“I should go, Devlin. I have to get back to my life.”
“It takes time, Sarah. I’ve told you that. But, you know I can’t leave you alone. Carina needs time to get to the bottom of this. If it’s an Elder, she will find out.”
Sarah lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. “I need to go home.”
“Sarah, I love you. Don’t think I could let you walk away from me.”
“I love you, too,” she said, her voice breaking.
“But you want to go? Sarah, I thought you understood that I had to transform you. I couldn’t watch you die.”
Sarah nodded. “I do understand that, Devlin. I’m not angry with you any longer about that.”
“Then why do you want to go?” he snapped.
“Devlin, you don’t have to be responsible for me! You saved me. You gave me back a life. I don’t want you to spend yours looking out for me! Can’t you understand that?” she cried.
Devlin narrowed his eyes and tightened his arms around her. “You know, Sarah, for an intelligent woman, you can show an amazing amount of stupidity.”
Her eyes shot sparks of blue fire. “I’m not stupid!”
Devlin wanted to shake her. “Didn’t you hear me, Sarah? I said I loved you! I’ve loved you since I watched you drag a little girl out of a burning building! Do you honestly believe that it’s a burden to me to teach you? To love you?” He glared at her, and gave in to the temptation to give her a little shake. “I’m through talking, Sarah!” In the next instant, Sarah found herself flipped across his lap. He yanked down her slacks and pulled down the thin panties she wore. His hand slammed down on her bottom in a painful smack.
“What are you doing?” she shrieked.
Devlin wrapped his arm around her waist and anchored her across his lap. “I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do since you disappeared to Timbuktu! I’m spanking you!” He smacked her bared bottom again, although not as hard.
Sarah was too shocked to struggle. When she felt a third smack land on her bottom, she started to kick her legs. “Let me up this minute!”
“No,” he said flatly, continuing to spank her. “I love you,” he said, punctuating each word with a spank. “And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you walk away from me.”
Sarah stopped kicking her legs. “You want me.” It wasn’t a question. Her bottom was burning, but his words were melting her heart.
Devlin’s hand paused mid-spank. “Of course I want you.” He spanked her again. “This is for thinking I didn’t.” After a few more spanks, though, the smacks turned to caresses.
Sarah relaxed against his strong thighs and looked over his shoulder. “Are you going to spank me every time I annoy you?” she asked conversationally.
“Quite possibly,” he said huskily, caressing her pinkened bottom.
Sarah wiggled against him and felt the hardness of him rise against her belly. “Just checking,” she purred.
Devlin slipped his hand down her bottom and to the tops of her thighs. He eased her thighs apart and cupped her heat, feeling the moisture there. “I need you, Sarah. Stay with me.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “I’ll stay.”
Devlin drove two long fingers inside her and flicked his thumb on her clitoris. “Good,” he said.
No more words were spoken for a long while. Devlin flipped her over in his lap and then lifted her in his arms. He carried her to his room and placed her on the center of the four-post bed.
“I wondered whose bed this was,” she said, watching him as he undressed.
He smiled. “I always brought you here in your dreams.”
“I know that now,” she said. “Come to me, Devlin.” She held out her arms to the man she loved—the man she’d love for all time.
Devlin wasted no time stripping out of his clothes. Hers were gone just as quickly and Sarah wondered when he’d teach her that particular trick.
He sat next to her on the bed and leaned down to take her nipple between his lips and teeth. When his lips found her breasts, Sarah forgot all about clothes and was locked in sensation. His teeth nipped at her sensitive nipples and she groaned aloud. He’d been right, all her senses were heightened now.
Making love as a vampire was so much better than it had ever been as a human! His hands moved to her sides and his fingertips skimmed down to the juncture of her thighs. She spread her legs for him and felt his fingers probing gently at her moist core. The lightest touch sent a spiral of need through her that was almost painful in its intensity.
“Now,” she groaned. “Please, Devlin. Take me now!”