Suckers Bite Back (San Francisco Vampires #5) (Vampires of San Francisco series) (17 page)

“Forever, mon amour.”

He pulls me up so I am sitting in his lap and starts to move slowly, making sweet love to me, capturing my mouth with his. We stay this way forever. Sebastian has perfect self-control. Although I hate the idea of all the women he has touched over the past three hundred years, I rejoice in his skills. He brings me to orgasm several times and each time Sebastian’s eye shine brighter. It’s like the light had been out in them and finally it’s coming back. Finally Sebastian can take no more. I feel his release coming and I hold him tighter. He comes with my name on his lips.

24 SEBASTIAN

I had Lily back. She lies in my arms now, sated, beautiful. My heart overflows once again. But it is different this feeling. It’s as if my heart remembers what it felt like to be broken and it is holding on to her more tightly this time. But my head knows that if I smother her like my nature desires I will lose her again. I will never let her ago again. She nuzzles my chest and my head spins with lust and love and pride and the fever to keep her safe. How do I do that without making her feel controlled.

“Ma cherie, don’t you have kick boxing tonight?” I ask. I regret having to remind her. She needs to leave me. But I love the new independent Lily. It’s one step in letting her be herself and I love that self. I want her fledgling independence to grow. I want her to become the woman I know she can become.

“Yes,” she says. She stretches and sighs then snuggles against my body again. “What time is it?”

I look over her to see her bedside clock.

“It’s five-thirty, my gorgeous girl.”

“I have to leave by six-thirty. I have time for a shower. Want to join me?” she asks coyly.

“Like you have to ask me.” She jumps up and runs toward the en suite bathroom and I snarl, my inner vampire excited by the chase, as I leap up and try to catch her. I hunt her down before she reaches the shower and pull her into me, kissing her soundly and spanking her delectable ass once to let her know she is naughty. She moans in my mouth. Hmmm…

“Come on, dear heart,” she says. “This shower was built for two and it has been entirely too underused. It’s time we broke it in.” There is a wicked glint in her eye. I like it. It’s new. Her confidence is coming back. Goddess, I love her.

“I believe I can help with that, ma petite. In fact I am sure I can,” I say as I look down at my hard erection. She giggles and backs into the shower turning on all the jets, jumping a little as the cold water hits her and then she sighs when it turns warm. She reaches out to me.

“Come in, the water is wonderful,” she says in a husky voice that is so, so sexy.

I walk into the marble and glass wonder, a veritable temple for two. I know she already loves it. Helena really knew what she was doing when she remodeled the suite for us.

Lily already has shower gel in her hands, lathering it up. She runs her soapy hands all over me, cleaning me. Her eyes tell me she is savoring me as much as I savor her. It’s heady, this knowledge. I’ve had enough pampering. It’s my turn to wash her. I lather up my hands and wash her shoulders, under arms, her chest. I turn her around and knead her shoulders and wash her back, her sweet bottom, between her legs, lingering there.

Next I get the shampoo and move her so her hair under the jets. I pull her back and wash her hair gently, massaging her head. She sighs and relaxes in my hands.

“You like this?” I ask around my smile.

“Yes, very much.”

“I do too, I like taking care of you, Lily.”

“I like taking care of you, too, Sebastian.” My throat constricts. No longer alone. I need her now.

I walk her back into the spray and carefully rinse her hair out and then pick her up and then lower her onto me. She gasps and cries out my name. It is like a siren’s call to me. I just want more. I move my hips so she’ll say my name again and she does. Over and over. It’s soon my undoing. Now it’s my voice I hear calling her name as she tightens her legs around me as she holds me. So close and she is kissing me deeply and telling me she loves me, over and over again.

“You know you need to move your things in here now,” Lily says, as a matter of fact when we dress.

“I thought you’d never ask. I can’t stand being away from you a minute more,” I say. I take her hand in mine and kiss her. She’s dressed in her workout clothes now. I am beginning to appreciate the appeal of lycra.

“Why don’t you move in while I’m at class? I’m sure Andrew and Liam will help.”

“I’ll ask them. If not, I’ll manage.”

“Forever…” she says. A wistful expression caresses Lily’s face. I can’t resist kissing her again.

“You’re going to be late now, go cherie. You and Helena have fun kicking ass.”

“Oh, we will,” she says and winks at me over her shoulder as she grabs her bag and runs out the door.

I follow her to the stairs, seeing Helena waiting for her. Helena is smiling like a fool at me. I smile back after all the roof raising noise we had made in the past suddenly I am shy. I want to keep our cocoon to ourselves right now. I know it seems selfish, but we always share everything with the family and our love is so private at this moment. Vulnerable and new. I wonder if Lily feels the same.

25 LILITH

“Give me all the details, Lily Goodwill. We couldn’t hear you guys, but you disappeared and you both are sporting big smiles and you positively glow,” Helena demands the second we close the car doors. She’s not usually this nosey but I know Sebastian and my breakup has really stressed her.

“Let me see if Hannah will meet us for coffee after class and I will talk to you both at the same time,” I answer, side-stepping the question for now. I feel like protecting our budding relationship. Oh hell, it’s blooming not budding. Thorns and all. Sebastian has taken me in and I have inhaled his sweet fragrance.

I call Hannah on my cell while Helena drives. She agrees to meet us in the city if we can pick her up at the BART station. Her hell hound, Hades, has been using the bumper of her beetle as a chew toy so it’s in the shop. I tell her it is no problem and we hang up. We park in the parking garage near the school and gather our bags. As I am walking around the corner, Mark steps out of the shadows. He has his hands up in a sign of peace with a smile on his face.

“I just had to see that you were okay. I left things so fucked up and I couldn’t stand you thinking so poorly of me.” He runs his hand through his dark hair. “Lily, you have to understand everything that’s happened has been done by a man who is desperately in love with you,” he says. His eyes are serious and I see the hurt in them.

Helena is ahead of me, she turns back to see what is keeping me. A scowl gathers on her lovely face. I hold my hand up to signal her. No magick. Yet.

“It’s okay, Helena. Mark was just checking on me. Apologizing even.” I smile at him tightly. He still makes me nervous. “Mark, you can see I’m okay. I’m going to be late for class though. I have to go. I’m sorry, for everything.”

He nods, sighs and turns around to walk back to his motorcycle. His Indian. As I walk away, I wonder how he knew where I would be. He must have followed us. I shiver from at the implication, pushing Helena along as we hurry to class.

Class is uneventful. Just some good old clean kick boxing. It’s a relief not to have any drama. I feel the excess worry and stress fly away from me as I kick and punch at my sparring partner and then later at the bag. As we leave, I am relaxed and tired in a good way, bone deep.

I grab a cardigan when we get into the car and take off for BART. Hannah is waiting outside on the street at the Powell Street station. She hurries into the car. She’s wearing a tight fitting t-shirt that shows off her baby-bump nicely and a wave of regret goes through me. It’s bitter sweet.

“So what is so important that I had to drag my ass across the Bay?” Hannah asks as we pull away into traffic.

“Lily and Sebastian did the deed,” Helena giggles. I smack her arm, hard.

“Helena! How crass,” I say.

“I know, it’s true though, isn’t it?” she asks, arching an eyebrow. I’ve never been able to do that and therefore feel anyone that can is not to be trusted. Ugh! Okay maybe I lie but I am jealous.

“OMG! OMG! Oh. My. Goddess. It’s about freaking time,” Hannah squeals. Then she bursts into tears and Helena pulls into a parking spot at the café we are going to. We both turn with concern to look at Hannah.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. It’s just so romantic. Star crossed lovers and all… Fucking hormones,” she mumbles.

I make a small snort, and quickly cover my mouth. Then Helena giggles again and I can’t keep it in. Seeing Hannah, the self-proclaimed Ganja Girl, righter of wrongs and kicker of asses, turn all emotional at the whim of her pregnancy hormones is adorable.

“Aww great. Laugh it up you two. I’m a giant freaking hormonal mess and my besties are making fun of me.” She sniffs but I see a curl at the corner of her mouth.

“We’re not making fun of you, Ganja Mamma. You are too adorable, though. Come on in. I’ll buy you a chamomile tea,” I tell her and give her my warmest smile.

She smiles back reaching for the door handle. The three of us entering the café makes quite an entrance. Most people can handle our otherworldliness on a one on one basis. But you get three or more of us and we start to make a scene. Even with Helena and me dressed down, everyone stares at us like we’ve glamoured them, which is what we have done in a way. Helena is used to it but Hannah and I aren’t. Especially me, being the youngest.

We order our drinks and find a table at the back. When the order comes and we are situated, the other two stare at me.

“What?”

“Deets,” Hannah demands.

“It’s very private. I don’t want to give details. But I will tell you that we are unequivocally together. I love him so much more strongly, more seriously than I ever knew I could. Is that weird?” I ask taking a drink of my peppermint mocha.

“No, dearling, you’ve grown up. You’ve changed. So the way you love has changed too,” Helena says taking one of my hands and squeezing it.

“I still want the deets,” Hannah mumbles under her breath as she sips her tea. Then she gasps and rubs her belly. “Oh my gosh. The baby is kicking up a storm.”

“May I feel it, Hannah?” I ask tentatively.

“Of course. I think it was your voice that got the little demon going. It likes its auntie Lily.”

I gently place my hands on her belly and am rewarded with a kick. I’m the one gasping this time. It is such a miracle. I would be upset but I know that Hannah is in awe of it as much as I am and is going to be an amazing mother. It turns out she has wanted this for years and years.

Suddenly I feel very protective over her and don’t like the idea of her traveling back on BART this late at night by herself. I excuse myself from the table on the pretense of calling Sebastian and sneak out of the café to call Diel.

“Diel? Hi, it’s Lily.”

“Hi, Lily. Aren’t you supposed to be with Hannah? What’s wrong? Is she okay?” he sounds panicked.

“She’s fine big guy. I’m just worried about her riding BART back alone this late at night. She doesn’t know I’m calling you. Do you think you could sneak over here and pick her up?” I ask.

“Aidan’s here. I’ll ask him to zap me and the car over. Thanks, Lily. I didn’t know she snuck out on BART. I told her to drive. I would have been worried too. Let’s keep this between us, okay? I don’t want her to know we are conspiring against her, even if it’s for her own safety.”

“I agree. I’ve seen her pissed off. Not pretty.” I laugh and he chuckles with me. “Give us about ten more minutes before you meet us.” I give him the location and name of the café and we say our goodbyes.

I text Sebastian a brief message telling him I love and miss him.

Weaving through waiters and patrons, I make my way back to our little table to a laughing Hannah and Helena. Hannah gives me a knowing look as my phone pings an incoming text message. I look down and it’s from Bast.

I Love you, too, ma petite. Miss you more. Come back to me soon and I’ll show you how much.

I get squishy inside and have a goofy grin on my face.

“Oh brother, she has it bad. So does he. Just off the phone and they are texting,” Hannah says making a gagging motion.

“You with a demon tongue down her throat half the time, have no room to talk,” I snark back.

“Both you girls are in the freshly in love stage and it is a beautiful thing to see, if a bit nauseating at times,” Helena says. She’s laughing now at the look of shock on our faces.

“I’m just kidding. You both remind me what is like to be young and I want to soak up every bit of it. I love it,” she says. I punch her in the arm.

“Helena, just when I think I have you figured out, you surprise me,” Hannah says, shaking her head.

I look up to see Diel and Aidan walking towards us. Damn, Aidan. I had hoped he wouldn’t come in I wanted to put off seeing him for a while longer. Too many residual feelings. I pull up my big girl panties and prepare myself. The look on my face must have made Aidan uneasy because he looks at me and then winces. An uneasiness flashes across his face and then he seems regretful and sympathetic. This does not bode well. The two of us have to have some time to get over each other.

Hannah sees my expression and whips around to see who is coming and lets out a little squeal as she gets up and flies into her mate’s arms. Helena’s eyes narrow and I feel guilty.

“Yes, I called Diel. I was worried about her going home alone,” I whisper in her ear. Helena smiles and pats my hand.

“Hello, Lilith,” Aidan says softly. “May I sit down?” He gestures at an open chair at our table.

“It’s a public place, Aidan. Of course you can sit down.” Helena kicks me under the table. Damn, that hurt. Aidan closes his eyes briefly like I hurt him. Who is he to get to feel that way after what he did. Wait, I need to grow up. He made a mistake and I need to forgive him and move on.

“How are you?” he asks after he takes his seat.

I sigh.

“I’m getting better,” I say.

“Lilith… I don’t know how to say this…”