She had fallen asleep in this room before he had returned. Now it was day. How long had he been gone? He looked tired in his face but his eyes were alert, burning into her. They dropped to her neck and she touched it. She had bandaged it again so it wouldn’t stir him when he came back. His gaze moved on, gliding sensually down over her chest and remaining there. It felt as though he was looking straight through to it to her heart.
“Couldn’t you sleep?” she whispered and his eyes leapt to hers.
He said nothing.
He stalked towards her, kneeled on the end of the bed and crawled up the cream duvet towards her.
Amber leaned back, her head hitting the pillows and her arm still clutching the covers to her chest.
“What are you doing?” She stared into his eyes. They narrowed on her and a smile tugged at his lips. Her stomach fluttered at that look and the fire in it. She knew exactly what he was doing.
He reached her and knelt with his hands either side of her head, splayed out against the pillows, trapping her beneath him. His green gaze held hers.
“I am going to make love to you.” The way he said it stole her breath away.
There was such passion in his voice, such hunger that rippled through her in response, that she almost closed her eyes to savour it.
He wasn’t asking her permission to make love with her. He was going to seduce her even if she said no and for some reason she was fine with that. She wanted it but feared it at the same time. If they did this then it would change her completely. There would be no going back.
She would never be the same.
And neither would he.
Her eyes slipped shut the second his lips touched hers in a searing caress that claimed her breath and made her heart explode against her chest. She released the blanket and wrapped her arms around his, moaning when his body settled on top of hers. The weight of him was divine and everything she had dreamed. She no longer cared if this changed them. She didn’t want to go back to a world without him anyway.
He kissed down her jaw, devouring her and making her tremble. She tilted her head up, eager for more, and shivered when he pressed a long kiss to the bandage on her throat and then leaned his cheek against hers.
“Do not fear,” he whispered into her ear, his breath soft and warm, tickling her and heightening her arousal. “I am in control, and if I lose it, I will leave for now… but I need you.”
His weight was gone from her. She opened her eyes, settling them on him as he closed the pale bedroom curtains and then undid his belt. This was really happening. He was going to make love to her. Every inch of her hummed with desire and called to him, begging him to come to her and be one with her at last—to live out their dreams and the visions they had shared through their blood.
She wasn’t afraid when he stripped, revealing his hard length and toned thighs, and she wasn’t afraid when she pulled the covers back to expose herself to him and invite him into the bed. She feared none of it. Not even the thought that he might lose control. She wanted this moment too much. She wanted it enough to risk the consequences of surrendering to her desire. In the heat of the moment, if he couldn’t stop his urge to bite her, she wouldn’t be able to stop him either. She would want it.
She would welcome it.
Kearn lay against her and she tossed the duvet over him. The feel of his bare body against hers was delicious. Warm and hard. She looped her arms around his neck and drew his mouth down to hers. He groaned when she kissed him, her lips playing lightly against his and her tongue stroking the seam of his mouth, and opened to her. Their tongues brushed, each caress stoking the fire that had ignited in her veins.
His hand claimed her left breast, his thumb circling the nipple until it was hard and aching for more, sending shivers of tingles through her body from its centre. She moaned into his mouth and writhed against him, her thighs rubbing together to make the most of the sweet moist feeling between them. She wanted him. She needed him inside her.
He pushed the covers back and lowered his mouth from hers to her neck, kissing it while he grazed the backs of his fingers downwards over her stomach towards the apex of her thighs.
“Amber,” he whispered against her throat between kisses.
His fingers lazily stroked her thighs, teasing her with their proximity. She wriggled her hips and he pinned her right side with his body, his hot hardness pressing against her, trapped between them. The feel of it increased her hunger for him. Just the thought of him inside her was making her crazy with passion.
“Amber,” he said again and licked just below her jaw.
Did he want to bite her?
He kissed across her chest and up the other side of her throat, his mouth hovering there over the cut. She swallowed and trembled. Her hand went to the bandage but he caught her wrist and pushed himself up.
“Don’t you want my blood?” she whispered, confused as to why he had stopped her. She had thought he would want it now more than ever—that he would want her blood as well as her body.
He shook his head, sending the silver threads of his hair swaying, and his green eyes narrowed on hers.
“No… I want you like this.” He released her hand and ran his over her left breast. She arched into him, pressing into his palm and sighing at the feel of it against her. “I do not want you while I am under the influence of your blood… never like that.”
She stared into his eyes and felt the truth in her blood. He meant it. She smiled, threaded her fingers into the hair at the back of his head and lured him down for a kiss, rewarding him with it and hoping he could sense how he had made her feel. She was warm all over, heated not by arousal but by the thought that he wanted this to be about their feelings rather than his hunger for her blood.
His hand glided down over her stomach and she groaned into his mouth when he covered her mound with it, his fingers dipping in to tease her.
Amber surrendered to him when he deepened the kiss, stoking the flames in her and making her melt into the bed beneath him. His tongue played with hers, keeping tempo with his fingers as they combined to take her out of her mind. Her body tightened and she tensed, making the most of each sweep of his fingertips over her most sensitive flesh.
He lowered his hand at the same time as he lowered his mouth. His lips claimed her left nipple, drawing it into his mouth, and his fingers slid down to her slick opening and eased inside. His deep groan filled the silence. She unleashed a moan of her own as he buried his long fingers inside her welcoming body and screwed her eyes shut.
“I need you,” Kearn whispered against her chest between hungry kisses, his voice full of urgency that echoed within her.
She could sense his need and it matched her own. She was too hot, burning too fiercely for him. She needed him now, wanted her first climax with him to be when they were as one, their bodies finally together in the way she had ached for since meeting him.
Amber ran her hands down his strong back and shifted her hips against his, rubbing his hard length with them. He moaned again and sucked her nipple, palming her other breast with his hand.
“I want you,” she uttered and arched into his hungry mouth.
His knee pushed her legs apart and her heart fluttered at the thought of him filling her, his body moving against hers. Her groin throbbed and ached. He moved between her knees and covered her with his body, his mouth reclaiming hers with a searing kiss that sent her temperature soaring. She matched his passion, her teeth clashing with his as she tried to release the need building inside her and find relief. His tongue swept over hers, caressing it in a sexy way that made her grind her hips against his, rubbing herself on his length. Sparks chased through her, warmth skittering over her skin at the feel of him pressed against her sensitive flesh and the thought of what was to come.
He moved back and she froze as sense reared its ugly head.
She gripped his shoulders and he looked at her, green eyes full of confusion as to why she had stopped him.
&nbs
p; “Do we need protection?”
Mood killer.
He smiled a brilliant smile.
“No.” He moved back to her mouth, pressing light kisses to it. “A human and a vampire are not compatible like that. When you become a vampire, you will be fertile to me.”
If he hadn’t been kissing her so sensually, sending her out of her mind, she would have been coherent enough to pick him up on his presumption. She might not want to become a vampire. She might run away from him before it could happen.
Neither of those things were what she wanted, but the thought of him being so damned commanding made her want to say them.
They would hurt him though. Even if she said them as a joke, retaliation against his possessive tone and the way he treated her as though she was already his to control, they would cut him deeply.
“Amber?” He drew back.
She dragged his mouth back down to hers and kissed him, trying to reignite the fire within her and stoke it back into the inferno it had been a moment ago.
He pulled away from her and broke free of her grasp. “You already despise me, don’t you?”
She cursed him for being stronger than her and being able to sense her feelings from her blood. Sometimes she wished she could turn off the connection as he could.
“No.” She caressed his cheek, and brushed his hair from his face, absorbing the soft look in his eyes and how handsome he was. “I don’t. Honestly. I just… maybe I don’t want kids.”
A faint smile touched his mouth. “Are you sure that is all?”
She hesitated and he frowned.
“Tell me,” he whispered and leaned down, peppering her face with kisses. “I can take it.”
“That’s just it… you take what you want. What about what I want?”
He drew back again and his eyes searched hers.
“I have hurt you.” There was a note of defeat in his voice and he moved off her and sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her, the cream duvet over his lap. “I am sorry if… I… I need you.”
He was sorry that he needed her? That wasn’t what he had wanted to tell her. Amber sat up and went to him, kneeling behind him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and locked her hands in front of his chest. Her breasts pressed against his back and she rested her chin on his right shoulder. He sighed and she ran her right hand down his arm, fingers tracing the silver markings, as she thought about what to say.
“I know you want to make me like you… and that I might not get much choice… but there are things we have to decide together and I’ve always been able to stand on my own two feet.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” His voice was a bare whisper.
She sighed. “I’ve seen the way men treat the women in your world. I… don’t think I can let you control me like that. I don’t want to be made to feel inferior to you.”
“Inferior?” He turned to face her so fast that his head hit hers. She grimaced and rubbed her forehead. His fingers eased hers away and he kissed the spot he had hurt, softly murmuring his apology against her skin.
She savoured the gentle way he held her and the love she could feel in the embrace, but drew away so she could see his face when he spoke. She had to see his feelings in his eyes as well as feel them in his blood.
“You are anything but inferior,” he said and stroked her face. “Duke Montagu was right that night at the ball. You are beautiful, and you rule the heart of this Noble. There is nothing I would not do for you, Amber. If you told me you did not want to become a vampire, I would fight my desire to make you one for the rest of my years.”
“You can’t fight it forever though or you wouldn’t have told me everything you did in the bathroom.”
“It is growing more difficult to resist my desire to claim you as forever mine.” He turned away again.
Amber leaned her head against his back and sighed.
“I meant what I said to you,” she whispered and he tensed. She grazed her fingers down his forearm and stared at the marks that danced across his skin. “I meant every word and every feeling the night of the ball. You’re so distant right now, so full of self-hatred and fear that what I’m about to say can’t possibly be your feelings this time. These are all mine, as they were that night. I’m not afraid of the future, Kearn, because I’ll be with you, and no matter what happens it will be worth it. I want you to stay with me forever.”
He sighed and took hold of her hands, holding them tightly.
“What are you afraid of?” he said in a quiet voice.
“I’m scared I’ll wake up the day after you’ve bitten me to find you acting like those men at the ball… I don’t want to be like those women… I don’t want you to discard me as though I mean nothing to you.” Tears lined her eyes but she didn’t let them fall. She took a deep breath to steady her emotions and closed her eyes. “Promise me that it won’t be like that.”
“Amber,” he breathed and she was in his arms, held close to his chest. She curled up against him, listening to the slow beat of his heart against her ear. The sound of it frightened her, a reminder that he wasn’t human that seemed more real than the eyes or the fangs. Would her heart beat so slowly if she became a vampire? She didn’t think she would be able to get used to feeling such a leisurely rhythm as her pulse, but she supposed it was better than no heartbeat at all. He pressed kisses to her hair and combed his fingers through her ponytail, chasing away her fear and soothing her. “Amber, it would never be like that. If you allowed me to bite you, I would cherish you more than I do now. I would dote on you and do everything in my power to make you happy. It is all I can do for you… my most precious Amber.”
She cursed him when tears tumbled down her cheeks and wiped them away with the heel of her hand. She didn’t want to cry. How could a man who had appeared so cold and emotionless at first be so full of warmth and love?
Drawing away from him, she placed her hands against his bare chest and looked into his eyes. The love in them was overwhelming. A love that would last forever. All she had to do was reach out and take what she wanted, just as he was willing to do.
She nodded and he frowned, clearly not understanding her.
“When the time comes,” she brushed the hair from his forehead, sweeping the silver lengths out of his eyes so he could see her properly when she took the leap, “I won’t stop you… I won’t be afraid. Not anymore.”
Her eyes widened when he grabbed her and pressed her down into the bed, his mouth capturing hers again. His rough passionate kiss stole her breath and fanned her desire back into life. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him, tangling her fingers in his hair and keeping his mouth against hers. The warm pulse of arousal beat through her. She rubbed her knees together in anticipation and ran her hands over his strong shoulders and down his spine. Every muscle shifted under her touch, speaking of his power and making her hum inside. She wanted to feel him against her, inside her. She wanted to show him how much she loved him and that she wasn’t afraid of him. She would give herself to him.
His lips left hers, trailing down her neck to her breasts. He palmed and kissed them, until she longed for his body and for completion. She lifted her leg, rubbing her calf against his buttocks, and clutched him to her breast. A low rumble echoed through him, causing his chest to vibrate against hers. He growled. She really did turn him into a beast.
Amber caught him under the chin and brought him up to her. She didn’t want to wait any longer. The fire had come back fast, burning through her, and only he could save her from it.
Kearn kissed her again and moved between her thighs. She moaned when he thrust his hard length against her groin, teasing her moist flesh.
“Say you will be mine,” he whispered against her mouth and the connection between them became clearer, so that she could feel everything he did. He needed her so much.
She needed him too.
“Always.” She raised her knee, trying to spur him into taking her. She was too hot, burni
ng fiercely for him, to wait any longer.
He growled and shifted his hips back and then he was in her, deep and hard. The sting of pain was nothing compared to the feel of being one with him. She stilled beneath him, focused on the point where their bodies joined, and memorised the feel of him stretching her, filling her until she was content at last. He withdrew and thrust in again, as hard and demanding as his kisses. She didn’t care. She gave herself to him, wrapped her legs and arms around him, and let go.
Kearn growled again, loud against her face. He buried himself deeper and groaned with each meeting of their hips. Amber raised hers, letting him in further, opening herself to him fully. He slammed hard against her, his long length hot and rough inside her, the intensity of their coupling driving her out of control too, until she was moaning with him, clutching and kissing him, desperate for release and to feel him climax inside her.
He pulled her closer, one hand under her back, so their stomachs and chests pressed against each other. It was incredible. Each deep thrust of his hard length into her tore a groan from her throat and made her writhe in sheer maddening pleasure. Sweat beaded against her skin and her heart galloped. The strength of his thrusts had them both moving upwards and she pressed one hand against the headboard behind her, trying to anchor them as they spiralled together, soaring towards their climax.
Kearn’s grip shifted to her hips and he held her hard, pumped deeper with his hips, claiming her body as hungrily as he had claimed her blood.
She groaned and arched, screwed her eyes shut as the hot buzz built inside her, and her thighs tightened around him. Kearn kissed her and swallowed her moans. Her mind filled with their combined feelings and the sound of his heart beating, faster now, a pace that almost matched hers. He clung to her, fingers pressing into her flesh, and she sensed he was close, that he would come undone soon and would fall from the dizzying height of desire he had built them up to and slip into hazy bliss with her.
Kearn moved faster against her, curling his hips and driving himself deep into her warm core. She couldn’t take the way his pelvis brushed her sensitive flesh and his length teased. She tilted her head back, opened her mouth in a silent scream and shattered into pieces.
Forbidden Blood (Vampire Venators Romance Series) Page 24