“You don’t have to lie to me.” Hurt seeped into her words regardless of her desire to hide her feelings. They were too close to the surface. This incredible situation and incredible man were doing things to her emotions that she couldn’t control.
He drew back, his face hovering above hers where she could see more of his expression. His eyes were clear, gleaming orbs in the darkness, the tight lines around his mouth showing clearly how tense and tired he was.
“I do not lie. When we first touched, I knew there was something different about you. You drew me, Lissa, unlike any woman in many, many years. I wanted you from the moment I saw you, though I’d planned only to track you down at the hotel, cloud your mind and drink of your essence. But now that I’ve tasted you, I doubt I could’ve stopped there. Had we not been in the wreck I would still have found you and wanted to bed you. Your warmth and energy are tantalizing to me.”
“Really?” Her voice was small, her feelings unsure, but she was fascinated by the idea of what he’d have done if they hadn’t been in a wreck. He might’ve come to her and she would have had no memory of this elegant, strong, incredible man.
All in all, she was glad now for the wreck, if only because he hadn’t been able to cloud her mind. She wanted to remember every moment with this man, to hold against the years in the future. She was sure she would never meet another like him.
His very existence proved to her that magic was real—not only the magic of the vampire, but the magic of him. He was everything she’d ever dreamed of in a man, and never dared hope for. She knew there was no future for them, but for this one moment out of time, she could experience what it was like to be held in his arms, to be made love to the way she’d dreamed of all her life. It was worth the risk to her heart, though she suspected it would be very easy to fall in love with him. But it was a chance she was willing to take.
Whenever he touched her, unearthly flames licked over her senses, warming her soul. Lissa didn’t understand it at all, but reveled in the feel of his hands, his quiet strength. She wanted this dark stranger. She wanted him inside her with a passion unknown to her.
“Yes, sweet Lissa.” His voice drifted over her. “I would have ravished you in the dark, given half a chance.”
His words ignited a frenzy of need in her body. She could no more deny him than she could deny the fire racing through her veins. She reached for him, needy, yearning.
“Please,” she said simply, suspecting he could see every nuance of her thought process in her expression. It was obvious now that he could see much better in the dark than she. It was yet another tidbit of memory about this experience she would file away to recall later, when he was gone from her life.
He bent, kissing the smile from her lips, inflaming her with a fever she’d never known, but had always yearned for in her dreams. His fire licked over her senses as his tongue dueled with hers. His teeth were sharp, reminding her of the way he’d bitten her and made her come, but she wasn’t frightened. Far from it.
“Your skin is like silk, sweet Lissa,” he whispered against her skin as he moved down her body, placing nibbling kisses down across her collarbones and onto the swell of her breasts. His hands stroked lower, first circling her hips, then delving between her legs, urging her to spread them for his passage. Lissa was beyond shyness, beyond any thought of demur. This man aroused her passion unlike any other man she’d ever known. She knew she was already slick and when his fingers encountered the evidence of her desire, he raised his head to stare into her eyes. He was so close, she could see the excited sparkle in his gaze, pinning her beneath him with the gentlest touch.
“Please…” she gasped. She wasn’t sure what she was begging for exactly, but she knew he could provide it. He was the answer to all things at that moment.
“Yes, sweet Lissa. You’re ready and I can’t wait. I have no finesse. Forgive me.” He slipped one finger into her channel. “But I need to know.” His words registered dimly as he kissed her again, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth the way she wanted him to thrust himself inside
her
. The lascivious thought made her squirm as that first finger was joined by another, sliding in rhythm in and out of her channel. She wanted him bad and his stroking only made the yearning worse.
“Please!” she cried out.
“Say yes. I need to hear it from your lips.”
She could barely talk, let alone think. He’d driven her passion higher, faster, than she’d ever experienced. Yet, his patience was impressive. He waited, even though it had to be clear she was his for the taking. His hard cock rubbed against the skin of her thigh as he moved closer, bobbing, stroking and driving her insane. She had to have him now, but he waited for her permission.
He removed the fingers tormenting her, moving over her so he could fit his hard length into the space made for him. She tried to move down onto him, but his strength denied her. Her frustration level rose higher and higher as she strained toward him. Finally, she could take no more.
“Yes! Dammit, yes!” She panted against him. “Come into me now.”
With an animalistic growl, he pushed forward, breaching the tightness of her body with a slow, firm, inward thrust.
Even in his passion, he moved carefully, lest he hurt her. He’d felt how tight she was with his fingers. He knew she’d have trouble taking him at first, but she’d adapt, and come to love his possession. He’d make her sing out in joy when she came around him, and he could hardly wait to bring her with him, over the edge into bliss.
But first, he had to get fully inside. He thrust shallowly, reveling in the feel of her passage. She was tight, but her maidenhead was absent. She’d had other men before him. With a wave of dominance, he was glad she’d have something to compare him with. This way, she’d know their joining was nothing ordinary.
No, this joining would be of epic proportions. He felt the heat rising already. Things were churning inside him in a way that was new to him and the boost to his energies coming from their joining spiked higher, like nothing he’d expected.
It was even better than the best he’d ever had. Stronger, more fulfilling and hotter than hell.
He let himself dare to hope that she might be the One. He didn’t need the final sign that would come with climax, to know it in his heart. She was his One. He could feel it in his bones as he began to thrust deeper, keeping time with her cries of passion.
“Are you with me, sweetheart?”
He needed her to look at him, even though she could barely make him out in the darkness of the cave. But he needed to see her sparkling eyes as his body joined fully with hers this first time.
“I’m with you.” Her words were faint gasps of air as she climbed ever higher with him.
“My name is Atticus,” he told her, thrusting hard and deep, fully embedding himself as if he would never leave. “Say my name, Lissa. I need to hear it on your lips.”
She panted. “Atticus.” Her inner muscles clenched around him as she rose higher still. “Faster, Atticus. I need it harder.” Her words were heated whispers of delight and yearning.
He complied with a groan of satisfaction, seating himself deep. He pumped hard, reaching into her mind with his to know when and how she wanted him to thrust. But her thoughts were in perfect alignment with his and he noted the ease with which he accessed her mind as yet another sign that she was his One.
The thought brought him to a trembling precipice. She was right there with him. With a final push, he tumbled over the edge, his body spurting inside her as she screamed in ecstasy, clenching around him.
He hadn’t come so hard in years, if ever. And she loved every minute of it. He could feel the satisfaction in her mind—a mirror of his.
Magnificent, joyous union. At last.
Pathways opened between their two souls, joining them together for all time. He realized with a blinding flash that he had full access to her memories now, as if they were his own. He wondered if she would have the same access to his mind. The thought gave him pause. Some of his memories were too grim to share with such a kind and gentle woman.
She was such a bright beacon of hope in his otherwise dark world. He didn’t want to subject her to his memories, including centuries of living in a world that had been sometimes harsh, and even inhuman. He doubted she could accept the more sinister parts of his long existence.
“Don’t think that, Atticus.” She shocked him with her words as she stroked his chest with trembling fingers. “There is no part of you that I couldn’t accept.”
“Then you share my mind?” His heart opened in joy at the thought. He’d found her at last. Joined in mind, they were truly One.
“How could I not? I was more than a little psychic even before the wreck. I knew there was something different about you the moment you stepped on my foot.”
He chuckled and moved his heavy weight off her, settling at her side.
“Psychic?” He stroked her shoulder as he contemplated the ramifications. He hadn’t realized she had any kind of extrasensory abilities, but he could read now, the way her gift had helped her in the past. His new mate was full of surprises that he would spend the rest of their years discovering.
“It runs in my family. But I’ve never experienced anything like what just happened, or what I’m learning now, seeing inside your memories. It’s amazing. And a bit overwhelming.” Softened with awe, her voice washed over him.
“Do you understand what you see in my memories? Do you understand that you are my One? My
raison d’etre
? My everything?” Anxiety filled him as he waited for her all-important reply.
She rose to lean over him this time, stroking his bristly cheek with reassurance. “When we climaxed together, it all came to me in a blinding rush. I’ll admit, there are some things I’ll have to think through and sort out, but the most important thing is that my heart recognized you, Atticus. Not only am I your One, but you’re mine.” She leaned down to kiss his lips sweetly. “And I want you to bring me over.”
He sucked in a breath of shock. “Are you sure?”
If she drank his blood, she would become immortal too. They would share eternity—together.
He’d planned to talk her into it in time. It was a big change for a human, and he hadn’t wanted to push. Now she’d broadsided him with her decision and her delighted chuckle told him as clearly as the mischievous thoughts in her mind that she enjoyed it.
“Yes, I’m sure, Atticus. I love you.”
The vacant place in his soul suddenly filled with her blindingly bright light.
The most sacred quest of his long lifetime had ended, and now he could get on with living and enjoying his immortal existence with a woman he loved by his side.
“I love you, Lissa. And I always will.”
She lightened his heart as he pulled her over him. With a sharp thrust, he brought them together once more, both ready for more. Sharing minds made all aspects of life better, they discovered as his cock drove home where it belonged, right up inside her, as far as nature allowed. She squirmed in delight. Her body knew his. It recognized its other half.
It was a slow joining, a lazy thrust and return that they both wanted to draw out.
“When you make me a vampire, will I have to suck other people’s blood?” She didn’t sound too thrilled with the idea, and he easily read the aversion to touching other men in her mind, which pleased him greatly.
“Now that we are One, you need only drink my blood. Our love and our blood will sustain us both now.”
“So no more biting the necks of women you don’t know?”
He grinned as he brought her higher with a deep thrust. “No, love. Just you. And I’ll bite,” he pulled her down so her heavy breasts were inches away from his mouth, “only you. All of you. From here to forever.” He reached up with his tongue and licked her nipples, pulling each deep into his mouth in turn, as she moaned above him.
She began to ride him, her breath hissing out as her pleasure rose, and he reveled in the wicked thoughts in her mind. His girl liked it a little kinky, it seemed. They’d have centuries together—Lady willing
¾
to explore all their shared desires. Atticus liked the wicked thoughts in her mind that marched so well with his own tastes. That they were compatible in this way was only more proof that she had been made just for him.
“You’re a naughty girl, aren’t you?” He liked the way Lissa gasped, her skin heating. He knew she was both embarrassed and enthralled by the idea of playing sexy games with him. “Answer me, sweetheart.” A tinge of dominance filled his tone and he felt her clench around him. No doubt about it. She liked it.
“Yes, Atticus. I’ve been bad.”
“Very bad,” he agreed with a satisfied smile. They were definitely both on the same page. “Now what do we do with bad girls?” He let the words draw out as he slowed his upward thrusts, holding her on a knife’s edge of pleasure. She moaned and he sensed words were beyond her at this point. “Do you want to feel the force of my hand on this pretty ass, sweetheart? Is that what you want? Do you want a spanking?”
Her eyes closed as she clenched and threw her head back. “Yes!”
That’s all he needed to hear. Atticus swatted her ass and urged her to ride him faster. She began to whimper and moan on every deep thrust and every hard spank. Atticus tongued her nipples then grazed his fangs over the soft flesh on the side of one full breast, drawing just a bit of blood that he greedily lapped up.
She loved it. He read the exciting flash of sexy pain that thrilled her, and the resulting pleasure as he stroked his tongue over her soft skin in her chaotic thoughts. He smacked her ass then moved one hand around to search out her little clit. Unerringly, he grasped the tiny button, squeezing hard and making her come with a delicious shout that echoed through the dark cavern.
He followed her into madness as he shot his seed deep inside his mate.
His One and only.
Chapter Three
By nightfall, they were both back to full strength, though Lissa knew she would bear some black and blue bruises from the accident for the next few days. Atticus had discussed their next move with her and they’d decided to leave some evidence of her adventure for the human authorities to see. They would, no doubt, have been searching for her since the wreck that had claimed so many lives. Luckily, no one but the driver had known Atticus was on the shuttle bus, since his decision to go up to the resort had been a last minute thing.
As a result, they decided to placate the authorities with a story that made some sense, though it was admittedly sketchy. They arrived at Atticus’s home just after sunset. To say it was a mansion was an understatement. The European-styled villa was set in the midst of a picturesque vineyard and both the house and manicured landscape took her breath away.
Opening the grand door, Atticus whisked her into his arms and carried her over the threshold. It was a romantic, old world gesture that brought tears to her eyes.
“Welcome home, love.” He paused to kiss her, keeping her in his arms as he kicked the door shut and carried her into a spacious living room. The kiss grew bolder as he lowered her to a soft, wide couch. She could feel the conflict inside him. He wanted to call the authorities on one hand, to begin the process of making her completely well. On the other hand, he shared the raging desire burning in her own blood to make love here and now
¾
to claim her without further delay.
“Yes, Atticus. Yes.” She stroked his skin, taking the decision out of his hands. “Make love to me.”
“Are you certain?” He pulled back only slightly. “I don’t want to hurt you. I hated to leave even one small bruise on your skin when I could easily have healed them all.”
“You could never hurt me,” she reassured him. “And we needed to leave some of the bruises to show the nice ambulance men,” she teased with a coy smile. “But I want you now, Atticus. I don’t want to have to wait until they let me out of the hospital. I can’t go two minutes without wanting you. I’m addicted to you.” She laughed to ease his strain, cupping his cheek and looking deep into his mesmerizing eyes.
“You do the same to me, Lissa, and it’s an addiction I pray never to quit.” He swooped in for a devastating kiss, aligning his body with hers on the plush sofa. “I can’t resist you. But we do this my way. I don’t want you in any pain whatsoever.”
“Whatever you say… Master.” She gave him a saucy smile as she read his need for domination in their shared minds. She was getting better at reading him the more they were together, though the idea that they were One still boggled her mind.
He growled and nipped her neck playfully, then worked his way down her body. They were both naked and he took full advantage, pausing to lick one pointy nipple into his mouth, then the other until she was writhing on the soft fabric.
“Please…” she moaned in need.
“Don’t move.” Atticus left her sensitive breasts, nipping the swell of her tummy next as he worked his way downward. Strong hands pushed her thighs apart until one foot rested over the back of the sofa, the other on the floor. Then his mouth was on her, sucking her, his tongue stroking with flickering little licks that set her on fire.
Her passion rose like a skyrocket, bursting into a little explosion even as he pushed one long finger into the slick heat that was more than ready for deeper invasion.
“Atticus!” He rode her through the tiny storm, letting the waves break only to build again, stronger than before. She could feel him holding back, letting her pleasure override his own through their bond, and she loved him for it. He was so afraid he might inadvertently hurt her. The care he showed her was a beautiful thing and she was humbled by it, but she wanted him. She didn’t want to wait any longer for his possession.
Atticus growled as he sat up. “This isn’t going to work.” He ran one hand raggedly through his hair. The gesture was endearing considering his frustration was all because of his care for her. Lissa followed him, crawling over him until she was seated on his lap. She’d never been so aggressive in lovemaking before, but she knew he liked it. He was probably as surprised as she was by her actions, but definitely fired up as she straddled his straining erection.
“I know you wanted to do this your way, but I like my way better.” She stroked his cheek with hers, rubbing against him like a cat. She felt so sexy in that moment, it was a wonder she didn’t purr. The silly thought brought a smile to her lips as she licked over his firm jaw and down to his neck. Two could play the neck nibbling game, though her teeth were admittedly not up to the task the way his were. Still, the sensation of her blunt teeth over his skin seemed to inflame him.
“Harder,” he urged her, when she bit down on the muscle where his neck met his strong shoulder. She obliged, noting the little dents her teeth made in his skin as she pulled back.
“I think I’m going to love biting you after you change me.”
He stilled. “You really want that? You’ll join me in my darkness?”
“I’ll join you in the dark, in candlelight, in the ocean, in an airplane. Anywhere you are, I’ll be there.” She gave him a shy look from under her eyelashes, playing with him. “If you want me.”
“If I want you?” He growled and flipped her over his legs, ass up. He swatted her butt and made her squeal with pleasure. “Woman! How could you doubt it? I’ll gladly join the mile high club with you. I have a friend with a very nice jet he’d be willing to loan us. Just name the date.”
She giggled as he rubbed her stinging bottom, then spanked her again.
“Are you laughing at me, Lissa?” His mock outrage made her laugh harder as her breathing sped. His hand came down in sharp slaps against the fleshy part of her ass, driving her higher.
She loved it. She didn’t understand it. She’d never been spanked by any man before Atticus, but with him, it just felt right…and really, really exciting.
“I asked you a question, wench.”
She had to think back to remember what he’d been saying as his hand landed a few more times. She was more than hot at this point. She was steaming and ready for anything he could give her.
“Um…”
“What was that? I asked you if you were laughing at me, sweetheart.”
“No. No, I’m not laughing at you.” She gasped as his fingers began to travel the crack of her ass, dipping within the slick heart of her to tickle and tease, making her yearn for more. “Please, Atticus! I need you now.”
“Are you sure? Do you think you’ve been a good girl? Do you deserve a treat?”
She could have slapped him when he laughed, but she knew it was all in good fun. Still, she wasn’t feeling very humorous at the moment. No, at the moment, she needed him inside her. She needed him. Period.
He toyed with her, his fingers driving her crazy—a poor substitute for what she really wanted. She wiggled and moaned, but he was merciless.
“Atticus… Please.”
He finally took pity on her, lifting her up and placing her on her back, positioning her like a rag doll. He was so strong, he took her breath away. Yet he was as gentle with her as if he handled the most delicate crystal. He paused above her, his hard cock so close to where she wanted it most, but he made her look into his eyes as he braced himself above her on his elbows.
“I love you, Lissa.”
Her heart melted. “I love you too.” Her pledge was spoken in a whisper, stronger for its emotional depth. She felt their words ringing through the bond they shared, making it stronger. “Come to me, Atticus. I need you.”
“I’ll always need you,” he confirmed as he took her lips and claimed her body with one smooth move. He pushed inside her, sliding easily in the thick arousal he’d caused. She moaned as she felt him slide all the way home. Where he belonged.
The ride was only just beginning. Atticus paused for just a moment as he kissed her long and deep, but soon he was thrusting in long sweeps, almost pulling out only to plunge home again, over and over. She cried out and wriggled under him as his motions drew her higher. He knew just how to move to give her the most pleasure.
That this spectacular man was all hers only heightened her passion. She’d known him such a short time, but time meant little to something as powerful as their love. Their joined souls meant they knew the core of each other’s personality without even trying. They were truly One.
She felt his raging desire as a reflection of her own as he drove them both faster and higher. She clutched at his shoulders as he lowered his head, stroking his tongue over her neck as the sharp points of his fangs dropped to zing her with little pinpricks of unexpected pleasure before sinking deep into her jugular.
The moment he struck, her orgasm began and it went on and on while he sucked at the sensitive skin of her neck. She felt him come as he pulled her essence into himself, bathing her in a wash of his pleasure. Lissa cried out at the wonder of their shared souls, their shared passion, their shared bodies. She loved this man more than anyone or anything she’d ever known and would for the rest of their days.
Atticus withdrew his teeth from her skin and licked over the wounds, sparking closure of her wounds so there was no mark left to mar her skin or betray his predilection for biting her. She was too sated to do more than follow when he lifted her over his body, changing their position so she’d be more comfortable as her eyes closed and sleep overtook her.
“I’ve been granted a miracle, Lissa. I love you more than life and I’ll never let you go. Never.” He kissed her temple as he settled her over his heart.
The last thing she heard as she drifted off was his words of love. She slept against her mate with a smile curving her lips.
Much later, Atticus placed calls to both the resort and the police, spinning a tale about how Lissa had just shown up on his doorstep out of the blue. Atticus brought her to the bedroom he kept above ground and gave her some of his clothes to wear. She had just enough time to clean up while an ambulance was summoned. His shirt was too large for her as she emerged from the bathroom of the master suite and she looked adorable in it.
“They’ll be here soon, my love. Undoubtedly, they’ll want you to go to the hospital, maybe even keep you there until tomorrow.” He took her hand, drawing her down to sit beside him on the downy bed. “I regret I cannot go with you, but it wouldn’t make much sense to the authorities. I don’t want to raise any sort of suspicion. Plus, it’s bound to take a while for them to reassure themselves that you’re all right. Likely they won’t let me be near you while they run their tests and it could take all night.” He shrugged. “The police will likely want to take my statement and check my land, so I’ll need to be here to show them around. I could cloud their minds, of course, and the people at the hospital, but crowds are tricky. If I miss even one mind, I could be putting us both in danger of discovery. It’s safer for me to remain here, all things considered. Being caught out in the sun is dangerous for my kind, as it will be for you once you are turned.”
She smiled, assuring him of her love. “I’ll enjoy the sun for a few days yet, but I won’t miss it too much, if I can have you in return.”
“You’ll always have me, my love.” He drew her knuckles to his lips in a gentle kiss. “Once you square things away with the hotel, I want you to come back to me. Tomorrow night, I want you to lie beside me, here, in our home.”
“I want the same thing, Atticus. I’ll get my stuff from the hotel and be knocking on your door right as the sun goes down.”
He drew away to reach into his trouser pocket, producing a set of keys as they both stood. “You don’t ever have to knock. What’s mine is yours. This is your house too. You will make it a home as it has never been…until now.” He pressed the ring of keys into her palm, closing her fingers around the cold metal while her eyes filled with tears.
She hugged him close, burying her face against his chest. He held her for long moments, until at last, he heard the buzzer that indicated a vehicle was at the gate leading to his estate.
“They’re here.”
“I know.” She pulled away with a sad expression on her lovely face. “But I don’t want to leave you.”
“I will be near, Lissa. Wherever you go, from now until eternity, all you have to do is reach out with your mind and I’ll be there. We are One. In time, we’ll learn how to manage the joining better, but for now, just think of me and I will be with you.”
“Same goes for me, Atticus.”
She drew back and they walked from the bedroom, down a long hall and into the main area of the house. Atticus flicked a button on the way, releasing the gate so the authorities could make their way up the drive. They’d have to act like mere acquaintances while the humans sniffed around their home. Atticus had lived long enough to know when the wiser course of action was to play by human rules and this was one of those times.
His new mate was human and had family and friends. They had to be careful how they managed her conversion so she could keep her human contacts for at least the length of her normal lifespan. After sufficient years had passed, they could reinvent themselves, as Atticus had done many times in the past. It was tricky to manage turning a human without cutting them off from all previous ties, but for Lissa, he would do anything. She deserved to keep her friends and family in her life and he wouldn’t make her chose between them and him—if a true mate really had a choice. He knew full well, she didn’t. Neither did he. They were destined for each other.
The police car came into view and Atticus went to meet them at the door. He paused before opening the portal, turning to look at her as she climbed under a blanket he’d spread on the wide couch.
“I love you more than I can ever express.”
Her eyes filled again as her gaze met his. “Me too, Atticus.” She sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of one hand as she pulled the cover up to her chin. “Let’s get this over with. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can return…to you.”
“Atticus?”
“Here, my love.”
His deep voice purred through their shared minds.
“How are you holding up?”