Once Bitten, Twice Shy (16 page)

When I reached my destination, washing him gently, Lex reached down and pulled me up by my wrists. I squeaked when he lifted me by my ass and pressed me against the shower wall.

“You can play later. I don’t have the patience right now.” With those words, he angled his cock into my center and let my weight drop slowly until I was impaled.

This time, our coupling was fast and furious. My climax started at my scalp and rolled downward in a vicious wave. Only Lex’s hand fisted in my hair kept me from smashing my skull against the hard tile behind me.

After I caught my breath, he pulled out of me slowly and lowered me to my feet. He had to help support me as he turned off the water, helped me out of the shower, and wrapped me in a huge bath sheet. I wondered why in the hell vampires seemed to have an inclination for towels the size of a blanket.

After he dried us off, he pulled me into the bedroom behind him. A glance at the alarm clock on his bedside table showed it was 3 a.m. He yanked the comforter down and I fell on to the most comfortable mattress ever created. I pulled the sheet and blanket over my naked body as Lex went back to turn off the bathroom light.

By the time he returned to the bed and climbed in behind me, I was dead to the world.

*     *     *

My little bubble
of happiness burst after I woke up later that morning. I opened my eyes and realized I was in Lex’s huge bed alone. Bleary-eyed, I looked around in the light of day and saw that his room was masculine and simple, with sand colored walls, dark wooden furniture, and a comforter the color of merlot spread over me. I noticed my clothes folded neatly on the end of the bed.

Feeling a little off-balance, I climbed out of the bed and dressed. I wandered into the bathroom and found a selection of women’s toiletries and a brand spanking new toothbrush, still in the package, on the counter for me.

That off-balance feeling transformed into a rock in the pit of my stomach. While I appreciated that Lex went to the trouble of ensuring that I would have everything I would need to be comfortable and clean in the morning, it also made me wonder how many other women had found themselves in the exact position I was in now.

My mellow mood was crushed. I brushed my teeth and washed my face on autopilot, then I twisted my hair into a messy knot at the nape of my neck. I could barely meet my own eyes in the mirror because I couldn’t believe that I was so naive. Lex was hundreds of years old. Of course he would probably see sex more casually than I would.

I took a deep breath and reminded myself not to be jealous or hurt. No other woman was here now. He was with me. For now. I shook my head and shoved those words out of my mind. There was no guarantee in any relationship at the beginning.

I had to smile at myself. I needed to chill out. Obviously frequent and amazing sex turned me into a lunatic. Then again, I probably hated the idea that my relationship with Lex might not be long term because he’d ruined me for all other men. I don’t see how any man could make me feel the way he had the night before. Hell, several of my previous boyfriends could barely manage to bring me to orgasm once in one night, much less three times.

Rolling my eyes at my own crazy train of thought, I left the bathroom and headed downstairs. Since Lex hadn’t exactly given me a tour that last time I was at his house, I followed my instincts. There was a hall to the right of the doorway. I padded toward the end of it in my bare feet. I glanced in the rooms that I passed and saw a library and a large formal dining room. They were both empty.

As I approached the last door, I smelled coffee and my mouth began to water. I pushed open the kitchen door and stopped short. Lex was standing in the kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of black men’s pajama pants. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was smiling.

When I was finally able to tear my eyes away from the sight he presented, I saw a petite blonde woman standing at the sink wearing a snug pair of tiny cutoff shorts and a blood red tank top. Her long hair was pulled up in a ponytail on the crown of her head. She had turned to face me and was staring at me as though she had seen a ghost. And she was gorgeous.

My entire body felt as though it were dipped in ice water. I had just been wondering about Lex’s other women and it appeared I was face-to-face with one.

I stepped back and glanced at Lex. He was frowning at me. I tried not to meet either of their eyes.

“I can see I’m interrupting. Um, I’ll just….” I didn’t finish the sentence. I turned on my bare foot and went right back out the kitchen door.

I was almost to the front door when Lex caught me. I wasn’t sure what I planned to do when I got outside other than get the hell away from this house. His hand caught my elbow and swung me around to face him.

“Ivie, what in the hell just happened?” he demanded.

I tried to pull my arm out of his grasp, but Lex held fast. “I can’t do this.”

“Can’t do what?” He seemed genuinely bewildered. “What is the problem?”

I eyed him suspiciously. He was remaining true to his word. He wasn’t even attempting to read my thoughts. Unfortunately, that meant I had to have this uncomfortable conversation.

I rubbed my temples. “It’s the women’s toiletries in the bathroom.”

He looked even more confused, but edging toward annoyed. “Pardon?”

I sighed and forced myself to meet his eyes. “When I saw all those women’s things in your bathroom this morning, plus the fresh toothbrush, it just hit me a little harder than I expected.”

Lex’s eyes narrowed. “Explain.”

“That I’m one of many,” I whispered.

Lex just stared at me for a moment, his eyes burning with black fire. It scared me a little. It was the same look he had last night when he saw me watching movies with Finn.

“Do you want some more coffee, Lex?”

My eyes flicked away from the angry vampire to look at the thin, shapely blonde standing at the mouth of the hall.

“No, thank you, Bridget. Go ahead and go home for the day. I’ll compensate you for your time.”

She bit her lip and nodded before she turned and went back down the hall.

I watched her and felt my pulse accelerating. Lex was still watching me, unmoving. He didn’t even blink. His scary demeanor made me fidget and bite my lower lip.

“Just who do you think Bridget is to me, Ivie?” he asked.

I blinked, not expecting the question. “Um, I don’t know,” I murmured.

“That’s right,” he said, nodding. “You don’t know, because you didn’t ask me.” He turned away from me suddenly, dragging his hands through his hair, cursing loudly. He whirled around and came directly at me.

I just managed not to flinch and stand my ground as he got right in my space, lowering his head to get eye-to-eye with me.

“Bridget is my housekeeper. She is not now, and never has been, my lover.”

“Oh,” I whispered.

His eyes were still burning so hot I was surprised my eyebrows weren’t singed. “And the toiletries you seem so concerned about, the ones I placed in the bathroom so you would be comfortable and clean if you wished, I keep on hand for political guests.” He let me digest this for a moment. “Did it occur to you that I am a Council member? I have leaders from other vampire nations here all the time. Even the most organized minds forget essentials from time to time.”

I felt a hot blush crawl up my cleavage and neck to my face. Oh, shit. I had misunderstood the situation completely. Mortification kept me silent.

Lex cupped my cheeks with both hands, his eyes no longer as angry, but still hot. “You are very lucky that you have bruises this morning, or we would be down in the dungeon right now.”

I just looked at him. There was only one thing to do.

“I’m so sorry, Lex. I assumed the worst after I found all those beauty products in your bathroom, including a new toothbrush, and then I saw Bridget. I thought you were just adding me to your collection of women. You know, thin and blonde, fat and brunette.”

The last of the anger left his eyes at my words. Instead they were just a little sad. He pressed his lips to my forehead. When he pulled away slightly, he said, “I wish I could find every man or woman who has ever undermined your self-esteem, little one. You are a beautiful woman and I would not be so certain of that if you changed a single thing about yourself.”

His words seemed sincere. I realized that he really did come from a different time and he had lived through centuries when the standard of beauty was completely different. To him, I really was beautiful.

That knowledge put a crack in the wall I’d built around my heart when it came to this vampire. I stepped closer to him and rose onto my tiptoes. I placed my lips on his, knowing that I was in more danger than ever before because I was well on my way to falling in love with someone who would want to change me irrevocably.

A
fter Lex dealt
with my mini meltdown, he took me into the kitchen and sat me at the counter. He made me a cup of coffee exactly the way I liked it, then he cooked an omelet and toast for our breakfast. As we sat at the little table in the breakfast nook, I looked at Lex and grinned.

“Are all male vampires so domesticated?” I teased. “Conner cooks a lot, and now you.”

Lex grinned at me and I forgot what we were talking about. His smile was fantastic and completely transformed his face. “Don’t get your hopes up, little one. Omelets, spaghetti, and grilled meats are the extent of my cooking abilities.”

I took a bite of the extremely delicious omelet. “Well, it’s good. I don’t cook.”

“You don’t?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“Your mother didn’t teach you?”

I grinned at him as I put my fork down and grabbed my coffee cup. “Oh, I didn’t say I can’t cook, only that I don’t.”

He chuckled.

I took a sip of my coffee. There was something that I wondered about, but I was hesitant to ask. I mean, I didn’t know anything about vampire etiquette, so I hoped I didn’t offend him. I had to ask though, because he seemed to be in a really good mood and I wanted to know.

“Um, Lex, I have a question,” I said.

His eyes were their usual dark chocolate color and they twinkled. “Okay.”

“It’s about vampires and, well, biting.”

He nodded.

I sucked in a deep breath and prepared to dive in headfirst. “Okay, so I was just wondering….why haven’t you bitten me? I mean, I’m not asking you to or anything, but, from some of the things Donna has told me, I’m curious.”

Lex’s attention was so focused on me, I thought for a moment I could feel the heat of his eyes on my face as he studied me. Finally, he broke eye contact and took my hand, looking at my fingers.

“Taking blood is an intimate and intense experience for both a vampire and a human,” he began. “You’ve been so nervous around me, always looking for a reason to run away, I didn’t want to give you any more ammunition.”

I stared at him with wide eyes. He was absolutely right. I was looking for reasons to run away, before and now. He scared the ever-loving shit out of me, so some part of me was looking for any excuse.

He looked back into my eyes, still toying with my fingers. “Did you enjoy my fucking you last night?” he asked, point blank.

I really shouldn’t like his blunt talk, but I felt a tingle between my legs when he said the word, ‘fucking’, and the memories it evoked. I nodded.

Somehow, without being obvious, he shifted forward slightly. “Well, if I had bitten you, your climax would have been longer and more intense. Usually, the first time, a human partner will pass out from the ecstasy.”

I swallowed hard. He was absolutely right. If he had bitten me last night and I had come so hard that I fainted, my ass would have left a trail of fire behind me as I ran for the door. I quivered as his hand came up and brushed my neck right above my collarbone. It felt like a threat, and a promise. I felt it shoot from the skin at my throat to my nipples then my clit.

His face filled my vision. “I will bite you, Ivie. I don’t even have to read your mind to be able to tell that you want it. I can see it just by looking at you. Your pupils are larger, your nipples are hard.” He closed his eyes and inhaled. When he lifted his lids, his irises were glowing like two dark, golden topazes. “I can even smell it. You smell sweet and just a little spicy. I’m sure your blood will taste the same.”

I felt a rush of heat between my legs and realized that, with just his words, I was ready for him to fuck me blind. I watched as his mouth curved into that same evil smile, as though he knew exactly what he was doing to me but had no plans to put me out of my misery.

“The next time we make love,” he said, straightening, moving away from me, “I will bite you and taste every part of you.” He glanced at his watch as though his promise had no effect on him whatsoever. “Now, it’s almost ten. We should go pick up your things from Conner’s.”

I blinked at him. “What?”

His gazed shifted back to me and he looked a little wary. As well he should, because I hoped I had just misunderstood him but, somehow, I knew I hadn’t.

“We need to get your things from Conner’s house,” he repeated. “Unless you don’t mind not having a spare set of clothes for the time you are living here.”