Possession (11 page)

He immediately slid her closer. “Mmm, where
were we?” he murmured, zeroing in on her lips again.

She dodged the kiss. “Where are we
going?”

“Somewhere more private,” he said, kissing
her neck instead.

“Not the house?”

“Not yet…”

“Julian…”

He sighed and pulled back to look at her.

“The contract says--”

“I don’t care about the bleedin’
contract--”

“Well, they’re
my
consequences!”

Sure, she didn’t plan on being here in the
morning, but she still needed to know where his motives fell. If he
planned to use her and lose her, this wasn’t going any further than
making out.

“Catherine, I already said I don’t want to
turn you over--”

“That isn’t the same as ‘won’t’. He’ll figure
it out, and then it’ll be worse on me because he can’t take it out
on you. Tell me I’m wrong.”

He glanced away. “You’re not.”

“Betray my trust, and you’re the first one
I’m coming after when I’m dead,” she promised.

“Bossy thing, aren’t you?”

“I’m serious, Julian! God, you can be such a
jerk.” Catherine shifted to the far side of interior.

He grabbed her by the hips and yanked her
back. “Now, hold on!” He grabbed her wrists and held them to her
lap so she’d stop fighting him. “If you’d let me finish… I don’t
want to see you with Lorcan, and I won’t force you to go. I like
you.”

“You like me.”

“Like being challenged by you, dancing with
you, snogging…yeah, I like you.”

“Well, that’s something…”

He let go of her wrist and cupped her cheek.
“It really is…”

The kiss was its own dance.

Catherine had enough of an answer to relax
and meet him halfway.

What naturally happened after this would come
in its own time tonight.

["Sway" is the English version of "¿Quién
será?", a 1953
mambo
song by
Mexican
composer
and bandleader
Pablo Beltrán Ruiz
. In 1954 the
English
lyrics
were written by
Norman Gimbel
and
recorded by
Dean
Martin
.]

Chapter 11

Halloween night continued…

It was a surprise when the limousine came to
a stop. Catherine broke away from the kiss and looked out the
windows.

“Where are we?” she asked.

The chauffeur opened the door. “Sir?”

Julian sighed and slid out. A bellhop was
already on his way out to retrieve any luggage. When she didn’t
immediately follow him out, Julian bent down to see what was
delaying her.

“It’s just going to come off again,” he said,
referring to the lipstick she was reapplying.

“It’ll last as long as we’re in public.” She
dropped the tube and her compact in her purse and extended a free
hand to the vampire. “Geeze, your hand is already freezing!”

“It is a touch chilly out here,” he mused.
“Shall we?”

Wow.

It was a magnificent hotel. Her satchel and a
garment bag were loaded onto a trolley. They hurried inside out of
the cold. She tried not to gawk. She glanced around while Julian
signed something at the front desk and got the key.

“You have the Royal Suite, Mr. Holbrook.
Enjoy your stay.”

Holbrook?

“Is that your real name?” she whispered.

Julian wiggled his brows. “Could be. Come on,
pet. The lift is this way.”

“You’ve been here before?”

“Several times. Celia and I had supper here
quite often during the early ‘20s. Still looks good.”

“By ‘supper’, you mean…?”

“We ate here, love. Interpret that as you
will.”

The elevator finally reached their floor.
Catherine got another surprise.

He smiled smugly. “The very best. We’re lucky
it was empty.”

The attendant unlocked the room and opened
the door for them. He carried the bags somewhere inside.

Julian strolled in like he owned the place.
She was stunned. The entrance hall had elegant columns and antique
furniture. That was just the beginning, of course. There was an
enormous drawing room, with cream walls, sofas the color of holly
berries, and a grand piano. The rug and other upholstery had hints
of gold to complement the red and rich wood tones. Big windows with
red velvet drapes looked out onto the city. A crystal chandelier
hung from the center of the ceiling. There were
houses
smaller than this, and this was just a sitting room! It even had a
fireplace.

He tipped the young man and closed the door,
then watched her explore.

“Good Lord, there’s even a dining room!
Julian, this is too much! I can’t even fathom how much this place
costs just for one night.”

“It’s not the most expensive room in the
world. Just enjoy it. There’s even butler service. Come, you
haven’t seen the rest, yet.” He took her hand and led her into the
bedroom.

A king-size canopy bed had a red coverlet to
continue the theme. It was another large room, with sumptuously
plush carpeting and more elegant wood furniture. The bathroom had
two sinks, a huge tub, and separate shower. The fixtures were all
in gold. The rest was marble.

“I’m afraid to touch anything,” she
muttered.

Julian came up behind her, placing his hands
on her shoulders. “Bath big enough for two. Bet they even included
bubbles,” he murmured, his breath tickling her ear.

She broke free and strode back to the drawing
room, stopping at one of the windows. London glittered below, the
lights like jewels.

“Are you hungry? We can order room service,
put our feet up…get cozy…”

“You didn’t need to do all…this.”

He sighed and walked over to her. “If it
makes you feel better, I cashed in a favor. We’re not breaking the
bank.” He reached around from behind and unclasped her cloak, his
fingertips trailing along her skin as he drew it away. “There’s a
beautiful room with a beautiful view and excellent company waiting
right here to be enjoyed, love. Just relax.” He dropped the cloak
on the floor. His hands slowly trailed up her arms. “Live in the
moment.”

She relaxed into his chest as he lips trailed
kisses down the side of her neck, her eyes fluttering shut when his
arms wrapped around her waist. He could bite and drain her right
now and she’d be helpless to stop him. She almost wished he would,
instead of whispering complements against her skin in that hypnotic
voice of his.

“Trying to seduce me?” she whispered.

“Is it working?” he replied.

She could hear the grin in his voice. She
smiled, still facing the window. “Little bit.”

His teeth grazed the tendon on the side of
her neck. “Hmm…what else can I do to convince you?”

She turned in his arms and kissed him. He
hummed in pleasure and pressed her against the window. The corset
was making it hard to take deep breaths, adding to the dizzying
effect of making out with someone who didn’t need air. She took in
great gulps of oxygen as he kissed her neck again. His hands were
roaming up and down her sides and back, mapping her curves. Each
time they slid back up, his thumbs skimmed the underside of her
breasts.

Her hands roamed under his tuxedo jacket and
loosened the tie around his neck. She knew what he looked like, of
course, from walking in on him that day, fresh from the shower, but
her fingers itched to feel his skin. Learn if he was soft or
coarse. She grabbed his face and brought his mouth back to hers for
an intense kiss, then broke away to take his hand. His brow
furrowed in confusion until he figured out she was leading him to
the bedroom.

“Whatever are you going to do with me, Miss
Mitchell?” Julian asked playfully.

Catherine winked. “You’ll find out soon
enough.”

She stopped by the side of the bed and
slipped her hands under his jacket, sliding it off his shoulders.
It was tossed towards a chair. Her hands went to his belt buckle
next as she leaned forward to kiss him. He tried to pull her closer
but she slapped his hands away. He moaned at suddenly feeling her
warm hand on his erection, then whimpered when she let go.

Catherine grinned as she pushed him
backwards.

“Sit,” she commanded.

He arched a brow. “Now, what? Oh
god…
”
He never would have expected her to… “You devious…little…minx!”

She chuckled around him.

Feeling his prominent erection against her
belly in the other room, she’d suddenly remembered her dream, the
one about sucking him off. And just as suddenly as she remembered,
she realized she really wanted to make that dream reality. So,
she’d unzipped his pants, pushed him onto the bed, dropped to her
knees, and taken him into her mouth as far as he’d go.

Julian was panting and moaning almost
instantly. “
God
, pet…just like…you…fuck! Where did you learn
that?”

She massaged the spot behind his testicles,
earning a growl and the thrust of his hips. “Magazine,” she
brightly replied, then dropped her head again. By the way his hands
were gripping and twisting the bedding, it wouldn’t be long.

“Kitten…gonna…don’t have to…”

He shouted unintelligibly as he came, briefly
choking her.

She stayed in place, swallowing down all he
had to give. It coated her throat, and she was really going to need
a glass of water after this. Giving his dick a parting kiss, she
sat back and daintily wiped at the corners of her mouth. He was
breathing heavily, half slumped on the bed, staring at her with a
look of…awe?

She blushed. “What?” she asked
self-consciously.

“I never…
get up here
.”

He grabbed her shoulders and hauled her up
for a kiss, plunging his tongue in her mouth.

“You’re amazing.”

“I dreamed about it once,” she confessed,
blushing further.

“
Did
you now? On who?” The way she
ducked her head told him the answer. “And when was this, naughty
girl?”

“Umm…last week?”

Julian chuckled and brushed his nose against
hers. “Before, or after, you got a peek at my bits?”

“I didn’t peek!”

“You noticed the towel was gone.”

“I didn’t have to look
there
to see
that,” she argued.

“Ah, so it was before…and does reality
measure
up
?” He punctuated the last word with a thrust of
his hips into her belly, showing off he was hard again.

“I wasn’t taking notes,” Catherine replied.
She flicked his ear with her tongue. “It was more about making you
scream my name,” she added huskily. In a blink, she found herself
on her back, their positions reversed.

“Oh, I think it’s you who’ll be screamin’
before the night’s over, love.”

“I’m not a screamer. Didn’t make a peep when
you scared me at the theater.”

“No one to mind your decorum for, here, baby.
We’re the only ones on this floor. And I’m a man of many
talents.”

“I’m sure you are, but what makes you think
I’ll be taking advantage of them?”

He grinned wolfishly. “Because, Catherine, I
know
exactly
how hot I make you. I can practically taste you
on the air right now. Gonna lick your sweetness. All. Up.”

Okay, vampires senses? Eww. Julian promising
to make her come? Guh! He was right, of course. She
was
all
worked up. But getting naked and groin-y was a point of no return.
Even now, she wasn’t sure she was ready for the main event.

Something of what she was thinking must have
shown upon her face, for his expression softened into kindness and
understanding.

“I won’t make you do anythin’ you don’t want
to, love. You have my word.”

She nodded, unconsciously relaxing.
“Yeah…breathing’s becoming an issue.”

“Oh!” He rolled up onto his feet. “Sorry.
Forgot.”

“It’s okay.” She squirmed uncomfortably.
“Corsets are kinda evil.”

“I’m surely not goin’ to stop you if you want
out of that dress.”

His tie and cuff links were left on the
dresser, his shoes and socks coming off next. She watched him
undress with a combination of trepidation and hunger.

She chewed on her lip while weighing the
decision. Finally, she asked, “Could you help me?”

Julian paused and looked at her, his shirt
unbuttoned. “Just tell me what to do, kitten.”

She stood and turned around. “Just, um,
loosen the laces in the back, here.”

He crossed the few feet between them and
scrutinized the lacing. The bow had been double-knotted so it would
stay tied. His nimble fingers gently worked the bow loose and
slackened the ribbon through the eyes. She sighed and slouched
slightly now that the dress was loose enough to take a full deep
breath.

“Better?” he softly asked.

“Much. Thank you.”

Catherine held the dress up with her hand.
She turned her head to smile at him, then walked into the bathroom
to retrieve a complimentary robe.

***

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a
breath once she was out of sight. Going at her pace was taking
nearly all of his self-control, but he just couldn’t push her. It
felt…wrong. It was why he’d zipped his pants up again once he
stood, though the button was still undone. He knew she wanted him,
but whatever would tip the scales in his favor hadn’t happened,
yet.

At least she wasn’t
trying
to be a
tease.

Catherine came out in a white fluffy robe,
the dress draped over her arm. She went over to the closet and
carefully hung it up, caressing the beautiful beading a final time
before shutting the door. Her hair was still pinned up and she
hadn’t removed her shoes, yet.

He coughed. “Hungry?” God, he wanted to see
what was under that robe.

***

“Oh…yes,” she replied, relieved for a safe
topic. “I hope there’s something normal on the menu.”

He shook his head. “Bloody Yanks,” he
teased.