by Jessica Lee
Fuck… When she spoke like that it was all he could do not to tear her clothes off and take her like his body demanded. But he couldn’t. Not until he knew for sure.
“It’s just…” he started, searching for moisture in his parched throat. “I don’t understand.” He shook his head, confusion and desire leaving him dazed. “How could—? After everything you’ve seen and heard about me— How can you…?”
“Forgive you?” she whispered. Alexandria rested a gentle palm to his cheek. “We were both victims,” she said. “I don’t hold the trump card on pain. I understand. It took time…but I understand the why, Warrior.”
Warrior. The title had once meant something until Marguerite had gotten inside his head and forced him to turn his back on the Enclave. Then she’d used the designation as a weapon to taunt him. As if what he’d once been had been a flaw in his character, a weakness. But coming from Alexandria, there was no shame associated with the word. What he felt seemed foreign, new. Yet he recognized the emotion: pride.
“Vixen,” Markus growled, and captured her nape. “Make very sure this is what you want.” He narrowed his eyelids, and there was no way in hell his irises weren’t on fire, burning with need. Burning for her. “Because this time, I won’t be able to stop from taking you—the way I need you right now.” He lowered his head to hers, their foreheads brushing. “I want you.” The three words were a carnal fact. “I want you against the wall. Then I want you flat on your back with my cock buried so deep in your pussy that I nearly go blind from the pleasure. Except no damn way would I miss watching you come.”
Slowly, ever so slowly, he smoothed his hands down her arms. He had to take it slow. Unreel his leash one link at a time until she gave the command. She shivered, and the gooseflesh prickled his palms.
“After that,” he continued. “I’ll bend you over, take you from behind until I’ve filled you with every drop of my seed. You’ll be marked so deep there’ll be no question as to who you belong to.” Markus bent a little closer, gliding his lips across her obsidian tresses. “You’ll be mine. Not just for tonight, but for as long as I draw breath. Is that what you want?”
“I’d be lying”—her words came out breathless—“if I said it’s not all I’ve thought about.” Her hands landed on his chest, her nails biting through the cloth. “I can’t deny it any longer. I care too damn much about you.” She pulled back, and her gaze locked with his. “I’m yours, Markus,” she breathed. “I’ve always been yours.”
A sizzling bolt of heat arrowed through Markus’s body and landed in his cock. His jaw clamped tight. He had to, or he’d lose his load. And there was no fucking way he’d allow his dick to blow until it was inside her.
Several loud thuds crashed around him. Books. Her back was against the library shelves, except damn, he didn’t remember moving. All he knew was the driving need to have his skin next to hers. Her mouth on his. The soft feel of her breasts against his chest, and the sweet taste of her nipples on his tongue. “Mine,” he rasped.
“Yes,” she moaned. “All yours.”
“Again,” he demanded, mere inches from her perfect bow of a mouth.
“I’m yours,” she said, her chest rapidly rising and falling against his.
Shit. His shaft pulsed against his zipper, demanding release.
“Yes.” The word came out more animal than human.
“Show me,” she ordered, her voice deepening to a purr. Then her hands were around his neck and she wrapped her legs around his hips. The heat of her core rode his erection. “Now, Markus,” she cried out. “Make me yours.”
Markus claimed her mouth. Hungry and hard. Fangs erupting and teeth clicking. The taste of their blood trickled over his taste buds, the flavor adding fuel to their fire.
“Fuck,” he muttered against her. “I can’t do easy, Vixen.”
“To hell with easy.”
He slid her bottom onto the massive mahogany desk on the far side of the room. With one swipe of his hand, he cleared the items from the wood in an eruption of glass and metal. Alexandria chuckled and lay back, her arms going over her head.
“Clothes off,” he gruffly commanded, and he shed his jacket, shirt, boots, then started to work on his belt. But Alexandria rose and stopped his hands with her own.
“Mine.” She lifted a brow, challenging him to claim otherwise. He may be a monster, but he wasn’t a fool.
“Yours, Vixen,” he pronounced without hesitation, and his swollen shaft jerked in agreement.
She tugged the leather strap free, and it clattered to the floor. The button and zipper came next. Cool air rushed over the head of his rod a brief second before the warmth of her palm surrounded the length. He hissed at the sensation, and his hands slapped the desk’s surface for stability.
Markus watched, enthralled, a slave to her whim as she leaned over and the wet pink tip of her tongue flicked out. She scooped the bead of pre-cum from his slit, and his molars released a squeak.
“Fuck,” he gruffed. “Killing me.”
“I haven’t forgotten the last time.” She licked her lips and tightened her hold around his girth, staggering him. Not from pain. But from the sweet, sweet pleasure. “And damn. I want more.”
A wicked smile curled her lips, and she bent closer again, ready to take him.
“Shit!” he hissed. “Hold up, baby.” Markus twisted out of her grip, and Alexandria lifted her head, frowning. “Won’t last. And I have to be inside you.”
He seized her hips and scooted her farther back on the desk. She grinned and kicked her boots off. “No more waiting,” she said, working the closure to her jeans.
Markus helped her make quick work of removing and discarding the denim.
“You don’t need this,” he said, regarding the black lace covering her folds. He slid his palms under her hips, nabbed the thin material, and tugged it free. “Or this,” he added, targeting her tank top. He pulled it over her head and tossed the soft cotton over his shoulder.
Alexandria grasped her lower lip with her teeth as he planted his hands on either side of her. She released the closure to her bra and allowed the sheer fabric to fall to her sides.
And heaven had surely fallen from the stars because an angel lay beneath him.
Her thighs parted, and the smooth feel of her legs slid around his hips, snugging the head of his cock where it most wanted to be.
“Dammit, Vixen,” he ground out, the thread on his control fraying.
“I’m yours, Markus Santini,” she proclaimed. “No more sacrifices.” Tears welled and fell from the corners of her eyes, twisting his heart.
“For you,” he said, “I’d do it all again. If only for this moment.”
Markus slid deep, burying his cock until he had nothing left to give. Her channel wrapped him, hot and tight, the sensation threatening to shatter the foundation of his sanity.
Alexandria cried out, and her nails dug into his biceps. “God…Markus.” She gasped. “Don’t stop.”
“Hang on, baby.” He drew back from her tight core, leaving only the head inside before rocking his hips and sliding back home. Christ!
“Yes!” Her back arched.
Fucking had never been like this before: a shattering of every mental wall. She made him feel raw, exposed.
And it was euphoric.
Sex with her wasn’t a physical exercise to satisfy an itch. For once, he understood what it was to make love. It was transforming.
Over and over he pumped into her, his orgasm teetering on the brink with every thrust. Not yet. He needed more time.
Alexandria tossed her head back, cried out his name, and her core clamped down on his shaft. Her legs quaked around his hips. She was so damn beautiful.
“Oh, fuck!” He thrust deep, his sac tapping her bottom.
He didn’t believe it possible, but his balls tightened even more. The cum inside rammed against the crumbling barrier inside his rod, demanding escape.
Markus gripped her hips and pulled he
r to him. “Wrap your arms around me,” he commanded, and lifted her, his cock still buried deep. Alexandria did as instructed, clinging to him with her arms and legs. He turned on his heel and headed toward the center of the room, taking out one of the annoying dainty tables in the process. The fragile piece hit the floor behind him, showering the floor with shards of crystal.
He’d have to replace it later. The only thing that mattered at the moment was the woman in his arms. And they weren’t nearly finished.
At an oversize brown leather chair, Markus eased Alexandria to her feet. His shaft slid free, and he wanted to curse at the absence. Alex groaned and trailed her nails down his bare chest.
He cupped her face. “Trust me,” he said.
And despite the gnawing demand of his cock standing at full attention between them, he couldn’t move until he had her answer. But he didn’t have to wait long.
“I do,” she replied, and those two simple words sent his heart soaring.
He captured her mouth with his, smothering the urge to howl with joy.
Dammit, he’d never get enough of her taste. He was starved. Couldn’t hold back. She opened, and he drove his tongue inside. Exploring. Sucking. Straining to show her how much he desired every inch of her. He nibbled at her kiss-swollen lower lip, enjoying the sexy way she whimpered each time his fang caught the sensitive flesh.
“Turn around,” he demanded, and Alexandria readily complied, giving him her back. Pressing his palm between her shoulder blades, he added, “Bend over, baby.”
She lowered her torso over the back of the chair, her hair falling over one shoulder. In that position, Alexandria’s bottom lifted, opened, giving him full access to her glistening folds.
“So fucking gorgeous,” he groaned. He couldn’t help but run his hands over the smooth curve of her ass, cupping the weight of her buttocks in his palm. She bucked back into his hold, beckoning him, and his cock jerked in response. The shaft throbbed and pre-cum beaded, covering the sensitized head. His cum churned inside his balls, eager to make its exit. But hell if he was rushing this.
Alexandria glanced back over her shoulder. “How long are you going to keep me waiting, Warrior?”
“Impatient?” Markus quirked a smile her way and bent over her, covering her back with his chest. The angle positioned the head of his cock at her opening. He rocked forward, parting her, teasing her with the tip. She gasped, and her head fell forward. “Like that, baby?”
“Yes.” She moaned and pushed back, slipping more of his shaft inside.
Markus panted. “Earning that nickname, Vixen?”
He opened his palm and brought it down on her right butt cheek with a loud smack.
She cried out and looked back, hitting him with a wicked glare. “What was that for?”
“Be still,” he ordered.
“Then don’t torment me.”
He cracked a laugh. “Living around you in a perpetual half-hard state for months? Now that’s torment.” Markus thrust forward, not stopping until he’d filled her with every last inch.
“God, yes! Markus!”
Her core quivered around his cock, shooting sparks of pleasure along his nerve endings. “Fuck, sweetheart.” He couldn’t help but groan as he withdrew before driving back inside. “So damn good.”
“Harder,” she cried out.
“My Vixen.” Markus coiled his fist in her hair and pulled her head gently back, bowing her spine. With one arm wrapped around her waist, stabilizing them, he closed in on her throat. With the tip of his tongue, he traced her bounding pulse. “All mine,” he added, circling his hips, grinding the head of his cock deeper into her core.
The familiar tingle along the base of his spine ramped in intensity. Christ, he was too damn close. He wouldn’t be able to deny his release much longer.
A shiver raced over her body, and she bucked her hips. “I can’t take it.” She panted. “Need you.”
She lifted her chin ever so slightly and tilted her head, exposing more of her throat in offering. His fangs lengthened. Once he had her essence on his taste buds, his cock buried in her pussy, the combination would be his undoing. No coming back. Yet to continue denying himself…? No longer an option.
He struck, sinking his fangs into her artery, and the warmth of her blood rushed over his tongue. Impossible. But damn if she wasn’t hotter, sweeter than he remembered.
“Markus!” Alexandria shook and another spasm seized her core.
His cock erupted under her assault. Markus withdrew his fangs, and her name exited his throat on a hoarse cry. Wave after wave of his seed pulsed from his shaft until he was sure there could be nothing left. Yet her orgasm continued to exquisitely milk him.
“Fuck, Vixen!”
Alexandria had come to him, accepting everything and every way he’d needed her. She’d given herself freely to be marked by him. Yet what he hadn’t expected was the level at which he’d end up altered. Inside, at the deepest level of his core, Markus knew he wasn’t the same male who’d entered the library.
Several minutes later, he dressed and Alexandria gathered her few items of clothing.
“We should get out of here,” he said, lifting her hair from the back of her shirt and allowing it to flow down her back.
She scanned the room, and Markus followed her inspection. Damn, they’d left a trail of destruction. “We’ll need to put the room back together.” She laughed.
“True,” he said. “But for now”—he leaned in, breathing in her vanilla and honey scent. His pulse surged from her fragrance alone—“we should finish this upstairs in a more comfortable location. Like my bed.”
“I like that idea,” she whispered, and slid her palm down his arm until her fingers threaded with his. The sensation surprisingly odd, electrifying, and more than pleasant. When had he ever simply held hands with a woman? Never. But he had a feeling the act would quickly become addictive.
“Let’s get out of here.” Gently, he squeezed her palm, and together they maneuvered around the tumbled furniture.
At the exit, Markus worked the lever, pulled the door wide, and came to a halt. An audience waited for them on the other side: Kenric, Emily, and the rest of the household. Son of a bitch. He bit back a groan.
“Oh…” Alexandria tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Hey, you guys.”
“Are you okay?” Elle stepped forward.
“I’m fine,” she said, a hint of pink blooming in her cheeks.
He slipped his hand free to press his palm at her lower back, urging her closer.
“Really?” Her sister gave her mate an inquisitive glimpse, then returned her stare to her.
“Yes.” Alexandria nodded. “Really.”
Meeting the commander’s probing glare, Markus said, “I’ll take care of…uhm…the mess in the library,” and moved his lover toward the stairs. She started up, and he stalked close behind. “Alexandria and I…aren’t done talking yet,” he added.
A chuckle burst free from Alexandria right before they bolted toward the second floor.
Chapter Twenty-Six
A slow and steady heartbeat filled Alex’s head. Lifting her eyelashes, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
It hadn’t been a dream.
The weight of Markus’s large, calloused palm rested on her hip, and his chest warmed her cheek. Blinking, she assessed the shadowy figures of the furnishings around her. She’d been in Markus’s room before, but only in her wildest dreams had she imagined they’d ever be here, together, like this.
Alex inhaled, savoring the sweet, familiar trace of his cinnamon and chocolate scent. Her mouth watered, and her fangs threatened to erupt. Delicious. Would she ever get enough of him to satisfy her hunger? She brushed her calf against his thigh, enjoying the way the light dusting of hair covering his leg tickled her flesh.
“Good morning.” The deep bass of his voice rippled through the silence around them.
“Good morning,” she said, even though it was a
ctually the next evening, but morning for a vampire.
“I’m surprised you’re already awake since I kept you quite busy through most of the day.” He stroked her arm.
She grinned to herself at the memory of just how “busy” they’d been. “Did you get any sleep?” She ran her fingers over his breastbone and through the fine chest hair. The dark mass thickened between his pecs then merged to form a narrow trail that traveled down the center of his abs before disappearing beneath the sheet covering his hips.
“Some,” he said.
Alex glanced up. “Did I bother you? Sleeping next to you, I mean.” An empty pit of panic formed in her stomach, threatening to pull her inside. What if he’d realized having her in his bed was more than he’d asked for?
“Hell, no!” He moved so fast that she’d barely processed his reply before she was on her back with Markus’s fiery glare staring down at her. “Never think that I don’t want you here. I couldn’t sleep because I was too damn afraid to close my eyes.”
“Afraid?” Her head buzzed at the concept. “Why?”
“I was afraid that when I reopened them, you wouldn’t be here. That you’d wake and realize what a huge damn mistake you’ve made, and you’d get as far away from me as fast as you could.”
“Markus,” she breathed, her heart splitting in two as she smoothed her palm over the stubble on his cheek.
“How the hell can I be expected to sleep when I could be looking at you?” He rocked into her, and the hard thick presence between his legs pressed into her thigh. Her stomach fluttered, and she captured her lower lip with her teeth.
“Who knew there was such a romantic buried underneath that hard exterior?”
“There wasn’t,” he said, and lowered his head, placing his mouth next to hers. “Until you.”
He stole her lips with his own, tugging hers from the hold she had on it for a gentle kiss. “After everything…after what you remember, Vixen,” he whispered next to her cheek, “you’re here, with me. And it’s so damn surreal.”
“If you’re referring to what Enrique alluded to last night, you did what you had to for our survival. It doesn’t change who you are,” she said. “In my mind, it only strengthened my opinion of who I know you to be: a male who would do anything for someone he cares about—no matter the cost.”