Wicked Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 4)

by Primo, Jaz

  Calm down. Remember to be the ‘good Dom.’

  “Yeah, about that,” he said.

  I held up my hand and forced an agreeable expression on my face, but I could tell by the look on his face he wasn’t falling for it.

  “I was angry,” he said with a shrug.

  Oh, I do love you, but this is not a good time to let your balls drop, Caleb.

  I bent down to give him a quick kiss. “Stop talking,” I said. “I have far better uses for that mouth of yours tonight.”

  His resulting playful grin was infectious and I couldn’t help but smile. Still, he wisely fell silent and simply held the door open for us as we exited.

  He’s learning.

  Night was in full swing as we walked out to the parking lot. I followed him over to his SUV; my Audi was in the spot adjacent to his.

  I used the remote to unlock his vehicle for him. He quickly got into the back of the SUV and started rummaging around for his phone.

  “You okay?” Paige asked me.

  “Fine, thanks,” I said pleasantly. “And thanks for venturing out into the daylight to check on him.”

  “Sure, anytime,” she said, glancing over at the SUV. “Is he okay?”

  “He will be,” I replied.

  I’ll do my utmost to make sure of that.

  “Found it,” he said, holding up his cell phone.

  “Goober,” Paige said.

  “Gothanista,” he said.

  She appeared surprised. “Hey, who taught you that one?”

  “Beth Carson did,” he said.

  “Who’s Beth Carson?” she asked.

  “Someone Caleb introduced me to tonight,” I said.

  I handed his keys to her. “Could I impose upon you to bring the SUV home for us?”

  “Sure thing,” she said. “Ethan can help me. I’ll bring it by later tonight.”

  “Thanks, shorty,” I said.

  Perfect. Then I can talk to her about Caleb.

  He walked over to the driver’s side of my car and held the door open for me.

  “Thank you, kind sir,” I said.

  Once I was seated, he leaned into the car to plant a firm kiss on my lips. I reached up to hold his face between my palms and followed his kiss with a passionate one of my own.

  “We need to talk more often like we did tonight,” I said. “We’ll understand each other so much better.”

  He nodded. “I agree.”

  “Good. Now get in so I can take you to dinner,” I said.

  He got in and buckled up. “Dinner? I thought you said home.”

  “As you admitted earlier, you haven’t eaten all afternoon, thanks to your impromptu drinking binge,” I teased.

  “It was hardly a binge,” he said.

  I revved the engine and whipped out of the parking lot and onto the street as The Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out” played over the car’s speakers.

  I caught him staring at me from the passenger seat. “Oh, please. Laying it on a little thick, don’t you think?”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Hello? The song,” he said. “By the way, the 60s called…they want their vinyl LPs back; preferably unscratched.”

  “Hey, I like The Beatles, thank you,” I said.

  And yeah, I thought the song was pretty appropriate, actually.

  I stuck my tongue out at him and advanced to another tune; thenewno2’s “Make It Home” played.

  “Oh, yeah. Much better,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes.

  Music Nazi.

  We stopped at a nearby steak house, where I ignored the odd looks from patrons and employees alike; as if they’d never seen a woman wearing Goth clothing before.

  Rednecks.

  I ignored them all, fully focused upon the man who’d won my heart and enchanted my world.

  Everything went well until the drive back to the estate. I noticed Caleb staring out the passenger window.

  “I sense you’re settling into dark thoughts again,” I said. “Talk to me.”

  “I’m an open book to you, aren’t I?” he asked.

  I scoffed. “Not entirely, you’re not. That’s why we have to talk about these things.”

  “I just can’t help feeling that, despite really wanting you to be who you are, it’s still wrong for me to want you that way,” he said.

  “Seriously, Caleb?” I asked. “What are you afraid of?”

  Then something came to mind.

  I parked in an empty parking lot and turned to him. “This is about those comments at the Slovene conference, isn’t it?”

  In Slovenia, he had acquired a bit of a reputation as ‘that guy ruled by the two vampire women’ from some of the more closed-minded humans attending the conference. A number of them were human male companions, though I heard mutterings from a few of the staff, as well.

  He maintained a rueful expression but said nothing. However, I heard his heart rate increase significantly.

  “I knew it,” I said. “Listen, I didn’t see any one of those supposedly masculine men rush forward to carry an explosives-laden briefcase across a field and throw it over a cliff before it blew up in their faces,” I challenged. “Or confront a dangerous vampire with some sort of hastily-pieced-together UV light fixture. Or even battle against corrupt police officers for Dori Rousseau’s honor and welfare. Those guys who were labeling you were full of testosterone-laden egos and no action, Caleb.”

  However, he still appeared unconvinced and I suppressed a heavy sigh.

  “Okay, think about this, then. You’d never permit anyone else to treat you in the manner that I do. You wouldn’t dare stand for that, would you?” I asked.

  “Probably not,” he said.

  “Of course not; only I’m allowed to do that. Only I can give you what you need; what you desire, what fulfills you. Nobody else gets to treat you that way.”

  He nodded. “I understand.”

  “I’m not worried about whether you understand or not,” I said. “I’m concerned that you just don’t believe it yet.”

  “It’s okay, Kat. I just need to work this out in my own mind, that’s all,” he said.

  My fear was that he wouldn’t.

  Of course, I’m also worried that he’ll end up brooding about this and I won’t get any sex from him tonight.

  I watched him as he once more stared out the passenger window.

  I earned having good sex tonight, Caleb, and I intend to receive what’s rightfully mine.

  I reached over the grasped his chin between my fingertips and turned his face to look at me.

  “You’re no wimp, Caleb,” I said firmly. “I’ve trained you myself. There are few men who could pick a fight with you and walk away from it. How wimpy is that?”

  He looked at me with an almost juvenile visage.

  “Great, the next time someone teases me about being too submissive, I’ll just kick their ass,” he said.

  I released his chin and slipped the car back into gear. “Exactly,” I said. “You have my permission. And if anybody has anything to say about that, then I’ll kick their ass.”

  There, case closed.

  His subsequent chuckling encouraged me, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I whipped back out onto the street.

  Chapter 10

  Caleb

  By the time Kat and I returned to the estate, I felt exhausted. I stifled a yawn as we walked through the expansive kitchen.

  “I think I’ll hit the shower before bed,” I said.

  “No bed,” she said. “No sleeping allowed yet. You’re gonna’ take a shower and perk back up for me.”

  “For what? Massage? Game of chess? Maybe a movie?” I teased.

  She pulled me into her arms and gazed down into my eyes in a possessive fashion. “Maybe you.”

  She reached down and pinched my butt.

  “Hey!” I said.

  “Mine,” she said. “All mine.”

  Her hand slid down and firmly grasped my genitals wi
th one hand. “Mine, too,” she said slyly. “And I want what’s mine tonight.”

  I kissed her hard, pressing my lips against hers and parting them with my tongue. She pressed me back against the kitchen counter, kissing me in an urgent, hungry fashion.

  Her lips parted from mine and she pulled away from me so that I could see her green eyes lit up like miniature burning embers.

  She’s hungry or aroused…or both.

  She nibbled at my neck and I felt her two fangs extend and rake against my flesh. “I’ll have you tonight, my love.”

  Her feral tone sent a shiver down my spine. She released me and lightly kissed me on the tip of the nose. “But first, I have to make a quick phone call,” she said. “Start the shower, my love. I’ll join you soon.”

  I grinned all the way down the hallway.

  My lover, my mate, my alpha vampire.

  Downstairs in our sublevel master bedroom, or as I playfully called it, ‘the lair’, I put my iPod on shuffle on its external speaker and went to start my shower.

  She joined me soon afterward, and we picked up where we left off in the kitchen.

  We almost ran out of hot water.

  Afterward, I wrapped a towel around my waist and went upstairs for something to drink as she finished in the bathroom.

  As I downed a glass of water and leaned against the kitchen counter, I thought about the day’s events, including my disagreement with Kat and the time spent at Old Skools. I wistfully recalled the memory of Paige’s appearance and our time together.

  Then I recalled Kat’s arrival, and the very intimate discussion we had in the midst of the club. So much had surfaced about our relationship, including my own admissions to her.

  She loves me so very much, and I can’t live without her. But do all successful relationships constantly have to be fine-tuned or negotiated?

  When I returned to our bedroom, Reeve Carney’s “New for You” played softly in the background as Kat stood beyond the opposite side of the bed wearing only a sexy pair of black panties and matching bra. Her hands settled atop her hips, striking an alluring pose.

  “You’re simply gorgeous,” I breathed.

  “Come here,” she said, beckoning by wriggling her index finger at me.

  I started to move forward, but then stopped.

  At least occasionally, I’d like to dictate terms.

  “No, you come to me,” I said, pointing to the spot before me.

  Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she relented and slowly walked around the side of the bed toward me. It was then I noticed she was wearing an oversized pair of furry pink and white bunny slippers. There were big floppy ears extending from either side of each slipper, as well as a cute fuzzy black nose on the front.

  I chuckled. “What’re those all about?”

  The edges of her mouth upturned slightly. “I didn’t want my feet to intimidate you again.”

  “Oh, Kat,” I said with exasperation. “I’d just like to forget all about that.”

  Stopping directly before me, she took my face between her soft hands and gently inclined my head upward to gaze into her emerald eyes.

  She towered in front of me just like some kind of Amazon goddess, pale and beautiful with piercing eyes and a mane of flowing red hair.

  And bunny slippers.

  I felt truly spellbound, unable to deny her anything that she may request of me.

  “What do you think about my slippers?” she asked.

  I slapped her playfully on her rear using the flat of my hand, causing a loud smacking sound. Physically, she remained stationary but her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

  I steeled myself for her reaction. She very slowly craned her neck downward and pressed her lips against mine in a slow, passionate kiss.

  “You’re just full of surprises,” she said.

  “A first for you?” I asked.

  “Nope; my human husband, Samuel, and one other. Of course, Samuel was permitted.”

  “And the other?” I asked.

  “I threw him through a wall,” she said.

  I swallowed hard.

  She gave me a sly smile and softly kissed me. “Spank away to your heart’s content, my love,” she said. “You and only you; anytime the mood strikes you.”

  Grinning, I planted a firm kiss on her lips.

  I was struck by a bizarre new feeling of empowerment. Something that was so simple, playful, and benign had suddenly become a power to wield over her at my discretion.

  It was a heady feeling.

  Slowly and deliberately, I rubbed my hand against her soft behind and patted her lightly. As I gave her another passionate kiss, I rotated my hand to the front of her abdomen and ran the tips of my fingers southward.

  Her resulting sharp intake of breath was priceless.

  Then a low, satisfied moan escaped her lips, and her arms encircled my waist.

  “Time for you to lose the bunny slippers,” I said.

  She playfully flicked each of them into the air behind her even as she pressed her lips to mine.

  In the blink of an eye, I felt the world tilt amidst a rush of air before finally landing on the bed, entangled in her arms and legs as my blood boiled.

  Oh, pure ecstasy.

  We made love with yearning and urgency, our hands and mouths searching each other’s bodies. Kat’s fangs had been extended on occasion, gently scraping along my skin, though never breaking it.

  Then it was tender and romantic, each conveying the love that we felt for each other.

  It had been simply amazing.

  Later, I lay on my back in bed with Kat lying alongside me, her head against my chest and her red hair splayed across me as I massaged her neck with my fingertips. Her arm encircled my waist and one of her legs draped across both of mine, her body warm and soft against me.

  This maddening, wonderful, amazing woman, who completely captivates my mind, body, and soul, is as essential to me as breathing.

  My energy was spent but I felt completely fulfilled.

  “You’re my world,” she whispered against my chest, her breath tickling my skin.

  “I love you so much,” I said.

  She craned her head up to tenderly brush her lips against mine. “My loving mate,” she said. “Sleep now, my love.”

  We lay together and I relished the feel of her body against mine.

  The memories of the day replayed in my mind. My thoughts drifted to our conversation at the club and the subsequent intimacy that we shared.

  Finally, contentment washed through me, like a gentle, peaceful wave, and I drifted off to sleep.

  * * *

  I awoke abruptly, lying in bed in the darkness.

  “Kat?”

  No response.

  I reached out to the nightstand for my cell phone and tried to focus on its suddenly-glaring screen.

  Almost three-thirty in the morning.

  It didn’t particularly worry me to find her gone. There were many nights when she would go outdoors while I slept, enjoying the escape from the gilded cage that was the estate. After all, she was largely limited to non-daylight excursions.

  There was a time when I thought being relegated to the freedoms of perpetual wealth that Kat offered was something I’d never tire of. Yet, having my preferred career stripped from me, the freedom felt like banishment.

  I love spending my days with Kat, but I need to get back into teaching somehow. I miss my classroom lectures and chats with students and other professors.

  It was the job of a lifetime.

  I massaged my eyelids with my fingertips, my mind too restless to roll over and go back to sleep.

  That’s when I heard raised voices and arguing coming from upstairs.

  Slipping from the bed to pull on my sweatpants and T-shirt, I turned on the lamp on my nightstand and made my way to the series of steps leading up to the first floor.

  I stopped just outside the hallway to listen.

  “You’re the one who put those tho
ughts in his head?” Kat demanded.

  “He needed someone to talk to, and yeah, I gave him my opinion,” Paige shot back heatedly. “You treat him like a subordinate sometimes.”

  “He’s my mate, and yes, I use authority when needed,” Kat said. “But that somehow makes me a dominatrix to him? Or that I emasculate him?”

  “Hey, I told him how I saw things, but if that’s how he feels---” Paige snapped back.

  “You programmed those words into his head, you selfish---” Kat interrupted.

  “Don’t even go there,” Paige said. “You’re such a cold bitch sometimes!”

  Someone got slapped.

  Then there were thuds and crashing sounds that reverberated through the walls.

  Oh, hell…

  I raced into the darkened hallway and saw only a blur of movement beyond the dim light in the kitchen. It looked like a dark whirlwind that bounced to and fro like a top.

  I ran down the short length of hallway at them.

  “Stop it!” I yelled.

  Then the whirlwind struck against me, hurling me against the wall with unbelievable force, taking the wind from my lungs.

  My body bounced against the wall and then back toward the blurry figures before me.

  Suddenly, my body careened down the hallway and into something hard. I blinked once, just in time to glimpse an oak and glass display cabinet crashing down upon me.

  My head impacted the floor with a thud, like it was being smashed between opposing walls. I immediately saw stars dancing in circles before me.

  Kat screamed so loudly that my eardrums ached. “Caleb!”

  I tried to rise but I couldn’t get my breath as the weight of the cabinet impeded me.

  Then the cabinet’s weight was instantly gone, and I heard a loud crash somewhere further away.

  With effort, I drew in a breath and managed to push myself up from the floor, only to feel my head filled with splitting pain.

  “Oh-no, oh-no, oh-no,” Kat chanted in a frail-sounding voice.

  Multiple hands reached down to pull me into a sitting position on the floor as I felt something wet dripping onto my hands.

  “My love, speak to me,” Kat urged.

  “Oh, this is bad,” Paige said in a shrill voice.

  The hall light snapped on and I saw a small pool of blood forming on the floor. Only then I realized it was coming from my nose and mouth.