Sexual Appetites of Vampires (Sexual Appetites of Unearthly Creatures #1)

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

L ara felt tears stir in her eyes and the next thing she knew she was wrapped in Michael’s arms.

“We’ll make the most of this day,” he whispered, “a memory to last forever.”

She didn’t want just a memory of him; she wanted him forever.

“I need tea,” she said and fled the room, fearing she’d burst into tears and make a fool of herself in front of him.

The phone rang again, preventing him from following to her relief. She needed time to get herself together. How the hell would she ever manage to get through the rest of this day, knowing tomorrow she would have to say good-bye to him?

She set the kettle to boil when a thought struck her.

Tell him you love him. What can it hurt? He could possibly feel the same. At least this way you’ll never regret not taking the chance.

Don’t you think he already knows? He hears your thoughts, a nd he’s said nothing. What does that tell you?

Her heart felt like it plummeted off a steep cliff.

How did one stop from thinking? It wasn’t possible. Her mind was always going, though she could keep it busy with nonsensical thoughts. The kettle whistled and Lara made herself a cup of chamomile tea.

Michael entered the room.

“I should get in touch with my car service and see when they can pick me up,” she said with what she hoped was a passable smile.

“I’ve already taken care of it,” he said without a trace of a smile.

Her heart plummeted again. He had already made plans for her to leave. “Thank you,” she said, trying to stretch her smile, though she had no desire to smile, and kept her thoughts from going where she didn’t want them to go.

He looked ready to step toward her, and she couldn’t let him kiss her. She just couldn’t. She quickly switched her thoughts to packing her suitcase, thinking of item by item that needed to be folded and packed. She kept the image steady in her mind, fighting back the one that tried to break through...her sobbing uncontrollably in his arms.

“I should pack and make sure I’m ready for tomorrow,” she said, stopping him in his tracks.

“You have plenty of time,” he said and inched closer to her.

No, not near enough time , she thought, though said, “Tomorrow will be here before you know it.”

His arm hurried around her waist, snagging her before she could slip out of his reach. “Then let’s not waste a minute.”

He kissed her and she was soon lost in a haze of delectable sensations. One thought and one thought alone penetrated her foggy brain, and she couldn’t stop it no matter how hard she tried.

You’re forever mine. I love you.

The next thing she knew she was once again up against the library ladder and just as wet and throbbing for him to be inside her as she had been before.

“Don’t answer the phone if it rings,” she said while shoving his sweatpants down.

“No worries,” he whispered, “I have no intentions of answering it for the rest of the day.”

She grabbed hold of him, and he was just as silky and hard, perhaps harder, than before. “I don’t want to wait,” she said and stepped up on the bottom rung of the ladder so that she could fit him to her perfectly.

A satisfying groan ran from her lips as he slid into her with ease.

He dropped his forehead against hers and struggled, as if in sweet agony to say, “Damn, you’re so snug and warm, your scent so strong. I can almost taste your...” He raised his head and his eyes glowed red, much too red.

“Michael?”

His lips curled back, and his fangs began to appear. “I want so badly to taste you, to show you how making love can truly feel. One taste and?—”

She shoved at his chest. “No!” She couldn’t, wouldn’t surrender completely to him. She had already surrendered her heart to him, if she allowed this—she knew he would have her soul.

“No,” she said again, shaking her head. “No, Michael.”

He plunged deeper inside her, and she fell back against the ladder rungs. He grabbed the ladder by either side of her head and shoved into her again, his eyes red, though not glowing as brightly, but his fangs still shiny and sharp.

“I’m going to make you come hard.”

“You always do.”

“Not like this,” he said and lowered his mouth to her neck.

She knew he wouldn’t bite her without permission, but it didn’t stop him from tormenting her. And good Lord could his fangs torment. He stilled his penis inside her while he ran the sharp points along her neck. It was as if he caressed her all over at once. Her nipples tingled, her clitoris throbbed unmercifully, and her hips began to gyrate trying to get him to move inside her.

And not once did he touch her, his fangs did it all and she knew he was showing her only a tiny portion of how it would feel if he bit her. She feared she would soon surrender and beg him to bite her, and so she reached down and toyed with his testicles as she moved against him, stirring his penis.

He grabbed her hand, stopping her, his forehead coming to rest against hers, his breathing labored. “Soon, Lara, soon,” he whispered as his fangs disappeared. He then lifted his head, planted his hands on her hips and held her tight as he drove in and out of her.

She came in a blinding explosion of senses that had her grabbing onto to his arms tightly and screaming aloud. She squeezed his muscles even tighter when he made her come again, along with him this time.

He would have collapsed on top of her if he hadn’t planted his hands against the ladder, his muscles taught with tension as he kept himself braced a mere inch away from her. She tried to calm her breathing, but it wasn’t easy since little bursts of pleasure continued to tickle her senselessly.

His breathing was as labored as hers, his chest rising and falling rapidly. It took a few minutes for them to regain their senses. Then Michael stirred, stepping back, though not before brushing his lips over hers, and quickly pulled up his sweatpants. He then took hold of her waist and gently lifted her off the ladder, her skirt falling to her ankles as he eased her to her feet.

“You’ve yet to have your tea,” he said with a smile. “Sit. I’ll go get it for you.”

He didn’t wait for her to respond. He left her standing there, and she wondered if he needed a bit of distance from her as she did from him. No, not from each other—from the situation. She braced her hand on one of the ladder rungs and took a deep breath.

A mistake.

His scent was heavy on her as was the scent of sex and damn if her body didn’t quiver at the memory. She chased thoughts of him from her head and hurried to scoop up her panties off the floor and slip them on. She then went over to the couch, but chose one of the single chairs, and snatching up the throw, wrapped it snugly around her as she sat.

Michael returned and handed her a mug of hot tea and gave the throw a slight tug. “Didn’t we already determine that shields don’t work against me?” He sat on the edge of the ottoman table directly in front of her. “Still feel the need to protect?”

“You did show your fangs,” she reminded before taking a sip of the chamomile tea and wishing it was something stronger.

“It’s a testosterone driven, male vampire thing.”

She had to laugh, his dark eyes filled with humor.

“I have said it before to you and I will repeat it as many times as necessary. I will never hurt you and I will always protect you—even from me,” he said with a playful wink.

And again, she laughed.

“Now, I think we should enjoy the day. We can do any number of things besides making love frequently, read together, watch movies together, have a delicious lunch and nice supper together.”

“I take it the theme is togetherness?”

“A good theme, don’t you think?”

“I do,” she said, wishing their togetherness could go beyond today.

“So, after you finish your tea what would you like to do?”

She was quick to answer, “Play in the snow.”

His brow knitted, though humor remained in his dark eyes. “I have to warn you. I make a mean snowball and my aim is perfect.”

“Not as perfect as mine,” she said, puffing out her chest.

“Now that’s a challenge I can’t ignore.”

They talked and laughed and as soon as she finished her tea she went to her room and changed into leggings and a knit top. Michael had more clothes and fur-lined boots waiting for her when she met him in the foyer.

He had changed into jeans, a heavy sweater, and boots.

He held two pairs of sweatpants out to her and a sweatshirt plus a sweater. Once she put them and the boots on, he wrapped a knit scarf around her neck and playfully tugged her up against him.

“You will let me know if you get cold,” he said and kissed her.

“I won’t get cold; I have your kisses to warm me.”

He kissed her again. “Does that mean if I kiss you enough, you just may melt the snow?”

She brushed her cheek against his and whispered, “Touch me and we’ll both be so hot the snow will evaporate in no time.”

“Don’t tempt me or your backside will get frostbite.”

She stepped away from him, snatching the knit hat that stuck out of his jean pocket and pulling it down snugly on her head. “Not if I ride you.”

A hint of red popped in Michael’s eyes, and she quickly yanked the front door open and ran out, falling into a mountain of snow.

They were like two teenagers making the most of a snow day. They made snow angels, a snowman and had a snowball fight that to Michael’s surprise Lara won.

At first Lara was concerned that Michael would get cold, having added no other clothes to what he had on. Then she realized that he didn’t feel the cold like humans did, and yet he appeared so very human.

Kisses intermingled with their fun and laughter and Lara fought to keep the thought of what a wonderful life she could have with this man. She warned herself to think and live only in the moment, not to go beyond, for if she did, she knew sorrow would strike her heart.

Lara’s grumbling stomach warned it was passed lunchtime and brought their play to an end. Lara made hot chocolate for herself, and they took their plates, veggies for Michael and a hearty soup for Lara, into the room off the kitchen to enjoy.

Lara once again was in her skirt and knit top and Michael had slipped out of his jeans, wet from the snow, and into black sweatpants and left on the light gray knit top that had been under his sweater.

They talked and laughed, no longer the strangers they had been upon meeting, now—not only friends—but lovers.

“I was thinking,” Lara said when they finished eating.

“Hopefully, the same I’ve been thinking,” Michael said with a smile.

“Staying out of my head, how very nice of you.”

His smile faded. “More that you’ve been keeping me out of your head.”

“I’m learning,” she said, sticking out her chest proudly.

“So, you have, though I miss being there, miss you calling out to me.”

Strangely enough, she missed him being there as well. His absence from her thoughts had left a void, left her feeling alone.

An awkward silence hung over them, as if each were waiting for the other to speak first.

Lara finally did. “I would like to have a look, in bright daylight, at the room of torture.”

“Whatever for?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Curiosity? Perhaps to view history up close with someone who has lived it?”

“It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

“Once we’re done, your bedroom is only a few steps away and I did mention a ride.” She smiled, stirring her libido that had been simmering ever since she had suggested the idea.

Michael was off the couch in a flash, tugging her up along with him. “Let’s go.”

Lara laughed softly as she followed him, though her laughing smile died when she stepped into the room of terror. The room was brighter than she had expected, though it was more from the daylight shining through the bare windows.

Michael must have heard her thought, since he said, “My grandfather insisted that the windows be left unencumbered so light could always shine on this room. It was his way of exposing evil.”

Lara reached out and took hold of Michael’s hand, as if needing his protection from the awful devices.

He held her hand firmly and guided her around the room, offering explanations of certain ones, while others were self-explanatory.

Lara cringed when Michael pointed out the breast pincers, though did not go into detail how they were used, the name saying it all. A pear-shaped device hanging on the wall caught her attention and when she looked to Michael, he shook his head.

“You don’t want to know, though I’m sure the shape tells the tale.”

Lara turned away from the device, only to cringe when she saw the spike-studded chair she had accidentally sat on. She had been lucky to only catch the end of it.

“Who does this sort of thing?” she asked

“Those who believed themselves righteous people,” Michael said. “You have to realize the time period, the ignorance, the fear, and the righteous who believed they could save everyone from evil. Unfortunately, evil had yet to be justly defined.”

“Your grandfather was caught up in this madness?”

“He and countless others and even when rules were passed to ban the use of torture, it continued in secret. And while my grandfather left his homeland for many reason, the driving force had been the torture that had been inflicted on my grandmother.”

“Your grandmother? What happened?”

“It had been a harsh winter between weather and wars, leaving food scarce. My grandparents had taken their two small children to hunt for food when soldiers came upon my grandmother. She mentally warned my grandfather to get the children to safety and she would join them shortly. Unfortunately, the soldiers managed to subdue her, since she was so weak from not feeding. They beat her unconscious, so my grandfather heard nothing from her. And when her captives saw how quickly she healed, they hurriedly chained her and began the torture.”

Michael paused for a moment and Lara could almost feel how much the thought of what his grandmother had suffered upset him.

“If only my grandmother had fed, she would have been able to defeat them, but she made sure her children fed before she did, leaving her vulnerable when they attacked. But as soon as she regained presence of mind, she reached out to my grandfather.” Michael grinned. “You have to hear the pride and love in my grandmother’s voice and how it shines in her eyes when she tells this tale. She swears two of her captives died of fright when my grandfather burst into the room, his eyes glowing a fiery red and his fangs dripping with the blood of the men he took down to get to my grandmother. Needless to say, there wasn’t a man left standing, and my grandfather got her out of there and fed right away. As my grandmother proudly says time and again, you can always count on Valaine men to protect their women. And she’s right. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect the woman I love.”

Love me.

She hurriedly chased the thought away, not wanting him to hear it, not wanting him to know how she felt, but wanting to make love with him, but when didn’t she not want to?

She tugged at his hand. “There’s someplace else I’d rather be.”

“Where’s that?” he asked.

“On top of you.”

She was up in his arms and out the door in the blink of an eye.