Reawakening

by K. L. Kreig

  “I’m not surprised, sweetie,” Analise quipped. “I told you he wanted to throw you down on the table and fuck your brains out right there last week. I haven’t spent a lot of time around Rom, but I do know that vamp doesn’t react like that to any woman. He’s cold … like a machine. I hadn’t seen one emotion cross his stony features before that day.”

  She thought about that last comment. Rom was anything but cold, nothing like a machine. More and more she was convinced that something happened in his past to make him emotionally barren. Or make him want to be anyway. This morning she’d seen a plethora of emotions. Passion, lust, fury, disappointment, frustration. And even pain. Those aren’t the reactions of an emotionally absent person.

  “He looked at you like Dev looks at me, or Damian looks at Analise. I knew it was only a matter of time,” Kate added.

  And that was the thing. The one thing that had bugged Sarah about all of this was that Rom had simply vanished. For an entire week. From what Kate and Analise had both said, their mates wouldn’t let them out of their sights for a moment. Dev even later confessed to Kate that he’d followed her all over the city for several days, never taking his eyes off her for a single second.

  “What did he say when you asked him why he left?” Analise asked.

  “He hedged. He just said he had some things to take care of is all.”

  Kate added, “Why he left for a week without returning is certainly a puzzle, but I’m sure he had good reason, Sarah. It doesn’t really matter anyway, because he’s back and from what you said, he’s not letting you out of his sight now.”

  Still … something was off. “He’s just so … intense,” Sarah uttered, more to herself than anyone else.

  “They all are, sweetie,” Kate replied in empathy. “Honestly, it’s exhausting sometimes.”

  “And suffocating. I feel like I can’t even go to the goddamned bathroom without the third degree. And sometimes a girl just needs a few minutes by herself to breathe. Or fart.” Analise chimed in.

  They all laughed. Analise had once again effectively lightened the mood. She excelled at that.

  “He wants me to go back to Washington with him.”

  And Sarah was torn here as well. She wanted to spend time with Rom. Saying no wasn’t much of an option, because she knew how difficult it was to get her mouth to form that word when it came to him, but she was scared to leave the safety of the mansion. It’s not that she didn’t feel safe with Rom, just the opposite. But she felt comfortable here, like she had purpose. What would her purpose be in Washington, so far away from her sisters? She knew she couldn’t stay here forever, but at the same time, she couldn’t be somewhere where she had nothing to do.

  “You should go,” Kate cajoled.

  “Absolutely,” Analise agreed.

  “I know, but what about the shelter? What about the girls? They need me.”

  Kate grabbed Sarah’s hands in hers. “Sarah, you’re attracted to Rom, right?”

  “God yes.” No point denying the obvious. Both of her sisters knew exactly what she was going through, hormones and emotions being put through the ringer.

  “Then you owe it to yourself, and Rom, to go. Besides, if he’s anything like Dev or Damian, he may act like it, but he’s not really going to give you a choice. Yes, the intensity of the attraction is unnerving and doesn’t make sense, but does it really need to? It is what it is. Embrace it. Go with it. We’ll work something out with the shelter. Analise makes it work from Boston. Stop making excuses and go be with your man.”

  “And let him fuck you until you pass out,” Analise laughed, but Sarah’s thighs clenched at the thought.

  “Is that all you think about Analise?” Sarah asked.

  “Has there ever been a stupider question?” she replied seriously. “You have seen my mate, right?”

  Just then Damian’s face appeared on the screen behind Analise’s and she squealed as he did something to her neither of them could see. Not that Sarah wanted to.

  “And with that ladies, I’d like to reclaim my mate so I can grant her wish and fuck her until she passes out.” The screen went black as Analise laughed.

  Well then.

  “I’d better get back to Dev. He has something top secret planned for tonight and I need to get ready. Not that I can look sexy in anything with this growing belly.” Kate got off the bed and started for the door.

  “Kate, can I bother you for just a couple more minutes?” She’d really wanted to talk to Kate about her strange dream.

  “Sure sweetie.” She came and sat back down on the bed.

  “So … I had a very strange dream the other night and I’m not really sure what to make of it. I had a conversation with a woman about Romaric.”

  “Really? What did she say?”

  “Well … that’s the strange part. She wanted me to tell Rom that she was sorry.”

  “Sorry for what? Who was she?”

  “I don’t know. I woke up before I could ask any of those questions. But that’s not really the part that bothered me.”

  Sarah stalled so long, Kate prodded, “What is it, Sarah?”

  “Looking at her was almost like looking into a mirror. Except for her hair color, which was darker, we could have been sisters.”

  And what exactly did that mean? Because Sarah knew dreaming of this girl wasn’t simply coincidence.

  Mystery girl was somehow tied to Rom’s past.

  Chapter 13

  Mike

  Waking up with Giselle in his arms was unlike any feeling he’d ever had before. After cleaning the pipes in an ice-cold shower, he’d thrown on a pair of sweatpants because his normal buck-naked nighttime attire would definitely make it hard to honor his word of simply holding her.

  As it was, having her almost naked form pressed up against his all night had been fucking excruciating. He’d given her one of his t-shirts to sleep in and it barely covered her firm, toned, black lace clad ass. Which she’d so generously gifted him a nice glimpse of when she bent over, neatly placing her clothes on the chair in the corner.

  Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was already well after noon. He wasn’t sure if Giselle was awake or asleep, so he lay quietly, lightly running his fingers up and down her back. A back he wished was bare so he could feel her soft skin under his rough hands. His dick was painfully hard, so it looked like another cold shower was in the cards this morning. Correction, this afternoon. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept this late when it hadn’t been courtesy of the brown bottle.

  He really had to piss, but he wasn’t about to move. He was afraid to break this peaceful spell that had been woven around them. Would Giselle wake up with regret, or had they finally moved past all of that shit? Would she admit she wanted him as badly as he wanted her? Would she trust him enough to let him into her complex mind? Or her heart? Or would she wake up, piss, moan and yell and walk out on him again, all the while trying to convince herself that he’d tried taking advantage of her vulnerability.

  She stirred and he tightened his grip on her. If she was going to Mrs. Hyde on him again, he wouldn’t make it easy on her. It was time they talked and figured out where this fucked up relationship was going, because he was done trying to convince himself that he didn’t want her. He did. God help him, but he so did. And it was time he made himself vulnerable for once and let her know it. He wanted more than her body. He wanted her affection. He wanted her love.

  Her body was sprawled across his, like he was her own personal body pillow. Her bare leg was thrown over his polyester covered one. It was precariously close to his hard on, so much so that if she moved just slightly there was no way she wouldn’t notice his raging want for her. Of course, he could just blame it on morning wood, but they both would know that for the lie it would be.

  He knew she was awake when her fingers started lightly moving against his bare chest. The moment a nail grazed his oversensitive skin, his cock jumped and, noticing, her head tipped up, eyes meeting h
is.

  “Hi beautiful,” he rasped thickly. In the next thirty seconds, he’d better either get out of bed or breaking his promise, she would end up underneath him and filled to the brim.

  “Hi yourself,” she whispered.

  Their gaze was smoldering and he felt her heart beat faster against his chest.

  “Jesus, I want you Giselle,” he mumbled, unable to help the lust-filled words that tumbled freely out of his mouth.

  At that, she closed the small gap between their mouths and kissed him with a hunger that matched his own. As hard as it was, he let her take the lead, but he wasn’t going to sit idly by either. His right hand cupped her cheek as his left ran lightly over her naked torso, which was now bared thanks to the tee that had ridden up.

  Never breaking their fused mouths, she climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. Her hot pussy was now perfectly positioned over his throbbing cock and he just about blew when she began to gently roll her hips. His hands now roamed over her trim thighs, making their way underneath his t-shirt she wore so fucking well. Slowly, giving her time to stop him if she wanted, he made the long ascent to her perfect, weighty bare breasts.

  Testing the shape and feel in his palms, they both moaned and she increased the tempo of her pelvis. He rolled her erect nipples between his thumbs and forefingers and his mouth actually hurt with the need to taste them. He wanted his lips and his tongue and his hands all over her tight, toned body.

  Breaking the kiss, she sat up, gripping his gaze with hers. Reaching down, she slowly removed the shirt, leaving her completely naked, save for the supremely sexy jet-black panties she wore. His breath caught at how fucking beautiful she was and the longing he saw in her bright blue eyes. Surprising him, she took one of his hands and placed it over her lace-covered sex.

  “Touch me,” she pleaded. Didn’t have to fucking ask him twice.

  He desperately wanted her under him, but it was clear she was directing this show and he was simply happy to be the star. Slipping underneath the drenched fabric, he ran a thumb through her soaked slit, which caused her head to fall back on her exquisitely exposed shoulders.

  “Fuck, Giselle. You’re so wet,” he groaned.

  He circled her engorged clit lightly with his wet digit before taking another pass through her liquid center. She rolled her hips faster and he was as close to coming outside of a woman’s body as he’d ever been. And at this point he didn’t even care. He angled his hand so he could slip two fingers inside her snug pussy, while increasing the pressure on her most sensitive nub. Feeling her tight walls clamp down on his fingers, he knew she was close.

  Her hands reached up, displacing his remaining one with hers as she cupped her ample breasts and began plucking her nipples. Jesus, that was hot. He felt his balls tighten and the telltale tingling at the base of his spine. He was seconds away from coming and he was not going to do it without her.

  Directing her hips with his free hand, he uttered, “Fuck my fingers, baby. I want you to come all over my hand.”

  At his command, she exploded. Her body shook and convulsed, her thighs quivered and his name never sounded sweeter than it did falling from her in the throes of pleasure. Seconds later, his own hot release followed and white heat raced at lightning speed through his veins. Low curses fell from his mouth. He wasn’t even inside her and already this was the best, most intense, orgasm he’d ever experienced.

  Her body fell heavily against his and his arms immediately wrapped around her, fingers feathering up and down her spine. The feeling of her skin on his was heaven. The feeling of her lips nibbling his naked flesh was nirvana. The feeling of her in his arms was ... right.

  Mike was hit with a sudden and voracious need to completely claim this woman. Demand that she fuck only him and take only his blood and love only him.

  He loved her and wanted to demand that she be only his. Forever. After all these months of fighting it, what he longed for rang loud and with clarity.

  The unanswered question was … what did Giselle want?

  Chapter 14

  Rom

  His cock hadn’t ached this bad in over half a millennia. Whether he’d consciously suppressed it or not, he hadn’t thought about fucking a woman this much since Seraphina. And now he could think of absolutely nothing else. A thousand ways to take Sarah raced through his mind, each more carnal.

  Her taste lingered on his tongue. Her smell permeated his senses. A vision of her was permanently burned into his retinas and the shape of her hips seared into his palms. And now he could think of nothing else but how the feel of her tight sheath surrounding his cock would be as he lost himself in her. For days.

  To keep from going to her room and simply taking what he wanted—what was his—he’d spent the afternoon making plans to take his Moira home with him instead, which he would promptly do tomorrow after they’d visited her parents. Having watched Dev and Damian and the mistakes they’d made with their Moiras, he’d tasked Circo and Sulley with readying his place for her. He’d beefed up security, he’d assigned Jaz to get her a complete wardrobe and her own computer and he’d demanded Cyri ensure the stables were cleaned and the horses groomed.

  A thrill ran through him when Sarah said she liked horses. In total, he owned eighteen of them. Most were Arabian or Friesians, but he also owned several wild Mustangs. At one time, he’d had two Thoroughbreds, but couldn’t devote the time to training, so he’d sold them for a pretty penny. He didn’t ride as much as he once had, and was actually quite looking forward to taking Sarah out.

  He’d asked Dev’s chef to prepare an exquisite French menu for dinner this evening. He’d skipped the traditional seven courses and the five to six hours eating a fine French meal would generally take, because he hadn’t wanted to be interrupted that many times. They’d start with Escargots Bourguignon, followed by the main course, Carre d’Agneau, a delicious lamb dish. He’d still have a nice cheese board, however, and chocolate profiteroles for dessert. A fine Krug NV Grande Cuvee Brut Champagne would round out the meal.

  Satisfied with the set up in his room, he headed to get Sarah. She’d wanted to just meet him in the mansion, but Rom insisted on ‘picking her up’. If it was a courting Sarah wanted, that’s exactly what she’d get. It was balls to the wall and he would put the full court press on her. And surprisingly, he wanted to. He hadn’t been interested in what a woman thought or cared about in hundreds of years. Sarah had hit the nail directly on the head there. But he cared now. He cared … and that was unquestionably a unique, and unsettling feeling.

  He’d half thought about talking to Dev or Damian this afternoon, seeking advice, but if he thought his feelings for Sarah put him out of his comfort zone, that was outside the realm of thought right now. Surely he could muddle through if those two had done it.

  Knocking on Sarah’s door, he was anxious. And that was another emotion Rom did not do. He felt completely out of control and needed to pull his shit together, getting back to the confident, arrogant male he’d been just a short week ago. A male who didn’t ask, but commanded.

  But all those thoughts fled when Sarah opened the door, standing there in a soft blue strapless sundress that cupped her flawless perky breasts. The simple outfit was rounded out with strappy heels and her reddish blond locks flowed soft and seductively around her shoulders. On any other woman, it would be casual but on Sarah, it was sexy as hell. He could only wonder what type of lingerie lay underneath and was determined to find out later. His eyes raked over her slowly and deliberately and he not only heard her sharp intake of breath, but he smelled her unerring desire for him. It was inebriating.

  She’d put on a bit more makeup than he’d previously seen her with and was pleased that she wanted to look good for him. Unfortunately, the light cherry gloss she'd swiped on her lips, was about to come off.

  He pulled her firmly into his arms. “Hello, beauty. You look stunning,” he sighed against her full, shiny mouth before taking it in a searing kiss. She opened for him immed
iately and wound her arms around his neck, straining on her toes to reach his lips.

  Fuck dinner. He wanted to dine on her instead.

  He started walking them backward into her room, but she broke their lip lock. “I thought we were eating?” she said breathlessly. Her chest was flush and her soft caramel eyes were dilated with need. Her swollen lips begged for his return.

  “That’s what I was trying to do.” He winked, which garnered him a laugh. And the sound wrapped around his heart like a fist, squeezing until it beat a little faster, a little stronger.

  “Wow … and he can even joke.” She smiled so bright his heart swelled this time. Like the Grinch, except his had just increased ten times the size. “Well, I was quite looking forward to eating actual food and talking.”

  Shoving down his disappointment, he kissed her chastely on the lips. “Your wish is my command, beauty.”

  Making their way back to his private quarters, his only thought was of stripping that flimsy fabric from her body and spending all night worshipping her.

  Now, he just had to convince her that’s what she wanted as well.

  Chapter 15

  Sarah

  Jesus, she was nervous. When Rom insinuated staying in her room, eating her instead, her whole being raged with blistering need and animal lust. Yes had been on the tip of her tongue, so why something entirely different—which sounded an awful lot like no—came out instead, she was baffled. Square Rosie had decided to make an appearance.

  Buttoned-up bitch. That was the last of her she’d see tonight.

  When they walked into Rom’s room, Sarah’s steps faltered. Dozens of flickering candles lit nearly every surface, throwing supple dancing shadows on the taupe-colored walls. Soft, romantic music played in the background. Champagne bubbled in flutes on the white linen covered table, which sat in the middle of the large, open space. To the right of the table was a tall king-sized four-poster bed, covered in a cream comforter and a mountain of silk throw pillows. She saw French doors to what appeared to be a balcony straight ahead, but the blinds had been drawn to set the most romantic scene she’d ever witnessed.