Clare wanted him—all of him. She pulled back, gasping for breath. Planting her feet on the bed, she thrust her hips at him hard, sliding him roughly past any point she’d ever been touched, seating him completely inside her. Clare cried out, marveling in the complete possession, feeling so full and achy.
Dominik groaned, holding his hips flush to her as he let her adjust.
“Stop,” Clare cried, a dam of emotion breaking in her.
“Ah, give me a minute. I want to pound you so bad… Oh, don’t move.”
Clare ignored the straining of his voice as she rocked her hips. “I meant stop holding back. I know you want more than this. I can somehow feel that you do. I want you to enjoy it, I need you to. Stop fighting your nature. I want you to fuck me hard. I need you to. Please, Dominik, please fuck me.”
Dominik let loose an animalistic growl, a desperate need in his eyes that reflected her own. Instantly, he began thrusting into her, pummeling her hot channel. His shaft glided in the cream of her body. Grabbing near her hips, he pulled open the cleft of her ass, parting her even more.
Clare’s cries echoed around them, joined by the primitive grunts of Dominik. He lifted up, levering himself against her hips. The action drove him deeper still, and Clare thought he might split her in two from the glorious pressure of his claiming.
“Dominik,” she cried, reaching for him. His name dripped like honey from her lips. “More, Dominik. Faster. Fuck me hard!”
Dominik growled, obeying her command. She felt powerful as she controlled the handsome man. He’d been willing to stop when she asked him to. It made her want him more.
Her body began to tighten, her muscles convulsing around his rigid shaft. Still he moved, using all his energies and strength to give them what they both wanted, needed. A violent scream left her as she arched off the bed. Her hot passage clenched onto him hard, spasming her release against his cock.
Dominik’s shout of pleasure joined hers. His body shot his hot seed into her womb, filling her with the fiery contentment of his release. Still embedded, he fell against her chest. So as not to smother her, he rolled, pulling her panting body with him. He held her leg, curling it over his hip. He slid his cock partly out of her swollen sheath and she trembled.
Clare’s face turned a bright shade of red and she buried herself into his chest to hide. Dominik chuckled, brushing back her hair. He lifted her jaw up gently, so she met his eyes.
Reaching behind him, he drew covers over their bodies and pulled her closer. His lips brushed along hers gently as he said, “Perfect.”
Chapter Six
Clare gave Dominik a tentative smile, not sure what he meant by that one word. Perfect. She shivered, drawing her knee weakly from his hip. She sleepily closed her eyes.
“No regrets, right?” he asked.
“Mm, no. Well, there is one thing.” She felt him stiffen at her words. She giggled. For a confident man he really seemed to care about her opinion for him. She liked that. Then, suppressing a yawn, she said, “You ripped my dress. Now I don’t have anything to wear.”
Dominik chuckled and relaxed. “It’s fine by me if you wear nothing but those panties around for the rest of the cruise. I always did have a thing for sexy underwear.”
“So you really did throw my bag out?” she mourned, snuggling deeper.
“I had to. It was the only way I’d get you into that dress. I’ve pictured you in it for months now,” Dominik said. Right after the words were out, he stiffened.
Clare wondered at it. Her mind was a bit sluggish with the aftermath of her pleasure. “What do you mean, you’ve been planning this? Oh, no, Kira didn’t… She didn’t really buy you as a birthday gift, did she?”
Clare’s eyes welled with tears of humiliation. She tried to pull away but his arms tightened, not letting her.
“No one paid me to come here,” he said, kissing her cheeks.
“But…?”
“I was told of our joining, and when I first saw you walking alone through the park with a book and a cup of coffee, I knew that you were going to be mine—forever.”
Clare giggled nervously. “I think you’re delusional.”
“Perhaps,” Dominik allowed. “But, can you not feel it? Our connection?”
Weakly, she asked, “Is it because I am marked?”
Dominik grinned. The back of his hand brushed over her lower stomach. “Yes, ZAychik mov, you belong only to me now.”
Clare shivered, wondering if his possessive tone should have scared her. Then it occurred to her that maybe his translation of the English language was just a bit off and he came off more possessive than he intended to. Yawning, she snuggled into his warmth. She was unable to think too hard about what he said through the oncoming haze of her dreams.
* * *
Kira laughed and reached out to tickle Clare’s chin. Her friend moaned weakly, smacking her lips in sleep. Glancing over Clare’s long body hidden by the sheets, Kira grinned. She heard the shower running and assumed Dominik was in the bathroom. She’d tried knocking but had got no answer.
“Clare,” Kira whispered, trying not to alert Dominik. Braden had kept her up most of the night. She’d had sex in so many different positions she could barely walk. There was one thing to be said about having an undead lover. They were tireless in their stamina. And, having lived an eternity, he knew some damned good tricks.
Clare’s eyes fluttered open. She blinked, apparently surprised to see Kira’s face so close to her own. Kira pushed a finger over her lips and shook her head for silence. Clare turned, looking at the empty side of the bed. When she turned back, she was blushing.
“Come on,” Kira mouthed, with a “we need to talk” look on her face.
Clare nodded, covering her mouth as she yawned. Kira motioned that she would be waiting outside. Clare’s hand darted out to stop her. She grinned sheepishly.
“I don’t have any clothes.”
Kira nodded in understanding and crept across the dark cabin to the adjoining door. Pausing, she grinned at Clare and pointed to the bed. “Did you…?”
Clare blushed profusely and waved her away. Kira shrugged, suppressing a teasing giggle. Clare was easy to embarrass. It was too much fun.
* * *
Clare yawned, watching Kira leave. She blinked, looking again at the bed, remembering every inch of Dominik’s body as if he was next to her. She didn’t know how, after four times the night before, but she was ready to go again. Hearing the shower, she thought of joining him in it. She had the strongest urge to kiss him, Kira’s interference be damned. She bit her lip and decided against it, knowing she wouldn’t start anything with Kira coming back. Hearing a chuckle at the end of the bed, Clare giggled. She’d been caught staring at the bathroom door.
Clare waved at Kira to go away. Kira shook her head in denial. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders at the motion. She signaled that she wasn’t leaving until Clare followed her.
“Why aren’t we speaking?” Clare grumbled and slid to the edge of the bed.
“We’re sneaking out on the men to go shopping and have some girl time,” Kira said softly. Giggling, she tossed Clare a tight black shirt—well, a shirt that would have been tight on Kira’s larger breasts, but bagged a little on Clare’s smaller endowments—and a miniskirt. “Braden seems to have really good hearing.”
Once dressed, Clare followed Kira out of the bedroom. Kira smiled. “For a second there, I thought you were going to ditch me for Dominik in the shower.”
Clare felt herself blush. She’d been doing that a lot lately.
“Looks like you had fun last night,” Kira added, giving a sly look. There was something to Kira this morning. She had a calmness about her, a peace.
Clare rolled her eyes and tried to act mature. However, at her friend’s overly hopeful expression, she grinned. “Oh. My. Gawd. I did have fun, lots of fun. They just don’t make men like that—or toys for that matter.”
“That good?” Kira walked down the
quiet hall. It would seem the ship was less lively during the day hours and that was fine by them.
Kira grabbed Clare’s arm and walked toward the ship’s shopping center. Clare definitely needed some new clothes for the remainder of the trip, though she doubted Dominik would allow her to spend too much time in them.
“I still can’t feel my legs,” Clare admitted in an awed whisper. “I swear, Kira, I didn’t know it could be like that. He was so sweet, yet forceful, or is it confident? I don’t know how to describe it. But he was actually willing to stop in the middle of… well, you know. And he was actually going to sleep outside my door to protect me when I asked him just in case the other l…” Then, feeling as if the blood rushed from her face, Clare stopped. She’d been about to say in case other lycans attacked. “Oh, Kira, about Dominik. I have to tell you something and I don’t want you to be upset. He’s a lycan.”
Kira merely smiled. “I know.”
“Are you okay with that? ‘Cause, if you’re not, I’ll get rid of him. I know your history with supernaturals and our friendship comes first.” Clare really didn’t want to banish the lycan from her bed, never knowing when she might have another lover such as him, but friends came before lovers. To her relief, Kira giggled and shook her head in denial.
“No. I don’t mind. In fact, you’ll never believe this, but Braden is a vampire.”
“Who?” Clare asked, confused. “Braden?”
“Ah, Cabin Boy,” Kira clarified.
“He’s not!” Clare proclaimed in horror for her friend. “No wonder you… He mesmerized you didn’t he? That jerk! Don’t worry, Kira, I’ll protect—”
“No, he didn’t mesmerize me.” Kira giggled, cutting her off. Clare frowned. Her friend had been giggling quite a bit since they started their walk, and not in a mischievous “I’m going to tease Clare” sort of way, but in an “I’ve got a secret that I’m dying to tell” sort of way.
“Spill. I need details and pronto, girlfriend!” Clare demanded. She put her hands on her hips and refused to move.
“I’m married,” Kira blurted, grinning happily. “And pregnant.”
Clare looked her over in disbelief. “No way. You are so lying!”
“No, really. I swear it. I’m married. I mated with Braden and—”
“You mated with a vampire? Knowingly mated?” Clare shook her head in disbelief. Kira looked so earnest, that she would have believed her if her words weren’t so impossible. “And you’re pregnant?”
Kira nodded, swallowing nervously. “And in love… which I guess is a good thing, considering.”
“Nice try.” Clare stepped into a little ghoulish clothing boutique. “You had me going for a second there, I’ll admit. But, you’re the last person who’d ever settle down with one man.”
Clare ignored the troll at the counter who sneered at everyone who entered. The shop wasn’t busy. Seeing racks of lingerie, which took up over half the store, she faltered. Kira grinned, winking knowingly at her hesitation.
“Are you looking for something in particular?” Kira motioned around the store.
“I…” Clare colored slightly. “Dominik mentioned that… well, that he’d enjoy seeing me in…”
“In…?” Kira teased.
“He liked the underwear, okay!” Clare rolled her eyes. “And he said he’d like if—”
“—if you wore something sexy for him?” Kira grinned as she finished the thought for her friend. “Perfect idea. Come on. Let’s go try some stuff on. I want to get something to wear for Braden tonight when he gets up.”
“You really think he’ll sleep all day, Kira? What did you do to him?”
Kira smiled. “I told you, he’s a vamp. They sleep all day, remember?”
Clare stopped at a clothing rack with leather lace-up bustiers. She fingered the outfits curiously, letting the smooth, cool leather occupy her hands while what Kira said occupied her thoughts. “You’re serious, aren’t you? You really slept with a vampire.”
“I’m dead serious… or undead serious,” Kira joked. “Clare, just be happy for me. I mean, he’s great. He’s rough at all the right moments and possessive. And he’s tender and sweet and… and I’m in love him.”
Clare read the truth in her friend’s eyes.
“Clare, there is something I really have to tell you, though. And I don’t want you to freak out, ‘cause I know how you are,” Kira began. Clare stared at Kira, watching her speak, but, as her words started, so did a loud foghorn overhead. Clare leaned in, hearing the words, “Dominik… lycan… forever… so… when… you… marked… understand?” The foghorns stopped. Kira smiled brightly at Clare. “So that’s everything.”
Clare opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.
“May I help you?” Both women turned down to the little troll. He glared up at them. “You can’t just stand here, you must buy.”
“Sure.” Clare tried to keep a straight face.
Kira grabbed a lace-up leather thong with a matching string bra off the rack and thrust it at Clare. “Trust me. This is just the one to make him wild.” She fingered another article of clothing and her eyes lit up. “Oh, pleather! I think pleather should be a prerequisite for women’s wardrobes everywhere. I mean, you can wear it, sweat and it doesn’t smell or cling to you like leather and, as if that wasn’t enough, you can sort of wash it. I’m forgetting the most important selling point of it. It’s economical. I should really buy more pleather.”
“Somehow I don’t think that will be a difficult goal for you to live up to.”
“Hey, no need to be snippy. Maybe if you wore more pleather, your panties wouldn’t be in a bunch all the time. Oh, wait… I forgot that you’re not wearing any.”
Clare paled considerably.
“Hum.” The troll leaned forward to smell Clare, causing her to flinch. “Lycan, huh?”
“Ah…?” Clare looked at Kira, feeling helpless.
The troll sniffed Kira, “Ah, vampire.” Reaching forward to the rack, the troll picked out several outfits and handed them to the women. “You’ll take these.”
Kira smirked and made a face at Clare. “I guess we’ll take these. Most are duplicates for me, but a hell of a new look for you! Do you think I should get them a size bigger? How long is it before you show? With a big ol’ pregnant belly, I mean?”
“Not the ‘I’m pregnant’ bit again. I was with you when you got your last shots. Nice try. Come up with a better joke and I’ll promise to laugh. You pregnant by a vampire isn’t funny at all. You don’t know the first thing about babies. I’d have to tell you which end was up.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence and for just volunteering to be my new nanny. I’ll have you know that I can read and will buy every baby book out there.”
“Oh, the kid is screwed already. Don’t worry, baby, Auntie Clare will help out.”
Kira rolled her eyes and headed toward a wall of T-shirts. “These look more your speed, Auntie Clare.”
“Ha, ha.”
“You’re out of luck. They don’t seem to have any T-shirts with the phrase ‘I went on vacation and finally got laid.’ I could see if troll boy could hook us up with one.”
“Um, I think the troll thing is a girl. But while you’re at it, see if they have a coffee mug that reads ‘all I got out of my vacation was a dead husband and knocked up’.”
“Don’t make me strangle you with an extra-large T-shirt. I’d hate to actually have to the buy one of those hideous things—but I will.”
Clare frowned. “I kind of like them.”
“You so would.”
After picking up some jeans and ridiculous vacation T-shirts from the store’s limited non-lingerie section, Clare and Kira checked out. As Kira handed the troll her stateroom card to pay for the items, Clare grabbed a brochure about the cruise ship and began flipping through it. She was suddenly happy to have been shanghaied into coming along. The thought of almost missing out on Dominik pulled at her gut. The need to hug Ki
ra for forcing her into compliance was great, and she couldn’t help but drape an arm around her best friend quickly, giving a tight squeeze, before concentrating on the brochure again.
Walking down the hall that led back to their room, Clare mumbled, “It says here they teach ballroom dancing from beginning to advanced. Cha-cha, tango, waltz…”
“That could be fun,” Kira said. “Though I don’t know how much time I want to spend… ah, joining the group activities. I think I want to relax with my new husband. This is a great honeymoon, don’t you think? I wonder what he’ll want to do tonight?”
“My guess is that he’ll want to spend time doing husband and wife activities? Isn’t bingo one of those things?” Clare teased.
“Nope. Horizontal hula.”
“Right,” Clare drawled. “I still can’t believe you married a vampire. No one back home will believe it either.”
“Do you think…?” Kira began. Her eyes turned sad and Clare knew exactly what Kira was thinking about—the death of her parents. She would not let Kira feel guilty for finding happiness with the most unlikely of men.
“No,” Clare’s voice was firm. “Those vampires who killed your parents were not Braden. They were renegades and they were staked long ago. I’ve seen the look on your face all morning. Your parents would be pleased that you finally found happiness and love. Don’t you ever doubt it.”
Kira nodded but said nothing. She wiped her cheeks and took a deep breath before smiling. She looked around and then toward Clare. “Hey, does this hallway look different to you?”
Clare glanced up from the brochure and adjusted the bags on her arm. “I’m sure this is the way we came. See, there’s 2150.”
“Yeah, but I could have sworn the carpet was red, not blue,” Kira said.
“Oh, well, here,” Clare answered, reading her brochure. “It says here that the ship is mystical and changes at random. It must mean the decorations. Cool. I’ve got my fingers crossed that those ugly cherubs are gone from my room now.”
Pleasure Cruise Trilogy (Box Set) Page 12
