“Thank you, Robert. I appreciate it, but can we . . .”
“Talk about something else. Right.”
“What did you do last night?” Obscene as it was, making chitchat made me feel grounded, sane. If we didn’t talk about Liz’s murder, it was almost as if it hadn’t happened. I wanted to hang on to my delusions for as long as I could.
“I worked, mainly.” Oddly, he wouldn’t meet my eyes. “What was his name, the vampire you were out with last night?”
“Jerome Bellamy. Jerry for short.”
“Oh, yes, I know him. Not well, but we’re friendly. I have one of his paintings. It’s a ghastly thing, so I keep it in a room I rarely use.”
“He mentioned that he knew you.”
“You spoke about me?” Robert was clearly pleased.
He traced his fingertips down my cheek, along my jawline, and then rested them on my collarbone. He pulled Jerry’s jacket off my shoulders and removed it, replacing it with a cashmere throw he’d taken from the bed.
“Yes, but I don’t really have a whole host of subjects Icantalk about with vampires,” I said dismissively. That wasn’t entirely true, but I wasn’t ready to give in to Robert just yet.
“I see.”
I pushed a few strands of hair away from his brow as I studied his perfect face, finding only affection in his eyes. Here was a vampire who’d shown me respect, kindness, and loyalty. He’d had my back when I’d needed him, and he’d never judged me. There was also the detail of him being the most gorgeous creature in existence.
So, what was I waiting for? Why was I so afraid?
I sighed. “If you want the truth, I’ll tell you, Robert. I talked about you to Jerry because I was missing you,” I confessed, twining my fingers around his. “I’ve tried denying the intensity of my feelings, but I no longer see the point. As I learned today, life can be extinguished at the blink of an eye. So, you know what? I might as well come clean. Since we’ve met, you’ve been on my mind almost constantly. And, yeah, that scares me, but there isn’t a man on earth—human or vampire—that I’d rather be with than you.”
There. I’d said it, loud and clear. No way to recant this one.
Robert opened his mouth and then closed it.
“Would you say something?” Had I misread the situation? If so, my heart just might stop from embarrassment. “Please.”
He didn’t use words to make his stance about what I’d said clear. Instead, he pulled me up from the bed, cupped the back of my skull, and pressed his mouth against mine. With a desperate moan, I threw off the cashmere throw, parted my lips, and explored his tongue.
“Are you certain you wish to do this now? It wouldn’t be gentlemanly of me to take advantage of your grief.”
I hushed him by pressing my mouth tenderly against his. “Yes,” I whispered, nibbling on his plump bottom lip. “I wish.”
I worked my lips down from his forehead, kissing his eyelids, then the hollow spot under his jaw. I nibbled lightly at his skin, teasing him into submission. He let out a coarse moan, pressing his hips against mine. I could detect his interest, his lust, and it was growing in his pants by the second. I rubbed a hand over the moistening bulge, biting my lip in rapture. He was ready to make love, and I was ready to be loved by him.
“I’ve never wanted anything more in my life,” I purred, pulling off his shirt.
Pillows flew every which way as he threw me down on the bed. Our bodies came crashing together in a frantic tangle, and we kissed like today was our last on earth. “I’ve wanted you from the first night we met,” he murmured. “It has nearly driven me mad!”
His strong, masculine hands eased under my rear and travelled up to the spot in the center of my shoulder blades where my zipper rested. With a flick of his wrist, I was freed from my dress, my bare breasts pressing against his cool flesh. And then my panties were gone, cheekily thrown over the shade of the nightstand lamp.
I bucked my hips against his, aching to feel him inside me. Never had I experienced desire so intense with anyone.This is what I’ve been missing, I thought.This is what all the fuss is about.This is where it’s at.
And here’s something else crazy: as I watched the two of us rolling around in the refection of the mirror, I felt an unexpected stab of jealousy. I wasjealous of myself, the lucky woman receiving pleasure from such an exquisite being, as if I was viewing a scene in a movie instead of my own image. I couldn’t believe this was my life, that this was happening tome.
Robert took my nipples into his mouth, drawing my flesh upward between his lips, sucking hard. Pain and pleasure simultaneously. My eyes rolled back into my head.
Abruptly, he pulled away, tracing his tongue from my cleavage to my navel, stopping at the blazing spot between my thighs. He parted me and deeply plunged in two fingers, working me from the inside out. Greedily, he lapped me up, and I thought I might die on the spot of sensory overload.
I made an animalistic moan, my muscles tightening around his thrusting digits. I gripped his hair, pushing him into me, too ecstatic to hassle with jealousy anymore.Yes, oh God, yes. Don’t you dare stop, you sexy, talented, amazing vampire. I’ll die if you do.
He eased his head back, teasing my clit with the tip of his tongue as he reached up and pinched my nipple. “You’re the best thing I’ve ever tasted, Oliva.”
