Awakening

Home > Romance > Awakening > Page 7
Awakening Page 7

by Warneke, A. C.


  Within moments, servants were placing food in front of them, making a minor production out of removing the lids and serving the elaborate breakfast. Celeste smiled at the service, far more impressive than anything she had ever experienced. But it also made her a little uncomfortable; it was a level of wealth she knew existed, but had never witnessed.

  Out of the corner of her eyes she watched Adam, the ease of how he dealt with all of it, as if he was not only accustomed to it but he expected it. It was another example of how he couldn’t be a Calix unless everything she knew about Calices was wrong; deliberate misinformation on the part of Apocritum to discourage relationships between humans and Calices. Of course, he could be a vampire. Because she wasn’t interested in vampires she knew even less about them than she did about Calices. The one thing she did know was that a vampire could bite his victim without converting her. A shudder went through her body at the thought; unfortunately, it made a lot of sense. Either way she did not belong in Adam’s world, of wealth or supernatural-ness.

  But she had today. Discreetly, she moved her hand to his thigh, running it over the taut muscles and smiling as they flexed beneath her fingers. Keeping her eyes on her plate, on the production of breakfast, she lightly caressed him, moving her hand higher until it rested over the bulge between his legs. As she heard his breath hitch in his throat, she smiled, rubbing his growing erection without looking at him.

  “You’re driving me insane, Celeste,” he rasped against her ear, his breathing heavy and frayed. Reaching down, he wrapped his hand around hers, letting her feel him adjust and attempt to find a more comfortable position.

  Celeste’s eyes widened as Adam nudged his blistering erection against her hand. Turning her head, she finally looked at him. The heat in his eyes burned into her and her body responded as if he were the one caressing her instead. His lips curled up in a seductive smile as her pupils dilated and her breathing deepened. Their hands held motionless over the swollen flesh between his legs, their eyes locked on each other as they remained motionless, lost in a fog of lust and desire.

  “Ahem,” the butler cleared his throat for a third time, finally breaking through the sensual haze.

  “What is it, Francois?” Adam asked, not looking at the man.

  “Would you care for some privacy?” he asked deferentially.

  Celeste lowered her lashes, ending the silent exchange; her cheeks pinking in embarrassment at being caught with her hand between her lover's legs. She watched as Adam’s smile lost a little of its lasciviousness as he turned his head and looked at the butler. “No. However, I need something for Celeste to wear; something with a high neck.”

  Francois looked at the girl’s throat and gasped. Covering his mouth with his fist, he coughed a few times to cover his response. Celeste might have heard him mutter That’s impossible, but she wasn’t sure. “I will leave the clothes in the bathroom down the hall.”

  “Thank you,” Adam nodded his head, dismissing the man. Turning back to Celeste, he grinned, motioning towards the smorgasbord of food in front of her, “Eat.”

  “Drink,” she whispered, eyeing the glass of water, her thirst returning with a vengeance. Grabbing it, she brought it up to her mouth and let the cool liquid rush down her throat, relieving the dryness that had been plaguing her since waking up. Sighing with pleasure, she sat the glass back down after she had drained the entire thing, ready for another glass or six. Smiling sheepishly, she glanced at Adam, “I was very thirsty.”

  “I know,” he smiled, refilling her glass with the pitcher that sat before them. “Today I want to give you a brief tour of the vineyard and then we can return to the city proper this evening for a more… intimate tour.”

  “Will we be coming back here then?” she asked, torn between her desire to spend more time with this man and the need to return to the hostel to pack.

  “No,” he shook his head, taking a bite of his croissant. Celeste fought her disappointment, but then he continued, “We’ll stay in my apartment in town.”

  She smiled, excited about what the day ahead promised. They still had another day together before she had to return home; she never thought that she would regret leaving to go back home. Surreptitiously, she glanced at him, studying the strong profile, the smooth plane of his cheek, the straight white teeth as they bit into his food; he was devastating to her senses. She was really not looking forward to leaving him. Twenty-four hours just wasn’t enough time to get her fill. Twenty-four lifetimes wouldn’t be enough.

  Chapter 4

  Adam held Celeste’s hand as they strolled through the streets of Paris, content just being with her. Even though she spoke no more about returning to the States, about leaving him, he sensed her resolution just beneath the surface. She still planned on going. Tonight he was going to redouble his efforts to convince her that she belonged to him, with him. If he had to remain bound to the Queen by the slimmest of threads at least he would have Celeste by his side to make it bearable.

  Smiling to himself, he knew that she would not be able to resist him again and tomorrow they would be returning to his chateau. He would feast on blood and sex, on Celeste. One thing was certain: he was never going to let her go. If necessary he would ask Auberon to aid him in his effort to keep her, to compel her to stay.

  “This has been so wonderful,” Celeste sighed, resting her head against his arm, her fingers entwined with his. “There is so much history in these old buildings; the beauty camouflages so much darkness. This has been an amazing day, Adam; thank you.”

  “But I was doing all of the talking,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head. “I never got the chance to learn about you.”

  “I’m not very interesting,” she protested, smiling slightly. “I much prefer listening to your voice as you tell me about the history of Notre Dame and everything else.”

  “I want to hear your voice,” he whispered, stroking her hand with his fingers. “I want to know more about you.”

  “That would be just silly,” she grinned. “Why should I talk about myself when I am quite positive that you are far more exciting?”

  “But I know everything I need to know about myself,” he returned, nuzzling her ear with his lips, his breath hot against her skin. “I want to know about you.”

  Shrugging her shoulders, her eyes twinkling, she said, “I’m an only child and as much as I begged my dad for a little brother or sister, he refused to remarry and provide one for me.”

  “Your parents are divorced then?” he asked solemnly.

  “No,” she smiled sadly and shook her head. “My mom died just after I was born.”

  “I’m very sorry,” he murmured, closing his eyes, feeling her grief as she briefly talked about a woman she never knew.

  “It’s not your fault,” she smiled up at him tenderly. “My dad told me that the placenta tore and they weren’t able to stop the bleeding. He said that at the end, she was able to hold me and she had a smile on her lips when she passed on.”

  “Are you and your father really close then?” he asked.

  “No,” she said matter-of-factly, no pain in her voice, though she must hurt. “He took my mom’s death really hard and, I don’t know, maybe I remind him of her or something. It’s no big deal, though; my best friend’s family sort of adopted me and I spent almost all of my childhood at their house.”

  “You’re still a child,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head again, needing to kiss her, touch her.

  “And I still spend most of my free time there,” she grinned. “Kim is like a sister and I have no idea how I would have survived childhood without her and her family.”

  “Then I’m glad you had them.” He bent his head down and pressed his lips against her neck, unconcerned about the attention they were gathering. When she sighed her invitation to go further, he forced himself to stop kissing her and take a step away; it would have been too easy to make love to her but it was quite illegal to do so in the middle of a public park. Not to m
ention the humiliation she would experience as soon as the sensual fog lifted and she became aware of what she was doing, but more specifically, where she was doing it. Seeing her disappointed lower lip pop out, he smiled and tugged at her hand. “Come.”

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked, stumbling over her feet as her body learned how to walk once more.

  He liked holding her hand, keeping her close; he was never going to let her go. While it was against the rules to take a human without her consent, he wasn't too concerned about being unable to convince her to stay. Admittedly, he should have asked for permission before he bit her because only vampires were so crass as to bite their victims against their will. Of course, vampires could bite without repercussions; he had been miraculously lucky she didn’t change when he bit her.

  He pointed ahead, “There.”

  Grinning, her eyes lit up her entire face, “Really?”

  “Yes,” he smiled as they hurried through the park.

  *****

  Across the way, she saw the Eiffel Tower, wondering how she could have possibly have missed it and realizing she was lost in Adam. She had the most incredible historical tour of a fascinating city, she was in Paris for one more night and she was spending it with the most amazing man she had ever known. When they reached the historic landmark, Celeste was sorely dismayed to see that it was closed. It would have been exhilarating to look over the city of lights at night. Unable to hide her disappointment, she sighed, “Oh, well, it was a nice idea.”

  He chuckled, putting his knuckles under her chin and lifting her head up, “It still is.”

  Her eyes widened as she looked at him and he placed a soft kiss on her lips. Taking her hand once more, they walked past the waiting guards and to the lift that would bring them closer to the top. Celeste was too stunned to speak as everyone showed Adam the utmost reverence and respect as they passed. She wasn't sure if it was even possible to schedule a private tour of the iconic tower. Maybe there were special arrangements that could be made if one wasn't human.

  Her heart pounded in her chest as they came ever closer to the top, as they stepped out of the open-air elevator onto the metal floor. Holding her hand, he led her to the edge where they were able to see the lights of the city sparkling brightly. In a hushed voice, she whispered, “It’s amazing.”

  “Most amazing,” he murmured, his lips brushing against her ear and she knew that he was not talking about the view. Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight. “Have you ever made love on the Eiffel Tower before?”

  She smiled, “No, of course not.”

  “Would you like to?” he asked, nibbling at her ear lobe, licking the ridge of her ear and sending chills down her spine.

  “More than anything,” she whispered, leaning her head back as his mouth roamed over her throat and his hands began unbuttoning her blouse. It didn’t matter where they were, that one of the guards might witness their indulgence; she hadn’t had sex with him all day and she was leaving in less than twelve hours. She just wanted all of the memories he offered, knowing that tomorrow, everything was going to return to normal and she was going to become boring Celeste once more. His tongue was doing miraculous things to her body and she wasn’t going to think beyond this moment.

  Letting the blouse fall open, he unclasped the front of her bra, brushing the backs of his knuckles over her sensitive nipples. He gently pulled the silky top and lacy bra from her body. As the cool wind swept across her heated skin, her nipples tightened even more as the butterflies fluttered madly in her gut. She moaned as he ran his thumbs over the swollen buds, as his hands drifted lower abandoning her breasts.

  With one hand on her stomach, he brought his other hand around to the back to unfasten the black skirt, letting it fall to the ground. Smiling against her skin, he untied the sides of the silky underwear, letting the fragile silk drift down to join her discarded skirt. She stood before him in glorious nudity and smiled, “I feel so decadent.”

  Pressing his hands against her stomach, he whispered against her ear, “Let me worship you.”

  “You already have,” she murmured, feeling very much like a goddess as the gentle breeze fanned over her burning skin. The incredible view from the top of the tower was abandoned as her eyes closed and elevated carnal awareness of Adam rushed through her.

  Smiling, he turned her around so they stood chest to chest, her soft breasts crushed against his sculpted abs as he held her at her waist. Where did his clothes go? It hardly mattered when her body felt so hot and languid and he smelled so delicious.

  With black eyes that were smoldering, he raked his gaze over her, and she felt it in her soul. Bending, he began kissing her neck, licking the rapid pulse, the hollow of her throat. Slowly, sensuously, he ran his tongue, his teeth, over her body, capturing a nipple in his hot mouth and suckling it until she whimpered, her fingers twisting in his hair. He ran his tongue along the undersides of her lush breasts, tracing the center of her body down to her belly button. Looking up at her, he breathed, “Let me pleasure you.”

  Celeste’s head fell back and if not for Adam’s hands at her waist, she would have tumbled right over the edge and crashed to the ground so far below. Her body was too hot and her hormones were zinging through the air, bouncing off the metal and hitting her as they returned, driving her wild with lust and desire as his tongue circled her belly button, dipping in and out in an imitation of sex. Then he was on his knees before her, his tongue pushing past the damp curls and touching the core of her being, her soul. “Oh, my.”

  He grinned as her legs fell open allowing him access. He continued to hold her up as her legs trembled, unable to support her weight any longer as his tongue slid into her moist heat. Taking the nub into his mouth, he sucked and licked until she was gasping for breath. Sensation flooding her, Celeste grabbed onto the rail, her knuckles turning white as her body burned and exploded into a million stars.

  He drank of her and as soon as the last wave of her orgasm washed over her, he stood, pushing into her as he came up. Still holding onto the railing, Celeste wrapped her legs around his waist as he pounded into her, reigniting the fading waves of release. The world around them disappeared and only they remained, feeding and feasting in an endless blaze of passion. And as their bodies melted together, Celeste felt him in her heart, her soul.

  Crying out in unison, their voices drifted in the wind, feeding the fire of desire throughout the streets of Paris; their bodies flew apart. An eternity later, they dissolved back into their skin. Breathing hard and rapidly, Celeste wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him to her body, very aware of the heat of his naked skin pressed against hers. “How can two days change a person so completely?”

  “I don’t know,” he rasped, holding her against him. “Celeste, stay with me.”

  “Oh, how you tempt me,” she murmured, pressing her lips against his throat, his racing pulse. He was so incredible; how was she going to leave him? How could she even think about staying? “But you know I can’t. I have to go home.”

  Stay with me, she heard his voice whisper in her head and she wondered if she was imagining things.

  “Stay,” he rasped.

  Dragging her lips against his skin, she found his parted lips, drawing his tongue into her mouth. The kiss signaled her acquiescence, at least for the moment. But then she had to leave so she stopped, resting her forehead against his, tears shimmering in her eyes. “I cannot.”

  Shock, disbelief, darkened his features as he stared down at her, at a loss as to what to say. Tenderly, she cupped his cheek, “As much as I hate the thought of leaving you, you know that I have to return home.”

  “But….” I ordered you to stay.

  “My dad will,” she began then paused, reconsidering her words. “Well, my dad might not notice, but Kim and her parents would freak out. And as amazing as these last two days have been, I have a life back home; I have obligations.”

  “But….” He bega
n to protest once more, unable to find the words.

  She smiled at him, running her finger over his lips, wanting the tactile memory of his face, “Besides, you have too many secrets, Mr. Vespari.”

  He started, and his expression abruptly closed up. “We all have secrets.”

  “I don’t,” she shrugged, before smiling brazenly at him, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, “Well, maybe I have one.”

  Her innocently seductive grin brought a smile to his face, “And what’s that?”

  “I know what you are,” she whispered, her eyes sparkling with laughter. As his eyes widened, she laughed out loud.

  “Then tell me,” he said casually. “What am I?”

  “Well, if you really must know,” she began, her fingers stroking his neck, scraping against his scalp. “When I first saw you, you were so… divinely gorgeous, I thought, I had hoped, that you were an Apocritum, but when I didn’t change I thought perhaps you were a Calix but that doesn’t really make sense does it?”

  He simply stared at her so she smiled a bit sheepishly, “I’ve realized that you must be a vampire, even though you’re not cold at all.”

  “How do you know anything about that?” he asked, searching her face.

  Shrugging her shoulders, she looked out over the city and wrapped her arms around her naked body, suddenly aware of her nudity. “Kim’s parents work at one of the Research Centers; they told us a little bit about what’s out there to keep us safe.” Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled slightly, drinking in the beauty that was Adamanteros. “They failed to mention how incredibly seductive vampires can be.”

  “Then how do you know I’m not a Calix or an Apocritum?” he asked quietly.

  Her lips spread into a wide smile, “Isn’t it obvious?”

  “What?”

  “I’m not a Thraell,” she shrugged her shoulders. “And I’m also not Calix, but I’m not surprised by that; I never drank your blood after you bit me.”

 

‹ Prev