A Taste For Passion

by Patrice Michelle

She shut the door and heaved a sigh of relief. Good lord, how was she going to remain 'pure' with that running around, tempting her every five minutes?

  Rana decided a bath would help her to relax before she went to bed. As she entered the bathroom, she gasped in pleasure at the beautiful room. Stark white tile with dove gray accents lead to a gorgeous claw-footed bathtub—the outside deep burgundy and the inside snow white.

  She walked over to the tub and turned the gold lever handles, looking forward to a long, hot soak. While the water ran, she slipped out of her clothes and pinned her hair up with a clip she'd brought from home. Rummaging through the cabinet, she found some bubble bath and poured a capful of the clear liquid in with the running water. The scent of gardenias suddenly filled the room.

  Rana moaned in pleasure as she sank into the warm water. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and realized this might very well be her last pleasure bath before she died. As her thoughts drifted down that morbid path, she felt cool air brush against her nape.

  Lucian stood in the doorway, two fluffy burgundy towels in hand. His gaze skimmed the surface of the bubbles as if hoping to get a glimpse of her naked flesh. "I thought you might need these since you mentioned taking a bath. This bathroom isn't used very often so I didn't know if there were any towels in here."

  Thankful for the bubbles surrounding her, Rana said, giving him a sheepish smile, "I was so excited to find this wonderful tub, I didn't even think beyond getting in. Thanks."

  Lucian pulled the delicate gold stool with a white seat cushion close to the tub and laid the towels on it along with a bath sponge. Was the sea sponge his? she wondered.

  Rana noted he'd changed clothes. Or, put clothes on rather, she thought with an inward chuckle. Now he wore a dove gray fine gauge Merino wool v-neck sweater and casual faded jeans. God, how did the man manage to look delicious in just about anything he wore? The sweater only made his eyes look even more like liquid pools of mercury.

  He squatted by the tub and tapped the end of her nose with this finger. "Need any help with your back?"

  Rana's cheeks burned at her traitorous thoughts. She wanted him to pull his clothes off and join her in the tub. Hell, she didn't care if it would be a tight fit. That'd just give them an excuse to snuggle closer.

  She closed her eyes and bit her lip before she voiced her thoughts. When she opened them to decline his offer, Lucian already had his sleeves pulled back and had dipped the sponge in the water.

  Steam rose up from the water and the scent of gardenias filled the air between them while Lucian awaited her response. This may be the last time he'll touch me. With that thought, Rana leaned forward slightly and said, "Okay, thank you." Before he could move she placed her hand flat on his chest.

  At his raised eyebrow, she pulled her hand away, leaving behind a wet handprint, and said, "Just checking to make sure you really did put on clothes." Good grief, the last thing her libido needed was to know he was as naked as she while he bathed her back. Lucian chuckled and she waited in anticipation as he moved behind her.

  When the sponge slid down her back, its touch so soft, she knew in her heart the sponge was from his personal bath. The thought that he'd share such a personal item with her made her weak in the knees and ever so thankful she didn't have to stand at the moment because she knew she'd be unable to.

  "My God," Lucian swore, low and fluently. "Your body really took a beating, Rana. These bruises are every shade in the rainbow." His words came out hushed as if he really couldn't quite believe she'd survived the accident unscathed.

  Rana had completely forgotten about the plethora of bruises covering her body. She immediately straightened and leaned back against the tub, saying as she held her hand behind her head for the sponge, "I think I'm good now."

  Instead in handing her the sponge, Lucian bypassed her hand and slid the sponge down her chest, dipping it straight into the water and rubbing her breast from the inside curve to the tip. Rana sucked in her breath at the sensations she experienced as the soft material slid across her hardened nipple.

  Pure, remember? I know it's kinda hard with all those lustful thoughts clamoring around in your head, Rana, but you have to remain pure, she told herself. What do men do when faced with pure temptation? she wondered. Oh, yeah, they think about sports.

  Rana straightened her shoulders and concentrated while Lucian moved the sponge to her other breast. Football. A touchdown is worth six points and a field goal is worth one, but wait, the field goal could be worth three points if— All 'good intention' thoughts fled when Lucian's lips grazed her neck, causing her skin to pebble.

  She gasped and he immediately let go of the sponge and cupped her breasts in his hands. Rana tried to lean forward, but he pulled her body flush with the back of the tub and nipped gently at her earlobe.

  When he twisted her nipples between his fingers, heat curled in her belly and Rana moaned, arching her back instinctively, pressing her breasts into his hands. Her body screamed for her to give in to the passion Lucian offered. No-no-no-no-no-no-no, she couldn't let him do this to her. He'd be like one potato chip and she'd never in her life been able to just eat one.

  Rana pulled his hands off her breasts and sat up in the tub, crossing her arms over her naked breasts, "Good night, Lucian." After a long pause, he sighed deeply.

  She refused to look at him when he finally said, "Good night, Rana," before he closed the door behind him.

  * * * * *

  "Hmmm, you smell so good," Lucian inhaled, whispering in her ear, his breath warm against her skin.

  Lucian's deep baritone voice skittered across her nerve endings, setting her on fire.

  Rana arched her neck toward him, inching her body closer.

  "Wake up, Rana."

  Rana opened her eyes. Lucian leaned over her, his hands held her wrists above her head, his body braced over hers. She met his intense gaze, noted his bare chest, and felt the heat of his naked leg searing her hip as he sat beside her on the bed.

  "This is no dream. I'm here in flesh and blood." Lucian said as he let his gaze rake down her flimsy nightgown, stopping on her nipples thrusting against the thin silky fabric. His nostrils flared when he returned his gaze to hers. "And I want you very much."

  Rana bit her lip and shook her head, but gasped when she felt an invisible hand tweak her nipple, pulling it against the fabric. She arched at the sensations his mental touch elicited. She started to speak and an invisible warm mouth closed over that same nipple sucking it deep. Rana whimpered as desire shot straight to her sex, making it throb in unfulfilled need. Her gaze met his and drifted to his mouth. Oh, lord she wanted it to be real.

  Lucian's lips canted in the corners as if he read her mind. He mentally slid his tongue down her abdomen until he planted a kiss on her mound. Rana clamped her legs closed, trying desperately to thwart his torturous onslaught. Lucian kissed her jaw at the same time he slid an invisible tongue against her swollen clitoris. Make him stop. Any way you can or you'll pass the point of no return.

  "Another vampire power, Lucian?" She gasped, trying to gather her thoughts. "I read that you're supposed to ask permission—that a vampire can't come into a person's home unless he or she is invited," She panted the words out as she felt her clit manipulated by an invisible mouth. She involuntarily sighed in pleasure. "This isn't playing fair."

  He raised a dark eyebrow and gave her a rakish grin. "You're in my home now, my sweet. I don't have to ask permission." His expression turned seductive. "But I will. Let me in, Rana." He leaned close and said near her ear as he mentally slid his tongue around her labia, "I want to come into your home, over and over."

  The double entendre sent a thrill thrumming through her, tightening her nipples, making her ache to know just what it felt like to have him inside her, just once. Rana searched deep within herself to find the strength to resist his enticing voice and tantalizing tongue. "Let me up, Lucian."

  He sighed and released her wrists. Rana scrambled away, h
opped off the bed, and turned her back to him. She couldn't look at his perfect, naked body. It was too beautiful for words. She'd fallen asleep with the bedside lamp on, and now the bulb's soft glow illuminated his broad, muscular shoulders and powerful arms, the dark hair that slid into a vee at his navel, giving way to trim hips that lead right into thick corded thighs.

  She closed her eyes to shut out the mental image in her head, but she immediately sucked in her breath when she felt his heat directly behind her. Lucian's chest touched her back and he said against her neck, "I know you want me." Inhaling, he continued, "I smell your arousal, your sweet, feminine scent calls to me, Rana." His lips grazed her neck and Rana let her head fall back against his chest.

  It's so hard to be good, she thought. I want to taste the passion.

  Lucian's strong hands turned her around. His smoky gaze locked with hers as he cupped a hand around her neck and pulled her closer until her breasts touched his hard chest.

  "Surrender all your dreams to me. Let me love you," he said in a low voice right before his lips met hers in a tender, searching kiss.

  She sighed and melted into him, no longer able to resist his magnetic lure. Lucian smiled against her parted lips and slid his tongue inside, slanting his mouth over hers. Placing her hands on his waist, Rana returned his kiss, stroke for delicious stroke.

  Lucian groaned and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, drawing her further under his provocative spell. His hands slid down her back and grasped her backside. Molding her soft curves to his hard body, he pressed the heat of his erection against her belly and whispered in her mind, No more dreams. No more vicarious sensations. I want to explore your body to the fullest first-hand.

  Rana shivered at his words. She ran her hands up the corded muscles in his back, reveling in the strength underneath her fingers. Just this once, I want to feel the desire between us and know it's not a dream.

  Lucian fisted his hand in her hair and tilted her head back while he ran his lips down her jaw to her throat. Rana shivered in delight as he nibbled on the sensitive curve between her neck and her shoulder.

  "You taste so good, Rana," he said in a husky voice.

  A sense of déja' vu brought on by his words caused a pleasant shudder to pass through her. Then she remembered where she'd heard him say those words before. He'd said them in her first dream about him. Cool air greeted her breasts as Lucian lowered the straps on her silk nightgown. The fabric whispered down her body and pooled around her feet on the soft carpet. He continued his kissing path down her chest, pausing to kiss each nipple, and then moved on to her lower belly to tease her navel, before he bent down on one knee and slid her underwear down her legs.

  Rana touched his head and thrilled at the feel of his silky hair between her fingers. Her heart pounded in her chest and she waited in anticipation for his next move.

  Lucian grasped her ankles and drew her legs further apart. He ordered gently, "Open to me, Rana, love. I want to touch all of you."

  She slid her feet further apart, her breathing turning uneven while his hands made slow, methodical massaging trails up her legs until he reached her inner thighs. Lucian splayed his fingers around the muscles, leaned closer, and blazed a hot trail with his tongue from her lower inner thigh to the juncture at the top of her leg. His warm breath fanned her already heated skin as he made his way back down to her wet curls. Grasping her thighs, he pulled them further apart and grazed her moist lips with a purposeful swipe of his tongue.

  Rana's moan turned into a startled gasp when Lucian made a low growling sound in his throat and clasped her to him, lifting her bodily off the floor. She yelped, grasped his head for support, and wrapped her legs around his waist as her entire body tilted backward toward the carpet.

  Expecting to land hard on the floor, she instead stopped an inch from the carpet, her fall cushioned by air. Slowly, her body lowered for a soft landing.

  Her heart hammered in her chest at the experience. She chuckled. "Another vampire power you forgot to mention?"

  He gave her a wicked grin before he dipped his head and gave her another lap with his tongue, this time right against her clitoris. Rana arched off the floor as a keening sound of pleasure ripped from her throat.

  Lucian lifted his head, his eyes reflecting his banked passion. He pressed on her thighs. "Relax your legs. I want to look at you."

  Rana did as he asked and let her legs fall to the floor, opening to him.

  He smiled, pulled her lower lips apart and inspected her thoroughly. "You are so pink and wet." He slid a finger straight down her slit. Rana whimpered her need.

  He raised an eyebrow. "Do you like that?"

  She nodded.

  Lucian shook his head, tsking, "No, Rana love. Tell me. I want to hear the words." He pressed on her throbbing clitoris.

  She panted in tense anticipation.

  "You're clit is plump with your desire." He circled the sensitive bud with his finger and then met her gaze once more. "Tell me," he demanded.

  "Yes," she gasped at the steady pressure he applied, lifting her hips, seeking release from the building torment. "I want you inside me."

  A purely satisfied male smile tilted the corners of his lips and he thrust a finger deep into her. Her breath hitched in her throat while sensations of pure pleasure rippled through her. He moved closer, leaning over her to capture a nipple in his mouth as he added another finger and slipped them both inside her while his thumb pressed against her clitoris.

  He kissed her breast tenderly and lifted his head to look into her eyes as his hand continued its masterful manipulation. "Come for me, Rana," he said, plunging into her. Her breath escaped in short, unsteady pants while her hips canted to meet his hand's rhythmic movement. She closed her eyes at the building sensations.

  "No," he said, his voice low, controlled. "Don't close your eyes, Rana, I want to see your desire unfold."

  Rana bit her lip and then smiled at him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and arched once more when his thumb moved in smaller circles over her throbbing nub. "Lucian," she breathed out his name as the first ripples of her climax built within her body, tensing her stomach, accelerating her heart rate.

  "Say my name again, Rana," he whispered, his expression intense.

  No need to prod her there. Her body gripped in the throes of delicious climatic spasms, Rana screamed out his name, "Lucian!" as her moist, highly sensitized sheath contracted around his stroking fingers again and again.

  When her body stopped quivering, Lucian leaned closer, kissing her neck. He inhaled deeply, drinking in her scent. "You thoroughly seduce me," he sighed.

  Rana gave a throaty laugh and wrapped her arms around his neck while he nuzzled hers. "I think the exact opposite is true, since I'm the one who just climaxed."

  "Oh, I'm not done, yet, my love." Lucian looked at her, his dark brow elevated, a wicked smile on his face.

  Rana gave him a siren's smile. "Lord, I hope not."

  He chuckled, lifted her in his arms and walked toward a side door. Pulling it open and then kicking it closed behind him, Lucian carried her to his bed. Rana's heart filled with joy at the room. It was beautiful. Even through Lucian had all the window's drapes pulled closed, there was hidden lighting in the ceiling that lit up the room as if it were daytime, the warmth and feeling the glowing light conveyed was as close to sunlight as you could get.

  His elevated four-poster bed was made of a smooth honeyed wood, the posts thick and intricately carved. A pure white comforter covered the bed, matching the mostly white décor around the room. Certainly not what she expected from a creature of the night. While Lucian held her, Rana did the honors and pulled back the covers, gasping in surprise. The blood red silk sheets underneath were such an incongruent contrast she looked up at him and asked with a smile, "Do you have a split personality, Lucian? Something you want to tell me?"

  Lucian gave her a devilish grin. "A man has to have his small pleasures in life, something to look forward to."


  God, that sounds just like something Jack would've said. She smiled at the thought, knowing Jack would've liked Lucian, vampire and all.

  Lucian gently laid Rana on the bed and stared down at her. With her blond hair spread out on his red sheets, her hazel green eyes filled with desire, she made a beautiful, tempting picture. His chest contracted with love. Before he could lie down beside her, Rana reached out and wrapped her warm fingers around his cock, a knowing smile on her face. Her small hand felt so good around him, he clenched his jaw to keep from losing it right then and there. Lucian clasped her wrist in his hand.

  "I'm feeling a little guilty that all this has been about me." She sat up and curled her legs under her. Lucian's hold tightened when she leaned over and licked the moisture from the tip of his cock. "Mmm, you taste good."

  He closed his eyes and groaned at his body's instantaneous response to the slightest touch from her tongue. His stomach tensed, fisting into knots, and his balls tightened as his cock hardened even more, if that was possible. Lucian had never been more aware of his desire for a woman in his entire life—only one woman. Elizabeth may have helped him find her, but Rana was his true mate.

  As she stroked his cock with her mouth and talented tongue, he became acutely aware of every pulse of blood flowing through his body; he heard Rana's blood rushing through her veins, smelled the scent of her arousal. All his senses heightened at the seductive combination.

  He opened his eyes and pulled her up to her knees, his voice sounded gritty and strained, even to himself. "Enough, love."

  She met his gaze, disappointment in her eyes. "But I want to…"

  Rana didn't get to finish her sentence before his lips captured hers in a possessive kiss. She cried out in delight when he pushed her back on the bed and knelt over her.

  She placed her hands on his strong shoulders, sliding her fingers over his bulging biceps, appreciating the dips and hollows of his chest above her. Lucian rested his body over hers. His pale gray gaze met hers and locked as he settled his thighs in the cradle of her hips, pressing his erection against her heated entrance.