Slade

by Sarah McCarty

  “Oh?”

  Scooting over in the bed, she made a place for him. “‘Oh’? After nearly two centuries the only response you have to a woman propositioning you is ‘oh’?”

  Sliding into position beside her, he smiled that smile that made her pulse skip. “Only when they knock me off my feet.”

  His big body filled the space she’d created, inviting hers to tumble against his. She could have resisted. Maybe she should have, but unlike that time in her life when she’d made sex self-punishment, she wasn’t going to wake up tomorrow with regrets piling on top of shame. So she let herself fall, coming to rest against Slade. His arm immediately came around her, tucking her in. No, this wasn’t going to be like that.

  Linking her hands behind Slade’s neck, Jane savored the hard curve of muscle tickling her palms. “Is that a way of saying you don’t mind being propositioned by a nerdy professor?”

  His torso shifted along hers, gliding with an ease that should’ve been belied by his weight. It was fascinating. It was erotic. Even more so when he pinned her with a leg across her hips and smiled that bad-boy grin that sent her heart to pitter pattering. “That’s my way of saying you’ve got too many clothes on.”

  Sliding her thighs between his, she hummed in her throat. “Maybe you can remedy that.”

  The narrowing of his eyes made her glad she wasn’t a shy virgin out for her first journey into love. Tonight was going to be powerful. Hot. Everything she’d ever dreamed of and never found. Slade was the type of man to test a woman’s limits. It was the scientist in him. He couldn’t help it. And the scientist in her couldn’t wait. The woman was already softening to receive him.

  “A challenge?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Catching her hand in his, he pressed them into the mattress above her shoulders. “You should know no Johnson has ever resisted a challenge.”

  “I don’t see how that works out to be a loss for me.”

  The corner of his mouth twitched up. “Good.”

  She waited for the shame, but it didn’t come. She wasn’t punishing herself with Slade. Slade was a gift.

  His grin softened to a sensual smile. “I like being your gift.”

  He’d read her mind. She didn’t care. Sparks of excitement gathered in little bundles of sensation that wrapped around her senses, bathing her in of wash of anticipation that verged on unbearable. She shivered under the onslaught and kissed his chest through the parting of his shirt. The warmth of his skin was a small balm to her overheated senses. The caress of his energy stole her breath.

  “How do you do that?” she groaned.

  “Do what?”

  She probably shouldn’t tell him, but what was the point of being reckless if she didn’t go all the way? “Make me feel as if I can’t take my next breath if you’re not part of it.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  The curse was harsh. Reverent. Hungry. A warning of the onslaught to come. She opened her mouth and her senses. Inviting him in. Nothing in his kiss was reverent. It was a primal claiming. Mouth to mouth. Tongue to tongue. Soul to soul. And she went eagerly, relishing the way Slade plundered her mouth, demanding everything. And everything he demanded, she gave. Willingly with everything inside of her. This was right. So right. Her man. The skirt of the nightgown twisted around her legs, trapping her when she wanted to be free.

  It was her turn to swear. His turn to chuckle. In the next second, there was the sound of material tearing before cool air washed over her sensitive skin. Then her leg was free. She stretched it out, shivering as the roughness of his jeans delicately abraded her sensitive inner thigh. She smiled and caught Slade’s hand, bringing it to her lips, not flinching at the sight of his talons.

  “I do like the way you get to the heart of the problem.”

  He stilled. “I don’t believe in wasting time.”

  She knew why he tensed. Holding his gaze, she bit the softer flesh at the base of his index finger. He was worried she feared his vampire side. “This is part of you, too.”

  His gaze darkened as she set to work on his shirt buttons. “I wish ...”

  “What?”

  He shook his head. “I wish I’d met you before.”

  Before he’d become vampire. She pushed the shirt off his shoulders. “I’ll make you a deal. You don’t apologize for who you are and I won’t apologize for who I am.”

  “You serious?”

  “Yup.”

  “Shit.” His hand curled around hers. His talons touched her skin but did not pierce. He was always so careful with her. “You’re reckless.”

  “You like it.”

  “I do, and I promise ...”

  She shook her head, and put her fingers over his lips. She wasn’t a foolish woman. She knew this couldn’t last. She didn’t want to be converted even if she could be. But she could make memories. “The only promise I want to hear is the one in which you tell me how good you’re going to make me feel tonight.”

  Another laugh and a smile that kicked his mouth up at the corner. His fangs nipped her fingertips. His talons skimmed up the inside of her arm. “Honey, I’m going to spend all night lingering over you. I’m going to make you scream. And make you beg. And when you don’t think you can stand it anymore, I’m going to give you everything you ever dreamed of.”

  “Oh yes!” She wanted that. Her nerves were already leaping, and between her legs, those little flickers of sensation were multiplying, encompassing everything until she ached for the touch of his hand on her shoulder, the brush of his lips on her breast, the tap of his tongue on her clit.

  Closing her eyes, Jane projected the longing toward Slade. His breath sucked in. His body tightened, and for an emotion-packed moment, she thought she could actually hear his pulse leap. As experiments went, this one was by far the most stimulating. To be so connected to a lover that your excitement was his ... She shifted on the bed and held the mental image. It was—

  Perfect.

  “Yes.”

  The mattress dipped as Slade changed positions. His lips brushed her breasts. Fire shot to her core. Taking advantage of her shift, he slid down her body, skin caressing skin as he nibbled his way down her torso. Her breath caught and her pulse stopped a second before catching the rhythm of his. She closed her eyes, letting the sensation pour over her, his emotions pour over her. Hot. Demanding. Possessive.

  His. She was his.

  She pulled away from the thought.

  No. She didn’t want that. Didn’t want forever.

  Yes. Feel me. Feel how perfect.

  Suddenly, she didn’t have any choice. He was there in her mind, there in her senses, tempting her pleasure, feeding her hunger. “Oh God, I want you.”

  “Good.”

  Kissing the inside of her thigh, he lingered on that plump spot near the top she’d always thought so ugly. And made it beautiful. Damn him. He was always making things beautiful for her. His fangs tested the flesh. She should be pushing him away. Instead she was pulling him closer. “Don’t fight me, Jane. Not tonight.”

  Emotion stroked over her. Strong. Masculine. Needing. He didn’t fight fair. She could have resisted seduction. Fought enthrallment, but what could she do with need? The man needed her. So much. Physically, mentally. He needed to be with her. The way she needed to be with him. This wasn’t her trying to make something of nothing. This wasn’t her fooling herself. This was real. And she was helpless as he before it. With a moan, she gave in.

  “No. No fighting tonight.” She drew up her leg, making it easier for him to explore further. Wanting him to find whatever limits she held and push her past them. “But please, could you focus somewhere else.”

  He chuckled. “I like this spot. It’s soft and sweet and begs a nibble.”

  What could she say to that? That she didn’t want his attention? That would be a lie. His kisses bathed her skin in fire, and she couldn’t wait to burn. “You’re beautiful, honey. All of you.”

  She wasn’t, but h
e made her feel beautiful, and such a feeling needed to be nurtured, explored.

  She’d never felt beautiful before.

  “Now, that’s a shame.” He touched the sensitive spot with his tongue.

  She slid her fingers through his hair, not caring that he was reading her mind. The strands were cool, his lips hot. She held him to her, not wanting the feeling to go away. Not wanting him to go away.

  “Slade.”

  The edge of his teeth grazed her skin. Her breath suspended in her lungs. Was he going to bite her? Was she afraid he would or wouldn’t?

  “Shall I continue?”

  He had to be feeling that she did. “You know the answer.”

  With a soft kiss he released her from the tension. “With you, I’m not taking anything for granted.”

  “Then yes.”

  “Good.” His tongue flicked over the crease between her hip and thigh. Hot. So hot. Jane grabbed his head, pulling his mouth to her as she growled, “Just don’t make me regret this.”

  Chuckling, he kissed the pad of her pussy, teasing her with a butterfly touch of his tongue. Every nerve ending in the vicinity turned to liquid fire. “You don’t need to worry, honey. I’ll keep you safe. No matter what.”

  He had to, because she couldn’t keep herself safe. Not tonight with his breath on her skin, misting over her clit, her hope. His hands slid up her torso, cupping her breasts. Breasts she’d always felt were too small but now felt perfect in the way they fit in his hands. Just right in the way they responded to the stroke of his fingers. Jane shifted on the bed as heat engulfed her. Fire. Everywhere was fire. She was burning from the inside out, but it was the most blissful heat filled with a need that blended with his energy, threading through passion and desire, finding his passion, dragging it toward her. So good. His energy felt so good.

  Slade stroked his tongue through the folds of her pussy, not rushing but lingering, savoring. As connected as they were there was no way she could miss how much he enjoyed her taste, her pleasure.

  “Sweet.”

  Yes, it was sweet and hot. So very, very hot. Hotter than she’d ever dreamed. A wildfire out of control. Wrapping her fingers tighter in his hair, Jane pulled Slade close, and when his tongue swirled across her oversensitized clit, pushing him away, not knowing if she could stand this. Not knowing if she wanted to.

  “Oh my God, Slade.”

  “Burn for me.”

  She couldn’t do anything else. Pulling him closer, she pressed up into his mouth, into the pleasure, into the burn. The likes of which she’d never known before. She’d had other lovers, but always with them she’d held a piece of herself back, and she wanted to hold herself back here, but her will was nothing against the pleasure he lavished on her. Slade drove her forward with the lash of his tongue, the pinch of his fingers. Sweet pain bit into her breasts, quickly melting into a pleasure that pulsed outward, building as his tongue swirled around her clit, settling into an ache. Her pussy flowered with need, softened, invited ...

  “Slade.”

  “That’s it, honey. Open for me.”

  His lips closed gently around her clit, pressing softly as he pinched her nipple again. She arched up into the caress with another incoherent cry as he parted her folds with his finger, easing first one and then another into her tight channel. She couldn’t hold back a moan at the intimate stretching, gasping as he sucked gently and eased his fingers deeper. She gave up the last of her resistance with a breathless cry as he did it again, and again, her legs going slack, no longer fighting him, no longer holding him, just laying there letting him take her wherever he wished.

  He took her higher. Always taking her higher. The pleasure drew into a tight, explosive ball between her legs as he took her deeper into his mouth, into the passion. Her arms quivered and her breath caught in her throat. Her nails scraped across the sheets in a fruitless effort to hold on as he twisted her nipple harder, thrust deeper, spiked the flames hotter. It was too much. It wasn’t enough.

  She twisted on the bed. “Slade.”

  Pleasure tore his name from her lips, her mind. Energy whipped from him to her, crackling around them as he growled his enjoyment. When he tested her clit with the edge of his teeth, the air was suddenly too thick to breathe, her mind too heavy to think, the pleasure too intense to be born.

  “Please ...” She was there, right there, every muscle quivering, every sense tuned to him. Gathering the sheets in her hands, she groaned. “I need to come.”

  “Not yet.”

  This time she grabbed his hair and yanked. It didn’t do any good. All it got her was a chuckle as Slade kissed his way up her body, avoiding those spots that would’ve tipped her over the edge. Against her thigh, his thick cock pressed. Catching her hands in his, he pinned them to the mattress above her head. She glared into his face. He smiled down into hers. How could he smile at a time like this?

  “Spread your legs.”

  Defiance rose at the order. This was her life, her moment, and she would not be dictated to. “No.”

  Instead of getting mad, he smiled. Then leaned down. She couldn’t take her eyes away from his lips. “No?”

  With a slow twist of his hips he overrode her weakness. His thigh slid between hers, his cock pressed against the crease in her pussy. For the pulse of a second he let it rest against her, letting her absorb the heat, the size, before he slowly dragged the thick length, tip to base, along her swollen clit.

  And that fast, her objections died. He could have anything he wanted of her as long as he didn’t stop. Her legs spread. Her breath caught.

  “That’s right, let me in. Just let me in, no fighting.”

  Her “Why not?” died in a squeak, but they were so connected he heard it anyway.

  “Because I’m on the edge. Because I’m vampire and you’re my mate and the need to change you is strong in me.”

  That snapped her eyes open. She wanted Slade, but she didn’t want to be vampire. “No.”

  He kissed her objection into oblivion. “I won’t convert you, but we will have this.”

  This was a settling of his cock into the well of her vagina, heavy and thick. Another tension entered the mix. She didn’t know if she could take him.

  You can.

  She was getting used to the way he slid in and out of her mind. “It’s been a long time.”

  He kissed her lips, softly, an oasis of calm in the middle of the storm. “Then we’ll take it slow. Put your arms around my neck.”

  She did.

  Holding her gaze, he eased his body into hers, blending them together in a steady push. She shivered and gasped as delicate inner muscles caressed his thick shaft. It was hot, wonderful. So good. The pressure built as he pressed deeper almost to the edge of pain.

  Digging her nails into the back of his neck she gasped, “Slade.”

  He stopped, resting inside her. “Too much?”

  “I can’t...” She shook her head not able to convey to him what was going on inside, the desire to run. The need to stay. A conflict too big to put into words, but she didn’t need to. His mind was meshed with hers.

  “Shh. It’s all right. We’re in no hurry.” He continued to kiss her and stroke her and hold her until her fear faded and her inner muscles relaxed. His cocked flexed, stretching her oh so deliciously. Arching up, she took more, shivering as his cock flexed again. Nothing had ever been like this, felt like this. Nothing else ever would.

  “So good,” she groaned. “You feel so good.”

  “Very good.”

  The masculine whisper filled her mind. His energy wrapped around her. Passion. Perfection. He offered it all to her in a steady thrust. She gasped and he held himself still, letting her adjust, before pulling back and slowly, steadily seating himself to the hilt. As his groin settled against her swollen clit in a slow grind, his fingers grazed her cheek in that way that said so much. “Okay?”

  She nodded and turned her head, amazed she found her voice amidst the tumult. “B
etter than okay.”

  “Good.” Leaning down, he sucked at her breasts, nibbling the tip, catching it between his teeth, biting lightly. It wasn’t enough. She needed more.

  “Oh please. Harder.”

  “You sure?”

  Did he think she would break? “Positive.”

  His hand slip between them, settling on her clit in a tiny culmination that became something bigger, growing as he rubbed at first gently and firmer, never quite giving her what she needed to come, keeping her balanced on that sharp edge of desire.

  She could feel the force of his passion. His need to possess. He needed her like she needed him, yet he was denying them both. Why?

  “Slade!”

  “Right here.”

  Wrapping her thighs around his hips, she drew him to her. “No more games.”

  “I’m not playing.”

  “Neither am I.” Lifting her hips, she took him deeper still, smiling at his groan, at the breach in his energy that signaled his loss of control. Relishing the rush of desire that rolled over her. Relishing the knowledge that he couldn’t resist her anymore than she could resist him. Smiling, she met him thrust for thrust.

  “That’s right, take what you want.”

  What she wanted was everything. “More,” she gasped, twisting up into his thrust. She wanted more. He gave it to her, but it wasn’t enough. She needed him deeper, harder. She needed him wild. “Son of a bitch.”

  In a move so fast it left her blinking, he flipped her over onto her hands and knees. For a second she saw herself through his eyes. Hips white and rounded, looking impossibly lush above her parted thighs and swollen pussy. He loved her ass. She went with him mentally as his gaze followed the line of her spine to where her hair fell away from the nape of her neck, leaving it exposed and vulnerable. She felt Slade’s pleasure. Slade’s lust as his cock pressed against her. On the next breath the image snapped, and then it was just her lust consuming her, her need. Her pleasure.

  His hand came down on her hip in a light spank. “Now.”

  Spreading her legs, she welcomed his possession, pushing back as he thrust in, groaning as every inch of his thick cock stroked along that certain spot inside that was like striking a match to tinder. He felt bigger this way. Better. Harder.