Page 35 of Isabelle’s Forbidden Love

“Isabelle, don’t make me wait any longer,” he begged and realized that his words sounded like the growl of a beast unable to keep its power leashed any longer.

She pulled his face closer, and he tilted his head to the side, offering her his neck. She licked over his carotid artery, and the warmth of her tongue sent a tingling through his entire body. He could already feel the approach of his orgasm, and knew there was no way to stop it now.

The sharp tips of her fangs finally pierced his skin and sank deep into him. When she drew on the vein to drink his blood, his cock spasmed, and he climaxed harder than ever.

“I l—” He stopped himself just in time from finishing the sentence.

He’d almost told her that he loved her. And though it was the truth, and had been the truth ever since he’d met her, he couldn’t confess his love to her. It wasn’t right. He didn’t want to burden her with it. Because once she knew that he loved her, she wouldn’t be able to think objectively. All her actions would be tainted by it, and she would feel obligated, maybe even trapped. Because feelings like love could trap a person, make them do things that weren’t right, all under the guise of love.

Just like he’d killed for love.

19

Orlando’s blood permeated every cell of Isabelle’s body, sending waves of pleasure through her that made every previous orgasm insignificant. Like aftershocks of an earthquake, her entire body vibrated again and again, until she finally withdrew her fangs from her lover’s neck and licked over the incisions, healing them instantly.

When she turned her face back to him, Orlando gazed at her with eyes that shimmered golden, eyes filled with affection and satisfaction. She’d felt him climax a moment after she’d sunk her fangs into him, but he hadn’t stopped moving inside her. Even now, his cock still hard, he rocked back and forth, prolonging both their pleasure.

Isabelle had no words for how she felt. She’d bitten human men during sex before, but never a vampire.

When Orlando finally withdrew from her and rolled off her, he pulled her to him, so she could lay her head on his chest and drape one leg over his upper thighs. He put his arm around her back, and drew her closer, while he caressed her thigh softly, a gesture that felt as if he was unaware of what he was doing.

For a few moments, they both remained silent. It gave Isabelle time to contemplate Orlando’s confession. He’d had a blood-bonded mate, and he’d lost her. She understood what this meant. For however long they’d been blood-bonded, Orlando would have been able to only drink his human mate’s blood. All other blood would have made him ill. Only after her death, his body would have changed, so that once again, he would be able to drink any blood. Had his mate simply left him, but remained alive, Orlando would have starved to death.

Knowing how much her parents loved each other, and that one would die of a broken heart if the other died, she could only imagine what the last decades had been like for him. He’d claimed it was his fault that Margarite was dead, and she could only assume Orlando blamed himself for failing to protect Margarite. Any blood-bonded vampire would blame himself if anything happened to his mate because he’d been unable to protect her.

Was that why he hadn’t dated women and instead sought the solace of wordless, nameless prostitutes to find physical pleasure? But she didn’t want to force him to have this conversation with her now. She understood that a private man like Orlando needed to decide for himself when it was time to open up. She was surprised that he’d even confessed that he’d lost his blood-bonded mate.

So much made sense now. He had been a different man once. One who’d loved deeply. A tender one. She felt that now. And while she loved his wild and rough side, the tender side he’d shown her when they’d made love moments earlier confirmed that he was everything she wanted in a man. In a lover. In a partner.

She let out a contented sigh and snuggled closer to Orlando’s warm body.

“I asked you something last night, but you never gave me an answer.”

She lifted her head. “What did you ask me?”

“Why you’re with me. I shouldn’t even be on your short-list of men to sleep with.”

Isabelle smiled to herself. “It’s a very short short-list. There’s only one name on it. Yours.”

“Why? And I’m not fishing for compliments.” He paused for a second, before he added, “Though I have to say, I’m pretty decent in bed.”

She turned her head so she could look at him, while suppressing a giggle. “Oh my God, the taciturn Orlando has a sense of humor! Who would have thought?” And she liked him even more for that. “And you’re not decent in bed.”

A growl rolled over Orlando’s lips.

“You’re out-of-this-world, headboard-banging, chandelier-swinging amazing in bed,” she corrected him.

“Oh.” He gripped her thigh more tightly and pressed his half-erect cock against it.

It appeared that compliments made Orlando speechless. She would have to remember that for when she needed him to shut up.

“As to your question…” She inhaled slowly. “I don’t know whether you know, but I was abducted when I was twenty. It was a case of mistaken identity.”

“I’ve heard others at Scanguards mention it. But I didn’t want to ask… I’m sure it was a horrifying experience.”

“It was. When the kidnapper realized that he had the wrong woman, he used me as a bargaining chip. I knew that my father would move heaven and earth to rescue me, and that everybody at Scanguards would help, but that didn’t minimize the fear I experienced.” She swallowed hard. Even now, almost fourteen years later, she could still remember the details of her time in captivity.

When she felt Orlando stroke softly over her hair, she continued, “The kidnapper didn’t hurt me physically. He was a vampire. When he realized who my father was, he knew that he would be a hunted man for the rest of his days if he laid a hand on me. Still, fear doesn’t follow a rational path. I was scared even after my rescue. But I didn’t tell my parents, nor anybody else. I told them I was fine. But I wasn’t fine. I realized that just by who my father is and what he does, I’ll always be in danger in one way or another. It doesn’t matter that I underwent the bodyguard training at Scanguards, or that I’m always vigilant. It doesn’t matter that the odds of getting kidnapped twice are minimal. The fear will always be with me.”