It was like a dream, hazy and unreal, sensuous and erotic. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Corinne felt weak, unable to move, yet she didn’t want to, cradling his head to her, her hands in his wealth of hair, giving herself up to his hot, seeking mouth. She closed her eyes, the illusion of being made love to so real she could almost feel him touching her intimately. His voice was in her head, and somehow she
felt
his desire, the hunger in him, his intense pleasure. She never wanted him to stop. Her fingers slipped from his hair and her hands fell limply to her sides.
At once Dayan lifted his head, breaking the connection between them. Curiously, she felt warm liquid running from her neck along the creamy swell of her breast. She didn’t lift her heavy lashes to examine the cause, not wanting to break the magical spell of heat and desire. He lowered his mouth to pursue the liquid trail so that her entire body responded, clenching with pleasure. Corinne smiled that he could make her feel so much without any real effort.
“I left my mark on you.” It was a black-velvet whisper that moved through her body with the same heat as her blood. “I could not help myself.” He nibbled and teased the corner of her mouth until she obediently opened for him. There was a faint coppery taste as his tongue swept inside, claiming her for his own. Before she could give it any thought, he had taken possession of her soul, her body, so that she was no longer a thinking woman, but a living flame of need and hunger.
His hand came up to cup the weight of her breast, his thumb caressing her nipple through the thin material of her blouse. Flames raced through her bloodstream. His mouth left hers, his teeth nibbling her chin, down the side of her neck and along her vulnerable throat so that she arced closer to him. A soft moan escaped her as his mouth nudged the edge of her blouse.
“We have to stop,” she said softly, not convincing either of them.
Her heart was laboring far too hard. That, more than anything else, caused Dayan to gain total control of the demon battling for supremacy. He wanted so much to claim her for his own, to bind her to him. He wanted to secure her life by exchanging blood, not simply tasting the essence of what would be his. He needed her, but more importantly, she needed him. “You are right, honey,” he said with deep regret. “Follow my breathing pattern to allow your heart to rest.”
She was relaxed in his arms, her eyes closed, her body on fire, yet she felt as if she couldn’t move to save her life. She was inexplicably tired, drained. “I need to get things from my house. Medicine. Important things. If we really can’t go back for a while, we’ll need clothes.”
“Make a list,” he suggested again. He was moving through the night, his arms cradling her effortlessly, his strides long and easy. He was silent as he carried her toward the small house he shared with Cullen. Every now and then he bent his head to brush the top of her silky head with a kiss.
“I can’t make a list, Dayan, you know that. Some things are private. Lisa might let me get her things, but she would never let you go through her personal drawers.”
“Then I will buy clothes for you. And makeup, and whatever else you think is necessary.” There was no impatience in his voice, rather a mild male amusement as if mundane things like clothes and makeup were of no consequence to him.
Corinne struggled to open her eyes to pin him with a smoldering gaze. “I do not need you to buy me clothes. At least I’m willing to take you with me when I go back to the house. Think of it as a concession.”
He paused for a moment, studying her delicate features. “You do not really want to return to the house.” He made it a statement. His voice was a soft lure.
She made a supreme effort and caught at the nape of his neck. “You can stop with the voice, Dayan, because I
am
going. It’s important. If you want to come with me, you may, but you aren’t going to use your voice to persuade me otherwise. In any case, I know you’ll protect me.”
“You sound very stern,” he commented with great admiration. “I am certain I am very impressed.” He couldn’t stop the warmth her words produced. She did trust him whether she knew it or not.
“Kissing you is enough to make a woman weak, Dayan,” she said, exasperated with herself. “It’s bad enough to lie here like a sixteenth century heroine without you teasing me about how I sound.”
He kissed her forehead again. “You do sound impressive. It was a compliment.”
They had arrived at the house, and without conscious thought, Corinne waved her hand to open the door. He laughed softly in her ear. “Now that was very impressive. I do not think you do that in front of many people. You are becoming very comfortable in my presence.”
“Well, don’t flatter yourself. It isn’t you at all. It’s your voice. I like to hear you talk even if you spout a lot of nonsense and macho male rhetoric.”
He bent his head and found her mouth with his, easily, unerringly, as if it were the most natural, necessary thing in the world. And he made time stop for that brief moment. “It
is
me,” he said complacently as he carried her through the door. “And I
never
spout macho male rhetoric.”
Lisa and Cullen sprang hastily apart as they entered. They glanced at one another with small, guilty grins, Lisa’s beautiful face crimson. She looked alarmed to see Corinne lying so limply in Dayan’s arms. “Is she all right?” she asked quickly.
“Absolutely,” Dayan assured her. “I would never allow anything to harm her.” He was looking directly into Lisa’s eyes, and, as always, she subsided. “Corinne insists the two of you need clothes and makeup from your house.”
Lisa nodded solemnly. “I was just telling Cullen I will need quite a few things. We should go there tonight before those men come back.”
“I do not think it is safe, Lisa,” Dayan replied gently, still holding her gaze captive. “I think you should stay here with Cullen while I go and retrieve whatever you need.”
“With me,” Corinne roused herself enough to say. “You can give the list to me, Lisa.” She pushed at the wealth of hair tumbling around her face. “I’m going too, so whatever you need, I can get for you.”
“Is it safe?” Cullen asked anxiously, looking at Dayan.
“Of course it is not safe,” Dayan answered, his words a clear reprimand. “I am certain the house is being watched. Going there is a sure form of lunacy. And we should be on the road already. It is imperative we meet the healers as soon as possible. It is the only way to ensure that Corinne’s heart becomes strong again.”
“What healer?” Lisa asked, a note of fear in her voice. “I don’t want Corinne anywhere near a quack. I mean it, Dayan. She’s had enough crazy people in her life to last us both a lifetime.”
Dayan’s eyes remained steady on Lisa’s face. “She did not bring those people into her life, Lisa,” he said quietly.
At once Lisa’s eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Corinne shoved at Dayan’s chest hard, furious all at once. “Of
course
you didn’t mean anything, Lisa, no one thought you did. What do you want us to do, honey? Tell me and we’ll do it.”
Dayan was as gentle as ever, his expression never changing as he continued to look directly into Lisa’s eyes. “I am sorry to cause you pain, Lisa. You love Corinne. I know that. I will be happy to get anything from the house that you need, and I guarantee that no quack ever touches Corinne. We are becoming friends, beginning to trust one another.” His voice was utterly beautiful, a soft melody of words, the cadence pure and perfectly pitched so that they all strained to hear him.
Corinne framed Dayan’s face between her small hands and turned him to face her. “You are doing something I don’t like.” She said each word distinctly. “Don’t do it again.”