“I’ll try to make it as painless as possible.” He nuzzled her neck. When he kissed her and tickled her with his tongue, she felt a tingle in her core.
“How do you do that?” she whispered. Even though she was inexperienced, she knew that couldn’t be normal.
He didn’t answer, just suckled on her neck. It made her throb and ache for him. He pushed into her, stretching her tight until he bumped into her hymen. She felt a twinge of discomfort, then he licked her again, and a frisson of pleasure vibrated through her core.
“Ready?” He lifted his head from her neck. Beads of perspiration dotted his brow, and he grimaced as if in great pain.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Hard…to control,” he grated out between clenched teeth. He seized one of her decorative pillows and jammed it up against her neck.
“What—ack!” She stiffened with pain as he ripped through her barrier.
He shouted, too, and buried his head in the pillow at her neck.
She froze. He was inside her. She was no longer a virgin. The pain seeped away, leaving her with the pleasant sensation of being stuffed to the gills. She giggled.
He grunted, and she giggled again. A seed of joy burst in her chest and brought tears to her eyes. She was so glad she had waited, that it was Robby who was inside her.
She patted him on the back. “Thank you. I’ll always remember this. It was just perfect.”
“Are ye going somewhere?” he mumbled into the pillow.
“No. I live here.”
“Good.” He lifted his head from the pillow. His face seemed pale and strained. “Because we’re just getting started.”
“Really?” She sucked in a breath when he dragged his erection out.
“Really.” He thrust back in. “I’m no’ hurting you, am I?”
“No, it’s—” She moaned when he rubbed himself against her clitoris.
“Ye’re so beautiful, so tight.” He withdrew and pushed into her again. “And ye’re mine.”
“Yes.” She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his face all over. He quickened the pace, and once again she felt the delicious coiling sensation, driving her up and up toward a breaking point. She raised her hips to meet him, wanting him deeper and deeper inside her.
He reared back onto his knees and lifted her hips to meet his. She gasped at the strength of his thrusts. The coil shattered inside her, and she screamed. He ground himself against her, then with a hoarse shout, he collapsed on the bed beside her.
She pressed a hand to her chest as her breathing and heart rate finally slowed. “Oh God, that was so good.”
He moaned.
She turned onto her side to face him. “Are you all right?”
He moaned.
“You’re not going to roll over and snore, are you?”
He opened his eyes. “I don’t snore.”
She smiled. “Your eyes look much better. The redness is gone.”
He snorted. “Not for long.”
“It’s a recurring problem?”
“When I’m with you, yes.”
She frowned. She was causing the problem with his eyes? She knew eyes could get red and irritated, but not the way his were doing. “Are you allergic to me?”
“I’m in love with you.” He sat up. “Are ye all right, sweetheart? Are ye sore?”
She moved her legs. “A little. I think I’ll take a hot bath. Would you like to join me?”
“Maybe later.” He climbed out of bed and put on his clothes. “I’m going to do a perimeter check of the area to make sure I’m guarding you properly.” He kissed her brow and smiled. “Don’t go away. We still have round two.”
He chuckled as he strode from the room. “Ye’ll get over it.”
She snorted. “If you’re going outside, take my keys with you.”
“I’ll lock you in. And I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” She heard the front door open and shut, and the sound of a key turning in the lock.
She glanced at the wet spot on her comforter. There was some blood mixed in. Proof her virginity was gone. Her gaze landed on the decorative pillow Robby had pressed up against her neck.
How odd. She picked it up. There were two puncture holes in the blue satin material.
She tossed it back onto the bed. She shouldn’t have washed it last week. The cheap material was falling apart.
She padded into the bathroom and turned on the water. She wasn’t going to let anything detract from the most glorious night in her life. No thoughts about apples or red eyes or ruined pillows. She’d just been bedded by a wonderful lover. Robby MacKay loved her.
Life didn’t get any better than this.
CHAPTER 19
He’d drunk two bottles before coming to Olivia’s apartment, so he wouldn’t be hungry, but he hadn’t counted on spending so much time with his mouth on her neck, and her throbbing carotid artery just millimeters away from his fangs.
He guzzled down some bottled blood. Thank God he’d brought an emergency supply. He hadn’t expected her to be a virgin. Years ago, when he’d had to feed to survive, he’d learned how to ease the pain of a bite and make the whole experience pleasurable for the donor. He’d used the same technique tonight to lessen Olivia’s pain and heighten her pleasure, but the cost had been high.
He’d nearly died, fighting the compulsion to bite her. And the struggle hadn’t ended there. He’d had to make sure the sex was good, too.
He strode around the perimeter of the parking lot, looking for anything suspicious. The parked cars were empty. He studied the apartment building while he finished the bottle of blood. If a mortal was hiding in the shadows, he’d be able to hear a heartbeat. Nothing.
He walked over to the Dumpster and tossed his empty bottle inside. There was still another bottle in the ice chest. He might need it before the night was over.
He ran a hand over his hair, pushing back the strands that had come loose during lovemaking. A virgin. He hadn’t expected that. And he’d taken it.
He shouldn’t have done it. It would be harder now to tell her the truth about himself. No woman would want to hear that she’d lost her virginity to a night creature.
No doubt she was hoping for a normal life. She would want to share normal activities during the day with a normal husband, and give birth to normal children. He could never give her that. He should have been honest with her before taking her to bed.
But dammit, what choice had she given him? He’d had to stop her from throwing herself at a stranger. And he’d tried his damnedest to deflower her with as little pain and as much pleasure as possible.
He climbed the steps to her apartment. Round two was about to begin.
A ringing telephone jerked Olivia from a deep sleep. She rolled over and winced. Muscles she never knew she had were sore. She blinked at the sunlight filtering through the edges of her closed blinds. The clock radio on her bedside table beamed 10:16. Good God, she’d slept late.
But then she’d fallen asleep late. Memories of marathon sex flitted through her mind. She glanced at the pillow beside her. Robby was gone. She had a fuzzy memory of him kissing her good- bye at some point.
The phone jangled again, and she fumbled for the receiver. “Hello?”
“Olivia,” J.L. said. “Thank God. I tried calling your cell phone and you didn’t answer.”
“I didn’t hear it. I guess it’s in the living room.”
“Did I wake you?”
“Well…yeah. But I needed to get up.” She struggled to sit up and the bedsheet slipped down to her waist. Sheesh, she was still naked. She vaguely remembered putting on a sexy nightgown about 2:00 A.M. Robby had admired it, then promptly removed it for what he called round three.
“Are you all right?” J.L. asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” What was the appropriate term…thoroughly shagged?
“I’ll be over in about an hour.” J.L. hung up.
She eased out of bed and stumbled toward the bathroom. She winced at the sight of herself in the mirror. Her hair was a wild mess, her eyeliner was smudged, and what were those red things on her neck? She peered closer. Good God, they were huge hickeys. She had a matching set. This was embarrassing. She’d have to wear a scarf.
She grinned. Robby had certainly taken on the role of her lover with great enthusiasm.
She took a long shower, and her thoughts went back to round two. She’d just finished her shower when Robby had returned from his perimeter check. He’d ripped the towel off her and tossed her on the bed. He’d kissed her wet and slippery body all over, flipping her over to nibble on her bottom, then flipping her back so he could dive between her legs and wreak havoc with his tongue.
One climax hadn’t been enough. He’d slid her to the edge of the bed where he was standing, and raised her hips so he could plunge into her. She hadn’t thought she could climax again, but he’d proven her wrong. Several times.
What an insatiable man, she thought with a grin. She dried off from the shower and pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She glanced at the stained comforter and bedsheets. It looked like she’d be doing laundry today.
She padded into the living room and noticed that it had been straightened up. Her handbag and keys were back on the console. Her laptop and legal pad were stacked on the coffee table. A folded note on yellow legal paper rested next to them with her name written on it.
