A Vampire's Thirst_Adrian

by Monica La Porta

  “There’s some chilled Chardonnay, if you’d like,” Adrian said, entering the kitchen and walking straight to the wine fridge. He retrieved a bottle and grabbed two flutes from the antique credenza in the corner.

  With her mouth stuffed with pizza, Lavinia finally remembered to sit at the table as Adrian uncorked the bottle and poured the white wine. He picked one of the delicate-looking glasses by the long stem and handed it to her.

  “What is it?” he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

  She hadn’t realized she had been gawking at him, but she couldn’t help it. Adrian was not only handsome, he was also sophisticated. Everything from his cultivated accent to his elegant movements spoke of a social status that was light years from hers. The way he brought the flute to his mouth in a slow and deliberate gesture made her weak at the knees.

  They hadn’t spent a full day together yet, but the strength of her sentiments for Adrian had already increased to the point where she couldn’t imagine living without him.

  “We should talk to that librarian before we leave,” she said before downing the wine in one gulp.

  “It might not be possible to talk to him right now, but I intend to have the conversation as soon as things get back to normal around here.” Adrian looked over his shoulder, drawing her attention to the foyer where the detective was talking to an officer. “May I ask you why you want to talk to the librarian?”

  Lavinia pushed the glass toward him, silently asking for more liquid courage.

  Adrian softly shook his head. “What’s troubling you?”

  “Besides my best friend’s murder and several attempts on my life?” Her chuckle came out bitter even though she had meant the words to sound humorous.

  Reaching out across the table, Adrian took her hand and started drawing circles on her wrist with his fingers. “Besides that.”

  “What if this Thirst of yours is temporary?” she asked, her heart in her throat.

  “The psychologist mentioned something similar for werewolves. The Hunger, right?” His eyes were warm, and his touch sent shivers up her arms.

  “I’ve heard about it—”

  “From what you’ve heard, is the Hunger temporary?”

  “No, it sounds like a forever bond.” The shivers traveled from her arms to her chest.

  “So, what makes you think that my Thirst is any different?” His question was softly spoken and, combined with his caresses, melted her senses into a puddle of sensual need.

  “I’m scared you might get bored once you feed from me,” she said all in one breath, without pauses between the words.

  His strokes stopped at once. He tilted his head, studying her for a moment. “You think that my attraction to you is due to the Thirst and it might not be real?”

  Hearing it from his mouth gave her fear strength. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”

  Adrian’s expression transformed from serious to amused and a smile dimpled his cheeks. “If that’s the only concern you have,” he said, “let me reassure you.” Shifting on his seat, he pulled her into his lap. “I know without a doubt that these all-encompassing feelings that I have for you are here to stay. You are mine, and I am yours, for all eternity.”

  “But you too have doubts,” she said, trying to put together the thoughts in her mind and express them in sentences that made sense. “You want to talk to the librarian as well.”

  “Yes, I do.” He dipped his head and kissed her. “But not because I have any worries about us. We are bloodmates. I knew it was the truth the moment I met you. I can solemnly swear to you that there won’t ever be another woman for me.” He took her hand and pressed it against his heart, then mirrored the gesture with his, pressing the palm of his hand against her chest. “Can’t you feel it?”

  Her heartbeats and his were in sync. They created a celestial melody, a unique rhythm that was the signature of their union.

  She blinked, tears welling in her eyes. “I do,” she answered, throwing her arms around Adrian’s neck and kissing him. Then, she moved to straddle him, pressing her breasts against his chest as she deepened the kiss. Her hands roamed his back, playing with his hair before moving to the front and traveling toward his belt.

  His hand landed on hers and stopped her before she could open his pants. “It kills me to say so, but it’s better not to start anything we can’t finish.” With a mischievous grin, he looked over his shoulder. “We have company, my love.”

  Only then did Lavinia notice the detective standing at the door. Blushing, she hid her face against Adrian’s chest. “What’s wrong with me?”

  “Nothing is wrong with you,” Adrian answered the question she hadn’t realized she had uttered out loud. “It’s as it should be between bloodmates. If what we have been experiencing so far is any indication of what our relationship is going to be, the flames of our passion are sure to burn Rome when I finally feed from you.” He grazed the spot where her neck and shoulder met, making her shiver violently as pleasure pulsed through her.

  It took all her willpower not to grind against his hardness, but one look over his shoulder confirmed that the detective was still there, although he kept his eyes on his cell phone.

  “Mark,” Adrian called, motioning with a tilt of his head for the detective to come closer.

  “Sorry to interrupt your lunch,” Lane said to Lavinia before addressing Adrian. “I talked to Collins, and he said that as long as I can get a hold of you, he has no problems with you leaving Rome—”

  “Not that what Collins thinks matters to me one way or another where my bloodmate is concerned.” Adrian’s tone was deceptively calm, and the steely edge underneath his composure was hard to miss, but the entire time he spoke, he kept stroking her back, providing her comfort.

  Raw power emanated from his hard body, and Lavinia felt a shiver of excitement at being the sole focus of his attention. It was an intoxicating sensation.

  The detective sighed. “I still have to work for him and am glad that there won’t be any problem with your departure.”

  “Is there anything else?” Adrian asked.

  “Yes, before I forget—” Lane tapped his hand against his leg. “Lando stopped by earlier… when you were busy upstairs.”

  “Did he leave a message?” Adrian’s hand moved to Lavinia’s hair, massaging her scalp.

  Lavinia could have purred and barely refrained from doing so out loud or arch against him.

  “He said he found something about the Thirst and to get in contact with him when you have a moment to talk,” Lane said.

  “Okay.” Adrian’s hand now caressed the small of her back.

  “I just need your deposition, and I’ll be out of the way.” The detective turned on the recording app on his cell phone and asked both Adrian and Lavinia several questions. A few minutes later, he wrapped up his interview. “That’s enough for now.” He brought two fingers to his temple in salute and headed back into the hallway, finally leaving them alone.

  The noise from the foyer and the open front door with people coming and going was enough to kill Lavinia’s mood, though.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” she said, then jumped off him and pulled at his hand.

  Adrian pulled back, rewarding her with the sexiest smile she had ever seem. “I have a better idea. Let’s hurry and finish this conversation on my plane.”

  31

  The entire time he drove to Ciampino, the small airport where he kept his plane, Adrian felt Lavinia’s heated look on him, and it stirred his blood. More than once, he thought to park by a deserted stretch of road and tear her clothes off her. Only the consideration that the passengers in the cars passing by could see Lavinia naked stopped him from acting on that idea.

  “I need you,” she whispered, her hand caressing him over his pants. “Now.”

  Her plea spurred him into driving faster. He would deal with the traffic fines later. As long as he reached his hangar before he exploded in his pants, he didn’t care. A ride that usually took an hour
lasted less than twenty minutes as he ate the road.

  Finally, he pulled his Ferrari into the hangar and threw the keys at one of his mechanics before opening Lavinia’s door. He took her in his arms and ran up the airplane’s steps. Inside, Maria and Flavio waited for him. They were his usual flying crew and had worked for him for several years.

  The steward smiled. “Mr. Alberti,” he said, using only Adrian’s last name, not his noble title, as he had instructed all the people who worked for him. Flavio stared at Lavinia, who was still in Adrian’s arms. “Would you and your guest like something to drink?”

  “Thank you, Flavio,” Adrian said. “But we won’t need your services tonight.”

  Amusement lit the man’s eyes, but he nodded and stepped aside. “Have a great flight. Mr. Alberti. Madam.”

  “Mr. Alberti, we are ready to depart,” Maria said when Flavio exited the plane.

  “Thank you, Maria.” Adrian didn’t wait for his pilot to enter the cockpit. He hurried toward the bedroom at the back of the airplane.

  “You are fast.” Lavinia’s argentine laugh filled the small room when he dropped her onto the bed.

  Closing the door with his foot, he released a breath. “You have no idea what you do to me.” He moved on top of her. “I can’t believe I was able to stop myself from taking you on the kitchen table, and then in the car.”

  Lavinia’s hands went to his leather belt, and this time he didn’t stop her. While she lowered his pants down to his thighs, he pulled at the hem of her sweater. Her fingers circled his hardness, making him shudder in anticipation.

  “Let me unwrap my gift.” Prying her hand from him, he moved her arms one at a time to remove her sweater. Taking a moment to admire her soft breasts covered in lace and satin straps, he slowly caressed himself. “I’d like very much to tie a silk rope over these luscious mounds.” He traced the edge of the bra with his finger. “I’d frame your curves with a red thread, circling your nipples before marking a direct line from your breasts to your core.” He trailed his finger over her belly button and proceeded to slip it into the waistband of her jeans. “I would make a knot and secure it against your entrance, so that, with every movement, it would inch up, rubbing against you.” She squirmed against his touch. “Would you like that?” he asked, filling her with two fingers at once.

  Her eyes widened, and her surprised gasp transformed into a loud moan when he thrust into her. “I would make you wear my rope and nothing more, and take pictures of you, posing for me,” he whispered.

  Her breath hitched as she rode his hand. “Adrian,” she said, breathing shallow. “I need you inside me.”

  He had intended to draw out her pleasure for as long as possible, but her plea was his undoing. Moving her panties to the side, he positioned his hardness at her entrance and thrust into her. Her warmth surrounded him, pulling him deeper as she rocked underneath him. He had been fully aroused since before leaving the house, and the short ride had only increased his lust. As her cries became louder, his strokes grew faster. Their hands roamed all over their intertwined bodies. His mouth traveled the path from her lips to the soft spot beneath her earlobe, when his fangs lengthened, answering the mating call.

  “Yes!” she cried when his fangs pressed against her flesh.

  It was torture to deny himself the sweet pleasure of the first bite that would unite them forever. Lost in the act, Adrian almost forgot his resolution to wait for Lavinia. One look at her, flushed in the throes of passion and looking like a goddess—his goddess—reminded him why he wanted to wait.

  Rather than pierce her soft skin, he lowered his mouth to her breast still cupped by lace. Without removing the bra, he sucked, then teased her nipple between teeth and tongue. Lavinia arched against him, opening her legs wider to accommodate him deeper inside her, and threw her head back.

  For as long as he lived, he would never get tired of hearing his name on her tongue, shouted at the highest peak of her ecstasy. Lavinia closed her eyes as pleasure rippled through her. His release came a moment later, and it was all-encompassing.

  They remained entangled in the sheets and clothes they hadn’t fully removed. Raising his head from the soft pillow of her breast, Adrian took a brief glance outside the porthole. Outside, the night sky was cloudless, and the moon almost full.

  “We are about to descend toward Athens,” Maria’s voice echoed inside the room.

  Lavinia chuckled at the news.

  He propped his head on his bent arm and raised one eyebrow in a silent question, his free hand slowly caressing her curves.

  “I’m terrified of flying,” she said, laughing. “Like full-blown phobia. My wolf usually goes crazy at the idea of entering a plane.”

  “I don’t understand what’s so funny about it.” His finger brushed the lace over her nipple, making her push against his touch.

  She moaned softly when he pinched her nipple. “You cured me,” she said hoarsely, closing her legs as she rocked to the side. “Since I met you, I’ve had only one thought in my mind.” Arching, she offered him her other breast, which he immediately lavished with his lips and tongue.

  He breathed on her wet nipple, and she shivered. “When I told you we were going to fly to Athens, you didn’t say anything.”

  Her hand shot to his head, guiding him lower. “As I said, my mind was on other things. I heard ‘flying’ and ‘Athens’ but then you kissed me, and I forgot all about it.”

  “I drove for at least twenty minutes,” he teased her.

  “I didn’t even notice.” She sighed when he planted a kiss on her panties.

  “You sure must have noticed the airplane in the hangar.” He used his teeth to pull the lace away from her shivering skin.

  “Was there an airplane?” She hid her face under a pillow and moaned against it.

  “We are on that airplane.” His tongue begun stroking her nub, stopping the conversation for several minutes until he made her scream again.

  Afterward, he cuddled her, holding her spent body in his arms as he kissed her crown. When Maria announced that they were about to land, he asked Lavinia if she wanted to take a look outside.

  “Hold me tight,” she said, and he did.

  They admired the sight as they flew over the Greek capital. Millions of lights illuminated the city, highlighting the many hills that enlivened Athens’ modern landscape. Every time Adrian visited it, he couldn’t help but remember the gardens and the philosophy schools that had once stood side by side where now cars drove. The city was still heartbreakingly beautiful, though.

  “I’ve never been to Athens.” Lavinia turned in his arms, her eyes illuminated with a joyous light. “In fact, I’ve only traveled outside of Italy once when I visited France and Germany.”

  “Because of your fear of flying?” He caressed her long hair.

  “That and also because I’ve never had enough money to buy plane tickets. I usually take the train.” She kissed him soundly. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” He started to straighten her clothes, but she shivered and sighed every time his fingers brushed her curves, which in turn turned him on again.

  “For everything. You entered my life when I needed you the most.” She moved his hands aside when he tried to close her pants and started kissing him.

  As a result of Lavinia’s eagerness, they made love once more, and Adrian was barely able to resist his urge to sink his fangs into her throat.

  With each time he took her, it was becoming increasingly harder to keep his nature in check. His mate stirred in him emotions and sensations he had never experienced fully before. He longed to make her his in earnest, celebrating their bond in the vampire way. Lavinia’s blood sang to him, throbbing in her veins in the most alluring manner, drawing his senses wild.

  The plane landed with a soft bump, eliciting another argentine chuckle from Lavinia.

  “Love your laugh,” he said, cradling her close.

  Her expression immediately darkened.

  He
kissed her lips softly. “Don’t be sad.” He leaned back to look at her. “It would be a shame not to enjoy the pleasures life offers. It doesn’t make you a bad person to feel happy—”

  “Carolina,” she whispered.

  “She wouldn’t want you to wallow in misery.” Adrian began helping her with her clothes. “Besides, you can’t change the past, but living every moment to the fullest will change your future.”

  They remained silently embraced for a moment before he pulled her to her feet.

  “We better hurry. There’s a helicopter ride waiting for us.” He tilted his chin, motioning for her to look outside the porthole.

  32

  Lavinia hopped into the shiny helicopter, wondering if she was dreaming.

  As the night progressed, it felt more and more as if she were living a fairy tale. After the nightmare of Carolina’s death, Lavinia’s emotions were all over the place. One moment, she stood at the edge of a cliff, only darkness staring at her as the tentacles of bleak despair reached up. The next moment, Adrian touched her, and joy would paint her universe in bright colors.

  Meeting Adrian had irrevocably changed her life. Even without tales of bloodmates and mysterious thirsts, she could have figured out by herself that the incendiary chemistry between them wasn’t just mere physical attraction. Adrian had only to look at her to ignite her senses. One brush of his tapered fingers reduced her to whimpers. When he had finally filled her, uniting them as one, she had cried from sheer happiness.

  Her wolf had roared in her mind the entire time, demanding she bite him and bond them the way of the wolf. She might be a half-breed, but her reactions were the ones of a proper werewolf. Lavinia felt her beast’s unrest and longing and this spurred her lust. She wanted, needed, to mate Adrian for all eternity, and it would only be fair to offer her throat to him.