Heartbitten (A New Adult Vampire Romance Novel) (13 page)

"But Robb, I have to tell you—"

Liz caught a lump in her throat and swallowed. She hated to admit when she didn't know how to do something. Her skin felt hot. The air in the room was so hot. Hard book spines pressed into her back.

"What is it?"

"I'm—I haven't ever done this before." There. She had said it.

Robb froze at her words, his fingers tight against her shoulder. An expression of fright passed over his face so quickly that Liz almost missed it. Fear rose in her chest. He didn't want her. He wouldn't want her. He had been so loving, but now he knew that she wasn't the—how had Jenny put it?—the independent American girl he thought she was.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice tense.

"I mean I don't have any...um...experience. Sexual experience." The words tumbled out of her mouth awkwardly. Oh god.

"I—you—you're a—" Robb shook his head.

"A virgin."

"A
virgin
?" His eyes were wide, uncomprehending.

"God, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Liz pressed her hands over her eyes. His cologne smelled strong through his shirt. She was so embarrassed.

"No, don't be," Robb said. He seemed taken aback, though.

"I don't even know why I came here tonight," Liz said. "I
mean, I know why I came here. I like you. I mean—"

"You like me?" Robb asked.

"Even though I shouldn't. But you're so cute. Not cute. More hot than cute." Uh no. She shouldn't have said that. "But you're my boss. Oh, jeez."

"You like me."

Liz looked up. Rob gave her a small smile. His hands were pressed against the bookshelves on either side of her body, and although she'd shrunk back against them, the newfound warmth in his smile made her feel a bit more comfortable.

"I guess," she said. "Sure. That's why I came here."

"Because you like me." There was another glint in his eyes, a gleaming of fear, and then it was gone.

"Should I go?" Liz asked, then answered herself. "I should go. Shouldn't I?"

"I think that you should do whatever it is that you want to do."

Despite how flustered she was, at that moment she didn't want to be anywhere else. Liz searched Robb's face, trying to find a hint in his expression. What
did
she want to do?

"I didn't know what I wanted," she said, stalling for
time. "When I came here tonight."

"And now?"

"I—I don't know."

Robb took her hand in both of his, raising it to his lips. He kissed her fingers, slowly, one by one. At the touch of his lips, Liz went dizzy. If her body had not been leaning against the shelves, she might have fallen backwards.

"I'll let you go. If you want to leave, you just have to say the word." He moved his lips down to her palm and kissed the soft part below her thumb. She didn't know what he meant. Of course she could leave, couldn't she? Then his tongue swiped slowly across the skin of her wrist and her mouth went dry. He could keep her here with a touch, and she knew she would not resist. But he was giving her the chance to leave. Why?

"I don't know," Liz repeated. The words sounded hollow.

Robb squeezed her hand and stepped back, breaking the connection. Immediately the air began to clear her mind. The room stopped spinning. And there Robb was, standing in front of her, an agonized look on his face.

"Such innocent beauty..." he murmured. "
When pity would be softening through...
Liz, you should pity me. I can't let you go, and I can't make you stay. I will stand here until you decide."

"I can't. I don't know what I want. I don't know what I should do. If we should..." Her heart screamed for her to throw herself into his arms. Her rational side held her back, still, the barrier weakening all the while she looked at him.

"You do," Robb said. His eyes twinkled with the reflection of London's lights.

"I don't—"

"Liz, you know it already. I'm sure you've decided. Admit it to yourself. Admit it to me. Forget the
shoulds
and
should nots
. What do you
want
?"

"I want
you
."

The words were out of her mouth before she could think about it, but as soon as she said it she knew it was true.

Without another word, his mouth was on hers. He swept her into his arms, carrying her into his bedroom as easily as if she weighed nothing. They fell onto the bed together in a tight embrace, and she felt him hard against her, his desire evident and growing. Then she gave into his touch, sinking softly into the perfectly white silken sheets.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Robb never hesitated to take what he wanted. But when Liz stood in front of him, her innocence shining purely from her eyes, he restrained his desire. Even when she gave him every assent in the world, he could not bring himself to take her, not completely. There was something different about her, something that gave him pause. When they were both naked and she reached out to touch him, he stopped her.

"Not tonight," he said.

Liz looked a question at him. Her eyes were bright even in the dim lights of the city outside the bedroom window. He could see perfectly in the dark, and his eyes swept appreciatively over her body.

He had already bitten her once, a shallow bite on the neck. She'd screamed when he did it, and he'd drawn back, afraid to hurt her, before realizing that it was a scream of pleasure. Prior to that, though, he'd felt the connection between them, tenuous and thin. A connection consecrated by blood. He wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into her, but she was too innocent. A virgin, with the blood of a virgin.

Her blood, so sweet and pure, but altogether too tempting. He had to resist, or he would go too far.

"Tonight," he whispered, deciding as he spoke, "is all for
you. Tonight I only want to please you. You'll tell me what pleases, you, yes?" As he spoke the words, his hands traveled down her body, and he paused to cup her breasts, his thumb rasping over her delicate pink nipple.

"Yes?" He pinched her nipple suddenly.

"Yes
," she gasped.

"Good," he said. He bent his head and touched his tongue to the pink nub which had gone hard under his fingers. He breathed the words onto her skin. "If anything doesn't please you, tell me."

"Yes
.
Yes, oh yes
!" She moaned as he sucked hard on her nipple, his hand squeezing her other breast.

Her skin was flawless, pale—almost as pale as his. He lay next to her on his side, his hand moving in endless circles, slowly, slowly moving down. The curve of her hip rolled under his hand as he let his teeth graze the nub.

"Ohh!"

She arched her back and her eyes clenched shut, almost in pain. He rested his head against her chest, letting her catch her breath for a moment. Under the pale skin, her heart beat a fierce pattern of want. Blood. Hot, sweet blood.

The points of his teeth began to emerge and he clenched his jaw to keep himself from wanting to bite down. Instead he turned his focus to his hand on her thigh, the strokes long and slow, coming closer and closer. He could smell her desire, and when he slipped his hand between her legs he felt the hot slickness that proved it.

"Yes
," Liz moaned. His hearing was too acute. All he could hear was the beat of her heart. The rhythm of that muscle contracted again and again, pounding in his ears.

If he tried, he could normally hear someone's heartbeat, even on the street amid a crowd. Now, Liz's heart thudded, drowning out any other sound. He moved his hand, and the rhythm quickened.

"Tell me..." he whispered, his lips coming back up the side of her breast to her arm, kissing her softly. His fingers slid over her most sensitive part, and she cried out, the whimper lost amid the thump of her heart. He moved his hand by feel, not sound, letting his motion echo hers.

"Yes! Oh, Robb,
yes
, please, don't stop!"

She was rolling her hips against his hand, her sex soaking wet against his fingers. Her eyes were clenched shut, her fingers scrabbling at the covers. He plunged his fingers into her and she screamed, arching her body to press against him. Her scream was a whisper under the thudding of her heartbeat, and he matched her
rhythm, his thumb tight against her hot folds, rubbing first hard, then soft, keeping her guessing.

He could feel his pulse matching hers and he kept her riding his hand just on the edge of orgasm for as long as he could take. His hard erection pressed against her leg, and he forced himself to keep from mounting her, from thrusting his swollen length entirely into the hot flesh that his hand was guiding into an ever-faster rhythm.

"Oh! Oh!
Ohhhhh
!" Her heart skipped once, and he could not stop her from riding his fingers, could not stop himself from giving her the pleasure he knew she wanted. Her body clenched down onto his hand and she shuddered uncontrollably, her hands scrabbling at the sheets as she cried out her bliss in the dark room.

"Yes, oh Robb,
YES
!" She quivered once, then again, and then her muscles relaxed under him. In his ears her pulse still beat on and he could feel her ragged breath against his shoulder. Slowly, carefully, he moved to take her in his arms, cradling her as though she were made of glass and could shatter in an instant.

"Your pleasure," he whispered, and kissed her brow. She nestled her head against his chest, her hair dark against his pale skin, and he felt a stirring inside which he could not explain.

The last line of the Browning poem echoed in his mind as he pulled her to him and kissed her again. Could this one be different? Could she be his?

Who knows but the world may end tonight?

***

They drowsed in each other's arms, and when Liz stirred against his body the moon was rising against the city horizon. He kissed her hair, nuzzling her softly. Her smell was incredible. Her heart pattered, still quicker than normal.

"Why me?" she asked.

Robb looked down at the girl in his bed. Her green eyes looked feline in the moonlight, fiercely questioning.

"Why not you?" he asked.

"Because you're a brilliant, gorgeous billionaire."

"That covers w
hy me,"
he said, hoping to deflect the question. "I must admit, I am quite the charmer."

"Why
me
?"

She did not look away, and he pressed his tongue against his lower lip, unsure how to answer.

"Are you fishing for compliments?" he asked, finally.

"I'm curious."

"I know," Robb said, seizing on the word. "And
that's
why."

"What?"

"You're curious. You're smart and curious, and there's a spark of fire in you. And you have the most wonderful breasts possible." He lay his head down on her chest and began to kiss the side of the soft mound of flesh. Small kisses meant to tickle her. Liz giggled and squirmed in his arm. Her curves were delicious wriggling against his body, and it was all he could do not to start making love to her then and there.

"Come on—"

"No. Actually. I take that back. These breasts aren't even possible. They're impossibly wonderful. Look at those perfectly pink nipples!" He kissed them, his tongue teasing the nub. She squealed, her laughter echoing through the bedroom.

"You're special," he said, once her laughter had died down and she was no longer gasping for air. With any other girl, he would be smooth talking her in and out of his bed in a minute flat. With Liz, though, he felt tongue-tied. He didn't know how to describe the quality she possessed that drove him so wild. "You're curious about the world. About chemistry. You're innocent...a virgin..."

"You didn't know that before tonight."

"True," he said. "But I bet I could have guessed it."

"No way," she said, laughing. Her laughter was so sweet. He wanted to make her laugh forever.

Lord, what was he turning into? He was acting like such a romantic sap. There was no question about it, though, Liz was different than any other girl he'd been with. He didn't know how to treat her.

"No? I could guess."

"Nobody knows. Not Jenny. Not my friends. Nobody knows I'm a virgin."

"It's your deep dark secret."

Liz's expression didn't change, at least not perceptibly, but Robb felt her pulse quicken at the word.

"Do you have any other secrets?" he asked, trying to speak casually. If she were hiding something from him...

"No," she said. She bit her lip. Her heart was beating faster again. He could smell fear on her skin.

"What is it?" He leaned his head on the pillow, his hand caressing her hip. There
was
something she was hiding. "What are you thinking about?"

"
Your
secret," she said. Her eyes seized his as she spoke, and he froze at the words.

"My—my secret?" he asked. His mind raced. She knew.
Of course. She had seen. His lips moved soundlessly, suddenly parched. Why would she tell him now?

He would have to kill her.

He couldn't kill her.

But she
knew
.

"It's okay," she said. "I know you don't want to tell anyone. I won't tell anyone. It's hard to let people know something so secret. They would treat you different." Her fingers traced the edge of his collarbone. Her pulse wasn't racing—no, the thumping he heard was his own heartbeat. She was so calm. How?
How
?

"But you still came here," he said. His voice was shaky. "Knowing that I'm—"

"It doesn't matter to me," Liz said. She kissed him, her lips fluttering against his like hummingbird wings. "All that matters is that we're here together now. What happens after...that can wait."

"I'm a monster," Robb whispered.

"No," Liz said. "No, Robb. Don't say that."

"Why are you here? Aren't you
afraid
?"

"Of course I am."

He could only gape as Liz seized both his hands in hers and kissed his knuckles. There were tears in her eyes and her fingers trembled as she twined them in his.

"Of course I'm afraid. But I've spent my life playing it safe. I'm done. I don't want that."

The tears rolled down her eyes and she continued in a rush of words. "I know it will be hard. But I can't decide what happens to you, or to me. I can't keep living in fear."

This couldn't be happening.
In his dreams he had found her over and over again. She had spoken these words to him, reassured him. But this was not a dream, no, it was a dream made real. She loved him despite everything.

"
You can't—you shouldn't—"

"Forget the
shoulds
and
should nots,
" Liz whispered. "What do you want?"

Robb choked on the word.

"You," he whispered hoarsely. "Will you let me take you? I want to taste you."

"I want what you want," Liz said. Her hand cupped his cheek. "Just...just be gentle."

"I will." He would do whatever she wanted. He was hers completely.

He took her hand in his, and his eyes met hers in the blue light. The aching desire that had swept through
him with that first taste of her blood reappeared in full force. He wanted her so badly, and now he could have her. She wanted it too. She didn't think he was a monster. The miracle he'd hoped for, over the past four centuries...

She looked at him as he kissed her, and he kept his gaze locked on hers. His lips ran down the back of her hand and came around to her wrist. She trembled as he ran his tongue along the vein pulsing just beneath her skin. He sensed the life force running through her body, and as he sank his teeth into her wrist he could not help but moan in pleasure.

The connection.
Yes
. This was what he had always wanted and never known. Her blood flowed into his body and he swam in the sensation of pure ecstasy as he drank her in. The heady aroma, tangy in the back of his mouth, the hot liquid on his tongue. In that instant the connection bonded them together so tightly that he fell headlong into the darkness of bliss. The hunger and the satisfaction came together in waves that rolled over him until he was at the peak of pleasure. Nothing had ever been like this, not with any other woman, not with any other feeding. It was her. Liz.

She was the one
. His one true heart, his soul. He'd found her at last.

A sharp jerk of her arm brought him back to consciousness, and before he could release her she had
ripped her wrist away. His teeth retracted, but not in time.

He felt the razor edge of his fangs snag against her flesh just as he opened his eyes and pulled himself back from the edge of his climax.

Liz was looking down in horror. He saw a rush of scarlet come forth from her opened vein. He reached for her arm. He could heal her with a drop of his blood—

"Ahh
!"

Liz screamed and jerked away, her legs pedaling against the sheets.

No. No. Not this.

She scrambled back to the edge of the bed, blood pouring from her arm. Robb crawled toward her awkwardly, his mind whirling.

"Don't—" he said, but she had already rolled off of the bed and was running.
Where was she going? How had he messed up so badly?

"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, stumbling backwards into the living room. Blood ran down her arm, dripping on the white carpet. The blood was smeared all over her naked body, the red bright against her pale skin in the living room lights.