Heading to the bags of clothes he’d left on the floor, he rummaged through them.
When he heard her ask, “Think I’ll ever get used to that?”
He turned and said in assurance, “Yeah, you will.”
Finding one of the beach shorts he’d purchased the night before, he ran into the bathroom to change. He then materialized an inch from her, planted a wet kiss on her lips, snaked his arms around her waist and materialized on the shore. She tensed only briefly before her body molded against his.
Pulling away, he asked, “Was that time any better?”
Quirking a brow, she said, “That’s cheating.”
“Yeah? How so?”
“You kissed me, so I couldn’t feel the world shifting around me.”
Leaning into her, a hair’s breadth away, he shot back, “Darling, that was the point. For the sake of ensuring you don’t get dizzy every time, I’ll kiss you.”
She smirked, then pushed him away, and treaded seductively toward the water wearing that hot pink bikini well. She had no idea how well. His feet willingly led him to her.
For over an hour, they played, splashing water on each other like kids. When they were both exhausted from their games, they strolled toward the sand hand in hand. There, they lay side by side.
She lifted her weight on her elbow, and faced him as she twirled her fingers in the sand. “Do you remember the time you were gone for days in the demon plane?”
He shifted his weight and faced her then ran his hand down her shoulder, enjoying her skin’s softness. He couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her, but then he supposed it didn’t matter anymore. She’d accepted him, so he could caress her all he wanted, all he needed.
“Yeah.”
She looked away from him then continued, “You found me in the garden.”
He scoffed. “As I recall, I scared the crap out of you in the garden.”
Gaze darting toward his again, her expression softened. “I had been worried about you. I was used to seeing you every day. As the days passed, I kept thinking the worst. I kept getting this image in my head of you burned like the day you saved me. When I saw you again, it hit me. I realized I was in love with you.”
His heart tightened in his chest. He remembered the moment well. He’d scolded himself for hours afterward. Now, he was doing the same because that had been two months ago. She’d loved him for two months, and he needlessly stalled.
“Liv, I’m sorry. I tried not to read you, but sometimes I caved and felt your attraction, I just…I thought you needed more time.”
She leaned in and kissed him. A quick thoughtful kiss that shouldn’t have had him imagining her naked beneath him, but it did.
“I didn’t tell you so you’d apologize. I told you so you’d know,” she said, smiling.
“You’re sharing?”
She nodded and smiled.
“Then I’ll reciprocate,” he said, his fingers trailing down to her waist. “When I found you, I fought my baser instincts. That first day, when I let you walk out of sight, it was the hardest thing I’ve done in four hundred and fifteen years. Then I saw you the very next day, I was thrilled. That night I was injured, so you were around for several days. I grew so used to having you around. It was hard, not being able to do the things I wanted to do, but—”
“What did you want to do?”
Grinning, he said, “I wanted to touch you, hold you, kiss you, anything and everything.” He paused. “When Joce moved into the estate, I spent my days finding excuses to see you. At night when hunting Malums, I thought about you constantly. It was torture, knowing it would be hours before I had the chance to see you again. So…” His words trailed off. Looking away from her, he reconsidered his confession.
“So…” she prodded.
His gaze shot to hers, thinking what the hell, he said, “After my shifts, I’d materialize at the estate in your room and watch you sleep for hours. Just being around you calmed me, I knew…or I felt you needed time. It gave us both what we needed.”
Her eyes widened then her face broke out in a huge grin. “You little voyeur,” she teased then burst in a fit of giggles. “No wonder I dreamed about you nearly every night. Your stench wafted into my senses.”
He sat up quickly, his hand gripping her hip. “You dreamt about me?”
Flushing that beautiful rosy shade, she nodded. “Well, it was your fault.”
“Wait, did you say my stench, darling?”
He didn’t wait for her to respond. At immortal speed, he lifted her in one swift movement and headed for the water.
“Cain, no! I’m almost dry,” she said between giggles.
“You should’ve thought of that before you insulted your male,” he teased then unapologetically dropped her in the water.
Still laughing, he picked her up again, and headed toward the house.
Her head against his chest angled to his, she asked, “Do you think I’m a doll you can throttle as you please?”
“You are my very precious doll that teases me constantly,” he retorted.
“Only when it’s well deserved.”
He halted just so he could enjoy gazing at her. “God, I’ve missed you.”
She quit laughing abruptly, her expression saddening. He felt it—that same sadness he’d felt in her before.
“What’s wrong?”
“You mean the days we were apart?”
“Yeah, and over the last couple of weeks, I knew something was wrong. You weren’t acting like yourself. I should’ve known—”
“Several weeks ago, I decided to leave,” she admitted softly.
He released her, allowing her feet to touch the sand then he kneeled before her and clasped her hands in his. “Mate me. Marry me.” He hadn’t meant to sound like he was begging, but it did and he didn’t care. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy. I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for being a coward.”
Her eyes widened even as tears welled. “We haven’t even…”
He cut her off because he didn’t want excuses, because he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “I’ll be everything you need, whatever you want…”
Tears rimmed her eyes and fell.
At the sight, his chest tightened painfully, hating her tears, hating he’d caused them. Cursing himself, he reached out and read her. He realized then she wasn’t sad, no, those tears weren’t sad ones. She was happy and a bit overwhelmed.
Releasing a breath, his clenched muscles relaxed. “
Meus sodalis
, do you accept?”
She nodded and mumbled, “Yes.”
He pressed a firm kiss on her stomach then stood and carried her toward her home.
She shrieked. “You know I can walk.”
“I prefer to carry you,” he said then firmly placed his lips over hers.
She parted hers, then hesitantly darted her tongue into his mouth. The action so slow and cautious, he knew she was unsure of herself, worried about her inexperience. Endearing him to her, a beautiful reminder he was the first and would be the only. Losing all thought, all sense, breathing her in, he delved into her mouth assuring her. So enthralled in assuring her, enjoying her, he didn’t realize they were falling until he lost his footing. Suddenly, panicked he pulled away just as the pool water splashed around them.
Olivia broke away from their kiss, giggling loudly. The sound of it resonated inside him, feeling like a bolt of energy rushing into him. It happened every time she smiled, every time she giggled, every time she laughed, and still he hadn’t gotten used to the sensation. He hadn’t gotten used to her ability to cause it, so he couldn’t help but stare as she threw her head back and laughed that beautiful laugh.
Wriggling from his grasp, she swam to the end of the pool. Grinning, he followed, determined to reach her. Once he did, he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her toward him simultaneously pressing her back against the wall and planting his lips over hers. This time, when he parted his lips, she mimicked him. He dove in, playing with her tongue gently, relishing in his mate’s sweet taste.
He’d kissed hundreds of women, made love to hundreds, but none tasted as sweet as her. Her lips were soft, moist and wet from the water, sliding against his. Her temperature spiked, heating his flesh. When she wrapped her arms around him, he ran his hands down her chest, around her hips and pressed her pelvis toward his, an instinct he could no more control than his love for her. The simple action made her moan sweetly into his mouth. He couldn’t help but smile against her lips. Still, he kept his slow, gentle pace as he trailed his mouth across her cheek, toward her neck. In that sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder, he kissed and licked her, her pulse quickening against his tongue.
“Touch me,” she whispered in his ear.
Fuck
. He wanted to touch her. He just wasn’t sure it was a good idea, and a part of him was scared even a touch would make him lose control. He wouldn’t lose control, never with her.
Still, he couldn’t help the groan that escaped his lips when he heard her whisper. His shaft pulsed, throbbing against her core. He couldn’t deny her and wouldn’t deny her, but where should he touch her? Where did she crave his touch? Dragging his hands over her hips, he slid them to her butt and lifted her. Immediately, almost like an instinct, she wrapped her strong, lean legs around his waist. The simple action made the tethered hold on his control slip.
Tracing his tongue along her chest, he untied the string holding her bikini top. It fell away. He pulled away only briefly, to stare at her beautiful breasts, simultaneously running his hands over them. Her nipples tightened with his touch, goose bumps erupting through her flesh. Replacing his hand with his mouth, he fondled them with his tongue. She arched her back, releasing a moan. His fangs lengthened and accidentally nicked her.
A taste of her in his mouth, his muscles shuddered and quaked, reeling from the tiniest taste. Eyes ablaze with desire, craving and yearning, his demon demanded he claim her, drink her.
Battling his demon, every muscle in his body tightened. He groaned deep and guttural, sounding inhuman.
It took every ounce of willpower, but, finally, he summoned the strength, released her and stepped away. His gaze locked on the nick he’d made, a single drop of blood oozing out, tempting him further.
Her arms went to her chest, attempting to cover herself. Still, he could see that single droplet of blood. Still, it called to him.
“Cain,” she said softly.
He drew his gaze to hers. Cheeks flushed, the blue in her eyes spiked with incandescent yellow, like bright threads weaved into the depths.
Beautiful.
Realization dawned then. He’d nicked her unspoiled, virgin flesh.
Fuck.
Dread crept up and down his spine, fearing she’d cower away for marking her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“W-what? Did I do something wrong? I know I’m not—”
Shit
. Why would she think that? “No, Liv,” he said gently. “My fault. I…” His eyes went to the nick then met hers. “I didn’t mean to, but I nicked you with my fangs…”
His voice fell away when she glanced down and spotted the mark, the blood now trailing down toward her stomach. She shocked him when she closed the distance between them, rubbed the blood off with her finger and hesitantly held it up to his mouth, offering it to him. Her expression unsure, but her eyes now seemed to glow, no blue left.
Assuring her, he sucked the blood off her finger, moaning as he did.
“We can’t let it go to waste, can we?” she whispered, then hesitantly pressed her lips over his.
He delved in, not softly, because he couldn’t help it. He loved her, loved that she was sweet, loved that she was smart and beautiful and fought like a warrior. Loved that she hadn’t cringed, loved she’d seemed entranced with the nick he’d made, letting him drink what had spilled.
One taste wouldn’t tie her to him forever, only a bite would do that, but she tasted like rich wine, taunting him to do just what he longed for, claim her, sealing both their fates forever.
Thinking all of this, he intensified the kiss. Her nails dug into his back. Lifting her off her feet, her legs reclaimed his waist.
“Cain…” she moaned breathlessly.
Everything she did provoked him, but his name on her lips especially made him crave removing her bottom and taking her. He held onto his will with sheer force, but he deepened the kiss, one hand gripping her waist, the other pressing her core against his shaft.
Her hands roamed down his back, one curving toward his front, then she moaned into his mouth and started trembling, not a little tremble but full-blown shakes.
Breaking his lips away from hers, he scanned her heated face. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes avoiding his, she pressed her hands between them and pushed at his chest. Reaching out with his gift, he read her, reading her desire, her need, then her embarrassment. For the latter, he didn’t know why.
Her hands at his chest pushed harder, still unwilling to meet his eyes. His arm around her waist, he pulled her closer, silently telling her he wouldn’t let her go. She didn’t get it or chose to ignore it because the next instant, she pushed harder.
He then lifted her chin with his finger, meeting her eyes and softly whispered, “Quit fighting me. I’m not letting you go, darling.”
Her eyes widened and misted.
“Talk to me.”
She still shook, so he rubbed his palm up and down her back, encouraging her with actions.
“I-I can’t.”
“I know your feelings. Just don’t know why.”
Her cheeks flamed a brighter shade, proving he’d said the wrong thing. Knowing nothing about how to comfort a woman, he was out of his element, and it showed. Still, because she was his, because he wanted to learn, he tried again.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
She nodded. “Yes…there is. I don’t know what I’m doing, and…I was…I want you so bad I’m shaking.”
Smiling, he said, “I’ll teach you. I’ll show you. I won’t push you. I’ll be patient. I promise, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting me because I want you too, Liv, just as bad, if not more.”
Then he pressed his lips against hers lightly.
That’s when the phone rang. With their superior senses, they both heard it from the outside, yet neither of them made a move, neither of them spoke. Her eyes on his, his on hers, they were content to let it ring.