Andre’s eyes smoldered. Never tearing his gaze from me, he shoved his jeans off of him. When he straightened, he still wore a pair of boxer briefs. This was as much as I’d ever seen of him, and all that is holy, it was a beautiful sight.
His hands dropped to his waistband, and he arched an eyebrow, a sly—and oddly vulnerable—grin gracing his lips. It was his last silent request for me to back out.
But I wouldn’t.
He slid the material down his legs and stepped out of them.
The next time he straightened, I caught my first glimpse of Andre completely naked. I shifted impatiently, my desire for him only increasing. Too bad for me I was a living mood ring when it came to this. My skin brightened at the sight.
His gaze caressed my body as he joined me on the bed.
Skin met skin, and my mouth parted as I felt all of him brushing against all of me for the first time. Ever so carefully he settled himself over me, keeping most of his weight off. We stared at each other.
“Love of my life,” Andre whispered, “I have waited centuries for this. For you.” He captured my mouth with his and pressed a hard, feverish kiss to my lips, his body moving against mine.
My back arched at the feel of him so close, and it ached to remove the last of the distance that lingered between us.
One of his hands slid up my bare thigh, the touch leaving me breathless. I’d seen Hollywood’s version of romance, I’d even made the unfortunate mistake to read about some overblown rendition of it once or twice, but never had I lived it.
It seemed forbidden, and tonight it was my reality. The thought had my head spinning.
I grabbed Andre’s wrist. “If … if the devil tries to stop us again, I want you to keep going.”
Andre’s passion-drunk gaze sharpened. His brow pressed together. “Soulmate, I can’t agree to that. Not if you get scared.” He smoothed back a strand of my hair.
“But if I hear him and I tell you to keep going, will you?”
Andre frowned but nodded—albeit, reluctantly. “Only if it is truly what you wish.”
I knew what he really meant: if he scented something that contradicted my words, he’d stop anyway.
He leaned in slowly, kissing me softly, and I moved against him, my body thrumming with excitement. Impatience. Nerves.
“You’re shaking,” Andre noted. His naked chest glided over mine, the warm light of the room casting his skin in golds. He pressed a kiss at the juncture of my jaw and my neck, “but not scared,” he breathed, scenting me.
“Can I tell you a secret?” he said, his lips trailing little kisses across my jaw before moving down.
“Mmhmm.” I bit back the Bedlam that was moving through my body, lest it bleed into my voice.
“I’m nervous too.”
That made me pause.
“Seven hundred years of yearning for something to fill the hollow inside me. And now she’s beneath me,” his eyes landed tenderly on me, “waiting for me to rock her world.” Andre smiled down at me.
I laughed, the sound echoing melodically as the siren joined in. She wasn’t nervous, but oh was she eager.
Our bond rang between my ears the closer we got. It lit my skin from the inside out until it felt as though I bathed in a pool of warmth. The sensation cast out the shadows that lingered in my soul.
“Protection?” I whispered.
“Soulmate, I can’t create children.”
I nodded, swallowing down something thick. Technically, neither could I. Why, on top of everything else, was that so sad? I pushed away the thought, refocusing my attention on the man in front of me.
Andre’s hips flexed, and he aligned himself with me. My heart beat like mad.
I could tell Andre watched for signs that the devil had joined our little party; he kept a close eye on my expression. I wanted to tell him that if anything, the devil’s absence unnerved me. He hadn’t made a sound.
The siren lingered just below the surface, not in control, but unwilling to miss out on what was about to happen. For once we’d drawn some sort of truce; she didn’t take over and I didn’t suppress her.
And here I thought I didn’t play well with others.
Andre kept his eyes on me as he gently slid inside. The bond between us—the one I could always feel—now … melded. The two of us were finally, finally together.
He stared down at me, his eyes wide with wonder. Something haunted left his features, and he smiled. “Centuries of wearisome existence. Eternal damnation. And because of you, soulmate, I regret none of it.”
We moved against each other until we’d banished every shadowy corner of our souls and every dark deed we’d ever done. Until there was just us—two people madly, hopelessly in love.
Chapter 17
Andre pulled me close, nuzzling my neck, and I just about died from happiness. His hair was mussed from my fingers, and a persistent little grin kept tugging the corners of his mouth.
“Soulmate, I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve come to the decision that you’re not to leave my arms again.”
I ran a hand through his hair, reveling in this new intimacy. “Oh, that’s real reasonable.”
His head dipped between my breasts, and his lips paid homage to the skin there. I could feel him beginning to get aroused anew.
My lips twitched. “Isn’t there supposed to be a recovery period for you dudes?” I asked.
He nipped at the flesh beneath his mouth, making my siren rise.
“You’ll find that vampires have extremely quick recovery periods.”
I moved one of my legs against him, and he trapped it between his.
“Lucky me.”
That sinful grin of his widened. “No, soulmate. Lucky me.”
I curled up next to him much later, and for a moment, just a moment, I felt pure and utter bliss. This was as close as I’d ever get to heaven.
He held me close, and things felt different. Deeper. More intimate.
Andre’s naked chest stilled beneath me. Whatever animated him during the evening fled as dawn broke along the horizon.
I pulled away from him and stared at his face. Princely. That was the kind of beauty he had. Strong jaw, high cheekbones, straight brows, sensual lips. In sleep his expression gentled.