Forbidden Blood (31 page)

The
loft was large and open with the far wall built only halfway up to the ceiling, giving the option to look over the railing into the living room and kitchen below. It didn’t have a lot of privacy, but when he originally rented the place, it was just him. He would have to learn to be quiet when Naya slept. And then there was the matter of the babies. They would need their own space. It was a good thing they had a few months to figure things out.

The loft also had a bathroom and a walk-in closet. It was furnished with a king
-sized bed, two dressers, two nightstands, and a TV mounted on the wall opposite the bed. His comforter was gray, and the furniture was black. The room probably needed a woman’s touch.

“
I love this place. It’s so airy and spacious.”

“
Glad you like it.” He turned to her. “How are you feeling? Do you want to sleep or eat? What can I get you?”

She smiled.
“I am a little tired, and after going to the doctor, a shower would be nice.”

He dropped her hand to show her around the room.
“Bathroom is right there.” He pointed to the open door as he walked by. “You can put your stuff anywhere. I have room in the closet,” he said, opening the door, “and that dresser is completely empty.” He pointed to the shorter one. “Feel free to put your things anywhere. I want you to be comfortable.” He looked around. “Crap, I forgot to bring your stuff upstairs.”

“
Thank you. Don’t worry about it. I can do it later.”

“
I have to go out and do a few things. I thought I’d pick up some groceries while I am out. Is there anything you want?”

“
I’ve been craving steak, but any red meat will do. I’d also like chocolate milk, but white is fine, too.”

He laughed.
“You sound like my mom when she was pregnant with my sister. Must be my babies telling you what they are hungry for.”

She smiled, put her hands over her lower belly, and looked down.
“Now that I know you’re a cat-shifter, my cravings make sense.”

He watched her stand there with a happy look on her face. The knowledge
that his babies were in her belly made him want to close the five feet separating them, so he could throw her down on the bed, strip her naked, and push his way inside her. He went hard, and he had to adjust himself a few times when she wasn’t looking.

No matter how much he wanted her, he knew she
’d had a long night and needed sleep more than anything. His erection would have to wait. She came first. He needed to get out of there soon, or all his good intentions would end up being just that—intentions.

“
Well, I’d better get going. Can I get your keys, so I can pick up your car while I’m out?”

“
Oh, sure.”

They went back downstairs, and she grabbed her purse off the couch. She rummaged around until she pulled out the keys.
“Here you go.”

“
Do you mind if I pick up your car first and use it to save time?”

“
No problem. I’ll call Hans after you leave.”

“
Thanks.” He kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be back soon. Call me if you need anything.”

“
Okay.”

He kissed her forehead again and said good-bye. Once he was in the hall, he called a cab to take him to her
house. The sun began its ascent when he got to her parents’ house, making the operation easy. Hans opened the garage for him, and Naya’s parents didn’t make an appearance. He picked up her car and headed to the grocery store. On the way, Vaughn made a quick call to his shifter healer.

After Dr. Montgomery had asked Vaughn why he hadn
’t sensed that Naya was ovulating, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. There must be something he’d missed. He continued to replay the night they’d slept together in his head, and he felt bad for waking up Dr. Bennett, but the situation was bothering him. He liked Dr. Bennett, trusted his opinion, and could count on him to keep the pregnancy quiet.

After he answered, Vaughn apologized for waking him and explained what
had happened. The doctor clarified a few things, and Vaughn felt a little like an idiot. He had made assumptions about Naya and him, which he shouldn’t have. At least he had an explanation of what had happened that night.

Vaughn
made his trip to the store quick, grabbing as much food as he knew would fit in his fridge, and then he had a key made for her. He returned home, parked Naya’s car in a guest spot, and hauled the groceries to this apartment. After he walked in, he noticed her suitcases were still sitting by the door. She must have just grabbed the things she’d needed before she went back upstairs.

He put the groceries away, making sure to be quiet
. Then, he carried her suitcases upstairs and set them by the dresser. She lay in his bed, buried underneath the covers. All he could see was her hair sticking out. His cat-half liked her in his bed. It was right where she belonged. His human-half wanted to get in there with her, wake her up, and make love to her.

Instead, he let her rest
, and he went to take a shower. Once finished, he briefly considered putting something on before climbing into bed, but he’d never been able to sleep unless he was bare. Plus, it wasn’t like she hadn’t already seen him naked. She was pregnant with his babies after all. He climbed into bed next to her and pulled her flush against him before relaxing into a deep sleep.

After Vaughn had left to run his errands, Naya glanced at the clock and saw it was
six in the morning. She didn’t want to worry about the sun rising while she slept, so she went through and closed all the blinds and curtains in the apartment.

By this point, she was completely exhausted. She used the last of her energy to walk up the stairs and take a shower. After quickly washing her hair and body, she got out and realized she had left all her stuff downstairs. Too drained to face the stairs again, she searched through Vaughn
’s bathroom drawers until she found a comb she could use. She hung up her towel and looked around Vaughn’s room, realizing she didn’t have any clothes because they were all in the suitcases by the front door.

Not only was she without clothes, she was
also unsure of where she should sleep. He never mentioned if she should take his bed. It seemed trivial to worry about since they’d already had sex, and he’d invited her to stay with him, but this was definitely a new experience for her. And once they had gotten to his apartment, there had been an almost uncomfortable awkwardness between them. She’d thought he wanted to touch her a few times, but he hadn’t, except to hold her hand while he’d shown her around.

It was becoming apparent
that they were two strangers now required to live together.

However, the bed looked big and comfortable, and her fatigue outranked her worry. She
’d have more time to think after getting some rest, so she climbed in, sans clothing, and buried herself underneath the sheet and comforter. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Several hours later, she
awoke from a deep sleep, forgetting where she was and only realizing she wasn’t in her bedroom at her parents’ house. Lying on her side with her eyes closed, she noticed a heavy weight across her middle, warmth against her back, and a loud rumble coming from the back of her. She took a deep breath, smelling cloves and man.

Vaughn
.

The night before came back to her, and she opened her eyes. She realized the noise
was coming from him.
Was he…purring?
She lifted the covers and saw the heavy weight she felt was Vaughn’s arm, which was connected to the big, naked male behind her that explained the warmth.

She tried to peek
over her shoulder at him, but she couldn’t see from her current position. She slowly rolled over, hoping not to wake him. Her movements caused him to roll onto his back, and his purring stopped. She paused, but he didn’t wake up, so she took the opportunity to really study him.

His thick black hair fanned out on the pillow. She liked that it was a little longer around his ears. All the vampires she knew wore clean
, short haircuts. Vaughn’s hair was slightly wild, like him. With his eyes closed, she could see he had been blessed with long eyelashes that framed the gorgeous cobalt eyes she knew. She briefly wondered if their babies would have his sapphire eyes or her amethyst ones. Either way, they would be beautiful.

She yearned to touch him, but
she didn’t want to wake him. His breathing continued to be slow and relaxed, so she gave in to the temptation. She lightly traced his eyebrows and then went down his nose and over to his full lips. She moved on to his almost hairless muscular chest and then proceeded lower to his washboard stomach. She hadn’t seen him fully naked for three months, and she’d forgotten how striking and toned he was. She paused to see if he was still sleeping before she gently lifted the covers.

They
’d had sex a few times, but she never really looked at his penis. Even soft, it was big and long, and she wanted to touch that part of him, too.
What would he feel like in my hand? What would he taste like?
Naya had never performed oral sex before. She never really had any desire to do so until now.
Would I even be any good?
It was such a silly thing to think about, but she didn’t want him to find her skills lacking.

Biting her lip, she reached out and hesitantly touched him between his legs. Her eyes widened along with his penis. She quickly glanced up again at his face to see if he
’d caught her ogling him. He shifted around some but remained asleep, and she released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

She shifted her focus back to his lower body and lightly wrapped her hand around him. He was as thick as her wrist, and she was amazed he could fit inside her. His skin was soft
, yet he was hard underneath. She moved her hand just a bit to experiment, and he moaned. He also moved his hips, so she knew he liked it. She did it again, but this time, she used slightly more force.

Without warning, he picked her up, startling
her, and she screamed out as he flipped her onto her back. She’d been concentrating so hard that she hadn’t noticed when he’d woken up.

Landing on top of her, he asked,
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to mess with a sleeping cat?”

She slapped her hand over her chest.
“You scared me.”

“
That’s what happens when you molest someone in his sleep.”

“
I’m sorry. I wasn’t—” She stopped when she spotted the corner of his mouth twitching. She hit him playfully on the arm. “You jerk. Quit messing with me.” She chuckled.

He just laughed
as he scooted down her body, and then he sucked her nipple into his mouth. Hard. The atmosphere went from playful to sexual in an instant, and she let out a loud moan as she arched her back. He didn’t let go, and he continued to suck while she grabbed his hair in one hand and fisted the sheets in the other. She opened her legs and rubbed herself against him. He released her nipple with a loud pop, and she was sure it would be sore the next day from all the wet friction.

“
Goddamn, I love how you respond to me,” he said.

He moved back up her body
and intertwined their fingers as he bit down on her neck. Then, he drove himself home, showing her exactly how much he loved it.