Hawk

by Rasey, Patricia A.

  “If not for your fiancé, I would’ve already been inside you.”

  Her lower lip trembled, the fight seeming to drain from her and she sagged against the wall. “Let go of me, Kaleb.”

  “No.”

  He growled, baring his teeth, and grabbed her other wrist, pinning them both overhead as he backed her against the wall by the outside door. He used his booted foot to slam it closed. His breathing labored as he leaned in, her scent fueling the savage in him. Kaleb walked a fine line of self-restraint.

  “You don’t want me,” she whispered so quietly that had it not been for his keen hearing he might not have heard her accusation.

  “That’s where you’re wrong, piccolo diavolo. I want you so badly that every part of my being aches to be inside of you right now.” Kaleb leaned in, his lips grazing the shell of her ear, his knee splitting her legs so that her hot center rested on his thigh. “Are you ready to walk away from that fiancé?”

  A tremor passed town her spine. “He was never my fiancé, Hawk.”

  Kaleb stepped back, still holding tight to her wrists with one hand and looked down on her. His forehead furrowed. “What the hell did you just say?”

  Suzi looked up, her gaze still watery with unshed tears. “I lied.”

  Kaleb clenched his jaw, reining in his temper, hoping she had a damn good reason. “Why?”

  “Because…”

  He waited for her to finish, when she didn’t, he asked again, “Why, piccolo diavolo?”

  “I was afraid,” she said, looking to the floor.

  “Afraid?” He ran his free hand through his overlong loose curls at the top of his head, brushing the hair from his eyes in frustration. “I would never strike you, Suzi. I’d rip the throat out of anyone who tried.”

  “I’m not afraid of you, Kaleb.” Suzi worried her lower lip between her teeth. Her cerulean blue gaze looked back at him. “It’s me. I fear the feelings you cause in me. I’m afraid I won’t have the sense to resist you.”

  “Then don’t.” Kaleb leaned down and tasted her lips.

  He sure in the hell hadn’t thought to end the night this way, not after taking her necklace and attempting to destroy any feelings she might have had for him. But he had misjudged her. Suzi’s resolve was more resilient than even he had speculated. After treating her so callously the years following Ion’s death, she had returned to the Rave a little over a week ago … to see for herself how he fared after nearly losing his head. Instead of embracing her benevolence, he did his damnedest to push her away and punish her for all her goodness. But Suzi’s spirit couldn’t be beaten, no matter how hard he’d tried, and for that he owed her his reverence.

  His free hand rested on her waist, his fingers skimming the bare flesh of her back as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth. She tasted of cinnamon and whiskey, telling him that she had probably been looking for some liquid courage and gotten into his Jack while she waited for his return. No longer did he care about his absurd prejudices or the fact that at one time she had chosen his nephew over him. How could he hold that against her when he had all but pranced every willing floozy from the Rave in front of her? The fact that she stood here now, choosing to be with him rather than turn her back on him, spoke volumes.

  Shit, he really was a goner.

  He slid his hand up her slender side, brushing the side of her small breast, her answering moan spurring his craze to have her. Palming her through the soft silk, her pebbled nipple brushed against his flesh. His groin tightened. Suzi arched into his hand, as she gently yanked on her still captured wrists. She gasped for air as his mouth left hers and trailed wet kisses across her cheek to the sensitive spot, just beneath the fleshy part of her ear. Her heart pounded, causing blood to roar through her veins. Kaleb’s gums ached with the desire to sink his fangs into her artery and drink from her, though he had done so mere hours earlier. To take communion from her again so soon could put her at risk of anemia and Kaleb would never put her life in jeopardy to satisfy his own selfish needs.

  He trailed the tip of his nose along the artery, inhaling her unique scent, knowing it would have to be enough. Licking the same path his nose had taken had Suzi tilting her head to the side, giving him permission to drink, a license he could not take no matter how much the vampire in him demanded more.

  Kaleb ran a forefinger down her sternum, teasing the flesh between her breasts, before slipping beneath the silky material and brushing across one of her hardened nipples. Suzi’s breath hitched as she pushed the tip more fully into his hand, her body begging for his touch. Only too willing to comply, he rolled the taut bud between forefinger and thumb, eliciting a moan from her, laying proof that she desired him and not just the vampire capable of drawing a sexual response by the simple act of feeding. He’d be lying if he didn’t say the thought of her wanting the man in him didn’t please him.

  His nostrils flared, his cock hardened, and if he didn’t slide inside her soon, he feared he might just die from want. Kaleb couldn’t remember the last time he had been this crazed with desire.

  Not since her.

  Damn it all to hell!

  He was tired of trying to outrun, and outfuck the one thing he had always coveted. He had it bad for Suzi Stevens and, like it or not, he no longer wanted to live without her. Better to be fucking her, than walking away from her.

  “I lied.” Her admission had caught him off guard, sent him spiraling into the company of goners. He competed with no one. Suzi Stevens was his for the taking, and he’d kill anyone who thought to challenge him for her. Kaleb wasn’t about to fuck up a second time. She didn’t belong to Ion. And whether Suzi liked it or not, she belonged to him. Pity the fool who tried to tell him otherwise. She may not be his mate … no, never that. But his nonetheless.

  Chapter 18

  Suzi had passed the point of stopping, nor did she want to. Foolish as it may seem, she wanted Kaleb more in this moment than she could ever remember in the years following the first time she had given herself fully to him. Now it seemed such a distant past and all the hurt and anger in the years that followed easily melted away. She was here, with him, and that’s all that really mattered. She loved this man, always had, even if at times her hate and anger had overshadowed the feelings she tried desperately to deny.

  Her center rested on his muscular, jeans-clad thigh, nothing more than a sheer thong separating her from him. Kaleb anchored her to the wall, and a good thing too, or she’d have slipped down the rough-paneled wood to pool at his feet. Suzi tried to draw a breath as his one hand toyed with her highly sensitive nipples, while the other held her wrists trapped overhead. She couldn’t help but wonder if it were indeed possible to pass out from sheer pleasure. If that were the case, she’d never make it through the foreplay.

  In the years following their first joining, Kaleb had become a more attentive lover. That or he had at some point decided pleasuring her was more important than taking his own. Ten years ago she had been barely out of high school when he had carelessly taken her virginity, fucked her and walked away without a backward glance. Now? She sucked in another breath as his fingers skimmed her stomach and headed south. Lord, he had been practicing. Suzi arched into him, wanting more … needing to feel him inside her.

  Hell, she wanted the orgasm she teetered on the brink of.

  Suzi hadn’t exactly been celibate, but most of her attempts at relationships ended with her comparing them to Kaleb. Even though he hadn’t been an overly considerate lover at the time, no one had compared to her brief coupling with him. Kaleb had become her obsession. Her reason for remaining a donor, befriending Ion, and her last attempt to sleep with Kane over six months ago. All had been aimed at getting Kaleb’s notice.

  And now that she had it, he would forever ruin her for any other man. If he walked away after this night, she might as well enter a convent. Two of his fingers smoothed over the sheer material covering her. Suzi moaned, her head tilting into the wall, reveling in the moment.
She never wanted it to end.

  Kaleb leaned down and suckled one of her nipples through the silk top, pulling on it gently, before using the pad of his tongue to soothe the bud through the material. Arching into him, she urged his fingers forward. Hell, she needed him to rip the material from her, unbutton his pants and shove into her. Nothing short of feeling his cock inside her would do. But just as the thought materialized, he instead slipped two of his fingers past the line of her panties and into her, causing her to cry out.

  Much more….

  His thumb caressed the tight knot of nerves of her clit as his two fingers worked in and out of her, the friction sending tremors throughout her body. Two seconds, three … and just like that her world shattered as his given named tumbled from her lips. Her orgasm tore through her, shaking her foundation to the core, telling her in that moment that she was most certainly his and always would be. No living person could ever take his place. And unfortunately, if she for once forgot her head and told him her true feelings … she would no doubt lose him forever.

  Biting her lower lip, she stilled the voice inside her and instead concentrated on freeing her hands. She needed to touch him, to run her hands over his rigid muscles, to tell him with physical contact what her mouth in no way ever could.

  Kaleb relented, released her hands, as he also withdrew his fingers. Suzi looked into his heated gaze, saw herself mirrored in the depths. No way would she allow him to back out now as he looked at her in uncertainty. If he had ruined her for all eternity for any other male, then she meant to make damn sure she left her stamp on him too. By the sound of his ragged breathing, she knew that he still wanted her, warred with the idea of seizing what was already his.

  Suzi needed to lighten the mood before he changed his mind. If she were to ever win him over, then she’d need to do so with baby steps. Anything that looked like commitment and Kaleb would no doubt turn tail and run. She had never seen him with one woman for any period of time. He changed women as often as he changed his briefs. If Suzi wanted to be that one woman who outlasted all others, then she needed to convince him he couldn’t live without her.

  Right! She had a better chance of tightrope walking across Niagara Falls.

  Kaleb leaned forward, his forehead resting on her shoulder as though he warred with his decision of what to do next. Suzi needed to keep him from retreating.

  “Wow.” She chuckled, in her attempt to keep it light. “Where did you learn that trick?”

  He joined in her humor, his breath teasing the flesh of her shoulder. Score one for her. He wasn’t running yet.

  He kissed the crook of her neck, then whispered, “You haven’t seen anything yet, piccolo diavolo.” His breath fanned feather-light across her flesh. A shiver passed down her spine.

  “Then what the hell are you waiting on, vampire? I could die of old age waiting on you to give me a proper orgasm.”

  Kaleb leaned back, his smile wide as his fangs flashed in the low lighting. “You sure about that, sweetheart? Oh … I am so up for that challenge.”

  Not allowing her to catch a breath, he gripped her about the waist and easily lifted her off the floor, sitting her on the bar top and ripping her panties from her. Palming the inside of her thighs, he gently spread them, his obsidian gaze taking her in. Jesus, her heart pummeled her sternum. Had it not been for the hold on her thighs, she would have closed them, feeling incredibly exposed and suddenly self-conscious. Kaleb’s nostrils flared just before leaning in and touching the tip of his tongue on her moist flesh. Suzi sucked her lower lip between her teeth and bit it to keep from crying out. Fisting the dark curls of his head, holding his mouth flush to her, she watched as he sucked her fevered flesh between his teeth. As he gazed up for just the briefest of moments, Suzi thought she detected a deeper emotion in the depths of his eyes … one she feared could only be a product of her longing.

  His mouth damn near brought her to another blinding orgasm, but just before she reached the pinnacle, she yanked on his curls and pulled him away. “Kaleb Tepes, if you don’t fuck me now, I swear I’ll make you pay.”

  The corners of his eyes turned up as an impish grin split his face. “What are you saying, piccolo diavolo? That I was right? Never say never?”

  “Get over yourself already, Hawk.” She smacked his shoulder. “Take what I’m offering while I’m still willing to eat crow.”

  Slowly backing from her reach, he slid a hand to the front of his jeans, running his palm over the ridge that rested beneath. Oh damn!

  “This what you want, sweetheart?”

  Suzi had the insane urge to cross her legs to assuage the ache Kaleb started there. If he so much as stroked himself she might just climax seated on the bar without any help from him. Her gaze centered on his hand leisurely moving over the fabric, his answering chuckle telling her he enjoyed torturing her.

  Thanks to all things holy, his fingers finally traveled to his fly and slipped the button from its mooring. Suzi licked her parched lips as he deliberately took his time pulling down the zipper. His hand disappeared behind the fabric, stroking what her eyes could not yet see. If Kaleb didn’t do something soon, Suzi might just join him in the self-gratification department.

  “Kaleb Tepes,” she warned.

  His response was a wink before he pulled his large cock from his pants. Her breath stuck in her chest as he fisted his erection and slowly ran his hand from balls to tip and back with practiced precision. “You see something you want, sweetheart?”

  Suzi jumped from the bar, strode toward him and pushed his teasing, sorry ass over the arm of the sofa and onto the cushions, earning her another chuckle. “You’re damn right I do.”

  Without so much as another word, she walked around the sofa and straddled his lean hips, using her hand to guide him. She paused, allowing herself to adjust to the size of him, before slowly sinking onto his cock. Damn, she didn’t remember him being so big their first time. He stretched and filled her completely as if nothing ever felt more right in her life. Suzi undulated her hips, slowly rocking on his shaft, reveling in the feel of his hard, hot silky flesh within her.

  “Ah, Jesus,” he blasphemed. “Mother in heaven … so fucking good.”

  She wouldn’t last long, already on the edge of another mind-blowing orgasm. The walls surrounding her heart collapsed, taking Kaleb in, where he took up ownership. She’d be damned before she’d allow him to walk away from her again.

  If any woman even thought to touch her man, she’d personally see they regretted their actions. Suzi meant to let it be known that she had just staked her claim on Kaleb Tepes around the Rave. She had officially taken him off the market. Now she needed to prove to him that no one could take her place in his heart … if he indeed had one.

  Just as she was about to reach release, Kaleb flipped their position, his arms now bracing on either side of her head as he pumped into her, fast and hard. The cords of his neck stood out, tightened in his exertion. His black gaze held hers hostage. Her breath quickened as the love in her chest blossomed and tears sprang to her eyes.

  “Kaleb … oh … god—”

  “That’s it, sweetheart.” He growled. “Let go for me.”

  Tilting her head back, she cried out as every muscle in Kaleb tightened and he joined her in their mutual release. Several seconds went by before he collapsed on top of her, giving her just enough room to move and breathe, his head resting in the crook of her neck.

  “Did you just refer me as a supreme being?” He chuckled against her neck, his breath spanning the soft skin. “Damn. That good?”

  Suzi tasted his salty flesh with her tongue, then nipped at his shoulder, drawing the smallest amount of blood to the surface.

  Before she could taste the sanguine fluid, he pulled out of her and sat back, his gaze pinning her, nearly scaring her in their intensity. “What the fuck?”

  “What’s the matter?”

  Kaleb jumped from the couch, pulled his pants up from about his knees and tucked himself
inside. Suzi quickly followed suit, attempting to right her own mussed clothing. She must look a fright. He ran a hand through his long curls, brushing the hair from his face and looked back at her.

  “Don’t ever do that again, sweetheart.”

  “What?” Her brow furrowed. “Make love to you?”

  Suzi was rewarded with a small grin, making her feel a tiny bit better about what just happened. Hell, she thought Kaleb was already regretting what had taken place. She never would. In fact….

  “No, please—that I’d like a repeat performance of.” His smile grew. “And I plan to continue in that big empty bed of mine in a matter of minutes. But, what I was referring to,” his face sobered, “is drawing my blood. You can never drink from me … not even a taste. Is that clear?”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  Kaleb approached the sofa where she sat, kneeling in front of her and framing her face between his palms. “To do so would mean your damnation. By drinking of my blood, your DNA would begin to change and you would become a monster like me.”

  Suzi placed her hands over his. “You not a monster, Kaleb. I don’t see you that way.”

  He took a deep breath. “Suzi, it’s forbidden. I cannot allow you to become like me.”

  “Cara—”

  “Kane did so to save her life and he had to pay the penance for it. I’m the president of the Sons, sweetheart. I cannot go about breaking the rules. Promise me you’ll keep those teeth to yourself.” He paused, a devilish gleam twinkling in his gaze. “At least don’t use them to draw blood. Agreed?”

  Suzi nodded, not trusting herself to speak should she break down into tears. Not taking his blood, also meant not mating with him. She refused to allow Kaleb to see the hurt his words had caused.

  “Now,” one of his brows rose heavenward, “you have someplace else you need to be?”

  She shook her head.

  “Good.” He chuckled, stood and tossed her across his shoulder as he headed for the rear of the clubhouse, slapping one bare ass cheek. “Because I have someplace I need you to be … in my bed and beneath me.”