Untamed (Vampire Awakenings, Book 3) (35 page)

Pulling the sheets back, he laid her on the
bed and climbed in beside her. A blissful sigh of contentment
escaped when his arms encircled her and he molded his body around
hers.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours," Ethan
said and kissed her on the forehead. The clean aroma of
cucumber-scented shampoo adhered to the curling tendrils of her
damp hair but beneath the shampoo he could detect her honeysuckle
scent.

Emma clutched his forearms as she stared up
at his strained face. "What's wrong?" she demanded. He shook his
head and dropped his forehead down to hers. She remembered his
words from before about how tough it was for him to be around
people and she suddenly understood the pinched look on his face. "I
can go with you if it will help you."

"I don't want you to see anything that is
going to happen," he said in a strained voice.

"But you said that I make it easier for you
to be around people."

"You do Emma, and I won't hurt anyone, but I
can't have you around this. I'll be fine, Brian and Ian will be
with me; nothing will go wrong." He was trying to reassure her but
he had no idea how all of this was going to go down. He was
counting on the knowledge of her being here; waiting for him so
that she could join him, to keep him sane and rational, and to keep
him from killing anyone. If something did go wrong, he didn't want
her there to see it.

She held onto his arms when he went to pull
away from her. "Ethan, there's nothing you can do that will make me
change my mind about any of this or about
you
."

He cupped her cheeks and pressed a tender
kiss against her lips. "I know, but there are some things I'd
prefer for you not to have to deal with, and this is one of those
things. I'll only be gone for a few hours."

Releasing his arms, she hastily brushed the
hair back from her neck. "Drink from me before you go, it will help
to take the edge off."

"It's too soon for you."

A small chuckle escaped her. "You'll be
taking it all tonight Ethan; I don't think this will make much of a
difference. Even if you only take a little it will help and don't
deny it."

There was no way he was going to be able deny
that, not when she was right. His gaze latched onto the bite marks
still marring her skin, he could have made them fade away with the
healing agent in his saliva, but he liked seeing them there and
having the knowledge that they were his. Seeing them now caused his
fangs to tingle as the driving urge to taste her washed over him.
Her breasts pressed against his chest as she stepped into him.
They'd made love upon waking this morning but he could feel more
than his fangs lengthening right now.

He kissed her as she slid her arms around his
neck; lifting her up he pressed her flush against his body. A gasp
escaped her, her fingers threaded through his hair as he ran his
teeth over the tender flesh of her neck. Her bathrobe fell open to
expose her breasts as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Feeling her body moving over his, he knew there was no way he would
only be satisfied with taking her blood right now.

Adjusting his hold on her, he grabbed hold of
the tie on her robe and tugged it open. The rest of the material
fell open to reveal her small, curvy body. Her dusky nipples were
already hard as he took one into his mouth and sucked on it. A low
moan escaped her, she arched her back as he leaned her against the
wall and grabbed hold of her ass with both of his hands. Without
thinking, he nipped at her breast, drawing blood from it. Certain
that he had hurt her, he pulled away almost immediately, but he saw
no discomfort in her eyes when they met his, instead he saw only
desire.

"It felt good," she whispered in response to
the concern in his eyes. She wasn't lying either, though there had
been pain, she found she actually enjoyed it and it excited her
more. A small smile curved his mouth before he bent his head to her
breast again. Emma braced herself as his teeth scraped over her;
she bit back a scream of delight as his fangs sank in again, just
above her nipple. "Ethan!" she cried.

The sensation of her blood being pulled from
her in deep waves caused her to tremble as his tongue continued to
caress her nipple. He wasn't even inside of her and she was going
to lose control. And then he pressed her closer against the wall
and released her ass. His hand slid over her thigh and dipped to
her already wet center. He slid two of his fingers into her body,
filling and stretching her as he began to move his fingers steadily
back and forth. His palm rubbed against her clit as he stroked her
deeper and more forcefully.

Emma bit down on her bottom lip to keep from
screaming. She could feel blood from the bite trickling down her
chin but she didn't care. She was swept away by the feel of him,
consumed by the tidal wave of pleasure coursing through her. He
spun her away from the wall and took four steps toward the bed. A
groan of disapproval escaped her as his fangs withdrew from her
breast and his hand slid away from her as he placed her on the bed.
She didn't have much time to be unhappy though as he hurriedly shed
his clothing and climbed on top of her.

"Would you like to taste me?" he asked in a
grating voice. At first Emma was confused by his words but then he
took a finger and wiped away the blood trickling down her breast.
She watched in fascination as he slid the finger into his mouth and
licked the blood from it. "My blood?"

Her mind spun as she tried to think of an
answer to that. Wasn't she supposed to be repulsed by that
suggestion? She was anything but repulsed though as the thought of
it brought forth erotic images that caused her fingers to curl into
the sheets beneath her. "Yes," she whispered as her heart raced
with excitement and her belly began to quiver.

His eyes burned into hers as he bit down on
his finger and held it out to her. Two drops of blood quivered upon
it and began to slide down as she watched. He lowered the finger
and began to trace her lower lip with it. Her tongue flickered out
to taste the blood that slid over his skin before drawing his
finger into her mouth. The blood was metallic but unexpectedly
pleasant as she ran her tongue over it and sucked on his finger.
Passion blazed hotly in his eyes as he slid his finger away and
bent his head to run his tongue over her lips.

Emma's heart beat rapidly against her ribs as
she opened her legs to him and he braced his hands on either side
of her head. His large body encompassed hers before he drove
himself deep within her in one powerful thrust. His mouth muffled
her next cry as he took possession of her body. She grabbed hold of
his ass as she wrapped her legs around his waist and drew him more
firmly against her.

"Harder," she breathed against his mouth.

He had been holding back, afraid to hurt her
but that one word was all he needed to drive him into a near
frenzy. He bit down on her bottom lip as he drove himself into her.
Blood pooled into his mouth but she didn't seem to feel it as her
hips eagerly rose and fell to meet his ardent movements and her
tongue continued to entwine with his.

Her muscles contracted around his cock, her
nails raked the skin of his back, drawing blood as her orgasm tore
through her. He didn't stop though; he couldn't possibly stop as he
continued to thrust in and out of her in relentless movements. His
body was demanding to be released yet he held back as he relished
in the feel of being inside of her and tasting her. He was
completely lost to her as she continued to moan and arch against
him.

Another cry tore from her as her muscles
contracted powerfully around him again. He finally gave himself
over to the release that he had been denying as his orgasm was
pulled from him by the undeniable gratification her body gave to
him. A low groan escaped him as his orgasm seemed to go on in
unending waves that he thought might never end.

Rolling to the side, he pulled her along with
him, and settled her on top of him as he tried to catch his breath.
The tantalizing scents of sex and blood drifted over him, he
couldn't help but smile as she clutched his shoulders and fought to
catch her breath.

"I think I'll be too tired to be a threat to
anyone now," he told her as he nuzzled her hair.

She laughed as she lifted her head to look
down at him. "I know I am."

His saliva had already healed the wound on
her lip but there was still some dry blood on her chin. He wiped it
away with his thumb before bringing her chin down to kiss her. He
could already feel the desire for her blood creeping through him
again and he knew he was getting closer to a dangerous precipice.
If he didn't complete their bond soon he would become the threat
that Stefan and his father were at one point.

He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles
before reluctantly withdrawing himself from her and rolling away.
"I have to go."

Emma propped her head on her hand as she
watched him walk across the room. The scratches she had left on his
back were already gone but dry flecks of blood clung to his skin.
He disappeared into the bathroom and showered before reappearing in
the doorway. Her gaze raked over his chiseled pecs, carved abs,
still partially erect large shaft, leans hips, and powerful
thighs.

Mine
, the
thought rose up out of nowhere but it was so overpowering that she
was certain it was true.

"You heal fast," she whispered as she
struggled to fight back the overwhelming possessive urge that
continued to swell within her.

He gave her a lopsided smile as he pulled on
a pair of boxers. "You will soon too. Our saliva also has a healing
agent in it, that's why your lip is fine now. It's also why you'll
never have to worry about diseases again."

Emma frowned at him as she sat up and pulled
the sheet against her. "Really?"

"Yes. None of that will be a concern for
you."

"It's all so strange," she mumbled as she ran
a tremulous hand across her now healed lip. There wasn't even a
bump from where his teeth had pierced her skin. She couldn't tear
her gaze away from his carved physique as he pawed through a drawer
and came up with a black t-shirt. "Ethan?" There was a questioning
expression on his face as he turned toward her. "You're mine,
right?"

He broke into a grin and strode across the
room toward her. Emma stared at him as he placed his hands on
either side of her on the bed. "I am yours for an eternity Emma; I
will be your rock, your best friend, your lover, and the father of
your children. I am going to be by your side for thousands of years
and I am going to love you every second of every
one
of those years. When this bond is completed
you will
never
doubt that
again."

"I don't doubt it now," she whispered as she
leaned forward to kiss him. "I just had to make sure that you
knew."

He laughed as he pulled away. "Oh I know," he
assured her.

She watched him as he finished dressing
before rising to her feet and pulling her robe on again. "Maybe you
should take Stefan and Aiden with you too, just in case," she said
nervously.

"I'll be fine and I'd prefer to have more
vampires here, with you."

A knock on the door brought both of their
heads toward it. "Let's go purebred, some of us are hungry!" Brian
called from the other side.

"Maybe that guy won't be safe," Ethan
muttered.

"Why don't you take Stefan instead?"

He shook his head. "There's no way he'll
leave Isabelle behind and neither of us want Isabelle around this.
Are you going to join the others?"

"I'm just going to hop in the shower again
and then I'll go out."

"Ok, just don't go outside, at all."

"I won't," she promised.

"I'll see you soon. I love you."

"Love you too." He gave her a swift kiss and
left the room. Emma sighed and headed into the bathroom.

***

Jill and Mandy were waiting for her when she
remerged from the bathroom. "You're really going to do this?" Mandy
asked nervously.

Emma dropped the towel she'd been using for
her hair on the bed before grabbing the shorts and tank top she had
set out earlier. She already missed Ethan, it was the strangest
sensation, one that almost made her feel like a stalker, but she
wanted him
here
. It made no sense
to her but she couldn't shake it. She disappeared into the bathroom
again and dressed before rejoining them.

"I am," she told them.

"Are you sure about this?" Mandy's chocolate
eyes were troubled as she studied Emma.

"I've never been more certain about anything
in my life," she said honestly.

"So is this kind of like getting married?"
Jill asked.

Emma laughed as she picked up her hairbrush
and began to run it through the thick mass of her hair. "I think
binding yourself to someone for eternity is kind of like marriage,"
she said with a smile.

"I don't even like to bind myself to someone
for a month," Jill said as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Ethan's
hot and all, and this is about the biggest understatement of the
century, but that's a
really
long
time Emma."

"It is, and I can't wait."

Jill shook her head. "This is crazy Emma,
you're going to
die
."

Emma shuddered at the reminder and dropped
the brush. She walked over and sat on the bed beside Jill. "It's
going to be ok, I promise, and I really
do
want this."

"You barely know him."

"But I feel like I know him better than I've
ever known anyone else. I know it sounds crazy and I know you don't
understand, but please trust me on this. Please stand by me. I've
stood by all of your decisions."