Embrace the Heat (22 page)

“Simon,” she said, putting her fork down,
“Maybe we should talk about where things are going.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I thought it was
obvious where things were going. We’re together now. I know you’re
worried that this is just some carryover from the pheromones, but
it’s not.”

“I’m glad,” she said.

“So, I was thinking that we’d pick up a few
of your things today. I can’t miss patrol tomorrow, but I can
probably get some more time off this week to finish moving your
stuff. If not, I can get some of my friends to help move
everything.”

“Move my stuff?” Layla asked.

“I’m pushing, right?” he asked and felt like
an idiot. Layla looked overwhelmed.

She leaned into his side and patted his
thigh. “I have to admit that I like the fact that you want me here
all the time. I’ve wanted you to feel more than friendship for me
for a long time.”

He smiled and slipped an arm around her
shoulders. It felt so right to have her by his side. “Then you’ll
let me move all of your stuff here?”

“I didn’t say that. Listen, this is still
new. Never in a million years would I have expected you to ask me
to move in here with you.”

“Well, I didn’t exactly ask,” he pointed
out.

Layla laughed. “True, you’re much too
arrogant to
ask
me to move in.” Her expression became
thoughtful. “I never thought we’d be together like this, and I
think it would be a good idea to get to know each other better.
Plus, I’m trying to adjust to some very big changes in my
life.”

“I’ll agree to giving you time to adjust to
the changes, but the part about getting to know each other is
bullshit. I don’t think there’s been a day since you moved here
that we haven’t talked.”

“We don’t see each other every day,” Layla
argued.

“True,” Simon admitted, “but the days I
haven’t seen you, I’ve either talked to you directly on the phone
or messaged back and forth with you. Just so you know, I don’t do
either with anyone else. I’m not a big fan of using the phone. In
fact, if Connor hadn’t been on my ass for years to keep it charged
and on, it would be off more than yours.”

“And you gave me a hard time about my
phone?”

“If I hadn’t, Connor would have eventually
lost patience and pulled you off of patrol,” he explained. “Also, I
really like being able to talk to you.”

Layla’s eyes were misty as she looked up at
him.

“Don’t cry,” he said and stroked her cheek.
“This isn’t supposed to make you sad.”

“It didn’t make me sad,” she said quietly.
“Damn, I’m really emotional lately. I’m just happy you want to be
with me.”

“Which is why you should move in here,” he
pushed. “If we share a bed, you can have me any time you want. We
both know what an insatiable little pixie you are.”

“I’m not making any big decisions today,” she
said. “Stop pushing or I won’t let you help me in the shower.”

He laughed and stood up. “In that case, I
promise not to push you until after your shower.”

“Connor’s right; you are a pain in the ass,”
Layla muttered.

Simon leaned forward and tossed her over his
shoulder.

“Hey!” she squeaked. “What about cleaning up
the dishes?”

“They can wait,” he said and jogged up the
stairs. “First, I want to clean you.”

Layla loved this playful side of Simon, and
she was relieved that they weren’t talking about moving in together
anymore. It’s not that she didn’t want to live with Simon. She
loved the idea of waking up with him every morning, but she was
afraid to take that step. The dynamics of their relationship had
changed too quickly.

Simon set her down in the bathroom and turned
on the water in the huge shower.

“You know,” she said, “I meant to ask why
you’ve got a bigger shower than I do.”

He grinned and slipped his shirt over his
head. Layla’s eyes traveled down his body, loving the
well defined abs and the little line of hair that disappeared
into his pants.

“There are some benefits to being higher up
in leadership,” he said and kicked off his boots.

Layla’s gaze moved up and met his, confused
by his words. “Huh?” was all she could manage.

Simon chuckled. “You asked why my shower is
bigger than yours,” he reminded her and then slipped out of his
pants and boxers. “Now undress,” he said. “The water should be warm
enough.” After tossing his socks into the pile of clothing, Simon
stepped into the shower and reached out a hand to Layla.

Layla quickly stripped out of her clothes,
almost tripping when she stepped out of the shorts. When she looked
up, Simon was smiling affectionately. “What? No jokes about my lack
of grace? That seems out of character.”

“No way am I saying anything that might delay
how long it takes to get inside of you,” he said, and Layla’s knees
went weak.

Layla took his outstretched hand and stepped
into the shower. The warm water caressed her body, and she closed
her eyes to bask in the sensation. Leaning back, she let the water
flow down her hair. Then she opened her eyes and gave Simon a
flirty smile.

“Let me wash you,” he said and grabbed the
bottle of shampoo.

“I can wash myself,” she insisted, feeling
shy all of a sudden.

He squirted shampoo into one hand and looked
at her with an intensity that stole her breath. “I know you can.
The truth is, you don’t need me to take care of you. Let me do this
for you anyway, not because you need me to. Let me do this because
it will make me happy.”

She nodded and turned so he was behind her.
Simon’s hands gently worked the shampoo into her hair. It was
amazing how erotic that was. Washing her hair had never seemed like
a sexual act before.

The warm water from the handheld sprayer
rinsed the shampoo from her hair, and then Simon massaged
conditioner into her hair. A moan escaped her lips, and Simon
echoed it with his own moan.

“You’re killing,” Simon all but growled and
started to rinse the conditioner out of her hair.

Layla closed her eyes and smiled. “You’re the
one who insisted on washing me,” she reminded him. “Obviously you
enjoy the torture.”

“Speaking of torture,” he practically purred
and grabbed the bar of soap, “it’s time to clean the rest of that
sexy body.”

The bar of soap glided along her back, and
Simon’s hand followed, massaging slowly as he lathered her skin.
His hand moved lower to rub the soap against her butt, and then his
hand followed, giving her a light smack.

Layla moaned and pushed back against Simon.
This time he moaned as she stood on tiptoes to push her soapy ass
against his erection.

“Are you trying to drive me crazy?” he asked,
gripping her hips tightly.

“Seems like it’s the other way around. I
really need you,” she panted out.

“Then let me finish washing you,” he said and
let go of her hips with obvious reluctance.

“Maybe you could wash me after we relieve a
little tension?” she suggested and turned to give him a seductive
smile. Her smile faded when she saw his erection begging for
attention.

Simon caught her hand when she reached out to
stroke him. “Does this mean you’ve changed your mind about making a
baby?”

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head
vigorously. “Of course not.” Then she realized what he was saying.
“You don’t have a condom in here.”

“Nope,” he said. “Admittedly that was a huge
mistake, and it won’t happen again. Still, it means we have to
limit our activities in the shower somewhat.”

“Then hurry and finish washing me,” she
said.

Simon smiled as his silky voice caressed her
skin. “I don’t think so.”

He rubbed the bar of soap between his hands
several times before bringing them up to her breasts. He gently
lathered them, then took each nipple between his fingers and
squeezed. Layla moaned and closed her eyes. Heat spread through her
body and caused a dull throbbing ache of desire.

Simon’s hands moved down and lathered her
belly, dipping down to just above her clit before moving back up
again.

“Please, Si,” she panted out. “I need
more.”

The water from the sprayer caressed her
breasts and belly. The spray teased her nipples and made them even
harder. Then Simon’s mouth replaced the sprayer, and he suckled one
of her nipples before letting his fangs gently graze her sensitive
flesh. The mewling sounds coming from her own throat surprised
Layla.

His hand moved between her legs, and one of
his fingers made circular strokes around her clit. Layla pressed up
into his hand as she panted and begged for more. Simon’s mouth
moved to her other nipple and bit down ever so gently. If it
weren’t for the arm Simon had wrapped around her back, she would
have collapsed. Her legs were shaking with lust, and her insides
were tightening.

“You know I can’t finish this way,” she said
in a pleading voice.

“Let me touch you a little longer,” he rasped
out against her breast. “You feel so incredible.” The finger on her
clit moved faster.

Layla was surprised when her body coiled
tightly with her orgasm, and even more shocked when it rocked her
body so hard she screamed.

“Fuck me,” Simon murmured. “We need to finish
cleaning you quickly.”

“Why?” she asked with a knowing smile.

“Because I’ve been dying to have you come on
my mouth. Now that you’re capable of it, I can’t wait to lay you on
my bed and bury my face between your legs.”

Layla’s smile faded, and her lust returned in
full force. The rest of the shower was hurried with no teasing.
When they were both clean, Simon wrapped Layla in a towel and
carried her back into the bedroom. He dropped her onto the center
of the bed and climbed in beside her. Before she could react, his
mouth covered hers in a searing kiss that made her mind fuzzy. The
feel of his hands on her breasts was the first indicator that he’d
opened her towel. She arched her back, wanting more contact with
his hands.

When he broke the kiss, Simon moved down her
body and settled between her legs, he wrapped one leg over each
shoulder and shuddered. His eyes met hers. “I want to devour you,”
he said. Without giving her a chance to reply, Simon slid his
tongue between her sensitive folds and gently stroked her clit. It
was still overly sensitive from her orgasm in the shower, so he
stroked it slowly, coaxing her arousal until she was panting and
bucking against his mouth. Simon got the hint and sucked her clit
into his mouth, nearly sending her over the edge. Then he set a
maddening pace with his tongue. He’d bring her to the very edge and
then slow down, prolonging her torture.

Finally, Simon took pity on her and slid two
fingers inside of her as he brought her over the edge. Layla
screamed as spasms of release pulsed through her core. In a haze,
she watched him move up her body with a cocky smile on his face.
“You taste even better than I imagined,” he said.

“That was incredible,” she murmured.

“I’m not done with you yet,” Simon said as he
grabbed a condom from the bedside table and rolled it on. He rolled
onto his back and pulled her on top of him. “Ride me,” he
ordered.

Layla was still in a daze from her intense
orgasm, but Simon’s words stirred her lust. She sat up and slid
Simon’s penis inside of her, loving the way he filled her
completely. For a moment, she didn’t move. Her head dropped back,
and her eyes closed as she savored the way he felt inside of
her.

Her hips began to rock back and forth slowly,
and Simon’s eyes closed. He moaned and lifted his hips to try to
get deeper inside of her. For several minutes, Simon let her
control the pace. He reached up to play with her nipples and
watched her with an intensity that was making her even wetter.

“I’m not sure how much more of your teasing I
can take,” he growled.

The smile she gave him was far from innocent.
“You told me to ride you, so I’m taking a slow leisurely ride.”

With a growl, Simon lifted her off, flipped
her onto her stomach, and then smacked her ass. “You asked for it,”
he said, sounding more playful than anything else.

“What did I do?” she asked innocently and
looked at him over her shoulder.

“Begged me to fuck you hard,” was his reply
as he slid a pillow under her hips. He kept her legs pinned
together with his and slid inside of her. In this position his
penis felt even bigger, and she was stretched to the limit.

“Then fuck me,” she said in what sounded more
like a moan.

Simon thrust into her much more gently than
she’d expected from his threat. His deep thrusts started out slow
but quickly picked up until all that could be heard were her
mewling sounds and their bodies slamming into each other. Layla’s
orgasm seemed to come out of nowhere. She fought to move her hips,
but Simon held her in place until the spasms subsided.

“I really want to make you do that again,” he
panted out, “but I’m too far gone for that now.” On those words he
began moving again. He grinded against her, pushing even deeper
into her than she thought possible, and then his hoarse cry of
completion came.

Simon pulled out of her and tossed the used
condom into the trash before pulling her into his arms.

“Well,” Layla said sleepily, “this certainly
has been the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

He chuckled. “Get some sleep. It’s been a big
day, and I have patrol tomorrow.”

“Hmmmmm,” was all she could manage. She’d
talk to Connor about being put back on the rotation schedule
tomorrow. Now that she wasn’t making the male vampires crazy, she
should be able to go out. With a contented sigh, she drifted off to
sleep, wrapped in the arms of the vampire she loved.

After Simon left for the day, Layla decided
to go home to change clothes and grab supplies so she could cook
dinner that evening. With any luck she wouldn’t run into anyone she
knew on the walk over there. It’s not like they lived that far from
each other.