Blood Haze (19 page)

She
began to pant at his command. Quickly she complied with his words and a second
later he was shoved in deep. Their moans intermingled.

“I’ve
needed you for days,” he rasped. “What are you doing to me,” he demanded. He
didn’t give her a chance to answer – even if she could have. The only language
she currently understood was what his body was saying to her own. With her back
against the wall and her legs wrapped over his hips, he bucked into her like
the savage he was. He thrust his tongue back into her mouth.

She
began to shake as fire exploded in her body. She jerked against him and clung
as her body ignited. She gasped at the intensity of her desire. She whimpered
against his lips, begging him to release her. “Please, please, please.”

The
need to sink his teeth into her neck was almost unbearable. Remembering the
look in her eyes the last time, was the only thing which stopped him. He wanted
nothing more than to lay her down and pound the hell out of her, while he drank
just as frantically from her body. He knew it would be heaven to be able to do that,
but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he closed his eyes and
slammed over and over into her. She clutched frantically against the roots of
his hair and gritted her teeth as her body finally released her from its
powerful hold. “Yes, yes, Lynx, yes,” she cried.

He
grunted against her as he found his release shortly after hers. They stayed
pressed against the wall, their panting breaths, the only sound in the room. As
they calmed, he slowly released her and her legs trembled as they struggled to
keep her upright. And if it hadn’t been for him, she’d have surely fallen.

With
his hands at her waist, he leaned down and rested his face against her head.
Against her ear, he rasped, “I needed that. Thank you.”

She
slipped her hands around his waist, underneath his tuxedo jacket, and huddled
into his body. She’d missed him so much. That need scared the hell out of her.
She didn’t want to be dependent on him. It was debilitating… it made her weak.
She wanted to demand to know where’d he had been for the last three days…
demand to know why he’d not at least called her. She wanted to tell him how
much she’d missed him… how much she’d wanted him.

But
she did none of those things. That wasn’t what
this
was about… he’d been very clear. Anguish gripped her insides.
Could she really do this? Be a part of something so volatile? It seemed she had
no choice. She wanted him too much. How was this possible? She barely knew him.
It didn’t seem to matter. It was almost as if she didn’t have any control over
her own being. She craved him with everything inside her.

Slowly,
he once again grabbed the ends to her ties and refastened them around her neck.
He slid his hands down to straighten her dress. He took a step back and zipped
his pants. He then rested one forearm over her head and leaned over her,
looking down in her upturned face.

Uncomfortable
at his close inspection, afraid she’d let her feelings show, she looked down
and tugged against his jacket. “Is this how you normally dress when you come to
the club,” she said flippantly. “I have to say… it’s a good look.”

He
smiled lazily down at her. “Only to the clubs with the sexiest singers.”

“Umm,
good answer.”

“No,
I was at the benefit.” He ran a finger across her brow. “But I… I couldn’t stop
thinking about you,” he confessed softly.

“Really,”
she said, unable to stop the grin from splitting her face.

He
ran his finger down across her cheek. “Don’t look so pleased! It was darned
inconvenient,” he said with mock sternness.

His
flippant words wounded her deeply. As casually as she could, she allowed her
eyes to fall to his lapel so she’d be able to hide her reaction to them. “I’ll
bet,” she said with forced brightness.

He
studied her intently for an excruciatingly long time. Bending down to press his
lips against her temple, he said. “Sadly, I can’t stay, my darling Arabella. I
have to get back or Karmyl will kill me.”

In
that moment, with those words, she knew without a shadow of a doubt she
couldn’t do
this
. Pure anguish saturated
her soul. This was going to hurt. But it’d hurt much more, later. She couldn’t
live in this rule-less world. She decided she’d not see him again. She’d have
to let Karmyl know she’d no longer be able to sing in the club, period. She
couldn’t risk running into him. Pain caused tears to sting her eyes and she
blinked rapidly.

Clearing
her throat, she lifted her eyes to his tie and busily began to adjust it.
“Well, umm, you probably don’t… you probably don’t want to keep her waiting,”
she managed to squeeze out through her tight throat.

“Arabella?”

She
flicked a glance up to his eyes and flashed a quick smile before slipping away
from him. “It’s been a long day. I need to go as well. I’ll… I’ll see you when
I see you.” she replied as she busily began to gather her things. As she draped
her wrap over her shoulders, she said, “You go ahead and go, I need to grab my
check from Tobias.”

His
brows furrowed as he strove to understand the change in her. “Arabella?”
 
he questioned again.

As
before, she flashed him an over-bright smile. “Go… shoo,” she said.

“You’re
good?”

“Yep!
Never better,” she said gaily.

He
glanced at his watch. “I… have to go,” he said with an apologetic smile.

“I
know,” she said.

He
grabbed her hips and pulled her forward. She closed her eyes when he leaned
into her. Her heart clutched in her chest when he pressed his lips softly
against hers. “Until next time,” he said softly.

Unable
to force any more words passed her lips, she merely nodded.

He
studied her for another moment before slowly backing away from her. When he
finally went out, she waited a few seconds before going to the door and closing
it softly. She carried herself back to her dressing table and on trembling legs
sank down onto the stool. Pain lanced her heart.
This was so stupid
, she repeated to herself over and over. Being
this distraught over someone she’d only known a matter of weeks was stupid
compared to her relationship with Drew. She’d very easily thrown that over and
moved passed it. She just wanted to be home. It’d been a long, sucky day. She
was well and truly done!

~X~

Lynx
leaned forward in the backseat of his rented limousine to pour himself a very
stiff drink… a double! He sat back and threw the drink down his throat. He was
a fool. He’d really thought he could go to the club, have her, then just calmly
walk away unscathed. She’d wormed herself into his very fiber. Since the moment
he’d left her three days before, she’d been all he’d thought about.

He’d
been determined not to see her again. She was just another woman, just like one
of the many, many women he’d had. And yet… she wasn’t like them. He’d kept
thinking about the last time he’d seen her as she’d stripped his shirt off her magnificent
body and handed it back to him. While she’d tried to hide her hurt, she’d been
unsuccessful. She wasn’t cut out to be deceitful. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her
so he’d left with the intention of not ever returning, he’d gotten what he
wanted… her body… and her very essence.

And
for the most part, he’d been successful… until tonight. While at the benefit
for the shelter his sister had dragged him to, he’d sat behind a woman with
long brown hair. The way it’d hung and its texture had reminded him of Arabella…
his Arabella. He’d left in the middle of the damned banquet… just to catch a
glimpse of her. He’d thought he’d go by the club, sit in the back and hear her
sing, just for a little while. But he’d found her at the bar wearing that
damned dress. He’d wanted to walk up to her, bend her over the bar, and slam
into her, right in front of everyone.

So
he’d danced with her and the want and desire he’d seen so clearly in her eyes
had been his undoing. When she’d murmured,
whatever
you want
, his head had nearly exploded. He couldn’t believe how brutally
he’d taken her. They’d not even undressed. He’d just slammed her up against the
wall and pounded into her like some brute. And… she’d loved it.
God
! The image of her head thrown back,
crying his name, made him want her all over again.

But
once again, he’d hurt her. She wasn’t made for the type of relationship he
needed to have with her. He wanted her desperately, wanted to feed from her
continuously, but he couldn’t endure what he’d gone through with Celeste. Unconsciously,
his hand reached up to touch the crescent moon on a chain under his shirt – the
one his mother had given him when Celeste had died. He’d thought he could
remain detached, but he… just couldn’t. The memory of her faked smile haunted
him. He’d broken her. He’d seen and felt it. He leaned forward and poured
another drink. It burned all the way down to his gut. He leaned his head back
and closed his eyes. He’d get through the Blood Haze, then he’d leave, go back
to Cape Horn… far, far away from here… from her.

                                                
~X~
       

She
rose quickly from the stool in front of the dressing table and scooped up her
purse. As she spun around, the slit in her skirt caught on the knob attached to
the center drawer of the dressing table, pulling the dress apart at the seam up
to the waist. She looked down at the damage and tears sprang into her eyes. What
a terrible ending to her day. She glanced around the room for something to
change into. She spotted a thin, white robe she wore when applying make-up.

She
untied the top to her dress, trying hard not to remember his fingers at her
nape just minutes before. She allowed the dress to fall to the floor. She never
wanted to see the dress again. With that thought in mind, she gathered it up
and slung it into the garbage. With a shiver, she immediately covered her body
with the robe. Grabbing her purse, she ran out of the dressing room door and
headed out through the back door of the club en route to her car.

She
was surprised to feel the light sting of rain as it pelted against her skin.
She found she liked the sting as it made the hurt on the inside almost bearable.
In the dim light of the single streetlight situated in the far corner of the
club’s back alley, she realized the rain was causing the robe to cling to her
body. Vaguely, the robe made her remember the dream she’d had. She shivered at
the feel of the teeth sinking into her neck. She preferred that to remembering
Lynx saving her as he’d done in the dream.

Everything
in the last few weeks all seemed to mesh together and suddenly sobs were being
rent from her chest. The forced loss of Lynx was the final straw. She stumbled toward
the parking lot, weaving like one of the ever-present drunks from the club.
She’d nearly made to the building’s edge, when she felt a presence behind her.
Before she could turn, someone pressed themselves against her back and clamped their
arms around her.

“Hello,
Kitty,” the evil voice said.

She
screamed. It was the same man who’d attacked her in her house.

He
slapped a hand over her mouth. “Uh huh,” he whispered in her ear.

He
dragged her back under the overhang of the club’s roof and without any more
preamble, she felt his teeth sink into her neck viciously. She whimpered. “No,
please, no. Lynx. I’m scared, save me… oh, please, save me,” she repeated the
same words from her dream, begging them to come true. But he never came. Her
sobs became weak whimpers until soon, her vision began to blur, then fade, and
finally, she sank into the fathomless depths of the night.

Chapter 9

Arabella
was so very pale… so very fragile. Lynx held her cold hand gently within his
own. He lowered his head and brushed his lips lightly against it. God, he was a
fool. He’d allowed this to happen. He shouldn’t have left her at the club. The
faint beep, beep, beep of the heart monitor mocked him. Red-hot, furious anger
exploded in his chest. Someone was going to pay for this. He was going to
search and find the vamp who’d done this. The vamp who’d nearly drained her…
who’d brought them all under suspicion because of his carelessness. He glanced
down at the hospital admittance scan-card in his hand - the one, which had been
clutched in Arabella’s hand. Tobias had pried it from her fingers before the
police had gotten there. Whoever attacked her, worked at the hospital - which
was why he wasn’t leaving her here unprotected.

She
whimpered in her sleep and struggled to disengage her hand from his. At any
other time, her weak efforts would have been laughable. But he wasn’t laughing.
Rising from his chair, he leaned over her to press his cool lips against her
temple. In her ear, he whispered words of reassurance. “Arabella, I’m here.
It’s okay. I promise you’ll never have to be afraid again. You’re safe,
Arabella… my Arabella.”

She
tensed, but slowly calmed as he spoke. He stroked his fingers over her delicate
features. When her body finally relaxed back into the deep realm of sleep, he
reclaimed his seat without relinquishing her hand.