Between a Vamp and a Hard Place (24 page)

Oh, mercy, that sounded like a good idea to me. “Do we need condoms?”

He lifted his head, frowning at me. “What?”

“Condoms? Do you know what condoms are?” At the shake of his head, I rubbed my brows. “Oh, okay. So do you know where babies come from?”

Rand chuckled. “Don't be silly. Of course I do.” He moved forward and kissed my belly button. “And do not be afraid. I will be gentle.”

“Um, I'm not a virgin.”

He lifted his head in surprise, then shrugged. “Many village girls were not. I am not bothered by this.” He winked, then moved down to lick my inner thigh again. “The naughty ones are more fun.”

Amen to that. “A condom is a sheath a man puts over his penis to prevent his semen from entering the woman's, uh, womb.”

He looked thoughtful, then began to lick and nuzzle my inner thigh again, over that sensitive vein. It was making me squirm, but in a good, ticklish sort of way. “I admit that seems a silly method of preventing pregnancies, but I have heard stranger.”

Well, now I was curious. “What have you heard?”

Rand shrugged. “I once fucked a woman that wanted to wear a weasel's testicles round her neck to prevent unwanted births.”

I giggled in horror. “Really?”

“Truly,” he agreed, then spread my pussy lips with his thumbs again and licked me long and hard, until I was shuddering.

His tongue flicked at the opening to my core. “You do not need to worry. My body produces no seed. A vampire can get an erection, but when I come, there is no spend.” He tongued my opening again. “We must have you good and wet first.”

I squirmed on his tongue. Oh, I was wet all right. “I . . . suppose . . . that's good . . .” I panted. “I'm pretty wet as it is.”

“I want you soaked,” he told me, and pushed a finger into my core.

I gave a soft cry as he began to stroke it in and out, and he slid up my body to kiss my mouth. I clung to him, my mouth frantic on his as his finger slipped in and out of my center. Over and over again, he stroked me with one finger, and then two, his mouth on mine. I rode his hand, panting with need and frustration. When my body began to make slick, wet sounds as he pumped his fingers inside me, he pulled them out, and I moaned a protest at the loss.

Rand kissed me again, and then I felt his weight settle on top of me, his cock resting against the cradle of my sex. Eager, I wrapped my legs around his hips, straining against him. But instead of pushing into me, he rubbed his cock up and down my folds, wetting it with my juices. The sensations only made me crazier.

I might have demanded that he fuck me immediately.

My vampire only laughed and continued to rub the head of his cock against my clit, which made me grab the pillow behind my head and scream in frustration. The man would not be rushed. Finally, after my panting, begging, pleading, he shifted, and I felt the head of him press against my opening. I lifted my hips to help things along, and moaned as his length stroked into me.

Yes
.

This was what I needed so badly.

I clung to him as he began to stroke inside me. “That's my sweet girl,” he rasped, even as he thrust deep. “Take all of me.”

His body felt as if it fit perfectly with mine, his muscles divine to the touch, his lips soft but firm against my own. The scent of Rand's musk was in my nostrils, the taste of him on my tongue, and the feel of him was deep inside me. In bliss, I felt another orgasm working its way through me, and as he rocked into me over and over again, he murmured encouraging words against my mouth until I was coming apart at the seams. When I came, my entire body shuddered with need, and I cried out his name, clinging to him.

Rand's fierce mouth pressed against mine as I came. Then he was kissing my neck, his fangs scraping against my skin, and I clung to him.

To my surprise, though, he immediately pulled away from me as if struck, and leapt off the bed. He began to pace as I struggled to sit upright.

“Um? Rand?”

He looked over at me, his eyes a wild, spooky green instead of the normal blue, his cock still wet with my juices. His fangs were longer than I'd ever seen them. “Do not touch me right now, Lindsey.”

I nodded, sitting up on the bed and pulling my splayed legs together. I felt a little abandoned. I knew I was just being silly, though. Rand didn't want to hurt me. “Are you all right?”

He gave a brutal chuckle. “I am more than all right. I am shades away from losing myself in you. Never have I come so close.” He turned his back to me. “I must feed.”

“And not from me,” I guessed.

“I need blood. In my mouth. To come.” His words were sharp. Abrupt.

That made me a little sad. I wanted to see him come. “So all of this between us . . . was that just torture for you?”

He shot me a flashing grin. “The sweetest torture imaginable. One I would endure over and over again. I just did not know I would react so strongly to you.” He turned away again and shook his head. “I wanted to give you more pleasure.”

“I wanted to see you come,” I admitted.

“I will not risk harming you.”

“Is it tied to your orgasm?” I asked. “Can it be any blood? Like . . . can you bite yourself?”

“I can,” he admitted, then looked at me with hooded eyes. “You would not think it shameful?”

“Are you kidding?” I leapt off the bed. “Not at all. I'd love to see that.”

“I cannot be in you,” he warned. “I do not trust myself not to sink my teeth into your throat if it's exposed to me.”

“Can . . . can I touch you, then?” I asked, greatly daring and reaching out to stroke a hand along his arm. His erect cock called to me, to my mouth. I wondered if he'd let me lick him until he came.

The look on Rand's face was plainly wary. “What do you intend?”

I dropped to my knees in front of him, his cock at eye level. “I want to take you in my mouth,” I said softly. “Lick you with my tongue, like you did to me.”

He hissed, his fangs elongating. One hand went to his cock and began to stroke it. The other went to his mouth. As I watched, he bit the back of his wrist and sank his fangs deep.

But his gaze was entirely on me.

I licked my lips, leaning closer to the hand that stroked his cock. I wasn't quite touching him. I wasn't sure if he wanted me to. But it seemed he liked my words, liked the visual of me leaning in close. “I was thinking about taking the thick crown here,” I said, gesturing at the head of his cock. “And running my tongue along it, feeling the velvety texture of you with my tongue. There's a vein on the underside, you see, and I imagine it feels big and hard against the rest of all that smooth skin.”

He hissed again, his hand pumping his cock furiously. The other wrist remained glued to his mouth, and he gave a low, sexy growl.

“Then,” I murmured, leaning in so he could feel my warm breath on his skin, “I thought maybe I'd take you in my mouth. Let your length skim my tongue until the head of your cock is pushing deep into my throat, so deep I can barely handle you—”

His entire body trembling, Rand gave a wrenching groan, and his hand shook. I watched as his cock seemed to flex, but nothing came out. I looked up at my vampire lover. Blood wetted his lips, and his wrist was still embedded with teeth. His eyes were closed, and a moment later, he sagged against the wall.

“Lindsey,” he panted, his mouth red with stolen blood. He licked his lips, then dragged his tongue over his wrist. “Never have I come so hard.”

I beamed up at him, feeling proud of doing my part. I would have preferred touching him as he came instead of just dirty talk. For now, though, I'd take what I could get. “I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.”

He pushed himself off the wall and moved toward me. I took an involuntary step backward, startled, but he only pressed a kiss to my mouth, a kiss with no fang. I relaxed and leaned into the kiss, enjoying his touch. My pulse still pounded between my legs and I wanted him to touch me again, but I'd wait for him to call the shots.

“Come back to bed with me,” he murmured against my mouth. “We shall rest momentarily, and then I intend on making you scream my name again.”

I smiled up at him. “Deal.”

M
uch later that night, after many bone-quaking orgasms for me, and two more wrist-drinking orgasms for Rand, we lay tangled in bed together. I was sweaty from the intense workout, and Rand's skin was warm and flushed from my blood. I was drowsy, but not ready to go to sleep just yet. Instead, my mind was full of worries.

I traced a scar on his abdomen. “What's this from?”

“Jerusalem.”

“And this one?” I touched a half-circle shape under one rib.

“A torture weapon was used on me when I was a hostage.”

“Are any of your scars from anything good, Rand?”

He chuckled, and his hand covered my tickling fingers. “War is never good, Lindsey, and my scars are because I am a warrior.”

“I see.” I dragged my hand out from under his and brushed my hand over his chest again. “At least it gave you good stamina, I suppose?”

“Verily,” he said, his fingers pushing a sweaty strand of hair off my face. “Perhaps you should go to war yourself if you intend to keep to my pace, fair Lindsey.”

I gave a small, tired chuckle. It was no secret between us that he'd tired me out. “Your pillow talk needs some work, buddy. This is the time where you're supposed to confess feelings to a girl to keep her on the hook.” Another laugh escaped me, but it felt strained. Why was I leading the conversation down this path? I knew where it would go—nowhere. Yet I couldn't help myself. I wanted to know if Rand was starting to feel as . . . tied to me as I was to him.

“Lindsey.” His voice was gentle. “If I were not what I am, I would cherish you eternally.”

Sudden tears pricked my eyes. I tried to laugh them away. “If you weren't a vampire? Which is kind of funny, because if you were human, there'd be no ‘eternally.' I'd settle for a good seventy more years or so, you know.”

“I cannot change what I am.”

“I wouldn't change you,” I argued. Sure, he had his quirks, but I adored the man. But I was worried. Not just about my heart but about the upcoming confrontation as well. My fingers played with his long ones. “He'll know you're going to come after him, won't he?” I asked. “The Dragon?”

“He will.”

“He'll know because Guy is dead,” I guessed. “He'll feel that?”

“The Dragon is the original
upyri,
” Rand told me. “I do not know if his immortality works the same as mine, but I imagine yes, he will know that Guy is dead and will guess that I will come after him. Even now, I feel his presence like a brand in the back of my mind.” He shook his head against the pillow, his dark hair spilling on the pillowcase. “I would give anything to be free of him. You do not know what it is like to serve a man like him. The Dragon is not like me. Think of the powers I have . . . his have even more intensity. He can convince with a mere word. He can charm with a thought. And he is bloodthirsty like none other. If he finds me, I am done. I must find him first. Everything depends on it.”

I shivered against Rand. “He'll try to kill you.”

“I know. It has to be done.”

I clung to his hand, miserable. “I don't want to lose you after I've just found you.”

He pulled me against him and pressed a kiss to my head. “I don't want to lose you, either. But know that I am not truly free unless he is gone.”

And I knew what that meant. Guy had hinted that if the Dragon was destroyed, Rand would be, too. I couldn't bear the thought of it. “Rand . . . Guy told me . . .”

“I know.”

“You know?”

He nodded, gazing up at the ceiling. “Likely he tried to convince you that if I should pursue the Dragon, it would be my death.”

“Is he right?”

He shrugged.

“That's not an answer, Rand.” I poked his ribs.

“How can I possibly say? I have never killed the Dragon.”

“Yes, but you've killed other vampires.”

“Ah, but he is the first of his kind. Who is to say it is the same type of magic?”

“Who's to say that it's not?” I argued. “Rand, this could kill you!”

“And if it does?” He took my hand in his and kissed the back of it.“I do not belong in this time, Lindsey. Better that I take the Dragon's vengeance upon myself than wish it upon another man, a good man with a family and children. He has lost a vassal in Guy and is losing me. He will seek to make more unless I stop him. So . . . stop him I must. I am expendable. I have no one.”

“You have me,” I said softly, my heart aching.

He brushed his fingers over my cheek, his expression soft. “So I do.”

*  *  *

We stayed in Guy's chalet for two more days, regaining our strength for the upcoming confrontation with the Dragon. I tried not to think about that, but it was constantly on my mind as we relaxed in the cabin.

There were things to do, of course. Guy had books and old chessboards and everything you could think of to entertain a jaded vampire. The rooms were cozy, and we were alone. We made love at least three times a day, each time better than the last. Rand drank from me every few hours, not enough to truly sate his hunger but just enough to not leave me exhausted. He said it was fine, but I worried.

I always worried.

I worried about Gemma, too, but the texts started rolling in the next night. She was back in Venice. The apartment was a clusterfuck. She'd found a few small things she could save. Were we okay? Did I fuck Rand?

Of course Gemma wanted to know. I kept my responses short, but the truth was, Gemma was a great distraction from the moody vampire at my side. Not that I didn't appreciate Rand in all his different moods, but when he went outside to practice with his sword during the night? I worried.