He flattened his hands on her shoulders and forced her to turn. Then he pressed, forcing her to stay. She peered up at him. Despite everything, she liked the sear of his palms, the tickle of his fingertips, and wanted them to dip, to explore.
“Any more questions? Or may I have my turn now? A turn you will give me.”
She definitely had another question. “Vampires feed on humans, right? And yet, once they’re married, they can only feed on their spouse. So what happens when two vampires marry?”
There was a sharp intake of his breath, a narrowing of his eyes. “So you know about vampire mating habits, do you?”
Oops. She hadn’t meant to alert him to that fact.
His gaze explored her face, searching for the answer she refused to give. He must have seen the truth, because he flicked his tongue over one of his fangs. “Vampire spouses only feed on each other.”
Now that he knew that she knew, there was no reason to hold back. “Then why don’t all vampires feed on other vampires and leave humans alone?” Uh-oh. Was her resentment showing?
His grip tightened. “Because feeding on each other will wed them, and most vampires do not wish to be wed. Ever.”
“Why?”
“Because eternity is a long time to be together.”
Eternity. A blessing and a curse, she supposed. A forever of pleasure, as well as pain. “You guys don’t die?”
“By natural causes? Rarely.”
“Then isn’t your underground word getting crowded?”
“No. It’s difficult for vampires to procreate. More than that, I was a good exterminator.”
Ava imagined a vampire kid running around her place and wasn’t completely repulsed. Interesting. Usually she hated kids. They were too … needy. And messy. And clingy. No way did she want to be responsible for the way someone else turned out, blamed for their failures and mistakes. But a little McKell with black hair and violet eyes … was a shockingly sweet image.
“You’ve had my blood,” she said, head tilting to the side as she tried to work a few things out. “And if I was to have yours, we’d be married?”
He gave a stiff nod. “If you’re thinking about drinking from me without permission, be warned that I will remove your teeth with pliers and seal your mouth shut, so that you never have the opportunity to—”
“Let me stop you there.” Ava reached up and closed his mouth for him. “I won’t be drinking from you. Ever.”
At first, he gave no reaction. Then he wrapped his finger around her wrist and squeezed, a fire suddenly smoldering in his eyes. “My blood tastes delicious.”
“Don’t care. Your blood could be liquid gold, and I wouldn’t want it. I’m not getting married. Not to you, not to anyone.” Drunk or sober, she was confident in that.
“But I’m a prize.”
“So am I.”
“Yes, but I’m a vampire.”
“Like that helps your case,” she said dryly. “Vampires suck.”
“I know.” He released her and stepped back, increasing the distance between them, the fire sparking white-hot. “Would you want to wed a human?”
“By definition, not marrying anyone means I wouldn’t marry anyone, no matter their origins.”
“So you wish to remain alone?”
Hadn’t she just said that? “Yes.”
Now the fire spread to his cheeks, painting twin pink circles there. “We’ll see about that. And now, little human, it’s my turn to fall. You had better catch me, or I will punish you.” He spun, giving her his back.
“McKell, I can’t—”
Down … down … he tumbled, ignoring her protest. She reached out, to catch him or slap him, she wasn’t sure. But she never made contact. One second she was standing up, floundering, the next she was flat on her back and McKell was looming over her, pinning her and grinning wickedly.
“You didn’t catch me,” he said. “I get to punish you.”
Her mind reeled at the change, but her body didn’t care about the impossibility, simply reacting. Nipples beading, back arching, legs spreading. “You stopped time and moved me, didn’t you?”
“Prove it,” he said, and then kissed her.
Thirteen
Ava meant to fight him. Perhaps knee him in the balls, slug him, even stab him again. Only, he was feeding her kiss after delicious kiss, hello and good-bye wrapped in one drugging interlude, his tongue thrusting into her mouth, as warm and strong as his hands and far more insistent, and her resistance melted. Had she ever really possessed any?
She wound her arms around him, one hand sinking into his silky hair, the other cupping the back of his neck, holding him hostage, taking, giving. Demanding more. He was so big, so heavy, he should have crushed her, did crush her, but she found she didn’t need air. She just needed him. His weight, his heat, his breath.
He’d reduced her to a live wire. A wire that couldn’t spark without contact. Her legs spread farther, and his lower body moved, resting between them, poised. The thick length of his shaft pressed against her core, teasing. He didn’t move again, though. Didn’t rub, even a little, creating friction, such delicious friction, and that was probably for the best.
Probably? Ha! But she was as grateful as she was disappointed and confused. Had he rubbed against her, she would have been tugging at his clothes, demanding fuller contact, desperate for climax. He had to know that. So why wasn’t he moving? Why was he maintaining such a lingering pace?
Did he not plan to take this to the next level? Did he simply wish to put her in her place? Remind her that he was in control, that she was merely a human who craved a man out of her league? That she was good for food, and nothing more? Earlier, his concern had been for her blood, not her passion.
The spark dulled. Chilled. Left her cold. She pulled from the kiss. “Don’t do that again,” she rasped.
“What?” He kissed his way to her neck.
Despite herself, she angled her head for better contact. She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to kiss her there or bite her. All she knew was that, if he did bite her, she would have to kill him. Sad but true. She couldn’t allow him to break his word without consequences—even if she would enjoy the breaking.
“Ava. Answer.”
Oh, yeah. He’d asked a question. What did she not want him to do? “Stop time and … position me.”
“But you like how I positioned you.” He licked.