Tall, Dark and Paranormal: 10 Thrilling Tales of Sexy Alpha Bad Boys

by Opal Carew

  When she centered herself over my waiting body, one side of my brain screamed at me to stop her, while the other was so far gone I was hesitant to talk lest a feral growl erupt.

  And then she lowered herself down fully and took me inside her. And it was over. At that point nothing mattered. Not the past, nor the future.

  Only now. Right now. This second. This feeling.

  I’m home.

  I’d had other women. But everything I thought I remembered about being inside a woman was obliterated by the intense pleasure and sense of connection I felt with Samantha wrapped around me. Decades had passed since I’d felt the slick ecstasy of a man and woman joining together. More than a century had passed since I’d experienced how true love could make the act a spiritual experience full of bliss.

  Samantha lifted her body up slowly, nearly to the top of me, before lowering herself down again. I watched myself disappear within her, a sight so full of belonging and eroticism, I simply surrendered to the perfection of the moment.

  “Ah Cristo, I’ve wanted you.”

  “Me, too. So much,” she moaned, her half-lidded eyes finding mine as we moved together.

  She radiated above me, her skin flushed and moist, her golden hair tousled and soft as it dragged against my chest when she leaned forward. She held my gaze and never once shied away from letting me see and hear what she felt.

  Her bliss flowed through me setting every nerve ending ablaze and fueling my own urgent hunger. I pulled her down and kissed her deeply, roughly. Her forward position allowed me to thrust up into her, but it wasn’t enough. With my arms around her shoulders and waist, I flipped us over and pinned her to the mattress with my weight. My body covered her, encompassed her.

  “Oh, Lucien. You feel so good.” She grasped at my shoulders and brought her knees up against my ribs.

  “So do you…oh Dio, so do you.”

  I moved in and out of her and concentrated on the way her slick walls clenched my hard length. I reminded myself not to be too rough, but found she responded eagerly when I moved harder rather than softer. I pumped into her relentlessly, giving in to the urge to lose myself inside her.

  “Please,” she whimpered.

  “Please what, baby? Anything,” I ground out, “anything for you.”

  She clawed at my shoulders and back, pulled my hair. “I just need you so…ungh…so bad. God.”

  “You have me, dolcezza. I’m here.” Pressing a kiss against her forehead, I wrapped my hands under her shoulders and grabbed on as I thrust into her, rolling my pubic bone again and again into the nerves at the top of her sex.

  She panted hard in my ear and nipped and kissed at my neck. Wrapping her arms around my shoulders, she leveraged herself and lifted her hips to meet mine with each stroke.

  The added sensation fueled the burn in my eyes and gums. “I love you…unhh…so much.”

  “Me…too,” she gasped. “Oh. More…please.” Wanting to be the one who gave her everything she ever needed, I thrust faster and tilted my hips to work new places deep inside her. Supporting my weight with my left arm, I reached my right hand between us and stroked her. She screamed out. I thrust into her harder and rubbed my fingers in slick circles over her.

  “Oh…I’m…again…gonna…” Her head wrenched back into the mattress, and her eyes rolled up. Her whole body flexed under me.

  Her clenching ecstasy fueled my own. I ground my teeth together. Her fingernails dug into my lower back as I continued to slam into her while her body milked me hard. It was all too much.

  With a grunt and a roar, I turned my head away from her neck as my instincts won out and my fangs protruded. The first wave of my release hit me in a series of delicious pulses. The convulsions of my body enflamed Samantha again and, as her body rocked through another orgasm, I sliced my fangs into my biceps to satisfy the fucking urgent need to bite.

  We lay panting, our grip so tight we seemed melded together. Still looking away, I released my teeth and licked my wound shut, then retracted my fangs with a shudder. After a minute, I rolled off her and rested my head on her chest and listened as her heart rate slowed.

  What have I done? I closed my eyes against the thought.

  Then Samantha giggled and pulled me out of my head. I looked up at her and she kissed my forehead. “I have wanted that for so long. God, it was good.”

  I tasted her delight and satisfaction and the signature happiness that seemed such a part of her natural makeup. Her words were sincere.

  How can I regret what caused her such obvious pleasure and happiness? Just let yourself be happy, for once. I took a deep breath and pressed a lingering kiss in between her breasts. “I feel exactly the same way, Samantha. I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too.” She tilted my face up with her hands and kissed me, then pushed out from underneath of me. “I’ll be right back.” She walked naked over to the bathroom and closed the door.

  I stared at the ceiling for a moment, then cleaned myself up and found my boxers. Partially dressed again, I pulled the covers down.

  Samantha emerged from the bathroom and wrapped herself around my back. She kissed between my shoulder blades and squeezed. Then she leaned down to the floor and picked up my beater, which she threw over her head. My oversized shirt on her body was sexier than the lingerie had been by far. And that was saying something. She found her red panties on the other side of the bed and stepped into them before crawling under the covers.

  I got in bed, and she settled herself into my side and used my shoulder as a pillow. She sighed, a sound full of contentment. I hadn’t felt her this at ease in months.

  Now that she had found her happiness again, I would protect it with my life.

  Before long, she fell asleep. I turned on my side so I could watch her as she lay facing me.

  Is it possible all those bad things happened to me so I could eventually find you?

  I’d never been one to put much faith in fate, but how else could I explain how my painful journey had finally led to such bliss after so very long?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Hours later, Ollie wandered the hallway. “Mommy? Lucien?”

  The first light was just creeping into the sky. Samantha had warned me Ollie was likely to be up before the sun. I slipped out of bed, threw a clean T- shirt over my head, and opened the door to our suite. Ollie was tiptoeing as she looked for our room.

  “Pssst.”

  She turned her head in the direction of the noise and smiled when she saw me. She bounded down the hall into my arms. “Lucien, it’s Christmas morning!”

  “I know.” I wrapped my arms around her small form and picked her up.

  “Do you think Santa came?”

  “I do. You know why I think so?” She shook her head.

  “Because you, Olivia, are a very, very good girl.”

  She beamed and threw her arms around my neck and squeezed. “I love you, Lucien.”

  The warmth and sweetness of her sentiment flowed through me. I staggered back against the wall. We expressed our affection for one another in countless ways, but it was the first time she’d said those words in exactly that way. How am I lucky enough to have this much happiness?

  A door opened down the hall, but I didn’t care. At that moment, my conversation with Ollie was the only thing worth knowing in the world. “That’s so good to hear, because I love you, too.” She squeezed her arms tighter.

  Catherine stepped out into the hall a few doors down. There was no way she hadn’t heard our conversation; I suspected the others probably had as well. I hoped they could approve, but I didn’t truly care what they thought. I tilted my head against Ollie’s shoulder, still holding her tight, and finally looked in Catherine’s direction. When a tear worked its way free from my eye, I swatted it away.

  For less than a moment, I tasted Catherine’s sadness and jealousy, but they were quickly replaced with a warm wave of love. Catherine looked at me and smiled, then lowered her eyes and walked the
other way down the hall.

  I took a deep breath and placed Ollie on her feet, then peeked in the doorway behind me to ensure Samantha was still asleep. “How about we go downstairs and make some breakfast to bring up to your mom?”

  “Yeah!” she whispered.

  This was a small gift to my family, who wouldn’t be forced to eat breakfast if Samantha ate in the privacy of our room. I led Ollie downstairs. We avoided the great room with its mountains of presents—Ollie was dying to look but agreed to wait until after we’d eaten.

  Henrietta had apparently baked overnight, for a big basket of huge blueberry muffins sat out on the counter. A folded sheet of paper leaned against the basket. I flipped it open.

  Enjoy all. We’re out. —H&G

  I chuckled and tucked the paper under the edge of the basket. I grabbed a plate and placed two muffins and two bananas on it, some for Ollie and some for Samantha, and filled two glasses with orange juice.

  Ollie scrunched her eyebrows. “You’re not gonna eat, Lucien?”

  I shrugged. “Nah. I’m not much of a breakfast person.”

  We headed back upstairs and tiptoed across the guest suite. Ollie crawled up on the bed and sat cross-legged next to Samantha’s knees. She placed her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles. I set everything down. Samantha opened one eye at us and then closed it again.

  Ollie couldn’t hold back her laughter after that. Neither could Samantha, who finally rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. “Merry Christmas, baby.” She reached for and squeezed Ollie’s hand. Then she looked at me. “Merry Christmas, Lucien.”

  “Merry Christmas. We brought you breakfast.”

  “Mmm.” She pushed herself into more of a sitting position and plumped the pillows up behind her for support.

  Ollie handed her a napkin and spread one out for herself, then explained there was one muffin and one banana for each of them. Samantha picked up the muffin and laid it on the napkin in her lap. She pulled off a big piece of the muffin top and put it in her mouth.

  “Mommy, why are you wearing Lucien’s shirt?” Samantha coughed and looked at me.

  “Oh. I lent it to your mom last night because she couldn’t find her pajamas.”

  “Oh. Maybe Santa will bring you some new Christmas pajamas too, Mom. Mine have princesses. See?”

  Samantha swallowed and motioned for her orange juice. I grabbed the glass and handed it to her. She drank and placed it on the nightstand next to her. “Yeah, baby, maybe he will.” She made a face at me when Ollie was looking down. I stifled a laugh.

  I left them to finish up and went in the bathroom to shower. In a rush to get back to my girls, I threw on a pair of worn jeans and a maroon button-down shirt and emerged from the bathroom to find Samantha selecting clothes from her bag while Ollie finished her banana.

  Sam squeezed my arm and kissed me on the cheek, then closed the bathroom door behind her. Ollie was demonstrating her ability to do somersaults on the bedroom floor when Samantha finished up twenty minutes later. I looked up and smiled at her; she looked effortlessly beautiful in a pair of dark-wash jeans and a V-neck white sweater with a row of red snowflakes across the chest. She wore her still-damp hair clipped back on the sides with sparkly barrettes. Small pearl earrings her father had given her for a birthday adorned her ears.

  I pushed myself up from the floor. “Who wants to see if Santa came last night?”

  “Me!” Ollie yelled as she sprang up.

  “Let’s go then.”

  Ollie literally ran down the hall before Samantha and I made it out of the room. A chorus of “Merry Christmas!” sounded as we walked down the steps. The others were waiting for us. Ollie’s surprised and excited response to the festive scene in the great room satisfied everyone’s expectations.

  A merrier Christmas had never been seen at Orchard Hill in its more than two hundred years.

  Ollie tore through her packages like a tornado and demonstrated her riding prowess by making circles around the great room on her new bike. Griffin promised to shovel a clear path for her around the circular drive later in the day. The rest of my family demonstrated their affection for Samantha and Ollie by showering them with gifts. They were both thrilled, although Samantha was overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness. They had been drilling me for ideas for the girls for weeks.

  Finally, Samantha couldn’t hold back any longer and insisted I open my presents from her. Everyone else had been exchanging gifts with their spouses, but all the activity quieted as Samantha led me to a tall object hidden beneath a loose-fitting decorated bag with a big red bow.

  “First, the little one.” She handed me a red box with a white ribbon.

  I looked up at her and smiled. Everyone watched me, and I think I would’ve blushed if I could’ve. Ollie danced around and tried to peer into the box when I lifted the lid.

  It was an antiqued gold necklace with a tag- shaped charm. On its face were my initials: LAD. On the reverse was a hidden message:

  the most magical

  thing of all

  I recalled those words vividly from our dinner in Milwaukee. I’d used them to describe her love for me. She was giving me her love to wear. I took a deep breath and nodded minutely in thanks when Catherine shot me a wave of reassurance and strength. I looked at Samantha and pulled her into my arms.

  “I love it, Samantha. Thank you so much.”

  I stepped back and pulled it out of the box, then clasped the chain around my neck. It was long enough to lie underneath my shirt.

  Her smile was huge. “Okay, now the big one,” she said, pointing to the oblong bag behind me. The level of excitement in the room elevated.

  “Can I help you, Lucien?” Ollie looked up expectantly.

  “You take that side. I’ll get this side. We’ll lift it up slow, okay?”

  She nodded and grabbed the edge of the bag. Samantha stood back and snapped a picture as Ollie and I pulled the wrapping over the top of the object. I dropped the plastic and looked at Samantha with an amazed expression. Standing before me was an antique mahogany two-sided music stand with elaborate carving. It was in excellent condition.

  Samantha was so excited she could barely contain herself as she waited for my reaction. When I didn’t say anything immediately, she explained, “One time you mentioned the name of your violin’s maker, which I now know helps you date it. This stand is French but was made at roughly the same time as your violin—”

  I took two long strides across the room and grabbed her face gently with my hands and pressed my lips against hers. “It’s perfect.” I kissed her again. “No two gifts in the world could have been more perfect—more thoughtful—than the ones you gave me.”

  She blushed. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and rocked her gently back and forth. She smiled against my chest. Although I knew she had inherited money from her father, I was concerned about the expense of the gift. She was so proud of herself, though, I couldn’t express any hesitation about it whatsoever.

  “Open mine now, Lucien!” Ollie held out a small box she had clearly wrapped herself.

  I ripped off the paper and found a key chain with a pocket-sized digital screen. Ollie turned it on and dozens of images played on a slideshow: pictures of the three of us together, of Ollie from all different periods of her life, and images of some of Ollie’s angel drawings Samantha must’ve scanned.

  “Ollie, this is the best present. Thank you so much.” I kissed the top of her head and handed the key chain to her when she stretched out her small hand. She sat with it next to Henrietta, who she’d taken to affectionately calling Henny—which Henrietta adored—and proceeded to describe the pictures to her as they changed.

  I sat two presents from me on the couch next to Ollie. She eagerly ripped them open. The first was a collectible Golden Angel Barbie doll. She was beautiful with long golden hair, white wings with gold edges, and a flowing gown.

  Ollie gasped and stroked at the plastic packaging over the doll. She set i
t aside but continued to look at it while her hands fumbled for the other package. Finally she pulled her attention away and ripped the paper until she could lift the lid. Inside sat a familiarly shaped black case.

  “My own violin?” She gasped and flipped the clasps up on the lid to reveal a child’s violin.

  “You’re always asking to play mine. I thought if you had your own, I could teach you, and we could play together.”

  “This is so good, Lucien! Thank you! Can we play now?” She ran her hand along the length of the instrument.

  “How about after everyone is done opening presents?”

  She nodded and picked up the angel doll box. She didn’t seem to be able to decide to which to devote her attention. Henrietta laughed at her excited chatter.

  I pulled Samantha down on the couch next to me. “Your turn.” I handed her a familiar blue box. She looked ready to protest. I kissed her and tapped the box. “Open it.”

  She slid the ribbon aside and pulled the lid off, then opened the velvet box. Inside sat a solid circle of aquamarines set in white gold.

  “It’s called an eternity ring, which is how long I plan to love you.”

  She blushed furiously, which everyone would’ve sensed even if they weren’t looking at her. I slipped it from the velvet and placed it on her ring finger. To me, the gesture felt weighted with significance beyond the moment. She held out her left hand and admired it. “It’s stunning, Lucien. I love it.”

  I brought her hand to my mouth and pressed my lips to the spot where the ring encircled her skin. “There’s one other thing.” I handed her a rectangular package.

  She shook it. “It feels empty.” She laughed as she tore off the paper.

  She lifted the lid and set it aside, then pulled out a manila folder. She pursed her lips and looked at me curiously. I stopped breathing in anticipation of her reaction. She opened the folder and frowned. She flipped haltingly through several of the pages. Her breath caught and she brought her hand up to her mouth. Finally she looked up at me with glassy eyes and shook her head back and forth.