Donnie

“What do you say?”

The calmness of his voice betrayed how Donnie actually felt inside, knowing that Caitlyn’s answer would cement their future, or lack thereof. His hands trembled ever so slightly as he cupped her face, because what he had said to this beautiful, headstrong, jaded woman was true. It was damn hard to wait for something that might never happen, but when all he ever wanted stood in front of him, those eyes of gunmetal intense and full of emotion, Donnie felt like if Caitlyn rejected him now he might not survive it.

Leaning up on tip toes, Caitlyn brushed her lips over Donnie’s, her voice a husky whisper against his mouth. “Take me home, Donnie O’ Carroll.”

Cracking a grin, Donnie replied, “Not sure I can wait until we get home to have you, Cait, so I guess your luxury apartment in Paris will have to do.”

An exasperated smile spread out over her lips, reaching all the way up and into her eyes. For far too long Donnie had stood silent and watched as Caitlyn lived half a life.

No more.

Dropping his hands from her face, he clutched her hand and they began to walk, the entire journey back a tease of what was to come. He could sense her worry in the way Caitlyn hung onto his hand, as if it were a life raft keeping her from drowning in herself.

The streets of Paris were practically empty, apart from one or two that passed by them on their stroll. The metros had long since halted for the night, and Donnie felt like all his fucking birthdays and Christmases had come at once. After all these years, after all the stolen glances, the long agonizing days curled up in bed, their bodies touching, from all the times Donnie thought Caitlyn had been through far too much in her life to know what happiness could be like, and now, Donnie had all that he wanted, all that he needed, holding his hand.

“May I ask a silly question?”

“Darling, you could ask me to dance like a chicken right now and I would totally do it,” he quipped, his joke rewarded with a throaty chuckle.

“When did you know? When did you realize you had feelings for me?”

He lifted their hands to place a kiss to Caitlyn’s knuckles. “I fell in lust straight away, as you well remember. You were this hot vampire chick buried in the dirt with me, and man, I wanted you even then.”

“I remember,” Caitlyn murmured dryly.

“I also remember how much of a pain in the ass I was the first few months. The way Melanie has handled being a vampire in such a short span has totally put me to shame.”

A smile in her voice, Caitlyn replied, giving his hand a little squeeze, “Melanie has put a lot of us to shame. It seems as if the immortal life suits her far better than a mortal life ever did.”

“When I finally began to get control of the hunger and started hitting the town by myself, after a while, after the booze did nothing, and women, they just could not sate this base instinct I had that I was meant to be yours. I realized that maybe my feelings for you went further than pure lust.”

Donnie had to build up to the real moment he fell in love with her. Because it might trigger some PTSD shit and ruin what was going to happen between them. Not that he wouldn’t wait, if she said no to him tonight. Donnie was certain, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would wait an eternity for this woman.

“But that’s not when I fell in love with you. I fell in love with you one day after you had a nightmare.” He glanced down at Caitlyn, watching her tense. “It was the first time my mind reading powers manifested, about a year after I became a vampire, and I was powerless to stop what happened to you in the nightmare. You woke screaming so hard that I thought you would rip your vocal chords. And as soon as you remembered that you had an unwanted houseguest living right below, you covered your mouth and screamed on the inside.”

“I never wanted you to see that side of me.”

“But I did, and it didn’t scare me away. Getting inside your head made me understand you a little bit more. I couldn’t understand, with my tiny male brain, why you obviously wanted me but never acted on it. That day, I knocked on your bedroom door, yet you never answered. Defeated, I went back to bed, but could not sleep. After a few minutes, my bedroom door creaked open, and your scent filled my nostrils. Cait, you slipped into my bed and curled up on your side, your back to me, and I could have sworn my heart skipped a beat.”

“Which is impossible since it didn’t beat.”

Donnie nudged her with his shoulder. “Shh, I’m trying to be romantic and shit.”

Caitlyn snorted. “Forgive me. Carry on.”

“As I was saying.” Donnie went on with his tale. “I lay there staring at the goddamn ceiling, not knowing what to do, your scent waking me up. But you turned to face me then, fast asleep, a peaceful yet troubled expression on your face. I watched you for a few minutes. A nightmare began to creep its way into your mind again. So I just acted, slipped my arms around you, pulled you up into my chest, and as soon as you laid your head against my chest, you stilled, the nightmare ceasing. I felt like a fucking superhero that day. I had the most beautiful woman in the world asleep next to me, despite the obvious trauma she’d been through, and she trusted me to keep her safe, especially when she could kick some serious ass.”

“And I ran out before you woke and neglected to mention or even thank you for keeping the nightmares at bay.”

“But you did thank me. The next time you had a nightmare, after ignoring me for a week, you came back to me, to my bed, and let me hold you. That meant everything to me.”

They’d been walking for a while now, and Donnie paused to look at her. “I appreciated what I had within my grasp. That you had given me a home, something I never had before. You, Caitlyn, showed me what a family really could be like and gave me a purpose when you asked Sarge to let me join P.I.T, and you gave me you, as much of you as you could. And that made me fall for you.”

Caitlyn sighed and pursed her lips. “I realized my feelings for you had changed over time as well. I admit, I was attracted to you from the start. I…I…never had such a reaction to another vampire before, and didn’t understand what I was feeling. All my vampire life I tried to push down the instincts, but I couldn’t with you.”

Staring down at the toe of her boot, Caitlyn said, “When I realized I might be falling in love with you, I decided it was time for you to leave. That his words played a part in the insecurities I may love and lose once again. However, after a rough night at work, I came home to find you in my kitchen, in nothing but a pair of shorts and an apron, the table laid with enough food to feed the squad room. You grinned at me and ordered that I sit down and enjoy the food you had cooked. We ate, we laughed, and I forgot the darkness for a little while.”

“And when we went to watch movies, you snapped at me to put on a T-shirt or you would not sit through my choice of movie.” Donnie remembered that night well. He’d been off duty that night, and Derek had texted to say they’d had a bad one. His friend hadn’t needed to explain, and the heads-up that Caitlyn might react to the events badly spurred him into action.

“I spent the whole of dinner wondering what it would be like to sink my fangs into your chest, so forgive me for being snappy. But as you led me to your bedroom that night, without any expectations or pressure, I knew I could not be without you. It scared and thrilled me at the same time. Part of me hoped you would find someone else and be happy, even if it would never be me.”

They arrived at the door of the apartment complex, standing side by side, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Donnie could only imagine what was racing through Caitlyn’s mind, her shields iron tight as she chewed uncertainly at her bottom lip.

“For a long time, I operated on automatic. I worked, I slept, I dreamt. Each new night a repeat of the one that came before it. He taught me to fear the dark, but he also neglected to show me what could happen in the light. I held onto my grief like it was the only thing that kept me in this world. But you happened, my light in the darkness, and I fell in love with the way you touched me without using your hands.”

“Dammit, Cait. Just dammit.”

Donnie grabbed her hand, pulling her into the lobby of the hotel and all but shoved her into the elevator. Once the door closed, he turned his back to her, every single molecule in him begging, pleading, and urging him to take her up against the wall of the goddamn lift. His fangs slipped free of his gums as he braced his arms on the railing and placed his forehead against the mirror, counting to ten.

But her scent was in his veins, as intoxicating and alluring as it was twenty years ago. Donnie was no newbie vampire who could not control himself. He would make this a night they would both never forget. He wasn’t about to blow it now. No fucking pun intended.

“Donnie.” Caitlyn’s voice was low, like she had just expelled a breath.

The elevator pinged on Caitlyn’s floor, and she sauntered out in front of him. Following her out of the lift, Caitlyn gave him a wicked smile over her shoulder and he came up behind her as she unlocked the door, his hands on either side of her hips, his teeth grazing the side of her neck. Caitlyn’s shudder told him everything he needed to know.

Caitlyn pushed the door open, tossing the key card to the side, slipping her arms free of her jacket as she placed her back against the wall in the hallway. Donnie shirked off his own jacket, flung it off into the front room, and boldly placed his hands on her ribs, his thumbs caressing the sides of her breasts. Caitlyn hissed at the contact, her eyes darting to hold his.

“I want you inside me now,” she growled, and Donnie wanted to follow her orders, but twenty years of waiting made a man conjure fantasies as he stroked himself. And he was going to indulge in some of those fantasies right now.

“Patience, darling,” he said with a smug smile. “I’m going to make you understand what it’s been like to wait for twenty years with blue balls.”

Before she could protest, Donnie dropped his lips to hers, closed at first. As he gently nipped at Caitlyn’s lower lip, she growled, opening her mouth to him. Donnie pulled away from Caitlyn, her bottom lip between his teeth, before he pressed his lips once more to hers, rubbing the underside of her breast a little harder.

This time when Donnie released her mouth, he rested his forehead against hers, his mouth inches from Caitlyn’s reddening lips, her lipstick slightly smeared, her grey eyes locked with his.

“Donnie O’ Carroll, I would have never thought you a tease.”

“Babe, I’m only getting fucking started.”

He claimed her mouth a second later and licked against the curve of her tongue, reining in the need to mark her as Caitlyn arched herself into the kiss, her arms going around his neck. Donnie savoured the kiss for a moment more before he gently eased away from Caitlyn’s lips.

“I think,” Donnie said, “we should move this into the bedroom before I lose myself and take you up against that wall.”

“And if I had no objections to you taking me up against this wall?” Caitlyn purred, pure sin in her tone.

Donnie groaned, shaking his head as he nudged Caitlyn gently toward the bedroom. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pressed his lips to the side of her neck, and slightly grazed his fangs against her collarbone.

“Donnie,” she gasped.

He increased the pressure ever so slightly, yet not hard enough to break her skin. His fingers trailed to the hem of her sleeveless top, Caitlyn lifting her arms so he could slip it off. Dropping the fabric, Donnie began to trail kisses along her shoulder, the top of her spine, pressing his mouth gently down to her back until he reached the back of her bra.

Her spine locked, and Donnie backed away, giving her a second. Despite the tent in his pants, he was in no rush. This he would savour.

Caitlyn turned to glare at him, hands going to her hips. “And who told you to stop?”

“I just wanted you to turn around, so I could look at those magnificent breasts of yours. Makes my mouth water.”

Her eyes opened wide, and for a brief second, fear flashed in her eyes. Donnie inched forward, and when Caitlyn didn’t back away, he bent his head down and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to her right breast over the lace fabric of her bra. His other hand palmed her other breast, his thumb rubbing over the taut nipple.

Her moan lit up his entire body. He wanted in her right this minute.

Removing his mouth from her breast, Donnie smirked up at Caitlyn. “I like this bra. I’m not gonna rip it off with my teeth. It’d be such a shame to ruin it. Next time you wear it, I’m gonna take you with nothing but this bra and that pair of red-heeled shoes you like to wear. I want you to dig those heels into my ass as we fuck.”

“Stop talking, Diable, and kiss me,” Caitlyn chided him.

Devil.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Donnie hooked his thumbs into the loops on her pants and began to tease them off Caitlyn’s hips.

“What are you doing?” she questioned, with a slight hint of a quiver in her tone.

“You told me to kiss you, but you neglected to say where. I’m taking some initiative, darling. I did tell you about how I wanted to hear you scream my name as you came against my mouth, right?”

Lust tinted her scent and Donnie’s grin grew. As he eased her pants off the curves of her ass, he let his fingers ghost over them, teasing and tempting her into things. Donnie had no doubt that this night was far more for her than it ever would be for him.

Mon Dieu, this man is the devil in disguise. He has barely touched me and I’m already so wet for him.

Caitlyn’s shields slipped for a second as he sank to his knees and slid the pants down to her ankles. Gingerly, Caitlyn stepped out of them, kicking them aside as her hair fell in front of her face and shielded her expression from him.

Donnie sat back on his haunches and admired the stunning beauty in his line of sight. Against the black lace of her matching underwear set, the cream of her skin seemed milkier, even more lickable than it had been before. His cock twitched inside his pants, eager to be let out and inside this woman.

As Caitlyn swept her hair from her face, she took a cautious step forward. Donnie straightened, pressed his lips to her stomach, and whispered, “You are so fucking beautiful. I’m not worthy of you.”

Donnie dipped his head, pressing his lips against her panties, his own body straining when Caitlyn’s hands went to his hair. Her fingers scraped his scalp as he flicked out his tongue and licked at the lace material before running his hand up her thigh.

Knowing she didn’t like to be restrained, Donnie cupped her thighs with his big hands, but not roughly. Caitlyn could have broken free at any time, yet she raked her fingers through his hair, and he was suddenly thankful that he had not taken a razor to it like usual.

With his right hand, Donnie yanked the lacy material from Caitlyn’s body and she gasped. “You said you weren’t going to rip it.”

“I said I wouldn’t destroy the bra. The panties, oh, they were screaming to be ripped.”

Without another word, Donnie cupped her ass and slanted Caitlyn forward, his mouth latching onto her wet pussy. Sweat broke out on his brow, but he focused on sucking on her as he had envisioned so many times while he stroked himself. Caitlyn’s grip on his hair tightened, so Donnie opened his mouth and licked at her core, tasting her on his tongue.

Donnie thrust his tongue in and out, sucking, tasting, and swallowing the intoxicating wetness that was purely his Caitlyn. She blew out a breath, her body trembling as he continued pleasuring her with his tongue. Her spine locked, about to come for him. Pressing his mouth deeper into her, Donnie dragged a fang down her flesh and she came undone for him, his name growled from her lips.

Feathering kisses along the inside of her thigh as Caitlyn rode the waves of orgasm, Donnie couldn’t help but grin against her skin. Sitting back on his haunches again, he licked his lips as Caitlyn watched him. Her fangs slipped free from her gums.

“You taste better than I ever fucking imagined in my head. Do you know how many times I thought of doing that as I stroked myself?”

“Donnie!”

“Don’t play coy now, darling. As if you haven’t heard me grunting your name as I got off.”

Caitlyn placed her palm over his mouth and shook her head. But Donnie saw the moment doubt flashed in her mind. Once they made love, their scents would be intermingled, no doubt that they had been together.

Donnie could only watch as insecurity and fear punched into Caitlyn’s mind and he knew he was about to lose her.