by Jane Hinchey
She vaguely remembered him bringing her home; she thought she'd tried to initiate sex with him but he'd said no. Her memories were fuzzy and she couldn't really be sure what had happened, but she'd woken up this morning wearing nothing but her underwear. Why hadn't he stayed if he wanted her as badly as he said he did? What game was he playing?
She was curled up on the sofa mindlessly watching TV when her mobile rang. It was Rhys and she was tempted to ignore it, feeling bad.
"Hi," she finally answered, muting the TV.
"You'd better get down here," Rhys's voice sounded stressed, "your shop is on fire."
"What?" She shot to her feet, already heading towards the front door, scooping her keys off the coffee table as she went.
"Just get here." Rhys hung up.
She sped all the way into town, trying to dial Skye and keep her attention on the road. Skye didn't answer. Please let her be okay, Georgia prayed.
Fire trucks were in the street out the front of the shop, and a group of spectators had gathered. Georgia ran up, screaming Skye's name. Strong arms grabbed her from behind, stopping her from rushing into the burning building. Georgia struggled against Rhys's hold, terrified her sister was inside, dying.
"Let me go!" She swore, stomping on Rhys's foot and getting ready to elbow him in the stomach.
"She's ok! Skye is ok! She's not in there." Rhys shouted in her ear. She stilled and he slowly released his hold on her.
"She's at a friend's place, has been all afternoon. She's safe."
A tear ran down Georgia's cheek, the relief overwhelming. She sank to her knees on the sidewalk, trying not to hyperventilate, but judging by the dizzy feeling she wasn't succeeding.
"How did this happen?" she croaked.
"Not sure until we get the fire out and can investigate," the fire chief told her. Rhys gave her a hand up and kept a steadying hand on her shoulder.
She had nothing to say. No words. The shop was their livelihood. Had been their life since the death of their parents, and they'd poured their hearts and souls into the place. And now it was gone, reduced to a pile of soggy ashes. She couldn't comprehend it.
Hours passed and Georgia stood on the sidewalk, looking at the burnt-out shop. Police tape now covered the front, keeping people away. Skye had arrived, cried in her arms, and had been taken away by Rhys. The crowd left, the excitement over. The street was quiet, the smell of smoke heavy in the air. It must have been after midnight, yet Georgia stayed. Everyone had tried to persuade her to leave, but she couldn't. So she waited. Finally, she felt it, the zap in her senses that told her a vampire was near.
"Was this you?" she asked Erik as he stood beside her and surveyed the burnt out building.
"You needed incentive."
She turned to look at him. "What if my sister had been home? Her flat is just above the shop. She could have died!"
He shrugged, "Whatever it takes. You will do as I ask, Georgia or those around you will pay. Do I make myself clear?" His voice was cold, void of all emotion. She nodded. He stared into her eyes for a moment before suddenly turning his head, as if listening. Something had caught his attention. Then he was gone. Georgia couldn't tell if he teleported or simply moved at a vampiric speed.
Moments later Zak appeared in front of her. He looked at the burnt out mess that had once been her shop, then at her.
He opened his mouth to say something, but must've thought better of it, 'cos he shut it again without speaking.
12
She was a vision before him, her hair wild and loose, tumbling to her waist. She stood in track pants, a t-shirt, and no shoes, a smudge of soot across her cheek, yet still, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Her eyes looked bruised, the pain in them deep, but there was also something else. Fear.
He moved toward her, about to demand that she tell him what the fuck was going on when a scent stopped him short. Over the stench of smoke, he could smell vampire. Not one of his, someone different. He shut his mouth without saying a word.
"Come on." He pulled her into his arms and teleported them back to her place before she could protest.
The place was a mess and reeked of vampires. Furniture was tipped over, drawers opened and their contents tipped out.
"Mother fucker!" Georgia cursed, hands on hips as she surveyed the damage. Zak quickly surveyed the house; every room had been trashed.
"Looks like you're in some serious shit," he commented, coming back to her side and holding out a hand to her. She arched a brow. "Come on. You can't stay here." He watched her wrestle with the idea of going with him, but common sense won out and she placed a hand in his. He pulled her into his chest, wrapped his other arm around her and teleported them back to his place.
He could feel the angry energy from her, thankful that it had pulled her out of the shock that he'd found her in. He watched as she paced back and forth in his lounge room, muttering and cursing under her breath.
"So," he sank into the plush sofa and watched her, "ready to tell me what the fuck is going on?" he inquired casually as if having your shop burnt down and your house ransacked was an everyday occurrence.
She plopped down on the sofa at the opposite end, then quickly rose to begin pacing again. She'd stop, look at him, considering, then begin pacing again. He felt tired watching her.
"Where's Veronica?" she suddenly asked.
"Gone back to Elen Hills for a while," he shrugged like it was no big deal. He'd sent her back; she clearly needed some space from him. He'd read her when he'd kissed her the night before, the kiss simply a means to gain access to what she'd previously hidden in her mind. He'd been stunned by what he'd found. Veronica was insanely jealous of Georgia, believed that he and Veronica were destined to be life mates, and was prepared to take out the competition. They'd also been a hidden corner in her mind, a wall she'd put up that he hadn't been able to get around, which worried him. She was hiding something big. Until he found out what it was, he'd sent her to the other side of the world. She had been seething angry at him, but unable to disobey a direct command from her sire.
Georgia didn't comment but seemed to be mulling that over. She sat in an armchair and curled her legs up beneath her.
"I'm usually a fairly patient man, but for some reason, with you..." he let his voice trail off.
"I bring out the best in people." She shrugged. Moving so fast she couldn't see, he knelt on the floor in front of her chair, his hands resting on the armrests on either side of her, effectively trapping her.
"You tempt me beyond reason," he murmured, closing in on her. He could hear her heart thumping in her chest and knew she was just as affected as he was. Cupping her cheeks in his palms he forced her eyes to meet his.
"Say yes."
A memory triggered from last night, when he'd said those same words and when she'd said those words, how her world had exploded in bliss. Did she want that again? Hell yes.
"Yes," she whispered, for once compliant.
His lips crushed hers, trying to be gentle but desperate for a taste. She opened beneath him, allowing access, her tongue dueling with his. He pulled her closer, pulling her legs so that they were no longer beneath her but wrapped around his waist. With a tug, her t-shirt was gone. He cupped a breast and she groaned into his mouth, pushing herself into his palm. Another flick and her bra was gone, leaving her breasts bare. The feel of her hot skin in his hand was electrifying. He dragged his mouth from hers, trailing hot kisses down her neck and across her chest until he reached his goal. Pulling a nipple into his mouth, he nuzzled, sucked and nipped while she whimpered and moaned against him.
He allowed his fangs to descend, scraping them gently across her sensitive flesh, moving his attention from one breast to the other. She thread her fingers through his hair, pulling his head to her chest.
She jumped a little at the tearing of fabric as he literally ripped her track pants and panties away, leaving her naked to his gaze and touch. As he continued his assault on her breasts he le
t his fingers trail down her stomach, her thighs, before slowly skipping across her skin to the core of her. He parted her folds; she was so hot and wet for him. His cock was rock hard in his jeans, but he held back from plunging into her. He pushed his fingers into her and she clasped him tightly, a loud groan escaping from her throat. He moved his mouth back up to hers, kissing her again, devouring her with his lips and tongue as his fingers moved within her.
"Now." She gasped, arching her hips and pushing against his hand.
"Not yet, sweetheart," he chuckled. He'd waited this long for her; he was going to enjoy every moment. Disentangling himself from her grasp, he unwrapped her legs from his waist and pushed her back until she was almost flat against the cushion of the chair, her hips held firm in his grasp. His eyes took her in, her full breasts with dusky colored nipples, her smooth skin, flat stomach, and then the heaven between her thighs, spread before him in invitation.
With a groan he dropped his head to her, stroking along her center with his tongue. She twitched at the sensations and went to grab his head, but he held her hands captive. Oh, he wasn't done tasting her yet. He alternated between thrusting his tongue into her and laving her. He could feel her tense beneath him, her breath catch in her throat as her orgasm approached. He released one hand to push two fingers deep into her while his tongue continued to lap at her. She was so, so close, her whole body was bowed and tense beneath him. With a fang he gently pierced her delicate skin and she screamed, her orgasm burst over her. He plunged his tongue into her, tasting her as she flooded over him, her legs shaking.
Wasting no time he freed himself from his jeans and plunged his hard cock into her. She arched at the hardness of him, trying to rise to wrap herself around him but he held her flat with a palm on her stomach.
"Look at me," he growled. He looked into her eyes as he slowly withdrew so only the tip of his cock was in her, then slid slowly back in, all the way. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes started to close.
"No." He rammed into her hard and her eyes sprang open. "Look at me," he commanded again. This time she kept her eyes on his as he alternated between slow and smooth and hard and fast.
She struggled to sit up again and he realized she was getting uncomfortable in the position he had her in. With a flip he had them both stretched out on the sofa, still pushing into her relentlessly without missing a beat. She lay beneath him, legs wrapped around him and pushing her hips up to meet each thrust. Her hand pulled his shirt over his head and he only then realized she was the only one naked; his pants were around his thighs, the only part of him that needed to be naked was buried in her sweet flesh.
He groaned against her when she ran her hands up and down his back, enjoying the feel of him as much as he was enjoying her.
"Harder," she whispered, dropping kisses against his neck. He obliged, slamming into her as deep as he could go, and she welcomed every thrust, her body rising to meet his as if she couldn't get enough of him. For a second he used vampiric speed thrusts, sliding in and out of her so fast the sensations were overwhelming.
He could feel the beginning of his own orgasm and slowed the pace back to human speed again. She was groaning and whimpering in his arms, her head thrown back as she balanced on the edge of another orgasm. Her long neck beckoned him and with his hips thrusting into her, he lowered his mouth and bit, sucking the nectar of her blood down his throat.
His orgasm roared through him and she cried aloud beneath him, her internal muscles clenched around his cock so hard it was heaven. Two more hard thrusts and he shot into her while his mind battled all the images assaulting his brain from drinking her blood. It was as he'd suspected, drinking from her opened her mind to him, but in the middle of fucking it was too difficult to concentrate on what he'd seen; she totally filled him with sensation, her blood the sweetest wine in his mouth while her muscles contracted just as sweetly around him.
Warm, cozy and unbelievably sated, Georgia snuggled beneath the covers, her eyes slowly blinking open. Only she wasn't in her bed, or her room. Memories of last night returned; after the unbelievable session in the lounge room they'd moved to Zak's bedroom and spent a very long night exploring and satisfying each other. Oh, my god, this man had moves; he knew exactly where to touch, how much pressure to apply, how to keep her on the edge and then push her over into mind-blowing orgasms.
A peek over her shoulder revealed Zak sprawled out next to her, sound asleep. Slowly she wriggled out of bed and silently crept across the room, keen to get out of there without waking him up. As much as last night had been the best sex of her life, she'd done what she'd told herself she wouldn't do. Slept with Zak Goodwin. And now she was another notch on that infamous bedpost of his. Damn it.
Needing space, and needing to sort out the mess her life had become, she quickly darted downstairs to the lounge room, praying to God no one was around to see her naked ass running around the house while she quickly gathered up her clothes. Her track pants and knickers were ruined; thankfully her t-shirt was long enough to just cover her. She looked around for her keys when it hit her - he'd teleported her here. She had no transport, no keys, no phone; she didn't even have shoes. Fuck!
Ordinarily, a ten-mile walk wouldn't phase her, but with no shoes? No thanks. With a frustrated sigh she turned and headed toward the kitchen; maybe she could find someone to give her a lift. Someone who wouldn't wake Zak up first and tell him she was leaving. But then, maybe this is how things usually played out when he had an overnight guest. He slept in while the staff got rid of the woman. Imagination going into overdrive she almost walked into Frank.
"Frank!" she exclaimed, for once pleased to see the brute of a man.
"Georgia." He looked her up and down, undoubtedly knowing she was naked beneath the t-shirt. "New work attire?" he teased, mouth curling up in a grin.
"Har, har," she snapped, realizing she looked like she'd just crawled out of bed, with her hair tousled around her and hanging loose, and a distinct lack of clothing and footwear. "I need a lift. Now. Can you drop me in town?"
"Sure." He ushered her ahead of him back towards the front of the house. She liked that he didn't question her, or comment on what had obviously gone down between her and Zak.
Frank pulled in next to her truck, engine idling while she jumped out and checked that her keys were where she'd left them...in the ignition. Climbing behind the wheel she gunned the engine and headed for home. As she pulled up in the driveway she felt with her senses, testing the boundaries to see if she had any supernatural visitors. Thankfully she felt nothing and proceeded into the house - it was going to be a long day cleaning up the mess. And then there was the shop to deal with.
First, a quick shower to wash away the faint scent of smoke and the stronger scent of Zak. No doubt Frank had smelt him all over her, which annoyed her. Georgia liked her business to remain her business. She hadn't even had the chance to really think about how she felt about Zak and didn't particularly want it public knowledge that she was sleeping with the guy. Well, slept with the guy. Who knew if there'd be a repeat performance?
It took her all morning to straighten up the house, and that was just downstairs. She hadn't even started upstairs yet. Her body ached, partly from last night's activities and partly from lifting and moving furniture. She hadn't heard from Zak.
Taking a break she pulled out her phone and speed-dialed her sister.
"Hey, Skye - you okay?"
"Yeah. Really bummed about the shop. Can you believe it? Rhys said we can't go in until we've got the all clear from the inspectors that the building is safe."
"Hopefully they're quick about it and we can get into your apartment and at least get some clothes for you."
"Agreed. I'm still wearing yesterday's clothes - okay if I come out and raid your wardrobe?"
"Of course. You're staying with me until this gets sorted anyway - you know your room here is always waiting."
"Thanks, sis. I'll let Cindy know I'm leaving, should be there i
n twenty."
After hanging up with her sister, she rang Rhys, who told her what Skye had already said. No access until the building was declared safe. The apartment wasn't damaged by fire but had sustained some smoke and water damage. The shop was pretty gutted and the inspectors needed to make sure it was structurally sound before they'd let anyone back in. Initial reports indicated the fire had been deliberately lit. What a surprise.
Georgia had just enough time to straighten up the spare room and close the door on her own trashed bedroom before Skye arrived.
They spent the afternoon on the back porch, Skye on the phone with the insurance company and making lists of everything they needed to do, while Georgia continued on with the carvings for Zak's bedroom suite. The headboard was finished and waiting in the workshop to be delivered; she just needed to finish the footboard and the bed would be ready to deliver and assemble. She listened as her ever-efficient sister handled the temporary, hopefully, closure of the shop, and discussed ideas for storage of any pieces that weren't totally ruined by the fire or water - of which they wouldn't know until they could get in and see for themselves.
An approaching car had the sisters looking at each other before a toot reached their ears. Skye leaped to her feet, "That's probably Rhys," scrambling inside to greet their visitor. Georgia continued with her carving, running her fingers over the intricate design, pleased with how it had turned out.
"Hey, how are you today." Rhys followed Skye back out onto the deck, a six-pack of beers in one hand, pizza in the other.
"I'm good. Sorry for wigging out on you last night." Georgia admitted sheepishly.
