Dalakis Passion 4 - Eternal Brothers (20 page)

welling inside her.
"Not want to see you." She could hear the surprise in his voice, but she wasn't
buying it. He'd made his position very clear last night when he'd refused to look at her,
talk to her and then finally abandoned her in the home of virtual strangers. "Not want
to see you!" he roared.
She found herself plucked off her feet and pushed back against the wall. The first
stirrings of fear began deep within her. She really didn't know Zane at all and he was so
much stronger than her. He'd picked her up as if she weighed nothing at all. She could
feel the fury in him as he bent his head toward her until their noses were practically
touching.
"I didn't think you'd want to even look at me after last night." His voice was little
more than a strained whisper.
Like she was buying that.
"Sure. Whatever." She willed her voice to be strong and
sure. What came out was more of a pain-filled whisper. She lowered her eyes, ashamed
at her continued reaction to him. What was wrong with her? Didn't she have any pride,
any sense of self-preservation? Obviously not, because she still wanted him. Her body
pulsed with need and she curled her hands into fists, digging her short nails into her
palms to keep from reaching out to touch him.
"Look at me," he growled.
She shook her head.
His sigh rumpled the hair on the top of her head and he cupped her face in his
hands, tilting it upward. "I am a vampire."
"I know that." They'd been through this already. Yes, she was still coming to grips
with the whole vampire, sucking blood, immortality thing, but she'd been mostly okay
with it.
"My mother could not accept the conversion. It drove her insane over the years and
then it slowly did the same to my father."
Her heart ached for him and she felt herself softening toward him. Her hands
uncurled and shifted to rest lightly on his waist. The tension seeped out of her spine
and she leaned against him, offering him silent comfort. "I'm sorry." She didn't know
what else to say.
"You're sorry," he repeated. "I'm sorry too, but it changes nothing. They still both
went mad and I..." He swallowed hard and his words were bleak. "I killed them both."
Cursing herself for her weakness, she wrapped her arms around his waist and
hugged him tight. There was no way she couldn't offer him comfort. His pain beat at
her until she couldn't bear it any longer. She squeezed him tight until their bodies were
melded together from chest to thigh. "I'm so sorry it all happened.
So sorry you had to
go through all that alone."
If she understood anything, it was loneliness. Her drug-
addicted mother had been right beside her for years, but she might have well been dead
for all the attention she'd paid to her daughter.
Zane pushed her away until they were no longer touching. He stared down at her,
his green eyes glittering with emotion. "Don't you understand? I murdered my
parents."
She shook her head. "No. You did what you had to do to protect the innocent. In
the end, even your father knew that what you were doing was right."
"How can you even want to be with me?" The desolation in his voice touched her
very soul and then she knew.
"That's why you wouldn't look at me last night, why you wouldn't talk to me?" He
tried to pull away, but this time it was her that hung on. Her fingers curled into the
front of his shirt, holding on tight. She was no match for him physically and knew that
he was only still here because he wanted to be. "You were afraid."
His head jerked up and his mouth opened. She thought he would deny it. Instead,
he closed his mouth again and lowered his head. "Don't you see, Sophia? I want you in
my life.
Always and forever.
You are my heart and my soul." His fingers sifted through
her hair and down the back of her skull, stopping at the base of her neck. "I want to be
with you. I want to change you. I want you to be as I am."
Sophia swallowed hard, fear beating at her even as the lure of his words tempted
her. "You want me to become a vampire?" No sunshine.
Bloodsucking.
Endless night.
She wasn't sure she was ready for that. On the other hand, she'd be immortal and be
with Zane. There was something to be said for that.
"It's selfish, but I do," he whispered. "Now you know why I can't see you again."
"What?" She'd lost track of this conversation somewhere along the line. Was Zane
just playing mind games with her? She was totally confused. One moment he was
saying things like she was his heart and wanted to be with her always, the next he was
saying he couldn't see her.
His choice of words sunk into her brain. He hadn't said that he didn't
want
to see
her again. Only that he
couldn
'
t
. "Why can't you see me?" she asked gently.
"It's not safe for you."
The light bulb went off. This wasn't about them. It was about Zane's parents. "I'm
not your mother, Zane." He flinched and dropped his hands from her neck. She reached
up and twined her arms around his neck. "And you're not your father."
"I don't want to hurt you." He buried his face in the curve of her neck.
She tried to ignore the press of his firm lips against her skin. "You hurt me last
night by leaving me, by not talking to
me
."
"I'm sorry, Sophia. The last thing I want to do is to harm you." His words were so
heartfelt and she could feel the sincerity in them as he wrapped his arms around her
waist and clung to her.
"Why don't we take things one day at a time? We don't have to make any decisions
about our relationship today
or
tomorrow, do we?"
Zane raised his head. "No." His hands drifted around to her waist. "We don't have
to decide anything today. If you're sure you still want to see me,
that's
enough for
now."
Sophia had a feeling that Zane had never made himself this vulnerable to another
soul in his life. The fact that he had such deep feelings for her made it easier for her to
admit hers for him. She wasn't in this alone. They were in it together.
"I want to be with you." She pulled his head down until their lips were barely
touching. "For as long as it lasts."
Then she kissed him.
Chapter Fifteen
Zane could taste the desperation on Sophia's lips as they grazed his, but he didn't
care. They were together now and that was all that mattered.
Just the fact that she still
wanted him, didn't think him some kind of monster, was a gift from the heavens.
After
everything he'd revealed last evening, he'd been sure she wouldn't want anything else
to do with him. In order to avoid the pain her scorn would bring, he'd shunned her
first. But he hadn't been able to stay away from her.
Stefan had asked about their relationship last night while the two of them had been
scouring the city, but Zane had denied any personal involvement. The other man had
scoffed at him, telling Zane that he wasn't fooling anyone but himself. He could have
told Stefan he wasn't doing a very good job at even that.
Sophia was the last thing he'd thought about when the heavy day sleep of his kind
had come upon him at dawn and she was the first thing he'd thought about when he'd
awoken at dusk. For the first time in his existence, his sleep had been restless, filled
with images of Sophia. She was a yearning in his blood and bones, indeed in his very
soul, which he couldn't deny.
Her lips were soft under his, parting, inviting him to taste, to take. He plunged his
tongue deep, wanting to reclaim every part of her body, to cherish it, to make it his. Her
tongue dueled with his as whimpers of need came from deep within her. He slanted his
head to one side, wanting to get closer to her. His fingers sifted through her short red
hair, tugging her to him. The fire of her desire warmed him, thawing the ice that had
encased him since the night before. Sophia was nothing short of a miracle to him.
He tore his lips from hers and peppered her face with kisses. He adored her freckles
and made sure he didn't miss any of them. Sophia was panting now, hot puffs of breath
brushing against his neck. His cock was throbbing, demanding he strip her naked and
take her now. His blood cried out for hers. He was a man starving and she was a feast.
He'd tried to do the right thing.
Tried to let her go.
But she'd made her choice. Now there was no going back--for either of them.
Zane slid his hands down her shoulders and her back as he continued to plunder
her mouth with abandon. Her hot tongue enthusiastically twined with his as she kissed
him back. He wanted that talented mouth wrapped around his shaft as he plunged in
and out. He closed his eyes and tried to think about anything but the beautiful woman
wrapped in his arms. He was so damn close to coming. His balls were tight against his
body and his cock felt as if it was going to explode.
Grabbing the backs of her thighs, he lifted her. She immediately wrapped her legs
around his waist, hooking her ankles together at the small of his back. He could feel her
heat through the layers of their clothing as it pressed against his stomach. The scent of
her arousal was an aphrodisiac driving him closer to the edge.
She still wanted him. Even after everything he'd said, everything she knew him to
be. She still wanted him.
Pulling away from her luscious lips, he left a trail of wet, openmouthed kisses down
her jaw and along the tantalizing curve of her neck. He tasted the salt from her skin,
drank in the sweet cries that fell from her lips. Her legs tightened around him as he
stumbled down the hallway.
He had to get to her bedroom. This time he wanted to spend hours locked in her
arms, fucking her over and over until both of them collapsed facedown onto the sheets
from exhaustion. His teeth tingled, his fangs lengthening. He wanted to taste her too.
To
feel the blast of heat and energy that her blood gave him.
She was so sweet, her blood
thick and potent and his.
Zane managed to get them in through the bedroom door, kicking it shut behind
him. Sophia's hands were everywhere. On his shoulders, his back, his chest. His skin
felt as if it was stretched too tight over his bones. He needed to feel her hands on his
naked flesh.
Staggering to the bed, he tried to place her on the mattress, but she wouldn't let go
of him. Turning, he lowered himself carefully to the bed. The motion pressed her groin
against his and he groaned.
"You have to let go of
me
."
"No." She nipped at his neck, her hands slipping beneath his shirt.
In spite of the need pounding through his body, he laughed. She raised her head
and stared at him. Her lips were soft and slightly swollen, her red hair tousled and her
pale green eyes were passion-filled. His proud fairy queen was now a seductress.
"I want you naked." He cupped her ass in his hands and squeezed.
"Why didn't you say so?" She scrambled from his lap, standing right in front of him
and began to tug off her clothing with wild abandon.
No sexy striptease could have aroused him as effectively as Sophia tearing at her
clothing. Her shirt came off first and she tossed it aside. She toed off her sneakers as she
reached for the snap at the front of her jeans. His own clothing felt restraining, so Zane
ripped his shirt over his head and threw it to the floor. Sophia
stopped, her hands on
her
zipper and just stared at him.
"Don't stop." If she stopped now, he'd go mad.
"Right."
She yanked her zipper down and then shimmied out of her jeans, taking
her underwear with it as she pushed them over her thighs and calves. Bending down,
she shoved her socks off as well and then she was naked.
Her skin was milky white and, he knew from experience, very soft. He could spend
hours just running his fingers over her supple flesh. There were several intriguing
freckles on the curve of her small breasts that he just had to taste. He knew she was self-
conscious about her breasts, but to him they were perfect. They weren't even a handful,
but they were incredibly responsive. Her nipples were a light, dusky rose. Puckered
proud, they stood at attention. He licked his lips and she moaned.
Her rib cage was narrow and her waist small, but her hips flared out slightly. The
nest of curls at the apex of her thighs was just a shade darker than the hair on her head.
Reaching out his hand, he sifted through the dark red curls, loving the way they
wrapped around his fingers.
He could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest, see the fluttering of her pulse in her
neck as he pushed his fingers between her thighs. She parted her legs, allowing him
entry. He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep, calming breath. Reaching out, he took
hold of her hand and guided it between her thighs. He felt her slight resistance and then
she relaxed, allowing him to do as he would. He glided her fingers over her slick folds.
Could feel the moisture coating his hand.
She was already soaking wet for him.
Withdrawing her fingers, he brought them to his mouth and licked them.
She whimpered as he sucked one finger farther into his mouth, drawing her essence
from it. Her hips undulated slightly as he slowly pulled his head
back,
scraping his
teeth over her fingers "You taste perfect. Like peaches and honey."
"Zane!" she cried, her head falling back as she swayed toward him.
Pulling her closer, he closed his mouth over one of her pert nipples, drawing it
deep. She gripped his head, tugging his hair as she held him to her. He loved the slight
sting of her nails digging into his scalp. His hands molded the firm, pliant flesh of her
ass.
Sophia's hands slid down his neck. She placed her palms on his shoulders and
pushed. He reluctantly released her, swirling his tongue around her areola before he sat
back.
"It's my turn." Her husky voice had his balls pulling up tight against his body.
"What do you want?"
"You." Dropping to her knees in front of him, she reached for the zipper of his
jeans.
Zane held his breath as she slowly and ever-so carefully drew the tab downward,
parting the metal teeth. He bit back a groan as her fingers shoved aside his underwear,