Authors: Melissa Schroeder
Nico gave her bodice a quick, hard tug, causing her full
breasts to spill out. He pulled back, and she had a moment of trepidation. Cool
air replaced the heat of him. She opened her eyes to find him looking at her.
Not at her face, but at her chest. Heat spread from her breasts up into her
face as he continued to stare. His eyes were brilliant, his breath coming out
in short, choppy bursts. It was the only sound in the room.
Embarrassed, she moved to cover her bosom, but the rumble
from his chest stopped her. Once more, it brought to mind a feral animal.
Without moving his attention from her chest, he captured her hands and pulled
them back.
“Sweet Jesus.” Lust deepened his voice as his hungry gaze
moved over her.
Her mortification melted as she realized there was
admiration in his tone. He swooped down and took a turgid tip into his mouth as
he caressed the other. This was beyond anything she ever imagined, almost as if
she could not control her reactions. Delirious with the heat he was creating
within her, she speared her fingers through his hair, allowing the dark tresses
to slip through her fingers. Closing her eyes, she moaned as he moved to give
her other nipple the same treatment as the first. His breath was hot against
her flesh. Her heart galloped.
Nico pulled back slightly. Cordelia allowed her hands to
drop from his head and opened her eyes. He was gazing at her again, his face
like stone, his nostrils flaring with each breath he took. Without breaking eye
contact, he blew on her wet nipple. A tidal wave of need crashed through her.
Moist warmth slipped down further as the craving grew within her. She
wanted—needed—him in a way she could not understand. Everything in her being
called out to him just as it had the first time she had met him.
She couldn't comprehend why this man...when so many before
him had tried and failed. Before she could contemplate why or how, he was
moving down her body. When he pulled her skirts up, she protested.
“Mr. Blackburn.”
He stilled and looked up at her. The harsh lines of his face
were more prominent, his appetite easy to see there. It should scare her,
should send her running from that room. Instead, want surged through her,
thundering through her blood. She did not even know what she craved, but she
knew she wanted it from him.
“Nico.”
“W-what?” she asked.
His jaw moved, telling her he was grinding his teeth. “Call
me Nico.”
“Nico.” Was that her voice? All breathy with desire? What
had the man done to her?
He smiled in response. “I like the sound of my name on your
lips.”
Before she could respond to that, he shoved her skirts to
her waist, situating himself between her legs. She felt his hot breath on her
most private area.
“Mr. Blackburn!”
His head whipped up, an untamed look in his eyes. “Nico.”
“Nico.”
He smiled, but it was something close to what she imagined a
pirate's smile resembled when he was about to capture a booty. It transfixed
her, and he used her hesitation to dip his head and place his mouth on her most
private parts.
Shock came first. It held her frozen as an ice sculpture.
But soon the shock dissolved into wicked pleasure. His heated breath warmed her
sex before his tongue swept inside. Even with pleasure rushing through her, she
tried one last move to dislodge him. She moved her hands to his hair to pull
him away, but instead she found her fingers molding to his head, encouraging
him. She had never before experienced anything like the sheer delight spiraling
through her.
Cordelia shifted, spreading her legs further apart to allow
him more access. He hummed in admiration, the vibrations against her skin
shooting throughout her entire body.
He shifted his body as he kept his mouth on her. When she
felt the tip of his finger pressing into her, she stilled again...then shuddered.
Thrusting in and out with his finger, he continued to assault her with his
tongue. Everything in her tightened, reaching for something she did not
comprehend. He added another finger. Her inner muscles tightened on it with
each thrust. Heat burst through her, circling her stomach, dropping lower.
Aggravated, she pulled her legs up, planting her feet on the
cushions and lifting up. Another growl rumbled in his chest. Cordelia writhed
against his mouth, begging for him to end the torment he had built within her.
She had no idea what she was asking for, but she knew he was the one to give it
to her.
With the flick of his tongue, he pushed her over the edge.
Delight coursed through her as some unknown dam broke. She convulsed as she
burst into a thousand shimmering pieces, screaming his name. Delicious heat
swept over her flesh as she felt herself drain of every bit of the tension he
had created.
As she drifted back down from bliss, she registered Nico
crawling back up her body, covering her once again. She opened her eyes and
found him watching her as he had earlier, the untamed look in his eyes even
brighter now. He braced himself on his hands and lowered his mouth to hers.
This time there were no tempting kisses, but complete and utter possession.
When his tongue swept into her mouth, she could taste herself there. Her body
still shimmered with her release, but he was already building another with his
kisses. He pressed his groin against her, allowing her to feel just how aroused
he was.
He pulled away, his eyes still closed, and growled.
Unbelievable, she wanted that bliss again, wanted to feel the tension build
then explode. Cordelia knew it was wrong, but she didn’t care. Something deep
inside her, in the deep recesses of her soul, begged for the completion, to
become one with him. It would ruin her, but her morals apparently dissolved the
moment he touched her. He moved away, pulling himself up to his knees, his
hands on the top of his breeches.
With greedy eyes, she watched, waited, yearned. But before
he could even undo one button, the door crashed opened.
*
*
*
*
Wood splintered, blowing into the library with a force so
strong it broke pottery. Every predatory sense Nico had went on alert. The lust
he had built with Cordelia transformed into anger. When he rose from the couch
and saw that it was Hurst, it turned into white hot possessiveness. The beast
within him knew the viscount was here to claim Cordelia, that he had sensed
Nico in here with her. The civilized part of Nico understood that Hurst did not
comprehend his actions. The viscount could not control his behavior, but Nico’s
primitive soul did not give a damn. He had not gained completion or even mated
with Cordelia, but she was his, and no man would have her.
The woman in question tried to sit up to see what was going
on, but he pushed her back down.
“Mr. Blackburn!” Her voice was no longer soft and
breathless. Now she sounded like a shocked-to-her-toes bluestocking. He would
laugh, but he could not find it in him to do so. He glanced down at her, hoping
she would read the danger in his eyes. Unfortunately, she was still exposed,
her breasts spilling out of her dress. She gave him a disgruntled look, but it
was lost because of her dishabille.
A feral growl came from the doorway, and Nico pulled his
attention away from Cordelia. He knew now they had no time left to lose. The
stark look of need stamped on the viscount's face told Nico he was sliding into
Blood Lust, Cordelia as his subject and prize.
Without taking his gaze from the approaching man, Nico said
to Cordelia, “Stay down.” Hoping she would listen to him, he braced his hands
on the back of the sofa and jumped over, swinging his legs to hit the viscount
in his groin.
The Made vampire went down with a grunt, but not two seconds
later he was back up and charging. Nico braced himself as the younger man
rushed toward him. Nico punched him, his fist scoring a direct hit. The crack
of bone filled the air around them. He heard a gasp behind him, and glancing
back over his shoulder, he saw Cordelia, still on the sofa, her bodice pulled
up, but her hair hanging in silken waves down over her shoulders. Momentarily,
he could do nothing but stare. The taste of her was still on his lips, the
scent of her calling to him. He could hear her blood pulsing through her body,
seducing him. He needed to feed from her. Rustling sounded behind him, and he
realized Cordelia was looking over his shoulder. Her eyes widened with alarm.
“Nico!”
He turned and found the viscount charging him again, but
this time, Nico did not have time to prepare. They both went tumbling over the
sofa, Cordelia jumping out of their path and moving behind a chair. Once he
registered she was out of the way and unhurt, he went about subduing the
viscount. It was not easy as they toppled over onto the floor. Nico landed on
his back, and before he could react, the other man's hands were around his
neck, his fingers digging into Nico's flesh.
“Mine!”
Hurst screamed the word. It echoed through the chamber, the
meaning of it not lost on Nico. Hurst thought of Cordelia as his. The scent of
her arousal hung heavy in the air, easy for any vampire to smell. Since she was
a Carrier, the younger Made vampire would become homicidal, seeing that his
prize, his possession, had been stolen from him. He could see that Hurst’s
teeth had already descended. He lowered his head to Nico’s neck.
A crack sounded and pieces of porcelain cascaded over Nico.
The fingers around his neck slackened as Hurst turned to look over his
shoulder. It gave Nico enough time to push the viscount back and reverse their
positions. Hurst’s head slapped against the corner of the marbled table as they
went down. The younger man’s body went limp beneath Nico. He felt for a pulse
and found it beating hard against his fingers.
“What the bloody hell is going on?”
Nico looked up and found Gray staring at them. The young
duke’s face went quickly from shock to recognition when he noticed Hurst lying
on the floor.
“What the hell does it look like happened?” Nico asked as he
picked himself up. His attention was on Cordelia who stood staring at Hurst,
her eyes dilated with shock. Even though she had pulled up her bodice, there
was a tear along the neckline. Her hair was completely undone. The soft, golden
curls lay tangled over her shoulders. Just looking at her made his body ache,
and it was not the sweet ache of desire. The need to comfort her stirred within
him. He rose to his feet and walked to her, wanting nothing more than to soothe
her worries. Hurst had not gotten his hands on her, so she was safe in that
quarter. But Nico had taken advantage of her...seduced her without a thought of
what he was doing. He had never done so with an innocent. Before she had time
to recover from that, Hurst had burst in ready to kill.
“Cordelia?”
She looked up, but more through him than at him. A shiver
danced over his flesh and cooled his blood. All the color had drained from her
face, and she looked like she might start crying any minute.
“Are you all right?” he asked, amazed at how gentle his
voice had turned.
“All right?” She blinked, her eyes finally focusing on him.
She glanced down at the viscount then back up at him. “No, I am not all right.
Bloody hell.”
A muffled snort came from the direction of Gray.
“The man is insane,” Cordelia said.
“Yes. Hurst—”
“I am not talking about Hurst,” she spat out. She stalked
over to him, anger vibrating off her in waves. “He has always been odd. You, on
the other hand, have a lot to answer for. Just what was that about and how did
Hurst make it through the door?”
For a moment, he didn’t respond. He could not. It took him a
second to comprehend she was not angry because he seduced her. Cordelia seemed
more upset by the fight afterwards. And she spoke to him as if he were a
naughty schoolboy who had misbehaved.
He ground his teeth together. “I’ll explain all of this
later.”
She poked him in the chest, color flooding back into her
face. Her eyes blazed with angry passion. Her body shimmered with indignation.
By God she was something. His blood heated, and his teeth began to descend
again. If he did not gain control of the situation, he would lose himself to
passion once more.
“You will tell me now.”
“We have no time
now
.”
She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “I’m not moving
from this spot until someone tells me just what is going on.”
God, she was going to drive him crazy. His body begged for
relief. One more word from her and he might just lose control. He drew in a
deep breath, trying to calm his temper…and his lust.
He stepped closer to her, so close he could feel her heat,
smell her arousal. “Any moment, we will become fodder for gossip.”
Her eyes widened, comprehension sliding over her face. She
opened her mouth, but another high-pitched voice interrupted her.
“My gracious. What is going on here?”
All three of them turned and found the lady of the house,
Lady Francis Smythe, the most notorious gossip in the
ton
, gaping at them.
“Is that Hurst?” She squinted, looking through the darkness.
Her gaze rolled over all of them, then focused on Cordelia. Her eyes sharpened,
and a look of astonishment moved over the lady’s face then dissolved into evil
pleasure.
“Why, Lady Cordelia, your hair is a mess.” Her gaze slid
down further. “Whatever happened to your dress?”
“You will have to marry her,” Malik said as he watched Nico
pace.
Nico threw his best friend a threatening look but did not
stop walking. “I know. It is not as if I do not understand the implications.”