Luca lifted his glass. “To strong booze and pretty women.”
She clinked her glass to his. “I’ll drink to that.”
A thousand questions swam in her mind, but Collette didn’t like being put on the spot so she didn’t do it to others. It was hard to tell how old he was. Maybe early twenties. Probably close to her age.
“So, what I was saying is that anyone can learn divination.”
“What does that mean exactly?”
“Divination is using tools to get some insight into life. Like the questions you had. You were seeking insight to your situation. I was using the cards as the tool to help you get some insight. If that makes sense.” She took a swallow of her drink and laughed. “I’m babbling.”
“No. It’s interesting.”
“If your grandmother is into the occult, I’d think you would know this stuff already.”
“She’s not really into the occult. She’s more into herbs.”
“Well, belladonna is a pretty serious herb.”
“I’ll agree with you on that.” He downed the rest of his drink. “You give me a good feeling, Collette. Not many people do that.”
“Really?” There was no way around it, she was blushing. Between the alcohol and what he said, her cheeks were on fire. “That’s really nice of you to say. I like you. You make me feel calm. I’m not sure why, but it’s a good feeling too.”
He stood and picked up his glass. “I’m going to get another drink. You ready for round two?”
Collette nodded and swigged the last of hers. The bubbles from the Coke burned her throat, but felt good.
After the second drink, she felt a little light headed and dug into her bag for her cigarettes. “Can we go outside for a minute?”
“Sure. You okay?”
“Oh, yeah. I just want to smoke.”
They went around the side of the building where there was less foot traffic and Collette lit the cigarette and puffed hard.
“I didn’t know you smoked,” Luca said. “I can usually smell it on people.”
“I don’t really. I only smoke when I drink. And they’re cloves, so not like regular cigarettes.” She exhaled the smoke toward the sky. “They make your lips taste sweet.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.” She leaned her back against the brick wall and licked her bottom lip. “Wanna taste?”
He smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Sure. Why not?”
She took another drag off the cigarette and, before she could blow it out, Luca moved in close, covered her mouth with his and inhaled. She let the smoke go and he breathed it in.
Luca let it come out through his nose, then licked her lip. “Mmm. Does taste sweet.” He gripped her hip with one hand and kissed her. “I bet that’s not all that tastes good.”
His hair tickled her cheek, and she ran her fingers through it to grip a handful. The flavors of Coke and whiskey lingered on his tongue and she sucked it softly. Her heartbeat accelerated and her body buzzed, especially between her legs.
Pulling out of the kiss wasn’t what she wanted, but she wasn’t so drunk that she forgot they were standing outside. She couldn’t very well fuck him right there. “Walk me home.”
Luca stared at her for a moment. “Okay.”
* * * *
A FIVE MINUTE WALK seemed like an hour with a semi-hard on. As soon as she had the key in the door of her apartment, Collette pulled him inside and pushed him against the wall. For her size, she was stronger than Luca anticipated.
He laughed. “You’re manhandling me.”
“Do you have a problem with that?” she asked, slipping her hands under his T-shirt.
“Nope, not at all.” Truth was, he was still buzzing from the belladonna he’d taken before he picked her up. Add alcohol to that and he was sufficiently pliable to just about anything.
He jerked when she tweaked his nipples. “Ouch.”
She looked up at him. “Did I hurt you?”
“No. Well, a little, but I like it.”
“Ooh. You like a little pain with your pleasure, Luca?”
“Yeah. How about you?” He grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged it a bit.
“Mhm. I do.” Collette dragged her nails over his ribs and around to his back. “Take off your shirt.”
He pulled it over his head and dropped it on the floor.
Collette locked the door before taking his hand and leading him into the small living room. Besides a couch and a table, there wasn’t much else in the room. A bathroom and a small kitchen area surrounded the space.
She pulled her hair out of the elastic band and her black tresses fell over her shoulders. The smell of peaches wafted in the air probably from her shampoo. With a swift motion, she was out of her shirt and had her pants halfway down her legs when she stopped. “You’re okay with this?”
No girl had ever paused to ask that before. Luca smiled, took her hand and put it on his crotch. He was hard as a fucking rock. “What do you think?”
Collette bit her bottom lip and kicked off her jeans. “I’d say all systems are go.” The black lacy bra barely concealed her ample breasts. Her body was lush, soft and curvy.
He stepped back to look at her. “You’re gorgeous.” He liked that her underwear and bra didn’t match. That told him she probably wasn’t planning on doing him and it just happened to work out that way. Or, she didn’t give a fuck, which was pretty sexy too. When he asked her out for a drink, of course sex had crossed his mind, but he hadn’t planned for it either. Spontaneity was hot as hell.
“Thank you. You look pretty good yourself, but lose the pants, yeah?” She hooked her finger into his waistband.
Luca liked that she was taking the lead. The vampire thrall was a powerful tool to lure in prey, but it couldn’t be used to command someone to do something they didn’t want to do.
“Whatever you say, baby.” He unbuckled his belt and kicked off his shoes.
The small table beside the couch had a single drawer. Collette pulled it open and dug through the contents until she found a foil wrapped package. She turned around and pressed it into his hand.
Luca wasn’t accustomed to using condoms. Vampires were sterile and immune to disease, so the prophylactic served no purpose for him, but Collette didn’t know that and if she wanted him to use it, he would.
Collette tossed the pillows off the couch. The black frame squeaked as she unfolded the bed. This would be a first. He’d fucked in a lot of places, but never a hide-a-bed. Not that he cared. He got a nice view of her ass when she bent over the mattress to smooth out the sheet. She was still in her underwear and he walked behind her. He leaned over her and kissed her shoulder blade. She stood up and rubbed her butt against his erection.
He settled his hands on her hips and kissed behind her ear. Two hooks undone on the back of her bra and the garment slid down her arms easily. Goosebumps broke out on her skin when he lightly trailed his fingertips up from her hips and over her ribs. He cupped her breasts with both hands. Her nipples were already hard, and he circled them with his thumbs.
“God, that feels good,” she whispered.
The scent of her arousal turned him on, but he was admittedly focused on the steady thump of her pulse while he kissed her neck. He dropped one hand down over her belly to the elastic in the front of her panties. She stepped her feet apart, encouraging him.
He licked her throat and sucked the area right above her collarbone. Blood flow was strong there. The soft tuft of hair inside her panties gave way to the hot, wet spot a little lower. He moved his finger around her opening then slipped it inside her.
“Mmm.” She moaned.
After a few short thrusts inside her, he slid his wet fingertip up to her clit. Luca followed her body’s cues and pinched her nipple while he made slow revolutions around her clit. His instinct to feed kicked in and fangs dropped from his gums. He tried to keep his growl low, but he doubted she heard him over her own moans and whimpers. She was close to coming.
His fangs sliced easily through her flesh and his eyes may have rolled back with that first splash of sweet blood over his tongue. Collette’s body trembled, but not from the bite. Her thighs shook as he increased the pressure on her clit and sucked from her artery.
After a few more sips, Luca’s hunger subsided and he focused on closing the wounds in her neck. Something in vampires’ saliva acted as a healing agent and an anesthetic. It took only a swipe of the tongue to erase the evidence of what he’d just done. He didn’t know how, but it worked.
Unintelligible words fell from her lips, and she dug her fingernails into his arm. When she moaned louder and clamped her thighs on his hand, he knew he had struck her chord.
“Mmm. Yes, yes,” she muttered.
He moved her hair away from her ear and whispered, “Come for me.”
Her body tensed and relaxed then tensed again. “I am. I am.”
The trembling in her legs slowed, and he slid his finger into her pussy again. She was so wet and, Jesus help him, he wanted to fuck her so bad.
Collette pulled his hand away and dropped her panties. She sucked the finger he’d had inside her. His cock was about to explode.
Luca eased her back onto the mattress and climbed between her legs, stopping briefly to tear open the condom wrapper and suit up. The width of his hips forced her thighs farther apart and he kissed her. “I want you. I want to be deep inside you.”
She gripped his ass with both hands. “Me too. I want it. I want you.”
Hearing her say it gave him the green light. He reached between their bodies to position his dick at her opening and pushed only the head inside.
Collette gasped and scratched her nails into his lower back.
Luca cupped her face and covered her mouth with his. He rocked his hips and slid inside her. He groaned and swallowed her cries with his kiss. There was nothing like the feeling of being gripped so snugly and sliding in and out of a beautiful woman, hearing her whimper and her nails digging into his skin. The sounds alone were enough to make him come.
“Fuck.” He thrust deeper with slow, deliberate motions.
She lifted her legs, allowing him more access. Her skin was warm and soft and he pushed into her until their bodies were flush with no discernable space between them.
Luca lifted his head and stared into her eyes. Their bodies found a natural rhythm with him moving into her and her lifting up to meet his thrusts. Her lips parted and she moaned each time he slid in deeper.
“I love how this feels. You wrapped around me. So hot and wet.” He kissed her softly, tugging on her bottom lip.
“Yes. Oh, Yes.”
He increased the pace, pulling all the way out and plunging back in.
Her breathing accelerated and her eyes rolled back. She gritted her teeth and her pussy clamped tighter on his dick.
Feeling a woman come on his cock was a surefire way to bring on his own orgasm and quick. Luca wrapped her leg up around his waist and pounded into her. “I’m right there with you. I’m coming.” With a final thrust, he pulsed inside her.
She was still trembling when he caught his breath, then collapsed next to her.
“Oh, my god,” she said and put her hand on her chest. “My heart is beating so fast. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like that.”
Luca smiled and kissed her forehead. He always liked hearing he did the right thing for a woman. They lay together quietly for a few minutes before Collette got up and leaned over a red milk crate on the floor while he went to the bathroom to dispose of the condom.
“Do you like Aerosmith?” she asked.
“Yeah, sure. I was listening to them the other night.” He returned to the living room and lounged on the bed.
“Pump was one of their best albums.” She had one of those old record players he’d had back in the seventies. After she set the needle on the record, she dug into her purse. With a pack of cigarettes in her hand, she lay down next to him. She lit two and handed him one.
The music wasn’t too loud and it relaxed him. “I haven’t seen one of those turntables in ages. You do know that you can listen to music digitally now, right?”
“Of course. I’m not an idiot.” Collette smirked. “I like the charm in the old technology. Vinyl, cassettes, eight-track tapes. Vintage speaks to me.”
“Fair enough.” Luca took a drag off the cigarette and blew the smoke up toward the ceiling fan. “You’re going to turn me into a smoker.”
“One clove isn’t going to kill you.”
“You’re a bad influence, Collette.”
“That’s not the first time I’ve heard that.” She laughed.
“And I like it,” Luca added.
“I had a really good time tonight. Thanks for taking me out.” The tip of her cigarette lit up as she took a pull on it.
“The pleasure was all mine.”
“Not all yours.” She grinned. “It was mine at least twice.”
Chapter Three
BETINA WAS SITTING on the couch eating Devil’s Cherries when Luca walked into the house. She crinkled her nose. “Where have you been? You smell like smoke.”
“I’ve been out.”
“What’s your problem, Luca?”
He stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Do you really want to know?”
“Yes, I do. You’ve been acting like an asshole for months. Barely speaking and coming and going as you please.”
“I don’t want to be here anymore. I don’t like you. You disgust me.”
“Really?” Betina ran her hand through her hair then tossed her head back and laughed. “Well, sweetheart. That’s too fucking bad. You’re mine. My blood runs through your veins. Our connection is stronger than any vow. ‘Til death do us part.”
If that’s what it would take, he was down with that. He fantasized about decapitating her and watching all the blood drain from her body. If Betina only knew how far she’d fallen from grace.
She sniffed the air. “I know you’ve been fucking someone else. I don’t know who she is, but she’ll never replace me.”
Luca leaned down close to her ear and moved her hair. “She already has, sweetheart.”
He hadn’t fucked Betina in over a month and even then he hadn’t fed from her. She used to be a habit, but he’d broken that. Even if Collette was just a one-night-stand, he was glad it irritated Betina.
Without warning, she jumped from the couch. Her eyes turned yellow and Betina lunged at Luca, throwing him into the wall that separated the living room from the kitchen. Plaster cracked and dust rained down on him. A painting fell to the floor.
Luca laughed. He’d obviously hit a nerve. “You crazy bitch.” His immediate instinct was to kick the shit out of her but vampire or not, she was a woman and he didn’t want to hit her. If he laid his hands on her, it would be the end. Luca would kill her.
“I am crazy and don’t you forget it.” She spat at him and stormed up the stairs.
Like a spoiled child, Betina was prone to fits of rage. Her fuse was short and when she didn’t get her way, the woman lost her fucking mind.
Jӧrg must have been out or he would have been standing behind her like a fucking puppet. Luca had been Betina’s boy toy at one time, so he knew how it was and how convincing and manipulating she was. There was a biological tie too. Her blood coursed through Luca’s veins. She’d made him what he was. That thin line was all that had kept him from ending her. He had to overcome that last bit of clan loyalty.
He picked up Betina’s baggie of belladonna and jogged up the stairs. She didn’t just eat the berries, but chewed the root, which was like shooting heroin. Luca rarely wanted to be that high. He suspected maybe she didn’t like herself either.
Steam filled the bathroom while he showered. He closed his eyes and saw Collette’s face, her lips parted and moaning. The hot water stung the scratches she’d left on his back. They were no doubt gone by now but his skin was still sensitive, like a freshly healed scar would be.
>
He dried off and climbed into bed naked. When Betina was gone he’d miss her housekeeping. For being such a bitch, she did pamper him by doing his laundry and making his bed. But taking care of those things for himself would be an acceptable sacrifice. The cards Collette had read said he’d have to make a sacrifice and he doubted it would be as simple as that.
Luca popped a few berries and tucked his hands behind his head. Falling asleep had become one of the few things he looked forward to lately, but tonight he found himself anticipating seeing Collette again. He’d had many women, but this one was different. She possessed an uncanny intuition and she wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted. Luca despised games and Collette was straightforward. It didn’t hurt that she was beautiful either. Her smile and bright hazel eyes were the last things he pictured before he knocked out.
* * * *
AFTER TAKING A LONG hot bath, Collette sat on a pillow on the floor of her apartment. The night before with Luca felt like a dream, but he’d left a bruise on her thigh and she was a little sore in the girly area, so she knew it was real. It had been amazing. No one had ever taken her apart like he did and she couldn’t get the image of him standing naked beside her bed out of her mind.
She still wasn’t sure where her courage had come from. Making the first move wasn’t something she normally did, but she had thrown all caution to the wind when she had Luca alone.
Steam rose out of her cup of chamomile and she blew on it. She took two Advil for the slight hangover headache she had, but overall she felt good.
The scent of sandalwood hung in the air from a candle burning on the windowsill. She had tied up the curtain to let the sunlight in. It was a beautiful morning.
Collette took her cards out of the velvet drawstring bag and shuffled them. She pulled in a deep breath. Alice always told her not to ask questions she didn’t really want to know the answer to. Before she let herself feel something for him, Collette needed some guidance. She pictured a field of tall grass and white flowers to clear her mind, like cleansing the palette before eating. A clean slate was required.
“Will I see Luca again?” The first card was Strength. Collette smiled. That card signified a positive response and also lent some credibility to her ability for self-control, although she’d exhibited none the night before. She had known what she was doing and she wanted it. There was nothing wrong with that. The Strength card was on her side.
Come Undone: Romance Stories Inspired by the Music of Duran Duran Page 37