by Devlin Chase
“It’s more like who they are than what they are. But it’s a long story and you must be hungry.”
He rolled off the bed, coming around to her side and extending his hand.
“How about you take a shower while I make us some breakfast?”
The words were barely out of his mouth when Cat felt a rumble in her stomach, the noise loud enough to be heard.
“Shit. Sorry,” she mumbled as she pushed back the duvet and took his hand, noticing for the first time that she wasn’t wearing any shoes. Darien must have taken them off when he’d brought her here to his room.
The thought of him bringing her into his home and putting her in his bed made color flush her cheeks.
“I guess I am hungry,” she confessed, using the excuse to explain her heightened color and not wanting to reveal that the thought of him lowering her to the sheets was erotic as hell no matter what the circumstances had been. It was just a pity she’d been too out of it to enjoy the sensation.
Darien smiled slowly as if he’d read her mind but turned to gesture across the room which, she now saw, was the size of her apartment.
“The bathroom’s through there.”
He headed toward the door, pausing only to call out over his shoulder. “There are fresh towels in the cupboard and I’ll leave some clothes out for you.”
Then he was gone, the door closing behind him. Cat listened for the sound of him moving away but, when she was met with only silence, she made her way slowly across the room.
Darien leaned against the closed door, his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to control his ragged breathing. All he could see was Catherine, standing next to the bed, wrapped up in his duvet.
Clenching his hands into fists he fought the urge to go back into the room and sweep her up into his arms. A tremor rippled through him as he pictured himself throwing her to the bed and peeling her clothes off, revealing skin he knew would be pale golden and silky to the touch. He imagined the answering desire in her eyes as she reached up to him, her arms as inviting as her body beneath him.
With a groan, he brought his hands up to his face, fists at his temples as he almost tore at his hair in frustration.
God, he wanted her so badly it hurt.
But, to make any sort of move while she was in such a fragile state would make him feel like the animal he knew he was and she deserved better than that. She deserved better than him.
He stared up at the ceiling, his face hardening, as he realized he had nothing to offer Cat, even if she were to want him as badly as he wanted her.
For so long he’d shut himself off from engaging in any emotional contact, humans and his kind alike. Sex was just sex; a physical release that had grown to bore him more with every casual encounter.
The only thing to hold his interest as the years passed had been his insatiable desire to increase his wealth; consuming him as he’d turned his investments into an empire. He was on the boards of so many corporations whose annual meetings he never attended, a shareholder in companies that made him obscene amounts of money.
Yet he was as emotionally empty as the shell corporation that hid him from human scrutiny.
Or at least he’d thought he was.
Now he was faced with the terrifying knowledge that he felt an emotional connection to a woman he was sworn to protect and who would be in even more danger if he couldn’t get himself under control and thinking clearly.
Biting back the temptation to storm back into the bedroom he took a shaky breath and headed off down the passageway.
***
Cat walked across the bedroom and into the most lavish bathroom she’d ever seen.
Black marble stretched out before her, encompassing everything a bathroom could contain. She eyed the whirlpool bath with a sigh but headed for the shower, turning the hot water to full before opening the cupboard at the door and pulling a thick grey towel from the stack on the shelf.
Darien’s scent was on everything, filling the room and, as she pressed the towel to her face she caught the hint of cinnamon, tasting it on the back of her tongue.
It made her smile, calming her in a way that she hadn’t felt since she’d woken. There was such an air of masculine strength about Darien Hawkwood that she no longer feared him as she had before.
Her smile faltered as she stared around the lavish room. She was standing in a vampire’s bathroom, sniffing his scent off a damn towel.
Vampires.
While she seemed strangely at ease around Darien, there was no getting around the fact that he was a vampire; something she’d always considered to be nothing more than a myth or scary bedtime story. So why wasn’t she sitting in the corner of the room, drooling with fear?
An unbidden image rose to her mind and, as she stared with sightless eyes at the sunken bathtub, she was transported back to the night she’d woken screaming from a nightmare.
She’d been around eight or so, just a kid in a sweaty night shirt, sitting up in her bed with the blanket clutched to her chest as she yelled to high heaven in fear.
Thierry had burst into the room, what she’d thought was a stick clutched in his hand. She would later find out that what he’d held was actually a weighted leather strip and that it packed one heck of a punch. But, at the time, he was just her dad coming to chase the shadows away, telling her that her nightmares weren’t real. He would later change his tune and, as she grew older, reveal to her that monsters did exist; they were very real and walking the earth. She’d always put his ramblings down to just another side effect of their dysfunctional family. But now?
Was this why she’d been relatively unshaken by the fact that a vampire was after her? Had Thierry somehow been preparing her for this moment?
Shaking her head to clear her mind, Cat took a deep breath, running her hand along the marble surfaces as her thoughts turned to Darien once more.
Of course, he’d been telling her the truth about Jacen, even though she’d laughed at him. He must have known that she would have thought him a head case but he’d told her the truth anyway and that made her feel even safer.
And then there was the matter of her wanting to strip his clothes off and run her hands over the muscles his clothes had only hinted at. Oh yeah, she wanted that body on top of her, inside her and, unlike what she’d initially felt when meeting Jacen last night, this desire was like a physical tug, pulling tight between her thighs. She could feel herself getting damp again, just as she had the last time she’d thought about him.
Cat groaned as she pulled the t-shirt over her head, feeling the drag of the fabric over nipples that had suddenly become ultra sensitive. She dropped it to the tiled floor and then stripped off the loose pants, her panties quickly following to join the heap of clothes in a pile.
Damn it, the man had saved her life last night and all she could think about was having wild and lascivious sex with him. What the hell was wrong with her?
Her thoughts sobered as she contemplated just who he was. She was in a house full of vampires, protected by the one who appeared to be in charge and who’d been watching over her. There was stuff going on here she couldn’t even begin to wrap her head around and still she wanted nothing more than hot panting sex…with a vampire.
After adjusting the water temperature she stepped into the stall and stood under the hard spray for a few minutes before reaching for the soap, inhaling the same fresh clean smell she’d woken up to.
This was Darien’s shower. He’d stood in this exact spot probably less than half an hour ago, his hand on the same bar of soap she was now running over her skin. Closing her eyes Cat pictured the soap sliding over tanned skin that wasn’t her own.
Her eyes snapped open. It was time to get her mind out of the gutter and back in the game. What the hell was wrong with her?
Ten minutes later she stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in the towel before walking over to the cupboard to grab another and dry her hair. Then she swiped her hand across the foggy mirror, to sta
re at her reflection.
She looked exactly as she had the day before, and the day before that. But everything had changed and she’d half expected to see that change reflected in the mirror.
She was in a vampire’s bathroom, wrapped in his towel. She’d slept in his bed, surrounded by his scent.
Somehow, she felt safe around Darien; the way he’d protected her last night, as if her safety was the most important thing in the world to him. The others she wasn’t so sure about but she was strangely at ease with the knowledge, as if the existence of vampires was commonplace although she had no frame of reference to place it against.
But, then again, she’d almost been killed by another vampire so they were definitely more prevalent than she might have imagined before today.
Against her will an image of Jacen rose before her and, as she stared at her paling face in the mirror she could still see him as he’d stood at the foot of her bed, his hand covering the gaping wound in his stomach while blood had flown freely from his shoulder. The look he’d leveled at her had been full of murderous intent and something more; something that scared her far more than the thought of death.
How close had she really come to dying last night?
Darien might have looked unconcerned when he’d answered her questions about Jacen earlier but she’d felt the tension radiating off him like a wave.
Her legs started to give way as nausea roiled around in her belly and she cried out as she stumbled toward the toilet. She got the lid up before her legs finally gave way and she slumped next to the bowl.
The bathroom door flew open and a scream lodged in her throat as a dark shape swooped down on her, Darien wrapping his arms around her and pulling her up against his chest.
“Are you okay?”
Shocked into silence at his sudden entrance, Cat could only nod against his shoulder as he lifted her up into his arms and strode out of the bathroom, heading straight toward the bed.
“I’m okay.” She struggled in his arms.
His voice, which she heard as a deep rumble in his chest, was ragged and strained. “You need to lie down.”
She struggled harder in his arms. “I’m fine. You can put me down!”
He ignored her as he neared the bed and she wriggled furiously until he was forced to let her go, lowering her so that her feet finally touched the carpet. She took a quick step back, wanting to put some distance between them, and the towel, which had become twisted during the journey across the room, fell to the floor.
Darien hissed as he drew in a breath, his eyes instinctively dropping to roam over her body, his erection immediate.
Cat stood rooted to the spot as she stared at his arousal, seeing it strain against the front of his jeans. She couldn’t breath as she raised her eyes and stared into his, seeing the blaze behind the blue irises.
Her heart was pounding and her lips parted as she finally managed to breath.
Her lips were his undoing and, as he watched them part as she breathed, Darien could feel his control slip, losing the battle against his desire. He closed the distance between them in an instant, pulling Cat into his arms as his head dropped and he slanted his mouth across hers.
Her lips were honey sweet against his, opening as he probed her with his tongue, letting him into the warm darkness of her mouth. Then she was returning his kiss with equally demanding passion, her tongue entwining with his as her hands curled into fists around his shirt.
He pulled away from her mouth only long enough to pick her up in his arms and carry her the final few steps to the bed. Then he laid her down on top of the silky sheets and stepped back.
The hunger in his eyes made her gasp and she felt a thrill of feminine triumph course through her. This gorgeous, beautiful male wanted her; desired her as much as she desired him.
Darien’s hands were shaking as he tried to undo the buttons of his shirt. But his fingers wouldn’t cooperate and he tore the fabric away from his skin. Then his hands went to his belt and, as his jeans hit the floor his erection burst forth, hard and proud.
Cat could only stare, stunned at his size, before she finally saw the body she’d secretly fantasized about. His shoulders were as broad as she had expected, his chest tapering to a belly that was defined by washboard abs, all hard muscle. Lean hips, strong thighs; everything about him screamed perfection and, as her eyes were drawn back to his erection, standing up from its nest of dark hair, she felt herself become slick with desire.
She groaned as she pressed her thighs together, relishing the friction that did nothing to relieve her, only heightening her need for him.
As if a switch had been flicked Darien’s eyes gleamed as he growled and climbed onto the bed, crawling up her body but making no move to lower himself to her. When his eyes were level with hers he lowered his head and kissed her again, this time with all the force of his pent up energy.
It was a breathless kiss, all raw passion and she reached her hands up, tangling them in his hair as she pulled his head closer, urging him into her. Her legs parted beneath him and he groaned into her mouth, her own scent of arousal filling the air. As soon as their mouths broke apart he was at her neck, licking circles on her skin as he trailed his mouth lower, over her collarbone, over the rise of her breast.
Cat gasped as he licked a lazy circle around one hardened nipple, finally sucking it into his mouth as she thought she might implode.
Heat was building between her thighs and she arched herself up toward him. But with a casual gesture that belied his own growing desperation, he gripped both of her wrists in one hand, pinning them above her head as he continued to work her nipple with his lips and tongue.
Without releasing her wrists he moved his mouth to her other breast, still keeping his body poised above hers, denying her the contact she craved as she writhed beneath him.
Then he was trailing his tongue down over her body, pausing to drop light kisses along her ribs, nuzzling against her hips.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed against her skin, sending a shiver through her body which threatened to take her right over the edge.
“Darien.”
Her moan was cut off with a gasp as he nuzzled the light dusting of curls that covered his prize. Her legs parted further as he shifted his body to kneel between her thighs. Finally he released her wrists but it was all she could do to grab fistfuls of the pillow beneath her head as his tongue opened her, finding her core.
She cried out as he sucked at her, drawing her ever closer to the edge. His lips closed around her hardened bud and he tugged at her as his tongue flicked over the most sensitive part of her.
Pleasure was coming in waves, building to a peak when he suddenly pulled away. Her eyes opened as she moaned, not wanting him to stop.
But he wasn’t finished with her and she cried out as his fingers joined his mouth, sliding through her silky wetness as he thrust two fingers deep inside her in the same instant as his lips closed around her.
And then she was falling, her orgasm ripping through her and threatening to tear her apart; her body arching as wave after wave of pure pleasure rolled through her.
He still wasn’t finished with her as, his fingers, lips and tongue working inexorably against her, he brought her to the edge and over a second time.
Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, his lips released her and he was kissing his way back up her fevered skin.
“I want to be inside you,” he breathed against her ear and his words almost took her crashing over the edge a third time.
Her answer was to slide her hand down his smooth chest, pausing to feel his heart pounding beneath her palm. Then she was reaching further, taking his hard shaft in her hand. She ran her fingers over the velvety skin, feeling the hardness of him as she reached the head, which jerked in her hand as her thumb rubbed over the glistening bead of wetness at its tip, slicking him as he groaned out against her throat.
His hands were at her thighs, parting her wider and settli
ng himself into the cradle of her hips as he positioned himself, the tip of his shaft enfolded in her warmth. Then, as their eyes locked, he thrust into her, taking her deep with a single hard stroke.
They both cried out, Cat arching up against his chest as Darien rocked his hips against her, burying himself into her to the hilt, before sliding back, almost to the point of leaving her. Then he surged forward again as she wrapped her legs around his hips, forcing him deeper.
As he pounded into her body, Cat gave herself over to the sheer pleasure of the moment, feeling her skin tingle as if an electric current were passing through her. Heat was building in her chest and she opened herself up to it, welcoming it the way she welcomed the way Darien was bringing her ever closer to another shattering orgasm.
But suddenly he froze above her and her eyes blinked open to find him staring down at her, an expression of amazement on his face. Cat frowned, not understanding why he’d stopped, until she looked down at her hands, which were digging into his shoulders.
The skin of her hands and arms was glowing, as if subtly lit from within. Suddenly she understood the heat that was radiating from within her chest and she raised her eyes to Darien’s face, seeing the wonderment in his eyes which were glowing the way she’d seen the night before in the club.
“Ligata,” he whispered breathlessly.
Cat didn’t know what he was taking about; he’d mentioned the name earlier but hadn’t explained it.
She twisted beneath him, scared that what was happening would drive him from her. But as another growl was torn from his throat, he buried himself fully inside her as she threw her head back and cried out, riding the wave of pleasure that tore through her body and the heat that radiated from her like a shockwave, enveloping them both.
She heard Darien roar as he jetted into her and it was enough to push her over the edge again and again as he throbbed inside her, releasing with a fury that thrilled her.
As their ragged breathing filled the air Darien twisted, keeping himself inside her, as he gathered her into his arms and pulled her close. Cat could feel his chest pound beneath her cheek as she settled into the crook of his arm, her leg across his thighs. She could still feel him pulsing inside her and she pressed herself closer, delaying the moment when he would leave her body.
