Awakening (Promiscus Guardians Book 1)

by Brianna West

  His expression was dark as he returned my gaze.

  “Meaning...” I said, watching him intently.

  “Yes,” he interrupted. “We will have to find a way around this connection you have with Victor.”

  The air in my lungs left me. He even suspected Victor. I focused to build the wall, to sever the tie I had with Victor even just momentarily. I didn't want Victor to think that his friend's son, whom he had raised from infancy, couldn't even trust him to be on our side. It was alarming to the degree Lucas suspected others.

  Had Pavel's betrayal, his parents betrayal, been so deeply scarring that the very person that he had trusted his life to over seven hundred years could be so easily suspected?

  I was suddenly very breathless.

  “Lucas,” I started. His jaw tightened, the muscle growing taut at the degree of strain the action created. “You can't possibly believe the others...I mean, they kept me safe over the last week and never have I felt any sort of ill intention—“

  “Even those that we hold close can betray us,” Lucas interrupted sharply. “They are not an exception to that reality, Izzy.”

  “But you can't think that Victor,” I rambled even though Lucas' eyes warned me of the consequences of prying further, “I mean, he would never betray you. He loves you like his own son. You have to know that.”

  The eyes that met mine were devoid of warmth. They were as dark and as cold as the deepest recesses of the ocean. This man truly believed that there was no one in his life incapable of betrayal.

  I swallowed around the growing lump in my throat. “What about me, Lucas?”

  “What about you, Izzy,” his voice was clipped.

  His arms clenched, the muscle around them growing impossibly tight.

  “Do you think I could betray you?” I asked with bated breath.

  I was finding it harder and harder to breathe. My heart was clamoring dangerously in my chest.

  Something ignited in those emotionless eyes. Confusion? Hesitation?

  His jaw went lax, and suddenly, he was pulling towards him. His mouth devoured me, and I gasped in surprise. His mouth moved desperately against me, robbing me of air.

  This was hardly what I had expected. If I hadn't been so damn horny, I might have protested.

  Instead, I was returning the kiss with just as much passion. I climbed into his lap, hearing the creaking of the wooden legs as they skirted backwards on the floor. His hands immediately tore at the material of my shirt, ripping it to mere strings.

  I never liked that shirt to begin with.

  He tore it away as if it offended him and touched possessively over every expanse of skin, every plain that his rough hands could find. It was as if he was searching for something that might anchor him to me. He gripped and touched almost frantically.

  I was gasping, my head lolling back when his hands touched the hardened tips of my nipples through the sheerness of my bra. His lips attached hotly to the exposed flesh of my neck, nipping and sucking it with passionate groans of need.

  My mind was growing fuzzy with the pleasure he was giving me. I fought it, knowing that this sudden urge was to distract from the real problem here. I tried to refocus my thoughts, but his tongue trailed from the line of my neck to the jut of my clavicle and dipped precariously close to my heaving breasts.

  Oh god, it felt so damn good.

  I hummed in approval when he mouthed the peak of my breast. He cupped the fullness of my breast, positioning me, and sucked me roughly through the material. My hips rolled as the moan slipped unbidden from my lips.

  The hot cavern of his mouth was sending delicious shivers through me. I was so wet, so very desperate for this to continue. Why did he choose this as a way to distract me from the real issue? I wanted him so badly.

  Not like this though.

  Fighting my baser instincts and gritting my teeth, I pushed him as best as I could. I knew that if he was truly dedicated to making this happen, he could easily overpower me. Instead, he pulled away, panting and gazing at me with such desire in his eyes that I nearly lost all of my purpose for pushing him away.

  I was determined to get an answer even at the expense of losing this one chance to end my sexual frustration. This wasn't how I wanted him despite how delicious he looked all hot and bothered.

  I groaned with frustration.

  I had barely gotten to touch his muscles. I casted his muscles one last wistful glance before hardening my resolve.

  “Lucas,” I breathed. “You need to answer me.”

  His chest was rising and falling with effort. His hands still held me tightly down, and I could definitely feel the hard rising in his trousers between my legs. It took every ounce of willpower I had in me not to rub myself into him.

  I just had to fall in love with the vampire-angel with a serious load of emotional baggage.

  “No,” he finally replied huskily. “I cannot fathom it. Be it anyone else, I could easily suspect them of such betrayal. Not you, Izzy. I trust you explicitly.”

  His honesty was so raw and forthright that it made me momentarily speechless.

  I had no right to feel flattered because this was bigger than his feelings for me. He felt like I was the only person he could achieve trust with. That was quite the sad declaration. It made my chest tight.

  Seriously, my love-interest had deeply rooted and complicated emotional baggage.

  I slid off of him, cursing the way my body warmed with the sensations I felt as I did.

  If we had sex now, it was only going to be the result of distracting ourselves. Lucas had to acknowledge this distrust he had of others. Because I loved him, I wanted him to be able to overcome his trust issues, even if that meant I wouldn't get any as a result.

  Dammit.

  “How can you trust me, a person you have only known for little over a month, and not Victor who basically raised you as his own? Doesn't that seem a little odd, Lucas?”

  Guess the tables had turned. Look who suddenly grew up and got all logical. I was tempted to pat myself on the back. Modesty wasn't one of my virtues.

  I was vaguely aware that I was topless and trying to be serious. I'm pretty sure I caught Lucas' gaze falter a time or two to my breasts before returning.

  Well, at least I knew that Lucas wasn't exactly unaffected by my body.

  His eyes narrowed before he was speaking, his hands absently clenching my hips. “Must you always pry?”

  I shrugged. “Women are genetically predisposed to being intractably nosy creatures.” Smiling, I added, “Girlfriends being even more so.”

  “Girlfriend?” he repeated with a small lift to his brow.

  I feigned insult, hand pressed against my chest in concern. “Are you implying that I'm just some kind of booty call?”

  Lucas looked bemused for a moment before one side of his lip lifted. “Booty call, you say? That would imply I was getting some. Is that not how the younger generation of the male population refers to it?”

  Oh, now he joked?

  But dammit if that childish smirk of his didn't cause me to want to discard my intention to see this conversation through and show him just what our “younger generation” could do in the bedroom. Well, maybe not I in particular since my talents were secured with only two relationships.

  I'm sure I could mimic what I had seen in porn the time or two I watched it. There was probably a YouTube. I would have to look into it later.

  “Izzy?” Lucas asked.

  I shook off my thoughts. “Right,” I continued. “The point is, you trust me and I trust them. So therefore, by default, you should trust them too.” This statement was met with a very big no-no face. I explained quickly, “I realize that you think that seven hundred years automatically makes you smarter than me, which is probably more true than I'd like to admit, but it doesn't mean you aren't capable of being blind from what is in front of you. You admitted to me that you were changed as a result of being with me,” I stated confidently, “and that you were be
tter for it. That change was because you trusted me. I need you to trust me now.”

  Dear lord, this man was stubborn.

  I was arguing so passionately that my arms had begun to join in. I probably looked pretty ridiculous, shirtless, waving my arms around like some lunatic, and words coming out of me like I was a broken dam.

  Oh, well. I had done worse things drunk.

  “You are one of the most stubborn women I have had the explicit pleasure of knowing in my seven hundred years,” he admitted gruffly.

  “Right back at ya,” I replied with a giggle. “I've never had to fight so hard to win. I'm going to though.”

  “No doubt about that,” he agreed. “You are very difficult to deny.”

  “That's what makes me so adorable,” I replied with a smile.

  Lucas pulled me towards him, kissing me gently before running his fingers through my hair.

  “Indeed.” He sighed deeply and traced my lips with his thumb. “I am defeated by you so easily,” he whispered softly. “I believe anything when you say it with such conviction. What is this power you hold over me?”

  I cradled his face in my hands, marveling in the strength I found there. “Not power, Lucas, love. Relationships of love can vary in degree, but ultimately it’s all the same. You need to put your trust into them. Even when you have so much leading you to believe otherwise, you need to trust your loved ones.” I planted a kiss on his forehead. “Now let's go find out what's really going on and how Pavel got involved. Let's prove Pavel's innocence.”

  –

  That night, Lucas gave me the crash course in leading questions. It was a very informative tutorial that consisted of me asking questions that would lead to a certain outcome but hid my initial purpose. Lucas told me that my advantage was my sarcasm since it was a well-known trait of my personality, so it wouldn't seem off if I used it to express double meaning.

  Pavel was intelligent enough to catch on to the hints because he was really good at reading between the lines. He was also pretty incredible at creating something out of nothing –of which he had used me as his guinea pig many times.

  At two in the morning, I was completely spent.

  I crawled lazily into bed, having dressed in a silk nightgown, and cuddle up under the comforter. To my surprise, Lucas joined me, discarding his shirt and fashioning a pair of flannel pants. It was the most comfortable I had seen him. He moved beneath the comforter and pulled me into his arms. It sent my heart racing, and I was suddenly no longer tired.

  Holy mother of muscles!

  My hands greedily skimmed over the hard and soft ridges of his abdominal muscles. I traced my way across his naval and followed the line towards his pectorals that spread out like to large plains of flesh. A hand encircled my own, bringing it upwards. Lucas kissed the palm of my hand. The softness of his lips lingered as his entrancing eyes watched me.

  My face felt hot. I wanted to look away suddenly from the desire I saw in his eyes. There was so much emotion in them that I could easily drown and never resurface again. I found myself pulling away, suddenly riddled with embarrassment.

  His other arm encircled me from beneath and pulled me roughly into his body. “Where are you off to?”

  “Oh, nowhere in particular,” I replied breathlessly.

  His arm curled, bringing me impossibly close to him and painting my form to his. I instantly lost my ability to speak. His dark eyes watched me carefully, lips parted slightly as if he was moments from speaking, but he never would. Instead, his hand clasped the back of my neck and drew our faces together.

  Lips brushed over mine lightly at first, testing me, and then more firmly, eliciting a gasp from me. His tongue immediately found its way into my mouth, changing my gasps into soft moans of need.

  His hands followed the line of my body downwards and clasped the hem of my nightgown. He drew the gown upwards and exposed my underwear.

  Pushing me onto my back, Lucas quickly moved to hover over me. He started by kissing the small swell of my naval, dipping his tongue into my belly button before butterflying his way up my abdomen.

  “You are truly beautiful, Izzy.” Lucas watched me greedily while his powerful body clenched with anticipation.

  Suddenly self-conscious, I tried desperately to cover my chest. Hands pinned my own to the bed, exposing me entirely to him.

  “Show me everything,” he whispered huskily. “I want to see your beautiful body flushed in red.” Closing my eyes, I panted against the arousing words.

  Where the hell had he learned all this? That kind of talk was completely unfair. There was no way I was going to be able to respond when he spoke so deeply it registered as warning rather than a promise. I wasn't prepared for the degree of his desire.

  I bit my lower lip, restraining my urge to cry out when he mouthed my breast through my bra. When he thought I had been effectively ensnared, his hand released one of my pinned wrists and deftly removed my bra one-handed.

  It was like blink then bra-less. He had proven extremely skilled at getting me out of my clothes.

  My thoughts were cut short when he laved one of my bare breasts. The sensations were incredible; it was as if my entire body was hypersensitive to his touch. He sucked in the soft, pliant flesh, swirling his tongue expertly and reducing me to babbled curses.

  “Oh god,” I moaned.

  Lucas smiled against my breast before trailing downwards, pressing small kisses sporadically as he went. He pulled the rim of my underwear and pressed small kisses to the places his fingers touched. I was gasping for air, panting in heat, unbearably impatient for him to touch me where I needed it, where I needed him.

  My fingers weaved into his dark locks, guiding his head as I wiggled beneath him in my delirium. He divested me of my underwear easily and trailed hot kisses from my bent knees down the length of my freckled thighs.

  I was shaking with desire. I wanted him so badly. I wanted to feel him inside of me.

  “Lucas,” I pleaded desperately. “I need you so badly. Please.”

  I was gasping, desperate to get some sort of airflow but was startled with I felt his tongue taste me at the center of my pleasure. I arced backwards, anchoring my hands into the sheets, and moaned out in surprise.

  It was electric. No one had ever touched me there before—at least not with their mouth.

  My eyes widened when he sucked roughly at my nub of pleasure.

  “Fuck,” I cursed when the pleasure washed over me.

  I licked my lips and gazed downwards, capturing sight of Lucas' head buried between my legs. It was a shocking sight to say the least. I didn't have much time to ponder it, however, because he was immediately sucking roughly and sliding his tongue over my hot core.

  The guttural grunts of pleasure as he tasted me had my heart palpitating painfully. The pleasure coiled in my lower belly, slowly building as he sucked and nibbled expertly between my legs.

  I was barely contained as my hips undulated to meet with his intoxicating lips. I could feel the edge of my orgasm, my hands once more weaving into his dark tresses, and pressing him closer.

  Crying out in a voice I could barely recognize, wave after wave of pleasure wracked through my frame. It was a white, hot wash of pleasure that made my entire body come alive. It felt like it would never end until it did, and I found that I could barely find air.

  “Oh, wow,” I rasped out in wonderment.

  Lucas pulled away, licking his lips like some kind of animal before fashioning me with his hungry eyes.

  My turn.

  I found my strength, sitting upwards, and threw myself into him. Our mouths tasted each other, as my hand quickly snaked into his pants, feeling the large length of him and palming it.

  “Izzy,” he grunted.

  Yeah, that was the spot.

  Smiling, I watched him quickly discard his pants before he was maneuvered me onto my back once again. His large thigh pushed between my legs, opening them roughly with the movement.

  The bea
uty of his body was only amplified by his nakedness. Every line, every curve and molding of flesh impressed a feeling of incredible power and authority. He was gorgeously formed. I was surely drooling as my eyes ate up the visage of him, hoping to commit it to memory.

  His eyes were glazed over with the same lust that was sure to be answered in my own. I had needed this for long, needed him for so long. His hands cupped my backside, sliding around the curve, and then cradled my legs just beneath the knees.

  Oh god. This was really happening.

  I was finding it almost impossible to breathe as I continued to watch Lucas and his powerful body straddle me. When he pushed inside, there was a sense of overwhelming relief and completeness that I had never experienced before.

  It was as if my entire life had been leading up to this point. I had waited so long—a month was crazy long with the scale of my desire for Lucas—and now we were finally committing the ultimate act of intimacy.

  I had never once cried during sex, so imagine my utter shock when I felt the tears trailing hotly from my eyes. The emotion in my chest burned so intensely, I honestly believed I might die from it.

  “Izzy,” Lucas soothed softly as he cradled me against him, still buried inside. “I love you.”

  I was nodding my affirmation as I pressed my lips gently to his. “I love you, too.”

  And then we were moving in perfect unison, our bodies gyrating in passion, slowly building towards its completion. I clung desperately to Lucas as he thrust almost violently into me, grunting and panting as the pleasure peaked.

  The pull of his flesh with mine, the combining of our bodies, and the mingling of our breath as we desperately kissed each other was everything I had imagined our first time would be. Our bodies met in perfect sync, seeking the other person's pleasure in any way we could.

  When he came, I could feel the warmth inside me, filling the last part of the void deep in my heart.

  For long minutes, we simply held each other, still very much one. I didn't want this dream to end. I wanted to stay stuck in this moment for the rest of my life.

  The dream had to end though.

  Lucas pulled away and helped me to make my way over to the shower. I took a quick shower, washing away all evidence of our coupling. I wanted to keep everything, but I knew that it would be unrealistic to walk around without showering.