Page 11 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

“Alex…” I whispered.

He stroked my breast slowly. I pushed up, thrusting my breast into his palm. He rubbed my nipple with the rough pad of his thumb, and a new surge of pleasure shuddered through me. Only the sensation of his touch existed.

A surge of pleasure shot straight to my head. Pleasure dominated me.

Each sip brought me closer to another peak. I grabbed fistfuls of the bedsheet not to touch him.

The release caught me off guard with its strength.

I moved on instinct. I slid my arm down his neck to his back.

“Alex…”

He shot away from me as if a cannonball had hit him in the chest. Blood trickled from his mouth as he shivered so hard that his teeth chattered.

The shock and hurt on his face sobered me.

I perched on the edge of the bed as little spasms of pleasure rocked me. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

He stared at me with horror, and our bond strained painfully. He’d made progress, but rushing him would have the opposite of the desired effect.

“Please say something.” I winced as the wound on my neck ached.

All the pleasure was gone, leaving me sore and dizzy. Drops of blood stained my dressing gown. He’d been right about his fangs going deeply into my flesh. The wounds were deep, and my healing powers struggled to heal them quickly.

He licked his lips, cleaning the blood from them. “Lie down and stay still. Please.”

I did as told, my head spinning. He was shivering when he leant over me.

“I promise not to move.” I rested my head on the pillow.

He licked the wounds to heal them. I lay on the bed, spent and satiated but worried about how much he was shivering.

The lashes of his tongue and the brush of his lips were soft and gentle, even though tremors coursed through him.

When he finished, he stepped back from the bed, his shoulders stooping. “You should feel better.”

“Alex.” I tried to control the quiver in my voice, but the release and the scare of having hurt him had left me breathless. “I’m so sorry.”

His hair fell over his cheeks when he hung his head. “It’s not you. It’s me. It shouldn’t be like that between us. You should be able to touch me whenever you want. Hell, that’s my dream as well, but I’m turning it into a nightmare for both of us.”

“That’s not true. You’re making progress. Don’t be discouraged.”

He didn’t raise his gaze. “You’re very kind. Thank you.”

Thank you?

Alex had never been rude to me, but the demure tone and submissive expression didn’t belong to him.

“Why don’t we talk?” I sat upright and tapped the spot next to me.

He sat down, but he didn’t lose his defeated expression.

“You can’t give up now.” I hovered my hand over his, so that he would feel the warmth of my skin without me touching him.

“I’m not giving up, but I should have overcome this problem by now. My progress is so slow it makes a slug look impatient.”

“Patience is exactly the point. And I’ll wait for you for as long as it’s needed because you’re worthy of the wait.”