“I don’t understand,” she breathed, her eyes wide with wonder as she caressed the defined musculature of his shoulder and collarbone.
He held up her wrist and licked at the dried blood there. His eyes blazed. “I don’t either, but I’m not asking questions,” he said as he pulled her to him.
She braced her hands against his chest—that fabulous, gorgeous, healthy chest. “No, wait.” She pulled his lips back. “Show me your teeth,” she ordered.
He laughed, but he acquiesced, lengthening his incisors.
“You’re still a vampire, then,” she stated.
He frowned. “Of course I am,” he said, perplexed. “What else would I be?”
“Do you feel different?”
He slid his arms around her, caressing her waist and back. “I feel great,” he answered in a deep voice. He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Natalie frowned, despite the heat curling inside her. She looked at him intently. He looked temptingly cheeky, crazy-hot seductive. Normal—if you ignored the fact he’d been dead, like really dead, for the past few hours.
Just like she had been, until she was revived in the ambulance and then woken up in a hospital—after being bitten by a werewolf, and with vampire blood in her veins.
Exactly like she’d been...suspicion, doubt, hope—all bombarded her with a sense of anticipation.
“Come with me,” she said, rising and dragging him with her.
“Natalie, I’m good,” he said, tugging her toward him and planting a hot kiss on her lips. She almost gave in to sensual temptation, but something was...different. She pulled away and tugged him along. He laughed as he followed her out into the larger cave, but he stopped laughing when she stepped into the light of the waning sun. He followed, then jerked back, frowning.
“Natalie, I just cheated death. I’m not going to barbecue myself.”
She grabbed his hand, raising it to the sunlight, and held on as he attempted to pull back again.
His eyes rounded as his skin shone pink in the sunlight. There was no burning, no smoke. No sizzle. He lifted his gaze to hers and she could only describe his expression as flabbergasted.
“You’re a daywalker,” she said softly, almost afraid to speak too loudly in case she jinxed it. “Just like me.”
* * *
Lucien turned his hand over, watching as the light caressed his skin for the first time in centuries. His jaw dropped. He never—How—? What the hell?
He reached for Natalie’s wrist. He’d woken with her blood on his lips, on his tongue, and it had been such an adrenaline rush. It had curled inside him, like a live wire to his heart, and had sparked a desire so hot, so consuming, even now, in the face of this revelation, he was so hard he could barely think straight.
“It’s your blood,” he stated hoarsely, meeting her gaze. Her brow dipped in confusion. “Your blood cured me, Natalie.” He knew her selfless action had cost her dearly, considering her experiences with vampires. Wave after wave of emotion hit him. Gratitude. Humility. Protectiveness. Possessiveness. Love.
Tender warmth rose within as he realized just how much that single action meant. She’d trusted him. She’d trusted him in a way that went beyond anything he could have hoped for, and it humbled him. He reached for her, lowering his lips to hers with a delicate, subtle pressure. God, she was stunning. She took his breath away. She leaned in toward him, and that acceptance, that welcome, registered in his brain, and his heart. She’d saved him. Again. His heart hammered in his chest. For her.
Her lips parted beneath his, and he slid his fingers into her hair, dragging her toward him. He kissed her, and his cock hardened. Throbbed.
She moaned into his mouth, the sound not a protest, but a surrender. This time she didn’t try to push him back to assess the secrets of the universe. Her mouth opened beneath his and he slid his tongue inside, rubbing against hers. He grasped her hips, lifting her, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist. He walked back to where she’d parked the car just inside the cave. The light from the setting sun bathed them, the heat glorious against his bare chest. He sat Natalie on the hood of the car and started kissing her in earnest, relishing the exquisite sensations. There was something new, something blossoming inside him, as though it wasn’t just his body awakening, but his very soul.
She trailed her hands over his chest and he moaned against her lips. To feel her touching him, no reservations, was such a heady experience. He nipped at her lips, his hands sliding to the buttons of her blouse. Starting from the top, he began to slide them ever so slowly through the holes, caressing the skin he revealed with each button he undid. He managed about three before she gave him a soft growl of frustration and yanked the rest of the shirt open.
He chuckled against her lips, delighted she was as eager for him as he was for her. He parted the cotton fabric, sliding it back off her shoulders, and took a moment to survey the treasure he’d uncovered.
She wore the same soft-pink bra as last night. He could see the rosy nipples, like dusty shadows behind the decorative cover, and almost lost it right there. He wanted to be inside her, he wanted to take his time. He wanted to dance. He wanted to leap. He wanted everything. Right here, right now, with her. He dipped his head, nipping at the tightening bud through the lace, and she trembled in his arms, throwing her head back on a gasp.
His hands circled her and undid her bra with efficiency. Her shoulders rose as she shrugged the straps down her shoulders, and he pulled it off her, dropping it to the side as he stared down at her.
“You’re perfection,” he said, cupping her breasts.
She sighed at his touch then reached to caress him, trailing her hands over his nipples. “You’re not so bad yourself,” she breathed, her eyes surveying his body. She caught her lip between her teeth and he almost combusted on the spot.
He lowered his head to flick at her nipple with his tongue, and she arched her back, pressing her breast into his mouth. He obeyed her silent urging, drawing the peak into his mouth, lowering her onto the hood of his car. He sucked on her nipple and palmed her other breast possessively. She was so damn beautiful, so reactive, so full of life in his arms.
He released her breast with a pop and then turned to her other breast and laved it with similar attention.
Natalie’s fingers slid into his hair, clenching as he tugged on her nipple. The tightness of her grip sensitized his scalp and sent electric shocks to his cock. She tasted so good, felt so good... He gave her nipple one last nip that had her jerking off the car, then kissed his way down her flat stomach, undoing the clasp of her jeans as he went. He slid the zipper down and her stomach rolled like a dancer’s as he ran his tongue across her navel.
“I need you,” she panted as she writhed beneath his mouth.
“I need you, too, minx,” he murmured, scraping his teeth gently down her lower abdomen. He grasped the waistband of her jeans, as well as her panties, and started to slide them down her body. She lifted her hips to help him and he tugged them off her body, kissing her thighs gently as he did so.
He returned to that juncture between her thighs and her scent, that heavenly, desirable musk, flooded his senses. Everything was heightened. Smell, taste, touch—even those sexy little pants she made as she arched under his caress. She was so damn beautiful. He couldn’t have imagined it would have been like this with her, so consuming, so overwhelming.
He slid his thumb between her legs. Her eyes flew open in surprise then closed in bliss as he stroked her.
“More,” she demanded, all feminine sensuality as her thighs parted beneath his caress.
He smiled. “Bossy little thing, aren’t you?”
Her eyes flashed at him. She opened her mouth to give him a tart response but then gasped as he flicked her clitoris. “Oh, yes,” she sighed, her head tilting back, her neck arching.
She was the sexiest woman he’d ever had the fortune to see in the throes of passion, and his cock pressed uncomfortably against his jeans.
He leaned forward, dipping his head to kiss her intimately, and she damn near shot off the car. He clasped her thighs with a strong grip, holding her beneath him, and she tugged at his hair. He rubbed his tongue against her, enjoying her scent, her taste. He made love to her with his mouth, trying to ignore the throbbing demand of his cock. He wanted to please her. He wanted to drive her insane with lust, just as she had him, but most of all, he wanted her to find joy with him. He flicked his tongue against her clitoris, then slid a finger inside her. Over and over, he played with her, he pleasured her. He ran his teeth gently over her nubbin. She arched beneath him, keening, as her muscles contracted around his finger, and he lifted his head to smile at her.
“I want you,” she moaned. He dipped his head again and flicked his tongue teasingly, but the act backfired on him, filling his mouth with the flavor of her pleasure, driving his lust to a painful level. He fumbled with the button and fly of his jeans, hissing as he carefully lowered the zip of his erection.
“I want you, too, minx,” he rasped, stepping up to her. He delved his fingers through her curls, parting her, and slid home.
She gasped, her eyes widening as she met his gaze, and he caressed her clitoris. He watched her come apart, head thrown back as another orgasm swept over her, clenching around him. It took every ounce of control to stay still, until eventually the sensations were too much and he moved, thrusting into her, over and over again.
She trembled beneath him and he could feel her spasm inside, contracting around him. It went on and on, the sensation unlike anything he’d ever experienced, until it, too, became too much and he felt his own release race up from that hot spot at the base of his spine, racing up over his scalp and driving any thought from his head as he gave in to it.
* * *
Natalie shuddered on the hood of the car, stunned as she slowly became aware of her surroundings again.
Lucien met her gaze and leaned down to kiss her languidly, his chest pressing against hers. She relished his weight, arching against him gently as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, kissing him in the afterglow. He sighed against her lips and rested his elbow on the hood of the car, cupping his head with his hand.
“God, why did we wait so long to do this?” he asked, marveling.
“I don’t know.” She giggled.
His eyes widened and he pressed his hips against hers.
“That feels good,” he purred, and she felt herself getting all hot and damp again at his sensuality. “Do it again.”
“Do what?”
He trailed his hand up over her hip to her ribs and she giggled. “That,” he rumbled, closing his eyes as he thrust against her.
She gasped at the sensation as she felt him hardening inside her. “Already?”
He groaned as he rocked against her. “Making up for lost time,” he murmured, capturing her lips. This time he made love to her gently, tenderly, and she discovered that quiet little fireworks were just as pleasurable as the big bangs.
The sun had set by the time they’d taken a change of clothes from their bags in the trunk of the car and gotten the car back on the road.
Natalie smiled as Lucien turned onto the interstate and headed toward the vampire roost. He planned to borrow a vehicle from his friend, Heath, and they’d drive to his sister to feed her some of Natalie’s blood.
Natalie tilted her head back against the seat, the wind playing with her hair. Lucien reached over and grasped her hand, raising it to press a light kiss to her fingers. He couldn’t stop touching her, and she liked it. A lot. He wore a charcoal gray T-shirt, his arm muscles were toned beneath the short sleeves. She just wanted to climb into his lap and strip him bare again. She watched the scenery pass in a blur.
She’d lived the last forty years surrounding herself with colleagues and acquaintances. She’d never let them get close, never shared her secrets, never really connected with anyone except on a perfunctory level. In less than a week, Lucien had smashed through those barriers. It wasn’t until he had that she’d realized the small things she’d missed so much but hadn’t noticed until she had them back again.
Just the act of sitting next to someone, sharing space with them, touching them. Holding hands... A small thing, really, but the companionship was both familiar yet new. Thinking of someone else, of putting another person’s needs before your own—it was...refreshing. They’d seen so much—life and death—it was as though she’d gone through the worst possible scenarios with him and gotten those experiences over and done with, and now they had a chance for the good moments.
The trip back to the roost seemed to go much faster than the trip out to the desert. Lucien turned into the tunnel and her fingers tightened in his. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckle as he drove up to the portico.
“It’s going to be fine,” he told her, his voice low and husky. She nodded and smiled, relieved that yet again he was by her side. Lucien gave the keys to the valet and then escorted her up the steps. She had to sidestep a little as Lucien’s friend strode out of the grand entrance, reading a sheaf of papers. Heath’s eyes widened as he neatly avoided trampling her.
“Whoa, hey, sorry. Didn’t see you there.” He glanced quickly over his shoulder then gave her a polite smile. He raised his eyebrows when he saw Lucien’s car in the drive. “Dude, what happened to your car?”
Lucien grimaced. “We bumped into a werewolf,” he said then snapped his fingers as though remembering something. “Oh, and you know those ridgewalkers? They may not be as gone as you think they are.”
Heath pursed his lips. “Well, that’s not something I wanted to hear.”
“No, I expect not. Can I borrow a car to get back to Irondell?” Lucien asked. Natalie watched the exchange with interest. Both handsome men, both carried a grim air around them, but were entirely relaxed in each other’s company.
Heath nodded then glanced over his shoulder again. “Hey, you might want to go around—”
“Lucien!”
Lucien stiffened next to her and Heath winced. “Sorry, tried to warn you.”
Lucien shifted, gently nudging her behind him as an austere-looking gentleman stalked out of the hotel entrance, his expression impatient. The guy who had tried to come into their room the night before accompanied him, and Natalie shifted closer to Lucien. She’d never been introduced to the man, but she’d seen enough images in the news reports to easily recognize Reform Senator Vincent Marchetta.
“Hello, Father,” Lucien said in an even tone.
Chapter 19
Lucien kept his expression cool as his father approached. He had to battle the need to run up to the man and hug him. His father would probably want to send him to a psych clinic for an evaluation if he did. What the hell was he doing here? He let Enzo see his irritation. Tattletale. A horn sounded at the gate and Heath gestured to the lobby.
“Perhaps you’d like to make use of one of the meeting rooms?” his friend suggested. “We need to open the gate.” He turned to Lucien. “I’ll look after your request and have it delivered immediately,” he said meaningfully.
Lucien nodded gratefully and followed his father into the hotel lobby. He couldn’t stop staring. Since waking up in the cave, some things had crystalized for him. Namely, the importance of family, of loved ones. At one point, he and his father fit into both categories. He knew his father’s anger, his coldness, his unreasonable demands and expectations all stemmed from the pain of his wife’s death. Since then, Vincent had tried to do everything within his power, within the law and without, to destroy the lycan population. Lucien had tried to do everything within his power to obtain his father’s forgiveness. Perhaps it was time to mend that connection. It was just one of
the relationships he planned to improve. He eyed Natalie. So many relationships he wanted to work on...
“Well, what have you to report, Lucien?” His father’s words were brusque as he stalked across the marble floor.
Lucien frowned. “Not here.”
Vincent sighed in exasperation as he halted and turned to him. “Your sister’s condition has deteriorated so much already. I don’t have time for polite pleasantries. Are you going to stand back and let your sister die, too? What have you found?”
Yes, he needed to work on the relationship, but so did his father. He was sick of being treated like a lackey instead of a son. He realized his father wasn’t the only one to carry anger with him. Yes, he hadn’t been there with his mother when she’d died—and he carried enough guilt and regret to sink a battleship on that score—but he hadn’t set the fires, he hadn’t lined all the exits with silver to prevent an escape. He bore guilt for not saving his mother’s life, but he wasn’t the one who’d killed her, damn it. He didn’t know what he had to do to make his father see that.
Lucien stepped closer to his father. “Keep your voice down,” he growled softly, eyeing the other vampires in the lobby and the bar area. Most carried on with their business, but some had stopped to take note of the conversation.
Vincent smiled tightly. “Fine, let us speak in code. Did you find what you were looking for?”
Lucien pressed his lips together. He wanted to tell his father no, tell him to leave, but that wouldn’t be in the spirit of improving relationships. Instead he gave his father an infinitesimal nod.
Vincent hadn’t expected that response as he allowed his surprise to show for a brief moment. “Really?” His father eyed Natalie. “Apparently, I didn’t give you enough credit.” He gazed assessingly at his son.
“Where is the cure?” his father asked softly.
“It’s safe,” Lucien responded.
Vincent’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like not controlling the situation, Lucien could tell. “Enzo.”
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