“Yes, but ...” Focus. She needed to focus.
He leaned in, wandering his lips over her neck. “And, if I nip right here”—his teeth rubbed against her skin—“you make the prettiest sound of need.” She groaned, her nipples peaking. She blinked. Once. Twice. A third time. God, she wanted him. Was it fate—the mating mark? Something whispered deep across her mind that it was Connlan. Even if he hadn’t marked her, she’d want him. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, and his lips closed over hers.
Vampires burned hotter than any other species. This one burned hotter than most. Heat singed her lips, sending desire sliding through her veins like fresh lava. A shiver wandered down her back, her nerve endings firing in its wake. His lips were firm, his tongue demanding, his hold tight.
She allowed herself to fall into the kiss. Into him, into the wild storm he unleashed.
Tangling her fingers through his hair, she kissed him back, pressing her breasts against his thick chest and her core against his.
Hard. He was so damn hard.
Yet the hands holding her remained gentle. The contrast banished all rational thought. The world fell away. Her skin ignited. Reality, imagination, existence narrowed down to the two of them.
She clutched her fingers, yanking his head back, her gaze on his face. A dark flush covered his high cheekbones, the silver in his eyes more intense than the green. His tongue flicked out to lick his lips and she felt it along her skin.
The craving she’d felt a century ago hadn’t been sated through time. If anything, the need had grown. “Is it always like this?”
“Hell, no. Only with you.” He dropped his hands to her hips, taking hold and standing. “I’ll show you.”
Moira wrapped her legs around Conn’s hips as he moved toward the bedroom. “Wait. Just wait a minute.”
“For what?” His tone implied he was done waiting. He kicked open the door, sliding his mouth along her neck to nip an earlobe.
Her head rolled to the side to allow greater access. “Negotiation.” A stupid word, but the only thing that sprang to her fuzzy mind.
He traced the shell of her ear. “Negotiation?”
She gasped. “We’re adults, not kids romping for the first time, Conn. We go into this with our eyes wide open.”
“I plan to keep my eyes open, Moira.” The deep sexy tone of his voice dropped low, and wetness coated her thighs. One quick toss had her bouncing on the bed.
She looked up, her breath caught at the intent in his gaze. Think. She needed to think. “No. I mean, this is only sex. Us releasing some serious tension we’ve built up. No lifetime commitment—we need to talk about it.”
Nimble fingers went to the buttons of his jeans. “I’m finished with talking.” His jeans hit the floor. “We’ve been talking for a while and apparently you haven’t been listening. ”
Naked. Connlan Kayrs stood before her as nude as the day he was born. Male. Aroused. Huge.
She would not look at his cock. No way. “Most men are vulnerable when nude, Conn.” The words slipped out before she could think.
He quirked an eyebrow. “Do I look vulnerable to you, Moira?”
“No.” She’d forgotten how big he was. Levering up on her knees, she tugged her shirt off. “This is just sex.”
He rolled his eyes. Naked and aroused, he still rolled his eyes. “Are you really hitting me with a bullshit statement about this just being sex? I’d assumed I’d allowed you enough time to grow the hell up.”
Her temper roared to the surface. She jerked her jeans and panties off. “I am being a grown-up, jackass. This is an adult discussion.”
“When did you start waxing? Everything?” His eyes flared with raw heat.
Embarrassment wound through her desire. “It’s the modern thing to do.” Damn him.
His gaze lingered on her bare skin before wandering up her torso. “Thank God for modern. I like your bra.”
Anger nearly choked her. Even so, she felt like an idiot, perched on the bed wearing only a sparkly pink brassiere. Good thing she’d hit the spa last week. “Thanks.” She sprang the front clasp loose and tossed the lingerie at his head. See how he liked being off balance.
He snagged the bra out of the air, twirling it around his finger. “I like your breasts better.”
She remembered. He’d spent lavish hours on them a century ago.
His fangs dropped low. “Time for a taste.”
Chapter 9
The sight of his fangs had her body tensing. Not with fear—with absolute expectation. “You’re not listening.”
“I listened.” He took the one step closer to the bed, eyes darkening as he towered over her. “I’m just not agreeing. I’ll keep you safe from any threat out there. But don’t think for a moment your body, head, or heart are safe from me. They’re mine.”
The possessive tone inched her temper and arousal higher. The temper she welcomed, the arousal she’d see a shrink for later. “Not a chance.” The words spun out quickly, and even in her state she recognized the thrown gauntlet they were. Of course he’d pick it up. But she failed to anticipate his speed in doing so.
Quick as a thought he grabbed her arm, yanking her flush against his chest. One hand tangled in her thick hair and drew her head back, exposing her pulsing jugular as she perched on her knees on the bed. “Oh sweetheart. I do love your spirit.”
Heat. It rolled off the man in waves, engulfing her, making thought difficult. “Thank you.”
“Any time.” He bit into her bottom lip, the small nip sending a direct line of need to her clit. The warmth of his tongue in soothing the persistent ache made her bite back a groan. His hand tightened, sending erotic tingles of pain along her scalp. “You’re it for me, Moira. I’m keeping you.”
Right or wrong, she wanted those words. Maybe even needed them. The assurance in them offered the possibility of a future ... of security. All something she’d worry about later. Her heart thumped hard. “Conn. Show me.”
He swooped down, claiming her mouth in a blaze of heat. An unbreakable, nearly brutal kiss turned her knees soft. A tremble worked its way down her spine, a quivering of need beyond fate, beyond the magical, beyond the world she knew so well. A slice of fear cut into the desire, then disappeared as Conn cupped her ass, drawing her closer to his heat. Her belly rubbed against his erection, and she fell back, pulling him with her, both hands clutching his shoulders.
His mouth kept hers as they landed, his hard body over hers, his palms sliding down her sides. One calloused thumb brushed across her marking. Fire flashed out to zap her clit. She broke away from his mouth, hers opening in a silent plea.
Strong movements had her feet clasped at the small of his back, her arms winding around solid muscle to bind him. Her smile felt saucy. “Watch your wishes, Kayrs. Maybe you’ll be the one trapped.” While she meant the statement as a challenge, as a warning, a hint of truth hung in the air.
His gaze softened as he glanced at her bruised mouth and then back up at her eyes. “You trapped me the first time you said my name.” He lowered his head, swirling his heated tongue around one desperate nipple. “I swear, you have the sweetest taste.”
Spikes of pleasure careened through her, straight to her core. She gyrated against him. He turned his attention to the other nipple, biting down just enough.
“For the love ... do something.” If he didn’t end the torment, her head was going to explode.