She winced. "I realize it's not a very honorable thing to do, but they would do it to you in a second."
"Aye, they would, so we'll have to make sure they never get that drug." He reached out to brush a tendril of damp hair off her cheek. "Actually, I would be tempted to kill them all and be done with this mess, but they have about twenty Russian mafia guys guarding them with high-powered assault rifles."
"Oh." She made a face. "That would be nasty."
"Aye, verra nasty. Ever since Roman visited them during the day, they've been extra vigilant." He trailed a finger along the line of her jaw. "And then there's the problem of me burning to a crisp if I go out in the sun."
"I guess we'll have to stay inside."
"Aye." He skimmed his finger over her ear.
"I guess we could think of something to pass the time." Her eyes twinkled as she glanced at his pajama bottoms. "It looks like you've been thinking ahead of me."
He smiled wryly. "A man should never be unprepared."
It was true that while he lay in bed, waiting for her to arrive, he'd grown aroused just thinking about making love to her. He knew his eyes were turning red now. A red tint shaded the room, making Toni's skin look pink and ripe with blood. It would be a challenge to keep control. He'd purposely filled up with synthetic blood to make it easier.
The way she'd looked at him when he'd unleashed all his Vamp power in Dr. Proctor's library—that had stretched his control to the max. He'd heard her heart racing. He'd smelled the scent of her arousal. He'd wanted to leap on her and sink his fangs into her neck.
His gums tingled, and he collapsed on his back, squeezing his eyes shut.Control. He didn't dare make love to her if he couldn't control himself.
"Are you all right?" she whispered.
"I doona want to influence you in any way. If ye stay in my bed, it should be yer decision. But know that I will make love to you."
"Well, I was sorta counting on that." Her voice sounded muffled, then something soft fell on his face.
He brushed it aside and opened his eyes. There was a navy polo shirt in his hand. Her shirt. She sat beside him, sliding her bra straps off her shoulders. The heart pendant he'd given her was nestled between her breasts.
"Are ye certain?"
"Do I look uncertain?" She flung her bra on the floor.
He pounced, pushing her onto her back. "I love a decisive woman."
She smiled. "I love an aggressive man."
He splayed a hand around her rib cage. "I know ye havena known me for verra long."
"But I've waited for you for years."
"For centuries. I think my heart recognized you the verra first night we met. It just took a few more nights for my brain to catch up."
She touched his face. "I was the same way."
He skimmed his hand up to cover her breast. "I want ye to know that I'll be faithful. I love ye dearly. That will never change."
"Oh, Ian." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, too."
He leaned down to kiss her lips. They were soft and moist, and they opened sweetly. He swirled his tongue inside, exploring and tasting. She quivered beneath him, so fragile in her mortality but so strong with passion. She was everything he wasn't. Everything he craved. Life and light. Pure and good.
Her tongue skimmed along his teeth, then swirled bravely around the sharp point of one of his fangs. He groaned. Did she know how badly she was flirting with danger? She pressed her tongue against the point.
With a sharp breath, he broke the kiss. Her skin, her neck, her breasts—they all looked pink and delicious through his red-tinted eyes.
"By all the saints, I want you." He trailed kisses down her throat to her breasts. Her pounding heart echoed in his ears, pounding faster and accelerating the flames of his passion. He scooped a hand behind her back and lifted her rib cage in the air. Her back arched, pressing her breasts against his mouth. With a moan, she flung her arms to the side, as if surrendering her body to his needs.
And he needed her. Every inch of her. He nibbled and suckled on her plump nipples till the tips grew hard in his mouth. He sucked on one and pinched the other one lightly. When he tugged on both, she gasped.
"Oh, please." She grasped his T-shirt and pulled.
He yanked his T-shirt over his head and threw it. Then he unbuckled the belt around her hips and attacked the waistband and zipper of her khaki trousers. "Bloody hell, I never thought I'd be removing a pair of men's pants."