by Tina Folsom
“Maya, that’s not what I meant.”
She stared at him as he looked up again.
“I wanted to do it. I wanted nothing more than to make you come with my hands and my mouth. I’d promised myself to leave you as much dignity as I could, but Maya, when I looked at you, I couldn’t help myself. I …” There was anguish in his face. She couldn’t fathom why. He’d wanted to touch her, and the knowledge of it warmed her heart. He’d felt something. He was attracted to her, just the way she was attracted to him.
“Gabriel, why are you torturing yourself?” She reached for his face and cupped her palm over his scar. He flinched as if he’d expected her to slap him.
“You’re not mad at me? You don’t hate me for it?” he asked.
Maya inched toward him. “Mad?” She tilted his face to her and pulled him closer. “No, I’m not mad. I’m only disappointed.”
She saw him swallow hard. “God, I’m sorry.”
She shook her head and smiled. “I’m only disappointed because I wasn’t conscious for it.”
Something changed in his eyes. There was a flicker of surprise in his irises and then a sharp intake of breath. “You mean …?”
Gabriel’s hand touched her cheek and his thumb stroked over her lips. She parted her lips and licked at the pad of his thumb. “Gabriel, I barely know you, but when you touch me, I feel alive. More alive than I ever was as a human.”
“When Drake told me you might die, I almost lost my mind. Maya, I don’t know what’s happening between us, but I know I need you.”
Her heart leapt at his admission. She wanted to be needed. And she wanted this proud vampire to want her. “Are you going to kiss me?”
In one swift move, his lips captured hers. She tasted herself on his tongue when he stroked against her and invaded her mouth, but the taste only added to her excitement. Gabriel wanted her. He’d shown her in one of the most intimate ways how much he wanted her, and she hadn’t even been able to consciously feel it. She would change this very quickly. This time she would be experiencing every single second of their lovemaking and not miss a thing.
His kiss was one of possession and passion. No man had ever kissed her like that, with such fervor, such determination. And yet such tenderness and reverence—as if he worshipped her. She gave herself over to the delicious feeling of being desired by a passionate man. Her entire being hummed from his kiss, and she felt herself become aroused once more.
All the pain she’d been through was forgotten. This last episode had been her worst by far. Never had she felt the fever so intensely. What had Gabriel called it? Heat? She didn’t know what he’d meant by it, but she’d sensed even in her delirium that her body had been burning. She would have to ask Drake about it later, but now she didn’t want to waste the moment.
She was in Gabriel’s arms, arms that wrapped around her back and held her to him with such fierceness she could barely breathe. It didn’t matter. She didn’t need to breathe when she could inhale his scent instead. Just like his blood, the taste of his lips was drugging. Her body responded to him so naturally, she couldn’t have pulled away from him even if she’d wanted to.
This was the man she wanted to make love to. She instinctively knew that he would be the one who could fill that gaping void that she’d always felt when having sex with other men. Nobody had ever been able to completely satisfy her cravings, nor had she even been able to truly express to anybody what she needed. She’d never felt safe enough with anybody to admit her darkest desires, but in Gabriel’s arms she felt secure and cherished.
When he released her lips, she saw him smile at her.
“We were so worried about you.”
“I get these fevers, but this time it was worse than ever before.”
He nodded. “I know.”
“You know? How?”
He stroked his palm over her cheek. “We looked at your medical file.”
She opened her mouth to voice a comment about Drake’s lack of ethics, but Gabriel put his finger to her lips.
“I’m sorry, but I forced Drake to tell me. Anything that concerns you concerns me.”
“Why?”
He placed a soft kiss on her lips before he answered. “Because I’m only happy when I know you’re safe and you’re well. I care about you—a lot.”
Maya felt her heart swell at his admission. “You do?”
“More than I can tell you.”
She took a deep breath and let the knowledge sink in. It felt good. For a moment, she merely smiled at him, then she brought her thoughts back to other things. “Didn’t you say that vampires don’t get sick?”
“Yes, that’s true for all of us. But the doctor doesn’t think it’s an illness. He thinks it’s heat—the way a feline would go into sexual heat during her cycle.”
“But I’m not a cat—I’m a vampire now. And Yvette told me that vampire females are infertile. So it doesn’t make sense that I would go into heat. What for?”
Gabriel stared at her. “Yvette told you that?”
“You mean it’s not true?” Was there hope after all?
“No, it’s true.” He swallowed. “But I should have been the one telling you this. In fact, I should explain things to you. There are so many things nobody’s told you yet. I should be doing that. I’m sorry, I haven’t so far.”
She pushed back the disappointment—so she probably was sterile. Hopefully, she would come to terms with it one day. Would Gabriel? “It’s not your fault. I didn’t give you much of a chance to explain things to me.”
He pulled her closer to his chest. “How about I tell you now? Or are you tired?”
“No, I’m not tired.”
“Good. Where shall I start?” he asked.
“How about at the beginning?”
“The beginning?”
Sixteen
Maya played with the buttons of Gabriel’s shirt, easing one after the other open before she slipped her hand onto his naked chest.
“Are you trying to distract me? Because if you are, you’re doing an excellent job,” he said in a low voice. Damn, his voice was sexy.
“How did it all start? The vampires. How did vampires come to be?”
Gabriel took her hand and clasped it with his, stopping her from stroking his chest but keeping it pressed against his warm skin. “There are many legends, or course, but much of the lore in popular fiction is false. The belief among our kind is much different. It’s said that the first vampire was an evil man who made a pact with the Devil and drew the wrath of God onto him. He was a misguided man destroyed by greed. He wanted to rule the world, but rule it with violence. When God learned of his plan, he cursed him to walk the night, so his own creatures would be safe from him by day.”
Maya listened with bated breath. “But why did God give him such powers then, and the lust for human blood? Wouldn’t that go against his wish to protect humans from him?”
“God didn’t give him those powers. The Devil did. He protects his own. When God condemned our ancestor to the night, the Devil bestowed him with powers to survive the night and frighten humans. He made him strong during the night, but couldn’t change anything about his weakness to the light. And so the first vampire was created.”
Disgust rose in Maya. “Does this mean we worship the Devil?”
Gabriel laughed and shook his head. “No. We have our free will. We alone decide how we act—never forget that. You can be as good or as evil as you decide. It’s in your own heart. Your decisions are still your own, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.”
She relaxed at his words. “How did you become a vampire?”
Gabriel closed his eyes as if wishing the memories away. When he opened them again, he gave her a sad smile. “I wasn’t very happy in my human life. I was alone, and with the scar on my face, female companionship was difficult to attract. I had the misguided notion that if I was a powerful man, things would change. So when I got to know a man who seemed to have everything I
wanted, I spoke to him, and he took pity on me. My sire was a kind man, but it turned out that even as a vampire, I was still the same man: lonely and with a disfiguring scar.”
Maya stroked her hand over his face. She didn’t mind the scar, but if it seemed to bother him, maybe something could be done about it. “There are many good plastic surgeons today who would—”
He stilled her hand with his. “My body was set in stone the moment I turned into a vampire. Just like my hair would grow back to this length if I cut it short, anything I change on my body will be restored while I sleep, so that I’ll look exactly like I did at my turning. A vampire can’t change his physical form.”
Maya’s hand instantly went to her face. “You mean I will look exactly like this forever?”
He nodded. “Long dark hair, beautiful eyes, no wrinkles, just a few laugh lines.”
She grinned. “Just as well that I shaved my legs the night of the attack then.”
Gabriel broke out in a hearty laugh. She’d never heard him laugh, and she discovered she liked it, liked the way his deep rumble went through her body. There was a twinkle in his eyes when he looked at her. “Only a woman can distill things down to their most elemental.” Then his hand ran down her torso to her thigh. “Even though, I must admit, I do like those smooth legs of yours.”
She took hold of his hand and stopped it from going any further. Not that she didn’t want what he was offering, but since she had him talking, she wanted to know more. “What else will change in my life? How will people not realize that I don’t get older?”
“Ah, that’s the difficult part. In general, most of us live quiet lives. We have our own communities and stay away from humans as much as we can. It was easier in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when recordkeeping was not as thorough as today. With Social Security numbers and the like, we have unfortunately taken to forge a lot of documents.”
“You mean like fake IDs?”
“Something like that. We do a lot of planning these days. Every twenty-five to thirty years we birth a new identity—we report the birth of a child, establish a Social Security number and all kinds of school and graduation records in order to set up a history.”
“That sounds complicated.”
“Not when you have a few talented IT guys among your kind, who can hack into just about any computer record. In fact, with the advent of computers, it’s made our lives easier again. No more breaking into City Halls at night.” He winked at her, but her mind was already on how difficult all this sounded.
“I have no idea how I would do any of this. Where do I even start?”
Gabriel shelved her chin on his hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything for you.” The sincerity in his eyes was real. She knew instinctively that he would give her everything she needed. But could she accept this?
“But I can’t be dependent on you.”
A frown disturbed his features. “But I want to take care of you.”
“I’ve always done everything for myself. I don’t know how to rely on anybody else.”
“We all rely on other vampires: to help us create identities for us, to keep our secrets, to protect us. It’s like a big family. Nobody will think you weak for relying on others of our kind.”
“My kind—it feels so strange to say that. I don’t want to offend anybody, but they don’t feel like my kind. They are all so strong and secure, and I feel anything but. And besides, I’m not even a normal vampire: I get sick, human blood disgusts me—”
“I’m sure there’s a perfectly plausible explanation for that. And we’re going to find it. In the meantime, you’ll feed from me.”
“You don’t mind?”
He chuckled softly. “Mind?” His arms wrapped tightly around her as he pulled her closer. “When I feel your fangs in my neck, I’m practically in heaven. It’s the most arousing thing I’ve ever felt.”
Her breath caught in her throat. She’d found it just as arousing. “Is it always like that for you?”
Gabriel’s eyes widened in surprise. “Always? Maya, you’re the only one who’s ever fed from me. I wouldn’t know what it’s like with anybody else—and frankly, I don’t care to know. I’m perfectly happy to let you drink my blood every day for as long as you want to.”
As long as she wanted to? What was he trying to tell her? Did this mean he was interested in a long-term relationship? She remembered what Yvette had told her—that a vampire wanted a human to bond with so he could have children. Did he want that? Was this also what he was ultimately looking for? She couldn’t ask him outright. Everything was too new. It was as if she asked a man after the first date if she could move in with him. Vampire or not—no man wanted a woman clinging to him after a few dates. And besides, they hadn’t even been on a date.
Going down on her while she was unconscious didn’t exactly qualify as a date. Also, there was something else she wanted. “Gabriel?”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Hmm?”
“Make love to me.” She needed to feel him. Her hand went to the front of his jeans where she could feel his hard length strain against it. Before she could even attempt to pry the button open, he clasped her hand with his.
“I’d much rather show you what you missed while you were unconscious.”
Was he for real? Gabriel wanted to go down on her when he could take his own pleasure instead? “You mean do it again?”
“May I?”
She met his look. It was full of desire and promise. He wanted her. There was no doubt about it. Maya pulled his head toward hers. “Touch me,” she breathed against his lips.
When his mouth claimed hers, she felt an unknown euphoria travel through her body. Everything about him was so familiar, yet so new. His kiss was different from the times when he’d kissed her before. Gone was the hesitation she’d felt from him before, replaced by the confidence of a man who was used to making demands.
His hands explored her with sure strokes. His fingers teased her heated skin, promising pleasure, demanding surrender. Like a conqueror he forged ahead, his tongue dueling with hers, his lips crushing any doubt she’d ever had.
Closer and closer he pressed her to him, his body heat searing her, yet she couldn’t pull back, didn’t want to. He set her aflame. No other man had ever been able to ignite her like he did with merely a kiss and a caress. Like her body knew him, recognized him, and connected to him on a different level.
His hands on her conjured up images of wild and untamed sex, not simply a joining of bodies, but of minds and souls. A deeper connection. All the things she’d ever wanted from a man—all the forbidden cravings she’d never voiced—tumbled to the forefront. She wanted to be taken by him in every way possible.
As his lips traveled south, and he sucked one nipple into his mouth and greedily devoured it, her body heat spiked. She was feverish, but this wasn’t the fever she knew. This was desire for Gabriel. She arched toward him, demanding he give her more. With a low growl, he scraped his teeth against her sensitive nipple.
“Oh, God … Gabriel!”
His chuckle was a deep rumble. By the sound of it, he knew exactly what he was doing to her. He was turning her into putty in his hands. No man had ever been able to do that.
He only lifted his head briefly, his dark chocolate eyes now sparkling red, his fangs protruding from his lips. “I haven’t even started …”
Just the thought of what his words implied made her shiver with delight. A moment later, his mouth moved lower, planting open-mouthed kisses interlaced with playful bites down her stomach. Each one of them felt like a little explosion going off inside her. Had she ever been this sensitive to a man’s touch, or was her vampire side doing this to her?
No, this couldn’t just be because she was a vampire now. Even if she were still human, she was certain, Gabriel’s touch would ignite her the same way. But she couldn’t think any further, because the second his mouth reached her pussy and buried itself in her dark that
ch of hair, her brain shut down. All she could do now was to feel.
When his tongue lapped at her moist folds, Maya moaned. He answered with a growl. She couldn’t imagine a sexier sound. As she steeled herself for the onslaught of sensations his tongue unleashed on her, she slid her hands into his hair and felt him tremble. A smile stole onto her lips. The knowledge that she had the same effect on him as he had on her filled her with satisfaction.
His tongue drove deep into her while his thumb rubbed over her clit. His action stole her breath. Again he speared his tongue and forged deep into her, then he pulled back and let his tongue slide over her clit. Her need spiraled.
“Need you inside,” Maya demanded. She wanted to feel his hard shaft inside her, filling her, taking her, making her submit to him.
A finger plunged into her, then a second one, but she wanted more, needed more.
“Your cock. Let me feel you inside.”
But Gabriel didn’t heed her demand; instead, he drove three fingers into her and sucked greedily on her engorged clit. Before she could repeat her demand, he clamped down on her clit and drove her over the edge. The waves of pleasure crashed over her like a tsunami annihilating the Pacific coast.
By the time her breathing returned to normal and her body’s spasms had subsided, Gabriel had pulled her back into his arms and cradled her to his chest.
She lifted her head to look at him. “I want you inside me.”
He smiled and put his finger on her lips. “Next time, baby, next time.”
How could he not want this when she clearly felt his raging erection press against her stomach? “Now, please.”
Gabriel cupped her face with his palm. “You need to rest a little. I want you, baby, don’t ever doubt that. And soon, I’ll make you mine.”
His kiss prevented her next question.