Reawakening (11 page)

Directing her hips with his free hand, he uttered, “Fuck my fingers, baby. I want you to come all over my hand.”

At his command, she exploded. Her body shook and convulsed, her thighs quivered and his name never sounded sweeter than it did falling from her in the throes of pleasure. Seconds later, his own hot release followed and white heat raced at lightning speed through his veins. Low curses fell from his mouth. He wasn’t even inside her and already this was the best, most intense, orgasm he’d ever experienced.

Her body fell heavily against his and his arms immediately wrapped around her, fingers feathering up and down her spine. The feeling of her skin on his was heaven. The feeling of her lips nibbling his naked flesh was nirvana. The feeling of her in his arms was ...
right
.

Mike was hit with a sudden and voracious need to completely claim this woman. Demand that she fuck only
him
and take only
his
blood and love only
him
.

He loved her and wanted to demand that she be only
his
. Forever. After all these months of fighting it, what he longed for rang loud and with clarity.

The unanswered question was … what did Giselle want?

Chapter 14

Rom

His cock hadn’t ached this bad in over half a millennia. Whether he’d consciously suppressed it or not, he hadn’t thought about fucking a woman this much since Seraphina. And now he could think of absolutely
nothing
else. A thousand ways to take Sarah raced through his mind, each more carnal.

Her taste lingered on his tongue. Her smell permeated his senses. A vision of her was permanently burned into his retinas and the shape of her hips seared into his palms. And now he could think of nothing else but how the feel of her tight sheath surrounding his cock would be as he lost himself in her. For days.

To keep from going to her room and simply taking what he wanted—what was
his
—he’d spent the afternoon making plans to take his Moira home with him instead, which he would promptly do tomorrow after they’d visited her parents. Having watched Dev and Damian and the mistakes they’d made with their Moiras, he’d tasked Circo and Sulley with readying his place for her. He’d beefed up security, he’d assigned Jaz to get her a complete wardrobe and her own computer and he’d demanded Cyri ensure the stables were cleaned and the horses groomed.

A thrill ran through him when Sarah said she liked horses. In total, he owned eighteen of them. Most were Arabian or Friesians, but he also owned several wild Mustangs. At one time, he’d had two Thoroughbreds, but couldn’t devote the time to training, so he’d sold them for a pretty penny. He didn’t ride as much as he once had, and was actually quite looking forward to taking Sarah out.

He’d asked Dev’s chef to prepare an exquisite French menu for dinner this evening. He’d skipped the traditional seven courses and the five to six hours eating a fine French meal would generally take, because he hadn’t wanted to be interrupted that many times. They’d start with Escargots Bourguignon, followed by the main course, Carre d’Agneau, a delicious lamb dish. He’d still have a nice cheese board, however, and chocolate profiteroles for dessert. A fine Krug NV Grande Cuvee Brut Champagne would round out the meal.

Satisfied with the set up in his room, he headed to get Sarah. She’d wanted to just meet him in the mansion, but Rom insisted on ‘picking her up’. If it was a courting Sarah wanted, that’s exactly what she’d get. It was balls to the wall and he would put the full court press on her. And surprisingly, he
wanted
to. He hadn’t been interested in what a woman thought or cared about in hundreds of years. Sarah had hit the nail directly on the head there. But he cared now. He
cared
… and that was unquestionably a unique, and unsettling feeling.

He’d half thought about talking to Dev or Damian this afternoon, seeking advice, but if he thought his feelings for Sarah put him out of his comfort zone,
that
was outside the realm of thought right now. Surely he could muddle through if those two had done it.

Knocking on Sarah’s door, he was anxious. And that was another emotion Rom did
not
do. He felt completely out of control and needed to pull his shit together, getting back to the confident, arrogant male he’d been just a short week ago. A male who didn’t ask, but commanded.

But all those thoughts fled when Sarah opened the door, standing there in a soft blue strapless sundress that cupped her flawless perky breasts. The simple outfit was rounded out with strappy heels and her reddish blond locks flowed soft and seductively around her shoulders. On any other woman, it would be casual but on Sarah, it was sexy as hell. He could only wonder what type of lingerie lay underneath and was determined to find out later. His eyes raked over her slowly and deliberately and he not only heard her sharp intake of breath, but he smelled her unerring desire for him. It was inebriating.

She’d put on a bit more makeup than he’d previously seen her with and was pleased that she wanted to look good for him. Unfortunately, the light cherry gloss she'd swiped on her lips, was about to come off.

He pulled her firmly into his arms. “Hello, beauty. You look stunning,” he sighed against her full, shiny mouth before taking it in a searing kiss. She opened for him immediately and wound her arms around his neck, straining on her toes to reach his lips.

Fuck dinner. He wanted to dine on her instead.

He started walking them backward into her room, but she broke their lip lock. “I thought we were eating?” she said breathlessly. Her chest was flush and her soft caramel eyes were dilated with need. Her swollen lips begged for his return.

“That’s what I was trying to do.” He winked, which garnered him a laugh. And the sound wrapped around his heart like a fist, squeezing until it beat a little faster, a little stronger.

“Wow … and he can even joke.” She smiled so bright his heart swelled this time. Like the Grinch, except his had just increased ten times the size. “Well, I was quite looking forward to eating
actual
food and talking.”

Shoving down his disappointment, he kissed her chastely on the lips. “Your wish is my command, beauty.”

Making their way back to his private quarters, his only thought was of stripping that flimsy fabric from her body and spending all night worshipping her.

Now, he just had to convince her that’s what she wanted as well.

Chapter 15

Sarah

Jesus, she was nervous. When Rom insinuated staying in her room, eating her instead, her whole being raged with blistering need and animal lust.
Yes
had been on the tip of her tongue, so why something entirely different—which sounded an awful lot like
no
—came out instead, she was baffled. Square Rosie had decided to make an appearance.

Buttoned-up bitch. That was the last of her she’d see tonight.

When they walked into Rom’s room, Sarah’s steps faltered. Dozens of flickering candles lit nearly every surface, throwing supple dancing shadows on the taupe-colored walls. Soft, romantic music played in the background. Champagne bubbled in flutes on the white linen covered table, which sat in the middle of the large, open space. To the right of the table was a tall king-sized four-poster bed, covered in a cream comforter and a mountain of silk throw pillows. She saw French doors to what appeared to be a balcony straight ahead, but the blinds had been drawn to set the most romantic scene she’d ever witnessed.

Wow … jokes
and
romance? Rom was definitely an enigma she wanted to solve. She sensed she was being watched and peered at Rom, who was gauging her reaction with keen interest. He was trying to hide it, but she saw the same nervousness mirrored in his eyes.

“You did this for me?”

A small smile turned his lips. “Everything I do from now on will be for you, Sarah,” he said with such sincerity and such conviction, she had no choice but to believe him.

“Come, have a seat.” He ushered her to the table and gallantly pulled out her chair.

“Thank you,” she replied as she sat. “So—”

Just as she spoke, a knock sounded at the door. Rom barked ‘come in’ and in walked Hooker with a dome covered silver tray. He sat it down at the table and uncovered what appeared to be some type of stuffed snail dish.
Yuck
. He quietly exited and Sarah just stared in silence at the table.

“What’s wrong?” Rom asked.

“Hmm … nothing.”

He dished them up each a couple of the unsightly slugs and she picked at it a bit before Rom spoke up.

“Not a snail fan, I take it?”

“Not really,” she laughed. “I’m more of a meat and potatoes kind of girl.”

His wicked smirk shot a jolt of lust straight between her legs. “What kind of
meat
do you prefer?”

Not missing a beat, returning a devilish smile of her own, Sarah replied, “The salty kind.”

“Jesus, Sarah ...” Rom’s icy eyes began to glow and lust tightened every one of his chiseled features. She wanted to swipe the dishes from the table, bend over and beg him to take her right now. And he knew it.

She laughed nervously. “You made that too easy.”

“As did you.”

The sexual tension swirling in the room was thick and almost suffocating. If Sarah didn’t get things back on track, and quickly, she would end up in bed with the irresistible Romaric Dietrich tonight and as much as she wanted that, she also wanted to wait.

“You can go ahead and have the snails. I think I’ll wait until the next course. There is a
next
course, right?”

“Yes. And if you don’t like that, we’ll get you something you do like, beauty.” He winked. His words were laced with promise and double-entendre. Of course, she was likely just turning them into that with her own dirty thoughts.

And whenever he referred to her with that verbal caress, it twisted her insides in the most delicious of ways.

Rom finished the escargot as Sarah regarded him silently, sipping the most delicious champagne she’d ever tasted. Another knock and Hooker entered with a second covered silver tray. She cringed at what would be underneath this one. She quickly discovered that it was lamb and some little fried potato croquets, which turned out to be very tasty.

“So, what do you do for fun?” she asked between bites.

“Fun?” His thick brows drew together, causing her to laugh.

“Yes, fun. You know, activities or hobbies you have that make you happy or laugh. Things you enjoy doing outside of work?”

He sat back in his chair and gazed at her seriously. “I don’t have time for fun, Sarah. I am very busy.”

A smile teased the corner of her mouth until she realized he was serious. “You don’t have a hobby or anything? Painting? Exercise? Video games? Reading? Body-building?” she asked as she took in his fine physique.

“I work. That’s it. That’s all I need.”

Well … how sad and utterly depressing.

“
What do you do for fun?” he asked, clearly interested in her answer.

“I love to read. I really enjoyed my classes at the university. I’m a huge fan of Real Housewives. Atlanta, of course. And I really love horses. But you already know that.”

“Yes.” He smiled. “I do.”

During dinner, while it didn’t dissipate, they kept the sexual tension to a minimum and talked about mundane, but interesting things. She told him about her studies and finishing her degree. Talked about her family, leaving out the painful death of her brother for now, as to not bring down the mood. She learned that Rom had been a lord for over three hundred years and that he owned various nightclubs, just as Dev and Damian did, but was surprised to hear he owned over twenty and had expansion plans in the works for eight more. He talked a bit about his home and land in Washington, but refrained from saying too much because he ‘wanted to surprise her.’ And her mind was absolutely blown when she also found out he was over six hundred years old.

But the one thing he wouldn’t talk about was his past. When she asked questions about parents or siblings, he easily diverted the subject back to her. When she asked about friends, he simply said the lords didn’t have the luxury of friends, except those they trusted with their lives, which were a proven few. And when she asked about other women, he merely growled, telling her he refused to talk about such things that were completely irrelevant.

As she suspected he would, he asked several questions about her captivity, but like her brother, she didn’t want to talk about it. He’d reluctantly accepted, but told her they were not done with that conversation. If she had her way, she’d never talk to him about it. Guess they both had things they didn’t want to discuss.

Two hours, two bottles of champagne and too much food later, Rom escorted them to the balcony where they sat on a double chaise lounge underneath the inky, moonlit sky. To control her libido, she’d tried to keep a respectable amount of distance between them, but just as he’d done at breakfast that morning, he moved directly into her personal space. Their bodies touched from shoulder to foot and the warmth of his bare forearm sunk deeply into her skin.

He’d worn another button down shirt this evening. This time it was a stunning royal blue that complemented the iciness of his eyes. He’d paired it with black dress slacks. Trying to go for casual, the top two buttons were undone and his shirtsleeves were rolled up several times. Every time she’d seen him, he was dressed to the nines. She wondered if he ever relaxed and hung around in jeans and a t-shirt. God, would she love to see his ass molded in a pair of faded denims.

The alcohol coursing through her veins made it easier to ask the question plaguing her mind since she’d discovered his age. Turning her head, she asked, “Is it unusual to not find your mate for so long?”