by K. L. Kreig
Oh wait … that had happened before.
Christ.
She deserved better than an emotionally unstable male for a mate, but fuck if he would give her up. He’d protect her. He’d rid the world of Xavier and any other threat to her, because she was it for him.
He only hoped he’d be able to control himself in the future, because Sarah was a strong, independent woman and she would not tolerate another such screw up. She spoke true when she said she would walk and that terrified the hell out of him. Because he wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t massively screw up again. In fact … it was a one-hundred percent certainty he would.
She was right. He couldn’t command her the way he could everyone else and that scared him shitless. No, he didn’t want a spineless puppet for a mate, but he also wasn’t sure how he felt about this little wisp of a woman challenging him at every single turn either.
She pushed every one of his buttons, completely eviscerating his calm, cool and in-control demeanor. If he said black, she said white. If he said up, she said down. If he begged her to stay the night, she asked why.
He should just tell her about Seraphina. Make her understand the anguish and suffering he’d been through in losing one Moira. Beg her to bond with him now so her fragile human life would become strong, powerful and virtually invincible. He couldn’t lose her. It would ruin him. Permanently. But he also couldn’t bring himself to talk about Seraphina either.
Because knowing she wasn’t the first … he had a feeling that may ruin Sarah.
Chapter 19
Sarah
“This is your compromise?”
“Yes.”
“This is a stretch limousine, Rom.”
“Yes.”
Ugh.
“You do realize we’re going to a dive restaurant on the lake, right?”
“Yes.”
UGH!
They were driving north on Highway 51, about ten minutes out from Slade’s. That was his compromise. Jeannie them to Wausau, and have one of his staff drive them the rest of the forty-five minutes in a completely inconspicuous black stretch limo. What the hell would her parents think?
Brilliant.
She simply sighed and turned to watch the fields fly by through the tinted glass windows. Suddenly she was being pulled across the leather seats and set across one stubborn vampire’s lap, both legs dangling over his and a strong arm snaking up to cup her nape.
He nuzzled the thin, sensitive skin right underneath her ear. “Did I tell you how delicious those jean shorts mold to your fine ass, beauty?”
Instantly, embarrassingly wet.
“Ah … no,” she replied, breathless.
Kisses were being scattered now. Hot, wet, scalding kisses. And she might have shamelessly angled her head to give him better access.
“Rom …” He’d leaned her back slightly, running his sharp teeth against her collarbone. They were going to arrive any minute and she would be a flush, hot mess.
He snared her mouth in a wicked kiss that rose her body temperature ten degrees. His left hand palmed her head, while his right traveled underneath her white bohemian blouse, but stopped short of touching her where she craved.
For the next five minutes, they made out like teenagers going to their senior prom. It was fun. It was sweet. It was refreshing. And it filled her heart in places she didn’t know were achingly empty.
When the car slowed and turned a corner, Rom stopped their little make-out session and the need and emotion she saw as his eyes bored into hers stripped her raw. It was too early for love, but she could feel something close to that bleeding from him into her. It filled her mind with a fuzzy, dreamlike haze and her body with a rush of sweet, addicting adrenaline.
How he could go from infuriating her to infatuating her literally one second to the next was dizzying.
“We’re here.” The words tickled her lips.
“Okay,” she responded. Lame. Very lame.
The car stopped and their driver opened the door. Rom hadn’t let her off his lap and she scurried to move, but he kept her tight against his stiff erection. One last chaste kiss later, he held her in his arms as he exited the car, finally setting her down on the gravel parking lot.
She spun and after fixing her hair and shirt, began walking quickly to the entrance. Rom let her get about four steps before he was at her side, her hand now ensconced in his.
Yep, everyone was looking at the showy couple who’d just arrived in a flashy, ostentatious car. Great. Her parents were probably watching them walk across the parking lot right now wondering what kind of scary monster kidnapped their daughter. If they only knew how close to the truth they were, but it wasn’t the male now walking beside her. No, the monsters that had kidnapped her were far, far worse.
As they walked, he leaned down to whisper, “And those fucking little boots are a male’s wet dream.”
Gah! First stop, bathroom.
“Behave,” she hissed.
Her stomach was in knots. She’d been so pissed last night and distracted this morning that she hadn’t even practiced what she was going to tell them and would have to wing it. Wing. It.
So not her strong suit. Sarah studied. Sarah prepared. Sarah did not wing.
Walking into the restaurant, she spotted her parents at the far end, sitting impatiently at a booth. And from their vantage point, there was no doubt they’d seen the vehicle she arrived in and the possessive, intimidating man—vampire—hanging from her arm.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Taking a deep breath, and digging deep for her Meryl Streep Oscar skills, she pulled Rom along with a big, fake smile plastered on her face. In truth, she was so nervous she wanted to vomit.
Rom squeezed her hand in a show of solidarity and a tiny bit of relief flooded through her. He would have her back. He would help her through this. He would deflect any heat her parents heaped on her. She looked back and smiled gratefully, mouthing “thanks.” His gentle, sweet smile in return would help her make it through this difficult conversation.
Her parents anxiously rose from their seats and her mother enveloped her in a hug so strong, it almost took her breath away. She was sobbing and Sarah was barely holding it together, tears hanging precariously on her eyelashes. Her dad’s hug was similar and after what seemed like several minutes, and one very public family reunion later, they all sat.
Rom had somehow moved to the side of the booth her parents had occupied and quickly ushered her to sit, where he promptly took his place beside her. She was confused until he eyed the door and she understood exactly what he’d done. He wanted an unobstructed view of the restaurant and wasn’t about to put his back to the crowd, endangering them.
“Mom, Dad, this is Romaric Dietrich. Rom, this is my dad, Henry, and my mom, Linda.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Hill.” He extended his hand and her parents tentatively took turns shaking it. Her dad looked nearly murderous, her mom was somewhere between awe and fear.
Ha! She knew exactly how they felt. Awkward silence had echoed for several beats before her dad started the grilling.
Aimed at Rom.
She mentally slapped her palm to her forehead. Her dad had done this with every single boy she’d ever brought home. He was the quintessential father cleaning the shotgun, except in his case … he really did. He scared off any potential boyfriend she may have ever had and in sixth grade when her next door neighbor and best friend, David, started paying attention to her in a ‘girl, I just noticed those aren’t mosquito bites’ kind of way, her dad promptly stomped over to have a “come to Jesus” meeting with David’s parents.
And that didn’t end well. For her. David avoided her for the rest of the summer and she ended up having to hang out with Tiffany Finnegan, who was a little ho and lost her virginity in the back end of a clichéd Chevy Camaro to a fifteen-year-old high school pothead in the skating rink parking lot. If her dad only knew what kind of person he’d driven Sarah to, he’d only have wishe
d David had still been ogling her boobs. Because despite his early fascination, he turned out to be gayer than a three-dollar bill.
“So … how did you meet my Sarah?” her dad peppered.
My Sarah? Kill her now. Please.
“Dad …” she spat.
“No, it’s okay Sarah. It’s a valid question,” Rom calmly responded, as he blatantly put his arm around her shoulder in a very public display of ownership. Lovely. Now her boyfriend, future mate, whateverthefuck he was, and her father were getting in a pissing match. And she knew exactly who would win.
In retrospect, she should have spent those five minutes they’d sucked face in the car explaining the lies she’d told her parents about her absence. Weaving your accomplices into your web of lies is surely the first and most important bullet in Deceit For Dummies.
“We met at a class I was taking at Richmond, Daddy.”
“I believe I asked your friend, Sarah.”
Seriously … kill her now.
“Stop it,” she hissed across the table. “I’m a grown woman.”
Her dad pinned her with a stare that used to have her shaking in her ballet shoes when she was younger. Now it was just almost funny.
“Yes, who left the country unexpectedly without telling a single soul where she was going. Without a phone call or a goddamn text for an entire month, Sarah. Forgive me if I’m having a hard time buying this cockamamie story you’re telling.”
Or not.
Rom spoke up. “You’re right, sir. That’s not exactly how it happened.”
Sarah whipped her head around so fast, her brains rattled. And if eyes could shoot sharp pointy objects, Rom would be full of them right now. Her glare was full of heat and fire and if he felt it, he didn’t give any indication. Instead, Rom never broke eye contact with her father and Sarah had to stifle a gasp when he squeezed her shoulder and pulled her even closer, bringing her flush against his side.
“In fact, that’s what we wanted to talk to you about today. I met my beauty several months ago, and …” he turned to look at her before continuing, “… we fell madly in love and were married in secret. I’m afraid I whisked her away on an extended honeymoon and we’ve only just returned.”
He. Did. NOT. Just. Do. That!
She opened her mouth to speak, but Rom squeezed her shoulder—hard. So in retaliation, her left hand clamped down on his rock hard thigh and squeezed as tightly as it could. Fail. He was unfazed and she only succeeded at cramping her fingers.
“Sarah knew you two would be upset about the lack of a proper family wedding, so you’ll forgive me that it was my idea to make up the small white lie about overseas study until we could return to tell you in person.”
If she thought her dad looked murderous before, if his beet-red face was any indication, he was outright homicidal now. She wouldn’t be surprised if he excused himself to get the shotgun she knew he kept in his truck.
And she didn’t miss her mom’s attempted glance at her left hand, checking for a wedding ring, no doubt, but it was still hidden safely under the table. So instead, she slid her eyes to Rom’s empty finger and then back to his face.
“We have a private appointment early this evening in Milwaukee to pick up a piece I had commissioned especially for Sarah and a matching one I had made for myself. Not that any precious metal or gem could compare to, or demonstrate, the depth of my love for your daughter.”
Wow. He was goooood. He even had her damn near fooled.
His smoldering eyes shifted to hers and there was no way her parents didn’t feel the chemistry. The air around them snapped and crackled and popped. Yes, a lot like Rice Krispies, except this was deafening. And shot straight to her groin.
Did it suddenly get hot in here?
“W – Well, honey … that’s … wonderful,” her mother finally stuttered.
Her dad said nothing, his face a stony mask of fury. And it was all aimed at Rom. Anyone else she knew would be cowering at Rom’s feet by now, but not her dad. She loved her dad for loving her so much. Not for the first time, she was so grateful for her parents.
“Daddy, I—”
Rom interrupted. Again. He was simply maddening. “Henry … may I call you Henry?” Without waiting for a response, he continued, “Henry, I know this may seem sudden to you, but I assure you, Sarah and I are destined to be together.” Once again his molten eyes locked on hers. “I’ve waited a lifetime for her and I didn’t intend to wait a moment longer to make her mine.”
Ah … check please.
Everyone melted away, including her parents. The words were said for her parents benefit, but he meant every single one of them for her. Only her. And because of his obvious inability to discuss his feelings, he took advantage of this roundabout to do not only that, but give her a plausible excuse for her long absence.
“Well then … welcome to the family. I guess,” her dad reluctantly snapped. Even her overprotective father couldn’t deny the passion that arched live between them and that the daunting and possessive Romaric Dietrich would do anything for his little girl.
He was still infuriating and dominant and challenging. But in that moment as their eyes held, that blurred line between crush and love became a little clearer. A little more defined.
And a lot more precarious.
Chapter 20
Sarah
Two hours later, they were back in the limo, returning to Wausau. This time, she couldn’t get close enough to him. After a rocky start to their reunion, her dad warmed up to Rom enough so that at least the scowl he’d had plastered on his face for most of their time together had nearly disappeared by the time they’d left.
And color her surprised to discover Rom could be quite the charmer when he wanted to be. She wondered why he kept that persona buried, because that would work wonders in his efforts to woo her, versus his Me Tarzan, You Jane approach. Unbeknownst to him, or maybe it was intentional, he’d made up tremendous ground with her in these last two hours. So much so that she was no longer worried about going to Washington with him. She couldn’t wait to discover the many complex layers that made up Romaric Dietrich, because there were many.
“Security, huh?” That’s what he’d told her parents he did for a living.
“Yes. At the highest level, that is what I do, my beauty.”
Huh? “I suppose.”
She once again sat on his lap, but this time her head lay on his shoulder, nimble fingers stroking her long hair.
“Thank you,” she mumbled.
“For?”
“For all the nice things you said. I know you did it for my parents’ benefit, but I appreciate the kind words nonetheless.” Yes, she was unashamedly fishing …
Strong steely hands gripped her waist and suddenly her back met the cool leather seat, her prone body covered with a thick, large, muscular frame. Intense, burning eyes bored into hers as strong hands cupped her face.
“Jesus, Sarah. Is that what you think? That I said those things for their benefit? I don’t waste words saying something I don’t mean. Ever. My only regret is that we’ve not yet bonded and you are not yet mine. Fuck, I want you to be mine.”
With that passion-filled statement, their lips crashed brutally together in a clash of teeth, tongue and lust as they both fought for dominance, which Rom easily won. And for once she didn’t care. Every fiber of her being craved him and everything he could give her. Their hands frantically roamed each other’s bodies and his erection pressed almost exactly where she needed it. She wished they had no barriers between them.
She suddenly wanted nothing more than to live a deep-seated fantasy of hers before they arrived at their destination, so as much as she didn’t want to, she broke the kiss, because his tongue wasn’t exactly what she wanted in her mouth. She wasn’t sure when she’d have another opportunity and she unequivocally knew she wanted to live out this fantasy with Rom.
“Stop,” she breathed. She couldn’t help but smile when his hands froze. His chest heave
d and he buried his face in her neck, teeth erotically scraping the fragile skin. Holy balls that felt good.
“Sit up.” At her demand, he raised his head to look at her and must have seen the pleading in her eyes. He slowly, reluctantly rose and leaned back like a regal king. His arms spanned the back of the long seat and his legs fell apart in the way only a hot man can do while still looking ultra-sexy. God, she could scour a thesaurus for hours and not find an adequate adjective to describe how erotic this male before her was.
Never looking away from his burning gaze, she moved in front of him and knelt on the thin black carpet. The thick bulge straining his pants had her mouth watering and she couldn’t wait to taste him, like she’d wanted to do this morning.
Running her hands up his brawny thighs, which could have passed as tree trunks, he tensed when they converged on his groin, but didn’t quite touch his cock. His icy blues lit bright with undisguised lust and silently egged her on. She’d never felt more empowered or brazen in her life.
Taking her left hand, she lightly ran her fingernail down his steely shaft through his trousers, while undoing his belt buckle with the other. Making quick work of his button and zipper, she finally broke eye contact and peeled apart the expensive fabric to reveal the largest, thickest cock she’d ever laid eyes on.
Holy … Holy. There were no words.
Again … she may not have a lot of experience, but what twenty-four year old hasn’t had a gander, or two, or ten, at Playgirl? She used to think there was quite a bit of photo doctoring at play in those magazines, because surely no male could be that big. But if they were adjusted, then the editors may want to aim a lot higher, because Rom put every single one of those well-endowed male models to shame.
He already had several drops of pre-cum shining on his purplish bulbous head and her glands salivated to lap it up. She was so primed, if she put a finger to her clit, she’d instantly explode, but this wasn’t about her. It was about him.