Caleb (45 page)

“Other
than you?”

“I am
getting tired of his disapproving stares.”

“You’ll
get used to him.”

“That’s
a bleak thought.”

He
chuckled. “I guess, to you, it would be.”

Her
hands slid through his hair, gentle, yet demanding, pulling his mouth toward
hers. “Was he always that intense?”

Images
of Jared as he was before—strong, reliable, focused on what needed to be done,
but with a sense of humor he could touch when he took himself too
seriously—filtered through his mind. “He had his moments.”

Her
tongue flirted with the corner of his mouth, tickling the nerves there in
dainty flicks that shot like fire down his spine. Coaxing him around. “He needs
to have a few more.”

Yes,
he did. He missed Jared’s laughter more than he missed the feeling of
exhilaration that came with battle, the challenge of surviving against the
odds. Immortality had its downside. Suddenly, Allie didn’t look so interested
in the proximity of his body as she had a second ago. It didn’t take much to
know the two small pleats between her brows weren’t caused by lustful thoughts.
He’d seen that same look on too many matchmaking mommas to mistake it for
anything but what it was. “You’re not compiling a list of past acquaintances to
introduce him to, are you?”

She
had the grace to look guilty. “What makes you think that?”

“The
gleam in your eye for one.”

“Well,
it was just speculation anyway. I can’t really contact anyone.”

“But
you were thinking of ways.”

Her
nose wrinkled up. “I’ve got to work on my poker face.”

“Kind
of a waste of time with me.”

The
pleats deepened to a frown. “I’m going to work on a mental poker face, too.”

She
could work all she wanted. He’d never let her hide from him again. “You do
that.”

Her
hands eased up over his shoulders, cupping the top, squeezing gently. Testing
his strength? She didn’t have to worry. He was strong enough to take care of
her.

“I
will learn to block you.”

“Why
do you want to?”

He
felt that feminine brush, the impression of banked power before she pulled
away. “Because it’s annoying that you can read my mind whenever you want, but I
can’t read yours if you don’t let me.”

“Are
you sure about that?”

“Aren’t
you?”

“Baby,
I’ve seen you in action. I’m thinking there’s nothing you can’t do if you set
your mind to it.”

All
expression in her face disappeared. Her lower lip sucked between her teeth.
“Yeah. About that.”

“What
about it?” Fear flickered across her face followed quickly by an insecurity he’d
never seen before. Instead of fading away, both emotions settled into the
planes he thought solely reserved for laughter. For life. The sheets rustled as
she unhooked her leg from his thigh.

“Aren’t
you afraid of me now? Afraid I’ll suck the life from you?”

That
was the reason she’d been so different since they got back? Not because of his
failure to protect her, but because she thought he’d be afraid? Of her? He took
her leg and hooked it purposely back around his thigh. “No.”

She
stiffened. Her hands pressed his chest. “Well why not? I’m a Goddamn psychic
vampire! I sucked the life out of a guy with nothing more than my touch.”

“You
won’t hurt me.”

Her
eyes flared with bright blue light underlaid with silver. “You can’t know
that.”

“And
yet here I sit completely unconcerned.”

“How?”

“You’re
my wife.” She wouldn’t hurt him, any more than he’d hurt her.

Her
hands fastened on either side of his face, hard and angry, her talons pressing
into his skin, almost but not quite breaking through. “That might just make it
worse.” He felt her power come at him, strike deep, draw hard. “I could kill
you so easily.”

“Yes.”
He extended his own talons, the point of his index finger pressing precisely at
the base of her skull. One thrust and her brain would be punctured. She froze.
He let the understanding sink in. “We’re all deadly, Allie girl, in our own
way. It’s what we choose to do with it that matters.”

“That’s
the problem.” Her talons retracted as her stress increased. The bitter taint of
fear blended with the aroma of womanly arousal. “I don’t exactly have a choice.
What happened with Vincent, just . . . happened. I don’t know how it started,
and I sure don’t know how to turn it off. He was hurting you, and I just knew
he needed to stop. I was completely out of control.”

“And
I’m thankful for it.”

“But,”
her legs dropped free, “what if it happens again? When I’m out of control for
another reason? What if I can’t stop and I hurt someone?” The stroke of her
thumbs over his cheeks as her tears welled clued him in to her real worry.

“By
any chance, are you afraid you’re going to kill me between the sheets?”

“It’s
a distinct possibility. You make me pretty wild.”

He
stood, angling her hips up into his until his shaft nestled against all that
moist, feminine warmth. When he was snug and tight against her, he bent down,
arching her spine so her shoulders took her weight and her breasts stretched up
for the descent of his mouth. The pretty pink nipples were tight and eager,
rising and falling with each of her short breaths. “Then maybe we ought to
check it out and see what happens.”

Cotton
ripped as her talons tore at the sheets. His cock throbbed as her pussy
clenched around his shaft. More arousal, more fear scented the air.

“You
can’t be serious,” she gasped

“Never
been more serious in my life.” He leaned in, teasing the puckered bud of her
nipple with his breath, holding her gaze as he opened his mouth and reached
with his tongue. Her hot little whimper went through him like a bolt of
lightning a second before he touched the tip of his tongue to the tip of her
breast. “Let me see just how wild you can be.”

SHE
didn’t come to him wild. She came to him like the
first breath of spring, cool and hesitant, a hint of warmth heralding the
arrival of better times. The only problem with that was he didn’t want her
hesitant. He wanted her wild, confident, teasing him with her body and wit.

He
wanted the Allie that he’d always known. Caleb curled his tongue around her
nipple. She gasped and arched toward him. He welcomed her, opening his mouth
wider, taking her flesh deeper. With his hands at the base of her spine he
encouraged her closer. And she came to him, a breathless little cry punctuating
the move. He released her nipple with a little pop. “That’s it, baby. Let me
see, feel, and hear what you’re feeling.”

Her
response was a shake of her head and a tightening in her body and mind. She
thought to resist him. He smiled against the side of her breast. She was
welcome to try. “Is that a challenge?”

“No.”

“A
dare?”

“No.”

“A
request?”

“Can’t
it just be a denial of what you have planned?”

“Uh-uh.”

“Why
not?”

“Because
I’m not in the mood to indulge you that way.”

“Now,
I
am
disappointed.”

“Not
for long.”

Never
for long. He nuzzled his way along the undercurve of her breast, sliding his
tongue along the crease. “Have I mentioned how much I enjoy your breasts?”

Her
laugh held a jagged edge. “There’s not much to enjoy.”

“Ah,
but there’s pleasure in every perfect inch.”

“Perfect?”

He
might have been short on female company the last two hundred fifty years, but
before that, he’d never had his bed empty. He knew women, and more importantly,
he was coming to know this woman. “More than perfect.” He snuggled the
assurance into the valley between her breasts. “Pure pleasure.”

Allie’s
hands crept up his arms. “I bet you were quite the ladies’ man in your day.”

“Uh-huh.”
He grazed the slope to his right with his teeth. “But now I’m your man.”

Her
hands reached his shoulders, the nails pricking erotically into the muscle.
“Maybe. If I decide to keep you.”

Propping
his chin on her chest, he found her looking down at him. “Now that, wife, was a
challenge.”

The
third finger on her left hand wiggled in his face. The scar he’d placed there
catching his eye. His own personal brand.

“No
ring. No wife.”

He
kissed his way down the slight indentation of her abdomen. She was a persistent
little thing. “You’ll get your Goddamn ring.”

Her
fingers slid in his hair, tangling in the snarls, lingering as they caught. “A
ring’s not enough.”

Lowering
her hips, he dropped to his knees, finding her navel with his tongue, smiling
as she shivered when he traced the small indentation. “Preacher, vows, and
ring. You’ll get it all.”

Whatever
she needed, whatever it took. He’d bind her to him in so many ways it’d take
all of their forevers for her to untangle the knots.

“It
won’t work if you don’t make me want it.”

“You’ll
want it.”

The
downy softness of her pubic hair tickled his chin.

“I
wouldn’t be so sure.”

For
all her big words, she wasn’t pushing him away. The lady wanted to be
convinced. He cocked her hips up to his mouth and dipped his tongue through the
nest of curls to the soft pink flesh beneath. “I’m sure.”

He
shifted his knees apart, adjusting his angle. She was as pretty there as she
was everywhere else. Red brown curls highlighted the softest of flesh, moist
and fragrant, addictively beautiful, calling to him. He had to taste her. At
the first touch of his tongue she almost came off the bed.

“Caleb!”

The
second had her freezing, every muscle, every nerve ending anticipating the
third. He made her wait for it, made her speculate on the pleasure, doubt her
senses, doubt his abilities, before he parted her folds with his thumbs,
leaving her vulnerable for whatever he wanted to do. He glanced up her body,
over the small curve of her abdomen, between her small, plump breasts, to her
face. Her lip was caught between her teeth, her brow creased with
concentration, her eyes swirling with golden lights beneath the deep blue
irises. “Right here.”

“It’s
not safe.”

But
she wanted it. With everything male in him, he knew how much she wanted this.
Needed this. The same way he needed to stake his claim, she needed to be
claimed. The episode with Vincent had shaken them both. “I’ve never been known
for playing it safe.”

“I
could lose control.”

“I’m
counting on it.”

Her
chin worked as her teeth worried her lip. “I’d die if I hurt you.”

“Baby,
you couldn’t hurt a fly.”

“You
make me sound like such a wuss.”

He
shook his head, sliding his fingers down the deep red channel to the depths
beyond. “You’re soft and gentle and fiercely protective of life. All life.” He
caught her gaze. “The way a woman should be.”

“According
to your criteria.”

He
cocked an eyebrow at her. “Does anyone else’s matter?”

Her
“No” was slow coming.

“That’s
what I thought.”

She
opened her mouth, no doubt to argue the politics of a man appreciating a
woman’s softness. Caleb forestalled it by simply leaning forward and taking her
into his mouth. Her hips bucked and the argument was swallowed up by the
passion that spiked between them, leapfrogging along her skin, dancing from
pressure point to pressure point, landing in his mind.

The
sensation of her pleasure mellowed with the transference through the link, but
it was still incredibly arousing to know the touch of his tongue to her was a
cut of pleasure, a gentle lap, a baptism of fire. To know the depth of joy when
he pressed just so, just there. To hear her cry of ecstasy as he tasted her
pleasure, felt her desire. Son of a bitch, it was almost too much. He nursed
her through the aftermath of her climax, lapping and suckling gently, keeping
her on edge, letting her down easy, but not letting her all the way down.

“You’re
holding back.”

She
looked at him over her heaving stomach like he’d lost his mind. “I don’t think
so.”

“I
know so.”

Her
head flopped back on the mattress. “Lord, just take me now.”

“Trust
me.” He crawled back up her body, his cock so hard and full he thought he’d die
with the agony of holding back. He settled his hips into the cradle of hers.
“This is not the time you want to be saved.”

She
cracked an eyelid. “I don’t?”

He
slid his shaft along her crease, dragging the length along her ultrasensitive
clit. “Definitely not.”