Alone (8 page)

“Yes, yes, of course,” Conall grumbled, letting me go. “I do want you well taken care of.” He pulled out my chair for me, but I didn’t sit down yet, fawning over my flowers and thanking him. He brought me two dozen beautiful calla lilies, which were my favorites. We opened up our containers and dug in after he easily popped the tops off the ciders.

Even if they weren’t twist offs. Okay then.

It was about halfway through our meal that the tension in the room became unbearable, not a word had been said. The food was amazing but I was getting full and I was
so
wound up I was ready to blow only from the looks he was giving me that I was to be dessert. I swallowed the bite I was taking and moved to the next part of the date, wiping my mouth and pushing back my chair.

“Lose the jacket,” I ordered as I stood. Conall’s head snapped up so fast I heard something pop. He jumped to his feet and I clucked my tongue. “I didn’t say stand.”

“I
love
this date,” he groaned, sliding off his normal stylish jacket and laying it over one of the other kitchen chairs before sitting back down. I straddled his lap and kissed a new spot on his chin or neck with each button I worked through a hole of his shirt. Then I pulled it back over his arms and behind the chair so his bare back was brushing the fabric and the cloth trapped his arms.

“What to do with you now?” I teased as I ran my fingernails down his chest.

“Whatever you want,” he panted, his chest heaving. “I am yours, Nina.”

“I like the sound of that.” I slowly undid his belt and then his fly. Standing up, I tugged on his pants, and he got the idea, lifting his hips so I could pull his jeans and boxer briefs down to his knees. I stared at him, half naked with some of his best parts on display for me, waiting for me, hard for me and whatever I wanted next. “Do you like this game, Conall?”

“I do. I really,
really
do,” he groaning as I traced my fingers over his cock.

“Part of me wants to eat some more, but I’m full. I think you might still be hungry though, my Conall. Are you?”

His eyes shined as he stared at me with hope… And it wasn’t because he knew he was going to get laid. It was the term of endearment I’d just used. He was mine. Every time he did something that proved he wanted to be my partner and not my dictator, he was becoming my man, my love, my whatever I needed.

I lowered myself back onto his lap and sat on his cock, moaning like a slut as I did it and not putting on an act at all. Then I reached behind my neck and untied my shirt, letting it fall to my waist. He went to lower his head but I moved faster and fisted his hair.

“Did I
say
you could bite my tits yet?” I snapped as I yanked his head back.

“No,” he gasped, his lips parting in pleasure, and I knew he liked a little hair pulling just as I did at times.

Nice
.

“Say you’re sorry.” I moved my hips faster, glad for the heels now because it made it easier, even as I wrapped my other arm around his shoulders for leverage.

“I’m so sorry, lovely Nina. It was horribly presumptuous of me.”

“It was, but I can see how it might have been confusing. I wanted you to see them because I know how you like to look at them.”

“I do. I really do. They are so perfect,” he moaned as I ground my body against him quicker and harder. “Shit, I’ve never played this before. Please say we will do it again.”

“Yes,” I hissed, picking up the pace to bouncing now, thrilled
I
was showing him something new. I hadn’t thought that possible. I wrapped my arms around his head and fisted his hair, nibbling on his earlobe. “You will
not
bite me. You
will
come just from my body. Only from
me
and not my blood. Do you understand?”

“Uh-huh,” he grunted, shivering under me.

“What else have you not tried, Conall? Could I tie you down to my bed? Ride you all night long?”

“Oh yes, please.” The moan he gave was so deep I felt it in my chest. Apparently he
hadn’t
let a woman do that to him before. He kissed up my neck, but his fangs never came out. I ground against him harder, moved faster, needing just that
extra
friction to push me over.

“What about a vibrating cock ring? Something to rub all my right places while you take me?” I taunted, realizing we were both so into this that maybe that would throw us both over.

“I don’t know what that is. I’ve never used toys in bed.”

“Oh fuck, Conall. Even I’ve done that,” I whimpered, squeezing my thighs tighter, pushing myself against him harder. I bit his shoulder as I came, screaming his name. Then I felt him fill me with his release, groaning as his body shook.

I slumped against him when I was spent, not able to feel my limbs they were so numb and tingling.

“May I move now?”

“You may, but I can’t yet,” I giggled, high off my orgasm. “That was
amazing
.”

“It was,” he purred. I heard his shirt rip and wanted to slap my hand over my mouth when I giggled again. “I had a few questions to ask you and I think now might be the time when you are all relaxed and happy.”

“As long as you rehydrate me.” I gave a half shrug. Whatever. I just had the best sex of my
life
and rocked a thousand-year-old vampire’s world without
blood
. Nothing could pop my bubble right then.

“Deal.” He lifted me, carefully pulling back up his pants in the process as well. Then he set me on the corner of the counter so I had some room, taking off my sandals, and I leaned back against the cabinet, not even bothering to adjust my shirt. Then he fixed his pants, threw away the tatters of his shirt, and handed me my cider. “Where is your favorite
toy
, Nina?”

“Sure, we can start right in on that,” I drawled before taking a sip of my drink. “Top drawer of my nightstand. The blue one.” He moved in a blur and was back before I could swallow any more of my cider, the bottle still up to my lips. I showed him how to work it, shaking my head at the evil smile on his lips.

I chugged the rest of the bottle, and he took it from me, setting it in the sink. Then he moved my feet onto the counter on either side of me and turned the egg vibrator on low before moving it under my skirt. Conall smiled at me as he leaned in and licked my right nipple.

“Do you hate the promo I bought, Nina?”

“Yes, all except the silver pens,” I hissed as he started sucking on it. “Those were snazzy. The rest I do. It’s not me. It’s boring. Corporate. I’m sorry. It just is.”

“It’s all right. I should have asked,” he muttered, moving to the other nipple. “I’m glad we’re finally being honest.”

“Honestly, turn your wrist back and forth,” I whimpered. “Circle it like you would your finger.” I gasped when he did it and smacked my hand against the cabinet. “Honestly, that’s
perfect
.”

“Do you want me to throw it all away?”

“No.”

“What would you do with it?”

He nicked my left nipple with his fang, and for a moment, I lost track of the conversation which got
that
much harder to keep track of when he turned up the toy. “Use rubbing alcohol or whatever, take off my logo, and donate it to schools or something. Kiddies don’t need my logo on there and you got nice stuff, just plain. Don’t waste. Use the tax right off at least and do something nice.”

“Very thoughtful. Would you let me get you other promotional materials if we picked them out together?”

“No.”

“Nina, you need something for the conferences,” he hedged.

“I’m not going to them.”

“But I already registered you,” he sighed, shaking his head.

I moved my leg around him and slid off the counter so fast I almost fell on my face. I caught myself in time and haphazardly tied my shirt back up so I was covered. “Thank you for coming tonight, Conall,” I whispered, blinking when tears burned my eyes. “I had a wonderful time, but it’s getting late and—”

“Wait, what is going on?”

“I’m ending the date,” I muttered as I grabbed the containers from dinner, hurrying past him when he reached for me, shutting down right before his eyes.

“No, I meant just now? What happened? We went from having fun to your mood changing. What did I just miss?” he demanded, setting the toy down on the counter and grabbing my arm when I went back to clean up more. I shrank back from him and his eyes went wide, instantly letting me go. “Nina, what is going
on
? Why are you afraid of me again?”

“I am saying it’s time to leave my home. Are you saying you won’t go?” I took another step back, and he went pale.

Conall glanced around and darted out onto the porch. “I am out of your home. Lovely, my woman as you said you now are,
please
tell me what I did. I do not understand. I am
begging
you to explain to me why I just scared you. I thought we were playing.”

I took a few steps, closed, and locked the sliding glass door. “Can you still hear me?” I waited until he nodded before continuing. It was stupid, I knew that. He could break the damn thing open in about twenty seconds. And I was overreacting—I knew that too. But we’d been through a pretty fucking volatile situation and I’d warned him I wasn’t good at handling feelings or people like a normal person. If I was pushed or felt cornered, I shut down.

It was the only way I knew how to be.

“You did it again,” I answered him finally. “You shut me down when I said I wasn’t going to the conferences like I was being a bratty child. You did that thing you do where you sigh and shake your head like I’m a disappointment and I really don’t get a vote so I need to just accept what’s going to happen. I said
no
, Conall. It’s not like I barely went to those things because I couldn’t afford them. I can’t handle lots of strangers and crowds. It freaks me out.

“Did you ever ask yourself why I live out in the middle of nowhere Nebraska surrounded by nothing? I don’t do well with large groups. I get in fights with people because they say stupid shit and I have a really bad temper. I’ve gone to four of those things and two of them I’ve almost punched people out, gotten in shoving matches sticking up for people. Authors have mouths, don’t hold their liquor, like to talk shit, and suddenly they’re somewhere where someone might call them out on it.

“Yeah,
great
for my career when I break their face. Or I freak out again because a fan squeals and tries hugging me and I almost land in a pool. That was awesome. Everyone laughed about that the whole conference, and then that I blushed the whole time over it. Or ugly ass pictures are all over Facebook of me, bright red cheeks that I look
drunk
in because I can’t help blushing because
crowds and strangers
make me nervous.”

He started talking but unlike him, I didn’t have super-awesome hearing. I unlocked and opened the door back up, rolling my eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.”

“Of course not. How could you? You don’t
ask
me,” I drawled, going to close the door again.

He stuck his hand in the way, and I glanced at his eyes, seeing the regret there. “Please, Nina, I’m
sorry
. I
was
listening. I thought it was a scheduling thing. I was going to ask if there was something we could shift around. I see now I have to go further in not reverting back. I’ve been better, but it’s not a switch I can simply flip. Please don’t shut down on me again. Maybe we need a signal that I’m misbehaving again so I recognize the signs and you don’t feel confronted which clearly frightens you.”

“Like what?” I muttered, letting go of the door and stepping away to clean up dinner again, understanding what he was saying about the switch. But that didn’t mean this was going to work either.

He was quiet a moment before smiling. “You could pop me in the forehead like those V8 commercials.”

I blinked at him a moment before I burst out laughing. “Are you
insane
? I can’t tell you that you’re upsetting me, but I’m going to crack you one? Yes, that sounds likely. Abso-fucking-lutely not, Conall!”

“Right, good point.”

“We need more like a time-out whistle,” I drawled as I threw more food away, hating I didn’t get to finish it. It had been a damn good dinner. He was getting it again if we worked past this.

“That’s a splendid idea actually. Why don’t we get a whistle or one of those deli bells? That’s our time-out for any conversation or fight that I’m reverting or just we need to stop and take a breather.”

I thought about a few minutes before nodding. “Yeah. I could do that. If you promise that if I ding the bell, you let me walk away for a few minutes and leave me be. That’s perfect actually. Then we can cool off and talk.”

“Lovely. Now, can we discuss this conference thing again?” he hedged, eyeing me closely.