"True." He reached across to the tray and grabbed a croissant. Tearing it into pieces, he began feeding her. "And you, my love, are what I hungered to find all those years ago."
She sighed softly. He could say words like that forever, because she would certainly never tire of hearing them. Each time he fed her a piece of croissant, she ran her tongue across his fingertips or gently sucked them. The embers became a fire, and the heat burned them both. God, she wanted to touch him so badly she ached. But not yet. And even when she did, she would tease him as he had teased her last night.
"That doesn't explain why she was watching us," she said, once she'd eaten the final piece of croissant.
"Neither of us are exactly virgins anymore."
"No." He paused, reaching for an apple and a knife. "What Elizabeth likes more than virgins is domination. She likes total control."
He peeled the apple and fed her a sliver. She sucked it slowly into her mouth, her gaze on his. Saw him swallow. Hard.
"What has domination got to do with you or—" She hesitated, fear washing through her. "She can't still dominate you, can she?"
God, wouldn't that be the mother of all ironies? To finally have Michael admit he needed her in his life, only to have it snatched away by the bitch who'd turned him.
She shoved the thought from her mind. Michael didn't seem too worried about that prospect, so neither should she.
He continued feeding her the apple. "Elizabeth and I have always had a somewhat uneasy relationship.
She has never truly controlled me, and I think in many ways, she enjoyed the challenge I presented. I think that's probably why I survived my years under her care. I was a battlefield not yet won."
"Overconfidence goes before a fall, you know."
He smiled. "Yes. But as you are in life, so you are in unlife . I wasn't like most of her other fledglings. I was a quiet farmer, relatively content with my lot. Most of her other fledglings ran with danger in life and, therefore, enjoyed the harvest of death that turning provided. I did not, and that was something she could never change."
But she'd tried, if the edge in his voice was anything to go by. "What have her domination fantasies got to do with you and me?"
"It's nothing personal. Whenever a fledgling she had not yet grown tired of found pleasure in another woman's arms, she caught, tortured and killed that woman—and forced that fledgling to watch."
"A true charmer," Nikki murmured, chilled. "I gather then that she intends to try doing this with me."
"I'm still a challenge to her." He placed the knife and apple on the table and cupped a hand against her cheek, pressing warmth into her cheekbones. "But I promise you, she will never get near enough to hurt you."
She believed him. He'd made a similar promise with Jasper and had almost died keeping it. But she also knew part of that promise involved getting her to leave the resort—something she had no intention of doing.
Time for some extra distraction, perhaps. "Lift your hips."
He raised an eyebrow but did as she requested. She glanced down at his jeans and narrowed her gaze, concentrating. Power slid around her, around him. His zipper came down, and then she tugged his jeans from his body. She kinetically tossed them back toward the bed.
"I am trying to have a serious discussion here."
"Oh, I know." She straddled his lap. The hard length of him, still contained by the silk of his shorts, pressed against her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lightly kissed his lips. "By all means, do continue."
This close, she could hear the thunder of his heart, a rhythm that matched her own. She began to rock her hips back and forth, gently rubbing him. He jerked, then groaned.
"Even the Man of Steel would have trouble concentrating right now."
He touched her breasts, teasing her already aching nipples. She bit her lip then caught both his hands, placing them behind him.
"No touching. But do continue."
He swallowed heavily. "Now that Elizabeth knows what you mean to me, she will bide her time and attack when we least expect it. We cannot risk that, not with Cordell so close."
She leaned forward, pressing her breasts against his chest. Slowly, she ran her tongue up his neck and nibbled his ear. "It's going to take two of us to defeat Cordell, and you know it."
"Maybe." His breath was hot and quick against her cheek. "But I want you out of the firing line. I want you to leave."
She trailed tiny kisses across his cheeks. "No," she whispered against his lips. Then she kissed him deeply, giving him no time to respond.
They were both panting by the time she pulled away. She ached for him, ached so fiercely it was almost painful. He throbbed against her—so close, and yet so far. She continued to rock gently, teasing them both. Deep down, the quivering began.
"Oh, God, Nikki." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "If you stay here, she will come after you.
Cordell is the important one. He's the one we have to stop."
She ran a hand down his stomach, then lifted her hips slightly. "You're wrong, Michael." She caught his boxers, pulling them out of the way and freeing him. "It was Elizabeth who took Matthew. It was
Elizabeth who sucked his mind dry then spat him out. We have to stop them both."
He was trembling, his whole body hot with urgency. She didn't give him what he wanted—what she wanted—but continued rocking, covering him with her slickness.
"I made a promise, too, Michael. I told the flame imps I would try to stop Cordell. I don't intend to back away from that promise now."
"I'll fulfill your promise. This is what I do for a living. This is exactly what I don't want you involved in."
"I was involved in this case before you came to see me in the office. I have to see the end of it—for
Jake, for Matthew, and for MacEwan."
The trembling was growing, becoming a tide threatening to overload her senses. She rubbed harder, heard his response—a quick, sharp gasp. Could feel him quivering and knew he was battling for control.
"Matthew's dead," he somehow ground out. "And Rachel's receiving the help she needs. Your part in this has ended. Go home. Be safe."
"I'm safe when you're safe, and I can't…" hold off any more. The tide washed over her. She gasped, grabbing his shoulders as the shuddering took hold. Needing him inside, she shifted, capturing him, thrusting him deep. Then she rode him fast and hard, until his tremors finally eased and they both were spent.
She leaned her cheek against his chest and sighed deeply. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her in place. Holding himself inside her. It felt good. Safe.
Which she knew they weren't.
After a while, he brushed a kiss across the top of her head. "Whatever am I going to do with you?"
"Make love to me like that every day, and you're halfway to making me a very happy woman."
His smile was something she felt deep inside. "And what would it take to make you wholly happy?"
"Coffee. Lots of it. Preferably fed intravenously."
His laughter rumbled through his chest, tickling her cheek. "For someone in such desperate need of coffee, you didn't seem to drink a lot of it this morning."
"I had other things on my mind." She pushed upwards far enough to see his face. "So what's our next move?"
He brushed the hair from her eyes, his face concerned. "There's nothing I can say to make you go?"
She wrapped her arms around his neck and stared into his beautiful eyes. The sheer depth of love and understanding she saw there chased a shiver through her soul.
"No," she said softly. "And don't think you can force me—telepathically or physically. I'll fight you, with all my heart and all my energy. Neither of us can afford such a battle, with Cordell and Elizabeth so close."
"It wouldn't be wise," he agreed.
His hands cupped her rear, pulling her a little closer. Amazingly, she felt him stir deep inside. "Good lord, are you kidding? Does becoming a vampire also give you an amazing rate of recovery after sex?"