“And what do I do for you?”
“You give me happiness.”
Her eyes widened. “You expect me to keep you happy forever?”
He leaned down and brushed his mouth across the sun-dusted tips of her lashes.
“Your existence does this.”
“Uh-huh. Unless vampires are very different from humans, which I severely doubt, this is not going to work.”
“Making it work is my responsibility.” He tilted her head back with a tug on her hair.
“According to you, everything is your responsibility.”
He ran his tongue over the taut cord in her neck, riding the delicate surge of muscle as she swallowed hard. She was so incredibly sweet. “This is so.”
He measured the pulse in the hollow of her throat with his lips. Her heart rate was a beat faster than normal with her stress. When he sucked at her skin, it took off racing. He released her flesh and kissed the reddened area softly, enjoying the increased heat against his mouth. “Your worries are groundless.”
“I don’t see them as so.”
“I know.” He kissed the soft skin just beneath her jawbone. “But still you must make a decision.”
“You could just take the choice away from me…”
He pulled back so he could see her eyes. They were dark with anxiety, and the desire she did not understand. He felt the weakness dragging at her intensify. She was losing her battle to hold onto the life she understood. “Is this your preference?”
There was a long pause in which he knew she was considering it. He could do it easily. Tapping into the primitive side of his soul that screamed for him to secure her any way he could would take no more effort than succumbing. He held himself back, allowing her that last decision. Finally, she shook her head. Her jaw set in that stubborn way he was fast coming to appreciate. “No.”
“Then decide.”
Chapter Seven
Decide.
To die forever or to live forever. That was a hell of a decision to be making on the fly.
Eden looked Deuce over, from the harsh, uncompromising lines of his face to the broad, heavily muscled expanse of his shoulders. Nothing about the man said easy. And despite her experience that said he could be civilized, everything about him screamed danger. But nothing, nothing said deceit.
“Do you promise I won’t become a vampire?”
“I promise.”
He watched her with those old eyes. Patient eyes, but beneath her hands, she could feel his impatience humming. The weaker she got the higher the thrum. She tried to imagine how he felt. She’d gone through her whole life knowing she might have multiple relationships over its course, expecting love to come and go, holding back because she never wanted the loss. He’d gone through centuries knowing he had only one, and only if he could find her. And now he thought she was it and he was losing her. A piece of lint tangled in the long strands of his hair. She picked it free, pausing as a dark strand slipped over her thumb, looking very stark against her skin. She didn’t know why he hadn’t forced her before now. She would have. She would never have risked letting her one chance at happiness slip away. The fact that he would, emphasized the differences between them.
She touched his biceps, letting the hard muscle shape her grip. There was no give anywhere on the man. “I want a promise from you.”
“What?”
“I want you to promise to never hit me.”
“Done.”
“That was awfully fast.” Too fast. As if he sensed how hard it was for her to lift her head, he cupped her skull in his palm, his thumbs and fingers gently kneading at the ache in her temples. “You are my mate. It is impossible for me to harm you.”
That was good to know. His touch was soothing, healing. The pain in her head faded so she could think. The bottom line was—if she didn’t live, she had no more choices. She was a big fan of choices. She took a deep breath. “Fix me, Deuce.”
His satisfaction exploded through her in a rush. Hot on the heels of his satisfaction came his pleasure—too hard, too fast. She got an impression of his enjoyment of her scent, the smoothness of her skin, and a flash of worry before it became too much. She tried to slam her mind closed, met the barrier of his strength and felt that knifing pain in her skull that had her crying out just as his mouth met hers.
Immediately, the pain was gone and so was the onslaught. The struggle to breathe eased, and she was able to absorb the feel of his lips on hers. Cool and smooth, they parted. His tongue traced the seam of her mouth. “Open for me.”
It was an order, pure and simple. She obeyed because she couldn’t help herself. Not with the promise of his taste just beyond her reach, a link between past and present. Not when the memory of that taste had sustained her through hell. When it came to him, her body had a life of its own, wanting his beyond reason and sense. Her lips parted. His tongue thrust past, and his flavor—that uniquely addictive flavor—filled her mouth, sending shockwaves of hunger spiraling downward. She needed more. She dug her fingertips into his shoulders, trying to pull him closer.
The bed rocked as he shifted his weight. His chest dragged across her breasts. She reveled in the sensation, arching her back, offering him more. She was so lost in her sensory feast that it took her a moment to realize he’d removed her hands from his shoulders and relocated them to his chest. A flash of embarrassment had her ducking her chin. His lips brushed her temple, her ear.
“Just let me do this, Edie mine,” he murmured. “Just relax and give me the pleasure of caring for you.”
“I don’t want to relax.”
“You do not have the strength to do more.”
Her body didn’t care. She reached for him. He shook his head. His hair swept her breasts, sending shivers down her spine.
“You may not move.”
“I have to.”
“You will tell me what you want and I will give it to you, but you must not move.”
Her breasts ached. Her nipples strained. His chest was mere inches away. All that muscle and heat denied her. “Why?”
“You are very fragile.”
“I feel fine.”
“I am glad, but still you will not strain yourself.”
His tongue stroked over her lips before sliding within. She wrapped her tongue around his, savoring the flavor, dragging into herself more of the necessity her body craved. He held her close, his arms supporting, letting her take what she needed, his moan a hot encouragement to take more. His mouth opened wider, his tongue sank deeper. She sucked harder. It wasn’t enough. He had to give her more. Her hands curled into fists. He pulled her closer, trapping her hands between them, forbidding her movement.
“More,” she whispered into his mouth, crying out when he nipped her lower lip.
“More what?”
She didn’t know, exactly. She just knew when he kissed her some of the awful hunger was appeased. “Kiss me more.”
His laugh caressed her cheek with moist heat. “You are easy to please.”
No, she wasn’t. His tongue reentered her mouth on a sure thrust, bringing back to her what her body ached for. His big body curved around her, sheltering her even as he plundered her mouth. She inhaled his scent, his strength. Took from him all he had to give, but it still wasn’t enough. She was starving. She didn’t know for what, but instinct told her he had what she needed. She yanked her fist free and pounded at his chest. He caught her hand. Every cell in her body ached. He’d promised to provide for her, and he was holding back. “Give it to me.”
He frowned down at her, something dark and scary moving in his eyes before it was carefully banked. “You will have patience, my mate. I know what you need, but it will be given at my pace.”
“No!” If he knew what she needed then he knew how badly she needed it. She turned her face into his chest and bit down, surrendering to the ravenous monster inside.
Deuce’s shout was equally primal. His big hands locked her mouth to his flesh, encouraging rat
her than discouraging her frenzy. Against her hip, his cock surged, hard and hungry. Above her, his growl lingered on the air. The hot, coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. She had no time for thought or repulsion, because under that taste was something else. Something her body recognized on a cellular level.
She drew more of that elusive necessity into her mouth, closing her eyes in bliss as it slid down her throat. Cells that had been shriveled and wasted expanded as she swallowed, pounding at her for more. The need for survival, a primitive driving force too strong to be denied, had her locking her jaw. He caught her head in his hands, to pull her away. She snarled and swung at him.
“Not yet, Edie. Not yet.”
“Now!” she screamed through clenched teeth.
With a harsh groan, he tore her free. The loss hit her like a blow, doubling her over with the agony. “Oh God, don’t do this to me.”
She couldn’t take it. Couldn’t take another person torturing her with what she needed only to pull it away when it was within reach.
“Edie, you will look at me.”
She didn’t take her eyes off his chest and the rich red blood pouring down it. She’d done that to him. Bitten him like an animal. And God help her, she wanted to do it again. He cupped her head in his hands and forced her gaze up.
“I know what you need, Edie. How you need it, but it cannot be all at once.” His breath caught as he shook his head, his frown a death knell to her hopes. “It cannot.”
She wanted to scream, rant and cry. She didn’t recognize herself and the beast that prowled her insides, but she couldn’t help herself either. She’d do anything he wanted if only he’d give her more. “Please, Deuce. Please.”
He swore and shook his head, his thick black hair falling into his face. His sensual mouth thinned.
Tears she hated burned her eyes. “I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll beg.”
His gaze hardened. His thumb brushed a tear from her cheek. For one second, his expression reflected the agony she felt, and then that hard mask of resolve settled over his features. “I cannot give you what you want.”
He was punishing her. Had to be. Had to be extracting his revenge for her part in his downfall. “I swear I didn’t know, Deuce. I didn’t know what my grandfather was going to do. I was so in love.”
Oh God, had she really said that? Revealed her weakness? What was happening to her? She raised her gaze to his. “I was so naïve,” she moaned, feeling again the burning humiliation of what she’d cost them.
“I would not punish you this way, Edie, but I cannot give you what you think you need.”
“Because you think I betrayed you?” She understood that, even as that understanding defeated her.
He shook his head and brushed his lips over hers, the sadness in the touch echoing the sadness in his eyes. “Because the shock would kill you.”
“Shock?”
“We need to go slowly,” he whispered against her cheek. His tone was incredibly gentle in direct contrast to the violent hunger within her. His hands on the sides of her face were the only thing that kept her from biting him again.
How could he stand to see her like this? If it continued much longer, she knew she was going to lose her mind. “I hurt.”
The rough pads of his thumbs grazed her cheekbones, paused and then pressed.” I will help.”
“When?” Oh God, when?
As if he heard her mental cry, he whispered, “Now.”
From one heartbeat to the next, his pants disappeared. His cock pressed against her hip, hard and hot. It wasn’t what she wanted. She twisted away. He released her face and caught her shoulders. She fought the pressure forcing her back. She needed to stay connected to him. His big body followed her down, his hands controlling her decent. “Slowly, Edie.”
She didn’t want slowly. She wanted to feel good, the way she had for that brief moment when she’d been drinking from him.
Oh God, she had been drinking from him. Horror built on hunger. She rubbed the back of her hand across her mouth. Her shoulders hit the mattress as the accusation burst from her lips. “You said I couldn’t be turned into a vampire.”
He pulled her hand free and held it in his. “You cannot.”
“Then why do I want to suck your blood?”
His right eyebrow went up. “You really did watch a lot of late-night TV.”
“You’re avoiding the question.”
“Yes.”
His honesty surprised her. “Why?”
“Because I do not know if I can make you understand.”
“I might have been stupid before, but I am not stupid now.”
He fingers on her chin turned her face to his. “You were a woman discovering your mate. You were sweet, sexy and beautifully open, but you were never stupid.”
“If I hadn’t been so trusting—”
“You were as you should have been.”
Being trusting had cost her everything. “I will never be that trusting again.”
He didn’t argue with her, merely sighed as he pulled her arms over her head, placing the back of one hand into the palm of the other. “You will stay like this.”
She shivered under the smooth command. “Why?”
“Because your mate tells you to.”
“I have a mind of my own.”
Deuce held her hands pinned to the bed with a deceptively gentle grip. “I’m aware of that, but if you wish me to ease your pain, you will not challenge me.”
The hunger put an edge on her temper. “You must have confused me with a Barbie doll.”
Laughter flared over the concern in his eyes before he pressed her hands into the mattress. “I am not the one confused.”
His lips brushed her cheek, his breath wafting over her skin in the softest of caresses. Every nerve ending flared to life, all attention rushing to that one spot. God, she was pathetically tuned to this man.
“Open your mouth.”
She did, accepting the thrust of his tongue, arching into him as he penetrated deeper. She wrapped her lips around his tongue and sucked that unique flavor deeper, letting it sink to her core. It wasn’t enough. His hand caught her jaw just as she would have clamped down.
“No biting.”
She touched the pad of his thumb with her tongue. The hot, salty taste of his flesh spiked the need for more with a roar that sobered her instantly “Why do I want your blood, Deuce, if I’m not turning into a vampire?”
“You do not want my blood so much as to balance your own.”
“With what?”
He turned her head gently until her cheek rested on the inside of her arm.
He stood, his thick hard cock stretched before him, the broad head, looking huge and impossibly demanding. A shimmer of moisture graced the tip. His scent reached out to her, primal and musky, like the forest after a rain. Again, that strange sense of recognition surged through her body. She licked her dry lips. Above her, he groaned. She glanced up. His voice was deeper, rougher as he explained. “When one of the Chosen mates with a human, the conversion is done carefully, according to ritual.”
“So?”
He released her jaw and her hands, turning slightly as he did. She got a better view of his cock. The way the shaft widened as it extended back toward his body had her insides clenching. He’d stretch her unmercifully if he ever took her all the way. A hot, anticipatory whimper escaped her control, the lust overwhelming her even in her weakened state drained the last of her strength.
“Your grandfather tried to convert you but without the guidance of the ritual, he poisoned you instead.”
“So I am going to die?” Die with her body aching with an unnatural craving for a man she’d once loved.
Deuce pushed the hair off her face. “I will not let you die, Edie. You need to believe this and trust me.”
“Why?”
“Mates are matched in thought and body.”
She glanced at that intimidating cock. “Nothing about us matches.”
<
br /> His smile was gentle as he leaned forward, the heavy sac of his balls brushing the mattress in a soft hiss of sound. She shuddered under the implication of his approach. As if on cue, the clamor in her body began again.
“Everything about us fits, my mate.” His thumb pressed into her cheek, the touch reinforcing his desire. “You just have to open your eyes.”
And her mind, and her heart and her body. He wanted her to lay herself bare before him. But it wasn’t going to happen.
She risked a glance down. His cock bobbed between them—hungry, the tip wet with anticipation. As she watched he cupped his cock in his palm, drawing it up and out, milking it slowly, stopping just beneath the flared head, his fingers framing the bulbous tip in a slightly lighter circle. “My blood is not the only fluid in my body that contains elements necessary for conversion.”
She blinked. He was talking about his semen. She shook her head. “You aren’t seriously going to try and convince me that giving you a blowjob will save my life.”
“Conversion is a process, Edie.” He said that with a completely straight face.
“I’ll give you one thing, that’s the most original line a man has ever laid on me for trying to get me to do that.”
Above her, he froze, every muscle in that powerful body going taut. “You will not speak to me of other men.”
“Why?”
He opened his eyes and looked down. They glowed red with primitive rage. His fangs flashed in the light, adding to the menace sweeping off him. “I do not handle the thought of you with others well.”
She cringed back into the bed. She didn’t know this man. He blinked, and that fast the vision passed. Once again it was just Deuce staring down at her, his expression calm. He inched her higher. “It does not matter who came before. There will never be another for you.”
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