Sucking Bites (San Francisco Vampires Series #3) (22 page)

“They really turn me on,” he answers, his voice hoarse.

He slips his hand into my moist panties and rubs me until I moan. He slides his fangs across my neck and then my breast. I come so hard I shake. Sebastian divests us of our remaining clothes until we are both naked and his cool body moves to cover me again. But in my were phase I am stronger and I roll him over and get on top. I find his look of surprise delicious. I lick his lips letting my fangs nip his lower lip. He sighs. I look into his eyes as I guide him into me.

The heat builds between us. His hands are all over me, caressing my breasts, pinching them, rolling my nipples to hard little points. He urges me on and I begin to speed up as he meets me thrust for thrust. Before long we climax together. I know they must hear us downstairs. We aren’t shy about screaming each other’s name. Sebastian even groaned some things in French. I collapse on top of him. He holds me and runs his fingers through my hair, kissing me and whispering how much he loves me. Perfect.

“Lily, that was amazing. I bow before you, my goddess.”

“Ready for round two?” I ask.

“Oh my God…the first time a vampire meets the true death with a heart attack.”

I giggle.

We spend the rest of the night making love until I have to go to sleep. I fall asleep in Sebastian’s arms. I wake up in them too.

“Did you leave me?”

“No, I was too embarrassed to go down stairs without you. I thought we could face them together.” He smiles.

“Chicken!”

“Absolutely! Come on, let’s get in the shower.”

I can’t seem to get enough of Sebastian. It must be a were thing. Whatever it is, I take my pleasure with Sebastian once more in the shower. We have learned from experience to make sure he isn’t holding on to anything important, like the fixtures. He is positively glowing when we finish. We towel each other off before we dress.

I’m in the mood for something fun so I decide on a mini dress with an empire waist, cream colored with a bold pattern in the hem. Cute and it looks great with some of the new shoes I got when I went shopping with Aidan. Bast puts on a sweater and jeans that fit him like a glove. I want to run my hands all over him.

“Oh no, uhh huh. I recognize that look in your eye. We have to go downstairs. Behave yourself, young lady.”

“But you look so hot!” I purr, reaching for him.

“Let me change then,” he says capturing my hands.

“Don’t you dare. I’ll behave. I promise.” I don’t want to lose my eye candy.

“Let’s go face the music.”

He takes my hand, my heels click-clack down each marble step, announcing us. Everyone looks up with smiles when we enter the library. It has taken so long for us to get ready that Hannah is up too.

“Well, it seems Lily has other appetites during this time of the month,” Julian suggests, fountain pen poised over his new notebook. Oh God he really does want to record this too.

“Thank goodness Sebastian is a vampire or he would be dead by now,” Hannah says.

“Where’s Aidan?” I ask, refusing to acknowledge the low humor.

“He’s checking on Liam and he’s in a bad mood. He caught the gist of your show and he is less than impressed,” Hannah says.

“Great,” I say.

“It’s okay, Cherie. We’ll deal with it together.”

“Good of you two to join us,” Aidan says shortly.

“Good to see you too,” I say.

The look on his face softens as he kisses me on the cheek. I smile and hug him warmly. I take his hand and lead him over to the couch. Sebastian serves me coffee with a long suffering look. He sits down on my other side.

“You know, your eyes are really bewitching, Lilith,” Aidan whispers.

“Thank you, Aidan.” I shift on the couch. “You know I am feeling kind of stir crazy. Sebastian, would you mind if Aidan took me out somewhere, where there aren’t any people to see me? I just need to get out in the sunshine for a bit?”

“I think that would be acceptable. What do you think, Julian?”

“Yes. I think it’s safe. Just make sure there is no one near. Just in case, wear sunglasses to hide your eyes.”

“Aidan, have her back in two hours?” Sebastian says evenly.

“Of course. Let’s see. Where to take you. There were some islands off Greece that are uninhabited. How would that be, love?”

“That sounds charming.” I smile. “Let me go pack a swimming suit.”

“Or I can summon one for you.”

“Why don’t you get one for me? That way we can leave right now. Bye, everyone.”

I give Sebastian a long kiss goodbye. Letting it linger. Bast gives me a desperate look.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay? You’ve been having some symptoms…” Sebastian says, alluding to my newly aggressive sexual tendencies without putting it right out there. Okay, downright voracious, sexual appetite. I concede his point. But Aidan doesn’t give me a chance to answer, he takes my hand and we are gone in a flash. We pop onto a beautiful sandy beach full of sun, blue skies and blue water.

Aidan points his finger and a changing tent pops up. He hands me a skimpy little bikini and I raise my eyebrow at him. He grins, unrepentant. I hurry into the tent to change. The bikini is black and there isn’t much to it, but it contrasts nicely with my pale skin. When I emerge, Aidan is standing in swim trunks waiting for me. The wind blows through his hair and he looks like a Fire Spirit trapped in a human body. His chest is chiseled with hard abs and sun kissed skin. He is beautiful and I’m dancing on dangerous ground. I’d say I’m hip deep in alligators. I’d have an animalistic need for sex in any form. I can’t keep my eyes off Aidan. I never should have come with him.

He holds out his hand to me and I take it. As usual, it is warm. The breeze carries his scent to me, cinnamon and sunlight. We wade through warm cerulean water and let the waves wash over our toes. Aidan pulls me into him. He leans in and takes a deep breath of my hair and shudders. I can feel how excited he is. Djinn have all the requisite parts. He is pressed up against me and I move away but in doing so brush against him. He moans, bends down and kisses my neck, he kisses my ear and whispers he loves me. It takes everything in me not to jump all over him and it has nothing to do with love. I stumble away from him and fall in the sand and water, gasping though I don’t need air. I think it’s my body’s way of fighting itself. The werewolf in me needs sex and the girl in me wants to be faithful to Sebastian. I start to cry and then I feel hot hands around my waist, lifting me up and turning me around

“I love you so much, but I can see how you’re struggling. I don’t want you unless you want to be with me one hundred percent.”

I nod, not daring to speak.

“Let’s swim for awhile and see if we can’t calm you down.”

He coaxes the dolphins to come near us with some jinni magick and I swim with them. Being with them is magickal. They’re so free, living in the moment. The new animal in me rises. I play and swim to my heart’s content. Aidan watches me from the shore, not wanting to get me riled up again.

Too soon it is time to go. I change into my dress and Aidan decides to get rid of my bikini. He thinks Sebastian might object to it for some reason. He evaporates the changing tent too. Taking my hand we pop into the hallway.

The sound of voices leads us to the kitchen. Julian is cooking for Andrew. Helena, Sebastian and Hannah are playing cards. At times, I feel like I’m being shared by these two men. I wish it were that simple. I walk over to Sebastian and hug him and smile.

“Thanks, Bast. I had a great time.”

“Mmmm, you smell like the ocean and sunshine, Cherie. You are still warm from the sun.” He smiles at me.

“I’ll just check on Liam,” Aidan says.

“Thanks, Aidan. He’s been quiet this whole time,” Julian says.

Andrew pours me a glass of wine and then settles in to eat. The rest of us play cards with Helena and Sebastian and Hannah. We spend the day talking and the night reading and watching movies. Later in the night, Aidan excuses himself like he had the evening before. Sebastian and I go to our bedroom and fall into bed together. We are like savages. I can’t keep my hands off him. He begs me for a few minutes to recuperate. We take a shower just before dawn and then I settle in to sleep. I wake up with him beside me, fully dressed.

“I guess you weren’t afraid to face them this morning?” I say.

“That would be correct. I had a few errands to run. I felt comfortable leaving you for a few hours since you are doing remarkably well.”

“What errands did you run, darling?” I stretch and climb from the warm blankets.

“I picked something up that I have been waiting to show you. I’m excited you are finally awake. Come see, ma petite.”

He leads me over to the dresser and a large velvet box. He opens it and inside is his mother’s sapphire and diamond necklace and earrings. He takes it out, and steps behind me to lay it on my neck.  I flinch, but trust him. It doesn’t burn me. He’s had it entirely re-set in platinum. It is stunning.

“Look in the mirror, Lily,” he whispers.

It takes my breath away. To know this was once worn by his mother over four hundred years ago on her wedding day.

“It’s so beautiful.”

“It’s beautiful because you wear it. My mother would have been proud to see it on you.”

“Oh, Bast. Do you think so?” I want to think she would approve of me, though a were-vamp is probably too much for any potential mother-in-law to accept. That makes me wonder if his mother knew about Sebastian’s change and if she grew old watching him stay young. Then I wonder how it feels to be born without a mother—to be formed from chaos. No wonder wild energies feed Aidan. Sebastian interrupts my free flowing associations.

“I know so. She and I were much alike. She would have liked you very much.”

He nibbles my neck while I look in the mirror imagining a time long ago. A French court with a young girl, nervous on her wedding day. Had she been in love with her fiancé? Sebastian slides his hands up my bare arms and holds me close. There is a knock at the door.

“Come in, Helena,” Sebastian says. “She’s been hovering all morning.”

“Did you show her?” Helena asks as she sticks her head in. “Ohhh,” she gasps. “Lily, you look so beautiful. Oh, Sebastian, doesn’t she look gorgeous?”

“Yes, she does. I was just telling her that my mother would have thought so too.”

“Any mother would be proud to have Lily for a daughter-in-law.”

Sebastian is right for me. I am ready to be a wife. I know I won’t have anything to fear from Sebastian. He has stood by me through these scary days without a second thought. This is right. Keeping him waiting feels wrong.

“Sebastian, let’s start planning our wedding,” I say as I turn to look at him.

His pupils dilate and he gives me a five hundred watt smile that lights up his face as well as the room. Sebastian lets out a whoop and picks me up, swinging me around and around, finally setting me back on the ground. Helena is beside herself, excusing herself to begin her plans for the event of the season. We stare in each other’s eyes.

Sebastian kisses me softly on the mouth while looking in my eyes. “Lily, you’ve made me the happiest man. Where do you want to get married?”

“Anywhere you want. Paris, Rome, here, anywhere.”

“We’ll talk more about this when we get Liam and Andrew turned. I’m sure Liam won’t want to go through one more full moon,” Sebastian mumbles around his gentle kisses to my neck.

I know this news is going to break Aidan’s heart. I think he feels as long as I’m not married, there is hope. I need to find a way to help Aidan move on. As painful as it is for me, it is ten times more so for Aidan.  I put these feelings aside temporarily.

“I think you’re right. Helena and I will talk about it too. Right now I should get dressed.”

Our kiss turns more passionate. Sebastian finally releases me so I can dress. I actually almost feel warm from the heat we are generating between us. I rummage through our closet and pick a handkerchief dress and heels. Sebastian sighs when I take off the necklace. We put it back in the box to be opened on our wedding day. He pulls another small velvet box out of his pocket and runs his fingers down my cheek.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“You really didn’t think I wouldn’t be prepared with a ring, did you?”

“Thank God I don’t go all freak-like at the moon phase or you’d have to buy a new one every month.” We both smile.

He snaps the box open and lifts a brilliant band of diamonds. The ring is shaped in a wreath of diamonds within a vine. It’s regal, classical and I’m sure that’s what drew Sebastian to it in the first place.

“Oh, Bast.”

“Lily, will you be by my side for eternity? Will you let me love you for that long?”

“Yes, Bast,” I whisper as I meet his gaze.

He gently slides the ring on my finger and then kisses the ring. He takes my hand and we descend the stairs together.

When we enter the library, my ring reflects a kaleidoscope of color off the wall as it hits the sun. I face a room full of shocked faces. None more than Aidan’s. My attention focuses on him. What I see is pure anguish. He quickly hides it and puts on a smile.

“Congratulations, love.” I’m not sure why, but my eyes sting. I quickly bat my lashes to take the sting out. Aidan’s smile falters.

“Thank you, Aidan,” Sebastian says. Aidan looks down for a minute, almost as if he is deciding what to do, then comes over and shakes Bast’s hand. He bends down and kisses me on the cheek. I can smell the sunlight on him and I close my eyes remembering the past few hours. This really means no Aidan. The shock of it reverberates through me.

“When will you be tying the knot, Lil?” Hannah asks, her usual exuberance subdued. She and Aidan are close and she understands what this means for him.

“I don’t know. This is kind of sudden,” I say as I look at Aidan.

Sebastian doesn’t try to hide his elation. He chats with Julian and Helena about wedding locales. Aidan has not taken his eyes off me. Hannah starts to fidget. She’s caught between the two of us.

“Why don’t I let you two talk,” she says as she makes a hasty exit for the other end of the room.