Part 7 (1/2)

”I like the way you think,” he said with that dark, vaguely evil chuckle.

I found myself reconsidering the wisdom of getting naked and vulnerable with someone who, under different circ.u.mstances, considered me food. ”Uhm,” I started.

Then all the air rushed out my lungs as he tossed me onto the couch. I caught my breath in a little gasp. I braced myself for what I thought would come next. I a.s.sumed he'd throw himself on top of me and the ripping off of clothes would commence.

Instead, Sebastian stared. He stood at the foot of the couch, looming really, hungrily taking in the sight of me struggling to catch my breath and regain my composure. Sebastian cut quite an imposing figure. I'm not sure I'd registered just how big he really was. Somehow, without his s.h.i.+rt, he managed to appear taller and broader. Maybe he looked so strong because white-hot sun pooled in the hollow of his collarbone. Blazing strips lay along the line of his taut stomach muscles and continued down the sharp angle of his hip. Meanwhile, he smiled at me, showing fangs.

The whole look in his eyes was very predatory... very metahuman... very masterful. All I wanted to do was blush and squirm under his intense scrutiny, like some helpless harem slave, but the part of me that had merged with Lilith would not allow it.

I pulled my s.h.i.+rt off. Slowly. Teasingly. As if to say,You want something to look at, boy? Here I am .

The cold air and his gaze sweeping across my skin teased my nipples into stiff peaks. While Sebastian continued to stand there, I stroked my thumbs across the tips, giving myself a hot spike of pleasure between my legs.

His eyes registered a hint of surprise, but the expression on his face seemed to me to be one of cool amus.e.m.e.nt, as if my exhibition were some kind of pleasant distraction. It didn't help matters that, standing as he was, Sebastian looked down his aquiline nose at me, dark black hair framing strong, aristocratic features.

I ran my hands along the swell of my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, down along the soft curves of stomach and hips. Hooking my thumbs in the elastic of my sweatpants, I lowered them just enough to expose a little more skin.

Sebastian grabbed the cuffs of the pants and gave them a good yank. I stopped what I was doing long enough to help wriggle my legs free. Now I was naked, and he still had on his pajamas. A situation that would soon need correcting, in my opinion, but at least he'd become an active partner once more.

Sebastian caught my ankle and bent to kiss my foot tenderly. His lips tickled the skin of my sole and, involuntarily, my foot jerked. He held it firmly, and purposefully, deliberately spread my legs.

I felt a little like a doll being moved into place, so I attempted to show my disapproval by givingSebastian a playful nudge with my free foot. Before my toe even touched his stomach, he caught my ankle. Meanwhile, he'd begun to work his way up my inner thigh with his tongue. Each kiss caressed my skin lovingly. His breath tickled warmly and sent a s.h.i.+ver of pleasure up the length of my leg.

His progress was maddeningly slow. I twisted and squirmed just like I swore I wouldn't do earlier. I was, in fact, this close to begging him to speed things along, and I had to bite my lip to keep from uttering any words I might regret later like,Oh, master, please .

Attempting to sit up, I made a grab with the intention of dragging his head up to the part of me that was burning for his attention. Expertly, he lifted my legs into the air, over his shoulders, so my back flopped hard against the rough upholstery of the couch. I would have felt defeated except that his mouth found its way exactly to where I most needed it. His long hair tickled the inside of my thighs as his tongue and teeth slid hard against me.

The section of my mind that was able to form coherent thoughts kept worrying about those extra-pointy canines being so close to my tenderest parts. The sharp tip of tooth shot an intense wave of pain/pleasure deep into my core.

”Oh, Sebastian, no.” I'd meant to say something a bit wore comprehensible like,Actually, what you're doing is great; just don't draw blood, okay ? but apparently that kind of complex sentence structure was beyond my current abilities.

Unfortunately, he took me literally. He stopped what he was doing entirely. I tried not to sob, but a whimper escaped my throat anyway. His golden eyes watched me over the mound of my belly as if to ask,no, what ?

I didn't want to say, because I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted at this point; I just wanted him closer, a lot closer. So my hands clutched his hair, and I pulled him closer for a kiss. As he crawled upward, I could feel his body slide on top of mine, strong, solid, and very, very hard. That made me smile. Dead guys could be tricky in that department. Parrish had always been able to perform, but he hadn't been dead nearly as long as Sebastian.

What I wasn't expecting was the heat. The warmth from Sebastian's body enveloped me, and the spot where my flesh met his pajama bottoms fairly burned.

Great G.o.ddess, he still had his pants on.

My hands moved to quickly remove the obstacle, but the feel of hipbone and smooth, firm b.u.t.tock distracted me. As my hands moved, so did my own hips, arching up to grind against him. At that he let out a frustrated growl. With a jerk, I undid the string on his pajamas.

”Is there something you want?” I teased him.

His answer involved pulling down his pants and reaching down to guide himself into me.

Despite evidence to the contrary, I still braced myself for the shock of the cold, dead flesh. When his heat filled me, I gasped in surprise. I kissed him full on the mouth, lest he misinterpret my noises.

We began rocking together, slow at first. Sebastian grew more urgent with each thrust, and I responded in kind. I clutched at him, pulling him deeper into me. I wanted more, harder, faster. The smile he flashed me at that moment, especially with the fangs showing, made me feel at his mercy. The pounding tempo heset didn't help matters.

My back pressed deeper and deeper into the couch with each thrust. He held himself on his arms, over me, grinning wickedly.

Who dares?

My fingernails dug deep into the flesh of his back, but Sebastian barely flinched. I bucked wildly beneath him, but I was completely pinned.

Not for long.

And then suddenly we were on the floor wedged between the couch and the coffee table. He was on his back, and I straddled him. Somehow, our bodies were still entwined. A nasty set of scratch marks marred his cheek. Oh, and I held his wrists.

”I take it you want to be on top.” He flashed a weak smile to try to cover the obvious pain in his voice.

Lilith.

I let his hands go by way of apology and sat up so that I knelt over him. Moving slowly, I worked at rekindling the pa.s.sion. It didn't take long for Sebastian to figure out the advantages of this position. His hands covered my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, pulling and teasing at already taut nipples. In no time, we had the rhythm back.

I lost myself in the motion of our bodies. I could feel myself getting closer, then, without warning, he pulled me down into a tight embrace. His teeth sank into my shoulder. It was a deep, hard, full-mouthed bite.

Blood wasn't the only thing that came out in a rush.

The pleasure didn't stop there. Sebastian kept moving inside me, while he sucked and licked at my shoulder. His need added desperation to each thrust, driving harder and harder. When Sebastian was finally satisfied, I'd been there done that a half-dozen times. He released me, and I rolled limp and panting onto the floor.

”You suck,” I mumbled into the short nap of the Persian rug. My shoulder throbbed painfully where it lay under the weight of my body. I briefly worried about bloodstains on what was clearly an expensive weave, and then Igiggled at my sudden fastidiousness.

Sebastian pulled one of the blankets from the couch and wrapped it around me tenderly. Then he got up and left. I heard the door to the kitchen swing open and shut. Just like that.

I'd have felt wounded at being thus discarded if I had any energy to feel anything other than just plain wounded. I might even have gone after him and told him a thing or two about how to treat lovers if any part of my body were still under my command. As it was, I felt about as st.u.r.dy as Jell-O.

”You really, really suck,” I told the rug, my brain incapable of coming up with anything more vehement to say about Sebastian's insensitivity.

However, I had to retract my sentiment when he returned with breakfast. He helped me sit up and all butheld the gla.s.s of orange juice for me to drink.

”It helps with the blood loss,” he said matter-of-factly.

I leaned my back against the couch. The plate, still hot from the microwave, rested in my lap. The heat felt good. So good, in fact, I wanted to just curl up in a fetal position around the warmth of it. That was when I realized how cold I was. ”How much did you take?”

”Too much, probably,” he said, embarra.s.sed. My blood flushed his cheeks a bright red.

”I look good on you,” I told him, tracing the blush with a clumsy fingertip.

His gaze dropped to the plate. He picked up the bacon as though to offer it to me. ”You should eat something. Or take a nap.”

”Meat is murder,” I said teasingly, pus.h.i.+ng away the bacon. Then I started giggling again a bit hysterically. I mean, it just seemed so pathetic. I wouldn't eat something already dead, and yet he didn't hesitate to have me for breakfast.

Sebastian failed to find the humor. Or he was sincerely worried about my sanity, I couldn't tell which.