Redemption (Page 44)

He could heat her body more than the sun when it burst over her skin. She found herself clutching the tree as she leaned closer to him. He was ensnaring her within a web with his touch and the desire he awakened in her. Electricity shot through her, she jumped a little and bit back a small moan as his hand slid over her ribcage, around her waist and settled in the hollow of her back as he stepped even closer.

"You’re so undesirable," he murmured against her lips. "That I can’t keep my hands off of you even though I know I should."

She didn’t care why he should, all she cared about was the fact that every cell in her body was screaming for him to put her out of her misery and kiss her. Then, finally, he did.

The only reason she didn’t throw herself into his arms was because she had to keep hold of the tree in order to stay on her feet. It didn’t matter though as he pressed against her, pushing her more forcefully into the tree and helping to keep her on her feet. She released the tree and grabbed hold of his well-muscled biceps as she sought the extra connection with him.

He stepped closer to her, his chest pressed against hers as his hands clasped hold of her face with a tenderness that stunned her given the growing demand of his kiss. She opened her mouth to his invasion, welcomed him within her as she eagerly met each of his hungry thrusts. The entire world faded away, all she could think about, all she could feel was him as he fit her snuggly against him.

She hadn’t known that anything could feel like this. Her body was spinning out of control as she clutched at him. There was simply no way she could ever get close enough. A sense of urgency and frustration filled her, she craved more; she needed more as her fingers dug into the solid muscles of his back. She realized that she was acting like a frenzied animal but he made her feel things that she had never dreamed possible.

She felt the press of his fangs against her mouth before one of them pricked her bottom lip. The fleeting pain was quickly buried beneath the passion that surged forth in him as his tongue swirled through her blood. Not right, this wasn’t right. Vampires didn’t exchange blood. She tried to recall why but there was no way she could hold onto a coherent thought when he was kissing her into oblivion.

His mouth was hot and heady as it moved away from hers, traveled over her chin and down to the column of her throat. The sensation of his fangs scraping over her skin caused her to cry out as her fingers curled into his hair and she drew him closer to the hollow of her throat. The action should have gone against everything she’d known, everything instinctual within her; instead it seemed so unbelievably right that she found herself pulling him closer as her body pressed seamlessly against his.

A low growl escaped him as he struck with the lethal speed of a meteorite crashing to earth and drove his fangs into her neck. She was crashing too. She was plummeting, falling, and breaking apart as she felt her blood filling him. She had expected discomfort, but other than the initial break of her skin, she felt none. Instead, a feeling unlike anything she’d ever experienced before filled her. Warmth seeped through her, consuming her from the inside out as she cradled his head against her neck.

Closer, they were finally at least a little closer, she thought with delight as her cheek fell against his. The greedy pulls of her blood eased as he bent over her. The heat of him, the feel of his stubble against her neck was unfamiliar and yet strangely right as her heart soared.

Her eyes fluttered open as the first rays of the sun spread over the horizon. The fright and dismay she should have felt over his biting her rushed to the forefront as her hands clenched upon his shoulders.

"Jack, the sun, Jack!" she cried as she shook him.

Her words didn’t seem to penetrate at first, or perhaps the meaning behind them didn’t as he continued to feed from her. Then, he became completely rigid against her. He released his hold upon her and whipped his head toward where the dawning rays of the morning were spreading in an array of gold, pink, and red across the sky.

She expected him to release her; instead he swept her into his arms and began to move across the ground so fast that the woods around her became a blur and the wind whipped her hair back from her face. She was fast, but she’d never experienced this kind of speed before, she’d never seen anyone exhibit this kind of speed before. Fear caused her to grasp his arms tighter as the beams of sun spreading across the ground chased after them.

Turning sideways, he threw his shoulder into the kitchen door and shoved it open. He slammed the door closed on the sun as the first beam hit it. Relief caused her to slump in his arms, she curled closer against his chest. "Are you ok?" he demanded as he nuzzled her hair.

"Fine."

"I’m sorry, that shouldn’t have happened."

A burst of rage caused her spine to stiffen as her eyes narrowed upon his. "Again!?"

He blinked at her in confusion and then gave her a lazy smile that caused her irritation to fade. "I meant the sun, tiger. I shouldn’t have kept you out there so long; you never should have been at risk."

She didn’t completely buy his words though as she continued to glower at him with her arms folded over her chest. Then, much to her utter amazement, he bent down and rubbed the tip of his nose against hers. She couldn’t help but giggle as she wiped at her tickled nose and returned his dazzling smile.

"Much better," he told her as he kissed her nose and leaned away from her.

She didn’t know what to say or do after what they had just shared. She’d never given so much of herself to someone before, had never thought that she would. Even if she had been forced into a marriage with Calvin, she never would have allowed him to drink her blood, and he wouldn’t have expected her to. Her parents had been friendly enough with each other, but she knew that they had never exchanged blood with each other and that one day they would most likely move on from each other when they became bored.