Embrace the Night

Page 148



which he dropped off at Sara's apartment before returning to the theater.

When the performance was over, he applauded as loudly as everyone else, and then made his way out of the theater, lingering in the shadows, his revenant senses testing the air for any sign of Nina, but he perceived no threat.

Blending into the shadows, he waited to make sure that Maurice saw Sara safely home.

The drive home was uncomfortably silent. Inside the carriage, Maurice sat across from Sara, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression impassive.

Sara kept her gaze lowered, but she could feel Maurice's steady regard, feel the tension that hummed between them. Several times, she started to speak, to tell him their engagement was a mistake, that it was over, but she couldn't summon the nerve, couldn't find the words to say what was in her heart.

When they reached her door, Maurice bid her a curt good night.

She watched him climb into the carriage, and then, with a sigh, she closed the door.

She knew Gabriel was waiting for her before she turned around. In a heartbeat, she reached for him, her mouth searching hungrily for his.

She felt him hesitate, and then his arms were locked around her waist and he was holding her close, letting her feel the need pulsing through him. He kissed her deeply, his tongue teasing hers. His hands slid up her back, unfastening her gown, delving through layers of cloth to find the warm satin of her skin.

Sara moaned softly as Gabriel's hands skimmed her flesh, bringing all her senses to life. She pressed herself against him, her fingers playing over his arms and shoulders. She drew off his cloak, his shirt, wanting to see him, to touch him. His skin was cool to her touch, his body like something sculpted from marble, hard and beautifully formed.

Excitement bubbled up inside her as he carried her to bed. Lowering her gently to the mattress, he began to undress her, his mouth gliding over her lips, the curve of her neck, the hollow of her shoulder, until she was writhing beneath him, wanting more, wanting it all.

She moaned softly as he drew away to remove his boots, his trousers. For a moment, he stood beside the bed, a dark silhouette against the blackness of the room. She could feel the tightly leashed power that emanated from him. The fact that he was no ordinary man was both frightening and seductive.

And then he was on the bed beside her, enfolding her in arms like steel, pressing her down into the mattress, his voice murmuring her name, and she forgot everything but the wonder of his touch, the magic of his voice, the need that shimmered in the depth of his eyes.

"I love you, cara mia," he whispered, his voice low and husky. "Now and for always."
"Yes," she gasped. "Oh, yes."

With a cry, he buried himself within her warmth, and there was no more loneliness, no more darkness.

And as his body merged with hers, she felt herself become a part of him. For a few brief moments, her mind linked to his and she felt the terrible loneliness that had plagued him for three long centuries. For the