“You can be formal and I can’t?” I place my hand on her back and lead her into the hall.
“It’s how everyone here knows you.”
I like that she thinks of those things. Armand set up two seats for us on the second level. I remove the ‘reserved’ signs and offer to take her coat.
She slides it off her shoulders and into my hands. “Be honest, I was told this outfit is boring.”
“You could never bore me.” I place a feather light touch on her face. “Your clothes are somewhat irrelevant to the equation.”
She stills at the cool feeling my fingers leave on her cheek. “You can see through my clothes?”
“I’m not the Man of Steel.”
Crossing her arms, she peeks at my trousers. “Maybe not now.”
The house lights dim and plunge us into darkness. Elizabeth smiles and sits as her fingers pull at her skirt. “Do you know the lecturer?”
“Armand is from Sweden and here on a fellowship grant to run experiments using tests designed to study how to clone red blood cells. He’s been working out of a private research facility a little north of here. His lecture tonight is a sampling of what he’ll submit to the foundation who offered him the grant.”
While it’s not the most riveting stuff, Elizabeth seems to enjoy it. Whenever she leans into my ear and asks her adorable, yet intelligent questions, I’m more and more transfixed to have her at my side. She is hands-down the most beautiful, clever, sophisticated creature I have been with. Ever. Perhaps too much so. At times, I’m unnerved at how ordinary I feel next to her.
Armand slips a few words into the lecture that tingle my senses to pay more attention. His eyes catch mine when he delivers his conclusion. My body goes rigid. Hosts. Parasites. Foreign Substances. The part I didn’t connect was how they are removed from hostile environments.
Vampires.
The ninety minutes go by so fast and when I mention an intimate reception for VIPs, Elizabeth eagerly agrees to attend. Then sharply reverses herself.
“But, we don’t have to. I don’t want to put you in a position—”
I place my hand against her soft lips. “I attended them before. It’s fine. But thank you for considering me.”
The reception is a few doors down and by the time we arrive the room is nearly filled up, which suits me. I will blend in. As much as I want to hold Armand down and question him, I choose to avoid him because Elizabeth is with me.
“Do you want a glass of wine?” I point to the makeshift bar set up in the corner.
“No,” she says under her breath. “I don’t want to draw attention to you not drinking.”
“Look around, not everyone is. In fact, if both of us are just standing here, that will probably draw more eyes in our direction.”
She shrugs. “Okay.”
“I’ll be right back,” I say and tug on her hip with a reaffirming hold before I leave. You are mine.
When I return and hand her the glass, she asks, “How did you know I wanted red?”
A wave of panic shoots through me. I can’t exactly say, because I spied on you through your windows and saw you drinking red wine. Instead I offer, “It’s what they had opened.”
“Oh.” She smiles but then nervously regards the leery crowd.
I lean into her. “It’s okay, Elizabeth. With you here, I’m not sure anyone notices me anymore.”
“Yes, and they are plotting my death.” She takes a sip and casts a concerned glare above the rim of her glass to the many women who peer in our direction. “Do you know Armand well?”
“Yes, why?”
“Now he’s staring at us.” She nudges her head in that direction.
I turn to find him smirking, but I gently shake my head to give him the signal not to come over to us. “Armand can be very charming and I would prefer to keep your attention this evening.”
“He’s very handsome for a scientist.”
“For a scientist?” I cross my arms. “What does that mean?”
“I would think someone that good looking wouldn’t want to be cooped up in a lab at all hours—” Elizabeth’s eyes grow wide followed by a hand slapped against her mouth. “Wait, is he?”
I take her glass and place it on the nearest table. “Time to leave.”
~ ~ ~
Alexander warned me there were other vampires out there.
Including his commander who I would be terrified of and one with superhero-like powers that he has not yet expanded on. Seeing what I assume is just a run of the mill vampire and having it, him, watch me sent a chill through my body that won’t ease up.
“Um, I’m in heels,” I say to bring his pace back to that of an Olympic sprinter.
Alexander turns to me. “I just worry that what attracted me to you will attract someone else like me.”
Now that frightens me because I can’t imagine every vampire is tame and restrained like Alex. The way he squeezes my hand while we walk through the parking lot however, I doubt just how restrained he actually is.
I pry my hand from his only because it’s starting to hurt. “Is this just about the smell and taste of my blood for you?”
He spins around, his eyes full of worry. “No, of course not. But that doesn’t mean—”
“Alex.” I cup his shoulder. “I’ve been on this earth for thirty-five years. You’re the first vampire to approach me. I assume if there was some universal appeal I had to everyone like you wouldn’t someone else have come along before now?”
He presses his eyebrows together. “Yes, I guess so.”
“Then maybe it’s not just my blood you want.” I slide my hands down his muscular chest and slip them under his coat.
“Where’s your car?” he whispers as his hands wind around my waist.
The way his eyes focus on mine, I don’t even know if we are in the right parking lot. “I have no idea.”
Thanks to his sense of smell and excessive pressing of my fob, we find it. Before I can say anything about what’s next, he presses me against my door and seals his mouth over mine. His tongue deepens the kiss and strong lips press harder with every second that passes. The hold he has on me is every bit as raw and unapologetic as it is seductive.
Soon I gasp for air and fight for control of my emotions.
Sensing my need to breathe, he stops and touches my face. “Since this is technically a first date, I guess I have to let you go home.”
“What if I don’t want to go home yet?” I glide my hands under his coat and touch against the zipper of his dress slacks.
Alex, who’s rock hard, takes my curious hands and puts them over my head. He wets his lips and kisses me again. Our tongues tangle up in a slow sensuous rhythm that I only imagine he could use to make me come in his mouth. The pressure of his fingers against my wrists sends my pulse raging like he can control the flow of my blood. Either he slows it down to keep his sanity or brings it to the surface so he can smell it. His mouth catches my lower lip between his teeth, his eyes meeting mine.
“Take me home with you, Alex,” I whisper. “I want to show you how you make me feel.”
“You do, huh?” He presses harder against me so I can feel what I do to him. “Follow me.”
Chapter 12
A sparkling black Mercedes Benz rolls up in front of my car.
The beautiful dirty-blond vampire behind the wheel looks like the successful doctor everyone thinks he is. Armand doesn’t draw a crowd like Bon Jovi so there’s no thick mass of cars cramming to get out of one exit. Alex sails through the north gate with ease and I follow him down a long winding path to his house.
This part of New Jersey has maintained its historic charm. On a narrow road, handsome homes made of stone and brick remind me of my formidable vampire. After a
strip mall, then a whole lot of nothing, he turns into a steep driveway with tall trees on both sides for privacy. Or protection.
A vampire who needs guarding: amusing.
I inch up the graveled lane and after a few more turns, Alex parks in front of a delightful cottage. Emotions rush through me spanning from intense familiarity to a shocking reality that I don’t know this man very well. Yet, I’m about to cross into his lair.
Willingly.
He looks overwhelmingly ordinary getting out of his car then locking and arming it.
After I get out of my clunker, I bounce lightly toward him. “You really have done a great job fooling everyone, haven’t you?”
His face hardens and dark eyes turn away. “It’s not a game, Elizabeth.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I . . .” I have no idea how to finish that sentence. “We can call it a night if you—”
Alex grabs me and the ground disappears under my feet. The whipping of air passing by pulls my hair out of the brindle jaw clip. The bit of plastic skids down the chiseled stone wall as Alex crawls up the side of his house with my submissive body tucked under his arm.
He sets me against a round attic window as my hands grasp behind me for something to hold on to while I scrape at the cold glass. I feel like a ruffled mess with loose strands of hair in front of my face. A light behind Alex creates a halo effect. I’m frightened he’s more of a fallen angel.
“Consider this a reminder of what I really am.” His voice finds an octave level that suggests his beast is present. “The rest is a façade I created.”
“Okay,” I manage through short gasps. “It would take me a little longer to get up here.”
Alex leans his head against mine and releases a soft laugh. “There’s so much I want to share with you. I hide from everyone. I don’t want it to be like that with us. Can you understand?”
I nod because, oddly enough, I get it. The ‘us’ in his declaration, however, sets my skin bubbling with excitement. I would belong to Alex.
He puts his lips gently on mine. “Relax.” My heartbeat settles back to a steady rhythm.
I tap on the glass behind me. “Are we crawling inside this window?”
“No.” He lifts me into his arms and jumps.
We land smoothly next to his car and I hear the driveway gravel crush to dust under his designer shoes. He steers me to his front door, slips his key into the lock, and catches me before I fall inside.
A dirty, messy bachelor, Alex is not. His keys ding in a metal bowl next to the door and he steps past me. He removes his coat and without asking takes mine. He hangs them in a closet and then stops in the middle of a modern and masculine living room. His hands run along the base of his neck, like he’s lost.
“Your home is beautiful, Alex. Did you decorate it yourself?” I ask to bring him back to me.
“If you call picking everything out from a page in the Pottery Barn catalogue and setting up the room the same way, decorating.” He turns back to me with a sneaky smile. “Then yes.”
“That was very smart.” I touch the smooth wooden fireplace mantel. “You did a good job.”
“Can I get you anything?” he asks but presses his lips into a frown. “Except, I don’t keep much here by way of food.”
“I’m fine.” I let him off the hook.
We’re here to have sex, but something makes me think Alex is confused about what he’s supposed to do. He takes my hand and walks me through a to-die-for kitchen that never gets used, to a cozy alcove. Inside, a desk is covered in papers, folders, and a laptop. Against the long wall, books are shelved from the floor to the ceiling while more are piled under the window.
This is where he spends his evenings. Alone. Working. The window faces east and I picture him aching for the sunrise every morning.
His cool hands rest on my arms and I lean back against his chest. “Sorry you lost your hairclip.” He twists my hair around his fingers.
I turn around and gather it up in my hands. “The benefit of having it this long is I can tie it back in a knot like this.”
Growling, he loosens the loop I made and it tumbles back across my shoulders. “It enhances how you smell to me. There’s so much of your essence, who you are in all of this silk.” He brings a fistful of my blonde waves to his nose and smothers it against his cheek.
I clear my throat. “When I was married, Annie’s dad and I lived on a bunch of different military bases. It was important to keep a low profile.” My eyes raise to Alex who watches me with curiosity as I speak of my former life. A moment of awareness passes through us. We both know what it’s like to keep up appearances. “I always wore it up. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.”
“When was the last time you cut it?”
“I have no—” My words are interrupted by Alex’s lips, thick, lush, and strong against mine.
Alex is a picture of need and frustration and I want to ease it all for him. His kisses are deep and demanding, coaxing my tongue into a steady rhythm with his. With every lick and peck, I want more. More. Alex may intend to possess me, but I want to possess every bit of him back.
I move to the other side of the desk then hop up and crawl toward him. My hands and knees crumple sheets of paper and knock pens and his stapler to the ground.
He grabs my waist and lifts me so my legs slide forward. They topple more items from his desk, but he doesn’t care. I run my hands along his biceps and the refreshing feel under the expensive dress shirt heightens my awareness of him.
“Take this off.” He tugs at my blouse. “I can’t wait. I’ll rip it.” He kisses me while I slip the buttons out of their delicate holes, but he pushes the fabric down my arms.
He reaches behind me to unhook my bra, but I bring his hands to the front. He lowers his lips to the center of my chest while I turn the little plastic fastener. The soft pop, prompts a growl in his throat. The bra springs open, releasing my heavy breasts and my nipples harden immediately at the exposed air.
Alex takes one in his mouth while one hand caresses the other in a soft circular motion. His lips and tongue feel like he’s just taken a sip of refrigerated iced tea or a mouthful of sweet dessert wine splashing around in a chilled decanter.
My hips tilt up to find his erection and I’m shocked at how damp my panties are when it pokes against my core. “Alex, I need you inside me,” I groan.
“I intend to completely fill you.” He fumbles with his zipper to release his cock, but his fingers slide into me first, delivering my sensitive flesh a wave of shocking pleasure.
I’m at his mercy and at this moment I am fully and truly his. This shouldn’t be so one sided. He deserves to be showered and pampered and made to feel like the god he is.
While I grasp for him, he removes his fingers and uses my wet desire to coat his hardness.
“I want you now, Alexander.”
He sits in his chair while I edge forward with my skirt up around my waist and hold on to the edge of the desk behind me. I pull my lace panties to the side and lower onto his raging erection.
“Jesus, that could make me lose my mind,” he growls.
I assume to let a woman have control over him like this is very difficult. The instinct to manipulate everything, including lovers is part of who this vampire is. Like his touch, his face hardens and restraint slips from him. But he lets me ride him hard and fast.
Alex’s hands close around my breasts, since my blouse is wide open and my bra dangles from my shoulders. “You’re going to come, Elizabeth.”
With my hands grasping the wood edge behind me, I swivel my hips for my pleasure as much as his until I can no longer hold back the orgasm ready to ignite inside me. Alex shows no sign of slowing down. I throw my head back and bite my lower lip, hard. Hot, pulsating waves ripple through me, a
gain and again.
When I’m complete, he lifts me in his arms. “Bedroom, now.”
We pass through all the same rooms, but they’re a blur of colors this time. Alex kicks open the door to his bedroom. Even in my post bliss haze and the delicious desire to bury my head against his chest, I glance around. Like the rest of the house, the room is very masculine. The smoky charcoal walls contrast dramatically against the bright white trim. The walls are mostly bare except for a few pieces of art. The bright red pops of color give the room a warm feel.
He releases me to the floor and in a controlled fury, he removes his clothes while his eyes lock on mine. I flick away what’s left of my outfit, step out of the skirt, and stand back to take him in. Help. Me. Lord. His skin shimmers and the perfect and creamy tone is only discolored by the shadows made by thick curves of muscle.
His dark eyes settle on mine. “Are you done checking me out?”
“No, sir.” Now that he knows he’s on display I step back to get a better view. Wow.
His broad chest is rounded by two delicious curves and when I press the surface there’s no give to the hard planes. The power behind his skin sears me with arousal. I can stand here all night. I want to know every inch of this man. I bury my face into that chest and breathe in to drag his woodsy scent deep into my lungs.
Alex has no patience for that. He lifts me and we fall onto the bed where I’m engulfed into a soft down comforter, the sides coming up around me. He presses the fabric back, so he can see me again. “So, this is what this mattress feels like,” he says, hovering over me.
“You never used this bed?”
Alex brushes his hands across my cheek. “No woman has been here, Elizabeth.”
While Alex rests on his knees, my legs wrap around his hips. Without warning, he slides his long hard length into me again and takes me the way he wants to. As if he’s trapped by the same thought, his hips circle faster, but he’s interrupted by another clenching from deep inside me.
Drawing Bloodlines (The Princeton Allegiant Series Book 1) Page 10