Awakening (5 page)

“Will you finish what you started?” she asked daringly, glancing up at him with seductive innocence.
Her eyes widened in alarm and she clapped a hand over her mouth as she realized what she said.

“Hell yes,”
Adam answered, his voice low and sultry and filled with promise. Running his finger over her lips, watching the movement with his dark eyes, he smiled. Meeting her eyes, he repeated himself, “Hell yes.”

Celeste’s mouth went dry at the intensity with which he stared at her. Biting her lower lip, she broke the gaze and glanced
away. Unable to help herself, she glanced back up at Adam who continued to stare at her, his intent very clear in his eyes. “I have to leave a note for my friends so they won’t worry; do you mind?”

“Not at all,” he answered
, stepping into the small room and taking a brief glance around, a lazy smile curving his lips. “Where do your friends stay?”

Celeste looked at him oddly, wondering if he thought the mismatched luggage was all hers.
Writing a few words down on a sheet of paper, she made a face, “Um, we all stay in this room.”

He looked at her as if he didn’t comprehend her words, “Both you and the blond?”

“Yes,” she nodded, a smile starting to curve her lips. “And Mary and Clare.”

“Four of you?” he gasped, truly shocked.
“In this closet? Amazing.”

She arched an eyebrow at his statement as she finished up the note and left it on Kim’s luggage. She could only hope her friend wouldn’t be too pissed at coming back to the hostel to discover Celeste missing. Rationally, Celeste knew she shouldn’t be running off with a stranger who had tracked her down but there was simply something about
Adamanteros that she couldn’t resist. She was incredibly stupid and if she survived she was going to have to seriously reevaluate her sanity.

Holding out his
hand for her to take when she remained silent, he nodded his head towards the door, “Shall we?”

Smiling shyly, she walked forward, placing her hand in his, feeling
his large palm overpower hers. Instead of terrifying her with his great size, she felt safe, protected. Cherished. She didn’t care how foolish her thoughts were, tonight she was going to relish every moment with him. Not thinking about what the next day would bring, not caring, she met his eyes, “Yes.”

*****

When they stepped outside of the building, there was a car waiting. The driver hopped out, opening the door for them, bowing his head in deference. Celeste had the fleeting impression that he was very tall; perhaps as tall as Adamanteros.

Celeste
slid in before Adam, her skirt riding up along her thigh in an unintentionally seductive way as she moved across the seat. She had to bite her lip from jumping Adam as soon as he got into the car, throwing her skirt the rest of the way up and kissing him until their bodies trembled in pleasure. Groaning, she watched as he slid into the seat next to her, taking her hand in his.

“
How did you find me?" Celeste asked, her hazel eyes bright as she smoothed the skirt over her lap, the slit threatening to open and reveal her leg up to her hip.

“I
followed you from the museum,” he answered. Frowning, he looked out the window, “That makes me sound as if I am a stalker and I do not wish to give you that impression.”

“If I thought you were stalking me do you think I would have left my room with you?” she teased. When his lips curved into the barest smile but he continued to stare out the window she took
the opportunity to visually devour him. Up close, he was even more devastating to her senses; she could fully appreciate the lengths of his long eye lashes, the blackness of his eyes. And she could smell him, something primal. Decadent. Wonderful.

After a moment, his lips curled up in
to a real smile and without looking at her, he murmured, “I can feel your eyes on me.”

“I’m so sorry!” she apologized quickly, her face burning in humiliation as she turned away from him to look anywhere else. She en
ded up staring down at her hand, enveloped so completely in his. He had very nice hands, strong, powerful, and yet he caressed her so gently….

“I
do not mind,” he murmured in that sinful voice, turning around to face her. Gently, he touched her cheek but she kept her eyes lowered as she faced him. “Look at me.”

Slowly, she raised her chin, her lashes raising enough for her to see him; for him to see her eyes. Brushing his thumb across
her lower lip, he whispered, “It pleases me to feel your eyes caress me. I could spend several lifetimes studying the exquisite beauty that is you.”

Her brow furrowed, not believing him
because he was unutterably gorgeous and she was simply Celeste. Slightly flustered, she blurted out, “You have a slight accent.”

He smiled, “I do.”

“Where are you from?” she asked, her fingers tightening around his as his thumb continued its slow assault on her senses. Her own fingers began to return the caress.

“My parents traveled a lot when I was a child,”
he said easily but she had the strangest feeling that he was lying to her, which didn’t make sense. She was probably imagining things. “I guess it is sort of an accumulated accent.”

“I like that,” she smiled shyly at him, wondering how he could make her feel so comfortable
. She understood the lust he invoked quite well. She glanced back down at their hands as they danced with one another.

He reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her face, letting the hand linger on her cheek. “What do you feel like eating?”

Her cheeks reddened as her mind instantly thought of him. Covering herself, she answered, “I think I might be too nervous to eat.”

“Then
I will have my chef prepare a light repast and we will see what we can do about your nerves,” he assured her with a slight smile. Leaning forward, still holding her hand in his, he said something into the driver’s ear. When he sat back, he had a satisfied grin on his face.

“
We’re going to your place?” she asked, excited and terrified.

“
If it pleases you.”

“You don’t know me well enough to be
taking me home,” she murmured, the butterflies in her belly pounding against the walls, screaming at her to have some care for her safety. She could only hope that her adventure didn’t end tragically.

“I will soon enough,” he promised, bringing their hands up to his mouth and kissing her fingers. Her heart flopped in her chest at the heat of his mouth, the heat in his gaze.

“Perhaps we could skip dinner and get to know each other better now,” she said, her voice low and throaty. She couldn’t believe her words, or her sexy voice, yet she couldn’t take them back – she didn’t want to. What kind of spell had this man woven over her? Unfortunately, she hoped it never wore off; she would remain his eternal concubine.

His lips curled up in an increasingly familiar
and sensual smile. “I would like nothing more. But first you must eat. I plan on making you work up quite the appetite.”

Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned over her, softly pressing his lips against hers, sealing a promise. It was only a brief kiss but it left her temporarily disembodied. Leaning back in the seat, her eyes closed and her mind unaware that the sp
lit of her dress had fallen open, she smiled, “You make me feel as if I could fly.”

*****

Smiling at her words, her sweet kiss, Adam looked up and caught the matching pair of dark eyes of the driver in the rear-view mirror. Auberon asked,
Do I need to make arrangements in the Adytum?

No
, Adam answered, willing to do almost anything to get the girl to himself for an hour, a night, an eternity. How odd; he had never felt this way before.
I am not going to convert this one; I do not want her to lose her fundamental warmth.

You play a dangerous game, brother. You
blew through a very important meeting this afternoon; it is not like you.

You protest too much, Auberon
, Adam smiled at his identical twin.
Everything is going forward as planned and we shall soon be free.

Thomas did not sound so convinced; he cannot tell us what is missing
, Auberon returned, reminding Adam of how very close they were and yet how far.

Leave it, brother
, Adam warned.

Auberon’s laughter filled his head and he had to force the smile to keep from frowning.
This is not like you, Adam; you are not the one who wishes to cancel meeting to chase after some girl.

I know
. Adam admitted ruefully. Turning his attention back to Celeste, he tried to ignore any further conversation with his brother. With her eyes closed, her lashes brushed seductively against her cheek. Locking his brother out, he smiled, knowing that in a few hours, they would be as entwined as their hands were presently.

S
he opened her eyes and smiled softly, sweetly. “I can feel your eyes on me as well, Adamanteros.”

You told her your name?
Your real name
? Auberon choked from the front seat, his eyes glaring accusingly at Adam via the mirror.
You are usually so protective of your name
.

Adam
continued to ignore his brother, bending his head and kissing Celeste softly on the lips. Smiling against her mouth, he spoke, “Good. you must know how much I desire you.”

Celeste smiled as his mouth came to hers once more
and he loved the headiness of her lips beneath his. The fingers of her free hand curled into his hair, pulling him into her as his hand fell to her bare knee. Needing to touch her, his hand moved along the smoothness of her leg, squeezing the soft flesh of her thigh. Heat raced through him, concentrating low in his belly, hardening his cock.

He felt her sigh into his mouth, opening just enough for him to taste the inside of her sweet lips. His hand went to her neck, caressing the soft skin below her ear, along her jaw. Feeling her pulse racing under his palm, he traced the vein with his finger, wanting to taste the richness of her blood, feel it in his mouth as she convulsed around him. Drink her dry as he pounded int
o her over and over and over….

Adam
, you are losing control
, Auberon laughed from the front seat.

My control is resolute
, Adam answered testily, reluctantly pulling his lips from hers. Keeping his eyes on Celeste, he watched the delicate blush creep back into her soft skin under his intense stare. What was it about her that was already consuming him?
Look at how beautiful she is
.

She looks like a million other girls,
Adam
, Auberon huffed.
This is not like you, brother, not at all. You are anal almost to a fault. You do not chase after girls in museums, blow off important meetings, introduce yourself with your real name; you do not take a girl into your home, your bed, without an in-depth background check into her personality, her history, her suitability. Adam, you never convert anyone that could have complications. It isn’t as if it would take more than an hour to get the basics; what is the rush?

I have to have her,
Adam answered honestly, tenderly drawing his fingers over the line of her nose, the full curves of her lips, the length of her throat. His fingers hovered over the rapid tattoo of her pulse and he could feel his eyes darken
. It is as if I will suffocate if I am not buried deep within her.

Auberon turned his head around and studied the girl who remained oblivious of everything not Adam.
There is… something, something almost familiar about her. Is she a Trojan horse, from the Council perhaps?

No; they still have faith in us.

They have faith in
you
, brother,
Auberon chuckled
. They have less faith in me, especially since….

Yes, I know,
Adam growled testily. He felt Celeste startle, her eyes growing wide in her face as she stared up at him. Relaxing the grimace, he kissed her softly on the tip of her nose, “We will be there soon, sweetheart; have you decided on what you would like to eat?”

Her cheeks burst into a riot of color as she quickly lowered her lashes, the action making a chuckle well up from deep within him. Idly playing with her hair, he turned away and found himself staring into his brother’s laughing
black eyes.
Keep your eyes on the road; we do not wish to give all of our secrets away now, do we?

Almost reluctantly Auberon turned around, watching in the rearview mirror, a wry smile curving his lips.
She is sweet; not your usual taste. Are you sure you know what you are doing? Do you need me to make arrangements at the Adytum for a new Calix?

Looking down at her, her eyes still closed, her r
eddened lips slightly parted, Adam had to be honest with himself: he could easily lose control with her. Softly running his thumb over her moist lips, he looked at his brother, meeting his gaze in the mirror.
I have no desire to convert her but we should be prepared to make those arrangements.