The sound of a splash woke Madison. She went to the French doors in her bedroom and pulled back the drapes just enough to look out onto the back patio and pool area of the villa. The moon was low in the sky. Soon it would be morning. In the long, rectangular pool a figure was swimming laps, cutting through the water smoothly and with the purpose and speed of a sleek torpedo.
Opening the door, Madison stepped out and headed for the pool. Los Angeles was currently experiencing a small heat wave, and even in the predawn of late March the air was balmy. She sat on the edge of one of the double-wide chaises and watched. Back and forth, back and forth, Samuel swam until Madison lost count of the laps. Finally, he stopped at the end of the pool facing the house and easily pulled himself up and out of the water. He was naked.
“I’m sorry if I woke you,” he told her. He grabbed a huge pool towel from a stack on a table, roughly ran it over his body, then wrapped it around his waist.
“It’s okay.” She stood up. “I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“Like you, I will be.” He turned and looked at the pool. “We used to swim together, Kai and I, after we made love. She was an excellent swimmer.”
“You loved her, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did.” He turned to look at Madison. “I’ve had hundreds of mistresses, consorts, and lovers over the years, but I’ve only truly loved a handful of them. Kai was like a wife to me.”
He chucked Madison under her chin with tenderness. “You go back to bed. I’m going to stay out here a bit.” When she looked concerned, he added with a smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I go in before the sun comes up.”
Madison was halfway through the doors to her bedroom when she turned around and returned to the pool with purpose. Samuel was stretched out on his back on the double chaise, fully exposed to the night air. When she stood in front of him, he didn’t say anything, nor did he make a move to cover himself. He simply looked into her face.
“When I first had sex,” she began, “and I don’t mean when I was raped as a kid, but when I first decided to have grown-up sex, I told myself it didn’t matter what had happened to me before. When it came to making love, I was still a virgin. I somehow understood that by separating the two, I would be able to make love to my boyfriend and enjoy it.”
“And?”
“It worked. It was a bit rocky at the beginning, but it did work.”
Madison stripped off the tee shirt she’d worn to bed and dropped it to the ground. Then she stepped out of her panties. “I want you to bite me, Samuel. Show me how it’s supposed to be. Make love to me, and bite me. Let’s heal together.”
Samuel didn’t have to ask if it was really what she wanted. He could see it in her eyes and read it in her mind. She wanted him, and she wanted it all. He wanted it just as much.
Without a word, Madison straddled him. As soon as their bodies joined, both let out a soft cry of release and arched their backs in excitement. She leaned forward, her breasts grazing the soft curly hair on his chest, and kissed him. Samuel clutched her head in his hands and mashed his mouth against hers.
When the kisses ended, he clutched her to him and rolled over, putting her on the bottom. The lovemaking was at times tender and at times rough, but always exciting. His hands traveled her body, and his mouth found every nerve. Just when she thought she couldn’t stand any more, he’d pull back, letting her catch her breath, then he’d take her to the brink of total abandonment again.
Close to climax, Samuel unleashed his fangs and looked at her. “Are you sure?”
She arched her neck back in final invitation.
Samuel thrust his body into hers just as his fangs pierced the soft tissue above her right breast. She cried out both in pain and in orgasm.
When it was over, they lay together like nesting dolls. Her butt was tucked into his lap, his arm draped around her torso. One of his large hands cupped her breasts. A sharp stinging sensation shot through her skin at the location of Samuel’s bite, but Madison didn’t care. She moaned in delight.
“Does this mean you want to become my mistress?” He kissed her ear.
“No, Samuel, it doesn’t. When the sun comes up, it will be as if it never happened.”
He turned her toward him and began suckling her left breast, playing his tongue over the erect nipple. She moaned again. He covered her body with his own.
“Then we must hurry,” he whispered as he began to make love to her again. “Because I am still very hungry.”
THE END
Dedication
For my nephew Derek.
He’d make a great vampire.
Acknowledgments
Year after year, my agent, Whitney Lee, and my manager, Diana James, have stuck by my side, keeping me on track as I slash through the weeds of publishing. Thanks, ladies;
I couldn’t do it without you. And, as always, thanks to all the good folks at Llewellyn Worldwide/Midnight Ink
who continue to produce fabulous books.
Baited Blood (A Madison Rose Vampire Mystery) Page 27