Untamed (Vampire Awakenings, Book 3)

by Brenda K. Davies

  "Were they one-night stands? Never mind you don't have to answer that, it's personal," she blurted after.

  "I've never had a one-night stand," he told her. It was something he felt she had to know as he had every intention of continuing to pursue something with her. "That's not my thing."

  Her head tilted as a playful gleam lit her eyes. "You're just a romantic at heart."

  Ethan chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. "I'm not so sure about that."

  The waiter arrived with their food and though he didn't require it to sustain him, in fact he'd never eaten human food until very recently and only when he was around her, he still picked at the contents on his plate in order to avoid her suspicion. The raw steak wasn't overly bad, but it was the blood he sought as he put it in his mouth. The bags of blood that Isabelle had stocked didn't seem to be doing the trick quite as well as they used to. It was Emma's blood he was thinking about when he consumed the bags now. He could try and find another human to feed off of; it might satisfy him a little bit more. The idea of doing that was extremely unappealing to him though, and if it wasn't Emma he was feeding from, he knew there was a chance he might kill them.

  Emma glanced surreptitiously up at him as they ate. She'd never met anyone like him. Most of the men she knew were good guys; they didn't purposely set out to hurt people, they weren't all nutball stalkers, but she'd never heard one of them say that they entered into their relationships with the clear cut understanding that it was never going to go anywhere. She also didn't know all that many men that had never had a one-night stand or hooked up before, but there was no reason for him to lie to her about his past.

  He was fascinating to her and the more she learned about him, the more attracted to him she became, which was something she hadn't thought possible. She could barely take her eyes away from him as they ate their dinner, and if they hadn't been in this restaurant her hands would be all over him. He lifted his head and caught her watching him, but she didn't look away, she couldn't. She was pinned by his gaze, swamped with the growing need that was working its way through her body. She was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe, let alone eat so she placed her fork down.

  "Would you like anything else?" he inquired.

  You, she almost said but she bit back the word and told him no instead. She couldn't sit in this restaurant with him for a minute longer. She felt like she was going to claw her skin off if she didn't get up and start moving soon. A cold shower would be great but she didn't think that was going to help her right now either. In fact, she thought the only thing that would make her feel any better was to be in his arms again. Their other dates over the week had ended with a sweet kiss at the end of the night, there had been no more instances like the one at the club, but she desperately craved his hands on her flesh again, now.

  Ethan paid the bill and walked around to help her rise from her chair. He could feel the increased heat of her body and hear the escalated pace of her heart. Recognizing her rising desire, he couldn't resist touching her and brushed his hands over her shoulders as she rose from her chair. Her breath hitched in, her breasts rose against the confining front of her dress. Her honeysuckle scent increased with her yearning, he could feel it wrapping around him and drawing him irresistibly closer to her.

  The last thing he wanted was to meet up with the others right now, he'd much prefer to take her back to her house, but that was her decision to make. He kept his hand loosely on her waist, his chest brushed against her arm as he wound his way through the tables and people. They were almost to the door when the sky opened up and a deluge of rain began to fall. He went to hold her back but she was already stepping outside. He followed her out the door and stood beside her beneath the overhang as the rain pelted the ground around them in a loud crescendo that drowned out the noise of the restaurant.

  "It should be over soon," he said. "We can wait inside."

  The mischievous look she shot him over her shoulder should have warned him, but he still wasn't expecting it when she asked, "Why?" and stepped into the storm.

  Disbelief and amusement filled him as she tilted her head back and lifted her arms to the sky. Laughter trailed from her as the rain falling over her plastered the deep blue dress to her body. He could only stand and stare as she tilted her head back to the sky. There was something about the picture of her, laughing in the rain that made his heart clench, and caused a strange warmth to spread throughout him.

  He thought he could stand there and watch her forever but the urge to touch her drove him toward her and into the rain. She was still laughing as she dropped her head down to look at him. Rain had turned her hair darker and caused it to curl as it clung to her face and neck. He barely noticed the drops of water as they pelted against him; the only thing he could focus on was her.

  "It feels wonderful!" she cried above the noise.

  He didn't know what possessed him, but words completely failed him. It felt as if he had been taken over by something entirely primitive, he felt a burning itch that would only be appeased by touching her. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he lifted her up and pressed her flush against his body. Her mouth parted but before she could speak, his lips descended upon hers in a kiss that would have been bruising if the contact of their mouths hadn't immediately eased some of the savage strain within him.

  A low groan escaped him; his erection was extremely uncomfortable as it pressed against the front of his jeans. Her fingers curled into his shoulders, her mouth opened to his. She tasted of wine as his tongue entwined with hers. He could lose himself in her forever; if it wasn't for the fact that he wasn't going to allow anyone else to see her naked, he would have taken her here and now without any thought to where they were. If it were any other girl he wouldn't have cared if someone else saw her body, but no other woman had ever driven him this crazy before or pushed him to these kinds of heights. No way was he about to play show and tell with any part of her body.

  Her breath was coming in shallow gasps when he broke the kiss. He had to take a moment to regain control of himself but the vision of her, soaking wet, with her lips swollen from the force of his kiss did nothing to curb his appetite for her. "Emma," he groaned.

  She rested her forehead against his; the hoarse tone of his voice caused a small shiver to run through her. She inhaled the scent of the rain clinging to him and took pleasure in the feel of his powerful arms around her. "I think we should get out of the rain," she whispered against his lips.

  It took everything he had to put her back on her feet and release her. The smile she gave to him was as enticing as Eve with the apple, he decided as she stepped away from him. He almost grabbed for her again but she took hold of his hand and started to run. Her laughter trickled through the air as she dashed in and out of the puddles.

  Even when he was a kid he'd never played in the rain, but he found himself laughing as he jumped in and out of the puddles with her. This woman beside him was such a joy; she made him see the world in an entirely different way and made him long to experience things he had never tried before.

  Emma couldn't stop laughing as she spun in front of him and danced a few feet further away. He ran at her but she turned away and raced up the hill toward her house. She knew that he could catch her, but he didn't do so until she was at the door. His arms encircled her waist; his warm breath blew against her neck as he bent his head and kissed her. A shiver worked its way through her body, her laughter faded away as her skin caught fire from his touch.

  Slow things down, she told herself, but even as she thought it she could feel a wetness between her legs and her breasts began to ache. Almost as if he was reading her thoughts, his hand slid around to the front of her dress and cupped her breast. She bit down on her lip to keep from crying out as her nipple hardened beneath his gentle ministrations. Emma forgot all about the keys she had pulled out of her purse as her hands flattened on the door and her head tilted back.

  His lips moved over her neck before pressing against
her ear. A low moan escaped her; her entire body was becoming engulfed in heat, a heat that would only be extinguished by having him inside of her. The rigid length of his erection pressed against her buttocks as his free hand slid down to wrap into the skirt of her dress. She could feel the hemline of it edging upward but she knew this time she wouldn't stop him. She needed him too badly to have this end now.

  She was so lost to him that she hadn't realized the hand that had been pulling her dress up had moved away until she felt it cover her hand that was holding the keys. She relinquished the keys to him; he held her against him while he unlocked the door. The harshness of his breathing sounded in her ears as he opened the door and carried her inside.

  Ethan wanted her with an intensity that was beginning to border on obsession. He should leave here; in the state he was in he could become a threat to her, but the thought of leaving made him feel even more unstable. He wouldn't hurt her, he didn't know where the certainty that accompanied that thought came from, but he knew that it was true. He would cut off his hands, tear out his fangs, and kill himself before he ever harmed her.

  The dim illumination from the light that had been left on in the kitchen spilled over her face and wet hair. She'd never looked more desirable, he realized as he stepped closer to her. Seeming to sense something within him, she hesitated for a second before sliding her arms around his shoulders. She stood on tiptoe to press a kiss against his lips. His cock jumped in his jeans at the feel of her breasts pressed against the shirt that had been soaked through to his skin. He forgot all about the water dripping off of them as he took hold of her and lifted her off of the floor.

  Her legs wrapped around his waist, a small breath escaped her as he settled her onto the obvious evidence of his arousal. They should go to her room but he couldn't bring himself to take one step away from her in order to walk down the hall. Desire clamored through his veins, it was taking everything he had not to rip the dress from her body and leave it shredded on the floor. He would scare her if he did that though. She was a human; he had to keep reminding himself of that as he braced her against the wall. A human with blood that he would give anything to have in his mouth, a human who was driving him nearly mad with desire.

  And he had never been with a human before. Easy, he counseled himself, just take it easy.

  His last relationship had been based on nothing but violence, sexual gratification and pain but he would never allow Emma to know such depravity and he didn't want that kind of a relationship with her. She would never know that kind of brutality; she would only know the immense gratification that he planned to give to the both of them.

  His hands ran over her silken thighs as he pushed the dripping dress higher up her waist. Excitement pulsed through his veins as his fingers brushed against the edge of her underwear. He waited for her to pull back, to tell him no again, but she only pressed closer to him. A low groan escaped him as his fingers stroked her clit through her panties. Even through the material he could feel her heat and a wetness that he knew had nothing to do with the rain that had soaked them both.

  The blood clamoring in his ears made it nearly impossible to think as a muffled cry escaped her and her fingers curled into his shoulders. He tore his mouth away from hers to leave a trail of kisses across her cheek before taking her earlobe into his mouth and lightly sucking upon it.

  Emma almost screamed; she was possessed with the wild urge to tear her nails across his flesh as her body begged to be filled by him. She'd never experienced anything like this overwhelming need before as his hands and mouth teased her to even higher levels. A part of her wanted to beg him to end her torment but the other part hoped that it never ended. Pushing aside the edge of her panties, his fingers brushed against the trimmed hair of her bikini line before finding her moist center and slipping inside of her. Emma jerked as he finally filled her in some way and his fingers began to stroke the blaze within her toward a raging inferno.

  A groan of satisfaction escaped him as Emma's cry sounded in his ear. She was so hot and wet that just the feel of her muscles around his finger almost caused him to spill himself. He kept her pressed against the wall as he slid his fingers in and out of her at a leisurely pace. Her rapid breaths sounded in his ear as she began to rise and fall with his increasingly demanding movements.

  "Ethan." His name on her lips was his undoing. He slid his fingers from her and grabbed hold of the lacy edge of her panties. The thin material gave way with a small tearing sound, her eyes widened upon him but she didn't tell him to stop and she didn't appear fearful.

  Adjusting his hold on her, he grabbed hold of her ass with one hand as he grabbed for the button of his jeans with the other. This was not the way he had planned to do this his first time with her. He'd planned to savor in every inch of her body, planned to relish in every second that he was inside of her but that would have to wait until a later time. He couldn't stop to take the time to do those things; he had to have her now.

  He felt like a wild animal as he unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them and his underwear down. There wasn't time to take them off completely but his dick was finally freed from its constraints. Easy, he told himself, but there was no going easy here, there was no holding back. His skin felt as if it were going to blister and burn off if he didn't possess her soon. He was throbbing with his need and half crazed with it.

  He was half-afraid she was going to stop him as he pressed the tip of his throbbing cock against her wet center. She didn't tell him no though; instead she pushed more firmly against him and thrust her hips toward him. Adjusting his feet, he lifted her up and drove himself into her. A cry of ecstasy escaped her as she pulled him even closer. The savage urgency that had been driving him vanished the second that her tight sheath enveloped him. The burning of his skin eased as a feeling the likes of which he'd never experienced before enshrouded him. This was where he was supposed to be, inside of her, with her. He finally understood what it was like to come home and though he suspected he knew what it meant for him, the realization didn't frighten him.

  Emma couldn't tear her gaze away from his beautiful eyes as he stretched and filled her. Having him deep within her was the most amazing sensation she'd ever experienced. Her fingers slid over the handsome planes of his face as she fought the ridiculous urge to cry from the wonder of it all. She didn't move against him, but simply took this moment to savor in the sight and feel of him within her. Complete, that was what she felt now in a way that she had never known she could before or had ever thought possible. She understood now why everything had felt so forced with Tristan, this was where she had always belonged. It made no sense to her but she couldn't shake the certainty, or the awe, that came with that realization.

  Ethan watched her face as he lifted her up and deliberately lowered her onto him again. Her gold-flecked eyes were clouded with passion as they held his, but he also saw the wonder within her gaze. He kept his hands on her hips as he lifted her up and slid himself into her again. He was finding it far easier than he had expected to be gentle with her as her body somehow managed to cage the beast within him.

  "You feel amazing," he whispered against her mouth.

  A shiver of contentment slid through her at his words, her hands grasped hold of his cheeks as she kissed him. Bracing her against the wall, he was able to move one of his hands off of her ass. He grabbed hold of the front of her dress and pulled it down to free one of her breasts. It filled his hand as he cupped and kneaded it until her nipple became a hardened bud against his palm. Bending down he took it into his mouth and sucked on it before circling it with his tongue. She held him closer as the caress of his tongue drove her even crazier.

  Her cries became more fevered as she started to ride him faster. Releasing her breast, he grabbed hold of her waist once more. The calm he'd experienced upon first entering her had vanished as he drove himself more forcefully into her body. His eyes fastened onto her neck as she tilted her head back but he was too lost to the feel of her body to thi
nk about her blood. A cry of delight escaped her as her muscles fiercely contracted around him. The force of her orgasm pushed him to ever-higher levels as he thrust into her again. With a loud groan, he finally found his own much needed release.

  His head dropped into the hollow of her neck and shoulder. The sweet scent of her blood engulfed him and though it pricked his hunger, he felt her comforting presence stealing through him and calming him once again. She had the most astonishing effect on him, an effect he didn't think he would ever get used to. He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her closer as she leaned against him limply.

  "You make me forget myself," she whispered in his ear.

  A strange sensation pricked in his chest as he cradled her against him. "You do the same to me."

  She pulled back to look at him and her eyes searched his face. The smile that curled her lips did odd things to his heart. Then, the cloud of satisfaction faded away, her mouth parted as reality seemed to crash over her. Ethan found himself unable to breathe as he waited for her to tell him that this had been mistake. He didn't think he could take that right now, not after what had just transpired between them, not when she was the only one that had ever given him peace and happiness.

  She didn't want anything to ruin what they had shared, but dread crept through her as she realized what she'd done. Unfortunately she couldn't deny the fact that she'd just had unprotected sex with a man that though she'd spent a lot of time with this week, she still barely knew him. Not to mention all she could think about was what he'd said earlier about his past relationships. Maybe he hadn't made it clear earlier but would he now tell her that he wasn't really looking for anything serious?

  She didn't know how she would take that. On one hand she couldn't expect him to want anything more than a summer fling with her, they were both on vacation, and they lived on opposite sides of the country. On the other, it was the best sex she'd ever had; she was still basking in the afterglow of the ecstasy that having him inside of her had given her.