“I see that I might have to extort the answer from you.” He gave her one last smoldering gaze before dipping his head to her core. “So be it.” He licked her nub, making her squirm against him.
“How much did you like it?” he asked, stopping his strokes at once.
“A lot,” she answered, pressing her hand against the back of his head, motioning for him to resume.
“How much is a lot?” Adrian cocked his head to the side, studying her. His finger played with her folds for a few moments before he moved his hand to her thigh.
Lavinia tingled all over her body. Poised on his bent elbow, sporting a calm expression, Adrian gave the idea of a man who had all the time in the world to dedicate to the topic.
His lower lip curved up into a mischievous smile. “‘A lot’ doesn’t signify in my vocabulary. Too generic.”
“Experiencing your fangs piercing my flesh in such intimate spots was out of this world,” she finally said, biting her lower lip. Lavinia felt like an inexperienced virgin, forever blushing in front of him.
“Thank you. And I love it,” Adrian said, and to her frown, he added, “I greatly enjoy your blushes.”
“Can you read my mind?” she asked.
In a way, yes, he answered in her thoughts.
“How?” Lavinia’s heart galloped against her ribcage.
Our bloodmate bond. You are a part of me now.
Can you hear me? she thought.
Adrian smiled before nodding. “Isn’t it the most wonderful thing?” he asked out loud, making her switch back to talking.
She thought about it for a moment. “It is,” she finally answered.
Moonlight highlighted Adrian’s aristocratic profile, reminding Lavinia it was a full moon night. The silver disk would rise high in the sky in a few hours, but by now, her wolf would have already relegated her to a corner of her mind.
“I haven’t lost control yet,” she said.
Adrian’s eyes cut toward the window before looking back at her. “Do you usually suffer from the shifting throes during the full moon?” He regarded her with a soft smile.
If anyone else had said the words, Lavinia would have taken offense. Half-breeds didn’t appreciate when people remarked on their weaknesses. Adrian’s tone, though, was gentle, and she couldn’t detect judgment from him.
“I do. Sometimes, it’s so bad, I have to hide in Giulio’s—”
“Who’s Giulio?” Adrian’s gaze became stormy, and Lavinia couldn’t help but smile at his jealousy.
“Giulio is my manager. He knows I need some help once a month and lets me use his cellar. Working night shifts makes everything easier because I don’t have to explain to Carolina why I disappear—” Lavinia’s heart broke anew at the memory of her friend. “Didn’t have to explain to Carolina—”
“I wish I could erase your pain.” Adrian kissed her. “I feel your hurt and your sorrow, and it’s unbearable.”
“But you do,” Lavinia reassured him. “I forgot all about my flying phobia in your arms, and you give me so much strength, I’m here instead of howling at the moon. You center me. Everything about you is wonderful.”
“Out of this world, I think you said.”
“Another dimension altogether.” She smiled. “Come up here.”
Moving to her side, he dropped a kiss on the top of her nose. “You’ve made an honest man of me, Lavinia.”
“Good.” She tilted her head to catch his mouth.
He pulled away briefly. “We’ve mated as bloodmates. Is there a special wolf ceremony you’d like to perform?”
“I’d like to mark you.” She moved her lips against his, whispering, “My wolf demands I make you mine.”
“Anything you want, my love.” He caressed her tender breasts, brushing against her nipples that immediately reacted.
Adrian lowered his body on top of hers, his hard muscles flexing as he moved. Her hands followed the contour of his back, discovering once again his chiseled behind and long thighs. Adrian was built like a Greek statue and felt like one, too, under her tentative touch. He stroked, licked, and kissed her until she was ready. Opening her legs, she made space for him, but he didn’t enter her right away. He played with her senses for several minutes, using his fingers and tongue to bring her to the edge, only to stop before she exploded.
“I can’t—” she whispered, her head banging the mattress as she anchored her legs around his back. “Please, Adrian—”
Grabbing her hips, he angled her body before entering her in one powerful thrust. Stars appeared in Lavinia’s mind as he pulled from her and filled her again a moment later. Finding her nipple, he pinched before lavishing the taut peak with long strokes of his soft tongue. When she thought she would pass out from sheer pleasure as he had promised, Adrian turned them around, exchanging their positions. She was now on top, straddling his rock-hard body.
“Make me yours in the way of the wolf,” he said, rocking against her, massaging her channel with his long strokes that made her cry in ecstasy.
The soft breeze from the sea moved the curtain and silver moonlight entered the room. Lavinia’s wolf roared in her mind. Her fangs cut her gums as they elongated, breaking free. Adrian tilted his head to the side, exposing his throat.
Panting, Lavinia rode his thrusts, commanding a faster pace. She lowered her mouth to the spot where his shoulder and neck met. Her wolf threw her head back and howled to the moon as Lavinia sank her fangs into Adrian’s flesh. His blood filled her mouth, and they became one in the way of the wolf.
Lavinia angled her head for his bite. Mirroring her choice, Adrian cocked his head and his fangs latched between her neck and shoulder, too, and bit her.
The rest of the world disappeared.
Pleasure rippled from Lavinia to Adrian and back. United in body and soul, they moved in synchrony, composing a harmony that was uniquely theirs. Their release was simultaneous, stealing their lungs of breath and their minds of what was left of their coherent thoughts. She felt what he felt, and he felt what she did, which brought their orgasms to new heights. Adrian exploded inside her.
35
Adrian hugged Lavinia tightly. She had collapsed against his shaking body, trembling in the aftermath of their passion. He was still inside her, feeling the small contractions that continued even after several minutes.
There were no words to describe what he felt being inside her. Lavinia was right; their coming together didn’t belong to this world. The closeness he had experienced when they bit each other had brought tears to his eyes. Raw, undiluted pleasure had consumed him as they tasted each other’s blood.
“Little wolf,” he whispered.
“Big vampire,” she said, and he felt her smile against his skin. “We are properly mated now.” Her words were but the softest of whispers. Adrian wouldn’t have heard her if it weren’t for his enhanced senses. Soon, her breathing became slow and regular, and she fell asleep.
Cradling her in his arms, he rolled them to the side. The breeze coming in from the sea cooled her skin, making her shiver in her peaceful slumber. He covered her with the cotton blanket folded at the foot of the bed. Hoisting himself up on his bent arm, Adrian softly caressed Lavinia’s hair, untangling her tresses that lay in knots from their lovemaking. She smiled when he brushed her cheek, and his heart swelled several sizes.
Until a few days ago, Adrian would have never believed that perfect happiness existed. It sounded like a romantic poet’s fantasy. Looking at his bloodmate, he found himself whole. His former life, regulated by rules he never broke, seemed now hollow. Here he was with a feisty half-breed werewolf he would protect with his life if necessary.
Lavinia stirred, her luscious lips parting as she whispered his name. The most beautiful expression appeared on her face: joy.
Adrian couldn’t help but lean to kiss her swollen mouth that fueled his imagination with the most erotic thoughts. Raw desire awakened his body, and he chuckled at the realization that he’d been still human the last time his
senses had been so engaged. He’d been a teenager in Rome when he had discovered the pleasures of the flesh with one of the kitchen maids. With Lavinia, it was different, though. He wasn’t a randy, mortal youth any longer, and she wasn’t a mere sexual partner he would take in the dark for a bit of fun. What they had transcended the physical realm.
Bloodmates. The word had sounded foreign until a day ago. Now, he couldn’t look at Lavinia without thinking of her as his legitimate bloodmate. It wasn’t just the tiny pricks that were already healing on her skin that reminded him of their special union. It was the peace that had enveloped him like a warm blanket the moment he’d laid eyes on Lavinia at the gala.
Love. It was love between them.
Adrian had never thought he could love. Not because he was against the concept. It just never occurred to him that he would be in love one day. The whole falling-for-another-person concept had always seemed an exaggeration and a distraction, two things he could do without. Being a vampire who kept his life neat and free of complications, he avoided anything that resembled losing control. Centuries of carefully laid plans had been smoldered to cinders the moment he met Lavinia, and he couldn’t be happier.
For a man who had seen it all and done it all, to find himself bewitched body and soul by this little slip of a woman should have sent him running for the hills. Instead, here he was, filling his eyes with the most beautiful sight in the entire universe: his bloodmate.
The sun shone high in the sky by the time Adrian lay down beside Lavinia and closed his eyes for a restorative nap.
Lavinia’s rumbling stomach woke Adrian with a smile. “I must make a better effort to remember that you need to eat, and often at that,” he said, depositing a kiss on her head.
Lavinia stirred, stretching her arms over her head and uncovering her breasts.
“But I’m greedy—” Adrian dipped his head to brush kisses on the swell of her soft mounds. Her body arched in an offer he was sorely tempted to accept. “I’ll have my breakfast after yours.” Scooping her into his arms, he walked across the bedroom.
“We are naked,” she said, adorably giggling as she tried to cover herself with her hands.
He leaned to kiss her. “We are on an island,” he reminded her with a wink. “Remove these hands at once. I’m famished, and you’re depriving me of much-needed nourishment.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever have enough of hearing those sexy things you say.” Lavinia moved her hands to his neck and angled her head to kiss him.
“That’s good because there is more from where they came from.” He rearranged her body, dropping her legs and guiding her slender limbs around his waist. Once she was safely anchored to him, her breasts pressed against his chest, he took her mouth for a passionate kiss.
On his way downstairs, he pressed Lavinia against the stairwell wall and succumbed to his desire, entering her with a soft thrust. Her cry was muffled by his mouth and his tongue mirroring the long strokes inside her. It was slow and sweet, a manifestation of the deep connection that had grown overnight between them. He refrained from nipping at her vein because he wanted Lavinia to have some food first, but brushed his fangs against her breast, enjoying her reaction. They reached completion at the same time, the tides of pleasure rolling over them in long waves.
When he finally entered the kitchen several minutes later, Lavinia looked like a well-sated kitten, curled up in his arms and smiling.
“I called Sue before we left and had the pantry stocked with anything you might need,” he said, placing her on the marble countertop. “There should be enough to last you a few days.” Walking to the pantry door, he opened the glass panel to show her the shelves covered in supplies.
“That’s going to last me for a year,” she said, laughing.
“Good. I still don’t know your tastes, so I told Sue to order anything she could think of. I hope there’s something here to your liking.” He scanned the boxes and cans of food. For the most part, he didn’t have a clue of what was inside them. He hadn’t eaten a human meal in a long time, and the mortals’ tastes had changed drastically since he became a vampire.
Moving to the fridge where he usually stored his emergency blood, he found that Sue had gone above and beyond and bought fresh vegetables and fruits, and also several beverages.
“What would you like?” he asked, indicating the pantry with one hand and the fridge with the other.
“I see that there’s fresh bread over there,” she said, pointing at the top shelf in the pantry. “And butter and marmalade in the fridge.” Her eyes focused on the countertop to Adrian’s left. “Your personal assistant also bought a moka pot.”
He moved, following her gaze, and saw one of those stovetop coffee makers. “Do you know how to use it?” he asked.
“I do. Give me the bag of ground coffee and I’ll fix some espresso in no time.” She pointed at the pantry again, directing him to the correct container.
He took a good sniff at the ground coffee beans and made a face. “Do you like this smell?”
Lavinia’s laugh filled the kitchen. “Love it. Can’t function without it in the morning.”
“And here I thought that my skillful lovemaking would be enough for you.” He brought his hand to his heart. “I’m wounded.”
“You might be onto something.” She made a show of thinking about it, tapping a finger on her chin. “We should go without sex for an entire morning to see if—”
He didn’t let her finish. “I don’t think so.” Moving between her legs, he pulled her against him, letting her feel his hardness. “You might survive the experiment, but I don’t think I would.”
Only her stomach’s loud rumbling stopped Adrian from a repeat performance of the heated scene from a few minutes earlier. “Lavinia’s breakfast first. Adrian’s later,” he whispered, nibbling at her earlobe and making her shiver. His male pride restored, he brought her the ingredients she had requested.
“I can do it by myself,” she said as he walked in and out of the pantry.
“I don’t want you to walk barefoot.” He placed the items on the countertop and watched as she filled the pot with the ground espresso beans, closed the chamber, and handed the coffee maker back to him.
“Turn on the stove on low,” she said. At Adrian’s perplexed frown, she laughed. “I’ll do it.” She jumped off the countertop and gracefully landed on her feet. “The floor isn’t that cold. I’ll survive.”
He watched as she moved between the stove and the kitchen table. “Tomorrow, I’ll make it for you,” he said, memorizing that she toasted two slices of white bread in one of the many appliances on the countertop. The next step she took was to butter the bread and spread a dollop of marmalade on each slice.
“Coffee’s ready,” she announced, turning to the stove where the moka pot hissed and gurgled.
Adrian thought the stuff smell vile but didn’t voice his opinion because Lavinia leaned to breathe in the steaming beverage and said, “Perfect.”
She opened a few cabinets before grabbing a small cup and saucer, then resumed her search. “Where is the sugar?”
Adrian shrugged. “I have no idea.”
After perusing the rest of the cabinets, she finally found what she was looking for: a ceramic bowl with a white powder that didn’t have any scent.
“It’s so strange to have breakfast in front of you,” she said when she finally sat at the table.
“Why?”
“Because you don’t eat—”
“That’s not entirely true. I don’t consume food like you, but I still need nourishment.” He sat across her.
“But it seems rude to eat when you are not.” She brought the toast to her mouth and chewed on a small bite, then swallowed.
“That’s an easy fix,” he said, pushing his chair away and standing.
Lavinia’s eyes widened as she looked at him walk to her side. Before she could ask what he was on about, he grabbed her by the waist, lifted her, and sat on her chair. Then,
he placed her on his lap, facing the table.
“Don’t mind me,” he said, brushing her auburn hair aside and lowering his lips to her neck. “Keep eating.”
Lavinia’s pulse quickened under his mouth, and her hands remained on the table.
“I like watching you swallow your food,” he whispered against her skin. With his hand, he followed the contour of her arm and finally rested it on hers. Then, applying gentle pressure, he guided her to grab the small cup and brought it to her lips. His free hand traveled from her shoulder to her breast. “Drink.”
Lavinia parted her mouth to receive the espresso. As the beverage descended into her throat, Adrian’s fangs pierced her flesh. He drank from her as she gulped her coffee. His fingers played with her nipple, and she moved on his lap, seeking his hardness. The next thing he knew, he was moving the breakfast aside and placing Lavinia on the table. She wound her legs around him and pressed her heels against his bottom, urging him down. They made love hard and fast, making the table tremble and the porcelain rattle.
“We must have shattered a world record,” Lavinia said afterward.
“Which one?” Adrian asked, sitting back on the chair and bringing her with him.
“Longest sex marathon?” She kissed him.
“I’m sure we can do better if we apply ourselves to the task.” He caressed her breasts.
“Number of orgasms a woman can have before passing out?”
“You must train harder and build your stamina.” He leaned to take her nipple into his mouth. “I’m not even close to being done with you today.”
Lavinia’s stomach rumbled again.
“I am a beast.” He immediately turned her around. “Please, eat. I promise I’ll behave this time.”
36
Lavinia couldn’t help but chuckle when, at the third bite from her toast, she felt Adrian deliciously press against her bottom.
“I truly can’t help myself,” he said, smiling against her neck.
I need you, he thought.
I need you, too, she answered in her mind, refilling her cup with warm espresso.
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