Insolita Luna

by M. J. O'Shea

  “Noah, you brought us a pretty little snack.” Her voice was smoky and rich. She reached out and scraped a red-lacquered nail down the side of my cheek. I tried not to flinch. Noah leaned closer to me, noticeably staking his claim.

  “Get your hands off him, Lin. He’s not available. For anything.”

  “I know Mommy taught you that it was rude not to share your toys.”

  Noah was outwardly calm but I could tell he was seething. “Zack’s not a toy and he’s with me. I’m serious. Back away.”

  She raised her eyebrows and gave him an imperious little smile. Apparently Noah’s possessiveness was amusing to her. Either that, or she wasn’t in the mood to play with us. I could tell he was right about her. Total viper. I let out a sigh of relief as she walked away.

  “Let’s get this over with so we can get you out of here,” he growled. “I’m tired of watching vampires check my boyfriend out. I think there’s actually a line forming to see who gets to take the first bite.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah, you. Did you get a good look at yourself tonight? You’re gorgeous. Plus you’re with me, and they all know how solitary I usually am. Even if you weren’t such fang bait, that would be enough to spark curiosity.”

  I giggled out loud and tried to cover it so I wouldn’t look like a total newbie. “Fang bait? Please tell me you just made that up.”

  “Can you really see me making that up? It’s dumb, but I’ve heard it a lot in here. Another way of saying fresh meat, I guess. Someone new who literally looks good enough to eat.”

  I surprised myself by giving him a long, slow, hot kiss—in a public place with a very curious audience. “You’re the only one who will get to do that,” I murmured, sliding my whole body up against his until I heard his breath catch. “Why don’t we get you some dinner so we can go home and have dessert?”

  Noah shuddered against me, then nodded quickly.

  He scanned the club, looking for someone appealing, or maybe a familiar face. It was obvious when he spotted someone he knew. I had to admit the guy was hot. Preppy, clean-cut frat boy type. He was wearing khaki cargo shorts and a polo, no dark clothes, no brooding looks. The last kind of guy I would’ve ever expected to see in a vampire club.

  “Hey, Noah,” the guy slurred. He smiled slowly and walked closer.

  Even from a few feet away, I could tell he had a number of fresh little bite marks on his neck. I could also tell from the way he was looking at Noah that they hadn’t exactly been on casual terms. It made me want to growl and snap at him.

  Maybe the vamp thing is more contagious than they thought….

  “Hey, Brian. Looks like you’ve had a few bites already tonight. You mind?”

  “Nah. Those were just appetizers. I waited ’cause I was hoping you’d come.”

  Noah must have sensed my hackles rising. “Brian, this is my boyfriend, Zack. He’s never been here before.”

  Brian was friendly and shook my hand, but I could sense his disappointment. “Do you still want to?” He pulled the collar of his polo down. Noah nodded silently and kissed the palm of my hand before moving over to Brian. I tried not to feel territorial, but it was hard. Especially when I saw Noah run his thumb gently over the other guy’s bite marks, as if to soothe them. I didn’t want him touching someone else, but logically I understood why it was necessary. I also understood the slight tremble in Brian’s body when Noah touched him like that. I’d felt the same thing so many times in the past few days.

  Noah leaned closer and licked a small area on Brian’s neck. Then with expert precision, he sank his teeth into a fresh spot. I almost felt the instant reaction. Brian dipped his head back and groaned, his hand coming up automatically to cover Noah’s where it rested on his collarbone. He panted and arched his lower back, just like the woman I’d seen a few minutes before. Noah wasn’t exactly unaffected either. His eyes were sexy and hooded, and I could see his elegant fingers clutching into the fabric of Brian’s shirt.

  I gulped.

  Oh, I was still jealous as hell, but I also knew I was seeing what had to be the hottest thing ever. Noah was turned on. It was obvious. I wanted so badly to be the guy beneath him.

  I reached out, unthinking, and held onto his free hand. Noah weaved his fingers with mine and pulled me closer, close enough that I nearly buzzed with the currents of heat that were passing between the other two. Close enough that I could hear Brian’s heavy breathing and low moans. Even though some part of me wanted to kill him, I still didn’t want to stop watching. It was hypnotic.

  After a minute or so, Noah finally drew away from Brian and licked the wound so it would stop bleeding. Then he slowly wiped any small drops from his lips with his fingers.

  A split second later, he hauled me up against him and kissed me harder than he’d ever kissed me before. I tasted desire, love, and the slightly exotic flavor of blood, which weirdly enough didn’t bother me at all. I wanted to feast on him. I knew he felt the same. The kiss lasted for a long heart-pounding minute. When we finally pulled away from each other, Brian was staring lustfully at us.

  “It’s too bad you don’t want to share, Noah. The three of us could have a lot of fun together.”

  Noah tore his gaze away from me before he smiled politely and shook his head. “Not going to happen, Brian, but thank you. You were delicious, as always.”

  Brian nodded and began to walk away. After a few steps, he turned. “Night, Noah. Zack. The offer still stands. You know where to find me.”

  Noah shook his head, laughing under his breath, and pulled me close again. “C’mon. Let’s go home.”

  THE RIDE back to Noah’s was without a doubt the longest car ride of my life. The hours I’d spent in the backseat with Peter, Paul and Mary blasting had nothing on the torture I was feeling strapped into the passenger seat and wishing I was in Noah’s lap. He held my hand the whole time and tried to make small talk, but I knew we both felt it. The air in the car was electric.

  I couldn’t stand it much longer. I was almost vibrating with the pure, raging… need flowing through me. If we didn’t get there soon, I was going to have to make him pull the car over and take me on the side of the road. I lifted my hand from his lap and fiddled with the radio, flipping through stations and trying to distract myself from the ever-growing need to reach over and rip his shirt off. He chuckled and took my hand from the dials, bringing it to his lips.

  “Almost home, babe.” He nicked my finger gently with one of his teeth and sucked, just for a second. My body burst into uncontrollable shivers. I’d never felt anything like it.

  “Oh my God.” Noah slowly braked on the side of the road, trembling. He released my finger from his mouth but didn’t let go of my hand. “Remind me never to do that again when I’m driving,” he said with a shaky laugh.

  “No kidding.”

  We sat there and breathed for a minute until Noah felt like he could pull back onto the road. After a few more frustrating minutes, I thought of a real question.

  “Hey, Noh, aren’t you ever afraid you’ll get something from one of the people you feed off of?” It had concerned me in the club, where everything seemed so… loose.

  Noah shook his head. “No. I can smell it if something’s wrong with the blood. Kind of like how you can smell if food is spoiled. Besides, even if anything ever got into my body, it would get burned up quickly. Vampires are a lot stronger than any weak little human disease out there.”

  I guess I wasn’t surprised. If vampires were susceptible to all the gross stuff carried in people’s blood, they’d have all died out a long time ago.

  “Sorry, that’s not a very romantic question.”

  “No, Zack, it’s fine. I want you to be safe. Ask all the questions you need to ask.”

  “So, judging by the look you got from Brian, you’ve, uh, slept with guys before?” My face turned beet red.

  Noah sighed. “Yeah. A couple. Believe me, right now I wish I hadn’t. If I’d had any idea this night was g
oing to happen, I’d have waited forever for you.”

  “I know. Me too.” I wished I’d lost my virginity to someone I loved rather than to a football player in the locker room after the Christmas formal.

  “So maybe it can be the first time we really mean it, okay?” I smiled at him in the dark.

  “Okay.”

  I sat quietly for a second, just breathing in the night. “I love you,” I finally whispered. We hadn’t said it since that afternoon when we first told each other.

  “I love you too.”

  I scooted as close as I could in the bucket seat and leaned over, put my head on his shoulder, and kissed his neck. I saw his house looming in the distance. Freaking finally.

  He grinned at me and pushed the gas pedal just a little harder. We were home.

  I couldn’t even make it through the front door before I had to kiss him. We collided under the huge stone portico and I pushed him up against one of the granite columns, yanked his shirt out of his pants, and kissed the lines of his neck. He tugged at my hair and ground his hips into mine, breathing hard when I sucked on his neck and bit down. My hand slipped under his shirt again.

  “God,” he laughed quietly. “Can we please go upstairs? Now?”

  I snickered a little but nodded. It was hard to laugh when I was about to lose my mind.

  With trembling fingers, he unlocked his front door and we slipped inside, still wrapped around each other. It took a lot of effort to make it up the stairs and kiss at the same time without falling, but we did. It felt like eternity, since we had to stop every two steps or so to back each other up against the wall, but we finally made it into Noah’s room.

  His room, like mine, had so many memories—memories of rainy days playing cards on his ancient four-poster, hours sitting by him wishing so badly that I could tell him how I felt, wishing I could kiss him. I pulled him into the room, finally getting to do just that, and led him toward his bed. We collapsed onto it, rubbing desperately against each other. He finally broke the kiss, and leaning over me, started to unbutton my shirt slowly. He ran the tip of his finger over my silver pendant. Each new bare patch of skin got a trembly little kiss. I loved the feeling of his lips on my skin. I couldn’t wait to feel them everywhere. My whole body quivered when he got to the sensitive skin of my belly.

  “Noah….” I arched up into him. He gently pushed the shirt off my arms, and I pulled his up and over his head. He lowered his bare chest to mine and hugged me close, pulling my leg up to wrap around his waist. We stayed like that for long minutes, kissing until we could barely breathe, touching and exploring. I loved the weight of him on top of me. It seemed as if I’d been waiting to feel it my whole life. In a way, I kind of had.

  We laughed and undressed, awkward and fast and happier than I could’ve imagined feeling. It was perfect. I was nervous when I slid under the covers to cuddle up to Noah’s smooth skin.

  “I’ve loved you for so long,” he murmured and kissed me with velvet soft lips. “It almost seems like this can’t be real.”

  “I know what you mean. Part of me feels like if I close my eyes you’ll disappear.”

  “Not going to disappear. I promise.” He rubbed his nose against mine in a gesture so sweet and tender it made my breath catch in my throat.

  I pulled him close and whispered “I love you” in his ear.

  Noah tilted my head back. “You ready?” I gulped and nodded.

  He leaned forward and licked my neck like he had earlier that day. But instead of pulling away, I felt a short sharp jab, then the most incredible swirling pleasure imaginable engulfed me.

  Noah groaned against my skin and, if anything, the feelings intensified. Heat and love careened between us, making both our hearts pound violently in our chests. My toes curled into the sheets and I arched off the bed, moaning wildly and clutching at any part of him I could reach.

  It only lasted ten seconds but by the end, I was so turned on I was incoherent. Noah drew away, licking the small bite marks gently. He looked just as shaken as me.

  I reached up with a trembling hand and pulled his mouth to mine. I felt primal and heated. It was hard to breathe with our lips suctioned together but I didn’t care. He touched me everywhere, his hands sliding up and down my arms, nails scraping lightly over the nerve-filled skin on my lower back. I shivered violently and ground my hips against him hard.

  “I need you, Noh.”

  “Need you too.”

  “Please.”

  “Now?” His body quaked over mine. I couldn’t talk anymore so I just nodded. He crawled on shaky legs to his nightstand, pulled out lube and a condom. I saw through my haze of need that he was nervous. I loved that this was so important to him. When he got back to me, he leaned over and brushed his lips against mine. I nipped at his lower lip gently and rubbed my cheek against him. His hands trembled slightly as he poured lube onto his fingers.

  The relief I felt when his fingers slipped into me was immense but short-lived. I sighed and arched my back, pushing against the pressure of his hand, wanting more. I reached blindly for him and spread my legs wider, needing his body.

  “Please,” I repeated. It was all I had to say. He sat back on his heels, reaching for the condom. I heard him fumbling with the package.

  “Noah?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Have you ever done it without one?”

  “No. I actually don’t need condoms, but it always felt like it would be too… intimate or something.”

  “I haven’t either.” I reached up and took the condom from his trembling fingers.

  “Maybe we can be each other’s first after all.” He nodded, smiling, and I threw the unwanted package to the floor. I reached for the lube myself, wanting to touch Noah and get him ready like he’d done for me.

  His sharp intake of breath told me he was just as insanely turned on as I was.

  “Love you,” I said one more time as I guided him to my entrance and lifted my hips into his thrust. He came into me in one slow perfect slide, filling me and making me cry out.

  “Oh God, I love you too,” he breathed into my ear. “It feels so different!”

  “Better?” I asked grinning. He laughed hoarsely.

  “Uh, yeah. Just a little.” I laughed with him, out of happiness and pure joy; then I wound my legs around his waist and lifted my hips again.

  I couldn’t handle the pleasure. It was too much—the way Noah breathed against my neck, whispered in my ear telling me how amazing I felt; the touch of his hands all over me, threaded in my hair, cupping my face, hooking behind the back of my knee. He seemed to know exactly how I liked it. Funny, since I hadn’t known exactly how I liked it best until Noah did it that way.

  I swore and moaned and pulled him as close to me as I could get. I was going insane. It felt so damn good.

  Finally, when I thought I was going to blow into little pieces all over the room, he leaned close and delicately sank his teeth into a fresh spot on my neck. For just one second the whole world seemed to stand with its breath held; then all of a sudden my body exploded into an orgasm stronger than anything I’d felt before. Right before I blacked out completely, I heard Noah’s stunned cry of completion.

  THE FIRST thing I noticed when I had recovered enough strength for rational thought was that Noah was licking at the two places he had bitten me. I wondered if it might help them heal, or maybe they still tasted like blood. I didn’t care. Even after the intensity of the past hour, that little touch was enough to send shooters of wild pleasure rocketing down my spine. I moaned quietly and pulled on his hair.

  “You’re awake,” he whispered and lifted his head to smile down on me. He went to disentangle us but I held on stubbornly with my legs. “Aren’t I crushing you?”

  “No. We’re practically the same size. And even if you were, I wouldn’t care. You feel too good.”

  He smiled softly, then brushed his lips across mine. “So do you.”

  “You know, it’s never felt anyth
ing like that before. Not just the biting part, but the other….” My face turned red. I needed him to know how important it was to me, what we’d just done. I unfortunately had to spit it out, and talking about my emotions had never exactly been my strong suit. Luckily Noah knew what I was trying awkwardly to say.

  “It hasn’t felt like that for me either. Like we said earlier, it was the first time either of us really meant it. I had no idea what a difference that would make.”

  “I felt like….”

  “Like a virgin, touched for the very first time?” He started laughing before he’d even finished the sentence. I laughed too.

  “Shut up,” I mumbled pushing on his chest and giggling.

  “I know how you can shut me up.”

  I rolled my eyes at him but kissed him anyway. It wasn’t as if he needed to ask.

  Chapter Seven: Trouble

  I WOKE slowly and stretched in the dark. I had no idea what time it was. I didn’t even know what day it was. Day and night, time in general had come to mean so little to me in the past few weeks. I didn’t care about anything outside our little warm cocoon. Only Noah’s concern about my parents—and my annoying human stomach—had forced me from his bed at all. Who needed sunlight when there were endless hours spent loving the guy I’d dreamed about since forever? What importance did regular patterned days have when there was a whole new world opening to me that I would have never believed existed?

  I shivered when I felt a soft wet tongue trailing between my shoulder blades to eventually end with a sweet kiss in the fine hairs on the back of my neck. I arched back and moaned and was rewarded by warm breath bathing the curve of my ear. The same soft tongue licked tenderly, soothingly, at the sensitive place where my shoulder met my neck. I felt a gentle suction and I trembled, reaching to pull on his head, encouraging him.

  “I’m not going to bite, babe,” Noah whispered. “You need to heal. We’re already going to have a hard time explaining this one to your parents.” He licked gently at the newest little bite mark, which had landed quite a bit higher than the others.