Dying Forever (Waking Forever Book 3) (29 page)

“What about Aeden
? And your mother?” Alison thought of her own brother and mother, and how much she would miss them if suddenly she couldn’t be with them anymore.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but the change dulls so many of our human memories and feelings.” Bryce looked down, frowning. “Even now, I know I should have been devastated at the loss, but the emotions just aren’t real.”

Alison’s brow furrowed and she shook her head without looking at Bryce.

Bryce looked expectantly at
the silent woman. “I won’t make any excuses for what I became.” The vampire’s gaze fell to the floor. “I had so little as a human. I really didn’t understand anything about
who
I was. As a vampire I felt entitled to give life to every want, desire, and impulse. I denied myself nothing, and as a result I became a monster.”

Bryce closed her eyes and swallowed hard, her nervousness tightening
around her throat. “Eventually, I realized I was being weighed down with each passing, heinous act until I could barely lift my head because of the shame.”

Bryce managed a quick glance at Alison, who sat motionless next to her. “
I’ve said too much then?”

Alison’s
head was spinning. She rubbed her right temple with her thumb. “No, it isn’t too much. It’s your life, so that could never be too much.”

Bryce inched closer so their knees
were touching. Reaching up so slowly that Alison thought they might never touch, the coolness of the vampire’s palm came to rest on her cheek. Bryce leaned forward and she lightly kissed the warmth of Alison’s jaw.

Bryce pulled
back slightly, the two women’s faces only inches from one another. “Do you still want this?” Bryce’s voice was low and intimate, sending sparks of heat through Alison’s chest and stomach.

It
seemed to Alison that she and Bryce were completely incompatible. Yet they clearly had an affinity for one another that she couldn’t explain, but wanted desperately to explore. Placing her hands on either side of Bryce’s face, Alison gently kissed the woman. A soft moan escaped the redhead and Alison wrapped her arms around her, pulling her closer.

“Worst idea ever.” Alison
smiled against Bryce’s cool lips.

The first touch of Bryce’s tongue to Alison’s sent a shiver through the blonde. Independent of any sense of consequence, and understanding only her need to be near Bryce, Alison laid back on the sofa, pulling the other woman with her. A quiet whimper came from the woman on top of her as Bryce shifted, bringing the full length of their bodies together.

Entwining her fingers in the short blonde hair at the base of Alison’s neck, Bryce increased the intensity of the kiss as she nipped and licked at her lips. Alison slid her hands under Bryce’s shirt, amazed by the smoothness of her skin as she ran her hands down the small of her back and under the waistband of her jeans.

Sitting up, Bryce pulled Alison with her and quickly reached for the hem of her sweater,
tugging the garment over her head and tossing it to the floor. With trembling fingers, Alison unbuttoned Bryce’s shirt and pushed it off her shoulders. The woman was stunning, the planes of her shoulders and stomach perfect.

Alison bent over, licking the smooth
, cool skin of the vampire’s stomach, as her hands continued their exploration of her back. Unhooking Bryce’s black bra, Alison pulled the straps off her shoulders and her mouth immediately found Bryce’s hardened nipples. She was surprised by the intense need surging through her and couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman as desperately as she wanted the one straddling her right now.

“God.” Bryce gasped as the warmth of Alison’s mouth covered her nipple, her tongue running back and forth over the erect
peak. Reaching around Alison, Bryce unhooked her wine-colored bra and pushed the woman back down onto the sofa. She ran her hands under the loosened, silk bra and squeezed Alison’s firm, round breasts.

Covering Bryce’s hands with her own, Alison felt the throbbing tension in her abdomen growing
. Reaching down, she unbuttoned her jeans. Following her lead, Bryce ran her hands down Alison’s stomach, bringing them to rest briefly on her hips. She leaned back and pulled Alison's jeans and panties down her legs, letting them drop to the floor.

Naked and straining under Bryce, Alison quickly undid the redhead’s pants and pushed them down over her hips. Bryce lifted herself up
and using her legs, pushed her jeans down and off. Hovering above the beautiful blonde, Bryce looked at Alison, her eyes glowing an iridescent green and her incisors jutting out from under her upper lip, a flash of uncertainty crossing her face.

Reaching for the woman’s should
ers, Alison pulled her down. The coolness and weight of Bryce’s body sent a charge through her as she clung to the woman. Burying her face in Bryce’s neck, Alison bit and sucked at the supple skin. Surprisingly, she found the absence of heat and a pulse intoxicating as she sucked vigorously on the woman’s neck, her senses being inundated with the fragrance of oranges and vanilla.

A sound akin to a low growl escaped Bryce’s lips as she mov
ed away from Alison’s onslaught, running her tongue along the outline of the blonde’s clavicle and placing kisses down the narrow space between Alison’s breasts, then taking one of Alison’s hardened nipples in her mouth. The blonde gasped when one of Bryce’s incisors scraped the sensitive bud.

Undeterred, Bryce sucked and licked the sensitive skin, her hands caressing and stroking Alison’s stomach and jutting hip bone.
Moving out from under Bryce, Alison sat up, the two women shifting so Alison was straddling Bryce’s hips. Reaching for the vampire’s hand, Alison guided it over her breasts, down her stomach, and shifting her hips up, pressed Bryce’s hand tight against her center.

Bryce
tilted her hand and pushed the tip of her middle finger inside Alison. Her warmth and tightness wrapped itself around her. Alison leaned forward, her hands braced on either side of Bryce’s head on the arm of the sofa. Sliding her hand down between Bryce’s legs, Alison began to slowly rub the woman’s swollen clit. A loud gasp filled the room as Bryce thrust her hips up against Alison’s finger.

A contented sigh escaped Alison as Bryce
slid the full length of her finger inside her. She rocked her hips in unison with Bryce’s slow thrusts, the tension building inside her. Bryce began to gently massage Alison’s breast with her other hand, sending shots of electricity to her groin. Pushing harder against Bryce, Alison moaned when the woman pushed a second finger inside her.

“Oh, god.” Alison’s rocking i
ncreased as she pushed her hips down. Bryce’s gasps were low and throaty. Feeling her own climax nearing, Alison used her middle finger to run quick circles around the woman’s clit. 

Whimpering
when Bryce thrust her fingers deeper inside her, Alison began to tighten and quiver around her. Bryce grabbed Alison and pulled her toward her as she climaxed. Seconds later, Alison cried out in a strangled voice as she felt the tension in her body tighten and then explode into her own climax. She collapsed on top of Bryce, the two women clinging to each other.

After a few minutes, when Alison had managed to catch her breath, she lifted her head from Bryce’s chest to find the woman laying perfectly still with her eyes closed. “I know you don’t sleep.”

Bryce opened one eye and then the other. “I was resting.”

Alison grinned and propped herself up on one elbow so she could admire the beautiful woman under her. “That was unexpected.”

Bryce
frowned. “Do you wish we hadn’t-”

Before she could finish, Alison leaned forward and kissed her. Pulling back slightly, a huge smile on her face, Alison ran her index finger over Bryce’s bottom lip. “
Are we clear?”

Cupping Alison’s cheek with her hand, the redhead nodded. “Perfectly.” Wrapping her arms around Alison, Bryce pulled the woman to her
. They laid like that until she could tell from the blonde’s heartbeat and breathing that she was asleep. Reaching for the red colored throw over the back of the couch, Bryce covered Alison.

She had
minimized her breathing since she entered the house nearly two hours ago. She was fearful if she took too deep a breath, Alison’s intoxicating scent would overwhelm her. Bryce loathed the amount of willpower she had to exercise to be with Alison, but the alternative seemed even more overwhelming.

She wasn’t sure how or why, but somewhere between her initial attraction to the human at the museum and her determination not to kill her as they both
cowered next to that dark lake, Bryce had developed feelings beyond the physical for the beautiful woman.

In spite of a dedicated and diabolical beginning, Bryce realized she was turning out to
be a terrible vampire. Having accepted her human death, Bryce had valued life so little over the centuries. Now, the affinity she felt for Alison reminded her of living. More than reminding her, it made her long for it.

“You should have woke me.” A groggy Alison made her way into the kitchen dressed in a pair of black cotton shorts and a green t-shirt that read
Keep Calm I Have Girl Scout Cookies
. At some point during the night, Bryce had carried her into the bedroom and tucked her into bed. To her surprise, she had managed to sleep until nearly nine o’clock in the morning, though her internal alarm clock almost always had her up by seven.

Bryce was sitting at Alison’s kitchenette table with a copy of the
New York Times
in front of her. She was wearing her clothes from the previous night and still managed to look pulled together. “You were snoring, so I thought you must need the sleep.”

Alison blushed as she sat in the chair next to Bryce. “I’m sexy.”

Bryce smiled. “It’s not a problem. Would you like some coffee?” The woman got up and stopped when Alison grabbed her hand. Without hesitation, Bryce bent down and kissed Alison, the warmth of the woman’s lips rippling through her.

A silly grin spread across Alison’s lips. “Good morning.”

Bryce pulled her to her feet and wrapped her arms around her waist. “You might think differently when you taste my coffee.”

Alison leaned back. “That could be a deal breaker.”

Bryce shook her head and ran the tip of her finger along the blonde’s jaw. “Not the whole vampire thing?”

Taking a step back, Alison struggled to focus on the banter given Bryce’s proximity. “Nope.
I’ve worked through that whole -
business
. But if you can’t make a good cup of coffee - that would be really tragic.”

Bryce’s eyes narrowed as she took a step back from Alison and started walking toward the front door. Alison quickly followed after her. “Ah, where are you going?”

“There’s clearly more at stake here than I realized, so I’m going to Starbucks. I'll be back in fifteen minutes.” The woman pulled her car keys out of her jean pocket.

Alison laughed and grabbed Bryce’s shoulders from behind. “I was kidding.” She turned the reluctant woman around and framed her cool face with her hands. “I can teach you how to make a great cup of coffee.”

Bryce leaned toward Alison and kissed her where her neck and shoulder met. A soft sigh escaped her as she pulled Alison closer. “Your efforts would be lost on me.” Bryce scrunched her nose in disgust. “I can’t stand the smell of the stuff, much less the taste.”

Alison frowned. “I use
d to feel that way until college - the infamous all-nighter.”

Shaking her head
, Bryce smirked. “I wouldn’t really have a need for that.”

“Good point.” Alison took Bryce’s hand and pulled her back toward the kitchen. “How about tea?
You like tea.”

Bryce shrugged. “Back in the day I did.”

Alison stopped and turned toward Bryce. “'The day' being plus or minus two centuries?”

Bryce’s eyes
widened and she hesitated before answering. “That’s about right.” Watching Alison closely, the vampire took a step forward, narrowing the space between them. “Does that - well, bother you?”

Alison didn’t feel bothered. She felt
humbled and impressed by the vast stores of experiences and knowledge the beautiful woman in front of her had. She couldn’t imagine even a fraction of her life, but hoped they could be a part of each other’s lives now.

“Not at all.” Smiling, Alison walked toward the kitchen. “Let’s see how
twenty-first century Earl Grey holds up.”

Bryce grinned and followed Alison. She sat in a comfortable silence while Alison made them both tea. Taking the steaming cup of Earl
Grey, Bryce looked intently at the blonde. “You’re beautiful.”

Alison paused and looked at Bryce, a faint smile forming on her lips. “Thank you.” She felt the intimacy of the moment enveloping her in a warm, secure blanket and she wanted desperately for it not to end
. Given the events of the past few days, though, she knew that was an impossibility.

“What is it?” Bryce’s brow furrowed as she watched the smile fade from Alison’s face.

Taking a deep breath, Alison sat down at the table next to the vampire. “The women who kidnapped you - we should talk about that.” Alison huffed. “The fact we haven’t is kinda crazy.”