“Sophie, I—”
“Never mind.” She rolled away from him, intent on getting off the bed, but he grabbed her arm before she could.
“No. Let me say something.” He curved his palm around her face, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “You’re important to me, Sophie. Don’t ever doubt that. I don’t have a lot of experience with love, but what I do know is that you matter more to me than anyone has before.” He stroked her cheek. “Can that be enough for now?”
A tear rolled down her cheek and he caught it on the tip of his finger. He sucked the salty liquid off. “No tears. Not for me.”
He pulled her to him and took her mouth with his. At first she hesitated to respond, but when he cupped the back of her neck and deepened the kiss, she sighed and wrapped her arm around him, taking him back down to the mattress.
Burying his hands in the yards of her silky red hair, he kissed her again and again. He didn’t know if he could tell her that he loved her, but he knew he could show her, and he hoped that it would be enough for now.
Chapter 22
Sliding back the shower stall door, Sophie reached in and turned on the hot water. She was usually a morning person, but when she woke this morning, she still felt tired and groggy. Her muscles were sore, too. But she knew exactly what that was from. Lots of energetic sex.
When she had opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Kellen still asleep next to her. In her dreams, she had watched him get dressed and leave right after they had made love—just like last time. So, to feel him next to her, wrapped snugly in her blankets, a small smile tugging at the corners of his sexy mouth, had been strange and unexpected. But she couldn’t deny that she had been pleased.
When the water was steamy hot, Sophie covered her wounded ankle with a plastic baggie and then stepped under the vigorous spray, sighing as the healing heat beat upon her sore body. After soaking and soaping her hair, she turned, closed her eyes and let the water cleanse her face. She wished she had the luxury of pampering herself all day, but she and Kellen had to return to the lab—return to reality, and what it meant for them both, in their situation.
For all the strides the Otherworlders had made about their liberation and freedom to be who they were, to live their lives out in the open, she was forced to hide her feelings for a vampire. It made her angry and frustrated.
She shut off the water. Shaking her head, she slid the shower stall door open to grab the big cotton towel, but it wasn’t where she hung it.
Kellen handed it to her. “Good morning.” He wore a big grin and nothing else.
“Good morning.” Suddenly feeling modest and shy, Sophie blushed. Trying hard not to ogle his beautiful naked body, she wrapped the big towel around her and stepped out of the stall.
He moved back to give her room, but hovered close as she stood in front of the big mirror. She went to grab the folded towel on the counter to dry her hair, but Kellen beat her to it. Nerves making her body quiver, she watched in surprise as he placed the towel on her head and started to rub her hair.
Smiling at her in the mirror as he dried her hair, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her shoulder, lingering a little to nibble on her skin. “Did you sleep well?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice. What he was doing with her hair felt almost more intimate than having sex. Grooming was a personal thing. Lycan mates in wolf form usually washed and groomed each other, but to have Kellen, a vampire, wanting to do this, made her body quake with more than just nerves.
When he was done drying, he tossed the towel over his shoulder and then ran his fingers through her long, wet strands. “Do you have a comb?”
“What are you doing?” she finally asked, her breath hitching in her throat.
“I want to comb your hair.”
“Why?”
“Because you had a rough day yesterday, and I want to pamper you.” His words were rushed and she could see he struggled with embarrassment. It made her smile just a little to know he was maneuvering in unknown waters, just as she was.
She handed him her comb.
With a knowing look, he took it and, holding on to the ends of her hair, set it at her scalp. He brought the comb down and through the strands, then up again to start over.
Sophie’s knees wobbled a bit as the plastic teeth of the comb stroked her hair. The sensations zinging through her were glorious and unanticipated. Who knew that having a man combing her hair could be such a turn-on? Her thighs tingled in response.
Watching his face in the mirror, she suspected that he was experiencing similar responses. Eyebrow raised, his lips curled up into a mischievous grin. “This is surprisingly arousing.”
She giggled as he pressed up against her back. There was no mistaking his desire. As the hard length of him dug into the swell of her buttocks, the tingle between her legs intensified into a full throb.
With every stroke of the comb through her hair, Kellen matched it with movements from his hips. He nuzzled closer to her until her pelvis hit the edge of the counter. Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back into his hands.
Soon his fingers replaced the comb and, starting at her scalp, he ran them through the strands. Once done, he placed his fingers on her head again, but this time, he moved them down, rubbing circles, massaging her scalp and then neck.
“Feel good?” She groaned in response and he laughed. “Feels good for me, too.”
His hands continued down, caressing and massaging her neck. Fingers brushed against her jaw line, then lowered to her shoulders, where they paused.
“Open your eyes.”
Slowly, she did as he asked.
With Kellen behind her, his hands resting on the curve of her shoulders, she stared at herself in the mirror. Eyes on hers, his hands moved down to the edge of her towel. He tugged at the cloth and, gripping a side in each hand, he pulled it apart to reveal her naked form beneath.
She shuddered as the terry cloth slid down her arms and landed in a heap at her feet.
With light, feathery touches, he trailed his fingers back up her body. Moaning, she leaned into him and raised one arm to hook around his neck, inviting him to take more.
Pressing his lips to the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder, Kellen’s hands became bolder. He trailed his fingers over her stomach and up toward her breasts, until finally, gloriously, he molded them with his palms.
Eyes glued to the mirror, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the image of her and Kellen together, his hands on her body, flicking and pulling on her taut nipples. She’d always been pleased with how she looked, but not once had she thought herself vain. But seeing herself, pale and naked, trembling against Kellen’s body, reveling in her own pleasure, she thought herself stunning.
Jolts of fervent bliss rushed over her as Kellen nibbled on the side of her neck. His one hand moved down her body, circling her navel with just the tip of his finger, to then brush against her sex. She quivered at this briefest of a touch.
Gasping as he lowered his caresses, her knees nearly gave out when he slid his fingers into the heat between her thighs.
“You’re so damn beautiful. Do you know that?” he panted in her ear as he slid his fingers up and down her slick cleft. “Just looking at you makes me hard.”
The muscles in her thighs and belly quivered as he stimulated her. A liquid ball of heat swelled deep inside, swirling like a tornado. It wouldn’t take much more for her to climax.
Kellen moved his hand from her sex to grip her thigh. Pulling up, he bent her leg and set her heel on top of the counter. The motion and position spread her wide and she could clearly see the vivid color of her most intimate flesh.
The decadence of it washed through her like a fluid rush of liquid fire. Her heart hammered in her throat as Kellen’s fingers slipped into her slick core, filling her.
He trailed his tongue over her ear and moaned. “Mmm, you’re so hot. So wet.”
Transfixed, she watched as he went from pumping his fi
ngers inside of her, to rubbing her hard nub, and back again. Breath hitching in her throat, she could hardly stand. Hot, fevered pleasure rushed over her, through her. Every muscle in her body shuddered and quaked.
“I can’t hold back,” he groaned. “I need to be inside you now.”
Shifting his position, Kellen cupped her with one hand, his other hand gripping her hip. Slowly, he entered her, filling her. She arched her back to take more of him in. She wanted—no, needed—him to fill her completely.
Once fully seated, he started to move, thrusting in hard and dragging out slowly as if to torture her with his delicious, languid pace. Although she desired him to hurry, to bury himself totally, Sophie bit down on her lip and let him have his way with her. Let him control the pace and dominate her pleasure.
Thrusting deep, he cupped her, sliding fingers along her core, rubbing at her nerve endings. She gripped his neck tight in anticipation. She was so near, hovering on the edge. She could taste the rapture in her mouth with each ragged breath.
His pace increased. Moaning, he rammed into her again and again, digging his fingers into her hips. She pushed back as he thrust forward. She couldn’t control her body any longer, it wanted to take more, give more.
With one final grunt, Kellen drove in deep. Everything exploded around her. Sound and sight became a garbled kaleidoscope of sensation. She couldn’t distinguish where she ended and he started.
Crying out, she spiraled down into a hot, swirling pool of pleasure. Under the intense bliss, she drowned completely, utterly, her breath knocked from her lungs.
After a few heavenly minutes, reason and rhyme finally returned to Sophie. She took in a shuddering breath and tried to move. Her leg still shook from the effort.
Chuckling, she slid it off the counter. “I feel like Jell-O.”
“Mmm, I love Jell-O.” Kellen pressed a kiss to her temple and nibbled her skin there.
She met his gaze in the mirror, wondering if he realized what he just said. By the spark in the dark depths, she imagined that he did, and it was no accidental exchange of words.
She smiled as he reached for her robe hanging on the back of the door and slid it over her, tying it securely at her waist.
“What a great way to wake up.” He stretched his arms above his head.
Laughing, Sophie turned and swatted him with the wet towel.
A sudden knock at the front door shattered the magical spell between them. Sobering instantly, Sophie pulled the robe tighter and left the bathroom to see who was at the door.
There were very few people who knocked on her door. She prayed that none of those few were actually behind the ominous rap.
Chapter 23
While Sophie went to answer the pounding at her door, Kellen wandered back into the bedroom and slipped his jeans on. He decided to forego a shirt, and after a cursory glance in the bedroom mirror, he strolled down the hall and into the living room.
That had been his second mistake. The first was thinking he shouldn’t put on a T-shirt.
Sophie stood in the living room, her shoulders hunched and on edge, next to another lycan. He didn’t have to be introduced to know instantly it was her father, the alpha of her pack.
The man was shooting sparks from his eyes the second Kellen entered the room. The lycan had an overwhelming amount of power. Kellen sensed it in the air like an electrical current. This was one lycan he didn’t think he ever wanted to mess with. Now he knew from where Sophie acquired her immense strength and endurance. Daddy dearest.
He pinned Kellen with an angry glare. “Is this him?”
“If you’re asking if I’m the vampire Sophie is having a relationship with, then yeah, I’m him.”
Sighing, Sophie ran a hand over her face. “Leon, this is Kellen Falcon. Kellen this is my father, Leon St. Clair.”
Hand out, Kellen approached Leon. The lycan stared at him and didn’t make a move to complete the gesture. “I suggest you shake my hand, Mr. St. Clair. You don’t want to be rude.”
That seemed to shake him a bit and he grabbed Kellen’s hand, shaking it firmly. In that moment Kellen gauged Leon. It was obvious the man loved his daughter and wanted to protect her, most likely at all costs. If Kellen had a daughter, he wouldn’t want her to date him, either. But if Sophie wanted him in her life he wasn’t going to be bullied out of it.
She looked from one to the other. “This better not be a testosterone match. I’m not going to stand here and watch it, if it is.”
“Sophie, I’m here because I’m concerned about you.”
She crossed her arms. “No, you’re here to tell me what I can and cannot do. Big difference.”
“Sir, if I may—”
Leon wheeled on him. “What are your intentions toward my daughter?”
“Father…” Sophie started.
“I’m sorry? My ‘intentions’?” Kellen stammered.
“Yes. Do you love her? Are you planning on marrying her? What about children? Lycans breed many children. It’s our way to keep the pack functioning and healthy.”
Kellen felt a hard lump forming in his throat.
“Can you even breed? I understand it’s difficult for vampires.”
“Look, what happens between Sophie and me is between Sophie and me and has nothing to do with you. I understand how pack politics work, but I’m not a lycan tied down by ludicrous rules about who I can have a relationship with.”
“Exactly,” Leon grunted. “You aren’t a lycan, and that is exactly the problem here.”
“Do you have a problem with vampires?”
“No. A couple of my closest friends are vampires.”
“But we’re not good enough to date your daughter, is that it?”
Leon went to open his mouth again, but closed it quickly, obviously careful of his next words.
“That’s enough. Stop.” Sophie’s voice was commanding. It even made Kellen flinch a little. “I’m tired of hearing this. It’s none your concern, Leon.”
“It is my concern, Sophie. As your alpha and your father, it’s my duty to ensure that you get everything you need to live a full and healthy life.” He pointed at Kellen. “What can you give her that will enable that to happen?”
Kellen opened his mouth then closed it just as fast. He had no clue what to say to the man, because he wasn’t sure himself. He didn’t know what he could offer Sophie that another man couldn’t give her. He certainly couldn’t give her a brood of children, if that’s what she wished.
Thankfully, Sophie stood in between them, glaring at her father. “We’re not having this conversation, Leon. You may leave. Kellen and I need to get back to the lab.”
Leon went to open his mouth again, but the look on Sophie’s face must have given him pause, because he quickly closed it, nodded, and walked out of the house.
When he was gone, Sophie turned to him. “Finish getting dressed. I’ll make some coffee and we can go.”
Too stunned by the conversation to say anything else, Kellen turned and went back to the bedroom to get dressed. He felt like a fool and a coward. He hadn’t stood up for himself or for their relationship. He could just imagine what Sophie thought of him now. Too cowardly to stand up to her father, to defend their relationship—whatever it may be.
An hour later, with coffee cups in hand, Sophie drove them back to the lab. The only thing breaking the uncomfortable silence between them was the morning news on the radio talking about the bombings taking place around the city.
The moment they arrived at the lab, Gabriel intercepted them, and Kellen felt relieved by the interruption.
“Meeting in the conference room.”
They followed the inspector to the room and both sat down at the table. Olena was already seated, drumming her long red nails on the table.
Gabriel took a seat at the end of the table. “The word came down that NORM has taken responsibility for the bombing at the lycan club.”
Olena cursed. “There must be a faction inside the city.
”
“That’s what it’s starting to look like.”
“What’s going to happen?” Sophie asked. “Are they going to start shipping humans out of the city?”
Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t think it’s come to that—not yet anyway. There are a few leads that the superintendent is following. He’ll let us know more when he knows more.” He tapped the folder on the table in front of him. “Now, to our other bombings.”
“Did they find anything at the Martin house?” Kellen asked.
Gabriel opened the file folder. “Nothing probative. Nothing to indicate that he’s been building bombs.”
“Has anyone been able to locate him?” Sophie asked.
The inspector shook his head. “He hasn’t returned home, and the listing we had for his place of work turned out to be false.”
“He’s gone to ground.” Kellen shifted in his chair. “He knows we’re looking for him, and he’s gone into hiding.”
“We’ll catch him,” Gabriel said.
“Only if he wants you to.” Kellen stood. “I want to go to his house, look around. Maybe there’s something I can see that your guys didn’t catch.”
Gabriel shrugged. “If you think it will help.”
“It might.”
Sophie stood, too. “I’ll go with you.”
Frowning, Gabriel glanced from Kellen to Sophie. Kellen knew that look in the inspector’s eyes. Disapproval and caution. He wanted to tell him he didn’t need either.
“Get the keys out of evidence.” Gabriel shut the file folder. “Call if you find anything.” He tucked it under his arm and walked out of the room.
Olena patted them both on the back as she walked past. “Have fun, you two. Don’t get caught with your pants down.”
When everyone was gone, Sophie looked at Kellen. He smiled at her, trying to lighten the dismal mood that had come between them. “Ever feel like you’re in high school all over again?”
She laughed. “Yes.”
He gave her his arm. “Let’s go make more mischief, shall we? See how many more tongues we can get wagging.”
Vivi Anna - [Valorian Chronicles 04] Page 14