“You know I can have you right now if I want to,” Devlin purred.
As I opened my mouth to curse him, he bent down and suckled my breast. I cried out in shock at the feel of his mouth and tried to move away, but he held me fast and sucked harder. My nipple tightened under his kiss, and I let out another cry, this one of pleasure.
Immediately, I felt shame. The dream of Theo had aroused me. But it hadn’t been Theo. It had been Devlin all along...
“You like that, don’t you?” Devlin said, moving to my other breast. He sucked gently.
I jerked hard, trying to dislodge him. “Danial will kill you for this,” I said angrily. “Theo would kill you for even thinking it—”
“But that would be after I had you, Sar,” he said, looking down at me arrogantly. “And I’d have you more than once, every inch of you.” He ran his fangs up my neck and bit gently. “Every last drop.”
My breath caught in my throat. I would heal from whatever else he did to me, but once I was vampire, there would be no going back. “Don’t.”
“I know how close you are to becoming vampire, Sar,” he said slowly, deliberately pronouncing the words. “I could taste it in your blood. If I take enough blood from you tonight, you’ll turn. Do you want that, to be vampire and never again see the sun?”
“No,” I said desperately. “Please—”
“Let me in then, Sar. Let me have my way.”
Tears slid down my cheeks. He kissed them away, waiting for my answer.
“You’ll hurt me anyway,” I said, afraid. “You’ll turn me.”
“I give you my word that I won’t,” Devlin said earnestly. “If you tell me yes right now.”
“Why do this to me now, after so much time has passed? I trusted you to keep me safe. I believed what you said. That you’d changed.”
“I want you, Sar and for me, that’s enough,” he said simply. He kissed my neck again, shuddering. He looked down at me beneath him, breathing deeply as he looked at me. “I will never have another chance as good as this one.” He paused. “Delay in love’s a lingering pain that never can be cured; Unless that love have love again ‘tis not to be endured.”
“You don’t love me,” I accused. “Don’t quote me poetry like those words mean anything to you.”
“Ah, but they do, Sar,” Devlin said, kissing my throat. “They mean I want you, and I’m going to have you, because I’ve had enough of waiting. That is the point of Rowley’s poem.”
I didn’t reply.
“Sar, answer me now,” Devlin said determinedly. “I will be inside you one way or another in a few seconds. Choose, or I will choose for you.”
I’d heard those words before from him, years ago. But this time there would be no last minute save, no reprieve. “Use protection,” I whispered, closing my eyes.
“Sar, you know I can’t—”
“I don’t want you leaving anything of yourself behind,” I said bitterly. “Not anything.”
“Do you have any protection?” Devlin asked gently. “I do not carry any, I’m afraid.”
“In my purse, on the dresser,” I said, disbelieving he was actually going to do as I asked.
“Very well. I’ll do as you request. But know that if you try to run, I’ll be on you in a few seconds. I won’t hurt you or turn you, as I’ve promised not to. But I’ll have you as many times as I want then, understand? It won’t just be once. And I won’t wear anything. Now lie there, and don’t move until I tell you to.”
I shuddered and nodded, keeping my eyes closed.
Devlin got up from me, then came the sound of him rummaging around in my purse. I trembled at the soft rip of tearing plastic. A few seconds later, he lay down again on me again.
“I’ve done as you asked,” Devlin whispered in my ear. “Now spread your legs for me, beautiful Sarelle, and lie still.”
I did, tears rolling down my face, keeping my eyes closed.
Devlin moved into position, then bore down with his hips. Slowly, I felt him began to push inside me. He was enormous. The lubrication of the condom helped some. True to his word, he didn’t hurt me, taking as long as he did to move inside inch by inch.
As I felt him enter me, hopelessness swept through me. It didn’t matter if Theo somehow got here in a few minutes and stopped him. It was already too late.
Devlin kept pushing until he filled me completely. Then, with a groan, he began to move. He was gentle in his movements, trying not to hurt me. Instinctively, my body responded, betraying me, easing the tightness of my body’s grip on him. Devlin felt it happen, and he let out a cry of delight, working himself in and out of me faster.
I begin to tremble as feelings of primal pleasure engulfed me in waves. I pushed them away, immediate guilt flooding me.
Devlin reached down with one hand and held my hips hard against his, thrusting deeply into me. There was pain, and I cried out, fresh tears trickling down my face.
Devlin stopped at once. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. Then he started again, thrusting more shallowly into me. “Look at me, Sarelle,” he said softly. “I want to see your eyes.”
I opened my eyes and found myself looking into his. They were melting gold now, filled with heat and fire. Devlin let out a groan and quickened his movements, thrusting faster.
I tried to turn away, but he stopped me, holding my face with one hand and my hands above my head with the other. His eyes held mine as he began to groan over and over, pumping wildly, his actions more and more frantic.
A tremor went through him. He abruptly let go of my arms and grasped my hips, thrusting as deep as he could. There was pain again, sharp this time, and I cried out. I pushed back from him with all my strength, trying to get away, trying to get him out of me. But he held me fast by my hips, shuddering as he threw his head back and yelled my name.
“Sar! Ahh! Ahh! Ahhh!”
Devlin clutched me to him, his body giving a few last jerks. At once, he rolled off me onto his back, panting. I moved away from him to the edge of the bed and curled myself into a ball.
I heard him remove the condom and throw it in the wastebasket, his breathing slowing.
“You were wonderful,” Devlin said languidly. “Go and shower if you’d like. You’ll feel better if you do.”
I got up and went into the bathroom on unsteady feet, glancing at myself in the mirror. The sight of my red face and spring green eyes made me start crying again. I turned on the shower and got in, not caring it wasn’t warm yet.
I stayed in the shower for a half an hour, washing myself over and over. Then I got out, dried myself off and wrapped a towel around me. I didn’t want to go out into the room, but I had to. I opened the door to see Devlin sleeping in the bed where he’d had me, his back to me. I looked at him lying there and thought about killing him as he slept. There was a explosive bullets gun right there on the dresser; it would be easy. Yet I was filled with fear just looking at him, remembering his body jerking on me and the way he’d screamed my name.
He’d used my body to bring himself pleasure. But the worst was I’d felt him there inside me, and some part of me had wanted him there, had responded to him. If it had lasted longer...
I bit my lip to keep from screaming, brushing away fresh tears. The bastard had broken something in me. I was too afraid of him to risk shooting him. What if he woke up before I got to the gun? Before I had a chance to shoot him?
No, I had to get away. I had to get away now before he decided he wanted me again. What was to stop him from offering me the same deal when he woke up? Nothing.
I picked up the discarded pajamas I’d been wearing and put them on. They were better than being naked. My clothes had already been sent to be cleaned.
I grabbed the key for the room and bolted for the door. I had to get outside, into the daylight where Devlin couldn’t follow.
I opened the door, took one step and was jerked backward by my hair.
“I thought I told you what would happen if you ran?” Devlin
said, holding me by my hair. He jerked me backwards, shut the door and wrapped his arms around me. “You smell fresh and clean, Sar,” he breathed on my neck. “But soon you’ll smell of my lovemaking again—”
I fought him hard, kicking, slapping and screaming.
He quickly put his hand over my mouth. “No screaming, unless it’s pleasure.”
I bit him again, drawing blood.
“No biting,” he said, putting his fangs to my neck and pressing hard to make his point. “Or I’ll bite you back next time. And mine will be deeper.”
I went still, my chest heaving. “Please no,” I whispered, fresh tears on my face.
“Sarelle, I told you what would happen if you ran,” Devlin said seductively yet sinisterly.
He pushed me up against the wall, leaning his body up against my back possessively as his hand fastened on the back of my neck. The other hand grabbed the waistband of the pajama bottoms and jerked them down, so they pooled at my ankles. He slid his erect penis to the cleft of my buttocks. I shuddered.
“Remember that night?” he said, kissing my scarred throat. “I wanted you so much back then. But your demon half-breed robbed me of my power and ruined everything.” He drew back, angry. “The worst night of my life—almost. To add insult to injury, you were off limits to me, untouchable, under pain of death.” He leaned closer to whisper to me. “But your blood tonight made me remember how good you tasted, Sar. How good your body felt against mine.”
I struggled frantically.
“When I felt you moving against me in your sleep, dreaming of Theo, I decided I’d had enough of playing the hero and being good.” Devlin turned and threw me on bed. “Take off your clothes, my love.” He stalked toward me, his fangs bared in a wide smile.
I backed away from him. “Please don’t hurt me.”
He stopped. “Do it, Sar, or I’ll do it for you. You remember your first lesson? Do it, and I won’t hurt you.”
I did as he asked and took the rest of my pajamas off.
He climbed onto the bed. “Come to me.”
I ran for the door. He caught me within a step. I struggled, crying, but he brought me back to the bed, holding my body to the bed with his.
“Sarelle, I’m going to have you all day long until we leave tonight,” he said casually. “You can submit and enjoy it, or you can fight me. But it’s going to happen.”
I began to sob, waiting for him to begin. Instead, he got off me, grabbed some tissues from the box on the nightstand and wiped my eyes.
“Stop crying,” he said softly. “The only one coming to save you was me. Don’t fight me. I would much rather make this good for you, if you’ll cooperate—”
“Devlin, I can’t. I’m married,” I said pleadingly.
“I said you have no choice, Sarelle. Put your guilt to rest. It has no place in this room.”
He could’ve had me again by now, but he kept backing off. I focused on that, trying to get control. Maybe I could talk him out of this.
“Devlin, you don’t really want to have normal sex with me. You want to see my fear. How could I possibly enjoy being with you?”
“The first is certainly true. Who wants to have ‘normal’ sex, ever?” He rolled his eyes at me. “But I don’t want you to fear me,” Devlin added gently. He handed me another tissue. “I know I felt good to you, just as you felt to me,” he whispered seductively. “Lie back for me. I’ll give you the kind of pleasure you’ve only dreamed of.”
Fear swept me, that he’d felt my desire, weak as it had been. If he touched me again...
I bolted for the door. Devlin grabbed me instantly.
“I can’t do this!” I said hysterically. “Please don’t make me do this. Not again!”
Devlin grabbed a handful of my hair, pulling it back so I looked him full in the face. “Sarelle, either kiss me right now, or I’ll find another use for your mouth.” He lowered his head slightly, raised his eyebrows in a quick movement and then stared at me, making sure I got his point.
Fear flooded me again, as I looked at him in shock. He would do it, if just to prove to me he could.
Chapter Fifteen
I kissed him hard, and he groaned, pushing me back to the nearest wall. He pressed his body to mine, rubbing himself against me. I braced myself, waiting for him to act.
“Shh,” he whispered softly. “This is not a B movie, despite our surroundings. I haven’t waited this long to be either crude or quick.”
I drew a hitching breath.
“Sorry if I squeezed too tightly.” He loosened his grip on me, holding me gently. “I’m going to discover all of you tonight, Sarelle,” he whispered. “Prepare yourself to be loved.”
I drew a long shuddering breath.
“You haven’t known intimacy. Not really. But I’m going to take you there tonight with me. Relax for me, and don’t forget to breathe.”
Devlin held me there against the wall and kissed me slowly. He kissed me over and over, until I was pliable in his arms. Then he took me to the bed and settled me down on it. He kissed me everywhere, from my neck to my ankles, running his fangs over all of my body’s curves. He stroked my body with his hands, every inch of flesh, until despite my best intentions I was breathing fast, and my body was trying hard to convince me that this wasn’t wrong. That he wasn’t wrong to make me feel this way. Next, he kissed my breasts, taking each one in his mouth carefully, so as not to cut me on his fangs. I was writhing now, hating myself for responding to him.
“There’s a sigh for yes and a sigh for no and a sigh for I can’t bear it,’” he whispered to me. “Let me hear you sigh for me, to tell me you can’t bear not to feel me inside you again.”
He suckled me gently again, then moved up, kissing the spot he’d bitten tonight. Then he switched sides, kissing the scar he’d made years ago.
I went rigid, remembering him biting me, telling me I was a bitch. I held onto that memory, using it to push away the desires of my body.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly, drawing back from me. “I’m sorry for that.”
He began again, kissing me again, softly, gently. Touching me, caressing me, taking all the time in the world to move from my ankles to my neck. And as he kissed me he whispered to me softly:
“I draw you close to me, you woman,
I cannot let you go, I would do you good
I am for you and you are for me, not only for our own sake, but for others sakes,
Enveloped in you sleep greater heroes and bards,
They refuse to awaken at the touch of any man but me.”
It is I, you woman, I make my way,
I am stern, acrid, large, un-dissuadable but I love you.
I do not hurt you any more than is necessary for you.
I press with slow rude muscle.
I brace myself effectually.
I listen to no entreaties.
I dare not withdraw until I give to you what has for so long accumulated in me.”
“Who—?” I said softly.
“Whitman,” he said, kissing me still. “The poet, not the chocolatier.”
Slowly I relaxed again, his soft caress and kiss soothing me, melting my resistance.
Finally, he again kissed my throat. When I didn’t tense this time, he moved his body onto mine carefully. His erection nudged me gently, pressed against my lower belly.
I tensed up in fear, holding my breath.
“I won’t hurt you. Let me love you,” he whispered, kissing my lips gently. Then he slid down and pushed up from me with one hand, his head near my chest. He began suckling me gently. I felt the tip of his penis press against my opening. Slowly, he rubbed it against me.
I took a sharp intake of breath, then began to breathe faster, as I felt the head of him become slippery. Involuntarily, my body relaxed, my hip flexing upwards slightly as I let out a soft moan.
Devlin rubbed again slightly, easing the tip inside, then gave a thrust, burying himself in me with a loud groan.
All at once, I realized he didn’t have a condom on. “You’ll turn me,” I said desperately, trying to pull my body out from under his. “Please stop. Please don’t—!”
Devlin sighed and withdrew completely. “Sarelle, much as it pains me to say it, I am not what I used to be. When Danial took my blood, he took too much.” He leaned closer, his golden eyes inches from mine. “My seed can’t turn you,” he said softly. “Trust me. Our making love won’t turn you.”
I gave him a look of complete disbelief.
That irritated him. “Sarelle, have I hurt you yet today, or bitten you after I said I wouldn’t?”
“You forced me to agree to have sex with you,” I said flatly. “That counts as hurting in my book.”
“Then we differ there,” Devlin replied flatly.
He lowered his body as he had before and began suckling my breasts gently, rubbing the tip of himself on my opening. As before, within a few moments my body lubricated him. But this time, he waited until I was writhing before he filled me with a soft contented moan.
“God, you feel good, Sarelle,” he sighed. “You’re so warm.”
Devlin pulled out slowly and then slowly thrust in again. I was surprised at his control. I could feel how much he wanted to thrust himself into me hard and fast. Instead, he moved slowly, his engorged penis stroking me pleasurably in a gentle, unhurried motion.
My body responded to his almost instantly with desire. Soon I was slick, and he moved in me easily.
“Sar, I can feel that you want me,” he whispered to me lustfully. “Your body is helping me love you as it did before.”
I didn’t answer, trying hard to stop my body’s response to his, hating my weakness.
Devlin still didn’t thrust fast or hard, just that slow stroking over and over. Despite my efforts not to, I was soon panting with desire, my body betraying me with eager cries as I approached orgasm.
“Your eyes, Sarelle, they’re so dark, like emeralds, but filled with so much wanting.” He kissed me softly, sensuously. “I know what it is you are wanting,” he whispered, stroking me slowly, his golden eyes gleaming. “I want it, too, desperately—”
Taken For His Own Page 23