Blood Destiny (36 page)

A low, throaty hiss escaped his lips as he thrust forward into her tight, hot sheath, stretching her impossibly with the heavy width of his sex.

She started to moan as her body stretched to accommodate his size, her hands pushing against the muscular wall of his chest in an automatic response to the slight burning sensation of his dominant entry.

Nathaniel took her hands from his chest and held them down above her head, pinning both arms gently in one strong hand. "Relax. Isn't this what you wanted, baby?"

Jocelyn groaned. "Yes..." The word was a throaty whisper.

"I want you to take all of me," he growled.

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He bent to taste her breasts again, easing up on the pressure while her body adjusted to his size. "That's it, angel: you were made for me...you can take more."

He groaned in sheer ecstasy when her body finally accepted the full length of his, and her answering groan told him all she couldn't say.

Together, they slowly began to move in unison: a sultry, languid ride, her hips rising to meet his every thrust, his hard, flat pelvis lingering and rotating against her cleft to heighten her pleasure.

"You are so pretty, my love," he whispered, his eyelids half closed. "You feel so...damn...good."

Jocelyn reached up to cup his face and the rhythm picked up.

Nathaniel continued to bury himself deep inside of her, pulling back almost to the point of withdrawal only to thrust forward again and again, until the passion grew so intense between them he could no longer restrain his need.

He began to plunge harder...faster...each stroke more urgent, more possessive than the last.

Jocelyn clutched at his shoulders, dug her fingernails into his back. She cried out in ecstasy, raising her hips to meet his...writhing beneath him. She took all he could give her and wanted even more...always wanted more.

They were so right together: so perfect.

Their bodies fit like a hand and glove; their souls matched each other's passion for passion. He seemed to know her every desire and need, not just physically, but emotionally.

Spiritually.

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And she was only too eager to meet his every dark command—her body no longer belonged to her. She had given it completely to him, the lust for his sex insatiable, the trust in his care absolute.

Jocelyn pulled back her legs and wrapped them around his powerful waist, completely letting go as he rode her, harder and harder...pistoning deeper and deeper until his breath was coming in short, ragged gasps—coarse hisses of ecstasy coming closer and closer together.

She felt her own release approaching as the pressure mounted once again to a fevered pitch—an imminent peak from which the fall would take her soaring into a whole new universe. Her voice sounded foreign and far away as she heard herself calling out his name, her body responding with a new blast of liquid heat each time he moaned. The soft, feral hiss he made when his shaft jerked was not at all human, yet more erotic than anything she had ever heard.

The pace was almost frantic now as Nathaniel drove into her with a wild, animal abandon: plunging, stretching, demanding, claiming. Marking her for all time like the powerful creature he was. His pupils had narrowed into tiny slits of crimson heat. His fangs were fully extended and beautiful in the moonlight, his thick, wavy hair shining like the midnight sky, wild and spilling out all around her.

His perfect face was stamped with pleasure and lust.

And then she fractured again, her body bucking and trembling beneath his.

Nathaniel threw back his head and cried out, a harsh, guttural shout of pleasure, as his body shuddered beneath the 340

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violent force of his release. His back arched and his muscles clenched as he spilled stream after stream of his seed deep inside of her, filling her with his essence until his body collapsed over hers...raw...spent...

And totally sated.

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Jocelyn sighed and lay her head on Nathaniel's shoulder, reveling in the feel of his strong arms around her. She still could not believe the amount of pleasure he had given her, the powerful way her body had responded to his.

He kissed her on the top of her head and nuzzled his chin into her thick wealth of hair, sighing with contentment.

"You are truly a miracle," he whispered.

Jocelyn smiled and snuggled even closer, tilting her head to look up into his mesmerizing eyes. "You're not exactly every-day, ordinary material yourself."

She found herself giggling like a school-girl.

Nathaniel laughed. "You may end up being very good for my ego, Miss Levi." He paused and then lowered his voice to a soft, husky tone. "Mrs. Silivasi."

Jocelyn blinked several times. Her eyes grew wide in mock surprise. "Do you mean to tell me that this was our wedding ceremony? I mean, don't get me wrong; it was wonderful, but a girl needs a few bells and whistles now and then."

Nathaniel turned on his side, intrigued. "This was just the two of us getting better acquainted: Our union will not be...complete...until your conversion. And trust me, sweetheart, you can have all the bells and whistles you want."

He lowered his head to meet her gaze. "Would that please you? A wedding?"

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Jocelyn shrugged. "I don't know. Actually, I never really gave it much thought. To be completely honest, I never saw myself settling down."

Nathaniel looked surprised. "As beautiful and intelligent as you are? I find that hard to believe. You must have received a dozen proposals."

Jocelyn started to respond but was cut off by a deep, rumbling growl emanating from his throat.

"On second thought," he said, "I don't want to know."

Jocelyn laughed and shook her head, kissing him beneath his jaw before settling back against the warmth of his chest.

"You really are a jealous one, aren't you?"

Nathaniel brushed the pads of his fingers lazily along her soft, narrow shoulders, dipping low to caress her breast as if he couldn't help himself. "I don't know that I understand the human concept of jealousy. I'm not afraid of any other male taking you from me, because no man who ever tried such a thing would live. But yes, I hold what is mine close to me."

Jocelyn sighed. She was growing accustomed to his primitive nature, beginning to see it...and accept it...in a different light.

"Nathaniel?" she whispered, her voice all at once becoming serious. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," he answered, propping himself up on his side to hold her tightly beneath him, staring adoringly into her eyes.

Jocelyn took a deep breath. She knew what was coming.

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to face it until now. It had taken the terrifying events of the previous night, the horror of what had been done to Braden, to move the last several days from the realm of fantasy into the world of reality. It had taken her horrible encounter with Tristan to realize how far Nathaniel would go to protect her...how much safety, kindness, and love he had to offer her.

No one had ever really looked out for her before, and certainly, no one had wanted to possess her—to please her—

the way Nathaniel did. When he looked at her, it was as if she were the only thing in his world—as if she could hang the moon and the stars.

Colette was right: There were far worse fates than ending up with a man such as Nathaniel. And now that she knew what kind of lover he could be, she had no intentions of ever letting him go.

Jocelyn's hand slid down over her belly, and she braced herself, forcing her eyes to maintain contact with his. "So then...am I...pregnant?"

She almost choked over the word, but having managed to get it out, she now held her breath, waiting for his reply.

Nathaniel studied her face, brushing her cheek softly with his hand. "Ah, iubito mea," he sighed, "there is so much I have asked of you in such a short time. It will not always be this way."

He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, the tip of her nose, and then he planted a long, languorous kiss on her mouth, his lips equally soft and firm, his passion equally ardent and gentle.

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His manhood stirred but he made no attempt to arouse her further. "I intend to make you happy, my love." An intriguing smile lit up his face. "In fact, I've been studying your memories, and I hope you don't mind because I already have a few ideas...."

Jocelyn couldn't resist, her curiosity getting the best of her. "Like?"

He sighed. "Like having an aquarium built here in the house." He brushed his fingers lightly along the length of her arm and took her hand in his. "If you like, we can keep it simple and just have the...pets...you have in San Diego transported here: very carefully, I might add." He lifted her hand to his mouth and gently kissed her knuckles. "I have no intentions of allowing even one of your beloved fish to die."

He chuckled. "Or, if you're up for the adventure, we could expand on your collection."

Jocelyn smiled. "How so?"

"I have always wanted an atrium: a large, tropical rainforest of my own, complete with mist, exotic birds, and waterfalls. And what better place to build an aquarium, maybe something panoramic, something naturally occurring, than in the midst of a tropical paradise. We could bring in the rarest fish from all over the world." He kissed her mouth then, tugging on her bottom lip with his teeth before releasing her. "Would that please you?"

Jocelyn knew her face was flushed because she could feel the warmth, the joy bubbling over. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "Oh my God, I was so worried about what was going to happen to 345

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my fish." She laughed at the absurdity of the statement, all other things considered.

Nathaniel laughed too. "Do you really think that little of me, Jocelyn?" He was playfully sarcastic. "I have already made arrangements for their care in San Diego until we can have them transported."

Jocelyn kissed his cheek and brushed her hand across his sexy chest, smiling as she gazed up into his eyes. "Thank you, Nathaniel."

His eyes lit up with satisfaction. "You're most welcome.

And speaking of care, there is the matter of your next-door neighbor: Ida, is it?"

Jocelyn sat up, staring into his eyes like a child full of anticipation, waiting. "Mmm hmm."

"Of course, it's hard to say what she will or will not let us do. When a human lives to such an age, they are usually quite set in their ways, but I know she has no other family and her care is extremely important to you. If necessary, we can hire someone to continue her care in San Diego...."

Jocelyn's eyes grew wide with excitement.

"And I don't just mean someone to carry out the day-today functions of looking after her, but someone kind, someone willing to provide companionship. However, if she is willing to move, then I would have no objection to providing for her here, setting her up in a comfortable place of her own, surrounded with all of her favorite things, so you could continue to see her as often as you like."

Jocelyn felt a warm tear escape her eye. Nathaniel caught it with his mouth as it made its way along her cheek. "No 346

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tears, my love," he whispered. "Never tears. Does this make you sad?"

"No..." She shook her head. "It makes me unbelievably happy." She looked away then. "You know, I never really had a family of my own; I never even knew my birth parents. And after growing up in so many different foster homes, I eventually learned how to get by without really...connecting...with anyone. They were all just caretakers—people to whom I owed a certain amount of time and courtesy—people I had to learn to get along with until I could finally move out on my own and become self-reliant.

Ida was different because I chose her. I wanted her in my life. And she chose me."

Nathaniel sat up and held her then, pressing her tight to his chest, his strong arms enveloping her in warmth and security. "I know this, baby; I have seen so many of your memories. Believe me, you have a family now...wanted or not."

"Marquis," she responded, matter-of-factly.

"Marquis," he agreed, grinning. "Don't worry; he grows on you."

Jocelyn sighed. "Yeah, I suppose. And who knows, maybe if I ever get past the urge to take off running every time I see him, I might just find something I like about him."

Nathaniel laughed. "Don't hold your breath on that one. I still get the urge to take off running every time I see him, and he's my brother." There was a playful note in his voice.

"Well, I guess there's one great advantage to Marquis."

"What's that?"

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"Security. I will certainly never be afraid of anything again with him around."

Nathaniel sat up straight—rigid—the lines of his face becoming harsh. He snarled a low, feral hiss. "Marquis is the one who makes you feel safe?" Despite his valiant attempt at humor, there was a subtle but clear warning in his tone.

Jocelyn nuzzled her head in his chest, loving the fresh, masculine scent of his skin, the warmth and strength of his arms, the protective way he held her. "You are so silly, Nathaniel. Marquis was not the one who came to me that first night in the forest—even before the blood moon." She twirled her fingers in his thick mane of hair. "And Marquis was not the one who...rearranged...Tristan's anatomy. I think you keep me safe enough."

Nathaniel's eyes turned cold, his pupils like two hard stones of granite. "I exercised enormous restraint with Tristan...you have no idea. I did not want to frighten you, or his death would have been far more...painful...and much, much slower."