Blood Shadows

by Lindsay J. Pryor

  A master of the species who was waiting beyond the door for her. A vampire who knew how to get what he wanted. A vampire with a sensual, sensitive touch that sparked parts of her she thought inactive and even defunct. A vampire who promised to be a sexy, exciting and fulfilling lover.

  She clenched her hands between her tense thighs and stared at the door. A vampire who was using her for one thing only.

  That’s what she would keep at the forefront of her mind. That was what would keep her heart safe, however her disloyal body responded to him.

  She couldn’t fall for someone who used her, who manipulated her. Someone who was so arrogant they didn’t even at least pretend to like her. If he was conceited enough to believe she’d fall for him despite that, maybe she’d play that game. There was too much for her to lose not to. That untouchable aura of his was created just as much by her head as his reputation. She felt intimidated by him, inferior to him, but she had no reason to. Maybe she was fighting too hard. Maybe she was fighting herself too hard. Maybe she needed to call his bluff. Maybe it was time she upped the ante.

  And somewhere deep inside, somewhere she was beginning to willingly acknowledge she wanted to press a few of his buttons. She wanted to dare to toy with him. She wanted to push her professional role aside for a while.

  She forced herself up off the steps and opened the bathroom door. Kane was still on the sofa, reading through the paperwork. Her heart pounded and she instantly felt herself flounder again. She needed a few more moments. Just a few more. She veered into the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water. She wrapped her trembling hand around the top but struggled to twist it open. Tightening her grip, she exhaled tersely when it still didn’t budge.

  She was so focused on the task that she flinched when she realised he was behind her. She let him take the bottle, turned to face him and watched him twist the cap off with ease.

  For all her resolution in the bathroom, her nerves gave way.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said, as she moved to brush past him.

  But Kane braced one arm on the fridge, blocking her as he placed the other on the counter beside her. ‘What’s it going to take to get inside you?’

  Her heart lunged. ‘That’s been your burning question all along, hasn’t it, Kane?’

  He almost smiled at her flashback to the interrogation room. ‘Look me in the eye and tell me I’m wasting my time.’

  Her pulse pounded in her ears as she refused to falter under the intensity of his gaze. ‘I’m a little old for playground bully tactics.’

  ‘Yet here we are – just you and me, all alone behind the bike sheds. So what are you going to do now?’

  Heat flushed through her body. When she’d played through these fantasies in her mind it had been safe – she’d controlled the outcome. But this was real. She was about to play a dangerous game she knew there was no turning back from. And she’d never felt such a surge of arousal, her whole body aching and tingling. Arousal that gave her the courage she needed as his navy eyes penetrated painfully deep into hers.

  She needed him to say the right things, to do the right things. She had no doubt he was more than capable. ‘No, Kane – what are you going to do now? You like to be in control, so you make the next move. Then I’ll let you know.’

  He took the bottle of water off her and braced his arms either side of the counter, his mouth dangerously close to hers. ‘Admit you want me.’

  She swallowed harder than she would have liked. ‘I think you’ve convinced yourself enough for both of us.’

  He moved closer, his hips touching hers as he slipped his hand up under her dress.

  As he thumbed the band of her knickers at her hip, her stomach tensed. She gripped the counter, silently pleading that she wouldn’t make a fool of herself again.

  ‘Why does sex with me scare you, Caitlin?’

  ‘I’m not scared. I just don’t like you.’

  ‘Is that right?’ She was sure she saw a glimmer of a smile as he brushed her hair back over her shoulder before leaning in to lick then kiss the rapid pulse in her neck. ‘We can play these games all day, all night, and they can get darker and more dangerous with every passing hour. But I will have you,’ he whispered against her ear. He nipped her lightly on her earlobe and Caitlin’s legs nearly buckled.

  ‘You can do what you like to me, Kane. I know that. But you need to get it into your head that doing what you want to me and getting what you want from me are two very different things.’

  He placed his left hand over hers, trapping it against the counter. ‘And what is the worst thing I can do to you, Caitlin?’ he asked, easing his other hand between her legs. She flinched as he tucked her knickers aside, slid his fingers over her moistness. A warm flush swamped her, her legs weakened. ‘Just how bad a vampire do you imagine me to be?’

  As he eased his finger inside her, Caitlin shuddered, her nails digging into the counter. ‘I’m warning you, Kane,’ she said, catching her breath. ‘You do something I don’t like, and you’ve lost. I’m losing my soul either way. How confident are you that you know me? Or are you so arrogant that you think you can do anything to me and I’ll still want you? Or so good that you can do anything and I’ll still want you?’

  She felt his smile as he nipped her earlobe again. ‘That’s very dangerous talk, Caitlin. I’ve played this kind of game before,’ he said, easing his finger out of her to replace it with two. The pressure and discomfort caused her to snap back a breath again. She slammed her free hand against his hip to forge what little distance she could. ‘You only play it when you know someone inside out,’ he added, sliding his fingers back out again to caress her clitoris. She shuddered and bit into her lip. ‘It’s a game that will make or break you.’

  ‘You’re expecting me to say no again, aren’t you?’ she said, more breathily than she intended.

  ‘Am I?’

  As he slid his finger in her again, she felt that stirring deep in her abdomen that she had neither the desire nor the will to walk away from. If these were her last few days, and one way or another she knew they were, she was going to have at least one time with Kane Malloy. She owed it to herself. Whatever his intentions, it made no difference. He was never going to declare undying love. That wasn’t what it was about. She wasn’t that naïve. And she wanted him in all his rawness. She wanted to get as close to him as she could. And right there and then she had never wanted him more.

  She knew as much as he did that this had been a long time coming. Hell, she’d fantasised about it long enough. She just had to keep her eyes open and remind herself he was just using her. And she could use him too. She was a consenting adult and so was he. She needed to get him out of her system. She needed to sate the surge that his touch sent through her body. He could disappoint her. Hurt her. Fail to arouse her. All her preconceptions could fizzle into nothing.

  Because she knew, as undoubtedly as he did, that bringing shadow readers to orgasm was notoriously difficult. Even Rob, an experienced and tender lover, had never succeeded. And something deeply sexual inside her itched to know if Kane was capable. If she could be sated. Truly sated.

  She buckled as he pushed his finger all the way in, a cold perspiration sweeping over her. And as he placed his hand on her hip to keep her against the counter, she trembled, his strength and his confidence an evocative combination. His kiss was intoxicating as he traced down her neck to her shoulder – exploring, caressing, cool and wet and provocative.

  She knew it before and she knew it even more then: he had been right about the third strand. The third strand that had always been there. And it refused to be suppressed, refused it even more with his hard body against hers, a body that could become part of hers if she’d just reciprocate.

  He withdrew his finger, his thumb finding her clitoris. ‘Did Rob ever make you come?’

  She frowned, angry that Kane had broken the magic, angry that she could almost believe he’d done it on purpose. Tension ricocheted through h
er body. ‘More times than you’d think possible.’

  ‘Liar,’ he said, easing her knickers down to mid-thigh before they slid to the floor. ‘Do you want to know how it feels?’

  She glowered at him, her body aching. ‘You’re a conceited bastard, aren’t you?’

  ‘Decades of practice.’ He lifted her up onto the counter, spreading her legs around his hips in one easy move. He tugged her towards him so his erection pressed against her damp heat through the softness of his jeans.

  Caitlin wanted to be scared, would feel better for being scared, could despise him if he scared her. But he didn’t. She wanted the controlled façade to slip. She wanted to overcome the feelings she was developing. ‘You are so going to fail, Kane.’

  ‘You are so going to learn,’ he said, his navy eyes sparkling with mischief as he lifted her off the counter and onto to the table behind him. He kicked the chairs away and lay her down so she was flat on her back on the surface.

  She watched him strip off his T-shirt, the flex of those muscles, the feel of his body against hers quashing the surge of panic she felt. He unfastened his jeans, and she felt his bare thighs between hers. And as she felt his hardness press against her sex, she braced herself.

  She tried to suppress everything she’d heard about him. His twisted sexual endeavours, the beautiful females he’d been with. The consensus was that he was a proficient and demanding lover. Probably too proficient and demanding for her. But she needed that – she needed someone whose sexual confidence brought out hers. She needed his persistence and tenacity and she needed the way he was looking at her right then as if he could devour her.

  He pinned her hands above her head and gazed down into her eyes, his delay arousing her

  further.

  The pressure building at her sex was uncomfortable, her stomach tightening to the point of pain. She knew her breaths were erratic, she knew her body was flushing with heat and she knew he was picking up on every little response.

  He pushed in just a little like he had before, the sensation making her gasp, the enticing playfulness in his eyes outweighing the darkness of his intent. She closed her eyes to avoid looking at him, to avoid that intimacy.

  She clenched her hands. It felt shockingly good, shockingly intense as he started to push his way inside her, slow, deliberate, giving her time to adjust, giving himself time to enjoy the sensation. She was unsure how far he was entering her, but knew from the discomfort it was further than last time. As she started to accept him, he pushed harder, the arm around her waist keeping her in position as he partly withdrew to ease inside her again.

  And as her body finally adjusted, her arousal easing the penetration, he pushed all the way inside her.

  Caitlin buckled and shuddered. She bit into her bottom lip to silence herself, but was unable to curtail the heaviness of her breaths.

  She’d never felt so complete. Never felt so alive. But she wouldn’t give him an indication. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

  His moves were shockingly calm, surprisingly controlled. They spoke of someone experienced, someone who knew how to pleasure a woman, who enjoyed the sexual act. This was as much about sating her as sating himself. It wasn’t a selfish act, a selfish penetration.

  She shuddered as he withdrew only to push all the way inside her, this time one slow, complete penetration, setting her nerves alight. She clenched her fists, a whimper escaping. But the hurt gradually became less painful, the discomfort became pleasurable.

  He combed back her hair over her shoulder, braced himself up on one arm as he pushed back inside her in another single, slick movement. But this time the thrust was intentionally forceful.

  The warm rush flooding her body stunned Caitlin and made her tremble as he penetrated her hard and deep. He twisted the hair at the nape of her neck, coiling it in his hand, his tongue gliding up from her cleavage to her throat as he increased his pace. The carnality sent her reeling, his playful but threatening nips on her neck adding to her arousal.

  And as he continued to thrust, he released her hair and pinned her hands above her head, his other hand moving to find her most sensitive core, caressing her already engorged nub. And as his thumb found pace with his thrusts, she no longer had any control over her body, of her escalating arousal, until an alien climax built in her fingertips, her toes, heat washing through her body.

  On the cusp of demanding he stop, he moved his hand from between her legs. He interlaced his fingers with hers again, lowered himself back onto her, his arm back around her waist as he held her with total control. He penetrated her with a force that should have hurt her, her body already aching from his onslaught, but her body was getting used to him now, finding it easier to take him.

  She caught her breath in shock as she felt her arousal starting to peak. Arousal that rose from her aching toes, at first icy cold then hot, the pins and needles almost unbearable. Her body throbbed to the point it was almost painful, her fingertips numb. Thoughts slipped from her mind other than Kane inside her, as she felt the tension in his body at his own impending climax.

  But she couldn’t come. Her whole body cried out for it. She teetered in agony on the brink of what she had no doubt was an orgasm.

  But nothing happened.

  Tears trickled down her cheeks as Kane tensed inside her before ejaculating hard and powerful, a cruel reminder of her own inadequacies.

  Kane remained inside her for a few moments. He stayed inside her until her breaths calmed and he stopped pulsating. Then he gently withdrew.

  He pulled up his shorts and buttoned up his jeans as Caitlin eased off the table to the nearest, upright chair. She kept her gaze lowered, smoothed down her hair in what appeared more to be an act of self-assurance than concern about her appearance. She was still blocking him out. She might have let him in physically, but emotionally those barriers were now even further up. She was still in control. Irritatingly in control.

  Which was more than could be said for him.

  He should have felt nothing, but instead he felt aggravated. He knew she’d feel good but he hadn’t expected her to feel that good. Her tight body had closed around him for the perfect fit – slick, hot, silky. But it was more than that. He’d come hard and he’d come fast and it had been because of more than just the feel of her body. Instead of lurid and salacious thoughts as he was thrusting into her, thoughts of violating her and degrading her, he’d found himself turned on just by the intimacy. All he could think of was how she was giving herself to him, found himself turned on knowing how much she must have desired him to have consented. A simple penetrative act shouldn’t have been that intense. Sex was supposed to have created distance for him, not made him desire her more. Instead she had intoxicated him with that fragile body and those intense eyes, that nervousness, those enticing breaths. And the fact she had emotionally fought so hard against him had further fuelled his arousal.

  He’d been inside too many females who writhed and moaned and accepted him easily, been willing to do anything to please him. Sexually he’d done everything that was physically and emotionally possible over the decades. He’d experimented and played and found satisfaction through all sorts of means, but it had been a long time since he’d come that powerfully. He’d never come across a female he’d wanted to consume as much as he did her in those moments. Moments when he’d nearly forgot himself. She had put him in dangerous territory, which could so easily ruin everything.

  And as he looked at her, he felt something stir. Something he had no place feeling. Something he needed to get control of. If it had been anyone else looking that vulnerable, he would have already got their coat and told them to go home.

  He should show her some affection or compassion. Give her reassurance or even just a compliment. Because making her feel safe was the next way in. Safe was a way she hadn’t felt in a long time. Something that would seal the deal further.

  But she wasn’t safe. And he wasn’t willing to play that game.

&nb
sp; And when he detected what looked like shame and embarrassment in her eyes, he almost felt a glimmer of guilt.

  She’d wanted to climax. She was ashamed she hadn’t. In her naivety, she’d thought it could happen that easily. She didn’t see that what they’d done was just the start.

  He stepped away from her, tried to get a grip on himself. He opened the fridge and grabbed himself another beer and her a bottle of water. He flicked the lid off his bottle, picked up a chair and placed it adjacent to hers. He put the bottle of water in front of her on the table.

  She didn’t flinch.

  He took a mouthful of beer, the silence uncomfortable even for him. ‘Conception’s impossible unless there’s an eclipse,’ he said. ‘Just in case it crossed your mind.’

  ‘It didn’t.’ She shoved her chair back and stood a little too quickly. She pressed her hand to the table for support, before regaining her balance and striding past the table and through to the bathroom.

  He could have reached out and caught her, but he let her go.

  The honesty of her words cut him deeper than they should have. She had no reason to worry because in her mind it was pointless. She might have been hell-bent on killing the soul ripper, but she didn’t expect to survive it. She was fighting with everything she had even though, deep down, she believed her own survival was a lost cause. He had been her last resort. It had taken everything, had gone against every instinct, to ask for his help. She’d done it because redemption for her parents was more important than her own pride. Getting one over on the soul ripper that had killed them was more important than her own safety. Caitlin wanted this badly, needed it. And he understood those feelings only too well. But he wouldn’t let it cloud his judgement.

  And he couldn’t give her time to close in on herself again. Her mind was fending him off only because her heart was sending out signals that it was feeling vulnerable.