When Iris began drawing deep breaths, he felt her strength returning. He looked down at her. She looked like a model, with skin like cream, brows in fine arches, her cheeks begging to be kissed.
Without thinking, he stroked her face, pushing a few loose strands away from her ear.
She drew another stream of air into her lungs then rolled her head back to look up at him. Her gaze skated past him as she looked in the direction of the sky. She smiled. “I’m so glad to be home and you’re right, my spell holds. We’ll be safe here. I knew you were worried about that.”
Her cat jumped up on Iris’s stomach. “Hello, Pips.”
Iris shifted just enough to pet her cat.
Connor’s throat now ached like he had a noose around his neck. For a moment, he didn’t know why until he realized he’d felt this way once before, during his way-too-brief marriage.
The night had already been strange with the runner and her fake jacket, the explosion on the bridge, and now Big Nuts turning him over to a madman for cash.
But maybe the most bizarre part was realizing he was falling in love with Iris Meldeere, a woman who in any other circumstance would be his enemy.
How the hell had this happened?
CHAPTER 4
Iris still felt weak and muddled from the amount of spell energy she’d used up getting out of Big Nuts’s house of sex alive. She petted her cat and scratched underneath his collar, the small bell jingling softly.
She leaned her head against Connor’s shoulder, forcing air deep into her lungs. “Sorry.” Her voice was little more than a whisper.
“For what?”
She loved how his voice rumbled in his chest. But what had he asked? Oh, yeah. Why she was sorry. “For being so useless right now.”
“You got us out of there. I’m not sure without your spell we would have survived. By the way, he was there.”
“Who was there?”
“The vampire intent on killing us.”
She chuckled. “Oh. Him.” She was so out of it.
“You okay?”
“No. But I will be. I need to recoup my strength. What did the bad guy look like?”
“Gary was right. He must have bought himself a spell because it was hard to see him. But he was tall, lean, light-colored eyes, dark hair. I couldn’t discern his features, though.”
She sighed. “Not much to go on.”
“No, it isn’t.”
The energy of her garden flowed over her and had begun to restore her. Being in Connor’s arms helped as well.
“What can I do to help you feel better?”
“Kiss me.” Wait. Why had she said that?
“You want me to kiss you?” A soft chuckle left his throat.
“No, I mean yes. I mean, God, no.” But it would be really nice.
Again, that man-hungry feeling returned. He’d kissed her earlier in the garden, but she’d been so overwhelmed, she hadn’t been able to respond, at least for a few seconds. He’d looked distressed when he’d pulled back, searching her eyes with that heavy frown between his brows. She’d finally given in to her desire for him, in part to make sure he knew how much she wanted him, desired him.
“Connor?”
“Yes.”
“I loved the kiss you gave me before. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Can we do it again?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’ve thought about it. I think now would be good.”
He smiled tenderly. “How about when you recover a little more.”
At that, she shifted in his arms so she could look at him. Pips jumped off her lap at the same time. “You have beautiful blue eyes. I think they’re one of your best features.” Her gaze dropped to his lips.
“How weak are you right now?” His voice had dropped into a lower timbre, a sound that teased her between her legs.
She sat up enough to slide an arm around his neck. “My garden is helping. And being with you as well, though I’m not sure why. You seem to have an effect on me and I’m coming back fast.”
She kissed him, her tongue rimming the soft fullness of his lips. She could feel her garden swaying around her, creating a breeze that carried an elixir of beautiful scents. Some were healing, others erotic. What she’d spent so much time nurturing, began to give back to her, renewing her energy with every breath, even as she kissed Connor.
The Sissoo swayed above her as well.
When she drew back, Connor smoothed his fingers over her cheek. “You’re so beautiful, Iris.”
She felt him, felt his words and what lay beneath. She knew he’d been married before the alter, just as she had. But he hadn’t engaged in a serious relationship since. They were a lot alike.
Violet’s earlier words came back to her. Save Connor.
What had she meant by it?
“Connor,” she began, though no other words followed. She was still a little muddled, but getting stronger by the second.
“I’m here.” He searched her eyes, then leaned in and kissed her again, a brief touch of his lips to hers. “You feel like a dream to me, like you don’t really exist.”
At that, she smiled. “I know what you mean. I never thought I’d feel this way again.”
He drifted a series of sensual kisses over her lips, one after the other. “What way?”
What had he asked? Oh, yes, the way she was feeling. She drew back enough to meet his gaze. “As though I could be in bed with you and stay there for a long time. Days maybe.”
“Is that how you feel?” He looked so serious.
She nodded.
“Iris.” His voice was low, hushed. “I think I’m falling for you.”
Her mind slipped back to earlier in the evening and seeing the red half-hearts on Jason and Sadie’s hands.
They’d been lovers.
A decade of loneliness swelled over her, putting an ache in her heart. “Me, too, but maybe we should stop.”
Connor’s gaze once more fell to her lips. “You’re right, we should.”
“Uh-huh.”
When she tilted her face, inviting him, he settled his lips on hers, but more forcefully this time. She moaned, her entire body lighting up. When she parted her lips, his tongue entered her, and he took his time searching the recesses of her mouth. Then he began to plunge, a beautiful prologue. She savored each thrust that quickly became a dedicated, very familiar rhythm.
When she pulled back, she was breathing hard. “Make love to me, Connor, right here in the garden. And right now. No more questions, or doubts, or anything. Just sex, because I think we both need this.”
***
Connor plundered Iris’s mouth, knowing he shouldn’t, but unable to help himself. He’d craved her for months. Now she was in his arms and telling him she was falling for him, too.
She tasted sweet, like a ripe plum. He licked her tongue and heard her moan in response. His hand found her breast, her nipple already peaked as he began to fondle her. A streak of desire shot through his cock. He slid his hand to her waist and pulled her t-shirt from her jeans, then glided his fingers over her stomach and up to her bra. He caressed her again through the soft fabric then plucked at her nipple.
She groaned and pushed at him, though he wasn’t sure why. When he drew back, he saw that her cheeks were flushed. He was about to call a halt to everything, thinking maybe she was too weak to continue. But she suddenly leaned back just enough to take her shirt off and set her hair free from her ponytail. He held her loosely in his arms the whole time to keep her from falling backward.
She wanted this as much as he did.
His gaze was caught by the white mounds of her breasts. His jaw trembled with need. Using his arm to support her, she was able to reach behind and unclasp her bra.
His intake of breath was a slow hiss as his gaze floated over her bare breasts. Her nipples were erect and with a grunt he fell on her chest, taking as much of her left breast in his mouth as he could.
But his pants had become a
serious hindrance. “Time to get rid of some of these clothes.” His voice sounded hoarse to his own ears.
She eagerly slid off his lap to sit on the grass. “Shirt off,” she commanded. “I want to look at you.”
He smiled, knowing the effect his muscled body had on women. He was on his knees as he lost the tank.
But she held out a hand, stopping him from moving. He didn’t know why, until her gaze took in his shoulders, his chest, his stomach. She shifted to her knees as well and with her hands began to smooth a pathway over his chest, feeling him up.
The altered life had given him strength. He pumped iron, but only required a quarter of the time his human counterparts would need to get the defined look the Border Patrol men carried. She fondled his pecs and wasn’t surprised when she leaned into him and took some of his flesh in her mouth.
The suckling had his cock standing straight up and begging for the same kind of attention. While she worked his chest, he unbuttoned his leathers and began pulling them down, freeing his erection.
As she continued to touch him and suck on his pecs, she kept making small moans and coos, all sorts of sounds that helped him know how much she was into him.
Was this really happening?
He’d had many fantasies about making love to her, but none of them equaled the simple touch of her tongue, her lips, her hands. A soft witch energy flowed from her as well, as much a caress as everything else she was doing.
When she leaned back, panting, he went to work on her jeans. Of course by the time he had them peeled down to her knees, he realized he had to get rid of her shoes.
He untied them as quickly as he could. But once he had the rest of her clothes off, she surrounded his cock with both hands, fondling him.
He froze because the sensation was the most pleasure he’d had since the alter.He was still on his knees and his leathers had him trapped. She scooted closer, smiling up at him.
All he could do was stare at her awestruck.
“I think I know what you’re feeling,” she said. “It’s as though we’re the first people in the entire world to have ever done this.”
“Your touch is like that for me.”
“And how about this.”
When she bent her head and her warm wet mouth surrounded the head of his cock, he groaned heavily. His breathing grew rough right away and his hips arched, thrusting his cock deeper into her mouth. She sucked at the same time and when he pulled back she caught the rim of his cock with her lips then flicked her tongue quickly over the tip.
He put a hand on her shoulder and withdrew. “I’ll come too soon.”
She rose up and with both hands pushed him onto his back. He wasn’t sure she’d understood his dilemma until he realized her intent was to get him naked. She made quick work of his boots and leathers.
As he lay against the cool lawn, with Iris kissing her way up his legs, he felt as though he’d been dropped into heaven. He wanted to stay here forever.
He thought back to the couple on Sentinel, their half-hearts and the certainty they’d been lovers. He’d been appalled at the time, despite the fact he’d been lusting after Iris for months.
But now that he was here, in Iris’s garden only a few hours later, he understood. In thirty years, he’d had a lot of very brief relationships with vampire females, some of them good, worthy women. But none of them had made him feel that maybe life would be okay. And that’s what Iris did for him.
She crawled up his body, careful when she was between his legs, then kissed his abdomen and tongued his six-pack. He caressed her face at the same time, sliding his hand behind her neck. “I love what you’re doing to me.”
“You have a magnificent body and I intend to show a lot of appreciation.”
He smiled, savoring that she was sucking his pecs again and moaning at the same time. She was as eager as he was.
When his hips arched, she rose up and straddled him. He nodded his encouragement as she reached low to hold his cock in place then lowered her sex onto him.
The moment he felt her wetness, he groaned heavily once more. He was where he’d wanted to be for a long time now.
Her whole body arched as he began to push inside her. “Oh, Connor.”
She felt too damn good. He grabbed her hips. “Let me.”
With her lips parted, she nodded then leaned over him, balancing herself with her palms planted on his chest. He began to thrust, rocking his hips and driving deeper into her each time until he was fully seated.
She cried out. “You have no idea how good this feels.”
He had to disagree. “Trust me, I have an inkling.”
He realized then she had tears in her eyes. “I didn’t think it was possible to feel this way as a witch. I thought part of what I’d lost because of the alter was the ability to be passionate. But Connor, I’m coming apart here.”
He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close so that her head was on his shoulder. “It’s okay. I know I said this to you earlier, but I’ll say it again now: Let it go.”
He felt her sob again. He was buried deep and the woman was crying. Maybe it was a witch thing, that she was communicating with him in ways not human at all, but he felt her pain and how deep it was. He closed his eyes and while she wept, he remained very still except for his hands which he used to rub her back and shoulders.
He knew she’d been forced to leave a husband behind when she’d gone through her witch alter.Then her sister had died some time during the first year the two women had come to live in Elegance. Even so, her sadness felt deeper still, though he didn’t know in what way.
His own pain was very different. Yes, he’d buried a wife, but that had been before he’d come to live in Five Bridges.
His remorse and suffering had occurred after his vampire alter and during his work with the Crescent Border Patrol. In the line of duty in one instance and after being abducted and shot up with blood flame in another, he’d ended up hurting and killing a lot of innocent women. Their deaths lived inside him like a wound that could never heal. He wasn’t worthy of a real relationship with Iris or any woman. His time with Iris was a stolen season.
After a minute or two, her tears subsided and she grabbed for her t-shirt and wiped her nose and face. “You’re such a kind man, Connor. Thank you. I don’t know why that happened.”
He pushed her hair away from her face. “It doesn’t matter. You’ve been through a lot and not just tonight.”
She kissed him, her body pulling on what was still hard. She moaned again, then lifted up. “I want to be on my back.”
Connor’s turn to moan. He caught her bottom in one hand holding her tight against him. With great care, he rolled them both over so he could stay connected. It was a bit tricky, but he had enough girth to get the job done.
At the same time, his fangs began to emerge, something he couldn’t help, something he wanted to do with Iris badly.
But now that she was beneath him, what was very male in him took over. He moved into her, all the way.
Then he went to work.
***
Iris rolled her head back and forth on the cool grass, her body eased with each drive of Connor’s cock, each thrust like heaven.
She wasn’t sure why she’d lost it, except that her grief about living in Five Bridges and being separated from all that she’d once loved and cherished, whether through death or the alter, had somehow come down to this moment with Connor. Now she was looking up at him, his shoulder length hair moving in waves as he thrust, his blue eyes almost intense as he pushed into her.
She rubbed her thumb over his lips. He’d been nothing but kind throughout the entire difficult night and now he was making love to her.
He leaned down as he thrust, connecting his chest to hers and kissing her.
She surrounded his back with her arms, gliding her hands gently over his thick muscles. She loved how he felt, moving as he was. His whole body was engaged in the rhythmic push-pull, undulations that had her
breaths coming in light pants. In response, her sex pulled on him, needing him, wanting what he could give her.
She gripped his ass low, loving the flex and release of his buttocks. Her sex tightened. Was this really happening?
He began slowly nudging her chin aside, farther and farther until he was licking a line up and down her neck.
She gasped, remembering. Vampire.
Her sex released a series of pulses. She was on the verge.
“May I feed, Iris? Do you trust me enough to let me feed from you?” Once he began, he had the power to keep going until she was drained dry in what was known as a vampire thrall. It was the balance of Five Bridges. She could kill him with a touch. He could take her life once he sunk his fangs.
Her breaths came out in harsh gasps. “I didn’t think I’d ever say this, Connor, but I want you to bite me more than anything else on earth right now. And yes, I trust you.”
He groaned yet again and with the practice of decades, struck her throat, nipping through to the vein. When he began to suck, she cried out because she’d never imagined it would feel so incredible.
His hips were back in motion as well so she had two sensations pummeling her at once. Her body felt lit with fire as he sucked. And she was feeding Connor, taking care of his vampire blood needs.
She knew this was considered a thrall, but for some reason she was still able to move. Every account she’d heard spoke of a paralytic condition; the vampire could drink as long as he wanted. But right now she didn’t care that the rules didn’t completely apply to her.
She moaned, her hips rising up to push against his as he thrust. She gripped his shoulders and cried out. It all felt so good.
Suddenly, he released her neck, swiping the wounds to seal them. “Your blood. Iris, it’s like a drug. I feel strange but really strong.” His thrusts were steady and purposeful.
She caught his face with both hands. Had her blood done something to him? “Are you all right?” He looked wild, his eyes rolling in his head.
His hips began to move faster. “I’m fine. I’m better than fine. My God. Iris!”
Dark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set Page 21
