Forever Starts Now

by Kallysten

  It was the same kiss he had given her the night he had tried to scare her away from the club—and at the same time, it was like nothing he had ever experienced.

  Matthew would have liked nothing more than to continue kissing her, but the table between them and the crowd around them did not make for the most romantic setting. Pulling back, he answered her disappointed pout with a smile and stood. She took his hand immediately when he offered it to her, and he helped her stand. He was about to suggest that they find a more intimate place when a loud voice interrupted them.

  "So, will you be calling me in the morning to do another disinvite spell on the house?"

  Claire jerked away from Matthew at the question and turned toward the sneering man two feet away from them. Matthew's gaze followed hers, and discovered Jonas, standing there with his arms crossed but the poise of someone ready for violence. A flash of anger ran through Matthew. He had warned Jonas about leaving Claire alone, but it seemed like he hadn't listened. Without thinking twice, Matthew curled his arm at Claire's waist and drew her closer to him. She tensed for a second, but Jonas’ frown was worth her unconscious reaction.

  "What I do is none of your concern,” she lashed out, her words like ice.

  "It's not, unless you fuck with dangerous vamps. It would be a pity if I had to stake your new beau."

  "On what grounds?” Matthew asked mildly. “I haven't hurt her or anyone, nor am I going to. Oh, wait, that never stopped you before, now, has it?"

  Jonas’ body became very rigid and he stepped forward, one single, menacing step. The cold, silvery blade of violence rose from his scent and Matthew's hand tightened at Claire's waist.

  "I see you found someone to listen to your ramblings.” Jonas kept his voice quiet, but the muscle clenching in his jaw screamed of danger. “Funny how the police never found any evidence. Perhaps because there's nothing to find."

  "Or perhaps,” Matthew replied before Claire could jump in, “I've finally caught you on tape and you can expect the police to ask you about it soon."

  Matthew could feel Claire's little jerk of surprise at his words, and from the corner of his eye he saw her face turn toward him, but he kept his gaze on Jonas. The thinly veiled threat had sharpened the edge of violence in his scent and eyes. He looked ready to leap at Matthew's throat. If they had been alone, and preferably without witnesses around, it wouldn't have been a problem. With Claire right there, however, Matthew refused to let himself get dragged into a fight in which she might get hurt.

  "Come on, sweetie,” he murmured close to her ear. “Let's go."

  He pulled her lightly to the side so they could walk around Jonas. Matthew remained tense as he led the way toward the bar's exit and then Claire's car. A nagging doubt had crept up in him when seeing Jonas, and he wasn't too sure how to voice it. He needed to, though.

  * * * *

  Claire was confused when she climbed into her car, opening the passenger door for Matthew to join her. Confused, and angry. Why was it that everywhere she turned, Jonas was there, making more of a mess out of her life? Things had been going so well when he had interrupted them. And what Matthew had told him ... was it true, or had he been bluffing? She started the engine and pulled into the light traffic, letting habit take over as she tried to sort her thoughts.

  "Where are we going?” Matthew asked after she had been driving for a few moments.

  She took advantage of a red light to look at him. The car was too dark for her to read any emotion on his features. “I thought...” In a blink, she changed her mind about what to say. “Do you really have proof that he stakes innocent vampires?"

  "I do. I've been keeping a close eye on him for a few weeks. I finally got him last night."

  The car behind her honked and Claire jumped. She returned her eyes to the road and started driving again, her mind trying to process what Matthew had just said.

  "How long ... how long have you known about Jonas?"

  "Since I heard you at the club, the first time you went there. I didn't think much of it at first, but when you went to the police I figured it had to be true."

  Claire mulled on that for a little while, wondering whether he had looked for proof of Jonas’ wrongdoings because of her, or because he thought Jonas needed to be punished.

  "Both,” he replied when she asked the question aloud. “I started looking into it because you seemed so upset by it, but I kept at it because that was the right thing to do. I've been playing by the rules for decades. I've been very careful not to kill anyone ever since vampires and humans struck the Coexistence Bargain. It's only fair that humans and Special Enforcers play by the same rules."

  She had never thought about it that way. For her, it had been about saving vampires who had done nothing to deserve being staked. She was a bit surprised that Matthew didn't sound more upset that someone was killing his kind.

  "Where are we going, Claire?"

  Matthew's gentle but distant words pulled her out of her thoughts and she frowned, glancing at him. Had she read more in that kiss than she ought to have? “I thought we could have another drink at my place,” she answered, her voice cautious.

  "Will you be calling Jonas in the morning, like he said?” he asked, his light tone at odds with his words. “Brag about the vampire you slept with to get back at him for leaving you?"

  "What?"

  Unsure she had heard him right, she turned to look at him again, the car swerving as she did. She realized her mistake and corrected her course, then parked on the side of the road to turn fully toward Matthew.

  "I don't give a damn about what Jonas thinks,” she said, her voice wavering with outrage. “And if you think that's the reason I'm interested in you, you're a jerk and you can get out of my car right now!"

  She almost expected him to do as much, but instead he looked at her very seriously.

  "I just want to be sure,” he said. “You lived with a Special Enforcer for years, and when you two separated you started frequenting a vampire club. You can admit it looks like a way to get back at him."

  She snorted. She hadn't been surprised when Jonas had come up with such nonsense, but she wouldn't have expected Matthew to think the same.

  "Or it could be,” she pointed out with a roll of her eyes, “that I dated Jonas because of the stories he could tell me about vampires. And when he left, I just went ahead and saw for myself if what he had told me had any truth to it."

  That seemed to leave him pondering, but Claire didn't intend to let him ruminate. Instead, she struck back.

  "Since we're being honest here, let's go all the way. If we fuck tonight will it be because I look like Helena?"

  The shock on Matthew's face before he even answered was the reply Claire needed.

  "Of course not! Don't be ridiculous!"

  A little relieved, she smiled and started the car once more, easily inserting herself into the light flow of traffic. “I'll try not to be if you'll do the same."

  "I'll try,” he conceded, a grin tinting his words, and proceeded to give her directions toward his apartment.

  It was only a few blocks, and at this hour the traffic was minimum, but the road seemed to stretch with each second of silence. Claire kept glancing at Matthew, finding it hard to calm down the hammering of her heart. What could he be thinking, every time he looked toward her and met her gaze? A couple of minutes before they arrived, he finally spoke, very low, the words as much caress as sound, and Claire, for a moment, forgot to breathe.

  "We're not going to fuck, Claire. I've wanted you too long and too much for it to be only fucking."

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  Chapter Fifteen

  The apartment building was in the center of town, in the ancient factory district, not very far from On The Edge. Claire had driven past the nondescript building before, but never given it a second look. A delivery elevator served the five or six floors, each transformed into two or three lofts.

  As soon as Matthew had pulled down the
safeguard of the elevator, he pounced on Claire. She let out a little yelp of surprise, but right away his arms were around her, pulling her close so that she stood on tiptoes. His mouth pressed against her, demanding, unyielding, but as soft as the caress of his fingers along her spine.

  She closed her eyes and clung to Matthew, her hands clutching at his shirt as waves of sensation rolled over her. Every time he kissed her, every time he took her in his arms, the same overwhelming intensity flooded Claire, an urgency that she hadn't understood until now. Something Matthew had said in the car, however, cast a new light on it all. He wanted her. He truly did. And he had wanted her for some time. Would he ever tell her how long? He had been watching her for years. Had he wanted her for that long, or was it something more recent?

  The elevator shook lightly as it came to a stop. Matthew broke the kiss, but did not relinquish his hold on Claire, keeping her close enough that she could feel the hard length of his cock trapped between them. Her fingers itched to wrap around it and feel it without the barrier of clothes in the way.

  "Last chance to change your mind."

  His voice was low, rough with the same lust he had poured into the kiss. It sent a flash of raw need through Claire's body. Her throat was too tight to speak, so she shook her head and smiled. She wasn't going to change her mind.

  A few months of wondering ‘what if?’ topped by a week of vivid dreams assured that she wouldn't, but it was more than that. It was also the gleam in his eyes when he looked at her, a gleam that made her forget the small wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and mouth. It was the possessiveness in his touch, so apparent even when he simply held her hand to guide her to his apartment. It was the strength of his body when she leaned against him while he fumbled with the keys, and the gentleness with which he tilted her face up for the briefest kiss before inviting her inside. It was simply who he was, inside and out, and she wanted to know more of him, know everything there was to know, from the texture of his skin to the look on his face when pleasure took him.

  Matthew did not turn on any lights as they walked inside the apartment. The darkness of the place intimidated Claire a little, but she would have felt silly asking for light so she remained quiet. Clinging to Matthew's hand, she remained close to him and hoped that she wouldn't trip over something and make a fool of herself. Matthew led her through a large room and past a door into what she supposed was the bedroom. Outside, the almost full moon was shining bright, and a soft light filtered around the curtains draping the only window in the room, allowing Claire to make out the shapes of a large bed in the center of the room and a couple of furniture pieces. They didn't hold her interest for long, however, not when Matthew embraced her again, his arms like a cocoon around her.

  "I always thought you were attractive.” His words were but a whisper, raising goose bumps on her skin where his lips trailed over her neck and shoulder. “But the first time I saw you at the club, when you held your head high and sent him to hell with a few words, that night I wanted you more than I thought possible. You were gorgeous, standing there as though you owned the world. You are gorgeous."

  Claire wanted to return the compliment, wanted to tell him how he had attracted her eyes, that same night, dancing in the club, but all that passed her lips was a needy moan that she immediately tried to stifle. She wasn't that desperate. Or at least, she didn't want him to think she was.

  "Shh ... It's all right, sweetie."

  His right hand slid up from the middle of her back to the hidden clasp of her zipper, and he pulled it down slowly, too slowly when Claire longed to finally feel his hands on her skin. She showed her impatience by promptly divesting him of his own jacket and shirt. She had intended to continue with his pants, but she was sidetracked when her fingertips discovered his chest. Tight muscles rippled beneath skin smooth as silk and a spattering of short hair.

  Her dress made a muffled sound when he slid it off her shoulders to fall onto the floor. Claire had a second to be thankful that it was too dark for Matthew to see her clearly before his murmur made her blush and she remembered that vampires were supposed to see quite well in the dark.

  "Lovely. So very lovely."

  He ran his fingers along the edge of her bra, tracing the lace that bordered it. She shivered. His hands met at the front clasp, and the bra soon joined the dress on the floor. Claire wished she could have distinguished Matthew's features. She reached up with her right hand and touched the tips of her fingers along his jaw, his cheeks and mouth. He was smiling. His lips parted and his tongue flicked at her fingers, curling around them. At the same instant, he cupped her breasts in his hands. Her nipples peaked under his light touch. Pleasure sparks coursed through Claire; all she could think was that she wanted more. Now.

  Instead of closing the gap between them, she took a step back, breaking all contact. She toed her shoes off, then hooked her thumbs inside her panties and pulled them off. A couple more steps back, and her legs brushed the edge of the bed. She sat down and slid up the coverlet toward the center of the mattress. She would have expected satin sheets, but the fabric against her skin, although fine and cool, was simple cotton.

  Leaning back on her elbows, she looked in Matthew's direction. All she could see what his silhouette, but she could feel the intensity of his eyes on her. He couldn't have stood there, immobile and watching her, for more than a handful of seconds, but to Claire, it felt like an eternity.

  "Matthew..."

  He moved at once. She bit down on her bottom lip to keep from begging further. She heard first the thump of a shoe falling down, a second one, then the rustle of fabric as he divested himself of his pants. The bed dipped slightly when he climbed onto it and moved to lie on his side next to her. He rested his hand on her knee and Claire tensed, waiting for it to move higher. She opened her thighs a little, hoping to entice him, but his hand remained where it was.

  He leaned into her until his mouth caressed her shoulder.

  "Tell me, sweetheart. Tell me what you like. What you want."

  Images flashed through Claire's mind, burning memories of her dreams that seared her body and dried her mouth. She took Matthew's hand and led it along her thigh and to the apex of her legs. He combed her damp curls before sliding a single finger along her lips, lightly parting them to find her wetness. Claire let out a shaky breath. It had been too long.

  She turned her face toward Matthew and sought his mouth with hers. She wrapped her hand around his cock where it pressed against her hip. Before she could do more than slide her hand up toward the tip, he pushed two fingers inside her and slid his tongue into her mouth when she gasped. His fingers moved to the same fast beat of his thumb pressing against her clit, banishing coherent thoughts from Claire's mind. She wanted—no, she needed—to return the pleasure he was giving her, to feel him writhe against her just like she was writhing against him, trying to intensify his touch. As pressure built inside her body, all she could manage to do was pull and tug at his cock in an erratic rhythm, her palm spreading down the precome she brought forth until he was slick in her hand.

  Her quicksilver release took her by surprise. She arched up, gasping and breaking the kiss. His fingers slid in a little deeper. The sensation intensified, becoming too much, too fast. Without thinking, she clasped his wrist and pulled his hand away. He drew it to his mouth, and she could imagine what she didn't see, his tongue curling around his fingers as they had around hers just a few minutes earlier.

  His whisper was absolute sin. “Sweet, sweet Claire ... I knew you'd be so sweet."

  "And I ... I still don't know what you feel like. Show me?"

  He didn't reply, or at least not in words. He rolled over her, easily finding his place between her thighs as though he had always belonged there. One push of his hips, and he was sheathed inside her. Claire closed her eyes and sighed.

  When he began moving, it was with the strong assurance of a long-time lover, his thrusts hitting the perfect pace to ignite again the pleasure that had beg
un to fade. She splayed her hands over his back, caressing his cool skin and pulling him closer to her. He leaned onto his left forearm and covered her breast with his free hand. He circled her hardened nipple with a finger, then pinched it lightly when she moaned. Colors started exploding behind Claire's eyelids. She raised her hips, changing Matthew's angle, and pulling a very satisfying little noise out of him. Another one followed when she tried to move in counterpoint to his thrusts, accentuating them. For the first time she was doing something for his pleasure, returning what he was giving her, and she only wished she could make him feel as good as she did.

  This time, pleasure was slow to rise, building steadily with each caress, each slide of his cock, each sweet word murmured against each other's lips. This time, when Claire surrendered and cried out breathlessly, she felt Matthew become rigid against her, and move erratically as he took a few harsh breaths. He collapsed on her, his weight comfortable rather than stifling. His body was shaking lightly, and Claire smiled into the darkness.

  Still breathing heavily, she ran her fingers through his hair, dimly realizing how close to her neck his mouth was. It wouldn't have taken much for him to bite her, feed from her, kill her, even, if he wanted. She tensed at the realization, but did not move, nor did she throw him off her. She wasn't even afraid. A little curious as to why he hadn't tried to bite her, maybe, but not afraid. And as seconds passed, slowly changing into minutes, he still didn't bite her. Instead, he rolled off her body, taking her with him as he did, so that she was the one resting against his still chest.

  "You think too much,” he murmured, sounding a little amused. “I'm not going to bite you. You know that, don't you?"