“Yes,” she panted.
His bite came swift and unexpected. The sharp stab of pain mingled with intense pleasure as he drew in her blood, and her orgasm sent her soaring into the stars.
When she came to, she lay on the couch. Christopher kneeled at her side, beaming. His cheeks glowed pink and his lips were tinged red.
“Welcome back, doll.” He swept her hair away from her face. The tender gesture contrasted the predatory gleam in his eyes. “We’re not done yet.”
“We aren’t?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
Christopher chuckled. He got to his feet. Samantha’s eyes widened. Her pulse quickened and her pussy clenched. He stood naked before her. She appreciated his masculine beauty, taking in everything from the defined muscles on his torso, to his tapered waist, down to his lean legs. She licked her lips. His cock hung thick and hard amid a nest of dark hairs. Pink and angry, the bulbous head glistened with pre-cum.
“Do you want to stare for a while longer, or shall we continue?”
He raised his brows. The corner of his mouth twitched. Samantha blushed.
“You’re a sight to behold,” she mumbled.
“Speak for yourself, doll. I don’t think I’d ever get enough of you.”
Christopher settled between her legs, his rigid length poised against her throbbing core.
“What about a condom?” Samantha cried out.
“Doll, I’m a vampire. I can’t have children, and I can’t get sexually transmitted diseases.”
“Oh.”
Slowly, Christopher pressed his hips forward, sliding into her. A moan was trapped in her throat. She arched, inviting him to dive deeper. Inch by inch, he filled her, stretching her with his girth. He settled within her. Their gazes locked. Raw emotion danced in the depth of his eyes, squeezing at her heart.
“Samantha,” Christopher rasped, shutting his eyes.
“Fuck me, Christopher,” she pleaded, every inch of her sizzling with unspent arousal.
Smashing his lips to her, he pulled out and thrust back in. Samantha whimpered. She wrapped her arms around him, digging her nails into his flesh. Again and again, he drove into her, grinding against her clit every time and building the pressure within her. Christopher scraped his fangs over the beating pulse in the spot above her shoulder, teasing her.
“Do it,” she urged him, twisting her head to one side.
Christopher increased his force and speed, driving her into the couch. Samantha rocked with him, lifting her hips and taking every one of his strokes. Her internal muscles gripped his cock, milking it. Christopher grunted.
“Samantha,” he whispered her reverently.
Then his teeth were tearing her skin above her collarbone. Her scream never got far, transforming into a low needy moan as suddenly, her blood rushed to her ears and spots danced in her vision. She toppled over the crest in orgasm.
The calm didn’t last.
Christopher sucked and electricity shot across her veins. Her heart tripled its rate. Sensations grew tenfold. The sound of their heavy breathing, their flesh slapping together, the clock ticking in the background. The suction on her neck increased. Step by step, she climbed the ladder into another orgasm. It wound its rope tightly across her body, binding her. She thrashed against Christopher, desperate for release. In return, his pounding gained momentum, becoming relentless and uncoordinated. Her whimpers escalated in volume.
Jerking, Christopher pulled out his fangs. The resounding pop echoed in her ears and threw her over the edge. She came, wailing his name. With a roar, Christopher followed her into bliss. He collapsed on her, his cock rippling inside her like waves against the shore.
Still trying to catch her breath, she couldn’t help moaning when Christopher licked the sore spot.
“Delicious,” he murmured.
He maneuvered them so she lay over him and clasped his arms tightly around her. Samantha rested her head on his chest and pressed her palm to his skin. She sighed, content.
“That was—” She searched for the appropriate word.
“Incredible?”
“Yes,” she agreed.
Christopher drew circles on her back, the caress soothing. Her lids began to droop.
Thump.
She frowned.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound registered in her brain. She gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Christopher asked.
“Your heart.” Samantha lifted her head and stared at him. “It beats.”
Christopher’s eyes widened. He tensed.
“That’s impossible,” he snapped.
“No. I just heard it.”
She tried to lay her head on his chest again but he pulled her to her feet.
“You need to leave.”
“What? Christopher, you can’t mean—”
Grabbing her by the shoulders, he held her gaze. “I’m dead, Samantha. Have always been and will always be. I know the sex was great, but —”
Samantha gaped at him. “You’re being irrational. I’m telling you I heard it.” She shrugged away from his grasp.
“It must have been the sound of your own heart,” he said, turning his back to her. He picked up her clothes and handed them to her.
“No,” she insisted.
“It’s almost morning. People will start arriving. You should go home, shower, change, maybe get some sleep. Don’t worry about coming in to work today.”
Without giving her another glance, he strode to the bathroom. The door shut with an audible click. Samantha remained frozen on the spot. Her mind reeled. What had just happened?
She wasn’t crazy. What she’d heard had been the sound of Christopher’s heart drumming a melody of its own in a steady cadence. Why wouldn’t he believe her?
Only when she heard the sound of running water did she force herself into motion. She redressed, twisting the end of her shirt into a knot over her waist. Throwing on her blazer, she closed the single button and prayed she didn’t meet anyone on her way back home. She made to grab some paperwork but changed her mind. He could fend for himself for the day. She needed to collect her thoughts. Figure out what had gone wrong. Switching on the lights, she padded down the hallway to the elevator. She pressed the button. Her foot began a rhythmic tapping against the floor. A grinding sound echoed in her ears and she realized she was clenching her teeth.
Anger slammed into her.
Damn vampire. One moment he was promising heaven and the next kicking her out of his office like a used toy. Who did he think he was? He had no right to treat her in that way, and she didn’t have to stand by it.
She’d heard his heart loud and clear, and if he didn’t want to recognize it, fine, but what had transpired between them, was a different story. He felt something for her. She’d seen it. She knew it deep down in her bones.
Her shoulders slumped. Or at the very least, she had feelings for him. Hours before, sitting at his desk, working through the pile of papers there, she’d frozen mid-pen stroke. She was in love. Stupidly in love with an infuriating man.
The knowledge had paralyzed her. How could she have fallen in love in barely a few days?
“Samantha, are you all right?” Andy touched her elbow. She jumped and glanced at him. His head cocked to the side and a slow smile spread across his features. “Ah.”
“Ah?” she repeated.
“So you love him,” the elf said.
“How do you know?”
Andy shrugged. “I see it in your face. I might not be as old as Christopher, but I’ve been around.” He grinned.
She didn’t bother to deny it.
“How?”
“Why not?” the elf countered.
“I hardly know him. He makes me mad. He’s rude to everyone, implacable, dark.”
Andy’s lips quirked. “You know there is more.”
“He can be sweet,” she admitted. “Thoughtful.” She bit her lip, thinking of the time they’d spent together at the Christmas mar
ket or at Jacobs. The memory of their heated encounter earlier in the day made her pussy clench. She bowed her head. “It’s just chemistry.”
Andy chuckled. “That’s the epitome of humanity right there.”
“What?” She stared at him.
“When humans can’t explain something, they’ll resort to chemistry, biology, science. Sure, it all plays a part, but can’t there be something more? You are in a place with creatures, which according to humans shouldn’t even exist, and yet here we are. Why do you need an explanation as to what you feel for Christopher?”
The elf’s eyes twinkled.
“But—”
“Some things just are. Roll with them.”
Samantha huffed. Andy might look young, but she’d forgotten he was over one hundred years old.
“As if it were that easy. The man is insufferable.”
Andy laughed. “Tell me about it.”
“Why do you even continue to work for him? He doesn’t treat you well.”
He toyed with his earing and shrugged. “Family pressure, but that’s a story for another moment. We were talking about you. You love him?”
“Yes.”
“Good. What are you going to do about it?”
The elevator chimed, bringing her careening to the present. She danced on the balls of her feet. What was she going to do about it? She peered behind her. Tears welled up behind her lids. Christopher rounded the corner, a frenzied look in his eyes. Her pulse quickened. She drew in a deep breath.
“Samantha.”
Chapter Fifteen
Relief swept through Christopher. She hadn’t left, yet. She stood in front of the elevator, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, as if she, too, wasn’t sure about what to do. As if she, too, had had doubts and fears. Her gaze found his and for a moment, he glimpsed what he could only hope for.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound of his heart in his ears was loud and clear, no longer a memory, but a reality.
“Samantha.” He grabbed her shoulders. “Samantha, do you love me?”
“What?”
She trembled beneath his fingertips. Or was that him?
“Answer me,” he demanded. The desperation in his voice was loud and clear. “Do you feel anything for me?”
Samantha glanced away, then back at him, her gaze hard.
“You can’t kick me out of your office one second and then ask me if I love you the next. Have you lost your mind?”
Christopher released her. His new organ banged within him like a steel drum. Fear clutched his throat, threatening to choke him. He’d messed up so badly, he’d lost his chance. His hands curled into fists. He clenched his jaw. Pain radiated from within his chest to every part of him. He winced, placing his palm over his heart. Samantha took a step closer.
“Do you feel it?” she whispered.
Christopher nodded. He couldn’t lie anymore. The dramatic tattoo reverberated through him, sending blood around every part of him. Samantha lay her hand over his. Her gaze shone with guarded wonder.
“I’m sorry I sent you away. I couldn’t believe it. Didn’t want to,” Christopher muttered.
“Why?”
Christopher shut his eyes. His heart might be alive again but the memories were still there. The pain of five hundred years still rested within him like dust under a rug waiting to be found.
“Anger. Resentment.”
Samantha pursed her lips. Christopher sighed.
“Do you remember when I told you about Lawrence? How he’d left?”
“Yes, he left you nothing but a note.”
He nodded.
“There’s more to the story.”
“Tell me,” she urged him.
“Lawrence left with her. The woman who made me into a monster. My maker, Marion.” He choked on the name. “So much for there not being beauty in death, right?”
Even after so many years, he could still replay the scene in his head. His heartbeat slowed, and a painful tightness took over his chest.
“Marion.”
She stood at his doorstep, practically unrecognizable. Gone was the eternal pallor, replaced by rose cheeks and a healthy glow. The intensity in her brown eyes had diminished, becoming almost bland. Something in her scent had changed too. It wasn’t human, but it was different. Her smile, however, was the brightest he’d ever seen.
“Christopher. The legend is real.”
“What are you talking about?”
She made her way into the house, giggling like a schoolgirl. He’d never seen her so agitated.
“Touch me,” she ordered.
She grabbed his hand and placed it over her breast. Christopher stumbled backward.
“It can’t be,” he said.
“It is.”
“How?”
“Love.” She threw out her arms and twirled, repeating the cursed word.
“Marion, stop. You’re not making any sense.” Roughly, he grabbed her.
“True love.” Her eyes shone, tears brimming within them.
Christopher frowned. “It can’t be.”
“It is. It all makes sense, Christopher. It’s why we live forever to find our one and only. We embrace the darkness, certain that living forever will be marvelous but the reality is different. We despair, of course we do, nothing makes sense anymore. We have chosen a cursed life. We are beasts. Monsters.” Her tone became increasingly hushed. She brushed a stray tear away. “And then we meet the one. He’ll redeem us. We have paid our price and now, finally, after years of fruitless searching, we’ve found him.”
Christopher laughed, the sound similar to an ugly bark. He sneered. “Have you been drinking again, Marion?”
“No,” she exclaimed. “I speak the truth. I have found the cure to this madness, to this living hell, after a thousand years—”
Christopher slammed his fist against the wall.
“Enough,” he said. “There is no solution to our state. We are creatures of the night, Marion. Monsters who prey on the living. We feed off humans, we cannot love nor can we be loved.”
“No.”
Marion touched his arm. Christopher shrunk back.
“There is hope, Christopher, ma petite,” she said. “You must only hold on. Keep looking, you will eventually find—”
Lawrence’s blue eyes danced in his vision. Gone. Like everyone else he’d ever cared about.
“Get out.”
“Years later I saw her again.” Christopher took in a deep breath. “With Lawrence.”
“With—” Samantha’s eyes widened. “No.”
Christopher dipped his head. “He was her mate. They had aged but I recognized them immediately. Hand in hand, strolling through London without a care in the world. Humans, both of them with real beating hearts and blood circulating through their limbs.”
“How did they even meet?”
Christopher shrugged.
“Marion was one of Lawrence’s patrons. I introduced them.” Christopher clenched his teeth. “They betrayed me. My lover accused me of being nothing but a rotting corpse while fucking my maker, a woman hundreds of years older than me.”
“I understand where your anger came from, but why for so long?”
Christopher focused on Samantha’s face. The freckles dotting the bridge of her nose. The flushed cheeks. Lips red and curved downward. Her gaze danced on his face, pupils dilated, communicating her will to understand.
“I needed a reason to carry on, Samantha,” he said. “I had been broken in so many places, I couldn’t find the pieces. The only shard I found was hate, so I held onto it. I became careless. Desperate. There were so many people, both men and women. None of it brought me any happiness. I went to war. One after the other, hoping for something which never came. I learned to live in darkness, to become a shadow among the living.” Christopher clasped her hands, squeezing them. “I danced around them all. Seen but never really seen. Above all humans like a god. That ended all too soon.”
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He sighed. “Then, I met Santa. He offered me a job here. Somewhere different, somewhere special. He promised I’d see the joy of life again. It’d be like a vacation from humanity.” Christopher laughed. “For a while, it was, but eventually it all came back. Especially when Andy started working here.” He winced. “Until you appeared.”
Samantha’s eyes grew round. She bit her lip.
“From the moment I met you something in me awoke. I didn’t want to believe it. How could I? It wouldn’t make any sense. I assumed it was hunger, my natural instincts to drink blood. After all, you were human and I was a monster. But there was more. Little things which didn’t inflame my libido or my appetite, but something deeper to which I didn’t dare put a name.” Christopher’s pulse flared back to life. “When I was inside you. I heard it, felt it beating inside of me. My heart. I had to be dreaming, right?”
“You weren’t dreaming. I heard it.” Samantha brushed her fingertips across his chest. “I feel it.”
“You can’t love me, doll.” His mouth dried.
Samantha’s eyes twinkled. Her lips curled into a smile. Christopher held his breath. Warmth flooded him, centering on his heart.
“I love you, Christopher,” she said.
“Why?”
Samantha cupped his face. Standing on her toes, she leaned into him and gazed into his eyes.
“Because to me, you’re beautiful. There is beauty in darkness, there is beauty in death, and there is beauty in you.”
Christopher crushed her against him. “I love you too, doll.”
****
The crowd gathered around the raised platform and the large red sled loaded with gifts. The eight reindeer wriggled nervously from foot to foot, eager to set off. To the side, a band dressed in dark-blue and gold uniforms, like little toy soldiers, played cheerful Christmas carols. Around them, ballerinas dressed in gauzy skirts danced and tossed candies to the onlookers.
A crisp wind blew, causing Christopher’s flesh to pucker with goosebumps. A new sensation. He squeezed Samantha’s hand to show her. She gazed up at him, the adoration and happiness on her face making his heart pound so hard against his chest it physically hurt. He was thankful for the pain and the sensations rocking through him at every new opportunity.
The Beauty of Forever Page 8
