“Give me your throat.”
Tara tilted her head and closed her eyes as his fangs sank into the vein. The blood pulsated through her body, throbbing between her legs. His hand moved between her thighs and she moaned. He played with her as he fed, slipping long fingers into the swollen wetness at her core, withdrawing and gliding damp fingertips over her sex, rubbing over the tight little bud that threatened to explode with pleasure. She writhed against him, pushing against his hand, but he held her still with ease. Finally, he licked her neck and drew back.
His hand left her sex and he cupped her breasts and pushed her down so her back rested against the smooth, cool steel of the desk. He played with her nipples, which sent sparks shooting through her body. His hands gripped her knees and parted her thighs so she lay open to him. Lowering his head, he swiped his tongue across her sex and she jerked beneath him. He came up over her and filled her with one lunge of his hips.
“Is this what you want, little demon?”
She bucked under him, but he remained still until she thought she would explode with frustration.
Finally, he slowly withdrew then pushed hard into her, grinding his hips, and she threw back her head and screamed as her orgasm ripped through her.
“More?” he murmured in her ear.
Without waiting for an answer, he drove into her, each thrust sending her higher, and all she could do was hold on tight. Wrapping her legs around his waist, her hands gripped tight to his shoulders and she gave herself up to the savagery of his lovemaking. He cupped her bottom and his movements became even wilder until he slammed into her mercilessly.
She balanced at a strange point between pleasure and pain when his movements slowed. He gathered her in his arms, holding her tight and rocking her against his body as his cock slid into her then withdrew, only to return.
He went still and she opened her eyes to find him staring down at her, his expression fierce and gentle.
“Mine,” he whispered against her lips. He thrust once more and spilled them both over the edge.
…
For a moment, Christian thought Tara had passed out. Her eyes were closed, her long lashes fluttering against her creamy cheek. Her mouth was slightly parted and he could see her pink tongue and the whiteness of her small teeth. He carried her to the sofa and laid her on the soft leather.
She opened her eyes as he came down beside her. They were filled with wonder.
“I love you,” she said.
His mind ceased to function. Her hand came up to stroke his cheek, her touch so soft. He turned his head and kissed her palm.
“I don’t want you to worry that I’ll make a nuisance of myself,” she said. “I won’t, but I wanted you to know. If anything happens to either of us, I’d hate it if I hadn’t told you.”
“Nothing will happen,” he growled. “I won’t let anything happen.”
“It’s strange, but after Aunt Kathy died, I sort of swore I would never love anyone again, but it’s not that easy.”
She loved him.
He didn’t think that anyone in his whole long existence had ever really loved him. He’d been fond of his wife, but the marriage had been arranged, and love hadn’t come into it. Since he’d been changed, he’d had brief affairs but he’d never allowed them to be more than that. In the end, the humans he fed from and slept with were left without choice, puppets to his every command. How could love grow there?
Tara loved him. She wasn’t human. He couldn’t overcome Tara’s mind. He could never control her actions. If she came to him, it was of her own free will.
Love came at a price, as Tara already knew. His mind flashed back to her friend, Chloe. Saw again her tortured body and imagined Tara in her place. Pain ripped through him. He must have flinched because her eyes flashed to his face.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.” He vowed that he would keep her safe, protect her from those that meant her harm, whatever the cost. “Nothing,” he said again. He grinned. “You love me?”
She nodded.
He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her so she sprawled across his body. She wriggled and his cock stiffened between them. She rubbed her sweet little hips against him until he was rock hard, his balls aching for release. His hands on her ass, he positioned her until his cock slid inside her hot, slippery opening. He sighed as she settled on him. Accommodating to his size, she started to move, and he gave himself up to the pleasure.
Chapter Twenty-Four
She’d told him she loved him.
It was the first thought that entered Tara’s mind as she woke to the bright light of day. She was in a bed but had no memory of how she’d got there. Christian must have brought her after the last time they made love.