Elyse knew he was asking for permission to continue; if she said no, he would walk away and probably retreat to the woods. If she said yes… oh, if she said yes.
Her heart thundered at the possibility and the ecstasy she knew would follow. A part of her still shouted this was a bad idea, but it was rapidly losing the battle. She suspected that reasonable part of her would be happy to throw in the towel, but it was being a bit of a stubborn bitch who insisted on being responsible.
“I have an IUD for birth control.” She hadn’t had sex in years, but she’d gotten it when she was still sexually active and decided to replace it when the time came, just in case. “It doesn’t protect against STDs.”
“Vampires can’t carry diseases.”
“Oh.” Another tidbit about this fantastic, lethal, and sexy-as-sin vamp that she’d never expected. “Okay, then.”
The stubborn bitch shut up, and Elyse thought it actually purred as she lifted her arms for him.
Saxon slid her sweater up the delicate curves of her body and tossed it aside. He traced his fingers over the tops of her breasts, which were pushed up by her thin, cotton bra. Her breast fit perfectly in the palm of his hand when he cupped one before pulling the bra down to expose her pink nipple. His fangs tingled as fire licked at his veins, but he would not feed on her unless she gave him permission.
She wasn’t like the other human women he’d been with; none of them knew he was feeding on them or remembered it afterward, but he wouldn’t take the memory from Elyse or use her without her knowledge. No, she would know when he drank from her, and she would thrill in the pleasure of it. He would have to hunt later, but now he was going to taste every inch of this woman.
Unhooking her bra, he tossed it aside before bending his head to draw her pert nipple into his mouth.
“Oh,” she breathed when he ran his tongue over her nipple before giving it a subtle tug with his teeth. The ache between her thighs increased as he released her breast and turned his attention to the other one.
Elyse closed her eyes and leaned back as he unbuttoned her jeans. When he started tugging them down, she lifted her hips so he could pull them off, along with her precious wool socks.
“I’ll kill them for this,” he stated as he massaged her battered feet.
She puzzled over this statement. He’d already killed them, or did he plan to go after the other Savages; the ones who still held her father captive? If that’s what he meant, then he might be able to help her get her father back.
And then she realized now was not the time to discuss killing as his hands stroked her calves before moving to her thighs. No, now was the time for life, and she craved losing herself to this man and the amazing way he made her body come alive.
She’d never been touched like this before. He caressed her as if he were memorizing every inch of her and as if she were precious to him. Her body reacted like she was the puppet, and he was pulling the strings.
“You are so….” His voice trailed off as words failed him. So what? Beautiful, perfect, ripe for the fucking as he could see her wetness glistening on the brown curls between her thighs and scent her arousal. Yes, she was all those things, but she was also something more… “Right.”
He didn’t know what made him say that, but the second he did, he knew it was true. Her skin felt right against his, and her body reacted to his every touch as if they’d done this dance a thousand times before.
When he first reached maturity, he’d thrilled in the sex and blood, but he’d grown tired of it years ago. For decades, he wanted the act over so he could find his release and experience a couple of hours of peace before the demon started clawing at his insides again. He made sure his partners enjoyed themselves, but he never took the time to enjoy them.
However, he planned to spend hours touching and teasing Elyse until she begged him for release. And then he would do it all over again.
Resting her hand against Saxon’s cheek, Elyse traced the contours of his stubble-roughened jaw. When his eyes met hers, she forgot to breathe as those reddened orbs searched her face. When the Savage’s eyes turned red, it made her almost piss herself, but seeing that color in Saxon’s eyes caused her heart to race as anticipation coiled in her belly.
Bending his head, his lips teased hers again; she remembered to breathe seconds before he reclaimed her mouth in a kiss that stole her senses. Her hands fell to the waistband of his pants, and she tugged them over his narrow waist until he pulled them off.
The heat of his heavy cock branded her thigh when it fell against her. Her breath came faster as she enclosed her fingers around the thick length of him. Like the man, it was hard as steel, but his skin was soft as she ran her finger over the precum already forming on his head.
Saxon thrust into her palm as he dipped his hand between her legs. He groaned when his fingers glided through her wet locks before teasing her entrance. She wiggled her hips demandingly toward him, and he smiled against her lips as he slid a finger into her.
Elyse broke the kiss, and her head fell back against the cabinet. She encircled her legs around his waist and dug her heels into his firm ass as he did some magical things with that finger. “Oh, yes,” she panted.
Saxon’s gaze fell to the pulse in her neck before he focused on her parted mouth, flushed face, and smoky eyes. He felt the tension building in her as she stroked him faster. Her other hand fell from his shoulder to her breasts, and she caressed herself while she rode his hand. He nearly came when she ran her fingers over her nipples before giving one of them a small tug.
He’d planned on this lasting for hours, but he was already unraveling. Grasping her wrist, he pulled her hand away from his cock and pinned it to the cabinet beside her head. She tried to pull her hand away, but he kept it there. Then, she gave him a sultry smile he would never forget.
“Are you going to tease me all day, or are you going to fuck me?” she asked.
“Oh, I’m going to fuck you.” He took her other arm and rested it against the cabinet as he gathered both her wrists in one hand. “I’m going to fuck you until the only name you can remember is mine and you’re begging me to stop.”
Her gaze latched onto his dick as he took it in hand and guided it toward her entrance. Saliva filled her mouth, and her heart pounded so fast she thought it might explode. She already couldn’t recall anyone else’s name, and she seriously doubted she would ever ask this man to stop.
When he pushed into her, he stretched and filled her in a way no other had. At first, the sensation was a little unpleasant, and it took her some time to adjust to his size. Then all she felt was a sense of rightness as his shaft throbbed within her.
She lifted her eyes to his and found him staring at her with a look she could only describe as awe. His free hand caressed her cheek and lips.
“Elyse,” he murmured before bending his head to kiss her.
She hadn’t expected such gentleness from this vampire, and it threw her off as he cupped the back of her head. He deepened the kiss before pulling his hips back and sliding into her again. Elyse itched to touch him, but she didn’t have the strength to break free of his grasp. She was clay in his hands as he broke her down into a formless lump before molding her into a woman made entirely for him.
His body demanded more from her, and she somehow managed to meet the rhythm he set. Breaking the kiss, she inhaled a gasping breath as his hand fell to her ass and he dragged her closer. Sweat slickened the etched muscles of his body as his red eyes burned into hers.
She saw the outline of his fangs against his lips, but she didn’t feel the dread she’d expected; instead, it thrilled her to know he was as out of control as her. He flooded her senses until he was all she could see, taste, feel, hear, and smell. Nothing else existed in the world except for Saxon and the passion he stoked to higher and higher levels.
Releasing her wrists, Saxon cradled her head as he drove into her. He had to be careful, she was a mortal, but his restraint was spiraling away as his
need to claim her grew stronger—not a mere mortal; she was his mate.
He’d known it the second he settled himself inside her as, for the first time in centuries, his incessant yearning to move, go, and kill ceased and he experienced the sensation of pure serenity. Being inside her was the oasis he’d spent centuries searching for, and he’d finally found it.
My mate. His fangs pricked as the impulse to sink them into her throat coiled within him. When she draped her arms around his shoulders, he held her closer as the beat of his heart fell into rhythm with hers.
“Elyse.”
Her sheath tightened around him, and she came with a loud cry. Her fingers dug into his back, and her body arched as he thrust within her again. A tingling sensation crept down his spine, his body bowed, and a shout tore from him as he came harder than he ever had in his life.
When he could breathe again, he gathered her against him and lifted her off the counter. She curled up against his chest, and a wave of protectiveness washed through him. She was so small and mortal, and she was his to protect.
He didn’t feel the chilly air against his skin until he settled her onto the couch and draped the blanket around her. The fire was already dying out.
“I’ll be right back,” he said.
“Hmm.” She nuzzled his hand before her head fell onto the pillow.
He studied the contented expression on her face before going into the other room to rebuild the fire. When he finished, he returned to the couch and pulled the blanket back to settle in beside her. He drew her back against his chest and held her close as she fell asleep.
Chapter Sixteen
When Elyse woke again, the sun filtering through the windows told her it was late afternoon. The wind had died down, but it still rattled the windows. The warmth of Saxon’s body enveloped her as he held her close while keeping his leg hooked over hers.
She’d never felt this secure in her life, and she nestled deeper into the hollow his powerful body created around hers. His erection against her back caused her mouth to water before he rolled her onto her stomach and slid into her from behind. His honed body moving against her back made her grip the pillow as she tried not to scream while he stroked her body like it was a violin he’d spent years mastering.
“Come for me,” he commanded as he nipped her ear.
She was helpless to do anything else as he played her perfectly. When his body shuddered, and he found his release within her, she collapsed onto the pillow. It was only then she noticed the demanding tug on her bladder and the emptiness of her stomach as it rumbled loudly.
“Hungry?” he asked as he nuzzled her hair.
“Starved,” she said, “and nature calls.”
She rolled out of his arms and away from the blanket. Free of the warmth, the icy air slapped her in the face and caused her to suck in a breath as it brushed over her skin. Saxon rose behind her and pulled the blanket off to drape it around her shoulders.
“What about you?” she asked.
“I’ll put some more wood on the fire.”
Elyse nodded and tugged the blanket closer as she tried not to run for the bathroom, but too much movement might make her pee. She entered the bathroom, used the toilet, brushed her hair and teeth, and cleaned herself up the best she could with the icy water as her breath plumed in front of her.
Making sure to leave the faucets running, she left the bathroom and entered her room where she gathered some fresh clothes and dressed. The too big clothes did little to ward off the cold, but at least they were something. She removed a couple of pairs of wool socks from the next room and pulled them over top of each other before returning to the living room with the blanket around her shoulders.
A banging in the kitchen drew her in there to discover Saxon pulling out cans and setting them on the counter. Disappointment filled her when she saw he’d also dressed, but she couldn’t expect him to remain naked and freezing in this place.
“I’m not sure what you want to eat,” he said as he turned toward her.
You. But she kept the word to herself. How was it she still longed for this man when she’d just had him again?
Elyse padded over to the cans on the counter; she wanted to eat them all, but that wasn’t possible. She separated a can of peas and ravioli from the bunch and Saxon took them. Unsure of what else to do, she returned the other cans to their rightful place before settling onto one of the chairs.
“Do you eat these out of the can?” he asked.
“Yes.”
The sinister expression on his face caused her eyebrows to rise. At that moment, she saw the vampire and nothing of the man who’d held her so tenderly and made her experience things she never had before. He’d said his name was the only one she would remember, but not only had he made her forget her other partners, he’d also ruined her for all other men.
He does have a lot of practice. The reminder soured her ebullient mood. She didn’t expect a relationship from him; he’d told her what he was before she invited him inside her body, but she hadn’t anticipated liking him so much either.
Even if things were different, you could never have a future with him; he can never know about you. That strengthened her resolve, and she threw back her shoulders as he brought the cans over and set them on the table with her spoon.
“We have enough wood to get through tomorrow,” he said as he settled across from her. “The storm is dying down, and it’s only flurrying out there, but I think we should wait another day so we’ll have a better chance of the roads being clearer before we leave.”
She spooned some ravioli into her mouth. They were gross, but she was so famished they tasted better than steak. “And how do you plan to get out of here?”
“Walk.”
Elyse almost choked on her ravioli. “You plan to walk out of here?”
“We don’t have any other options, and it’s only a matter of time before whoever is behind your imprisonment comes looking for you. I’m sure your guards checked in regularly. Whoever is in charge might think your guards aren’t responding to them because of the storm, but eventually, they’re going to come looking.”
“I don’t have any shoes.”
“I’ll carry you.”
She blinked at the simple way he said this as if it were no big deal. She’d lost weight while in captivity, but she was still at least a hundred pounds. “It could be miles to civilization.”
“It is miles to civilization, but I’ll be fine.”
Elyse gulped down her mouthful of ravioli. He was incredibly strong but walking for miles in this bitter weather would be exhausting. However, she guessed it was better than the alternative of staying here and waiting for more Savages to arrive.
“I’ll wrap my feet up so I can walk,” she said.
“No. Your feet need time to heal.”
“But—”
“I’ll carry you, and I’ll be fine. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Elyse gulped at the intensity of his words. “And what’s going to happen once we’re free of here?”
“What do you mean?”
“What are you going to do with me?”
He hadn’t considered much beyond getting her away before more Savages arrived. “I’m going to keep you safe.”
“Will I be allowed to return to my old life?”
He gritted his teeth as he made himself say, “If you wish.” He’d prefer to keep her, but he couldn’t force it on her even if the demon inside him wanted to do precisely that.
“What I wish is to find my father and destroy these bastards.”
“So do I.”
She gulped as she tried to figure out how to word her next question. She didn’t want to sound as if she were using this as an excuse to cleave to Saxon. Once they were free of here, he’d probably find someone else as he didn’t do relationships, and she certainly didn’t think it would be her best life choice to have a vampire boyfriend.
“Would you help me get my dad ba
ck?” She was unable to meet his gaze when she asked the question.
He pondered how to answer her without breaking her heart, but in the end, he went with the truth. “I’ll help you, but I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to find him. Before his death, Joseph and the Savages spent a lot of time underground. They were building or taking over old bomb shelters. It may be impossible to find him, but I will do everything I can to locate him.”
Elyse focused on her meal. She could find him, but she kept that to herself.
“Do you know why they put you in a cabin and not somewhere underground?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. Maybe some of the vamps they brought here didn’t like the idea of being underground or maybe it was Joseph’s way of being kind.”
They looked at each other and laughed.
“He probably decided against keeping you somewhere with a lot of Savages,” he said. “He had control over them, but all it would take was one in a fit of bloodlust to kill you.”
Plus, Saxon knew they were creating new Savages by starving vamps and then turning them loose to kill. Those vamps would not be as easily controlled as other, more seasoned Savages. Joseph hadn’t wanted to take a chance with her.
Saxon studied her as she scraped her spoon against the side of the ravioli can before setting it aside and using her finger to scoop out more sauce. She had to have some ability the Savages were using to their advantage, but there were so many abilities that he’d never figure out which one she possessed unless she told him.
“So we leave the day after tomorrow,” Elyse said.
He leaned across the table and kissed her forehead. She tried not to blush as she concentrated on her can. He’d seen all of her and done things to her that required no modesty, but the simple, familiar gesture made her feel awkward.
Saxon sat back in his chair when the subtle beat of her pulse called to him. When his fangs lengthened in response, he pushed away from the table and rose.
“Is everything okay?” she asked as he paced over to the back door.
Bound by Passion: The Alliance Series, Book 4 Page 9
