by Wood, C. C.
I kept my voice calm, but my words seemed to enrage him further. His hands grabbed my arms, pulling me up on my toes.
“Boyfriend?” He spat the word as though it made him sick.
I stared at him wide-eyed. I had no response. He gave me a little shake and I gasped. Oh God, he was pissed.
“What we have between us is more than that. Surely, you can’t be that blind.”
My hands curled around his forearms. Even angry he hadn’t hurt me, though I was pretty sure he was strong enough to crush my biceps with a slight flex of his hand. As though he were reading my thoughts, his fingers squeezed a little tighter. I winced because, though it wasn’t that hard, some of my skin was pinched by the change in his grip.
Lex saw my flinch and released my arms. “I’m sorry.”
I shook my head. “I’m okay. My skin just got a little pinched.”
He lifted the sleeve of my t-shirt and we both looked at the skin of my arm. There was a red mark that was rapidly turning purple. Crap, I always did seem to bruise easily. The pinch hadn’t even hurt that badly.
I glanced at Lex and saw that his face was tight.
“I’m so sorry, little one. I didn’t mean to harm you.” He started to touch the spot with a finger but stopped before he made contact with my skin.
I grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. “You didn’t really hurt me, Lex. I just bruise easily. Sometimes, I barely bump a piece of furniture and end up with a huge purple mark on my leg.”
He still appeared extremely upset. “I shouldn’t have put my hands on you. I am deeply sorry.”
Great, I was sure that he was preparing for self-flagellation. I had an idea to distract him.
“So, do you feel badly enough to take me back to Donna’s and let me stay there?”
He started to nod, then his eyes snapped to mine and narrowed. “Did you just try to manipulate me?” he asked menacingly.
I had to fight a smile as I shook my head.
The distress on Lex’s face began to melt. “Are you sure I didn’t hurt you?” he asked again.
I nodded.
“Then, no, you can’t stay with Donna. And I will be punishing you for your behavior later.”
Now that he was calmer, I decided to try and continue our discussion. Maybe he would listen to reason. “Lex, I’m serious. I don’t think I’m ready to move in here with you.”
He lifted a hand and I didn’t finish what I wanted to say because he didn’t look angry any longer, only determined.
“You will stay here. If you continue to argue, instead of the ten swats I intend to give you, it will be fifteen. Then twenty. I’m sure you understand where this is going.”
I huffed out a breath. “You can’t force me to stay here,” I argued.
Lex studied me. “Yes, I can. I could bind you to my St. Andrew’s Cross downstairs and have Donna pack your things. I’m sure Conner would be happy to send them over with a couple of his men.”
“You’re crazy! Why would you think that would be okay?”
His eyes were those of a predator now, calculating, aloof, but no longer angry. He fisted his hand in my hair, another habit of his that I had noticed. When he wanted my attention, that’s what he did. This one I kind of liked, even though I would never willingly admit it.
“Because you’re mine,” he answered. “You told me yourself last night.”
I clenched my jaw so tightly, I thought I might crack a few of my teeth. I couldn’t argue with that, because it was the truth. I should have known that would come back and bite me on the ass.
“Fine,” I snapped. “I would like to go get my things today.”
I could tell that the asshole was trying not to grin at my grudging agreement and he nodded.
The almost smile that hovered in his eyes disappeared quickly. “Thank you, Ivie.”
I sighed. I couldn’t maintain my anger with such sincere gratitude and concern. Even though I didn’t like it, I also understood that Lex wanted me to stay with him because he thought it was for my own good.
I needed more coffee first. Donna was going to give me hell about this.
Chapter Fifteen
As it turned out, I was right. Donna gave me hell when I showed up, but not for the reason I thought. Lex called Conner while he was driving us over to let them know we were coming to pick up my things.
I could hear Conner chuckling and Donna bitching from the passenger seat. After Lex hung up, I asked, “What’s Donna’s deal?”
He looked at me, his eyes sparkling with humor. “Apparently, Conner had to call Finn this morning to ask if you were with him when you never came downstairs.”
“Oh crap,” I muttered.
He grinned. “Finn explained some of what happened last night.”
“Oh crap.”
Lex laughed.
When we pulled up in front of Conner’s house, I saw Donna standing on the porch, her arms crossed over her torso and a toe tapping.
“God, she looks like my mother,” I mumbled.
Donna’s scowl deepened as though she heard me.
“I think she heard you,” Lex said.
“Shit on toast.”
I opened the passenger door of Lex’s SUV and hopped down. Donna waited, with a disapproving look on her face, until I got to the top of the steps leading to the front door of the McMansion.
“You couldn’t leave a note or spare a minute to phone me?” Donna asked, looking every inch someone’s mother. The disapproving look on her face was almost a spot-on impression of my mother.
“Sorry, Mom. I was a little busy.”
The tight line of her mouth relaxed a little and humor sparkled in her eyes. Bitch was fucking with me. “Oh, I just bet you were.”
In spite of myself, I felt a blush creep up my cleavage to my face. Damn my fair skin. I brushed past Donna and stuck my tongue out at her as I went by. Her laughter followed me up the stairs to the guest room where I had been sleeping until last night.
A few minutes later, as I was folding up clothes and packing my suitcase, Donna stuck her head in the door.
“Is it safe to enter?” she asked.
I rolled my eyes at her and kept packing.
“I come bearing gifts.” She walked into the room, carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“We’re drinking at 10:30 in the morning?” I asked.
She glanced at the bottle. “Yeah, want me to get the champagne and OJ?”
I shook my head. “Fuck it. Fill that glass up for me.”
After Donna filled up a glass with chilled white wine, she handed it to me. Then she filled her own and took a sip. She shuddered.
“Ugh. White just isn’t my thing.”
I tasted it. It was delicious. “This is good stuff. What’s wrong with you?”
Donna set the glass on the nightstand by the bed and flopped down next to my suitcase on the bed. “I brought it for you. You know I like red wine the best.”
I took huge sip. “Well, thanks,” I mumbled.
Donna rolled onto her side and bent her arm at the elbow, resting her head on her palm. “So, did you and Lex talk at all, or were you too busy doing other things?”
I almost choked on my wine. Shit, I should have known that she wanted dirt.
“We talked,” I answered vaguely.
“About?”
I sighed. “We talked about me moving in with him. Well, actually, we argued. Then we talked about the whole biting thing.”
Donna perked up. “He hasn’t bitten you yet?” she asked.
I shook my head.
“Oh, girl, you are in for a treat! I swear it’s the most intense feeling. Your orgasms are going to be mind-blowing.”
I laughed softly. “If they got any more mind-blowing, I’d be dead.”
Donna grinned. “So, is he into kink?”
Cursing my fair skin, I blushed again.
She threw her head back and howled with laughter. “You should see the look on your face!
Oh my God, he must be very kinky for that kind of reaction.”
I glanced toward the closed bedroom door and leaned forward. I didn’t want to risk Lex or Conner overhearing this conversation.
“He strapped me down to a bench and spanked me last night,” I whispered. “Then he cuffed me to his bed and strapped my thighs down. I’ve never come that hard before.”
Donna’s eyes glazed over. “Holy shit. I’m not big on spanking but that sounds hot.”
I took a sip of my chilled white wine because it had been hot. So hot in fact, that the memory made my clothes feel too heavy and tight.
Her expression changed slightly. “So, did the two of you discuss anything else?”
I shook my head.
Donna smiled slightly. “So he didn’t talk about Claiming you?”
I stared at her in horror, then remembered that I needed to be careful how I reacted. By then it was too late.
“What is it?” she asked, sitting up straight on the bed. “Did he scare you? Or are you not serious about him, because, Ivie, you need to know Lex is—”
I interrupted her. “Even if he was interested in that, I’m not.”
Donna fell silent and stared at me for a moment. “Okay, don’t get mad, I’m not trying to read you, but, Ivie, you are putting off some seriously agitated vibes.”
“I can’t talk about this, Dee,” I said, trying to evade the subject.
“Ivie, you know you can tell me anything. What’s going on?”
I sighed and began pacing the floor by the bed. Crap, I didn’t want to have this discussion with her because I knew it would bother her and, no matter what she was, she was first and foremost my friend. I didn’t want to hurt her.
“Even if he was serious, hell, even if I loved him, I wouldn’t want to be Claimed.”
Donna looked confused. “Why?”
I threw my hands up in the air, annoyed and afraid that I was about to lose one of my closest friends. “I won’t commit to someone who wants to change me on a fundamental level.”
Her eyebrows lowered. “I don’t understand.”
I sat down on the bench at the end of the bed, sighing heavily. “Donna, he would eventually want to change me into a vampire, as though being human isn’t good enough. I mean, think about a few weeks ago when Conner and Lex said they couldn’t tell me what was going on because I am human and vulnerable to manipulation by vampires. I don’t want to be with someone who won’t view me as an equal partner in the relationship. Just because I enjoy being bossed around in the bedroom, doesn’t mean that I want that in the rest of my life.”
When I finished my impassioned mini speech, I looked over at my friend. She was studying me intently and looked surprisingly calm. In fact, she didn’t seem hurt in the slightest by my comments about vampires.
“Do you like it when a man opens your door for you?” she asked.
“What?” What did that have to do with anything?
“Do you?” she prompted.
I nodded.
“Okay, do you like it when he walks you to your door? Or changes your flat tire?”
I nodded again, still unsure where this was going.
“If a man says he wants to protect you and take care of you, are you offended?”
I was beginning to get an idea where this was going and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. “No, I’m not offended.”
She leaned forward. “If a man told you he wanted to spend eternity with you, would you feel as though he saw you as inadequate?”
Goddammit, she had a point. “No, I wouldn’t think that.”
Looking satisfied, Donna grabbed her glass off the nightstand and drained it, giving a delicate shiver after she was done. I wanted to laugh at her obvious distaste for the wine and the fact that she was still drinking it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t because I was too twisted up by the point she had just made.
She put her empty glass on the nightstand and leveled her eyes at me. “I can’t speak for Lex, Ivie, but I do think that vampire is enamored with you. He watches you when you aren’t looking. He wants a taste of you, not just your blood, but all of you.”
I couldn’t control my mouth. “Yeah, he’s had a taste of a lot of women.” I pressed my lips together, unable to believe that snide comment came from me.
“Now you’re just trying to find a reason not to give him a chance,” she said.
I couldn’t meet her eyes. I hadn’t even told her about my ability to ‘call’ him to me. Though she probably wouldn’t see that as a minus in the relationship department. In fact, I could almost hear her now. He’d never be able to avoid a conversation. All you’d have to do is make that call and he’d be forced to answer. She would probably see that as a huge plus.
I shrugged, trying not to seem sullen, even though I was definitely pouting.
Donna’s eyes showed her disappointment. “I suppose you were a virgin last night,” she said.
I sighed and shook my head. “You’re right. That was completely unfair of me. I mentioned that to Lex also this morning, implying that I was one of his harem. He didn’t like it.”
She was also right about my obvious double standard. When I was younger, I enjoyed experimenting and went through several boyfriends. It wasn’t until I hit my mid-twenties that playing it fast and loose lost its appeal. I had no right to sit in judgment of Lex. He had been alive for centuries. Even if he only had one girlfriend every few months or a year, like a human man, he would still have quite a few lovers.
Donna grabbed my hand. “Ivie, I’m not saying that you have to let him Claim you. You don’t even have to let him bite you. Just promise me that you won’t avoid a relationship just because it’s different. There are no guarantees with human men either. The only way you’ll know is to try.” She took a deep breath. “And don’t agree to a Claiming unless you are completely sure that you want to be with Lex for the long haul. It’s almost like a marriage between a vampire and a human and it lasts for a minimum of five years. Usually, the human is turned at the end of the five years. It’s very rare that a Claiming does not lead to a permanent partnership.”
I nodded. “I understand.”
Donna got off the bed. “Well, it looks like you’re all packed. Wanna see what the boys are doing?”
We walked back downstairs to find Lex and Conner talking in the study.
“Hi, love,” Conner said with a smile as we entered the office. “Lex and I are discussing some important Council matters. Do you think you can entertain Ivie for a bit?”
I looked at Lex and found him staring at me. His chocolate brown eyes roamed all over me, possessive and hot.
“No problem. We can find some trouble to get into,” Donna answered.
“Will that be ok with you, little one?” Lex asked.
“Sure. We’ll get drunk and talk about penises. It’ll be fun.”
Lex gave me a knowing look and both Conner and Donna laughed. I gave him a little goofy finger wave and followed Donna out of the study and into the kitchen.
As soon as we entered the room, Donna whirled and trapped me against the kitchen counter. “He asked you if you were okay with hanging out for a while. Still think he doesn’t see you as an equal partner in the relationship?”
I skirted around her. “Shut up and make me a drink.”
She giggled and got to work on getting me drunk.
Chapter Sixteen
It was dark before Lex and I left the McMansion. He had to help me up into the SUV because I was pleasantly buzzed and the vehicle was set high off the ground. The ride back to his house was quiet. He seemed to be in a pensive mood and I was contemplating all the things Donna and I had discussed.
He came around the SUV, hauled me out, and we went into the house. Lex grinned at me as I stumbled a little and caught me before I could do any damage to myself.
“Well, there goes my plan for the evening,” he murmured.
I smiled slightly. “What?”
He leaned closer
and I caught a whiff of his cologne. It was good that his hands were on my hips because my legs went weak. My guard was down because of the strong drinks Donna had mixed for us. Even she had been tipsy when I left and vampires had to drink a lot to feel the effects of alcohol.
“I planned to take you downstairs, put a plug in your ass, and give you so many orgasms that you lost count.”
I leaned against him, my legs simply refusing to hold my weight. “Why can’t we do that?” I asked.
He chuckled at the wistful tone in my voice. “Because you’ve had too much to drink. Any time we play, I want you completely sober. It affects your judgment and your ability to determine if something is too much for your body to handle.”
I sighed. “Okay.”
Lex leaned down and put his mouth to my ear. “That doesn’t mean I won’t fuck you blind, though.”
At his words and the heat of his breath against my temple, my nipples hardened and my clit felt as though it had been zapped with an electrical current.
“Oh my God,” I whispered and my legs collapsed completely.
His dark laughter made me shiver as he put one arm behind my back and the other under my knees and lifted me easily. I’d never been with a man who could haul me around like I weighed little more than five pounds.
He moved through the foyer and up the stairs so quickly that my head spun. He reached the bedroom and set me on the bed. I lay back, gasping for breath. All the quick motion made me so dizzy I could barely see.
By the time my head cleared, Lex was standing before me in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. I took a deep breath, my balance still off, but not because of the alcohol. He was perfection personified.
As I watched, he pushed the briefs down his legs and kicked them to the side. I hadn’t had a chance to really look at him last night. His cock was long, thick, and curved upward slightly. The sight of it made my mouth water.
I started to lean forward and reach toward him, but Lex bent and grabbed the hem of my shirt, whipping it over my head. A few seconds later, he stripped my yoga pants and underwear off my legs. Then he was crawling up from the bottom of the bed and reaching behind me with one hand to unsnap my bra and strip it from me.