“I said no, and I mean it.”
“I’m sorry, John.” Crap. Sarah stood in the breakfast nook pouting while John stormed into the family room. She’d patiently waited until Sunday morning before broaching the subject of biting. She hadn’t expected his anger.
He hadn’t touched her since The Bite, not exactly the way she wanted to remember the event. Granted, she’d slept for nearly ten hours after their bath and that was without a meal, which he hadn’t woken her for. So waking up weak, groggy, and with a major headache only fortified his stance and made her job even harder.
She sat beside him on the couch, thankful he didn’t get up and walk away. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
He fiddled with a loose thread on the cushion. “I know you didn’t. Do you want to watch a movie?”
Too bad he didn’t ask what she wanted to do, not that he’d agree to it anyway. Somehow she’d get him in the mood. She just wouldn’t bring up biting, not until later anyway.
“Maybe after breakfast.” If she ate, he’d have to notice she was better.
For a vampire, he’d certainly stocked the kitchen well: frozen dinners, canned soup, even her favorite cereal. Eating in front of him was still the pits, but if it got him to relax, she’d do it. She grabbed a bowl and filled it.
John followed and, leaning against the counter, picked up the box and studied it. “I still don’t know how you can eat this stuff.”
Without a dining set in the house, she stood at the counter and ate. “It’s filling and has all the vitamins I need. If you don’t want me to eat it, why’d you get it?”
“I got it because you like it.”
She hoped she hadn’t ruined the best weekend ever by sleeping through most of it. As she chowed down, questions about his eating habits came to mind. She would eventually become a vampire so there were some things she should know.
“John, how often do you eat?”
Putting the box down, he answered, “If I didn’t expend much energy or get injured, every other night.” He smiled. “Of course, when we started dating, I overfed, thinking I would lose control if I didn’t, but that never happened.”
“Not even once?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I had my own misconceptions of what a vampire might do in a relationship. It’s what kept me isolated for so long. Seems I was worried about nothing.” He grabbed the counter and stared at her intently. “Just because my fangs extend doesn’t mean I have this uncontrollable urge to bite.”
Message received. Too bad, though. It would have been a way around his refusals.
“How much do you take?”
“Not much. Less than a pint. If I’m injured, I’ll need more, so then I would find another donor. I won’t put someone’s life in danger because of my needs.”
Is that what he thought? That he’d put her life in danger? Somehow she’d show him he was wrong. “So when you turn me, I won’t be some raving monster, ready to devour anyone I see?”
He smiled. “No. If you are turned, that won’t happen. I would be with you to help.”
She’d said when. He’d said if. She needed him to say when, because it would be when. She would be a vampire. But, first things first. At least she’d made him smile. After a few more spoonfuls of cereal, she risked the next question. “Have you gone out since we got here, or did you get enough from me?”
He frowned at her question and looked away. So much for the smile. Maybe she should have her head examined.
“No, I haven’t gone out since we got here and yes, I did get enough from you. Can we change the subject now?”
Crap. She was making him angry again. That was not conducive to lovemaking. “Sure. Do you really want to watch another movie or are you in the mood to play one of your video games?”
His face lit up as his frown curved into a smile. “You’d really play a video game?”
That was much better. Video games would get him to relax and have some fun. “Yeah, I’d play a game. They aren’t hard, are they?”
* * * *
First John crushed her in video bowling, then he flew past her in video golf, all while the stereo blasted. Sarah might be a horrible gamer, but she loved her music and, after inquiring whether or not his ears could handle it, enjoyed it loud. John didn’t care, he’d learned to adjust his hearing long ago. Whatever made her happy, made him happy. Well, most things, anyway.
He couldn’t believe she still wanted him to bite her. But how could he explain how dangerous it was without scaring her away? Eventually, he’d get her to understand or she’d grow tired of asking.
Would they ever have fun again after that unfortunate incident? Because of him she’d nearly died. He wouldn’t risk making love for fear of injuring her further. Staying away was damn hard, though. He missed her touch, her kisses. But her health was more important.
Although… She was looking a lot healthier now. Her color had improved from a ghastly pale to a nice pink, probably from eating regularly since waking. And she seemed energized, which she expended by dancing between her golf turns. Maybe after lunch he could test the waters, so to speak. He didn’t want this weekend to end on a downer.
Sarah had just finished putting on the eighteenth green when the music changed to Clash’s “Rock the Casbah.” She spun toward him and tossed the controller his way. While gyrating her hips, she caressed the curves of her body.
He sat on the couch and stared. What should he do? Should he get up and join her or enjoy the view? Before he could decide, she unbuttoned the first three buttons of her blouse.
He obtained a full-blown hard-on and it only took two seconds. There was testing the waters and then there was testing the waters.
“What are you doing?”
“Hush. I’m dancing. You sit there and relax.” She swiveled her hips to the music and unbuttoned another button.
Relax? Was she nuts? He’d been trying to do that ever since she’d passed out, and had nearly succeeded. But with her ass moving every which way and her hands caressing those luscious breasts of hers, he was anything but relaxed. He was turned on so high he could probably sing soprano.
The remaining buttons came undone and she slipped the blouse off her shoulders. Ah man, she wore the pink, lacey bra. When he’d first spotted that thing in her bag, he couldn’t wait to see her in it. She looked better than he imagined.
Moving to the music, she shimmied the blouse behind her, as if she were drying off her back, shaking her breasts in the process. Damn. If she wanted sex, he’d be more than happy to oblige. He stood.
She pointed to the couch. “Down.”
Her bossy voice made her hotter. He plopped back onto the couch, letting gravity do its job. Okay, so she had an agenda. She’d better get a move on because he wasn’t sure he could wait much longer. Bossy or no bossy.
She twirled the blouse over her head and threw it at him. It landed at his feet, but he didn’t reach for it. He couldn’t stop staring. She gyrated to the music while she seductively slid her hands from her hips to her belly and unbuttoned her jeans.
She slid them down her legs, slow and sensual. Ah, geez. The panties matched the bra. He might have groaned. God, she was beautiful.
She tossed the jeans somewhere and danced over to him. Standing in her underwear and swaying her hips, she extended her hand. It took his frazzled mind a moment to catch on. Finally. He placed his hand in hers and rose.
That pleasant rush of warmth he’d missed the past day was mixed with an unexpected electric jolt. His heart raced.
She stilled with her eyes closed and mouth smiling. “Nice.”
It was more than nice. Try intense. He moved in closer, but she came out of her mini-trance and pulled him to the middle of the room.
“Stay.”
Like an obedient dog, he obeyed, if only to see what she had in mind. Because what he had in mind had nothing to do with dancing and a whole lot to do with them naked on the floor. Hell, right now they wouldn’t even have to be naked, only the important parts.
She danced her way behind him, her fingers playing across his stomach and sides. The T-shirt came free from his jeans, but she couldn’t remove it without his help. He obliged by slipping it over his head and tossing it aside. She lightly kissed his back, sending little heat waves with each touch, while her fingers burned a path over his nipples. Forget about her agenda. He spun around. She licked a nipple and grabbed his ass, grinding herself into him. A penis couldn’t explode, but she was certainly testing that theory.
She offered her back and danced up and down against him, removing her bra and panties in the process. The bones in his legs decided to take a vacation. He grabbed her shoulders, partly for balance, but mostly to start in toward her breasts. She shrugged free, twirled around, and wagged her finger at him.
Actually wagged her finger! What the hell?
She gripped his waistband and tugged the button free. All right. Now she was getting somewhere. He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing while she worked the jeans over his aching, extended member and off his legs. When she came back up, he’d take over, no more waiting.
But instead of coming up for more dancing or whatever, she wrapped her warm, moist mouth around his cock. He gasped as pleasure, heat, and a little buzz shot through his groin. She stroked him with her tongue as if she knew exactly what he enjoyed and if she wasn’t careful, she would end up with a present. While her mouth was better than nice, it wasn’t enough.
She stopped to catch her breath, and damn, he had to, also, but he took that opportunity and pulled her to her feet.
“Hey, I’m not done.”
“The hell you’re not.” He lifted her by her hips. “Hold on.”
She took his meaning right away and put her arms around his neck and her legs around his body. He found his target and thrust into her. Hot. Moist. Tight. Heaven. Oh yes, he was in heaven.
“Sweet Jesus!” she exclaimed as she grabbed onto his back and dug in. “I’m a sex junkie!”
He almost laughed at her remark because she voiced his words exactly, but once he entered her, her excitement seemed to mix in with his own, creating a mental overload. That wonderful fullness he’d felt when he bit her returned. Just like she knew where to suck earlier, he knew where to rub. She arched her head back and moaned.
But he wasn’t biting her now. Was this some lasting affect or a permanent event? Whatever, he was taking advantage.
He kissed her, savoring the flavor he’d missed. What the hell was wrong with him, staying away like he had? She was fine. She was more than fine. She was his.
Each thrust brought him double waves of pleasure. Each thrust brought his release closer. Then she clenched and it was as if he felt it both ways. The sensation took him over the edge. They climaxed almost simultaneously.
She screamed and went limp.
“Sarah?” He held her up, but the intense orgasm drained him quicker than he anticipated. A cramp skittered across his belly. He stumbled and her dead weight pulled him forward. He fell to his knees.
Suddenly conscious, she grabbed his shoulders, but the effort was late. Instead of falling back on his haunches, he continued going forward. He extended one arm to brace their fall while holding her with the other. Once his free hand hit the floor, he slowly lowered her, ending up on his hands and knees. He desperately sought air. The last time he had felt this drained, she had stabbed him.
“Oh, shit!”
“What is it? Are you alright?” Sarah cupped his face. “You look paler than usual. Did I do something wrong?”
He wished he could alleviate her fears. But he needed blood and it was at least five hours until sunset. If he let on… Shit! She’d want to help. He couldn’t let her do that.
“I’m okay. I just need to get my breath. I guess I’m not used to all this activity.” And sex burned more energy than he’d imagined. Why hadn’t Perry ever mentioned that? “What about you? You pass out again?”
She grinned. “Maybe. It was pretty intense, don’t you think? But you weren’t biting me, so you can’t blame it on that.”
No, he couldn’t. And he shouldn’t be in such dire straits if he had taken enough earlier. So maybe he had miscalculated and she’d passed out for other reasons. Like, a massive orgasm. Didn’t mean he would feed from her again.
Sarah scrambled out from under him. “What can I do?”
John rolled onto his back as a cramp rippled across his stomach. He cringed. Ah, shit. Maybe if he lay still, he could keep the pain away and the worry off her face. “There’s nothing you can do. Give me a few minutes.” Like, maybe three hundred.
“You need blood, don’t you? You lied when you said you got enough.”
“I didn’t lie, it was a valid assumption.” He so did not want to get into that conversation. “Let me rest awhile. I’ll be okay.” Vagueness wasn’t lying, was it? He would be okay, as soon as he fed.
She leaned in close, concern marring her beautiful features. Her scent hit him hard, though, and his fangs extended. What was that bit about not having an uncontrollable need to bite? Yeah, that worked for sex. For food, not so much. He couldn’t very well tell her to back off without her being suspicious. Shit.
“John, I want to help. Take some blood from me.” She waved her arm over his face.
He gently pushed her away. “I’m not going to feed off you, Sarah. I’ll be okay. I can wait.”
“You’d rather have a stranger than me?” Tears formed in her eyes.
Damn it. They were going to have this conversation whether he liked it or not. “I can control myself with a stranger. I don’t know how much control I have with you. Okay?”
With concentration, he managed to retract his fangs. Slowly, he raised himself to a sitting position. Maybe that would ease her fears.
“Oh.” She sat back looking defeated, but clearly thinking. While glancing about the room, she gnawed on her fingers. It was fascinating watching her while she figured out a solution.
Her face lit up. “I could order a pizza!” She sprang to her feet and started searching the room.
What the hell was she thinking? “I hate to tell you this, but I don’t need a pizza,” he said, trying to sound lighthearted.
Uncomfortable sitting there exposed, he grabbed his jeans. He was putting them on when she passed by, still naked as ever, still sexy as ever. “Sarah…please get dressed.”
She looked down as if she’d forgotten she was walking around nude. “Oh, sorry.” She bent over and picked up his T-shirt. She didn’t look any less sexy wearing his shirt, but it was better than nothing.
Her searching was driving him nuts. “What are you looking for?”
“The phone and a phone book.”
“You’d be looking forever, then. I don’t have either. I have my cell, who do you need to call?”
“I need to call a pizza place, but I don’t know what’s nearby. Oh, the computer!” She ran over to it. “Do you think you can come over here? I don’t know which address is closest, since I have no idea where we are.”
With speed a turtle would easily beat, he managed an upright position and headed toward the computer. The jaunt exhausted him and he placed his hands on his knees. “Why are we ordering a pizza?”
“So you can feed on the delivery person.”
“What?”
“So you can feed on the delivery person.” She enunciated each word as if he were an imbecile. Hell, maybe he was. His mind certainly wasn’t working correctly.
“If I order a pizza to be delivered, then I’ll have the delivery person come inside while I get their money. While he…or she, is here, you do your thing.” She looked up at him with hope in her eyes. “That would work, wouldn’t it?”
Again, he was amazed with the way her mind worked. He kissed the top of her head. “Yeah that would work.”
And to think he was ready to sit in agony for five hours.
* * * *
One large ham and pineapple pizza, her favorite. Sarah would have preferred a small, or even a medium, but there was a minimum delivery amount. She clicked on the order button. They’d better send a guy. If they sent a pretty girl… Well, she wouldn’t think about it.
John sure could be grumpy when he was hungry. And while it stung he wouldn’t consider feeding from her, she understood why. Didn’t mean she liked it any, or that she believed it. He believed it, and that’s all that mattered right now.
As much as it pained her to see him suffer, in a way it made him more human. Or maybe all men were grumpy when they didn’t feel well, whether they be vampire or not. And he was clearly uncomfortable with her walking around in his tee, so before he got more upset with her, she went upstairs and fetched her robe as well as a shirt for him. Not that she wanted to cover that luscious chest of his, but maybe it would make him feel better. When she returned to the family room, John was shaking his head.
“What now?” She handed him the shirt.
“I thought you were going to get dressed,” he grumbled.
Yep, still cranky. Maybe it wasn’t the tee after all. “I don’t want to get dressed yet. I’m hoping to take a shower later. What’s wrong with my robe?” He’d seen her in it before and never said anything.
“Nothing.” After putting the shirt on, he leaned back against the cushions and closed his eyes.
Since he was moving rather sluggishly, the plan was to wait in the living room. She walked up and nudged his knee. When he opened his eyes, she grabbed his elbow.
He shook her off. “I don’t need any help. I can do it myself.”
Except his idea of doing it himself meant he couldn’t.
Standing there with hands on her hips, she declared, “John Pennington, stop acting macho and let me help you!”
He raised his eyebrows. A small grimace formed on his face. “Sorry. You’re right.” He reached out. “Would you help me up, please?”
Sarah put his arm around her shoulder and they slowly made it to the living room. It was nice feeling needed for a change.
Not fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang and she jumped up nervously. He nodded to let the person in. Of course, let him in. What the heck was she thinking? She opened the door. The cold air whipped inside and the light nearly blinded her. Too long since she’d seen the sun and strangely she hadn’t missed it. Clutching the robe together, she waited a moment for her eyes to adjust. A young man stood on the porch. She let out a relieved breath. Thank God.
The pizza boy pulled a flat box out of a padded case and handed it to her. The aroma of Italian seasonings teased her nose and caused her stomach to rumble. She hadn’t thought she was hungry, but damn, that thing smelled delicious.
“Can you come in while I get my purse?” She closed the door when he came inside.
“Don’t you like the light?”
“Not really.” She placed the pizza on the stairs and picked up her purse. Before she could ask how much she owed, his eyes glazed over and he stepped toward John in a jerky fashion. Talk about cool. Would she be able to do that when she became a vampire?
“Sarah, do you mind?” John asked her, but kept his eyes on the boy.
She stared at John. What? He wanted her to leave? “Can’t I watch?”
“I’d rather you didn’t. Just take the pizza and go.”
“But you always watch me eat. Why can’t I watch you?”
Pizza Boy stopped walking. “You owe me fifteen dollars.”
John’s eyes widened in surprise. The kid’s eyes glazed over once again. “I can’t argue with you and control him at the same time. Not in my weakened state. Please go.”
“But John, how am I going to understand if you—”
“Now!”
His voice reverberated throughout the whole house and she took a step back. A lump formed in her throat and her nose tickled. He’d never yelled at her like that before, not even when she might have deserved it. She didn’t deserve this. Tears formed as she threw her purse down, spilling the contents. “Don’t forget to pay him,” she spat, stomping up the stairs. “He deserves a big tip, too.”
She ran inside her room, slammed the door, and hurled herself on the bed. Oh God. What had she done? She’d yelled at John. Yelled at him! Why couldn’t she just keep her mouth shut?