She eased onto her back, never taking her eyes from him. He could read uncertainty in their depths. He had to win her trust if they had any hope of being together for more than one night.
The problem was he probably had only one night to prove himself worthy of her.
He joined her on the bed, positioning himself between her thighs.
So many places to explore and only one night to taste them all.
He began with her lips, brushing his against them. She responded, wrapping her arms against him and lifting her hips until his cock was firmly embedded against the juncture of her thighs.
She opened her mouth to him, and he swept his tongue between her lips until it found hers, coiling together, stroking each other in a prelude of things to come.
His hands opened her bra in one expert motion. He tossed it aside, baring her breasts to him.
The smooth mounds of pale flesh beckoned to dual impulses inside him. The male impulse to lick, to take a nipple and suck, warred with the vampire’s instinct to sink his fangs in and drink his fill of the fragrant blood he could smell through the delicacy of her skin.
The male instinct won. He stroked the tip of her nipple with his tongue, watching it bead beneath his touch. Her heated moan was the only encouragement he needed to continue.
He wrapped his lips around the taut peak, sucking, grazing the tip with his fully extended fangs. With his hand, he rolled the other nipple, stroking it, kneading the yielding softness of her breast with his fingers.
He moved slowly down her body, planting a row of kisses between her breasts, over the curve of her belly, and going lower, until he reached her panties.
With a single rip, they were gone.
Her face was slack in the drowsy haze of arousal as he parted her legs. He ran a hand over her mound, stroking her outer folds and running his hand through the trace of copper colored curls he found there.
“Renaldi…” She murmured his name in a voice drunk with ecstasy.
“Shhh.” He lowered his head, breathing in the perfume of her desire. He wanted more.
Parting the cleft between her thighs, he bared her to him completely. Her swollen clitoris, the delicate flesh guarding her core… everything was slick with her wetness, ready and waiting for him.
And he was more than ready for her.
“Renaldi.” She sounded more forceful this time.
“Yes, mi amour?” She’d propped herself up on her elbows and was watching him, a slight frown on her face.
“Can we turn the lights off?” She had the edge of the sheet in her hand. “Maybe get under the covers?”
He waited the space of a few heartbeats. “Why?”
She averted her eyes. “I don’t know… I’d just feel more comfortable.”
He understood all too clearly the reason for her request. “You must realize that I’ve already seen all of you.” He kissed her inner thigh for emphasis. “And everything I’ve seen is beautiful.”
She turned her face from him, hiding her expression. “You’re not going to give in on this, are you?”
He sat up, letting his gaze wander her body. How could he make her see that he found her to be the most desirable woman he’d ever known?
How could he get her to see what he saw?
“Get up.” He stood up and shed the rest of his clothes, finally freeing the erection that had been begging for release.
She sat up and gave him a look of confusion. “Are you going to throw me out?”
“Not even close.” He took her arm and pulled her to her feet.
“Then what…” She let him steer her toward the master bathroom.
“For once in your life, Jade, you’re going to have to trust someone.” He threw the bathroom door open and switched on the overhead light.
She froze in the doorway, and he followed her gaze to the opposite wall, where floor to ceiling mirrors reflected them both in all their naked glory.
Chapter 9
Jade saw two things.
The first was Renaldi, his golden olive skin glowing, and every line of his naked body displayed in its perfection.
The second was herself, mussed hair, swollen lips, and very naked, with all her expansive flesh exposed.
“There will be no lights out tonight.” Renaldi pulled her closer to the mirror.
She glanced around the room, taking in the plush carpet, the overstuffed chair in the corner, and the row of marble sinks in the vanity.
Renaldi was a man who did everything with style.
“I want you to see yourself through my eyes.” He stationed her in front of the mirror and positioned himself behind her. Her heart hammered, excitement fighting embarrassment inside her. She’d never been with a man who argued when she wanted to have sex in the dark.
But then, she’d never been with a man like Renaldi.
“Look at yourself,” he commanded. “Look into the reflection of your own eyes. They’re wild with desire, dark with need.” He met her gaze in the mirror. “Can you see it?”
She gave him a furtive nod. “But…”
“No.” He placed his hands on her bare shoulders. “I will talk, and you will listen.”
Somehow, she knew that he wouldn’t suffer any arguments. She let her focus wander from his reflection back to her own.
“Your hair.” He took his hands from her shoulders and ran them through her tousled curls, combing them with his fingers. “It’s mussed from tossing on a pillow. Any man who looked at you would see these wayward curls and instantly think of sex.”
Her breath was coming faster, and a demanding pulse throbbed between her legs. Was this some kind of vampire magic at work? Need was building inside her in what would’ve normally been one of her top ten nightmare scenarios.
What had he done to her?
His hands moved lower, skimming over her shoulders until they reached her breasts. Remembering the way he’d pleasured her breasts a few minutes earlier, she let out a moan.
“That’s right.” He cupped her breasts, letting the weight of them rest against his palms. “Give into it.”
She closed her eyes for a second, basking in the feeling of her breasts in his hands.
“Look at your breasts.” She looked back into the mirror. The sight of his dark hands holding her breasts, the contrast of his skin against hers, made liquid fire pool between her legs.
“See how they fill my hands?” He lifted them slightly. “The softness, the smooth skin… how could I not want to touch them?”
She let out a shaky sigh. “Touch them all you want, I won’t complain.”
His low-pitched laughter touched her like a velvet glove. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to stop.” He ran his thumbs over her nipples, earning a muted cry from her. “Look at your nipples and tell me what you see.”
She did as he asked. “They’re hard.”
“More than that.” He stroked them again, causing them to tighten. “See how they respond to my touch? Growing harder… more sensitive…”
She moaned, at a loss for words.
“I want to put my mouth on them, and suck them until you come.” He rolled them between his fingers. “I want to make you come… to watch your face when you finally go over the edge.”
At the moment, it sounded like an excellent idea to her.
He released her breasts abruptly. She wanted to cry out in protest, to scream in rebellion, but the sight of his dark eyes regarding her in the mirror quieted the impulse.
His hands traveled down to the indentation of her waist. “Look at the way you curve in here.” She’d never known her waist was an erogenous zone, but the feeling of Renaldi’s fingers tracing her curves heightened her arousal to the boiling point.
This man could probably turn her pinky toe into a tool of ecstasy.
“And the way you curve outward here.” He slid his hands over her hips. “So round, so luscious… I could never tire of the way you feel beneath me.”
She was panting, so wet wi
th need that she felt like a fountain.
“And here.” He cupped her backside. “Whenever I see you from behind, all I can think of is burying my cock inside you until we both come.”
“I’m ready.” She was on the verge of losing control. “I want you to make me come.” She met his gaze in the mirror. “Renaldi, please…”
“Not yet.”
She watched as he dragged the chair over to where they stood, then took one of her legs in his hands, propping her foot up on the arm of the chair.
“What…” She craned her neck to look at him, baffled.
“Trust me.” He resumed his place behind her. “Eyes on the mirror, please.”
She obeyed him, her thoughts fuzzy and her eyes unfocused. She could feel his erection pressing against her, adding to her sensual overload. If she didn’t have an orgasm soon, she’d fall to the floor in a quivering heap.
“We saved the best for last.” He reached down, deftly spreading the folds of her sex with one hand.
She’d never seen herself exposed that way before, and couldn’t believe she was standing up in a bathroom, letting a male vampire do these things to her.
Even more, he was making her enjoy it.
“See how wet you are?” He rested his chin on her shoulder. “How swollen.”
She nodded, watching his fingers wander dangerously close to her clit. One touch and she was sure she’d shatter into a million pieces.
“You’re ready for me to put myself inside you, aren’t you?” He slid a finger into her, and her knees nearly buckled. “Do you want that? Do you want my cock inside you?”
“Yes.” Her voice had all the strength of jelly. “Please?”
“See how red and hard your clit is?” He spread her further, forcing her to look in the mirror. “I bet if I touch it like this…” He stroked his finger over the sensitive bud in a slow circle.
She collapsed backward against him.
“I could make you come again and again, just by doing this.” His whisper seemed to travel through her. “Do you want me to do that?”
“No.” Sweat began to trickle down her body. How much longer would he torture her?
“Tell me what you want, then.” He continued to stroke her clit, as if they had all the time in the world at their disposal.
In a way, she thought, he actually did. But she didn’t, and the need to finally have him inside her had become one continuous refrain of demand.
“I want you inside me.” She pushed her backside against his pelvis for emphasis.
“Lean forward.” He cuffed her wrists with his hands, placing her palms against the mirror. “You must watch every second of this. Do not take your eyes off our reflections.”
She gave him a nod of assent, willing to promise him anything, as long as he didn’t deny her any longer.
He grasped her hip with one hand and his cock with the other. She felt him probing her entrance and looked at their reflection, watching him slide the entire hard length of him into her.
The sensation was incredible. Her body gave way to him, stretching to accommodate his size. He filled her completely, reaching further inside her than she’d dreamt possible.
“Look at the way we fit together.” He slid out of her inch by torturous inch, then slammed back into her, making her writhe with need. “The way your breasts move when I thrust into you…” He held out his right hand, palm up. “How could I not want you?”
She could feel his power gathering somewhere outside the sexual haze of their lovemaking. A breeze blew across her, lifting her curls and cooling her skin.
“See yourself the way I see you.” He rubbed her clit slowly, still buried inside her. “You look like my wildest fantasy come to life.”
She gazed into the mirror, and for the first time, saw something besides extra pounds. She saw a woman with windblown curls, cheeks flushed with desire. She saw a woman with statuesque curves, full breasts and round hips.
She saw a woman being thoroughly pleased by a man who was beyond compare, a man like no other she’d ever known.
“You see it now?” He locked gazes with her in the mirror. “Can you see what I see when I make love to you?”
She nodded. “You’ve made me feel beautiful.”
He kissed her neck, letting his fangs graze her pulse point. “You are beautiful.”
“Take me back to your bed.” She spoke with difficulty. “I won’t ask for darkness or cover this time.”
He withdrew from her and turned her around to face him. “Your wish is my command, mi amour.” With that, he lifted her into his arms with ease.
“Okay, this is a new one for me.” She marveled as he carried her back into the bedroom.
“There’s a lot to be said for vampiric powers.” He laid her gently on the bed. “The least of which is strength.” He flashed a fanged smile. “You’re light as a feather.”
She didn’t argue. She was too busy feeling wanted to speak a single negative word.
He joined her on the bed, arranging himself between her legs. “Remember the thing I told you was my greatest power?”
She nodded, reaching down to grab his backside, urging him inside her.
He joined his body to hers in one smooth stroke, filling her again with every delicious inch of his hard length. “I can do this all night.” He balanced his weight on his forearms, brushing his lips against hers. “No recovery time.”
She giggled, returning the kiss with equal fervor. A man who could make her crazy with desire, and make her laugh? What more could she want?
As if hearing her thoughts, he slowly withdrew from her and thrust back in, entering her at an angle that allowed his body to rub against her clit for maximum friction.
There it was. That was the one more thing she could want.
For this pleasure to last forever.
She twined her fingers through his hair, bringing him lower for a kiss. His fangs teased her lips, nipping at them. She suddenly knew what she wanted more than anything, what could make this night complete, one other way to forge their connection. She’d worked with enough vampire brides to know.
“Renaldi.” She spread her legs further, wanting to take him deeper still, feeling the tension in her body rising with each thrust. “I want you to drink from me.”
He stilled himself with apparent difficulty. “What?”
She turned her face slightly, baring her neck to him. “Drink from me when we come.” She tightened her inner walls around his cock, feeling a rush of female power when he moaned in response. “It would mean so much to me… please?” She tightened again, contracting her channel around the thickness of his increasingly swollen erection.
“I can refuse you nothing.” He withdrew with torturous languor. “Least of all this.” He pushed back into her, grinding against her clit, eliciting a broken cry from her.
His skin was dry against the damp heat of hers, and he slid along her body with each thrust, taking her higher, closer to the pinnacle of pleasure. She could feel her orgasm building, a steady drumming of imminent release. The world had stopped, time stood still. There was no space, no gravity. The laws of nature had been suspended, leaving nothing but Renaldi, nothing but the two of them joined together in mutual bliss.
His thrusts increased, propelling her to the edge. Her climax took her, bringing him along, and as her body was borne away on a tide of rapture, she felt his fangs enter her neck with a sweet pain that only increased the power of her release. He drank from her even as he filled her with his essence, an exchange so perfectly intimate that it brought tears to her eyes.
He finished, retracting his fangs from her with a minimum of discomfort. “Why are you crying?” His eyes were filled with concern. “Did I hurt you? If I caused you any pain…”
She silenced him, a finger over his lips. “These are tears of happiness.” She broke into a wide smile. “You’ve made me so incredibly happy… I could never find the words to tell you.”
His eyes burned in
to hers. “I can think of three.”
She pulled him closer. “I… love… you.”
“Those were the three words I had in mind.” He bent his head, taking her lips in a kiss. “And I have four of my own.”
She looked up at him, breathless. “What?”
“I… love… you… too.”
She laughed again. She’d found completion in Renaldi’s arms, and somehow she knew that this was just the beginning.
The beginning of all her dreams coming true.
Chapter 10
It could’ve been hours later. It could’ve been centuries later. It hardly seemed to matter. When he was with Jade, the long years of Renaldi’s immortal life melted away into nothing. She brought him back to life, back to the moment, back to the human man he’d been so many years ago.
A mortal man with dreams of a home and a wife, of a love that would last forever.
He’d found that the moment he walked into Nocturnal Nuptials.
“What can we do about Melaina and this whole Court mess?” Jade snuggled close to him, resting her face against his chest.
“Remember when I asked you to trust me?” He twisted one of her curls around his finger.
“Yes.” He could hear the pout in her voice.
“I had a plan, or I never would’ve tried to make you mine.” He angled her face up to look at him. “But it would require a sizeable commitment on your part.”
“Run it by me.” Her mouth turned up in a teasing smile. “I’m in a surprisingly agreeable mood.”
He laughed. “All right.” He phrased his next words carefully. “There is one way that a vampire can make himself invulnerable to attack without bonding to another vampire.”
“Which is?”
He paused. Everything he wanted hung on this moment. “He can take a swan.”
“You mean… a human donor?” She rose up slowly.
“There are differing kinds of swans.” He met her eyes. “If you became my swan, I would want nothing less for you than to be my pearl swan.”
I Was A Vampire Wedding Planner Page 5