Page 13 of To Crave Darkly
“Don't try my patience,” Jasper whispered menacingly.
Yep, I had definitely pushed him too far. Oops.
Standing right in front of me, he leaned down and placed one hand either side of my thighs, caging me in between his large frame and the table. I gripped the edge to support myself, my knuckles turning white as fear coursed through my veins. He was so close to me. So very close. His hands and lips a mere whisper away from touching me.His breath was hot against my cheek and his eyes burned into mine with a stare that had my toes curling. I was suddenly aware that I was very much the prey in this situation. I had nowhere to run, not that I wanted to. Curiosity roared through me with the urge to just keep pushing him. I wanted to see what he would do when he finally snapped.
“I haven't fed, and I am so hungry. If you’re not careful, I might just decide to rip your pretty little throat out and feast on your blood as it runs down here.” Using his finger, he trailed a path from the base of my throat to the valley of my breasts. Jasper smiled at me, showing me his fangs in his predatory grin. He was letting me know he was ready to pounce, that he was merely toying with me for his own amusement. He started to lightly trace his finger over the tops of my breasts, and I felt that gentle touch everywhere. My heart pounded in my chest. Adrenaline rushed through me and that feeling of curiosity burned through my veins. I couldn’t resist its call. I was powerless to stop myself. A look of fear flashed across Jasper’s face, as if he saw something in me that scared even the monster.
I didn’t care. I wanted the monster. I wanted to taste it. I wanted to see Jasper lose his grip on his own control like I was. I could hear my heart beating in my ears like the sound of a thousand drums. It spurred me on, drove me closer to Jasper and without realizing it, I was leaning forward. Before he got a chance to pull away from me, I pressed my lips against his.
I brought my hands away from the table edge and tangled them in his hair. I traced his lips with my tongue wanting to deepen the kiss between us. He growled as he relented to me and let me enter, meeting my tongue with his. It was a bruising kiss, all lips and teeth. His mouth was hot and wet, and I could feel every stroke of his tongue throughout my whole body. I wrapped my legs around his waist pulling him closer towards me and his desire pressed against the apex of my thighs. A stinging sensation slid across one side of my tongue as I caught it against one of Jasper’s fangs. A ragged moan rumbled from deep in his chest and I felt it reverberate deliciously all the way up my spine. My body clenched with need.
He trailed his lips along my jaw as he pushed me down onto the table and pinned me to the surface with his weight. He captured my wrists in one of his large hands, restraining them above my head. His lips caressed my neck. The burn of them against my skin caused goose bumps to rise over my flesh and heat to pool between my thighs.
Jasper captured my jaw in his free hand and forced me to look at him.
“You taste like nothing I’ve ever had before.” His voice was gravelly, harsher than I had heard before, but it was still sinful and made my body crave him desperately. “One drop just isn’t going to be enough.”
Wait, what?
Jasper snapped my head to the side and licked his tongue up the column of my neck. I had to fight the shiver of desire as I realized I had surrendered myself to him. I was completely pinned beneath him, unable to move my arms or legs.
I was utterly at his mercy.
The icy hands of fear clawed their way through me, removing all traces of desire and leaving my limbs heavy with dread. I had pushed him too far and now I was going to pay the price. Now, he was going to drain me dry.
Jasper placed an open-mouthed kiss on the side of my neck, a tear escaped from my eyes as I felt the tips of his fangs scrape along the delicate skin.
Come on, Lori! Do something!I shouted at myself. I couldn’t let myself die here, on a kitchen table that was miles away from home, beneath a vampire who had been a pain in my ass since day one. That was no way to end a life.
With a renewed determination, I started to buck against him. If I could just get my knees to his chest, I could push him away. I wriggled and tried to pull my neck away from him. I could hear him growl as he tried to subdue me, but I wasn’t giving up. Fear and adrenaline gave me the strength I needed to try and break free. I channelled it into my actions, and I became aware of a low hum buzzing in the air around me.
The hairs on my arms stood on end as I felt static electricity crackle in the air around me. Oh God. It was happening again. Everything was churning through me, rumbling through my veins like an explosion waiting to happen. The buzzing grew louder and louder and all the fear, desire, rage and determination mixed chaotically through my system.
Until… I exploded.
A scream was wrenched from me with such force that my back arched from the table. Power like I’d never felt before surged through my body. I burned from the inside out. The buzzing intensified and the sound of lightbulbs popping filled the room.
Then there was nothing but silence and darkness.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Gingerly, I sat up rubbing my wrists and neck, checking for injuries. Automatically, my eyes looked for Jasper. Was he ok? Had I hurt him? My eyes adapted to the darkness quickly and I located Jasper. He was on the opposite side of the room with his back flush against the wall, like he was trying to put as much distance between us as possible. I could tell his eyes were focused on me, even though it was pitch black. I could feel his stare on me like a lead weight baring me down. It was uncomfortable.
“Jasper?” I whispered.
I watched as he tried to get control of himself, his hands clenching and unclenching. I could tell the moment his eyes went from solid black back to the piercing blue. The blue seemed to shimmer with an unnatural light in the darkness. It was ethereal and reminded me how far from human he was. I realized I'd just witnessed his darker side being put back in its cage. It was captivating and terrifying and magnificent all at once.
He stood there, emanating so much raw power and energy that the air was full of it. I didn’t know how long we stood there, our gazes locked, both of us stilled by the other. Both of us waiting for the other to speak. I couldn't stand the silence or the tension.
“Jasper, I...” I whispered, just barely breaking the silent void that lingered between us.
“Don't,” he replied, holding his hand up to silence me and keep me away. “Just don't.”
“But...”
“Get out!” he yelled, rage twisting his beautiful face into something that would haunt me forever. “Get away from me!”
I pushed away from the table and walked over to him. I didn’t understand what I had just done. I didn’t understand what that power was or what it meant. I knew the only person I could ask about it was Jasper, but as I looked at him and saw the shame and disappointment carved into the lines of his face, I knew the only thing I wanted to do was comfort him. Which was an odd feeling, to say the least. Why I wanted to do that after he’d just very nearly ripped me apart, I had no idea. But I’d think about that later. Right now something within me yearned to help him.
