Blood Type (Page 42)

“Okay. I get it,” she whispered. She grasped his hand on her arm to try to get him to loosen his grip. He was going from hurting to bruising her.

“As a universal donor, an O negative blood type means there are so few matches out there for me, unlike an AB positive, which is a universal receiver. Before there was a cure, the majority of humans I drank from were not a match. The things I did were…unspeakable…”

Reyna was starting to feel sick at the mention of the horrible things he had done. That was not her Beckham. She knew it with her entire being. He was not that person anymore. He couldn’t have ever really wanted that.

“So, you ask me which faction I’m in, and I have no answer for you. To be human is to be weak and fragile,” he said, suddenly releasing her arm. She clamped her hand over the area where she was sure her skin was already turning purple. “But to be a vampire is to be a murderer.”

“Well, I don’t think you want to hurt anyone.”

Beckham shook his head. “What makes you think that?” He peeled back her fingers and looked at the swollen skin. “I’ve given you no reason to believe that.”

“I’ve seen Cassandra and Rowland toy with humans and act as if they’re beneath them. But you don’t. If Sophie were dying, Rowland wouldn’t care or do anything to save her. But you risked a lot to ensure my safety, not to mention Everett’s.” Beckham opened his mouth, likely to object, but she held her hand up. “And I know it’s not just because I’m an investment, Becks. You don’t drink from me and you could replace me with ease. It’s because you care for humanity…for me.”

“Believe what you wish,” he said.

Which was the most non-answer she had ever heard. He didn’t have to admit it. His actions showed very clearly the person he was.

Beckham motioned for her to bring her camera up to her face, effectively ending the conversation. She sighed, but did as he directed.

“Now find Visage.”

She searched out the massive building on the horizon. They were far enough away that so many of the buildings appeared as if they were on top of one another. But Visage was the tallest and stuck out like a sore thumb on the horizon.

“Okay?” she said.

He had moved to stand behind her. He was bent forward so that he was level with her camera. His chest nearly pressed against her back. His breath tingled against her ear. He reached forward, covered her hand with his own, and slowly adjusted the angle of the camera.

“There,” he breathed. “What do you see?”

She focused back on the matter at hand instead of the feel of him against her. Twisting the lens until it zoomed in on the roof of Visage, she concentrated, trying to see what he was showing her. It looked like a regular roof with a large antennae type thing on the top with a flashing red light.

“What am I supposed to be seeing?” she whispered.

“The roof,” he said softly. His lips brushed her ear and then she shivered.

“But it’s just a roof.”

“Exactly.”

“I don’t…”

“Visage may seem all-powerful, impenetrable, but everything has limitations. Their building is not infinitely tall. From a distance or the right perspective, you might see that it’s really just a building after all.”

Reyna clicked the picture a couple times. She didn’t know exactly what he meant. Was he saying Visage was vulnerable? Was he saying he was vulnerable? She knew there were clues in what he was telling her, but none of it made sense. Wasn’t Beckham further proof of Visage’s power?

But her train of thought vanished when she felt his lips move from her ear to her neck. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back to give him better access to the area, and then started to grind her body against him. She stuffed her camera into her bag and then let it drop to the ground, forgotten.

His hands grasped her hips, tugging her closer. Thoughts fled her mind as his lips cast a spell on her. The tension from the past few weeks cracked wide open. All that there was in the world was Beckham.

His presence was overwhelming. Everywhere he touched she felt superheated. All she wanted was to push him to go further. Beg for more. But she wasn’t about to test his limits. The thought about how dangerous he had been before the cure flitted into her mind and then quickly out again. He wouldn’t hurt her. Of that she was certain.

Beckham turned her abruptly in his embrace and then dropped his mouth down on hers. Here at the top of this abandoned building, the world was spread out before them, and nothing could stop what was crashing down all around them. And she didn’t want it to ever end.

Her hands were around his neck as she kissed him with fervor. The feel of him was incomparable. Her heart was ready to burst. Her fingers trembled with the anticipation of this moment. Being near him did nothing but ignite her desire for him. She saw no reason to turn back.

“Reyna,” he murmured in between kisses.

“Don’t stop,” she pleaded.

He groaned into her mouth. She could tell he was fighting with his inner demons, and she felt horrible but she hoped they won out. She wanted him so desperately. She ached for him. There was no second-guessing this decision. He grabbed the backs of her legs and hoisted them up around his waist. She gasped and a devilish smile crossed his face. She liked his forcefulness, when he so often pushed her away.

Beckham carried her through the rooftop garden. He reached a large circular lounger and carefully laid her back on the plush cushion. Her body was flushed even in the chilled air, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the gorgeous man in front of her. She didn’t even want to blink, for fear that all of this would disappear and she would wake up in her bedroom, aching for him all over again.

His hands crawled up her legs, then her stomach, across her sides, and then up to her face. He cupped her cheeks in his strong hands. He was in complete control, and she surrendered power at the touch of his hand.

“You disarm me, Little One.”

She broke into a smile. “And here I thought I was the one tangled in your web.”

“Oh the tangled webs we weave,” he murmured, planting soft kisses down the hollow of her throat.

She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, ignoring the deception laced in his words. He kissed back down her front and then ran his fingers up her inner thighs. She trembled under his practiced touch. She couldn’t even be embarrassed that she was so ready for him.

When his mouth replaced his fingers, she had to do everything in her power to keep from bucking against him and begging for him to take her. His lips reached the hem of the black dress she was wearing. He bunched the material around her hips, leaving her exposed to him, all save for her tiny silk thong that she had already soaked through.

“You smell incredible,” he groaned, running his nose the rest of the way up her leg to the edge of her panties.

She tightened as desire raged through her.

“Would you like me to taste you?”

“Yes,” she said without hesitation. Fuck, did she ever want him to taste her!

“You know there’s the most incredible artery in your inner thigh.” He spread her legs wider and ran his teeth lightly along the spot. Her legs shook with anticipation. “I can almost smell the blood pumping through your body this close to the skin.”

He nipped at her lightly, and she nearly lost it there. She almost prayed he would break the skin so he would get over his aversion to drinking from her. She was ready. She was well past ready.