Craig's Heart (29 page)

Evie scooted off the daybed and came toward him. “That’s only normal. You’d be abnormal if you didn’t get some joy out of your new powers.” She placed her hand over his heart. “It’s the fact that you were sickened by it that means you haven’t lost your empathy.”

He hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “Damek said something similar.”

Evie gave a low chuckle. “Who’d have thought the ancient guy and I would ever agree on anything.”

Craig’s mood lightened, but only for a brief moment. He hadn’t told her the worst of it yet.

“What is it?” Evie moved closer until their bodies were almost touching. He could smell the spicy fragrance of her skin. Every muscle in his body tightened and his cock jumped to attention.

He wanted to grab her and kiss her until he couldn’t think, didn’t have to think. For that reason, he walked away, leaving her standing in the middle of the room with her hand still in the air. He stood by the window and gazed out over the city.

It hadn’t changed, but he had. Irrevocably.

“I killed a man,” he blurted out. “Not with my hands, but with my mind.”

He heard—no, felt—her moving up behind him. She slid her arms around his waist and pillowed her breasts against his back.

“Why?”

Craig dropped his forehead against the glass, enjoying the bite of cold against his skin. Not that he really felt cold, it was more the sensation of it. “The other hunter was older. He’d killed so many people. Many of them were innocent, and he knew that in his heart. He just didn’t care. He enjoyed killing.”

“And if he’d lived he’d be a danger to you and me, to Damek and Sonia, and maybe even to Isaiah’s pack. Am I right?”

Evie’s hands on his stomach were distracting him and making it harder to think straight. “Yeah.” Unable to not touch Evie any longer, he turned and pulled her against him. “I stopped his heart. Made it look as though it was natural causes. The authorities will find him and that will be the end of that.”

“Wow.” Evie’s hold tightened on him. “I’m so sorry you had to do that.”

Not what he’d been expecting her to say. Craig leaned back and stared down at her. “You’re not disgusted by what I had to do? Afraid of my powers?”

The soft smile she gifted him with almost brought him to his knees. “Afraid? Never. I know who you really are.” She cupped his face. “The real man. And I know that having to kill him hurt you, but you did it anyway because that’s who you are. You protect the innocent and your family and friends. I understand that.”

He caught her chin and made her look at him. “Do you also understand that you’re mine? We belong together.” He took a breath and said the same words he’d said last night. “I told you I won’t let you go.”

“I know. I’m counting on it.” She went up on her toes and pulled his face down. Their lips met and passion exploded.

Craig yanked her into his arms and lifted her feet right of the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

He had to have her. Right here. Right now.

Evie’s very soul ached for what Craig had been forced to do. She almost hated Damek for making Craig do it, but she understood his reasoning. He wasn’t trying to be mean. He wanted Craig to know he could defend himself and those he loved in case Damek wasn’t there to do it for him.

Last night, the older vampire had almost been too late. Craig had to learn just how much power he wielded and how to do so to the best of his abilities. Damek was a hard taskmaster, but Evie couldn’t wish for a better teacher for Craig.

“Evie,” he gasped her name as he turned and held her against the wall. He kissed her, his lips and tongue devouring her, stealing the very air from her lungs. The tip of one fang nicked her lip and Craig groaned, sucking on the small wound, licking away the blood and healing it. “I’m sorry. I can’t stop. I need you so much.”

She’d never had anyone need her the way Craig did, needed anyone the way she did him. “I want you.” She peppered his face with kisses, wanting to show him how much she cared.

Craig’s lower body pinned hers against the wall. He tugged at her shirt and she helped him pull it off, leaving her naked from the waist up. He gave a low groan and cupped her breasts. They weren’t overly large, but they were firm and well-rounded.

“So beautiful.” He kissed and licked the mounds, getting closer and closer to her taut nipples. She tugged on his hair, dragging his mouth to where she wanted it. His low, pleased laugh made her pussy clench.

Then he was sucking the tip of one breast, gently pulling at the nipple with his lips, teasing it with the tip of his tongue. Evie gasped and clutched at his shoulders. Frustration filled her when she met fabric and she tore at the offending garment until it shredded under her elongated nails. She tossed the pieces aside and feasted on his bare shoulders and back, wherever she could reach. His skin was almost hot to the touch, not cold as most might expect of a vampire.

He lifted his head, his eyes glowing, not red, but that brilliant blue she loved so much. “Naked. I have to get you naked.”

He pushed at her legs until she released the grip she had on his waist. The second her feet hit the floor, he attacked. He pulled at her jeans and panties. He had her naked in seconds. She tried to get at his jeans, but he made that impossible by kneeling at her feet.

He shoved her legs wide and buried his face against her pussy. She cried out and grabbed his shoulders for support when her legs threatened to give out. There was no gentle preliminaries, no tentative touches. This was a man out of control. This was sex at its most primal.

He drove two thick fingers into her slick channel, pushing deep. His lips found her clit and he sucked. Hard.

There was no gradual climb to pleasure. It was practically forced on her. Evie’s orgasm struck her hard. She came, screaming his name, as he continued to power his fingers in and out of her core.

When she started to slide down the wall, Craig surged to his feet. He ripped at the opening to his jeans and released his cock. It was long and thick, the bulbous head red and slick. Evie reached for his shaft, but her fingers had barely closed around it when he pushed her hand away. “No. I’m about two seconds from coming.”

He lifted her, spread her legs and pressed the thick head of his cock against her opening. “Evie.” He said her name and she managed to look at him, still partially lost in the fog of her previous orgasm. She knew what he wanted, what he needed.

“Yes.”

He gave a broken cry and thrust, driving deep. She clung to him, rubbing her aching nipples against his firm chest. He held her tight, breathing heavily. “Evie. My Evie.” He said the words over and over, chanting them like a prayer.

His cock flexed and pulsed inside her. She felt filled by Craig, surrounded by his power, his caring.

She loved the flex and play of the muscles in his arms and back as he began to move. He was strong and hard and absolutely perfect. She touched him everywhere, unable to get enough.

He powered in and out of her slick channel, her inner muscles rippling around his hard length. Her body was already rocketing toward another orgasm. It had never been like this with anyone else. Only Craig.

“Harder,” she encouraged. “More.” She bucked her hips, trying to take him deeper.

With a yell, he wrapped his arms around her and staggered to the daybed, falling heavily upon it. Flat on her back on the bare mattress, Evie gazed up at her lover. His fangs were down and his eyes were now glowing red. She turned her head to one side and stretched her neck, offering him everything she was.

He struck hard and fast, his fangs easily piercing her skin. She cried out, her pussy clamping around his cock. He continued to drink from her, thrusting his hips, slamming his cock in and out.

Evie was lost in a haze of sexual pleasure. She thought she screamed but wasn’t sure if it was out loud or only in her mind. Her pussy rippled as her orgasm surged through her, even more powerful than the last one.

Craig eased his fangs out and licked the wound. Then he turned his head, exposing his neck. “Bite me.”

She didn’t hesitate. The thick cords of his neck beckoned. Then his blood was spilling into her mouth. She moaned and her body continued to shake and shudder. Another orgasm or one long one. She didn’t know and didn’t care.

Craig’s cock grew thicker, his movements more frantic. She knew if she were still human she’d have bruises. But as a vampire those small marks from their lovemaking disappeared almost as soon as they formed, her body almost immediately healing itself.

Craig’s big body shuddered and he held the back of her head, encouraging her to keep drinking. She felt the burst of liquid heat as he came inside her. She withdrew her fangs and closed the puncture wounds, savoring the taste of his blood in her mouth and the feel of his cock rippling inside her.

Perfection.

Craig collapsed on top of her. Evie wrapped her arms around him and hugged him as tight as she could.

He was muttering something under his breath, and it took her a moment to realize what it was. When she did, she slowly released him.

Craig pushed up onto his hands, their bodies still joined. Evie gasped and jolted slightly when his cock seemed to grow rather than get smaller.

“You heard what I said?”

She nodded.

“I meant it, you know.” He leaned down and kissed her lips. It was such a gentle caress it brought tears to her eyes. “I love you, Evie.” He flexed his hips slightly, wringing a groan from her. “And not just because we’re so compatible sexually. You fascinate me. You’re so independent and strong, yet you have a vulnerable, artistic soul.” He sighed and lowered his forehead so it was resting against hers. “I wasn’t going to rush you, but I want us to be together. Come live with me. Share my life.”

Whether it was endorphins from her sexual release or her pleasure at his words, Evie didn’t know, but she couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “This is you not rushing me?”

Craig gave her a sheepish grin. “I didn’t ask you to marry me, did I? I’m saving that for maybe tomorrow or the next day.”

Fear leapt to the fore, practically strangling her, but she fought it. This was one man who would never let her down. She knew that all the way to her very soul.

“I appreciate your restraint.” Her wry tone made him smile. But there was a tension thrumming through him, and she knew why. It was time for her to be brave too. She stroked his face, his straight nose, his cheeks, his strong jaw. “I love you too. I don’t know how it happened. I fought it, but it didn’t matter. I love you.”

Craig rolled to his back, taking her with him so she was lying on top of him. They lay there in silence for a long time, simply holding one another and savoring their declarations of love, their commitment.

“I wasn’t kidding about marriage,” he finally said.

“I know. But let’s take it a little slow and see how your family feels first.” That was a worry for Evie.

He smiled up at her. “You make me happy. That’s all they’ll care about.” She wasn’t quite so sure, but she didn’t say anything to spoil the moment. He rubbed his hands over her butt, squeezing the firm mounds. She squirmed slightly and his cock flexed inside her.

“You can’t be serious.” She lifted until she was sitting up. The action drove his shaft deeper, making both of them moan.

“Deadly serious.” He held her hips and urged her to move. “But we better be quick. It’s probably only a matter of time until Damek shows up at the door. We were supposed to go to his place as soon as the sun went down.” Craig glanced around the room. “Plus, we’ve got a lot of work to do here, cleaning and boxing what we can save and getting rid of the rest.”

Her stuff. She’d forgotten all about it in the heat of the moment.

“Hey.” Craig cupped the side of her face. “We’ll fix everything. Together. You’ll paint, I’ll design video games and invest. It’s all good.” The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly. “There’s a small attic space in the building that would make a great studio. We could put in a skylight with a retractable shutter so you could paint by moonlight or during the day if you can’t sleep.”

God, if she didn’t already love him, she would now. “That sounds perfect.”

He looked slightly uncomfortable. “I tend to get lost in my work sometimes, not surfacing for days.”

Evie smiled at him and began to move, rising and falling on his thick erection. “That’s okay. I’ll think of something to distract you from your work when I want your attention.”

Craig laughed and then groaned when she deliberately squeezed her pussy muscles, squeezing his cock tight. “I bet you will.”

Then there was nothing but the sounds of their passion filling the night.

Epilogue

Craig surveyed the small space, satisfied with what had been accomplished in such a short time. He had his family and the Haven pack to thank for that. Everyone had put in time on the project, working extra hours to get it done quickly.

His life had changed so much in the past month. Only four weeks ago, he’d wandered down a dark alley when he’d heard a cry. Now he was happier than he’d ever imagined he could be.

“What do you think?” Chrissten slipped her arm around his waist. “Will she like it?”