by Raven Stone
When the world reassembled itself, my body was still shaking from pleasure and release. Degarr pulled his fangs out of me, and healed my neck with a long, slow stroke of his tongue.
Then I felt something else along my skin. Something warm that felt very much like Degarr, but it was everywhere, even in the places he wasn’t touching me.
I opened my eyes, but for the life of me I couldn’t see the source.
In the next moment, he grabbed my arms and raised them over my head, holding me in place as he plunged into me over and over again.
Holy fuck.
My body tightened again, and my second orgasm ripped through me just in time for his.
He gave out a roar of his own and went still.
Chapter 23
Degarr – Chicago
Fuck.
I hadn’t meant to touch her with my vampire.
I hadn’t done that with any human yet, not since Orleande had shown me what she had done with me. It must have been in the back of my mind, though, because when Nadia’s orgasm hit, my vampire slipped my control, and he wanted one thing very much.
He wanted to stroke her. He wanted to touch her.
My vampire liked this human very much.
It was unusual.
Normally my vampire was very pleased with whatever human I gave him. He was very much a happy, eager puppy, and I was sure his tail was wagging right now.
But he never played favorites. He never wanted to caress them like he wanted to do now.
With her.
Nadia.
I stroked her hair back from face, staring down at her. I liked her too.
I knew Nadia wasn’t her real name, just like Bellamie wasn’t. She had said that she had a lot of names. I wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t given me her real one.
It was clear to me that she had trust issues. That she was hiding – a lot – not only from me, but from everyone around her. Maybe the closest to her had been Oleg, and he’d betrayed her trust. Based on their conversation, I suspected he was the reason she’d been so desperate in Brazil.
In a way, I owed him for that, because it brought us together. But it also pissed me off that he’d hurt her. That he’d no doubt added another scar – another reason not to trust – on top of the others she already had.
She stared up at me. “What are you thinking?”
How could I answer that?
Nadia wasn’t like some of the other women I’d known. She was even different from how she’d been in Brazil. Here, she was confident and in her element. She clearly had a life she’d built on her own, and she had plenty of money.
What could I possibly offer her?
Not money.
Not safety, or strength, or security.
Nadia wasn’t vulnerable. She didn’t need my help. It left me floundering.
I had a body she enjoyed, but that joy could wane.
I also had two vampire lovers I was very much in love with, a werewolf son I adored, and a complicated, dangerous life.
I stroked her jawline and then her neck, thinking that this time I might have to disappoint my vampire.
Because all I could think of in answer to my own question was that I had nothing to offer her.
Nothing.
Chapter 24
Nadia – Chicago
“What are you thinking?” I asked, and regretted it immediately.
God, how stupid could I be? That was a stupid, vulnerable, clingy question to ask after sex. Who the fuck was I?
Degarr considered my question, his fingers caressing my neck.
“I’m sorry, that was stupid. I take it back.” I blurted out. If he hadn’t been on top of me, and in me, I would have crossed my arms.
How did this man do this to me? How did he continuously turn me into a mess?
He smiled. “I was thinking that I like you.” He kissed my neck, and I shivered. “What do you want from me, Nadia?”
“Your dick. And your fangs,” I replied.
There. That wasn’t cringy at all.
That smile again, as he kissed the other side of my neck, sending delightful thrills through me.
“Is that all?” he asked.
“Is there more?” I asked, wondering if he had another wonderful appendage hidden away somewhere that he could stick in me and give me endless pleasure.
“So, I’m your fucktoy, then?” He kissed me again, lower this time, and another ripple went through me.
I firmly kept my eyes open, and called it a win.
“I don’t do boyfriends,” I said firmly.
That too was a win.
“I heard,” he said simply. “What do you want from this, then?”
This time he didn’t kiss me. This time his eyes caught mine.
Shit. He was serious.
I swallowed. It was too early to talk about this, wasn’t it? His dick was still in me, for Chrissakes, we shouldn’t be making any plans.
Plans? Who the fuck said plans?
“Your heart’s racing,” he said, running his thumb along my jawline.
I wanted to close my eyes, to give into that sensation.
“Nadia?” he prompted.
“To fuck you,” I admitted. “To fuck this obsession out of me.”
“Obsession?” he raised his eyebrows.
I sighed. “I chased you around this country for months. I don’t know what else to call it.”
He slipped out of me, and I almost cried out, wanting him back in me.
“Don’t you think that means you want more than just fucking?” He got out of bed, went into the bathroom, and closed the door behind him.
Fuck.
Chapter 25
Degarr – Chicago
God, she was looking at me like I was something dangerous when I got out of the bathroom. She stood there fully dressed with her arms crossed, eyeing me as if I was a four-foot snake who’d slithered across the floor.
“Are you leaving?” she asked.
“Yes.” I raised my head and shouted. “Jamie, leaving in ten!”
She didn’t say anything to that. She just silently watched me pull clothes onto my body; that wary look disappearing as her gaze roamed me.
“He’s not like you, is he? A vampire?” Nadia asked finally.
I shook my head.
“What is he then?”
“Do you want all of my secrets, love?” I asked. I loved watching her shiver at the endearment. I loved watching the heat spill into her eyes.
“Yes,” she whispered, her own face showing surprise at her answer.
“What would you do with them?”
“I wouldn’t.” She crossed the room, stopping inches away from me, raising her face as she gripped my arm. “Degarr, I would never – never – sell information on you. And I wouldn’t knowingly let you be hurt.”
“Good to know,” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Why do you want to know then?”
“I don’t know,” she said softly.
And she looked lost, just positively lost.
I raised her face to mine, and gave her a soft, gentle kiss, until she melted in my arms.
No, this woman wasn’t like any other human I’d known before.
I ended the kiss, sliding my fingertips down her arms, before letting her go.
I opened the door and walked down the hallway, going slowly so Jamie would know I was approaching and stop if he was in the middle of something with the pretty baker. Nadia trailed behind me.
I reached the living room, and blinked in surprise.
“You’re playing video games?”
The screen paused, and Jamie and the girl looked over their shoulders at me.
“Yeah,” he replied.
I gave a pointed look at Honeygirl. She blushed, then looked at Jamie.
“Oh my God, does your dad not know?”
“Thanks,” Jamie said dryly, putting his controller on the coffee table.
“Know what?” I demanded.
“That’s he taken.”
He stood up with a sigh, shooting her a dirty look. “The mouth on you, really.”
Oddly enough, she blushed again.
“Taken?” I prompted.
He crossed his arms. “Yeah, so what?”
“Since when? With who?”
“Zine,” he said softly. “Ever since you lifted the rules.”
Zine?
I hadn’t seen that coming, although maybe I should have. “But she can’t –”
His jaw tensed. “Can’t what?”
“She can’t be monogamous, Jamie,” I said, my voice dipping as I cut myself off, thanks to our audience.
Jamie was a werewolf, and the majority of werewolves were monogamous.
“I’m aware,” he said dryly.
“But –”
He raised his eyebrows, clearly understanding what I wasn’t saying. “We both know I’m different.”
Different than other wolves, he meant.
“We both know I should have been like you,” he continued.
My heart lodged in my throat. We both knew what he was saying was true. Jamie would have made a fantastic vampire.
He was the only person I ever wished I could have turned.
I swallowed thickly, at a loss for words.
I grabbed him by the nape of the neck, and pulled him into me. He gave a low growl, and I felt the barest essence of his wolf along my skin; along my vampire.
“I don’t want you hurt,” I said into his ear.
“I won’t be.” He squeezed my arm, and I let him go.
“Okay,” I said, and he exhaled, the tenseness leaving his body.
He’d been worried about telling me that? Why? He knew I loved him.
I reached for his neck again, rubbing that spot that all the wolves liked, and he relaxed even more.
“We should go,” I said, and he nodded. I let him go. “Thanks for the chocolate, and for keeping him company, Honeygirl.”
She smiled. “Anytime.”
Jamie headed for the door, and I turned to Nadia.
“I’d like to see you again, but I understand if you don’t want to. If that’s the case, just put Amber in touch with me. Otherwise, text me tomorrow night.”
She stared at me, before finally nodding.
Then we left.
Chapter 26
Nadia – Chicago
“Are you fucking crazy?” Honeygirl screeched.
I winced. Degarr and Jamie were barely gone. What were the chances that Jamie had heard that, all the way down the hall?
“Keep your voice down,” I said. “And no, I’m not crazy.”
“You’re one to talk about keeping your voice down,” she replied. “We both heard your moans and cries before Jamie turned up the game and drowned you out.”
I turned away, going back into the kitchen to clean up the food.
She followed me.
“What did he mean, if you don’t want to see him again?” she demanded.
“I thought he was pretty clear. And it’s none of your business,” I said.
“The hell it isn’t, Bellamie. I’m your friend. I’ve known you for a while now, and I’ve seen enough of your boytoys to know that they normally look nothing like that,” she pointed towards the door. “That is a man, honey. A hot man who’s interested in you.”
“He’s dangerous,” I said, putting cartons of food into the refrigerator.
“Good,” she replied. “I don’t know everything about you, but I do know you run in some dangerous circles. Having a man like that could be helpful.”
“I don’t need a man to stay safe.” I slammed the refrigerator shut, and the bottles in the door shelf rattled. She raised her eyebrows.
“Maybe not. But I saw the way he was looking at you. And that look intensified after you came out of the bedroom. It’s normally the other way around.”
“Like what?” I asked softly, inwardly cringing as the question slipped out.
“Like you’re interesting. Special,” she replied. “I don’t know what you did in that bedroom, girlfriend, but you rocked his world.”
That was only fair, since he’d rocked mine.
A silly smile stretched across my face. “I did?”
She nodded, and then grinned. “See.”
“See what?”
“You’re into him too.” She winked at me.
Chapter 27
Nadia – Chicago
My body hummed as I watched the sun go down.
How soon could I text Degarr?
Obviously, it would be there, waiting for him, whenever he woke up. But I couldn’t stand the thought of waiting for the answer, even though he’d said last night that he wanted to see me again.
I just didn’t want to wait.
I wanted him back in me again. I wanted that delicious feeling of my orgasm ripping through me, even as his body emptied into mine. A wave of heat and desire travelled through me at the thought.
And then there was the other thing.
The thing I’d been trying to avoid all day, the thought chasing me like a dog chasing its tail.
You’re into him too.
Degarr cradling that chocolate mousse and eating it kept replaying in my head.
I mean, how could a stone-cold killer be so fucking adorable? How could he look at me with those soft eyes when I’d been nice to Honeygirl?
I wanted to kick him, and yet not.
I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t a nice girl.
And yet not.
Because there was a part of me that wanted him to think well of me. To have good thoughts about me.
Dammit.
The sky went dark, and I picked up my phone.
Nadia: 9pm. My place. Don’t be late.
Degarr: Food?
Nadia: ??
Degarr: Would you like me to bring dinner, love?
Goddammit.
My body flushed with heat from reading the endearment. A little noise escaped me, and I found myself grateful that he couldn’t hear it.
Who the fuck was I?
I forced my attention back to the conversation.
Nadia: No. I don’t know this girl. I’d rather talk with her first.
Degarr: Why not meet her on neutral ground then?
Nadia: I want her to feel comfortable.
And I wasn’t sure what method of payment she’d want. I had more options at the condo.
Degarr: Alright. See you then.
I put the phone down and stared at it. Yeah, I’d done that.
I was a badass bitch, who took anything she wanted.
My old mantra from back in the day.
Could it, would it, protect me from whatever was happening with Degarr? Or the backlash, when it finally blew up in my face?
Chapter 28
Nadia – Chicago
The doorbell rang at ten minutes to nine. I hurried over, and slowed down at the last minute. I opened the door, and Degarr handed me a single red rose.
“I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but I couldn’t come empty handed,” he said.
“Cheesy,” Jamie said. “He means cheesy.”
Degarr shot him a dirty look.
I took the rose, and sniffed it, catching the delicate fragrance.
No one had ever given me a flower before. No roses, no carnations, no Valentine’s Day bouquets. Just fucking.
“I can take it back,” he said.
“The hell you are,” I replied, holding it away from him.
He smiled.
The two men trailed into the condo as I went to the kitchen. I didn’t have a vase, of course, but I found an empty wine bottle that worked perfectly. I filled it with water and set the rose in it.
The petals were so soft under my fingertips.
Degarr was staring at me again, with that soft look in his eyes.
“This means nothing.” I told him.“Of course it doesn’t,” he said with a gentle smile. “I just thought you might like it.�
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Jamie rolled his eyes, just as the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” he said, obviously relieved to step away from us.
I stared at Degarr. There was a warm feeling building in my chest, and I didn’t like it.
At all.
“Holy sex on a stick,” Jamie said, and Degarr laughed, blowing the moment entirely. He looked away, and I followed his gaze.
A woman was walking into the condo.
Jamie was right. Amber had a heart-shaped face, blonde hair, big boobs, a tiny waist, and a round, ripe butt.
“Mega-hot blonde,” Degarr murmured.
I frowned, remembering the intel about him preferring blondes.
He grinned at me, then slipped his hand into my hair and nibbled on my neck. “That’s how our patient described her, remember?”
“Of course,” I said briskly, even though I’d forgotten it in the heat of the moment.
“I’m Jamie,” the ginger said loudly, “and you’ll have to forgive them for being rude.”
Degarr laughed, and let me go. “He’s right, of course. I’m sorry. I’m Degarr.”
“And I’m Bellamie,” I said, stepping out from behind the kitchen and shaking her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to finally meet you too. I’ve heard a lot of things about you,” she replied.
“Oh?” I asked coolly.
She smiled. “It’s not like that. Honeygirl raves about you. It’s made me wonder why you don’t join the party circuit. Although –”
She left the word dangling, obviously wanting me to follow up. I gestured for her to take a seat on the couch.
“Although?” I prompted, once all of us were seated in the living room.
“I’ve heard you have other pursuits. Other ways of making money that are quite lucrative, and the contacts to make them happen.” She licked her lips.
Her eyes were on me, and not the men, but it was clear she wasn’t flirting with me. She was simply interested in money. I could understand that.
