by Carol Lynne
“Anything you ask for,” she said, licking her lips.
A single black brow rose. “Anything?”
“Within reason,” Lauren answered and held out her hand for her drink. It was too late to form a plan and execute it before the sun rose anyway.
Before Lauren had the glass to her lips, Vince’s hands found their way to her breasts.
With a smirk, she savored the Scotch as he continued to knead and play with her tits. Once finished, she held out her empty glass for more. “Please?” she asked.
Vince took the glass out of her hand and nodded toward the hall. “You can have more in there. We’ll consider it a nightcap.”
More than ready to let off a little steam, Lauren led the way toward the bedrooms. “Which one?”
“Second door on the left,” he answered, following close.
After setting the bottle of whiskey and glass on the bedside table, Vince turned on a small lamp.
“No,” Lauren said, turning to face him. “No light.”
Vince shook his head. “I want to see you, all of you.”
“I thought vampires could see in the dark?”
“We can, but in order to do so, I’d have to change, and I doubt you feel like fucking a guy with red eyes, sharp fangs and a protruding jaw. Besides, I’ve already seen your scars, remember?” He walked slowly toward her, unbuttoning his shirt as he did.
Lauren almost told him that she regularly fucked red-eyed vamps but decided to ease him into that fact.
“In a dark car. Believe me, they look much worse in the light.” Lauren’s breath caught at the sight of his bare torso. She could tell he was in shape, but wow. Any bodybuilder would envy Vince’s muscle definition. His pierced nipples were the icing on the cake. A brief thought of seeing Vince being fucked by York came to mind. She wondered if Vince had ever tasted another man’s cock?
He tossed his shirt to the floor as he reached her. Taking hold of the bottom of her T-shirt, he grinned. “Now you.”
Nerves started to get the better of her, and she stiffened. Before meeting her three lovers, Lauren had always had sex in the dark, afraid of disgusting her partners with her scarred body. It had taken her several romps before she’d exposed herself to York, Drone and Benson.
“Relax,” Vince whispered as the material was pulled over her head.
Instead of turning away in disgust, Vince sat on the bed and pulled her between his legs. Taking his time, he ran his hands over her lace-covered breasts before unfastening the clasp. Her bra fell away, and he moaned.
“Beautiful,” he said as he molded his hand to her breasts. Vince leaned in and ran his tongue around one hardened nipple.
Lauren’s head fell back as she opened herself to the pleasures Vince’s touches evoked. He seemed to be as caught up as she was, because he began to growl. She grinned, hoping to draw out his darker half.
Vince leaned back and looked up into her eyes. “I’m fighting the demon to remain in control of myself.” He looked at her scantily clad body. “You’re not making it easy.”
“I don’t want you to be in control.” She bent down and bit his bottom lip. “I want you to make love to me.”
Never in her life had she asked a man to make love to her. Usually sex was sex and nothing more. So what made this time so different?
She watched as his eyes momentarily flashed red. Finesse forgotten, Vince ripped the jeans off her body and threw Lauren on the king-size bed. His own jeans were disposed of in no time then he stood over her in all his naked glory.
She spread her legs, opening herself further to his gaze. Being touched reminded her that she was still among the living, at least for a little while longer. Lauren reached down and ran her fingers through her wet pussy before giving the small gold loop that ran through her clit a gentle tug.
Nostrils flared, Vince knelt on the side of the bed and seemed to peruse every inch of her now naked body. “Condom?”
Lauren knew neither of their species carried sexually transmitted diseases. “I know for a fact you can’t get me pregnant, so why use them?”
“How do you know I can’t get you pregnant?” Vince asked.
Lauren continued to play with herself as she tried to find a way out of her current predicament. Would Vince run away screaming if he knew what a slut she’d been? “I have three regular lovers, all vampires, and I’ve never been knocked up.”
“Three?”
Lauren nodded. “Don’t get jealous. There haven’t been many people in my life that I’ve felt I could trust. The Rogue Hunters have saved my life on several occasions. If I trust them with my life, how can I not trust them with my body? Emotions don’t come into play in our relationship, but sex strengthens the bond between us.” She removed her fingers from her pussy and painted the crown of Vince’s cock with her juices, circling the Prince Albert piercing. “Have you ever been with another man?”
“Of course. You don’t get to be my age without experimenting.”
“Did you like it?” She gathered his pre-cum on her thumb and stuck it in her mouth.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Just curious.”
“Depends on the guy.”
Reaching out, Lauren pulled Vince down on top of her and wrapped her legs around his waist. “My kind of man.” The words shocked her as soon as they left her mouth.
They seemed to stun Vince as well, but then he kissed her, pushing his tongue in deep. Lauren could taste his need for affection. Maybe the years of loneliness were catching up to him. Perhaps that was what the two of them had in common, because never in her life had she opened her heart to a man as she wanted to with Vince.
Burying her fingers in his midnight black hair, she took the kiss even deeper as she squirmed under him. Needing air, Lauren slowly pulled out of the kiss.
Vince’s tongue traveled from her lips to her ear. “I’ll make love to you. I just hope I don’t lose myself in the process.”
She wasn’t sure if he was talking about his control or his heart, but oh how she wanted. “Give them to me,” she sighed as he slowly entered her.
Buried to the hilt, Vince pressed his forehead to hers. “So different, like I belong inside of you.”
Unable to speak, Lauren nodded because she felt it, too. With one hand, she reached down to where their bodies were joined. She was amazed she’d been able to take all of him.
“Would you ever let me watch you?”
“Watch me what?” he asked, pumping his cock in and out of her pussy.
“Have sex with another man?”
“Is that what you’re into? Watching men have sex?”
“Yes,” she answered honestly as his rhythm increased. “Not just watching, participating. The more in a bed the better as long as I’m the only woman.”
“Oh, so you’re greedy?” Vince chuckled as he fucked her harder.
“I wouldn’t call it greedy. I’ve yet to meet another woman who’s stronger than a male vampire. Surrounding myself with men who not only have the ability to make me feel good but who I know can help protect me is my nature.”
Vince’s strength was evident in every thrust. She’d surely be bruised when all was said and done, but it was worth it. It felt as if she’d been born to be with this man. The fact that Vince was a vampire only seemed to add to her body’s overwhelming response to his pistoning hips.
With every thrust, she felt more alive, the sensation pushing her over the edge into bliss. A climax like none she’d ever known ripped through her. Years of living without really feeling fell away, and she was left with…what? She looked into Vince’s dark brown eyes. “You feel it, too, don’t you?”
His eyes snapped shut as he shuddered in release. Lauren pulled him down and wrapped his still-quivering body in a blanket of arms and legs.
What would York think if he knew she had fallen in love after one fantastic night? How was it even possible when she’d spent so many nights in the arms of York, Benson, and Drone?
<
br /> Vince rolled to her side and took Lauren into his arms. “Yes, I feel it.”
“We need to talk,” Lauren said. She hadn’t counted on falling in love. After years spent working with vampires, she’d often thought of asking York to change her, but it was a bond she thought she’d never be ready for. Had love really changed everything? Was it the reason she’d been drawn to Vince in the first place?
“I want you to change me,” she whispered.
Vince pulled away and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “No,” he growled.
“I’ll die if you don’t.”
“I know. That’s why I haven’t allowed myself to get close to a woman. I’ll outlive you by centuries.”
“No, you don’t understand. I’ll die at Armand’s hands if you don’t change me.” She sat up and pressed her body against his still-warm back.
“I won’t let him get that close to you.” Vince turned and easily lifted Lauren onto his lap. “You’re mine, and I take care of what’s mine.”
Lauren shook her head. She took his hand and placed it on her scarred chest. “Remember when you asked about these? A shifter can only be wounded like this from another shifter of the same species. It’s known as survival of the fittest. Armand is stronger than I am. He’s also more ruthless.”
“Then we’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t get close enough,” Vince said, tracing the scars lightly with his fingertips. “Can I ask you why?”
“Why?”
“Why your da—Armand did this to you?”
Lauren swallowed. She’d never told a soul, not even the police after the attack had happened. “It won’t make sense to you.”
“Try me.” He laid them both back on the bed and pulled a cover over their nude bodies.
“He thinks I’m his mate. My mom was human, which is why even though I can shift into cougar form, my strength is no match for Armand’s.”
“Was?”
Lauren nodded. “She died when I was born. I’m not sure if it’s her scent he smells when he’s near me or his own, but he truly believes I was born to be his.”
“Sick fuck,” Vince spat.
Lauren felt his muscles tense under her cheek. Oh boy, if he was angry now, just wait until he heard the rest.
“I didn’t start my menstrual cycle until I was almost fourteen. It was then that Armand began making bolder advances. I’d grown up with his kisses and gropes, but I didn’t know any better at the time. I just assumed all parents treated their children that way. It wasn’t until after I officially became a woman that he molested me for the first time. I told my one and only friend about it. I wanted to know if it was always that painful. I thought it was part of becoming a woman, but she was mortified and told her mom. Child services came that evening and took me away from him.”
Vince gripped her arm, and Lauren gave a yelp.
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry.” He kissed her and soothed the reddened skin.
Lauren shook her head and continued. She knew if she didn’t tell him everything now, she never would. “He got away before the police could arrest him. I didn’t hear from him for almost five months. Then, one afternoon he followed me when I left school. He caught up with me in the park. Cornered, I shifted. I’d never done that in front of him, and it seemed to drive him wild. He immediately shifted mid-pounce and began ripping at me with his teeth and claws. I knew I was no match for him, so I played dead while he raped me. After he was finished, he left me there, thinking I was already dead.”
Lauren wiped the tears from her eyes. “The thing I never understood was his cries of despair as he stood over my beaten and bloody body. It was almost like he couldn’t help himself. Like something other than angry lust had driven him to fuck me.”
“Who found you?” Vince asked.
“A jogger, the next morning. I had enough strength to shift back before I passed out. Even in my weakened condition I knew what would happen if they found a bloodied cougar in the park.”
“And you think he’s been trying to kill you ever since? That’s the reason why he chooses girls who look like you?”
“No, not really. There was a stupid newspaper article about the team of vamps I work with. It featured candid shots of all of us. Armand must’ve seen it and realized I’m still alive. Shortly after that insipid article, the murders started. I think he knew I’d find out and feel guilty. Which I have. He wants me, and he won’t stop until he gets me. After everything that’s happened, he still believes I’m his mate. That’s why I need you to change me.”
“I can’t.”
Lauren scooted up and looked him in the eyes. “I don’t want to die at his hands. I want to have years to learn everything there is to know about you and to love every second of it.”
Vince covered his face with his arm, effectively shutting her out. “I don’t know how, and even if I did, my sire warned me to never attempt it.” He shook his head. “I don’t think my blood is pure enough to complete the transition successfully.”
“You’ve never turned anyone?”
Vince uncovered his face and shook his head. “I’ve never bitten anyone.”
“What?” Lauren sat up, shocked. “How do you eat?”
Vince rolled his eyes. “We aren’t exactly living in the dark ages. I buy packets.”
“And before that?”
“Animals. I didn’t want to take the chance of being discovered.” Vince mumbled shamefully. “I wasn’t born a vampire. I was turned in nineteen-nineteen by a friend of my father’s. I had influenza and my dad had already lived through the death of my mother to the same illness. He was desperate.”
“How old were you?”
“Thirty-two.”
“And you weren’t married?” She covered her mouth. “Sorry, there I go again.”
“I’d lost my fiancée the previous year. It was a bad time for everyone. I fought my dad, thinking I’d rather just die like all those that I’d loved and lost. But he had no one, and so he did what he thought was right.”
“I thought vampires didn’t come out of hiding until recently? How was it that your dad knew?”
“Fane went to university with my father. Dad saw Fane feeding on another young man and was intrigued by what he saw. Since Fane didn’t kill the man, my father decided Fane would be a good ally to have. The two of them became good friends for many years.”
Vince paused, running his fingers idly over Lauren’s back. “For years, I was ashamed that I was alive while everyone I’d loved wasn’t. I chose to live in a sort of vacuum after my father’s death. Fane brought me back into the land of the living. He got me a job with the Philadelphia police department back in the forties. I was forced to move from city to city every five years or risk someone asking why I didn’t age. As much as I bitch about them, the Bureau of Vampire Affairs helped change my life and my future.”
“And you don’t want that future to include me,” Lauren surmised. The thought of being rebuffed hurt her even more than her father’s betrayal.
“I didn’t say that. It’s not something you can just decide to do. Besides the dangers involved in the transition, could you live every day watching those you care about die while you never age?”
Lauren shook her head. “I care about four people. You, York, Benson and Drone.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “All of you are vampires. Who would I watch die?”
“They’re the men you enjoy being in bed with?”
“Yes. They all work for an off-shoot organization of the BVA. Does it bother you that I’ve been with them?” Despite the fact that she was falling for Vince, Lauren wasn’t sure she was ready to give up the relationship she shared with her friends. It might not be normal or socially acceptable, but they’d been the three men who had held her together for years.
Lauren straddled Vince’s lap. “Are you the jealous type?”
Vince ran his hands up her thighs to circle her waist. Rolling them over, he covered her with his body. “I realize that a v
ampire’s natural instinct is to surround himself with others, but I haven’t found anyone to be territorial over in ninety-three years. I think I’m due, don’t you?”
He started a slow grind as Lauren tried to think. “But you haven’t met the guys. What if you like them?”
Vince reached between them and guided his cock back to her core. “Like them or not, no one will compare to you.”
Flattered, Lauren wrapped her legs high around Vince’s back. “What if you could bury yourself in my pussy while having your ass filled with a fat cock? You telling me that doesn’t turn you on?”
Vince didn’t need to verbalize his answer, the intensity of his fucking increased with each word she said. Lauren decided to see how far she could push him. “Drone’s cock is the biggest, but he’s also the least socialized of the bunch. Maybe, that’s why I like him to fuck my ass so much.”
With a grunt, Vince pulled out of Lauren’s pussy and flipped her over. He used her own juices and the cum he’d deposited inside her earlier to lube her ass.
“You like it in the ass? I can do that,” he said, pushing his cock inside without taking the time to stretch her.
Lauren’s back bowed at the bite of pain, but she didn’t try to pull away as Vince took out his aggression on her. She was used to rough; she craved it.
“What about the others? What do they do for you?” he asked, slapping her ass.
“Benson’s addicted to cum—anyone’s. He’ll eat my pussy on command. Believe me, there’s nothing like his mouth against your sex after a long day in the field.”
“And York?” Vince pushed against her upper back until her shoulders were against the mattress with her ass in the air.
“York’s the whole sexual package. Anything you need done, he can do without questions and without asking for words of love afterward.” Lauren remembered her phone conversation earlier that day. “They’ve had my back for years, saved my life on more than one occasion, and despite my denial to myself and them, they each own a piece of my heart.”
Vince leaned over and scraped his fangs down Lauren’s back. “And that’s the only reason I’ll let them live.”