Page 62

Chapter 17

He was going to consume her, and Toni intended to let him. Every touch inflamed her further. His hands at the base of her neck anchored her and pulled her toward him. His mouth pressed to hers, hard and demanding, a demand she’d gladly give in to.

It wasn’t enough.

Toni tugged at his shirt, and taking her cue, Lawrence lifted it from his head.

Laughing, he used two fingers to close her jaw, which literally hung open. She knew he was in good shape from running and constant workouts, but those abs . . .

“What’s fair is fair,” he said, lifting her shirt from her body in one fluid pull. The sound he made as he reached behind her to unclasp her bra made her impatient. When her bra dropped to the ground, he pulled her to him, and her nipples peaked against his chest as he splayed his hands across the small of her back.

“I’ve waited for this . . .” He nuzzled her neck, kissing a trail to her ear. Was he going to bite her again?

Tilting her head to the side, she whispered, “Go ahead.” Closing her eyes, Toni waited, but he didn’t bite her. Instead, his tongue flicked out, teasing her ear and sending an unexpected jolt of pleasure down to her core. Lawrence Derrickson was like a walking sex god . . . not that she had any prior experience with such a thing.

She hadn’t realized he’d dropped his fangs until she felt the slightest pressure against her neck, the unmistakable sensation of fangs pressing against her. She felt her sex clenching even though he’d barely touched her.

“Not tonight,” he whispered into her ear. “You will remember every detail of this tomorrow.”

Fear mingled with excitement gave way to pure, unadulterated pleasure as he continued to tease her. Despite the knowledge that he wasn’t going to bite her tonight, the thought of him there . . . so close . . .

With a final flick of the tongue against her earlobe, Lawrence pulled back, watching her. Her eyes dropped down to his chest and then back up to find him still staring.

“What is it?”

“You,” he said simply, reverently. He opened his mouth, but when she realized what he intended, Toni said, “No. Leave them.”

His sharp intake of breath made her second-guess herself.

“That is . . . unless you will be too tempted with them down—”

“I’m long past bloodlust, Toni. I’ve been able to control myself for many, many years.”

“Oh.”

She swallowed, shivering under his gaze. She couldn’t take it any longer.

“Just kiss me already.”

“Oh, I’m going to do more than that.”

He made good on his promise. Their mouths melded together, tongues tangling, as Lawrence reached down to unzip her skirt at the back. Toni didn’t waste any time returning the favor. When she felt herself being lifted from the floor, she instinctively wrapped her legs around him. The ease with which he carried her only made her want him more.

They never broke contact, even as he carried her toward the stairs, until, halfway up, she grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled him even closer. With a low growl that made him sound every bit a vampire, Lawrence lowered her onto the stairs. She gripped a spindle on the railing with one hand and the edge of the carpeted stair with the other.

Because she had a feeling they weren’t going to make it to the bedroom.

She was right.

Lawrence was beneath her, his mouth open wide enough to show his fangs, weapons that should have given her at least some measure of discomfort. But they didn’t.

She looked down and swallowed again.

The word predator came to mind.

“If you want me to use protection—”

“No.” She already knew from Alessandra vampires could not carry diseases. They also could only impregnate a human during a full moon . . . something to do with the Balance.