“Nick, I—”
“No! Just drop it or I’m putting you back in those damn chains.”
She huffed with frustration. “Why did you even have me in them in the first place?” she demanded. “Because you thought it’d be easier to deal with me? I’m surprised you didn’t put me in a gag and just leave me in here all alone, trying to pretend I don’t even exist!”
“The gag’s not a bad idea,” he growled, looking like he could chew nails. “And I put you in those chains because I was worried you would try to attack me.”
Confusion filled her gaze, a little notch etched between her brows. “You can’t really think that I’d hurt you.”
“It’s not that. But I’m worried about how the wolf’s blood in my system will make me react if you try. I could be...violent and end up doing something that can’t be taken back.”
Her head tipped a bit to the side as she studied him. “And now you trust me not to attack you?”
“Either that,” he muttered, “or I’ve lost my goddamn mind.”
Chapter 5
The woman was trying to kill him. That was the only reason Nick could think of for this incessant flirting that was slowly driving him mad. He didn’t believe for a second that she truly understood just how badly he craved her...or how aggressive he could be when it came to sex. An aggression he knew damn well was only going to be magnified by the werewolf blood churning through his system.
After she’d washed his blood from her hands at the kitchen sink, he made them a late breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast. Watching her eat was more arousing than any strip joint he’d ever visited in his long lifetime. She had a good appetite, and the way her full lips closed around her fork each time she took a bite made it damn hard for him to sit still. When she nibbled on a piece of bacon, then ran her tongue over her lower lip, leaving it shiny and wet, he finally exploded with a sharp, clipped, “Stop torturing me, Lainey.”
Her eyes went wide. “I didn’t know that I was. I’m just eating, Nick.”
He stifled a groan as he closed his eyes. More to himself than to her, he said, “I can’t fuck you.”
“I know,” she whispered. “But, um, if you hadn’t been bitten, would you be trying to get me into bed with you while we’re stuck in here?”
He opened his eyes again to glare at her. “No.”
She scowled at his quick, gruff reply, then gave him another confused frown. “Why not, if you’re attracted to me?”
Because even if a miracle happened and I didn’t hurt you, we’d have an even bigger problem to deal with. Because I have a strong feeling I’d want to keep you, golden girl. But he didn’t say any of that out loud. To Lainey he simply muttered, “Because it isn’t done.”
“You mean even if you weren’t worried about the bite, you wouldn’t sleep with me because I’m human?” She sounded thoroughly insulted. “Didn’t we already establish that that wasn’t a valid excuse?”
“And like I said before, this isn’t a work of fiction. I’m a danger to you in ways you can’t even imagine.”
Pushing her empty plate to the side, she said, “Then explain it to me.”
“For one, I have enemies,” he said in a low voice, sprawling against the back of his chair. “Ones who would be ruthless about going after any woman I was involved with. The kind of enemies who don’t have any qualms about hurting innocent people.”
“So did my brother.”
“Not like mine,” he snapped.
She cast a pained look toward the door. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
He cursed under his breath but didn’t argue. After a minute or so of awkward silence, she went into motion, busying herself cleaning up the plates, and he helped by carrying their coffee mugs into the small kitchen. He felt like a total ass for pushing her away, but didn’t see that he had any other choice. She was hurting and worried and seeking a way to take her mind off everything that was happening to her. He’d only make it worse by ignoring his conscience and taking what he badly wanted.
“Nick?” she finally murmured, keeping her back to him as she set the last plate in the drainer beside the sink.
“Yeah?” he grunted, knowing he had it bad when he got hot just watching a woman wash dishes. He was growing increasingly restless, his heart thundering, fangs heavy in his gums, his body burning with heat. But was he being driven by the sexual needs of the vampire...or the primitive hungers of the wolf? And how was he going to make it through this day without losing his goddamn mind?
She kept her back to him as she gave a little cough, then quietly said, “I know you said we can’t have sex, but can we...can we at least have some fun together?”
Fuck. She was definitely trying to kill him. If she suggested anything other than a game of Parcheesi, he was going to need to dunk himself into a tub of ice water. “Doing what?” he asked, forcing the words out through his clenched teeth.
* * ** * *
Taking a deep breath, she turned around to face him. “You said you were attracted to me.”
“So?” he muttered aggressively, staring to the right of her. “That doesn’t mean—”
“We don’t have to have...intercourse. We could just do other things,” she blurted, cutting him off, “to...each other.”
He froze, but Lainey could feel the hunger and energy pulsing beneath his skin, like an electrical current flowing from him to her. He swallowed, then locked that hot, scorching gaze with hers. “Yeah?” His voice was low...husky. “Like what?”
She sucked in a quick breath for courage, determined not to cower like a wimp. But she could feel the heat burning in her face as she said, “We could...that is, you could let me, um...I could use my mouth on you.”
He shuddered, and a low, guttural sound vibrated in the back of his throat, predatory and raw. “You want that?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” Nick stalked toward her, unable to keep his distance, as if a powerful force was drawing them together. “Because you’re hurting inside? Because you think we’re going to die in here?”
Shaking her head, she said, “No. I could use those things as an excuse to do something reckless, but it wouldn’t be the truth.”
“And what’s the truth, Lainey?”
She tilted her head back the way she did whenever he got close and she wanted to see his face. “The truth is that I’ve wanted you since the first second I saw you. And despite the crappy situation we’re in, I want you more with each moment that goes by. If we make it out of this, I know you’re going to walk away from me. When that happens, I don’t want to regret not getting as much of you as I can while I’ve still got the chance.”
He stared...in shock, unable to believe the things she’d just said to him. He’d never known a woman who was so open and honest about her feelings. So courageous and full of life. And when she reached out and pressed her palm against his bare abs, that was it. Nick couldn’t have kept himself back from her then if the fate of the world had hung in the balance.
Swearing every foul-mouthed curse he could think of inside his mind, his Spanish and English all garbled together, he grabbed the front of Lainey’s shirt and ripped until buttons were pinging off the cabinets and sink. Then he yanked the ruined shirt off her shoulders, letting it slither to the floor, leaving her in nothing but the tight black boxers. She immediately raised her arms, trying to cover her naked breasts, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.
Breathing hard and rough, he said, “Lower your arms and let me look at you.”
She licked her bottom lip as she looked him up and down, her precious face bright with color. “Can’t we turn down the lights a little first?”
“No,” he grunted. “I want to be able to see every inch of you. You’re fucking gorgeous, Lainey.”
“Hardly,” she scoffed, just as her pretty brown gaze settled on the distinctive bulge of his hard-on, the buttons on his fly straining to the point he was surprised they hadn’t burst open.
“
You think I get this hard for just anyone?” he growled, flexing his hands at his sides, shaking from the effort of holding himself back.
“I...uh...”
“I don’t.” Unable to stop himself, Nick reached out and ran two fingers along one of her trembling forearms where it crossed her chest. Lifting his heavy-lidded gaze to hers, he said, “You started this, Lainey. You’d better be damn sure before we go any further because I’m not going to let you hide from me. I’ve been dying to get you naked and wet and under me from the moment you hit town.”
“I’m not hiding,” she whispered.
“Do you want me?”
“God, yes. I want you more than...” Something soft and vulnerable spilled through her gaze, and he could see her slender throat work as she swallowed. “Just trust me when I say that I want you a lot, Nick.”
Curling his fingers around each of her wrists, he pulled them away from her shoulders, uncrossing her arms. “Then get your nipples wet for me,” he told her, letting her wrists go.
“Wh-with what?”
Nick lifted his gaze from her gorgeous breasts and gave her a slow, sin-tipped smile. “What do you think?”
She took another nervous swallow, panting, but couldn’t seem to find her voice. It was such a fascinating contradiction, the way she could be so bold and determined one minute, then turn shy and uncertain the next. He found it an incredible turn-on, which wasn’t helping the situation. Lowering his gaze again, Nick stared at the bounty before him and ran his tongue over his upper lip. His voice little more than a guttural rasp, he said, “Your breasts are beautiful, Lainey. But I want to be able to eat your taste off them.” Looking her right in the eye, he said, “Make them slick for me.”
“Like this?” she whispered, slipping her hand into the front of the boxer shorts.
“Yeah.” His nostrils flared as he watched her touch herself, his jaw clenched so tight he could feel a muscle pulsing beneath his skin. “You know what to do.”
Her lashes lowered, concealing the look in her eyes, as she pulled her hand from beneath the waistband, her slender fingers glistening. Being as tall as he was, Nick caught a glimpse of pale gold ringlets before the elastic band snapped back into place, a low growl rumbling in his throat as he watched her touch those trembling fingertips to a tight, berry-pink nipple.
“And the other one,” he ground out, leaning forward and caging her in with his body as he braced his hands on the counter behind her.
Curling her fingers, she painted the other nipple until it was shiny and wet, and his mouth started watering. She was panting harder now, her lush breasts quivering with each shallow breath, the sight and scent of her juices on those pink little nipples making him burn with violent, visceral hunger.
“More,” he growled. “I want them wetter, Lainey.”
A mischievous glint sparked in her eyes, and she grinned. “You like being bossy when it comes to sex, don’t you?”
Nick smirked. “I’m a vampire, Miss Maxwell. I like being bossy in all things.” He stepped closer and snagged her wrist, lifting her hand up to his mouth. “But I’m getting a unique kind of pleasure out of being bossy with you.” With a curl of his lips, he whispered, “Guess that means you bring out the worst in me.”
“Or the b-best,” she stammered breathlessly, when he sucked those glistening fingers into his mouth and cleaned them with his tongue. Her taste blasted against his senses with more force than he’d expected, making him groan, a surge of foreign thoughts and emotions flooding through his mind. They should have freaked the hell out of him, but he was too lost in her to care, his body throbbing with the need to claim her as something that would belong to him...and only to him...forever. How she could taste even better than she smelled he didn’t know. But she did.
“You look so freaking sexy doing that,” she whispered, her brown eyes wide and bright, glittering with passion.
“You taste incredible,” he growled when he finally pulled her fingers free, his voice thick with lust. “Now tell me to touch you.”
He didn’t have to instruct her twice, her voice a soft, husky plea. “Yes. Please, Nick. Touch me. Right now.”
His hands shoved into the back of the shorts, over her lush ass, and he gripped the soft globes in a tight, possessive hold. Jerking her onto her toes, he took one of those slick, pink-tipped breasts in his mouth and nearly died. Her nipple was small and sweet on his tongue, the sounds she made as he sucked on her damn near turning him inside out. He moved his mouth to her other breast, hungry for the feel of her...the intimate taste. His fingers slipped between her legs, touching tender female flesh that was swollen and wet, and he wanted so badly to thrust his fingers inside that tiny opening, feeling her from the inside. Wanted it more than anything in the world. But he...couldn’t.
Oh, shit. Christ... He couldn’t do this!
With each thundering beat of his heart, Nick could feel the aggression surging inside him, powerful and addictive, fed by his craving for this fragile human. His fangs were only seconds away from dropping, his fingertips burning for the release of his talons, his pulse raging as scenes from a nightmare played through his brain. Ones that showed him completely losing control with her.
“Nick! What’s wrong?” she gasped as he stumbled back, then turned and staggered into the main room, his ragged breaths coming hard and fast. He could feel her come up behind him as his frantic gaze darted around the room, searching for an answer. For a way out of this.
“Nick! Answer me, damn it!”
“I’m losing control.” When his narrow gaze skimmed over the bed and the manacles lying there, he growled, “You need to use the chains on me.”
“What?”
“You heard me,” he barked, heading for the bed as he reached into his pocket for the key that would lock them. “Do it,” he snapped, careful not to look at her as he lay down and clamped the manacles around his thick wrists. There was just enough room inside the adjustable shackles for them to fit, but he needed her to lock them.
Edging closer to the bed, she shook her head as she wrapped her trembling arms across the front of her body. “No, Nick. I won’t do this to you. I trust you.”
“Fuck trust!” he roared, glaring up at her. “Lock the damn manacles and then tighten the goddamn chains!”
Tears tracked down her cheeks as she shook her head again, taking a step back, refusing to help him save her. Stubborn, infuriating, beautiful woman. She was going to be the fucking death of him!
Or the other way around—which was exactly what he was trying to avoid.
“If you won’t do it, then I will,” he snarled, cursing viciously as he used his knees to hold each manacle in place while he locked them with the key. When he had both wrists imprisoned in the steel, he reached up, struggling to tighten the chains until his arms were stretched over his head. Then he tossed the key across the room, watching it bounce across the cold metal floor until it finally came to a stop beneath the table.
Closing his eyes, Nick breathed a ragged sound of relief.
“Will they hold you?” she asked shakily, the direction of her voice telling him that she was now standing at the foot of the bed.
He hoped to God they would.
Then he felt the mattress dip near his feet. When he opened his eyes and saw her crawling onto the end of the bed, Nick bellowed with fury. “Lainey?”
“Shh,” she whispered, the determined glint in her luminous eyes making him shudder with terror. “It’s okay, Nick. I have a plan.”
“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded, shaking so hard it nearly tumbled her from the bed.
Crawling over his legs, she said, “Last night, when you got...on edge, you calmed down when I touched you.”
“For maybe a split second. That doesn’t mean a damn thing. So stay the hell back!”
“No,” she argued, “because I honestly think I can help. You just need a little TLC, Nick. You just need to be...soothed.”
“Damn it, Lainey!
” Completely ignoring his protests, she straddled his waist and leaned down, placing a soft kiss against his chest, right over the furious pounding of his heart. He was breathing so hard and deep he was practically panting, and that was before she dragged her pink tongue across one of his nipples. Nick’s back arched as if he’d been struck by a violent jolt of electricity, a rough shout on his lips as he strained against the bonds. And his urgency didn’t have a damn thing to do with the bite on his arm.
Christ, maybe she was right. Maybe she had gentled the beast, mesmerizing it, because in that moment all he could feel was a pure, overwhelming, mind-shattering sexual need for connection that he’d never experienced before. But he was drowning in it now, and if he didn’t get to have at least this one moment with her—this one stolen moment—he thought it might literally kill him.
He didn’t need to connect with just anyone. He needed her. Lainey.
Nick was still struggling to understand what was happening to him, inside him, when she scooted higher, putting her beautiful face right above his, her soft hands cupping his jaw as she smiled and said, “Prepare yourself, Nick. I’m going to kiss you now, and it’s going to be our first kiss, so try not to curse at me when it happens, okay?”
He wanted to tell her this was a bad idea—that she should stay away from his mouth in case he couldn’t hold back his fangs—but there wasn’t time. He was already groaning in hunger and need and ecstasy as her hands moved through his hair and she leaned closer, the tender brush of her soft lips against his making him tremble. He opened his mouth, flicking his tongue against her lips, and she responded by rubbing her clever little tongue against his. He made some kind of raw, animal sound in the back of his throat, thankful as hell that it didn’t scare her away as he tilted his head, going in for a deeper angle. She moaned, clutching his hair tighter, her gorgeous breasts pressed hard against his chest, and they were off, their lips and tongues moving together with wild, desperate need, as if they were addicted to the taste of the other’s mouth. And, damn it, he was.
Darkest Desire of the Vampire: Wicked in MoonlightVampire Island (Harlequin Nocturne) Page 8