My brows arched as we entered the dining room to find plenty of vamps chomping on their consorts. It seemed that they were making a ‘toast’ to Connelly for his hospitality. I knew what Jared would say next, and instead of it unnerving me, the idea excited me.
“It would be rude not to join in toasting our good host, don’t you think?” Before I could say a word he’d spun me around and was grazing his teeth over the pulse in my neck. Sam?
I couldn’t believe that he was actually asking my permission and keeping to his word that he wouldn’t do it unless I wanted him to. As his teeth grazed my skin again I quivered. Do it.
I’ve wanted to taste you for so f**king long. He fisted a hand in my hair, yanked my head back slightly and sank his teeth down hard. As he took a long, greedy gulp he moaned against my skin. The moan vibrated through every fibre of me. Instantly desire began to coil low in my stomach and tingly sensations overtook my body which he kept crushed to his as he continued to drink greedily. You taste so good, baby.
The tingling intensified when he called me that, which was dumb really because it wasn’t like I hadn’t been called that before. And it wasn’t as if I hadn’t been told that my blood tasted good before now, and yet hearing Jared say those words had a primal, raw desire like nothing I’d ever felt before coursing through me.
I was a little light-headed by the time he had ceased his gluttonous drinking. When he looked up at me his irises were glowing like they’d never glowed before, making me hitch in a breath. What I really, really, really wanted to do was bite down on his neck and have my own little party, but I knew that was against consort etiquette. Instead, I grabbed the index finger of his left hand and brought it up to my mouth slowly, giving him time to object. He didn’t. I sank my teeth into the tip of his finger and sucked eagerly, making him moan and shudder. God the taste of his blood was amazing; wild and potent with a male spice to it. Conscious that a little too much of my saliva could have him emptying into his pants, I took only a little before stopping.
“It is so time to leave.” He gripped my hips tightly and then we were gone. I barely noticed the queasy sensation in my stomach this time; I was too hyped up on anticipation and excitement. And on Jared’s blood. I definitely had to taste that again sometime soon. He didn’t ease his tight hold on my hips even as we arrived at his apartment. His gaze was serious and penetrating and searching mine. “Tell me,” he breathed against my lips. “Say it.”
“I want you.”
And then he was kissing me. Kissing me so hard and so desperately and clutching me to him as though he was half-expecting me to disappear. The very second that those lips touched mine there was that familiar bang; an explosion in my veins and the sensation of a hot raging fire spreading through me, just as I knew there would be. I fisted my hands in his shirt, pulling him to me, refusing to accept that there wasn’t a way of getting any closer.
His hungry, greedy kisses more or less devoured my lips and overwhelmed my tongue. As I pulled at his shirt with such force that I involuntarily took backward steps, he stalked me predatorily and slid his hands all over me, never parting our lips. We stumbled and staggered and swayed and then my back slammed against something hard, smooth and cold.
Opening my eyes, I realised with surprise that rather than being halfway through his apartment we had at one point somehow spun around and now I was crammed against the front door.
Jared, too, opened his eyes and was equally surprised. He braced his hands against the door, forming his own little prison around me, grinning. “I hope you’re not trying to escape. But I guess restraining you might be fun.”
“I hope this isn’t your idea of caging me in. Because if it is, your cage is kind of” – I wiggled his outstretched arms – “flimsy.”
He slammed his body against mine, crushing me. I could feel his heart hammering in his chest. I could see those red Pagori irises glowing. “Better?”
I pursed my lips. “Yes. But I could still get away.”
“Not a chance.” He kissed me so hard and with such intensity that it was as though he meant to back up his words; that he was letting me know that he wouldn’t let me pull back this time, that he wouldn’t allow me to pretend any longer that I didn’t want this as much as he did.
Still, that didn’t mean I couldn’t play with him a little, did it?
While his hands were preoccupied with scrunching and tugging my hair I slid my hands down his chest to his waistline and bunched up the bottom of his shirt – which I’d noticed did not button all the way down and so could only be removed by being pulled over his head. Perfect for what I had in mind. I slowly slid it up and up and then, just as I’d hoped, he raised his arms for me to slide it over his head. God he was all muscle and sinew! Instead of tugging the shirt off, however, I left it covering his face and trapping his arms slightly as I used the opportunity to escape.
I squeezed out from between his gorgeous body and the door, and bolted, calling over my shoulder, “That was just too easy!”
I heard him mumble something in surprise and then he was pursuing me as I nimbly dashed at human speed around the living area, hopping from the floor to the coffee table to the sofa to the –
Arms seized me abruptly. I was twisted around in those arms, and lips found mine as my legs were simultaneously wrapped around his hips. Again my back collided into something hard and the wind was literally knocked out of me.
Jared chuckled. “I can’t believe you just did that.” As he resumed kissing me wildly his hands, fingers splayed, skimmed up my thighs and under my dress. “You won’t get away again.”
I smiled against his lips. “You have this habit of underestimating me.”
He grinded his hips against mine, making me moan and tighten my arms around his neck. “Same goes for you if you still really think you won’t be calling out my name.”
“Like I said, it’s nothing personal. I don’t call out anyone’s name.”
“We’ll see.” Jared’s eyes bore into mine as he let his hands journey further, cupping my arse. While one hand lightly ran over my breast he slid his other hand, fingers splayed again, further underneath my thigh. It was almost painful when his fingers stopped on reaching on my thong, refusing to go any further. Unable to help it, I twisted my hips toward his hand but he only drew his fingers back, smirking.
Fine. Let’s play some more, shall we.