She lifted her gaze to his as she spoke her next words. “But there’s only one who will matter.”
Red flashed through his eyes, his nostrils flared as he inhaled sharply. He took a step toward her before clasping his hands behind his back and moving away once more. “Yes, there is.”
The gravelly sound of his voice and the ravenous promise in his eyes sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine. Oh yes, he’d be completely different from all the others. She didn’t care what she had to do; she would figure out a way to be with him. Today.
“What did you do after Florida?” he asked.
“From Florida I moved to Arizona, then New Orleans, Vegas, Dallas, Salt Lake City, and Santa Fe, before going on to Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and finally L.A. I was in L.A. when I realized I’d been running for far too long and it was time to stop. I moved back to Connecticut and started piecing my life back together.”
“How did you do that?” David inquired.
“One day at a time.”
She stepped away from the door and walked around him toward the window. Unlike the hideousness of David’s red room, her room was painted an off-white that emphasized the deep blue carpet and drapes surrounding the large picture window. Metal shutters were rigged to descend over the window at the press of a button, although she’d never hit that button as she much preferred to fall asleep to the stars and wake to the early morning sunlight.
Mia stopped before the window to gaze out at the snow before turning to perch on the edge of her bed. The thick mattress sank beneath her weight. She’d only spent a couple years living mainly on the street, but afterward she’d always been grateful for the softness of a mattress beneath her. While being held captive, a mattress had become a luxury she’d never believed she’d experience again.
Now it was a bit of heaven that never failed to make her sigh in contentment.
Mia gripped her knees when David settled onto the bed six inches away from her. She turned her head to him, her breath catching in her chest as his eyes sparkled in the rays of the sun streaming over him. Without thinking, she stretched her hand up to his cheek. He stiffened but made no move to touch her. Mia pulled her hand away.
“Sorry,” she murmured.
“Don’t ever apologize for touching me, Mia.”
Her hands gripped her legs again.
“So, one day at a time,” David prompted when it became apparent she wasn’t going to speak again.
“I tried yoga, but it wasn’t for me. Tried meditation too with no luck. From the time I was a little girl until the fire, I loved the stars. I’d often lie out at night staring at their changing patterns and dreaming of being amongst them. Many times my dad would join me and we would lie out beneath them together. He showed me the constellations and stars he knew. The ones he didn’t, I would research and find out on my own. The planetarium was one of my favorite places to go, and I’d drag my parents there at least once a month. They loved me so much,” she whispered.
He hated the sadness playing over her features at the mention of her parents. “Of course they did.”
“So when I woke up and realized the life I’d been living for the past four years wasn’t what my parents would want for me, I turned to the stars again to help get me through everything.” She told him about her travels and how she would explore the stars at every new place she went to. Told him about her time volunteering at the shelter and the money she scraped together for the kids.
“My dream is to see the Aurora Borealis. I’d love to see the stars from space too one day, but I figure seeing the Northern Lights is a far more achievable goal right now,” she said.
“I agree.”
David watched the nuance of emotions playing over her face as she focused on the window again. She went from wistful to sad, then to excited and happy while she spoke. A small smile played at the corners of her lips.
“Maybe one day, if I live long enough, there will be a time when people go into space as easily as they fly across the country,” she said. “I can hope so anyway. Star Wars was always my favorite movie. I’d love to be able to fly something like the Millennium Falcon through space.”
He lifted an eyebrow at that. “Was Han Solo your first crush?”
“I was always more of a Chewie girl.”
David’s loud laugh caused her eyes to widen. She’d never heard anyone laugh like that, so deep and true. It was a laugh that would have made even a virgin drop her panties. It almost made her do so.
“Was it all of Chewie’s hair that did it for you?” he asked between bouts of laughter.
Lured by his amusement, Mia edged closer until only an inch separated them. “The height,” she murmured.
Her lack of a sex life for the past few years hadn’t mattered to her. She’d thought little of it, as she’d been more focused on learning how to be happy with herself, but now it mattered. She instinctively knew David could satisfy her far more than any man, her own hand, or even her favorite vibrator ever had.
And she wanted him.
She inhaled the aroma of snow and pine adhering to him. Her fangs lengthened as her gaze fell to the vein in his throat. She’d fed from some of the humans she’d been with during sex—she had more needs than just sexual ones, after all—but she’d never fed from another vampire. She’d also never allowed herself to know what another was thinking or feeling while she fed, yet she found she craved that knowledge with him.
Her hand rested against his cheek, drawing his head toward her. His laughter faded away when his eyes met hers. Her gaze latched onto his full lips. Unable to resist the magnetic draw she felt to him, she moved forward to tenderly kiss him.
David’s body reacted as if he’d been socked in the stomach. The air rushed out of him the second her lips caressed his. The warmth of her breath against his mouth was an intoxicating sensation that pulled him into its drugging depths. Her tongue flicked out to run over his lips. He knew he should pull away, stop her before it was too late, but he found himself lost to her while he waited to see what she would do next.
Her breasts were the merest brush against his chest when she leaned closer and slipped her tongue between his lips. David’s hands fisted in the comforter to keep from dragging her against him.
Her tongue tangled with his as she lifted her hands to rest them against his chest. The minty taste of her mouth and her intrinsic rose scent flooded his senses. His dick ached with the need to be free, to be inside her. Like a snake charmer, she had him completely ensnared by the sensual spell she cast over him.
His fingers tore through the comforter when she nipped at his lip before drawing it into her mouth and sucking on it. Her fangs scraping his flesh was a tease that was almost too much for him to bear before her tongue slid over his once more. She’d be the death of him, and he’d open his arms and eagerly welcome it if she let him hold her.
Mia clasped his face with both of her hands as she rose to stand before him without breaking the kiss. Her heart hammered in her chest while anticipation raced through her. Need. It was all she could think when his tongue dipped into her mouth. Every thrust of his tongue became more demanding as it entwined with hers.
He remained rigid on the bed as her hands slid through his hair to clasp together against his neck. His legs opened to accommodate her when she took a step toward him. His knees brushed against her hips, the contact so minimal she barely felt it.
She’d never been kissed as if she were the only woman in the world, but that was how she felt when David kissed her. She would give anything to feel his arms closing around her, but she didn’t dare initiate that much contact. He had her starving for more of him, but she had no way of knowing how her body would react to being locked down again.
Unclasping her hands, she slid them around to the open front of his coat, pushing it back from his shoulders and down his arms. The corded muscles beneath her hands flexed as he shrugged it the rest of the way off while still kissing her. Desperate to feel his flesh
against hers, she clutched the bottom of his sweater and lifted it.
His mouth pulled away from hers when his arms rose to allow her to tug the sweater the rest of the way off. His electric blue eyes deepened to an almost midnight blue while he watched her.
“There will be no turning back,” he said in a hoarse voice she barely recognized. His fangs flashed in the sun spilling over him as he spoke.
Mia didn’t respond as she drank in the broad shoulders bared to her. He was the most magnificent man she’d ever seen. He had the body of a skier, long and solid with a supple grace. Her body clamored with the need to see and feel more of him. Her fingers skimmed over his right pec in little circles. Dipping lower, she traced the deep line that ran down the center of his abs toward that mouthwatering erection straining against his jeans.
Her body tingled in anticipation of taking it in her hand and stroking it until his back bowed and he demanded more. Through the denim fabric, she ran her finger around the head of his cock. She didn’t care that there would be no turning back if they continued with this. All she wanted was him inside her. Screw the consequences.
His hips rose a little off the bed, seeking more of her touch. “I want you,” she whispered.
She lifted her head to gaze at him. The muscles in his arms bulged, sweat beading on his forehead and slicking his chest muscles as his hands twisted deeper into her comforter. White stuffing poked through the deep blue from where he’d shredded the material.
“Mia—”
“Shh.” She bent to run her tongue over his lips again. “No more talking.”
Unable to stop himself, David released the comforter and wrapped his hand around the back of her head. She stiffened instantly, her breath rushing out of her in a hiss. Releasing her, he gripped the comforter again. Mia remained tensed against him, barely breathing as her lips skimmed his.
He inwardly cursed himself while he waited for her to pull away. Her head lifted, her eyes searching his as her fingers slid over his shoulders once more and a tremor ran through her.
“Let me do the touching,” she whispered. “I know I can handle that.”
He feared his teeth would break from the force with which he clamped them together, but he managed to get out a response. “I will.”
It would be the toughest thing he’d ever done in his life, but he would do what she asked of him. Her tiny fingers stroked the head of his dick through his jeans once more. He’d never been so hard in his life; the pressure was becoming almost too much for him to bear. He sighed in relief when she found the button and slid it free before pulling down the zipper. His shaft sprang forward in anticipation of her touch.
She should have known he would go commando. Mia gazed down at the bead of moisture forming on the thick head of his cock. A driving need to taste him had her licking her lips in anticipation.
When she tugged at his waistband, David lifted his hips so she could pull his jeans over his knees and down to his shins. Kneeling before him, she unlaced his boots and tugged them off. They thudded on the carpet as she tossed them aside. She removed his socks before pulling his jeans the rest of the way off.
Resting her hands on his knees, her fingers moved over his thighs. Her hands were so nimble against his flesh that they barely touched him, yet her grazing caress had him on the verge of coming. Her fingers skimmed over his shaft before she bent forward to run her tongue over the head, licking away the bead of pre-cum there.
David tore deeper into the comforter, spilling more stuffing around him as he restrained himself from slipping his hand around the back of her head and clasping her to him. Her eyes lifted to him, a knowing smile curving her lips before she slid her mouth down his shaft, taking him deeper.
“Fuck!” he groaned as her hand and mouth worked him. And what a mouth it was. Deliciously hot and wet as she swirled her tongue over and around him, driving him closer and closer to the brink of release. Her eyes never left his as she worked him, the erotic sight of her nearly his undoing.
Mia had never known it was possible to be so aroused without ever being touched, but she’d never experienced anything as sexy as David with his legs spread around her and sweat glistening over his body. She moaned as her nipples hardened in response to his obvious arousal.
“If you don’t stop, I’m going to come,” he grated from between his teeth, his fangs barely visible behind his lips.
Mia’s hand clasped more firmly around his thick shaft, letting him know that was what she wanted him to do. Never before had she brought a man to completion this way; she’d never wanted to, but she did now. Rising a little higher, she kept her eyes on his as she worked him faster, relishing in the salty taste of him and the silken skin stretched over his rigid length. She slid her tongue down the thick vein running through his cock, causing him to groan in response.
Her fingers didn’t meet as she held him, and she couldn’t take him all the way into her mouth, but it didn’t seem to matter as his hips rose and fell in rhythm with her sucking. His head fell back, the muscles in his neck stood out as a shout vibrated his chest and the hot rush of his release filled her mouth.
Mia took all of him into her before running her tongue around him once more and reluctantly releasing him. White stuffing from the comforter fell around her and onto the floor when David’s head tipped back down to look at her. The savagery on his face robbed her of her breath.
She’d believed he would be more relaxed after finding his release, but he appeared coiled tighter than he had been before. On his face and in his eyes, she saw the absolute truth.
There was no going back.
CHAPTER 9
“Now you,” David growled.
Mia struggled to breathe while he continued to watch her as a hunter watched its prey. The hunger on his face, a hunger so similar and yet so different than those of the vampires who had drank from her in the warehouse, should have frightened her. She knew he not only wanted her body, but also her blood. Instead, she found herself becoming more stimulated by the realization. All of her clothes felt too abrasive as they rubbed against her hypersensitive skin.
“Now me,” she murmured.
“Let me see you. All of you.”
A thrill went through her at his commanding tone. With any other man, she would have flipped him the bird for thinking he could order her around in such a way. She would have walked out the door. Now she found her hands going to the edge of her sweater and sliding it up to bare her midriff before exposing her bra.
David’s hands jerked forward, rending the comforter further while he watched Mia’s slow, provocative movements. He took in her pale skin, round hips, and ribcage before she uncovered the bottom of her bra. It was simple and white, yet he found that bra to be one of the most alluring things he’d ever seen.
Ruby-colored eyes met Mia’s when she tossed her sweater onto the floor and rose to stand before him. She’d never felt more desired or powerful in her life as his rapt gaze watched while she glided her hands down her belly until she reached the button of her jeans. She undid it and slid them slowly down her legs. With her toes, she kicked aside her jeans to stand before him in nothing but her bra and panties.
David’s gaze ran over her slender body, drinking in every inch of her. Still thin from her captivity, the outline of her ribs was barely visible beneath her ivory skin. The only marks on her were the darker patches of skin on her upper thighs. There, her skin was not a creamy porcelain, but puckered and a deep pink from the burns she’d sustained in the fire.
His hands jerked again, not because he wanted to grab her and drive himself into her but because he wanted to pull her close and hold her to him. To embrace her while he tried to shelter her from the horrors of her past. He could have lost her in that fire.
Mia held her breath as David stared at her scars. When she’d first been burned, she’d been ashamed of them. Ashamed that she’d failed her parents, that she’d survived when they hadn’t. She’d found them revolting. Now they were a ma
rk of everything she had survived. They were a mark of who she was.
Some men had been repulsed by her scars, others had barely noticed them in their rush to screw her, but none had ever asked about them. David didn’t have to ask; he already knew. When he lifted his eyes to meet hers, she didn’t know what to expect to see there, but it certainly wasn’t the pride blazing from him. That pride caused a lump in her throat and made her long to please him even more.
“You’re beautiful,” he told her.
The truth she heard in those words left her speechless. She was a little too thin right now, but she was still aware that she was far from ugly. However, she’d never felt beautiful before. She did now.
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips before he leaned subtly forward. “Now off with the bra,” he ordered.
Mia quirked an eyebrow at him, but she did as he asked and unhooked her bra before tossing it aside. His eyes latched onto her bared breasts and her enticing pale pink nipples. He’d give anything to be able to touch them, to draw one of those buds into his mouth and nip at it before swirling his tongue around it.
“What would you do if you were touching me?” she asked.
His eyes snapped up to hers, his erection surged back to life as his heart thudded in his chest. “If I tell you, will you do it?”
Mia swallowed heavily. “Yes,” she croaked out.
David ran his tongue over his fangs when they throbbed almost as badly as his dick did. “I’d run my hands over your breasts,” he told her. “Taking them within my palms as I fondled them.”
His eyes latched onto her hands as they slid up her flat belly to cup her small breasts. He found it increasingly difficult to continue speaking, but he’d talk non-stop if it meant he could watch her touching herself in such a way.
Fractured (Vampire Awakenings, Book 6) Page 7
