The Red Lily (Vampire Blood #2)(32)

His pupils dilated on the request. His mouth opened to speak, but he paused, giving her a glimpse of sharpened canines. Lord help her, but arousal coiled low in her belly. As if he sensed it, his pupils dilated further, till there was more black than blue in his ardent gaze. A predatory sharpness warned her he was ready to swallow her whole. Sienna often forgot she was dealing with a man who was not a man. A palpable energy filled the small space between them, a heady mixture of seduction and danger drawing her to him.

He leaned even closer, not a hint of a smile. "Feeling your body beneath me was the closest to heaven that I shall ever come." He spoke not in a whisper but on an intimate level, his voice rolling like the caress of dark velvet. "Your skin, your mouth, your body, your sweet, sweet moans, and your blood … I want them all. I want quite a bit more, actually. So you best prepare yourself, my lady. Since I'm already damned, I aim to have all of you. I want to see that look of ecstasy on your face over and over again when I'm buried deep inside you and you're screaming my name."

"Here we are!" said the innkeeper, bustling in from the kitchen.

Sienna couldn't even move, shaken to the core, her focus completely on Nikolai as he sat back, wiping the most sensual, dark look she'd ever seen from his face to turn an amiable expression up to the innkeeper who set a double-tiered tray of sandwiches and pastries on the table.

"I hope this will be to your liking. We will have a heartier meal prepared tonight."

"This is wonderful, Ms. Ascot," he said, unfolding his napkin and placing it in his lap like a proper gentleman. Right after he'd just said the most ungentlemanly speech she'd ever heard. "Thank you."

Sienna shook herself from her stupor and managed a tight smile. "Yes." She smoothed her napkin in her lap. "Thank you."

"Well, then. Let me know if I can get you anything else, Mr. and Mrs. Woods." The innkeeper left them alone once more.

Sienna coughed softly to hide her surprise at the name he'd given and fiddled with the napkin in her lap. She tried to gather her wits, but it was like catching the wisps of a dandelion scattered to the wind.

Nikolai took a bite-sized pastry with a dollop of cream from the tray and popped it into his mouth. How he could appear so casual after such a declaration, she had no idea. Her mind, and if she confessed truly, her body were still reeling. Changing the subject was the only option to move forward.

"She knows you're a vampire. You don't need to pretend you're not by eating."

His tilted smile heated the coiling warmth in her belly. "Yes, she knows I'm a vampire. But I'd put her at ease by pretending to not be the monster I am. You, on the other hand, know otherwise."

"I don't believe you are a monster."

His smile slipped. "You should be more wary, sweetheart."

"I am. But I know you." Her voice softened. "I trust you."

"Mm, but you don't really know me. You just think you do."



       
         
       
        

"And this from a man who has announced he plans to seduce me," she said flippantly. "You're not doing much to gain my favor."

He laughed, holding her gaze. "No seduction will be needed," he said with staggering confidence. "You are already mine, sweet Sienna. The moment my lips touched your skin, you were mine."

"I haven't consented to such a thing."

He leaned back in his chair, body cocked at an angle, his sexy-as-sin half smile in place. "You will."

"I believe you're a bit too assured, lieutenant." Good thing he hadn't been witness to her escapades in the bath or the naughty thoughts of him that had spurred her on.

"Not at all. Just honest." He tipped his teacup in her direction with a wink and gulped the rest down. "I have something more for you."

He pulled from within his pocket a pair of well-made white leather gloves, lined for warmth.

She took them in hand and trailed her fingers over the fine stitching, softer than silk. "You needn't buy me these. I had mittens I could've worn."

"Those fingerless things I saw you wear on the first day?" He shook his head. "No, sweetheart. After watching you shiver till your lips turned blue and your teeth nearly rattled out of your head from the cold, I'd say you definitely need them. It'll be snowing soon."

She said nothing more, sliding one hand inside the sleek glove, smiling at his thoughtfulness. The care he took to get her dry and warm, well clothed, and fed, all of the small kindnesses he gave her since their arrival lured her even closer to him. He had tended to her needs as a good guardian would since their departure from her cottage. But he doted on her now like … well, like a lover. Or perhaps it was payment for what he thought was due.