by Grosso, Kym
“Relationship?” Léopold threw his head back and wiped his eyes. “I cannot deny that I’m attracted to you, but a relationship? No, I don’t do relationships. I’m not who you need. And my past is dead and buried…where it needs to stay.”
“I’m sorry for upsetting you, but yeah, I do need to have a relationship with you if I’m going to just tell you everything about me. I get that you have a past, but I have one too, and unlike you, I’m not some ancient badass. I’m just trying to survive. And I’m all alone. I can’t do this. If you can’t trust me…I don’t know.” The effects of the wine weren’t nearly enough to calm her; moisture filled her eyes.
Léopold saw her tears threatening to spill, and while he’d generally ignore if not enjoy the sight of fear and pain in another being, it felt as if he was absorbing her torment. Why does she need me to show her my trust? He didn’t want to do it. It was a bad idea, but she looked so defeated and he really didn’t want her to go.
“I was a father.” Saying the words out loud for the first time in centuries was surreal. He hadn’t said them since he’d been turned.
“Leo,” Laryssa’s voice cracked. He’d trusted her. She closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“Rosamund. She was four. Maiuel, he was only a bébé…” It felt so foreign to say their names yet it was as if it was only yesterday that he’d held them in his arms. He could hear his daughter’s voice calling for him, ‘père’. “It was so very long ago…” Léopold closed his eyes, his face tensed. Why was he talking about this?
“It’s all right. I’m so sorry,” Laryssa cupped his face in her hands. “I shouldn’t have pressed it. I just wanted to know you…”
When his eyes flashed open, the look of grief quickly turned into one of passion. With the exception of Dimitri, there’d been no one he’d shared anything personal with, let alone the death of his children. Laryssa had not only stirred his desire, but had renewed his memories and connections to the human world. It was as if her brief presence in his life had begun to strengthen the delicate fibers that remained of his compassion. He couldn’t bring himself to take her blood, but with her in his arms, he could no longer resist her body.
As his mouth captured hers, Léopold knew it was wrong. He didn’t deserve her, but couldn’t stop as he tasted the sweet innocence on her lips. Self-restraint slid away as he immersed himself in her, his lips deepening their luscious kiss. Reaching into her mane and taking command, he wrapped his fingers around her locks, and held her in place. He needed to have her, be in her. He’d regret it, but as she responded to him, giving herself to him, he couldn’t stop. With a gasp, he pulled his lips from hers and began to trail kisses down the delicate skin of her throat. Hungry for more, his other hand slid up her belly, pushing up her shirt until he’d found the swell of her breast. She moaned at his touch, encouraging him. More, they both needed more and fast. Léopold pulled down the lacy fabric of her bra until her swollen nipple released into his fingers.
“Leo, please,” she begged.
“I want you,” he breathed against her neck. Léopold leaned into her, his rock hard erection jutting into her. “Do you feel that?”
“Yes,” she responded breathlessly.
Léopold grasped her chin with his hand, until her hooded eyes met his. “This,” his fangs snapped downward and he bent his knees, pressing up into her with his cock, “is what you do to me. You make me lose control.”
“You don’t scare me,” she responded and licked the crook of his neck.
Is there nothing I can do to deter her? Goddess almighty, this woman would be his downfall. He knew it as sure as he was standing there next to her. Léopold gave in and kissed her passionately, allowing his fangs to nick her tongue. A monster, he was. She needed to know he wasn’t safe. He’d hurt her just like he’d done to his family.
Laryssa sensed Léopold’s hesitation. He’d shown her his teeth to frighten her, and a small part of her was scared. But an even bigger part of her yearned to have his fangs pierce her skin, possessing her, in every way possible. As his tongue moved inside her mouth, she sucked and breathed, letting her own tongue brush over his sharp teeth.
“Off,” was all she heard before he’d ripped the fabric of her shirt over her head.
“Stay still,” he ordered, holding her upright. He glided his hands over the smooth skin of her back and he turned her body once again, this time so that she was facing the window. With a flick of his wrist, he slipped the hooks out of the eyes and her bra fell to the floor. “Much better, pet.”
“No,” she protested at the name he’d called her.
“Now.” Léopold reached his hand around her neck, and gently but firmly held her in place. His other hand found her breast. “This is what I’ve wanted to do to you. Lovely.”
Laryssa didn’t fear his restraint of her body, but instead embraced it, focusing solely on the touch of his fingers as they kneaded her flesh. She wanted to scream and tell him to stop calling her that name, yet it was as if he was playing her like a grand piano. The music resonated throughout her entire being, making her dance to the rhythm he created.
“Léopold,” she breathed, seeking more than he gave.
“Patience. You’re so soft and ready, aren’t you? But you play with fire, no?”
“What do you mean?” She tried to move her head but he tightened his grip, softly stroking the skin beneath her ear.
“Quid pro quo. What are you?” Léopold breathed against her skin, brushing his lips to her nape.
“I can’t,” she insisted.
Léopold laughed, frustrated, aroused by his little witch. She may not have been magical but she wielded a sexual spell over him like no other woman he’d met. After confessing the names of his children, she thought she could get away without meeting the terms of their agreement? There was so much he would teach her, if he’d let himself indulge. But he couldn’t have her, he knew. In this moment, however, she owed him the truth. Quid pro quo.
“Oui, you will,” he assured her. Sucking the lobe of her ear into his mouth, his hand fell from her breast and she moaned in protest. Slowly, he teased his hand over her belly, downward.
“Please.”
“Qu’est-ce que tu veux?”
“I don’t understand,” she cried in frustration. Why is he torturing me?
“Please what?”
“I can’t…I can’t say.”
“You are a stubborn one. So determined yet so fragile. Like the silk of a spider…you’re strong but delicate. Both tough and ductile, you fight against what you are but strain to conform to what society expects of you. But what you must learn, Laryssa,” Léopold paused before gliding his fingers under the seam of her jeans, “is that even a spider’s web can be tested.” His fingers slid through her slick folds, grazing her hooded pearl until he heard her moan. “Ah, yes, the web, while strong, it can be tested, flexed. The energy it can absorb is extraordinary in nature, but not limitless.”
Laryssa’s pussy ached with heat, pulsing in anticipation of his next stroke. She struggled to move her hips into his hand but he gently squeezed her neck, reminding her who was in control. Her core contracted as he pressed a finger against her entrance and she knew then she would give anything to be with this man.
“I’ll tell you, just please….touch me.”
“Like this?’ He plunged a long thick finger into her, licking her neck as he did so. He kissed along the bottom of her cheek, wanting so badly to taste her lips again.
“Ah,” she cried. “Yes.”
“Or like this?” Léopold strummed the pad of his thumb over her clitoris, pumping another finger into her wetness.
“Yes,” she cried. The tendrils of an orgasm lingered beyond her reach. She couldn’t move, couldn’t touch herself. She could only wait for him to give her what she desired. Her chest heaved a breath as he flicked over her swollen clit a second time.
“Tell me what you are, everything you can do. No re
lationships. Just give.” He pressed two fingers up into her, eliciting another moan of pleasure. “And take.”
“I’m so close…please, Léopold. Not now…just make me feel.” As he stilled his fingers, she groaned.
“Yes, you are…so close to getting what you want. I desire you, but we cannot be. I’m not the man for you. Pleasure I can bring you easily, but anything more will cause you nothing but pain.”
“Stop talking,” she demanded.
“You want it so badly, don’t you? I can feel your flesh quivering around my fingers, sweet, sweet Laryssa,” he grunted as he ground his cock into the swell of her ass. If she didn’t tell him what she was within the next two minutes, he knew he’d completely lose control and take her right there on the floor. Once they made love, he feared he wouldn’t be able to let her go. No, he needed information, not complications. He had to break her, get her to tell him how she came to be, what she was. “Tell me now and you can have what you seek, mon lapin. What are you? I can feel it…you want to give in to me…so just tell me. I can’t promise you anything but my trust and protection.”
As his fingers pumped in and out of her, driving her higher and higher, hurling her toward climax, she could barely hear him speaking. Trust? Give in? What is he saying?
“I can’t tell you now…please, don’t stop,” she breathed, resting her forehead against the cool window pane. “It feels so good. Oh my God.”
“Tell me now or we stop.”
“What?” Laryssa quivered, her orgasm teetering on the edge. She shook her head, refusing to tell him.
“Tell me!” Léopold grunted as his seed began to seep from the tip of his hardness. Goddammit, this woman is impossible. Before he had a chance to press her further, the doorbell rang, interrupting them. “Saved by the bell?”
“What?” Disoriented, Laryssa shivered. Falling off the precipice of ecstasy, her orgasm fell out of reach as Léopold pulled his hand out of her panties. Why was he stopping? She’d heard the familiar sound of a buzzer. Was someone at the door? She tried to compose herself, reeling from the loss of his touch. She felt him lift her arms, draping the hole of her shirt over her head.
“Dinner’s arrived, I’m afraid. Get dressed,” he told her as if he’d ordered off a menu and was sitting in a restaurant waiting for his meal to arrive.
“Seriously?”
“Quoi?” he said, smoothing down the fabric. He bent down, grabbing her bra off the floor and brought it to his nose and sniffed.
Coming to her senses, Laryssa twisted away from him. A mixture of disappointment and embarrassment coursed through her, as she realized that she’d let him restrain her. Worse, he’d deliberately baited her, arousing her, bringing her so close to coming and then stopping. Her eyes flared in anger, as he smiled at her with a knowing look. He wanted her to know what he’d done.
“Get away from me.” She brushed his hand off her arm.
“A pity, no? So close, yet so far away.” He extended his arm, her bra dangling from his fingertip. She snatched it and clutched it to her chest.
“I wasn’t that close,” she lied. “How would you know anyway? I could have been faking it.”
“You don’t wear deception well, mon lapin. Besides, I was referring to the fact that I was so close to finding out the truth….de vous. You’ll tell me. That was our agreement. I share, you share. I’m afraid you now owe me.” Léopold circled her as she stood as still as a statue. Coming up behind her, he felt her jump as he pressed his lips to her hair. “And I intend to collect right after I’m finished.”
“Finished doing what?” She heard a door opening, and Léopold paid her no heed as he moved from behind her toward the foyer.
“Excusez-moi. The door…I must attend to our guests,” he called out, leaving her behind.
Cautiously following him, Laryssa moved to where he’d put her bag and snatched it up into her arms, concealing her unrestrained bosom. From across the room, she could see a man and a woman push through the entryway. She didn’t recognize them from earlier and wondered who they were, what they were doing here. Panic rose in her throat at the thought that Léopold had lied to her, told others about her and her abilities. She watched pensively as Léopold guided the female into the foyer, toward the great room.
“This is my assistant,” Léopold told Laryssa, nodding to the strange man who politely smiled at her. “He’s brought dinner.”
“Hello,” she managed to say in a soft voice, but didn’t extend her hand.
“Bonjour mademoiselle. Or should I say bonsoir as it’s getting late, isn’t it?”
Laryssa forced a small smile. Her eyes darted to Léopold, as he escorted the blonde guest over to a chair. The woman appeared to glide across the floor, her heels clicking a soft staccato on the wooden planks. Laryssa silently gasped, noticing that the woman had a mask tied to her face, blocking her eyesight. What the hell is going on?
“Um, why is she wearing a blindfold?” Laryssa couldn’t contain her curiosity.
“No worries,” Léopold cajoled, appreciating the look of worry on Laryssa’s face. “This is Sophie. She’s quite comfortable, I assure you.”
“But…I thought you said your assistant was bringing dinner…we already…” Laryssa’s face turned white as her words trailed off into silence. Her brain slowly put together the pieces of the puzzle. No, Léopold would not do this. Not in front of her.
“Arnaud.”
“What?” she asked.
“Arnaud. My assistant’s name is Arnaud. And while you’ve already had dinner,” Léopold stood behind the woman and put his hand on the top of her head as if he was petting a cat, “I have not.”
Laryssa could feel her blood pumping, fear and loathing tearing through her. Is he serious? Of course he’s serious. He’s a vampire. Bloodsucker. Parasite. She bit her lip, trying hard to fight the tears. Only a few minutes ago, she’d almost made love to him, knowing what he was capable of doing, secretly hoping he’d pierce her skin, drinking in her essence. With disgust, she watched as the woman calmly untied the belt that cinched her trench coat, and shrugged out if it, baring her skin. She wore a black satin slip and nothing more, the hem inching up her thighs.
Laryssa’s face heated as her anger simmered. She’d heard the rumors about how vampires ate, their bite inciting the most spectacular orgasms. She’d been foolish to think for one second that she could actually have a relationship with Léopold. Unlike her, he’d proudly confessed who he was, what he was. Behind his debonair and seductive exterior, a cavalier man stood before her, no apologies given. Why didn’t I listen to him? How could I have been so stupid as to misread the attraction as something more than what it is…lust?
Léopold knew this would be the result when he’d texted Arnaud, telling him to bring him a donor. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t done it a million times. The donors, male or female, were always blindfolded. Sometimes just for the ride to his mansion, sometimes for the entire time until they returned to their residence. Regardless, they were never privy to the whereabouts of Léopold’s mansion.
His home was his refuge, the location of which he only shared with Arnaud. He’d planned on inviting Dimitri eventually, once they returned from Wyoming. In a lapse of judgment, he’d brought Laryssa here. For every hour he told himself that he needed to be done with her, get her out of his life, he grew further unable to deny his hunger for her. He reasoned it was purely a physical attraction, but when she insisted on something more, a connection to assure her of his trust with her secret, he’d broken a million of his own rules. First he’d brought her to his sanctuary, and then told her about his children.
Convinced if she saw him in his true light, she’d understand that they could never have a relationship, he’d asked Arnaud to bring the donor, a female for good measure. The look of hurt and distrust in her eyes should have been cause for celebration, for victory. But the joke was on him, because the only blood he wanted was Laryssa’s. Not only had he maliciously caused her distress
, denied her an orgasm, he was now taunting her with another woman. Conflicting emotions vacillated inside of him for only a minute, before he’d decided he’d done the right thing.
This was who he was and he wouldn’t hide it, wouldn’t conceal his true identity. Long ago, before he’d been turned, he’d been a gentle man, caring to his wife and children. Hardworking, a knight for the king. But that man had died with his family. The trifling of decency and compassion within his soul could not compete with the savage animal within. No woman would ever love the beast he’d become.
Laryssa hadn’t told him what she was, but he could sense the purity within her. Her humanity thrived, and she’d crave a man who cared only for her. She deserved more, not the selfish individual that she lusted for. He told himself that by hurting her, showing her this side of him, she’d give up illusions of friendships, relationships and connections. Their liaison must be based on finding who tried to hurt the baby. No more, no less. But as he spied a tear trailing down Laryssa’s cheek, he questioned his motives. Was he feeding out of hunger or protecting his own heart, one he would deny existed?
“Arnaud, please show Laryssa to the guest room,” Léopold stated and then gave her a smug smile. “Unless you wish to stay and watch?”
Laryssa glared at him. The man had to eat but it was as if he was being cruel on purpose, taunting her after withholding her orgasm. Yet he had every right to eat or fuck whoever he wanted. It wasn’t as if she’d offered to give him her own blood. No, she’d taken pleasure from him, knowing she wouldn’t tell him everything. She had no right to the jealousy that swelled inside her. She held Léopold’s gaze as he sat next to his donor, who was proffering her arm upward to his nose. She hated him. She lusted after him. None of it mattered because he would do whatever he wanted.
Léopold absorbed Laryssa’s stare. It was as if he could feel his lips on her skin, but the woman he held in his hands wasn’t her. For every second of anguish he caused to Laryssa, he felt it tenfold, denying and relinquishing his own desire for her. She’d never want him once he demonstrated how cold he could be, his nature. Descending his fangs, he never took his eyes off of her as he licked the inside of the woman’s wrist, detecting her pulse.
