Teased

by Rebecca Zanetti

  He grinned and kissed her, licking along her neck and down her jugular. She shivered. A vampire was kissing her above her freakin jugular. The erotic threat, the possibility of it, pulsed down her and between her legs.

  He caressed along her skin, wandering across her collar bone.

  She explored his shoulders, noting the strength, until he reached her breasts and tugged one nipple between his teeth.

  Electric sparks flew straight from her breasts to her clit, and she arched against him.

  “Nice,” he whispered against her, flicking her nipple before wandering to nip and suck the other one.

  She moved against him, her mind reeling. There was an edge to Chalton, one just starting to emerge, that gave her pause and turned her on. He’d been so reserved so far…so in control.

  Could she make him lose that control?

  God, did she want to?

  Right now so much need coursed through her she could barely grasp a thought, much less be logical. He continued moving down her body, peppering kisses along her abdomen before reaching her core.

  She planted a hand on the top of his head. “No.” Too intimate. Way too intimate. This was supposed to be a wild romp for fun.

  He glanced up, between her legs, and allowed his fangs to drop low. Sharp and deadly looking, they stole her breath. He somehow smiled around them, and they retracted. “I’m going to play, and I’m going to be nice. Deny me again, and I’ll use fangs.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, and he nipped her clit.

  A mini-detonation rocked her, and she gasped, her head going back on the pillow. It felt too good.

  Then he went at her. Slow and soft, fast and firm…he played her body like he’d designed it. Tension uncoiled in her abdomen, lifting her higher. So close. She was so close. “Chalton,” she moaned.

  He pressed two fingers inside her and sucked her clit into his mouth.

  The room hazed, sheeting white. She detonated into a million pieces, flashing out, orgasming so violently her entire body clenched with the action. He prolonged the ecstasy until she fell back to the bed, limp, with a soft sigh.

  Then he inched back up her, kissing everything on the way, levering right above her.

  His face was all angles and firm lines, dark with desire. “Now we get serious.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Chalton fought every animalistic urge he owned to flip her onto her hands and knees and take her hard. The woman tasted like honey and heaven…and his. He’d felt her orgasm deeper than his own body, and now he wanted more. So much damn more.

  She stared up at him, those pretty eyes wide, her expression bemused and a little wary.

  Smart girl.

  He shifted his hips between her legs, forcing them open wider. Her skin was softer than cotton candy and twice as sweet. Keeping her gaze, he began to push inside her. She was tight, even after her orgasm, so he took it slow, careful not to harm her.

  She paused. “Condom?”

  He grinned. “Don’t work with vampires, and I can’t get you pregnant unless we’re mated.” The instances where immortals had impregnated nonmates were too few to even consider statistically.

  Her body enclosed him, taking him home. She lifted her knees, widening her thighs. Her body trembled around him in powerful aftershocks of her first orgasm of the evening. He wondered how many he could wring from her before she lost the sass and submitted.

  He reached halfway and dropped down to kiss her, memorizing the shape of her lips and the taste of her mouth. He took her deep and had to shove hard to make it all the way inside her, planting himself to the hilt.

  She gasped into his mouth, her body going rigid.

  He lifted. “Take a moment and just relax.” His heart beat like he’d run ten miles, but he had to give her time to adjust to him. He tuned in his senses, making sure the apartment was safe and no threat lingered near. Nothing felt out of the ordinary, so he focused back on Olivia.

  She nodded, softening, her body releasing tension one muscle at a time that he could feel. “Man, you’re huge,” she said.

  He barked out a laugh. How did she do that? He wasn’t a guy who laughed much, and never out of the blue. Yet she brought out parts of him that had been long dead. “And you’re soft. We make a perfect pair.”

  A small smile lifted her kissable lips. “You don’t have to go with the sweet words. I’m not leaving.”

  He stilled and let some of his weight press her to the bed, reminding her of his strength. “I go with the truth, and with you, the truth is beyond sweet.” Then he lowered his head to capture her gaze. “Knock yourself again in such a manner, and I’ll fetch that belt.”

  Her mouth gaped, and spunk filled her eyes. “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope.” He’d never hit her with the belt, but he could think of a few ways to torture her a little with it. He hated the modern view of perfection being stick thin, and to think it had even messed with Olivia’s mind a little just pissed him off. “Are we clear?” he asked evenly.

  For once, she apparently decided not to push him. “Yes.”

  “Good.” He settled his hips against hers. “Better now?” he asked, his biceps vibrating with the need to move.

  She caressed down his flanks and over his ass, her nails slightly scraping. “Much better.” She squeezed. “No mating, right?”

  Sorrow, surprising in its intensity, slammed through him. Yet he forced a grin. “I promise I won’t bite you.” Tonight a small voice whispered in the back of his head. He ignored the voice and slid out of her only to push back inside.

  It was like heaven and ecstasy and perfection all rolled into one devastating sensation. Her full breasts rubbed against his chest, and he could spend days just worshiping them. He leaned down to nibble on her earlobe, and her sex spasmed around his dick.

  The woman was so responsive. What would she be like in full trust? As an enhanced female, she could mate an immortal who would have years to gain that trust. To see just how wild the intriguing woman could get.

  “Does biting hurt?” she asked.

  “Yes, but when you’re caught up in the moment, it’s bearable.” His gums tingled with the need to let loose his fangs.

  “Um, can you bite without mating?” she asked.

  He nodded, trying to banish thoughts of biting her to the abyss. “Yes, we can bite without mating, but during sex it’s a huge risk.” He was way too attracted to her, and if he bit her during sex, there was a solid chance they’d end up mated. “I can bite you later, when I’m not inside you, to show you.”

  “I think I’d like that.”

  The woman was too curious, without a doubt. No wonder she’d become a journalist. “I could’ve bitten your thigh when I was playing, but I didn’t want to scare you.” So long as he wasn’t thrusting inside her, he could bite her all she liked.

  Her breath caught. “Oh.” She tilted her hips to take more of him. He gave her more, adjusting his thrusts so each stroke, each delectable slide into her body, brushed him against her clit. Soon she began to tremble beneath him.

  She’d thrown her head back, revealing the long line of her neck.

  His fangs dropped, forcing him to concentrate on retracting them. The second they were safely out of the way, he increased the strength of his thrusts. Yeah, he’d have to go down on her again later and bite her thigh. Just the thought drew his balls up tight.

  “What if I bite you?” she asked.

  “Go ahead.” The woman thought too much, and he was going to get her out of her head if it was the last thing he did. He reached between them, massaging a finger against her clit.

  She moaned deep. “Wait. That’s too much.”

  There it was. She didn’t like being out of control any more than he did, but enough of that. “I think it’s just enough.” He waited until she shook her head, until she opened her mouth to argue, and then he pinched.

  She gasped, arched, and her body climaxed around him, gripping strong enough to hurt. A
small scream escaped her, and she shut her eyes.

  To see her let loose like that was a gift he couldn’t explain.

  He pumped faster, keeping control, enjoying the bite of her nails against his flanks. Every time he shoved inside her, she went into another mini-spasm around him.

  Fire lanced down his spine and gripped his balls. He let himself go, coming hard. Finally, he dropped his damp forehead to hers, more than a little surprised by how immense his release had been.

  She murmured something beneath him, caressing small circles against the small of his back. Offering comfort. He wanted to keep that sweetness forever with a fierceness that gave him pause.

  Lifting up, he turned to the side and snuggled her into him. All woman, soft and fragrant, settled into him with a soft murmur. Without a doubt, he’d never felt like this.

  She wiggled her butt to get closer.

  Instant fire roared through him, making him hard all over again.

  She sighed. “That was lovely.”

  Was? Oh, hell no. “Baby? We’re just getting started,” he whispered into her ear. They had all night, and he’d promised there would be no sleeping.

  “Oh yeah?” she murmured sleepily. “What about that belt?”

  Ah, the darlin’ liked to issue a challenge, did she? “Want to be tied up?” he asked.

  She chuckled, her body moving against his. “Not really. And that was wild, so how about we get some sleep and recover before round two?”

  “Oh no.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her lower half against his already rock-solid erection. “Forget sleep. Round two just started.”

  Morning light filtered through the sheer drapes they hadn’t bothered to cover the night before. Olivia flopped one leg out of the covers, her face buried in a pillow. She’d never be the same. Ever. When Chalton had said there’d be no sleeping, he’d actually meant it.

  Sex with a vampire was over the top and out of this world.

  Yet somehow, she figured it was more Chalton than his species. The guy was passionate, giving, and powerful. It was like he’d known her body better than she did.

  With morning arriving, she should be swamped with vulnerability. But she was just too satiated, content, and relaxed to draw up any insecurities.

  Besides giving her bliss all night, he’d peppered her with compliments that had the ring of truth. While she might wish she weighed a good twenty pounds less…he liked her just fine. More than fine.

  His cheerful whistle echoed from the bathroom as he showered.

  She blinked and shoved herself to sit, swaying just a little. Time to get back to reality. Glancing around, she spotted a phone near the bed. Who in the world still kept a landline? Uncle Benny must be quite the character. Chalton had said nobody could trace him to Benny, so the phone had to be safe to use.

  In fact, she’d have to borrow it considering Chalton had thrown her phone out of the helicopter the night before so it couldn’t be traced. She dialed, and Ronni picked up on the first ring. “Hello?”

  “Ronni? How are you?” Olivia asked, worrying her bottom lip.

  Ronni gasped. “Olly? Where are you? I mean, you said not to call the police if you went underground, but you didn’t call, and I’m about two seconds away from reporting you as missing. What the—”

  “I’m fine.” Geez. She should’ve called. “I’m so sorry to worry you, but I had to chase a story, and you know how I get. More importantly, how are you?”

  “I’m fine,” Ronni wheezed, obviously not fine. “Are you still writing about the weird chromosomal mix-up story?”

  “Yes, and I’m totally on to something.” Okay. She just couldn’t go into the existence of vampires over the phone. Or the whole mating aspect. She glanced at the partially open bathroom door. Could she really force Chalton to mate Ronni? Especially since she wanted nothing more than to get him back into bed and naked for the next century or so? There had to be another way. “I’m working on a cure for you,” she whispered.

  Ronni sighed. “Honey, there is no cure. I’m not a candidate for a new heart, and there’s nothing that’ll fix this one. You have to let it go. For me.”

  “I’d do anything for you.” Even play chicken with the king of the vampires in an elaborate extortion scheme. There had to be a vampire out there who could mate Ronni that wasn’t Chalton. Then they could get unmated with the mutated virus, probably. Yeah. Good plan. “I have so much to tell you, but we should meet in person.”

  “When?” Ronni coughed.

  “Soon.” The shower cut off. “Um, I have to go. I’ll call you as soon as I can.” She gingerly replaced the receiver and sat up in the bed, actually taking her first good look at her surroundings. “Whoa.” Original oil paintings lined the walls, gorgeous and obviously one of a kind depictions of different cities at the turn of the century. Ornate furniture was angled around in a pleasing style…homemade and top of the line. Uncle Benny had some cash.

  Chalton stepped out of the bathroom wearing worn jeans and a dark T-shirt, towel rubbing his hair dry. “Benny only has jeans here, so it’s casual day.”

  Her mouth watered. “Um, okay.”

  His phone buzzed, and he drew it from his pocket, sighing upon reading the face. He put it to his ear. “Hi, Dage.” Within a second, he lost his smile, his face hardening to stone. “When? Great. Thanks.” He clicked off and shoved the phone in his pocket. “Get dressed. We have to run.”

  She shoved from the bed and grasped her wrinkled dress. “Um—”

  “Now, Olivia.” He dodged into the closet to grab boots and yank them on before tossing her boots at her. “Go barefoot until we’re in the garage. You won’t be able to run in the heels, but bring them.”

  She yanked the dress over her head and stumbled toward the door. “What’s going on?”

  Chalton took her arm and began jogging through the apartment, grabbing her coat on the way. “Dage has been monitoring all chatter in New York, and he thinks there’s a strike team on the way here.”

  Strike team? “The Kurjans?”

  “No. He’s smoothed things over with the Kurjans by telling them I mated you and you’re no longer a danger to our world.”

  Mated her? Her heart thumped. “Then who?”

  “Petey and Saul, who were sons of Peter. I figured someday they’d come after us, but not through you.”

  She shook her head, trying to keep up. “How did they find us?”

  “I don’t know.” He drew a gun from the back of his waist and slowly opened the outside door. “Keep your head down. There’s a back exit that isn’t on the plans, but we have to reach the end of the hall.”

  She nodded and ran barefoot after him, wishing she’d taken time for a shower. They reached the end of the hallway, and Chalton shoved a pretty watercolor painting to the side to expose a keypad. He punched in a code, and the wall opened to reveal an elevator.

  He tugged her inside, and the door smoothly shut.

  An explosion rocked the building.

  She stumbled and fell on one knee. He helped her up, rubbing her leg. “You okay?”

  “Yes,” she gulped. “What was that?”

  “They probably breached the front of the penthouse.” Chalton angled between her and the door. “This elevator goes to a secret parking area a floor below the parking garage, and it isn’t on the blueprints, so we’ll be okay. But we’ll need to exit the garage, so they may see us.”

  She nodded, her heart thundering. “I understand.”

  “Good.” He rubbed his forehead. “I just don’t get how they found us.”

  “I don’t know, but I was on the phone with Ronni just a few minutes ago. Do you think she’s in danger?” Olivia clasped her hands together.

  Chalton stilled. “You were what?”

  His tone of voice, low and dark, shot adrenaline through her veins. “I, ah, called Ronni when you were in the shower.”

  “How? I took your phone.”

  “Um, yeah. I used the landline
.”

  His eyes narrowed, and a flash of green shot through the black. “You. Did. What?”

  “Um.” Awareness, the kind that deer no doubt felt when faced with a hungry lion, rushed through her and cramped in her stomach. How did his eyes do that? “Your eyes just turned goldish.”

  “Vampires have secondary eye colors that come out when we’re aroused…or furious.”

  Yep. Probably furious. No arousal there. Olivia tried to hold her ground. “I had to check on Ronni, and I figured the phone was safe since it’s a landline and you said nobody can track you to Benny.”

  “I told you not to reach out.”

  “Yeah?” Fear morphed to necessary temper so she didn’t start whimpering. “Well, I don’t work for you.”

  He moved then so suddenly she didn’t see it coming, pivoting and putting her against the wall. “They traced your call.”

  Well, hell. “It’s not my fault they have some sort of tracker on Benny’s phone.” Geez. How in the world was she supposed to know that?

  “They don’t,” Chalton ground out. “They must have one on Ronni.”

  Panic heated Olivia’s lungs. She pushed Chalton, trying to get to the door. “How could they even know about Ronni?”

  “They probably didn’t. But I showed up in town, grabbed you, and I’m sure they investigated everything about you at that point. I didn’t see this coming.”

  “So it’s my fault. Then I have to protect her. We’re going to her place.”

  “Right now, we have to get out of here safely.” He shoved her behind him again, not so gently this time, as the elevator continued to descend. “Then we’ll have a nice discussion about your lack of obedience.”

  Obedience? Did he fucking just say obedience? She punched him square in the kidney. “Don’t even think about trying it, dipshit,” she said, struggling not to yell.

  He turned so suddenly she could only blink, grasping her wrists and yanking her toward him. His face, usually set in such calm lines, was a hard rock of pure fury. Danger seemed tame compared to him. His eyes glowed a luminous gold, and tension of the darker kind cascaded from him. “When the door opens, you will follow me and get on the bike without another fucking word. Got it?”