by T. J. Quinn
He drew her into the circle of his arm, the place she felt the safest. “You’re the sexiest male I have ever had the privilege of being with.”
He began unzipping her dress and whispered, “Come now, you are a beautiful woman, and by your own admission used to being with warriors. I am sure you are not at all wowed by someone like me.”
She slowly slid off his jacket, draped it over a chair, unbuttoned his shirt and responded firmly, “Look, if we’re going to be together you’ll need to stop with all this pretend modesty. You know damn good and well that you one of the most impressive of your kind. A woman would have to be a fool not to see that and trust me I have 20/20 vision.”
A smile ghosted across his lips. He had to know knew he was unique, even among his own kind in that he was brilliant…what the humans would call gifted. Regardless of what he thought she knew he was considered physically attractive by most humans and many vampires. He knew his way around a woman’s body and could make women intensely desire his lovemaking.
~ Alek ~
Alek was well aware of all that. He was also a very skilled businessman. He owned a huge tech firm that predominately made mechanical and computer hardware for the military. He was extremely wealthy and was a good father. He wondered what about all that had drawn Dakota to him. She was wealthy and successful, so he didn’t think it was those things. He got a strong feeling it was because she found him physically attractive, intellectually stimulating and she enjoyed his lovemaking. The thought that she most likely was drawn to him for those reasons touched his soul.
Her dress slid to the floor, and he gasped. She was wearing blood red lingerie and extremely sheer red hose that came up to her thighs. She could see him looking up and down her body then the realization hit him that she had dressed with the intention of being seen without her dress.
A soft smiled crept across his face, and he picked her up and laid her on his bed. He stood in front of her and removed every single piece of his clothing before sliding into bed beside her. He was, in fact, magnificent especially naked.
He took her in his arms and began to kiss her lips. He slowly pulled her into his lap and slipped off her beautiful red bra. He tugged at the small ribbons on her panties and removed them from her delicate body. He glanced down at her and decided to keep the red stockings. He gently ran his hands up and down her body as he slowly kissed and licked her neck. His cool palms running across the soft peaks of her breasts sent shivers down her spine. He slipped one hand between her legs and explored what he found there. A small sound of pleasure escaped from her lips, and a self-satisfied smile slid onto this face.
He loved pleasuring a beautiful woman almost as much as he liked tasting their blood. He slowly ran one thick finger over her tender bud. She was having a hard time quieting under his touch.
She turned her head slightly out of his kiss and presented her neck to him. She whispered, “Please bite me, I want to feel your fangs in me.”
He pulled her close to him, leisurely kissed her neck, licked her and gently sucked the vein to the surface of her skin and then bit into the soft flesh of her neck. He thought to himself that she was a sexy handful. He had to force himself to slow down because his excitement was getting the better of him.
She ran both her hands down his chest and caressed his prominent manhood. As her blood flowed into his mouth, he could feel his bloodlust rising. She loved the feel of his fangs in her neck and his fingers pleasuring her. He was so very careful not to hurt her, and he was giving her more pleasure than she would have imagined. She loved the feel of the coldness of his fingers moving on her warm flesh.
He pulled back from her and immediately realized she did not like him pulling off. He eased her underneath his body. He ran his fingers through her hair, told her how beautiful she was and how much he wanted to be inside her. She wrapped her arms around him and slowly opened her shapely legs to welcome him.
She looked up at him and realized that although his bloodlust was raging out of control, he was very smooth and controlled when he touched her. His eyes were raging amber, and his fangs were fully extended. She pulled him down to her and presented her neck to him again. He kissed her and slowly positioned himself correctly to enter her body.
She looked into his beautiful eyes and realized what an entirely unique opportunity this was. He was dark and primitive and all she wanted in the entire world at that moment was to make love to him. She whispered, “Please make love to me. My body aches for your touch.”
He pushed himself into her small, soft, warm body and he could hear a gasp of pleasure as he entered her. He could not stop smiling and hoped she did not notice. He somehow didn’t think she would because she was so lost in the pleasure he was giving her. She pulled him down, presented her neck once again, and he bit her hard on the neck and continued to take her with long, slow, firm strokes as both his hands touched her face and caressed her hair. She definitely quieted in his arms after that.
She clung to him and whispered things in his ear that inflamed his desires. He made love to her for a long time and gently sucked her blood until his thirst was quenched. He wrapped his arms around her lower torso running one hand up her back to grasp her shoulder. He continued to make long hard strokes each time to fit himself fully into her soft, warm body.
The look on his face told her that he liked making love as much as he liked drinking blood. His eyes were closed, and he was totally lost in the moment until he was about to climax. Then he brought up one hand and turned her face to his, kissed her tenderly and looked into her eyes as they climaxed together. Looking into each other’s eyes as their bodies spasmed around each other in the climax was the most intimate moment she had spent with a male. Dakota was now sure he had a romantic heart.
Dakota curled into his arms. “Dakota, thank you for being here with me tonight. You are very beautiful and generous, and I have not experienced anything so sweet with a woman in my lifetime.” He held her tight and kissed her on the forehead.
She snuggled up to his cool chest. “Trust me when I say it was more my pleasure than yours.” She ran her hand over his beautiful chest and down his abdomen and leisurely stroked his privates. She realized this was making it hard for his manhood to quiet, so she began to move her hand back up his body. His hand came down swiftly and pushed it back down.
“I think you are a beautiful lover. I adore spending time with you. Making love to you will certainly make my list of memory moments.”
He glanced down at her. “What are memory moments, I have never heard of such?” He smiled to himself, human women were always so whimsical.
She gently began to pleasure his manhood again as she spoke, “Memory moments are the rare moments in a person’s life that are so precious you never want to forget them. My memory moments always involve heightened emotions and involve something or someone so unique and special that I want to etch them into my memory to enjoy forever.”
Her words warmed his heart because she was so sentimental about being with him. “Unforgettable…that is what we males call your memory moments. Trust me when I say you are very unforgettable.”
As she caressed his body, she could tell he was becoming aroused again. She glanced up at him, and he gave her a look indicating that she should not worry because that happened to men sometimes. She smiled to herself and wondered if going to sleep with a hard-on was his way of being considerate. She decided to school him from the jump on what she considered polite behavior between lovers. She moved on top of him and began to pleasure him as she looked deeply into his eyes.
He looked up at her with the most beautiful expression of wonderment and pleasure on his face. His hands roamed over her body, caressing her nipples and moving downward to gently caress her womanly bud as she moved on him. She moved on him until she was too exhausted to continue and he immediately moved her under him and made love to her until her small, frail human body shook over and over again. Each time she was breathless and filled with words of g
ratitude. He came inside her with a force he didn’t know he possessed.
She seemed thrilled that his tongue slithered across the broken skin on her neck, easing the pain and healing the wound even as he continued to draw the blood out. It was clear that she was weak from all the feeding and fell asleep in his arms exhausted but looking contented.
~ Dakota ~
She worried that waking up at his home would be strange and unusual. She got up wearing nothing except her sheer red stockings, realized he was gone and made her way to his en suite shower. She took a long warm shower and let the water fall onto her neck. She noticed some clothing had been laid out for her. She finished her shower and got dressed.
When she came out brushing her hair, Alek was walking back into the room. He immediately came to her, wrapped his arms around her and kissed on the neck as he whispered, “I have made food for you. Will you come and eat?”
She nodded, and he added, “Don’t worry about any more unpleasant encounters with Arianna. She has left for the morning.”
“I’m certain the encounter was more unpleasant for you than for me. I actually love Arianna. I like that she looks out for you.”
He smiled and looked somewhat nervous, “Selene is dying to see you again.”
She responded immediately, “I am surprised that she didn’t get her fill of me during my weeks here.”
She followed him out to the patio and noticed that he had indeed made breakfast for her. There was everything a non-cooking male vampire could possibly prepare. Orange Juice, cold cereal, fruit, toast, and coffee. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “This is so unexpected and really nice of you.”
He replied humbly. “You fed me, and now I am feeding you. Maybe my food is not as delicious as the food you provide, but it is all I know to make for you.”
She smiled brightly. “You did very well, love mate. It’s all my favorites.”
He seemed pleased and relaxed a bit. “We would not normally have such things, but my daughter’s mate eats food.”
He picked up an electronic tablet and began to read the news. “I enjoyed your new term of endearment. Calling me such is a statement of fact, and an attempt to be nice or a challenge. I am weighing the odds of each.”
“Laughing, she responded sincerely. “I’ll save you the trouble of running the numbers. It’s a simple statement of fact.”
His younger daughter slid into a chair in front of her so quickly it took Dakota by surprise. Dakota smiled brightly at the teen destined to be her daughter in law. Dakota realized again that Selene was small for her age, but she was really quite beautiful in a delicate kind of way.
They chatted about school, and Alek mentioned that she volunteers at a local orphanage for vampires every other weekend. Dakota replied, “I sit on the board of directors of The Advent myself. It is essential to see that people are well cared for and not forgotten.
Selene stated primly. “That is where we volunteer.”
Dakota stopped eating and sat back in her chair. Alek glanced at them but didn’t say a word.
His daughter volunteered the information she most wanted to hear. “That is how I began spending time with your son, Jared.”
Dakota shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I wondered how the two of you managed to get together.”
“We are preferred feeding partners for each other, and we have the blood bond.”
Dakota froze in place like an ice sculpture. If they had the blood bond, that meant they were sharing thoughts. If they were sharing through, this young lady knew the answer to the question that had been burning a hole in her soul for the last few years.
“Do you have any idea why he will not come home with me?”
The small vampire thought it over and said, “Yes, I think I do. I think it is because he thinks you are too attached to acting like a human. He thinks your family forced you to give him away because his vampire heritage is noticeable by looking at him and that deep down inside you will be ashamed of him like they were only you will just be nicer about it.”
Dakota realized tears were streaming down her face and she stood up and walked away. The honesty of those with innocent souls could never be denied. She never would have thought that hearing that would hurt so much.
Alek went to her and wrapped his arms around her and whispered, “I’m sorry, I did not know any of that. I wasn’t aware that they were each other’s preferred feeding partners much less blood bonded.”
Dakota felt herself closing off like she did when she was grieving over Jared. Stepping away from his reach, she took a minute to gather her thoughts. “I suspected as much when we were hunting, because of the intervals he went between visits with her.”
“Look, we do not have to talk about this anymore right now.”
Dakota dried her tears and stated flatly. “I just need a few minutes to myself.”
Hearing his footsteps receding, Dakota mulled the situation over in her mind, deciding that Jared was right. She did try too hard to fit into the human world. Returning to the table, she tried to act normal. Selene stared at her wide-eyed. Dakota smiled reassuringly and patted the little girl on the arm. She was reasonably sure the innocent child had not made a grown-up cry before.
Chapter 6
Pressing the Cause
~ Alek ~
Sitting back down at the table with his daughter, Alek sighed. “She just needs a moment.”
“I’m sorry, but you always said I should be honest.”
“You did nothing wrong. She’s upset by learning of her son’s feelings, not that you spoke of them. I’m sure this is a huge weight off her shoulders. You’ll see, this is the right decision in the long run.”
“If you say so, papa.”
“Would you like to talk about the other thing, from last night?”
“Jesus, not now.” Shooting Dakota, a horrified look, Selene leaned over the table. “Not while she’s here.”
Losing his patience, Alek’s voice raised a notch. “You will tell me now, princess. I can’t protect you if I don’t know what’s going on.”
Swallowing hard, she spoke. “Jared saw his biological father. He’s afraid his father came to collect him again.”
Dakota’s voice sounded off from nearby. She’d apparently walked up just as Selene spoke. Alek watched his daughter’s face fall. Motioning over Dakota, he stated gruffly. “You should know. Come and sit with us.” Turning his attention back to his daughter, all the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. “I suppose you discovered that bit of information when you were joined in the blood bond?”
“When we drink each other’s blood, we connect. He can’t control what I see or vice versa. I saw his father. He was here.” Glancing away, Selene’s voice dropped. “I saw all the horrible things he did to Jared and the other kids. He’s pure evil in human form.”
Dakota’s brow creased. “Jared’s biological father is a vampire prime. He’d never hurt anyone, much less children.”
“I only know what I saw.”
Dakota insisted, “It can’t be right.”
“Leave her alone, mother.” Jared’s angry voice sounded from the sliding doors leading to the house. “Selene, come to me.”
Leaping to her feet, the teen ran to her bonded mate.
The thought of his fourteen-year-old daughter sharing the blood bond just about blew Alek’s mind. It was unique bond most vampires were never fortunate enough to discover. When she got close, she threw herself into his arms and burst out crying. Seeing his tenderhearted daughter feeling like she betrayed her soon to be mate, was heart-wrenching.
Coming to his feet, Alek spoke to Jared directly. “We didn’t mean to upset anyone. We just needed to know what’s going on.”
Tightening his arms around Selene, he spoke. “She told you exactly what’s going on and yet you insisted she’s lying. I did see my biological father. He is human, and he’s a horrible person. Believe it or not, cause it’s the truth.” Turning, he pulled Sele
ne through the large glass doors and into the living room. They spoke for a few moments, and Jared took his leave, probably for work. Selene walked back out and gave her father a hug.
“Sorry about that.”
“Again, you did nothing wrong. Have some sweet tea.”
Sitting, Selene brought a cup of warm tea to her lips. Closing her eyes briefly, she seemed to relax into the moment.
Alek tried to change the subject by bringing up the most important headline of the day. “Have you heard the United Council has decided to limit law enforcement positions for vampires to support personnel?”
Dakota’s eyes narrowed. “I had heard they want to limit vampire participation to support positions, but I don’t think they have the vote on the council for that.”
He turned the tablet around for her to see. “One of their staunchest supporters passed away last night, and everyone believes his replacement was not particularly vampire friendly.”
Selene’s angry voice sounded off. “They can’t do that. Jared works in law enforcement. They’ll kick him out.”
“He’s only working as an administrative assistant, but when other tenured officers lose their positions, he’ll be the first to go to retain the officers with the most time on the job.”
“That’s not fair. He’s brilliant and does good work. Why is the world so unfair?”
Her father spoke softly to her, trying to calm her.
Dakota frowned as she scanned through the article. “Well, now that will make things a little more challenging. I’m afraid I have to leave now. Can you call your driver for me?”
“I’m afraid not. I gave him the day off. I would be happy to drive you home or any other place you would like to go.”