by A. C. Mason
His warmth permeated her. She smiled, pressing her lips to his. He rose, climbed onto the bed and set her down. The withdrawal of his heat from her mouth made her to shiver. She reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled up the cotton material, exposing his torso, and he helped toss away the barrier to her touch.
Beneath her fingers, his flesh felt so smooth. Edging her hands up the taut muscles of his stomach, she stopped at his nipples. With a finger twirl, she circled the hardening flesh.
“Undress for me?”
Men all enjoyed the same types of things. A woman on display. “Like a little show?”`
“No.” Vaihan shook his head. “Undividedly you.”
She quirked her brow. What did that mean?
“You, Leera.” He pressed his index finger to her mouth, preventing her from speaking. “Remove your clothing for me.”
Not something a man had asked of her before. Vaihan rose and sat beside her. With ease, he could undress her, so what was with his request about? Kneeling, she reached back and unfastened the empire tie of her gown. The ribbon loosened, freeing her from the cool fabric.
Pillows propped behind him, he leaned against the headboard. Vaihan’s gaze did not convey emotion.
She lifted the material over her head. The hardened peaks of her nipples were revealed through her sheer lace bra. She unhooked and lowered the garment. As she slid her thumbs beneath her panties and pantyhose, her bare breasts bounced. She rolled down the garments, sat back and flung them to the side.
“Come.” He gestured her forth.
She shuffled toward him and straddled his lap.
His hard length pressed to the inside of her thigh. “How do you feel?”
How did she... “Naked and a little chilly.”
“You look like a deity.” He lifted the duvet up over her. “Since I was changed, no woman has ever taken off her clothing for me or let me admire her nude body while she could see me watch.”
Did she understand what his words meant? Surely he’d had women. He’d told her as much. “Not even Elizabeth?”
“You remember.” His lips flipped up at the corners. “Elizabeth was blind. Though she was aware of the fact that I was different, from others’ reaction to me, she could not see what others could not bear to look at. You, however, beaute...” He glided his warm hand up between her breasts. “Give yourself to me without fear and stare right into me.” And he stopped at her belly button.
She traced the contour of his head and kissed the top. No male treated her the way he did.
As he slid his smooth touch over the curves of her hips and rear, then skimmed his lips over the hard bud of one of her nipples, she sighed, already breathless and wanting more. “I don’t want you to get a taste of, or for, the toxin,” he said.
The idea scared and thrilled her. “Why?”
“A number of reasons. The substance is the most addictive in the world. I want you to want me, not the toxin. I enjoy you being an active member of our physical exchanges. If you’re paralyzed, I might as well be with dead body, and I’m not into necrophilia, despite my personal condition.”
She chuckled, a full-bodied laugh.
“I want to learn what pleasures your body.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, laid her on the bed and stretched out beside her. “For that, I need your help. Just like when we shared the massage, with your instructions. More, harder, faster, deeper.”
Heat swirled inside her and moisture collected between her thighs.
Vaihan smiled, covering her with a blanket. “You like me talking this way to you.”
The fact he saw to her comfort by putting the covers over her sent a swell of emotions inside her.
“Yes.” She turned toward him and kissed the bare surface of his chest. With her hands to his flesh, she pressed her nails in and scratched.
“Much nicer than the pain I suffered today.” He groaned.
With her tongue pressed to his skin, she trailed a path to his scar with her tongue.
“Leera,” he said, grabbed hold of her hands and forced her back into the bed. “I’m seeing to your pleasure tonight, not the other way around.”
What was the difference?
He cuffed both her arms in one hand and slid the other down her flesh to the curls between her thighs. She pushed her pelvis up and spread her legs. The edge at the corner of his eyes softened. Parting her labia, he circled her clit, which made her arch in delight, jolting her breasts up.
“You are so beautiful.” He exhaled his hot breath over her ear and neck.
“Faster.”
Slick heat passed over her nub with his quicker pace. “Do you prefer more clitoral or vaginal stimulation?”
Didn’t men want to believe all women got off through intercourse? Since he appeared to know the difference, she was willing to answer. “A mix of both.”
“Do you orgasm vaginally?” The hunger in his eyes gleamed of the predator inside him.
“I have, on rare occasions.”
“How very interesting.” He kissed the rise of her breast. “And what was different about those times?”
The man didn’t beat around the bush much. “The duration of intercourse, the depth of penetration, the angle and how aroused I was when we began.”
“And what angle or position reaped you such a reward?”
He wasn’t going to change the subject of his questions. “Me being on top.”
He met her gaze. “Beaute likes being in control? Or watched?”
She crushed her lips together.
“Maybe, a little or a lot of both.” Vaihan grinned. “I will learn to satisfy you both ways.”
“Sounds like fun...”
“Loads.” He pressed his fingers down, into her opening.
“Yes. Please.”
He massaged the folds of her opening with two fingertips. Inside she quivered, pressed herself to his stimulation. The width of two fingers plunged, stretching her. She rotated her hips to meet his descending caress.
“Faster.”
“Shall I draw out your release or give in and relieve you?” He slowed his motions.
“Please, Vaihan.”
“Mmm.” He pressed his thumb back and forth over her clit. As he worked in and out of her, with another finger, he spread her insides. Quick repeated thrusts.
She whimpered.
“You’re so tight and slick.” He perused her neck and ear with light kisses. Deep stimulation pumped into her.
A quiver jerked in her womb and her inner muscles tensed around his digits. “I’m coming.” She arched her back, forcing her breasts up. “Vaihan.”
Strumming his thumb over her nub, he brought her to sweet agony. Then he scooped her to his chest, kissed her temple and slowly withdrew his fingers.
Chapter 22
Vaihan knocked once more. Days without seeing Ms. Waltz and minimal contact with her had left him wondering if their encounter after the explosion was too much, too soon. Or was something else going on? Not since the night at the spa had the faint smell of another man’s musk marked her. Had she ended her involvement with this man when she’d asked him to be exclusive with her?
Meg opened Leera’s door. “Did you park your car out of sight?”
“I took a taxi.” Vaihan smiled at the excitement in the woman’s eyes.
“Even better. Leera is going to be so surprised.” As she held out her hand, glee beamed from the redhead’s face.
Hopefully, Leera would be surprised in a good way. Meg wasn’t Leera’s favorite brainiac. The woman’s people skills left a lot to be desired. Vaihan removed his overcoat and handed the dark wool garment to her.
At the back of the room, Peter leaned against the wall. Despite the thank you email Vaihan sent him for the other night, Peter hadn’t responded. Did Peter believe Leera’s involvement with him wasn’t in her best interest after what happened? All eyes were on him.
The lights went out.
“She’ll know we are here if th
e lights are on,” Meg said.
Peter crossed his arms and went into the kitchen. Vaihan followed.
“How is my sister doing?” Peter stared at him, his gaze intense.
Wouldn’t he know, or had they not spoken since the other night? It was difficult for him to ascertain what the true point of the man’s question was. “You tell me?”
Chatter buzzed in the background.
“I’m worried about her.”
Understandably. “Go on.”
“She’s fragile, still mending. You could be a way for her to deal, which would suck for you if you have feelings for her.”
Vaihan continued to consider the possibility. “What are you saying?” This had to be that brother talk with the potential male in his sister’s life.
“If you aren’t serious about her, don’t string her along. She won’t recover.”
One moment the man was saying Vaihan could be a distraction, and the next he was telling him not to break his sister’s heart. Not that he intended on being one or doing the other.
“Shh! Her car just pulled up!” Meg shouted from the foyer.
The room grew still. A car door closed outside. Footsteps crunched on the snowy pathway. A key slid in the lock then the door opened.
Everyone jumped up and yelled “Surprise!”
Leera screamed and grabbed her chest. The terror in her eyes unnerved him. Her heart pounded loud enough to drown out all others’ in the room. Beckoning him. He clenched his fist so he wouldn’t rush to her at lightning speed. A few deep breaths, and she leaned on the wall, the hem of her short, flowing red dress ruffled around her thighs from the swiftness of her movement.
Meg went over, spouting words of apology. Peter’s eyes met his. No worries, he got the gist of the talk. What could the man do to him that he hadn’t already suffered? Vaihan had no interest in hurting the first woman who wanted him, all of him.
As she greeted the guests and made her way toward him, he hung at the back of the crowd. Were these people her friends? And if so, why hadn’t she told him about any of them? Meg turned on the music, and a group danced by the fireplace.
Leera reached him and smiled. “Hi.”
“I’m sorry, I was sworn to secrecy.” He leaned in, kissing her cheek. “Happy Birthday.”
“Thank you.” She trembled, and tears welled in her eyes.
Vaihan guided her away from the crowd into the vacant hall. “Tell me what’s going on?”
“Nothing. Just emotional, I guess.” She wiped up the droplets with her thumb. “Birthday blues.”
There was more to the fear, but she wasn’t going to tell him. At least not now. Better he change the subject.
“You look ravishing.” He hadn’t stopped thinking about her since he’d dropped her off three mornings ago.
“Thank you.” Though she smiled, her eyes did not meet his.
Something was wrong. But what?
“Can we talk?” She bit her bottom lip.
Wasn’t that what they were doing? A round fellow peeked into the hall and must have seen them there because he turned around and reentered the living room.
“Sure, where?” Vaihan asked.
She tugged his hand, leading him through the master bedroom into the bathroom, flipped the light on with the fan and locked the door.
“If you don’t want me, just tell me.” She huffed.
Whoa. First Peter, and now her. Had he missed something? Was he not being an attentive partner? He had announced their relationship at a press conference. “I do want you. Every inch of me craves you. Every second of every moment.”
She hung her head and turned away from him. “Then, I don’t understand.”
Join the club. “I got you something for your birthday.” He removed the necklace from the blue velvet pouch and lowered it over her neck.
She glanced up in the mirror. The white gold and sapphire stone heart shone in the light. In the center of the heart, a tiny key dangled.
“It’s beautiful.” Brightness lit her eyes. “Thank you.”
He fastened the clasp at the back of her neck and whisked the curls from her nape, planting soft kisses. “I’ve never felt as I do until I met you. I want to give the same to you.”
“Then make love to me right here, right now.”
He exhaled against her flesh.
She pulled away, spun toward him and crossed her arms. “You want me, just not in that way.”
“How can you question that after what we’ve shared?” He skimmed her cheek with his fingers.
“Because of what we didn’t share.” She closed her eyes.
He’d suspected she was upset that morning. The signs were all there. She’d barely said a word on the ride back to her place, and his attempts to get her to open up were met with dismissal and claims of fatigue.
“Do you have any idea what it was like for me? To have you kiss my forehead then slip into the shower and get off?”
She’d either heard or seen him through the door. He wanted her and his body craved her. There was no deception or efforts to hide what he was doing. Why would he? It was perfectly natural. If when he said that he was taking a shower she had offered to join him, he would have included her.
“I was right there.” She rubbed her forearm. “I could have gotten you off, but evidently, you didn’t want that.”
How could he get her to understand him? He should have explained. “Of course, I didn’t want that. I can only speak for myself, but the last thing I want sex to be in our relationship is quid pro quo. After I pleasured you and your endorphins dropped, I would have been taking advantage of your vulnerable state. I can’t image what fearing for my life brought up, related to the loss of your husband.”
“Wonderful! One more person protecting poor fragile Leera.”
“I won’t apologize for that. It’s my duty, to you–to us. That’s what people who care about each other do. But I’m not a saint. While my mind was thinking about what was best for you, the urge inside me only elevated my need to have you–own you–and aggression grew. Sexual intimacy with a partner has meaning to me. Given all the complications, it can be no other way. I couldn’t take you under those circumstances.”
“Do you know what it’s like to feel your partner doesn’t want you to fulfill them?”
“The fluid in my body can and will hurt you if I slip up. If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t be so cautious. Every person I’ve loved in my life has died. I brought misery into their lives. I refuse to have that effect on you.”
“Fine. You should just go home. I have no interest in being involved with someone who doesn’t treat me as an equal.” She grabbed the handle of the door.
Vaihan pressed a hand above her and leaned his body into her coolness. “We aren’t equal. You are alive with a life to lose. I’m dead, with you to lose.” As he inhaled, the peach scent rising from her flesh filled his senses. He pushed his erection against her. “Can you not feel that I want you?” He brought her hand over his length. “With each stroke, I relived what we shared the night before.”
“I want you inside me. I want to know what it’s like to be filled with you, and feel the loss for days. Sex isn’t just about the release for me. I need to share all of myself with you and for you to do the same with me.”
“I do want that too, beaute, but I have limitations. I’m not human.” If this wasn’t dangerous, he’d have ravished her repeatedly until neither of them could move.
“These aren’t real restrictions, and you aren’t consulting me on what I want, you are imposing.”
He slid his other hand along her side, under her dress. The wet folds of her womanhood met his fingertips. No panties. She did these things to make him crazy. “I love you.” He closed his eyes. “Don’t ask me to do something that can hurt you...please.”
She turned, found the button of his shirt and worked to release one after the other. With her cool lips and tongue, she worked the flesh of his scar, causing his skin to
tremble. “I trust you. I know you won’t let things get too close or out of hand.”
He wanted to believe that he could keep it together once inside her, but surrounded by the feel of her, would he lose control? “Promise me you’ll listen when I tell you not to move.” He had always avoided the caution zone.
“Yes.” With her hurried fingers, she released his belt then the zipper to his pants.
The material rested at his thighs. “Say it.” A finger under her chin, he lifted her gaze to his.
“I promise.” She nodded vigorously, while she withdrew his cock from his boxers. “You’re huge.”
Leera lowered the straps of her dress, exposing her breasts and knelt. She brushed her cheek along one side of his shaft, then the other.
As her tongue swirled around the head, he swallowed hard. She descended her lips the length of him. The rhythm of his heartbeat pounded. She glanced up, vulnerability in her gaze. Without fear, she accepted him within her. She had no reason to trust him so completely, and yet she did. Could she feel about him the way he did for her, but just wasn’t able to say it?
A brush of her lips to the tip was followed by a flick of her tongue. She rose. “I need you inside me.”
Hands around the back of her thighs, he lifted her onto the edge of the counter. As he glided the head of his length over her slick folds, at the knowledge of her cool moistness his leg muscles quivered.
“Please, Vaihan.” With her tongue to his scar, she grazed the area with her teeth.
He groaned. The urge raged, a storm of need and hunger inside him. Focus. He would protect her. The width of his cock pressed to her inner labia, forcing the flesh to part. Which created more madness? His shaft vanishing within her or the cool, silky wetness of her insides warming? Once his cock was halfway in, he pulled back and pumped. Heaven existed in glimpses on earth and women were the conduits to its manifestation.
“The heat of you inside me is delicious.” As if drunk with sensation, she slurred her words.
She warmed to the temperature of his body. Juices slid down to the base of his cock. The smell of her arousal saturated the air. He thrust in further, and was met by the resistance of her muscles.