“You were lonely?” she asked, stroking his hair tenderly. Her heart instantly clenched as she imagined what it must’ve been like for him, being injured, fighting to recover.
“It was hard for a while,” he admitted, pulling her hand to his lips. Slowly he kissed her knuckles, then rotated her palm to his mouth and kissed the center. “You know, I woke up in Maryland with the lights out. Wasn’t sure where I was, didn’t remember what happened…. I went through some terror then that was a lot worse than anything I ever experienced over in Iraq.” He grew pensive, still holding her hand, yet saying nothing more.
She’d never wanted to be so strong and solid for anyone before in her life. Sliding to her knees before him, cupping his face in both her palms, she repeated his earlier words. “Shh,” she whispered soothingly, brushing her lips over his. “I’m here now.”
A full, wide smile spread across his face, and then he laughed. “Does that mean I can take off my clothes now, too?”
Without a word, she reached for the hem of his T-shirt and began dragging it over his head. “Here’s your answer, tough guy.”
When he tossed the shirt aside and she saw his chiseled torso and abdomen, she began giggling in a giddy fit of lust and hormones and arousal. “Talk about beefcake. Holy cats, that’s one gorgeous body you got there, Dillon Fox.”
“Come sit on my lap. I want to see you, too,” he urged her, reaching outward with both hands. Slowly she straddled him on the settee, settling gingerly atop his thighs. Right up close and personal. There was a long scar across his right pec, and a bulldog tattoo on that upper arm. He possessed the kind of rare grace and strength that came only from using one’s body as a weapon, and she had no doubt that the same grace and strength were going to be downright overwhelming once he got her in bed.
All at once, the mating instinct hit DEFCON Five and she began shaking slightly, clutching his shoulders. He didn’t understand, of course, and held her about the waist. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he promised earnestly, stroking her hair.
“That’s not it. It’s––You’re even more beautiful than I thought.”
He liked that one, his high cheekbones flushing slightly. That heat, so visible in his features—and knowing she’d put it there—caused her mating scent to absolutely pour out between them, to roll like thunder over the whole room––a fact that did not go unnoticed by her soon-to-be lover.
“Okay, fess up about this goddamned gorgeous smell of yours,” he said, staring quizzically into the space beside her. “What’s your personal Chanel Number Five all about, huh? And what’s with the dreams we’ve been having about each other?”
A part of her felt guilty; if they were going to make love, she needed to explain the facts of vampire life and nature to him. Stat. But her instincts were already taking over, compelling her to claim him…to taste him, too. And to share her own blood with him.
“We––Dillon, we’ve got to stop,” she said, beginning to climb off his lap. But he’d have none of that, and secured her against him with a viselike grip.
“Not stopping this love boat, baby. Explain about the aroma.”
She shook her head. “You won’t like it.” Understatement. Huge one. But his next words were a total game change, and she’d have sworn her heart stopped beating for a full second.
“Is it because you’re a vampire?” he asked, reaching fingertips to touch her cheek. “Is it something y’all do?”
“I’m a vampire?” she repeated numbly. “You’re saying I’m a vampire?” Maybe she could dodge this bullet. Still. He shifted slightly beneath her and she felt a hard bulge in the front of his pants, one that revealed just how aroused he was, too. No way could she fight her mating nature now. She was too on the brink in terms of timing and he was the one. She knew it in her heart. The dreams had been preparing her for him, so she’d recognize him when he arrived.
“You are a vampire. I know it. You’re not like any human woman I’ve ever been around.”
“Mason told you,” she said flatly, remembering for the first time in quite a few minutes that Dillon knew her old nemesis. She squirmed on his lap, wanting to get away, feeling a little angry. “Was it a set up? You coming on to me? Wanting to come back here in my room?” She rose up on Dillon’s lap, but he tugged her back atop him, wrapping a strong forearm around her waist.
“You’re the one who brought me to your room,” he said, securing her against his chest.
“And, darling, you’re not going anywhere. I think you’re mine now.”
“Yours?” she repeated, feeling dizzy and unsettled.
“I’ve been dreaming about you for a year. You’ve been dreaming about me. That’s got to be part of this whole vamp gig,” he said. He didn’t sound threatening at all. Just very confident and curious and full-on determined.
“Yes, Dillon. I’m a vampire,” she whispered. “Mason was right. Did he send you here to hurt me? To hunt us?”
“He wanted to confirm his suspicions about what you are. Period,” Dillon answered bluntly.
“Is that the only reason you came inside and into my room?”
He shook his head vigorously. “No, nothing like that. Why am I here with you, Kate? Because I couldn’t have gone anywhere else, not from the moment I met you.”
She sighed into him, wrapping both arms about his neck. “Oh my God. What are we going to do about this? You’re a Normal. I’m a vampire. Criminy. What to do? What to do?”
“Make love. That’s what to do,” he said, sliding his hands along her back and nuzzling his face against her neck. “Hell, yeah. That’s a no-brainer right there, Kate.”
“I can’t stop this,” she explained, patting her chest. “The way my natural instincts have taken over, the way they’re—”
“Making the world smell perfect and sexy?” he said, laughing, still caressing her face.
“And I have a pretty good idea why that is. It’s because you’re a vampire and because you like me. And you want me. A whole fucking lot. So that’s why your body responds with this perfume thing, right?”
She buried her face against his shoulder, cringing in embarrassment. Not only did he know she was a vampire, which did solve the problem of a big ass confession. But he seemed to have realized she was marking him with her mating scent.
“Why are you hiding against me?” he asked, trying to cup her jaw. “Was I wrong? Cause if I was, then you probably think I’m the biggest jackass in the universe, talking about vampires’ needs and—”
“You weren’t wrong,” she admitted, still feeling mortified. Now he knew she was exuding her hormones and scents because of how sexed up she was for him. It was an embarrassment worse than dropping your tray in the school cafeteria. Worse than waking up naked on the beach after partying too hard the night before. Worse than telling her father and brother that she had mated with a Normal. But she’d cross that bridge when she got to it.
“So are you gonna kill me? Or bite me?” he asked curiously, seeming entirely unafraid.
“Cause I’m thinking the answer’s no to both of those. Although the thought of your hot mouth on certain of my body parts is an extremely happy thought. So long as you don’t drain me dry.”
“I’d never hurt you, Dillon. We don’t hurt anyone. We don’t drink from Normals or drain them or kill them. We only feed among each other…with our…with….” She just couldn’t bring herself to say it, and buried her face against his shoulder out of pure shame.
“With your what?” he prompted, cupping her hips. “Tell me all of it.”
“From our mates,” she whispered, blushing furiously. “It’s the only time we feed.”
“So why do I want you to drink from me? It’s crazy. I never believed vampires were real before today, and suddenly, I’m burning with need for you.” He sank back into the sofa and sighed, arms still wrapped about her waist. “It must be because we’re supposed to be together. Just like with the dreams. Is that it? Part of the whole hoodoo vampire lov
e dance?”
She wasn’t prepared to answer his questions, not until she understood his true intentions.
“So Mason put you up to this?” she asked. “To find out our secrets, learn about our society?”
“He wanted to know if you feed from humans.” Dillon’s bluntness and honesty instantly put her at ease. He didn’t hedge, didn’t dodge, just put it all on the line. “He wanted me to find your mating ring. But gauging by your reaction to me…you’re still unmated.”
She wouldn’t answer that one, either. Not yet. Dillon’s lovely blue eyes grew wide and agitated. “Tell me you’re not mated,” he murmured in an oddly plaintive tone. “Tell me…you can be mine.”
“Why were you willing to try and expose me? You agreed to work with Mason or something like that?”
He stared into space for a long moment, eyes unfocused as always, but a pained expression filling the blue depths of his gaze. “No one had needed me for a year, Kate. After…well, it’s hard to explain what it’s like to have a brain injury. The way it changed me. It was way more than just being blinded. I live with––Well, there’s chronic pain and memory issues. I’m not all pretty.”
“Well….” She smiled and touched his cheek tenderly. “I’d have to disagree on that one.”
He smiled faintly then grew somber again. “It’s like…I’ve been living as damaged goods. No longer a Gunnery Sergeant, no longer a Marine…. My injury put me on the shelf, you know?”
Oh, she knew. It was exactly how she felt about her own life, the way her family had held her in reserve, her virginity a powerful bargaining chip they were simply waiting to play—with or without her consent.
“I guess,” he said quietly, “I’ve known all along that I’m used and ruined goods.”
“That’s not true,” she promised him, her heart already softening against the fear and anger that had spiked between them.
“And then Mace wanted my help….” he trailed off.
As much as she yearned to reassure him, she forced herself to ignore the almost desperate tone of his voice. “And then Mason brought you here, to me,” she pressed. “Why you?”
“Because he thought you’d find me attractive,” he said evenly.
“And I did…I do.” She felt her eyes burn. The whole thing had been a setup? She pressed both hands to her temples, trying to think clearly. “Are you––Were you just making it up? All that stuff about how beautiful I am?”
“Kate!” he said, then silenced all her fears with a burning, branding kiss on the lips, one that became open and deep. Deep enough that she knew he felt the tips of her small fangs prick his tongue, and then she had the tangy taste of his blood in her mouth, mixing together with their tongues. With the heat.
Gasping, she broke the kiss, and he stared in her direction, a little glassy eyed, trembling slightly. “Good fucking grief. I’m in trouble here, aren’t I?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve never been kissed like that. Not by any woman, anywhere. You’re mine. That’s what this is all about, isn’t it?”
She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against his, trying to find the right words. It wasn’t an easy thing to explain. “Dillon, when we make love? We’ll become mates. That’s what will happen. It won’t be something that can be turned back because, well, it’s a supernatural connection. The dreams? They’re to point us to each other, to prepare us. That’s how vampires find their mates, by dreams just like we’ve been sharing.
“What are you saying?”
“Nature has taken over between us. The dreams, the lust, the scent marking. It’s coming from both of us now, demanding that we consummate, that we join our bodies and souls.”
“And I’ll be a vampire, too?” he asked, blue eyes wide and amazed. But not afraid. He was a warrior through and through. No fear, not ever, it seemed.
She smiled. “No, you’ll always be human.”
“Okay,” he said, bobbing his head. “Okay, it’s nuts, but I’m in. I may roll over and tell you to explain this all again in the morning. To tell me I wasn’t drugged. But, yeah, Kate. I want you. I want this. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I want to be your mate. I want the whole enchilada, fangs, blood, babe, sex, life together.” He rubbed a hand across his eyes. “Shit. I think I might actually be drugged.”
She kissed him full on the mouth, slow and tenderly. “You’re perfectly sober.”
“Then I’m high on you. I’m high on Kate Rabineau.”
“Watch out,” she said, reaching down and unfastening the button of his shorts. “Because I’m going to be addicting from the very first taste.”
He froze. “Wait, I thought you just said I won’t be turned.”
“You won’t. But you’ll still drink my blood. You won’t be able to not drink it, as a matter of fact.”
“Will it taste like you smell? Have the same…amazingness?” he asked, his large blue eyes filled with wonder and desire.
“Pretty much.”
He grinned big as a life, and began unzipping his shorts. “Oorah, baby. Oorah. Let’s get this party started.”
CHAPTER FIVE
“I feel like a mail order bride.” Dillon laughed, stripping out of his boxers. All naked, ready to roll. “Like you got me from Russia, and I don’t know you, but now we’re gonna clench the deal big time.”
He heard the sheets rustle and the bedsprings creak, and knew that Kate was moving over, making room for him.
“I would be the bride, Dillon. Not you.”
“Nah, I like being the bride. It’s naughtier.”
“You like the word naughty, that’s what you like.”
“See? Just one of about ten million things you’ll get to learn about me.” He sat down on the bed, feeling his way with both hands, and scooted closer to her. “Just think of all the mysteries you’re going to unravel. Of course, you might hate me after a week. What then? Can you return me?”
“I won’t hate you, and I’d never break our mating bond.”
“Can that even be done?” he asked, wildly curious. The entire situation was surreal, enthralling. He felt more alive than he ever had in his life, even more than he did in the moment when the blast had rocked the rooftop in Iraq. The moment seemed slowed down like that one, though, hyper-real in some very intense way.
“In rare cases, yes, our bonds can be broken. But I know I’d never want to ‘return’ you. You’re everything I’ve literally dreamed about. More. You’re meant to be mine, I know it, naughty and all.”
She slid both arms about his neck, drawing him flush against her own soft, warm body. The sensations that swept over him were delicious––the sweet nectar of her skin, her curves pressed up against him. So soft, so eager, with her lush hips moving slightly, urging him to touch her.
He slid a cautious hand along her thigh, savoring the smooth, silky skin beneath his palm. “Last time I did this was nearly a year ago,” he told her quietly. “I was still doing therapy at the Naval hospital. Anyway, I managed to poke the woman in the eye while trying to touch her hair. Really suave stuff. Hope you’ll fare better.”
“It’s been a year?” she asked, surprise obvious in her tone. “I figured you’d have a girl in every port.”
“Marine, not Navy, remember?” He tried to make light of the topic, didn’t want her to hear the pain in his voice. When she’d dumped him, Lindy had really done a number on his heart—and on his confidence and ego. He’d been hounded by self-consciousness ever since, not quite sure of himself around women like he’d always been before. Until now. Until Kate. Being with her was like having come home after wandering in the desert for a very long time.
“Yes, I know you weren’t a sailor, silly. Stop with the topic dodging. Why so long?”
He drew her up against him, sliding a leg between her thighs. He was hard and ready, but it was important that Kate know about Lindy, how she’d hurt him. “I…had a girlfriend, you know, when this happened.” He pointed to his e
yes and then continued, “Hadn’t seen her in almost a year. My rotation was almost over when I was hit. Anyway…we tried at first, when I was in Maryland. She came to visit, spent some time. I just wasn’t in a great place yet. So, yeah, we made love and it was just a groping, awkward mess. She broke up with me the next day.”
Kate pulled his head close, kissing him. “That bitch. I should go drink her blood.” Then she laughed. “But don’t worry, I won’t. I’m just going to love you with all my heart, okay?”
He swallowed hard. His eyes burned with sudden, unexpected tears. “Okay,” he managed after a moment, still holding Kate. Not even thinking about sex, just for a minute.
When he finally found his voice again, he nuzzled her, whispering in her ear. “So how about getting down and dirty now, huh, Katie?”
She loved the feel of him between her thighs, the way his broad shoulders sheltered her beneath him, the strength of him. Yet he was gentle, too, shockingly so as he pressed against her opening. Tentative at first, just the slightest pressure. “I wish this wouldn’t hurt,” he told her, kissing her forehead. “It will, but it won’t last, sweetheart.”
She smiled up at him, even though he couldn’t see. She was ready, primed and slicked and driven to take him deep inside of her. “I’m told vampires don’t feel the pain the same way Normal women do. Just go for it.”
“Are you sure?” He asked, frowning slightly. “I don’t want to be too rough.”
“I always prefer to get bad things over with,” she reassured him, taking hold of his hips.
“Come on, I want you, baby. I want you now.”
He nodded, capturing her mouth with a deep kiss and all at once she felt a sharp spike of pain, then he was inside of her. Her body stretched to accommodate him, clenching, needing him. Her instincts took over after that, no pain at all. She cried out, arching into the pillows, lifting her hips toward him. He began a rhythm then, gentle at first, but her own aggressive hunger quickly set him in motion, the two of them rocking and pulling and moving together.
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