spend a few hours somewhere, anywhere other than this place. Had to find a way to ease some of the pressure building within him. The last thing he wanted was to find another female, not with Paige here, but if he didn’t do something he was going to tear his skin off. He’d tried jerking off, multiple times. It helped to take the edge off about as much as bashing his head into the wall did, which might be an option if he didn’t do something soon.
Pulling at his stubble lined cheeks, he ran his hands over his chin before dropping them down to his sides. An owl hooted somewhere in the night, its lonely call mirroring the way his soul felt. Stepping outside, he strode across the porch, down the stairs and out into the driveway. He stood there for a minute, torn on what to do. Something inside of him was missing, something only one woman could ever ease in him, but she refused to let him into her life.
Turning back around, he jogged up the porch steps and into the cabin. Paige glanced up from where she sat on the couch. His eyes fastened on her breasts. In the loose top he never would have been able to tell she wasn’t wearing a bra, but her wet hair had dampened her shirt. His dick jumped at the sight of her partially erect nipples beneath the fabric.
Paige’s eyes widened on Ian, a savage air surrounded him, his body radiated tension. And then his eyes latched on her breasts. The look that came over his face made her pulse quicken. He stared at her like a lion watched a gazelle, only he didn’t want to eat her. At least he didn’t want to eat her blood. He may enjoy feasting on something else as his eyes remained locked on her breasts.
The only problem was, she didn’t think she would mind being feasted on.
Shaking her head to clear it of the insane notion, she folded her arms over her chest to distract him. His eyes shot up to hers, his pupils dilated; the color of them had deepened to a nearly navy color. “I’m going into town,” he announced abruptly.
“What? Why?” she sputtered in confusion. She rose to her feet, thinking perhaps something had happened.
His eyes were like daggers stopping her movement toward him as they pinned her to the spot. “Because.”
Her mouth parted as realization settled over her. “You’re looking to get laid.”
His nostrils flared, a muscle began to jump in his cheek. “Who are you to judge me, Paige?” The gravelly tone of his
voice sent a shiver down her spine.
“I’m not judging you.”
“It’s all you’ve done since the second you found out what I was. You’ve believed the worst of me in every possible way, and I’ve taken it. I’ve accepted it because I told myself you’ve had multiple bad experiences with our kind. I’ve taken care of you, I saved your life, but I am not a human. I am a man though, I have needs that animal blood won’t take care of. You’ve told me over and over again you won’t be the one to ease them.”
“You sound like a teenager.” The surly tone of her voice sounded like a teenager too; she just hadn’t been able to stop herself. She didn’t know why she was baiting him, but the idea of him walking out that door, and going to find another woman, made her want to scream and kick him in the crotch. “Any port in a storm, right?”
She never saw him move, but he was suddenly right in front of her. The abruptness of the motion, and his size, caused her to take a step back. Her heel connected with the wall, stopping her. She took a deep breath; her palms flattened against the wall as he loomed over the top of her. Gorgeous, the realization flitted across her mind as her vision filled with him.
“Oh no, Paige. Believe me, there’s only one port I want to be in right now. And even if I do find another woman, I’m going to be picturing you the whole time I’m with her.”
He grabbed hold of her hand, and before she could stop him, he placed it against the front of his jeans. Beneath the material, she could feel the rigid evidence of his arousal. Despite her every intention to jerk her hand away, slap him in the face, kick him in the nuts, and storm out of here with her dignity intact, her hand tightened around him and slid over his bulge.
A low groan escaped him, a groan that caused heat to pool through her as realization sank in. This man wasn’t one to be played with and led on, no matter how much she burned to touch him, she couldn’t handle what he wanted from her. It was more than his vast experience, if this continued she was certain he would take a piece of her with him. Not a piece of her heart, but her very soul. Snatching her hand away before things spiraled out of control, she pressed herself flat against the wall again.
“Is that supposed to be flattering?” she demanded as a way to distract herself from the urges clamoring through her body.
He studied her from under hooded eyes. “I don’t believe in flattery, only the truth.”
“That’s not something… You shouldn’t say that!” she cried.
“And why not?” She felt cornered by him, trapped by the heat of his body. It didn’t help when he took a step closer to her. He rested his hand on the wall beside her head. She looked to the open front door, but she would never make it there, and truth be told, she didn’t want to. “Why not, Paige?”
Before she could answer, he moved his hand from the wall to rest it against her cheek. She started, but he didn’t stop there. His hand trailed down her cheek, over her chin and to her collarbone. Her breath froze in her lungs. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from him as his eyes burned into hers. Air rushed back into her when he clasped hold of her breast and cupped it within his hand. Her knees trembled as his thumb rubbed over her nipple, caressing it into a hardened nub.
She had to stop this, but what her brain thought, and what her body craved were two completely different things. She bit back a mewl of displeasure when his hand slid away from her breast, down over her ribcage, and across her hip. Before she knew what he intended, his hand dipped between her legs. His palm stroked over her, causing her hips to press instinctively into his touch.
Bending closer, his lips brushed against her ear as his hand slid over her again. The delicious sensation the friction of the movement caused almost made her scream out loud. His fingers pressed against her jeans, teasing against her as liquid heat pooled between her legs. She bit into her lip as her body betrayed her again by pushing into him once more, seeking more. He could ease this growing pressure building in her.
“Do you really want me to go?” he murmured.
She had no idea what she wanted right now. She most definitely didn’t want him to stop, but this man was dangerous. Her mind spun as his hand continued to stroke her to higher heights. “No,” she panted. “I mean yes.”
Ian stopped moving his hand immediately. He could smell her heightened arousal and feel the heat of her against the palm of his hand. Her eyes were smoky when they met his, her breath coming in rapid pants. Her fingers curled into his forearm; the nails digging into his flesh were nowhere near as uncomfortable as the force of the erection pressing against his jeans.
“Which is it?” he inquired.
“I don’t know.”
Her broken admission, and the torn way it slid from her lips, pulled at his heart. He was causing her this anguish, and though she was driving him just as mad, he couldn’t tear her apart in this way. He went to pull away, but her fingers continued to dig into him. Her eyes were dazed when she tilted her head back to look up at him. His fingers slid through her hair, pushing it away from her face as he bent to press a tender kiss against her trembling lips.
“Tell me no,” he murmured against her lips.
“And you’ll find someone else.” She barely spoke the words as her mouth grazed his. Her heart plummeted, he couldn’t leave, but she didn’t know if she could be the one he needed.
He shuddered, the idea of another woman, one who didn’t smell of apples and sex, made his stomach turn. The hard-on throbbing against his jeans began to shrink. “No. I need a release, but I only want you. No one else will do.” She did a double take as she gazed at him. “You have to tell me what you want now.”
What did she want? Him, her body screamed at her. That was what she wanted, and with an intensity bordering on insanity. She longed to tear the clothes from his body, from her, and press her flesh against his, feel him inside of her and over her. Her body screamed this answer at her, but her mind called her an idiot. There were so many other women in his past, she’d seen part of his parade of conquests and he’d admitted there had been countless others. She couldn’t be just another one of the many. Her pride wouldn’t allow it. His vampire status didn’t matter. She’d already come to realize he was no monster; no, it was his status as a man holding her back now.
“You, I want you,” she admitted. “But I won’t be, and I cannot be, like all those other women.”
“I can assure you, Paige, you are nothing like any of the others. It’s impossible for you to be.” He bent low and pressed a kiss against her cheek. “You’re different to me, so different.” As he spoke the words, he knew they were true, but he was too caught up in her heady scent to think about the implications of what he’d said.
His hand began to rub her through her jeans again. She’d been determined to resist him, instead her eyes drifted closed and a small moan escaped her. The man may not be evil, but to her, he was the devil incarnate. A temptation too great to refuse. His hands were pure sin, and they should be with all the practice they’d had.
That realization sobered her up, but before she could protest his other arm slid around her waist. A gasp escaped her when he lifted her up and spun her so she was facing the wall in one, fluid motion. Her eyes flew open; her hands pressed against the wall as his massive body enveloped hers from behind. The heat of him encompassed her. His muscles bunched and flexed as his fingers fluidly undid the button on her jeans. Her breath shuddered out of her when his palm slipped inside of her underwear to cup her.
“Wait!” she panted. “I can’t… I don’t know…” Words completely failed her.
Ian felt a subtle stiffening in her body. She couldn’t pull away, not now, not when he was so close to being inside of her in some small way. “Let me please you,” he grated through his teeth. “I’m not asking for sex; I only want to touch you, to feel your pleasure.”
Paige shuddered, and then her thighs that had tightened at his touch, eased. The yielding of her body against his caused a rumble of satisfaction to escape him. A sense
of possession filled him when he pulled her flush against his erection. Her ass fit snugly against his cock, her hands flattened on the wall when he slid his finger into her. The tightness of her muscles, and her heat enveloped him. His dick jumped at the thought of those muscles clenching around it as he began to deliberately slide his finger in and out of her.
Thinking was a thing of the past as he moved within her, and his palm worked against her clit. She didn’t know how she remained standing, the pleasure swamping her caused her legs to shake. His warm breath tickled her neck and stirred her hair when his lips slid over her neck, leaving a trail of kisses across her flesh. His fangs scraped her skin, instead of frightening her though, the rough sensation of them sent her lust spiraling higher. His other hand slid up to her breast; his palm cupping her as he kneaded her sensitive flesh.
“Do you like this?” he inquired as his tongue ran over her ear. Was she supposed to answer that? Was she supposed to be able to form words at all? Because right now they completely failed her. “Imagine if it was my dick inside of you, stretching you, filling you. Imagine how amazing it would feel to have me sliding in and out of you, taking you, possessing you.”
The vivid pictures his words evoked danced across her mind. A strangled cry escaped her when he slid another finger into her, stretching her further. It could be him within her; all she had to do was say yes. The word lodged in her throat. Her breath came in rapid pants and her head bowed. The massive length of his erection pressed against her ass; his hips set up a rocking motion against hers. She eagerly met his movements as his fingers slid in and out of her with the rhythm of his hips. His heated mouth slid over her skin, down to her shoulder.
Her fingers curled into the wood of the wall; bits of it broke away beneath her hand. His breath became more rapid against her ear. He nipped at it before swirling his tongue over her flesh and sucking upon it. “I’d have you begging me to stop, and then pleading with me to continue,” he said in a ragged voice.
The Vampire Awakenings Bundle: Books 1-5 Page 97