by Alice Brown
Stephanie looked over at him with confusion clearly written across her face. “But I don’t understand. This mating pull has been driving me insane, making me moody, and…” she trailed off there as her face turned red just thinking about some of her dreams. “How have you...why have you left it—me—alone?” she babbled.
He gave her a sheepish grin. “Believe me, it has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. I just felt it would be best if I gave you another year to reach full adulthood. Besides, now you are sitting a week away from turning twenty-one, when you will officially be an adult,” he paused there and sighed deeply.
“Stephanie, I have loved you for some time now, and that love seems to grow stronger every day. You are my true mate, my other half. It literally hurts my chest to walk out of this house and go home at night, to be away from you. But I want you to know I am not going to pressure you into anything, and at all costs I want our friendship preserved. So if you don’t feel the same, now is the time to tell me. I’ll back off and let you be for a while. We can continue to be just friends until you are ready to make a lifetime commitment. I’ll wait as long as I need to, okay?”
She couldn’t hold back any longer. This was her best friend who had always been there for her in everything, and now he was telling her she was his true mate, and he wanted her for life. How lucky could a girl get?
She threw her arms around him and pressed her body up tight against his. “Oh, Marshall,” she cried, “I love you! I felt the mating bond hit months ago and was so afraid you were ignoring it, and that you didn’t want me.”
He tightened his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. She laid her hand on his chest. “Baby, you have no idea how badly I want you. I know you are innocent, and I promise we are going to take this slow. Besides the fact I love you and would never want you in any type of discomfort, your father would kill me. And yes, I still have to face your parents in this situation.”
Stephanie felt something sticking into her backside and wiggled just a bit to remove the discomfort. Marshall groaned, and she quickly realized what was sticking her. His erection was pressed up against the zipper of his jeans, and from the looks of it, she wondered why he wasn’t poking out of them. Yes, he was indeed large. Damn, would he even fit? That thing was bound to hurt!
Marshall, noticing she was eyeing his hard-on with trepidation, hooked his finger under her chin in order to get her attention. “Baby, we will go just as slow as you need to when the time comes. Now, how about we share our first real kiss?”
She smiled. She had been dreaming of this day for months. As he started leaning his head down toward her, their mouths coming closer together, it suddenly hit her that she wasn’t sure how to do this. She was about to experience her first real kiss. And it was with her mate. How lucky could she get?
Marshall stopped just before his lips touched hers. “This is your first kiss, isn’t it, baby?”
Her answer was a breathy, “Yes.”
“Then I am honored it is going to be with me,” he whispered against her lips.
He darted off to the side, planting tiny kisses across her cheeks then moved down to nibble on her chin. Finally, slowly, he made his way back up to her lips. He licked them, enjoying the taste of her. He pulled her bottom lip into his mouth and nibbled lightly, only to release it a moment later and lick away the sting. She was starting to relax into the kiss, even laying tiny kisses on his face when she could. He placed his mouth over hers, licking her lips in hopes that she would let him in. She did. His tongue explored every crevice in her warm cavern. He ran his tongue over her teeth, tickled the roof of her mouth, and then came back down to tangle with hers. For someone who had never kissed, she was a natural. Her tongue dueled with his until they were both breathless. Pulling back, he smiled at her dreamy, half closed eyes.
He pulled her tight up against him, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Her hand immediately landed on his chest, where she absently started stroking. “God, baby, I love you so much,” he exclaimed as he hugged her tight.
“Hmm, me too, Marshall, I love you so much. I never thought this day would come.”
Looking down at his watch, he stated, “I need to go speak to Erica about the wall. I’ll come back over tomorrow morning and fix it. Why don’t you go get ready for the movies? It is still a bit early, so we have time to go through some of the shops if you like.”
She jumped out of his lap with a smile on her face. “Okay, give me about ten minutes and I’ll be ready to go.” She leaned over and was about to place a quick, chaste kiss on his lips, but Marshall saw her coming and quickly took over. He placed his hand around the back of her head to hold her exactly where he wanted and took over the kiss in a heartbeat. When he was finished a few minutes later, Stephanie was once again breathless. Marshall lightly swatted her backside as he grinned at her. “Go get ready, love.”
He found Erica in her office, and she glanced up to him as he walked in the door. Suddenly, he felt trepidation consume him. Had she heard him and Stephanie? She was a full-blooded vampire with extra keen hearing. And if so, did she agree with the situation, or was she going to be mad because her baby girl was truly growing up and would be leaving the nest soon. Now, having to face Erica and tell her that they are indeed pursuing a relationship, well, he just wasn’t sure how she would react.
“Hey, Marshall,” Erica greeted him. “Are you and Stephanie headed to the movies?”
“Umm, yes we are. I’ll come over first thing in the morning and fix that wall, I promise,” Marshall stated nervously as he bounced from one foot to the other.
Erica smiled at him. “I know you are good for it; tomorrow will be fine. Is Stephanie in a better mood now that you two have cleared the air?”
She managed to shock Marshall, something that rarely happened. Erica blushed. “Sorry, I really wasn’t eavesdropping, but with our hearing being what it is…” She left it hanging at that and shrugged her shoulders.
Nervously, Marshall stepped further into her office and sat down, suddenly feeling like his legs couldn’t hold him up anymore. “Yes, she does seem to be in a better mood. I hope you don’t mind that I came clean with her about my feelings toward her. I think she has been upset this entire time thinking I didn’t feel anything toward her, and not knowing what to do with her emotions.”
Erica smiled as she glanced up from her computer screen to him. “Yes, I think you’re right. I thought hormones have been at work; looks like I was right, too.” She shrugged her shoulders as she glanced up at the computer screen and then typed in a few keystrokes. “And no, I am not upset with either of you. I have suspected the two of you were mates for a while now, so I’ve anticipated this happening sooner or later. You two have been too close for either of you just to walk away. It’s just hard for me to admit my baby has grown up, you know?”
“Yes, I can imagine, but Erica, you and Kevin should already know that I plan on taking very good care of her,” Marshall responded.
“Oh, we do…and I should probably look at it that I am not losing a daughter, but gaining a son; hell, as much as you have stayed here over the past seven years, I feel like we adopted you a long time ago.”
Marshall heard Stephanie coming down the stairs and stood to leave. As he walked away, he grumbled loud enough for Erica to hear him, “Son, my ass. I am older than you, dear Mom!” Erica’s laughter could be heard all the way down the hall.
He escorted Stephanie down the elevator to the underground part of their society. They still had time before the movie, so they stopped to browse in several of the local shops. Stephanie found a purse she liked—Marshall inwardly grimaced; she had about fifty at home—and he found a book that sounded interesting. Afterward, they stopped in the park to sit and watch the children for a while.
“So, your mom knows about our little talk today,” Marshall began. Stephanie might as well know now that her parents were already aware of the situation.
“Oh, no! If
Mom knows, that means Dad is going to know soon! Crap!” she groaned.
“Baby, when I went in to talk with your mother, she said she had suspected we were mates for a while now, so she wasn’t surprised at all. She told me she had been anticipating this, that you and I are too close for either of us to walk away. I am sure your father feels the same. Don’t fret. I’ll speak with him tomorrow. Besides, give your parents a little credit. They are not stupid. Your father is over eighty years old and has seen a lot in his lifetime. They probably knew we had feelings for each other before either of us did.” He stopped and cocked his head. “I thought you were the one with the telepathic abilities?”
She started shaking her head with a frown. “Oh, I can read people’s thoughts, but for those that I am close to, like you or my parents, it feels like an invasion of privacy, so I choose not to do it.”
Marshall started to do a quick mind sweep, something that he did routinely to others. Then, he remembered it would do him no good. Stephanie’s mind was like a locked vault. There wasn’t a vampire around, no matter how old, who had been able to penetrate her defenses. Full-blooded vampires have the ability to retrieve and even manipulate human thoughts. But being faced with another of their kind was a different matter. Most of the time, vampires were taught to block their thoughts early on. Only the very old vampires could penetrate another vampire’s thoughts, and even then it proved difficult at times. But Stephanie had shown early on that she was different. Not only could she read human minds, but she had also been known to read vampire minds, whether the blocks were up or not. No wonder she didn’t know how he felt about her. “You mean to tell me you have never read my thoughts?” he verified, still clearly in shock that she had been so clueless.
She looked up at him shyly and grinned. “I did once, when I was younger. I had pulled some prank on you, and wanted to get a first-hand view. I think I moved a chair out from under you or something. You were irritated, and I decided not to try that one again, or to read your mind.”
“You were a little prankster when you were younger,” he laughed, recalling a few of the many pranks she had played on him over the years. He remembered her astral projecting herself into the VCTF office when she was still a baby, and tying his shoelaces to the chair legs, or moving the rocking chair just when he was sitting down with her in his lap to read a bedtime story.
However, the best prank she had played had been when the team went on a training mission to practice with new weapons Charles and Mr. Atkins had developed to prepare for the war with the rogues. Mr. Atkins had set up moving pop-up targets on a track system. The targets were filled with paint pellets and fired back at the men as they attempted to eliminate the enemy. They had arrived early on a Sunday morning and had just started the obstacle course when they found themselves being hit with paint balls from all sides. They’d been forced to crawl on their bellies through the course, with Kevin alternating between growling and cursing the entire way.
They had been on the way back to the starting point when they were attacked again, this time with paint balls raining down from the sky above. When Kevin had enough and yelled at Charles and Mr. Atkins, they assured him it wasn’t them. That was when it came to light that Stephanie had projected out to the site. Since she was invisible, no one could see her. She had stolen paint balls from the container holding the extras, and thought it would be great fun to pelt the team with them.
Yeah, she had played some good practical jokes over the years. And that just made him love her all the more.
*****
The two of them settled in the plush, comfortable movie seats. Stephanie looked around, impressed. Whoever had designed the theater had done a wonderful job. The seats were like recliners, some single and some loveseats, with plenty of room to recline comfortably. Because their community was not large, the general layout had been made with comfort and privacy in mind, rather than maximizing capacity. All of the loveseats were spaced several feet from one another, and the single recliners boasted a small table next to each one.
When Marshall had walked in and noticed the loveseat recliners, he quickly made his way to an empty one. After that hot kiss this afternoon, he was hoping Stephanie would be up for a little bit more.
The movie started, and they cuddled together closely. It wasn’t long before Stephanie was turned sideways in his lap, with her head leaning on his broad shoulder. She had brought a jacket with her just in case she became chilled, and Marshall laid it out over her shoulders. It did a wonderful job of covering both her back and her front. He mentally shouted, “Hallelujah!” Now hopefully she would let him play a bit.
He leaned down and gave her a kiss on her forehead; when she raised her head a bit, he kissed the end of her nose, and then finally her mouth. Once their lips came together, they both forgot the movie entirely. He broke off the kiss a couple of minutes later to let her catch her breath. He nuzzled her ear. “Do you mind if I play a bit?” he whispered softly.
She gave him a questioning look, and he quickly continued, “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do. All you have to do is tell me to stop and I will, I promise. Nobody will see anything with you under the jacket. I just want to learn your body a little bit.”
“Okay,” she answered in a shaky breath.
The next second she felt her bra give way, as Marshall released the back hooks. He caressed her bare back in small, tantalizing circles. With his other hand, he crept up the front of her shirt until he met her loosened bra. He pushed both cups aside, allowing her breasts to fall. He caught one in his hand and drew in a sharp intake of breath. “Lord, your skin is so soft,” he breathed into her ear. He continued brushing his hand against the soft skin of the underside of her breast, patiently waiting, hoping she would relax.
It didn’t take long. With her head resting on his shoulder, her body started squirming. He groaned in agony when her butt shifted across his engorged shaft.
“Baby, please stay still, or I am going to be walking out of this place looking like I wet myself,” he pleaded in her ear. He hoped the movie was loud enough that no one else would hear him. He took a quick glance around and gave an inward shrug. It looked like most of the other patrons were doing the same thing they were doing.
He bent his head down and caught her lips in a deep kiss, while at the same time brushed two fingers across one of her nipples. She jumped slightly, and then deepened the kiss while pushing her breast forward, into his waiting hand. Oh, yeah, he thought with pride. I always knew she would be a hot one once she embraced her sexuality. He had waited for this day for so long, and he wondered how long it would take to get her into his bed. He had been celibate since she had been born, realizing early on that she was something special. But even he didn’t understand back then just how special she would turn out to be. It wasn’t until she got older that he strongly suspected she was his mate. But she hadn’t been fully grown yet, so he was forced to put all feelings aside and continue to be just her friend.
But to be honest with himself, he had not even had a hard-on until recently, and he knew it was because she was coming of age. Mother Nature was great that way. She knew just when to throw the sexual urges into play.
He felt with his free hand to make sure the jacket had her well covered, and then reached under it to find her other breast. Lord only knew how much he wanted to take those luscious globes into his mouth and suck on those ripe berry tips until they were hard little points.
He broke off their kiss and stopped his hands. Whispering in her ear, he softly stated, “Let me lay down across this loveseat, and you can get on top of me.” She nodded her head and reached to pull her jacket tighter around her.
He shifted around until he was lying across the loveseat. His feet were hanging over the edge, but he couldn’t have cared less. He pulled her around with him and in a surprise move, pulled her up a bit so her head was above his. This put his head, and more specifically his mouth, exactly where he wanted it—right at breast level.<
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He tilted his head up and waited for her to lean down so he could whisper in her ear. “Baby, I want to taste you, but you will need to be quiet. Can you do that?”
She nodded her head as she graced him with a smile and ran her fingers through his hair. Oh, she feels so good, he thought, as he made certain her jacket was covering them, then gently lifted her shirt from under her just high enough to uncover her breasts. Never in his long life had he been more thankful for his vampire sight than he was at that moment. She was perfect. Firm, round globes that made just barely a handful each, with the prettiest dark pink berries topping each. A lovelier sight he had never seen.
As he licked one nipple tentatively, he heard a quick intake of breath from her, but other than that, she remained silent. He took another quick lick and then blew on the nipple, watching it bud before his eyes. She was beautiful, and she was all his. He gently sucked the nipple into his mouth, where he sucked for a long moment. Then, he opened his mouth wider to take as much of her breast in his mouth as he could. She tasted delicious. She had a slight honey taste to her, and he wondered if her cream would taste the same way. If so, he would be eating her for hours.
He released her breast with a slight popping sound, and quickly went to the other, paying just as much attention to it. He couldn’t wait to get her alone and totally naked. Her body would make for an enjoyable feast.
He listened to the sounds surrounding them, the movie had reached its climax, and he knew the ending would be soon.
He leaned his head up and whispered, “The movie is about over. I want to do so much more with you, but this isn’t the time, nor the place.” He turned his head slightly to nip her chin, and when she jerked slightly upwards, he ran his tongue down the middle of her throat. Sighing, he reached back under her jacket and began dressing her again.
