Unseen (The Heights, Vol. 1) (28 page)

It was just gross enough and right enough and
messed up enough and perfect enough to catapult her into another
orgasm. If his mouth hadn’t been covering hers, her scream would
have woken up the village ten miles away.

He lifted both of her legs higher without
breaking stride or momentum of the long strokes that brought them
together.

“Holy shit!” Expectations were being met all
over the place. Right before they shot past everything that seemed
completely unrealistic. “You’re gonna kill me.”

Darkness marred his face for just a moment,
and he stopped moving. “Never.”

“I meant figuratively.”

His satisfied grin came back. “I do not want
to stop, but I will if necessary. Is it necessary?”

She shook her head. “I’m good. I mean, I’m
more than good, but I’m—”
An idiot.
Oh powers, was she
unprepared for this.
He’s a vamp.
A supernatural being with
almost unlimited stamina. Why the hell had no one ever thought to
mention that? Not even in a book or a movie.

“Let me know when that changes.” He kissed
her so deeply, she almost forgot what she was panicking about. “And
it would be kind of you to give me a bit of warning.”

“Um…sure.”

Vampires could probably go all night, no
breaks. And
her
vamp didn’t need to sleep, so this could
potentially be 24/7 for the foreseeable future. How many orgasms
had she already had? How many more were humanly possible without
combusting internally?

“Addison, do not look so nervous.” He forced
her to make eye contact. “We can stop whenever you need a break.
For any reason.”

She felt her already-heated body get hotter
with embarrassment.

He pressed as deep as he could and then was
still. “You will tell me what is wrong right now.”

“I’m about to freak out,” she said finally in
one big gush of words. “It’s just too many overwhelming things at
once. You know, they’re all really, really great, but…” She covered
her face. “I’m
so
sorry. I got five more minutes in me.
Tops. And then I’m going to need to chill out for a bit.”

He sighed. “Are you sure?”

“I’m
so
sorry.”

“I meant about the five minutes.”

When she felt him pulling out, she grabbed
his shoulders and wrapped her legs around him. “I said five
minutes.”

His jaw moved back and forth while he
considered…something. “I was patient far longer than I have ever
been, and I do not intend to ruin it before I have had my fill of
you. Your body is human and my blood will keep it well, but I do
not want to run the risk of…overwhelming you. Because, tonight, I
plan to do far more with you. And
to
you.”

She swallowed. “You mean like, ‘It’s not a
sprint—it’s a marathon’?”

“It is what I hope will be a marathon made up
of many, many, many sprints of variable durations and
intensities.’”

She laughed. “In different locales?”

“Excellent idea.” He lifted her off the bed
and sat them on the small couch in front of the fireplace, setting
her knees to his sides so he wouldn’t crush her. “You feel
incredible around me, do you know that?”

His eyes never left hers, holding a depth of
emotion she’d never imagined possible in the eyes of a super. She
shivered, worried he felt the same connection she did.

No, he couldn’t. And she
wouldn’t
. Not
if she was smart. He held her closer, kissed her as if he knew what
was going through her mind and wanted to shut her up. Smart
guy.

Pleasure. Nothing more. Don’t waste
it.
She didn’t. Closing her eyes, she arched her back, rocking
against him while he filled her with all kinds of awesome. Because
she was setting the pace and intensity, she had a chance to collect
herself and stop worrying. He was inside her and seemed like he was
having a pretty good time, so what did she have to worry about?

He groaned into her neck, his hands
tightening on her hips as if he was trying really hard not to take
over.

She couldn’t
let
him. After all, a
girl has her pride. Since she wasn’t freaking out anymore, she
needed to prove she could hold her own, even though that was a
total lie because
no one
could hold their own against
Rhyse.

When he started lifting her up and dropping
her down his length, increasing the speed she’d set, she took his
hands. “Don’t even think about it, buddy. For once,
I’m
going to lead.”

“What do you—?”

“Shut up and let me concentrate.” Her breath
stopped when he raised his hips at the same time he slammed her
down onto him.

“Did you just tell me to ‘shut up’?” He
would’ve been terrifying if he didn’t look so amused, and if he
wasn’t still tipping his hips up just enough to barely glide in and
out of her, keeping the pleasure at a low hum.

But just in case, she quickly added, “Nothing
a person says during sex counts.”

“Really?” After she nodded, he said, “Very
well then. I have wanted to tell you something for some time now.
Two things, in fact.”

Oh shit
. That could mean
anything
. Good, bad, indifferent, about any subject in the
history of everything. Times two.

“What?”

He stopped moving, except to put his forehead
to hers. Hopefully he wasn’t waiting for her to relax because that
wasn’t going to happen until she knew why he was dragging this
out.

“What?” she repeated but more
pathetically.

“The first is that I believe you have been
thoroughly claimed.”

She smiled and let out a sigh of relief.
“Yep. Multiple times. But I’m okay with it.”

“The other is far more serious.”

Aaaand
right back to oh-shit.
“Okay.”

“Addison…” He took a breath. She waited
without one. “Do you truly consider
this
a ravishing?” Then
he burst out laughing, undoubtedly the most to come out of a
vampire’s mouth ever.

Damn him
. “I’m so sorry, kind sir. I
am but a poor almost-human, so
please
”—she looked at him
through her fluttering lashes—“your grace,
please
tell me
how a proper ravishing is done.”

“I think it is better to show you, but you
must pay close attention.”

No more than a heartbeat later she was
vertical, coarse stone scratching her back.
What the fuck?
She gasped even though it was
his
eyes that widened.

“I forgot about your proclivity towards
nausea. Do you feel ill?” They’d phased
outside
somewhere
and were both completely nude, and he was worried if she felt
nauseous?

“No, but I’d sure like to know where the hell
we are.”

“Right where we are supposed to be.” He put
his forearm between her back and the wall behind her to keep her
from scraping against it while he thrust into her. She held onto
the wall too, but it was so she could push against it, forcing him
even deeper into her. She couldn’t keep her eyes open, couldn’t
concentrate on anything other than the way he moved inside her. The
volume of her next moan flicked on the memory of where they
were.

“Rhyse, we can’t be here!”

“I am ravishing you right now; therefore, we
can be wherever I choose. When it is your turn—if I
give
you
another turn—then you may pick the location.”

“If you give me—?”

“Shut up,” he mimicked. “Obviously, anywhere
in the mountains would be unacceptable, as I cannot take the chance
of you catching cold. And it is hardly my fault you were unaware
that a proper ravishing
must
happen outdoors. Thankfully, I
stepped in before any permanent damage was done. You may thank me
later.”

“You did
not
just say that.” It’s hard
to sound tough while being fucked against a wall in an alley
somewhere tropical and loving it. Really tough. Because she was
really
loving it. “Wait. Wait a second.” She pushed his
chest and kicked her legs to get him off her. The only reason she
got free was because he stepped backwards, confused.

“Did I hurt you?”

“Only my ego.”

He nodded slowly. “I was teasing. Something
you are quite good at and, evidently, I am not.”

Trying to forget the fact that she was naked,
she looked at him, understanding why he seemed just fine with it.
He was perfection. So what kind of idiot would stop him then?
Stupid. Really stupid.
Her body already missed having him
inside it, all that power and strength and experience focused on
both of their pleasure.

Really, really stupid.

But behind that stupidity was the fact that
he’d already proven himself to be the best lover she’d ever had a
hundred times over. And what was
she
? She didn’t want to
just be a body to him. Or a trophy—proof he could have whatever and
whoever he wanted.

“I want to be someone you’ll remember,” she
said quietly.

“That is something that should never concern
you, Addison. You are unforgettable.” He didn’t move, but his
intensity made her want to push herself through the wall. “Firstly,
you are the only being to ever chain me to a bed,” he said with a
small grin.

When he took a deep breath, his smile
disappeared. “Secondly, you are everything I imagined you would be
and more. The way you taste, how strong your passion is, how
incredible it feels to be inside you. More than anything in
this
world or any other, I need to feel you again. Will you
give me what I need, Addison? Please.”

If it had been an order—Prime to servant—she
might have been able to say no. But, even though his tone was a
billion years away from weak or submissive, he was telling her that
he needed her. No one else. Her. So she didn’t even have to
try
to refuse.

“Yes.”

“Does that mean you are finished feeling
unjustifiably inadequate now?”

“Guess so.”

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Because
I
am finished being
gentle now.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you should hold on.” Vampires move
fast—that’s part of the package. But the speed at which Rhyse was
on her—hand cradling her head, mouth opening hers, cock so
incredibly deep inside her—put everything else to shame. She didn’t
even have time to close her eyes.

“What’s going on down there?” someone yelled
from the far end of the alley.

“It’s okay!” she called back as Rhyse kissed
her neck, very not-gently thrusting into her. Her words were broken
apart by the pace he’d set himself. “I’m just being ravished!”

“Tell him we promise to be done in four or
five more hours.” While she tried unsuccessfully to get a large
enough breath to laugh, he held her more tightly, phased them back
to his bedroom, and made good on his promise.

When her body became useless, her muscles
having atrophied during her last orgasm, she gave him another
five-minute warning. Amused and unfairly coherent when
she’d
stopped being able to think ages ago, he thanked her. Then he
claimed her lips, groaning as he
finally
lost control, which
honestly was the most incredible thing she’d ever heard.

“That was…” She took another breath. “I’ll be
ready for another round in, like three years. Give or take a
few.”

He caressed her face lightly. “Your smile is
so beautiful. If I could, I would change the entire world to your
liking so it would never fade. You and I—”

She kissed him, afraid of what he’d say next.
There were too many unknowns in the Heights, too many variables to
predict anything. She’d always tried not to think about the future
or plan anything, and now? Now the world was even more frightening.
So she held onto him, knowing he was the only chance she had.

“Sleep now,” he whispered, setting her down
on the bed and tucking her in. “I will wake you once I can no
longer wait to be inside you again.”

She shut her eyes until he left the room,
then stared at the ceiling, clutching the blanket with both
hands.

Vampires weren’t nice. They weren’t
thoughtful. They didn’t care how anyone else felt. So why was he
pretending he did? And what would happen when he stopped
pretending?

“Powers, Rhyse, have you ever heard the
expression ‘too much of a good thing’?”

After at least thirty minutes of hearing her
do nothing but moan, scream, and beg, he was surprised she could
still speak. “What are you referring to?”

“One guess.”

“Come once more and I will let you rest.”

“I can’t. It’s impossi—” The word turned into
a long wail as soon as he stopped holding himself back.

“Never doubt what you are capable of,
Addison,” he said, chuckling.

“There are a lot of things I hate about you,”
she said on an exhalation. “This isn’t one of them.”

“I am glad.” When he pushed the hair from her
face and saw a beauty far surpassing the superficial, it was
he
who could no longer speak. He who could no longer
pretend.

Three centuries apart, they were created for
each other.

Rhyse had not become Prime by being
indecisive or ignoring threats. Or even by denying the existence of
weakness in himself and in others. There would always be areas of
vulnerability in any defense, any offense, in groups and
individuals, in every thought, every belief, and every action. The
true danger came when such liabilities were not acknowledged or
recognized until it was too late to alter one’s path.

So it was with quite a shock that he realized
he’d made all of those mistakes at once. Three hundred years of
confidence in himself and his beliefs shattered in a matter of
weeks by a single woman.

After he followed her over in pleasure, he
should have given her time to catch her breath, to rest as he’d
said he would. But he was unable to stop kissing her, not because
he wanted more—although he did—but because he wanted her to be a
part of him and him to be a part of
her
. Beyond sex or an
exchange of blood. The confusing and unacceptable emotions he’d
felt after tasting her blood had grown immeasurably, not lessened
as he’d assumed they would. As he’d
hoped
they would.