“Thanks for giving me someone to talk to.” Colby knew Rafael was near. Every cell in her body had gone on alert. The nape of her neck prickled as if, already, she felt the warmth of his breath. “Be safe.”
“Good luck, Colby. I’ll be thinking of you.” Natalya reached out and touched her, just the lightest brush of her fingers, but warmth sprang from Natalya to Colby. There was recognition in the touch. Natalya drew back and nodded. “We’re definitely related. Please be very, very careful.”
Colby nodded. “You too.” She watched Natalya make her way quickly through the tables toward an exit, her heart beating with anticipation. She knew the exact moment Rafael entered the bar. He was alive and that was all, in that moment, that mattered to her. He didn’t look around—his gaze found her immediately. He stood across the room from her, exuding sheer sexy male confidence.
Her stomach muscles tightened. Her breath stopped. Tiny flames of arousal licked through her as she felt the weight of his eyes from across the bar. He was alive. He seemed unhurt. And when he looked at her, there was stark hunger, a potent desire that rocked her to her core. He began to walk toward her, never taking his gaze from her. He moved with a sensuous grace that started her heart pounding in time to the music. He walked right through the crowd as if no one existed but her, watching her the entire time. No one bumped him and no one got in his way. He simply held out his hand for hers. “Dance with me.”
She watched fleeting emotions flicker across his face and dark shadows shift in his eyes. Before she could stop herself she reached slowly out to him, mesmerized as always by him. He pulled her up and drew her against his body hard, fitting her close so that she could feel the hard bulge of his arousal pressed tightly against her. His body was hard, his arms strong, and his heart beat out a rhythm beneath her ear. She felt safe and protected. She felt threatened and frightened. It was insanity at its worst to dance with him. She was giving herself to him.
Heat spread from his heavy erection outward, catching them both on fire. She felt weak with wanting him. His hands, at her waist, slipped lower to her hips, to press her body more tightly, increasing the friction between them as they swayed slowly around the dance floor.
I don’t see any blood on you. Did you find the vampire? She wanted to just drift away with him on a rising tide of lust and need.
We met. He managed to get away, but I marked him. Why did you come here to meet this woman?
She started to lift her head from his chest, but his hand caught the back of her head and held her to him. It wasn’t his words or even his tone that alarmed her; it was a glimpse of his thoughts, quickly hidden from her. For just a fraction of a second, she caught temper swirling in him and something dangerous.
Let me hold you, Colby. It has been a long evening and I just want to feel you in my arms. He bent his head to her, his mouth nudging aside her shirt to burrow against the warmth of her neck. She shivered in his arms in reaction. His tongue swirled over her pulse and his teeth scraped roughly, seductively back and forth.
Colby was afraid she was melting in his arms. She had pressed a kiss against his chest, turned her face up to his throat so she could feel his skin beneath her lips. She was shaking with need for him. Her womb clenched and she was slick and damp with invitation. She wanted his clothes gone so she could examine every inch of him, see for herself that he wasn’t hurt.
Come away with me. I want to take you to the hot springs up in the mountains. Just the two of us. I need you tonight, meu amor. This once, do not argue or protest. Do not say no, just come with me and let me have you.
The music faded away. Some of the bar patrons left the dance floor while others stayed as the next song picked up the tempo. Rafael’s body urged her from the floor toward the exit. She could feel the heat of his palm burning like a brand through her thin blouse. “Paul and Ginny . . .”
“Are safe,” he finished, his voice rough with raw passion. “Come with me, Colby. Of your own free will. Give yourself to me.” He bent his head and deliberately teased the nape of her neck with his teeth, scraping gently, a small nip and swirl of his tongue heating her blood.
Beneath the thin layer of her shirt, her breasts ached, felt uncomfortable in her bra, the nipples tight hard peaks painfully rubbing against the lace. She felt her body go weak and damp with invitation. She wanted him right there. That moment. Hunger raw and sharp and terrible. “Yes.” She said it softly, but he heard. She knew he heard because his hand bit possessively into her hip. He urged her toward the door. Her heart pounded in anticipation.
17
Outside, in the cool night air, Rafael abruptly turned to Colby, his hand fisting in her hair, holding her head still as he bent to her, his larger body aggressively caging hers against the side of the building. He was hot and hard and hungrier for her than he’d ever been. “I do not know if I can wait. We have to get out of here before I take you here and now.” His voice was a rough whisper, as he slanted his mouth over hers, his tongue sliding over the seam of her lips, tasting her, demanding entrance. He caught her soft moan in his mouth and his temperature soared several degrees.
In the parking lot? Colby didn’t care if they were in the parking lot. There were too many clothes between them. She heard her own whimper as he licked at her, his teeth teasing her full lower lip, and then his tongue sank back into her mouth again. His erection was pressed tight against her stomach, her breasts mashed against the muscles of his chest. She was beginning to lose touch with reality the way she always did with Rafael. The hand gripping her hair in a tight fist, holding her still while his mouth dominated hers, was just on the edge of rough. He kissed her like a starving man, drowning in need for her. As if he couldn’t wait. Could never get enough. Her body reacted, hot and slick, drenched in need.
The parking lot, the field, who the hell cares? I want to tear your clothes off. Why are you wearing a bra? His hand skimmed lightly up her stomach to cup her breast, his thumb caressing her nipple, teasing and tugging beneath her blouse. Do not ever wear a bra again.
Her breath caught in her throat. She pushed into his hand, fighting back a moan of need. “We can’t. Someone will come out here and see us.”
He could shield them, but he couldn’t do the things to her he wanted to do if they remained at the bar out in the open. With more impatience than finesse, he wrapped his arms around her and took to the air, his mouth still commanding hers. She whimpered, tried to struggle, but he held her still, kissing her until it didn’t matter that they were no longer on the ground.
Colby circled his neck with both arms, clung tightly to his body, closing her eyes and giving herself up to the shocking sensation of his mouth. Her body melted against his. The heat, created by the thick bulge pressed tightly against her stomach, was generating a wild response in her. The lower half of her body was hot and heavy, pressure building fast. She rocked against him, rubbed along his body, all the while her mouth welded to his. His tongue mated with hers, exploring the velvet interior of her mouth, stroking and caressing until she felt him in every cell of her body.
Rafael had to touch her skin or he was going to go out of his mind. He wanted to make it to the hot springs, where the soil was rich in minerals and he could ensure she was safeguarded while the earth healed her body and completed the change. It had all been so important until he saw her. His body had hardened until every movement seemed painful and he knew he had to have her again and again. She was addicting, with her soft skin and her silky hair.
She was such an independent woman, steely strong under all those soft curves, with a will like iron, until he touched her. Then she was his. Completely his. She fought him for so long. She was still fighting him, but not when he kissed her, not when he had his hands on her. He enjoyed the feeling of power, of being the one man she couldn’t resist. He fed on that, needed it from her.
Somewhere over the mountains, he tore her shirt from her body, wanting the feel of her skin beneath his palm. Colby didn’t protest, rather thr
ew back her head, a strangled sound of need escaping, as his mouth trailed down her neck, licking and taking tiny bites that sent tongues of fire racing over her skin and sizzling through her body. She always seemed to do this to him, the moment his body came into contact with hers. Lust rose sharp and dangerous, out of control. His body burned him alive from the inside out, raging with needs and wants he could never get enough of. There would never be enough ways to take her, to have her, and eternity wouldn’t be long enough to satisfy him.
Rafael. She whispered his name plaintively, pleading with him to set them down, uncaring that they flew through the air to an unknown destination. She writhed against him, wrapped one leg around his thigh to rub her pelvis over him seeking relief.
With one hand wrapped firmly around her waist, he bent his head to her bare breasts, forcing her upper body backward. Her hair blew in all directions, whipping in the wind, stinging her face, reminding her where she was. “We’re going to hit a tree or something. Put us down.” Her voice came out husky with desire. Lust poured through her veins, thick and burning with an intensity that left her shaken. “You have to, I need you right now.”
The breathless plea in her voice shook him. His mouth brushed her breast, tugged at her nipple. She screamed and arched her body further to give him better access. Fire radiated from her breasts through her entire body and created a throbbing, urgent hunger between her legs.
Rafael heard the pounding of her blood rushing through her veins beneath her satin skin, calling to him, beckoning with erotic promise. His blood pounded with the same intensity, the same beat, throbbing and pulsing through his heavy erection in anticipation. He hungered for her. For all of her. He hungered for his body to be buried deep in her tight, hot channel, his mind firmly in hers and her blood flowing into him like nectar. If he wasn’t careful they were going to fall out of the sky and tumble to earth, locked together in a passionate embrace.
He took them to ground, grateful they’d made it to the hot springs. The moment his feet were on the ground, he ripped the offending jeans from her body, tore them into strips, and hurled them away from her. His eyes darkened as his gaze slid over her possessively. “You are so beautiful.” Her body was flushed with arousal, with need for him, desperate hunger in her eyes. He could see the wet, slick evidence of her desire glistening between her thighs and it was all he could do not to drop to his knees and feast.
Colby watched as he deliberately removed his clothes the human way. He kicked aside his shoes, his hands going to the waistband of his jeans. She could see the enormous bulge pushing for freedom against the tight material. Her breath nearly stopped when he unbuttoned the jeans and shoved them off of his hips. He never took his eyes off of her, watching her with hungry intent. His face was etched with desire, his eyes black and his mouth a sensual slash.
“Come here to me, Colby.” His hand circled his heavy erection, absently stroked, a casual, easy movement bringing him more pleasure.
She went to him, half mesmerized by the size and shape of him, half hypnotized by the stamp of dark sensuality stamped on his features. Her tongue darted out, swept over her lower lip as she watched his hand slide over the thick hard length. His gaze never left her, compelling her forward, drinking in the sight of her breasts swaying as she halted in front of him.
He lifted his hand to cup her face, his touch gentle. He bent his head slowly toward her, his lips drifting down her cheek to the corner of her mouth. His tongue traced her lips. “I love your mouth. I could kiss you forever.” His other hand brushed her breasts, sent tiny flames dancing over her skin.
Colby was so conscious of that second hand, traveling lightly over her breasts, the pads of his fingers barely skimming, yet so arousing, moving over her belly, circling her navel until her breath caught in her throat and his fingers tangled in small fiery curls.
“You are so wet and ready for me, querida.”
She couldn’t stop the small sound escaping, a plea for more. He was barely touching her, yet he was sending her temperature soaring.
The hand cupping her face slid to her nape, reached up and tangled in her hair, pulling her head back to expose her throat. His mouth slid over her pulse. His teeth nipped, a small stinging bite, his tongue instantly swirling a soothing caress. Her body nearly convulsed, every muscle tightening, her womb contracting. “Tell me what I need to hear, Colby.” His mouth moved up her chin, teeth nibbling at her lower lip. “Tell me.”
“You know I want you.” How could she not? His fingers slipped inside of her, pushing deep so that she cried out with pleasure, writhing against his hand, desperate for relief. The fingers withdrew, making her frantic.
“It is not enough for me.” His voice was very quiet, whispering over her like a stroke of heat. His tongue teased her throat again, moved lower to the side of her breast. She felt the sharp bite of his teeth, edging pleasure with pain just before he drew the creamy mound of flesh into the hot cavern of his mouth.
Colby caught at his shoulders for support, her knees threatening to give out. “What do you want from me, Rafael?” His fingers thrust deep, so that she rode the edge of a climax but couldn’t quite make it over the edge.
“You know.”
It wasn’t fair to ask for a declaration of love, of commitment, when she was trying so hard to make sense of it all. Rafael didn’t believe in fairness. He believed in getting his way, using any means possible. And when it came to sex, she knew she would do anything for him. He knew it too. It was there in the heavy-lidded glittering eyes. His hands were magic and his kiss could shred her self-control. Colby’s chin rose a fraction and she flipped her hair over her shoulder, her gaze dropping to his erection. He was huge and hard with need. The moment she looked at him, the moment she moistened her lips, she felt the hitch of his breath.
Her hand dropped to circle the thick bulge, fingers skimming lightly. She licked her lips again, watching his reaction as her thumb glided around the base of the velvet head. He barely took a breath as she went to her knees in front of him.
She allowed her tongue a brief exploration, licking a sensual circle and teasing the base of his swollen head. He shuddered, a rough groan escaping. His fingers sank into her hair, bunched there, and dragged her closer to him even as he thrust into the hot cavern of her mouth. Her tongue curled around him, danced and teased. His fists tightened in warning. “You are pushing me over the edge of my control, pequena.”
Her mouth was hot and tight, her tongue flattening to vibrate along the sensitive base of his thick, velvet-over-steel tip. His hips jerked, his muscles clenched with pleasure. His incisors ached to lengthen but he controlled the need. He thrust forward, holding her head, wanting control back but unable to make himself ruin her obvious pleasure. She started a fire in his groin that spread through his belly to every part of his body. Her tongue curled and lapped until he was out of his mind. For a moment demands pushed their way into his mind, but she was inexperienced and not quite ready for all the eroticisms he was hungering for.
Rafael pulled her head back and stared down into her eyes. They were brilliantly green, darkened with passion, with need. He ached with his love for her, with his need for her commitment to him. He drew her with him to the large boulders surrounding the hot springs and simply caught her around the waist and lifted her onto one of the flattest rocks. His hands jerked her thighs apart and pressed into the entrance to her slick folds. She was so hot he was afraid they’d both burn. She tried to push herself forward, to impale her body on the hard length of him, but he held her still.
“You forgot to tell me something. Something very important.”
“This isn’t funny, Rafael.” How could she want him when he wanted everything his way? “Give me time.”
He leaned over her, his hands flat on the boulder, bracing himself above her, his body refusing to enter hers. He just held them both there, on the edge of madness. “I am in your mind. I see what you feel for me.”
“Then I don’t have to sa
y it, do I?” Colby managed to slide down on the rock, but he clamped his arm across her restless hips and held her. Now she was trapped between the hard edge of the boulder and his hips. He gave her an inch, enough to make her scream in utter frustration.
“Because you belong to me. I want to hear you admit it.”
She was near tears and that would be worse. “Fine. I belong to you but I don’t have to like it.”
“And you love me.” He pushed deeper into her tight folds. “Tell me you love me, Colby.”
“You can’t command me to love you, Rafael. Isn’t it enough that I’m here with you? That I can’t keep my hands off of you?” It was humiliating to have him hold her against the rock while she ground her hips against him, nearly begging him to take her.
“Whatever you think, this is me making love to you. Not having sex, making love,” he reiterated. He pushed deeper into her body, watching her pupils dilate with pleasure. “I love everything about you, querida. I am not ashamed to admit it to you. I love the way you burn for me and the way my body grows hard and hot and ready for you every time I lay eyes on you. I love the way you take care of your family and even the way you think you can defy me. Stop being a coward and admit you love me.”
“Stay out of my thoughts. It’s bad enough that you try to force me to do whatever you want. If you need to hear me say it before I even know my own mind, compel me to say it,” she said, staring up at the raw intensity of his face. Her heart pounded in fear as they stared at one another, as his eyes glittered with danger.
He sank into her all the way, burying himself so deep he could feel her womb. Pinned against the hard rock, she could only accept the rough thrust of his hips, her body a tight fiery inferno surrounding his. She looked beautiful, her face and body flushed, her lips swollen with his kisses, her eyes glazed with passion. For him. His fingers tightened on her. “You are such a gift, Colby.” He could barely take in that she was real, that she was his. That after this night he would always have her. There would be no going back.
Christine Feehan 5 CARPATHIAN NOVELS Page 70
