by Tina Folsom
The dressing room only held some of Lorenzo’s garments. The servant who’d briefly visited a few days ago, had brought his trunk and moved her father’s clothes to another unused chamber to make space for his master’s garments.
Bianca stared at the trunk. Drawn to it like she was drawn to its owner, she sunk to her knees and opened the lid. An assortment of scarves, ties, and smalls greeted her. She should have blushed at the sight of a man’s undergarments, but she felt no such sentiment. The intimacies they’d shared had eradicated all embarrassment she could ever feel.
She let her hand run over the soft fabric, caressing it as if she was touching him instead. Her eyes closed, making her remember his touch more intensely when her fingers encountered a hard object. Bianca opened her eyes and looked at the item: a box, smaller than the one that held Lorenzo’s favorite toy. She lifted it out of the trunk and opened the lid, curious to see whether it held any other toys. To her surprise, the box contained French letters.
Stunned, she closed the box. Why hadn’t Lorenzo used them? After his valet had delivered the trunk, there’d been no reason to continue their carnal pleasures without protection against conception. Did it not bother him that she could soon be with child? And for that matter, why didn’t it bother her that she could soon find herself in an untenable situation having to support not only herself but an illegitimate child?
Bianca shook her head and rose. Was she playing with fire, secretly hoping that there could be more between her and Lorenzo than just a fleeting affair? Was that why she was taking unnecessary risks? She pushed the thoughts aside, not wanting to examine the emotions that drove them.
The search of her father’s bedchamber proved fruitless. She’d found nothing. Frustrated, she trudged down the stairs and made her way to the kitchen, where a plate of food was waiting for her. Another one of Lorenzo’s elusive servants had delivered it earlier. She wondered briefly why his servants weren’t staying at the house with him. Was it because she was with him? Or did he simply like to be on his own?
As she devoured the food, her thoughts drifted back to her father. Had he sold the treasure before his death and that was the reason why she couldn’t find it? Bianca didn’t believe it. He’d always claimed that the treasure was worth more than the house itself, yet her father had left a mountain of debt behind. Had he sold the treasure, there shouldn’t have been any debt. No, the treasure still had to be in the house.
The slamming of the front door jolted her out of her reverie. She jumped up, eager to be back in Lorenzo’s arms. At the kitchen door she halted, alarmed by a second slamming of the same door.
“We’re not done!” a stranger’s voice echoed through the hallway.
“I didn’t invite you to my home, Raphael!” Lorenzo bellowed.
“I’m not leaving until we’ve discussed this.”
Her heart beating in her throat, Bianca strained to hear more, but the two men had moved into the parlor and shut the door behind them.
She knew it wasn’t polite to eavesdrop, but something in Lorenzo’s voice had alarmed her, and she needed to know what was going on between them. And she knew just the place from where to see everything that went on in the parlor without being seen herself.
As a child, she’d loved to play hide and seek and had found a small storage room located on the upper floor right above the parlor. The room provided access to where the parlor’s crystal chandelier was suspended from the ceiling. While the candles could be lit without lowering the chandelier, in order to properly clean the crystals, the area had been made accessible so the heavy item could be lowered without effort. Holes in the ceiling allowed for a view into the room below to coordinate the lowering of the chandelier with servants in the parlor.
Her stocking-clad feet made no sound as Bianca stooped not to hit her head on the beams that carried the weight of the chandelier. She crouched down and slid back the leather patch that covered the hole, allowing her to peek into the parlor.
Chapter Fifteen
Lorenzo felt his anger boil over and turned to the fireplace where the embers still glowed. “Nico had no right to tell you!”
“Well, I’m glad he did!”
Lorenzo bent down and placed a handful of kindling on the fire, watching as flames licked up and engulfed it, eager to ignore Raphael’s reprimand. His private life was his own. Nobody had a right to interfere in it.
“You have to send her away. She could be a danger to you.”
Lorenzo threw another piece of wood onto the fire and rose, turning on his heels to face Raphael. “Bianca is no danger to me, she’s—”
“She’s human!” Raphael interrupted.
“And how is that any different from what you’re doing? Explain it to me, Raphael! Go ahead. Your wife is human. She lets you drink her blood, and don’t tell me it doesn’t drive you both to ecstasy every time you do it. And you have the gall to deny me a chance at the same happiness?” Yet he knew he could never bite Bianca, because he had to hide from her what he was.
“Don’t bring Isabella into this. This is very different. You don’t know anything about this woman.”
“I know enough!”
“That’s your cock talking!”
Lorenzo’s gums itched as his fangs extended, threatening to push to the surface. “I won’t have you insult me in my own home!”
“I’m not insulting you. I’m warning you. Or have you forgotten what happened with Elle?”
At the mention of Elle’s name, Lorenzo’s fangs pushed past his lips. He snarled and glared at his friend. “How dare you?”
“She betrayed you! Are you going to let the same thing happen again? What will you do once Bianca finds out what you are? Do you trust her enough not to kill you in your sleep?”
The sharp pain of a stake worked itself into Lorenzo’s heart as intense as if the imaginary weapon was real. But he wouldn’t admit his own doubts to Raphael. “She won’t find out. I’ve hidden it from her so far.”
“How much longer do you think you’ll succeed?” His friend’s voice was calmer now. “And if you really want true happiness with her, then you can’t hide this from her.”
“I’ll hide it for as long as I need to. She’ll never know that I’m a vampire.” Lorenzo closed his eyes. The promise wasn’t meant for Raphael but for himself. He could never allow her to find out. Even if this meant forgoing the ultimate pleasure of feeding from her. If she found out what he was, he’d lose her. And that thought scared him more than being caught outside when the sun rose.
Despite everything he’d done, he’d been unable to protect his heart. Even though he knew what she was—a courtesan, a liar, a woman after his money—he couldn’t bring himself to send her away, because whenever he was near her, he felt at peace with his life. And when he was separated from her, a gaping void appeared like the deep chasm of a ravine.
When he opened his eyes, his gaze collided with Raphael’s. There was understanding in his friend’s eyes now. “God help you. For all our sakes.”
Lorenzo nodded, unable to say anything else.
“Guard your back,” Raphael cautioned and strode to the door.
Upon hearing the front door close, Lorenzo let himself fall into his armchair in front of the fireplace. He wasn’t ready to go upstairs yet to join Bianca, his body still too agitated, his control too close to snapping.
***
Bianca clamped her hand over her mouth in order not to scream. This couldn’t be happening! It had to be a nightmare. But she’d seen it with her own eyes, heard it with her own ears: Lorenzo was a vampire, a vile creature who preyed on humans. She’d heard people talk of them, never truly believing in the gruesome stories herself, but now there was no denying it.
Fangs had protruded from Lorenzo’s mouth, and his eyes had glared red as he’d argued with his friend. Seemingly the loss of his temper brought out his hidden vampire side. What if she did something to provoke him? Would he lose control too? Would he bite her? Harm her? Kill
her?
Bianca suppressed the sob that built in her chest and threatened to overwhelm her. As quietly as she could, she snuck out of the room and went to her mother’s bedchamber, careful not to make any noise. Closing the door behind her, she took in a few steadying breaths. She had to get away. It was the only solution. Not even the hidden treasure could keep her here now. She had to run for her life.
Hastily, she stuffed her small bag with her belongings. There was even less now than before: the dress Lorenzo had ripped in half now lay on a chair. She wouldn’t take it. She needed no reminder of what he’d done that day. No reminder of the passion he’d shown.
He could have killed her many times over. Yet, he’d never hurt her, not even when he’d tied her up. All his actions had been those of a passionate and dominant lover, not those of a bloodthirsty beast. But what if he was simply playing with her like a cat played with a mouse before it devoured it?
Bianca shuddered at the thought and gripped her bag.
As she negotiated the stairs, trying to avoid those that creaked, her heart beat so loud she was afraid he’d hear it. A sound from the parlor made her heart stop. Lorenzo was moving, and by the sound of a particularly loudly creaking floorboard, she knew he was almost at the door.
Panicked, she looked around her as she reached the landing, and quickly shoved her bag underneath the credenza and out of view.
A moment later, the parlor door opened and Lorenzo stepped out. He looked utterly crushed, so unhappy in fact that something tugged at her heart.
“Bianca, you’re still awake,” he noted when their eyes met.
She swallowed hard, trying to push back the lump that was rising in her throat. “I couldn’t sleep without you.” Would he know that she was lying? Would he see it in her face?
A small smile stole onto his lips as he extended his hand to her. “Then come, and join me in the parlor for a while.”
Trembling, she took a step toward him and placed her hand in his palm. It was warm and reassuring.
“You’re shaking, my sweet. Are you cold?” Lorenzo instantly pulled her into his arms.
“Yes, yes, I’m cold,” she stammered.
“Then let me warm you.”
He led her into the parlor and sat down on the sofa. Instead of placing her next to him, he pulled her into his lap and pressed her against his all-too-familiar broad chest. His scent brought back the memories of the intimacies they’d shared. And despite what she’d seen only a short while ago, her body didn’t recoil from his touch.
“I’ve realized something tonight.” Lorenzo’s hand stroked over her hair, then he planted a soft kiss on top of her head.
“Yes?” With bated breath, Bianca waited for his response. Had he decided that it was time for him to bite her, that he couldn’t deny his nature any longer and needed to drain her of her blood? Would she have the strength to pull free from him and run? More importantly: would she want to?
“I realized tonight that I need you.”
“Need me?”
“Yes. When I have you in my arms, it feels good.”
“You mean when we have ... relations,” she corrected him. What man didn’t like to fuck? Surely, a vampire wasn’t any different in that way.
His hand nudged under her chin, tipping her face up to look at him. Bianca couldn’t avoid his penetrating gaze.
“It’s not about that.” Then he grinned. “Even though, I’ve never felt a more intense pleasure than when I’m inside you.” As if his body wanted to make a point, Lorenzo shifted her so she suddenly felt the hard outline of his erection against her hip.
“Oh.”
His hand dropped to her bodice, where he tugged at the laces. “It’s been too long ...” He expertly freed her breasts from their confines, pushing her bodice below them.
“But we only ... it was only a few hours ago.” How could he want her again so soon? And why was her own body responding to him, her nipples pebbling under his touch, when she knew what kind of monster he was? Out of nowhere, the words Lorenzo had hurled at his friend echoed in her head: She lets you drink her blood, and don’t tell me it doesn’t drive you both to ecstasy every time you do it. Did this mean that his bite wasn’t fatal, that it was in fact pleasurable?
“A few hours is too long,” he whispered against her skin before he sucked one taut nipple into his mouth. His teeth grazed her sensitive skin, causing alarm bells to ring in her head. She shivered, and a moment later he let her nipple pop from his mouth.
“Take me out of my breeches,” he ordered, his voice husky, his eyes dark with passion.
Without thinking, she obeyed. The moment she held his erect shaft in her hand, he groaned. The sound mesmerized her. “Now, lift your skirts.”
Releasing his cock, Bianca reached for the seams of her skirts and pulled them up at the same time as Lorenzo lifted her up and settled her over him so she straddled him.
“Tell me you’re wet.”
When she answered him, it wasn’t a lie. Because she was wet, her cunny readying itself for his invasion. Then she felt him, the thick head of his cock nudging at her entrance. She lowered herself and took him inside in one smooth glide. Before she could move any further, Lorenzo locked his arms around her and stopped her, breathing hard.
“See, now I feel better again.”
Seeing a chance for a question, Bianca asked, “Were you not feeling well earlier?”
He shook his head. “I quarreled with a dear friend.”
“What about?”
He stared past her into the distance. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that he was wrong.”
“And you were right?” she challenged.
Lorenzo met her eyes. Long seconds passed before he spoke again. “Would you ever hurt me?”
Her heartbeat rose at his question. Would she? Trying to buy herself time, she stalled. “I don’t understand.”
“Would you have the heart to hurt me?” His gaze was intense, penetrating now.
“Only if you hurt me,” she hedged, easing off him slightly, prepared to flee if she had to.
His arms pulled her back, his cock driving deeper into her. “I’ll never hurt you, I swear by everything that’s dear to me.”
Was he trying to tell her that he wouldn’t bite her, that she wouldn’t have to fear him? Had he heard her sneak around upstairs, eavesdropping on him and his friend?
“Your heart is beating faster.” Lorenzo’s hand stroked over her breast.
Swallowing hard, Bianca tried to find the right words. “Because you’re inside me. It excites me.”
“Then ride me if it excites you.”
Chapter Sixteen
With Bianca sprawled over his half-clothed body, Lorenzo lay on the sofa in his parlor, one arm around her back, the other stroking over her delectable naked backside, her skirts hiked up to her waist. He’d never felt better. The fight with Raphael was forgotten, and all he could think of was the pliable woman in his arms.
“Tell me about your life,” she suddenly demanded.
“There’s not much to tell.” And the things that mattered, he couldn’t really talk to her about for fear of giving away his secrets.
“You jest. You must be the first man I’ve met who doesn’t like the sound of his own voice.”
Lorenzo chuckled. “I’m not like most men. I’m very private.”
“Is that why you don’t have the servants live with you?”
“I don’t have many servants, only one permanent one really, my valet, and he normally resides with me. I’ve given him a few days off. The others only spend several hours a day with me when I need them.”
“That’s very peculiar.”
“Not if you don’t like others to nose around in your private business.”
“What is it you have to hide then?” Bianca teased.
He gave her a playful slap on her bottom. “If I had anything to hide, I’d hardly blurt it out just because you’re asking.”
“What if I
ask more nicely?”
Lorenzo responded in the same playful tone she’d used, “How nicely?”
She wiggled above him, grinding her body against his cock.
He let out a hearty laugh. “That’s very nice indeed. But don’t you think you’ve had enough for tonight?”
“You never seem to get enough.”
He lifted his hand from Bianca’s backside and brought it to her chin, tilting her face up so he could look at her. Her lids were half-lowered, the eyes behind them sleepy, and her lips were plump and red from his kisses. By God, how he loved that sight.
“Of you, my sweet Bianca, I don’t think I’ll ever get enough.”
“You say that now, but—”
He put his finger across her lips. “No but. With you, everything is perfect. I’ve never been in want of a mistress, but now that I have you, I can’t seem to remember how I ever did without.”
His answer seemed to please her if he interpreted her sweet smile correctly. “You know that you don’t have to charm me if you want to have your way with me again. I’m not likely to refuse you.”
“The way I recall it is that you were having your way with me. Or aren’t you the same woman who just rode me like the Devil was chasing her?” He’d never seen a woman with such enthusiasm to please him. As if she’d wanted to snap his control in half like a twig in the path of an approaching army.
“You didn’t like it?” Her smile told him that she knew his answer full well. He’d loved every second of it.
Lorenzo reached down to her bottom and gave it a quick slap. “I think somebody is in need of a little disciplining. It’ll teach you not to mock your master.”
When he glanced at her face, he caught a flash of fear in her eyes. He instantly stilled his hand then stroked gently over her soft flesh. “Don’t fear me, Bianca. I promised you I’d never hurt you. You believe me, don’t you?”
He held his breath as he waited for her answer, hoping he hadn’t scared her with his demands. Despite the fact that he’d started out by trying to push her to her limits to make her confess about her deception, his need to have her tell him the truth about her past and her motives for being with him had made way for the delight he felt when he realized that she didn’t shy away from even the most debauched acts he shared with her. It didn’t matter anymore that her motives for being with him weren’t honest. Bianca had made up for it with the uninhibited passion she allowed him to tease out of her.