by Virna DePaul
His skin prickled with possessiveness as she turned and gave Cy a hug. It was to be expected, he told himself. The last time he’d seen Jes, they’d just had hours of mind-blowing sex. It was no wonder his first inclination was to rip the other man apart limb from limb, something Cy probably knew given the look of amusement he shot at Dex.
“How’s your patient?” Cy asked Jesmina while still staring at Dex.
“I think he’s going to be okay.”
“Who the hell shot him?” Dex snapped out. Damn if he was going to let her ignore him any longer. After all, she had brought him here, not the other way around.
She turned to face Dex. “I—I don’t know. And I don’t need to know.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s part of what I promise my patients. I treat without discrimination. I don’t interrogate. For example, I’m tempted to ask you and Cy how you both managed to sustain fresh bruises to your faces since I saw you last, but you’ll notice I’m not asking you that.”
Cy winced but Dex managed not to do so. Barely.
He strode closer to Jes, satisfied when she took a step back and started breathing faster.
“If you don’t question your patients before treating them,” he queried, “then how do you know you’re not helping a bad guy?”
She shrugged. “Good. Bad. It’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it? From my perspective, all life is precious.”
“Seems like a dangerous rule to live by.” Recalling the stuff he’d read while he’d been waiting, he couldn’t resist asking, “Is there really such a thing as a centaur?”
“Yes.”
“And saber tooth vampires?”
She nodded. “Believe me, if you were a vampire with that particular condition, you wouldn’t need to ask.”
Huh. He’d have to ask Knox about it, if only to give the dharmire a bad time. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a doctor?”
“Well, for one thing, you never asked.”
“True. We didn’t really talk much at all, did we?”
Her mouth firmed and she looked at Cy, who got the message.
“Why don’t I leave the two of you alone?” Cy said, even though he didn’t look happy about doing it. “I know you have a lot of catching up to do. Just know that Mr. Hunt isn’t in top form, Jes. We had some trouble and I hit him with some of my throwing stars. Quite by accident. I already gave him the proper inoculation and he’s fine, but he’s likely to be weak.”
“Don’t count on it,” Dex shot back. “I feel fine.”
Cy raised a brow. “Still, you used considerable energy while I was…giving you a tour of the place. Don’t do anything overly vigorous while I’m gone.”
Jes flushed at Cy’s words.
Cy chuckled before gently rubbing her cheek with a knuckle.
Okay, enough was enough. Dex growled, the sound an obvious warning. In case Cy missed it, however, Dex ordered, “Get your hands off her.”
Cy flipped him a look. “Who’s going to make me?”
“You’ll find out in about two seconds. And this time, I won’t bother playing nice.”
“Nice, huh? Interesting,” Cy muttered, but he dropped his hand. “Like I said, I’ll give you two time to talk.”
He left.
Dex and Jesmina stared at one another for several tense moments before she spoke. “I’m sorry you got hurt. Let me see…”
Dex heard her words. He saw her lips moving as she formed them. But they were a distant thing in his mind. He found himself walking toward her without any intent to do so. Saw her eyes widen just before he swept her up in his arms and took her mouth with his.
She tasted as sweet as he remembered. Even sweeter. She’d welcomed him before, but not as she did now. Now, she clung to him, pulling him into her body with an obvious desperation that told Dex she’d thought of him too. His hands swept into her hair, but he didn’t like the dark strands, missing the silver that sparkled and shimmered like jewels. He lightly ran his arms over her, her breasts, her hips, her thighs.
She gasped and it took him a moment to realize she was pushing him away.
“Wait. Stop, Dex. I—I didn’t bring you here for this.”
He blinked and took a step back, breathing hard, fists clenching.
“I—I need a minute. Please. Let me sit down.”
Taking her arm, he guided her to the same armchair he’d used earlier.
Shakily, she sat down.
He pushed several strands of hair out of her face. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“Yes, I am. And I need to feed. I need pure blood from an immaculate. I’ve arranged for someone to come to me.”
“Fast food delivery? At this late hour?”
She gave a ghost of smile. “Something like that. He was supposed to be here a while ago, before you showed up, but he was delayed.”
“He?” She was going to drink from another male. While Dex was here. And he couldn’t help the jealousy and possessiveness that once again swirled through him. This time, considering the guy was nowhere in sight and was going to be her meal and not her lover, the emotions bothered him. A lot. He had no true connection to this woman. No rights. Why was he acting as if he did?
“Yes. He’s one of the few immaculates nearby that I trust.”
“How long—”
“I’ve used him a few times only. But he’s young. His blood is very potent.”
I’ll bet it is. “Why am I here, Jes? And how did you know I was in France?”
She hesitated and bit her lip. “Listen, Dex, I—”
A young Adonis, blond and tall and muscular, walked into the room. Dex growled at the interruption, but mostly it was with renewed jealousy. Of course this was the immaculate she was going to feed from. Only the best for Jes. The guy was so good looking he even put Caleb O’Flare to shame.
“I’m so sorry I’m late, Jessie.” He held out a hand to Dex. “I’m Raul Merced.”
Dex glared at the guy until his hand fell.
Jes stood. “We’ll talk when I get back, Dex. I’ll return in a moment.”
“No.”
Equally startled, Jes and Raul stared at him.
“Excuse me?” she asked faintly.
“You don’t need to drink from him. You can drink from me.”
Her eyes rounded with shock, her pupils expanding so they shone like the moon, wiping out nearly every trace of her dark irises. She blinked, but she couldn’t disguise the glitter of her desire. Desire for him. It took her several tries before she could speak. “For nourishment, vampires need pure blood. Blood from humans or animals. Can’t be anyone with Otherborn heritage, not when I’m weak and hungry, or else it’ll make me sicker than I am now. You’ve dated many vampires. You’ve got to know that.”
How the hell did she know he’d dated many vampires?
And why was that the part of her statement he’d focused on?
Fuck.
He swiped his hands over his face. He knew she needed human blood. It had been stupid for him to suggest otherwise. But the idea of her feeding from this man—Raul, he thought nastily—made him want to howl in rage. “You’ll drink from his wrist?”
Raul, Dex noted, looked thoroughly amused. Lucky for him he kept his eyes downcast.
Not Jes. She raised her chin, her eyes flashing. “What business is it of yours?”
“I’m here, aren’t I? You asked Cy to bring me here. And the only reason I can think of is because you want to continue what we started in the States. Or am I wrong?”
She glanced at Raul while once again blushing an endearing shade of pink. He hadn’t noticed that before, but she tended to blush a lot.
“Right now I want to get my strength back.”
“Then tell me you’re going to drink from his wrist. Because that’s the only way I’m going to let it happen.”
They stared at each other, with her looking as shocked as he felt, but he meant every word he’d said.
He didn’t know
what was driving him to make the demands he was making. All he knew was he wasn’t backing down until she gave him the answer he wanted.
Finally, she nodded.
Reluctantly, he released her.
She left the room with Raul, leaving Dex to stare out the library window.
A vampire feeding was a private thing, and he’d have to be given certain privileges before he was allowed to watch it. That was the only reason that he hadn’t insisted she drink from Raul in front of him. It would have suggested an intimacy that he couldn’t afford to foster, not given how damn obsessed with her he already was.
Several minutes later, he heard the library door open.
He turned.
Jesmina stood in the doorway.
She looked healthier already. Her skin looked pinker. Her cheeks slightly fuller. Her eyes sparkled in a way they hadn’t before. Better but still not fully recovered. Maybe it just took awhile for the full effects of the feeding to settle in.
“He—he’s gone.”
Dex walked up to her and rubbed her cheek with his knuckles, deliberately caressing her where Cy had touched her, as if he could wipe away the other man’s touch. “Did he taste good?”
She bit her lip, as if she knew it was dangerous to answer.
He rubbed his thumb over her lip until she loosened the plump flesh. “Did he?” he demanded.
“Yes,” she breathed.
He stared at her consideringly. “I want you to taste me. I want to eradicate the taste of him from your lips.”
Her eyes flared. Then, although she hesitated, she leaned up to kiss him.
He pulled back and shook his head. “I wasn’t talking about my lips.”
Jes’s shocked gaze dropped, causing his muscles to tighten with anticipation. He loved shocking her and making her blush. It was quickly becoming one of his favorite things.
But not his favorite, of course.
He clearly remembered the feel of her sweet mouth wrapped around him. She’d made him feel like a fucking god, one being pleasured and worshipped by a goddess.
He wanted to feel that way again. Right here. Right now. But first…
“But first you need to tell me, Jes. How did you know I was in France, and why did you bring me here?”
***
Jes heard Dex’s question but didn’t immediately answer him.
She couldn’t.
Joy at seeing him competed with the knowledge that she felt better than she had in days. More alive. Healthy. Powerful. And the same was true for the life inside her.
And it wasn’t because of Raul. Not completely.
She’d barely given herself time to take what she needed from Raul because she’d been so anxious to get back to Dex. Seeing him in her own private sanctuary was surreal and combined with the shock of pregnancy, part of her still wondered if she was dreaming. But if she was dreaming, they’d already be naked and some part of him would already be in some part of her. Right now, she wasn’t particular about what parts went where, only that it happen. She took a step closer, but her lust-induced haze must have been evident to him because Dex shook his head and took a step back.
“Not yet. How’d you know I was in France, Jes? Have you had someone watching me?”
He looked extremely pissed off at the thought. If he only knew everything she’d done, he’d be rabid with anger. The knowledge tempered the joy and the lust she was feeling.
What was she going to do? How was she going to explain the powerful connection they now had, the important connection he had to the baby growing inside her, when she didn’t even understand it herself? If she told him basic facts, that she was pregnant and he was the father, what was to stop him from freaking out and leaving them?
What if he thought she’d lied about being able to conceive? What if he thought she’d deliberately gotten pregnant to trap him? Granted, it would be hard for him to blame her given the fact he’d used protection, but what if—
Dex lightly grasped her arms and gently shook her. “Damn it, Jes. What’s going on? Answer me. Were you having me followed?”
“No,” she said. Or at least, that’s what she meant to say. Her mouth opened and closed but she didn’t hear any words escape her lips.
He glared down at her, his eyelids heavy, his lips flat, his nostrils flaring.
He looked so angry, she thought once again, but she didn’t care.
She didn’t care!
Right now, none of it mattered. Her quest to prolong life. The gift he might possess. The duty she owed Bodin and Dex’s contrary intent to kill him. All that mattered was Dex.
He was here. When she’d thought she’d never see him again. He was touching her. He’d given her what she’d always longed for, a baby. One more chance to love and be loved by a child of her very own flesh.
And she was acutely aware of what else Dex had given her.
What he could give her again.
Pleasure.
Sheer ecstasy.
The ability to momentarily forget everything else and focus purely on her own carnal needs.
She licked her lips, remembering how he’d tasted. How much she’d wanted to bite him. How, even when she’d been gulping down Raul’s blood, she’d imagined the sweet nectar flowing from Dex and—
He growled. “Jesus, you’re incredible. You want me, don’t you? You want me so fucking bad you can’t even answer my question. Can’t wait.”
He pulled her against his chest and slammed his mouth down on hers. His tongue thrust between her lips, penetrating her so thoroughly that she whimpered with relief. As soon as she made the sound, he tore himself away from her and sucked in several breaths.
He looked as shell-shocked as she felt.
“What the hell is going on?” he muttered, but he didn’t wait for her to answer. He swept her up into his arms, marched to the chaise lounge on the other side of the room, and spread her out like she was a five-course gourmet meal and he was absolutely starving for her.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Dex covered Jes’s body with his and stared into her dark midnight eyes. Electricity crackled between them, causing warmth to infuse his skin. That warmth grew sizzling hot wherever their bodies touched. She whimpered and the sweet feminine sounds soon became a steady chorus, ratcheting up his desire until he felt dangerously poised on the edge of sanity.
Closing his eyes, Dex took a deep breath. It was amazing, this connection he had with her. Proximity was enough to make his head spin with desire but actual contact? As it had in the States, touching Jes resulted in a feeling of intense relief that immediately skyrocketed into a desperate, mind-blowing need. He’d never needed anything like he seemed to need her. Not sex or food or companionship. Hell, not even revenge.
His eyes popped open and he furiously tossed his head as if he could shake that errant thought out of his mind. Her cool smooth palms stroked his back and thoughts of revenge were swept away. Lust surged through him, concentrating in his groin until he couldn’t help but thrust his hips, notching his thick aching flesh into the cradle of her hot center. The way she strained to get even closer to him took his breath away.
Yes, he thought. Need me. Need. Me.
He framed her face in his hands and took her mouth with his. Groaned as their tongues butted and battled for dominance. He held himself back as long as he could before wresting it from her. His tongue was aggressive in a way his body wanted to be but couldn’t manage, given the clothes they were still wearing. He penetrated her mouth with a thoroughness designed to both satisfy and entice. At the same time, he pushed himself slightly up on his knees and began tearing at her clothes, hungrily taking in each patch of pale creamy skin as it was exposed.
This time when she whimpered, he thought he heard fear in the sound. He froze and raised his gaze to hers. She looked drugged, her pupils so dilated now her eyes were almost completely silver, with only a thin black ring of her irises showing. He saw his own reflection in the shimmering silver globes and shock
jolted him. He looked more animal than human with his brows furrowed, his skin pulled tight over his cheekbones, his lips pressed back from his teeth to reveal his canines in all their glory.
Shit. No wonder she’d sounded scared.
Trembling, he released her. “I’m sorry. Fuck, I didn’t mean to go at you so rough. I know you’re not feeling well.” He tried to move off her, but she wrapped her legs around his waist, locking him in place.
“No. S'il te plait. Don’t go. I want you. Just—can you slow down? Touch me a little…softer?”
Softer? He was so hard he could hammer nails with his dick and she wanted…soft? But as he looked down at her, noted her flushed skin and the vibrant light in her eyes, he wanted to give her anything and everything she wanted. She looked even stronger than she had after drinking from Raul, and that made him feel possessive all over again. Possessive and satisfied.
She was a vampire but he was feeding her with nothing but his kisses and touch.
Outside, wind buffeted the lead paned windows. He took another deep breath and shuddered. It was touch and go for a second, but he managed to push back the need demanding he get her naked and get himself inside her. Gently, he cupped her breasts, stroking the soft, dainty globes as if he was cherishing them. She bit her bottom lip and he groaned, wanting to suck the pink plump flesh for all he was worth. Hell, he wanted to eat her up. Gulp her down until the gnawing hunger he felt was appeased. Instead, he swiped his thumbs over the hard, needy points of her nipples, drawing a whimper from her that no longer held a trace of fear.
“I can give you soft,” he said, as much to reassure himself as her. “With my hands. My lips. My tongue. But…” He reached down and eased one of her hands to his crotch, where his dick jumped and quivered in protest at what wasn’t happening. “Not with this.” Easy boy, he thought grimly, groaning when her fingers stroked him, exploring his length through his pants as if she was blind and committed to memorizing every detail.