***
Marissa gripped the boat tightly, holding on for dear life as the boat rocked and swayed from the force of the waves. She didn’t understand why the ride was so rocky when the water looked so calm. It didn’t make any sense. But at least she was finally getting to the island. Maybe, within a few hours, she’d find her friend and be able to go back home. She was starting to miss her own bed, the routine of daily life.
“Hold on!” Carson shouted.
Marissa couldn’t hold on any tighter, but that didn’t stop Carson from hitting the wave head on, causing water to crash up over the side of the boat, soaking her from head to waist. “Damn it!” she cursed loudly.
Carson turned, gave her a smile over his shoulder, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement. She wanted to jump up and strangle him, but he was too damn sexy to die. She frowned, tried to ring the water from her shirt. She tried to stand, but the boat swayed, and she was knocked backward.
“Think you could stop for a damn minute?” she shouted at him. Despite his good looks, he was infuriating.
After a moment, Carson slowed the boat to a stop. He shut off the engine and turned to face her. “I think there’s some spare clothes down below if you want to go take a look.”
Marissa scowled. She could only imagine what type of clothes they were. Probably overalls and wading boots or something ridiculous. But what other choice did she have? She couldn’t spend the day in wet clothes, especially when she had no idea what conditions she’d encounter on the island. All she needed was to get deathly ill.
“Fine, lead the way,” she said reluctantly.
Carson opened a small door on the side of the cabin and motioned for her to go first. Marissa walked cautiously down the few steps, keeping her hands on either side of the wall to keep from stumbling. Even though she couldn’t hear Carson following behind her, she could feel him. His presence was imposing, yet she didn’t feel threatened by him. In fact, it was just the opposite. She felt…safe. Everything about this trip, about her search had been surreal, but meeting Carson took the cake.
His arm brushed over her shoulders as he reached around her to flick on a light switch. The swift, gentle touch made her stomach flutter and her heart race. What was it about this man that made her feel this way? She had zero interest in men or dating. She had more pressing matters to deal with. Yet, she couldn’t fight the attraction she felt to him.
“Over here,” he said, waving an arm toward the small three drawer dresser. He pulled out a plain white T-shirt and tossed it at her.
Marissa caught it and frowned. A white T-shirt? That was perfect. Her bra was soaking wet, so she’d have to take that off, too, which would make her breasts exposed to him because white didn’t hide anything. And she seriously doubted she’d be lucky enough to find a spare bra in there.
“Doesn’t look like any of the pants will fit you.” Carson pulled out a pair of jeans that were big enough to fit four of her in them. “But… These might work.” He held up a pair of sweat pants with a drawstring waist.
She sighed and took them from him. Not ideal, but at least they were dry. “Thanks.”
Carson nodded.
The way he was staring at her… It was both erotic and slightly creepy. His gaze was so intense, dark. Intriguing. She wanted to get to know him better, to know who he was, what he liked. And if she was being brutally honest with herself, she wanted to know what he felt like in the most intimate way. She wanted to feel his hands and lips on her, feel him inside of her. Marissa’s eyes widened. Where the hell had that thought come from? She shook her head, noticing the small smirk on his face. “Can I ask you something?”
He nodded again.
“I read online that Mohalah Island is home to vampires. Do you know anything about that?” She studied his face, looking for any hints that there might be some truth to the legends, but he remained stoic, giving away nothing.
“Do you believe in that sort of thing?” he asked after a moment.
Marissa shrugged. “Never really thought about it before. Do you?”
“Yes, I do.”
She took a small step back, shocked by his admission. She fully expected him to laugh, to blow her off as crazy. She never expected him to actually agree with her. “So… Is there any truth to those legends? Are there vampires on that island?”
“If there are, will that change your mind about going?”
Marissa laughed. “No. One way or another, I need to find Angie. Even if she’s…” Marissa swallowed hard, unable to say the words. “Even if she’s not okay, I need to know.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re wasting your time going to the island. You won’t find her there.” Carson crossed his arms over his chest.
She glared at him. How could he be so sure she wouldn’t find Angie on the island? Well, no matter, she wasn’t going to let him sway her. “Thanks for your concern. Is there somewhere I can change?”
A slow grin crept over his face. “You can change right here. I promise not to look.”
Marissa let out a harsh laugh. “I don’t think so. You can just go back upstairs while I change.” How had they gone from casual talk about mythical creatures to flirting?
“Or I could help.” His grin grew bigger, his eyes darkened even more.
Her breath caught in her throat, and she suddenly felt very dizzy. Something about the way he was looking at her caused a stirring deep in her womb. She couldn’t explain it, and that terrified her. She didn’t want to feel this way, least of all now, in the midst of searching for her best friend.
Carson stepped toward her and took hold of the hem of her shirt. His gaze was locked on hers, a silent plea passing between them. He wanted permission, and she didn’t want to deny him. She licked her lips and remained quiet. Slowly, Carson eased her wet shirt off over her head. Then he unhooked her bra, dropping it to the floor with her shirt. Her nipples were hard from a combination of the wet clothes, the cool air, and his heated, hungry gaze.
“We’re really going to do this?” he asked.
Marissa suddenly felt very foolish. She crossed her arms over her breasts. “Isn’t this what you wanted?” She knew she hadn’t misread his signals. He’d walked right up to her and removed her shirt and bra for Christ’s sake. That only meant one thing.
He smiled and tugged on her arms, guiding them down to her sides so she was once again exposed to him. “Very much so.”
Those three words made her so excited. It had been far too long since she’d been with a man, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a one night stand – hell, had she ever had a one night stand? She didn’t think so. “I want to do this, too,” she whispered, feeling empowered, brazen, careless. Besides, when she finally found Angie, Marissa could tell her all about the time she had sex on a boat, in the middle of the ocean with a man she’d just met.
***
Carson couldn’t believe she was going to let him fuck her. Hell, he couldn’t believe he was actually going to do it! Not that he wasn’t attracted to her or aroused by her because he was – a lot – but he’d been sent to kill her, not fuck her. Max would have Carson’s head if he didn’t do as instructed. But there was something about Marissa, something exciting and intriguing. And that was a hard thing to find for a vampire who’d seen and done everything.
He wasn’t going to stand here and debate the pros and cons of being with a beautiful woman. Carson took her face into his hands and crushed his lips to hers. The moment he felt their mouths seal to each other, her tongue playing with his, he knew he’d made a mistake. There was no coming back from this, no way he could hide who he was from her. He wasn’t sure if he really cared. If they had sex and he revealed his true self then at least she’d know the truth and they could start dealing with it. Sporting fangs while they made love probably wasn’t the best way to tell her though.
She moaned into his mouth, and his brain felt like it was going to explode. He normally had sex with other vampires, which
was great because it was uninhibited, rough, but there was something so damn sweet about having a human at his mercy. Carson effortlessly scooped her up into his arms and carried her the short distance to the rickety, makeshift bed in the corner. He lay her down and then brought his body down over hers.
Marissa put her hands on the back of his head, her fingers exploring his hair, and she held him to her, pressing their bodies together. There was definitely no going back now. He could feel his dick getting hard, and he willed it go down, but the damn thing had a mind of its own. “Carson,” she moaned into his mouth. “Please… I want you.”
Hearing her soft plea was like a branding iron to his heart. There was no way he would deny her. He couldn’t even if he wanted to; even though he knew it was the right thing to do. She opened her legs, her thin cotton shorts did nothing to mask the wet heat radiating from her sex. He could feel it through his pants, and it drove him to the brink of wild animalistic frenzy. Calm down, Carson, she’s human. You don’t want to hurt her. He brought his hand down to her knee and dragged his fingers up the length of her thigh and around to her ass, gripping it firmly and pulling it to him so that her leg was bent, her foot resting near his waist.
He wanted to tear the clothes from her body and plunge his cock deep into her, claiming her in a way he hadn’t claimed another woman in a long time. But he forced himself to slow down, to enjoy this, to savor every second of their time together. Depending on how things went, it might very well be their last. “Are you sure this is what you want?” He had no idea why he kept asking her. Maybe he was hoping she’d change her mind so he wouldn’t have to be the bad guy.
“Yeah,” she said with a faint smile.
“So do I.” He claimed her lips again in a slow languid kiss that had her gasping and rotating her hips beneath him, grinding her sex on his erection as her nails grazed along the nape of his neck. “My sweet Marissa.” He knelt between her legs and removed her shorts. She was exquisite. Her breasts bare and exposed to him were perfectly shaped mounds. Her nipples were hard, and he couldn’t resist leaning forward and taking them into his mouth. She moaned and arched into him as he drew her nipple into his mouth, tugging it between his teeth before circling it with his tongue.
“God that feels good.” Her voice was a breathless whisper, but to him, it was as if she’d shouted her approval. It drove him crazy to know she liked his touch and wanted more of it.
He yanked his shirt off and watched as Marissa’s trembling hands coursed down his torso, stopping only once they reached his pants. She reached inside, her warm hand stroked his shaft as she worked it out of his pants. His cock jerked in her hand. She looked up at him under her dark lashes, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth and a smile in her eyes. He had no idea what she was thinking, but based on the way her heart rate tripled and a spike of adrenaline shot through her body, he could only guess that she was pleased with what he had to offer her. She gave his dick a gentle squeeze and worked her hand up and down the length of him, eliciting a deep, throaty moan from him.
Carson moved out of her grasp and finished removing his pants, tossing them on the floor. He found her lips again and kissed her with a hungry dominance, pushing her back down onto the bed. His hands roamed over her body, memorizing every inch of her soft skin. “You are so beautiful,” he murmured.
He curled his fingers into the waist of her panties and slowly pulled them down. His gaze landed on her neatly trimmed lips, her folds glistening with moisture. The scent of her arousal was a shock to his system. It affected him in a way he hadn’t expected. Undiluted possessiveness filled him. His reaction was instant and intense. And wholly terrifying.
Marissa was his.
She belonged to him and for as long as he walked the earth, no other man, human or otherwise, would ever see her like this. Carson smiled in an attempt to calm his reaction and kissed his way up one leg, across her stomach and down until he reached her clit. His tongue licked over the nub.
She cried out and jerked beneath him. “Oh god!”
“Mmm,” he said as he continued to taste every inch of her. “Fuck, you taste so good, Marissa. So good.” He spread her lips with his fingers, licking and kissing up one side of her folds and down the other. She was incredibly sweet. The taste of her was like an aphrodisiac to his senses, and he couldn’t get enough.
Marissa bunched her fingers in his hair. Her hips lifted, meeting each thrust of his tongue into her pussy with desperation. Her breathing was fast and ragged. “Carson,” she whimpered, “please, oh god.”
“Please what?” The sound of her seductive voice, thick with desire, ratcheted his need to claim her, dominate her, to an unmanageable level. He worked a finger into her, his mouth closing around her clit and sucking on it, making her scream. Carson stilled his finger and flicked his tongue over her swollen nub.
She moaned loudly. “I need to come. Please,” she pleaded.
He smiled. It wouldn’t take much more to make her come. She was teetering on the edge. One thrust of his finger or one well-placed kiss to her clit and she’d come. His body ached with the need to taste it, to experience that part of her, but his control was waning fast. He was so hard, so aroused by her that his balls were heavy with the need for his own release. But oh how he wanted to please her. He inhaled her intoxicating scent and then drew her clit into his mouth, his finger stroking her delicate inner walls.
“Yeah, oh god, yes!” She bucked beneath him and cried his name as she came.
Carson laved in the sweetness of her nectar until he couldn’t take it any longer. His need for her was too great. “Marissa,” he whispered as he brought his body over hers. Carson looked down into her hazy eyes and brushed the hair from her face. “You’re breathtaking.” And then he entered her, his cock sliding into her with ease. “Fuck.” He drew out the word and groaned. She was so hot he swore he was going to catch fire and burn alive.
Her fingers curled against the hard flesh of his biceps and a strangled sound of pleasure tore from her lips. He started slow at first with perfectly controlled thrusts and then faster, pumping into her with reckless abandon. The rasping sensation of his flesh against hers added to the eroticism of the moment, and he didn’t know how much longer he could hold on. He’d lost his sanity the moment she’d whispered to him. Their bodies moved in perfect harmony with each other, and he knew without a doubt that Marissa was his soul mate. They were connecting on a level that was much deeper than the physical one they shared. He felt it. And he knew she felt it too.
So how the hell was he supposed to kill her?
Carson trailed kisses across her jaw and down her neck. He paused at her throat. The combination of being inside her, the smell of her blood pulsing through her veins, the feel of her rapid fire pulse beating against his tongue made his gums ache in that familiar way. He closed his eyes and waited for the urge to pass. I will not bite her. I will not bite her. I will not… She moaned, jolting him from his concentration. He pressed his mouth hard against her throat. His fangs protruded, poised to sink into her tender flesh. It would be so easy. He could drink from her right now. Kill her as Max decreed, ensure his kind was safe. Or he could change her. Make her into what he was so that they could be together forever. With a snarl, he rolled them over so that she was on top of him.
She let out a surprised yelp and then laughed. “If you wanted me on top all you had to do was ask.” Marissa brought her mouth down to his chest and showered him with kisses.
“Shit that feels good.” He grabbed her hips and guided her movements on his cock. She sat upright, her hands coursed up her body and she fondled her breasts. Christ she was so damn sexy. He was on sensory overload, and it was about to get a lot worse because he was ready to come.
“Yeah, so good.” She rotated her hips on him, taking all of him deep inside of her.
“Fuck,” he grunted. He began to thrust, hard and fast, meeting each downward stroke of her pussy with a powerful surge. Sounds of flesh smacking agains
t flesh filled the cabin. Carson sat upright and hugged her to him. Her pussy clenched tight as if desperate to hold him inside of her, and they both crashed over the cliff into pure physical bliss. His name fell from her lips in a wailing moan, and he could do nothing but cling to her as the world melted around them. In his entire two hundred years of existence he’d never experienced anything like it.
***
Marissa fought to catch her breath. She knew she wasn’t in the best shape sexually, but damn! She didn’t think she’d feel this exhausted afterward. Of course, she was sated and happy, too. Carson wasn’t just sexy, he was fantastic in bed!
Stretching her arms, she draped one across his stomach, content to stay right where they were for a few moments longer. She really should be getting dressed and demanding he take her to the island as promised, but she wanted to be selfish for a bit longer.
Carson put his arm around her and pulled her a little closer, kissing the top of her head. “I can’t take you to the island, Marissa.”
“What?” She sat up abruptly, wishing she had a blanket or shirt to cover herself with. “Why not? You said you’d take me. I paid to rent this boat.”
He sighed, dragged a hand through his messy hair. “I know, and believe me, I’m sorry. But you have to trust me. I cannot take you to the island.”
“Trust you? I barely know you!” She got out of bed and scrambled for the dry clothes he’d found for her.
Behind her, he snorted. “You didn’t have any problems getting naked and letting me fuck you, but you can’t trust me when I tell you not to go to Mohalah Island?”
That was a low blow, but he was right. She had trusted him enough to be intimate with him. The least she could do what hear him out about the island. “Fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Then tell me why I can’t go to the island.”
ROMANCE: Vampire Romance Collection (Menage BBW Young Adult Paranormal) (Vampire Shapeshifter Romance Short Stories) Page 7