Dark of kNight (25 page)

Several stories crossed the table of Daniel and Jason’s fishing expeditions. One of which was the story of how the big one got away. Not to mention how drunk they were one night when they thought they saw the Loch Ness Monster. Daniel explained it was the moon moving on the waves of the lake. Jason swore it was Nessie which had tipped the boat and caused him to fall into the lake. We all laughed when Daniel reminded his dear friend he had never seen such a brave heart when his friend pulled his trousers down to moon the so-called monster, just before he fell backwards out of the boat.

“Daniel,” Jason started in his Irish accent, “how many times do I have to tell ya! She was after me lucky charms!”

The roar of laugher erupted around our table. Heather and I wiped our eyes from the tears of laughter we shared. My sides strained and hurt from all of the laughter.

Winding down the evening and finishing our entrées, we all ordered the house coffee. A fresh ground French roast coffee, topped with fresh whipped cream and drizzled with caramel. The coffee was tasty as it eased our stomachs and cleared our heads for the return trip home. Daniel picked up the bill and we were soon ready to leave.

The trip back home was somewhat quieter as we were all full from a great dinner. A few kisses passed between Heather and Jason in the back seat of the car. Daniel’s hand reached over to mine and squeezed it gently. I locked my fingers around his and gave him a gentle squeeze.

Jason and Heather woke up as we pulled up in front of my house. We all left the car and headed into the house. I pulled off my shoes, and then showed them around upstairs to their bedroom. The final check before I left the two of them to themselves was their bathroom. I was satisfied to know the fully stocked bathroom would suffice. Before I returned to my room, I gave them both a hug and wished them a good night.

Walking into my bedroom, Daniel had already changed and lay quietly on my bed. I paused at the door to notice how adorable he looked. He was already under the bed covers with them pulled up to his waist. Smiling broadly, he reached behind him and fluffed one of the pillows under his head.

“Um, I thought you said something like you were afraid of the big bad wolf.” My right eyebrow rose.

“Oh, I am. Very afraid.” His voice was soft and seductive again.

Ignoring his last statement, I grabbed my nightshirt and headed into the bathroom. Slipping out of my dress and removing my makeup, I brushed my teeth then returned to the bedroom. Daniel was still in the bed and watched me as I walked over to the opposite side.

Pulling the covers back I eased into the bed and slid down until my head touched the pillow. Daniel immediately sighed and moved over toward me. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me close him. My hand went to his chest in protest.

“I thought you were going to be better about this. You mentioned something about not being able to control yourself, lately,” I purred.

“That was lately. This is now,” he said in a husky voice. “Besides, I have an idea how this might work for both of us.” His lips rested on my neck.

“Now I’m afraid,” I breathed out when his lips trailed from my neck to my jaw. Already I felt the blood heating in my veins when his lips reached my mouth.

THIRTEEN

Morning came with a new and refreshing song. My senses awakened before my body. I could sense only my immediate surroundings. There was no apparent danger so I relaxed. Within a few minutes my eyes slowly opened. Rolling over on my back I stretched to wake my sleepy muscles.

During my stretch, the body next to me stirred. Daniel rolled over on his side with his back facing me. Pulling myself back together, I gently eased my body close to his. I softly kissed his bare back while I wrapped my arms around his waist. His soft grumble appeared to be a protest from being awakened. Smiling to myself I held on to him.

Daniel had been such a sweetheart last night. Sleeping together wasn’t as difficult as I had thought. I was satisfied that we both had our virtues still intact. His idea worked well for us. He had managed to figure out my ‘hot spots’ so to speak and stayed clear of them. Although he still remained particularly fond of the sweet spot on my neck, we tried carefully to avoid any mishaps.

I took special notice of the areas that I needed to stay clear of with him. Most all of Daniel’s areas appeared to be in the red zone. Narrowing our research down to a few particulars, I managed quite nicely. Keeping it simple was the best approach for him. We of course came up with a game called hot, hotter and hottest. Using these signal words would be a warning notice before we were out of control.

Our experimenting lasted until way through the night. It was an interesting way to learn each other’s physical limitations. The laughter between us made the game fun while we tested our code words. Choosing to ignore Daniel’s at one point, I wanted to see how far I could go when he yelled out the word “hot”. I persisted with the sweet spot I had found previously. I continued to tease him with my tongue until I felt my teeth beginning to ache. When he yelled “Too Hot!” I stopped and started kissing him to muffle his murmurings.

I was completely surprised to find his canine teeth had emerged and they were very sharp. Being pleased by my new discovery I continued with my experiment. My next venture would be to find out what happens if we both go past our controlled limits. The previous experience with him earlier on in the morning left me wondering what would have happened if we hadn’t stopped. Only time would tell.

Daniel rolled over to face me. His sleepy eyes opened. Slowly a smile appeared on his face.

“Good morning.” His morning voice was rough and husky.

“Good morning,” I purred and then moved into his arms.

“Anything in particular you want to do today?” he asked, as he brushed the hair away from my face with his finger.

“Well, we do have house guests.” I teased.

“You are absolutely right. Are you up for a little tag team tonight?”

I knew exactly what he meant. “Work on a little practice in before tomorrow night.” I nodded and smiled at him as I watched his face light up. “Why not?”

“We have to make sure you are not going to take a tree out if you are stung by another bee,” he teased.

“I believe,” I paused twisting my mouth into a grin, “the tree is still intact.” I retorted with a huff.

“Barely,” he shot back. “I shudder to think of what you will do to me tonight,” he purred.

“Hot,” I purred smoothly back at him.

Daniel raised his eyebrows in surprise and a wicked grin crossed his face. Moving his hand to my chin, he pulled my face to his. Softly his lips moved over mine. His tongue softly traced upper lip which sent a rush of heat through my body.

“Hot?”
he whispered.

“Warm.” I muttered.

Slowly he moved his lips from my mouth to the sweet spot on my neck.

“Hot,” I gasped.

Ignoring my warning, his tongue traced the sweet spot’s boundary lines. My body erupted like a flaming volcano. My heart pounded wildly. His mouth opened to my neck and the point of his sharp canine teeth lingered on the sweet spot. I inhaled a deep and ragged breath.

“Hottest!!” I breathed out my last warning.

In an odd masochistic manner I wanted him to continue. I grabbed his arms and dug my fingers into his biceps. The vibrations from the moan escaping his throat sent shivers through my body.

Last night we tested our boundaries and stopped when our warning signal had been made known. Maybe this was his way of getting back at me for pushing his limits last night.

Rolling me over on my back, he braced himself to support his weight away from me. Gently nudging his head against mine he continued taunting me with the sweet spot. The flames grew hotter under my skin. I opened my mouth and gasped when I felt his teeth as they pierced my skin. My body trembled beneath his. My fingernails dug deeper into the softness of his flesh. His spicy scent filled my senses, pushing me over the edge. A surge of excitement ran through me while a breathless moan escaped through my mouth.

In an instant, I knew I was past my safety zone.

Daniel’s body grew stiff when I felt the hot rush of fluid from the bitten area run throughout my entire body. The animal instinct had taken over my mind. Before he had time to react, my mouth grabbed his neck and the teeth that ached so badly closed down. Again the hot sweet fluid filled my mouth. In an instant Daniel grabbed me by my shoulders.

His hands tightly gripped around me.

The low growl rumbled in his chest when he released me and braced himself on the headboard of the bed. My mouth found his as I squirmed my way back to him.

Aggressively the sweetness of our kiss grew intoxicating.

“Stop!” he said breathlessly against my lips in a moan.

“I can’t..” I breathed helplessly. My hands charted areas of the unknown.

“Ahh!” he moaned when my mouth closed around his again. His scent drove me mad. I wanted him and all of him. My fingers gently stroked his hardness, he was ready and I all I had to do was-With no warning, Daniel was ripped away from my aching body. I blinked several times as I watched him being dragged against his will to the front of the dresser by Jason.

Daniel’s eyes were wild and black as midnight. I’m pretty sure mine matched his as well. I watched as anger and frustration appeared on his face. He struggled to free himself from Jason’s grip. With a desperate attempt, I felt Daniel call me to him. In a flash of a second I was headed from the bed to him. I felt the need in him, pulling me, drawing me like a magnet. The rushing of hot lava flowed through my fevered veins. My mind was overtaken by the blind rage that welled within me.

Something I hadn’t expected in my attempt to reach Daniel, a hand grabbed mine. Strong arms locked around me and held me tight.

“Let me go!” I growled through my teeth. My body trembled.

“Calm down, Julie!” Heather, the petite woman, had the strength of a hundred men inside that tiny body.

“Let me GO! He’s mine!” My voice became rough and the vibration of my growl rumbled in my chest.

Glancing at Daniel, he still fought against the hold by Jason.

“Daniel! Get a grip-boy!” Jason shouted.

“Damn it! Let me go!” he roared. Glaring toward Heather, he bared his teeth which sent chills down my spine. “LET HER GO!” he demanded.

“Heather, get her out of here and quick!” Jason yelled in a fearful voice.

“NO!” I screamed when she pulled me toward the bedroom door.

“Come on, love, you need a little fresh air to clear your senses.”

“Bitch!” I hissed loudly while I fought against her.

Dragging me past the mirror on my dresser my eyes widened in horror when I saw my reflection. My black eyes matched Daniel’s. I opened my mouth to protest while she continued to drag me out of the room and noticed my extended canine teeth in clear view.

Daniel had slammed Jason into the wall hard enough to knock a picture down. The glass in the picture shattered when it hit the floor. Jason tightened his grip on Daniel.

“Oh-no, buddy, you aren’t going anywhere.” He growled at Daniel while his eyes turned into a dark black cloud.

The resistance with Heather was my priority. She somehow managed to drag me down the stairs through to the patio. Outside we stood by the swimming pool.

“If you don’t stop fighting, we’re going for a little dip!” She hissed in my back.

“Let me GO!”

“Okay,” she said and then tossed me into the swimming pool.

The cold water of the swimming pool shocked me back to my senses. Swimming my way back to the surface I gasped for air. Stretching my arms, I swam back to the side and climbed out of the pool. I walked past Heather who sat on the lounger with a smirk on her face. I placed my face in my hands.

“Okay now?”

I nodded and sat down beside her.

“We were okay last night. I don’t understand what happened,”
I whispered, then raised my head to look at her small face.

Heather frowned a moment then her pretty face softened. “Listen to me,” she began softly. “I want you to think back to what just happened. Do you remember how aggressive and angry you were?”

I nodded. “I didn’t mean to call you a bitch. Why is this happening to me?” I whined.

“Okay then, tell me, Julie, when you wanted to get to Daniel so badly, what did you want to do to him?”

“I think that is an obvious answer.”

“All right, then. Honestly, tell me how badly did you want him?” She snapped at me.

“Bad all right. I wanted him so badly my teeth were hurting.” I glared at her. “I wanted to tear into him.”

“Julie, you have to understand why there are certain laws we don’t break. Did you ever wonder how Jason and I even knew to catch you two before it was too late?” I shook my head. “The perfumed scent you two gave off was so unbearably strong it took our breaths away. That is when we knew you two were in trouble and rushed in to save you from each other.” I stared at her in disbelief.

“The problem is,” she continued, “in the state you two were in, if both of you continued and went through with it, you would have ended up killing one another. Literally.”

“I don’t think… ” She stopped me by shaking her head.

“No! I mean it seriously. The passion turns into a rage. My sister who was dearly in love with a guy she’d met several months prior had the same problem. You and Daniel remind me so much of them. One evening he came over to the house and they went into her room. I remember the same strong perfumed scent. A few moments later it sounded as though they were tearing the room apart. It was later on in the night, I thought that they had left the room. So I went to bed, not giving much thought as to if anything was wrong. The next morning her door was still shut. I smelled something odd and decided to check on them. When I opened the door I was horrified. The walls were soaked with blood, and the two of them laid locked together on the floor in a pool of blood. They had torn each other apart and bled to death in the heat of their passion.” Her voice softened as the memory brought back the pain of her loss. “Now tell me, is this worth it?”