Roman should be thankful that Lydia already knew Dominic wasn’t human. That made things somewhat easier. Of course, he still needed to explain that he wasn’t human either. After what his idiot nephew had done to her, she might jump out of bed and run screaming. The worst part would be explaining that, as a result of the lifesaving procedure, she was no longer human.
With a sigh, he prepared to deal with the inevitable hysterics. Then he realized how hungry she must be. Of course, he also needed to have Justin come over to examine her. The rest of their talk could wait.
“You should eat first and then we can talk,” he said.
She snorted at him. “Way to avoid the subject, but I am hungry. Is there anything to wear here other than old lady nightgowns?”
He stood and motioned toward the closet and dresser. “There are a few things, but most of your clothing won’t fit. I’ll take you shopping after lunch. Is there anything I can get you? Do you need help dressing?”
“Are you trying to see me naked?” she asked with a flirty smile.
The desire to respond in a playful manner surprised Roman. “I’ve seen you naked several times in the last few months. Admittedly, I never get tired of it.”
Her deep blue eyes widened with surprise. He couldn’t help but admire her lovely face. She had milky white skin, high cheekbones, and a nose that turned up ever so slightly at the end. Her look was striking, and the sparkle in her vibrant blue eyes nearly stole his breath away. For the first time in centuries, he was painfully aroused by a woman. When she’d been in the sleepy dreamlike state of wakefulness, he’d been almost consumed with the overwhelming desire to protect her. That desire hadn’t diminished when she’d awakened, but other, less noble, desires had joined it.
“I’ll leave you alone to dress. Can I get you anything?” he asked, acutely aware of how strained his voice sounded.
“Scissors,” she said. “This hair has to go.”
“Of course,” he said, trying hard to contain his amusement. “I’ll get them right away.”
He brought the scissors back and watched her cut her hair to just above her shoulders.
She stared at her uneven hair in the mirror. “I’ll get it evened out later.”
“I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” he said as he left the room.
Chapter Two
After the door to the room closed, Lydia walked to the window and stared out at the beautiful grounds. Trees surrounded a large lawn area and the smell of flowers just out of view reached her nose. In the distance, she could make out the beach. A sigh escaped as the scents of nature wrapped around her.
Lydia finally turned away from the window. After slipping out of the conservative nightgown, she stared at her body in the full length mirror. How the hell does a woman in a coma gain weight? It wasn’t like she was fat, but her hips were wider and her belly had a slight roundness. The new fullness to her cheeks gave her face a more youthful look.
She stared at her boobs in annoyance. “Why couldn’t you put on a little more weight?” Some might think talking to her breasts was strange, but Lydia had been begging the girls to grow since age twelve. They never listened. “Is it too much to ask that you fill out a B cup?”
When Lydia checked the drawers and closet, she noticed that a lot of her belongings had been moved here. Problem was, not much fit. In the end, she found a pair of yoga pants that still fit. The fact that her bras were too tight came as a pleasant surprise. “Sorry I yelled at you,” she said to her slightly bigger boobs.
“Are you talking to your breasts?”
A squeak of surprise came from her mouth at the sound of Roman’s voice. He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed in front of his chest. His sensual lips had curved into an amused grin. “Lunch is getting cold.”
Lydia nodded and grabbed a Stellar Corpses t‑shirt. After slipping into the shirt, she removed the bra. Normally, she liked to dress up more but the black yoga pants and t‑shirt would have to do for now.
“Are my credit cards here?” she asked. “I’ll need money to shop.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “The least I can do after all you’ve been through is buy you new clothes.”
“Are you going to finish explaining what happened?” The man was obviously trying to avoid telling her something.
“As much as I can,” he said cautiously. “Some of it doesn’t make much sense. The fact that you felt like you were under Dominic’s control makes no sense. That shouldn’t have been possible.”
“Even if Dominic made me drink his blood regularly?”
Roman’s head snapped up. “Dominic forced you to consume his blood more than once? I saw what happened at the hospital, but I had no idea it had happened before.” The anger was so thick it practically made the air vibrate.
Lydia walked out of the room before responding. Thinking about what Dominic had done made her edgy. Moving was good, and she needed to walk downstairs anyway. “Yeah, when I refused to leave the hospital with Dominic, he tried to give me more blood. That’s when I remembered it happening before.”
Roman seemed deep in thought, and didn’t speak until they reached the bottom step. “I don’t know what Dominic’s special gifts are, but his blood seems to have some quality that allowed him to control you. This is what I get for neglecting my responsibilities for so long.”
“You’re a vampire too!” The words came out angry rather than frightened. She was pissed, not scared. “What about that asshole, Nathaniel?” she demanded. “If he hurts my cousin, I will kill him. No, I will rip his fucking balls off and shove them down his lying throat.”
Roman laughed. “You really are something else.”
She stalked toward him and he laughed harder. That was the thing that sucked about being short around tall men. Tall men always thought they were stronger. Okay, so Roman was quite a bit stronger than she was.
“Stop laughing or I’ll kick you,” she said through clenched teeth.
Finally, he managed to get his laughter under control. “That was insensitive, and I’m sorry. Try to understand that I keep expecting hysterics, but you’re handling things remarkably well. Hannah didn’t take the news nearly as well. That girl is much more timid.”
“The last time I was with Hannah, she’d just found out she was pregnant.” Lydia’s chest ached a little at the idea of Hannah dealing with this alone. “I hope Hannah’s not going to marry Nathaniel because she’s pregnant. That would be a huge mistake. The jerk probably got her pregnant on purpose.”
“I have to agree, and they are not getting married.” There was a brief hesitation where he looked unsure of what to say next. “There is something you should know about Nathaniel.”
“What about the douche bag?”
“Nathaniel is my son,” he said.
Lydia wasn’t sure her eyes could get any wider. With a shake of her head, she studied Roman from head to toe. “Okay, you surprised me. You don’t look old enough to be the douche bag’s father.”
“That is one of the benefits.”
“So you’re like a family of vampires?” she asked.
“Vampire is a vulgar term,” he said with a hint of annoyance.
“Then give me a term that works,” she said.
“Fine,” he said, “that term will work as well as any.”
“If you’re a vampire family, does that mean Hannah’s baby will be a vampire too?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Hannah must be freaking out. I was a crappy cousin for the few months she was living with me, but I should be there for her now.”
“We’ll talk about your cousin later. Come and eat,” he said and motioned her toward the dining room.
How could she be relieved about having a reason to avoid Hannah a little longer? Maybe this avoidance made her a coward, but she was ashamed of how she’d acted while Dominic was in her life.
The delicious aroma of lunch wafted toward her and her stomach rumbled. Hopefully, Roma
n hadn’t heard that. “What are you hiding? Did Nathaniel hurt Hannah?”
Like the perfect gentleman, Roman held out her chair, and she promptly sat on her hair. “Did this stupid hair just grow that much in less than an hour?”
“I’m afraid it’s been doing that for months. At first, I cut it every morning but growing it out drained energy you needed to heal.” He settled into the chair across from her and motioned to her plate. “Eat. I heard your stomach rumbling.”
There was too much food on the plate, but the quiche looked really good. When was the last time she’d had quiche? “Your chef makes fantastic quiche,” she said and hummed around a bite full. “This is great.”
“I don’t have a chef, and I’m glad you like the quiche.”
“Are you sure I’m really awake?” she asked. Sexy and he made quiche? Yep, this was definitely a dream. “Back to Hannah.”
“Relentless woman,” he mumbled. “I promise we’ll talk about Hannah later. For now, you need to eat. Justin will be here soon to check on you. Do you remember Justin?”
“Cute guy with a stick up his ass?” she asked. “He chases my friend Caitlin around?”
“That would be Justin,” Roman replied.
“Why is he checking on me?” Lydia asked. “We weren’t close. I don’t think I’ve spoken more than a few words to him.”
“He’s your doctor,” Roman explained.
“Then you must be talking about a different Justin. The one I know isn’t even in medical school yet. I think he might be younger than me.” Then realization hit her. “I guess if he’s a vampire, he could be hundreds of years old. How old are you?”
“Old enough,” Roman replied with his fork in midair. “You aren’t even a little intimidated by me, are you?”
“Why would I be?” Lydia asked with a shrug.
“Most people find me intimidating. Actually, most find me terrifying.”
She snorted. It was a very unladylike habit according to her mother. “You painted my fingernails.”
“And your toenails,” he added.
“Well, that just adds to my argument. You don’t seem like the scary type.”
“What type do I seem like?” Roman asked, surprising himself with his playful tone. When was the last time he’d been playful? Not any time in more than a century. Yet here he was flirting with a woman he barely knew. Totally inappropriate, but he just couldn’t stop himself.
Lydia’s sparkling blue eyes locked with his and she blushed. “You seem like the romance novel hero type.”
His eyes widened. “I’m not sure anyone has ever described me that way.” With a sigh, he looked down at his food and shook his head. “Trust me, I’m nobody’s hero.”
“You totally fit the romance novel hero profile. Think about it; you’re sexy in an overly masculine way. You polished my nails, and this quiche is practically orgasmic.” A thought seemed to occur to her. “Wait, are you gay?”
Roman gave in to temptation and walked back over to Lydia. He put out a hand and she stared at it for a moment before placing her hand in his. After pulling her to her feet, he kissed her.
Lydia had always been bold with men, but this was a stretch. A man she knew almost nothing about was kissing her. Not just kissing, Roman’s tongue tangled with hers. Feeling his hard body pressed against hers made her blood sizzle. Really, it felt like there was some sort of force vibrating between them. Images of things that had occurred over the last three months came back. She remembered words being spoken and this man’s lips brushing hers.
Lydia pulled away and gasped. “Holy fuck! We’re married!”
“Marriage was the only way to keep you safe,” Roman explained. If she wasn’t mistaken, he looked worried. His eyes strayed for just a moment but quickly returned to hers.
“Safe from what?” she asked. “Did Match.com suddenly get aggressive with recruiting new members?”
“Match.com?” His eyes reflected his obvious confusion.
“Online dating site.”
“Ah, no, that’s not it. Your mother wanted to move you to another facility to have specialists look at you. As your next of kin, she had the power to do that. We tried to influence her mind, but it didn’t work. As your husband, I made the decisions regarding your care. Needless to say, you won’t have any trouble getting the marriage annulled.”
Lydia wasn’t sure why she was a little hurt that he was already talking about an annulment.
“I’m not sure it’s legal at all,” he continued, “but it does offer some protection. For the time being it would be best if we stayed married.”
“Are you going to insist on exercising your rights as a husband?” she asked with an impish grin.
He looked horrified. “I’m not planning to coerce you into my bed, Lydia.”
“Now that’s a pity,” she said under her breath and sat back down to finish her lunch.
Chapter Three
Dominic waited for over an hour for Lydia to come back to the window. After months of not seeing Lydia, he’d stopped coming daily. While it was hard to stay away, he couldn’t risk being caught on Roman’s property. Luckily, he’d decided to come today. Just the sight of her made him hard. He reached down to stroke himself through the fabric of his pants.
While stroking his cock, Dominic imagined Lydia down on her knees looking at him with near worship in her eyes. When she was back under his control, the first thing he was going to do was fuck her sweet mouth while drinking in her energy. None of his other pets had ever satisfied him like Lydia did. He regretted nearly killing her. Really, it hadn’t been his intention and he would have missed her.
His family thought he didn’t care about Lydia’s health. He did, but it was important to have her fully trained. Sure, women often died in the training process, but that was a necessary risk. With a normal human, his blood was enough to make them completely dependent on him. With psychic humans, like his sweet Lydia, he had to drain most of their energy during the training process. Admittedly, he’d taken too much of Lydia’s life force. It was only because she was so difficult to train. Matters were complicated when he’d been called away several times during the training process. Mostly it was his stupid cousin, Nathaniel’s, fault. Nathaniel ordered Dominic to stay away from Lydia. Then Lydia refused to run off with him. Trying to train her under those circumstances was nearly impossible.
Lydia had been so close to breaking. The fact that his family had taken her was unforgivable. How dare his uncle steal his property! Lydia was his and he would have her back. This time he would do what he should have done before. This time he would take her far away where no one would ever find her. The only reason he hadn’t done it before was Nathaniel’s relationship with her cousin. Fucking Aiden was supposed to take care of the cousin.
Dominic took several deep calming breaths. Okay, so things hadn’t gone well last time. He’d learned from his mistakes. This time, things would be perfect.
After he got Lydia back, his family would pay for keeping her from him. First, he had to get to his Lydia. He needed her.
Unable to stop himself, he slipped the zipper down and freed his erection. With his head against the tree, he allowed the fantasy to form. He’d probably have to tie her down to get the blood in her. A groan escaped his lips at the image of her naked body tied to a bed. Not his bed. This would be messy. Lydia wouldn’t give in easily. No, Lydia would fight him at first.
His hand stroked faster as he gripped his cock tightly. Once his blood started working in her system, she’d beg him to fuck her, just like she always did. He’d make her pleasure him with her mouth several times before fucking her. She had to be punished for her behavior in the hospital. Eventually, he’d give it to her. How could he deny his sweet Lydia? He’d fuck her until she screamed.
His climax hit hard and he groaned as hot cum shot out. Now that Lydia was up and moving, it wouldn’t be long before she was with him again. This time he would make sure no one kept them apart.
&nbs
p; Chapter Four
Years of reading romance novels made it much easier to get used to her new married state. Well, it was either that or Lydia was as crazy as everyone said. Okay, it was most likely a little of both. Roman was probably right about the legality of their marriage. Knowing her mom, she was too relieved that Lydia was married to question Roman’s claim. The burden of Lydia’s care could be passed on to someone else. Yes, she was oversimplifying matters and being unfair to her mom. It’s not like her mom didn’t care. The woman just wasn’t the maternal type.
The introduction of a husband solved all of her mom’s problems. Even better, Roman was obviously wealthy and powerful. Lydia could picture her mom telling everyone about her daughter’s health condition while assuring them that Lydia’s husband could afford the best specialists. Even the end of the marriage would work well for her mom. Then she could complain about how her wild daughter had driven away the perfect man.
After lunch, Lydia excused herself and went upstairs to try to find something nicer to wear. Roman was taking her shopping and she wanted to dress a little better. Sadly, the yoga pants were the only things that fit over her hips. She did squeeze into the bra and a teal v‑neck tee. Lydia loved vivid shades of blue and green. Those colors weren’t easy to find every season and much to her mom’s dismay, Lydia often went long stretches without buying any new clothes.
There were two sharp raps on the door before it opened.
“It’s nice to see you up and about,” Justin said from the door. He was smiling which was crazy since Lydia was sure Justin didn’t smile. Yeah, she didn’t know him well, but she’d heard enough from Caitlin.
Caitlin always described Justin as uptight which made it impossible for Lydia to resist the urge to tease him. “Looks like somebody got laid,” she said with a wicked grin.
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