ROMANCE: Regency Romance: Defiant Lords Complete Series: The Complete Collection Boxed Set 1-6 (Sweet Regency Historical Romance Short Stories) (Defiant Lords Sweet Regency Romance)

by Rose Haven

  Levi finally turned to look at her again. His hands were shaking, but he still looked at her in the kind way he had done before. She also noticed that his wounds were already starting to heal. He sat on the bed next to her and put his hand on her back lovingly.

  “You’ll be fine,” he said. “Vampires, even half-deads, heal quickly. That’s what makes half-deads so precious. We can feed on them, and they can regenerate. However, it’s easy for us to go too far.”

  “Please don’t feed on me,” she said. She wasn’t happy with how pathetic she sounded, but she was out of options. She did feel like she was gathering her strength again fairly quickly, but she was still so weak, especially compared to him. And she was bleeding like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

  “If I’ve been able to control myself this long…I think I can manage…it hasn’t been easy.”

  He stroked her hair, weaving his fingers through it gently. She guessed he didn’t mind the frizz. Between the humidity and being attacked three times, she was sure she looked rather wild.

  Vampires must still have beating hearts, because she could sense his beating out of control, betraying his calm demeanor. She could sense the blood churning throughout his body and gathering in his abdomen, resulting in an impressive erection. She couldn’t say how she could know this without seeing it, but it was just like hearing a heartbeat from two rooms away. And this was a lot closer than two rooms. Despite the fact that he was colder than a normal man, she could feel heat radiating from his body as the blood rushed into all his extremities. She didn’t know if he wanted to fuck her or feed on her…or both…but he wanted her so badly he might explode. He couldn’t hide his true feelings from her heightened senses, even though he did nothing more than gnaw on his lip while he stroked her hair.

  The pain in her neck had turned to nothing but a twinge, so she carefully removed the gauze. No blood spurted out or spilled down her chest, so she must already be healing.

  No matter how nightmarish this had been, this was no dream. Her desire before had been real, and it’s still real now. The adrenaline from the attack increased her excitement. All she could think about was his stiff, throbbing erection, and how amazing it would feel to let him sink inside her. She was so warm, wet, and ready.

  She leaned in and kissed him, gently sucking on his lips like she had wanted to earlier. He still had a whiff of the intoxicating wine on this breath. She used her tongue to explore his sharp teeth. Her body moved toward his like they were magnetic. Her hips pressed into him. He gasped and pushed her away from him urgently.

  She had to admit she felt rejected. With all the men she’s been with before, she felt like she was playing defense. Now she really, deeply wanted someone and he was playing defense.

  “Just…let me wash you first,” he said in a strained voice. “The blood…I can’t take it. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Eliza looked down and saw just how much blood she had on her. The blood had dripped down her chest and soaked her bra. It was like asking an alcoholic to make love to a woman covered in body shots without taking a taste.

  “Okay,” she said. “Where is the shower?”

  Chapter Six

  With his hands still shaking he led her into his master bathroom. He had a beautiful claw foot tub, but he led her into his shower—a spacious tiled room with a rainfall cascading showerhead. She stripped her clothing, feeling much less self-conscious than usual. She didn’t even feel the need to hide her over-large backside. She wanted him to see her. He helped her unhook her bra and released her breasts. He took off his clothes too, with the same vampire speed that he had used to save her, revealing the magnificent erection that she had only sensed before. She felt drawn to it, she couldn’t help but touch it. She cupped the head of his shaft in the soft skin of her palm. He groaned at her touch.

  He gently pulled her into the shower and turned on the water. She let the warm water cascade down her chest, washing away the sticky blood. He stood behind her with his erection pressing against the small of her back. Part of her wanted him to take her right then—just lean her over and slide into her from behind—but she also loved the glorious torture of waiting. None of the other guys had made her wait.

  Still behind her, he reached his hands around and caressed her breasts, rubbing them with a fragrant lavender soap. The smell of lavender gradually drowned the metallic smell of blood. She found herself moaning as he used the slick soap to massage her breasts. He gently rubbed her nipples, making small circles with his thumb. It made her want to scream so much, he might have been circling her trigger point down below. She didn’t know how she’d keep it together if he moved his hands down south.

  And of course, he did, still pressing his now wet, slick erection against her back. She wanted him inside her so badly. It took willpower to keep herself from backing into him right now.

  He slowly moved his hands down her abdomen, taking time to touch every part of her on the way down—her belly, the insides of her thighs, and finally he moved his hands to her clitoris. He rubbed her gently and circled his finger around her again like he had teased with her nipples. He slid his finger inside her briefly, again teasing.

  She let out a frustrated moan. Once he had made it down to her sweet spot, he retreated again, continuing the torture.

  “You still have blood in your hair,” he whispered in her ear.

  He turned her to face him and began washing her hair with a lovely shampoo that smelled of rosemary and mint. The mint caused her scalp to tingle, and he brushed his hands against her nipples and clit, causing them to tingle too. He took his time, massaging every inch of her scalp and he leaned down to kiss her as he did so, his tongue exploring her mouth while his hands massaged her head.

  He ran his hands through her hair and moved her under the showerhead to rinse the soap from her hair. His body betrayed his intentions. She knew that he was preparing to finally take her. His breath had quickened and his heart rate had increased as he gently rinsed out the suds. His already full erection throbbed close to its breaking point. She knew he couldn’t wait any longer.

  He picked her up under the arms much as he had done when he pulled her into his house and now pinned her back against the wall of the shower. Despite the slick surface, she felt completely secure. He could plaster her against the wall as if she was a light as a piece of paper. He finally thrust himself into her. He gasped and then let out a low groan that seemed to rumble her insides. He held her so adeptly that he didn’t need to use all his strength to keep her from sliding down the wall. He could even tilt her pelvis slightly so he entered her at the perfect moan-inducing angle.

  Eliza was stuck between two simultaneous desires. After just a few decisive thrusts, she wanted to come…she needed to come. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold it back. But she also wanted this feeling to last forever, hovering right on the precipice of pleasure. However, like she expected, she couldn’t wait. The wave inside her had reached its peak and she came crashing down with a loud moan. The orgasm didn’t end as quickly as she feared. She crashed down in several phases, stopping on one level, and then crashing down further.

  She was surprised to find that he didn’t let himself come at the same time she did. She had only been with one guy who could actually bring her to orgasm and as soon as he saw she was close, he would thrust himself to finish too. But Levi didn’t.

  He smiled in a self-satisfied way and then turned her over, tossing her like she was made of air. He entered her from behind, once again finding the perfect angle to trust against her sweet spot. She looked down at her feet in bewilderment. He was actually holding her up so her toes just swept the tiles. This was like fucking in zero gravity. He could hold her in any position he wanted.

  Eliza had expected to now just wait for his turn to come, but she began building up again, very quickly this time. She had never had a man who cared to bring her to a second orgasm. She had heard the legends, but never experienced it herself. She pressed her ha
nds against the shower walls, using her new strength to resist against his thrusts. He like the effect, groaning again so deeply that she thought she could feel the vibration in her toes.

  As she began to come again, she completely lost any shred of remaining inhibition. She could barely remember her own name. Her mind was blissfully empty—a first for Eliza. In that moment, she wasn’t planning out her next steps or thinking about her upcoming constitutional law test. Her entire world began and ended with his cock inside her and the undulating waves of pleasure pulsing from between her legs. Now aware that orgasms weren’t in short supply, she didn’t hold back. She enjoyed releasing another orgasm with abandon.

  She thought he certainly would finish then, but he didn’t. She could still sense his body and he hovered right on his edge for a supernaturally long time. But even his vampire willpower wouldn’t hold him for must longer. One good thrust and he might come whether he wanted to or not.

  Instead he pulled her out of the shower with an impatience that supported her belief that he couldn’t wait any longer. He pulled the bloody sheets off his bed with one grab and threw her onto the lush bare mattress. He pulled her abdomen to the edge of the mattress and entered her eagerly, standing and using her legs to pull her up to just the right angle once again.

  He couldn’t control his moans now. She was making him feel the same ecstasy that she had been feeling and she loved it. He bit his lip as if trying to control himself. She wished he wouldn’t…

  “Don’t hold back,” she whispered.

  He seemed to follow her command, thrusting into her with even more force. She loved watching his face. Watching his eyes roll back as he experienced waves of pleasure too. Even though he was taking his turn, she felt herself getting close again too. A third orgasm? She guessed stranger things had happened.

  Her body was so primed and ready that another orgasm came easily. She was already engorged from pleasure, so the amazing feelings just kept coming. As he groaned in final completion, she did too.

  Then she went limp and he let her legs drop, also collapsing next to her. Every muscle in her body felt relaxed. She had lost years of tension she didn’t even know she had. She had thought her neck was just meant to be tight. That’s just what necks feel like, right? No, she could have spent all day getting a massage and wouldn’t have felt this good. She thought she might melt into the mattress.

  She laid her head on his chest, listening to his still racing heartbeat. His skin felt cold and hard, but in a refreshing way. Against the hot water of the shower and her hot skin, he felt like a cool breeze on an August day. She sighed contentedly.

  Chapter Seven

  When she woke in the morning, she still had the feeling of being more relaxed than she had in a long time, but she also felt disoriented. It took her a while to remember where she was. She looked at the old-fashioned wind up clock by the side of the bed and saw that it was barely 5 am. She felt amazingly fresh and awake for that early in the morning.

  She had never slept until noon on weekends like Rachelle, but her body didn’t naturally wake before sunrise. She stopped in the bathroom and examined the wound on her neck. It was still there, but looked to be at least two weeks old. The skin was healed together and she had nothing but a pink scar. She wondered if even the scar would fade and it would be like it never happened. She felt a rush of panic as she thought about the vampire holding her down to feed. She had been so helpless. So paralyzed. She never wanted to feel like that again.

  She decided to shake off the feeling. As long as she was with Levi, she was safe. And if it were up to her, she would never leave his house again. She wandered down the stairs, wearing nothing but bra and panties, and not feeling self-conscious. She didn’t even stop to examine her make-up-less face or undoubtedly untamed hair. With Levi it simply didn’t seem as important to be flawless.

  Levi looked up from his kitchen counter and smiled.

  “I made you an omelet,” he said proudly. He reminded her of her kid cousin, proudly showing off a new art project.

  “Thank you,” she said, smiling at his enthusiasm. “It smells wonderful.”

  “It’s been a long time since I used my pots and pans. They’ve been going to waste.”

  “So you don’t eat? You know…solid food?”

  “We can, and it can sometimes even provide a substitute for blood, although a poor one. Our bodies aren’t living in a traditional sense, so we don’t need much in the way of nutrition. We don’t even need to feed very often. A vampire can live on a once a month feeding.”

  “What about me?” she asked with a cringe. “Will I need to…feed?”

  “No, although you might have the urge to. You’ll also find that as a half-dead, you won’t need as much food, sleep, or water.”

  Eliza opened the door to the fridge—kind of on instinct. She always wandered to the fridge in the morning. She couldn’t help but turn her nose up in disgust. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but even bottles of blood might have been more normal than what she saw. He had a large chunk of bloody beef, and nothing else.

  “I guess that’s what you use as a substitute? Bloody meat?’

  He nodded. “I know it seems bizarre, but I’ve been doing it for a long time now. I’ve forgotten what it was like to crave human food.”

  She ran her hands through her hair, which had tripled in size since the night before. “I’m sorry you have to see my hair like this. I actually have to spend a lot of time straightening it.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t be ridiculous. Women used to be much more natural than they are today, and I prefer them that way.”

  He looked up at her with a mischievous grin, making him look far younger than three hundred years old, not just because of his smooth skin, but because of his demeanor. He looked like he was trying to hold back a smile, almost giddy. Seeing him so happy made her smile too.

  “You’re probably not as hungry as you usually are in the morning,” he said. “I had actually hoped on coming back up stairs to help you build up an appetite first.”

  “Is that so?” Despite being so thoroughly satisfied just the night before, she felt a little rush in her tummy that made her know that she was ready again. She may not feel that hungry for food, but she seemed to have an endless appetite for him.

  She took the spatula out of his hand and pressed her half-naked body against him, tugging on the elastic of his flannel pajama pants. She pulled his pants down just enough for her to get full view of the “V” on his lower abdomen. She ran her fingers along the indentations in his muscles and he stiffened under his pajamas.

  She tilted her head up so she could kiss him while he slid his own hands into her panties and felt the curves of her backside. Even though she wanted to move onto making love as soon as possible, she thought she could kiss him for a long time. He tasted like a winter rain or fresh cold spring water.

  Eliza used her new strength to hoist herself on to the counter—much more gracefully than she would have been able to do before. She didn’t even have to think about it. She instinctively knew where she needed to be so he could enter her at the right angle.

  He didn’t take his opportunity right away. He pressed his abdomen between her hips so his erection rubbed her through the cloth of their respective clothing. Perhaps less patient than him, she pulled back slightly so she could pull off her panties. Then she pulled down the elastic of his pants, releasing his erection. This time, she guided him in right away. She leaned back and moaned, letting the pleasure wipe her mind once again.

  She had forgotten all about her upcoming midterms. She had forgotten about the electric bill that needed paying. And she had certainly forgotten about her ten-year life plan. None if it seemed to matter more than this moment. She could sustain herself on pleasure alone.

  Eliza ended up staying with Levi for forty eight hours before she even considered going home. She lost count of how many times they made love, but somewhere between the moments of blissful emptiness; she r
emembered Rachelle and her father. If she didn’t love people in the human world, she might not have ever gone back. She no longer cared about school or any mundane detail, but her love for her family hadn’t diminished.

  And now after 48 hours missing, they had probably called the police. Once she realized this, she started to feel guilty. This wasn’t like her, and they knew that, which meant they probably thought she was in serious trouble.

  After a long, lingering kiss goodbye that seemed to make time move slower, Levi played bodyguard as they dashed to her car. She saw a few vampires step out of their homes as she emerged, but as Levi had said, they hadn’t hovered in the street waiting for her to come out for 48 hours so they had an opportunity to dash.

  Although she no longer believed she was hallucinating, she let him drive, just in case her car accident…and two subsequent vampire attacks…had caused more harm that she realized. As they pulled on the highway, via phantom on-ramp 152, Levi reached over and grabbed her hand, as if entering the human world might be as frightening as entering the Gate World.

  “So you really saw Miles David and Thelonious Monk perform live?” she asked.

  “I did.”

  “Wow. Sometime, you’re going to have to tell me everything.”

  “Sure.”

  “It’s funny, I always thought college guys were too immature for me. But I had no idea that I should be shopping in the 300 plus set. Maybe 100 or 200 years old…but 300?”

  He chuckled and glanced at her fondly.

  She had to admit that entering the real world again, did give her a chill. Even though only two days had passed, her entire world seemed different. Everything she had once believed, thought, and wanted was now askew. She was a new person…and maybe not even a person at all. However, as long as Levi was a part of this new reality, she thought it would be worth living.