THE SUN IS HOT AND unrelenting as it beats down on my bare back. Since we haven’t felt sunshine in what feels like months, when we noticed this morning how bright and sunny it was outside, Alex and I decided to spend some time in the yard sunbathing.
Cas apparently had some errands to run before we travel to our next destination. It was hilarious seeing him completely covered head to toe, sporting an umbrella since the sun is out in full force. It sort of ruined his gothic vibe, considering it had a flower print on it. Hunter has locked himself in the office, madly trying to find patterns and clues to where his brother may be.
Therefore, Alex and I have a few hours to kill. The sun on my skin feels heavenly, like my battery is being recharged.
‘I would miss this,’ I murmur. ‘How good the sun feels.’
‘What do you mean?’ Alex mumbles as he stretches his arms over his head.
‘If I was to turn.’
Alex props himself onto his elbow, and yanks his sunglasses off his nose, his eyes narrowing with suspicion as he glares at me. ‘You better not be thinking what I think you are.’
‘I didn’t mean anything by it,’ I say dismissively.
‘I’m serious,’ he snarls. I can feel his sudden anger roll off him in waves.
‘Calm down.’
‘I see how much you’re cosying up to Hunter. I don’t like it.’
‘You keep acting like this is something I have control over,’ I say dryly, frustrated that he isn’t more understanding about the lack of control that neither Hunter or myself have over any of this. ‘You just don’t get it.’
Alex’s face falls for a moment, and I regret what I said. Sighing, I pull down my sunglasses, and rub my eyes.
‘Look,’ Alex says, his expression hardening. ‘You’re right. I don’t understand it, not really. But I know enough to know I don’t like it, Raya. We hate vampires. They took your sister.’
‘We don’t know what happened.’
He blinks at me. ‘Right. Since when don’t we think that happened?’
‘I’m just saying we won’t know exactly what happened until I find her,’ I answer. ‘And I think even you can admit that not all vampires are the same.’
‘Raya,’ Alex finally says after a heavy silence, leaning forward. ‘I know Hunter is better than the average vampire, but make sure you don’t lose yourself.’
Faces softening, I reach for his hand. ‘I won’t.’
Sighing deeply through my nose, I reach behind me, re-tie my bikini top, and roll onto my back. Alex lets out a huff of annoyance, but thankfully says no more on the subject.
Since my conversation with Hunter last night, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the possibility of turning. Would it be that bad? Aside from Alex, I have no friends or family to return to, and my life is bound to Hunter’s now, anyway. Is there really even a choice?
If someone had asked me this when I first got to Red Thorne, I would have been horrified by the idea of it. But things are different now . . .
After another twenty minutes revelling in the sun, I stretch and push to my feet, shaking off the small grass blades sticking to me. ’I’m going inside to cool off. Do you need anything?’ I ask Alex.
‘All good here.’
Throwing my towel over my shoulder, I walk inside, and drape it over the back of one of the dining chairs before making my way upstairs. Softly knocking on the office door, I wait a few beats before entering.
Hunter is surrounded by articles, pens, notebooks and sticky pads, looking a little like a mad man as he furiously scours over the pages, scribbling down anything he finds important.
‘Hello,’ he says and finally looks up, the pen that he’d held between his lips clatters to the table as his eyes hungrily scan over every inch of my skin. A low growl rumbles in his chest as his fists tighten. ‘Sweet Jesus.’
‘You like?’ I smile, glancing down at the bright red bikini that is slightly too small for me. I may or may not have purposely picked this one out to wear for that exact reason. His Adam’s apple bobs up and down as he swallows. And as he licks his lips, I feel myself alight beneath his molten stare. With two fingers, he beckons me over to him.
‘Hungry?’ I whisper, shifting my hair over my shoulder, exposing my neck to him.
‘Hungry for more than just your blood, legata una.’
Battling the smirk threatening to show, I perch on the edge of the desk, between his legs. His fingers dance up my bare thighs, his eyes feasting over me once more, as if he can’t get enough of what he is seeing.
‘We need to be careful . . .’ he says quietly. ‘With what happened in the kitchen, I struggled to control myself.’
‘Sure,’ I say innocently.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he swallows. When they re-open, tantalisingly slow, they crawl over me. My insides turn to liquid under his eyes. He truly makes me feel like I am the only girl in the world with just one look.
Propping my foot up on his thigh, he leans forward, dragging his nose against the inside of my thigh. My breath hitches as his hot breath fans across the sensitive spot between my legs.
‘I can smell the sunshine on your skin,’ he whispers, inhaling long and deep.
‘I bet it tastes even better.’
Eyes flashing, he smirks, running his tongue over my skin softly. I tilt my head back, moaning, unable to comprehend how good it feels when he isn’t even near the area I’m aching for him to touch.
Not breaking eye contact, his fangs slide out, and slip into me in a single, fluid movement. A blissful gasp escapes me as I see a trickle of my blood spill out, running a crimson jagged line down my skin.
His fingers skitter across my entrance, and I grind into them impatiently. Sliding over my clit, he circles it teasingly, letting my frustration build before sliding his finger inside me. My legs tremble at the feel of him. As he inserts another finger, I buck my hips when he curls them into the exact position I need.
‘Hunter,’ I whisper.
‘Yes, love?’ he asks as he breaks from the bite for a moment. My blood smears across those raised lips, running down his chin.
‘I want all of you.’
‘And me you,’ he groans, biting into the tender flesh of my thigh once more.
His thumb slides across my clit, applying just the right amount of pressure as his fingers move at an inhumane speed. A cry leaves my lips as I shatter, the orgasm detonating inside me like a bomb that released well before the timer went.
My legs shake as he releases me. His mouth moves to my centre, running his hot tongue down me, tasting all the desire he created. I whimper as the rough feel of his tongue grazes my most sensitive point.
‘I thought we needed to be more careful,’ I whisper.
‘We do,’ he says.
‘Who says?’
‘Me.’
‘You don’t seem to follow your own rules very well.’ I point out with a breathless smile.
‘I’ve never been good at that,’ he replies as he stands between my thighs, pulling my legs open, and wrapping them around his waist, allowing me to feel his hard length stabbing into me, making me ache for him all over again, even though I’m still riding the aftermath of the orgasm he just gave me.
Leaning down, he kisses me. Long and hard, stealing the breath from my lungs. Looping my arms around his neck, I pull him tight against me, our tongues slipping and sliding against each other as he tries to claim dominance, and I’m the brat who fights him every step of the way.
‘I want you,’ I breathe, reaching for his pants. ‘Now.’
‘You have me.’
‘All of you.’
‘Raya,’ he groans, but doesn’t stop me unbuckling his pants. ‘Don’t.’
‘Stop me, then.’
His chest is heaving as I not-so-gently yank him out of his pants. He feels perfect in my small palm. Rubbing my fingers tenderly over the head of him, he lets out a feral sound. I tighten my fingers around his length, moving it as fast as I can, keeping in time with the thrusting of his hips.
Shifting, I poise him at my entrance, running the head of him down my centre. He hisses, slamming his hands down either side of me, splintering the wood in the desk. I stop breathing for a moment, feeling him tremble.
‘We can’t,’ he whispers. ‘We can’t, we can’t, we can’t.’
‘We can,’ I insist.
Slowly, I rub him over my slickness, and he growls, yanking back, and fisting himself. I gasp when his hand moves maniacally over mine.
‘No,’ he says firmly.
‘Fine,’ I growl angrily, hissing at him through gritted teeth. I fall to my knees, blinking up at him through my long lashes. ‘Leave us both aching and wanting.’
He releases suddenly, spurting his load straight over my face in a hot burst. It splatters across my cheeks, threading through my eyelashes, and dripping down onto the carpet below. He slumps back into the office chair, looking as spent as I feel as I peer at him through barely-open lids.
Dragging my tongue over my lips, I taste every bit of him. Within a second, I’m no longer in the office, but in the bathroom as he wipes gently at my face. The tension between us is thicker than ever as the need to be together, all the way together, burns between us.
‘It’s never felt like this,’ he whispers. ‘If we take it to the next step, I don’t know what it will do to us.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘We already crave each other. It will only make everything more heightened.’
‘Worth the risk, I say.’
He chuckles softly, throwing the washcloth into the sink, and threading his fingers through my hair, pushing it back from my face.
‘It’s getting harder to resist you.’
‘There’s an easy solution to that,’ I whisper. ‘Don’t.’
Pressing his forehead to mine, he is still breathing hard. ‘Think this through, Raya,’ he pleads, fingers tightly latching on to me. ‘Please.’
Rational thoughts are slowly starting to creep into me. I nod, understanding what he is saying. He wants what is best for me. I need to remember that he knows a lot more than I do and has experienced the dark side of life in a different way than I have.
‘I will,’ I promise.
Pressing a hot, lingering kiss on my lips, he nods, stepping back.
‘Good.’