“They gave me a whole new identity, moved me to a more secure location, and for the first time in three and a half years, I actually felt safe again. I was able to sleep at least two or three hours straight at night, instead of waking up every hour. I believed I might actually live a week or two into the future.”
Ian pressed a kiss against her temple, then lifting her up, he settled her into his lap and cradled her closer against him. He really wished he’d been able to take out the piece of shit who fathered her that night in the alley; the first chance he got, he was going to destroy him. He’d make sure the man never came near her again.
“And now he’s found me again,” she murmured. Her head tilted back; her eyes were bright in the light of the TV. “How does he keep finding me?”
“I don’t know,” he murmured. “But we’ll figure that out and put an end to it.”
“How did he convince those vampires at the cabin to help him?”
“He probably created them.”
“Really?”
He rubbed at the stubble lining his chin. “Yes, I’ve seen it before. He created them, and they’re willing to do what he asks of them. They weren’t very old.”
Paige’s fingers dug into his flesh. “You’re in danger. You should send me away, you should get far away from me Ian; he’s never going to stop.”
Ian hugged her closer when he felt the tremors shaking her body. She’d always been so dauntless around him and the others, but now her anxiety was palpable. “That will never happen. I’m going to hunt him down, and I’m going to kill him. You’ll never know fear or abuse again. I can promise you that.”
“You could be hurt, and I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”
Ian scoffed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about me, that bastard doesn’t stand a chance once I get my hands on him.”
“Ian…”
“I’m not kidding. I will find him, I will destroy him, and you will never know another sleepless night again.”
The look on his face left no doubt in her mind about that. His eyes glistened like ice chips in January. Her eyebrows rose at his statement; he was so unlike the carefree, easy-going man she’d come to know. She saw the vampire now, but instead of scaring her, she found herself oddly drawn to him even more. Hers, she thought, and it felt completely right. A missing piece of the puzzle clicked into place.
“So is Paige your fake name?” he inquired.
She chuckled and rested her cheek against his chest. “Paige is my real name. When I was with the hunters I was known as Ruth Trinkle.”
Ian released a harsh bark of laughter. “Paige is much better.”
“I agree,” she murmured, absentmindedly trailing her fingers over his broad chest.
“I’m sorry for what you’ve had to endure,” he whispered. “I’ll keep you safe now, if you’ll let me.”
She let herself drift into his touch, let herself be lost to the pleasure he gave her. “I know you believe I’m your mate, but what if you grow bored with only one woman?”
His hand stilled on her cheek as he sat back from her. “I never could… it’s not…” He broke off as he searched for words. “All those women, it’s not what you think. It’s not the life I planned to lead, it’s the life I had to lead.”
Her forehead furrowed as she stared at him “I don’t understand.”
He ran his hand through his hair. How did he explain it to her without driving her further away? She’d already seen the worst of what a vampire could do, already experienced their brutality firsthand, and now he was going to tell her what? He had to sleep around in order to release some of his pent-up energy because he believed he might kill someone if he didn’t.
“I don’t know how to explain this without pushing you away,” he admitted.
Her hand wrapped around his. “My entire life has been running and hiding. People I believed I could trust have lied to me and betrayed me. You’ll only push me away if you lie to me.”
He squeezed her hand and bent to place a kiss against her temple before sitting back again. “Those women were a release, an escape from this clawing monster inside of me. Being with them and drinking their blood helped to ease what is inside of me. I’m not a killer, Paige.” His eyes burned into hers as he spoke. “But there’s a brutality inside of me that intensified when I stopped aging. The only time it was a little pacified was when I was with them.”
She didn’t know how to respond or feel about that one. “And they made you feel better?”
“For a brief period of time, yes, but then it would come back again, and I would have to go back out.”
“That’s why there were so many of them?”
“Yes. And why they were always different women. They understood one night was all I was good for with them. I didn’t want to lead anyone on by letting them think there could be a relationship between us. I knew there never could be.”
“I see,” she murmured and looked away from him.
“You wanted the truth.”
“I did.” Her attention returned to him; she managed a tremulous smile. She knew he believed her to be this mystical mate thing, but what if they had sex and he realized he’d been wrong after all? The thought left her feeling barren and hollow. “How do you know I’ll be enough to help with what is inside of you?”
He leaned closer to her, his lips brushed against her ear when he spoke. “Because you already are Paige. I want nothing more than to be inside of you, but if you never allowed it, I would never turn to someone else, and I will always stay by your side.”
His words filled her with awe; she rested her hand against his cheek. “Thank you for being honest with me.”
“I’m not proud of what I’ve done, but I’m not ashamed.”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m not saying you should be ashamed. I don’t completely understand what you are or what you’ve endured, but I know you’re a good man.”
He relaxed against her and pressed her closer against him. Her hand fell to her mouth; she stifled a yawn. “I’ll let you get back to sleep.”
He went to rise, but she wrapped her hand around his wrist to keep him in place. She knew she was wading into dangerous territory, knew this man could break her heart, but she couldn’t stand the idea of being separated from him right now. “Stay with me.” She fought to keep the blush out of her cheeks. “I can’t be alone, not tonight.”
He went rigid against her; she feared he might get up and walk away from her. Instead, he brushed back her hair, lifted the covers and slid into the bed beside her. Paige squirmed over when his solid leg brushed against hers. The intimate feel of his powerful thigh, and the bristly hair on his legs caused a small shiver to run through her. What had she done by inviting him into her bed?
She didn’t know the answer to that question, but as the heat from his body enveloped her, she knew she wouldn’t have changed her mind. “Do you mind?” he asked her and held open his arms to her.
An unexpected lump formed in her throat. Unable to speak, she nestled closer to him. He surrounded her in his arms. The feel of his body cloaked her; his bare chest pressed against her skin. The fresh scent of the spicy soap he’d used tickled her nostrils. Her fingers curled into the unyielding flesh of his chest, she tried to hold herself away from him, but she found herself instinctively pressing closer against him as yearning spread through her belly.
A deep ache pulsed to life inside her. She hadn’t wanted to be alone anymore tonight, but when his hands splayed out on her back, she knew that’s not why she’d asked him to stay. Her breasts, pressed against his chest, tingled as her nipples hardened. His breath tickled against her ear and neck as it blew back her hair.
Her fingers uncurled from his flesh to slide over the smooth skin pulled taut over the muscles of his chest. Ian stiffened against her, afraid to move, barely breathing as her hands skimmed over his body. Everywhere she touched, his skin rippled. His dick jumped in eager anticipation when her fingers slid over the elas
tic band of his boxers.
“It’s going to be very difficult for me to go to sleep, if you keep touching me like that,” he murmured against her ear. Her hands went still against his lower abdomen; her fingers played over the rigid muscle beneath her touch. Sleep was the furthest thing from her mind right now, not with his heat enshrouding her. “Not when all I crave is to be buried deep inside you.”
A shudder ran through her at his words; her heart rate escalated to the point where she knew he could hear it. He had to be able to sense that all she wanted was the exact same thing. The crispy hair on his shin tickled her foot when her toes curled against him. Heat spread into her belly, a tightening began between her thighs; her mouth went dry at the thought of him moving over her, inside of her. Memories of what had transpired between them before flooded her mind, but she knew he wouldn’t be satisfied with a hand job, not tonight, and neither would she.
“Ian,” she whimpered, unsure of what she’d meant to say.
His mouth slid over her cheek before brushing the corner of her lips. She tasted like liquid heat and apples, smelled like the crisp lemon scent of the shampoo the motel had provided. His hand slid into her silken hair, brushing it back from her round face before he traced over the smattering of freckles on her nose. Her turquoise eyes glimmered in the changing light as they searched his.
“This won’t end with kissing, and touching, so before you say or do anything more, realize that. I’ll lay here and hold you all night, but if you keep touching me like that…” He took hold of her hand on his stomach and guided it down to his boxers. He wrapped her fingers around his throbbing cock. It jumped in her grasp; her breath froze as her eyes flew up to his. “And be aware, it won’t be only tonight. I’ll be taking you over and over again because I know it won’t be enough to only be inside of you once. You’ll be mine.” It came out a low growl.
Oh God, she didn’t think she’d ever heard such a wonderful prospect in her life. It felt like her heart might explode out of her chest like some kind of crazy cartoon character on speed.
“I’ll never let you go,” he continued. “There’s a chance you could walk away from me now, and I’d somehow be able to withstand your loss. We haven’t had sex and we haven’t exchanged blood. I know what you are to me, but I may be able to set you free. You deserve to be able to make your own choices about your life, but this act will push us beyond that.”
Her eyes flew back to his. She slipped her hand inside the open front of his underwear. In her grasp his dick jumped again. It was so hard, yet the skin was silky beneath her palm. Her hand slid up his shaft leisurely, and then slowly slid down again. The massive size of it caused her to lick her lips in anticipation. Slipping away, her hands cupped the fullness of his heavy balls.
“Paige,” he hissed out when she began to fondle them. “I’m not kidding. These are completely different forces; this is an unbreakable bond.”
She bet there was plenty she still didn’t know about this massive man filling her hand, but he was hers for the taking, and he wanted her over and over again. More than that, he loved her, and as she continued to stroke him she realized she loved him too. It didn’t matter they hadn’t known each other for long; he’d become more important to her than anyone else she’d known these last four years. He cared more for her than anyone else had.
She felt powerful as her hand slid over him again, and he arched into her touch. He was vulnerable right now, exposed in a way she instinctively knew he never had been before, and so was she.
“Paige…”
“For a man with your reputation, you’re sure being awfully hard to seduce.”
He moved so fast she barely registered motion before she was on her back and pinned beneath the enticing flesh of his body. “You were warned,” he growled before seizing hold of her mouth with a passion that stole her breath.
Paige’s heart leapt into her throat. For a minute panic pulsed through her, what had she unleashed? She’d signed her death certificate, but as his tongue swept into her mouth, she forgot all about her fright. Forgot all about her hesitance and didn’t think about what she was doing, what she had set into motion as he kissed her in deep, thrusting waves that caused her bones to melt.
His tongue tasted every recess of her mouth. Just when she believed he would have enough, that he would relent and allow her mind to stop spinning, he kissed her deeper. She struggled to catch her breath; her only thought was feeling more of him, being with him as her hands ran over the bare flesh of his broad back.
He became her entire world as his thigh settled in between her legs and he pushed them apart. The heavy weight of him settling between her thighs made her gasp, but when she felt the press of his throbbing cock rubbing against her through their clothing, she almost screamed aloud. She would have, if he still wasn’t kissing her senseless.
Ian slid his hands down her sides and clasped hold of the edge of her loose shirt. Pushing it up, his fingers brushed over her silken flesh. Breaking the kiss, he briefly met her dazed eyes before tugging the shirt over her head. His eyes fell upon her pale skin and irresistible, apple-sized breasts. His fingers trailed over the lean muscles of her stomach before he bowed his head to take one of her nipples into his mouth. He began to suck on it as his tongue swirled around the pert bud. A low moan escaped her as her body arched up beneath him. Her hands tugged at his hair and a small cry escaped her.
He told himself he should stop, he’d told her what this would mean, but she didn’t understand the full ramifications of their actions. He understood it though, he knew what she was to him, knew once he was inside of her there would be no turning back, not for him. But he couldn’t stop, there would never be any stopping again, not until he possessed her.
Releasing her hardened nipple, he turned his attention to her other breast and nipped at it before gently sucking on it to ease any discomfort he may have caused her. She squirmed beneath him; her excited moans and frantic movements drove him onward. He’d slept with more women than he could remember, but not one of them had ever made him feel as aroused as she did. All of them faded from his mind as he continued to taste her.
Shifting his weight, he grabbed hold of the waistband of her sweats and tugged them downward. Her legs drew in so he could pull them over her feet before tossing them aside. He pulled his boxers off next and settled himself between her legs again. His fingers slid unhurriedly up her thighs, teasing her flesh before he dipped his hand in between her legs. A groan escaped him when he found her already wet with desire. Pleasure and possession rippled through him as he slid his finger deep inside of her.
She lifted up beneath him, her body seeking out the fingers working their magic on her. She wanted so badly to get closer, and yet the pleasure he aroused so demandingly within her was almost too much for her to bear. His fingers slid in and out of her, driving her ceaselessly onward. Then his thumb began to rub over her clit. A loud cry escaped her as his fingers caused her to completely fall apart.
She’d barely come back to earth before his hand fell away and she felt the press of something far larger against her center. Dazed, her eyes settled on him as he leveled himself between her legs once more. She could feel the head of his dick against her, teasing her. She lifted her hips against his, begging him with her body to end both of their torment, but he remained unmoving above her.
“Paige, I have to know you understand,” he grated through his teeth. His face was flushed with restraint, sweat beaded across his brow as he held himself back.
“I want you, Ian.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“This is an eternity.”
“I understand, and I want it.”
Red blazed into his eyes; his fangs slid free to hang down over his lower lip. Paige’s breath caught in her lungs, but before she could react to his loss of control, he drove into her and buried himself to the hilt with a guttural shout. A soft cry escaped her as he filled and stretched her in ways she’d never been filled before. Her heart
lumbered in her chest as she tried to adjust to the size of him filling her body.
Ian remained unmoving as he waited for her to become accustomed to him. She may not be a virgin, but her muscles were deliciously tight as they grasped him, and she wasn’t used to someone of his size. Her eyes met his in the darkness; his arms shook as he fought to keep himself restrained, but the muscles gripping at his cock were nearly his undoing as contractions from her previous orgasm still shook her.
Her fingers entangled in the hair curling against his neck. Her legs clasping his sides eased their hold on him; she pulled him down for another kiss. His tongue slid into her mouth again; his fangs pressed against her lips as he pulled slowly out of her before thrusting in again. The feel of his fingers in her was nothing compared to the feel of his cock inside of her, taking her. His massive body blocked everything out except for him and the ecstasy he stoked unremittingly higher.
A low moan escaped her when he pulled back and slid into her again. The friction of him within her, made her body quicken again as he moved incessantly in and out of her. He was relentless, demanding as he gave and took in equal measure, pushing her onward when she tried to retreat.
“Let go, Paige,” he murmured against her lips. “Don’t fight it. Give your body over to me.”
She didn’t have a choice in the matter; he’d taken away all of her control over herself. He possessed her body completely. The encompassing feeling growing within her was spinning out of her control. She welcomed the plummet over the edge with this man, welcomed the oblivion he could give to her.
He felt it when she gave herself over to him completely. Her legs slid around his waist; her body rose and fell with his as he drove into her before slowly withdrawing again. He grasped her face in his hands, kissing her in rhythm to his deep thrusts. Calmness slid over his body, slipped into his soul. For the first time, since reaching maturity a sense of peace enveloped him. The beast within had finally been calmed by the warmth and pleasure of his mate’s body.
Paige’s mind spun; her fingers dug into his back as his hand slid under her. He grabbed hold of her ass and lifted her hips off of the bed. The pressure within her started to grow again; her body moved in ways she’d never known possible as she grabbed at him, trying to draw him deeper into her, demanding more and more of him.
The Vampire Awakenings Bundle: Books 1-5 Page 103