The Progeny (The Progeny Series) (19 page)

Her
expression showed astonishment when he poured another glass and sipped it.

“I thought you shouldn’t eat anything.”

“Food makes us sick, but wine seems to agree with us. This is our private label.” He handed her the bottle.

The sight of the blue and gray-labeled bottle made her
gasp.

“Since we never got the chance to go on that tour, I thought I’d bring a bit of the vineyard to you. This is my wine, a 1923 Ascher. We all have
our own wines. It's sort of a tradition in my family. My grandfather was a wine connoisseur and adored anything having to do with grapes. He meant for the winery to be our legacy and that’s just what it has become. Our wines are in some of the most exclusive restaurants and nightclubs around the world.”

“I had no idea.”
She took another sip. “This is the most delicious wine I’ve ever tasted!” She paused. “I think it might be the
only
wine I’ve ever tasted.”

He reached
behind him, handing her a small silver box. “This is for you.”

“You didn’t have to
—”

He smirked
and silenced her with a kiss. “Now we’ll try that again.
This
is for you.”

“Thank you.”

“I hope you like it.”

The box contained an exquisite
, heart shaped ruby pendant on a gleaming white chain. Her breath caught as the low light dispersed through the beautiful piece of jewelry, casting blinding facets of crimson on her face. “It’s so beautiful, Ascher but…”

He shook his head
with disapproval. “No
buts,
Shauna.”

Sh
auna frowned. “But this must have cost—”

Ascher
kissed her again. “Nothing. The cost is unimportant. You’ve given me the greatest gift in yourself. That bauble is only a small fraction of what you deserve and what I want to give you.” He hooked the necklace around her neck, hoping she’d never find out how much he’d spent. She’d never approve. “Now
that
is out of the way, we have to talk about something else. It’s less pleasant.”

At the statement, she
tensed.

“My brothers and I are going to Romania tomorrow night.”

“What about me? She’s
my
sister.”

“There’s no way I’m putting you in that kind of danger. You’ll stay here where it’s safe.”

“If
you’re
going,
I’m
going!”

“I’m not going to argue about this with you. This is something you won’t change my mind about.”

Her voice became silky soft, obviously working another angle. “You can’t leave, Ascher.” 

He’d
never seen her persuasive nature. Even though he liked it, the purr in her voice wouldn’t change his mind.

“Tristan’s not well enough to travel
, and you’re still too weak to fight.”

“Tris is healthy as a horse. You saw him tonight.”

Her expression hardened. “I’ll worry too much and drive myself crazy. Please Ascher, take me with you,” she begged. “You know you’ll worry about me, too. The darklings could come back for me. Could you live with that, when you can prevent it by taking me with you?”

His face
tightened. He was trying hard to hide the side capable of dismembering another being while red rage glowed in his eyes. Fighting to stay in control, he shoved down the fury swirling inside him as he thought of how Tristan barely hung on to his existence. The thought of Gabe’s complicity in Clive’s dark plan angered him more. A low growl escaped his lips as the rage grew.

Her
expression conveyed fear, but still teemed with love for him. “You wouldn’t have to worry so much if you’d just change me.”

“No
, I won’t do that to you. I love you too much.”

“
That
is the
very
reason that you
should
do it. If you love me, you should want me forever.”

“I won’t curse you!”
He looked into her eyes and couldn’t believe what he saw; channeling her to confirm it made him dizzy. There was no doubt at all. Her mind’s voice was screaming how much she loved him. It blared how much she wanted to be with him. He seized her wrists, registering her throbbing and unsteady pulse.

“I want you forever but there are so many unknowns. I can’t talk to you about any of that until Katy
’s back safe and sound.”

A tear fell from her eye. “If you can’t stay with me, then leave a piece of yourself here. I want you to give me something I can remember for the rest of my life.
Make love to me, Ascher. We might be running out of time, and I’m tired of waiting. I want you to make love to me tonight.”

He gave her a
n intense stare but said nothing.

“There is a chance that you might die
, right?”

He nodded.

“Before you go, I want you to give me a small piece of you to hold on to.”

“Are you sure, Shauna?”

Grabbing his face with both hands, she whispered, “We were so close yesterday. I still want you to be my first.”

“Shauna, I
—”

She placed a finger over his mouth
. “I don’t want to hear it. All I ever hear are reasons why we shouldn’t and I’m so over that. We’ve already wasted too much precious time.” She kissed him hard and kept her lips close to his. “All I ever do is wonder what it might be like or what it would feel like. It’s time for me to know. It’s time for you to show me what
your
love feels like, Ascher.”

Ascher
stared into her eyes, peering into her mind again. It repeated the same phrase.
Make love to me, Ascher. I want you to make love to me.

She straddled him and wound her arms around his neck.

The ache was back in his mouth and the burn returned to his throat. His fangs broke the gums. He pushed her off him and retreated to the other side of the couch, hoping to thwart the throbbing in his mouth.

“What’s wrong, Ash?”

“I don’t know if I can control myself. I’ve tasted your blood and struggled to stop. I might hurt you.”

“The craving for blood is in your nature. Loving me is also in that nature
and I know you would never put me in danger. You stopped before and you'll stop again. There’s no reason we shouldn’t. You want me.” She glanced down at the bulge in his pants. “I want you.”

Ascher'
s doubt faded as desire took over. He morphed next to her, clutching her body and devouring her lips with ravenous kisses. The more he kissed her, the more his control slipped away. Shauna made him vulnerable. He shivered from the intensity of his feelings for her and the throbbing of his emerging fangs.

Sh
e seized his face with her hands forcing him to stare into her eyes. “I trust you.”

“This is so dangerous. If I
—”

“No more words, Ascher.”

He closed his eyes to hide the red glaze of desire looming heavy in his gaze.

Shauna
smoothed a shaky hand across his face. “Open your eyes, Ascher. I want to see them.”

“No! You can’t see me this way.”

“If I truly love you, then I have to love everything about you and
this
is a part of you. I want you, every part, even
that
part. Open them, Ascher.”

Ascher
opened his eyes, the red markings of his desire veiling his vision.

Sh
auna pulled him closer while her eyes never wavered, showing him that she wasn’t afraid. Her stare was intense, unending.

He kissed her carefully, shielding her lips from his sharp fangs. Her tongue flicked across his lips, causing a raging
ripple of heat to course through his veins.

Tilting her
neck exposed all that smooth skin and pulsing carotid.

Wetness surged in his mouth as he watched
the large artery throb. Waves of hunger crashed over him and he gulped two deep breaths, attempting to rid his body of her sweet smell. It didn’t help. Each inhalation brought more of her sweet scent into his nostrils, filling him with her torturous aroma and fueling the thirst in his quivering body. He clenched his teeth in restraint. His hands caressed her, gently raking over her velvety skin. Impatience caused him to rip the shirt from her body, exposing her breasts. His mouth trailed over them, closing over one of the stiff nubs.

She
squirmed, her hand twisting into his hair.

His tongue shifted to the soft skin of her neck.
Each time he swept her neck, he knew it could be too much. Any minute her blood might stir him into a hungry frenzy. Her pajama shorts disappeared, leaving her naked, wearing only his ruby love-offering necklace. Ascher devoured every delicious curve of her naked body with his eyes, before capturing her face with his hand for another passionate kiss.

Excitement flushed the surface of her skin, creating red blots on her heated body. Her hands moved along his
well-sculpted masculine form, pulling the shirt up his chest.

He assisted her, anxious to feel her bare skin against his.
Clutching his shirt in his hands, he lobbed it across the room.

Securing her tight
ly to him, he stood, lifting her into his powerful arms. Her legs twisted around him as he fixed her body closer. He bounced her around a couple of times, before giving her neck more soft kisses. She leaned into him, spilling her hair in a fluid curtain between their faces. Sifting his hands through her tresses, Ascher pulled the hair away from her face, teasingly grazing her lips with his.

Walking them
over to his bed, he guided her to the center. Being this close was easier now that he’d tasted her blood. The wine seemed to help take the edge off the trinity scent. His hand slid between her thighs. She was tight but he was able to work most of his finger into her. He took care to be gentle, his fingers manipulating, stretching and readying her for what was to come.

She was getting there, but
she wasn’t quite ready for him.

He kissed a slow and careful path down
along her stomach. Her breath stopped, making her gasp in an attempt to catch it. Even though this was his first attempt at oral sex, instinct told him what to do. He’d take his cues from her reactions.

Ascher truly
desired to please her. He took his first good look at her and she was beautiful—a delicate, pink flower with a glistening bud nestled inside. The first taste hooked him and he wanted more. She was warm, sweet and quivering with anticipation of the unknown. Slow, meticulous kisses became wider, circular sweeps of his tongue.

Soft moans became
sighs of intense pleasure, as her body writhed and shuddered beneath his fingertips. Her hands knotted in his hair, gently holding his head in place. His twisting finger inched into her—loosening her, making her well with wetness.

His shaft pained, the stiffness
brushing his leather pants. He’d never felt this type of flushed anxiety with Ursula—not even the first time. Shauna’s breathless, hurried sighs signaled her impending orgasm. He lapped at her, snaking his tongue in tighter and faster circles, growing more anxious with each satisfied moan from her lips.

She growled with a c
razed frenzy that unhinged him, as her pulse raced out of control. Tightening around his finger and quivering in rhythmic and uncontrollable spasms, Shauna’s core clenched with wave after wave of a pulsing orgasm until her body relaxed.

Smug satisfaction flooded him
, because Ascher knew that no matter what happened, she’d always remember the pleasure he’d given her. Just as he knew that no matter what the future held, he’d always love her.

They
turned and twisted in the bed with tangled legs and heaving chests. Neither of them wanted to give up control, but both of them wanted the other too much to care about anything else.

Her glassy eyes stared into hi
s with a scattered bewilderment, as her fingertips traced his spine, deepening his desire. The flush burning under his pale skin was secondary to the stiffness concentrating itself in his shaft. He gave in to the sensual sensations flooding his body, letting the warmth completely engulf him while resuming loosening her with his fingers.

Shauna’s
body moved in a rhythm that closely matched the shallow thrusting of his finger inside of her, her virgin’s barrier pulsating against his fingers. “I want you inside me—please don’t make me wait anymore.”

N
ervous waves flooded him, and the ache was back in his mouth. The throbbing of his heart rang loudly inside his head, wiping away his ability to channel her. With a quick adjusting of his hips, he readied himself to enter her. When he came to her barrier, he stopped. “Are you sure? I need you to be completely sure about this. We can stop if you want to.”