Roaring Midnight (The Gardella Vampire Chronicles | Macey #1)

by Colleen Gleason

  It wasn’t until that moment Macey realized what she’d done. Grady’s darker hand moved, not to touch her tight, apple-sized breasts, nor her upthrust nipples…but over her pearl-white skin, along the faint red line down the center of her sternum…to the tiny silver cross dangling from her navel.

  He looked up at her.

  She met his gaze, heart thudding harshly, the moment of arousal slipping away.

  With gentle fingers, he touched the vis bulla, lifting and sifting it between two of them so it glinted in the sunshine. The light brush of his hand against her belly was sensual and sure, in such contrast to Iscariot’s horrific fondling last night. Little bursts of warmth spread over her skin where he brushed against it.

  “I’ve never seen anything so incredibly erotic in my life.” Grady let the cross fall back into her navel, then turned his eyes to hers again. “And yet it’s for much more than sex appeal. Isn’t it?”

  Macey swallowed and nodded. She couldn’t quite read the emotion in his eyes, but there was no sense in equivocating. And maybe…maybe it would be all right after all. At least, for today.

  “Is it truly a strength amulet? It makes you stronger, faster—and that’s why your bites are nearly healed.” There was wonder, curiosity, and awe in his tones. To her surprise, his lips moved into a half-grin. “How strong?”

  She shifted on his lap, suddenly relieved. Her secret had been revealed; he seemed to be accepting it in stride. She gave her bobbed hair a little toss. “I could throw you across the room if I wanted. Flip you onto your back.”

  “Is that so? A delicate woman like you?” His attention was on her torso again as his fingers slid up her ribcage, raising little prickles of skin along the way.

  “Want to try me?” A delicious shiver caught her by surprise as he caressed her.

  His palms settled beneath her breasts, thumbs curving beneath each one. “Not at the moment. I’ve other things on my mind, Macey, lass. You’re damned beautiful, and even your secrets don’t matter too much to me right about now.” He covered her nipples with his hands, brushing gently against their taut, sensitive tips as he circled his palms lightly over them, round and round and round. Pinpricks of pleasure tingled through her like tiny licks of electric shock, and Macey arched closer, wanting more than just a delicate tease.

  He obliged, grasping her hips to pull her sharply up against him. Her legs were bent, calves on the bed, and he ducked to kiss one of her breasts. Macey gasped at the unexpected sensation of his hot mouth over the tight bud of her nipple, the slick stroke of his tongue as he sucked and licked and circled around her until she was shifting and moaning on his lap.

  She pressed into him, the hard length of his erection evident behind the fastening of his trousers, separated from her own hot, throbbing quim by a few layers of fabric. Grady groaned against her throat, then collapsed back onto the bed, dragging her with him.

  She sprawled on top of his hard, warm body. Before she could pull away, he dragged her mouth back for another kiss while loosening her skirt from behind. Then his hands covered her bare back, sliding up the curve of her spine, burying in the short curls at her neck.

  Macey pulled away, hoisting herself on her elbows to look down at him. His eyes were heavy-lidded and hot with desire. “Take off your shirt,” she told him.

  “With pleasure.” He shifted and suddenly she was on her back on the bed, Grady next to her. He eased back and stripped off his undershirt.

  Macey sucked in her breath at the sight of his bare torso—golden, muscled, and sprinkled with dark hair that narrowed into a trail over his ridged belly.

  But before she could touch him, slide her hands over the warm, firm skin, he eased away and off the bed. His expression could only be described as resolute. “I’ll be right back.”

  Macey hauled herself up onto her elbows and stared after him as he left the bedroom. She heard him go quickly down the hall, then what sounded like a cabinet opening and closing. When he returned, he held a small, flat packet and wore a sheepish smile.

  That smile, however, gave way into a more sober, intense expression as he looked down at her bare breasts and adorned belly. “You are beautiful.”

  He slid back onto the bed next to her and bent to kiss her breasts, one after the other, teasing and fondling them as she shivered and sighed. The burn of pleasure grew, filling and swelling the tiny nub between her legs.

  Grady shifted, trailing kisses along the slender red scar over the sensitive, quivering skin of her belly, to her navel. Slowing, almost reverent, he paused there to gently nuzzle and tease the delicate amulet. The soft click of it against his teeth and the warmth of his lips made her arch up in demand. She wanted more…and she wanted no more of this teasing.

  As if he received the message, he moved on, sliding her skirt and knickers down over her hips, thighs, knees…and then he climbed off the bed to strip her last bits of clothing away. Macey realized she was fully nude, sprawled on the dark bedcovers, and a wave of shyness had her biting her lip, turning away to avoid his eyes. She’d thrown herself at him, insisted on this… But there was that little niggle of doubt worming its way into her mind.

  “Lovely. You’re lovelier than I was even imagining.” The lilting rhythm in his voice was heavy and thick, like a sensual caress. Before she could respond, he gently parted her legs and began to kiss a hot, moist trail up the inside of her thigh.

  Macey jolted at the unexpected sensation on such an intimate area of skin, but he didn’t stop there. Nuzzling and licking, he moved north to the wet, throbbing center between her legs. And when he settled there, covering her with his dangerous mouth, she couldn’t control a gasp at the sharp, intense sensation of his lips and tongue tasting her…stroking and licking and teasing.

  She was panting now, as the pleasure built, tightening and rising inside her like a coil ready to spring free. She could hardly breathe, was afraid to breathe, for fear she’d miss this…whatever it was…this hot, liquid sensation building inside her beneath the rhythm of his mouth.

  Then suddenly, she got there—she reached the peak and tipped over into a maelstrom of pleasure. Shuddering and trembling, she closed her eyes as the orgasm undulated through her, shocking her from head to toe and bursting over her in a delicious wave.

  Grady finished with a gentle kiss on the top of her mound. When she opened her eyes, she found him looking at her with a hot blue gaze. “Okay?” His mouth was tight and yet quirked up at the corner as if he was attempting to smile but found it much too difficult.

  “I’ll…say.” The syllables came out in little more than a breath, but he must have heard, for that tense smile became a little more relaxed. “But…” She gestured to him, to the room, unsure what to think.

  He stood and looked down at her, his blue eyes very dark. Nearly black. “Are you truly certain, Macey?”

  Still quivering and throbbing and twitching, she nodded. “Most definitely. Please.”

  “You needn’t be asking twice, then.” He unfastened his trousers, skimming the last of his clothing down and off. And before she could fully admire the beauty of his nakedness, he joined her back on the bed, gathering her up for a long, deep kiss. He tasted of her—of musk and heat, and she sighed against him, pressing into his bare chest, easing her leg along his muscular thigh. Their bodies slid against the other, warm skin to warm skin, rough hair and sleek muscle pressing into soft curves and silky skin.

  He kissed her neck, eased his fingers down between her legs and slid them around, stroking her back into arousal. She was vaguely aware of the sound of paper tearing and then the gentle jerking motion of his arm, and opened her eyes to see him rolling on a condom. She’d never seen one before, but now was not the time to care.

  When he finished, he looked up to find her watching him. His mouth was tight and controlled and when she smiled, pulling at his shoulder to bring him closer, his tension eased. Then, carefully, he eased between her legs, and after a little more attention down there with his nim
ble fingers—riling her up into a panting, needy mess—he settled into place and pushed home.

  Macey’s eyes flew open and he paused, fairly vibrating with tension, but he felt so good inside her, she couldn’t wait for whatever he needed. The fleeting stab of pain was over so quickly she hardly accounted for it, and so she shifted her hips experimentally. Grady blew out his breath in a gust and began to move in long, slow strokes. The muscles of his arms bulged and shifted as he propped himself over her.

  “Faster,” she breathed, jerking her hips impatiently. She was ready; he’d made her ready and now she knew what she wanted.

  She didn’t have to urge twice. He complied, thrusting harder and faster, rocking the bed and making the iron bars creak. She hardly noticed, for the pleasure was so intense and her world was filled with heat and salty skin and that delicious coiling feeling that rose and rose until she shattered again with a cry.

  He groaned, an erotic sound of relief and accomplishment that sent another flutter of heat brushing her insides. He moved sharply, one last time, then stilled. She felt him pulsing against her and inside of her, and a deep, sensual shiver shuttled through her. When she opened her eyes and looked up, Macey caught her breath at the image of this man: broad-shouldered, damp skin, flexed pectorals, lips parted in passion, hair mussed, eyes closed.

  Something inside her shifted.

  He opened his eyes and looked down at her. Before she could do or say anything, he swooped to press a sweet, gentle kiss at the corner of her mouth.

  “And now you’ve done it,” he murmured into her ear as he eased onto the bed, still touching her.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Now I’m not ever going to be able to stop thinking about you, Macey Denton. Not ever.”

  FOURTEEN

  ~ Wherein Three Becomes a Crowd ~

  Macey was awake long before she opened her eyes or even stirred next to Grady.

  Paralyzed by her thoughts, by the knowledge that her life had irrevocably changed—that the moment she rose from this oasis of comfort and pleasure, reality would intrude sharply—she lay there for a long time. Basking as long as she dared.

  Grady was warm and solid beside her. She felt the soft tickle of his thick, shiny hair against her temple, the easy thump of his heart beneath her palm. The smooth warmth of the top of his foot and ankle was wedged beneath her heel, where their legs had settled, entwined.

  Each body adhered gently to the other, warm and moist due to the heat generated from their activity and the result of skin-to-skin slumber. She listened to him breathe, measured her own indrawn breaths against his, considering how they mingled and then separated.

  Mingled…and then separated. Just as Macey must separate from Grady, both physically and emotionally. The thought of him ending up like Chelle or Mrs. G, the realization that, despite crosses of silver etched into threshold floors and windowsills, he’d never be safe, gave her the resolve she’d need.

  He was smart. Oh, Grady was too smart. Too bold, too determined. He knew too much and was determined to know more. He was a good man, a strong one. He was everything she’d want in a lover, a partner.

  And like his aunt had done, he could be so easily caught in a crossfire— of vampire and Venator. He wasn’t equipped to face the undead. He wasn’t part of that world, and she couldn’t expose him to that danger any more than she’d already done.

  It’s a damned lonely life, being a Venator.

  The phone rang in the living room below, breaking the silence with a shrill chime. Macey’s eyes flew open. The interlude was over.

  Grady sighed and broke away from her, rolling off the bed onto his feet. “Linwood, probably,” he said, shoving his legs into his pants. “If it’s a call not a visit, it’s likely good news.”

  He started to leave, then turned suddenly and came back to the bed. He bent and kissed her on the mouth, gentle and filled with promise, then backed away reluctantly as the telephone continued to ring. “Don’t move.”

  Macey sat up as he left the room. Low beams of sunlight spilled across the bed as she climbed off and located her skirt. Still daylight; the vampires wouldn’t be out and about yet. This gave her only a minor sense of relief. She looked around the room as she buttoned her blouse, knowing it would be the last time she’d see this place.

  Moments later she walked down the stairs, ready to face her changed life.

  When she reached the living room, Grady was just hanging up the phone. Dressed only in half-fastened trousers, he was all sleek and muscled and rumpled, with his unruly hair and five o’clock shadow. When he turned, his attention swept her from head to toe. The expression in his eyes made her heart give an extra, off-rhythm bump.

  “Was that your uncle?” she asked, ignoring the fluttering in her belly and the sudden intense desire to head back upstairs.

  “Flora was home sleeping when they got to her boarding house today. She’s been working at a cabaret at night, according to her landlady, which is probably why you haven’t heard from her.”

  Macey’s tension eased a little. “What about Dottie?”

  “She was more than happy to answer the questions from the beat cop Linwood sent over. And…you’re dressed.”

  So her friends were both safe. For now. But how much longer? And how much longer for him? “Thank you for doing that, Grady.” She kept the sofa positioned between them, because she knew if he got close enough to touch her, she wouldn’t say what she needed to say. “I’ve got to go.”

  He stilled. “It’s Sunday afternoon. Where do you have to go?” He edged to one end of the sofa.

  “I’ve got things to take care of.”

  “I’ll come with you.” He slipped around the sofa faster than she realized, and all at once was there, taking her hand. His eyes were cool and determined. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do.”

  She pulled away. “Grady, I have to go. You don’t know the whole story, you don’t understand. You can’t. You can’t be part of this—or part of my life.”

  “What are you talking about? I can’t be part of your life?”

  “You read the book. You know about it—more than you should. More than is safe for you to know.”

  “Christ, Macey, that’s not—”

  But she had to barrel on, to get it all out before she lost her nerve. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have stayed. It was selfish of me to do so—”

  “I wanted you. To be with you. It was me more than it was you.”

  She shook her head. “It was selfish. And wrong. I led you on. And I’m sorry. So it’s best if I just leave now.”

  “Macey.” Now there was a hint of anger. “Don’t be playing a fool. You’re safe here. They can’t get in. I made sure of it.”

  She had to blink away the sudden stinging in her eyes. “I know. But that’s what you don’t understand, Grady. I can’t stay here. I can’t be safe. I have to go out there and…stop them.”

  She thought he’d argue. She even, deep inside, hoped he’d drag her into his arms and kiss her senseless, convince her to stay. And maybe she would…for a little while longer. But he merely looked at her, his expression unreadable. Except for those eyes: the steady, glittering blue of a stormy lake.

  “I have to stop them before they hurt anyone else I care about. Like you.”

  His jaw moved and tension rolled off him into the space between them. “I suppose you mean that as a compliment.”

  “Grady—”

  Someone pounded loudly on the door.

  Grady flung her a dark look, then strode to the foyer. He’d hardly opened the door when a familiar voice demanded, “Where is she?”

  Macey turned when she heard Chas. She couldn’t see anything but his legs, for Grady blocked the entrance. A little shaky, she drew in a calming breath and walked over.

  “I need to find Macey. Do you know—oh, bloody hell.” Chas had seen her.

  “It’s probably best if you let him in.” Macey looked from one to the
other, then outside to make sure no one else was lurking. “We don’t need to have this conversation on your front stoop.”

  Grady gave the newcomer a measured look, but stepped back to allow him entrance. Macey led the way into the living room as Chas hissed, “This is just bloody great. I’ve been looking all over the damned place for you, and here you are, hiding out in a fucking love nest. What the hell are you thinking?”

  “Mrs. Gutchinson is dead. They killed her too. Tortured her.” She kept her voice steady and hard, even as the horrific images threatened to swarm her thoughts. “I found her.”

  Chas didn’t give an inch. “I’m sorry about that, and about your friend, but we’ve got a bigger bloody damned problem on our hands. Vioget is missing.”

  Her breath caught. “Sebastian’s gone? Since when?”

  “No one’s seen him since this morning. He never came back from his visit to the church.”

  “They took him. Alvisi and Iscariot.”

  “Of course they did. He’s either dead and they have the rings, or he will be shortly. Which is why the last thing I needed to be doing was wasting my goddamned time looking for you.”

  “Maybe you should have been looking for this Vioget person instead.”

  They both turned to Grady. Chas’s expression held a glint of dangerous humor. “Indeed. But now that I’ve found Macey, there will be two of us doing the work.”

  “Three of us.” Grady gave her a meaningful look.

  “Goddammit, I knew you were trouble.” Chas vibrated with impatience and anger.

  “Grady, I told you—”

  But before she could finish her sentence, Chas moved. His fist connected sharply with Grady’s jaw at the perfect angle, and the man dropped like a stone.

  Macey turned on him in fury. “That wasn’t necessary.”

  “The hell it wasn’t. Let’s go.” He spun her toward the door and, as he led the way he said over his shoulder, “Fix your damned blouse. The buttons are wrong.”