Dragan's Redemption Book One of the Manor at Echo Lake Trilogy (21 page)

Feeling a hand on his cheek
,
he turned to her.

“It only hurt for a moment
,
Dragan
.
  Don’t be upset with me.
”

“I had no right to take from you something that you have held on to for so long.
  You should have told me
,
Amira.  That was not right.
”

Laughing
,
she looked at him with eyes bright and happy.  “It was mine to give, and there is no one on this planet that I would have wanted to give it to as much as you.
Guess I have something else to check off my
bucket
list.
”

Dragan found no humor in the situation.
“But why?  Afte
r
all of this time, Amira
,
w
hy me?”

Her own eyes
looked thoughtful as she rolled
to
lie
on his chest,
hesitating
.  “
I have always wanted my first time to be with someone I really cared about….
I may be ruining this
‘thing’
between us, but…
.I
really like
you.”

She almost laughed
aloud
at the expression on this face.  “Aren’t you going to say
something?
”

He could not speak with the emotion thick in his throat preventing all words from coming out. 
Amira
seemed to understand as she kissed him softly on the mouth.  Then just as sweetly, she kissed the side of his mouth, up and around his face.
  She seemed to be trying to comfort him instead of the other way around.

Sliding out of the bed, he stood stretching his muscles.  He felt alive and good
but he really needed to get rid of the smell of blood before he went crazy
.  Taking the blanket from the foot of the bed, he wrapped it around her gently before lifting her up in his arms
carrying
her to his bathroom. 
Amira looked around her. 
The room was almost as large as his bedroom
,
and to her surprise even had a fireplace with a couch in it.  “This house really is amazing
,
you know.”

He laughed.  “I know.” 
Setting her down on the couch
,
he pressed a button
,
instantly lighting the fireplace.
 
S
he felt
its
warmth
caressing
her skin.
 
Turning
his attention
to the tub, he turned
on
the
faucet before
pouring a
purple
liquid
under the flowing water.
As the bath filled, he walked
to the telephone on the wall.  Amira watched as he spoke quickly on the line
,
unable to hear what he was saying over the water flowing.  Opening a door that she did not even realize was there
,
he reached in taking out several large towels placing them on the table next to the tub.

Finally, walking back to her, he held out his hand. 
Reaching
out to
him,
she placed her hand in his allowing him to pull her up.  Dragan unwrapped the
blanket
from around her before
lifting
her once again in his arms.

“Dragan, I can walk you know.”

Grinning down at her
,
she laughed as he spoke.  “Yeah, but it gives me so much pleasure to carry you.  You don’t want to take that away from me do you?”

Shaking her head
,
she groaned as he gently slid her into the warm
lavender scented
water.  Eyes
wide
, she watched as he stepped in the tub with her.  “
You’re
taking a bath with me?”

“
Do you have a p
roblem with that?”

Blushing
she looked down at the water.  “No of course not.”

“You blush after spending the night with me?”

Looking up at him
cheekily
and pointing to the darkness outside of the window
trying not to stare
as the bubbles clung to his chest.  “The night is not over
,
Dragan.”

“No, you are very correct
,
Amira.  It is not
,
and I plan to take
complete
advantage of that
fact
.”

Reading between the lines, h
er face flushed a deeper red
.

Throwing
back his head, he laughed
.
“May I remind you
,
my dear
,
that I asked you before walking into my room if this is what you really wanted
,
because once I stepped over that line, you were
mine
.”

“
Oh, I remember
,
Dragan
.”

“Good, just so we are clear
,
Amira.  Now lean back.”

Amira did as he asked, while he took the thick washcloth,
lathering
it up
before
gently placing it against her skin, he quietly bathed her.  H
is
touch was sweet and soft
,
especially in the spots that were still tender.  There was
no
t one
spot on her body that he did not
wash
.  E
very touch add
ed
to the fire that was already building inside of her again.  She could not believe how strong her desire was for him.  When he finished
with
her, he then focused on
himself
.  Her face flushed realizing that his eyes never left her face, as his hand roamed his hard body, seeming to enjoy what it was doing to her.  When he was
finished,
he stood
,
pulling the stopper before stepping out of the tub onto the large mat.  With the water no longer covering him
,
she realized that he was just as affected as she was
by their co-ed bath
.

Dragan wrapped a towel around his waist before holding another
one up, inviting her to step in
,
which she did willingly.
  He rubbed her down before taking a robe
off
a hook
and
helped her slide her
arms
into the thick warmth of the fabric.  Taking down a second robe, he slid his arms in before taking her hand
leading
her back
into his
bedroom.  She saw that
his fireplace
was now
lit, and a silver tray
placed
on the table, laden with
hot
tea,
croissants
and breads.  The sheets had been changed and the bed remad
e
.

Her face burned realizing that that was what he
must
done over the phone. 
“Dragan, what will they think?”

Knowing she was embarrassed
,
he wrapped h
is
arms around her sighing as she
buried
her
face in
his chest.  “Amira, I told you a long time ago, I really don’t care what anyone thinks.
”

“But….”

“No buts.
  Come on, you need to eat
,
and I do too.
”

Easing into the overstuffed chair next to the table, she poured tea, first for him and then herself before helping herself
to
a
croissant
.  He was right
;
s
he was starving.

W
atch
ing him walk over to a cabinet on the far wall to turn a switch
,
she was pleasantly surprised when
music flowed through
out the room.  Smiling
,
she watched as he sat down next to her at the table.

Cocking her head to one side
,
she stared at him thoughtfully.

“What is going on in that pretty head of yours?”

“I was just thinking how natural this all feels.  I feel like I am alive for the first time in my life.  Everything seems so vivid and vibrant.  But….”

“Ah, there is that but again.”

“What happens from
here?
”

“Are you not the one
that
said that you wanted to live in the moment
,
Amira?
  Take every
moment one
second at a time.  That is what I want to do.  We have years to figure the rest out.”

“And if we don’t?”

“Of course we do.  Let’s not spoil this time we have talking about my vamp issues.”

Looking down
, she
felt
guilty that she still hadn’t told him about
the true nature of
her
illness
.  Taking his words to heart, she realized that he was right.  She did not know what was going to happen tomorrow
,
but she had tonight
,
and it was perfect
in every way
.

Smiling at the
thought,
she stood walking over to him
lifting her
robe up over her thighs as she
straddled
him
.
She was
immediately
reward
ed
with feeling him grow beneath her.

“Again
,
so soon?  Aren’t you sore
,
Amira
?
”

Concern
was written over his face as she ran her hands through his hair to the back of his head.  Leaning
forward
,
she kissed him
deeply
, her tongue running the inside of his mouth, search
ing
for his.

Moaning
,
he reached between them to untie her belt, sliding his hands around her
slim
waist before pulling from her mouth to drop his head to her breast.  Her nipples hardened in response to his touch.  Throwing back her head
,
her hair fell long behind her.  Leaning back in the chair, he placed his hand on her throat feeling the pulse throbbing
hard
,
its
beat picking up its pace.

“What is it like?”

“What is what
like?
”

“Getting bit
ten
by you?”

“By me or a vampire
,
Amira
?
There is a difference you know.”

“And I told you, I only care about you.”

He
hesitated
, knowing this was opening
to
another whole conversation
he was not sure he wanted to have at this very moment.

Running his fingers along her major vein
,
he felt himself harden at the thought of feeding on her.
  She had to know what it was like.  He would never take her unwillingly.

“For you, it would be excruciating
as my fangs break through your skin
, but only for a moment.  My venom is like a pain reliever
only
faster acting.  You would feel it flowing through your system, but
it would
not
be
unpleasant. 
The venom causes y
our heart rate
to increase; this is
to help push the blood through your
veins
, helping me to draw it from you.  When it is done right, it can be pleasant for the human, when it is done wrong, it can be very terrifying
and painful
.”

He
hesitated
as his hand reached the v between her legs.  She seemed to be transfixed
,
and he was unsure if it was by his touch or his words.  Looking into her
face,
he touched her with his thumb
,
moving it in
a
circular
motions as his other hand held her in her lower back
,
pushing her in a rhythmic motion
against
his hand.  A sheen of sweat broke out over her skin
.  He kissed the side of her neck as she clutched his shoulders.
  Realizing she was reaching the
point of
no return
,
he stopped the movement. 
He did not want her to finish yet. 
She looked
irritated
,
and he hid a smile as he continued speaking.