Once Bitten, Twice Dead

by Bianca D’Arc

  “I really wanted to take this slow,” she panted as she strained over him, riding him in a powerful rhythm. She increased her pace steadily, making little feminine sounds in the back of her throat as her passion rose higher and higher. “I wanted to savor this experience since I doubt I’ll ever get another chance.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure of that, mon ange.” He was close to exploding. Her movements over him and the sight of her breasts bouncing merrily as she increased her pace again made his mouth water, but he was powerless. He held on for dear life to the rails of the headboard, the clank of the small chain between the handcuffs sounding in counterpoint to her rhythm.

  Damn. He never would have thought something like this could turn him on so fast and so powerfully. He’d been all prepared to be the sacrificial lamb, doing what she wanted for her sake. He hadn’t thought he’d enjoy it this much. Sarah was teaching him things about himself.

  “Xavier…” His name was a keening cry ripped from her lips as she tumbled over the edge.

  The contractions of her tight pussy set him off, too. He shuddered and came, his vision fading to black for a second as a powerful orgasm hit him broadside.

  His breathing ragged as he came back to earth a long time later, Xavier savored the feel of Sarah’s lithe body draped over him like a warm, living blanket. He was still cuffed, still unable to caress her the way he wanted, but she was with him, shivering in the aftermath of something bigger than themselves.

  She reached up after a while and uncuffed his wrists, taking them to her mouth for a tender kiss as she rubbed gently at the faint red marks the metal had made. When she released his wrists, his arms went immediately around her, holding her close.

  If he wasn’t much mistaken, their relationship had just taken a turn. He didn’t know what it meant, but he was willing to go with the flow for now. Sarah was getting under his skin in a big way, and oddly enough, he didn’t really mind. He’d searched all his life for a woman like her.

  Whether they could make a go of this relationship after the mission was over, he still didn’t know, but he was thinking more and more about giving it a try. One thing was certain…Sarah had just rocked his world and he wanted more. As much as she would give him for as long as it lasted.

  “Thank you, Xavier,” she whispered against his chest as he tucked her head under his chin.

  “No, mon ange, thank you for teaching me something about myself I never knew.”

  “Really? What’s that?”

  “That with the right woman, it’s very rewarding to give up control.” He kissed the crown of her head, his voice pitched low.

  As the sun rose higher in the eastern sky, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

  Chapter Nine

  A distinctive electronic ring sounded in the room. Sarah blinked awake, disturbed by the strange noise. It was coming from the floor.

  Xavier reached over the side of the bed and fumbled with his discarded pants. When he resurfaced, he held a small phone in his hand that must have been in one of his pockets.

  “Beauvoir,” he answered in a throaty growl as he lay back on the bed.

  Sarah heard his end of the conversation, which consisted mainly of grunts of agreement with a few grunts that sounded negative in nature. She grew more curious the longer the monosyllabic conversation continued. Finally, some more actual words were introduced back into the discourse.

  “Yeah, it’s time.”

  That sounded ominous. She leaned up on one elbow to watch him and he shot her a heated glance.

  “Set it up. We’ll meet you there after your shift. Bring dinner.” His gaze held hers. “Officer Petit needs to be brought up to speed.”

  She felt mesmerized by the heat in his eyes, the sleepy growl in his voice. Having sex with this man had been a transformative event in her life. She could feel it even now, after just a couple of hours. She might regret falling for him later, after he’d gone, but for right now, she was going to bask in the decadence and thrill of being with him.

  She knew without a doubt that she had fallen for him in a big way. Sarah wasn’t the type to sleep around. She had to have some emotional connection to the man she gave her body to. It had always been that way, from her earliest experiences with the opposite sex.

  Her heart was involved now. When she’d first met Xavier, just a few days ago, she’d already begun to admire him. He was drop-dead sexy and had a core of iron-hard will that ran through his being, despite his relaxed appearance. He took concepts like duty, honor and loyalty very seriously, which was something she truly admired in a man.

  The more she was around him, the more she found to like about him. His compassion, his skill. The way he looked after her. His protective instincts and his willingness to let her do her job and fight beside him. Everything about him made her want him, so it was no surprise they’d ended up here, in her bed.

  Xavier ended the conversation, flipped the phone closed and let it fall back to the floor. All the while, his gaze held hers, making her pulse leap in response to the heated message smoldering in his eyes. She’d thought he was done after that last bout of lovemaking. Apparently, he was only just getting started.

  “What’s our plan for today?” Sarah asked, wanting to learn about his conversation before she got any more distracted.

  Xavier cupped her cheek in a tender caress. He moved closer, capturing her lips with his for a long moment before he drew back just far enough to look into her eyes.

  “First on the agenda, is making love to you again. Then maybe we’ll catch some more sleep. We have a meeting with the day shift before we go out again tonight. I’ve had them doing recon for us. They’ve been following leads both from the team’s preliminary investigation and from the evidence we’ve found since you joined the effort. It’s time we all got together in one place to compare notes and see what we’ve come up with.”

  “Sounds like a good idea. What about the campus?” Never before had she discussed a case under such intimate circumstances. How either of them could concentrate when his hand moved south to cover her breast, she didn’t know.

  “We’ll check it out tonight. If Sellars let the contagion loose over there, the creatures will come out to feed once night falls.” His words brought her out of the sensual haze for a moment.

  “Do you think he’s really capable of doing something like that to a bunch of college kids?” Sarah placed her palm over his chest, seeking comfort from the steady rhythm of his heart. He was so solid, so warm. He made her feel safe, no matter how dire the situation.

  “Right now I wouldn’t put anything past him. We need to check it out, even though we’ll most likely be walking into a trap.”

  “A trap meant for me, you mean.” Her voice was low, echoing the fear she kept locked inside, under wraps. “You think he might be luring us to the campus so he and his men can make a grab for me, right?”

  “It’s a possibility we need to prepare for. The thing is, if the contagion is present on the campus, I can’t risk sending anyone but you and me to face it. I’m torn between wanting to keep you away from the campus tonight—or anyplace where you might be at risk of being abducted by Sellars’s people—and knowing there’s no one else who would be safe to send in your place. My only consolation is that you’re highly trained and managed to free yourself from the zombies once before. This time, I’ll be right there with you. To get to you, they’ll have to go through me first.”

  She kissed him, seeing the worry coupled with resolve on his handsome face. It touched her to know he cared about placing her in possible danger. She didn’t think there was much chance of having problems with Sellars, or anyone who might be working for him on campus. Aside from a few wooded areas, most of the campus was brightly lit and patrolled by the university’s own private security force.

  While the security guards wouldn’t be much help against zombies, they could certainly raise a ruckus if they thought someone was being abducted right under their noses. Sarah co
uld scream with the best of them and she was armed, too. She wouldn’t make it easy for anyone who tried to take her.

  And then there was Xavier. She doubted anyone who meant to do her harm would make it past him. Even if they hadn’t just crossed the line from coworkers to lovers, Xavier was the kind of man who took his job very seriously. The minute she had accepted the position on his team for this mission, she had become part of his job. Keeping her safe was no doubt something he took very seriously—just as he took the safety of his men seriously.

  She continued to be impressed by the fact that he wouldn’t put them directly in harm’s way against the zombies. The three men she’d met were skilled Special Forces operatives, but no one knew whether they were immune to the contagion. Unlike she and Xavier, who had been bitten and lived to tell the tale. A bite, or perhaps a mere scratch, could kill them. What was worse, they would then rise from the dead as mindless drones, only to become the enemy.

  Xavier refused to take that chance with his men, keeping all the action and possible confrontation with the creatures for himself. And Sarah. She was his partner now. She had his back. They’d face the horror together.

  “Thank you, Xavier,” she whispered as she broke their kiss. “I want you to know that if anything does happen to me—”

  “Nothing will,” he interrupted.

  She placed a finger over his lips to silence his words. “If it does, I want you to know that I value the time we’ve had together and I trust you to do your level best to protect me as I protect you. We’re a team, Xavier. And working with you on this mission has been…” She paused to think of just the right words. “It’s been one of the strangest, most challenging, off the wall”—she moved her hand to caress his cheek, and then brushed back his hair in a tender gesture—“and magical times of my life.”

  He gazed into her eyes. Words were unnecessary between them. In that moment, the looks on their faces said it all. Promises were made and accepted. Vows were understood.

  Xavier dipped his head for another kiss, this one more tempestuous than what had come before. When he pulled back, her senses were adrift in the pleasure he brought her. She was under his spell, a willing slave to whatever he wanted. Funny thing was, she didn’t feel threatened by knowledge. Their relationship had been fast and furious but also one of the deepest and truest she had ever shared with any man. They were more than colleagues, more than lovers. They had a deeper connection, forged in the fire of their experiences and the danger they’d faced together.

  It was an unnatural way to develop a relationship, to be sure, but it worked for them. For now. Whether it would stand the test of time, she didn’t know. While it lasted, though, it was a beautiful thing.

  “I believe you said something about turnabout being fair play?” His mouth curved in a devilish grin.

  “Well, yes, indeed. I believe I did.” She squirmed under him, already tingling at the idea of him handcuffing her.

  His gaze shot to the curtains. They were long silk drapes, closed now but usually held back by wide strips of matching silk that had loops at either end. The loops slid easily over a hook that protruded slightly from the wall, making the ties easy to remove for washing and other maintenance.

  “I told you all the soft fabric in this room was giving me ideas.” He refocused on her, still grinning. “That’s how this all started, isn’t it?”

  Mutely, she nodded, wondering what he might do. He rose and removed the curtain tie closest to the bed.

  “Generally speaking, we don’t carry metal cuffs. If we need to restrain someone, we use zip ties. They’re too rough for your tender skin, chérie.” He grasped her wrists, kissing each one before stretching her arms above her head. The silk slipped around her wrists like a whisper. Before she knew it, she was tied.

  The feeling of helplessness was outweighed by the naughty notion that Xavier was in charge now. She was at his mercy. She trusted him enough to give him control, as he’d given her control in their last round of lovemaking. Tit for tat. She almost laughed at the phrase, seeing the discreet Special Forces tattoo high up on his shoulder.

  The red marks around his wrists from the handcuffs had already faded. She wondered if the soft silk around her wrists would leave any trace of its presence after this session was over. Knowing they had a meeting to go to later with his men, she wasn’t certain she wanted them to know what had happened between her and their commanding officer.

  For a split second, she worried about how they would hide their new intimacy. Then such trivial concerns no longer mattered. Xavier spread her legs, climbing between as if he belonged there. After what they’d done over the past tempestuous hours, she knew he did. Already her body craved him. It wanted him there, between her thighs, for more than just a few short encounters. Her body wanted him to own it, to be the man making her come for the rest of her life.

  But it just wasn’t possible. Sarah had to be a realist about this whole situation. He was here for a short time. The length of a mission. She had that long to store up memories to hold against the future.

  Loving memories and daydreams of something that could never be.

  She vowed not to ruin today with worries about tomorrow. Lying back as Xavier staked his ownership claim over her body, she tried her best to live in the moment, enjoying every second of his attention.

  He didn’t disappoint. As thorough as she’d been in exploring his body, he was just as attentive to her now that the tables were turned. Those big hands swept over her body, teasing, tickling, tormenting in the most delicious way. His hands were rough, calloused in places, and the slight abrasion against her softest skin caused goose bumps to appear all up and down her arms.

  When he teased her nipples with his fingers and tongue, she tried to bite back the whimpers of excitement, but they escaped anyway. He growled in satisfaction, his mouth on her breast and she felt it vibrate through her skin all the way to her toes.

  He worked his way down her body until he came to the juncture of her thighs. Then he began to lick her tender folds, focusing on her clit. She was glad she’d taken the time a little earlier to slip from the bed and wash up.

  She about rocketed off the bed when he used his teeth on her. It didn’t hurt, but it certainly made her want to sit up and take notice. No man had ever taken such time and exquisite care with her body or her pleasure.

  “Xavier…” She was breathing heavily, excited by his amazing touch and skill as a lover. When his tongue rammed up into her, she cried out and came, just like that. No warning. No long buildup. He rode her through the spasms, his big hands easily holding her in whatever position he wanted.

  She began to come down from the peak, and he lifted his head from between her thighs to meet her gaze.

  “Good girl,” he praised her. “That’s one.”

  “What do you mean?” Her mind was foggy with pleasure.

  “I’m counting here, mon ange. I want you to come at least once more before I join you. Are you up for it?”

  “Up for it?” She flopped back on the bed. “You just might be the death of me, Xavier Beauvoir.”

  He chuckled and reapplied himself to her body, trailing his lips down her leg. He positioned her like a rag doll, making her feel almost dainty the way he was able to move her around as if she weighed nothing at all.

  Her knee was bent and Xavier shocked her by nibbling on her toes. He met her gaze as he sucked one of her toes into his mouth. Just like that, her body was primed again, ready for him, her temperature rising along with her excitement.

  She could honestly say she was shocked. No man had ever sucked her toes before. She’d never thought that kind of thing could be sexy, but the handsome devil currently doing his level best to seduce her senses was proving her very much mistaken. About so many things.

  Sarah held on to the rails in the headboard. Those small handholds were the only things keeping her grounded. They were her only point of control in this whole magical situation. Her only connection to th
e solidness of the earth. Otherwise, Xavier was in charge. He was the king of her pleasure, the master of her body, the only man to whom she’d ever been able to surrender so completely.

  “Ah, you like that,” he purred, dropping her foot to the bed as he crawled closer. One hand swept up her leg to the juncture of her thighs. “Do you want something, baby? Do you want to be filled?”

  “Yes!” The word erupted from her mouth as his fingers delved between her legs, sinking deep within. It was good, but soon it wasn’t enough. “Xavier, please…”

  “What, mon ange? Do you need more? Tell me what you want.”

  “I want you, Xavier. I want you inside me.” She felt heat rush to her cheeks as she said the words. She’d never been one to engage in explicit talk in bed, but Xavier was opening up all sorts of new avenues for her sexually.

  “Will you be a good girl and come for me if I give you what you want?”

  The teasing of his fingers and the sexy look on his face was driving her wild.

  She nodded, knowing it wouldn’t take much to set her off again.

  “Then I know exactly what this greedy pussy needs.” Xavier covered her with his muscular body as he reached for a condom from the supply he’d put on the nightstand.

  Maybe he hadn’t been as optimistic as she’d thought when he’d placed a neat pile of the foil wrappers there. The supply was dwindling faster than she would have believed possible only a day ago. There was something to be said for Xavier’s stamina and sex drive. She wondered idly if that was a Cajun thing or a Green Beret thing. Either way, she was happily reaping the benefits.

  He drew back and ripped open the wrapper with his teeth while holding her gaze. The move was so blatantly sexy, she gasped. He made short work of rolling the condom over his massive erection, then he paused.

  “Is this what you want?” He pushed just the tip of his cock into her and waited.

  “You’re killing me, Xavier.” She tried to squirm downward on the bed to take more of him.