Tall Dark Handsome Lycan (18 page)

An overwhelming sense of curiosity for Carlos Ventura hit her,
and she carried her cards to the bed. She was almost afraid to draw them after what had happened with Toni, but in her defence she had cautioned her friend to be careful. Slowly, she drew her cards, focusing her thoughts on the casino mogul.

Fifteen minutes later, Sam was a mass of fear, nerves, and worry.
She had to see Leo and tell him what she’d seen! She wondered if she should wait till morning, but alarm weighed heavily around her heart and she left her bedroom. She couldn’t wait till morning. Sam needed to talk to Leo now.  She ran down the hall and knocked on his bedroom door.  No answer.

Downstairs, s
he tried his office and saw it was empty. He had to be somewhere, she thought in frustration.  Sam went into the library and found him asleep on the couch. Her steps faltered when she thought about Toni’s accident. She walked over to him and looked down at his sleeping form.

Sam
stared at his face and something squeezed at her heart. He seemed so peaceful sleeping and she looked around for a throw blanket.  She found one draped over the arm of a leather chair and placed it over him.

Sam didn’t have the heart to disturb him
.  She was about to turn and walk away, when he slowly opened his eyes and stared up at her. His expression shifted from surprise to determination and he reached out and took her hand. Gently, he pulled her toward him.  Sam’s knees started to buckle at the tender look softening his face. She nearly fell on top of him as he slipped his hand to the back of her head, lifting his head off the couch.  Without saying a word, he began to kiss her. Not an earth-shattering kiss, but soft, feathery pecks that melted her limbs and made her senses flare to life.

“I…I was
looking for you. I need to tell you something,” she mumbled against his mouth.

“It can wait,” he said huskily as he continued to kiss her.

Sam had almost forgotten why she was there and she gently pushed herself away from him.

“It’s important, Leo.
I need to talk to you about Carlos Ventura.” His face darkened with desire and she almost lost her train of thought.  “And I need to apologise for advising Toni to buy that bike. I should have told her she should discuss it with John. I’m sorry, Leo.”

He remained silent for so long, staring at her mouth, she wondered if her words
had registered. “So you admit you’re not always going to find the answers with your Tarot?” He asked quietly, his dark gaze meeting hers. “That some things are left for logic and common sense?”

She
nodded slowly, ashamed.  “Yes.  You’re not mad at me?”

“No.
I know you care about my sister and wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. I spoke to her husband. I think your brother and I will get along.”

Relief flowed through her veins.
“Thank you.”

“
What for?”

“For not being mad.”

“I was angry for a time, but I am not now. If you had come to see me a few hours earlier, we may not have been having this conversation right now.”

Sam frowned lightly.
“Oh.”

“Come here,” he said huskily, drawing her closer to him.
“I want to continue what I had in mind.”

S
he had more to tell him, and the alarm she had experienced in her bedroom returned. “Wait. I…I read the cards this evening in my room because there was something about Carlos Ventura that disturbed me.” She closed her eyes as he brushed his thumb tenderly against her lower lip. She couldn’t think straight. “Leo, you can’t do business with him,” she said in a rush, dangerously close to flinging herself into his arms. “He’s into loan sharking, and money laundering. His casinos are a front. That man’s in the mafia.” She took a deep breath as he cupped her face gently and ran light kisses over her. “Not to…not to mention the horrible things that will happen to families in the area when they develop a gambling addiction.”

He
stared at her hair and took a lock in his hand. “So beautiful. Like fire silk,” he murmured as he brought his aroused gaze back to hers.  “I’m not doing business with Carl, Sam. I called it off tonight.”

“You did?”

“Yes.  I’ve always known what kind of man he was.”

He pulled her back into his arms and held her close.
“Let’s go up to my room,” he murmured deeply into her hair.

Sam closed her
eyes and nodded slowly. She knew what he was asking her and she wanted it.  She also knew their relationship would never go anywhere, but at least she could think back to this moment and treasure it forever. If she was meant to be alone, she would rather be alone with the memory of love than alone with no memory of love.

She chewed the inside of her lip, and nodded.

He rose from the couch and took her hand, slowly leading her out of the library to the stairs. He paused and looked down at her, his smouldering gaze making her shiver.  Sam swallowed hard.

“You know I would never do anything to hurt
you, Sam.”

“I know,” she replied.
“I want to do this.”

He
looked relieved and kissed her briefly before mounting the stairs.

Leo led her into his room and closed the door behind him.
Sam was a nervous wreck as panic started to settle in.

In two strides he stood before her
and cupped her face with his hands. He lowered his head and kissed her hard.  With a deep groan, he dragged his mouth away and took a step back, his hands going to his shirt front.  Sam couldn’t tear her gaze away from the fierce look of determination on his face.

As
Leo removed his clothes, a tremor ran through her limbs. Nervously, she unbuttoned her blouse as she fixed her attention on his hands deftly removing his trousers.

He undressed quickly, his dark, aroused
gaze steady on her face. Sam shivered. The moon cast enough light in his room, defining his chiselled abs and his wide, muscular shoulders. He stood naked before her and she glanced down. His penis was thick and long and erect.  Sam caught her breath.  His arousal was as everything else was about him, big and strong.  They were really going to make love, she thought.  Her nerves grew.  The two other men she had sex with in her life didn’t even come close to matching Leo’s virile, almost primal nature and an attack of self consciousness hit her.  Was she able to satisfy him? 

Her fingers stopped on the last button of her blouse a
s she ignored the stab of sadness in her chest as the thought of leaving him next week surfaced in her mind.  She loved him.  She trusted him. And she wanted this moment to remember.

Slowly, she
slid her blouse from her shoulders, her gaze on his face.  His mouth tightened as she let her blouse fall to the floor revealing her lacy, white bra.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured deeply and walked
toward her. He cupped her face with his hands and bent his head.

The kiss was gentle and soft and Sam’s lingering
concerns disappeared.  She sighed as she tilted her head back and slowly opened her mouth. This was where she wanted to be, she realized. His tongue was warm and sweet and she surrendered to her baser needs.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and brought her body up against his.
His arousal pressed against her stomach and she felt a warm pool of tension gather in the lower region of her body. Leo groaned softly against her lips.

“You
have been driving me crazy since the first moment I met you,” he said hoarsely as he drew away.

Leo’s hands slipped around to her back and within seconds her bra was lying on the floor.
He made a deep, strangled sound in his throat as he stared at her breasts and brought his hands up to cup them. Sam nearly collapsed by the sheer pleasure his touch invoked. He bent his head and placed feathery kisses on her breasts.  Sam moaned as delicious shivers ran up her spine. 

He helped her take off the rest of her clothes and she stood naked before him.
Leo stared at her body long and hard, his expression tightening.  She gasped when she heard the low, deep growl emanating from his throat.

He slipped his hands around her and lifted her off the ground.
Gently, he carried her to his bed and laid her down on its sheets.

He lay down beside her and lowered his head, trailing hot kisses along her shoulders, h
er arms, her breasts.  His mouth clamped down over one hot peak, and Sam gasped with sheer pleasure. His tongue laved each peak and heat darted from Sam’s breasts to the ache pooling in her belly. Arching her back in response, she ran her hands down the beautiful length of his strong back. Leo groaned as he ran his hand down the length of her side. Sam moaned. His touch was like heaven.

She wrapped one of her legs around his hip and
turned her body to meet his. She wanted to feel every inch of him on her skin. Leo sucked in a harsh breath and moved his body over hers, resting his weight on his elbow beside her. Sam gasped as she stared up at his face. His expression was strained, as if he was trying hard to control himself, and she felt one of his hands slip down to where her legs met. He touched the most sacred and personal part of her body and she cried out, stiffening in response.

He
slipped a finger in her warmth and she arched her back violently. His touch sent a spasm of shock and need through her body as his fingers played with her core. Sam convulsed with pleasure.

“Le
o,” she said hoarsely.

“
You’re making me mad with desire,” he said huskily.

Sam arched her body and bit him on
the shoulder as waves and waves of pleasure rocked her. He placed his knee in between her legs and widened their gap.  She felt his rigid penis against her womanhood and an uncontrollable rush of need melted her core.  He cupped her face with his hands and stared deep into her eyes as he drove his penis deep into her heat.  She cried out, digging her nails into his shoulders.

Leo withdr
ew and entered her body slowly.

Her breath caught, and she m
atched his movements, their tempo rising with each heated stroke.  Her body tingled, her flesh throbbed, and Sam arched her neck releasing a heart wrenching moan at the thrilling pleasure mounting in her core.  She was flying, soaring, close to reaching a pinnacle that would set her free. Leo made a guttural sound from deep within his throat and his pace quickened. His movements were almost violent in nature as he drove deep within her, his face contorted with unrestrained passion. 

With a long, deep growl,
Leo plunged forward and Sam cried out in sheer pleasure at the heat coursing through her veins.  Wave upon wave of ecstasy shook her book, making her convulse with delicious shivers as Leo threw back his head and roared his release, spilling his seed into her womb.

His breathing was laboured as he lay on top of her, his elbows bracing his weight, and she wrapped her arms around his waist closing her eyes as her release subsided.

She basked in the glorious aftermath of their lovemaking, their skin sleek with sweat, their hearts beating as one.

Sam was content, happy, pushing away all thoughts of her imminent return back home.  She wanted to stay in his arms.

His body stiffened violently and he dragged himself out of her arms, his expression stunned as he stared down at her.

“What is it?”  She asked, frightened.  She’d never seen him look like this.  He was ashen.  She raised her arms, reaching for him, but he vaulted from her and sat on the edge of the bed, his face buried in his hands.    

“Sam, you must leave.  Now,” he growled. 

She rose and knelt by his back, placing a hand on his shoulder.  Had she done something wrong?  “Leo, please tell me what’s wrong?”

He groaned, almost in agony, and shot her a tormented look over his shoulder.  “Leave, dammit!  Now!”

She drew back in horror.  This wasn’t the man she knew.  This wasn’t the man she loved.  Biting back her tears, she stumbled from the bed and grabbed her clothes.  She tossed him a quick glance as she slipped on her blouse and pulled up her skirt.  He was still seated on the edge of his bed, his back to her, his head buried in his hands.

“Dammit, woman!  I want you to go!”  He growled from beneath his hands.

A sudden fury rose in her chest and her tears of shame fell.  She was beyond humiliated.  “Damn you, Leo,” she cried, and fled from the room.                                                       

                                          * * * *

“I’m already damned, my love,” he said brokenly.

Leo grimaced as he heard the door slam behind her and he released the white knuckle hold he had on himself.  Another minute and she would have witnessed his complete transformation into his Lycan beast.  His bones expanded, his face shifted, his skin stretched as his body transformed into an eight foot tall beast with jowls, fangs, and brows meeting at the bridge of his nose.

He growled, snapping his jaw furiously.  Dammit, his involuntary transformation meant one thing.  Sam was his
one.
   The Lycan Legend was real.