“I’d love some wine but I’m driving. Unless you’d like me to stay the night?”
I freeze with my hand on the fridge door handle. “Don’t you have to work?”
He lets out a dark chuckle. “I do. I just wanted to see how you’d react.”
I don’t like being toyed with. Grimly, I get a pair of scissors and set about trimming the stalks of the flowers he got me. I’ve never had a green thumb and couldn’t name them to save my life, but they’re pink and pretty. I wonder whether I have a suitable vase somewhere. I don’t ever get given flowers. “Well, now you know,” I manage.
“I thought you said you have a cat?”
“I do. He’s around here somewhere.” If I had any remaining doubt that Maximus isn’t quite human, Felix’s reaction has removed it. He always greets visitors, sniffing their shoes. “He’s shy,” I lie.
I thought Maximus had gone and sat down in the den but then his hands land on my shoulders from behind and I almost jump out of my skin.
“Hush,” he says quietly, “I just wanted to say hello properly. Put the scissors down and turn to face me.”
When he uses that tone, I’m helpless to resist. It’s almost like I’m hypnotized. I do as he says.
“You look beautiful,” he murmurs, then his lips land on mine.
Immediately, I’m drowning, clinging to him, my skin prickling and my core pulsing with need. I forget to think, to breathe... all that exists in the world is this man and how he’s making me feel.
His hand slides down my back to cup my buttock and he tugs me close so I can feel the thick, hard length of him through his suit pants. He pulls his face back just far enough to growl, “Were you a good girl, pet? Or did you masturbate since I saw you last?”
“No.” My voice is a croak. “I was good, Sir.”
“Then you deserve a reward.” Before I realize what’s happening, he’s stripped off my pants and panties, freed his erection, picked me up and impaled me with his huge cock.
The sound I make is inhuman but I can’t help it. His kiss alone has me so slippery that he slides in easily, stretching me to the point of exquisite pain.
Perching me on the counter, he nuzzles my neck and I throw my head back, lost in the sensation of his gently rocking hips against my core. “I’ve been thinking about doing this all day,” he mumbles against my skin, and I feel the nip of his teeth. “I’m so hungry for you, Sabina.”
My nails are digging into his suit jacket and I wrap my legs around his waist, desperate for him to go deeper. Harder. Faster. I’m already so close.
“You’re going to come around my cock like a good little pet,” he tells me, upping the pace of his thrusts enough to make me moan helplessly. “Aren’t you?”
“Yes, Sir.” He shifts the angle of his pelvis, crushing my pounding clit with each deep stroke. “Oh god, please…”
“Now,” he growls, and my orgasm crashes over me like a tsunami. I’m drowning in pleasure, clutching him as if he were a life raft as wave after wave of hot, liquid pleasure radiates through my entire body.
Then there’s a sharp stinging pain in my neck, and everything goes dark…
18
Maximus
It’s been nearly a week since a certain blonde entered my world, and I can no longer imagine my life without her in it—a thought which terrifies me.
We haven’t been able to see as much of each other as we’d like, what with her working during the day and me at night, but every moment I spend with her makes me want more, regardless of whether we’re playing, fucking, or just talking. She’s bright and witty, and a delight to behold in the throes of both pain and pleasure.
Unfortunately, she’s also as stubborn as a mule, and while she trusts me completely with her body, she’s very guarded with details about her feelings, her past, her thoughts. For instance, I know Zeke is still threatening her, but she hasn’t mentioned it since that first night she spent at my house. And every time I try to broach the topic, she changes the subject or distracts me in other, physical ways.
It’s infuriating.
She’s fast asleep now, naked in my arms, and I decide to give her another few minutes before rousing her. I took the night off so we could spend it together. She came to my place shortly after sunset. I ordered pizza and we watched a movie. Then I tormented her beautiful naked body with ice cubes and hot wax before fucking her into oblivion.
Sabina always passes out when I feed from her. I noticed that when I first went to her condo and took her on the kitchen counter. She’s never under for long, though, and the look she gives me when she comes to—so open and trusting—slays me. I could drown in her eyes.
She got changed and came to the club with me that night, although we didn’t play. She stayed by my side and sipped a glass of wine, watching others indulge in public sessions, allowing me to introduce her to some of my colleagues. Lucius and Selene were in that evening, sitting tall and grand on their thrones, and I debated for a moment whether to introduce her to them, too, but decided it was too soon.
Even though I haven’t felt this way about anybody since Caroline, I have no way of knowing how Sabina feels about me. She enjoys what I do to her, there’s no doubt about that, but we’ve talked about the past as little as we’ve talked about the future. Her past, anyway. Ever since she learned the truth about me, she’s enjoyed badgering me with questions about certain periods in history which interest her. And I’m happy to answer what I can. I admire that she always wants to learn more. Know more.
I just wish she were more forthcoming about herself.
Her eyes flutter open and she turns to look at me. “Maximus,” she sighs, and the way she says my name goes right through me.
“Pet.”
“Was I asleep long?”
“No. I was about to wake you.”
She moves and lets out a little moan. “For round two?”
“You’re insatiable.” I kiss the top of her head.
“Only with you.” Her full lips curve into a satisfied smile. “I can never get enough of what you do to me.”
“The feeling’s mutual.”
Her hand slides down to find my cock but I catch it and move it away.
“I want to talk,” I tell her.
She stiffens, the sudden tension radiating off her. “That sentence never leads to anything good.”
“Nothing bad. I just… all this time we’re spending together, and I still know next to nothing about you.”
“There’s nothing to know.” Her face has taken on that familiar, shuttered look.
“I don’t believe that. You’ve been hurt.”
She lets out a little huff. “Everyone’s been hurt.”
“That’s true.” In my experience, people are more willing to open up if you lead by example. I swallow and close my eyes, praying that I won’t regret what I’m about to do. “I’ve been hurt.”
“By whom?” She’s watching me intently now.
“Caroline.”
“Your lover?”
“My wife.”
There’s a long pause, and I realize I would give anything to know what Sabina is thinking right now. But I resist the temptation to peek into her mind. If she’s jealous, she’s not showing it.
“What did she do?”
“She did nothing. The fault was mine.”
“All right. What did you do?”
“I failed to protect her. She had a little shop. She made hats. I allowed it—she enjoyed it and was good—”
“You allowed it?” Sabina echoes with disbelief in her voice. “How generous of you! When was this, exactly?”
Ignoring the barb, I continue. “1895. Not all married women were permitted to work. But as I was saying, she was good at it and enjoyed it. People came from all over to buy her adornments.”
“And what did you do? What was your trade?”
“I bought and sold horses.”
“I suppose they were more popular back then,” she says with
a smile.
I suppress a huff of irritation. “Regardless, Caroline was working late. She had an express assignment she wanted to finish. I was supposed to go and pick her up, to escort her from the shop back to our house. I never let her go out on her own after dark. But I overslept.” I realize I’m clenching my fists and force myself to unclench them. The memory is still as raw and painful as it was a century ago. “I don’t know whether she was just unwilling to wait, or whether she thought I wasn’t coming, but she set off alone. On foot. In the heart of London. She disobeyed me.” I pause, working up the nerve to continue.
“What happened?” Sabina’s voice is barely above a whisper. She’s squeezing my thigh gently.
“She was set upon by a group of men. They… raped her and plunged a knife into her heart before stealing her jewels. They were drunk, the police said, they got carried away. They were caught and hanged, but of course that didn’t bring her back.” You should have turned her. It’s a sentence which has haunted me ever since, but I don’t speak it aloud. I look down to see a tear sliding down Sabina’s cheek.
“I’m so sorry, Maximus.”
“I should have been there. I should never have let her go out alone. I was her husband! It was my job to protect her.”
“It wasn’t your fault! Surely you don’t blame yourself?”
“Of course I do!” My tone is more forceful than I had intended and I wince. “Sorry. It’s hard for me to talk about.”
“Is that why you work security now? Why you’re so protective? Why you freaked out about those messages from Zeke?”
“Partly. I vowed two things on the day we buried her. That I would spend the rest of eternity looking out for others, and—” I stop, suddenly realizing what I’m about to say.
“And?” she probes.
“It doesn’t matter.”
She lets out a little sigh. “I can guess.”
“Really?”
“It’s not hard. You vowed never to love again, didn’t you?”
I swallow past the lump in my throat, unwilling to admit it but unwilling to lie to her.
“It doesn’t matter,” she says, turning her head and kissing my chest. “What matters is that you still blame yourself after all this time when you shouldn’t. Stuff happens. Bad things happen.”
That a girl who’s only been alive for three and a half decades should be explaining the realities of the world to me is somehow adorable, and I find myself smiling despite the raw pain the memory has evoked. “I know, pet,” I say at length. “But I intend to make sure fewer bad things happen. And I like to think I’ve saved some people since that day.”
“I’m sure you’ve saved more than you know.”
There’s a pause, and I can almost feel Sabina wrestling with herself. I wait, knowing that silence is often the best way to get someone to keep talking. She doesn’t disappoint me.
“Zeke has messaged me again. Twice.”
A surge of anger rises up in my chest and I force myself to keep my tone even. “Thank you for telling me. But you haven’t seen him?”
“No. I honestly believe he’s just trying to intimidate me. Although I have no idea why.”
I could tell her but I won’t. “Will you show me the messages?” I say instead.
“My phone is downstairs.”
“Later then.”
She’s biting her bottom lip, and I wonder whether it’s because she’s annoyed with herself for telling me, or worried about how I’ll react to the messages when I see them. After a moment, she sighs. “All right.”
“Good girl.”
“Maximus?”
“Yes, pet?”
“Thank you for telling me about Caroline. I feel like I know you a little better now.”
“Good. Do you think someday you’ll return the favor?”
“How?”
“By telling me something about you. From your past. Sharing one’s pain often helps ease it.”
“I don’t like to talk about myself.” Her face is closed off again. “I never have.”
I know better than to push it. Instead, I pull her closer and drop another kiss on the top of her head. “Well,” I tell her, “if you ever change your mind, I’d love to know more about you. I want to know everything about you.”
“If I ever change my mind, I promise you’ll be the first to find out.”
Not for the first time, I wonder what exactly has wounded my little pet so badly that she’s so unwilling to talk about it. One day, I will find out.
Sabina
As much as I enjoy spending time with Maximus, I wish he’d stop probing me about my past. I don’t see how his knowing more about my childhood will change anything. Besides, it’s not like we have any kind of future together. He’s a vampire. Could I really spend the rest of my life with a man who can never see the light of day?
Caroline did, a little voice in my head tells me. It was fascinating to hear Maximus tell me about her. There was a tenderness in his voice that made me feel a pang of jealousy—which is ridiculous, considering the woman died over a hundred years ago. Although it’s not really her I’m jealous of. Is it the thought that he loved her as he’s sworn never to love again?
“Are you thirsty?” Maximus’s voice breaks into my confused thoughts.
“I could do with some coffee.”
“I’ll go and get you some.”
I watch him as he gets out of bed and heads to the door. His back ripples with muscle, his buttocks are round and tight above thick, strong thighs. He’s completely unabashed about being in the nude. Then again, he has no reason to be shy. Not with that body.
I lie back on the pillows, crossing my arms behind my head. My skin is still tingling from the sensation play we did earlier, and the throbbing sting in my neck is becoming strangely familiar. I wonder whether there are any addictive qualities in that pleasure serum vampires apparently inject when they feed. It certainly seems so. It hasn’t even been a week, and already I can’t bear the thought of never feeling that sensation again.
I push that line of thinking to the back of my mind. I need to figure out exactly what it is I want from this man—no, this vampire. Yes, he makes me laugh, yes, he makes me wet, yes, he makes me want to throw myself on my knees and serve him. He’s handsome, he can be as fierce as he can be gentle, and he’s loyal and protective to the core. But he says he won’t ever love again. He won’t ever grow older, and could potentially live forever. Would I want that? To age beside him, to watch as the wrinkles appear on my body and parts of me begin to sag while he remains the same? People would wonder what he sees in the old hag on his arm. Was Caroline willing to do that? Was Maximus so in love with her that he wouldn’t have cared, would have still desired her if she’d lived to be twice his age, at least physically? And what if we had children? They would only be half-human, who knows what restrictions they would have to endure, not to mention having a father who would one day look the same age, and then younger than they.
At least hearing about what happened with his wife explains Maximus’s extreme behavior when it comes to Zeke. I feel a pang of guilt when I think about how I just lied to him. Yes, Zeke has sent two more messages, but I believe he’s also started skulking around the clinic where I work. I’m almost certain I saw him duck around the corner when I left yesterday. Maybe I should tell Maximus but he’d overreact. He always does. I still don’t believe Zeke would ever really harm me. Why should he? What would he gain? Whereas Maximus… I wouldn’t put it past him to actually kill Zeke, should he believe it to be justified. And I don’t want to risk that.
I shake my head slightly. It’s all too much. Too complicated. Those are just some of the reasons why this—whatever we have between us—will never be more than an affair. Can never be more than that. Regardless of the way my heart skips a beat whenever I’m about to see Maximus. It doesn’t matter how my belly clenches when he smiles at me, or my skin tingles when he touches me.
Besides, I know better than
to fall in love with a man who doesn’t love me back.
“Here you go, pet.” Maximus has returned with a steaming mug, which he sets on the bedside table.
I struggle into an upright sitting position and take it, the delicious aroma of coffee already tickling my nose. “Thank you, Sir.”
He glances at the window, even though there’s nothing to see there but black glass. “We’ll have our coffee, get dressed, and then I’d better take you home.”
“Do you have to?” I blurt out. “It’s the weekend.”
He takes a sip from his own mug and raises an eyebrow. “Do you want to spend the entire day here, by yourself?”
I shrug as casually as I’m able. Does he really not realize how luxurious this house is compared to my little condo? He has not one but three swimming pools. Two hot tubs. Views you could lose yourself in from all windows and several outdoor decks. A huge library. A home cinema with more movies than you could count. “Do you think I’d be bored?”
He chuckles. “No, pet, I suppose not.” Setting his mug aside, he draws me into his arms. “You never told me where you went on Tuesday evening. Why I couldn’t see you.”
Crap. I was hoping he’d forgotten. “My little sister was having a dinner party. She asked me to come.”
“You could have invited me.”
I’m shocked by the faint note of hurt in his tone. I want to tell him that we’d only just met and the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind but I don’t want to offend him further. Instead, I say, “You don’t know Lissy. She always invites and cooks for a specific number of people, and doesn’t take kindly to surprises.”
“Were there other men there?”
Jesus. I know where this is going. “Yes.” It comes out as more of a sigh. While I found his possessiveness cute at first, it’s sometimes a little annoying as well. I feel like he doesn’t trust me. “But none of them interested me.”
“Good.” He nuzzles my shoulder. “I’d like to meet Lissy someday. And… you said you had a brother?”
Her Vampire Addiction (Midnight Doms Book 9) Page 13