At my touch, he growled low in the back of his throat, the power of it vibrating through my mouth, against my tongue and I lost it. Not that I had much of “it” to lose.
One of my hands pushed under his arm, wrapping around his back. The other one curled around his neck and up, gliding into his thick, soft hair.
He rolled into me, slanting his head further, deepening the kiss, his hand at my back sliding over my bottom, cupping me, pressing in. Our tongues tangled and he tasted beautiful. I’d never tasted anyone (especially in the morning) that amazing.
I liked it. I craved it. I wanted more and I took it. I took it like I needed it, like my life had a limit and if I didn’t get as much of it as I could, I’d quit breathing the next instant.
He felt my urgency and rolled me fully to my back, his weight pinning me, his h*ps grinding into mine so I could feel his arousal. My body answered with another luscious belly drop and rush of warmth at my core. My hand clenched in his hair and I didn’t care if it hurt. I was going to hold him to me for as long as it took me to get my fill of that mind-blowing kiss.
Suddenly his mouth tore from mine. His head went up and cocked slightly to the side.
I did not like this.
I held his hair clenched in my fist, my body squirming under his to resurrect our contact, my breath coming in fast pants.
“We’ve company,” he murmured, his eyes dark and unfocused, a strange look of annoyance on his features.
“What?” I breathed.
He looked down at me and when he did his face gentled.
“Company,” he repeated and I didn’t process this. I couldn’t. My concentration was entirely centered on his mouth, his eyes, his face, his body, his hardness, his heat and the intense, altogether too pleasant feeling between my legs.
His face dipped closer and my mind and body rejoiced.
But he didn’t kiss me (alas).
Instead, his hand came to cup my jaw and he muttered, “I can’t tell you how much it pleases me that you need no instruction on how to kiss me like I like it.”
This pleased me too. Intensely. Considering I hated him with every fiber of my being this also confused me. Just as intensely. And, considering I hated him with a depth that was scary, this also pissed me off, at myself. Even more intensely.
Before I could come to terms with any of this, his mouth brushed mine then he whispered, “I’ll be back.”
In a flash, he was out of bed. He hesitated at its side, looking down at me.
I blinked, still not used to how quickly he could move not to mention the sight of his chest.
I watched his face grow hard and he ordered, “Don’t move.”
Then he was out the door.
I lay in bed wondering what in the hell just happened.
My body didn’t wonder. It knew what happened. It liked what happened. It wanted more of what happened.
“Oh my God,” I breathed aloud.
I was deranged.
I liked being kissed by a vampire. Worse! I liked being kissed by Lucien, the Big, Bad, Jerky, Controlling Vampire.
I’d lost my mind.
Then it hit me that I had company.
How could I have company? No one knew where I lived. Even I wasn’t certain where I lived considering a driver picked me up at the airport and brought me here. I was too busy lamenting my sucky life to pay attention to where we were going.
Ignoring his order not to move, I threw back the covers and stood. This caused me to feel a wave of dizziness. Clearly, I hadn’t fully recovered from his onslaught at The Bloodletting.
I let my head adjust and then I hurried to the bathroom. Grabbing my short, creamy-colored flannel robe off the hook on the back of the door, I shrugged it on and rushed out of the room. Tying the belt as I went, I ran as fast as my legs would carry me without passing out and doing myself bodily harm.
I flew around the landing. As I was descending the last flight of stairs, right in front of me at the door, I saw Lucien’s powerfully muscled back in his pajama bottoms. I also saw he was holding himself rigid, why, I didn’t know. Probably anger or frustration.
I also saw he was facing my aunties Kate, Millicent and Nadia, all of whom were standing just inside the door.
Hallelujah!
Before I was all the way to the bottom and opened my mouth to speak, Lucien’s torso twisted so he was facing me. I caught the look on his face and realized it wasn’t anger or frustration.
It was fury.
I didn’t get to greet my family. Lucien spoke first.
“What did I tell you?” he demanded, his voice so harsh it was a whiplash.
“Sorry?” I asked, stopping two steps from the bottom in an effort at self-preservation. I hoped distance would help me avoid the almost physical lash of his tongue.
“What did I tell you?” he repeated, turning slowly to me.
My eyes flickered to my aunties who were looking pale and concerned, their own gazes moving between Lucien and me.
“Get back upstairs,” Lucien went on when I didn’t reply.
I looked back to him and said, what I thought was logically, “But, my aunts are –”
I didn’t finish.
I found myself over his shoulder and in the bedroom where he tossed me on the bed. This happened so fast the only thing I could feel was the wind created by his movement.
I bounced on the bed once, twice, staring up at him.
Then I said in a furious whisper, “You did not just –”
Lucien interrupted me. “Don’t move.”
Rage engulfed me, I got to my feet, standing on the bed and shouted, “Don’t you dare tell me –”
He cut me off again, this time using mind control.
Lie down, Leah.
I fought it. Well, my mind did. This lasted about three seconds.
Humiliatingly quickly, I lay down on the bed.
Get comfortable, he ordered and I did as I was told as best as I could when I was struggling against my mind which was in his stranglehold.
Don’t make a noise and don’t f**king move, he finished and, without further ado, he left.
I lay on the bed motionless but comfortable as the minutes passed. There were a goodly number of them before he returned. I had no idea where my aunties were or why they were even here. I had no idea what was going on.
The only thing I knew was that I hated him now more than ever.
He sat on the side of the bed. My eyes watched him do this and I screamed my hatred at him in my head as he tugged me across the bed and into his lap.
I didn’t struggle. I didn’t because I couldn’t move.
His eyes locked on mine. “You must learn to mind me.”
Go to hell! My mind shouted.