Page 64 of The Guardian's Curse

He carried her down the hall, down the darkened stairs and into his chambers. Her eyes were wide as she took in the dark chamber. A single low light cast the richly furnished room in a warm glow. “This is so much nicer than I pictured,” she murmured. “I was imagining a grimy dungeon.”

“Honestly, I’m offended,” he said. His room was meticulously neat and furnished with exquisite furniture he’d collected over the years to remind him of the better days back in Europe.

“Well, I’m glad I was wrong,” she said.

He settled into a plush chaise with her in his lap. It was one thing to dream of her, but another to be faced with the reality of showing himself to her at last. Her hand drifted up, fingering the edge of the hood over his face. One sweep of her hand, and his entire face would be shown.

Even as lust and need raged through him, fear held him back. He caught her wrist and gently pulled. “Shoshanna, I—”

“Please don’t send me away,” she said. “Unless you truly don’t want me.”

“Don’t be absurd.” He gripped her hips, pulling her tighter to him until she was nestled against his cock. Her soft warmth was tantalizing, and she pressed tight to him instead of recoiling. It was a marvel. “I have dreamed of you every night since you arrived.”

To his surprise, her lips curved into a smile. “I might have dreamed of you.” She ran her hands over his chest. “You can see in the dark, can’t you?”

“I can,” he said.

Then she sprang off his lap and hurried to his bathroom, where she paused. “Damn, your bathroom is even nicer than mine.” Then the lights turned off. She crept toward the door that led to the stairs and closed it firmly. The seal around it prevented any stray light from upstairs from coming in. Then she flipped the switch, plunging the room into pitch darkness. “Oh, dammit. I didn’t think about that.” There was a bump, and she laughed. “Shit.”

He chuckled and hurried toward her. Thanks to his curse, there was a faint reddish glow from his bulging veins that cast enough light for him to see. He could see her in the doorway, eyes wide, heart thrumming. He grabbed her by the waist and carried her to his bed. “Are you ready, Miss York?”

“I’ve been ready for days,” she replied with a delightful laugh.

In the safety of the shadows, he tugged off his shirt and exposed his face. He took his time tracing the planes of her face, cupping the full curve of her cheeks before he kissed her. Her soft moan of agreement electrified him, and he realized that he would not have the patience to merely kiss her for hours.

Her pulse accelerated as their tongues tangled. He could taste the blood just beneath the soft skin of her lips. Breaking away, he slid his hands under her loose shirt. Her skin was so warm to the touch, like sun-kissed sand. She wriggled out of the shirt and lay back, her small breasts exposed.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured. Resting his head against her chest, he slowly teased at her, watching in rapt fascination as her nipple tightened into a sweet dark gem. His tongue darted out to tease it, and she gasped.

Her warm hands found his shoulders, and he tensed. Surely she would push him away. She had changed her mind. She would run away, leaving him alone.

But her fingers curled into him, pulling him closer. With a smile, he rose again to kiss her neck. She drew a shuddering breath. “Are you going to bite me?”

“Not yet,” he said. “Have patience.”

“It’s hard when you do that,” she said.

“I am immortal, and I am in no rush,” he said. He grasped her hands, then lightly pinned them to either side of her. Then he took control of her, allowing his hunger to emerge as he kissed her full lips. The welcoming warmth of her mouth embraced him, tongue searching for his.

Veiled in darkness, he could almost forget what he was. His only purpose was to please her. He lowered his head and kissed his way down to the soft curve of her stomach. Then her body tensed as he tugged at her loose pants. As he pulled them off, she was already wriggling out of her silky black panties. He finished the job for her and tossed them aside.

“I’m going to taste you now, Miss York,” he growled against her thigh. Her hips rose at his mere words, bolstering his confidence. With a little growl, he hauled her toward the edge of the bed and knelt between her legs.

She was already flushed and slick with need. He kissed the inside of her thigh, prompting a shiver. Then he took his first taste, savoring the explosion of Shoshanna that flooded his senses.

She was perfection. The smell of her, the taste of her, the way her soft, pliable body melted under him; it was the purest, sweetest thing he’d ever experienced. He spread her wide, hands splayed over her thighs. He could feel her heartbeat on his tongue as he licked and lavished her.

A quiet whimper burst from her, followed by a manic giggle. “Oh my God,” she panted. Her graceful fingers fisted into the covers, and her back arched, threatening to pull her away from him.

That would certainly not do.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he teased. He growled against her and hauled her back, fingers splaying her open as he licked and sucked. As Shoshanna would come to learn, vampire hunger was not just for blood. He hungered for vengeance, for justice, for love, and in this moment, for her pleasure. He was insatiable, and the only thing greater than her need to come was his need to give it to her.

She tasted earthy and sweet, and he could have lapped at her for days, savoring the nectar that exploded on his tongue. He would have been happy to draw it out, to tease her until she was on the brink of madness. But there would be time for more. He wanted her to know that he was a man of his word, and that he could deliver exactly what she needed.

His lips sealed to her, and he gently sucked that sweet bundle of nerves into his mouth. His tongue flicked across her clit. As if he’d touched a live wire to her, she let out a clipped cry.

He couldn’t see her face, but he could feel the heat in her blood. He could feel the warm wetness on his face, slicking her thighs. And just below that velvet-soft skin, there was a lovely vein full of crimson that would taste like the finest wine.

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