Whether he wanted me or not, whether I wanted him or not, it didn’t matter because there was nothing more than this moment, and my insides screamed, begging for him to kiss me. To take me in his arms and devour me the way he had before. I could do this. I could let him. Only him.
“They were pink. Like your lips,” he breathed so very close to my mouth. His breath was warm, sweet, like he’d just eaten a fig. I could smell it. Or had it been an apricot? My body swayed a bit, losing balance from standing so close to him and being so still for so long. His hand slipped around my waist, and he tugged me against him as his mouth skimmed over mine. Barely touching. Teasing. I couldn’t stand it, and an ache formed between my thighs. Another slight brush of his soft, tender lips, and then, as if something took over his willpower, he crushed his lips to mine.
I lost track of time, I think. Or maybe I stepped into some sort of mind-meld. His tongue found its way over mine with ease, expertly traveling, circling, exploring.
His lips closed, and he sucked on my tongue for a second before slipping his back inside my mouth. His hand was gentle this time as he caressed my breast. The other was still around my waist, holding me steady; otherwise, I probably would have fallen to my knees. What would have happened then? I thought about his cock and how it was pressed against my thigh.
“I want you so fucking bad, Vanessa Creamer,” he said as his lips traveled from my mouth to my neck, providing me with all kinds of shivers. I wanted him, too, more than anything at that moment. And I was ready. I was so ready to give myself to him right then and there, ready for him to rip my clothes off and take me on the hard, cold floor. Feeling rather brash, I slid my hand down between our bodies, searching for his erection, wanting to rub my hand along the firmness. But as soon as I came within inches of what I thought would be large, thick, and very firm, he stopped kissing my neck and lifted his head, his gaze piercing mine, his head slowly shaking. “Ah, Vanessa. I’m so sorry.”
“What? What’s wrong?” Was he still apologizing for last week, or was this something new? “I forgive you,” I blurted out in a huffy whisper.
“I’m glad. Though, I don’t deserve it. And I truly wish there was something I could do to make it up to you. I’m so very sorry, but I can’t do this.” He nudged me to the side and stepped around me then picked up a bottle of wine and left me standing there in the cold. Dazed. Aroused. Wanting. And rocked to the core.
Chapter Eleven
Lane
I couldn’t get out of the cellar fast enough. I could have de-materialized, but that would have raised a flag. Vanessa wasn’t stupid. To vanish suddenly without explanation would have only made her question things further, hate me more. I had secrets I couldn’t let her in on. I couldn’t risk her knowing. I was dishonorable enough in her eyes without adding that bit of knowledge to her already sullied view of my pathetic existence. I’d grown instantly hard when my fingers had skimmed the back of her barely there shorts giving a hint of the shapely bottom beneath them. But almost as quickly, the visions came to me. As much as I tried, I couldn’t shake them.
I went to the alcove on the main level of the mansion, not ready to make an appearance in the dining room yet. Vanessa had been down in the cellar to fetch a bottle of something—most likely champagne, considering both she and Maggie had a fondness for the stuff, as well as Grey Goose dirty martinis, heavy on the dirty. She was probably taking it back up to the dining room as soon as she found what she was looking for. I needed some privacy. I didn’t know how to deal with this anymore.
I stepped to the credenza and opened the bottle of wine I’d grabbed. I didn’t give a fuck that it cost two thousand dollars. I wanted a glass. I poured a generous amount and sipped, closing my eyes as I swirled the liquid in my mouth, letting the flavor flow over my taste buds before swallowing. I took my glass of wine to the edge of the balcony and watched as a tugboat pulled a larger ship toward the harbor on the other side of the bay. It was like a mouse pulling an elephant on roller skates the way it carried the vessel that was so much larger than it.
I flinched at the feel of a hand on my shoulder, knowing full well who it was without looking.
“What do you want?” I said in a rather annoyed tone to Cian, keeping my focus on the tugboat in the bay.
“Are you going to drink that bottle by yourself?”
“I might.”
He left my side briefly to grab a glass and pour some of the beautiful full-bodied burgundy nectar into it. He came to stand beside me and sipped the wine. “Mmmm…good choice.”
We stood, nothing but the sound of the water sloshing behind the boats between us for several minutes. He was here because he wanted to know what was wrong with me. He was here because he loved me. I knew that. I could appreciate that. I didn’t know if he would get me to talk about what was wrong, but I loved that he was here.
“I care,” he said.
“I know. Thanks.” I took a sip of my wine and swallowed. I wanted to talk so badly, I just didn’t know what to say.
“I’ve always cared. You don’t need to tell me anything. I know what it is. I know you too well, and I know exactly when you started feeling this way.”
I nodded. I sort of knew that, too. “I don’t know how to cope with this, Cian. I can’t seem to keep the monsters out of my head.”
“Maybe the comfort and warmth of a woman would help keep you focused.”
I chuckled. I knew where he was headed.
“I’ve tried to be with women. That’s the problem. That’s when the demons torment me most.”
He drank some of his wine and swirled the liquid around in his mouth before he swallowed. “This really is excellent wine. Maybe you should just stop trying so hard.”
I frowned at him. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“Figure it out. You know, Vanessa likes you a lot, and if you give her a chance, maybe she can help.”
“Is that why you offered to let her stay here? Without consulting me?”
“No. She needed a place. She’s my beloved’s best friend. I didn’t consult you because I didn’t think. I’m sorry about that. I didn’t think you’d mind, though. I know you have feelings for her.”
“My feelings for her don’t go beyond the fact that she helped locate Maggie when Jewels kidnapped her and helped Chelle remember her past. That’s it. Other than that, she means nothing to me.” Fuck, just the mention of that evil bitch, Jewels, sent my mind into a vortex.
Cian smiled and sipped more of the wine. He nodded and smacked his lips. “Is that why you suddenly turn into Mr. Hyde whenever she’s in the same room as you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Lane. Every time you’re around her, you change into some uncaring imbecile who can’t seem to keep from tripping over his own feet or stop the diarrhea from flooding from his mouth.”
I felt my forehead wrinkle with embarrassment. “I don’t change. She just…she just gets under my skin a bit.” In truth, the woman drove me crazy. I had a difficult time thinking straight whenever she was around. I wanted to fuck her from here to eternity, but the last two times I’d gotten close, I’d been unable to continue.
“You change. Believe me,” he said and turned to walk out, grabbing the delicious bottle of red on his way, which meant I had to follow him if I wanted more of that fine wine.
Knowing I’d have to see Vanessa every day, trying to figure out ways to avoid her, would be a true test of my mental stability.
Chapter Twelve
Vanessa
After locating the champagne—that I no longer felt like drinking—I headed back up the stairs from the cellar. I shut the door and pivoted, colliding with Mags. Keeping my head down so she wouldn’t notice, I quickly swiped away the tear that had slipped from my eye. I couldn’t do much about the sniffle.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Just allergies. It’s a little dusty down there.”
“Yeah, I’ll have to get on the ma
ids to do a better job cleaning.” She knew I was upset, and I knew she didn’t think the maids were slacking.
“Come with me.” She took my hand, and we headed to the sunroom, which now glowed with a full moon, considering it was nighttime and the sky in the room was programmed to change with the time of day.
She went to the wall and flipped a switched that made the paneling split and slide open to reveal a small, fully stocked bar. She opened the bottle of bubbly and poured two flutes full. I smiled. “Is there a bar in every room of this house?”
“Just about. We are lazy, rich vampires.” She laughed and held out one of the glasses for me. I took it, even though I was no longer in the mood to drink it. She looked so pretty in her bright blue sleeveless top. It buttoned down the front and was open in the back, flowing from the top down past her waist in two tails. Her jean shorts were extremely short like my own and frayed at the hems.
“What did Lane do now?”
The sigh I released was loud enough to wake the dead, which in this house spoke volumes. I set the drink down, not really in the mood for it.
“He apologized and then kissed me again, and then just like last time, abruptly stopped.”
“Did he accuse you of putting another spell on him?”
“No. He didn’t. But he said he couldn’t do ‘this’ and walked away.” I held two fingers from each hand up, bending them forward to make air quotes around “this.”
“Do what?” She took a sip of her drink, eyeing me over the rim as she asked what should be a simple question, though I had no answer.
“I don’t know. Kiss me? I have no clue about that guy, Mags. He’s certifiable. One minute he’s kissing me like he can’t get enough of me, and the next he’s telling me he ‘can’t.’” I picked up the flute of champagne and took a gulp, deciding it might be better to numb myself with alcohol after all. Some of the bubbles tickled my nose and I wiped it with the back of my hand. “I think the best thing for me to do is to just stay clear of him. If he comes near me again, I’m hightailing it as far away from him as possible. I can’t take it anymore. He’s making me crazy.”
“Come on over here.” She tugged me to the far side of the room. I didn’t know how I’d missed it when we’d first entered, but there, in the center of the room, was a large, circular whirlpool tub.
“Wow! When did that get put in?”
“Cian and Lane had it installed last week. The installers worked almost non-stop. Let’s get in.” She set her glass down on a small, round, plastic table and started unbuttoning her pretty, silk blouse, revealing her naked breasts. She shrugged off the top and kicked off her shoes before quickly shoving down her shorts, stepping out of them. Grabbing her champagne, she stepped into the pool.
“We’re going in naked?”
“Sure. Why not?”
I swallowed and looked around. It was just us, so I guessed it was okay. I didn’t like getting naked in front of her. I always felt so self-conscious of my size. I wasn’t fat, but I was so much taller than Magdalena. She was so petite and dainty; I felt like a giant next to her. Mags had never been shy around me though, so I took a large gulp of the champagne and set it down, then pulled my t-shirt off over my head. I turned my back toward Mags and the pool and unfastened my pink lace bra, letting the straps fall off my shoulders before I tossed it on a nearby chair. I took another quick look around the room and unsnapped my shorts, shoving them to the floor to step out of them. Like Mags, I grabbed my drink, then turned around and quickly stepped into the warm, frothy water. Bubbles were expelling from the jets and I sank down low onto the seat so the only thing showing was my neck and head as I rested back, letting the pounding water soothe my tired and achy back muscles from all the packing I’d done.
“Isn’t it divine?” Mags asked. She’d splayed her arms out along the edge of the pool, her champagne in her hand and her eyes closed. The wide grin on her face was priceless. She was so confident in her body. Especially now that she was a vampire and would keep her figure forever. I only wished I could be so self-assured.
Foaming bubbles clotted around her chest. I noticed a couple of tiny puncture wounds on her left breast. “What happened?” I said, pointing to the two small red dots next to her nipple.
She opened her eyes and glanced to the spot where I’d pointed. Her lips turned up into a soft, sweet smile and she gazed into blank space as if daydreaming. It must have been a very happy vision as she slowly looked back to me, the smile still prominent on her face. “Oh. Cian. He just did that a bit ago before we came down. They’ll disappear in a few more minutes.”
“He sucks your blood from there?” I knew she and Cian enjoyed each other’s blood during sex—and probably at other times—but I didn’t know he could take it from there, as well.
She fingered the wound, smiled, and stared off into blank space for a couple more seconds. “Sometimes. It’s very arousing. Now, getting back to you and Lane. Tell me again how he approached you.”
“Ugh. It was bad enough to actually have to go through it...” But I did want to talk about it because I couldn’t get him off my mind. “He told me how much he wanted me. He actually said that. He had me so turned on, and then just when I’d gotten up the courage to search out his package, he stopped and pulled away, claiming he couldn’t do it.”
“Oh. Really? I wouldn’t have expected that of Lane. Do you want me to talk to Cian and see if he knows anything?” My eyes darted to hers. How would Mags know about Lane’s sexual habits?
“No! Absolutely not. I don’t want Cian talking to Lane about me. Besides, Cian has already told me that Lane is going through something. He didn’t say what it was, but he told me not to ‘take it personally.’” I rolled my eyes at that last part. How was I not supposed to take what he’d done personally?
After a few more sips of the champagne, I relaxed more. I wanted to let the jets hit my lower back, so I sat up straighter, exposing the tops of my breasts. Mags didn’t seem to notice or care. Feeling more at ease with being naked in the tub, I closed my eyes and let the pounding water soothe my achy muscles.
Chapter Thirteen
Lane
I strolled next to Cian down the hallway. It was time to go see if Ari had dinner ready anyway. But Cian made a left toward the sunroom instead. “That wine is supposed to go with the Beef Wellington. Where are you going with it?”
“I’m going to get my beloved. Magdalena is in the sunroom. She just let me know through our bond.”
He opened the double doors to the room he’d built just for Maggie to enjoy the sun as though she were physically outside in it. He’d not only had the ceiling programmed to change with the hours of the day, but he’d recently installed a large jetted hot tub. Of course, I was on board with both of the projects. The idea of sitting under the sun was very appealing to me. Cian and I respected each other’s desires in our living quarters. It had to be that way if we were going to get along in the mansion. Twins or not, we still had our own likes and dislikes. And that was the way it’d been for the past two hundred years. Until the other night when he’d told Vanessa that she could move in without consulting me first. I never would have agreed to allow the witch to move in, and he knew it. It seemed to be getting a bit too crowded around here lately for my tastes.
I followed him through the entryway to the sunroom and stopped abruptly at the sight of the two lovely creatures immersed in the froth in the middle of room. The hum of the spa jets vibrated loudly throughout the space, keeping the ladies completely oblivious to our presence. I couldn’t help but admire the soft white shoulders belonging to Vanessa. The way the foamy bubbles clung to the tips of her nipples, barely making them noticeable, made my cock twitch. How would I ever survive the next three months with her living here? Maybe Cian was right and I should try to simply talk to her instead of trying to ravish her body every time we were alone.
Cian and I stood, not saying a word. I think he was as enamored by the vision in front of us as I was. Cian
and I’d had plenty of ménage à trois experiences over the years, but he’d never invited me to join him with Maggie. Not that I wanted to—or could have due to recent circumstances—but it occurred to me that he really did love that woman, and he wasn’t willing to share her. Even with me.
I was okay with that, and it wasn’t just that I couldn’t be with any woman at this time; it was because he was my brother and his happiness was important to me.
Seeing Vanessa sitting in the tub relaxing with Maggie made me realize just how much they comforted one another. They loved each other like sisters. The way Cian and I loved each other, and I was suddenly sorry that I’d chastised Cian for not consulting me about allowing Vanessa to stay here.
The loud gasp coming from the middle of the room jolted me out of my reverie. Vanessa’s wide eyes matched her gaping mouth, her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment as her forearms crossed over her breasts, covering the delectable-looking pink nipples from my sight, her body sinking lower beneath the surface of the water.
“Cian!” Maggie shouted over the hum of the jets. She stood, still waist deep in the water, covering her own breasts from view. I doubted she’d have been so concerned if it were only Cian standing before her. “I didn’t know you were coming in. I only wanted you to know where we were.” She laughed and looked at Vanessa, who didn’t seem to find anything amusing—which in itself was rather humorous. I couldn’t help the slight lift of the right side of my lip from occurring.
“Sorry, love. I uh…we’ll leave. I think Ari has the meal ready.” Cian turned on the heels of his feet and took a step toward the door, then grabbed my arm, tugging me along with him. While my gaze stayed fixed on the lovely creature in the spa, I rammed my shoulder into the doorjamb on the way out.
Rocked by a Vampire: Billionaire, Rock Stars, Vampires (Immortal Hearts of San Francisco Book 3) Page 6
