Authors: Regina Morris
Raymond smiled. “I think she might.”
Dixon sucked in a quick breath. “I mean, I don’t want her to see me as just a vampire. Do you think she’d like me?” Ok, now he
really
felt like a teenager.
Raymond grinned. “Shall I pass her a note in gym?”
Dixon laughed — more from nervousness than anything else. “I’m serious Raymond.”
“Let me put it this way, she insisted on giving you a sponge bath.”
Dixon gave a wry smile. “But that’s her job as the team doctor. She would have done so for anyone.”
Raymond furrowed his brow. “Do you really believe that?”
Dixon rubbed his temple. Now that he had all the time in the world, was his time potentially running out? “Raymond, suitors are lining up wanting to marry her because of that stupid schlange marriage list thing. I don’t want her to be with anyone else. Do you think she’d consider me in the long line of potential husbands? You’re her closest relative, do I have to get your approval to even ask her out on a date?”
“Verheiratet Schlange. And you don’t have to worry about potential suitors for her.”
Dixon waved violently in the air with his hands. “She’s beautiful, and intelligent, and funny. And let’s not forget how caring and loving she is. She probably has a list a mile long of vampire men who want her. Someone else is going to snatch her up unless you take her name off that blasted list.” He took a breath and looked directly at his best friend. “Take your sister off that damn list.”
Raymond smiled over to his friend. “What do you think I was doing on the computer just now?”
After giving Kate and the twin boys a thorough medical checkup, Sulie treated herself to a hot shower. Afterwards she covered herself with a fluffy towel and wrapped her hair in a smaller one, then slipped into her house shoes. The water had been extra hot and felt wonderful.
Several days of grime and a layer or two of filth were now off her, as well as any dust of Charles’ remains. She was thankful to be clean again. She dried herself off with the towel and reached for a pair of pajamas from her dresser drawer. Sitting on top of the pile lay an old, well–worn t–shirt. Extra big and extra soft. The shirt sported the logo for a university that she never attended, but that didn’t bother her. It wasn’t her alma–mater. It also wasn’t her shirt. It had belonged to Dixon. Stolen from his laundry long ago.
She put on the shirt and the fabric draped down to her upper thigh. Just perfect to sleep in. Unfortunately, the shirt had stopped smelling like Dixon immediately upon its first wash, but she always enjoyed having it on.
A smile crossed her lips. She didn’t have to settle for only a shirt anymore. His big, strong arms would be around her soon enough. His muscular body would hold her close. Sulie took a cleansing breath as she thought of his muscular body laying in the clinic downstairs. She had washed him from head to toe, and nearly every inch in between. His body was well cut, with six–pack abs. Due to the blood lust he was undergoing, she could tell how rock hard his length had become. If other members of the team had not been in the room with her, she would have had more than just a peak at him when she cut away his underwear.
She pinched her legs together as wetness pooled within her core. She wanted to ride Dixon, and ride him hard all night long. She needed to feel him inside of her. As soon as he felt well, she’d tell him of her feelings and they could be together forever.
Of course, that was assuming he wanted to stay with the Colony. There was no guarantee he would. He may want to travel or live a different life other than one of service to the president.
She brushed aside the worry. Of course, she could always go with him. It had been a long time since she was last in Europe. She had never been to Africa. Certainly there were several parts of the world they could explore together, as well as explore each other’s bodies.
But what if he didn’t want to be with her? He had been married three times in the past. Maybe he didn’t want to complicate their friendship with a romance.
What if she wasn’t even his type? She had never met any of his ex–wives, and he never spoke of them. What if he was looking for someone else? Sulie thought for a second and figured it might be best to wait for Dixon to get accustomed to being a vampire before burdening him with her love.
No. Even if he didn’t want her, she would still tell him and take the risk of rejection. She needed to tell him immediately. She had almost lost him, and he would have died without knowing of her love. She decided to march down to the clinic and tell him.
She caught her fuzzy reflection in the bathroom mirror. The excess water from her hair drizzled down her shoulders and onto the t–shirt she wore. She couldn’t let him see her like this. She needed to look her best.
Rummaging through her closet, she searched for a box she had stored long ago. She had to go through several shoeboxes in her organized closet, but finally found what she was looking for — a peignoir set. She opened the dusty box and pulled it out. Silk, blue, and… Good Lord, were those shoulder pads? She had stored the lingerie so many years ago, it never occurred to her that it would eventually go out of style. She held the outfit up to her body and looked at herself in the full–length mirror in her closet. She didn’t like what she saw. Not because she looked fuzzy in the reflection, but because she looked like a vintage Barbie doll.
She tossed the nightie into the box and let out a deep sigh. She had nothing sexy to wear. There were no lace teddies, no garter belts, no sheer lingerie — not even a thong. Letting out a groan, she realized she had been a soldier for too long. Maybe Dixon only saw her as a soldier, too. Perhaps he didn’t see her as a woman at all.
Then she’d have to show him that she was
all
woman.
No more procrastinating. No more beating around the bush. Her man lay downstairs. The minute Dixon was awake she’d share her feelings with him. He had been given vampire cord blood to start his turning, so she suspected his turn may be faster than others. But, there may still be some time for shopping. Perhaps she could buy something more becoming than a sloppy old t–shirt. She studied her reflection in the mirror. Her hair lay wet, uncombed, and dripping down Dixon’s old shirt. She looked drab and unsexy. She felt her stomach twist when she realized drab and unsexy was exactly how she felt. No wonder Dixon never looked her way.
She now noticed her nails in the mirror, so she held them up and took a good look at them. They were cracked and broken from ripping up floor boards during her captivity. The polish chipped, the nails broken. Maybe there was time for shopping
and
a manicure before she had her talk with Dixon.
The mirror hung crooked, so she straightened it. She furrowed her brow thinking how odd it was. Then, she noticed her hamper was not flush with the closet wall. Who the hell had been in her closet? She spun around quickly taking inventory. The shoeboxes were always in rows of four and now were scattered across the floor, the hospital smocks were always divided by which hospital they belonged to and now they hung mixed up, and her purses… why were they all tangled and hanging on the wall like that?
She took a deep breath to calm her anger. She had been kidnapped. Certainly the team would have gone through her closet and violated her private space in an effort to gather information that may lead to her rescue. She left the closet and scanned the room. Her books lay out of order. Her pillows were no longer in descending order by size and then by color. She cringed when she noticed the wrinkles in the bed and the uneven comforter. Did someone sleep in her bed?
Her hands balled into fists as she made her way to the bed. She threw the biggest of the pillows across the room. Two more pillows followed suit until she sat on the wrinkled comforter and took several deep breaths. She was just about to go through each of her dresser drawers in search of other violations when she heard a knock on her bedroom door. Fearing it was news of Dixon, she raced over. The door nearly flew off its hinges as she yanked it open.
Standing in the hallway, with his butt sticking out of a hospital gown, was the man of her dreams.
*******
Dixon had never seen a more beautiful sight. Sulie was young and vibrant once again, looking about thirty years of age. Her hair cascaded down her cheeks like a waterfall, her skin was soft and begged for his touch, and her plump lips needed to be devoured by his.
He took three quick steps into the room, his hand catching the door and slamming it shut behind him. One step later, he reached out to her and held her in his arms. He then lifted her effortlessly off the ground with his newfound strength and pulled her close to him.
She let out a soft gasp as he claimed her lips with his. The wet shirt she wore, which had clung to her, now pressed into his hospital gown. Her legs molded around his hips as she eagerly kissed him back.
Again Dixon smelled lavender, but much stronger. Maybe it was because Sulie was in his arms, maybe it was due to his heightened vampire senses, he wasn’t sure. He just knew it spurred him on. His hand now moved and cupped her round, firm backside in an effort to hold her better. He let out a growl as he realized the t–shirt was all she wore.
By the time he began moving her to the bed, Sulie had torn into his hospital gown and ripped it so that only the tiny string in the back kept the thin garment straggling behind him as he walked. Her nails scratched and scored his back as she clutched onto him.
Even before they reached the bed, she became a wild woman devouring his mouth and clawing at his back. Her movements matched the raging beast he felt inside. He caught a quick glimpse of her eyes and noticed them blackened with desire. Desire for him.
Dixon pulled away from their kiss only long enough for her to pull her T–shirt over her head and toss it to the ground. He remained too preoccupied with needing to be within her — to feel her, to have her, to become one with her — to notice where the shirt landed.
Her perfectly round breasts pressed against him, and he could feel her pebbled nipples on his chest. He needed to get her to that bed. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been with a woman, and even then he had used Viagra. It had been decades since his manhood throbbed in such a desperate need, if ever. He took a deep breath as he felt her body writhe against his. Her breathing quickened and he sensed desperation in her body as her moistened core rubbed against him.
Even before he got her to the bed, Sulie impaled herself on his swollen manhood, her slick folds engulfing him. He threw his head up as he felt her snugly hug and ride him up and down. She moaned and dug her nails into his back, her hips thrusting up and down rhythmically with her body begging for more.
His passion for her nearly had him stumble. One more step and he managed to tumble onto the soft bed, where he maneuvered her to the center. He heard her moaning as he repeatedly thrust into her. She felt tight, even with her knees held high and her thighs completed folded out to him. Her body stretched to have him fill her completely, all the way to the hilt of him. Her eyes had blackened and he could smell her sweet arousal. Her fangs sprang out. And her body moved in unison with him.
He felt an urgent need. Something he had to do. He watched as she looked away from him and exposed her neck. Her back arched and her hips bucked him faster and faster. She squinted her eyes as he moved his fangs closer her neck. Just before he spread his seed within her, he bit into her vein and tasted her. Her passionate scream echoed in his ear as he felt her spasm beneath him.
Sulie had not expected to see Dixon at her door. His blackened, smoldering eyes had bored into her, and she had gasped at the sight of him. At first, she thought he may be angry with her for having turned him. But, the look he gave her as he strode into the room and closed the door told her otherwise. To have him take her like he had was worth the wait. He had been commanding and strong. The way he had lifted her up and had held her close, the way he had tossed her on the bed… he was all man.
And, he was magnificent! His touch was loving and sweet, as well as commanding and passionate. He had held her close during their lovemaking and it made her feel so loved and desired. It was as though he couldn’t get enough of her. She took a deep breath as the muscles within her core contracted once more. Her orgasm had hit her so strong, and all she wanted was more of him.
She would have accepted him as a human, had even dreamed of such a moment for so long. But he was a vampire now. She had never allowed herself to consider a future with him having been turned. The idea seemed too much to hope for. Even during the throws of passion, she had instinctively turned her head and offered her neck to him, hoping he would claim her with a bite.
His fangs piercing her vein had carried her over the brink of ecstasy. Her back had arched and the spiraling tension of her orgasm had caused her body to undulate on the bed.
Dixon had fangs. He would live forever. And he was with her.
During their lovemaking, he momentarily had pulled slightly away from her, and she had seen the muscles in his neck and jaw tighten as he had thrown his head back, releasing into her. He had growled out her name. That’s when Sulie began to cry.
*******
Dixon lay on top of his one true love recovering from the most erotic and sensual experience he had ever had. Sulie’s arms and legs surrounded him and she held him lovingly in her arms. He felt her body soften under his, her gentle hand caress his back, and heard her sniffle?
He held up his head and studied her. She was crying.
Worrying he may be too heavy, he lifted his body slightly off her. She only held him tighter. He then noticed the blood on her neck, which had trailed down to the comforter and had matted into her wet hair. He had hurt her.
His tongue swiped past his teeth and he noticed his fangs were no longer extended. During their time together, he had only thought of his own needs, the need to bite into her vein. He had been a beast.
Knowing that he could seal the wound, he began licking her neck. In truth, the two holes were already healing, but he finished the job. “I’m so sorry, Sulie.”
She wiped away a tear. “I love you so much, Dixon.”
Those words melted his heart. “I love you too. I’m sorry I bit you.”
“It’s exactly what I wanted.” She placed a hand on his cheek and gazed into his eyes. He noticed a smile curl on her lips. “You do love me. I can feel your love.”
Dixon shifted his hips. “I was hoping you’d feel it.”
He watched as her eyes lit up and she let out a giggle. She looked as lovely as an angel in his arms. Glancing down, he noticed his mother’s locket around her neck — exactly where it needed to be. The heirloom could be passed down to their own daughter one day. A slight smile escaped Dixon’s lips and he fought back a tear. A daughter. A daughter he could have with Sulie.
“I’ve touched you every day for over thirty years,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “This is the first time I’ve been able to medically sense your love for me.”
Dixon felt both of her hands as they caressed his ears and played with the hair at the nape of his neck. He replayed her words in his mind.
Thirty years.
“What?”
She smiled and Dixon thought she almost appeared embarrassed. “I have been in love with you since the first time I laid eyes on you. You were married when you joined the team, so of course I tried to keep my distance. But after your divorce, I tested the waters. I flirted; I volunteered to work alongside you on as many cases as I could. I always would stand or sit close to you. But you never thought of me in any romantic way. You always thought of me as a sister, even after you had aged and I began looking more like a daughter and then eventually more like a granddaughter.”
“Every day? Wait…” Dixon bit his lip and tried to piece together everything. “You’ve been in love with me this long and never said anything?”
“You didn’t love me back. Honestly, if I had told you, would it have made a difference?”
“Hell, yes!” He glanced away and gathered his thoughts. “Maybe not when we first met, since I was married.” He took a deep breath; his eyebrows furrowed. “It definitely would have mattered since my last divorce,” he said sheepishly.
Dixon shifted on the bed so he lay next to her. She curled halfway on him and nuzzled her head into his shoulder.
“There’s a story behind that one,” she challenged. Smiling, she said, “Spill it.”
“It’s embarrassing.” Dixon glanced over to her, and the look she gave him told him he wasn’t going to get off the hook on this one. He sighed and asked, “Do you remember years ago the drug trafficking case with the congressmen and the prostitute ring?”
Sulie furrowed her brow for a moment, but then finally asked, “The one involving the two crooked judges?”
“Yes. The FBI agents stayed in the hotel room and I stayed with you in the adjacent room giving you some last minute instructions.”
“The towel?” she laughed.
Dixon nodded. “You were going to compel a confession on tape and the only thing you were wearing dropped to the floor.”
“Oh, I do remember that,” she gave him a guilty smile, her hand caressing his chest.
“Your naked image is burned into my mind.” He looked down at her naked body. “I do have a good memory. I even remembered your birthmark.” He let out a deep sigh and confessed, “After the case ended, I went home and I was… intimate with my wife. I called out your name in bed. I accidentally saw you naked. It wasn’t something that I had planned and, well, that mental slip cost me my marriage. She believed we were having an affair.”
Sulie’s eyes widened. “I would have explained everything to your wife. I could have compelled her to believe the truth. You could still be married if you had only asked me to help you.”
He shook his head. “You don’t understand. I didn’t want to involve you in any way. My first duty was to protect the Colony. That’s why none of you ever met the woman. Besides, my ex–wife would have found another excuse to divorce me. We weren’t right for each other and overall I wasn’t sad the marriage ended.” Dixon took in a deep breath. “And truth be known, I did want you.” He caressed her thigh. “I wanted you for a long time. I just filled my head with useless math and technical stuff so I wouldn’t think of you in such a way. I mentally put you on the never–to–be–thought–about list and you became like a sister to me.”
Dixon’s hand continued caressing and he found his way on top of her once again, impressed that his body was ready to make love to her once more. His desire and stamina were heightened due to his turn and he felt more vibrant than ever before. He began by kissing her chest, suckling on each rounded nipple as she spread her thighs for him. He then moved his lips slowly down past her slender waist and hips. His hot breath touching her slickened core had her gasp out his name, but before he could lavish her with his mouth, she stopped him.
“I have to tell you something,” Sulie said in a softened tone. “And, I’m so sorry. But I dropped the towel on purpose.”
His head quickly turned towards hers. “What?”
“I didn’t know my action would hurt you. I was only playing around.”
He slid his body on top of hers so he could look into her blackened, sexy eyes. “You’ve been in love with me ever since you dropped that towel?” When she gave him a sly smile he added, “That was so long ago. All that wasted time.”
“I am so sorry.”
“You should have told me you loved me back then. I should have told you my feelings as well, but I was only a human,” he smiled at her.
“I fell in love with you as a human and would have accepted you as such.”
Dixon choked up, but said, “I felt like I had nothing to offer you as a human. That you could do so much better.”
She playfully slapped him on his face. “Don’t say such things. Besides, I deemed you worthy. It wasn’t like I wanted or had a line of men waiting in the wings to date me.”
She certainly hadn’t, and now it all made sense to Dixon. Something else occurred to him, though. “I haven’t really dated since that marriage ended. Did you compel women to stay away from me?”
Her eyes widened. “No. Of course not. Even though you didn’t love me, I did want you to be happy. I would never do anything devious behind your back.” She bit her lips. “Ok, I’m not proud of this, but I swear it’s the only thing I’ve ever done to you without your knowledge. And knowing the outcome, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Dixon wasn’t sure where this was going, but he loved this woman. “What did you do?”
“Devolixion.”
“My cholesterol drug?”
She gave him a slight pat on his chest. “Devolixion wasn’t for your cholesterol.”
“What was it for?”
“Nothing. I made the drug up. Corn syrup and…,” she took a deep breath. “Corn syrup and my blood.”
Dixon’s body quickly stiffened as he lay next to her. “What?”
“Just a precautionary drug in case you died. I would be able to turn you. The name is an anagram of
’I love Dixon’
.”
He let out a sigh. “That’s how you managed it. I’ve been taking that drug three times a day for years.”
“I know. I would have told you my feelings, but I never sensed your feelings of love for me before. You covered them up well.” Her fingers danced along his chest. “When did you start to love me?”
He caressed her shoulder. “I think I’ve always loved you. I just knew it when I thought I’d lose you to Charles.” He felt a pain in his chest. “Did you love him?”
“At the time, I thought I did.” She bit her lip and gave a sigh. “My parents arranged the marriage. It was supposed to be a good match, but my feelings for him weren’t really love,” she said.
Dixon shook his head. “I’m not talking about when you were a kid. I’m talking about now. Did you love him now?”
“No.” she said adamantly.
“But you married him. The Council approved your marriage. Raymond found the signed marriage certificate. I had no idea you wanted a husband and a family. But him…”
She put a finger up to his lips. “I only married him to save your life, Dixon. And, thanks to you, the marriage existed only on paper. I was widowed before the marriage could be consummated.” She gave him a questioning glance. “How did you know about the Verheiratet Schlange and the marriage?”
“Raymond told me about the list after you were taken. Just now he was removing your name and couldn’t find you. He then searched and found your marriage certificate. I barely had enough time to rip the tubes from my arm before I raced upstairs to find you.” Dixon paused a moment. “I told your brother my feelings for you. He said he could hear them in my thoughts, but he really didn’t seem surprised.”
Sulie let out a giggle. “Of course not.”
A moment of silence occurred, and Dixon wondered what she had meant by that. Finally, he asked, “What do you mean ’of course not’?”
“Didn’t you ever notice, or wonder why, a seat was always left for me next to you during poker and movie nights? Why every time we met at McGreggor’s Pub after work I always sat next to you?”
Dixon scratched his head. “I never thought about it.”
“You were so adorably clueless at times and it used to irritate me. Everyone in this house has known for decades about how I feel about you. They swore they’d never tell you, but they made sure you had every opportunity to develop feelings for me.”
“Wait, you mean to tell me that…,” he thought about all the years, all the movies, all the poker, “… that everyone, including my best friend, knew you loved me, but I didn’t?”
Sulie’s mouth gaped open. “Oh, it wasn’t like we wanted to hurt you. I had them promise not to tell. I wanted your love to be genuine.”
Dixon thought about many side comments and half jokes he had heard, and dismissed, over the years. Everyone. Everyone knew but him. “Good Lord I was an idiot,” he said, covering his eyes and shaking his head.
“But a brave idiot. You did the one thing I couldn’t do,” she said, nuzzling into his neck. “You told me immediately how you felt.” She slid her legs over his and began licking his neck. “I was too scared to risk losing you as a friend.”
His hand slid down her slender waist, and he guided her on top of his hard and vibrant body. His heart raced and he closed his now blackening eyes. He felt her licks as though she was concentrating her tongue on other body parts, and his body responded. As she straddled him, he reached over and spanked her playfully on her firm, bare bottom.
One eyebrow rose and hid behind her cascading locks. “What was that for? Keeping secrets or the towel?” she answered playfully back.
“For taking so damn long to tell me you love me.”