by Rena Marks
I wanted nothing more than to release my suddenly aching breasts and feel them against his naked chest.
I wanted him to free my hands so I could explore the hard muscles of his back.
I wanted to wrap my legs around him and never let go while he sated the need inside me.
He knew I was ready and willing. He lowered his head to mine and touched deftly. His tongue flicked out to my lips, licking and exploring. I opened mine and he ground his mouth to me. He tasted every inch of my essence and our breathing grew harsh, as if we fueled each other’s need.
All I knew at that moment was, I liked kissing. But there was more, I felt it. I yearned for it. I wanted it now.
I looked into his eyes, searching for answers there, as if I could reach his mind.
But the Yohimbine. What if I hurt him, as easily as I’d hurt HB-8?
“I’ll handcuff you,” he whispered, as if I’d spoken out loud. “Just like this, your hands safely above your head.”
“Don’t invade my mind.” I detested the vampire tricks and usually could block him but with the drug flowing through me, I wasn’t quite as able. I’d felt his presence as he poked around though, wondering what emotions I felt. He knew about the uncontrollable desire.
Never removing his weight from me, he stretched one arm out to a nightstand drawer, removing handcuffs.
“Bring your wrists up to the bars of the headboard.”
“One hand.” For how would I feel the warm skin beneath his clothing if they were both tied? And how did I trust the bastard?
“Your dominant hand then,” he agreed and the bargain was struck. I raised my right arm to the thickest bar of the headboard and he locked me to it with a rasp followed by a click.
I wasn’t afraid. I could still kill one-handedly. He was probably arrogant himself, thinking if I was single-handed he could take me on.
We were in a delicate balance of mistrust.
But he had both his hands free.
I felt his fingers at the edge of my waist, pressing against my belly. They skimmed lightly across my midsection before he brought the tight elastic of my uniform hem up over the globes of my breasts.
In the span of an instant, my wish had come true. My aching breasts had been released.
And exposed to his view.
“My God,” he muttered. “You are more beautiful than I imagined…creamy skin, topped with perfection.”
He bent his head, sucking my nipple into the warmth of his mouth. I gasped at the wondrous sensations that pulled from deep inside me. With each suck of his mouth, wet warmth gathered between my legs, making me squirm desperately.
He dropped my hand so that he could rub the sensitive area through my black pants. He might as well have rubbed bare skin for all the barrier my skintight pants provided.
“You’re wet through your pants,” he said in a voice that was huskier than usual. He turned his attention to my other breast.
I brought my free hand down to feel him. I ran it over his biceps, feeling the bulge beneath my fingers. It was so hard, so tight. So male.
The hand he had between my legs was driving me crazy, insistently rubbing against a magic spot. He released my breast and I used my free hand to cup the back of his head, pulling him back up to my lips.
He opened his mouth to me, inserting his tongue as if he meant to taste every inch of me.
“Lift your hips,” he said against my mouth. My pants were tugged down past my thighs. A wet finger plunged into me. No, not a wet finger. A finger made instantly wet from my own juices. He thrust it inside and I clenched my muscles around it, my tongue still dueling with his.
It was wickedly delightful.
He pulled his hand out and I heard the unsnapping sound of his jeans before something hard and thick and wonderful prodded against my swollen flesh. Much as I wanted to, I couldn’t spread my legs to force him into me. My pants were still a barrier keeping my legs together at the knees. He maneuvered one hard thigh between mine just enough to slide into me with one stroke.
Such a tight fit. I closed my eyes briefly. It felt so amazingly good, there was no way to describe it. I couldn’t move, could only rotate my hips in circular motions as I clenched my internal muscles around his cock.
There was a race to a finish line I didn’t understand. I fought to find it, twisting and bucking against him clumsily while I sucked his tongue eagerly.
He groaned.
The thought that I could make this vampire groan was empowering. I went wild, grinding against him as best I could, every now and then my swollen clitoris bumping against something hard and wonderful…
Heat invaded me and I paused. It was a rush of fluid flooding me, infusing my sheath with hot liquid. That was what his groan meant.
I could bring this vampire to lose control.
That was sexy.
Just the thought of his body gushing into mine triggered a series of explosions from the area of heat to radiate through me. I gasped.
This was it. This was the unknown I strived for. Lights exploding, starbursts, heart-pounding release.
I stared at the ceiling, wondering at it all.
He lifted his head from the crook of my neck and slowly brought his lips to mine. This kiss was different from the demand from before. Gentle now. Tender.
His lips were soft. A slight smile curved my mouth as I welcomed his touch. I felt different, wondrous. Satisfied and fulfilled. Amazed at this experience we’d just shared. Wondering when we could share it again. And again.
We kissed for long moments and I didn’t want to stop. Desire sparked again as he slanted his mouth over mine. Again and again, our tongues met, licking, tasting, giving and seeking pleasure. It never occurred to me that the kissing might come to an end.
“Ethan? Where is everyone?” a feminine voice called moments before opening the door. “Oh, my God.”
“Get out of here, Ariana.” His voice was harsh but it was too late.
“I thought you loved me!” she sobbed, slamming the door with a loud bang.
She was human. She couldn’t be anything else, to be left behind when all the others had gone.
There were two punctures in her neck. A new emotion flooded my senses. Jealousy. I hated her instantly.
“So your vampire clan left, per your instructions, but left behind your human floozy?”
“She does not travel with my tribe.”
“Get off me, you bastard.”
He rose from me, grabbing clothes. I pulled my top back down over my breasts with my one hand and hurriedly struggled to pull my panties and pants up with the same one.
“Take this off,” I demanded, jerking the handcuff harshly.
“Calm down,” he started.
“Now!” But he wasn’t moving fast enough and I wrenched my hand from the metal link, scraping flesh and dislocating a thumb in my haste to pull away.
He winced. “Stop it, Afton. There’s no need to hurt yourself, I would have unlocked you.”
“I need no favors from you.”
“I do believe I just did you a favor.”
Son of a bitch. A red haze covered my world. How could I be so stupid?
“Let’s talk this over, bella.”
That was the start of a nickname that would continue throughout the years, even when we fought.
“I cannot. You’re a monster.”
“You are still a brainwashed child.”
“Brainwashed child? Tell me you don’t bend that woman’s will? Ariana? To allow you to feed from her neck?”
The hint of red at his cheekbones was the giveaway.
“She is nothing to me.”
“Quite the gentleman, aren’t you?” I sneered. “Kiss and tell, do you?”
“What of you, bella? Will you kiss and tell about us?”
I snapped the leather waistband of my pants. “Never. I’d just as soon forget about it.”
Chapter Ten
“Afton? What has you distracted, my love?”
We were supposed to be enjoying the sunset together and I blushed guiltily at my naughty memories.
“Our first time.”
He inhaled deeply. “Ahh, yes. I was so aroused, I spilled like a schoolboy.”
“I had no complaints,” I laughed. “I enjoyed it thoroughly.”
“But I would have gone again, had we not been interrupted by Ariana.”
I shrugged. “I figured you’d returned to her when I left.”
His breath was warm on my neck. “No. She was not my lover.”
“Then what was her purpose?”
“She was my blood donor. Of course she wanted more, but my interests always lay with you. You were my constant distraction.”
“I accused you of bending her will to allow you to feed.”
“There was no need. She was willing, but expected much more. I had to get rid of her after she caught us together, though. Her jealousy was tangible. She wanted what you so carelessly tossed away.”
“I didn’t trust you.”
“Are you ready to explore why?”
I sighed. It was a beautiful day, the grass green and soft where we sat. The arms of my lover around me. I didn’t want to ruin the perfection. This time, maybe I wouldn’t let him go. Maybe I wouldn’t drive him away.
He continued on. “It goes beyond the training the Academy gave you of Search and Destroy. You had an inborn hatred.”
“Yes.”
“Where did it come from, bella?”
“I just figured that one out. It comes from my mother.”
“I thought you learned nothing from her? That she was insane?”
“She is insane. I realize my hatred stems from her fear.”
“And what is your greatest fear now, my love?”
I paused. Remained silent for long moments. “You know my greatest fear, Ethan.”
“Yet that isn’t the whole truth. Something is missing from the equation. Why are you so afraid to die, bella?”
“I… I can’t go there. Not yet.” The silence after my statement was thick. Was he disappointed in me? I twisted in his arms, looping my arms around his neck. “I’m sorry.”
“Do not be. Baby steps, Afton. One day at a time.”
His forehead lowered to mine. A brief beeping sound interrupted our moment. He pulled away to fish a flat cell from his pocket.
“Yes?”
The voice on the other end was clear. “Ethan, this is Reese. We’ve finally got a lead on the woman.”
“You have found her? She is still alive? You have her now?”
“We’ve found her. She is alive, we do not have her as yet. We shall capture tonight. Do you have Afton? Are you able to return?”
“Yes, I am with her. We’ll be en route tomorrow.”
He closed the cell shut with a snap.
“Who have they captured?” I asked.
“A woman we have hunted for many years. I almost believed her to be dead.”
“Who is she?”
“Human. She’d been captured by a vampire years ago. She needs intensive healing.”
Something clicked at that moment. A warmth, radiating heat to areas that had been relatively frozen until now. “You seek out one human being to help at the risk of your own capture?”
“Do you realize you would have once assumed we would capture a human to harm? You didn’t express that this time.”
“You’re right. Somewhere, I stopped assuming.”
“It’s about time, my love. Come, let’s get inside.”
We rose from the grass and he leaned down to kiss my nose. “I will find a way to make this work, bella.”
“I know.”
Faint surprise shone in his eyes. “Faith in me at last?”
“Maybe, sweetheart,” I grinned. “As long as you don’t get too cocky, making tornadoes and such.”
He took my hand and we walked across the lawn. Suddenly Ethan spun me to face him with his superhuman speed. I caught a wave of dizziness before he grabbed me to morph onto my balcony.
“Warn me before you do that,” I muttered.
His lips twitched. “You have the ability to morph as a vampire and yet you complain of the dizziness?”
It took getting into the apartment to make me realize this was as normal as life got for us. This was what I always feared, always fought against. Being alone with Ethan. Being dependent on Ethan. Just sharing my life with Ethan.
Yet somehow, I’d slowly adapted to where I wasn’t even aware of the gradual change.
“We will need to turn in early, bella. I need to shut down to build my strength for tomorrow’s healing of the human. We’ll leave at dawn.”
I nodded.
“Let’s feed you. I’d hate to be stuck with a starving Extinguisher.”
I smiled. “Worse yet to be stuck with a starving vamp.” I headed to the fridge. Pulling out a steak, I sprinkled seasoning on it and heated my broiler. Ethan grabbed a potato and scrubbed it clean.
I put the steak under the broiler and popped the potato into the microwave. When the buzzer sounded, I pulled the lukewarm meat from the broiler.
I took my meat rare.
Sitting across the counter from him, I proceeded to eat, waiting for his questions, which I knew would come. He was content to watch me for a while.
“Bella, is your meat even warm?”
“Humor can never be too dry, sweetie. While steak can be.”
“It’s bloody enough for a vamp.”
I tried not to allow my fork to pause. I bit the meat from the tines, chewing slowly.
Wondering why he made that comment. I didn’t require blood. But I craved something in it.
“What do you remember of your childhood? You can skip the painful parts. Is there any happiness you can remember?”
“Of course,” I said. “I can remember being sent to the Catholic church while the legal battles were underway. That was a time in my life when I had a real family.”
“With the way your luck runs, I’d expect the old church nuns would have used you as slave labor.”
I laughed. “No, they weren’t old mean nuns. One was beautiful. Sister Emily. Kind and gentle. She taught me prayer.”
“When was the last time you prayed?”
“I don’t remember.” I picked up my plate and headed into the kitchen. We washed the few dishes, side by side. A very comfortable, easygoing feeling rose over me.
I turned to him. “This is very domestic. And it wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“No. Tell me about Sister Emily. What was she like?”
“I don’t remember a whole lot anymore. She had red hair, but the patience of a saint. She would merely cross herself when I was naughty, instead of yelling like most would be prone to.”
“You were naughty a lot.”
“So some said.”
He snorted. “You were hellfire by the time I’d met you. I’m surprised you aren’t a redhead yourself.”
“That was one of the things I prayed for. Every day I would check the mirror to see if my dark hair magically turned red.”
“I can’t see a child praying for red hair.”
“Oh, it was easy. I still remember how it went, Mirror, Mirror, on the wall. Grace me with the hair of fall.”
Ethan looked shocked. “That was your prayer? You were incorrigible.”
“Puh-lease. I’ve seen your temper tantrums, baby.”
“You are the only one who upsets me. As a child, I was very near perfect.”
I raised my eyebrows at that one.
“Are you ready to turn in?” he said, his voice gruff.
I nodded, wondering at the change. His hand tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear, shaking ever so slightly.
Ethan was nervous.
The calm, headstrong leader of the vamps was thrown for a loop by a human emotion. I wanted to give him peace of mind. “I’m glad you’re here, Ethan.” I pulled him to me, tucking my head into the crook of his neck, where I
buried my nose to breathe deeply of his scent.
He lifted me, carrying me into the bedroom where he let me stand at the foot of the bed. He stripped off his shirt while I pulled the bedcovers down.
I undressed, then slid in between the sheets where he met me from the other side. He wrapped me into his arms and I felt the tension instantly relax from my body.
It was my favorite place in the world. His arms.
Did I dare get used to this?
* * * * *
He was up and gone before I ever stirred. The scent of rich coffee permeated the air. I stretched lazily.
“It’s about time.” He entered the room with a steaming mug.
“Heaven,” I said, taking it gratefully.
He smiled, watching as I sipped. “You have five minutes to shower, or I’ll join you. And that will make us late.”
“Time for that after we save your human then, big boy,” I said as I took my coffee into the bathroom. I showered and dressed in record time and we made it to his car before the sun broke dawn. Most of the drive was done in silence until Ethan finally spoke.
“You look better today.”
“I wasn’t aware I looked bad.”
He gave me a glance from the corner of his eye. “Not bad. But you were looking a little peaked yesterday. Pale. Apparently you needed that red meat you had for dinner.”
“Perhaps I’m anemic,” I countered lightly. Always, he wanted to return to the conversations I tried to avoid.
I wasn’t sure why I craved my meat so rare but it couldn’t be a good thing.
His cell beeped, interrupting our conversation. “Yes?” Ethan said.
Reese’s voice was clear as a bell. “Are you close?”
“We’re nearly there.”
“It’s going to take more than our power, Ethan. We can’t heal her until you arrive.”
“Is she that bad?”
“Worse. Much worse. It’s been way too many years. I’ll wait ’til you get here to see for yourself.”
Ethan snapped the cell shut, then stepped on the accelerator. “Damn, I wish we could morph. But we’ve moved to another cave and you haven’t yet been there.”
“Are you able to morph us together?”
“Not with this great a distance. I hope the human can hang on.”
The rest of the drive was made with quick, jerky movements of the gas and heavy pulling on the steering wheel, which showed his concern for the waiting human. When we finally arrived at the forlorn location, Ethan moved like a blur to my side of the car, opening the door and rushing me inside.