“Spectacular.” I press my lips to his. “I love the man and the monster, Ion. Never hide from me. You are both, and when we are in bed, I want all of you.”
“You are a courageous woman.” Wrapping a hand to my back, he pulls me close and buries his face in the crook of my neck. “You are the first human I’ve fed from in more than five hundred years.”
I love the sound of that. It makes me feel special.
My stomach chooses this very intimate moment to growl. I still have more than enough blood to fill my cheeks with heat.
Ion laughs. “I suppose that’s my cue to feed my mate.”
After a delicious dinner, we walk in the backyard. The sun is down, and the moon is nearly full. Hand in hand, we stroll along the wall, the cemetery on our left. “I thought I would be tired from you drinking my blood, but I’ve never felt better.”
“I was careful not to take too much, and my venom is energizing as well as stimulating under those circumstances.” He wraps his arm around my waist.
“Erotic is the word I would use.” I lean into his embrace.
He’s silent for a long moment. “I should have been gentler with you.”
“No. I wouldn’t change a second of our lovemaking.” Even thinking about it, my clit pulses and my pussy grows wet as if I’m starved for sex. I shiver.
“Let’s get you inside. You’re cold.” He steers us toward the back deck.
My dress is hopelessly wrinkled, and I’m disheveled from our deliciously rough sex, but Ion still slides his hand over my ass as we take the two steps.
Once inside, he walks toward the den, but I take his hand and lead him back to the bedroom. I untie my dress, pull the zipper myself, and stand naked in front of him. “You were not too rough. I am not injured in any way. I want you as much now as I did before dinner.”
Walking toward me, his pupils dilate as he strips out of his clothes. His cock pops free, and there is no doubt he’s aroused. An inch from me, he stares into my eyes.
I gasp as he lifts me as if I weigh nothing and carries me to the bed. As if I were made of fine porcelain, he eases me onto the middle of the mattress and lies beside me with his hand on my abdomen. “Did you know that vampires rarely mate for life?”
“But your granddaughters…” I intend to argue the point.
He shakes his head. “Their mates are both from species that mate for life. It is Sam and Max who created that bond.”
“Are you telling me that we have that kind of bond?” I shiver as he traces a path with his palm over my taut nipple to my chest.
“What do you think?” He runs his thumb along my collarbone and down the vein that crosses my heart space.
There’s no denying the tug of emotion I feel whenever I think of Ion. Looking at him brings me peace and joy in equal measure. “I wouldn’t want to face the rest of my life without you. There is some connection, but humans do not mate for life, Ion.”
Pressing his knee forward so my legs separate, he runs his fingers along my flesh, titillating me with every gentle touch.
I arch off the bed, and he slips his fingers between my folds. “So wet.” He teases my clit, and I rock against his hand. He licks the side of my neck. “Your blood sings to me. Your body calls tome. I’ve lived hundreds of lives, Lori, and I have never loved like this. Will you spend your life with me? Will you marry me?”
So close to an orgasm, I grab his hand to still his ministrations. I have to breathe for a moment and gather my wits. “Can you ask me again, when you're not making love to me?”
“Do you want me to stop?” He cocks his head.
Pushing him onto his back, I straddle his hips and roll mine so I’m riding the ridge of his cock. “No. Definitely not.” It takes me a moment to push aside how good this feels. “I want you to ask when I have my fully functioning brain, and so do you.”
His smile is wicked as he reaches up and teases my nipple. “You should take what you need, and we’ll save the talking for later.”
Rising on my knees, I notch his cock at my center and let gravity take over. A long cry falls from my lips as I ride him slowly. I rock so my clit rubs against him, then rise again and press down harder. I’m wild with the pleasure growing inside me. I love the cadence.
Ion grips my hips and holds me down. “Easy, my love.” Wrapping his arms around me, he rolls us until he’s on top with his weight on his elbows and his fingers in my hair. He rocks slowly, each move teasing my tight and sensitive clit. His cock stretches me, and I’m so full with each thrust that I could come at any second.
I tip my hips up and moan. “So close.”
Deep inside me, he stills. “Look at me, Lori.”
