by V. A. Dold
“As a matter of fact, it is. Apparently, I was missing out.”
His answer made her eyes shine with delight.
Etienne put a hundred dollar bill on the table and offered his hand to her. “Would you like to check out the nightlife? We could see Richie if you would like? I can collect the car, or we can walk.”
“Richie is off tonight, but I’m always up for people watching on Bourbon. There are a few balconies perfect for observing the crowd that we can sit on while sipping a cocktail.”
“Wonderful idea.”
Perched above the street, they sipped cocktails and enjoyed the show. Humanity flowed below them doing all manner of entertaining things. Twice, he saw Willa stiffen then slowly scan the area. Though he searched the street and balconies, he found nothing amiss. What was she sensing?
The hours flew by, and when Willa yawned, Etienne checked his watch. “I didn’t realize it was so late. I should get you home.”
She yawned again. “All right.”
They drove back to her apartment in companionable silence. When they arrived, Willa reached for her door, but he had beaten her to it. “Allow me,” he said as he held out his hand. “A gentleman always walks his lady to the door.”
Willa’s smile faded. “You aren’t staying?”
“Not tonight. You’re tired, and if I stay, I will not…. won’t be able to keep my hands or fangs off of you.”
She ran a finger down his chest. “Is that a bad thing?”
“I would like to give you the chance to think things over before we proceed. Remember, if we stop before the third exchange, you’ll remain human. Granted, you’ll be an enhanced human, but you’ll be mortal and live a normal life expectancy. Becoming a vampire isn’t something that can be undone.”
“Etie,” she admonished. “I’ve already decided.”
“Humor me, my love. I want to know that you’re absolutely sure.”
“Fine. I’ll play along. By the way, you’re doing really well with the contractions.”
He smiled brightly at her praise. “Thank you. Sometimes I forget and revert to my old ways, but I’m getting better at it.”
“Well, I’m proud of you. So, when will I see you again?”
“Is tomorrow too soon?”
“Tonight would be better, but I can wait.” She rose up on tiptoes and kissed him until her lungs burned for air. “Good night, Etie.”
Shadow sashayed to her and sniffed at her shoes and pants. “Stop that,” she scolded when he tried to chew on her foot. “I know. I smell like a tasty treat.” She put her shoes on the patio to air out without ending up with chew marks and headed for the shower. The smell of fried oysters was heavy in her hair, and if she didn’t wash it out, Shadow would try to eat it while she slept.
Twenty minutes later, wrapped in a towel, she checked on her shoes to make sure they hadn’t been taken. Things tended to grow feet and walk away if left outdoors and not nailed down. She nodded when she saw them right where she left them. She was about to turn away when a scent that made her heart flutter floated to her on the breeze. Rich, dark spices mixed with male musk.
She pressed her nose to the screen and took a deep breath. Smiling, she searched the shadows for her lover.
The screen vibrated as Shadow pawed at it, purring as if he were trying to get to someone he knew and liked.
In the breath of time it took to glance down at her feline and back up, the man who had stolen her heart materialized on the other side of the screen.
Willa squeaked in surprise and stumbled back. “Geez, Etie. You scared the crap out of me.”
“My apologies, Willa. If I am welcome, I would like to come in.”
“Oh, of course.” She opened the screen and then unlocked and pushed the silver gate opened as well.
The instant the barrier was gone, Etie stepped inside and jerked her against his chest. His arms, an unbreakable cage, surrounded her as his mouth slammed down on hers.
When he let her up for air, she leaned back and craned her neck to get a good look at him. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t known he was gorgeous, but… Oh, my! “Where’s your shirt?”
“On my bedroom floor.”
A frown twitched her brows. She took a step back to see all of him. “Are those minion pajama pants?”
A grin pulled at his lips. “Yes. Awesome, right?”
A laugh gurgled up. “Every time I see you, you become more interesting.”
“Then you will really enjoy my Pepé Le Pew coffee mug.”
“Seriously?”
“As a heart attack. I use it every morning. Fearing it would break one day, I purchased a case of them so I would have backups.”
Willa’s brows rose. “I can see that life with you will be amusing.”
“When you marry me, your name will be Willamina Delacour. It sounds a little like Wiley Coyote only better. Prettier. And mine.”
“Marry you, huh? That better not be a real proposal.”
“Hardly. When I ask for your hand, it will be special and romantic.”
“Good. Anything less and I might say no,” she teased.
Her body swayed as he pulled her against his hard chest again.
Etienne claimed Willa with his mouth once more. His kiss wasn’t soft or gentle, but a soul-deep claiming. He had gone home with honorable intentions, but try as he might, he couldn’t stay away. When the memories of her legs wrapped around his hips played through his mind, he had thrown in the towel. She was a siren whose song he couldn’t deny. Her draw so strong, he didn’t have the strength to fight the battle.
Finally sated enough to organize a thought, he released her lips and smiled at the foggy expression in her eyes. Holding himself on a tight leash, he growled, “I could not stay away from you for one more second. I had to have you in my arms, under my body. I’m going to make love to you until you scream my name in pleasure.”
Willa loved the uniqueness of Etie’s accent and cadence. His voice was a low, deep rumble. He had a sliver of an Eastern European richness layered with a tinge of Cajun drawl. He was one of a kind and perfect.
“Promise?” she breathed in a whisper.
She held his gaze and brushed her fingers over his clenched jaw until he relaxed beneath her loving touch. She felt his erection jerk against her belly when she ran her tongue over her dry lips, drawing his awareness to the kiss-swollen fullness of her mouth.
She trembled with excitement beneath Etie’s blistering regard. His silver eyes glowed white-hot, and his voice had gone all gravely and sexy. He made her body heat until she felt feverish, her skin ultra sensitive to each kiss or touch. And he wasn’t touching and kissing enough for her liking. Not yet anyway.
Etienne fingered the edge of her towel as his eyes consumed her. That was when she remembered she was wearing nothing but a bath sheet. She had tucked an end into the top between her breasts, which she now realized made the towel dip low enough to display the majority of her cleavage.
He leaned forward and sipped the tiny water droplets still clinging to her shoulders one at a time. Lord, have mercy! That was sexy as hell.
With her head swimming from his attentions, she wasn’t prepared for his next move.
With one swift tug, he ripped the towel away and left her bare as the day she was born.
Willa gasped and instinctively covered her breasts.
Etie growled his displeasure. Contrary to his reaction his touch was gentle when he moved her hands away. “I want to see all of you.”
Willa lifted her chin, refusing to feel any embarrassment, as he looked his fill. She noted that his breath was ragged, and he seemed on the edge of his control.
After a long minute, he wrapped one large hand loosely around her neck and used his thumb to push her chin to the side. His eyes glowed molten silver as he focused with laser precision on her neck. She swore she felt heat radiating from his gaze.
His index finger grazed the curve of her throat in sensuous strokes. Her lungs burned
as she tried to breathe normally and failed. Try as she might, she couldn’t draw enough air.
Etienne struggled to speak as he stroked the softness of her skin beneath his fingertips. Her body and blood called to him with relentless demand. He wanted her naked and available to him at all times. But he knew she would castrate him if he disposed of her wardrobe. Besides, if his men saw her unclothed, he would have to kill them. That would be problematic. He would just have to strip her every time he had her in the privacy of her home or his bedroom.
His muierimei was a legendary beauty who could put Cleopatra to shame. Her eyes, a rare shade of blue, almost violet. Her nose, dainty and straight. And her lips... those plump curves stole his sanity.
He felt her shudder, then heard her tiny gasp when he lowered his mouth to her pounding pulse. Ever so gently, he scraped his fangs lightly over her skin in a slow, suggestive manner. Willa obligingly tipped her head further, exposing the vulnerable curve of her neck and sucked in a shaky breath. Her grip on his arms tightened when he swept his tongue up her neck to her ear.
“I need to taste you. Make love to you. You have me so crazy, I’m losing my mind,” he breathed into her ear. Then he covered her lips with his. He swept his tongue into her mouth. The taste of her was heady. Willa’s tongue met his, caressing and stroking, like a cat lapping at cream. She groaned into his mouth, a needy sound of a woman who wanted more.
Her nipples hardened further, raking over his chest, tempting him, teasing him. He sucked on her lower lip, a growl of possession emanating from his chest as one hand moved from her hip to her breast.
Etienne reveled in the feel of her body against his, of her scent all over him. Her arms wound around his neck, and he felt her fingers working at his hair. A moment later, she had the tie loosened. His hair fell free around them. She raked her fingers through the length before she sank her hands deep and held him to her.
She thrust her tongue deeper and moaned, a lusty passionate sound that burned through him.
He turned her so her back was to the patio. His thigh slid smoothly between her legs as he braced her against the cool glass. Willa moaned at the pleasure on her most sensitive spot and began to rock against him.
She throbbed, ached, moaned at the friction of his pants raking her core as she rode him like a pony. That felt fantastic, but she wanted more.
She heard his very sexy, growly groan a heartbeat before he sucked one of her painfully hard peaks into his mouth and suckled hard.
“Etie,” she cried as a mixture of pleasure, gratification, and desperation for more overwhelmed her senses.
“Mmm,” was the extent of his response as he drew on her with hard pulls.
The sensation shot to her womb and clenched her stomach muscles. Her head spun when he closed his teeth over the hard nub, and his tongue swirled to soothe the tiny bite.
Her hands clutched his hair in what she was sure was a painful grip, but she couldn’t stop herself. She had to hold him where he was, feel his tongue and teeth rasping her nipple. Each hard draw and rake of teeth drove her higher. She squirmed against him, rubbing harder, reaching for the elusive release she needed more than breath.
Etie switched to her other breast as he murmured, “I can smell your desire. Your scent is intoxicating, hot and sweet.” He suckled once, twice, and then gripped her bottom and lifted her higher to get a better hold on her as he carried her to the bedroom. “I need you. Now.”
“Thank, God.” She nibbled on his ear as he carried her as if she were weightless, closing the distance to her bed in long, effortless strides.
When he laid her on the bed, she loosened her fingers from his hair. The dark mass fell forward to graze her aching nipples in a sensuous caress. Willa moaned and lifted her hand to Etie’s face. She pressed her palm to his cheek. He immediately leaned down to take her mouth in a demanding kiss that left her gasping for air. She trailed her hand down his body to graze his rock-hard erection and panted, “Get naked, vampman.”
He kissed the tip of her nose and straightened to his full height, then smiled wickedly at her. “As you wish.” With the wave of his hand, he pushed Shadow from the room, closing the door on the disgruntled feline. Then with a second wave, he willed the lights off. The drawer of her bedside table slid open, and several votive candles floated from its depths. One by one, the candles took up position around the room and flared to life.
“How did you know those were there?” she asked as he pulled the tie on his pajama pants.
He let the minions hit the floor and grinned before answering. “I could smell lavender and roses and figured you were not hiding flowers in a drawer.”
Willa scooted over to make room for him to lie down beside her.
Etienne spanned his hand over her warm, soft belly and claimed her lips again. He traced his name in lazy letters on her skin. Then slowly slid his hand up to cup her breast, kneading and plumping. He loved the feel of her hard peak scraping the tender skin of his palm.
Now that he was with her skin to skin, his frantic need had settled into a roiling boil. His mind was his own once more, and he was able to take his time. “Have you considered the ramifications of moving forward with the exchanges?” he asked as he kissed his way to her breasts.
“Yes. Though it was unnecessary. As I told you before, I want to do the exchanges with you. Have we waited long enough to do it now?” she asked and then moaned when he took her nipple between his teeth.
At her words, his fangs punched from his gums and his mouth watered. He nuzzled her neck, kissed her jugular and bit her as gently as possible. Willa arched her back and groaned. Her breath came in hard gasps and her legs sawed in an effort to alleviate the sudden arousal his bite created.
He drank her sweet, rich, life-giving blood. He wanted to drink his fill. But he stamped down the urge, only taking the required amount for a true exchange then forced himself to stop. Etienne licked the wound closed and cleaned her skin thoroughly before rolling to his back.
“I want you to take from my neck. I crave the intimacy of the act that I have never allowed another.”
Willa straddled his hips, rocked her core against his pulsing erection, and kissed him hard. “I thought I would… oh!” Before she could finish her question about getting fangs after the first exchange long, razor-sharp canines erupted in her mouth. Smiling, she poked at one with her tongue. “Ouch!”
His chuckle rumbled in his chest. “You will learn to deal with them. Though you may put a hole or two in your lower lip a few times before you master them.”
She gave him a mock scowl. “You could have warned me,” she groused playfully.
Etienne turned his head and exposed his neck to her. “Take from me, my love.”
Willa pressed her palms to his chest for support and leaned into him. She kissed and licked his skin until he thought he would go mad. When he growled, she laughed but got down to business. Bliss shot through him straight to his cock when her fangs sank deep. He was pleased when she licked the punctures closed without him needing to remind her to do so.
He wrapped his arms around her and flipped them, so he was on top. Willa squeaked and then laughed again. Then she took his weight with a throaty sigh.
“Nice. You have mad skills, vampman.”
Though he wanted to go slow and savor her as before, her bite had pushed him to his limit. “You have not seen anything yet,” he said as he rocked against her wet core. “Tell me that you are ready for me,” he growled, his voice guttural with need, the tendons of his neck pulled tight with the effort to maintain a modicum of control.
“I’m always ready for you. I’ll have you know, wet panties are quite uncomfortable.”
He rocked again and slipped an inch into her. “Then don’t wear them.” Pulling back, he thrust hard.
Willa cried out, not in pain, but in pleasure. She wrapped her legs around him. The slight change in the angle of her hips, took the last scant inch of him, all the way to the hilt.
He let out a groan of ecstasy. Heaven. Willa was his paradise. His private sanctuary.
At first, he eased in and out, slowly but deeply. Pacing his thrusts according to her moans and mewls.
“More. I need more.”
“As you wish.” He rocketed up the pace, pounding into her. Her head tipped back, as she cried out his name.
Their combined magical energy swirled around the room. Shadows moved across the walls, thrown by the flickering flames dancing with the magical maelstrom. Their lovemaking was wild and frenetic. Her demands were an accelerant on his bonfire of need.
He gritted his teeth as her body grasped him in an iron fist, greedy for everything he had to give. He pounded into her, everything in him concentrated in his groin. Thunder crashed in his head, a drum line pounding in his ears. And then she screamed as she went over the edge. His hips thrust hard and locked into place with him deep in her body. His lungs burned and sweat ran in rivulets down his face as he poured into her in strong hot pulses.
Hours later, with Willa asleep in his arms, Etienne came fully awake.
Chapter Ten
It was barely past midnight when Etienne roused Willa, covering her mouth with his when she opened her lips to speak.
“There are vampires outside. By my estimate, there are two, maybe three. I need you to quietly get dressed. No lights,” he whispered into her ear.
Eyes wide, she nodded and pushed the sheets back.
While she dressed, he sent a text message to Darius. He didn’t need the help, but Willa was a wild card. Lord only knew what she would do. Back up was the only wise choice.
Nick and I are in the French Quarter patrolling. We will be there in a minute, Darius messaged back.
As she dragged sweatpants over her hips, he handed her socks and a pair of sneakers.
While Willa tied her shoes, he moved to the window and drew back the curtain a fraction of an inch. His shoulders bunched and fingers flexed in preparation for a fight.
“You’re the king, right? Aren’t all the vampires under your control?” Confusion filled her whispered question.
