The Reluctant Vampire(88)

She felt his mouth move under her hand and lifted it.

He was smiling crookedly, and now that he was free to speak, said, “I’m glad to hear it.”

“Secondly,” Drina began, smiling back. “As it happens I . . .”

When he raised his eyebrows at her pause, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

“Surprised as I am to admit it, I don’t appear to mind. I don’t understand it myself,” she added in a rush. “I mean, I noticed in Toronto that you liked to be in control, and since I’m all about control, I wondered myself why it didn’t bother me, but . . . it doesn’t. I even like it. It kind of turns me on.” She frowned, and then admitted, “Which really rather bothers me.”

Harper smiled gently at her confusion, and then raised a hand to brush her hair behind one ear, murmuring, “Or maybe you’re just tired of having to be in control all the time and are enjoying a break.”

“That’s possible,” she admitted wryly, and then warned, “Which means it may change.”

“I sincerely hope so,” Harper assured her and when concern flittered across her face, he said, “I’m sure it will change for me too. We have time immortal ahead of us, Drina. Change is good.”

Relaxing, she nodded. There would be times when he was dominant and times when she was, and times when neither was, she supposed. There might even be times when they wrestled each other to be on top. But that would probably be fun too. Definitely never boring, she decided.

“Take off your T-shirt.”

Drina blinked her thoughts away at his words—which had most definitely been an order, not a request—and met his gaze.

“Take it off,” he repeated. “I want you naked.”

She smiled faintly, aware that her nipples were tightening, and moisture was pooling low in her belly, then sat up straighter, reached for the hem of her T-shirt, and slowly began to pull it up and off. She swiveled her upper body slightly to toss it to the floor, then turned back and simply waited as his eyes slid over her breasts, taking note of her already erect nipples. The sight made his eyes begin to glow.

“Now take off your pants,” he said gruffly.

Drina hesitated, and then slid backward along his thighs to get off the bed and stand up. He immediately sat up, and she was aware of his eyes following her every move as she slipped her thumbs under the waist of her joggers and began to ease them down. When she bent forward to finish the job, he reached out with one hand to fondle her breast briefly, and she paused as excitement jumped through her. The moment she stopped, Harper stopped and withdrew his hand.

Devil, she thought affectionately, and finished removing the joggers. She then straightened.

“Come here.”

Drina stepped forward, stopping just short of their knees touching. He took her hand then, and she swallowed as the slow pulse of excitement beating through her gained an echo.

“Someday, I’m going to tie you to the bed and lick every inch of your body,” Harper said quietly.

Drina closed her eyes as the words evoked an image in her head that had the pooled liquid in her lower belly overflowing and sliding toward the apex of her thighs. Who knew she was secretly into bondage? she wondered faintly, and then opened her eyes with a start as his free hand suddenly slid between her legs.

He smiled at the wetness he found there, and then watched her face as his fingers moved across her slick skin. Drina bit her lip to keep back a moan as pleasure shimmered through her in double waves and wasn’t at all surprised to see that his jogging pants had formed a tent. It looked like it was going to be another one of those “too soon and swoon like a girl” encounters, she thought. If they even got to the encounter part of it. She was already on the verge of exploding.

Really, Drina decided, new life mates were just pathetic . . . and then she stopped thinking as he released her hand to reach for one breast as his mouth moved to latch onto the other.

“Here, try this on.”

Drina set down the suitcase holding her and Stephanie’s clothes next to his by the door to the garage. She then glanced at the bomber jacket Harper was holding out. It was the coat Tiny had bought for Stephanie and that they’d replaced on their shopping trip to Wal-Mart. It had been a bit large on Stephanie, but Drina was bustier and it would probably fit. Certainly, it would fit better than Teddy’s borrowed coat.

When Drina took the offering, Harper turned back to the pantry closet and began to dig through items on the top shelf. Leaving him to it, she shrugged out of Teddy’s coat, slung it over the suitcases so they wouldn’t forget it, and pulled on the bomber in its place. She then stepped in front of the full-length mirror that hung on the wall across from the door to the garage.