Dalakis Passion 4 - Eternal Brothers (27 page)

age and as beautiful as she was, that was a given. But he wanted to be the only man
from here on in.
She licked her lips and he followed the path of her tongue with his gaze. The vein in
his temple was pounding. He swallowed hard. He wanted to cherish her, loving her
slowing and carefully, taking the time to stroke every inch of her lush body. He wanted
to ravish her, burying his cock in her heat and pounding into her until they were both
sated. The intense contradictions held him immobile.
Then she went up on her toes and kissed him.
It was a gentle kiss. A mere brush of her lips against his. But it had been freely
given. Cassidy's head swam with emotions and needs as he struggled to keep the kiss
light and undemanding.
Then she stroked her tongue into his mouth and he lost it.
Plunging his tongue past her lips, he ravished her mouth. His hands slid from her
shoulders to band around her back, locking her tight against him. The hard nubs of her
nipples pressed against his chest even through the fabric of her T-shirt. Cassidy was
fiercely glad he'd unbuttoned his shirt earlier. It allowed him to feel the soft mounds of
her breasts and their rigid tips
all the
better.
Sliding one hand up her spine, he cupped the back of her head, threading his
fingers through her hair. He tilted her head to one side, giving himself better access to
her mouth as he continued to claim it as his own. His tongue stroked hers and he
groaned as hers tangled willingly with his. She tasted sweet and addictive and he knew
he'd never get enough of her.
The hand that was low on her back slipped lower. He had to know. His fingers
pushed beneath the fabric and felt only warm, pliant skin. His brain almost exploded.
She was naked beneath the shirt. No. As his fingers skimmed higher, he encountered a
thin string. His hand stilled as his mind computed what this meant. She was wearing a
thong. Somehow that was just as arousing as if she'd been wearing nothing at all.
Blythe whimpered as he stroked the cleft of her behind, tracing the path of the thin
string. She pulled back, gasping for breath as she gazed up at him, her eyes almost blind
with passion. Cassidy recognized her need. It was the same that pulsed through him.
His chest heaving, he stared down at the woman still clasped tight in his arms. "If
you're going to say no, say it now." He barely recognized his own
voice,
it was so low
and guttural. The finesse he usually had with women was gone. This woman brought
out all this primitive instincts, drove all else from his mind. Still, he would do nothing
to scare her, to harm her. Nothing!
In answer, she stepped away from him. Cassidy's hands dropped from her and
fisted at his sides. His shirt was clinging to his back. Heat, wild and fierce, radiated
from his aroused body. His balls ached and his cock throbbed. Still, he remained where
he was.
Blythe's eyes seemed to focus on his hands and he forced his fingers to relax. He
didn't want to frighten her, didn't want her remembering another man striking her. Her
gaze flew to his face and whatever she saw there seemed to satisfy her.
Ever-so slowly, she held out her hand to him.
Blythe desperately reminded herself to breathe. It wouldn't do for her to pass out in
a heap at Cassidy's feet. Her heart was pounding so hard she was surprised that it
didn't burst. Her entire body tingled, her breasts felt swollen and aroused and her
pussy was wet, aching with a need she'd never felt before.
Other men had touched her body and tried to kindle desire within her, but only this
man had managed to do it. And he'd barely touched her. Fear crept into Blythe's mind,
threatening to diminish the arousal, but by sheer will alone, she pushed it back. Just
once in her life, she wanted to feel normal, wanted to truly desire a man. This might be
her only chance. Once this episode with Adrian Prince was over, she'd leave New
Orleans and begin a new life somewhere else and she'd never see Sam Cassidy again.
Just the thought brought tears to her eyes and she blinked them back. He stood
there waiting for her to decide. That alone gave her the strength to go forward. She'd
never met a man like Cassidy before. He made her feel special. To him, she was more
than just a pretty face and a lush body.
His hands were fisted at his sides, but as she watched, his fingers relaxed. Her eyes
jumped to his face. He knew she was afraid and he was doing his best to reassure her. It
was her choice. She held her hand out to him and sighed when his closed around it.
She led him to the bed. Neither of them spoke as she slid her hands beneath his
shirt and slipped it of his shoulders. His skin was slightly damp and his muscles
jumped beneath her palms as she stroked them across his chest. He was so strong, yet
always so gentle with her.
"Blythe?"
"
Shh
."
She laid her finger over his lips. She didn't want to talk, didn't want to break
the almost magical mood that seemed to surround them. Maybe it was because it was in
the last vestiges of the night just before the dawn. Maybe it was because, deep inside,
she was beginning to trust Cassidy. She knew she wanted him. He'd awoken something
within her. Something she'd thought hadn't existed within her. He made her feel like a
woman, with a woman's wants and needs, and she wanted this one chance to explore
them before she had to leave this amazing man.
She couldn't stay. That was a given.
Jethro
Prince had taken that option from her.
She shuddered and Cassidy said her name again. Rather than answer, she gripped the
hem of her shirt and drew it over her head, dropping it to the floor beside her. Cassidy
sucked in a breath and then leaned down to brush a light kiss across her lips. "You are
so beautiful," he breathed as he peppered her jaw and throat with kisses.
She reached out blindly, clasping his shoulders for support as his lips continued
downward. His hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs brushing her tight nipples.
Blythe whimpered as desire shot from her breasts to her pussy and back again as
Cassidy continued to touch her.
His breath was warm and moist against her breasts as he nuzzled first one and then
the other. Blythe wanted more.
Wanted his mouth and his tongue to ease the ache that
seemed to swell within her.
As if he'd heard her unspoken plea, he stroked his tongue
across one taut peak, making her shudder with need. Then he blew on the hard bud
before drawing it into his mouth and suckling.
She slid her fingers into his hair and dug her nails into his scalp, pulling him closer.
Cassidy groaned and suckled harder. Blythe could feel the moisture seeping from her
pussy and sliding down her inner thigh. Her hips were swaying back and forth in a
primal mating rhythm, silently urging Cassidy onward.
He released her suddenly and surged upward. Taken off guard, she tumbled down
onto the bed. He followed her down, his hard, large frame covering her much smaller
one.
Fear began to eat away at her desire. She tried to drive it back, tried to recapture the
earlier feeling. Cassidy swooped down and captured her mouth, his tongue and lips
practically eating her alive, stealing the very breath from her body. His hands seemed to
be touching her everywhere.
Stroking.
Caressing.
She could feel his heavy erection
pressing against her thigh as he fingered the thin scrap of her panties.
Sweat broke out all over her body. Partly arousal, partly fear. Blythe lay paralyzed,
unable to move forward, unable to stop. Her breathing became erratic and she could
feel tears seeping out of the corners of her eyes, sliding down her temples and
disappearing into her hair.
Cassidy suddenly stopped and pulled back. She could see the growing horror on
his face and knew that she'd ruined her one chance with him. Sobs broke from deep
within her and she rolled aside, curling into a tight ball of misery.
"Blythe?"
He levered his body off her and wrapped his arms around her, making
her cry even harder.
"I'm sorry," she managed to get out in between her tears. She tried to stop, but it
was as if some dam within her had been broken. She hadn't cried in the long year she'd
spent with Prince, or when her mother had passed away, but she cried now. Not only
for what had happened, but for what, now, would never happen. She cried for the past
and for the long, lonely future to come.
For she knew now that something inside her
had been irreparably damaged during her time with Prince.
She wanted Sam Cassidy
with every fiber of her being. Even now her body was still damp with desire, crying out
for him. If she couldn't be with him, then she would never be with any man.
"
Shh
. It's all right, sweetheart," he crooned in her ear. She felt his arms slide
beneath her and then she was cradled against his hard, warm chest, his heartbeat a
comfort as she snuggled close to him. He murmured to her as she
cried, words with no
meaning
that somehow calmed and reassured her.
Blythe didn't want to leave the safety and warmth of his arms, but she knew it
wasn't fair for her to stay here. She could feel his cock against her hip. It wasn't as hard
or large as it had been, but she felt like a tease sitting all but naked in his arms when she
didn't plan on doing anything about it.
Without looking at him, she crawled out of his arms, tugged the covers over her
and turned away. She knew it was cowardly, but she couldn't bear to face him. Not yet.
Not until she was able to put the shattered pieces of herself back together again. She
knew she'd never be the same, but she was a survivor and would manage somehow.
She waited for Cassidy to leave. Most men would have yelled and screamed at her.
Many would have taken what she'd offered, even if she had changed her mind. All of
them would have left her. But she should have known that Sam Cassidy would be
different. He'd been surprising her, shattering her myths about men from the moment
she'd met him.
The bed dipped as his full weight came down behind her. She tensed, but he did
nothing but tuck the covers tighter around her before draping his arm across her and
pulling her back tight against his chest.
"Sleep," he whispered against her ear. "Everything will seem better in the
morning." She felt the light touch of his lips against her head and she felt her heart turn
over. She knew then that she loved Sam Cassidy and because she loved him, she knew
she'd have to leave.
The stress of the night overtook the workings of her mind and she felt herself
drifting off to sleep just as the sun was rising over the city.
Chapter Twenty
Sophia awoke to a yell. She sat up in bed, blinking furiously. For a moment, she
didn't even remember where she was. Then it all came flooding back--the shower, the
amazing sex, Zane.
The first rays of sunshine were filtering in through the window.
Sunshine!
Panic hit her like a ton of bricks. She bolted out of bed and drew the drapes shut
tight. Zane was on the floor on the far side of the bed away from the window. Sophia
could see the slashes of red on his face, arms and chest where the sun's rays had hit
him.
"Get under the bed," she yelled, but he didn't move. Scurrying back to his side, she
winced at the burns on his body. They were already starting to blister. "Zane, you have
to get under the bed."
His movements were sluggish as he dug his fingers into her area rug and tried to
pull himself toward safety. She realized then that he was weakening as the sun rose on
the horizon. Placing her hands on his body, she pushed, helping him slide beneath her
bed frame. It was a tight fit, but they managed.
"Why didn't you go home last night instead of falling in bed next to me?
Of all the
lame-brained things to do."
She continued to berate him as fear beat at her. "You'll be
all right, won't you?" He always appeared so strong and
invincible,
it was scary to see
him so weak. She realized just how vulnerable he was when the sun was out. Not only
was he susceptible to its rays, his entire body weakened as it fell into a sleeping state.
"I'll be okay," he promised as he curled his fingers around hers. "The burns will be
gone when I awake." She could see the hesitation on his face before he reluctantly
continued. "I'll slip into my day sleep any minute. My heart will stop beating and I'll
appear as if I'm dead." He watched her carefully and she forced herself not to react.
Sophia swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked back tears. "I'll be here when
you wake at dusk. I've got plenty of work to do at home, but I'll be out for a few hours
this afternoon." She could see the protest in his eyes. "I've got to go to the police station
and see if
there's been any new developments
in the case. It's harder for them to put me
off if I'm there in person. I'll be careful," she added as his eyelids fluttered closed.
"Promise."
She could barely hear him now and bent lower.
"I promise I'll be careful." She kissed the tips of her fingers and then placed them
over his lips. He sighed and relaxed. She waited and watched. He didn't move. Didn't
even
so
much as twitch. She chewed on her bottom lip as she watched his chest. It
wasn't moving. Reaching out her hand, she tentatively placed it over his heart.
Nothing.
Nada.
Zip. She'd been expecting it, but still it was very disconcerting.
"Okay," she muttered, sucking in a deep breath. "So my lover is a vampire.
So
what?"
Shaking her head, she ran her fingers over the crisp hair on his chest one final
time before levering herself off the floor.
She glanced at the window and then back at the bed. She wasn't satisfied that Zane
had enough protection. She wasn't about to take any chances. Pulling the sheets off the
bed, she spread them so that they were draped to the floor, covering one side and the
bottom of the bed. Walking around to the other side of the bed, she did the same thing
there using the blanket. Zane was surrounded on all sides. With the drapes closed, he