Night's Promise

by Sandy Lynn

  Melissa pulled out of his grasp. “I ran away from home. My stepfather had gotten worse. He…he was going to…he wanted…”

  Tears flowed down her cheeks and Duncan didn’t need to be able to read her mind to know what her stepfather had wanted. Pure rage filled him at the thought, and he wanted the man’s blood. He didn’t even want to drink it, positive the blood of such a foul man would do nothing more than churn his stomach. But he did want to watch as the man died a slow, excruciating death.

  It seemed as though now that she had begun confiding in him, she couldn’t stop her story.

  “But I ran away before he could do anything. I decided I’d rather sell my body on the street than let him… I’d rather have perfect strangers use me—let them do whatever they wanted—instead of spending another minute with him. I was so lucky,” she said, shaking her head. “The first guy I tried to ‘pick up’ was Gareth. He took me to a diner and bought me something to eat.

  “When he took me home, my stepfather slapped me, right in front of him. He didn’t care that I had left, he cared that no one had been around to make his supper or clean his house. Gareth took one look at my stepfather and threw him across the room. He told him if I had so much as a scratch on me the following night when he came to pick me up, the man would pay dearly.

  “That was the longest night and day of my life. I was terrified of what would happen if he didn’t come back, what my stepfather would do to me. But I packed, just in case. I didn’t have much I wanted to take with me, but there were a few special things, memories of my mom… And just like some kind of white knight, as soon as the sun set, he was there at the door, with papers that proclaimed he was my ‘long lost brother’. My stepfather gladly signed custody over to him, when Gareth flashed his fangs again. When we left, he took me out to eat and bought me clothes. I felt like a princess that night.

  “For the longest time I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Gareth to tell me that I was going to become some kind of pet, an open buffet whenever he was hungry, and gods help me, I didn’t care. I waited for him to tell me what I owed him for ‘rescuing’ me, but he never did. He always treated me as though I were really and truly his sister.”

  Duncan pulled Melissa into another hug. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was that she had been forced to go through that growing up, but words were meaningless. Her story went a long way to explain the close relationship between the brother and sister. It completely explained why the man was so over-protective of her and why, no matter what happened, Melissa stood beside her brother, unconditionally.

  “How does that blonde figure into this?” Duncan asked.

  “She’s working for my stepfather.” He felt her hot tears drip onto his chest, but she didn’t try to pull away this time. “He’s never forgotten how badly Gareth humiliated him, how he saved me. He wants to destroy my brother, Duncan. And all I can do is scream in the darkness, wait for him to grab me. I think I could handle anything he did to me,” she told him, her voice muffled slightly. “But if he hurts Gareth…if he hurt Gareth, I would never forgive myself.” Looking up at him with liquid brown eyes, she pleaded. “Don’t tell him. Don’t tell Gareth.”

  “Angel, I don’t think I can keep something like this from him.”

  “He knows about the blonde. And he knows about the nightmares. But Gareth thinks I’m still afraid of him—of Travis. I don’t want him to know what really terrifies me is the thought of him being hurt because of me. He’ll think it means I don’t believe he can ‘beat’ Travis. I don’t want him rushing into a situation recklessly because he wants to prove something to me.”

  Duncan nodded. “I won’t tell him.” Pulling her closer to him, he couldn’t help his body’s reaction to her. “I have one question. It’s a little personal, though.”

  “What?” She gave half a chuckle. “I’ve just confessed my deepest, darkest fears. What’s one more answer?”

  “Well, I know you stomp on a guy’s foot for bossing you around, and you punch them in the jaw for pushing you around. What do you do if a man kisses you?”

  His question took her completely by surprise. “Black eye,” she answered automatically.

  “It’s definitely worth it,” he said.

  Sitting there with Duncan’s arms wrapped around her, Melissa watched, spellbound, as he lowered his head to hers.

  When their lips touched, her eyes drifted closed. She expected to feel his tongue inside her mouth, some kind of invasion, much like the other kisses she’d received. But he took his time, his warm lips pressing against hers, moving slowly, easing a response from her as they pushed her worries away.

  Duncan pulled away from her, kissing the tip of her nose. Opening her eyes, Melissa saw a smile on his lips.

  “Definitely worth it,” he repeated.

  But she had never felt less like hitting someone. She wanted to feel him kissing her again.

  Not giving herself time to stop and think about what she was doing, Melissa wrapped her arms around his neck, brought his head back down to hers. A low moan escaped her throat when she felt his lips pressing against hers. Sucking his lower lip into her mouth she nibbled on it, another sound escaping her as Duncan pulled her closer to him, his erection pressing into her hip.

  He cupped the back of her head, deepening the kiss, his tongue darting out to trace her lips. Her tongue moved tentatively, touching his. When he groaned, Melissa grew braver. She’d been kissed before, but never before had she ever felt so alive from the act.

  It had always felt like more of a chore to get through. Thrusting her tongue inside Duncan’s mouth, she began to play, learning his taste and reveling in the sensation moving from the pit of her stomach, down between her legs.

  Her tongue moved inside of his mouth, exploring. When she felt the extended fang, her tongue pressed against it carefully.

  He growled deep in his throat and shifted her so she was sitting on his lap. He leaned into the kiss, still allowing her complete control, as Melissa traced his lower lip.

  Parting from her slightly, his mouth pressed against her cheek, trailing tiny kisses and nibbles to her ear. She turned her head giving him better access. Without quite remembering how she’d gotten there, she felt her cheek pressing against a pillow. When his mouth released her ear, she turned to look into his warm gray eyes. She didn’t care how she had gotten in this position so long as he didn’t stop.

  Closing her eyes, she wondered how she could have ever thought of such things as a chore. How could she have never known just how great this felt?

  “My beautiful angel,” Duncan murmured before nibbling down to her throat.

  Chapter Four

  Duncan tried to control the lust raging inside of him. The last thing he wanted to do was take advantage of Melissa while her emotions were rioting within her. He thought he might have a grip on himself; that he might be able to let her get off the bed without ripping her clothes off.

  But as he eased off her, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer.

  His mouth grew slightly rougher, his teeth nipping at her flesh, careful not to drink from her without permission. Duncan’s hands went to her jeans in the scant space between them and unbuttoned the pants quickly. He pushed her shirt up with one hand, eager to feel her bare flesh arching against him.

  His mouth trailed lower. A smile tilted his lips as he watched her enjoying his touch. Her eyes were closed and she was biting down on her lower lip, an expression of wonder on her face. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she’d never felt anything like this before.

  A sudden thought crept into his mind. Did he know better? Had she ever felt like this before? Before he could ask the questions, Melissa opened her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked. “You stopped.”

  “Nothing’s wrong, Angel. I was just admiring the view.”

  “Kiss me again?”

  Leaning down to fulfill her request, he was amazed at how greedy she had b
ecome, how eager since the first kiss.

  It was as though she couldn’t get enough of him. His hand teased her nipple through the lace bra she wore. Shifting slightly away from her without breaking their kiss, he managed to free her breast from the barrier and continued to circle her nipple.

  A moan escaped her and she arched her back, thrusting her breast closer to his hand. As he moved his hand, she whimpered. Balancing his weight on one arm, Duncan stroked the outside of her thigh, making gentle thrusts into her jean-covered sex. The action only seemed to make them both hotter.

  Their kiss ended and, sitting up, he untangled her legs from around his waist. Carefully watching her reaction for any sign that she wanted him to stop, he saw her bite her lip. Her body writhed slightly, in an attempt to get closer to him. Tugging on her jeans, he tried to pull them away from her body so he could go back to tasting every inch of her flesh.

  But as soon as the pants began to slide off her hips, her eyes jerked open and a look of terror destroyed any desire she had been feeling.

  The once pliant, eager woman struggled against him, pushing him away. Scrambling off the bed, Melissa put her clothes to rights and stared at him, walking backwards until her back was against the wall.

  “Melissa, what’s wrong?”

  At the sound of his voice she shook her head slightly. “I’m sorry, I-I think I should leave.” Despite her words, her body remained stiffly against the wall.

  Duncan stood then approached her slowly. Tilting her head, he noticed the flash of panic in her eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath. “Melissa, Angel, have you ever…” His voice trailed off. He was unwilling to embarrass her, but he needed to know.

  “Have I ever what?”

  “Have you ever had sex?”

  Her eyes widened for a few seconds then narrowed. Pushing against his chest, she tried to move him away. “That is none of your damn business. Get away from me.”

  “Mel—”

  “What?” she asked, still trying to push him away, but Duncan wouldn’t allow her to run this time. Gathering her struggling body into his embrace, he tried to soothe her.

  “Shhh, it’s alright. Considering what you’ve been through it shouldn’t be a surprise.”

  “Oh really? Are you sure you don’t just want to call me frigid, like the other guys?” He felt her foot lift slightly and managed to move his before she stomped on it again. Keeping her arms tightly between them, he hoped she’d be unable to punch him again, either.

  “No, Angel, I wouldn’t ever call you frigid. The woman that I was just holding was anything but. It’s okay to admit you’re afraid of something.” Duncan laid his cheek against her hair. “You can admit anything to me.”

  She began to struggle again, but just as quickly, the fight seemed to leave her. “It’s not normal, I’m not normal. Guys have gone out of their way to make sure I knew that since high school.”

  “They were wrong.” Backing up, his arms still wrapped tightly around her, he moved to the bed, pulling her down onto his lap when he sat down.

  “A woman’s first time should be special,” he said, trying desperately not to trip over the words. “Damn, I wish I was better at this shit,” he told her with a sigh. “It’s something to be treasured and shit. Fuck, now I know why I was glad to be an only child.”

  “You seem to be doing just fine.” Melissa giggled. “I’m sorry I freaked. I just…” She sighed. “The nightmares and remembering my childhood… The only time I was ever out of my jeans was when I was in the shower. And even then it was only for as long as absolutely necessary. I became mistress of the five minute shower.”

  “You can’t be serious. Five minutes? That’s, that’s sacrilegious.” Once again the desire to hurt her stepfather caused him to ball his hand into a fist as he tried to keep his tone light.

  “So I learned,” she told him, a smile in her voice.

  “Mel, I won’t ever do anything that you don’t want me to do.” All teasing left his voice. “If you want me to leave you alone and never touch you again, I will. If you just want me to hold you, I’d be happy to do that too.”

  She looked up at him, her expression disbelieving, but her eyes hopeful. “You’d be okay with that? What if I never wanted to…you know?”

  “Angel, I won’t ever force you to do anything. You have my word on that.” Whether she realized it or not, his word wasn’t given lightly. Once given, he would never break it.

  After a moment of silence, Melissa nodded. “Will you just hold me? I don’t want to be alone.”

  “Of course.” Duncan stood up and paused, waiting for her to follow him. Pulling back the sheets, he climbed into the bed, holding them up for her to join him.

  “You really don’t mind?”

  “I really don’t mind.”

  She climbed into the bed and backed against him, making him force back a groan as her ass rubbed against his hard cock. He waited until she was settled before draping his arm over her waist.

  Silence filled the room for several long moments as he tried to think about cold showers, some of the crime bosses he’d made hits for, his Aunt Martha, anything to keep from thinking about the beautiful woman in his arms and how badly he wanted her. Anything that would keep him from disappearing at dusk to go on a hunt, the kind he’d stayed away from for the last seventy-plus years since Bram had helped him change.

  “Duncan?” Melissa asked, her tone betraying how tired she was.

  “Yes, Angel?”

  She mumbled something he couldn’t quite make out. A few seconds later, her breathing was slow and steady, and he knew she was sleeping.

  Lifting himself to his elbow carefully so he didn’t disturb her, Duncan watched her. The fact that she had confided in him was enough for him to want to protect her. Hearing the cruel things that happened, the horrible names she was called by stupid boys trying to play at being men, was enough to make him want to hunt them down. But the blood he truly lusted for was her stepfather’s.

  The man had been given a great responsibility. Melissa and her mother had put their faith, their trust in him. For him to even attempt to do those things to Melissa was unforgivable. Duncan’s blood raced through his veins as his temper threatened to boil over until he could no longer control it. His hunger grew as he thought of what he would like to do to the bastard who had treated the woman in his arms like trash.

  Forcing himself to take a deep breath and calm down, he lay back against the pillow. His nose pressed against her neck, Duncan enjoyed her scent and the calming effect it had on his temper. Placing a gentle kiss to her silky flesh, he reluctantly stopped, despite her whimper. Beside him, Melissa tried to move back, pressing closer to him.

  Eventually he was able to fall asleep.

  *

  Stretching in the bed, Melissa felt well rested for the first time in over a week. She burrowed back against the man behind her, certain her brother had deliberately ignored her and come home to protect her. At that moment, she couldn’t be angry with him, she hadn’t felt so safe in a long time. Rubbing her cheek against the pillow, she sighed with contentment and debated about trying to go back to sleep.

  Her eyes flew open when the hand resting against her stomach lifted to cup her breast. What the fuck?

  A low moan came from behind her. Twisting her body around she felt a flood of relief when she caught a glimpse of gray eyes looking at her. The hand continued to knead her breast, but at least now she knew it who was doing it.

  “I can’t think of a better way to wake up,” Duncan told her before pressing a whisper-soft kiss to her cheek.

  “Do you mind?” Her face grew warm at the husky tone of her voice.

  “Not at all.” He smiled. “Okay, well, actually, since you mention it,” he began, before pressing a kiss to her neck. Melissa felt his hand leave her breast and missed its weight. Before she had the chance to complain, she felt him glide under her shirt, over her bare stomach to cup her again. Now the only thing separating
them was the thin lace of her bra.

  His thumb skimmed over her nipple, causing her to press back against him, her eyes closing in pleasure.

  “Much better.”

  “I thought you said you wouldn’t force anything on me,” she asked, more curious than complaining.

  “I won’t. Tell me to stop, and I will.” He nipped at her neck and a moan of delight escaped her. When she didn’t reply he removed his hand again, and she could feel him shifting behind her.

  “You stopped,” Melissa complained, opening her eyes.

  With a slight chuckle, he smiled down at her. “Will you try something for me? I promise, if you don’t like it, we can stop.”

  A shiver of fear swept through her body. Remembering how gentle and understanding he’d been earlier and looking over her shoulder into his warm eyes, she agreed.

  Duncan nudged her until she was lying on her back then gently pulled her shirt up off her body. Fighting herself not to cover her body from his view, she lay there, wondering what he was doing.

  “Your shirt is right here beside your head, Angel,” he told her, easing some of her trepidation.

  Nodding, she watched him, waiting to find out what he would do next. Lowering his mouth to hers, he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips as one hand stroked her arm.

  “You okay?” Duncan pulled away slightly, still caressing her.

  Melissa smiled. “Yes.”

  He lowered to her again, and this time she was ready for him. Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled him closer still, licking his lip to encourage him to deepen the kiss. Groaning into her mouth, his tongue entered, rubbing against hers as he moved his hand over her stomach.

  Melissa kissed him back as passionately as she could, her body pressed against him when his palm slid over her lace-covered breast.

  Turning her head, she gave him better access to her flesh as he made his way across her cheek to her ear. She felt his elongated fangs slide over her, causing another shiver to course through her body, one that had nothing to do with fear. He gently massaged her breast, his thumb circling her nipple until it pebbled beneath his touch.