Anticipating, Chapter 28

(Hands, aka: One Very, Very, Very Long Evening…Part D)

A bit later Cara drowsily came to with the vibrations of a soft, lulling purr under her ear and the feeling of someone gently stroking her hair.   Her ancient vampire lover had rearranged them so that he was on his back with her head on his chest, and he was making some sort of low, thrumming noise.  The comforting rumble struck her as sounding highly satisfied.

She did a body check and felt a new, delicious soreness between her thighs.  Maybe, she thought, since she’d had his blood just an hour or three ago, she might be able to walk later today.  She had her happy doubts, though.

Wow…that man…vampire…whatever…damn, but he had skills.  She’d never come so hard or so often in her life.  She hadn’t even been able to do any tasting or touching or exploring of her own – it had been all she could do just to hold on tight and absorb the demanding, blissful shock of his passion…his thrusts…his talented hands and hard cock and…damn…

But…it was more than that.   She promised…threatened?…herself that later she would ponder the emotional components of the most seriously incredible passion she’d ever even dreamed of…  Because there were emotions involved…big emotions…lots of them…on both their sides.  Yeah…she’d deal with that later.

Godric must have sensed through his blood that she was awakening because his hand lowered to stroke her back in long, soothing sweeps.  She wished she had some sort of stasis spell…she’d love to stay like that, exactly like that, forever.

But there was no such thing as forever.  Still, maybe the universe wouldn’t begrudge her a few more minutes in paradise.  She rubbed her cheek over his chest, inhaling the lingering scent of their joining mixed with his own unique dark scent.

She leisurely smoothed her hand over his chest loving how the sounds were vibrating through his powerful body.   His chest was smooth but the muscles were so firm and well-defined.  She felt like purring herself as she lightly slid her palm over that place where his heart should have beat.  There was something so satisfying about just…touching him.

The intensity of the purring rumble had inched up a notch in direct response to her caress, and he held her closer with his other arm.  Cara concluded that her 2100-year-old vampire was, to all intents and purposes, a snuggler.

Wait…what?  Her vampire?  When the fuck did she start thinking in terms like that?  What had she done?  What the…!  Cara strongly willed her body not to stiffen up, not to jump up, not to run screaming from the room…and concentrated instead on his long, soothing strokes over her back… the scent of him in her nose…that sweetly-satisfied, well-claimed tender place that might have been her heart…and the surprising return of that fire between her thighs.

How’n seven hells could she want him again so damn soon?  She honestly didn’t think any other woman had ever been so well and so thoroughly ridden – to the point of passing out, even.  She felt a smile of pure, feminine satisfaction grace her slightly-swollen lips.

She wondered what he thought about all that just happened.  She wondered what he was thinking about…now.  She wondered what her chances were of getting him moving instead of talking.

Godric felt her brief foray into slight panic, but it was not unexpected.  Nothing, he concluded, would ever be simple with his beautiful Cara.  He wished he could express his pride in her when she stilled herself instead of giving in to the urge to bolt.  He was definitely proud of himself for resisting the urge to lock her in his quarters to prevent such possibilities in the first place.

He mentally sighed as he concluded that their joining, fiery, primal, and earth-shattering as it had been, was just the first step of the many it would take to thoroughly bring her into his life.  In some ways she already fit perfectly, but he worried about what she called her “issues”.  Somehow he feared that all the patience he had perfected during his 2100 years would be put to great use…and she would be worth every moment.

Through his bond he could tell that she was in great thought, and this pleased him.  Thinking was much preferable to hiding or simply reacting blindly.  He wondered if she realized that he had claimed her, and if she did, how would she respond?  There was no taking it back now as he would never willingly let her go.

But…perhaps he should not inform her of that just yet, he wisely concluded.   No, it was the better part of valor to move slower, to let her feel more in control of their relationship.  After all, he had forever.  Unfortunately, she did not…but he would dwell on that another night.

For now, he had his woman in his arms; she was safe, she was satisfied, and she was not panicking.  Godric decided that his undeath was amazingly good.

Surprising them both, Cara finally raised her head enough to meet his contented blue eyes.  He had expected her to hide behind the facade of sleep or some such nonsense for a while longer.

He looked just as much the “fully satisfied male” as she’d suspected, but…he’d earned it in spades.  An errant thought flitted through her mind.  He was definitely the feline-vampire version of the King of Beasts…a fearsome, virile male fully in his prime, no matter how young he appeared.  Slowly, his lips curved into the most peaceful smile.

As usual she found his smile contagious, even if she did find this one a bit surprising after the feral passion they’d just shared.  After spending all that…emotion…it seemed like there ought to be holes in the ceiling or a cracked foundation somewhere…maybe a broken water line spewing all over the place?

“Hey.”  She couldn’t help but grin.

His smile widened, pleased and surprised by the openness of her expression…and the acceptance of his claim that it implied.  “Hey, yourself.”  His calm blue eyes beamed his joy and approval.   A shadow briefly crossed his face.  “Are you ok?  I did not hurt you, did I?”  The bond told him she was well, but…it was only a light bond.  He worried that maybe he had harmed her in his fervor.

Cara wriggled experimentally.  “Nope, I’m fine.  But wouldn’t your blood tell you that?”  Her hard stare nailed him even if her grin said otherwise.

Internally, Godric gulped.  It was too soon…she was still too skittish…  Fuck.  However, he had promised he would never lie to her, and he would keep his word.

Releasing an unnecessary breath, he replied, “Yes, it would, but our connection is still very light.”  He paused when she shifted around a bit and rested her chin on his chest.  Feeling himself harden again, he did some shifting himself.

“If you are hurt, I would know.  I will be able to sense how you feel, and where you are.  But the effects will remain mild until they wear off in about five months, more or less, unless you take my blood again.”

Cara nodded at his brief explanation.  He seemed oddly worried…maybe he didn’t want to be that intimately connected to her?  Somehow that thought much hurt more than she was willing to acknowledge.

“What troubles you, ma petite?”  He could sense her sudden sorrow and pain, and did not like it one bit.

She looked away and shook her head.  “Nothing.  I’m fine,” she lied badly.  She started to get up and suddenly found herself flat on her back with a very serious vampire staring down at her.

“We will have no lies between us, my love.  Now, tell me, what troubles you?”   Whatever it was, he would kill it, fix it, or buy it.  After the incredible…rightness…of earlier there was no way he was going to let her go…not without one hell of a fight.   Just as he suspected, they were perfect together.

Trapped by both his powerful body and his determined stare, she sighed.  She guessed there’d be talking after all.    The stern resolve in his ancient blue eyes told her he would not be thwarted.  Damn’d strong-minded, sexy-as-fuck, antique vampires.

Sensing her trepidation, Godric swept his fingers lightly from her brow to her chin then soothed his thumb over her cheek.  Feeling her slight ease at his caress, he repeated the action several times, then lowered his forehead to meet hers.

Needing to hear her worries, and fearing both their cause and their consequences, he had automatically slipped into his commanding persona.  Such tactics, however, would not work with his Cara.  He called upon his gentle, humorous side instead.

“Talk to me, ma chere.  I want to hear your words,” he whispered in her ear.

As he intended, she quietly giggled at the memory of him saying almost the same thing earlier that evening.  To his immense relief, her arms rose to circle his back, drawing him closer and encouraging his weight to settle more completely on her.

After trying to gather her courage, she gave up, and simply whispered in his ear, “When you started explaining about the effects of your blood, it just seemed like you weren’t very happy about it, that’s all.”

He jerked slightly – how did she know?  He then nuzzled her ear a bit before replying, “Perhaps I should clarify?  I want you to have my blood…my blood.  I want to know how you feel, and if you are safe.  I did not like that you were hurt, and I did not like that the only reason you had my blood was to heal you.”  He paused to let his words sink in and tried not to think about how her warmth and their combined scents were affecting his cock.

Although evidence of his arousal was extremely obvious, he was in no hurry to rush through a conversation with her, but not touching her was more than he could tolerate.

“The next time you have my blood, it will be by choice, and in the comfort of my bed.  It will be your choice,” he repeated firmly, “not necessity, although I will gladly heal you should you need it.”

He nuzzled her ear again and whispered, “The thought of my blood flowing through your veins,” his voice deepened into a growl, “satisfies something… primal…in me.”

Godric nipped at her earlobe and smiled wickedly at her gasp.  His hips settled more firmly into the cradle of her own as his tongue traced the edges of her ear.

Her fingers clawing into his strong back, Cara groaned and spread her thighs, raising one leg to allow him closer.  “So,” she began, then groaned as he lightly nipped her neck with his blunt teeth then soothed the bite with open-mouth kisses, “so…you really don’t mind that I’ve had your blood?”  She wanted to be sure, not that there was much she could do about it if he did, but still…  She shuddered as he drew his fangs down her throat.

He drew back enough to catch her misty gaze.  “I would not have given you my blood had I not wanted you to have it, ma petite.”

Her tremulous smile weakened his resolve, and he had to kiss her.  Slowly, almost reverently, he slid his lips back and forth across hers, pausing to lick and nibble at her bottom lip until she opened for him.   His tongue, smooth as wet silk, expertly tangled with hers during his painfully slow exploration of her mouth.

Cara suspected she was finding out what heaven on earth felt like.  The masculine weight of her gorgeous ancient vampire was settled perfectly on her body, one hand braced near her shoulder, the other caressing her breast and wreaking incredible havoc on her nipple.  His hips nestled in the cradle of hers, his tongue and teeth were doing sweet, blissful damage to her senses…  Finally she decided now was a great time to do something she’d been too shy to do much of before.

She cupped his cheeks and slowly drew his head back from hers just enough to break contact with his mouth, then, ignoring his quizzical look, slightly raised her head and very, very carefully licked one of his fangs.  His hard shudder told her that he enjoyed the new contact, so she repeated the action with a bit more confidence…again and again and again.

His low, guttural moans of satisfaction encouraged her to close her lips around his fang and suck.  Moments later, she turned her loving attentions to his other fang.  With a feral hiss, he took control of the kiss, turning it immediately into a demanding, thrusting claiming of her mouth.

He eased his hips back, lightly grazing his thick cock over her slick folds, then slid forward eliciting a breathy gasp from Cara.  He set up a teasing rhythm of easing back then lightly sliding forward while attacking her lips with deep, long, demanding kisses.

The combination of the light teasing movements and hard, thorough kisses was driving her insane.  She clutched at his broad shoulders and bucked her hips, writhing and squirming under his expert seduction.   When he would release her lips to let her breathe, he would focus his attention on her neck, shoulders, collarbone, anywhere he could reach received soft nips and softer kisses until he would capture her lips again.

Godric was determined that their second joining would be slower, easier, less frantic and hectic.  He was determined to show her a more romantic, considerate side of himself, but he was not sure how much longer he could last.  He wanted to show her that not every mating would result in him trying to rut her through the mattress…but he had his doubts.

The instinct to take, to plunge and thrust and stake his claim on his mate, was screaming loud and proud.

Cara couldn’t decide if it was his hips or his lips that would be her end, but either way, she knew she didn’t have far to go.  Suddenly, thankfully, he started moving faster…harder.  He shifted, slipped his hand between them and, intently watching her every expression, plunged two fingers deep inside and started pumping them while rubbing her clit with just enough pressure to send her screaming straight over the edge.

As if her explosion was his cue, he shifted back, grabbed his cock, and positioned himself at her center.  Eyes locked, he slowly, carefully, eased his cold thickness into her slick, tight warmth.

She gasped and he hissed at the immediate waves of pleasure burning through them.  Filling her to the hilt, he stopped to give her time to adjust, and memorized the feeling of being inside her tight, hot body.

Compelled to move but resisting firmly, he shuddered when her hands raked over his back and cupped his ass.

She loved his ass, high, firm, rounded just right, and took this perfect opportunity to cup and squeeze and massage it.

“Cara,” he growled out a shaky laugh.  He adored her hands on his body.  “You are playing with fire.”

“No, you silly old vampire, I’m playing with your incredible ass,” she giggled back.

His spurt of laughter vibrated through both their bodies from where they were joined so intimately.  “So you like my ass, yes?”  He just had to go and cock that brow.

She gave his firm buttock a squeeze.  “Oh, yeah.  Very, very much so,” her voice trailed off seductively.  She lazily drew her nails up his back to finally bring his neck close to her mouth.

She nipped his throat over and over with her blunt teeth, then soothed the bites with open, tonguing kisses as she memorized the contours of his back.  She figured two could play at that exquisite game.  Ohhhh, but the scent of his skin…the taste of his skin…the feel of the appreciative rumbles coursing through his rigid body at a particularly sharp nip…the sound of his hiss when she would moan her pleasure…

Finally he could stand the delicious torture no longer and started moving…slowly at first, determined to be more gentle this time, but before long her legs wound around his waist and he gripped her shoulders and once again the headboard made continuous banging contact with the wall.

Do not bite…her scent…so good…do not…bite…long day…tired…she needed…blood…tired…no…do…not…bite…  As he pounded and thrust into her, he kept mentally chanting reasons not to bite as he neared his release, and it almost worked…until she bared her neck to him again.

He instinctively struck and drank, though not quite as hard as before.  She clutched his head to her neck and came hard, clenching tight and causing him to ride out the pounding waves of explosive bliss with her.

Later, as she shifted minutely under his satisfying weight and cradled his head to her neck, she realized that she was vaguely proud of herself for not passing out this time.   His tongue tickled as he lapped the last few drops of blood from his bite and then healed her.

Finally able to string together a coherent sentence, she just had to tell him something.  “Honey, if that’s with I get for playing with fire, remind me to buy a lighter,” she breathlessly whispered in his ear.

Lying atop his mate, spent and collapsed from the force of their passions, Godric laughed.  As he wrapped his arms tight around his lax, smiling Cara and rolled them to their sides to keep from crushing her with his weight, he continued laughing.  As he pulled the blanket from the foot of the bed and covered his woman to keep her warm, he still laughed.

He tilted her chin up and gazed into her slightly dazed, glistening brown eyes, then gently kissed her swollen lips.

“You have had a very long day, my love.  Rest, now.  I will watch over you while you sleep yourself out,” he requested as he nuzzled her forehead…cheeks…nose…lips…

For just this moment, his instincts were…satisfied.  He had his Cara in his arms, his blood and spent seed inside her, his scent all over her…and she was happy.  His heart was so filled with joy it hurt.

MINE.

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**(Aren’t you glad it wasn’t a dream? *cheeky grin*)  Well, here’s a second serving of what I hope is lemony goodness – hope you like!   I’m highly afraid they’re going to pound a hole in her bedroom wall…  Review, please?**  

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Next to:  Chapter 29

Back to:  Chapter 27

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