The Red Lily (Vampire Blood #2)(58)

"Nikolai, please," she begged, clenching both hands into his jacket and pulling him toward her.

He didn't resist but lowered his head and met her feverish kiss with his own. "Bloody hell," he whispered, wrapping her nape and gripping her waist under the cloak.

Sienna stroked her tongue inside, meeting his aggression. Her own sensuality rose above the fog of desperation. She grabbed his hand at her waist, pulled up her skirt, and guided him between her legs.

The thunderous growl that rumbled in his chest raised the hairs on the back of her neck. She bit his lip to press him on. Banding one arm around her waist beneath the cloak, he caged her close. His fingers set to work, sliding into her folds and stroking her sex, already slick with need. She moaned and rocked against him. The pain and soreness had evaporated the moment his fangs had punctured her skin.

"I want you inside me," she said in a quick breath before nipping his lip again between her teeth.

He glanced sideways. "No. It's too dangerous," was his defiant and very dominant reply. "You'll come on my fingers. Right here." Then he maneuvered a second finger, stroking the bud of her sex with his thumb. She widened her legs for him, dropped her head back, and soaked up the heady feeling of Nikolai giving her pleasure, unable to match the quick rhythm with her hips. Staring skyward at the stars, she let the erotic sensation wrap her into a tight ball and explode apart.

"Oh, Nikolai," she cried, trying to keep from screaming to the heavens, her mewling moans a constant roll as the climax rippled through her.

He brushed her arched neck with his mouth, nipping softly. "That's it, sweetheart." He cupped her sex with the warmth of his hand and massaged gently while she came down, her panting breaths puffing out in little white clouds. She still had a firm grip on his coat. He eased her skirts back into place, keeping her steady with his hands wrapping her waist.

With a tender kiss to her lips then one cheek, the other, her nose, then her forehead, he asked, "Better?"

She laughed into his chest where she'd lain her cheek. "Much."

"Well then." Without warning, he lifted her up and set her in the saddle. "Pull your hood back up. It will keep your body heat from escaping through your head."

She swung her leg back over to sit astride Astrophel, noting that her body was still warm on the inside, a steady buzz thrumming through her veins. Indeed, there was no pain anymore.

Pulling her hood back up, she fell back in line alongside Nikolai. He kept his eyes forward, except an occasional scan of the woods on either side of them. Still flying from the euphoria of what had happened a moment before, Sienna could do nothing but stare at him, trying to bite back the giddy, infantile smile that kept creeping up.



       
         
       
        

He must've sensed her, for he finally looked her way. His brooding features slipped into an expression of pure contentment. "I like that look on you."

"I hope you'll provide me the opportunity to look at you this way many times more."

"I most certainly plan to."

"And to think that I-" She bit her lip. Heavens! His elixir not only loosened her limbs but also her tongue.

He cleared his throat, sidling Ramiel closer. "To think that you what?"

She dared a sidelong glance, then shook her head. His devilish smile made her swoon all over again.

"Oh no. I can see that blush in your cheeks. I'll bet that pretty pink is flushing your neck all the way down."

"Nikolai."

"That means this is something good. You'll tell me, or I'll stop this horse and wrestle it out of you. To think that you … ?" He waved his hand for her to complete the sentence.

She inhaled a deep breath and let it out on an exasperated sigh. "I used to dream about you. All right?" Though there was nothing ahead but the snowy path under the moonlight and a never-ending line of evergreens, she pretended to be intensely focused.

He didn't respond at first, then finally, "What kind of dreams?"

She arched a brow at him. "What kind of dreams do you think?"

"I don't know what sort of dreams a lady has about a vampire. You'll have to be more specific."

"The kind of dreams a lady should not have … about a vampire or any other man."

"Ah."

She chanced another glance his way to find him grinning like a fiend. "Oh, stop it. Now that you know I've been … thinking about you for some time. You must divulge to me a secret."

"What kind of secret?" he asked, his voice grave and cautious.