After Sundown: Redemption

by Eden Robins

  Alyssa swung around as the bedroom door opened. Christian walked in and Alyssa’s breath caught in her throat. How was it possible that a man could look so yummy just getting out of bed? His slightly tousled hair gave him a boyish air, but the burning desire that flared in his eyes told her he was all man. She wanted to take him back to bed.

  Alyssa’s eyes slid helplessly down his body. His hard chest rose and fell with the deep breaths he was taking. The muscles rippled enticingly with each movement. Her eyes lowered further. His jeans weren’t buttoned all the way up, so they rode low on his hips, giving her an enticing glimpse of his hard abs covered in a trail of soft hair leading down. She followed the trail to where it stopped and swallowed hard. She suddenly wished she had x-ray vision.

  “X-ray vision, palomita?”

  Alyssa’s eyes flew back to his face and her mouth fell open.

  “How did you-uh, I thought you didn’t have—”

  “I guess Vlad forgot to mention one very interesting part of the reverse conversion process. It’s true I’m no longer a vampire. I’m no longer immortal and no longer require blood to live. However, the conversion doesn’t take away everything. The powers I had as a vampire remain intact. It seems my work at Sundown Security is still wanted. In fact, Vlad wants me as a full partner now. He told me the fact that I can operate during daylight hours with my powers would be a great addition to our business.”

  “So you can read my mind?” Alyssa was glad Christian would be able to continue the work he found satisfaction in, but right now she wanted to know more about this mind-reading business.

  “Yes, among many other things.” Christian gave a very masculine chuckle.

  His eyes met hers with complete knowing and arrogance. The look in his gaze was all male. He told her with that one glance that he knew he could have her right then and there, if he wanted to. And she would welcome it.

  For once, Alyssa didn’t care that he knew how much she wanted him. She met his hot look with a passionate stare of her own. Then she offered him the kind of seductive come-hither smile women have been giving men for ages.

  “Many other things? Hmm. Sounds promising,” she said in a teasing voice.

  Christian growled low in his throat as he slammed the door behind him and closed the distance between them. He pulled Alyssa into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers. His kisses were hungry, demanding everything from her. Alyssa didn’t hesitate. She stood on tiptoe to have more of him. It felt so good to be back in his arms.

  The next thing she knew, he picked her up and carried her to the bed. Laying her down on it, he slowly undressed her, then followed close behind. He pressed his body over hers. The feel of his hot hardness pressed against her sent tingles of anticipation through her body. Hot? This was the first time that she had noticed Christian was hot. He felt sizzling in her arms. She pressed up against his heat, welcoming it as it surrounded her.

  “You’re hot,” she said breathlessly as Christian moved his kisses over her chin and down her neck.

  He raised his head and smiled with amusement dancing in his eyes.

  “Thank you.”

  “No, uh, I mean you are hot and all, but what I’m saying is your body temperature is hot,” she stammered.

  Understanding dawned in his eyes as she spoke, but his grin grew wider.

  “Thank you again. And I’m sure a thermometer will measure my body temperature at a normal 98.6 from now on. But at this moment, I think my body heat is rising.” Christian’s eyes were half closed with desire as his gaze burned a trail from her face, to her neck, to her breasts. They rested there and he licked his lips. “You make me very, very hot, palomita.”

  Alyssa gasped as Christian lowered his head and ran his tongue around one nipple. He did the same with the other and she felt them harden under his touch. With a groan he latched onto one. The suction of his mouth made her hips rise against his in invitation. He continued to worship each one in turn, until she was squirming and practically panting. She splayed her fingers through his hair, tried to pull him back to her needy mouth, but he resisted. Instead his lips slid lower. Over her quivering stomach, stopping to delve his hot tongue in her belly button before moving on.

  When his mouth grew close to her center, she moaned with need. She couldn’t help but tilt her hips up as she felt his warm breath against her. When his mouth found her, she practically jumped off the bed from the pleasure of it. Soon he had her gasping and moaning with need.

  “Please, Christian. I need you now.”

  As if he had been waiting just for those words, Christian rose above her. He gently grasped her thighs, spread them wide and perched his hardness against her core. Alyssa closed her eyes as desire swept through her. She could feel the heat of him pressed against her, yet he didn’t move.

  “Christian!” Her needy voice filled the silent bedroom.

  “Yes, my love. But first you need to look at me. I want to look into your beautiful eyes as I plunge deep inside you.”

  Alyssa let her eyes open and met his hot stare.

  Christian grasped her hips and thrust deep. She gasped from the pleasure. She wanted to close her eyes as the rhythm of their bodies took her to another place, but Christian held her gaze with his. It was incredibly erotic. She watched his face grow tight with passion. She struggled to keep her eyes open as she grew closer and closer to the edge. His hands were everywhere, adding flames to her already out of control fire. He slid his hand between them and rubbed her tender nub. The combined friction of his fingers and each plunge into her body was too much. She began to splinter into a thousand pieces.

  “Keep your eyes open, palomita. I want to see you come to your pleasure,” Christian demanded.

  Alyssa couldn’t refuse him. He held her eyes as she peaked. It intensified everything. She had never experienced anything so passionate. And she knew watching her drove him over the edge. His eyes flared wide and he gasped. She felt his body explode as he came inside her.

  Christian rolled over onto his back, bringing her with him, so that she lay sprawled on top of him. Lethargy took over and she fell asleep in his arms.

  Some time later, Alyssa woke up. It was daytime and Christian was no longer under her. In fact he wasn’t even in the bed. She sat up and immediately found him with her eyes. She remained quiet.

  Christian stood in front of his large window. The drapes were open wide. Sunlight streamed into the room. He was naked, but this didn’t faze him as he stared outside. After a minute he seemed to sense her perusal. He slowly turned around.

  The emotion in his eyes was almost too much for her to bear. He looked like a little boy who was enjoying his first Christmas. His gaze was wide with wonder and joy. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t seem to get the words out immediately.

  When he finally did, they weren’t the words Alyssa expected.

  “Thank you,” he said as he strode to where she sat on the bed. “Thank you for giving me my life back.”

  Alyssa felt tears sting her eyes. She didn’t try to stop them. Not with this man. Never with him. She never needed to hide from him. She knew that now.

  Christian sat beside her on the bed and tenderly brushed away her tears with his finger.

  “I love you, Alyssa. Bazhena was wrong about her choice for the legend. You are The Light, the guiding light of my existence. All that I ever wanted and needed. I just didn’t realize it right away. My apples and sunshine. I couldn’t ask for more.”

  “Apples and sunshine?”

  “Yes, one of the first things I noticed about you is that you always carried the scent of apples on you. It drove me crazy with need. You represented everything I didn’t have, everything I wasn’t. I was darkness and death. You were sunshine and life. So, whenever I thought about you, the words apples and sunshine always came to mind. I craved that, craved you from the beginning.”

  Alyssa couldn’t speak. Christian’s words sent an arrow through her heart. Left her aching with love. This
incredible man loved her and needed her as much as, if not more than she needed him. And he loved her enough to tell her. She could do no less. Swallowing hard, she said the words that she had been so afraid to say in the past.

  “I need you too, Christian. You are everything to me. I love you so much my heart aches with it every time I see you. I can’t and don’t want to imagine my life without you. How would you like to spend the remainder of your short mortal life with a little bird?”

  Christian’s grin grew wide. He kissed the tip of her nose and chuckled.

  “So you found out what palomita means?”

  “Yes. My curiosity got the better of me. I went online and looked up the English translation for palomita. The words “little bird” came up immediately.”

  Christian nodded his head.

  “That’s right. You’re always so full of energy, always fluttering around doing one thing or another. Yet you are so feminine and soft. Like a little bird,” Christian explained with a tender smile before continuing.

  “And I would consider it an extreme honor and pleasure to spend the rest of my life with you, little bird. Whether it is five or five hundred years, it would never be enough time with you. But I promise you that I will make the most of every second of it, if you let me.”

  Alyssa watched Christian’s eyes darken with desire and knew that he meant to keep that promise. Good. She would hold him to it. With pleasure. Christian lowered his mouth towards hers. She rose up to meet his kiss. Joy swept through her as their lips touched.

  This was her man. Her partner. Her love. Alyssa would give him everything and she knew Christian would do the same for her. Just as it should be.

  The End

  About the author

  Eden Robins hears voices in her head. Her characters’ voices, that is. She loves creating new worlds and complex characters that always seem to find their way into one sticky predicament or another. She enjoys helping them get untangled from these situations, only to find themselves entangled in love affairs that will last for all time.

  Eden welcomes mail from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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