He had no idea just how true I hoped those words were.
Before I could dwell on that, he was moving down my body. Gabriel enjoyed breast play, spending plenty of time on each mound, until they were pink and sensitive. As he nipped, caressed and stroked my nipples, he knew I wanted more. Turnabout was fair play, and he wanted me to cave again, to beg for what I wanted.
“Please, don’t torture me,” I moaned, writhing beneath him.
For a split second, I feared he would torment me, returning to the man who’d thrown me up against the door and demanded my submission, showing me exactly what he’d suffered and then some. Then his mouth surrounded my right nipple, and I wrapped my hands around his blond head, urging him on. He sucked, bit gently, and soothed the sting with his tongue. As he did so, he used his free hand to attend the other side, causing me to gasp and quake, until I was bucking against him.
He chuckled, released my breast, and began a descent I enjoyed all too much. I sighed as his tongue laved my navel, spent time on the scars along my stomach, and became tense in anticipation as he parted my thighs and began to settle between them. Although my panties were thin cotton and not lace, he had no problem tearing them apart with a violent tug. With my eyes closed tightly, I braced myself for the heavenly feel of his tongue, knowing nothing else compared.
Strangely, there was only one cool lap against my flesh, one solid touch of his tongue from bottom to top, when he froze. I opened my eyes, confused and achy for more, and met a livid stare I was totally unprepared for. He was off the bed in a flash, staring at me as though I were a total stranger, his glorious blue eyes flashing a bright shade of teal.
“What the fuck have you done, Rhiannon? Or should say, who the fuck have you done?”
Oh God. Oh shit.
“I warned you we needed to talk. I need you to understand.” Struggling for words, I mumbled like a moron. “It’s not what you think.”
“It’s not?” He paced across from me, breathing hard. “Then why do I taste the blood of another within you?” He stopped as he faced me. The hatred in his eyes caused me to die a little on the inside. “Don’t bother lying to me. The scent of the claiming from another vampire is impossible to mask.”
“Please, listen to me. I need you to—”
“Don’t you dare add trust to that sentence, not if you know what’s good for you. I did trust you, remember? I listened to every word you had to say, including your declarations of love. Two weeks without you, and I’m behaving like a *-whipped virgin, ready to bare my soul, only to discover you are not the woman I thought you were.”
I sat upright, covering my breasts with my arm. “That’s not fair. You haven’t heard me out.”
He was on top of me in an instant, snaring my hands above my head, keeping me trapped. “I heard Sienna out. I listened to her weak excuses and pleas because I wasn’t strong enough to see past the face I loved to the traitor she had become. I almost destroyed my family.”
“I am not Sienna.” It was impossible to keep my own anger in check.
“No, you’re not. At least Sienna was faithful.”
“That’s not fair,” I repeated, “and you know it!” I used all my strength, trying to fight my way free, and realized without the pendant I was a sitting duck.