They were delivered to a high-rise apartment building at the docks near Melbourne. He felt like a fish out of water. So much had changed. Darcy had led them into an elevator and now they glided up in the steel box. It was a lot fancier than any he'd remembered riding in back in the eighties.
"How long have we been gone?"
As he spoke, he eyed the small number pad on the wall of the lift. It looked similar to the keypad from the new portable phone he'd had.
"Well, today's date is the twenty-ninth of February, 2012."
His gaze snapped to Darcy's as he clung tighter to Sharon. It had been that long? It had felt like an eternity that he was locked in that cell but he had no way to tell the passing of days, weeks and months. No idea how much time passed between feedings to use them as a gauge.
"Twenty-seven years."
Sharon's voice was quiet but powerful. Barret pulled her against him as he tried to not think about the six leap years that twenty-seven included. His heart broke for his Bride. How many sons had she been forced to bear and give up? How would she cope with it all? She was still on a high from being rescued and the hormones of her fertile time. But tomorrow and the next day, how would she withstand it all? Would she blame him? If he hadn't claimed her, she'd have been saved from being violated. He hoped she would talk to him about it, let him help her. He was fairly certain having Darcy back in her life would help ease some of the pain.
A ding and the doors sliding open pulled him from his introspection. He guided Sharon with a hand on her lower back as they both followed Darcy from the elevator down a posh but elegantly decorated hallway. Darcy slid a card through a scanner on a door labeled 'Suite 3904.' What happened to keys? Although, this new system didn't look hard to use and Barret was sure he'd work out how it functioned easily enough.
With his hand still on Sharon's lower back, he guided her through the door and into the apartment, and his mind turned to other matters. He'd not made love to his bride since that first time all those years ago. Add to that the extra hormones rushing through both their systems due to the date and he was rather strung out. All those previous thoughts about her mental wellbeing were shoved aside by his instincts which craved his mate. His Eternal Bride.
"Um, I know you want to be alone so I'll leave you to it. The shutters come down automatically at daybreak, and the bedroom is central with no windows. If you need me, Angelo and I are in the penthouse apartment, just dial zero on the phone and ask the reception desk to put you through. Any questions?"
Barret glanced around the space they stood in. He was sure he'd have questions, but he'd deal with them later. Much later. He felt a gaze on him and turned to see Sharon's heated expression.
"Thank you, Darcy, but I think most things can wait until tomorrow."
"Um, yeah, sure."
Sharon blushed and chuckled at her daughter's embarrassment. Sharon embraced Darcy and then she was gone.
Leaving just him and his Eternal Bride.
Alone.
Finally.
"I missed you so much, my love."
At his words, her eyes glazed over and tears ran down her cheeks.
"Every day without you was hell. Knowing you were starved, feeling your pain. I died a thousand times every day."
What she'd suffered was far worse than his pain, yet she didn't say a thing about her own torment. His heart ached with his love for her as he took her hand and led her toward the center of the apartment.
Hopefully the bathroom led off the bedroom. He knew he must stink and he was desperate to get rid of the hair on his face. He led her down the hallway to a large bedroom with clean pale blue sheets on the bed. He eyed the doors of the room and randomly picked one.
Damn, wardrobe.
He tried again and bingo, he was in the bathroom. Once he pulled his Sharon in with him, he released her hand to tear his ragged clothes from his body. Now naked, he prowled toward her as she watched him, with her eyes wide and her mouth parted. The scent of her arousal poured off her. Her fertile time had started and was calling out to him.
He reached for her and she moved into his touch. He all but shredded her clothes to get to her flesh. Once naked, he stood back a fraction to look at her. She was glorious. Large breasts, hourglass waist and hips. Thankfully, the small marks that bastard had left on her skin back in the compound, were already healed. His eyes zeroed in on the soft curls at the juncture of her thighs. Licking his lips, he backed her into the shower-stall and kissed her slow and deep. He needed to be inside her, which meant he needed to be clean. He pulled from the kiss and frowned at the strange lever on the wall. What happened to taps?
"Do you know how to operate that?"
Sharon chuckled and nodded, so he stepped to the side and allowed her to adjust the water. Once she was satisfied with the temperature, Sharon turned to face him and backed under the spray, crooking a finger at him to come to her. He rushed to stand before her, trembling with need. Completely mesmerized, he watched as she took a bottle from the shelf and poured a large amount of liquid into her hand.
"Kneel for me, let me wash your hair and body. Allow me to care for you, love."
Her request humbled him, so sweet were her words his arousal backed off a little and he lowered down before his Bride, his everything, and allowed her to do as she wished. He closed his eyes on a moan as she lathered his hair with what must be shampoo. She was careful to not pull at the tangles as she massaged his hair and scalp. Tingles spread over his body as he absorbed her touch. He opened his eyes when she stopped, and he watched the flex of her arm muscles and the sway of her breasts as she reached to unhook the shower nozzle from the wall. He again closed his eyes to allow her to rinse the suds free. She repeated the process with the shampoo before moving on to conditioner. The subtle woodsy smell of the products filled the air but couldn't compete with Sharon's natural berry scent. Without rinsing his hair, she took his hands and helped him to his feet.
She took a small white washcloth and coated it in shower gel. Her breasts continued to sway enticingly with her movements, wet and glistening. Her nipples, such a beautiful mocha color puckered beneath his gaze, begging for his attention. Keeping his hands to himself was a struggle. He forced himself to resist her as she carefully cleaned every inch of his body. Her touch was divine and his nerves lapping up every sensation she gave him.
Barret was starving for her. As she rinsed off his body, he could no longer hold himself back from her wet, slick skin. He knew she might refuse him. The abuse her body and mind had suffered would take time to heal, and she'd have triggers he could easily set off without realizing. Licking his lips, he slowly lowered to his knees before her once more and took a nipple in his mouth. He groaned as her taste exploded across his senses. He raised his hands and gripped her hips as he suckled on her. Not wanting to push his luck for the moment, he released her breast with a wet pop sound. He nuzzled his face between her breasts, enjoying the feel of being surrounded by her soft flesh. He felt her hands in his hair once again, finger-combing the knots out as the conditioner rinsed away under the warm spray of water.
Sharon gently eased her body away from him. "Let me finish caring for you."
He wasn't sure he had anything left for her to clean, but he would give her this. Hell, he'd give her anything she asked for. Guilt for his part in her torture still swirled inside him, if only he'd held off claiming her. Or explained better what could happen if she left his side.
With the water shut off, Sharon led him from the shower and took a towel to cover herself with before she set about drying him off with another one. When he was dry, she wrapped it around his hips, concealing his erection from view. Barret was so desperate to have her, he could barely resist grabbing her and running for the bedroom. But she'd asked this of him, to give her this. And he would honor her by giving her this time to do what she needed to do to feel comfortable. He knew she'd require time. The fact she felt compelled to cover her body from his view said it all. She had new barriers that he would have to tear down. But he couldn't do it all in one night. For now, he'd let her lead and he wouldn't push her much. Didn't hurt she had her hands all over him to do what she was doing. He was loving being able to simply bask in her touch, her smell.
She led him to the other side of the bathroom where a stool was waiting. He frowned as he sat and took in the large basket of goodies sitting next to the sink. Obviously someone, probably Darcy, knew he'd be in a state after the rescue and had stocked the bathroom accordingly. He rearranged himself as he watched Sharon's sexy ass sway beneath the towel as she investigated the basket. Damn, but she was fine. And his. All his.
Chapter Five
Despite the turmoil rolling around inside her, Sharon smiled at the short note from Darcy.
Thought you might appreciate being able to clean up.
xo
Darcy
Her daughter seemed to think of everything. She rummaged through the basket as she felt her skin heat under Barret's gaze. She was fertile, her hormones screamed out for her mate. Of course, her hormones didn't understand the mess her head was in. Sharon was nervous, even though Barret had seen her naked in the shower. She knew once they got into bed he'd look at her more closely. Knew he'd want to caress and kiss every inch of her like he had the first time they'd been together. But she'd birthed five more babies since she'd last been with him. She fought to control the shudder of disgust that ran through her at the thought of how those babies had been conceived. Could she even have sex without automatically going to her safe place? She really didn't want to do that with Barret. She didn't want to miss a second of reacquainting herself with him.
To distract herself, she pulled the hair clippers free from the basket. Barret's beard was too long to simply shave off. Earlier, she'd seen him scratching and cursing it so she knew he wanted it gone, and she wanted to feel the soft, cool skin of his face. She plugged it in next to him before she cupped his hairy cheek in her trembling hand.
"Ready to lose the caveman look?"
The glint in his eye said he saw through her false cheer, but he gave her a small nod and nuzzled into her palm. The moment she started the clippers, he held still, allowing her to trim his beard. Carefully, she sheared as close to his skin as she could. Fully focused on her task, she quickly revealed the jaw line she remembered and had dreamt of for the past twenty-seven years.
Resting the small machine on the bench, she went for the shaving cream and lathered him up. She found herself grinning a little. She loved being able to touch him like this. To do such intimate things for him. Barret seemed to understand what she needed and he kept his hands to himself. Conceding complete control to her, which allowed her mind to settle and for her to enjoy this time together with her Vampire.
She half-filled the sink with warm water before pulling a new razor from its packet. Returning to him, she lightly kissed the tip of his nose and was rewarded with a soft moan. Barret tilted his head for her, and she hesitantly swiped the blade down his cheek as she spoke.
"I've never done this before."
"You'll do fine. I love feeling your hands on me."
She found herself smiling as she set about scraping away all the remaining whiskers. Once done, she drained the sink and wet another face-washer with warm water. She gently bathed the freshly revealed skin. He hissed a little, his skin must be sensitive after being under so much hair for so long. Returning to the basket, she found a tube of moisturizer. Aftershave would no doubt sting like a bitch. She turned back to him.
"I know under normal circumstances you wouldn't use something girly like moisturizer. But hopefully it will help settle your skin down. It's already going a little red."
Silently he held still for her to apply the lotion. She took her time, enjoying the feel of his smooth, cool skin beneath her fingertips. Once done, she leaned in and kissed him on the mouth, a slow seduction. His tongue licked over her bottom lip and she pulled back a little on a gasp.
Damn.
She didn't mean to be so damn jumpy!
Trying to cover her flinch, she nuzzled her cheek against his before she gently nipped his ear and stepped away. She grabbed up the sturdy looking comb and moved to stand behind Barret and couldn't help but sigh. His muscled back and shoulders were so sexy. Narrowing her gaze, she really focused on him. She'd never have guessed he'd been starved for years, her blood had allowed his body to completely regenerate to its former glory.
Needing to keep her mind calm, she focused on the things that made Barret who he was. His scent, the cut of his muscles. She reminded herself she was safe, that there were no Nobles here waiting to pounce on her. And even if there were, it wouldn't matter. Barret was here with her and at full strength now. He would protect her no matter what came at them.
Reaching up, she began to comb out the tangles, his dark hair silky from the massive amount of conditioner she'd put on it earlier. She loved the feel of it gliding through her fingers. Once she had it all smoothed out, she took the hair tie she'd grabbed earlier and put his hair into a loose pony-tail at the nape of his neck. She lowered her mouth to the top of his shoulder and kissed his cool, smooth skin. She smiled when she saw goose-bumps spread over his flesh as his body shuddered ever so slightly. Glancing down to his chest, she chuckled for a different reason.
"Guess we should have done the beard trim before the shower, huh?"
He had hair all over his front. He slowly stood from the stool and dropped his towel as he headed back to the shower.
"Easily fixed, my Bride."
Lost in a haze of lust, she watched him quickly wash his front. When he stroked his erection, she groaned and her knees went weak. Moments later, he stood before her dripping wet. His passion-filled gaze focused on her and his mouth slightly parted allowing her a glimpse of the tips of his fangs. Her gaze lowered to take in his whole body. She spoke before her brain kicked in.