Reawakening (7 page)

He reached up, cupping her face, his left thumb skimming her full bottom lip. Which she began to nervously chew on.

“Why don’t you check, Giselle?”

Her breath quickened, if the heaving of her nearly exposed chest was any indication. She hadn’t taken her eyes from his mouth since her verbal challenge. Even though she’d die before she admitted it, she’d missed him too. He was painfully hard and swore he could smell her arousal. Fuck, he wanted to kiss her.

She swallowed hard, before flicking her eyes to his in silent challenge.

Do it,
they begged.

That’s the only green light he needed before he took her lower lip between his teeth, dragging it through harshly. She closed her eyes and sighed softly. Her upper lip was next and he paid it the same treatment, relishing in her breathy moans. He finally took her full mouth in a soul-stealing kiss, palming the back of her neck to hold her exactly where he wanted.

Breaking away from her mouth, his lips trailed across her cheek to her ear.

“Christ, I want you so fucking much, Giselle,” he murmured in her ear before taking the lobe between his teeth and biting down hard. She sucked in a sharp breath, as he predicted. The one thing he’d come to learn about her over these last several months is how much she loved the sting of his bite, even if it was with dull human teeth.

Kissing his way down her neck, he traced the top of her exposed breast lightly with his index finger, dipping it inside to feel her hard nub. “I want to be buried so deep inside you, you’ll feel me even when I’m not there.”

She turned her head kissing his neck, dragging her sharp teeth along his thin, sensitive flesh. His ministrations stopped as he enjoyed the kisses and nicks she peppered along his skin.

Fuck, he wanted to be inside her more than his next breath, but he’d pushed her too hard, too fast before, and he would not do that again. This time, if they weren’t completely in the same story and on the same fucking page, he’d bookmark it again for another day. As agonizingly hard as that would be. If she wasn’t ready yet, he would not pressure her.

He gently grabbed her head, holding it tightly against him, forcing her to stop.

“I want this, Giselle. I want you, but I need you to be all in with me. And if you’re not ready yet, that’s okay. I’ll wait. I’ll wait for as long as it takes, baby.” And he meant it.

She was silent, but listening.

“I don’t know why you’re here, baby, but stay. Spend the night with me. Please. I want to hold your body against mine.” He placed a soft kiss on her temple and had to force his hands not to roam the body she’d so teasingly put on display. Some may call Giselle a cock tease, but he knew better. She was a confused, traumatized woman and he would not add to that.

“I have a pet project I wanted your help with,” she whispered.

He was unable to contain the broad smile that spread across his face. So she wasn’t here on assignment, but because she
wanted
to be? Very good to know.

“Stay,” he firmly demanded.

“The project …”

He had her. She wanted to stay, but he’d get her to admit it, because he’d be damned if she’d turn this around on him come the morning when she may be feeling less vulnerable.

“We’ll work on it first thing tomorrow. Stay.” His lips trailed across her temple. “Stay. I promise to behave,” he whispered. He hadn’t promised not to take a cold shower and pump the junk a few times to relieve the ache he now felt deep in his balls.

“Yes,” she breathed.

Thank fuck.
He wasn’t sure he could handle her walking out the door, not knowing when he’d see her again.

He’d finally gotten Giselle in his bed, not exactly the way he’d wanted, but it was a start. Now, he just needed to figure out how to keep her there, because against everything he’d ever believed could have happened … he was in love with this female, a
vampire
, and he didn’t want to let her go.

Ever.

Chapter 8

Sarah

His hands traveled lightly down her exposed arms. She wanted them to thread underneath her pajama top and palm her aching breasts. She wanted his lips to take her pebbled nipple into his mouth, but he frustratingly kept his touch light, teasing. Hot breath skated along her neck, but his mouth never touched her skin.

She didn’t want to wake, but consciousness beckoned her.
Just a few more minutes, she pleaded.

“More,” she begged.

This was the first time he’d ever touched her in a dream. After all these years of aching for him, he finally had his hands on her but it wasn’t enough. And why did it feel so right, yet so weirdly wrong at the same time?

It was
him
, but he’d yet to show his face. It was
him
, but every time she tried to look into his icy blues, they became concealed again.
Gah
! Why was he hiding from her?

Morning rays spilled in around the closed shades and the last images of her erotic dream faded away. She whipped off the covers, her body in agony with unfulfilled need. Her hand snaked down under her panties, finding her pussy completely drenched. She had to relieve some of the pressure that’d built to volcanic proportions. She’d never been so turned on.

And it was just a dream. Imagine how the real flesh and blood Romaric would feel against your skin, in your body.

Spreading her moisture, she reached climax in record time and lay panting on sweat soaked sheets. Once wasn’t enough and after the second release, she finally felt a small amount of the heaviness subside. If she did happen to see Romaric, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep from jumping him on the spot. And wouldn’t that be embarrassing, throwing yourself at someone who didn’t bother to give you the time of day.

Pushing down her disappointment that she hadn’t seen him last night, she headed for the shower. Thirty minutes later, hair slightly damp and curly, with a light coat of mascara and some powder to cover her shiny pores, she dressed in jean shorts and a navy blue tank. Slipping on her flip-flops, she opened her bedroom door and froze.

Standing in her doorway—no, more like taking up her
entire
doorway—was Romaric Dietrich.

Romaric, Greek God of sex.

In.

The.

Flesh.

Sweet. Holy. Mother.

With his sexy goatee and light hair so closely cropped to his head that he almost appeared bald, he
was
god-like perfection and scary intimidating all at the same time. The entire package was rounded out with his clear blue penetrating eyes, and shoulders so broad he’d put any NFL linebacker to shame.

And his scrutiny of her now was as, if not more, piercing as that night at dinner seven long days ago. His eyes raked over every inch of her exposed flesh, lingering on the swell of her breasts, before snapping back to hers. She suddenly wished she’d worn wedges, not only to make her taller, but to lengthen her less than model short legs.

Sweet. Holy. Mother.
Yes, she was repeating herself, but
Jesus
, it was worth repeating.

“Hello Sarah,” he drawled. The deep timbre of his voice echoed in her ears long after he’d stopped talking.

“Uhhhhh …”

He chuckled and it was the first time she’d seen a hint of a smile on his oh so serious face. She
loved
it. If he would full on smile, she was sure she’d drop to her knees and kiss his feet. Or something else.

Sarah … stop.

“It’s customary to say hello back.”

Not knowing what else to do, she complied. “Uh, hello.” But it came out choppy and breathless, instead of sexy and confident.

Groan.

To her surprise, he grabbed her hand—her
rubbin’ the nubbin’
one—and brought it to his mouth, brushing his lips across her knuckles before inhaling deeply.

A knowing grin spread across his face and she wasn’t sure if she should die of mortification on the spot or kneel at his feet, as she’d earlier thought. His smile lit up the entire room, brighter than the sunlight streaming in her now open window.

Oh. My. Gawd.

He was the sexiest damn thing she had ever seen.

“Accompany me to breakfast.”

Was that a demand or a question? She wasn’t really sure it mattered at the moment because her answer was yes, yes,
hell
yes.

“Sure,” she replied nonchalantly. His grin spread even further, knowing she was anything but unaffected by him. Jesus, instead of acting like the grown ass woman she was, she was acting like a crushing schoolgirl who liked a boy, but for some dumb reason didn’t want him to know.

Never letting her hand go, he silently led her through the shelter back to the main house and into the smaller of the dining rooms. The table in here could still easily hold twenty guests. Dev really did like the finer things in life.

“Sit.” He pulled out a chair and gestured for her to take a seat. Surprisingly, he pulled out the chair right next to hers and sat, but not before scooting it closer to hers. He had nineteen other chairs to choose from but chose the one right next to hers instead.

Suddenly she was very nervous. And kind of pissed off, actually. After seeing him again, she
knew
she hadn’t dreamt up their mutual attraction, so why hadn’t she heard from him before now? Why didn’t he stop by last night? Why hadn’t he called her before now? Why hadn’t he made even a shred of an attempt to let her know that she wasn’t concocting this insane connection in her own sometimes-crazy head?

“How did you sleep?” he asked.

How did she sleep?
That
was his first question? He hadn’t seen her in a week, ignoring this raging sexual inferno between them, and he wanted to talk about how she’d slept? Why not just ask her what she thought of this ungodly hot summer they’d been having or her thoughts on global warming or hey, what do you think of North Korea’s nuclear warhead threat?

How did she sleep?

Nancy: because he was with another ho … I thought I already went over this with you, Sarah.

She turned in her chair to face him, tucking her right leg beneath her left.

“What are you doing?”

“Having breakfast,” he replied flatly. All traces of humor had vanished and the insanely intense Romaric had resurfaced.

Kate and Analise had warned her against Romaric. Analise thought he was ‘scary as fuck.’ Kate just thought he was lonely. Both agreed he was stoic, calm and calculating. Almost unfeeling, like an emotional lever had simply been flipped off.

She observed him for a few moments. As much as she wanted to have sex with the sex-god himself—and she
really, really
did—she suddenly didn’t want to be added to a very long list of women that came before her. And if she stayed here, she’d have to see him occasionally, and wouldn’t that just be awkward. She could just imagine that conversation.

Hello Sarah, how are you today?

Great, are you in town long?

Just tonight, I’m afraid.

Oh … are you interested in maybe … coming back to my room?

Thank you for the offer, Sarah. I have someone else lined up this evening.

Yah … that would
so
not work for her. She would get insanely jealous and lash out and probably be asked to immediately leave the premises. Can’t have a psycho ex living here, verbally threatening a Vampire Lord.

“I’m not talking about food. I’m talking about what are you doing with
me
?”

“I thought I made that clear.”

Uh … what?

“Breakfast?” she asked.

“No, Sarah. You.”

He was so serious she almost laughed. Maybe Giselle learned her tail chasing from Romaric, because he was making no fucking sense whatsoever.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I want you, Sarah. I’m not sure how much clearer I need to make it.”

His intensity suddenly increased twentyfold. His cheekbones became more defined, sharper; his eyes glowed, making them appear almost crystalized; his sinewy body went completely taut and she could see the flex of his muscles underneath the tightness of his stuffy button down shirt.

“But if you need me to spell it out for you, I will.”

He pushed his chair back and stood. He was already a good foot taller than her short five foot six frame, but with him looming large over her sitting form, he seemed almost like a daunting mythical warrior that had risen from the ashes. If he suddenly brandished a medieval longsword, it wouldn’t surprise her in the least.

Gently taking her hand in his, he pulled her to her feet. His piercing stare was so ripe with longing she almost couldn’t catch her breath and the reasons she shouldn’t have sex with him vanished like they’d never existed at all. He walked her backward until her back was flush to the dark blue wall.

She swallowed hard, not knowing what to expect next, but waiting for it on pins and needles all the same. Romaric’s eyes never left hers as his hands came to the wall on either side of her head, caging her in. His feet came on either side of hers, his thighs pressing against hers, which allowed him to unashamedly push his rock hard erection into her stomach. She was well and truly trapped and
so
incredibly turned on by his blatant display of ownership over her body that she thought she could possibly climax from this physical contact alone.

“What I want, Sarah—no, what I
crave
more than my next breath—is to bury my aching cock deep inside your hot, tight, soaked pussy and fuck you until your throat is raw from screaming my name. I’m going to fuck you until you’ve come so many times you think you can’t come again, but you will because I will demand it. I’m going to fuck you every way I can until you crave me on a subconscious level and can’t live without my cock. Then I’m going to make love to you until you agree to be mine.”