Choices (The Forever series, Book Four) (10 page)

"Can we get Chinese?" he asks.

I smile at him and say, "Sure." I won't eat a
great deal anyway but he eats like there's no tomorrow.

"And maybe pizza as well. Oh, and popcorn!" he
says enthusiastically.

"Whatever you want. Now I need to get to work," I say.

"Oh, I'm coming with. Scott said I could use the Video
Conference facilities as I have issues that need hashing out with the southern
states."

"Okay, no worries. Let's go then. Will you still be
around for lunch?"

"Probably not, no. I need to get up to Brooklyn for a
meeting of feline Shifters."

"Christ. You are busier than me!" I say.

"Well in all fairness you have seven separate
Ambassadors to do your Vampire dirty work. I, on the other hand, have just me
to deal with a world full of Shifters," he says ruefully.

I stop in my tracks. It never even occurred to me that he
would struggle. The Underworld is made up of numerous types of Weres or
Shifters as we call them; Wolves, Cats, Bears, Dogs, you name it. They call me
a Shifter, even though I don’t think of myself as one of them, because I can
Shift into, not only my Dragon form, but other people. This, however, is not a
trait synonymous with Shifters. It is a Dragon thing, and Dragons are not
classified as Weres or Shifters, who are born what they are and can only Shift
between their human form and their animal form. They are a completely separate
species to us. If my mother ever heard anyone classify us Dragons as Shifters
she would probably throw a shit fit. All that aside, it seems I inadvertently
dumped all that onto Lincoln and he being who he is, has never mentioned it
before. "Shit. Linc! You should have said something sooner. We can appoint
delegates. Just tell me who and where and it's done."

He looks both relieved and annoyed that I question his
ability to handle it. "We'll see," he grumbles but I can see that
really he is already making a mental list and I smile inwardly. I really do
need to focus more. This is getting a bit ridiculous, really. With one problem
after another rearing its ugly head, I am just neglecting my duties. Bad me.

The three of us stopping at the coffee cart on the corner, I
order my usual black coffee. This is getting to be a habit now and I more often
than not choose coffee over tea. Wondering vaguely if Cade is going to make an
appearance, we step away and start the short walk.

"Christ, it's cold this morning," Lincoln
grumbles. "That's one of the things I envy about your kind."

One of the things he envies? That's interesting: we usually
get nothing but contempt - albeit good-natured contempt, if such a thing
actually exists.

"Considering you were trapped in a forest for
fifty-seven years in Romanian winters I thought you'd be hardier than
this," I scoff with a smile in my eyes to take out the sting and he laughs.

"I guess those four months in the L.A. climate got rid
of any of that."

My phone rings in my pocket and I know already it's Cole
before I look at the caller ID.

"Hey, baby," I say, expecting a shitstorm.

"Hey," he says shortly.

"I guess you saw the photo? It wasn't intentional and I
don't even know who took it," I defend myself right away.

"Not the point, Liv. We talked about how it would
look."

"I know. I'm sorry. Look, I'm coming up early tomorrow
morning. We can do damage control. And there is a pile of shit I need to talk
to you about anyway."

"Fine," he huffs. "What shit?"

"Shit I can't discuss over the phone. I can't wait to
see you, baby. I miss you."

Now completely mollified he says, "I miss you too. How
early?"

"As soon as we can get clearance. I'm waiting for Jim
to ring me back."

"Okay, let me know. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

I hang up and speak of the devil Jim rings me.

"Liv. I'm setting off from LAX now but have been
rerouted to LaGuardia. I logged the flight plan with them for tomorrow and they
said 8 AM."

"That's fine. I'll be there. Thanks Jim," I hang
up and then we are at my offices.

Another day of hard work in front of me to crack on with, I
leave Scott to set Lincoln up with the video conference facilities and head to
my office.

I get lost in my work and only realize it is lunchtime when
Scott knocks and asks if he can get me anything.

I shake my head, "No thanks."

He smiles and leaves me to it and I debate again with myself
over whether to ring Devon. Fuck it, I think, and pick up my phone. He doesn't
answer. What a shock. Perhaps if I wait until tomorrow I can ring him from
Cole's phone and he might answer. Pleased with my devious scheme I go back to
work and Scott again pulls me from it when it’s time to go home. I wonder if
Cade didn't show this morning because of Lincoln's presence. He is quite large
and would put most people off when approaching us if they didn't know him. But
there again Cade doesn’t strike me as the fearful type. Maybe he has given up
on me.

No such luck, as there he is waiting for me in the shadows
as I exit the building with Scott in tow.

"Oh for fuck's sake," I mumble and start walking,
ignoring him.

"Now that's just plain rude," he says. "You
don't greet a friend?"

"We are not friends."

"Oh I think we are more than just acquaintances by now.
I mean we have discussed your excellent fucking capabilities after all,"
he says slyly much to Scott's embarrassment.

I glare at him and ignore him. Of course my phone goes off
not two seconds later and I pull it out with a grimace. Not to answer would
just be plain foolish.

"Yes, my dear?" I say sweetly.

"I am going to kill that man, I swear to you, Aefre, if
he makes one wrong move he is dead."

"Oh calm yourself. I am ignoring him, hoping he will go
away," I say with a pointed look at Cade.

"You are being watched, Aefre. If they don’t like how
this goes, they are on orders to take him out whether you like it or not,"
he threatens and hangs up.

"He really doesn't like you talking to other men, does
he?" he says conversationally. "It's any wonder at all he puts up
with your husband."

"I'm going to ask you this one last time. What do you
want with me?" I say, now beyond irritated with this man.

"Oh, I am sure I can think of something," he says
salaciously but I know he doesn't mean it. If he wanted me he would have made a
move by now. But if he wanted to kill me surely he would have tried that as
well.

Taking the bull by the horns as I am really tired of his
games and even though I know CK is going to try and stake me himself for my
actions, I stop in the middle of the sidewalk and face him. "Do you know
who I am?" I ask. I was going to go with “what I am” but that might be a
bit too risky. If he knows, he knows, and if he doesn't, I will have stepped in
a pile of crap. He stares at me, pondering the question. Several long minutes
pass and I can hear my phone buzzing away in my pocket but I do ignore it this
time.

"Yes," he finally says. "I know what you
are." “What,” not “who.” Oh fuck.

I nod briskly, "Then what do you want with me?"

"Do you know who I am?" he asks instead.

"Yes," I respond. "I know what you are."

He looks fairly surprised by my words. "I see,” he
says. “Well then, you should know what I want with you." There's no
threat, just a statement.

"That's the thing though. Why am I still standing
here?" I ask boldly and Scott gulps loudly behind me.

Cade looks stunned by my question and doesn't answer for a
long time. He steps closer to me so he is staring down into my eyes, his grey
ones clouding over slightly. "I don't know," he says after a long
pause. "I really don't know. There is something different about you. I
can’t put my finger on it. I want to know more." He sounds so unsure of
himself that I am slightly taken aback. I sense CK before I see him and turn
away from Cade and take his arm. "Come. Everything is fine," I say
and lead us back the way he came with Scott following quickly, leaving Cade to
stand on the sidewalk by himself.

"What was that about?" CK snaps at me.

"I couldn't say for sure. He knows what I am,
presumably all of us, but he hasn't done anything about it. He doesn't know
why. I don’t think he knows I am Queen but he said he senses something
different."

"You asked him? Have you completely lost your senses,
Aefre?"

I shrug, "Maybe. I was tired of the games. I wanted
truth."

We step into the apartment building and I let him go. Still
deep in thought about what just happened, I step onto the elevator and push the
button for my floor.

"Come to mine," CK murmurs in my ear and it brings
me back to the present.

"No, I can't. I have plans with Lincoln," I say.

"Please," he whispers seductively. "I want
you. I want you in my bed, where I know you will be safe. Where I can keep you
safe."

Oh Christ on a bike. I want him too, especially as he has gone
into sweet protective mode instead of overbearing protective mode, but I am not
flaking on Lincoln. The doors ding open for my floor and with all the strength
I have I step off and turn around as he glares at me for refusing him.
"I'm sorry. I promised this time to Lincoln," I say.

I turn back around and open the door to the apartment with
Scott barging in behind me. I look at him in annoyance and pushing his glasses
back up his nose he shrugs apologetically. "Sorry. He fucking scares the
crap out of me when he is in a good mood, never mind…that," he mumbles and
I smile. "I will get out of here tonight so you two can be alone," he
adds.

"Thank you Scott. That's kind of you, but don't feel
like you have to leave."

"It's fine. Some people at work asked me to join them
for drinks. I think they want to try and butter me up," he laughs and I
chuckle.

"Okay, well have fun. I probably won't see you until I
get back from Toronto next week, so hold down the fort as best you can."

"As always, Boss," he salutes and I nod at him
knowing he will do as good a job as me.

Lincoln comes in soon after that with Simone and arms full
of Blu-rays and food.

"Look what I got!" he says to me excitedly as I
smile a greeting to Simone.

Turning my attention back to Lincoln as I point her to the
bedroom I say, "What? Better be something good."

He holds it up and I roll my eyes, saying, "Are you
serious? You actually want to watch that crap? You do realize it's nothing like
real life?"

He looks insulted. "Of course I know that!" he snaps.
"But I wanna watch it," he whines and I wave him off to put it on, to
his glee.

An
American Werewolf in Paris
indeed. What a load of
shit, I chuckle to myself.

I see Simone out after I have fed, telling her that I won’t
need her now until I get back from seeing Cole. I go and sit with Lincoln on
the sofa who is already tucking into his Chow Mein.

"Feel better?" he says.

"Much. This twice a day feeding is working out quite
well," I say, fully satisfied.

"Just be sure to keep a tight hold on it," he says
worriedly. "You don't want to go off the rails."

"I will be fine. I am more likely to go off the rails
if I don't feed," I say, remembering last night’s horror show.

I settle back and he hands me a glass of wine and presses
play. He gets right involved with the movie, laughing and making comments and I
just humor him, as I am not really watching it. I am happy to just be snuggled
up to him now that he has finally finished eating. I trail my hand idly up and
down his broad chest and after a few minutes I start to unbutton his shirt. He
looks down at me with a sly grin and I say, "You carry on watching your
film."

With a smile he goes back to watching and I go back to
unbuttoning, reaching the bottom I pull his shirt out of his pants and trail my
hand back up his chest. He is so different from the other three. Where they are
all lean and muscular, Lincoln is all rippling, bulging muscles. He is very,
very sexy. I love being held by him. He consumes me in his strong arms and I
feel so safe. I lower my head to his chest and plant little kisses all the way
down his eight-pack. He sighs in pleasure and I am now desperate for him. I
undo his pants and pull him out, stroking his already full-on erection. I move
my mouth over him and he groans, pushing his hand into my hair. "Oh Liv,
baby. You drive me wild," he says as he pulls my head up to kiss me. I
move onto his lap and he pulls away. "Get rid of your clothes," he
whispers before he resumes kissing me. In seconds they are gone and his hands are
all over me, stroking me gently and scratching me harshly, teasing my senses.
Thoroughly aroused by now I lift myself higher above him and he positions
himself against me. He lets me sink onto him at my own pace. It takes time.
While the others are impressively well above average, like everything else
about him, Lincoln is just enormous. I have never been with anybody quite so
well endowed, not even Fraser, and it excites me beyond belief. I feel him
pushing me further apart, splitting me wide open and I feel the rush of desire
and he does too as he moans into my mouth.

"Oh baby, you are so wet," he whispers. "I
get you so hot, don't I baby?"

He is now all the way inside me and it is almost to the
point of painful as I start to move over him. Almost. The pleasure is far beyond
anything as he rubs me in spots I never even knew I had before.

"You do get me so hot," I whisper back to him. He
likes me to talk to him, nothing too dirty, more reassurances than anything
else. I try to avoid the corny phrases like “you're the best I've ever had” and
“no one makes me feel like you do,” as they sound insincere so I say instead,
"I love the way you make me feel. I love the things you do to me."

"Oh, Liv," he murmurs, "I just want to lose
myself in you forever."

I gasp as he pulls down on my hips and he pushes himself
even further into me. I don't think he can go any further when he does it again
and I come without warning to his delight. "Oh yes, you like that don't
you?"

Still pulsing with pure pleasure I murmur, "Oh Linc,
fuck me harder. I want to feel every inch of you fucking me."

It's exactly what he wants to hear and with a loud growl he
flips us over and pins me to the sofa. I wrap my legs around him and he pulls
out of me and rams back in. I cry out at the overload of senses shooting
through me.

"Oh baby. Fuck, I want to do this forever," he
growls in my ear, keeping up his onslaught of pounding into me. My head is
spinning. I want him to carry on and on.

"Don't stop, baby," I pant. "Don't ever
stop."

He groans as I come again around him, now so slick he is
sliding in and out of me with ease.

"Again, I want to feel it again," he grunts.
"I want to know how good I make you feel."

I push on his chest to lift him off me and he looks a bit
annoyed until I slide out from under him and stand, bending over to put my
hands on the coffee table. He stands behind me, hands on my hips, and slides
into me with a groan.

"Oh fuck, yes," he moves his hand around to play
with me and it gets too much for me to bear and I come again. He follows
straight after thrusting deeper into me hitting the wall deep inside.

We are both breathless when he pulls out of me and we
collapse back onto the sofa.

"Christ," he says as he runs his hand through his
spiky black hair, green eyes a bit foggy. "How do you make me want to do
that all over again, right now?"

I smile. "We have all night."

He grins at me wickedly, "Yes, we do. But you'll have
to give me a minute. A Vampire's constitution, I don't have." I giggle at
him remembering the first time he was with me and Devon and his utter amazement
that we really could go all night--or more to the point that Devon could really
go all night. I sober then, thinking of Devon, and he sees it on my face.