Dark Kisses (Carnal Thirst #1.2)(4)
Author: Sylvia Day

“Thank you.”

His fingertips skimmed gently down her arm until they reached her hand. He linked their fingers together and backed into the bedroom, puling her with him. As aroused as he was by her slender body, he was also conscious of the unexpected intimacy of them being so comfortable together. Almost as if there was a longstanding familiarity between them. An affinity so rare he’d never found previously in his endless life.

When he reached the bed, he sat and tugged her between his legs, then he fel backward onto the mattress, taking her with him. As her body flowed over him, then melted into him, Raze closed his eyes and sighed, releasing the abnormal agitation that had been riding him hard. Her hair slid over his skin and her mouth brushed over his parted lips. His entire body was hyperaware of her, every nerve ending tingling in anticipation of her touch.

I was wrong, he thought. Not hard and fast. Not with her. Slow and deep. Decadent. He could give her that after al.

Wrapping his arms around her, he roled her beneath him and gave her what they both needed.

* * *

Kim wiped her mouth with a napkin. “You’ve seriously never seen this movie before?”

Raze lay on his side with his head in hand, his gaze moving from the television to where she sat cross-legged on the bed beside him, drowning in his shirt. “Never even heard of it.”

“Wow. I love this movie.” She stabbed another piece of impossibly tender steak with her fork and lifted it to her mouth, her attention only partialy on The Ghost and the Darkness. The nak*d man sprawled across the bed next to her was much more fun to look at. “Patterson went to Africa with a dream and a plan. And then he had to fight to hang on to it. I just love that. Do you like it?”

“I like watching it with you.” He smiled and ran a fingertip down the side of her thigh. “I like watching you eat, too.”

“I don’t know what’s the matter with me. I don’t usualy get hungry after sex, but I’m freakin’ starving now.” Of course, it wasn’t usual for her to have sex for nearly three hours nonstop either. She was pretty sure that if her damn stomach hadn’t growled, he’d stil be inside her now. The thought made goose bumps sweep over her skin.

“Are you cold?” he asked, displaying that amazing perception she’d appreciated al night. It was the nail in her coffin, she knew. There wasn’t a woman alive who could resist a man who paid attention to her, who made her feel like she was the only other person in his world.

“No.” She pushed aside the longing that kept reminding her it was there, just under the surface, waiting for her to acknowledge it. “I’m feeling piggy eating while you’re not.”

“Don’t. I’l get something when I need it.” He squeezed her gently, then let go. “And you’l need the energy.”

Invigorated by the promise of more mind-blowing sex, Kim ate faster. Raze turned his oddly beautiful gaze back to the television, and she let her mind sift through the impossibilities of the evening.

Christ, he was beautiful. It was stunning how gorgeous he was. His features were heartrendingly perfect, from the bold slash of his brows to the strong line of his jaw. His eyes were compeling, the irises lit like amber in candlelight. His lips were sinful, not just in their sensual shape but also with what they could do to the female body. His nose was elegant and his cheekbones a work of art. Everything about him was divine. Like a fallen angel, she mused fancifuly—blessed with looks that drove every rational thought from a woman’s head and totaly wicked enough to take advantage of that gift.

She almost sighed like a smitten teenager.

And the best part was that the miracle of him was more than skin deep. Despite his devastating attractiveness, she was as comfortable hanging out with Raze as she was with any of her friends. There was no awkwardness, no wariness, nothing to ruin the easy companionship between them. It was in her nature to be cautious. Not only was that trait necessary for the painstaking work she did, but it was also how she’d been raised by a family of cops. You could never look close enough, dig deep enough, or be careful enough.

But Kim could accept that some people just clicked. She had friends whom she’d known would become valuable pieces of her life from the moment she met them.

That didn’t explain why she wasn’t at least partialy scandalized by the things she and Raze had done to each other since she arrived. There wasn’t a centimeter of her skin that didn’t know the stroke of his fingers or the lash of his tongue. He knew parts of her body better than anyone, better than even she did. And his erotic abandon goaded hers.

She’d lost al inhibition. She had done things to him that she’d never imagined doing and she had loved every minute. There was nothing in her head about playing fair or returning favors. She pleasured him because she couldn’t help herself. She pleasured him because it made her feel as good as when he pleasured her. He’d shown her that any sexual act could be intimate and mutualy pleasurable if you had the right partner. She didn’t think there was anything she wouldn’t let him do to her or anything he could ask of her that she wouldn’t do to him—a man she hadn’t known existed just a few short hours ago.

He glanced at her, caught her staring, and smiled. The curve of his gorgeous mouth was wicked, but the heat in his eyes was tender and warm.

Her chest tightened in a way that warned her she was wading into treacherous waters. Taking a deep breath, Kim set her fork down and wiped her mouth again.

“Thank you for dinner.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Wasn’t it obvious?”

“I’ve heard stale chips can taste delicious after sex,” he said wryly.

She laughed and stood, colecting her tray off the bed. “I absolutely enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed everything since I arrived.”

Taking the dishes back out to the living area, she took a moment to herself, debating whether she should get going now while the getting was good. She considered it long and hard, but the thought of returning to her apartment alone at this time of night made her stomach knot. And the thought of leaving Raze bummed her out so much she knew she couldn’t go until it was absolutely necessary. It wasn’t like they worked together or had the same friends or even lived in the same city. So what if she moped a little after it was over? He wouldn’t be around to see it. He wouldn’t be around as a constant reminder of what she couldn’t have.

“Hey,” Raze caled out. “Your phone’s vibrating.”

She went back to the bedroom, which was softly lit and intimately welcoming. It smeled like him and sex and delicious food. She realy didn’t want to be anywhere else. Looking around for her bag, she found it on a chair near the closet, several feet away from the bed. “How can you hear the buzzing over the television?”

He shrugged.

Digging her phone out, she looked at the screen and sighed at the sight of her brother’s name. She answered without preamble, “It’s a little late, isn’t it, Kenny?”

“Why the hel aren’t you answering your phone?”

“Because I was busy. And it’s late.”

“Kimberly Laine McAdams. You can’t go off with some biker you spoke to for five minutes in a bar and not expect us to be worried sick.”

“Oh my god. This isn’t Kenny. It’s Mom sounding like Kenny.”

“That’s not f**king funny.”

“No, it isn’t.” She hit the mute button. “Raze. Do you ride a bike?”

He glanced at her with brows raised.

“You know,” she elaborated. “Like a Harley.”

His grin flashed fierce and sexy as hel. “Heritage Softail.”

“Shit.” So he was a biker after al. The thought made her hot and needy. Kim took the phone off mute. “I’m a big girl, Kenny.”

“Who is stil dealing with walking into the murder scene of her best friend!” Ken growled and in her mind’s eye she could see him fisting his dark hair with his free hand and clenching his jaw. “You’re not the only one who’s freaked by what happened to Janele. I worry about you al the damn time. You need to give me a break, Kim. Stop giving me gray hair. Now what’s this guy’s name?”

“Why so you can run him? Do you do a run on al your one-night-stands?”

“You’re not the one-night-stand type.”

“I am tonight. I’l cal you when I get home tomorrow. And tel Delia I’m gonna to kick her ass.” She hung up, then powered her phone off.

“Everything al right?” Raze adjusted his position so that he was propped against pilows piled against the headboard. Sprawled like that he was a sensual feast.

God. He was just what she’d needed. What she stil needed.

She tossed her phone back in her bag and puled his shirt over her head. “Everything’s great. And about to get better.”

CHAPTER 5

Raze looked at the video feed of a blackish rose arrangement perched on Vash’s desk and pronounced, “Creepy.”

“They’re for you.” She pushed them aside. “Salem found them on your porch about a half hour ago. No card, but we know who it’s from, don’t we?”

“Yeah, we do.”

“She’s his wife, by the way. Of a couple hundred years. Torque traced Baron—previously known as John Schmidt, Baron Seagrave in his mortal life—back to the Regency period, when he married Lady Francesca Harlow.”

“Torque’s the man.”

“Yes, he is. And you’re dealing with a woman who just lost the love of her life.” Vash’s fingers drummed on the table. “Take it from a woman who knows what that feels like: She wants your head on a pike and your nuts roasting on an open fire. She won’t let this go until one of you is dead.”

“I’m ready and waiting.” He glanced out the window at the gradualy lightening dawn sky, then over at the closed bedroom door. “But I might be waiting in the wrong place if she’s gone to Raceport.”

“Torque traced the roses back to a florist in Chicago. If she did her homework at al, she’l know you’re hanging around there. But she doesn’t know where. She’s hoping this’l rattle your cage a little.”

“I’l get out more today. Be seen. I don’t suppose we’d be lucky enough to have confirmation that the baroness is the woman in the video. A photo match, maybe?”

“Working on it.” Vash rocked back in her desk chair. “Listen, I know you like to do your loner thing, but I’d feel better if you had some backup.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got this.”

“When I find the bastards who kiled Charron, an army isn’t going to save them. Hel hath no fury like a woman whose mate has been stolen from her. You can’t understand. You haven’t been there. You don’t know what you’re up against.”

Raze’s hands fisted. “I’ve. Got. This.”

“Fine.” She tossed up her hands. “Watch your stubborn ass. I can’t afford to lose you.”

She ended transmission, leaving him feeling pissed off and resentful. He was sick of everyone acting like there was an exclusive club that he was denied membership in.

He moved back into the bedroom and slid between the sheets, careful not to wake Kim, who slept soundly. Lying face down with her hair fanned across her back and her face turned toward him, she soothed his agitation without even trying. He wasn’t used to having someone sleep over like this. Because he didn’t need sleep himself, having a lover stay the night just invited questions he couldn’t answer.

Regardless, he wouldn’t have let Kim go home even if she’d wanted to. He could tel himself it was because it wasn’t safe for her to go out by herself at night. After al, the last woman to leave his bed had found a dead body on the doorstep. He could also tel himself it was because he hadn’t fed from her yet, but then he’d have to examine why he’d held back. To create just this excuse, maybe?

Reaching out, he pushed her hair gently aside and ran his fingertips up and down the graceful curve of her spine. She was so slender and delicate, yet strong and lithe.

Her body had worked tirelessly through the night, taking what he gave her and giving it right back to him. When she’d risen over him and rocked her body onto his, he’d fisted the sheets against the pleasure, his neck arching as she took him to the edge and beyond. It had been a very long time since anything had felt that good.

Raze exhaled harshly, fighting the onslaught of renewed desire. He’d had her enough already. She wasn’t a vampire who could heal quick enough to avoid being sore.

“Umm…” she purred. “You have the best hands.”

That soft humming noise of pleasure was the death of al his good intentions. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “I want you.”

“Yes, please.”

He laughed, which made her smile and rol to her back, revealing the smal br**sts he’d played with most of the night. She was revising everything he’d thought he knew about his preferences and desires. He ran the tip of his finger around a pale pink areola. “I love your tits.”

“Oh, these things? I’ve had them forever.”

Grinning, he bent over her and took her mouth, slanting his head to get the perfect fit. Kissing was another surprise. He hadn’t realized he liked it so much.

He was going to like drinking of her even more.

This time, he wouldn’t hold back. The morning was here; their night together was almost over. In a few hours, he’d be out hunting and she’d return to life as she knew it.

Raze slid over her and pushed his arms beneath her. It amazed him that a body so much smaler than his could fit so perfectly. He should have felt like a great, hulking beast on top of her, but he didn’t. He should have worried about how he handled her and made an effort to restrain himself, but there were none of those types of concerns or awkwardness between them. It was al so easy. So natural.