by Alice Wade
He pounded on the door three times and waited.
Kailani’s face greeted him when the door opened, and upon seeing who it was, smiled flatly, “Dace, what brings you here?”
“Let me pass,” he demanded and looked over her shoulder. “I saw her return and Talon said I could talk to her once she hunted. I’m assuming she did. Now stand aside.”
Kailani looked at someone out of his line of sight, frowning slightly before she nodded, “I’ve concerns over this, but it appears you’ve a friend in Talon. Please come in.”
The door to one of the bedrooms slammed just as he entered the warmly decorated room. Lainey had already put her touch on this small space by hanging flowers and pictures she’d obviously scavenged from somewhere. Talon appeared from the other room and coughed, “Dace, you are persistent.”
“You said after she hunts. Did you not just go hunting?” He worried Talon would throw him out.
“I did say that; and yes, we hunted.” Talon shared a look with Kailani who frowned again. It was clear she wasn’t in favor of this, but Talon forced the issue but waving his hand. “She’s in her room. I need to warn you; she will be under the influence of feeding. Remember the sounds you heard from the bath yesterday? Amplify that. If you are not prepared to be seduced, I suggest you leave immediately.”
Dace took a step backwards suddenly terrified she’d do the opposite and reject him. He gulped back his fear and nodded to Talon, “I’m prepared. I can’t say the same for how I feel if she rejects me though.”
“Oh, she won’t reject you. I feel her desires building. Now is a time she needs you to help her through this. If you think you’ll refuse her, you best leave now.”
“I want to help,” he whispered quietly. He was decided.
“Good luck. The first hunt can be intense.” Talon watched Dace move towards Lainey’s room and wrapped his arms around Kai. The same desires were building in him too. Just for a moment, he didn’t want to worry about anyone but Kai, so he whirled her into his arms and slammed the bedroom door closed behind him.
* * * *
Lainey lay on the bed naked and simmering with a sexual urge she could no longer stand. She vowed she would try to refrain from doing the things she had done in the bath and tough it out. The embarrassment she felt afterwards burned in her mind, yet the hot feeling throughout her body was driving her insane.
She thought wryly, this was worse than before, much worse. Doubts bubbled up around the success at withstanding the urges without touching her body crept into her mind. If only Dace where here, if only she had help to ease this fire that caused her body to burn in this fevered state.
Her mind wandered on thoughts of her solo arousal while her hand slithered down her body to her heated center and slowly, in tentative strokes, touched her clit. A tortured moan hissed through her clenched jaw.
Lainey could no longer resist the desires raging and gave in completely. She needed this to get her through the next few hours while the after affects assaulted her.
Her other hand caressed one of her breasts, teasing her nipple to an incredibly hard peak. She still marveled at their quick reaction to her touch each time she played with them. She switched to the other breast and repeated this sensual attention while she continued to slowly rub between her legs.
Lainey had one last fleeting thought that this so wrong. Yet the warm feeling coiled in her body seeped out and caused her to purr. The more she gave in, the more the wild urges grew within her. It was as if they matched her growing arousal and intensified. Oh, this was so much more intense than ever before.
By this point, Lainey writhed naked on her bed. The more she played with her body, the wetter she became and soon her arousal leaked from her body to drip onto the bed. This sent a shiver of excitement through her in anticipation. She was getting close to her first release.
Her fingers worked faster, massaging her sensitive skin. The more aroused she became, the faster she moved. She alternated between her clit and her core causing the warmth to become inflamed into a burning hot sensation as her orgasm built. Her soft panting sounds filled the room as she fell deeper into the moment, finally accepting the fact that this would be the first of many.
Dace could tell she didn’t hear him enter her room. He watched her writhe like a woman crazed in the candlelight. An intense need to join her caused his foot to take a step, but he quickly caught himself before he interrupted her. A part of him didn’t want her to stop. This is what he missed seeing last night in the bath and he selfishly wanted to see if play out.
Heat flowed through his blood and warmed every part of his body. Growing hard and painful, his cock wanted to be released. However, Dace didn’t move. This was almost too much for him to stand and he watched quietly as she freed herself of the torment that Talon warned him of just moments ago.
Gone was his fear of rejection. Gone was the revulsion he felt days before. Gone was his need to walk away from her because she had been turned into a monster. What remained was an insatiable hunger to feel her body move beneath him as he thrust into her and to hear her throaty moans as he pleasured her for hours.
Over the past day, he came to the most important realization—he wanted her back, vampire and all. He wanted to feel her unconditional love, and wanted another chance to return it. Dace knew she had every right to throw him out of this room for the way he treated her, but he had to try. He had to apologize and try to win her back.
He also knew he needed to apologize for placing an erroneous condition of their love—he basically told her that she had to be human for him to love her. He was wrong. He also needed to apologize for the accusations about the ring. He knew better now.
She could reject him, he knew. He deserved it. But watching now, vibrant and alive, thanks to Talon and Kailani, he was driven to make amends. Knowing Lainey, this would come with an argument and he wasn’t in a mood at the moment to have one. Yet, he couldn’t avoid her any longer. He needed to apologize and needed to see what that got him.
His eyes wandered along her lean frame to her hand moving furiously between her legs. She was the most incredible woman and could not stop comparing her new form to the old Lainey without smiling. Firmer muscles, smoother skin and her hair seemed to have a life of its own now curling into hundreds of tight ringlets that framed her perfect face. She was heavenly, even more so that her face was caught in a state of pleasure as she got closer to shattering. He stifled a moan when she bit her lower lip as her moment approached.
Dace jumped when she finally threw her head back and screamed. It was a passionate sound filled with sense of freedom as her body went careening out of control. He gripped the door to keep from closing the distance to the bed and watched instead as her hand stilled; her legs twitched in time with each quake that claimed her sensual body.
She shattered again as he watched. Dace’s body reacted by throbbing in time with his racing heart. He felt the pressure on the front of his trousers and knew that any moment he would need to feel her sheathed around him.
Then the scent of her release assaulted his nose. Dace thought he would die, leaning against the door in torment. That did it.
Dace was moving towards the bed and achieved it in two long strides. He didn’t care if she fought him. He didn’t care if she screamed. He gave her no chance to do either, because his lips descended on hers taking her by surprise and covering her mouth in a deep and passionate kiss.
Lainey’s eyes flashed open and was about to scream. Any sound she released was immediately swallowed in Dace’s greedy mouth though. He forced her lips open and his tongue plunged the depths before she could resist.
He felt her resist momentarily, shoving at him before she allowed herself to be swept away. One moment she was all sass and fire; the next she was kissing him back with such ferocity that Dace’s heart raced at the intensity. Her tiny han
ds grabbed his neck, balling into fists in his hair and pulled him closer for a deeper kiss, while her tongue delved deep within his mouth.
When he heard a small moan, he lost control and pulled her to him with a force which startled even him. To feel her again, naked and in his arms was almost too much to stand. Dace found himself on the bed with her and leaning halfway over her writhing body.
His hands were everywhere, caressing and massaging as much skin as he could reach. While they were tangled in this embrace he replaced her hand with his between her legs. He felt her body coiling again, needing to be set free. He desperately wanted to be the one to do it. That hand found her slick entrance unerringly and pushed two fingers into her scorching heat, releasing his own moan when he felt how wet she was.
With a furious pace, he repeatedly stroked her while he continued to kiss her in a wild fashion, pressing hard against her mouth. She jerked in his arms when his thumb grazed her clit and that set him off on another wild attack of her body.
Lainey was so mad with desire that she didn’t realize who was in her room and caressing her. Somewhere in the depths of her mind, she remembered though. Her body definitely did. It knew it was Dace and responded appropriately. Lainey didn’t understand why her arousal amplified, only that it did. She threw herself into the feeling that this was Dace and pretended he loved her again. That fantasy caused her to fall over the abyss into another screaming orgasm.
This fantasy wasn’t letting up and pressed on the roof of her inner body rubbing with determination, sending her head first into another wave of bliss.
Dace was mesmerized by her recovery. Her breath was ragged, her skin covered in a thin sweat and her body practically melting from the release. His hand remained resting possessively on her inner thigh and his face was buried in her neck as he inhaled the scent released from this heated encounter.
She felt an arousal pressing against her thigh and it caused a flash of worry that someone really was in her room. However, he smelled so much like Dace that she didn’t want the encounter to end. So, she pressed against the warmth she felt against her leg and pretended it was her former lover. Lainey relaxed further lost in the fantasy. When her body reacted at the memory of Dace, she moaned in denial.
It wasn’t until he spoke that her vibrant green eyes snapped open in utter shock. She saw in vivid detail this was not fantasy but the man she’d been thinking about.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, in a husky tone that was heavy with emotion. The sound was muffled because his mouth still pressed against her neck, caressing her skin.
Lainey reacted immediately. Fantasizing his role in this was one thing, realizing it was a reality was another.
“How dare you? What are you doing here?” The accusing words were out of her mouth before she could recall them.
He saw her flash of anger spring to life, “Please Lainey. I need to talk with you.” He feared she would kick him out, especially after what he just did.
She flew off the bed and stormed towards her dresser. She rooted around and found a robe seething silently while her anger picked up heat. Lainey was furious with him and with herself for being so weak. How could she so easily succumb to his charms like that? How dare he come into her room unannounced?
Dace got a very nice view of her firm round butt cheeks as she bent over to dig in a drawer and he waited in trepidation. He sensed her anger and knew the fight he wanted to avoid brewed. After being close to her for the past year, this behavior meant she was gathering her wits and the silence only the beginning.
Lainey took a deep breath and finally turned. Her gaze fell on his face and felt her throat clench for a moment. He looked terrified. For a fleeting second, she felt sadness in seeing that, but it was quickly consumed with anger. She shouldn’t feel sorry for him in the least bit.
“What do you have to be afraid of? You rejected me remember?” she snapped. Lainey couldn’t hide the bitterness from her voice. How dare he sit there all vulnerable and sweet after all he’d said to her.
Unsure of the situation, he sat up on the bed, his erection noticeable by the bulge near his thigh. “That you will reject me.”
She snorted and looked away. The evidence of his arousal was poetic justice for his treatment of her. Over the past few days, she’d been terrified, needing his help, only to be rejected. She couldn’t resist a wicked smile of satisfaction that their roles were suddenly reversed. He was the one who now begged for support and longed for the one person who could very well reject him. The memory of his enraged face as he fumed with his wrath filled her mind and charred away any compassion she may have felt.
Dace tried again not willing to give up now that he’d tasted her once more. “Will you at least accept my apology, sweetie?”
Her eyes pinched at the use of the endearment before she turned away in frustration. “Stop that. Stop pretending all is well, Dace. You said some horrible things the other day, and I find it hard to believe you’ve had a change of heart.”
He fought the urge to rush to her and pull her back into his arms, but those incredible eyes of hers flashed dangerously in warning. “I did and I beg for you to believe me. I’ve had days to think about this and realize how cruel I’ve been. You are my life, and I overreacted because I was hurt. I didn’t understand the situation or the extent of what you’ve had to endure, and…” he had to stop. His emotion caused a lump to form in his throat, “…and I was wrong to jump to conclusions.”
Lainey cautiously watched him. She had perfect night vision and the low light didn’t hinder her watching the emotions sweep across his gorgeous and strong face. She still loved him more than life itself, but she found her anger overwhelming. He was a fool if he thought she would forgive him this easily.
The unreal sexual urges began to coil in her body again. The frustration that she’d be feeling this intensity after her recent releases added to her emotional state. When yet another wave of burning desire rolled through her, Lainey resisted, moaning. She didn’t want Dace to know. She focused on breathing slow and steady in order to control the sexual drives. Small beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Lainey still felt the biting anger from what he’d done, so she wasn’t about to give into the fact that a warm, willing, male was in her bed. Dace needed to prove to her he was serious before she went any further.
Dace fidgeted on the bed as she continued to ignore him. “Please Lainey. I’m sorry.”
Lainey hissed a dangerous sound. “Are you serious? You think that you could call me a cheating whore and that you’d be forgiven with one apology?” Her anger was stronger than her sexual drive at the moment. She glared at him in the darkness as she walked over to the chair on the far side of the room and sat down. Her eyes never left his face. She could see he was working through a response which would not anger her more than she already was.
Dace laid his head back against the wall at her words and pinched his eyes tight, terrified he had made the most colossal of mistakes by forcing the conversation a few days ago. He should have heeded Talon’s advice and left her alone, but his intense anger prevented him from seeing reason. Now he was faced with trying to piece the shattered shards of their love back together.
Without looking at her, he said in a low tenor, nearly a whisper, “I’m sorry. That’s all I wanted to say. I accept—” he paused to choose his words. “No I don’t. I’ll not accept your denial. I’ll apologize daily until you finally take me back.” At that point, he raised his head and met her eyes directly. “I love you, Lainey. I want you back in my life.”
Lainey was shocked by the depth of his emotion and it caught her off guard. She was prepared for a fight and this tender, if not persistent apology tormented her. She didn’t answer him immediately and let Dace fidget on the bed while she decided if she could forgive him.
Finally she said with sadness and regret, “I don’t know if I can.
I needed you, Dace. After Kaen converted me, I never thought I’d see you again, and when I awoke in your arms, I thought I had died. I didn’t want to wake up and wish now I’d not. When I saw the revulsion on your face when you saw what I was, it tore my heart out. Let’s not even dissect that lovely conversation in the parlor a few days ago. I don’t think I could relive that one again.”
In haste, he cut her off. “I know. I was wrong, incredibly wrong. I was angry at you for defying me and getting caught. I couldn’t deal with that and then when I saw your finger—” Dace tilted his head back and used his fingers to rub the bridge of his nose. “I thought you took the ring off yourself.”
Her fury spilled over and the words tumbled from her mouth, “You never gave me a chance to explain!” she snarled. “I find it insulting you would even envision I would do such a thing. I would never take your ring off willingly.” Lainey paused, “Do you have any idea how I felt when Kaen ripped that ring from my hand? Or how much of my world died as I watched him throw it away? No, because you never gave me the chance to explain it to you! I ask you again: when did you have a change of heart to now want to listen?”
Dace opened his eyes and watched her with a sad expression. He allowed his gaze to drift down her body. His breath hitched when he noticed that her robe had parted and was showing a generous amount of the silky flesh of her thigh. Fixated on the sight, he almost missed her question. Lainey had to repeat herself before his gaze once more met her face.
“When did you have a change of heart?” She winced as another wave of desire tore through her body, but wouldn’t give into it yet. These urges charred away her ability to think rationally, but she wasn’t going to give in just because he was here. He needed to either say something to make this all better or he needed to leave, because soon she would need some form of pleasure to alleviate the electricity coursing through her veins. She was extremely hurt by his earlier abandonment and wasn’t’ ready to believe he’d changed.
