“Oooo….” She grinned, placed her hands between her legs and grabbed hold of the two-by-four underneath her. “Is there some code about that? Do I get sworn to secrecy? Will you hypnotize me to keep me quiet?” With each question she inched herself along the plank and closer to him until she was just inches from his face.
Doc feigned indifference, standing up straight to put some distance between her lips and his. He frowned until she plopped herself down off the board.
“You’re no fun,” she teased, giving him a petulant look, followed by a quick wink just before she bent down to retrieve the hammer. He patiently held the wood in place so that she could nail it down.
“Oops, hang on there, I dropped one.”
Doc hissed when she bent down and brushed his inner thigh with a feather-soft touch as she reached for the nail. His attraction to her was becoming harder and harder to ignore.
“You know,” she began. “This would be a lot easier with an air hammer.”
Eyes closed, Doc shook his head trying to concentrate on their conversation. His skin felt seared by her subtle touch and he wondered if his entire body would detonate into an inferno if their bodies were to touch completely skin to skin. He ached to find out. “No,” he grated. “I never liked those things. They drive the nails too deep and if you ever have to take something apart again it becomes a real pain.”
“Hmmm, always looking to the contingency, huh?”
“Something like that.” His voice was barely above a whisper as he struggled to maintain discipline.
When she was finished tacking the wood into place, she quickly spun around and bent over to pick up the scrap cut, placing it on top of a very neat stack of other scrap pieces. He watched every move she made, examining the simple actions of her body, watching the way her muscles flexed as she folded at the waist and gave him a clear view of very shapely backside.
Turning back to him, Jill placed her hands on her hips and circled the room with her eyes. “Well! Get this cleaned up and I can put a coat of paint on it and it’ll be a new room. Maybe I could do some Disney characters… or… something…” she trailed off when she realized he was staring at her. “What?”
He’d lost the battle with himself and he knew it. Maybe he didn’t want to keep trying to fight his attraction to her. Maybe he didn’t want to be alone anymore. Maybe he didn’t want to even think about the rhyme or reason behind it all. All he really wanted was her.
Doc took his time crossing the room to where she stood. He could see the moment she understood the look in his eyes because her cheeks instantly flushed. If anything the blush made her more radiant. Still, he didn’t hurry, deliberately drawing out the time it took him to narrow the breadth of space between them. He left her room to exit and part of him hoped she would take it; leave the room and remove the guilt for making this decision from him.
Contrary to his silent wishes, Jill Prescott stood pat, waiting for him to come to her. When he was no more than a single step away she reached her arms out and beckoned him the final distance. The sounds of their moans were captured by the meeting of their lips. He kissed her fully and deeply, then placed his hands on her hips and began to direct her backwards and toward the sawhorses. Once there, he nudged her with gentle pressure until she scooted herself atop one of them. Placing one hand behind her neck and the other at the small of her back, he pulled her into his body. Jill spread her legs open and Doc moved in between, pressing against the heat that stirred at the apex of her thighs. A moan escaped her lips when she felt the delicious pressure he inflicted.
“Doc, don’t bug out on me, okay?” she breathed against his lips. “I’m not one to be forward, but I’ve been fantasizing of being in your arms and I don’t want you to run from me again.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Jill. I’m where I need to be right now,” he spoke firmly then took possession of her lips again, the rough movements of his mouth against hers desperate.
Jill wrapped one of her long legs about one of his, securing him to her almost as if she were afraid he would try to escape. She knew his body wasn't backing out as she could feel him throbbing and hard even through his jeans and her loose sweats.
“Ahahhh…” she squealed in both surprise and pleasure when his icy fingers reached under her cotton tee. His clever hands cupped her breasts fully and then rubbed and tweaked her already straining nipples through her bra until they were hard, sensitive nubs. She needed to feel his skin so she took full advantage of the situation by reaching her hands under his shirt, raking her fingers up along the toned ridges on his stomach.
“Your touch is like fire. I feel like I’m going to explode,” he whispered.
She wanted to tell Doc his touch was cold and had the same effect for her, but her voice was stolen when he pulled the cup of her bra down and his lips closed on one of her nipples. He suckled hard and sent goose bumps crawling up her arms and moans tearing from her throat. She leaned her head back to arch herself into his mouth, but then remembered her precarious perch and grasped his arms to keep herself seated.
“Easy,” Doc murmured, smiling even as he continued to worship her breasts. “I have you, my beautiful girl.”
He had her all right. Jill was quickly getting lost in the extreme sensations from each touch of his fingers, lips and tongue. Before she knew it both their shirts had been discarded and he was working on slipping her sweats out from under her bottom. When his cold hands slid down her backside and squeezed each cheek she automatically arched her hips backwards into his touch and dropped her forehead onto his shoulder with a ragged groan.
When Doc used one hand on her rear to pull her hips toward him she was surprised to realize he’d also somehow removed his jeans. She felt his hard erection against her bare stomach and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the exquisite feel of their bodies skin to skin.
“Look at me,” he told her and she gazed at him with hunger evident in her eyes.
When the world began to tunnel in toward him, she realized what he was doing and snapped her eyes tight, shaking her head. “No, Doc, I won’t let you hypnotize me. I want to remember all of this. I don’t want any sensation dulled.”
“But, I…”
Her eyes were still closed but she felt his body tremble with need and a very rough breath rushed against the skin of her neck, “Doc, I want you to. I want you to bite me, just as much as I want you to make love to me. No restraint.” And she took him by the neck and tugged him close to her.
Doc fought the idea for a moment, regretting that he hadn’t taken a chance to feed earlier in the night. But he was hungry, and he craved to have her not just as a lover, but to taste the blood that flowed just beneath her skin. She tried again to bring his mouth to her neck but this time arching her hips against his at the same time while she pleaded, “Please–Please.”
Giving in to her pleas he trailed his tongue up the length of her neck, feeling the straining tendons. His ultra-sensitive hearing could detect the hammering of her heart and it was like a cadence calling to him, urging him closer to the edge. His fangs lengthened in response. Inhaling deeply he enjoyed the scent of her desire as his fangs grazed against her flesh.
Jill cried out when his incisors punctured her neck. There was a sweet mingling of pain and pleasure when he drove himself hard and sure into her while drinking from her neck. Everything he took from her was replenished inch by inch from him as he plunged deep. It was a dizzying feeling, the throbbing of his erection inside her and the steady suckling at her neck. She tried to move her body against him, but he held himself still inside her. His denial of movement didn’t matter, the ecstasy of it was more than she could handle and she came without warning, trembling and quaking in his arms.
Groaning between swallows, Doc savored the luxurious taste of her blood at the same time he felt her body clinch around him. There was a decadence to the hot metallic liquid, her desire flavored her precious blood and it was the most succulent thing he could ever remember tasting. This was even better
than his first taste of fresh blood. He’d given up feeding directly from humans because it was too much, too desired. He abhorred what he’d become and to give in to the taste was to give into the darkness within him. He’d long ago refused to take from another living person, but Jill had somehow broken his will to fight that need within him.
He knew just when to stop without taking too much and so he pulled back from her, licking the little drops that slid down her neck and using the magical touch of his tongue to heal the wounds. Before closing the last hole, he ran his finger across the wound, taking a small sample onto his finger.
Through heavy-lidded eyes, Jill looked at him questioningly. Doc reached his red-coated finger toward her lips and she instinctively opened them wide.
“Be still. Let me,” he told her, then rubbed his finger along her bottom lip slowly before dropping his mouth to her and kissing her so that both of them could share the taste of her on the other’s tongue.
Grasping her close, he lifted her body and slid them together down to the floor. He managed to lay her back against the pile of discarded clothing so that most of her body was protected from the cold floor. It was at that moment he began moving within her, driving in and out with force but yet touching her with gentle hands. He coaxed her body so that they climaxed together, as the tremors were shaking her inside and out, Jill arched her back and sighed, “Allen…”
The Present–A Legend Not to Live By
“I’m not keen on this idea. In fact I think it’s a terrible mistake. Devan, I…” Kent stopped speaking when Devan cocked her head to the side and gave him a glaring look.
“Don’t worry,” Jill told him, smacking him on the shoulder, “I’ll look out for her.”
Kent practically snarled at the golden-haired vampire.
With dinner finished, they were all gathered in Eden Stowe’s parlor again to discuss the matter of Jill and Devan traveling to the faery realm alone. Nicky and Gerry were silently seated on opposite sides of the couch. Still, there was an evident connection between them like magnets at that critical point of separation where just the tiniest nudge could adhere them together.
Jill sighed to herself. It seemed she was surrounded by reminders that she was alone. Devan had Kent. By the looks of it, Jill figured Nicky and Gerry had a thing for each other. She glanced at Langston and examined him, wondering about her feelings for him. Could he love her? She didn’t think so. It had occurred to her since the day she’d met him that his heart was taken. Perhaps it was this Kristin he’d mentioned yesterday, but after going through all her emotions, Jill knew without a doubt that Langston wasn’t for her. And if she were honest with herself, she’d admit that she was reaching. She was grasping for any person to which she was intimately connected for companionship. She needed someone to grab onto in this life of hers.
Devan tried to give Kent a reassuring smile. “You know I have to go there. Meggie wants me to find my father.”
Kent pressed, “It might not work you know. No one has ever crossed the realms unscathed.”
“Certainly not that we are aware of,” Langston chimed in calmly.
“What is the worst that could happen?” Devan said. “I am stripped of my powers? Then the leftover members of the Org and any other vampires have no reason to want me. I get taken off the most wanted list and we live happily ever after.”
Kent approached her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “How will you get back if you lose your powers? You won’t be able to open the gate.”
“Langston can open the gate, can’t you Langston?”
“I can,” the giant advised them.
Jill could see Kent squeeze slightly on Devan’s arms. “But how will he know when to open it? This is crazy. If you can go through and retain your magic then I can come with you–”
“And I cannot yet be sure that you won’t be stripped of your powers. Meggie and Daeglan said I should go, and the chances are they know more about this than we do. But there’s no assurance I can hold onto you tight enough to keep your powers intact. And you’ve had magic for a very long time, Kent. Losing it would be like someone losing their eyesight. You can’t come with me now.”
Devan tilted her head to the side as if she heard a sound. Jill watched her frown, smile, then laugh and shake her head.
“Roon says he can open the gate too,” then the brunette laughed as if there was some inside joke. “And he promises he will open it for me.”
Rooney had been Devan’s childhood “imaginary friend.” He was a voice she’d heard in her head from an early age, but until just a few weeks ago she’d thought he was just her imagination. Now they all knew that Roon was a sheoque faery, protecting her throughout her life.
Langston spoke, “Could we agree on twenty-four hours? I will open the gate at that time and we will reassess things. Kent?”
Kent hesitated for a moment, then his stature shrunk in resignation and he leaned forward to kiss Devan’s nose. “Agreed.”
Jill thought her friend’s smile was brilliant, reaching from ear-to-ear, there was an entire universe of love packed into it. Again she was reminded that she was alone. When would she ever get over the loss? Doc had been gone for years and years, but it still pained her to the core to recall his touch, his kisses, his laughter.
Little things sparked the nerves in her heart. The condescending look Devan would give her when she would prattle on endlessly. It reminded her that Doc had always listened. He might have remained stoic in expression, but his eyes were connected to her. He heard every word she said.
On the drive to Eden’s estate, Devan happened to stop on the fifties Sirius radio station. Jill had leapt forward in her seat to hit the dial; she couldn’t take the chance that one of “their” songs might burst through the speakers.
So many small reminders surrounded her. She had gotten used to solitude. It had been easy for her to fall into the same pattern that Doc had lived before she came to the hospital all those years ago. She and Charlie led a quiet life, intent of carrying on with the dhampir blood research. The routine, the regularity of things made it easier to cope, but now amongst so much life her resolve was crumbling. Possibly the drive she felt to feed again was exacerbating her feelings, but mostly she was just utterly alone. And that loneliness made the dark thing inside her rumble to life. It was eating at her just the way it had eaten at Doc before she met him.
And Langston was right; she found herself longing more and more for the same escape Doc had planned. Death was a cruel siren, calling to her daily.
“Jill.”
It was Langston’s voice. Somehow without her knowing, the room had cleared and it was just the two of them. She grinned at him and winked, trying to diffuse the feelings taking over her mind. “Hey, Andre. What’s up?”
“You once asked how old I am.” The giant spoke as he leaned his huge chest forward to rise from his seat.
She grinned in a way that would have disarmed most men, “Yeah, but you refused to say. You’ve been around a long time, though.”
“I have been around for centuries. I have traveled this world and lived amongst many different peoples. I have learned a great deal in all of that time. But it is a particular Indian legend that I have been contemplating lately.”
“Indians! You lived with Indians?” her voice was filled with awe and she backed up toward a chair and sat, placing her chin in her hands so that she could hear the tale.
“A young maiden, Kisselpoo, fell in love with a brave who was too closely aligned with her tribe. She was forbidden to marry him by her father and the chief counsel. But Kisselpoo could not deny her love for him. The two of them planned to run away and so they ventured out into Lake Sabine. The council called upon the gods and contrived a storm to prevent the pair’s escape. The waves upset the canoe. Kisselpoo’s lover tumbled into the lake and was unable to keep himself above water. She tried to help her man, to pull him from the waves, but the situation was helpless. Unwilling to face life without her lover
, the young maiden tossed herself into the waves. They drowned clinging to each other.” He paused a moment, considering the story, then he took a deep breath. “Very sad that young Kisselpoo could not see past the pain of loss to realize that life might have continued for her.”
“Andre…” Jill began with a cross tone.
“I have seen a great deal of life in my time. As a vampire, your life has the opportunity to be just as limitless. But you have to be willing to live it.”
“I am living it. What the hell do you think I’m doing here, Langston? I’m doing the best I can. Why do you keep pushing?” She raked her hands through her blonde curls. Shaking her head, she turned away from him. “When I wanted to give up fourteen years ago Doc kept pushing. Then I lost Doc and I kept going because Charlie forced me out of the abyss. Devan needed me and so I’m here now, but I’m effing tired of everyone pushing me all the time. I’m tired, Langston. I’m just tired.”
The giant reached his very large hand out to her and she took it, allowing him to squeeze her fingers painfully. She reveled in the pain and secretly thanked him for it. Pain was a reminder of life and at least this type of pain was assured of healing. The inner pain seemed never to go away.
The Past – A Tortured Memory
Doc wrapped Jill’s body close to his, balancing her against one arm while picking up their clothes with the other. He then swung her up full into his arms and carried her from the room. She rested her head against his cheek, still breathless and unable to move. She’d never been in his room before, but wasn’t surprised to find it decorated in subdued tones with dark wood furniture.
He used a bare foot to sweep the comforter back, then slid her naked body atop the sheets. Her lavender orbs glittered up at him, waiting for him to join her there, but he stood back a moment, taking her in with his eyes–eyes that were still hungry for her. “You’re very, very lovely, Jill.”
She grinned, then crooked her finger at him twice to indicate he should come to her. Finally he did, rolling across her body to slip in behind her and wrap her tight against him, “Doc, just for the record, you’re not so bad yourself.”
The Bend-Bite-Shift Box Set Page 24