Christian (Vampires in America: The Vampire Wars Book 10) (19 page)

Christian’s fingers gripped the back of her underwear and tugged, his eyes meeting hers, almost daring her to say “no.”

Natalie’s body had become a single, throbbing, pulse of desire, every beat of her heart sending scorching need pulsing through her arteries. She ripped the last hook away, and her chest expanded with a deep breath of relief as the confining bra fell away from her breasts, her nipples so hard and swollen that the fabric hung up briefly before she dragged it down.

A rumble of sound came from deep in Christian’s chest as he eyed her bare breasts. He yanked her underwear over her hips, under her ass, and down her legs in a single, smooth motion, and tossed them to one side.

“Do you want this, Natalie?” he asked, his expression deadly serious as he stared up at her.

She swallowed, her voice scratchy on a dry throat. “Yes,” she said, and knew it was true. She wanted Christian with a yearning that wouldn’t ease, but this was more than that, more than simple sexual desire. She wanted
Christian
, not just the beautiful vampire, but the man. “I want
you
,” she told him.

His smile was the one mothers warned their daughters about, what fathers guarded their daughters against. He was sin and temptation, and the promise of a sexual ecstasy that few ever experienced.

Natalie closed her eyes against the overwhelming ache of longing that flooded her soul with that smile. But her eyes flashed open at the feel of Christian’s hot breath on the tender skin of her inner thigh. She looked down to see him kissing his way closer to her core, pushing her legs wide until she was completely bare to him, her pussy only inches from his mouth. She flushed with embarrassment and would have closed her legs, but his shoulders held her knees wide, his fingers sliding up her thighs, stroking ahead of his lips until his thumbs grazed the lips of her pussy, already slick with her juices and puffy with arousal.

“Christian,” she gasped as she felt the edge of his teeth on the tender skin of her thigh.

He kissed the spot he’d just bitten, even though she’d barely felt it. It wasn’t his fangs, but his human teeth that he’d bitten her with. Her eyes opened blearily, and she watched as he licked and sucked her inner thigh, her breath catching when she realized his mouth was lingering just above the big femoral vein.

“Have you ever been bitten by a vampire?” Christian murmured, his words a cool brush against her wet skin.

Natalie shook her head, then realized he was facing her thigh, and couldn’t see her. “No,” she rasped.

He looked up at that, his smile one of amused disbelief. “No? All of those beautiful vampires walking the halls, and you’ve never indulged?”

She shook her head again.

He lowered his mouth to her thigh and hummed wordlessly, sending a shiver of lust straight between her legs. “I like that,” he murmured. “I like being the one to pop your cherry.”

“Christian!” she breathed, shocked and turned on at the same time.

He chuckled softly, before licking his way to the very edge of her pussy, then pulling back again, to blow on her wet flesh.

Natalie’s hips thrust upward, almost unwillingly, eager for the touch of his mouth. He smiled against her skin, then suddenly slipped his tongue between her folds and licked, his tongue rough against sensitive flesh, as he tasted her from the swollen opening of her pussy to her throbbing clit. She moaned and pushed against his mouth, but he only circled that engorged nub, making her keen with need.

“Tell me again,” he demanded, then moved his mouth back to suck gently at the skin of her thigh.

“I want you,” she gasped, barely able to get the words out for the pounding of her heart.

His soft growl vibrated against her thigh a moment before she caught the flash of his fangs, and then the sharp pain of his bite stabbed into her thigh, and a shocking wave of carnal greed rolled through her, shivering over her clit and prickling her skin, making her womb ache beneath the clenched muscles of her abdomen, and tightening her nipples into hard peaks above the swollen flesh of her breasts. Natalie cried out, as the sensation crashed over her, thinking
this
was what everyone had told her about, this incredible feeling of erotic pleasure.

But that was only the beginning. Unfettered lust suddenly raced through her veins like fire, lighting up every nerve, every muscle. Her back bowed from the force of it, her legs spreading wide as if she could somehow free herself from the pressure of this consuming need. Her head fell back, her desperate cries impossible to contain. She didn’t think about anyone hearing her scream, didn’t consider the neighbors, or even Marc in the house behind her. Her only thought was to let it go before it destroyed her. Christian snarled as he lifted his mouth from her thigh, his fangs sliding out and his tongue lapping up the remaining blood, soothing the wound that didn’t hurt, but
ached
as though she could never have enough of it.

Natalie sobbed in relief, thinking it was over, that her body would be hers once again. But her sobs turned to renewed cries as Christian’s sinful mouth moved up her thigh, his kisses wet on her overheated skin, his thumbs spreading her wide a moment before his mouth closed over her clit and sucked.

She choked on a sharp intake of air, and would have fallen back to the concrete, but Christian’s arms shot out, wrapping around her back, sliding her down his body as he pulled her into the water. His hands were everywhere, stroking her back, her legs, pressing her trembling body against his hard length, anchoring her. She clung to his shoulders, feeling as if she’d fly into pieces and disappear if she let go. Her legs tangled with his as he kissed her, his mouth moving over her neck, her shoulders. He lifted her effortlessly to get to her breasts, closing his teeth over her nipple, taking her right to the edge of pain, before caressing the swollen tip with his tongue as he made soothing noises.

Natalie didn’t know what was happening to her, didn’t know what to do with this raging need, this hunger that was tearing her apart. She wanted to scrape her nails down his back, to dig furrows into his powerful shoulders, to see red blood mingle with the turquoise water. She was shocked at the strength of her own desires, at the sheer lust driving her. She wasn’t like this. She was quiet, conventional, and always in control.

As if he’d heard her thoughts, Christian dug his fingers into her ass, grinding her against the marble-hard length of his erection. Her breath caught as his fingers caressed the crease between her butt cheeks, and then released in a keening moan when one thick finger slid into the tight little hole. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but then he wrapped her leg around his hip and slammed his cock deep into her body, claiming her more completely than any man had ever done, more, she suspected, than anyone else would ever do again. She despaired even as she exalted, dreamily wondering how she could go on knowing that she might never again experience the piercing joy of making love to Christian Duvall.

He pulled his cock out in a long, slow stroke of sensuousness, only to slam back into her with a snarled oath. “Stay with me,” he demanded, and began fucking her hard and fast. His cock was big, and she was tight, but so wet. So very wet and slick and ready for him.

Her cries rippled over the water as he fucked her with fingers and cock, his mouth swallowing her pleas for release, or maybe she was begging for more. She didn’t know anymore, couldn’t distinguish where she ended and he began. She could only hold on to the unrelenting strength of him, crying out helplessly when a fresh orgasm tore her apart and put her back together in one glorious explosion of ecstasy. She laughed crazily when Christian kept driving into her, wondering how much more pleasure her body could take. But then without warning, he shuddered hard. His mouth slammed down on hers in a passionate kiss, his cock bucked inside her, and she felt the warm rush of his release.

CHRISTIAN HUGGED Natalie close, holding her upright and murmuring meaningless words against her ear as she hung limply against him. He needed to get her out of the water before she became chilled. The water was warm, but it would soon drain what little reserves she had left after her multiple orgasms. He couldn’t stop his satisfied grin at the thought, any more than he could stifle the smug confidence that he was feeling as she trembled in his arms. His Natalie wasn’t a virgin, but she wasn’t experienced either. She’d never been bitten, and her shock when he’d slid his finger into her tight little hole hadn’t been feigned. His drained cock twitched at the thought of dipping more than his finger into that sweet ass.

Natalie moaned softly, as if she’d sensed the reaction of his cock. But he didn’t know if the moan meant she was too exhausted for more, or if she was anticipating even greater pleasures. Whichever it was didn’t matter, because she was practically unconscious, and he wanted her fully able to enjoy everything they did together.

Swinging her up into his arms, he walked to the stairs and climbed out of the pool. Natalie moaned again, but her shivers made the meaning obvious this time. The night air had hit her after the warm water, and she was cold. Putting on a burst of vampire speed, he dashed into the house with her in his arms, snagging his sweater from the kitchen barstool as he strode through the house and down the hall to the guest room where she’d slept last night. She clung to him tightly when he went to put her down, so he pulled back the covers with one hand and slid into bed with her until she was breathing evenly. He would have liked to sleep next to her, and had a flash of how delightful it would be to roll over at sunset and pull Natalie into his arms. He’d tug her beneath him and sink his fangs into her neck, before spreading her legs and fucking her awake. He could still feel the pulsing of her sheath around his cock from when she’d come earlier, the way her tight pussy had squeezed him nearly dry.

And if he didn’t stop thinking about that, he was going to fuck her again right now.

Releasing her gently, he snagged his sweater and slid it over her head, kissing her thigh as he rolled it over her hips and under her ass. Then he climbed out of bed, pulled the covers up, and left her with a final kiss on her warm lips.

She didn’t stir when he slipped out into the hallway and closed the bedroom door. He was at the basement stairs when it occurred to him that she would very probably wake during the day tomorrow, and wonder where he was, or when she’d see him. After all, he was her first vampire lover, and while she had to know the basics of a vampire’s sleep cycle, her first morning-after in a near empty house might be confusing. So he left her a note near the espresso machine, and went downstairs to find Marc still hard at work.

“Any luck?” he asked, passing through the computer room on his way to their personal quarters.

Marc glanced over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised at Christian’s lack of clothing. “No,” he said dryly. “Unlike you, apparently.”

Christian grinned, but didn’t say anything as he ducked into his bedroom and grabbed a pair of sweats. He and Marc had shared lovers in the past, and had certainly compared stories, but he didn’t want to talk about Natalie. He wasn’t sure what he felt for her, but he knew it was something different, something unique.

He reappeared in the doorway, rubbing a towel over his wet hair. “So you think Anthony’s running a closed network on the estate?”

“Sure looks that way. Even if I couldn’t break the security on his network, I should at least have been able to
find
it if he was connected to the Internet.”

Christian frowned. “I wonder if Jaclyn could help.”

“I wonder if she
will.
Wouldn’t that be the same as Raphael taking sides in the challenge?”

Christian shrugged dismissively. “It’s done all the time. The lords aren’t supposed to, but everyone plays favorites. Besides, Jaclyn is her own person, not just Raphael’s mouthpiece. And after what Anthony did earlier, I think she’d welcome the chance to fuck him over.”

“I think there’s probably a long line for the privilege.”

Christian laughed. “His children seem loyal enough.” But then he recalled Scoville’s easy acceptance of his argument about Noriega. Maybe Anthony didn’t have the loyal following he thought he did.

“Give it up for tonight,” he told Marc. It’s nearly sunrise. You need blood?”

Marc pushed away from the computer, spinning his chair around as he stood. “Nah, I’m good. But you must be drained.” He snickered, and Christian reached out and slapped the back of his head as he went by.

He walked over and pulled the interior vault door closed, sealing off the bedrooms from the rest of the basement. His thumbprint and a second code threw the bolts on the heavy door, just as the first rays of the sun burst over the horizon, igniting a warning fire in his brain. And by the time the yellow ball of flame crested the horizon, he was sound asleep in his big bed, with the rich taste of Natalie’s blood lingering on his tongue.

Chapter Eight

NATALIE WOKE WITH a start. The room was dark and empty, and, for a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was. And then the night came crashing back, and she remembered everything. She covered her eyes with a groan. Had she really been that wanton, needy creature? For sure,
that
had never happened before. This was all Christian’s doing, some vampire magic he’d worked on her. Her sex pulsed in remembered heat, flooding her pussy with wet need, and her breasts felt swollen and sensitive beneath the soft fabric of . . . Christian’s sweater. He must have put it on her after carrying her to bed. His scent surrounded her, and she couldn’t stop the soft moan that trembled from her throat. God, she wanted him. He was like a drug. Every inch of her was on fire, replaying the touch of his mouth, the sharp sting of his fangs, the hard thrust of his shaft.

Her hand slid beneath the sweater, her fingers finding the slick moisture between her thighs. Her clit throbbed to her touch, her sex wide open and aching as she slipped two fingers inside herself. She added a third, but it didn’t come close to the thickness of Christian’s cock, the way he’d stretched her wide, her inner muscles clenching around him as he’d fucked her slowly, deliberately. His fingers gripping her ass as he—

She came with a muffled cry, her pussy contracting hard, squeezing her fingers as her thumb stroked her clit. She lay there for a moment, her chest beaded with sweat, her heart pounding beneath her breasts. And then she rolled to her side, and curled in on herself as if to contain the pleasure, wishing Christian was there to hold her instead.

She must have drifted back to sleep then, because the next time she woke, she had the definite sense that it was later. The little bit of light leaking around the dark blinds was just pale enough that she knew it was afternoon, not morning. And a quick glance at her cell phone told her she was right. Rolling to her back, she smoothed the soft fabric over her breasts, feeling her nipples harden. She toyed with them briefly, then snapped upright. Something was happening to her. Despite the long, dry spell of celibacy that had been her time in Houston, she usually didn’t masturbate more than a couple of times a week, and she rarely woke up wet. That she was even thinking about coming on her own fingers for the second time in one day was unheard-of.

This was Christian’s fault, too. Although, with her pussy still twitching pleasurably from the previous night, she was having a difficult time convincing herself that this new development was a bad thing.

But enough was enough. She had work to do, and tonight was the gala that Christian had to attend, despite the confrontation with Anthony. And she was going with him. She had her dress and shoes, and the underwear to go with them. But if she was going to do the dress, and Christian, justice, she’d need some serious prep time. And some food. She didn’t care if it was breakfast or something else, but she needed sustenance.

The idea of food finally got her out of bed, and as if to make sure she didn’t backslide, her stomach grumbled loudly. Remembering the pitiful state of Christian’s refrigerator—at least when it came to real food—she decided to make a run to the grocery store. She didn’t know this neighborhood, but there had to be something nearby, and she’d seen Marc drop the SUV keys on the table next to the door.

But she wasn’t going anywhere all sweaty and stinking of sex, with her thighs still sticky from last night. She needed to shower, and it made no sense to do it twice, which meant washing her hair, and shaving her legs. Her stomach grumbled again, but it would just have to wait.

By the time she’d cleaned up, found the grocery story, and driven back, there were less than two hours left until sunset. She didn’t know exactly what time the gala started, since she hadn’t been formally invited, and hadn’t been part of the planning either. Anthony had never involved her in any of the vampire activities, which now struck her as somewhat odd. It was as if he’d been intentionally keeping her from meeting any of the many vampires who hung around the estate. She didn’t want to think too much about his reasons for that, even though it was pretty clear by now that he’d been saving her for himself. And that idea still had too high of an
ick
factor to contemplate.

Intentionally setting it aside, she unwrapped the sandwich she’d picked up at the grocery deli, added some chips, then settled down in front of her laptop. She still had a job to do, and besides, she loved her work. Loved finding clues in the numbers, following the trails.

She was deep in her own head, seeing nothing but what was on the computer screen, when a warm hand caressed the bare skin of her lower back. She shrieked and nearly fell off the kitchen stool, only to be caught by a laughing Christian.

“That’s not funny,” she protested, slapping away his hands.

“It sort of is,” he said, ignoring her efforts and pulling her into his arms. He gave her a smacking kiss on the lips, then glanced at her computer. “You’re working?”

She nodded. “It relaxes me.”

“I could relax you,” he crooned, his big body surrounding her as he leaned forward to trap her in his arms. “Unfortunately, we leave in an hour,” he added.

“What?” Natalie straightened abruptly, her head nearly cracking Christian on the chin when she swung around to stare at him. “You’re dressed,” she said stupidly. But he was. His white tuxedo shirt wasn’t fully buttoned, and his tie hung open, but everything else was in place. Black pants, black leather belt and shoes, and now that she was paying attention, she saw the elegant black jacket draped over the back of a chair. “Fuck!” she swore and pushed at his chest, trying to force him back. The effort was totally futile, of course. Christian would move when he wanted to, and not before. “Christian,” she said exasperatedly, “I have to get ready.”

“I sort of like this look,” he said lazily, his hand sliding beneath her T-shirt and around her ribs to cup her braless breast.

“Christian,” she breathed. It was meant to be a protest, but it didn’t come out that way.

He kissed her. Not the brief smack of a hello kiss he’d given her earlier. This was heat and desire and sex. He pulled her into his arms, his hand clenched in her hair, a hungry edge adding urgency, his lips almost rough as he explored every inch of her mouth before pulling back. Natalie was lost in sensation, her head back and eyes closed. Her fingers gripped his waist, crushing the fine cotton shirt as she held on for dear life. He licked the corner of her mouth, then tightened his hands on her arms.

“You need to get dressed,” he murmured.

Her eyes opened lazily, and she groaned. “Not fair,” she muttered.

“Go on,” he said, turning her toward the doorway and slapping her butt. “I’ll rinse your dishes.”

“Ass,” she muttered, too soft for him to hear. Or maybe not.

“You’ll be paying for that later,” he called cheerfully, and was still laughing when she slammed the bedroom door.

CHRISTIAN STROLLED through the gathering of beautiful people with the most gorgeous woman in the room on his arm. He closed Natalie’s fingers over the crook of his elbow, and held them there. It was either that or explore the enticing expanse of bare back exposed by her sexy dress. He’d been fighting an erection ever since she’d hurried out of her bedroom earlier, her hair a sensuous pile of curls that looked like she’d just been well fucked, her legs smooth and silky beneath the short dress, with a pair of black stiletto heels making them look even longer. He couldn’t blame anyone but himself for her tempting appearance. He’d selected the dress, after all. But damn, she looked good. And despite the tension they were both feeling about Anthony—wondering if he’d be stupid enough to show up tonight when Raphael was gunning for him—Natalie was charmingly excited about the gala.

He scanned the room slowly, without being obvious about it. Scoville was in attendance, though he’d all but dropped out of the race after his chat with Christian the other night. And Marcel Weiss was across the room, sending hate-filled glares from within his circle of supporters. But there were notable absences. Noriega was missing, of course—that’s what happened when you jumped the gun; you missed the big party—but Stefano Barranza was also nowhere to be seen, and Christian found that suspicious. It wasn’t mandatory for challengers to show up at the gala kick-off, but it was customary. It was a chance to measure opponents’ power, to flaunt your own, and, if you were lucky, to come to the attention of the current vampire lords who were in attendance. Barranza’s absence made Christian wonder if the Mexican vampire had decided to drop out altogether, or worse, if he was down in Mexico seeking a new alliance with Hubert.

But while the challengers had a central role to play, they weren’t the indispensable attendees at this party. That honor went to the vampire lords, and Christian had to admit that it wasn’t often one saw so many of them in one room. The current batch of lords got along with each other in a very un-vampire-like way, which made getting together a lot easier. That was Raphael’s doing. And it would be the
un
doing of the Europeans, unless they changed their tactics. But he wasn’t going to be the one to warn them.

The lords stood apart from the crowd, their mates by their sides. Mates were almost always in attendance for challenge launches. The lords were there to contain the aggression-fueled violence that could erupt at these things, while their human mates were on hand to help contain the aggression of the lords themselves.

Christian was keeping a close eye out, but there’d been no sign of Anthony, which only reaffirmed his assessment of the Southern lord’s survival instincts. Raphael and his mate, Cynthia, had arrived early on, along with both Duncan and his woman. Vincent wouldn’t be attending, but that wasn’t a surprise. He could hardly leave his territory when there were known infiltrators actively working to bring him down. And thus far, Christian hadn’t spotted any of the others—Sophia, Lucas, Rajmund or Aden—but the night was still young, and the lords tended to arrive singly rather than all at once, to avoid a sudden crush of power in the room. Nerves were strung tightly enough. By now, everyone had heard about what had happened to Cibor, and Raphael’s anger because of it. And when a vampire as powerful as Raphael got angry, no one in the vicinity was spared the effects.

Next to him, Natalie tensed, and her fingers twisted to grip his nervously. Christian followed her line of sight and found Jaclyn and Cibor, deep in conversation. Jaclyn’s hand was hooked around Cibor’s elbow, her breast was pressed against his arm, and their lips were almost touching.

“Look at Cibor,
chére.
He’s fully recovered. Raphael will have made sure of it by now.”

She nodded, and Christian bent to kiss her artfully tousled head. “He and Jaclyn look awfully cozy, though. Maybe the crisis brought some deeper feelings to the surface,” he mused.

He was surprised, but relieved, when Natalie laughed. She hugged his arm against her soft breast, and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, “They’ve been lovers for years. Didn’t you know that?”

He reconsidered the last few days. The signs had all been there, but he’d missed the obvious, because it wasn’t commonplace for two vampires to become lovers. “That’s rather unusual.”

She tilted her head, gazing up at him curiously. “Why? I’d think it’s a natural fit. Shared interests and all that.”

“But no food, no blood source. Is it just the two of them, or is there a third?”

“You mean . . .” Her cheeks were stained such a delicious pink, that he was tempted to take a small bite, just to taste.

“That’s exactly what I mean,” he whispered, settling for a slow brush of his lips over her cheek, feeling the heat. “They must be hunting and feeding together. Seducing together. I wonder if they hunt men or women.”

“But I thought blood and sex went together . . .” Her words trailed off on an indrawn breath. “Are you saying that they, um, that they both . . .”

“Oh, yes.”

“Oooh.” She studied the couple with an assessing and entirely unexpected gleam in her eye. “Did you and Marc ever . . . you know.”

Christian put his lips against her ear, exploring the soft shell with his tongue before murmuring, “Yes, we did. Many times.”

Her chest flushed with arousal above the tight bodice of her dress, her nipples creating slight bumps where they were trying to push through the fabric.

“Would you like to do that with us, Natalie?” he murmured. “Does it excite you?”

She licked her lips, and he wanted to snap his teeth at the sweet, rosy tip of her tongue. “I’ve . . . that is, I’ve never—”

Christian wrapped both arms around her, hugging her close to his chest. “It would be delicious,
mon ange
. But only if you want it.”

Natalie’s fingers clenched in his shirt a moment before he detected a powerful presence to his left.

“Christian Duvall. I don’t believe we’ve met,” drawled a deceptively relaxed voice with a deliberate flavor of the deep South.

Christian kept an arm around Natalie’s waist as he turned to greet the newcomer. And what a newcomer he was. Duncan Milford, Lord of the Capital Territory. They’d never met, but Christian knew of him. Everyone knew of Raphael’s longtime lieutenant.

“My lord,” Christian said with a respectful nod of his head. “My companion, Natalie Vivant Gaudet.”

“Charmed, my lady,” Duncan said smoothly. “And intrigued. Cajun and Creole, if I’m not mistaken.”

Natalie gave him a wide smile. “You are not, my lord,” she said, her own lilting accent in full force. “A Cajun father and Creole mother, both back several proud generations.”

“And beauty, as well, surely.”

Christian was beginning to suspect that Duncan was laying on the Southern accent a little heavily. He’d spent more than a century in California with Raphael; it was unlikely he’d managed to hold on to his accent for all that time. Maybe he was trying to relax Natalie, or maybe to disarm Christian himself, with what the Americans called “good ol’ boy” charm.

Christian gave him a bemused look, to let him know it wasn’t working. No disrespect, but no dice, to coin another American phrase.