by Lyons, Rene
He offered no further explanation, not that Lex needed any. She had faith in him, even though she knew he didn’t have it in himself.
Raphael went to join Tristan near the hearth. Lex wanted to touch Constantine bad enough that she had to fist her hands at her side to keep from doing so. “Did you hear what Raphael said?”
“I heard.”
She looked away, ashamed at her weakness of spirit. “I’m scared.”
He grabbed her chin and forced her to look back at him. “I know.”
In that moment, Lex needed Constantine more than she needed air to breathe. Scared and feeling alone, she wanted—no, she needed—his strength to help hold her together.
God forgive her for feeling the way she did for him, but Lex wanted to take all of Constantine into her. She wanted all of the good and all of the bad, everything that shaped him into who he was. Her need to draw Constantine into her and cleanse him of his pain and give him peace was a burning need within her.
And as she stood before him, fighting to hold herself back from him, Lex realized something she’d only suspected until now. She loved him.
When she saw Constantine stiffen, Lex knew her mind was open and he had been able her hear her thoughts. His lips parted, giving her a hint at his fangs. It looked as if he were going to say something, but words failed to be forthcoming.
He backed away, shaking his head. “No.”
Lex wanted to die of humiliation. “You heard that, didn’t you?”
“Lex... ” His voice, no more than the rumble of distant thunder in her mind, trailed off.
Lex swallowed hard. “I... I need to go up to my room.”
“Lexine.”
“Leave me alone, Tristan. Please.”
As if the devil himself chased her, Lex ran from the hall. She had to get to her room where she could hide and let the shame eat away at her until it pushed aside her fear of what was to come. She’d crawl into bed and let sleep claim her, putting an end to this hellish day
And then she’d wake tomorrow. One day closer to facing her destiny. One day closer to her death—or worse.
* * *
She loved him.
Constantine had heard Lex think it as vividly as if the thought had been his own. She loved him. Or so she thought. Constantine had heard what Raphael told her. It had left her an emotional mess, which would explain her incredible belief of love for him.
Constantine turned around slowly, saying nothing. He glanced at the stairs before he turned to Tristan and Raphael. Tristan took one look at his face and shot him a bewildered look. “What the hell is wrong now?”
“Wrong? Nothing.”
Over the centuries Constantine had know many forms of rage and suffered unimaginable pain. What he’d never had was a moment of perfect happiness. Although now was not one of those times, it came damn close. Right then was as close as he’d ever dared to dream.
Smiling, Constantine cocked a brow at Tristan. Just when he was about to answer Tristan, Raphael let out a loud whistle of surprise. “Holy shit. Is that a smile, C?”
“Shut the hell up, Rogue,” Constantine snapped, the smile gone as fast as it had come.
When Constantine looked toward the stairs again, he inhaled, taking in the sweet scent of honeysuckle. “I’m going with her to England. The First is going to work her shit and this is all going to be over.” The finality in his tone brooked no argument from Tristan and Raphael. “She’s mine and I protect what’s mine.”
With one sentence, Constantine had claimed Lex more powerfully than any bonding ritual could.
Tristan stepped up to him and clapped Constantine on the shoulder. “Then that’s it, Dragon. You go and you bring her back to us. Do you understand me? Don’t let her slip away.”
“Like I said, I protect what’s mine.” Constantine turned and crossed the hall to the stairs. As he followed the scent of honeysuckle to Lex’s chamber, he spoke to God.
“You gave her to me and I mean to keep her, so You better not take her from me.”
Chapter Fourteen
At the sharp knock at her door, Lex didn’t even bother to get up. Her muffled “come in” was said into her pillow. She assumed it was Allie coming in to give her the usual “older sister spiel”, which was why, when the door opened and no Allie was forthcoming, Lex sat up to see who it was.
Her heart slammed against her ribcage at the sight of Constantine filling the doorway. As much as her mortification reached epic heights while he stood silently staring at her, she was glad he’d followed her. It meant he cared. Didn’t it? Or was she just reading more into his recent behavior than was healthy? Whichever it was, Lex was still glad he was here.
“What are you doing here? Come to point and laugh at the silly girl who just made an ass out of herself with her wayward thoughts?”
He shook his head, his expression, for once, not unreadable. In fact, the shock on Constantine’s was almost comical. “You can’t mean it.”
“Oh Lord, I don’t want to talk about this.”
“Neither do I.”
That surprised the hell out of Lex. She stood cautiously, as if trapped in a room with a wild animal. By the look on Constantine’s face, she had the feeling she wasn’t too off the mark. One sudden move and she had the distinct impression he’d pounce on her.
Not that she’d have any problem with Constantine doing some pouncing. Given how pissed he looked, she didn’t know if it would be the good kind of pouncing or the sort that would make her wish she’d locked her door to keep him out.
“If you don’t want to make fun of me and you don’t want to talk about my little bomb, then what are you doing here?”
Though Lex thought it impossible for him to frown any deeper, Constantine proved her wrong. “I don’t bloody know why the fuck I’m here.”
Like the demanding, and sometimes annoyingly arrogant, warrior he was, Constantine walked right up to her and yanked her into his arms. When she slammed against him, Lex knew what it meant to be manhandled.
She didn’t have a chance to protest—not that she would—before he brought his face close to hers. For a moment she thought Constantine was going to kiss her, but he didn’t and a momentary stab of regret pierced her.
“I’m not leaving.”
His tone suggested that was a warning and not an announcement. Warning or no, it left Lex was a bit breathless. “I’m glad.”
He bared his fangs. This close, Lex saw just how lethal they were. Yet every time he kissed her, never once had he hurt her with them. His control astounded her.
But then, everything about Constantine was tightly controlled rage and power. His body was a work of art, from his tattoos to his scars. They were marks of his life—and his death. The thick cords of muscle that moved under his pale flesh were a testimony to his discipline as a warrior. She couldn’t begin to imagine what it had taken to hone his body into the fine weapon it was.
“I can’t be around you without wanting to bury myself in you.”
That healthy dose of honesty ignited a fire in Lex that burned its way through her entire being. “Then stop denying us both. I can’t make it any clearer, or easier on you than that.”
Pride be damned, Lex laid herself out for his taking. Now—she just hoped he'd take it and stop torturing them both.
“You’ve no bloody idea what you’ll be inviting into your body.”
That statement spoke volumes to Lex and it broke her heart. How could Constantine think so lowly of himself? No matter what’d done in his life, or what he’d done after, God loved him enough to give him a second chance. Didn’t that mean anything to him? Didn’t it mean anything that she loved him?
And, oh God, how she loved him.
Lex placed her hands on his cheeks. “Don’t I?” She dropped her hands and placed them on his chest. It was high time she gave him back that same raw honesty. “I think it’s you who doesn’t know me. I’m not the delicate flower you all treat me as. I’m a woman, Constantine, a
nd I know what I want. And what I want is you.”
The expression of shock Constantine had worn before was replaced by a beautiful play of emotions as he fought a battle with himself to either leave or take what she so blatantly offered him.
For a moment Lex expected Constantine to leave and a stab of disappointment pierced her. She knew that if he left her, he wouldn’t just be leaving her chamber. He’d be leaving her.
When his mouth came down on hers, there wasn’t a shred of tenderness in his kiss. Instead, it was a brutal, almost punishing, joining of their mouths as he showed her exactly what manner of man he was. Not that Lex needed the reminder. She knew Constantine wasn’t a gentle man. She expected things to be a bit—rough—with him. Given who he was, she didn’t think otherwise.
Stepping up on her tiptoes, Lex pressed her body against Constantine’s as her hands ran over his back. His lips were unyielding, demanding, and when she sighed into his mouth she felt him inhale it. There was something extremely erotic about that. His tongue moved over hers hesitantly and Lex realized he was struggling to be careful with his fangs. When he brought them into play, they added a certain amount of danger to his kiss.
Hoping Constantine wasn’t going to bring this to an abrupt end, Lex melted into him. She wanted to touch all of him, know every inch of his body, but there was so much of him she didn’t know where to start. His size scared her just a little and she prayed he couldn’t sense it since she knew he’d probably stop if he did.
When she trailed her hands down his back and came to settle on his ass, he hissed. She squeezed and he growled. She pulled him closer and he tore his mouth away. That was definitely not the reaction Lex was expecting.
“I shouldn’t have come here.”
Was he joking? He wasn’t going to start that again. He wanted to be here. She wanted him here and she was going to fight to make him realize he was being foolish in resisting what was between them.
He set her aside and went to leave. By a will of its own, her hand settled on his arm. He stopped dead, his gaze fixed on the door. “You can’t keep doing this to me, Constantine. You can’t keep playing me like this. One second you want me, the next you can’t wait to be rid of me. I mean, my God, my pride can only take so much.”
Cursing, Constantine turned and pinned her with a glare. “You’ve no idea of the things I want to do to you.”
“No, I don’t.” She ran her hand through his hair, not an easy task given their height differences. “But I can’t make it any clearer that I’m not afraid to find out.” Something warned her he still might flee, which was why Lex decided to play dirty. “Besides, they can’t be half as nasty as the things I imagine you doing to me.”
Right then Lex knew she had him.
The look that darkened Constantine’s eyes caused her heart to race. Liquid heat poured through her when he brought his mouth close to her ear and whispered the most wicked things. Heat settled between her legs. In the wake of the warmth came wetness, which brought the ache of emptiness.
“I won’t give you a gentle ride.”
God, she hoped not. “If I wanted gentle I wouldn’t be here with you.”
The intensity in the silvery depths of his eyes cut Lex right to her core. “If I stay I’m taking this to the end.”
She smiled at the thought of him being the one to show her the wonders of her body. “You’d better.”
“You’re mine, Lexine” he gritted out between his fangs. “No other man will ever put his hands on you but me.” He fisted his hand in her hair and pulled it so she was forced to arch her neck. “Say it. Tell me you’re mine.”
She tilted her head back so she could meet his searching gaze. “I’m yours, Constantine. Always.”
He pushed her away and ripped his shirt off. He closed his eyes when Lex’s fingers lingered on the puckered scar over his heart before moving to the two angels tattooed on his pectorals. She’d never had the opportunity to see them up close, so this was the first time she was able to see their incredible details.
As she examined him, Lex felt a stab of shyness when, unbidden, the thought of how many women came before her invaded her mind. How could she hope to compare to the women he had known prior to her? The closest she’d ever come to sex was his kisses. Before that, she’d only ever held a man’s hand—and that was years ago. The voices had prevented her from dabbling in the sexual side of life and right now, as she stood on the verge of losing her virginity to a man who’d been around for ages, she was unsure of herself.
She stopped looking at the tattoos and met his steady gaze. “I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you.”
“You couldn’t disappoint me, Lex.”
The way he said her name gave her chills. “You do realize how little experience I’ve had in this department, don’t you?” He nodded. “So, that means I’ve no idea what you expect of me.”
He ran his hand over her hair while his other wrapped around her waist. He dragged her against him, forcing her to tilt her head back to look up at him. “I expect nothing of you. All I want from you is to enjoy what I’m going to do to your body.”
If he weren’t holding her, Lex would have crumbled to the floor.
She swallowed past a throat gone dry. “Sounds like a plan,” she shot back lightly, even as a rush of emotions and anticipation ran through her.
With a growl, he pulled at her clothes. “I want these off. Now.”
Well now, who was she to gainsay such a demand?
She watched as Constantine kicked off his boots expectantly. When he removed his pants she dared a glance down and nearly tripped over her own feet as shock slammed into her. Good God, the man was tremendous. She had to remind herself that he wasn’t going to tear her apart. After all, she knew the basic mechanics of sex and was fairly certain her body would stretch to accommodate him. Still, the thought of all of that in her sent a shiver of expectancy and dread down her spine.
When she realized she was standing there staring at him, Lex moved her gaze to the tattoos decorating his left thigh. Up her gaze went, traveling leisurely up his body. The sight of all that flesh and those hard planes of muscle rendered Lex dumb. She couldn’t help but stare in fascination as she took in his powerful body.
At her lack of action, Constantine stepped in and all but tore her shirt from her. The flimsy material of her white bra did nothing to shield her from his greedy gaze. Lex had no sense of shyness. How could she when he seemed to appreciate the sight of her?
With a flick of his fingers, Constantine popped open the button of her jeans. He ran his knuckles along the line of her white panties. His light touch tickled her. When she giggled he smiled and Lex nearly melted. Constantine had such an amazing smile. Too bad he hardly used it. That was something Lex hoped to remedy.
When he tickled her again, Lex gave him a shot to the arm. “Stop that. I’m really ticklish.”
He cocked a brow. “The first lesson of war is never to let your opponent know your weakness.”
“So, we’re at war, are we?”
Constantine’s smile lacked emotion. Lex mimicked his cocked brow. “There is a fine line between love and war, didn’t you know that?”
All playfulness fled her. “But we both know you don’t love me.”
In answer, Constantine grunted and went to push down her jeans. Honestly, she hadn’t expected him to declare his love for her. Why she was crushed that he hadn’t was beyond her.
Since she’d already removed her shoes, she held on to Constantine’s shoulders and stepped out of the jeans. He kicked them aside as if they were most offensive things in the world. When he pushed her backward, onto the bed, and climbed on top of her, Lex loved how her energy had given warmth back to his body. As her hands moved up his back, she reveled in his warm flesh. When she reached his hair, she buried her hands in it and brought his mouth to hers for a kiss.
With the ease of a man who knew exactly how to strip a woman of her clothing, Constantine opened her bra. Lex su
cked in a breath when he cupped her bare breasts. His fingers moved over her nipples, hardening them. She arched into his touch, wanting all of him—everything he had to give. And then she wanted more. Looking up into his face, Lex marveled at the intensity of his expression. This wasn’t a casual joining of two people. By the look of him this was so much more. This was Constantine accepting not just her body, but her love as well.
Constantine met her steady gaze, his eyes burning with fire he struggled to hold back. “I won’t hurt you.”
She smiled just before she released a small gasp when he gently rolled her nipple between his fingers. “I know.”
“We’re going to do this nice and slow. I’m going to work your body until I make you mine in every way.”
