“One of these days I’ll catch on to that,” she said with a wider grin.
“Give it time,sezari. We’ve got plenty of it.” He held his hand out, urging her to come to him.
There was a bit more spunk in her movements when she hopped down to the floor and sauntered toward him. He couldn’t help it, just looking at her made him smile. Though she’d been the most beautiful human he’d ever glimpsed, as an angel she was blindingly radiant. Her blue eyes were now lit from behind, proof her soul was safely ensconced in Heaven with his. Though there was no way to predict what Lucifer would do, ultimately, she should now be off his radar. Not that Eclipse would ever lower his guard when it came to her safety, but he could breathe a bit easier now that the target was no longer on her back.
He pulled her into him, his hands sliding beneath the soft sweater she wore, one of the many theheurosphad purchased while thelintamairhad been underway. Now, Orianna’s side of the closet was as full as his, their lives officially merged upon this Earth, where they would reside until their mission was over.
“I want you naked,” he whispered, tugging the sweater upward.
She allowed him to undress her as they made their way to the bathroom. By the time they reached the tub, he’d discarded her clothes along with his and easily lifted her into his arms and carried her down into the tub. He kept her in his lap as they settled into the warm water, the ends of her hair darkening as they got wet.
“I love you,sezari.” He’d made sure to tell her as much, in exactly those words, because he hadn’t realized how much she had wanted to hear them. From time to time, he spoke in his language because it felt a bit more intimate, but he continued to use her English words, as well.
Orianna pulled back and met his eyes. “My heart belongs to you and you alone because you are my heart.”
Those words in his native tongue … Eclipse hadn’t expected to hear her say them, so it caught him completely off guard. He jerked her toward him and sealed their lips as emotion churned in his chest. That had been the case since the night he’d taken her life, and it didn’t seem to be letting up. With every passing minute, he found himself connecting with her more and more. He figured one day he’d be as much one with her as they were during their most intimate moments.
Speaking of intimate moments…
Eclipse growled softly, then dragged his lips along her jaw. “Take me inside you,sezari.”
Her eager moans drifted to his ears as she reached between them, taking him firmly in hand and guiding him into the warm haven of her body. More groans, from both of them, as exquisite pleasure blanketed their private moment.
As she took him deep within her, Eclipse cupped her head, pulling her mouth to his neck. He wanted to be inside her in all ways, to provide her sustenance while she gifted him with pleasure. He heard her soft hiss, felt the sharp tips of her fangs, then was obliterated by sheer ecstasy. There was no way to accurately describe the sensations that flooded him when she took his vein.
Eclipse slid his arm around her waist, holding her tight to him as his cock swelled deep inside her. She shifted just the slightest bit, and he went off like a rocket, a dark rumble tearing up through his throat as the orgasm shattered him. That was only the beginning. For the duration of her feeding, Eclipse continued to ride that wave again and again, crashing several more times. Good thing they weren’t restricted to only one orgasm.
By the time she sealed the punctures on his neck, Eclipse was desperate to move, to drive deep inside her. It would’ve made sense to switch, to feed from her, but he couldn’t contain himself. As soon as she pulled back, he lifted her, his hands curling around her thighs as he rose out of the water. Settling her on the tiled ledge, he bent his knees and began driving into her, hard, fast. Oh, so fucking deep. Absolute heaven.
“Sezari…” He couldn’t stop; the need to mark her was greater than anything he’d ever felt before.
“Come for me,” she pleaded, her legs tightening around his hips as she braced her arms on the edge of the tub. Her breasts bounced with every brutal thrust of his hips, and he’d never seen anything more beautiful.
Eclipse gritted his teeth, his fingertips digging into the soft flesh of her hips as he slammed in once, twice. On the third stroke, he exploded deep within her, a rumbling howl escaping him as he did.
And just like that, every ounce of his energy dissipated. He had enough to pull her with him back into the water, but that was it. When he flopped onto the contoured seat and she giggled, he found himself laughing. He loved her sweet giggle. Then again, he loved every single thing about her.
“Find it amusing, do you?” he teased, repositioning her so he could easily slip inside her once more. “How about I return the favor.”
And he did.
Quite a few times, in fact.
Chapter Fifty
They finished off December without a hitch.
In fact, things had settled enough, they’d made it through a baby shower for Penelope on the first day of the new year. Orianna had made the suggestion, not thinking about the difficulties of shopping for baby things when Fed Ex and UPS didn’t know you existed. Good thing they had theheurosp. The immortal humans had gone out during the day and picked up everything they’d all requested, including the huge feast they’d indulged in afterward.
And yet, twenty weeks into Penelope’s pregnancy and still no baby. All was good, though, and for that they were grateful.
Though not confined to bed rest, Penelope didn’t do a lot of moving around. Most nights, after the evening meal, she would get settled in the sunroom. There was always someone with her, watching television or talking. Miklós had even set up an Xbox and was attempting to teach Penelope the benefits of first-person shooter games. Whatever that was.
Orianna divided her time between keeping Penelope company, hanging out with Zeus and Aphrodite, and watchingFriendswith her mother. Turned out, she was quite a fan of the show. For the past couple of weeks, Amethyst—or Dr. A as they’d started calling her—had started building a rapport with Elizabeth. Enough that Dr. A had noted all of the medications she was on and was working to eliminate what she could while developing a pain management plan. It was still early in the process, but Orianna held out hope that they’d eventually get a handle on the addiction, perhaps even give her mother some semblance of normal.
Now, as she wandered through the front hallway toward the sunroom to check on Penelope, Orianna was expecting a quiet night since most of the males were out patrolling the streets of Telluride and Darkness, the others having returned to their searches for the otheramsouelotswhile still maintaining a steady search for Asmia. No one was giving up on the female, and personally, Orianna prayed every day that she would come home safe and sound.
Tonight, Eclipse was out with Reidar and Kaj, Miklós and Søren manning the war room below, and there were three pints of mint chip waiting for her, Penelope, and Bijou in the freezer. Quiet, peaceful night in. Just what the doctor ordered.
