My Immortal (5 page)

He knew now why she’d freaked when he held her down. The missionary position worked as long as he didn’t hold her too tight. When the trauma resurfaced in her mind, even he couldn’t comprehend the depths of the pain he saw there.

Damn those bastards to hell.

“I thought I could be a normal woman and enjoy a man. But when Ace wanted to fool around, I couldn’t. Sex, foreplay, all of it made me sick to my stomach. I pushed him away and he told me I was broken. That’s really why he fucked Gypsy.” Her voice wavered.

Storm’s heart wrenched and rage boiled in his veins. She’d left the force to keep her dignity, and Ace had yanked it away in spades with insults and deception. Storm just might have to pay Mr. Herbert Axel Blake a visit.

Storm kissed her hand. “Baby, we’ll get through this. I won’t let you down.”
I love you.
The words teetered on the tip of his tongue.
I love you.
He wanted to tell her the truth, but with the harshness of the conversation and his horn ball actions, he held himself in check. She’d never believe him.

“Will you hold me? I don’t want you to think I’m whiny, I just never admitted that to anyone before.” Stevie stared at him for a moment. Relief swam in the sparkling depths of her eyes. “Please hold me.”

He cupped her jaw.
“All night long.”

Chapter Five

Stevie awoke in warmth with the heavy weight of Storm’s leg draped across hers and his arm around her waist. She snuggled into his body and sighed. The woodsy scent of man and sex hung thick in the air. In one incredible night, he managed to exorcise the demons from her life and bring her closer to healing. Storm Richardson gave her a reason to live and love again. He showed her the beauty she believed was gone from her sad existence. She felt like a shiny new penny, gleaming in the sunlight.

Stevie bit back a peal of mirth. If someone had told her waking up with him was this much fun, she’d have done it a couple of years ago. If she knew he’d understand and hold her as she cried, she’d have snared him the first night they met and never let go.

Tingles still caressed the nerve endings in her lips from his kisses. A wave of realisation spread over her—for the first time in what seemed like
forever,
she’d shared her body with a man. She willingly offered her heart. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the giggles. The weight of her past wasn’t completely gone, but the heaviness on her shoulders lifted a bit and she relished the feeling.

A moment later, Storm flopped onto his back and drew her attention to his body. The dusting of whiskers on his cheeks made his handsome face more rugged and sexy. His morning erection beckoned to her under the blankets. Stevie licked her lips. Did she possess enough sensuality to please him with her mouth? A white hot streak of desire combined with courage pierced her heart. Why not try to satisfy him? It might work.

Stevie snuggled next to him and slid her hand along the light sprinkling of crisp hair trailing down his stomach. Storm looked thin, but as she stroked the taut flesh she realised his physical strength. He sighed, but didn’t shift positions. Under the sheet, she tangled her fingers in the soft thatch of curls guarding his cock. This time, he stirred and thrust his hips in a sign of invitation. She glanced at his face, waiting for a reaction, but his eyes remained closed. Was he awake and playing games, or still asleep?

Stevie put her money on asleep and took a deep breath to fortify her nerves. With trembling hands, she moved the sheet down his torso, revealing his dick. She gazed at his erection and gasped. No man ever seemed beautiful, not that she had lots of firsthand knowledge of cocks, but he was amazing. The purple head bobbed and a bead of pre-come seeped from the slit.

She bent and licked the clear liquid, receiving a groan from Storm. Startled, she withdrew and looked up at him.

“No, baby.
Keep going,” he encouraged, his voice dipping to a husky whisper. He closed his eyes and the muscles in his jaw clenched. His lips curled in a smile. “You’re killing me, but don’t stop.”

Stevie swirled her tongue around the tip of his dick and regained a bit of her courage. He liked her ministrations. She fought the desire to touch herself to share the blissful sensation.

“Yes.” Storm’s lips parted on a hiss and he tangled his fingers in her hair. “Let me caress you.”

Her confidence soared and she shifted to give him room to touch her body. Once settled, she took more of him into her mouth, savouring his salty taste. Her breasts ached for his hands and Storm didn’t disappoint. He plucked her tender nipple, bringing a cry from deep in her throat. Electricity zinged from her chest to her pussy.

“Fuck, Stevie. Yes, it feels good.”

Stevie licked his cock and fondled his sac. The head of his erection bumped the back of her throat and the tiny hairs tickled her nose. He bucked and moaned, sending himself farther into her. She groaned, but didn’t relent. A freedom she never thought possible coursed through her veins.

“Baby, I’m… Come here.” He reached for her. “I need to be inside you when I come.”

Storm shuddered, and Stevie held on for his climax. She wanted to experience all of him, including the taste of his orgasm. They may not last as a couple forever, so why not have sweet and sultry memories to look back on later?

Storm shouted his release and slumped back against the mattress. Hot seed jetted into her mouth. She withdrew and licked the slick salty offering from her lips. Pride swelled in her heart as she crawled along his body. He gasped for breath and reached for her once again, and this time, she snuggled in his arms.

“You make sleeping in fun,” he murmured and nibbled her neck. His husky voice sent tremors through her body.

“You make a pretty sexy bed warmer even.” She arched into him, giving him better access. “Blankets were optional, even if you took them all.”

Storm propped himself up on one elbow. His gaze caressed her body. “I hope I warmed more than just the bed.” He caressed his index finger over each areola until her nipples puckered again. “I feel a fever coming on.”

Strains of
Blackest Black
came from the nightstand. Stevie giggled and reclaimed the sheet. “I guess we have to go back to the outside world now, don’t we?”

“Ignore it,” he bit out and returned his attention to removing the cover.

When his phone silenced, her phone started up. ‘Undeniable’
,
a heavy metal song, blared from her purse on the large oak dresser. Storm looked up and crinkled his brows. “Why did you pick that for a ring tone?”

Stevie shrugged and shifted to sit up.
“Why not?
I’m not a shrinking violet. I like loud music, too, remember?” She stuck out her tongue. He knew what her phone sounded like. He picked out the ring tones. Maybe he never noticed after he twiddled with the device. Maybe he didn’t care. She closed her eyes and forced her mind to stop spinning with doubt in him and his actions.

He placed his hand on her thigh. “Wait. I’ll listen to my voicemail, but don’t go anywhere. I’m not done with you.”

“Is that a threat or a promise?”

“Both.” He pressed a few buttons on his phone and lodged the phone between his ear and his shoulder while he caressed her hair. “I’m not through loving you.”

Stevie snuggled into the blankets and suppressed the goofy smile. She’d take his threats and all the sexual promises he could make. When she laced her fingers with his, he smirked then rolled his eyes. She cocked her head. “What?”

He let the phone drop and disconnected the call. “The real world has indeed barged in on our erotic utopia. It seems that after we forwarded the most recent pictures to Edie Tripp, she told a woman named Noreen Davis that we gave her plenty of satisfaction.” She giggled again, but he continued, “I know. It sounded sick coming from Edie. Anyway, this Mrs. Davis wants us to tail her husband of fourteen years. The name’s Jack Davis and he
frequents
the bowling alley and Spitz Pub. She left a contact number.” Storm flipped the phone onto the nightstand and attacked her neck with renewed vigour. “What do you think?
Ready for another round?”

Stevie didn’t understand his obsession with her body and didn’t care. Another round of sex sounded heavenly, but the orangey cast in the room confused her. She twined her fingers in his hair and peered out the windows. “What time is it?”

“Huh?” He glanced up and knotted his brows.

Stevie flicked the hair falling over her eyes behind her ear. Had they slept all day? She never slept
all day
, even after their latest nights. She always woke around noon. “Your bedroom windows face the west. If it’s morning, then the light is all wrong. The sun doesn’t lie. Did we waste the day in bed?”

“Waste?”
Storm’s voice came out a bit strangled. “All my time with you is precious.”

“You know what I meant. The day seemed to slip away.” Stevie blushed.

“It’s early Saturday evening, I’d say.” Storm rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip and she teased it with her tongue. “We stayed up until nearly six in the morning, bad girl. I would like to think I wore you out, but your scepticism wounds me.”

She grinned. They’d had a wild night she’d never forget. She’d lost her heart and her fears. “Why don’t you set up the meeting with Mrs. Davis while I get us a snack and then we can indulge in round five or is it six?”

He pouted and brushed his knuckles across her cheek. “I just got started loving you and I don’t want to stop.”

Stevie liked the sound of that.
Loving you.
Maybe he did feel the same as she did. She tossed the rumpled cotton sheet onto the floor.
“How about a before and after?
It
is
Saturday.”

Storm sank down beside her. “Babe, you read my mind.”

* * * *

As Stevie exited the room an hour later, clad in nothing but one of his T-shirts, Storm leant against the headboard and folded his arms behind his head. He crossed his ankles and shifted to get comfortable. The king-sized bed had never seemed
so
comfortable as when she lay next to him.

He sighed. So she wasn’t the woman of his dreams. Who was honestly that perfect? He wasn’t. Hell, he was a damned vampire in need of sustenance. Then again, who needed ideal and plastic, when originality and a killer smile stoked his desire? Stevie suited him like no other.

Like his mate.

Maybe God had had a plan when she walked into his life. She could be his well-earned reward for going against vampire nature and that rat O’Toole. Joy bubbled in Storm’s heart. Maybe his life wasn’t wasted in order to appease the devil.

Storm closed his eyes. The gentle sounds of Stevie rummaging through his cupboards made his heart swell. Each clunk and clang made him grin. The friendship and partnership wasn’t platonic any longer and he was damn proud. She sounded like she belonged and this was an average morning, well, late afternoon. The thought jarred him. She bought his lie when he said they’d slept all day. They had, of course, but he doubted he could be that smooth with a line the next time. She’d want to see the sunrise and stroll on the beach or something normal like that. How to answer that?
Oh, honey. I'd love to wander the beach with you, but I can’t. I’m allergic to sunshine?
Or how about,
Ever
see the witch in The Wizard of Oz? Yeah, the one that melts in the end. Well, if we venture out in the noonday sun, I’ll end up just like her.

The scent of fresh-brewed coffee lingered in the air, crisp and homey. He groaned and his stomach growled. Food sounded very nice. Too bad it wasn’t enough to sustain him. He’d grab a bottle of his bloodwine a little later to tide him over—once he showed Stevie the contents of his heart and made her his mate. Her intelligence wouldn’t buy a line of malarkey. She’d want the truth. Could she understand and love him anyway? He paused. She was a long-haul type of woman. He knew her past. Hell, he lived it through her memories. Could she stick with him long enough to get beyond his fucked-up yesterdays?

Mate.

That voice. He wanted to curse it, but at the same time, it comforted him. Stevie respected him, but wasn’t afraid to stand up to him when he was wrong. She brought to light his every desire and sated them without a second glance. Then there was her body. If there was ever a woman who deserved praise for her natural beauty inside and out, it was Stevie.

Mate.

Who was he kidding? He loved her. Loved her enough to shop for a ring and make it legal.
To have her forever in his undead life.

Storm unfolded his arms and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes.

Damn, he was so screwed until he told her the truth.

He was screwed no matter what. If she didn’t turn from him, Storm risked losing her to O’Toole. Jamison killed other vampires in order to finagle himself a harem of wives and mates. Storm vowed Stevie would never end up as a part of any harem—including O’Toole’s.
I can’t lose her.

“I brought you a pick-me-up. Cream and sugar, just as you like.”

Storm opened his eyes to see Stevie placing two cups of steaming coffee on the nightstand. She plopped down on to the bed and wrapped her arms around him. His heart swelled and beat against his ribcage. She knew how to take care of him.