Up in Smoke (Texas Vampire Rangers Book 2)

by Alice Brown

  Susan reached over and placed her hand on top of his. “You know, you have nothing to be ashamed of.” She made sure to keep her voice at a mere whisper so no one else would hear them. “Look, your secret is safe with me. I would love to see some of your work someday. Only if you are comfortable, though.”

  Donte glanced down at her hand resting on top of his and was glad Nathaniel wasn’t in the office. Susan still didn’t realize how possessive a mated male could be. “I’ll think about it,” he replied as he carefully extracted his hand from under hers and went to make copies of the sketch to hand out to everyone. He shook his head as he headed back to the copier. I hope when I meet my mate she is as pretty and sweet as Susan.

  Truth be told, he had come close to asking her out a few days before Nathaniel arrived. Knowing she had just recently lost her husband, he had held off. He had just offered her friendship, not wanting to act too soon and scare her off. But yeah, if Nathaniel hadn’t shown up when he did, he would have damn sure asked her out. What wasn’t there to like in her? Long, blond hair, a killer body, and a ready smile for everyone. Nathaniel was a lucky son-of-a-bitch, because Susan was the complete package as far as Donte was concerned.

  Chapter Six

  Over the next two weeks, life seemed to mellow out for everyone. Although the team was still actively searching for Parker and digging back into Eddie’s case, they still couldn’t link Parker to anything other than vandalizing Susan’s house. And Walter didn’t like it. He didn’t like it, because his gut was telling him that Parker was involved in a lot more than just vandalizing his soon to be sister-in-law’s house. His gut was screaming that Parker was the last piece of the puzzle. He knew he was the man they were still actively seeking, the man who was in charge of Eddie’s group.

  Finally, they received a firm lead on a human trafficking case going right through their territory. From talking to Adam’s mate, Bethany, they knew Eddie’s group had been involved in this also. The team soon made plans to stop them in their tracks. All available Rangers were called in for this assignment. It would be an evening take down, which was just fine with the Rangers. They didn’t have to contend with the hot Texas sun.

  The Rangers had been in the conference room most of the day, planning for their attack later that evening.

  When Nathaniel walked out of the meeting, he headed straight for the front desk. He had missed seeing Susan earlier. When they had taken a break for lunch, he walked out to find her seat empty. Before Nathaniel had the chance to hit the panic button, Walter quickly came up to his side to inform him that he had gotten a text saying that Sissy had stopped by and taken Susan to lunch.

  Now, all he wanted to do was take her home and love her through the night. Unfortunately, that would have to wait until after this take down operation was over. He walked up behind her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. Leaning down, he took a few brief seconds to just inhale her gentle fragrance. She leaned her head back against him and he brought his fingertips down to lightly skate the column of her throat.

  “Hi, baby. I missed you today,” he spoke quietly in her ear.

  She pressed up against him tighter, raising her hands to bring his hands around to the front of her chest. Leaning down and kissing each hand, she replied in a soft voice, “I missed you, too.”

  “Well, we do have a couple of hours before I have to report back to duty. Want to run home and relax with me for a little while?”

  She smiled up at him and lifted her eyebrow. With a low, sultry chuckle, she replied, “I’d love to go home and ‘relax’ with you.”

  Nathaniel wasted little time in scooping Susan up into his arms and carrying her out the front door. “Nathaniel, I have two good legs, you know. I can walk.”

  “I know, but I just need to feel you near me,” he quickly countered as he headed for his truck. The drive to Nathaniel’s house was quiet, but the sexual tension in the air was strong.

  Nathaniel had no more than stopped the truck and turned off the ignition when he jumped out and hurried over to Susan’s door. She hadn’t even had time to get her seatbelt unfastened, and now, it seemed as if her fingers refused to cooperate as she tried to undo it. He reached around and had the contraption unhooked in no time.

  He hauled her out of the truck, not putting her down at all. He carried her to the front door, unlocked and opened it with one hand, and then shut the door with his foot after they were inside. He stopped long enough to relock the door and then he was carrying her upstairs.

  Once he reached the bed, he leaned down to release her, but she held tight to his neck with her arms. “No, cowboy. If you can manhandle me, I can woman-handle you. Now, get down here.” This brought a chuckle from him. Did she honestly think she really stood a chance if he wanted to get stubborn? But this was his mate, and after all she had gone through, for her to be showing a feisty side in the bedroom was nice. He liked it.

  “Far be it from me not to give the little lady what she wants,” he whispered with a smile, right before swooping down and capturing her lips. He’d let her get feisty to a point, but in the bedroom, he would always run the show.

  His tongue plunged into her open mouth and dueled with hers for several long minutes. He finally let go, so she could catch her breath. He moved so he was at her side, his head propped up with one hand while his other hand rested on her abdomen.

  “So, how much longer are you going to make this old vampire wait to mate mark you?” He took his hand that was resting on her abdomen and moved it to the side of her neck, near her shoulder, where he wanted his mark. He soothed it with the tips of his fingers. She had the softest skin he’d ever had the pleasure of touching.

  She looked up at him with tenderness in her eyes. “Can we talk about it?”

  “Sure,” he replied, and then added, “Can we talk naked so I can play?”

  He took her grin as a ‘yes’ and had them both stripped down in no time. Right before he wrapped his lips around a nipple, he asked, “So, what’s on your mind, darlin'?”

  Crap! When he was doing this, it was hard for Susan to even remember her name, let alone remember her mental list of questions and concerns she wanted to go over with him.

  “Where…” it took her a moment to find her voice, “where would you want to do it at?” She had meant where did he want to leave his mark on her, but her brain just wasn’t working at the given moment.

  His dark eyes looked up at her in merriment while one of his hands came up to a spot on her neck, right above the shoulder. He tapped the spot with his index finger, still suckling on her breast.

  “Will… Will it hurt?” she managed to rasp out.

  He continued suckling for another moment as she waited. Was he planning not to answer that question? Was it because yes, it indeed hurt, and he just didn’t want to tell her?

  He released her breast with a pop and sighed as he went back over to lay next to her side, leaning his head against his hand. “Okay, so I guess you’re going to make me keep my mouth free to answer your questions. Damn.” He reached over and lightly pinched the nipple that had been ignored. “Lucky for you, my hands are talented, as well.”

  She sucked in a deep breath when he pinched her nipple, but held firm in her questioning, “Are you avoiding my question?”

  “No, darlin', I’m not. The truthful answer is that it will probably hurt just a little when I initially sink my fangs in. They have an analgesic that is released the minute they sink into something, numbing the area. I plan to do this while you’re in the throes of orgasm, anyway. I have heard that once the fangs enter, it’s a very, very pleasurable experience for both parties. Some vampire couples do it all the time. It’s called blood sex, and they swear that sex while drinking blood is more potent than anything else they’ve ever felt.”

  She turned so she was on her side facing him. “Do you want to turn me into a vampire? Because I’m not sure how I feel about that one.”

  He stroked the side of her face with the bac
ks of his fingers. “That choice is entirely up to you, darlin'. If you don’t want to change, then that is your decision. I’ll not push you one way or another. The only thing I would ask is that when I mark you, I want you to drink just a bit of my blood.” When she wrinkled up her nose, he grinned. She was just so damn cute. “I know you probably think it’s disgusting, but most humans find they actually like the blood of their mate. Plus, it would give you a lot of the same benefits as being a vampire without actually being turned.”

  “Really? Like what?” she asked wide-eyed. Nobody had ever mentioned this option to her before.

  “It will make you a bit stronger and you won’t get sick like normal humans do. Your life span will also increase. Barring some unforeseen catastrophe, you could easily live to be 125-150 years old. Your whole aging system will slow down, and while you will gradually start showing your age, it won’t be until much later than normal.”

  He stared into her eyes while stroking the back of his fingers down her cheek. “But I need you to be very clear on something. Once you’re mate marked, that’s it. The only way I can explain it so you’ll understand is that it’s like being married, only divorce is never an option. When I mate mark you, you will be mine forever, literally. And I will be yours. There will never ever be another woman for me. You are it, baby. The total and complete package. If you want a formal ceremony, similar to a wedding, we can do that.” He stopped and took an appreciative glance down her naked body. “I bet you would look beautiful in a long, white dress.”

  “Nathaniel, I don’t need a big, fancy wedding or a fancy, white dress.” She brought her body up against his and wrapped her arms around his neck. “As long as I have you, I’m good.”

  “Baby, you’ve had me since the moment I met you. But,” he hesitated for a second before continuing, “be very sure, darlin'. Because once I mate mark you, there is absolutely no going back.”

  She kissed his cheek, then rubbed her cheek against his stubble. Moving on to his lips, she playfully bit the bottom one and then soothed it over with her tongue. “I’m sure, Nathaniel. I love you. You’ve made me see the beauty of life for what feels like the first time. If you want me, I’m yours.”

  Nathaniel growled at her and flipped her over onto her back so fast she lost her breath. As she stared up at him wide-eyed, he came down so he was hovering over her, holding most of his weight off her. “If I want you? I find myself getting hard just thinking of you, darlin'. And trust me, that’s damn embarrassing in the middle of work. If I want you…” he made another growling noise deep in his chest. “I want you with everything I have. I have waited a long time to find you. And now I’m about to show you just how much I want you, mate.”

  He started by kissing each eyelid, nipping at each cheek, then moving on to nibble her earlobe. His tongue came into play as he ran it down the side of her neck, sucking on the spot where he wished to mark her. Then, he nibbled his way up her jawline until he came to her lips. Sipping them at first, he enjoyed her taste. But soon he had their mouths meshed together, tongues dueling.

  He broke off his kiss a few minutes later and started heading toward her breasts. Suddenly, she whispered the sweetest words he thought he had ever heard.

  “Nathaniel, mark me. Make me yours. I don’t want to be alone anymore. I don’t want to go a day without you in my life.” An urgency in her voice made him stop. He had to be sure.

  “Baby, I’m yours whether I mark you today, tomorrow, next week, or next year. We don’t have to do this today if you’re not ready.” As he said this, his fangs were pushing, fighting, to slide down and slice into her warm flesh.

  She smiled at him, her face serene and happy. “I’m ready to be yours, unless you want to wait.”

  His reply to her was a deep, dark chuckle. “Oh, baby, I hope you know what you’re in for now.”

  He leaned his head down and popped a breast into his mouth, sucking on it hard, drawing from it all that he could. He released the first one and copied his movements with the other breast.

  After releasing her breast, he used his tongue to skate down her abdomen, stopping to torture her whenever he hit a ticklish spot. He cataloged all of those places in his head for future use.

  As he reached her pussy, he took a deep breath in, relishing in her scent. But then it hit him…her scent had changed, just slightly. It was sweeter, hmmm. She was fertile! Should he tell her or not? He looked down at her glistening pussy as if it were calling for him. She spread her legs wide in invitation. With her being fertile and them sharing blood for the first time, there would be no better time to get her pregnant with his child.

  He remembered the first day he brought her home. She was a sad, dejected woman who didn’t think she was good enough. He remembered her saying that she hadn’t been able to conceive while married to her first husband. No, he wasn’t going to say anything. If she ended up conceiving, he’d deal with her getting mad at him. But he didn’t think she would. He thought she’d be over the moon at the news that she had been able to conceive. But until then…

  He couldn’t help but bury his nose into her womanly scent. She smelled so fucking good. A little while ago, he thought his fangs were threatening mutiny. Now, it was all he could do to hold them back with everything he had.

  His tongue started at her hole, gathering juices as it traveled upwards. Swallowing them down, he relished in her taste. Yes, she was definitely fertile. Even the taste of her juices had become sweeter. “Mmmm, baby, you are delicious,” he groaned as he went back for more.

  After the second time he went for her juices, she was squirming on the bed. “Nathaniel, I’m so close… So close... I just need a little more…”

  “I know what you need, baby doll, and I plan to give you everything I have.” And he really did. He planned to fill her so full of his seed that she would be lucky not to get pregnant with more than one baby.

  Her juices were literally pouring out of her. He took some of the excess and spread it around to her back hole. She tensed up immediately. “Shh, baby. I’m just going to play a bit. Relax and you’ll find you enjoy it.”

  When he had enough of her juices moved to her back hole, he leaned in and flicked her clit with his tongue a few times. It didn’t take her long to become aroused, again, to a near fever pitch. He slid his index finger and middle finger in her front hole while using his thumb to circle her tiny rosette in the back. She continued to climb that peak and he knew she would be ready to plunge into ecstasy any moment now. He waited and watched her body for signs, still flicking her clit with his tongue while pumping the two fingers in and out of her. Just as she reached her peak, he carefully breeched her little rear opening with his thumb, stopping just with the tip inside.

  She shattered. She wailed his name as her body seized up. Wave after wave after wave of unimaginable pleasure overtook her. She rode the high as long as she could, using her hips to ride Nathaniel’s fingers through to the end.

  Wrung out like a dishrag and trembling slightly, she watched Nathaniel climb back up her body. “One of these days while you are in the middle of a climax like that, I want to sink my fangs into your pussy and drink down your juices and blood all at once. Mmmm, I bet that will be ambrosia!” he groaned as he sealed his mouth to her. She tasted herself on his lips and tongue, which did nothing but stroke the fire deep down inside of her.

  What? She had just enjoyed one of the most intense orgasms yet, and still, her body wanted more? Really? Was that even possible?

  Nathaniel unsealed their lips long enough to murmur against hers, “Baby, whatever you’re thinking about, let it go. This is about you and me, doll. There is no room for anyone or anything else.”

  “Sorry,” she murmured sheepishly.

  “It’s okay, love. I just want you ready for another explosion, just like the one you just had.”

  She turned her head so when he brought his lips down, they landed on her cheek. She gave him a little push and he reluctantly moved over to the side
with a sigh.

  “That’s what was going through my mind. I’m not sure it’s in me to have another orgasm, especially after how strong that last one was. Are you sure I’ll be able to?”

  He remembered that as far as sex went, she was still so very inexperienced. “Oh yeah, baby. It’s more than possible. It’s going to happen. Now, lay back down there and relax.”

  She started to fall back onto the pillows, but then stopped herself. “What about you? I want to touch you, get to know your body. Will you let me?”

  “Oh, baby, touch away!” he growled as he gently pushed her back down on the pillows. As he claimed her lips once again, his hands came up to knead her breasts. She, too, brought her little hands up and was now running her hands across his wide chest and down his arms.

  “You’re so big!” she exclaimed when he finally let go of her lips so she could suck in fresh air. He wasn’t sure if she was talking about his chest, the dick that was nestled between her legs, his muscular arms, or his entire body in general. But then again, it didn’t matter. He liked a compliment as well as any other guy.

  “Thank you, darlin'. You say the nicest things.”

  She slowly started making her way down his sides and back, using sweeping motions back and forth as her hands drifted lower. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying her touch. His cock was throbbing, wanting to be in the place it felt was home so bad that it was weeping. Soon, little fellow, soon. Let’s let her get to know us first. That way, she’ll be more comfortable.

  When her little hands couldn’t reach any more, she wedged her hands between their bodies. He sat up, sitting back on his heels. She soon followed suit, sitting up so she could reach him better. “You’ve got a beautiful cock, Nathaniel,” she murmured while stroking it with one hand and lightly caressing his balls with her other. Then she leaned forward, and before he knew it, she had her lips wrapped around the head of his dick.