“No light at night. No fire during the day. We’ll get it warm enough to sustain us through another day if Aleksi doesn’t come before then.”
Aleksi. Of course. That’s why he stopped her even though it was obvious he wanted her. When asleep, he might call Elena’s name, but awake, he was Aleksandra’s. Elena felt like someone was standing on her rib cage.
“How are you feeling? How is the blood lust?”
And that, too. He didn’t want her to bite him. “Inconsequential.”
“That’s too bad.” He opened the door to the stove, revealing a nice, bright fire and the fact that he was still sporting a huge erection. He closed the door and then slipped back into bed with her. His movements were stiff and his skin cold.
“Too bad?” she repeated, squeezing her eyes shut against the sting of tears. He hated vampires. Turning into one would repulse him. Why was losing the blood lust bad?
He grabbed her by the middle and pulled her against him under the thick blankets and fur. “Terrible. I was hoping to distract you again.”
What the hell? He was the most confusing person ever. He could touch her, but she couldn’t touch him? Wow. A jolt of thrill shot straight between her legs. Shit.
What was it about opportunities she had learned? Oh yeah. To take advantage of them.
“It would warm us up,” he whispered, gently nipping her earlobe. “By the time the fire heats this room, we will be throwing off covers.” He slipped his hand under her pajama shirt. “What do you think?”
She took in a deep breath and held it.
His warm hand slid over her rib cage and lightly skittered over a breast, causing her body to contract. “Oh yeah. You think it’s a great idea.” He trapped her nipple between his fingers and pinched just enough to set her on fire, then chuckled as a pitiful squeak erupted from her, despite her best efforts to contain it. “You think it’s the best idea in the world, but this time, I use only my mouth.”
Holy crap.
“Does that appeal?”
She squeaked again, and he laughed. Perhaps his goal was to drive her completely mad. All he had to do was talk and she was lost.
He moved his hand to her other breast and pinched the nipple, and she gasped. He put his lips to her ear. “Sorry. I had to be fair and not leave that one out. Hands-free from this point on, okay?”
She almost whimpered when he pulled away. The complete darkness made it so that she couldn’t really tell what he was doing, which added an element of surprise—like she needed any more surprises. The man was a living, breathing study in the unexpected.
He remained completely still, not touching her, which caused her to squirm. “Now, were it warm in here, Elena, I would go about this in a completely different manner. I would start and end the same way, though.”
She found herself breathing so hard she was sure she’d hyperventilate.
His deep voice felt like fingers on her body, tickling over her skin until she had to squirm. “Do you want me to tell you about it?” he asked.
God. He said he’d only use his mouth. Surely he didn’t mean by talking…though, at this point, she was so worked up, it might do the trick. “Yes.”
“Well, it would start by my kissing you until you begged me to—” She scooted closer, wedging up against him, and he backed away to where they weren’t touching. “No, no. My mouth only. Be still.”
This would kill her—all one hundred trillion cells in her body would kick off simultaneously if he didn’t touch her. She was sure of it.
“Now this first part, the kissing, I can do even with it cold in here.”
Thank God.
She felt him shift. She was pretty sure he was kneeling near her elbow, but the infuriating lack of light kept her uncertain, which increased her excitement even more. Her nipples tingled and her breasts ached with every breath—well, with every pant. She crossed her legs and clamped her thigh muscles tight to alleviate the building pressure.
“Please,” she whispered.
He made a tsking sound. “Oh, Elena. You’re doing this all out of order. First, I kiss you, and then you beg.”
“Then do it!”
He chuckled and the bed shifted again. She could feel his breath on her lips. And then his tongue—only his tongue as it swept over her lips like lipstick. Or crack. Dang. The guy was a drug. She needed him. More of him. She wove her fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth down hard to hers and he froze.
Shit. What now?
“What was our strategy, Elena?”
For someone who couldn’t catch her breath, her voice was plenty breathy. “Strategy?”
“I told you how this would happen. I would bring you pleasure using what?”
She was certain she’d die before his strategy ever came into play. She recrossed her legs with the other one on top and squeezed hard. “Your mouth.”
He took her hand in his. “And this is?”