Cleopatra's Return: A Paranormal/Vampire Romance (6 page)

One drop and yet his whole body tingled, energized.
More. I want more.
She hadn’t even noticed his little scratch, and he was tempted to latch on and suck her blood like some fledgling with no control.
But I don’t want to scare her or chase her away.

It was one thing for her to accept he was a vampire, quite another to allow him to feed on her, even if it would amplify her pleasure a hundred times. If he had his way
, though, he’d spend the next millennia with her at his side. He had plenty of time to introduce her to his needs.

She mewled and squirmed against him. Ignoring the thin line of blood on her breast, he kissed his way down her belly to her trimmed curls.  His knees found the bench in the tub
, and he knelt before her.

Her legs spread wide for him, exposing her sex in all its pink silken glory
, and he brought a finger up to trace the delicate edge of a plump lip. She shuddered, and he saw moisture seep from between her folds. Unable to resist, and at last losing control at the sight of her desire like a callow youth, he pressed his mouth to her core and licked her.

“Michael!”
She cried his name as her body quivered. He snaked his arms to wrap around her thighs, anchoring her against his face. His new heaven. Her musky scent haloed him, the sweetest fragrance he’d ever encountered. Her cream flowed like honey and tasted better than any decadent dessert he’d partaken of before.

S
preading her nether lips, he stabbed his tongue inside her as she clutched at his hair, tugging it in wild abandon. The pain of it excited him, for it bespoke better than words her desire.

He loved it.

He left off torturing her channel to tease her clit. Swollen, her little nub stuck out from its hood, and he teased it relentlessly. He flicked his tongue across it, sensing her pleasure building higher and higher. When she came to close to the edge, he stopped and changed the motion. He sucked it, squeezing it with his lips. A little nip on her bud almost made her come—
and I might come with her, she excites me so.

A
quiver rocked her body, and he knew he’d drawn out her bliss as long as possible. Any more and she would topple over the edge. She must have known it, too, because she lay down on the cool tile floor and beckoned him with her knees drawn up and spread. His savage, lusty side wanted to dive on her offering and pound into her, but as her lover, he knew that while they would both have fun, she’d have bruises to show for it in the morning. But that didn’t mean the trip to the bed couldn’t be pleasurable. He stood before bending to scoop her from the floor.

“Straddle me
, Cleo,” he ordered her, the soft silk of her skin against his hands making his cock twitch. With his hands at her waist, he held her with effortless strength as she used her hands to guide him into her moist sex.

He gritted his teeth at the jolt of pleasure that rocked him. He almost came, especially when she wrapped her legs around his waist and
, in a quick move, sheathed him completely.

His fingers dug into her ass cheeks as he tried to regain control. Apparently Cleo wasn’t looking for control
because she leaned forward and sucked on his neck.

He gasped.
“Give me a moment to get us to the bed.”

“
Screw the bed. Fuck me,” was her reply. He would have, but she took control, somehow bouncing herself on his shaft while squeezing her pelvic muscles. He tried to hold on, determined she come first, maybe twice, before he came. He hadn’t counted on Cleo. She still sucked on his neck hard enough to leave a mark, but she stopped for a moment to say, “Come for me.” Then she bit him.

Cleo was holding onto her orgasm by a thread, determined to have Michael come first. The man was truly gifted in the erotic arts because never before, not even with Julius, had she ever found herself so aroused and out of control.
I need to regain the upper hand.
Hence why she told him to come and then bit him.

Oh my, the reaction. He pistoned her while
he stood and held her. His cock thrust deep and hard, each strike hitting her sweet spot and making her tremble. Her teeth inadvertently clamped down harder on his skin, and the metallic taste of blood coated her tongue. But she couldn’t let go because her body had reached the point of no return. With a low, moaned cry, she came apart in his arms, her orgasm shaking her with the intensity of a major earthquake.

But she didn’t come alone.
He joined her in her pleasure, his whole body going rigid with one final, deep thrust. He cried out her name as his cock pulsed thick and hot inside her.

Cleo
hugged him tightly and barely registered the fact that he’d staggered into the bedroom. She did notice, though, when they landed on the bed. He made sure she stayed on top as they hit the springy mattress, and she lay against him, her body slick with sweat.

I think I need another bath.

She giggled. His chest vibrated under her cheek when he spoke. “I might regret this, but I am going to ask anyway. What is so funny?”

Cleo prop
ped herself up on her elbows and looked down at him. He looked deliciously rumpled, and before she answered she gave him a quick kiss. “I’m dirty again. I think we need a bath.”

He chuckled. “I think the only way you’re ever going to end up clean is if you shower alone
because I can almost guarantee if we get in that bath again we’re going to do very dirty things.

“Promise?” She grinned at him mischievously
, this lightheartedness not a common feeling for her, but so welcome.

“Give me a few minutes to recover
, and I’ll show you.”

“Well
, while we wait, old man, I think it’s time you spilled a little about yourself. You seem to know who I am, so I think it’s only fair that I get to know more about you.”

Folding his arms behind his head, he
appeared utterly at ease. “Fair enough. Where would my little queen like me to start?”

“First with a better nickname. I’m not a queen anymore
, and given how history has chosen to view my actions, I’d rather not be reminded.”

“Very well, I’ll think of something new.
In the meantime, a condensed history of me. I guess I’ll start with the most shocking part first. I used to be an angel.”

Peering at his
face, which was completely serious, she digested his words. “An angel?”

“Yes. I’m even mentioned in some of the bibles
as the archangel Michael. I was the commander of God’s army.”

“But that would make you
—”

“Really old
.” He grinned looking boyish and nothing close to his several millennia old age.

“You
fuck pretty good for a geezer,” she teased.

“And you look great for a cougar.”

Her jaw dropped at his remark, and she waited for anger to make her slap the smirk off his face. Instead she surprised herself by laughing. “Okay. I promise not to make any Viagra jokes if you never refer to my age again.”

“Deal.” They sealed
their promise with a kiss.

A little flustered, Cleo had to remind herself that she needed some answers, not more sex. Yet. “Okay, so you’re an angel, or used to be.
How does a godly being with big fluffy wings end up a bloodsucking vampire?”

“The wings
, first off, aren’t physical wings but metaphysical ones. Yes, they appeared big and fluffy when I called them forth, but they weren’t covered in feathers, and I could banish them with a thought. Those I kind of miss. They were total chick magnets,” he said with an unrepentant smile. “Although, my flying ability does make up for their loss somewhat.”

“So do you wear a cape now instead, the kind that flutters in the breeze.”

He snorted. “Lined in red satin? No thanks. I was damned glad when society evolved past the style where cloaks were the norm. If it’s chilly, I prefer a leather jacket.”

“With aviator glasses?”

“Only Corey Hart could get away with sunglasses at night.”

She made a moue at his joke. “Thanks, now I’ve got the song stuck in my head.”

A chuckle shook him. “You’re welcome.”

“I will get you back for that,” she threatened with a smile. “But back to your story. You were a bad ass angel, smiting God’s enemies. How did you fall? What major sin did you commit? Seduce someone’s wife? Got a girl pregnant?”

“Nothing so salacious as that. The reasons surrounding my loss of angel status are less than exciting. In a nutshell, I said no.”

“You said no to God
?” Cleo’s eyes widened. Then she cracked up laughing. “Oh, we’re a pair,” she said in between giggles. “I got kicked out of Hell by Satan for being too helpful.” She didn’t detail the help in question was giving Lucifer competition for his leadership role.

“Well
, I got kicked out, too, after I refused to lead the army in a slaughter of some infidels, whose only crime was in not believing in him.”

“Is he the only god?”

“Nope, but he wanted to be. Hence the order to rid the world of those who dared deny his existence. Having already spent centuries doing his dirty work, I tired of it. Unlike him, I’d spent a lot of time on the mortal plane. I knew the infidels were just people with the temerity to believe in the god who actually took an interest in them. So I said no, and my master took offense and banished me from the heavens.”

“Why not kill you? I mean, a guy who’s ready to have you slaughter doesn’t seem like the type to let you live.”

“Oh, he didn’t want to. However, he had to because God, by his own laws, wasn’t allowed to kill. And I was already immortal, something even he couldn’t take away, so instead he cursed me. I became a vampire, doomed to walk the earth until the end of time.”

“So all vampires are fallen angels?”

“Not quite. Some are fallen angels. Some are progeny of existing vampires and others dead souls that, through some special deal with forces I’ve yet to meet, give their soul to a being that resides in neither Heaven or Hell.”

“Another supreme force?
I’ve never heard of that.” Then again, theology had never interested her much.

“Not many have. Whatever it is doesn’t advertise itself.
”

“Are you dead like the legends claim?”

Grasping her hand, he placed it on his chest where she felt the steady thump of his heart. “Do I feel dead to you?”

“Nope, but then again, I don’t feel dead either and yet I know I am.”

“I have to wonder about that. You don’t emanate the same vibe other damned souls who’ve escaped Hell do.”

“You’ve met some before?”

“Yes. They’re quite easy to spot. Their aura gives them away. But you…you exude something I’ve never encountered.”

“That’s because I am special.”

“Very special,” he agreed kissing the tip of her nose. “I’ve got to say, you’ve taken this remarkably well. Most women seem to find the idea of an angel turned vampire repugnant.”

Cleo shrugged. “
Who am I to cast stones? I killed my brother and anyone who stood in my way to the throne. I manipulated people to keep my reign secure. I was a mistress to two men who used me to advance themselves.” She laid herself bare now, warts and all, and forced herself to breathe as she waited for the warm glow in his eyes to change to the disgusted look she’d become accustomed to from others.

“
And? Your past is your own. I will not judge you, for I, too, have done things for the sake of survival and power. But I have to ask. I got the impression from the history texts that you were quite fond of Julius Caesar. Your words seem to imply otherwise.”

Cleo squirmed
, uncomfortable with the shift in conversation.
How awkward, talking about an ex-lover while naked on top of a new one.
But she wanted no secrets. She’d had enough of them in her last life.

“I loved Julius. He was my first
, no matter what the books say. But there’s no denying he used me and the position I held. When he died, he left me with a reputation that no amount of polishing could erase. I also had no one to protect me from the next man who wanted the prestige and wealth I held. Marc Antony didn’t give me much of a choice. He wanted my power. He took me to his bed, and I made the best of it, even given his brutish ways, but I never loved him.”

Sorrow clouded his eyes. “I’m sorry you’ve been treated so shabbily. I can promise you that I am not with you for a throne or power. Although
, I do have to say your body is a prize I covet.” He proved his point by sliding her down his body until her bottom hit up against his hardening shaft.

A chuckle slipped from her.
Cleo shook her head and smiled at him. “I’ve got to admit, when Lucifer kicked me out of Hell, I never expected to end up having sex with a vamp who used to be fallen angel. I’ll have to send him a thank-you note.”

Michael laughed
, a pure, genuine sound that sent a shiver through her. She scooted back up to kiss him, too horny again to take the time to explore the strange new feelings he created in her.