Hannah buried her face in Nathaniel’s chest. She needed to stop complaining to Trish about the sex she wasn’t getting.
Drew put his arm around Trish, and looked down at her. “I’d like to go back to your room sometime. I could give you the best memory of your life.”
Trish pushed his arm off, and shook her head. “Keep dreaming lover boy.” Then she walked off with Caitlin.
“I love a girl who plays hard to get,” Drew said quietly as he leaned toward Noah. “The thrill of the hunt is a major turn on. Don’t you agree, Noah?” He tapped Noah on the cheek, and followed Trish.
Noah’s fists were clenched tightly at his sides. Hannah knew that Noah didn’t like Drew. She had to admit that Drew wasn’t her favorite person either, but Noah seemed to really hate him.
“I’ll give the two of you some space.” Noah turned, and surveyed the room before walking toward the door leading to the kitchen.
When Noah walked into the kitchen, he found Trish seated on the counter, with Drew in front of her, holding both of her hands. Trish liked to flirt, liked the attention, liked the game, but this was a game with rules that she couldn’t possibly understand.
“You should come by the house,” Drew suggested as he leaned into her. Noah saw the look of confusion in Trish’s eyes. Drew was still young and not very skilled at using mind control. She obviously felt the push. It wasn’t enough to make her agree, but strong enough to take away some of her initial resistance.
“And what would we do?” she asked flirtatiously.
He leaned in closer. “We could relax in the hot tub, drink champagne.” Then he gave another mental push. “That would be fun for you.”
“That would be fun,” she whispered seductively, leaning closer until their lips almost touched.
“Baby, I’ll make it very fun.” He ran his tongue across his lower lip. “Did I tell you how tasty you look in that dress?”
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything here,” Noah said casually. “I’d hate to ruin your plans for the evening, Drew.”
Drew dropped his head and smiled as he stared down at Trish’s breasts. “Did you come in to watch us, Noah? I never took you for the kinky type.”
“I just wanted to have a word with you,” he replied forcefully, “in private.” His gaze never left Drew as he moved closer.
“Sorry, Noah, but I’m in the middle of something important at the moment,” Drew replied, as he leaned in closer to Trish.
“Sorry to hear that, but this isn’t a request.” Noah’s voice was cold, and he took another step forward.
“I’ll talk to you later.” Trish said as she kissed Drew softly on the mouth, and climbed off of the counter. On her way out of the kitchen she smiled at Noah. When he reached out his hand, she took it without hesitation.
Noah leaned in close and spoke softly as he pushed the compulsion into her mind. “You should stay away from Drew. He’s not right for you, and you don’t really like him.” It didn’t matter that he was out of practice; he was still much more skilled than Drew.
Trish continued to stare at him for a long moment, her lips parted, her eyes wide, and then she finally nodded and left the room.
Drew continued to stare at the empty space on the counter where Trish had been sitting. “What the fuck do you want?” He spun around to face Noah.
“Stay the hell away from Hannah’s friends.” Noah made no effort to mask the anger in his voice. He moved forward to stand toe to toe with Drew.
“Or what, Noah?” Drew scoffed.
“Or you will be very sorry,” Noah said softly, and then turned to leave.
Justin walked into the room, delighted by the tension. “What’s going on in here?”
“Noah was just pretending that he isn’t one of us, again.” Drew sneered, moving up behind Noah slowly. “He doesn’t want me to feed on sweet little Hannah's friend.”
Without warning, Noah spun around and shoved Drew against the counter, holding him by the throat. His arm was pulled back, ready to strike. With great effort, he stopped, and moved back.
Justin chuckled. “See Noah, you still have that killer instinct. Someday, it’s gonna overcome you, and you’ll embrace the lifestyle that you were born to live. It’ll be just like the old days.”
Noah didn’t turn to face him. He looked down at the floor, trying to get his temper under control.
“You can’t deny who you are forever, Noah.” Drew taunted from directly behind him. “You’re a predator just like us. I saw the look in your eyes, you wanted to kill me.”
Noah turned slowly. “What can I say, Andrew, to know you is to hate you.”
Justin interrupted. “You should have seen the old Noah. It was before your time, Drew, but Noah was one of us. Don’t you remember the fun we used to have, Noah?”
Justin savored the memory, and showed more emotion than he usually did. Justin was the closest to Noah in age, and at one time they had been friends. That had ended when Noah had stopped taking energy, and started spending more time with humans. Both were unforgivable in Justin’s opinion.
Drew looked delighted. “Is that right? Is that why you don’t want me to have Trish, Noah?” he asked. “Do you want her all for yourself? Can I at least watch?”
“I will never be like you.” Noah shook his head.
“Then you won’t mind if I have her. I can tell that she’s gonna be more than a onetime deal. She just radiates energy, and that body will make the job a lot more fun.”
Without warning Noah punched Drew, knocking him against the counter. Justin quickly grabbed a knife, caught Noah from behind, and held the knife to his throat.
Drew stood up, lips curled into a smug grin. His eye was already swelling. “Maybe we should just slit your throat.”
The kitchen door opened, and Nathaniel walked in. Justin dropped the knife quickly and backed away from Noah.
“What in the hell possessed you to put your hands on my brother?” Nathaniel growled.
“He hit me first.” Drew whined, and pointed at his eye.
Nathaniel grinned at Noah. “You did that?”
Noah had his hands in the back pockets of his jeans, eyes fixed on his boots. He looked up just long enough to nod.
Nathaniel slapped him on the back. “I didn’t know that you still had it in you.”
Unable to disguise his anger and disgust, Noah glared at Nathaniel. “Don’t you even care why I hit your cousin?” he asked quietly.
Nathaniel shrugged, and replied nonchalantly. “Not particularly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to hit him.” His voice lowered and his gaze shifted to Drew. “What I want to know is why Andrew here can’t fight his own battles?”
He tapped Drew’s swollen eye, and Drew cringed. Nathaniel smiled sadistically. “That must hurt. Why don’t you explain to me why it takes two of you to win a fight?”
Drew’s cocky expression had changed to one of cowardice. “We were just messing around.” His voice was shaky. “I wouldn’t hurt him.” Drew knew that Nathaniel could kick him out, or worse, if he wanted to. In truth, no one would question Nathaniel if he decided to kill Drew.
“I wasn’t really going to cut him.” Justin broke in calmly.
“In the future, I suggest that you think before you act or you might have an unfortunate accident.” There was a terrifying darkness in Nathaniel’s voice. Noah rarely heard that tone. “Neither of you will ever lay so much as a finger on my brother again. Is that understood?”
Both nodded.
Justin put out a hand to Noah. When Noah refused it, he merely shrugged.
“And stay away from Hannah’s friends.” Noah ordered quietly.
Drew stepped up to Nathaniel with his hands clasped together. “I need to feed.” He pleaded. “I can’t wait much longer, and she’s perfect. I did you a favor by taking Aiden to the airport the night of the party when everyone else got to feed. Aiden probably even fed on the flight. I need it!”
After silentl
y watching Drew sweat and pant like a junky for a short time, Nathaniel’s face softened. Drew was still young, and he couldn’t control his urges very well yet. Noah knew that it was Nathaniel’s responsibility to take care of him, and he had failed. Drew needed to feed on energy more than the rest of them and he was long overdue if he hadn’t fed since before the party.
Nathaniel stuffed a wad of twenties in Drew’s shirt pocket. “Both of you go, and take Isaiah with you. From now on I don’t want you around Hannah’s friends, Drew.”
“Thank you.” Drew said gratefully. He was beginning to regain his composure as he turned to Noah with a smug expression. “I’ll see you later, Noah.”
Justin and Drew walked out of the kitchen just as Lydia was coming in. They were both careful to avoid brushing up against her as they passed by.
Her hands were on her hips, and she was scowling. “Hannah is wondering where you are. Everyone else is in the living room celebrating her birthday with her.”
“We were just giving her a chance to visit with her other guests.” Nathaniel explained calmly. He smiled at Lydia, but she didn’t smile back. Her eyes moved to Noah.
“Hannah’s going to start opening her presents, with or without you.”
“We’ll be right there, Lyd,” Noah said quietly.
Lydia smiled at Noah, and then walked out of the room.
“Are you okay?” Nathaniel asked Noah.
Noah nodded and walked back into the living room with Nathaniel right behind him.
Chapter Fifteen
The party was even better than Hannah could have hoped for. It was the perfect evening. She’d been a little surprised when Nathaniel’s cousins had suddenly left, but she didn’t really know any of them that well so it hadn’t bothered her.
After the party, Nathaniel stayed to help Hannah clean up. Mostly he just lingered. The fact that he was still there obviously annoyed Lydia. That was probably why Trish and Caitlin convinced Lydia to go out with them.
As soon as they left, Hannah sighed and slumped down on the couch.
Nathaniel looked around their living room. “Has anyone ever told you that your condo looks like a garden center?”
“Lydia really likes plants,” Hannah explained. “I’m surprised you never mentioned them before. We even have three Earth boxes and a pot with her favorite coral Drift Rose bush out on the patio. Lydia will bring the Drift Rose bush inside soon, because she says it doesn’t like the cold.”
“I don’t remember the plants looking so alive. They’re practically taking over the room.”
“They haven’t been this lush in a few weeks. When Lydia’s mood improved, the plants perked up too,” Hannah said with a smile. “It’s been nice to see Lydia feeling better. She really hasn’t handled the break up with Dominic well. I was glad he wasn’t invited to the party.”
Nathaniel paused, and seemed confused. “He’s been visiting his mother so he hasn’t been home in more than a week. Honestly, I had forgotten about them dating. It was only for a few days.”
Hannah didn’t really want to talk about Lydia’s obsession with Dominic. She stood again, and started to remove streamers. Then she felt him behind her, the warmth of his body, and his hands on her shoulders as they turned her to face him. A shiver went through her as his arms wrapped around her. Then his lips covered hers. She was disappointed when he barely kissed her.
His mouth was so close that she felt his warm breath caress her lips as he spoke. “I have one more gift for you.”
“I want you,” she said. When he started to pull away, she grabbed his shirt. “Why do you keep pulling away when I say that?”
“I want our first time to be perfect,” he explained patiently.
“It will be perfect,” Hannah assured him. “It’s my birthday, and what I want most is you inside of me.”
Nathaniel sucked in a sharp breath. “I don’t have any protection.” He backed away slightly.
“I can get it from Lydia’s room. She won’t mind.”
“Hannah.” Her name was barely a whisper.
She could tell that he was going to pull away from her again. “Is there something wrong with me?” she asked, feeling a little self-conscious.
He looked stunned by her question. “There is nothing wrong with you.” With that he pressed his body against hers, letting her feel just how aroused he was. He was hard and long enough that she was a little nervous, but mostly she was very excited. Then his mouth was on hers again. This time he wasn’t holding back. He cupped her breast with one hand, and kissed along her jaw line.
Hannah groaned and tugged at his hair. He laughed and grabbed both of her wrists in one of his hands. With his other hand he massaged her breast through her shirt, and sucked gently at her pulse on her neck.
He pulled back to look into her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said in a breathy whisper.
He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. “Condoms?” he asked after laying her gently on the bed.
“I’ll get them.” She raced into Lydia’s room, and came back with a condom package. Nathaniel had removed his shirt to reveal his well muscled chest. He took the condom from her hand and tossed it on the bedside table. Then he quickly lifted her shirt over her head.
Nathaniel stared at her, taking in every detail, before guiding her down onto the bed beneath him. He settled himself between her legs, and groaned. “I don’t know how long I can wait,” he said. It was both an apology and a plea.
Hannah undid the hook on the front of her bra, suddenly very happy that she had let Caitlin talk her into that purchase.
Nathaniel’s eyes widened at the sight of her breasts. His breathing became ragged. “They’re even more perfect than I imagined.”
“You’ve imagined my breasts?” she asked.
“Yes. I’ve imagined seeing them, touching them, tasting them.” He leaned down slowly and took one nipple into his mouth. He gently sucked it, teasing it with his tongue. Hannah grabbed at his hair again.
He leaned up and gave a husky laugh. “What is it with you and pulling my hair? Do I need to tie you to the bed?”
Hannah let out an involuntary moan, and his smile grew wider. “You like the sound of that, don’t you?”
Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she nodded.
“Maybe next time,” he said playfully. “Tonight I’m going to make love to you.”
He kissed his way down her body. When he reached her pants he quickly removed them, and her panties. His torturous path down her body continued. He kissed along her hip bones, and then moved ever so close to her oversensitive clit. She sucked in a breath, waiting for him to touch her there, but he merely blew hot air on her. She arched her back and whimpered. His mouth moved on to her thighs, slowly torturing her. He discovered a previously unknown erogenous zone at the back of her knees.
“Please,” her voice was a raspy whisper. She wasn’t sure what she was begging for. The feeling of his tongue between her legs made her shiver. Her eyes rolled back in her head as her desire escalated. She almost screamed out when she felt his tongue inside of her. He flicked her clit with his tongue one last time and she felt spasms rip through her body. She tugged at his hair yet again. “I want you in me now!”
He stood up to remove his pants and boxer shorts. She stared for a long moment as he stood before her. The slow smile that spread across his handsome face proved that he knew the effect he was having on her body. He turned his back to her, and opened the condom. Her arousal kept her distracted enough that she didn’t notice him using the sharp corner of his ring to make a small tear in the condom just before he put it on.
As he slowly slid into her, Nathaniel kissed her tenderly. It was his turn to moan. When her hips began to wiggle, he growled, “Hold still for a minute!”
Holding still was the last thing on Hannah’s mind. All she could think about was moving. When Nathaniel finally moved, it was excruciatingly slow. His promise had been to ma
ke love to her, and that is exactly what he did. His body worshiped hers. He whispered endearments as he moved in and out of her body. Finally, Hannah climaxed again and Nathaniel’s followed almost immediately.
He rolled onto his back, and worked hard to get his breathing under control.
Hannah felt his heart beating hard. A contented sigh escaped her lips.
“That was incredible,” she said wistfully.
“Then marry me.”
Hannah sat up quickly, with a look of near panic on her face. Then she relaxed. “For a minute I thought you were serious about getting married.” She laughed nervously, and then became serious again when she saw the sincerity in Nathaniel's eyes. “You aren’t kidding, are you?”
He climbed out of bed, dropped the condom in the bedside trash, slipped on his boxer shorts, and removed a jewelry box from the pocket of his jacket. On one knee he opened the box.
Hannah stared at the ring inside of the box.
“I wanted to ask you right after the party, but things got out of hand.” His free hand gestured to the clothing strewn about the room. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Unable to utter a word, Hannah stared at the ring.
Nathaniel continued. “I realize that we’ve only known each other for a short time, but it’s long enough to know that we’re perfect for each other. I want you with me always.”
She continued to stare at the stones on the ring, several blood red rubies surrounded a very large diamond. There was a long moment of silence while reality set in.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m not sure we’re ready for marriage.”
He tried to mask his disappointment. This was not the response he had expected. She knelt before him, and wrapped her arms around him.
She stood up, guiding him with her. “Would you mind if I take some time before giving you an answer?”
Nathaniel pushed her hair back from her face and kissed her on the forehead. With a reassuring smile, he set the ring on the night stand. “Of course, you can take as much time as you need. I’ll wait for you. I should go before your cousin gets back.”
Vampires and Vixens (Psy-Vamp) Page 10