The Art of Loving a Vampire (The Murdoch Vampires Book 1)

by Jaye Wells

  He kissed her hard before beginning his descent. He didn’t bother with teasing this time. He dove in and feasted on her until she writhed and moaned. Her passion made him drunk as she neared her climax. The scent of her caused his canines to lengthen, and he struggled to control of his primal urges. But he knew it was no use. The scent and sound of Sydney’s passion overrode his control.

  As she began to peak he thrust one finger into her. Screaming his name, she lifted her hips clear off the bed. He couldn’t help but smile at the gorgeous sight she presented—all flushed cheeks and opened-mouthed ecstasy.

  He was glad for the cover of darkness, which hid his canines as he rose up to stroke her face. He needn’t have worried though. She seemed so lost in her pleasure she wouldn’t have noticed if he bit her right then. He shook his head to clear those thoughts. It had been so long since he had fed off a human that his body yearned to feed from this gorgeous creature who aroused so many passions within him. The need to mark her, to claim her as his with his bite was nearly overwhelming. But her eyes flickered open then, and he saw the trust, the bliss there and knew he could never betray that trust.

  He dotted soft kisses on her lips and cheeks. This woman was meant to be cherished. And for tonight he would do just that. Beyond tonight he had no idea. He pushed the worries about tomorrow aside and kissed her lips again. She rewarded him with a sleepy smile.

  “Hey,” he whispered.

  “Hey yourself,” she said.

  “Don’t fall asleep yet. I’m not done with you.”

  She chuckled softly. “You mean there’s more?”

  “We’re just getting started,” he said and took her lips again. As they kissed, her movements became increasingly frantic. Obviously, she had recovered and was ready for more, which suited him just fine.

  He shifting so he was on top of her, and he reached down to position himself for entrance.

  “Wait!” she whispered urgently.

  His head snapped up. “God, Syd please don’t tell me you changed your mind.”

  She laughed. “No. We just forgot the condom.”

  Logan rested his forehead on hers. “I don’t have any. I’m sorry. I was totally unprepared for this.”

  His heart dropped as he realized he had been so careless. Disease wasn’t an issue since he was immune to catching or passing on mortal illnesses, but pregnancy was still a concern. Being a vampire made him more potent than most mortals. If Syd was at the right part of her cycle, she’d be pregnant before she knew it. Definitely not an option. He took a deep breath, ready to suggest they call it a night, as much as it pained him.

  “I do,” she said quietly.

  He looked up, his smile radiant. “That’s great. Where is it?”

  “Wait, you don’t think it’s weird I carry condoms around?”

  “Sweetheart, considering the alternative if you didn’t carry them, I am ready to worship at your feet.”

  “I hadn’t thought of it that way,” she said, her smile lighting up the dark room. “I just don’t want you to think I am the type of woman who does this all the time. I, uh, just bought them recently. You know, in case.”

  “In case?”

  His keen eyes saw the blush before she spoke again. “In case you and I . . .” she trailed off. Getting the picture, he planted a quick kiss on her lips.

  “I’m glad. Be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

  He got out of bed and padded over to her purse. In no time he was back in bed ready to resume his position.

  “Ready?” he asked, praying the interruption hadn’t killed the mood. He may have been immortal, but there was only so much sexual frustration a vampire could take.

  She nodded and grabbed him for a fierce kiss. Relieved she seemed as eager as he, Logan reached between them to position himself. Then, finally, he was there, sliding into her tight, hot passage. She sighed as he filled her. Slowly he started to move within her. When she wrapped her legs around him and met each thrust enthusiastically, he groaned and picked up speed.

  “Oh God, Sydney. You feel so damned good,” he said into her ear. She moaned in response and kissed him deeply. He pulled back from the kiss and buried his face in her neck. He found the sweet spot again and sucked her tender flesh. He fought the urge to bite again as she raked her nails down his back and thrust her hips in time with his.

  “Look at me,” he commanded. He needed to watch her eyes glaze over with passion as she reached for fulfillment. When her eyes met his, they burned with an intensity that made him feel as if his soul was exposed. But he couldn’t look away. Never had he felt so completely connected with a woman than he did at this moment.

  He knew she was close as her movements became more frenzied and her eyes widened. Struggling not to explode, he picked up the pace. Suddenly she stiffened and shouted, “Logan!” The sound of his name on her lips pushed him over the summit. He shouted triumphantly as the climax rocked him.

  He collapsed onto her, and she ran her hands down his slick back. He felt gloriously sated. After a moment, Logan shifted and looked at her with a smile. Neither spoke. Words didn’t exist to top the experience they had shared. He had never felt this kind of physical and emotional synchronicity with a woman.

  Stop it. Now was not the time to analyze what happened. Soon enough the harsh light of day would bring its complications. For the time being, he just wanted to enjoy this moment.

  Sydney.

  She reached up and wiped a bead of sweat from his temple.

  He smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I don’t mean to crush you.”

  She wrapped her arms more tightly around him. “Don’t move. I like you right where you are.”

  Logan smiled and relaxed into her body. Did life get any better than this?

  When Sydney had stopped him earlier, he’d nearly had a heart attack. But when she mentioned birth control, he felt both relief that she wasn’t having second thoughts and chagrin at his lack of forethought. He supposed he shouldn’t beat himself up too much; after all, he hadn’t had sex with a mortal since the 1800s. Besides, his Sydney was prepared.

  His Sydney? He glanced down at her. Her eyes were closed, and a satisfied smile lingered on her lips, which were swollen from his kisses. Yes, definitely his Sydney, his heart said.

  But his logical mind had other thoughts. For example, she had just given him her body without knowing he was capable of draining every drop of blood from her veins. Most women tended to be touchy about things like that. So even if he wanted her to be his, he knew he had no right to wish it. Besides, she had never said she was interested in a romance. In fact, she had said just the opposite the night he kissed her. No, he should just take advantage of the time he had while he could. But he knew the memory of this night would stay with him forever.

  He looked at her. Eyes closed, she smiled the smile of the sated. Unable to resist, he bent down and kissed her again. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”

  “Mmmm, you wore me out,” she said, rolling into him.

  For the next several hours, he proceeded to wear the hell out of her.

  Logan woke suddenly. His mouth felt like a desert. His body called out for blood after the rigorous workout he and Sydney had shared. A quick glance toward the windows revealed the first rays of sunlight spreading over the sky.

  Dawn. In addition to the blood, he needed the supplements that allowed him to function in the daytime.

  Spooned against Syd’s warm, soft body, he tried to ignore his need for blood in order to enjoy the feel of her a few moments more. When his stomach cramped viciously, he knew he had to get up. He leaned up to make sure she still slept. Then he gently backed away from her and crept out of bed. It was risky to feed with her in the house, but his thirst could not be denied. The longer he went, the more danger there would be to her.

  He went into the bathroom and closed the door. First he went to his medicine cabinet to get his sun allergy pill. Shaking with hunger, he dropped the bottle onto the tile floor. He cursed
softly under his breath. When he heard nothing in response to the clatter, he went to the closet and switched on the light. The refrigerator hidden behind a row of clothing beckoned him. He grabbed the first bag of blood, popped the pill in his mouth, and gulped down the contents in just a few seconds.

  Ahhh, that was better, he thought. However, after his fight with the rogue and his lovemaking with Syd, his thirst was stronger than usual. He grabbed one more bag and poked his fangs into it. The scent and taste of blood consumed him as the liquid did its work to repair his body.

  Sydney wasn’t sure what woke her. Lethargy weighed down her limbs, so she snuggled deeper into her pillow. Hoping to find the warmth of Logan’s body, she wiggled her rear end backward only to encounter more cool sheets.

  She looked back over her shoulder to find Logan gone. She slowly sat up and looked around the room. A wool throw sat at the foot of the bed, so she grabbed it and wrapped it around her body.

  Where was he? She looked at the windows and saw the pale beams of sun filtering through the windows. Thinking that perhaps he rose early and went to go make coffee, she got up to use the restroom. She walked slowly in concession to the tenderness between her legs. A secret smile played on her lips as scenes from her marathon lovemaking with Logan played through her mind. Never in her life had she experienced that many climaxes with a man. He was a sex machine, she mused with delight as she walked into the bathroom and flipped on the light.

  At first she didn’t notice the sounds coming from the closet. However, as she neared it she heard a groan and a shuffle of movement. The sound stopped her in her tracks, but then she realized it must be Logan. Deciding to surprise him, she crept to the doorway of the large walk-in closet. Then she leapt forward and yelled, “Gotcha!”

  Her laughter died a rapid death as he whipped around. Her mind scrambled to make sense of the scene before her. Logan stood naked with a bag of liquid he had pressed eagerly against his mouth. His eyes widened, and he immediately dropped the bag with a thud. She looked from him to the bag and back again, her mouth agape in shock.

  Then, as if in slow motion, he swiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. A red smear appeared on his wrist as he pulled it away from his mouth.

  “What the hell is going on here?” she demanded. He only stared at her, looking as guilty as if she had walked in on him masturbating.

  “What are you doing?” she asked again, her voice rising slightly. She had no idea what she’d walked in on, but instinctively understood it was something he hadn’t wanted her to see.

  “Uh,” he said, looking from her to the almost empty bag on the floor trickling red onto the white carpet. “Syd . . . I, uh . . . shit!”

  “What is that?” she asked, pointing a finger to the stain.

  He stared at her for a moment, indecision clear on his face.

  “It’s blood,” he said quietly.

  She stared at him for a moment and then slowly said, “Blood?”

  “Blood,” he said again, watching her closely.

  “Please tell me that is a code word for alcohol,” she pleaded.

  “Sydney, look, I have to tell you something. But you have to promise not to freak out. Okay?”

  She stared at the bag at his feet as she nodded slowly. Then she looked at him and said, “I think you’d better talk fast ’cause I am starting to freak out.”

  “I think maybe you should sit down,” he said and took a step toward her. She backed away quickly.

  “Talk. Now,” she demanded.

  “Syd, I really think you should sit down for this.”

  “Talk!” she said, louder this time. She couldn’t take her eyes away from the smear of blood next to his full mouth.

  “Okay,” he said. “It’s kind of a long story, but the truth is . . . I am a vampire.”

  At his crazy announcement, she shook her head as if to knock some sense into it.

  “You’re a vampire? You’re a vampire! Sure, Logan, and I am the goddamned Tooth Fairy! Vampires aren’t real!” she shrieked.

  “I know it’s not something you expected to hear, but it’s true. We are very real.”

  “But, but, but . . . no! You’re one of those lunatic people who pretends to be a vampire, aren’t you?” Fantastic, she thought. Just when she thought she’d found a great guy who was fantastic in bed, he turned out to be shit-house crazy.

  “Syd, I promise I am not crazy. Vampires exist. See? I have fangs,” he said and opened his mouth to reveal two sharp white incisors.

  She squinted as she looked at them. They appeared real enough, but her mind refused to believe his asinine story.

  “Logan, take those out. You’re not fooling anyone. You need some psychiatric help.”

  “I can’t take them out—they’re real,” he said and tugged at one of them with his fingers. When it didn’t budge, she didn’t even flinch.

  “Okay, so you had some quack dentist implant fangs into your mouth,” she said, starting to feel a little frantic.

  “Sydney, if I had these implanted, don’t you think you’d have noticed them before now? No dentist could create fangs that can expand and retract,” he said and then suddenly the pointed teeth started rising into his gum line and were replaced by normal looking canines.

  Quickly backing away, she pointed at him. “That’s, that’s not normal, Logan. What the hell is going on here?” The bathroom counter halted her retreat. He walked toward her, a pleading look on his face.

  “Syd, I promise I’m not crazy. I am a vampire.”

  She held up a hand and demanded, “Stay where you are!”

  He immediately halted. Grabbing a towel from the rack to his left, he quickly wrapped it around his waist.

  “Logan?” she said, hearing the confusion and fear in her own voice.

  Finally, he met her eyes. She saw the truth there and shook her head frantically. “No! Vampires sleep in coffins!”

  “Sweetheart, if you’ll let me explain, you’ll understand that most of what you believe is just a myth,” he said as calmly as he could.

  “That’s funny. Until about five minutes ago, I thought vampires were myths, too. So obviously some myths are true,” she said. She didn’t want to admit she believed him, but saw no other explanation. She began to scoot to her right toward the door.

  “Syd, let’s just calm down,” he said.

  “Calm down? Calm down! I walk in on the man I just had sex with drinking blood, and then he tells me he’s a soulless fiend from hell, and I need to calm down? Not likely! Wait, you aren’t going to suck my blood are you?” she asked a little hysterically.

  He held out a hand to halt her retreat. She stopped immediately, fear rooting her in place.

  “Syd, no. Think about it. I could have done that any time during the past week, and I didn’t. If you’ll think for a minute, you’ll realize you walked in on me drinking from a bag of blood. I don’t feed from humans . . . anymore.”

  “Anymore?” she whimpered. She had to get out of there. She turned and raced out the door, catching him off guard.

  She heard him yell after her with a curse, but she kept running. Then she remembered her car was at the bar. Without transportation, her only hope was to barricade herself in one of the bedrooms. She ran into the first guest room she encountered and locked the door.

  She realized if Logan was really a vampire, a simple doorknob lock wouldn’t stop him. She looked around wildly, trying to find anything to barricade the door. On the far side of the room from where she stood by the door sat a large four-poster bed. Obviously, she could never move the heavy piece all the way across the room. Two wicker nightstands flanked the bed, and a rattan rocking chair sat near the room’s window. Great, she had to pick the room with the least effective furniture on earth for barricading a door.

  Then she saw it. To her right, sharing a wall with the door, stood a tall dresser. She went to the far side of the piece and shoved with all her strength. It budged a few inches. Luckily, it stood less than
a foot from the perpendicular wall. If she could brace herself against the other wall, she might be able to get it close enough to the door. She started by bracing her feet on the wall and pushing the heavy piece with her back, but it began to tip over. Turning, she braced her rear end on the wall and lifted both feet to push the dresser. The heavy piece finally started to move closer to the door. But before she could get it all the way in place, her body lurched backward as the wall behind her caved in.

  Crap!

  She pried herself out of the wall as a shower of white plaster and sheetrock rained all over her and the floor. A butt-sized hole marred the once-pristine surface.

  Freakin’ great. She tried to fight the tears which threatened to fall. But then she heard Logan bang on the door.

  “Sydney? Open up. We need to talk.”

  Adrenaline surged through her, and she slid the dresser home right before he rattled the doorknob.

  “Go away!”

  “Sydney,” he started calmly. “Please let me in. There are things I need to explain to you. It’s not what you think.”

  “Oh, really? It’s not that you’re a bloodsucking demon?”

  “I am not a demon.”

  “Funny, I notice you don’t deny the bloodsucking part.”

  “Well, it’s kind of hard to deny when you walked in on me right after I had done it,” his voice rose a bit.

  “I repeat: Go away!”

  “Dammit, Sydney, can’t you just hear me out? I won’t hurt you. Think about it. If I wanted to, I could have done so while we were making love.”

  “Oh, that’s really comforting! And I definitely don’t want to talk about that. Especially now!”

  She heard a thump on the door. Then another.

  It didn’t sound loud enough for him to being trying to break down the door, but her knowledge of vampires was sorely lacking. For all she knew, he had changed into a bat and was trying to break in that way.