The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo (Love at Stake) (23 page)

She smiled, even though her face was growing hot. “You want me to desire you?”

“Aye.”

Her skin tingled, and she wondered how quickly she could make his eyes turn red. With her fingertips, she traced the dragon where it curled around his chest. “Should I feel uncontrollable lust for you?”

“Aye.”

His eyes were still green. She rubbed his nipple. “Should I have wild and crazy sex with you?”

“Aye. Please.”

Still no change in his eyes. She smoothed her hand up to his face. “Should I confess to being madly in love with you?”

His eyes glowed red.

Bingo.
Another tear rolled down her face. “Were ye waiting to hear the word
love
?”

“Aye.” He cradled her face with his hands. “I’ve been praying ye could love me. For I love you with all my heart and soul.”

“Oh, Dougal.” More tears escaped, and he wiped them away.

“Leah.” He kissed her gently, then sat back and grasped the lapels of her lab coat. “May I?”

“Yes.” In two seconds, her lab coat was on the floor.

He kissed her again, then his fingers trailed down the front of her T-shirt, lingering over her breasts, then moving down to grab the hem. “May I?”

She smiled. “Yes.” She lifted her arms as he whisked the T-shirt over her head, then tossed it on the floor.

Again he kissed her and smoothed his hands down to her bra. Under the thin silk, her nipples pebbled.

“Look at that,” he whispered, rubbing his thumb over the hardened tip.

She sucked in shuddering breath. Moisture pooled between her legs.

His hands moved to the bra clasp on her back. “May I?”

“God, yes! Please!”

He unhooked her bra and flung it across the room. “Och, so lovely.” He cupped her breasts, stroking the nipples with his thumbs. His eyes glowed a brighter red.

She squeezed her thighs together. “I can’t take it anymore.” She unfastened her jeans and pulled down the zipper.

“I was going to do that.”

“You’re too slow!” She wiggled, pushing the jeans over her hips.

“Ye’re complaining already? We’ve barely gotten started.” He stood and grasped the hem of her jeans. With a hard tug, he pulled them off so fast that she fell onto her back. “Ye realize now that ye’ve insulted my manhood.”

She rose up onto her elbows. “I haven’t even seen your manhood. ’Cause you’re too slow!”

His mouth twitching, he grasped her ankles and lifted them up to his face. “As the injured party, I have the right to demand compensation.” He nipped at her big toe.

More moisture seeped from her core. “What would you like?”

“To do as I please.” He tickled her instep with his tongue, and her leg jerked in response.

“You wish.”

“I do wish.” He smoothed his hands down her legs to her hips, where he grabbed her underwear. In a few seconds he had them tossed aside, and he grasped her ankles again.

Her heart raced, and her breathing grew erratic.

Slowly he spread her legs and looked at her.

She shuddered.

“Och, lass. Ye’ve been shorn like a sheep.” He rested her ankles on his shoulders while he touched her smooth waxed skin, then stroked the narrow strip of hair.

“Dougal.” She pressed her heels into his shoulders, lifting her hips. “Please. Hurry.”

“If ye’re going to keep complaining, I’ll have to make you scream.”

She hissed in a breath when his fingers slid between her folds. “I—I’m complaining.”

“Och, ye’re so slippery and wet. I can see it. And smell it. ’Tis like rich, sweet honey.”

“
I’m complaining
!”

“Are ye now?” He pinched her clitoris, and her heart stuttered. “Did ye want to scream, lass?”

“Yes,” she squeaked.

He kneeled beside the bed and pulled her core to his face.

She squirmed under the onslaught of his mouth and tongue. He tickled, sipped, and nibbled till she was panting for air and whimpering. It was too much, too glorious, too exquisite.

A keening cry escaped when he latched onto her clitoris and suckled hard. Tension coiled, then shattered with a climax that made her scream.

With her eyes shut, she drifted in a sensual sea of aftershocks, her body sated and throbbing, and her heart pounding. As her breathing returned to normal, she opened her eyes and found him standing naked by the side of the bed.

“Oh my gosh,” she breathed. He was huge. Totally erect and magnificent. She scooted back. “Holy crapoly.”

He frowned. “Are ye complaining again?”

A smile tugged at her mouth. “Yes. Definitely. You’re way too big.”

“Am I?” He climbed onto the bed on all fours.

“Yes. And much too gorgeous.”

He pushed her onto her back and moved between her legs. “Then I’ll have to demand compensation.”

Thank God. “I never knew you could be so demanding. That was another complaint, you know.”

His mouth twitched. “All I want, lass, is to give you all the pleasure ye can bear.”

“I can take it.” She reached down to stroke his erection. “How much can you bear?”

He sucked in a breath. “No’ much. I’m about to explode.” He moved her hand to his chest. “Ye’ll have to molest me later.”

“You wish.”

“I do wish.” He fitted himself at the entrance to her core. “Are ye ready?”

“Yes.” She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

“Leah.” He eased inside a few inches, and his eyes glowed a deep red. “I’ll never lose you again.”

Again?
She started to question him, but gasped when he plunged inside. He was so big, she was grateful when he stayed still for a moment so she could adjust.

“Are ye all right?” he whispered, his breath feathering her ear.

“Yes.” She smoothed her hands over his back, feeling the welts that crisscrossed his skin.

“I love you.” He kissed a path down her neck.

“I love you, too.”

“Leah.” He nuzzled her breasts, then drew a nipple into his mouth to suckle.

With a moan she dug her heels into his back and rocked against him.

He responded, withdrawing almost completely before plunging back in.

“Dougal.” She gripped him tighter.

He kissed her while he withdrew once again at an agonizingly slow pace.

“Oh, God, faster. Please.”

“Are ye complaining?” He kissed her brow. “Shall I make ye scream?”

“Yes!” She gasped when he plunged inside, then continued to thrust at a faster and faster pace. Deeper and deeper.

Her climax hit suddenly with a force that stole her breath and left her dazed, with stars spinning around her head. With a groan, he pumped into her, then collapsed, half sprawled, on top of her.

“Holy crapoly,” she whispered. She’d never known sex could be this good. But then, she’d never been in love like this before.

A kernel of fear lodged in her heart. The more she loved, the more vulnerable she was. The more her heart would break if anything—she pushed those thoughts away. She was always thinking too fast and getting ahead of herself.

She tightened her grip around Dougal’s neck. He loved her. She loved him. And they were perfect for each other. That was all she needed to think. This was a time to feel. And she had never felt so loved and cherished.

He eased himself off her and gathered her in his arms. “Are ye all right?”

“Mmm.” She smoothed a hand over his choco-abs and looked at his face. His eyes were glittering green, and his hair was wild about his shoulders. “That was the best.”

“The best is yet to come.” He lifted his head to kiss her. “Do ye have any food here?”

“Some chips. Frozen pizza.” She propped herself on an elbow to look at him. “Why do you ask? You don’t eat real food.”

“I have a bottle in my sporran.” He brushed her hair back from her brow. “I was worried about you keeping yer strength up. I’ll be ready to go again in a few minutes.”

“Really?”

“Aye. I’ve waited almost three hundred years for you. Ye think once is going to be enough?”

She smiled. Forever would be long enough.

“Beside, ye’re with a Vamp now.” He fondled her breast. “And we can go all night long.”

“Hmm.” She slid her hand down to his groin. “As a scientist, I may have to put your theory to the test.”

He hissed in a breath as she stroked him. “I willna let you down.” He hardened in her hand.

“Wow. You passed.”

His eyes turned red. “I’m just barely getting started.”

Chapter Twenty-two

D
ougal grew increasingly frustrated over the next few nights. With all the busy preparations going on and lack of privacy at the townhouse, he couldn’t find another opportunity to be alone with Leah.

One night had not been enough. He couldn’t see her on the monitor without longing to touch her. He couldn’t sit with her in the kitchen without hungering for her.

After a long night of lovemaking, he knew every inch of her body. How she felt and tasted. The softness of her breasts tipped with hardened nipples and the sweet taste of her core when its folds grew swollen and slick for want of him.

He knew how to make her moan and incite her to scream. He knew how to drive her over the edge, and he’d watched all the expressions that flitted over her beautiful face as she journeyed from pleasant arousal to a frantic, desperate climax. But even knowing all that, it still wasn’t enough. He needed more.

Three more nights had passed, and he was sitting with her in the kitchen while she ate a grilled chicken salad he’d teleported in from the Romatech cafeteria.

“We’ve produced enough serum to treat fifty soldiers,” she said as she cut a chicken strip in two. “I just wish we’d been able to test it better.”

“Ye’ll get the chance soon enough.”

“I’d like to try it on two or three soldiers first to see how well it works. Then we can make any necessary adjustments before tackling a larger group.” With a sigh, she set down her plastic knife. “The chicken is a little tough tonight.”

He leaned closer and whispered, “Are ye complaining?”

She glanced up, her cheeks turning pink. “I wish. You have an excellent way of handling complaints.”

He squeezed her leg under the table. “My main concern right now is keeping you safe on this mission. It worries me that I canna stay with you all the time.” The plan had her working on the small Japanese island with Abby and Laszlo, while he and J.L. went to China to snatch a few of Master Han’s soldiers.

“We should be fine.” She patted his hand, then picked up her fork to continue eating. “Gregori, Angus, and the shifters will be staying with us.”

Dougal nodded. “Kyo will be there, too, with some of his employees.”

Leah took a bite of salad. “Who is Kyo exactly? He’s a vampire, right?”

“Aye. He has a huge estate outside Tokyo, and he’s covering all the expenses of renovating the old school building.”

“Why is he being so helpful?”

“If Master Han succeeds in taking over China, he might turn to Japan next. Kyo is Coven Master of Japan, so it is his duty to protect his territory and followers.”

Leah sipped some water. “The Vamps seem to do a good job of looking out for each other.”

“We protect those we care about.”

Her eyes met his, and he nearly groaned for wanting her so much.

“Och, lass. I’m going to miss you.”

“You have to leave soon?”

“Aye, we’re moving out as soon as the sun sets in San Francisco. Ye have yer luggage and laboratory supplies ready for us?”

She nodded. “Who all is going?”

“J.L., Angus, Gregori, and myself. Rajiv is hitching a ride with us, and we’ll leave him on the island to guard the supplies.”

“So you just keep teleporting west until you reach Japan?”

“Aye. We’ll wait in San Francisco for the sun to set in Hawaii, and then we wait in Hawaii to go to Japan. After we have everything stashed away in the new facility, we’ll keep moving west till we finally return here. We call it chasing the moon.”

“So I’ll see you again tomorrow night?”

“Aye. We’ll start teleporting you, Abby, Phil, and Howard tomorrow night. Be ready to go.”

She squeezed his hand. “Be careful.”

He lifted her hand and kissed it. She was the one in a lot more danger. After a week of self-defense training, she was still at a beginner’s level. Her reluctance to hurt anyone was causing him grave concern. He could only pray that Gregori, Angus, and the shifters would be enough to keep her safe.

T
welve hours later, Dougal was in Hawaii with Angus, Gregori, J.L., and Rajiv. They’d already spent several hours at a were-dolphin’s beach house, waiting for the sun to set in Japan. Finally, the call came from Kyo.

“I’m putting him on speaker phone,” Angus said. “Kyo, are ye ready for us?”

“Yes,” Kyo replied and kept talking so they could focus on his voice.

After slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder, Dougal grabbed Leah’s suitcase and another case containing supplies she wanted for the lab. Angus and Gregori grabbed more suitcases and supplies, and J.L. took hold of Rajiv. In a few seconds they arrived on the small Japanese island.

Dougal gritted his teeth at the bitterly cold wind that welcomed them. He glanced around, his eyes adjusting quickly to the dark. No wonder the school had been abandoned. It was a desolate, dreary place, all rocks, dirt, and gravel covered with patches of icy snow, so everything was black with shades of gray to silver. The wind blew in from the rocky beach to the east. A large silver moon hung low in the sky, causing glimmers of light to ripple on the dark sea. Waves crashed with a constant rhythm on the pebbly shore.

The icy ground crunched under his feet as he turned to look west. The school was situated on a bluff in a one-story building elevated above the ground in case the sea surged during a storm.

Creaking sounds emanated from an old neglected playground, where the wind toyed with a rusty swing set and whistled across a drooping metal slide.

“Greetings!” Kyo bowed to them.

Angus slapped him on the back. “It looks great, Kyo. Verra well isolated.”

“That is exactly what we needed, right? The village nearby is almost gone. Only a few old people left. Young people want to live in cities.” Kyo smiled at them all, then gave Dougal a curious look. “You are the Scotsman who knows Chinese?”