The Order Boxed Set (14 page)

“Okay,” Bill said. “My round.”

Chapter Thirteen

“That was amazing,” Tara said as she let them into the house.

She’d been silent on the way home, deliberately not thinking about all she had learned earlier in the evening. Instead, she’d concentrated on the pleasure of just talking with ordinary people. They’d all been so nice, and in the end, a group of them gathered around the table, chatting and laughing. She’d learned more about the village and its inhabitants tonight than in the twenty-two years she’d lived there. She’d also come away with two invitations to dinner.

Christian had been perfectly behaved, silent for the most part. No doubt he’d wrapped himself in some sort of vampire invisibility thing. Still, dinner with Jean and Bill might stretch his normal abilities beyond the breaking point.

Tara unwrapped her scarf, took off her coat, and turned to find Christian studying her. His half-closed eyes gleamed in the dim light and for a brief second, he allowed her to see his hunger for her.

Heat washed through her, and she swallowed, hard.

Okay, maybe she’d already stretched him too far because he appeared way beyond normal now. His smile revealed a brief flash of fangs, and the blood thickened in her veins until she could feel it thundering through her body.

His gaze still on her, Christian shrugged out of his coat, unbuckled the shoulder holster, and hung it over the back of one of the chairs. His movements were graceful but gave the impression of leashed power, barely controlled, seething just below the surface. What would he be like if he released all that power? Instead of frightening her, the thought made her temperature climb even higher.

“Are you ready to do this?” Christian murmured.

She knew he meant the talisman. Or at least she thought he did.

He stared at her throat as though he could already taste her blood. Then he moved to stand beside her, leaning his long body against the solid wooden table, arms crossed over his broad chest, his hooded eyes locked on hers.

“I suppose so, but first—”

“Yes?”

“Will you kiss me?”

Shock flashed across his features then he smiled. “You mean like the end of a date?”

“Maybe, I’ve never actually had a date, but I’m sort of scared of what you’re going to find when I take off the talisman, and maybe you won’t want to kiss me afterward.”

“Come here,” he ordered, his voice low, mesmerizing. She entwined her fingers with his and he tugged her closer until she almost touched him. “I can smell your blood.”

“Nice.”

He smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear then stroked one long finger down the soft skin of her neck. At his touch, her blood caught fire; she lifted her chin and bared her throat. He bent down and his cool breath shivered across her heated flesh. For a moment, she thought he was going to take what she offered. Instead, he kissed her where the blood pounded so close to the surface, and whispered against her ear. “Soon.”

Sliding his hands around her shoulders, he held her still. His mouth hovered over hers, and she trembled in anticipation. He kissed her, just the fleeting meeting of their mouths, before drawing back, teasing her, tempting her so she leaned closer to him. She needed to feel him against her, all of him, but he held her away and kissed her again, his mouth tasting hers, lingering for a moment then retreating. It was intense, beautiful, and in no way was it enough. He raised his head and stared into her eyes.

“There is nothing we could discover that would stop me wanting to taste you,” he said. “But if I do so now, we’ll still be making love at dawn.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

He laughed and the sound rippled over her skin. “I’d be flattered,” he said. “Except I’m not sure which you want more, me, or
not
taking off the talisman.”

She sighed. He was right.

“You’re thinking too hard.” Christian interrupted her thoughts. “Come, we’ll do this together.” He pushed her gently into the chair and pulled another close so they faced each other, knees almost touching. “Take off the talisman, Tara.”

She took a deep breath and nodded. For a minute, she held the locket between her fingers, rubbing her thumb over the rough surface, remembering all the times she had held it and thought about her mother. She lifted it over her head. As she went to hand the locket to Christian, he shook his head, and she placed it on the table.

He looked at her for a long while as he squeezed her hands in his. She tried to feel reassured, but she didn’t like his blank expression. What was he hiding from her?

…

A sense of foreboding washed over Christian. Something lurked behind her eyes. She still appeared human, but it was like a thin veneer concealing some other form. He breathed deeply and the faint rank, bitter scent of rotting eggs assaulted his nostrils. Demon.

His eyes flickered around the room, searching for an explanation, but they were alone, and his gaze returned to Tara. He inhaled again. The taint of sulfur was still there, but overlaid with something exotic and sweet. It rolled around his senses, intoxicating and sensual. His cock stirred in his pants and heat coiled low in his belly. The prickle in his gums reminded him that he longed to taste her. He closed his eyes and savored the feelings. Whatever she was, it made no difference.

And whatever happened in the future, he knew he would have her this night, in every way possible. She would be his.

“Christian, what is it?”

An edge of panic floated beneath the surface of her voice. Opening his eyes, he made no attempt to hide the hunger in his gaze. He’d kept so much of his real self hidden from her, concealing his exact nature, afraid she wouldn’t be able to accept him. Now he let her see beneath the mask, and her eyes widened with shock. She swayed toward him, but then shook herself and sat up straight.

“Tell me what you see,” she said.

“I see nothing, but you smell…” He leaned closer and inhaled. “Delectable.” He stroked his tongue along the line of her throat. “Edible…irresistible.”

…

At the first stroke of his tongue, Tara’s body melted and her mind ceased to function. She wanted desperately to know what he had seen when she removed the necklace. If anything, he seemed to want her more. It was an almost tangible thing between them, and a flicker of unease rippled through her.

He nuzzled at her neck, nibbling at her flesh, and tremors of pleasure shot through her. She squirmed in her seat, but forced herself to make one more try. She slipped her hand between them and pushed. It made no difference. He was immoveable.

“Please, Christian, tell me.”

He sighed against her throat. Then sat back, and Tara watched, fascinated as he pulled himself under control, wrapped it around himself like a cloak. She waited, holding her breath as the hunger faded from his eyes.

“I don’t know,” he said. “There’s something there, you’re different.” He searched her face. “It isn’t in how you look. It’s in your very essence.” He shook his head. “I can’t tell what it is. May I try something?”

“What?”

“Do you trust me, Tara?”

Strangely she did. She nodded.

“I want to try and get inside your head. We need to do it at some point anyway.”

“We do?”

“You heard me with Piers. I promised. And you’re less likely to come to harm once you bear my mark. Too many people in my world have met you now, and for some reason you’re not easily forgotten.”

“You won’t make me do anything I don’t want?”

He murmured, “I assure you that you will crave every last thing we do together with every cell of your body.”

“Promises, promises…” But she had no doubt that he spoke the truth. “Okay, what do I have to do?”

“Nothing. Just don’t fight me.”

He took her chin between his finger and thumb, raised her head, and stared into her eyes. Tara waited for something to happen. After a minute, he released his hold and sat back.

“Well, that was a bit of an anticlimax,” Tara said. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I was sure with the talisman gone you’d be mine to take, but I can’t get in. Your mind is locked up tight.”

“What does it mean?”

“It could be a number of things. I don’t want to speculate without knowing more.”

“Why?” she asked. “Are all these ‘things’ unpleasant?”

“Not at all,” he said, and she had the distinct impression that if not lying outright then he was being stingy with the truth. “But it’s been a long evening for you and there is one more thing we can do tonight.”

“And that is?”

His eyes roamed over her before setting on her throat. “I can taste you.”

“Taste me?”

“Drink your blood.” His voice dropped, low and dark. Sharp prickles of sensation shot through her body, stiffening her nipples to hard little nubs, clenching the muscles of her belly into tight knots of desire. She shifted in her chair and he smiled.

“We can tell a lot from a person’s blood. It may reveal exactly what you are, what has been done to you. Are you willing to let me drink from you, Tara?”

She stared at him, mesmerized as the tight hold on his control slowly unraveled, letting the monster peer out from within. He smiled with a flash of fangs, and her breath caught in her throat. She opened her mouth but no sound came out, and she closed it again. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. A fierce flare of excitement gleamed in his silver eyes and an echoing surge shot through her.

This was the point of no return. She didn’t care.

He stood up and lifted her effortlessly in his arms. Her body rested against the coolness of his chest as he carried her through the dark house and up the stairs. He kicked open her bedroom door and laid her on the bed. The curtains were open and moonlight streamed in through the window.

Staring down at her in the dim light, he truly appeared part monster, his pale face filled with a fierce predatory beauty. Her eyes ran down his body, snagged on the bulge in his pants, and her whole body tightened in anticipation.

He started to unbutton his shirt, and her eyes followed his movements. He paused halfway. “Are you sure? You say you don’t want to belong to me, but once this is done, I’ll not easily let you go.”

Tara hardly heard his words. He couldn’t stop now. Desire flowed through her like a living thing, but she didn’t have the experience to show him how much she wanted him.

“Please, Christian,” she said.

It was enough. He ripped open the remaining buttons, shrugged out his shirt, and tossed it onto the floor. He was beautiful, pale like marble, each hard line perfectly sculpted. His ribs were visible and his flat belly ridged with muscle. A line of dark silky hair bisected his stomach, disappearing beneath the waistband of his pants. She followed it down, swallowed and caught his eyes. They were hooded, gleaming beneath his lashes. He held her gaze as his hands went to the fastener of his pants and flicked it open. He paused before sliding down the zip.

Tara’s heart raced, the blood thundering in her veins. His soft laughter echoed in her ears.

“Scared?” he said.

He dropped his pants to the floor and stepped out of them. He was naked now, while she was still fully clothed and burning up. She couldn’t take her eyes from him. The silky hair thickened, forming a dark nest from which his cock rose proud, erect, almost vertical against his flat stomach. Pale glossy skin stretched tight, the head swollen, darkened with a faint blush of blood, and he was huge, though she had nothing to compare him to. She couldn’t take her eyes off his shaft, which jerked with a life of his own.

“You look as though you have never seen a naked man before,” he said. The heat rose in her cheeks, and his eyes narrowed. “Tara, have you seen a naked man before? Have you ever actually done this?”

Tara decided to misunderstand him. “What?” she asked. “Provide dinner for a vampire? Nope. Never. This is definitely a first.”

He smiled at her answer, and knelt on the bed beside her. She breathed in the musky, almost feral scent of him, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. He stroked her cheek.

“A virgin? I suppose it’s unsurprising considering your upbringing. But intriguing all the same.”

“Hey, it’s no big deal. I never got the opportunity. But it makes no difference, so don’t worry that I’m going to go all weird on you. This is just sex, right?”

“Just sex?” A flicker of something flashed in his eyes. “If you say so, but I think you’ll find that there is no ‘just’ about what we’ll do together, and no, it makes no difference, but perhaps I would have been a little more discreet,” he gestured down the length of his naked body, “had I known.”

She looked again at his cock. It twitched under her gaze and her insides threatened to melt. She could almost feel him inside her the desire was so strong. She pressed her thighs together to relieve some of the tension, licked her lips, and heard him groan. He straddled her hips, and reaching between them, he picked up her hand, brought it to his body, and wrapped her fingers round him. He was cool and hard, the skin like satin stretched over steel. She squeezed, and his head went back. She released him and fluttered her fingers up over the swollen head. It pulsed, and he groaned again. He put his hand back over hers, stopping her movement.

“You’re wearing too many clothes.” He gripped the sides of her jumper, slid it over her head, then traced the black lace on her bra. “Pretty.”

He trailed one long finger over the soft swell of her breasts. His nail dragged across the swollen nipples, and lightning flashed to her groin. He repeated the action, and her hips rose of their own accord. Slipping a hand beneath her, he flicked open the catch of her bra, peeled the straps down her arms, and tossed it to the floor. He sat back on his heels and covered her breasts with his large hands. His palms were cool against the fiery heat of her skin. For a moment, they squeezed then drew down to frame her breasts as he took one pouting nipple between his teeth. She went wild beneath him as pleasure shot through her body. His hands held her still with ease as he kissed and licked her breasts, sucking on the sensitive nipples.

She thought she’d explode as the sensations rushed through her and settled in the hot, swollen place between her thighs. She needed something, anything, and her hips bucked against the restraining cage of his body.