Page 76 of A Bond Beyond Blood
I shivered and he pulled me forward again, dragging me along the length of his growing erection as he claimed my mouth once more, tongue delving in to dance with mine with firm, hungry strokes.I wrapped my hands around his neck and laced my fingers at the base of his skull, holding him to me as he kissed me senseless.
I’d gone from hating vampires with every ounce of my being, to kissing one of them like he was the air I needed to breathe, to live.
I couldn’t pinpoint a turning point even if I tried.I’d fallen for him long ago, even while I continued to pretend I didn’t have feelings, didn’t want him with every ounce of my being.Even as I pushed him away and ignored how desperately I was already his.
Spending so much time with Vinny had softened my anti-vampire stance, at least towardhim.Other vampires, well, I still had my doubts that they weren’t all bloodsucking abominations, parasites that fed on us and destroyed our world to create their own.
One of those very monsters had forced my father into a blood bond that would stay with my family until the vampire’s final death.Years,generationsof indebted Fiorinos...if that wasn’t evil, I didn’t know what was.But that thought brought with it a reminder that I hadn’t been completely honest with Vinny.He needed to know what brought about my vendetta, needed to know about the blood bond forged between my father and Eli—
“Hey,” Vinny murmured against my mouth.“Come back to me.”
I breathed deeply, then rested my forehead against his.“I think...”I swallowed hard.His cock twitched between my legs and I hated myself for what I was about to do to him.To us both.We couldn’t seem to keep our hands off one another and, God, I didn’twantto.
But...“I think we need to talk.”
Vinny pulled back to look into my eyes, his own eyes worried as he searched mine.“That’s never a good sentence.”
I laughed softly, then said, “I’m not breaking up with you, if that’s—” The words stalled on my tongue and my belly bottomed-out.
Oh.Oh no.
Vinny’s eyebrows crept up his forehead slowly.
His reaction told me that, yes, I had actually said that out loud.
My mouth opened and closed like a fish fighting for breath out of water.
I’d just implied we weretogether, when we’d never discussed anything of the sort and had only just begun hooking up, what, a week ago?“Oh my god,” I groaned, hiding my face in my hands.When the silence stretched on long enough that I felt like I might burst free of my skin, I peeked out at him through my fingers.
Vinny’s teeth sank into his bottom lip, then a smile curved those lips into something deliciously panty-melting.“Little Fiorino,” he rumbled, “did you just imply—”
“Don’t.”I squeezed my eyes shut and started to pull away but his hands on my hips tightened, immediately immobilizing me with his superhuman strength.Not fair.
“You’re not getting away from me that easily, Jacqueline.”His words were deep and low, a warning tinged with desire that lit a fire in my veins.“Look at me.”
I opened my eyes and dropped my hands.
“I’m glad you’re not breaking up with me.”
My mouth fell open again, but I promptly closed it.“You’re not...”I swallowed hard, trying to find the words.My pulse beat rapidly.Rejection would be painful, especially after all I’d lost and all that had happened in recent weeks.“You’re not mad, or...or...freaked out?Most guys would—”
Vinny’s hands flexed on my hips, then he dragged me forward again, yanking a moan from my lips.“Do I look likemost guysto you?”he growled, but before I could answer, his mouth sealed over mine and swallowed any response I may have come up with.
This kiss was intense, deeper than the last one, his hands roving all over me as he expressed wordlessly how absolutelynotfreaked out he was.
Moving in that impossibly fast way of his, Vinny flipped me onto my back gently as he stretched out above me, his body sinking onto mine with the perfect amount of pressure as he settled his hardness against my core.He growled as he kissed me harder, rocking his hips to create friction between us that caused an ache to build between my legs, a needy, demanding pulse.
“Vinny,” I gasped, and he answered with another growl as he rocked against me.
He pulled back, tugging his pants down, then my own, and as he stared into my eyes, he dropped back down between us, lining himself up with my entrance.I whimpered when he paused, teasing me with his closeness.
“Do I appear to be freaked out, Jacqueline?”
Swallowing hard, I shook my hand.
“No, sweet girl.”He shook his head as he brought his lips to mine and kissed me long and slow, patiently drawing it out until I squirmed beneath him, the need humming through my veins making it impossible to stay still.Vinny smirked, then slowly rocked his hips forward, driving into me with infuriating slowness.
I whined and he shushed me.“I’m savoring this,” was all he said, then he kissed his way across my cheeks, pressing his nose against my ear as he inhaled.When he was all the way seated inside me, he said, “Now be still.I don’t want to hurt you.You’re still healing.”
