chapter 22
Quinn stroked his fingers over her cheek. He’d watched her as she’d stood in front of his door, clearly torn whether to enter or not. It told him everything he needed to know. Rose wanted a second chance. As did he.
He’d been angry with her only hours earlier when he’d found Keegan’s message and discovered her deception. But the longer he thought about it the more he understood why she’d hidden that fact from him. He hadn’t behaved like the man she knew back then. He’d coerced her into sleeping with him as payment for his services, and this display of power had given her the wrong impression. She’d had to assume that he had changed, so how could she trust that he would do the right thing and not try to steal the data from her to use it for his own purposes? He had given her no reason to trust him.
It would change now. He would set his pride aside, forget the last two hundred years and woo her again, just as he’d done in the ballrooms of London. Only this time his wooing would include passionate lovemaking of a more intense kind than he’d been allowed back then, when she’d been an innocent.
“I’m so sorry for the things I said to you,” he murmured.
“Quinn, I—”
He slid a finger over her lips. “Shh, my love. Hear me out. Whatever happened between us, I want us to forget about it. I want a fresh start. A clean slate. I know I’ve been acting like an ass. I was angry and hurt. But I’m also grateful, grateful that you’re alive. And that’s the only thing that counts. For whatever reason, I’ve got you back, and I’m not going to let this chance pass me by. Rose, please forgive me for whatever I’ve done. Just let me love you again.”
Seconds of silence passed.
“I’ve never stopped loving you,” she replied, her voice heavy with unshed tears. “But the things I’ve done . . .”
Her eyelids dropped to half-mast.
Sliding his fingers under her chin, he made her look at him. Was she alluding to the fact that she ran brothels? In his eyes she’d done an honorable thing by protecting those women even if others wouldn’t see it that way.
“I love you no matter what.”
Rose was still pure. To him she was still the young woman he’d left behind to go to war.
Reaching past her, he opened the door to his room and nudged her inside, following her closely. Once inside, he locked the door, making sure nobody could simply walk in and interrupt them.
Rose’s gaze snapped to the lock, then back to him; a second later it landed on the bed.
Quinn followed her gaze before looking back at her. “I’m not going to force you to do anything this time. Whatever happens here will be because we both want it. You can walk away anytime, you can say no to anything.”
“ . . . or I can say yes to anything.”
The suggestive look she graced him with shot through his body like a bullet. It was how he remembered her: playful and receptive.
“Will I have to wait much longer for a kiss, or would it be too forward for a lady to steal one?”
Her coquettish smile melted his heart.
“I would never make a lady wait.” No sooner had the words left his lips, than he pulled her into his arms. “But I always make a lady come.”
Crushing his mouth to hers, he unleashed the passion he’d kept bottled up for two centuries.
With one arm around her waist, he pulled her into the hard planes of his body, as he buried the other hand in her golden tresses, angling her head for a closer connection. Her lips were inviting, her tongue tantalizing him with gentle strokes, urging him to delve deeper into her delicious mouth.
The soft press of her breasts against his chest shot a thrill through his groin, the knowledge that she was here out of her own free will and not because he was forcing her, only intensifying the feeling. Rose wanted him. Everything she did attested to it: her hands that caressed his nape, making him shiver, her pelvis grinding against him, letting him sense her heat, her fangs that had lowered fractionally and now presented an altogether different temptation.
Unable to resist, he stroked his tongue over the tip of one of her fangs, making her jolt instantly. The unexpected movement made her fang pierce his tongue, just deep enough to draw blood, which seeped from it instantly.
Rose yanked her head back, interrupting their kiss, a horrified expression on her face.
“Oh, God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
Despite the apologetic words, her eyes were transfixed on his mouth, her nostrils flaring in the process.
Pulling her back to him, he parted his lips, letting her see the drops of blood he could taste on his tongue. “I’m not. Sorry, that is.”
His lips hovered over hers as he allowed her to inhale the scent of his blood. Too soon, the tiny wound would heal by itself, shutting off the flow of blood, but before that happened, he wanted one thing from her.
“Taste me.”
Her eyes widened, interest and horror colliding within them in a battle of equally matched opponents. It was unclear which side would win. But Quinn had never been one to play by the rules when it came to women. He knew how to press his advantage, how to turn the tables in his favor.
Sliding his hand down to the round curves of her backside, he gently urged her closer to him, wanting to make her aware of the effect she had on him.
“Do you feel that, Rose? Just the thought of you tasting my blood makes me harder than granite.”
Her next intake of breath brought with it a moan that reverberated deep inside his chest. A moment later, her lips were on him, her tongue forging ahead, swiping over his to collect the blood that was waiting there for her. When she swallowed, his heart beat into his throat, waiting anxiously for her reaction.
All of a sudden, her heart beat against his in an excited rhythm, as deep and melodic as a drum, yet as rapid as a jackhammer.
“Quinn,” she whimpered, releasing his mouth for a split-second.
Had he not been so busy recapturing her lips, he would have smiled. Knowing that she loved his taste, that she’d taken a small drop of his blood gave him hope: they would work things out between them, remove whatever obstacles remained. This time, they would make it work.
His need for her spiraling, he let his hands wander over her body. As he palmed one breast through the fabric of her top, her sounds of pleasure vibrated against his lips, making them tingle pleasantly.
He growled, impatient now to touch her naked skin. As if she knew what he wanted, she dropped her hands to the seam of her shirt, pulling it upwards.
“No, please,” he whispered. “Let me do that.”
He couldn’t think of a greater joy than to unwrap her, to lay her bare like a present on Christmas Day.
Obediently, she let go of her shirt, placing her hands on his chest. Her nimble fingers instantly went to the buttons of his shirt, popping one after the other open.
“Tit for tat,” she said.
Chuckling, he tugged at her top, pulling it up and making her interrupt her own activity as he pulled it over her head. While he tossed it on the floor, his eyes were already drinking in what he’d laid bare. Her lace bra was practically see-through, leaving nothing to his imagination.
In awe he lowered his head, bringing his lips to the nipple he could clearly see through the wafer-thin fabric. Snaking out his tongue, he lapped over it, tasting the rosebud. Yes, this was what he’d missed all his life: a taste of Rose.
Rose’s hands working his buttons instantly stilled and instead gripped the lapels of his shirt as if holding on for dear life.
Continuing his sensual assault on her nipple, his hands went for the bra straps, sliding them quickly over her shoulders, allowing him to push the fabric away from her breasts. When his lips and tongue met her flesh, he sucked greedily, the nipple in his mouth having long ago turned hard.
Not wanting to neglect her other breast, Quinn switched sides, licking and sucking the other nipple in the same way while kneading her flesh with his hand. The aroma of her skin intensified, filling his nostrils with the sweet smell of aroused woman. Her skin tasted of rose pedals, engulfing him in an English garden filled with hundreds of rose bushes.
Knowing there were more places on her body he needed to taste, he continued to undress her, his hands making quick work of the button and zipper of her pants, then shoving them over her hips. Pulling them down her legs, he dropped farther down, leaving her breasts, and instead bringing his head to the apex of her thighs. As she stepped out of her pants, having discarded her high heeled sandals moments earlier, he steadied her with his hands on the back of her thighs.
Rose swayed for an instant, but he pulled her toward him, pressing his face into her center, where her panties hid her sex. As delicate as the wings of a butterfly, the fabric clung to her, hiding his view, yet her scent escaped.
At the next intake of breath, he filled his lungs with her delectable aroma, feeling how it did things to him no other woman had ever managed: his heart softened, the walls around it cracking for the first time in two centuries.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders. “Stop.”
He raised his head to look at her, surprised at her command. Had she changed her mind? When he met her look, he noticed her smile.
“I want you naked too.”
Quinn rose, his fingers jerking the last button of his shirt open in the process, then shrugging the garment off his shoulders.
“Better,” she approved, then she motioned to his jeans. “Now your pants.”
Stepping out of his shoes, he brought his hands to the button of his jeans, opening them, then fingered for the zipper. Her hand slid over his, taking the task from him. Deliberately, slowly, she lowered the zipper while she stroked alongside it with the palm of her other hand, caressing the hard ridge that curved against his groin.
Quinn let a hiss escape his mouth. “F*ck, Rose, do that again, and this’ll be over before it began.”
She clicked her tongue, then smoothed her hand over him again. “And here I thought you were the experienced playboy who had more stamina than anybody.”
He slowly shook his head while he clamped his jaw shut, fighting the onslaught of emotions that her tender hand unleashed on him.
“With you, I’m only a green boy. It’s like the first time again.”
She pulled his pants to mid-thigh, then brought her hand back to him, sliding it into his boxers. When she captured him in her palm, his heart stopped beating. It was like the first time again, just as magical and new.
“Is that why you’re already weeping for me?” She rubbed her finger over the head of his cock, spreading the bead of moisture that had seeped from his slit.
“Yes.” He closed his eyes, allowing himself to enjoy her touch to the fullest. “That’s why pulling out didn’t work back then.”
She lifted her head. As their gazes connected, he saw a sad smile on her lips.
“Let’s not talk of the past.”
With his hand stroking her jaw, he pulled her closer, nodding. “Let’s live in the present,” he agreed, and sank his lips onto hers.
Her hand squeezed him in agreement, and her lips yielded to his touch.
Within seconds, he’d rid himself of his pants. Rose took care of his boxers. When her bra and panties finally joined his clothes on the floor, he drew her back into his embrace, their bodies sizzling wherever they touched.
Lifting her into his arms, he carried her to the bed and laid her on it as if placing a precious item on a surface to be displayed. He ran his eyes over her, letting the moment sink in.
“You’re beautiful.”
Her eyelashes fluttered; her lips were parted and moist from his kiss. “That’s what I always thought of you.”
The way her eyes admired him, hungrily scanning his body, made him even harder than he already was. If she continued doing this, he would burst without another touch from her.
Quinn lowered himself onto the bed, joining her, his body sliding over hers. Her arms came around him instantly, her legs widening to accommodate him. As if they’d done this a hundred times, they fit together perfectly.
His hard length settled in between her spread legs, nudging against her moist center, but he held back, not wanting to rush this perfect moment. They had all day. The sun had come up and most everybody in the house was asleep or at least had withdrawn to their respective rooms. For several hours, there was nothing he needed to do other than to take care of Rose, to show her how beautiful life could be.
To love her.
Rose ground against him, her pelvis tilting, asking for his invasion.
Gently, he brushed a strand of her long hair from her cheek. “Patience, my love. We have all the time in the world.”
“But I want you now.” She looked up at him, impatience and longing in her eyes, suddenly looking the same way she had looked on their wedding night.
Quinn felt a soft smile play around his lips. “You already have me.”
His words couldn’t have been truer. His heart belonged to her. It had been that way since he’d first fallen in love with her. It was no different now. Or maybe it was: his love was more intense now, the hold she had on his heart stronger.
Grinding against her, he slid his cock over her sex, pressing down, searching for her most sensitive point. He knew that he’d found it when she moaned softly.
“Right there, huh, Rose?” he asked.
She choked out a single word. “Yes.”
Quinn raised his hips, adjusted his angle, then drove into her inviting cave, drenching himself in the warm wetness of it. The tightness was intoxicating, robbing him of his ability to breathe.
A relieved sigh was her answer. But no sooner had the sigh died on her lips, than he pulled back out and slid his erection over her *. Now moist with her juices, it was a perfect slide of flesh on flesh. The rubbing motion spread the scent of aroused woman in the room, making him feel drunk with it, if vampires could feel anything akin to that state. He was aware only of Rose and her sensual movements, of her irregular breaths that escalated to pants, of her moans and sighs that echoed in the room.
Sinking his lips onto her neck, he kissed the graceful column of it. A sheen of perspiration had built on her skin, the taste and scent of it more delicious than anything he’d ever known. He blew against her perspiring skin, eliciting a shiver from her.
His body responded in kind, a shudder racing down his spine, shooting into his cock. His balls tingled, pulling up tightly, his shaft filling with more blood, stretching him to capacity.
“Can’t wait any longer,” he pressed out a split second before he plunged into her.
The action shoved her inches higher toward the headboard, her back arching, her head pressing harder into the pillow. She thrust her breasts out, the hard nipples begging to be sucked. So ripe, ready to be harvested. Quinn’s fangs elongated at the sight.
Pulling back from her tight sheath, he thrust back inside, with each slide reaching deeper. Their bodies danced with each other in perfect rhythm. Rose’s legs wrapped around his hips, driving him harder into her. Imprisoned between her strong thighs, he felt complete.
With every thrust, Quinn felt the pressure build in his balls and knew that he was getting close to his breaking point. But he pushed back the need for release, not wanting this to end. At the same time, his fangs itched, urging him to demand another kind of release, to fill another kind of need.
His gaze slid back to her neck. The vein underneath her skin throbbed, the steady rhythm calling to him like a beacon leading him home. Slowly, he dropped his head back to her neck, slowing his strokes. Peeling back his lips, he allowed his fangs to graze her delicate skin. The contact sent a bolt through his body, nearly electrocuting him. He jerked his head back, looking at her.
“Rose, I want . . . I want . . . I need your blood.”
Rose’s half closed eyes shot open.
He wanted to bite her? At Quinn’s words, an unfamiliar sensation went through her. Despite the disgust she’d always felt at the idea of anybody ever biting her again, the two-hundred-year-old memory of her violent turning still fresh in her mind, something inside her wanted to surrender.
As she stared at his extended fangs, her heart beat a little faster, but it wasn’t out of fear, because in concert with her heart, her * throbbed. Almost uncontrollably. So violently in fact, that she knew she was about to come. It was impossible that the idea of Quinn wanting to bite her would have such an impact on her. If anything, it should repel her, make her push him off her, toss him out of bed.
Yet all she could do was continue respond to the rhythm of his hips as his cock plunged into her without pausing.
What would it be like if he bit her, if he drank her blood? Would it be the same pain she’d gone through once before? Would she fight him?
Her hand trembled when she reached for his face and extended a finger toward his mouth. Quinn stopped his movements, went entirely still, his erection remaining lodged deep inside her. He opened his mouth wider, allowing her better access.
Cautiously, she touched one fang with the pad of her index finger.
Quinn’s eyes squeezed shut, a moan issuing from his throat. “Oh, God!”
When he opened his eyes an instant later, the golden shimmer had faded into a dark red, the sign that he was all vampire now, controlled by his animal instincts.
The sight should have made her pull back, but instead it filled her with excitement. She had done that to him by touching his fang.
Stroking over his elongated canine once more, she took in the smooth texture of his tooth, the sharpness of its tip. Such a deadly instrument. Was it true what he’d said to her at the party? That his bite could deliver pleasure?
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
He closed his eyes, clearly trying to get himself under control. “I won’t do it if you say no.”
Even though she recognized the sincerity in his voice, she sensed his disappointment. It made her own heart ache with emptiness. As if she’d lost something all over again.
Determined not to push him away, she pressed the fleshy part of her finger against his fang, allowing it to pierce her skin.
Quinn’s eyes flew open, his nostrils flaring as he took in the scent of her blood.
“Rose, you don’t have to . . .”
She pulled her finger from him, then smeared the drops of blood that dripped from it over the vein on her neck. Breathing heavily, excitement colliding with the remnants of her fear, she locked eyes with him.
“I want to give you everything you need.”
Lust and love poured from his eyes in equal measures.
“I’ll be gentle.”
She nodded, bracing herself for the pain. If this was what he wanted, she would give it to him. She couldn’t disappoint him.
First his lips brushed over her neck, then his tongue licked the blood off her skin. She heard him inhale as he swallowed.
“Oh, Rose, I’ve never tasted anything better in my life.”
The words drove tears into her eyes, and she had difficulty holding them back. She stiffened when his fangs scraped against her skin.
“I love you,” he murmured, then his fangs pressed deeper, piercing her skin, driving into her flesh.
At first, it felt like somebody had pricked her finger with a toothpick. There was no pain. Relief flooded her instantly. He hadn’t lied to her. This was not the brutal bite with which she had been brought into the world of vampires, this was a gentle kiss, a loving caress.
As her body relaxed in his embrace, she suddenly felt the pull on her vein. Bolts of energy raced through her body, shooting through her veins like hot lava, making her body burn from the inside. But this was no angry, destroying fire; this was life-giving, passionate, and consuming.
“Yes,” she whispered, pulling him closer.
She felt how Quinn resumed plunging his cock in and out of her, his movements measured, with every withdrawal making her yearn for him, with every thrust back inside, rubbing over her *. His bite was a passionate kiss just like he’d promised earlier, but he’d neglected to mention just where she would feel that kiss. His fangs in her neck made her feel as if he were licking her * with his tongue while his cock was filling her. Anatomically impossible, yet the sensation was the same. Nothing had ever felt this way.
Why had she been so afraid of this for so long?
As she let herself fall in his arms, allowing his caresses to sweep her away on a cloud of utter bliss, she knew that she would never be able to live without him. Now that she understood what he could make her body feel, the sensations he could awaken in her, she could never turn back.
When his thrusts became faster, she felt him pull his fangs from her neck and lick over the tiny incisions. Then he looked at her, perspiration running down his chest in little rivulets.
“I can’t even tell you what this means to me . . . Rose, I don’t know how to ever thank you for this gift.”
She felt tears threaten to overwhelm her, but forced them back. She’d never carried her emotions this close to the surface.
“I know a way you can thank me. Make me come.”
He let out a groan. “Oh, Rose, I don’t deserve you.”
Then he sank his lips onto hers. She could taste her own blood on his tongue, but it didn’t disgust her. Not anymore.
Quinn’s body moved with hers, his hips grinding, withdrawing, then slamming back against her, his cock never ceasing its relentless rhythm. He filled her with his hardness, reaching deep into her, touching places that released sensations she’d scarcely known she was capable of feeling.
Tilting her pelvis, she responded to his movements, finding the right angle at which each of Quinn’s thrusts sent a tantalizing, tingling sensation through her *, hurtling her toward the inevitable. As their bodies moved in a rhythm as old as time, she felt him tense in her arms.
“Now, Rose, now!”
As he flooded her channel with his seed, she felt the approach of her own orgasm. Like a wave far out in the ocean, it built and built until it reached the shore line and broke on the beach, tearing down anything in its path.
Rose sensed Quinn’s spasms coincide with her own. His heavy panting echoed hers.
She’d never felt so connected to anybody. Not even their wedding night had been like this. The bite had made her feel a deeper connection to him, even though she had not been the one to do the biting. Would it be even more intense if she bit him? The thought jolted her. Yet, she couldn’t deny that it excited her at the same time.
Quinn nuzzled his face against the crook of her neck as his body stilled and he slowly pulled out of her. Rolling off her, he drew her back into his arms, pressing her against his heated body.
“This was amazing,” he said.
“Better than anything.”
He pressed a kiss on her temple. “Rose?”
She turned her face to look at him, alerted. Would he press her for information about her past now? “Yes?”
“Did you love Keegan?”
Relieved, she let out a breath, then dropped her lids. “Can a vampire love?”
His finger under her chin urged her to look at him. She noticed how he shook his head.
“You loved our daughter. There is love, even for a vampire. You can love, just as you loved as a human.”
Feeling her eyes moisten, she nodded quickly. “I loved her, yes. But that’s different. She was my flesh and blood. But another man . . . I never loved anybody.”
“You said you loved me, or was that only in the throes of passion?” His voice remained light as if he already knew the answer to his question.
Yes, she had said that, hadn’t she? And she meant it.
Rose lost herself in the golden hue of his eyes, unable to say a word.
“So you do love me.”
She could only nod before the tears started streaming down her face. If only things were that easy. If only she could tell him everything, then this would have been the happiest moment in her life.
“Don’t cry, my love. Because I love you too. And we’ve been given a new chance.”
His lips slanted over her mouth, quieting the sobs that tore from her chest. But his kiss could not quiet the guilt that spread in her for continuing to deceive him and accept the love she didn’t deserve.