Standing on tiptoe, she kissed his cheek. “What is it that troubles you so?” she whispered, her gaze searching his.
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her up against him. “Are you reading my mind now, Katy darlin’?”
“Not exactly, but I felt your distress. What’s bothering you, Zack?”
“I’ve never been afraid of anything before,” he said, his voice so low she could scarcely hear it. “But I’m afraid of losing you. Afraid of what it would do to me.” He lifted a lock of her hair, let it sift through his fingers. “I love you, Katy.”
“I know.” She cupped his face between her palms and kissed him lightly. “Don’t be afraid. In life or in death, I’ll always be with you.” She pressed his hand to her cheek. “Come to bed with me, Zack. Let me hold you until you fall asleep.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he muttered, but he didn’t resist when she tugged on his hand. Like a man in a trance, he followed her up the stairs and down the hall to her room.
He stood in the center of the floor while she closed and locked the door. Stood there, hardly daring to breathe, as she removed his shirt, unbuckled his belt, unfastened his trousers, then climbed up on the bed and slipped under the covers.
Expelling a deep breath, he heeled off his boots, pulled off his socks, stepped out of his trousers, and left them all in a heap on the floor.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked gruffly.
“Very sure,” she said.
Wearing only his briefs, he slid in beside her. “You know where this is likely to end, don’t you?”
“I hope so.” She wrapped her arms around him.
“What has you so worried? You don’t think Nadiya will come here, do you?”
“I don’t know. I’ve just got a bad feeling about this whole mess.”
“Are your premonitions usually right?”
“No. But I’ve never been this worried about anyone before.”
She was close, too close. He could feel the heat of her body warming his, smell her desire, hear the slow, steady beating of her heart. And overall, the scent of her blood calling to him.
He muttered an oath as his honor faded away, overcome by a yearning so primal there was no denying it any longer. He groaned her name as he captured her mouth with his.
And he was lost.
One sharp yank and her gown was on the floor on top of his trousers. He crushed her close, marveling at the velvet smoothness of her skin, the warmth of her br**sts against his chest. He rained kisses over her forehead, her cheeks, along the length of her neck, and then, unable to restrain himself, he closed his eyes and drank. It was the first time he had taken her blood without asking, but she didn’t protest, only moaned with pleasure when his fangs pierced her flesh.
When he lifted his head, she smiled up at him. “My turn?”
“Be my guest.”
She drank eagerly, careful not to take too much. Sighing with pleasure, she fell back on the bed.
“You look like the cat that ate the canary,” Zack observed.
She looked up at him and grinned. “Meow.”
He growled low in his throat.
“Oh, I’m scared now,” she said with mock terror.
“You should be.”
“Oh?” She propped herself up on one elbow, her fingers drawing figure eights on his chest. “Why is that?”
“Because everything about you tempts me.”
“What’s wrong with that?” She traced the ridges of his six-pack abs. “Aren’t you supposed to find me tempting?” She certainly found him tempting. “We’re getting married, after all. It would be awful if you didn’t want me.”
“Oh, I want you. The thing is, I don’t know how much longer I can keep my hands off you.”
“Then touch me, Zack. I don’t want to wait any longer. All I could think of when I was Nadiya’s prisoner was that I might die without ever having made love to you.”
“Dammit, Kaitlyn. I’m not made of steel.”
“Why are you fighting me?”
“For once in my life, I’m trying to do the right thing. Dammit, girl! Your father and mother are down the hall. . . .”
“I’ll be very quiet,” she whispered.
“Yeah? Well, I can’t make that promise.” Taking her in his arms, he kissed her until she gasped for breath. “When I take you the first time, I want to hear you screaming my name. And I want my ring on your finger.” He kissed the tip of her nose, then slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Now, go to sleep. It’s almost dawn.”
He closed his eyes as he felt the tightness in his skin that meant the sun was rising. Darkness engulfed him, stealing the strength from his limbs as he tumbled gratefully into oblivion.
Kaitlyn heaved a sigh of exasperation as Zack’s eyes closed and he surrendered to the dawn. Stubborn man! Even when she tried to seduce him, he refused to give in. How did he manage such self-control? She knew he wanted her.
Turning on her side, she studied his profile. Now that she had cooled off and she was thinking with her head instead of her hormones, she knew he was right. This wasn’t the time or the place. When they made love the first time, she wanted it to be in their own home, not under her father’s roof. Not with her parents just down the hall.
She would have suggested they go to the hotel in town, but she wasn’t foolish enough to go traipsing off into the night when Zack and her father had detected the presence of another vampire lurking nearby.
She rested her head on Zack’s shoulder, her fingers splayed over his chest, and prayed that the trouble with Nadiya would be over soon.
Chapter 37
Kaitlyn’s yearning for a quick end to the conflict between her father and Nadiya waned as her father prepared to go to the Fortress to meet Lucien. Her father was a strong man, never defeated in battle. But Nadiya and Lucien were not to be trusted. In a fair fight, Kaitlyn was certain her father would emerge victorious. But Nadiya had already proved she didn’t fight fair.
Her father spoke briefly to Zack, then strode toward her. He was, she thought, the personification of a warrior about to go to battle. If he was worried about the outcome, there was no trace of it in his bearing or his expression.
Kaitlyn blinked back her tears as her father embraced her. “Do not worry,” he said, smiling. “I will be back soon.”
She nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.