Called to Order (18 page)

Adam pulled her hips toward him. She stood, her billowy skirt filling the space between his knees. From his seat on the bed, she was able to look into his eyes without craning her neck. His large hands rested on her hips as he looked over her body as if memorizing her.

“I could spend
eawichkeit
simply looking at you,” he whispered.

“What is
eawichkeit?
”

“Eternity.”

Annalise reached for his hand and slowly guided it to her aching breast. His palm held her there as he looked at her. “Make love to me, Adam.”

* * * *

Adam reached for the tie of her skirt, tugging it loose. The fabric fell with a whisper to the ground. She was stunning. He placed a reverent kiss to each pink peak of her perfect breasts. She was his mate. His for
eawichkeit.
His
ainsicht.

She shivered, and he pulled her close. Her thin legs climbed over his thighs, and she settled onto his lap. The heat of their naked flesh burned him down to his soul. His hands coasted up her smooth back, his fingertips softly tripping over each notch of her spine. His hands sifted into her long auburn hair and he pulled her into a kiss.

Never before had he imagined kissing a female could bring so much pleasure. Not just a female, his mate. She kissed him back with such feminine grace, her lips swollen and softer than the petals of the most delicate flower. He could kiss her for years.

His cock pressed against her soft, moist folds and his own moisture seeped from his tip as if crying to be joined with her. Rising off the bed, he lifted her and laid her in the center of the mattress. She took his breath away. Her arms splayed, her hair spread across his pillows, and her lily-white thighs opened for him.

Adam climbed on top of her, urging himself to be gentle with her. He had come undone earlier when he saw his brother touching her. He had been working under the shade of the barn and had sensed her presence close by for the last hours of the day. He had moved with the last crawling shadows of the sun, closer and closer to the barn door simply to watch her rocking peacefully on his mother’s rocker. She was a beautiful sight to behold.

She had assumed she was alone. He observed her, enjoying the way her thoughts had subtly altered the expressions dancing across her face. She seemed to be thinking of something that brought her a sense of peace, the emotion rolling off her in waves. When he saw the way she looked to assure she had privacy and brought her bare legs to her chest, he’d almost exposed himself to insist she sit like a proper lady, but something about her pose, the way she seemed so comfortable, for once appearing happy although she was away from her home, and how her little feet curled over the edge of the seat made him hesitate and allow her that moment. She was almost childlike, the way she swung on the chair. He had been mesmerized by her and found his body hardening.

Unable to withstand being away from her a moment longer, he stepped back into the barn and quickly began tidying up his work from the day in order to join her. He kept a bead on her emotions although he had lost the visual of her. His mind had her image burned permanently into his memory. A few more moments and he would take her in his arms and tell her what she did to him.

He was surprised when her peaceful emotions transformed into arousal. He’d hoped she had been thinking of him. The idea had him moving quickly and rushing to be done for the day.

Looking down at her now as she writhed and held him close as he kissed her, he knew his life would never be the same again. Her hands glided over his back, and her breasts tickled his chest. She was so small, perfect for him to hold in his arms. He would protect her above all else and love her above all others.

Earlier he had used her hard. Relentlessly taking and giving, trusting her to be strong enough to survive his assault. She not only made it through, she pushed back, edging him deeper and crying out for more. Watching her and feeling her fall to pieces in his arms was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. The effect of such need broke through the last of his ire and returned him to the here and now.

Realizing he had not been gentle with her, he’d carried her to his room, prepared to swallow his own need and nurse her back to strength. But then she had surprised him again and asked him to come to bed with her. He was not expecting, after the night before, for her to welcome such attention, yet she had. He read the sincerity in her emotions and knew he could have her, knew she wanted him with a desperation that was frightening and new to her. The instant she admitted she was his mate he knew there was no going back. She was his and he would be hers, for
eawichkeit.
Eternity.

“Adam.” Her needy cry had his thoughts scattering away like the seeds of a dandelion. “I want to feel you inside of me.”

Kissing a trail down her throat, ignoring the temptation of her sweet blood rushing just under her fragile skin, he pressed his mouth into her shoulder. Her small hands wrapped around his cock and lined it up with the opening of her sex. The heat coming from her body burned through his shaft, sending a gust of air into his lungs as she tried to comprehend the extreme sensation.

Slowly, he began to rock his hips, the head of his erection dipping deeper with each stroke into the shallow depths of her core. She was so tight around him he feared he would break her in half if he entered her completely.

Her legs wrapped around his back, the new position opening her wider. The head of his cock breached her outer lips, and liquid heat engulfed him. Such acute contact seemed to radiate into every nerve of his body. Unable to hold back he pressed in farther. She moaned, and his eyes immediately went to her face. “Anna, open your eyes.” She did as he commanded, her eyes glazed with lust and need. “Am I hurting you?”

“No.”

“You will tell me if it is too much.”

“I want all of you,” she whispered in a voice that covered him like warm honey.

“You will tell me,” he demanded again.

“Yes, Adam. I will tell you.”

He pressed in deeper and began to slide himself in and out, allowing her tight channel to stretch and become accustomed with his size. Taking shallow dips into her heat, his seed began to climb from deep within him, and his body tightened.

“Please, Adam, all of you.”

Unable to resist another moment, her plea snapping the last thread of his control, he pressed all the way in, burying himself to the hilt. She let out a gasp, and her brow creased as if in pain. “Anna, open your eyes.” She did. “Are you in pain?”

“No, just…full.”

He kissed her brow, and the worried lines began to ease. Slowly he began to move. He had never felt so connected to another being. Suddenly the intense pleasure became too much. His fangs lengthened and he pressed his mouth closed so not to frighten her. His hips began to move faster, and she began to shout cries of ecstasy with each thrust.

She called his name, and his instincts screamed inside of him to bond with her. He pressed his face into her shoulder and slid his arms beneath her, lifting her petite form off the bed and pounding deep into her core. He scented his mating spice seeping from his flesh and marking her. More than anything, stronger than any urge, he wanted to plunge his teeth into her and drink from her vein, feed her his blood, completing their bond. Pulling from a reservoir of control he had not known he had, he forced his beast back and focused on loving the incredible female in his arms.

She clung to him, desperation making her wild. He tightened his grip on her, fighting to contain her frantic movements as her screams of pleasure ricocheted around the simple room. Slowing his strokes, he pressed deep, holding himself buried as deep as her body allowed. She opened her eyes and stared back at him. In that moment he knew she was completely his. She had surrendered to him.

He pulled out slowly, almost retreating from her completely, the tip of his engorged cock resting at the mouth of her sex. She panted and waited for him to move. “You are mine, Annalise. No other male will ever touch you. Mine for all
eawichkeit.”

“Yours, Adam.”

He plunged into her, his seed emptying into her womb as her body contracted around him, holding him prisoner. The walls of her sex milked and pulled every last drop of him from his body, her own juices bathing him in warm honey. They cried out each other’s name and rode the waves of the storm, trembling and clawing, never wanting to let the other go. He stayed there, seated deep inside of her until her body quelled and his shaft began to soften. Only when her limbs slackened, all strength wrung from her body, did he begin to pull away from her.

Surprisingly she gripped his shoulder and whispered, “Don’t leave me yet.”

He looked at her. She would be the easiest female to love. Quietly he whispered, “Never.”

Chapter 15

Annalise awoke sometime the next morning. Before opening her eyes, she luxuriated in the way her muscles were deliciously sore. She stretched and frowned when she didn’t feel Adam next to her.

“I am here.”

Opening her eyes she turned and saw him standing at the chest of drawers as he glided a blade over his strong jaw and down his throat. He sloshed the razor in the ewer and pulled the blade over his face, removing another trace of soap. She smiled.

“How come you don’t wear a beard?”

He shrugged and continued to shave the remainder of soap from his face, his head tipped back and his chin tilted upward. She watched him, gaining a little thrill of pleasure to being privy to such a personal act. “We do not follow a lot of the customs more traditional Amish do. You will see the longer you are here.”

“Like what?”

“Well, all of our women wear white bonnets, where most sects only allow the married females to wear such a color upon their hair.”

“Why?”

“I suppose it is to keep our females safe from outsiders.”

“Do you mean people like me? What do you call us? English?”

He rinsed the rest of the soap from his face and smiled. Coming over to the bed he sat beside her and leaned down. Kissing her tenderly, he said, “Well, now I rather like my English female.”

“You would not prefer an Amish girl? Less of a…what did you call me yesterday…a heathen?”

He frowned. “That was not me that said those words to you. It was my twin brother, Cain.”

“What?”

“The man you were speaking with by the barn was not I. It was my brother.”

 
“But…he acted like he was you.”

“Did he say his name was Adam?”

“No, but…”

“You do not need to worry about him anymore. I will make sure he does not come near you again.”

“But why would he do that? He acted as if I were his mate and told me he wanted to…”

Adam growled. “I do not need to know what he suggested. I only need to know that he will not come near you again and that is something I will make an absolute certainty of. Anna, you are my mate, no other male shall touch you or even speak to you if I do not allow it.”

That was a little much to swallow. “Adam, I can talk to other guys. I do it all the time. Your brother was different. I mean, I understand you don’t want other men making suggestive overtures to me, but as far as small talk, well, that’s just ridiculous.”

He grumbled something she couldn’t make out. “We shall see. Things are different here. Mated males, perhaps, but males like Cain, males who are unattached, they shall be kept at a distance for a while. Until the others understand that you belong to me, we will have to be very careful.”

She scoffed, “Careful about what?”

He sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Anna, trust me, until you understand more about our ways, it is better that you stay close to the house and in the company of my mother and Gracie.” He pulled the quilt away from her breasts and down to her mid thigh, exposing her body for his appraisal.

“Will you be gone all day?” she asked as his fingers plucked at her nipples, bringing them into small points.

“I will be working most days, but I will not be far. If you need me I will know.”

She settled more comfortably on her back as he played softly with her breasts. “How?”

“Just trust that I will. You will find plenty to occupy yourself here. The women are usually just as busy as the men during the working hours.”

His hand slid down her flat belly, and he nudged her thighs apart. She spread her legs slightly, allowing his fingers to touch her there. They continued to converse, his eyes focused on hers, as if his hand was not stroking inside of her in that moment. She sighed and arched her back, slightly pressing her breasts higher and her hips into his caress. “You expect me to become domesticated, don’t you?”

His finger filled her to the knuckle and he held her there, expectantly. “It would please me to have a mate who cared for my needs. I, too, would take great care to tend to yours.”

His finger swirled inside of her, and she sighed. “I don’t know how to do what they do.”

He retracted his digit and slid two back inside. Her sex moistened and stretched around him. “You will learn.”

He was distracting her, the smooth, deep glide of his fingers lulling her when normally his assumptions would rankle the tiny feminist deep within her. “What if I don’t want to learn to sew and cook?”

He removed his fingers, and she made an objective groan. He laughed and spread her legs wide. Leaning down, he licked the pink bud peeking past her folds. “Well I suppose if you plan to be difficult I shall have to teach you your place.”

Her legs stretched wider, and his fingers returned to her sex. “And where is my place, Adam?”

His tongue thrummed over her bud, heating her body to a state of need she would soon need to fulfill if he continued to tease her. “Currently your place is right here, in my bed, below my mouth.”

“I do enjoy your mouth,” she sighed as he sucked her clit and began moving his fingers deeper.

He stopped and reached for her ankles, yanking her legs over the edge of the bed. Kneeling between her knees, he pulled her thighs over his shoulders and returned his mouth to her sex. She arched into him and cried out. The new position allowed him to sink not only his fingers, but also his tongue deep into her core.

Her bottom lifted off the bed, and his palm splayed across her lower belly, holding her in place for his kisses. Rather than offend her, she found his restraining hand erotic, adding a spike of pleasure she never would have assumed could be established from such an action. She submitted to his mouth, his pleasure. She felt herself building fast and steady toward her climax. He was teasing her with his mouth and tongue and adding sharp little nips with his teeth. When she came, she came fast and hard. He drank up her juices as if they were fine wine.

When he lowered her back to the bed, she noticed for the first time that he was fully dressed. She took note that he was wearing a blue shirt in case his brother showed up again. He stood. “Are you leaving?” she asked, wanting him to stay.

“I have business to tend to.”

“By business do you mean your brother?”

“Cain’s actions need to be brought to the council. What he did goes against the way we do things here.”

“What’s the council?” She wanted to pout. She didn’t want him to go take care of things with his brother. She wanted him to stay in bed and take care of her.

“The council is the governing branch of our elders. They decide the laws of our people and mete out punishments when necessary.”

“I thought Amish didn’t have laws.”

“Every society has rules.”

“Well, what kind of punishment will he get? He is still your brother, Adam. I know you’re angry and he made you jealous, but he really didn’t do anything too offensive.”

“What I feel goes beyond anger and simple jealousy. And the fact that you are too unaccustomed to our traditions to realize how offensive his actions were makes his behavior all the more lecherous.”

She didn’t really understand what he meant, but before she could phrase another question he leaned down and softly kissed her lips. “I will place two buckets of water in the bathing room for you to shower with. Take your time. If you need anything, call for Gracie and she will help you. If you need me, I will not be far. I will see you at dusk.”

She frowned at the way he was suddenly dismissing her. “Wait, I want to come with you.”

He hesitated. “You can’t. I need to…I need to grab something quickly to fill my stomach and then I have to visit the council. You will be better off here.”

“But…”

“I hope you enjoy your day, Anna. I will see you tonight.”

She frowned at the back of the door as it closed behind him. She wasn’t sure if she was more upset with him for abandoning her or more disgusted with herself for suddenly feeling so needy.

* * * *

As soon as Adam stepped out of his bedroom he spotted Gracie lurking in the hall. “Good morning, sister.”

“How is she?”

“Anna is fine. A little upset with me for leaving her alone again
ferleicht,
but she will forgive me.”

“Why not let her spend the day with you in the barn?”

“Because I am first going to feed and she cannot come with me for that, and secondly because I am going to see Grandfather about summoning the elders regarding Cain.”

His sister made a sound of disgust. “I do not understand why he would do such a thing. Even for Cain this seems to be a new low. He is no
glutzkupp.
He knows his actions will bring him trouble. My guess is that he will stay hidden for a while. I don’t think he will bother Anna anymore.”

“I know he will not. The next time he comes within reach of my mate I will slaughter him.”

She stilled. “Adam! Do not say such things. He is our brother. Even I can find some redeeming qualities in Cain. Surely you can, too.”

Adam recalled the way there had been a sudden shift in Annalise’s emotions the day before, just as he was preparing to join her on the porch. From a slow climb of arousal, her emotions had dropped to confusion and then to a feeling of what he could only guess was a spike of humiliation. Concerned, he had rushed to the yard only to pause in shock as he took in the sight of his twin’s hands on his mate and her bonnet thrown carelessly to the ground.

In that moment he had gone from man to beast. His fangs punched into his mouth so hard he tasted his own blood. How dare his kin touch what was his? In the next instant his sister dragged Anna to the porch and he was attacking his brother. He did not regret the tears he put in his brother’s flesh, only that he had not given a fatal wound. Touching another’s mate was a crime deserving a penalty of death. There was such a precarious moment between newfound mates, a moment prior to the bonding where, if pushed too far, a vampyre could find himself sentenced to his own death if things did not work out. Why would his own brother tamper with such a thing? Cain had always been a prankster, but there was nothing amusing about what he had done.

When Adam had sliced his brother’s chest, flaying the flesh wide, he had been prepared to reach in and rip out the other man’s heart. Brother or not, his actions were unforgivable. Cain seemed to understand in that moment how unflinching Adam would be about ending his brother’s life and took the small breadth of opportunity Adam gave him and ran.

Adam had been beyond coherent thought though. He was all beast and needed to claim his mate. The haze that had him under a red veil of rage did not allow for Annalise’s words to penetrate his brain. Moving on instinct, he prepared to take what was his. He wasn’t sure what it was that she said, but something had gotten through to him, calming him in that moment he had assumed he was too far gone, too
feeish
to find any control. But she had miraculously calmed him enough to stop him.

He had been prepared to run until he restored the rest of his control. Only then his mate stepped close to him, undaunted by the animal he had been acting like, and tried to soothe him. More than any other time, in that moment he knew without a doubt that Anna was meant to be his. She understood what he needed and rose to the challenge without flinching.

Still, he should not have said such words about his brother in the presence of his sister. He turned to her. “Gracie, Anna is the difference between my survival and demise. He tried to interfere with that. Whatever trick he is playing at, I fail to find the humor. Let him hide and perhaps my emotions will calm once Anna and I complete the bonding, but for now, I am taking his actions to the council.”