by K. L. Kreig
“Yes. You’re the obstinate one. I ask a question and you give me half-assed answers, which aren’t really even answers at all. They’re more like riddles that I’m expected to solve or magically understand. I feel like I’m a kid again when my parents would tell me ‘just because’ or ‘because I said so.’ Those are not answers and neither is the crap you’re feeding me.”
Damian’s words again rattled around in his head, not for the first time this morning. ‘You’re bound to get one that will give you a run for your money.’
And boy, did he ever.
She’d crossed her arms, which only served to press her mouthwateringly plump breasts up. They were practically spilling out the top of her barely-there tank. It was very distracting.
“I guess I just don’t speak Romaric, so you’re going to have to speak Sarah instead.”
He was being a bastard, and he knew it. The problem was, he really didn’t know any other way to act. He hadn’t explained his actions to anyone else in hundreds of years. He hadn’t needed to. As a powerful vampire and a lord, no one questioned him or his actions without repercussion. He said. They did. End of.
Suddenly he was now faced with this tiny, fiery, simply mesmerizing woman who was demanding something from him that no one else dared. Yes, he’d wanted her to accept their fate simply because it was, with no additional explanation. For him, there was no explanation. It simply was. But she needed more than that. She deserved more than that. So for her, he’d try.
“Okay Sarah. What specifically do you want to know?”
She visibly relaxed, but kept the protective layer of her arms across her torso.
“How exactly do you know I’m your Moira? I mean, could it be just a case of mistaken identity?”
Why did it piss him off that she thought this pairing could be a mistake? More than that, why did those words physically hurt, like a knife sunk deep in his chest?
“It’s instinctive, is the best way I can describe it. Just as you know to instinctively eat or breathe or sleep in order to live and thrive, a vampire instinctively knows when he meets his Moira, his Destiny. There are no mistakes, my beauty. You are my Moira.”
“Why did you leave for a week? I mean, if you knew I was your Moira, why did you leave and not even call me?”
Her feelings had been hurt and that made him feel like a bigger bastard than he did before. He’d only been thinking of himself and how he felt, not how she would take his silenced absence.
“I had some things to take care of. It took longer than I expected.”
Her eyes narrowed in skepticism, but he would not reveal more. Seraphina was his past and Sarah was his future. It would serve no purpose to bring her into the discussion.
“Do I get a choice to bond with you?” she asked.
The question momentarily stunned him. What he wanted to say was fuck no, she did not get a choice. She was his and he would not let her go. But what he said instead was, “Do you want a choice?”
“Yes,” she responded immediately and another emotion he hadn’t felt in so very long reared up. Disappointment. It’s amazing how three little letters could cause such crushing disappointment. He wanted her and he wanted her to want him in return.
Fierce possessiveness roared through him and he had to fight the near feral urge to flash her back to his home and tie her to his bed. But Dev’s words of last night came rushing back and he now knew that would be the single biggest mistake he could make with this stubborn, independent female. ‘Just because she’s your Moira, doesn’t mean she’ll want to bond with you and you know that.’
Fuck.
If he wanted to win Sarah—and Jesus, he did—he would have to travel into a space that was completely foreign to him.
Rom was skilled at many things.
Battle.
Strategy.
Leadership.
Business.
But the one area he had no earthly clue about was relationships. He wasn’t warm and fuzzy. He wasn’t an open book. He didn’t negotiate or compromise. He didn’t ‘talk about his feelings.’ But all of those things were required to build a successful, long-term partnership. And regardless of the intense physical attraction that burned hot between them, he desperately wanted a relationship with the woman now sitting in front of him, because she would demand no less.
The thing was … he had no goddamned clue how to go about opening himself up. Building trust, building a relationship takes time and he felt a foreboding sense of déjà vu. This was exactly what Seraphina had done and he’d lost her before they could bond. He simply knew he wouldn’t survive losing a second Moira. His mind and his animalistic nature were at complete odds with each other on how to move forward. He had to convince her to spend time with him, get to know him, persuade her that she belonged with him.
He had to get her back to Washington.
Realizing he’d been introspective for too long, he rose and joined her on the couch. He sat next to her, legs touching. He uncrossed her arms and took her hands in his.
“Do you feel that?” The electricity arching between them singed his skin. Her breath quickened the instant he’d touched her, and he knew she felt it too.
“Yes,” she whispered, moistening her lips.
He let a smile tease his lips. Another thing he’d rarely done before meeting Sarah. He’d smiled more today than he had in twenty years.
“Good.”
He easily lifted her slight frame and settled her on his lap facing him. She looked ready to protest, but he set a finger to her soft lips, effectively silencing her. He couldn’t help his growing erection at her nearness and merely shrugged when she glanced down at his pants then back to his eyes. She wasn’t unaffected either, if the intoxicating scent of her arousal was any indication.
“The physical attraction between a vampire and his Moira is powerful and passionate and all-consuming. That’s what’s happening between us now. You are drawn to me as fiercely as I to you, Sarah. Your body knows you’re mine and recognizes its mate, just as mine does. Soon, the physical need will become too great for either of us to ignore. And there is no shame in that. It’s simple biologics.”
She started to speak, but another finger to her mouth stopped whatever she’d been ready to say. He wanted to set the ground rules and let her know, in no uncertain terms that she would be his. It would be her choice, but he intended to make it an easy one.
“I meant every single word I said earlier in the dining room. I am in agony with want for you, but I want more than a physical release. I want to connect with you on every single level possible. I want you to crave me in the way I crave you. Yes, you are my Moira and it’s true I have no choice in what the Fates have decided for me. But, my beauty, I couldn’t have chosen better myself, for you are everything I need.
“Do you have a choice to bond with me? Unfortunately for me, the answer is yes. If you gave the word, I’d bond with you this very instant, making you permanently mine. And I want that with every animalistic fiber of my being. But it’s your choice. You have the power. You get to say when.”
Jesus, those words had been excruciating to say.
Grabbing her around the waist, he pulled her flush against his throbbing shaft, then cupped her face. The heat of her pussy just about made him come undone and he had to force his hips to stay still.
“But know this, Sarah. I will do Every. Single. Thing in my power to convince you that bonding with me is the best, and only, decision you can make because you won’t be able to live without me, as I cannot without you.”
Unable to deny what he’d been waiting a whole week for; he took her mouth in a heated, undeniably passionate kiss. His Moira responded just as he’d expected. Fiery, enthusiastic and wanton.
And now that his mouth was upon hers, he didn’t know how in God’s name he would hold back from making her his … with or without her consent.
He was so screwed.
Chapter 11
Sarah
Every cell was ablaze.
Every nerve ending ultra-sensitive.
Every thought gone.
There was only him. His touch. His kiss.
In her wildest fantasies and dreams, it hadn’t been like this. It was like she’d been kissed—really kissed—for the first time ever. Definitely far superior to that little make-out session with Tommy Barber behind the high school in the fifth grade. And a hundred times better than her last boyfriend, Hunter Graber. He had so much excess saliva pooling in his mouth, she was sure he had an overactive gland issue. Kissing him had been like making out with a sopping wet sponge. Gross, sloppy and just plain disgusting. So … that relationship didn’t last long.
But Rom … he knew precisely how much pressure to put on her lips. He knew precisely the right angle to tip her head. He knew precisely how to duel his tongue with hers. And he knew precisely how to make her act like a shamelessly carnal woman, who maybe hadn’t had sex in well over a year.
His left hand had now slipped to her waist, his thumb lightly grazing the exposed flesh between her tank and shorts. Each slow pass of his skin on hers went directly to her hot, wet center. He may as well be stroking her sex directly because it felt almost that good. As his hand slipped fully under her shirt and began a slow ascent up her side, she lost her breath. And she almost forgot where they were. Which was right smack in the middle of Dev’s library. Where anyone could walk on by and stop for the show, she was so freely giving.
With great effort, she broke the kiss and stopped his hand from going any further, even though what she wanted was to set it directly on her aching breast. Or between her legs so she could verify if his fingers felt as good as she imagined they would.
For purely scientific reasons only, of course.
“Sarah …” he choked.
He’d grabbed her face again, gently running his thumb across her wet, swollen bottom lip. His vulnerable eyes flicked between hers and her mouth. She wanted him so badly her entire body ached with unfulfilled desire and voracious yearning. But she had to slow down. They had to slow down. They’d talked for all of fifteen minutes total, maybe. And half of those words had been sexually charged. She knew nothing about him and vice versa. As attracted as she was to him, she wasn’t about to open her legs without a little conversation first.
“We can’t do this here,” she finally croaked out, once she could string a sentence together.
“My room.” He made a move to get up before she stopped him.
“No.” At his confusion, she added, “We can’t do this period, is what I meant to say.”
Freudian slip?
“We can’t do what, Sarah?” His voice had hardened, his soft blue eyes icing over once again.
“I just met you, Rom. I can’t have sex with someone I just met.” And she’d just keep trying to convince herself of that.
“Sarah,” he sighed. “I told you this is simple biologics. Neither of us can resist our magnetic physical attraction to each other. Why fight it?”
Anger blasted its way through her lust-filled haze as she scrambled from his lap. “Why fight it? Because I’m not some wanton hussy who will spread her legs for just anyone, asshole. And, yes, I may be attracted to you, but I don’t even know you, and unlike all the hundreds, or probably thousands, of women you’ve undoubtedly charmed and then left heartbroken in your wake with your callous disregard for their feelings, I won’t be one of them.”
She jumped beyond his reach and headed quickly to the door, but knew she wouldn’t get far. A hand on her upper arm pulled her up short and turned her back toward its furious owner. His clenched jaw ticked hard, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
God, why did it make her feel so bad to upset him? She wanted to apologize, and she had absolutely nothing to be sorry for. But just as she thought it, she knew why. The vulnerability on his face when he’d told her she had a choice to bond with him and the passion she’d seen right before he’d kissed her were so much more appealing than the hard, dominating, controlling version of the male that now stood before her.
He was silent so long, she didn’t know if he was going to speak or just whisk her away somewhere without her consent. Which she would not put past him for a minute. He wanted her to just agree to be his. Period.
No questions.
No discussion.
Nothing but submissive obedience.
Well, fuck that. Submissive was not a word used to describe Sarah and never would be. If he expected that in a mate, then he might as well keep looking because if he forced her to bond with him, they would be two of the most miserable people on the planet. Mainly him … because she would make his life a daily living hell.
He fingered her diamond encrusted horseshoe necklace, which hung on a thin silver chain around her neck. It was a present from her parents for graduation and she was very surprised she’d been allowed to keep it when she’d been in a dungeon for over a month. Surprised, but relieved nonetheless.
“You like horses?”
“Yes,” she responded flatly.
A slight smile curved his lips. “Come home with me,” he demanded. And it was most definitely a demand. Not a question, or even a suggestion.
A red haze fell over her vision.
Breathe, Sarah. Think yoga. Center yourself before you say something you’ll regret.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she yelled. She maybe should have taken a bit more time for the centering to really take effect.
“Why must you be so obstinate?”
“Why must you be so pushy?”
“Sarah …”
“Rom …” she countered. “Look. I told you I’m not just going to jump into bed with you. I’m not like that, so if you’re looking for someone easy to poke your impressively large stick into and nourish your body with, you’ve barked up the wrong tree.”
The corner of his sensual mouth turned up and for a fleeting moment, she saw a glimpse into the real Romaric.
“Impressive, huh?” He actually chuckled. And it was the best sound she’d heard pass his lips.
“Oh my God … really?” She shook her head, trying to understand why he was pushing so hard, so fast. She knew Analise had bonded with Damian in pretty short order, but Kate and Dev had taken at least a little bit of time. Against Dev’s wishes, of course, but he still gave her the space she needed to make her own decision. To ask questions. To be sure.
“Rom, why are you pushing this so fast? If we’re meant to be together, like you said, then why must we rush things? Can’t we take some time to get to know each other first? I mean … this is permanent, right?”
A look crossed his face that she swore was pain. How could her words have hurt him? She felt like there was something going on here she wasn’t privy to. Did he think she didn’t want him? She sooo did. Badly. Her body throbbed for his. She felt almost in physical agony by not having him inside of her right now. And he had to know it.
“I admit it, okay? I’m insanely, unreasonably, frighteningly attracted to you. I want you to fuck my brains out. Right now. I want you to do everything you promised earlier. But … first I just need to get to know the real Rom you’re hiding underneath that hard, tough exterior. And I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
Once again he cupped her face, the heat in his now burning eyes unmistakable, but he silently regarded her for several long moments before speaking.
“Fine,” he said softly, but firmly added, “But I want you to come home with me. We need uninterrupted time together and there’s no better place than my home. Our home.”
Why did that one little stupid word send flutters through her belly? Our.
“I—”
“Sarah, don’t say no.”
She sighed. “I’m not saying no. I’m just saying … not today.” His eyes hardened again and she quickly added, “I have plans to see my parents tomorrow up in northern Wisconsin. I haven’t seen them since the … kidnapping, and I’m not cancelling.”
He nodded; his eyes alight in understanding. “I’ll take you.”
“That’s a kind offer, but Thane is taking me. It’s all been arranged.”
Fury flashed in his eyes and his grasp on her tightened slightly. Before she knew what was happening, his lips crashed upon hers again. They were bruising, possessive and claiming. While it should scare her, instead it sent an unexpected thrill zinging through her blood. As quickly as his mouth was on hers, it wasn’t.
“You will not be accompanied by another male. Ever. Again. You’re mine to protect, beauty. I will take you and that is not up for discussion.”
As much as she already hated the domineering, controlling Rom, she liked the fact that she felt equally as safe with him. However, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to convince her parents she’d fallen for someone as militant as Rom, versus how easy it would have been with the laid-back Thane. Mind made up, she did the only thing she could. The only thing she really wanted to.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Chapter 12
Sarah
Desperately needing the advice of her sisters, she’d convinced Rom to give her a few hours of breathing room. He insisted this evening they have a private dinner brought to the bedroom he was using in the main house and she’d reluctantly agreed. She wasn’t sure it was really wise to spend time alone in a cozy secluded room complete with a king-sized fluffy bed and a deep-seated Jacuzzi tub, when these erotic and sexual feelings she had for him swirled around like an EF5 tornado. Of course, she wasn’t really sure that the location mattered. Time alone with Rom was just a little unnerving altogether. But she’d said yes, and there was no way he’d let her back out now.
Sarah and Kate sat in her bedroom and they’d patched Analise in via FaceTime. She’d told them about her morning, but was no longer laughing. Quite frankly, she was scared shitless. Rom was intense to the ‘nth’ degree and the fact that she was his Moira was more than unsettling. It was downright petrifying.
