Forever (The Forever series Book One) (6 page)

I softly recount CK’s statement.

He looks at me suspiciously. “That’s what he said? And you
are taking that as approval?”

I nod and he sighs. “Well you know him better than I do,” he
says sadly.

I beam at him and all his concerns vanish under my approval
and he smiles hesitantly back. “When?” he asks trying for nonchalance.

I frown and shrug, “Soon. I know we’ve only just had our
first date and he might leave, but rather now than in a month’s time when I
couldn’t bear to see him walk away.”

Devon leans across the table and grabs my hand, “Well you
won’t know until you tell him.”

Truer words were never spoken. “I should smack you down for
going behind my back, you know.”

He grins that devastating grin. “Anytime.” He winks and I
can’t help my smile. I usually forget that the way I feel about CK, the longing
I have for him, the deep-rooted need, the crave for his touch. The need to do
anything he asks, do anything to please him. This is how Devon feels about me.
I would do well to remember that in future.

I head back upstairs. The sooner he knows, the better.
Watching him sleep is fascinating. So vulnerable and at peace.  My heart gives
a jolt and I crawl into bed with him and he stirs. Enough to pull me to him,
not enough to wake him. I lie in his arms, content, wishing we could be like
this forever. Well technically, I suppose I could, but him, not so much, I
think ruefully. Unable to help myself I lean over and kiss his perfect mouth
lightly. His eyes pop open in mild surprise and then they light up as he sees
me.

“Hey,” he says with a smile.

“Hey yourself.”

“What time is it?”

“Six thirty,” I say glancing at the clock.

Groaning, he closes his eyes, “How are you awake so early?”
he grumbles.

“I wanted you,” I say simply.

His eyes fly open and with a sly grin, I move my hand down
to his growing erection.

“Mm, now for that, I will wake up,” he murmurs.

Encouraged, I swap my hand for my mouth and slowly slide my
tongue over his tip and insert him into my mouth. He groans and pushes his hand
into my hair, holding me in place.

“One day I am going to fuck that pretty mouth of yours until
I come,” he says darkly and it sends a shiver down my spine.

Hm, one day, eh? One day, but not today. I pull away and
straddle him, rubbing myself down his shaft, letting him feel how wet I am. How
much he turns me on.

“Oh baby, don’t tease me,” he manages to get out before
grabbing my hips and lifting me above him. Tilting my hips to meet him, we join
together in a frenzy of thrusts. I pull him up so I can kiss him and on impulse
scratch my nails down his back, not enough to draw blood but enough so that he
hisses into my mouth and bites down hard on my bottom lip. Squirming with
delight at the sharp pain, I moan and my Vampire jolts awake. Oh god, please
bite me. As if sensing my need he nips me lightly, followed by a soft kiss.

“More,” I say gruffly my hand coming up to the back of his
head.

He starts slightly but complies and takes my flesh between
his teeth and clamps down a bit harder than before.

“Oh, yes baby,” I cry out and feel the rush between my
thighs. Oh if only you had fangs, my Vampire wails in frustration.

Encouraged that he is not hurting me, he repeats the process
of a bite and a kiss all the way down to my breasts. I am so ready to come
right now if he keeps this up. He takes my nipple in between his teeth and tugs
gently. I wiggle in desire and he tugs harder. Moving a hand down to my clit,
he rubs gently and I burst into a mind-blowing orgasm. He grunts in surprise at
the speed at which I just came. Falling back to the bed, he rolls us over so I
am underneath him. He pins me to the mattress with his weight and hands either
side of my head and speeds up his movements. Delighted with his acceptance of a
bit of kink, all in good time, I feel it begin: the fire heating me up inside.
I never tire of this feeling of warmth. Vampires are mostly indifferent to
temperature but this, this primal, old-as-time rush powers through me and I
shatter underneath him in ecstasy. He moves his hands to my hips, pushing me
further into the bed as he drives deeper into me and with one last thrust he
spills into me whispering my name.

Breathing heavily he rests his forehead on mine, then he
kisses me softly. “What you do to me, Liv. God I have never felt this way
before.” He rolls off me, heart rate slowing down.

“Um, Liv?” he starts after a few minutes of silence.

Uh-oh, I know where this is going.

“Yes?” I inquire innocently when he doesn’t continue.

Looking anywhere but at me he tries again, “The biting... it
turns you on?”

“Yes, very much so,” I say softly.

“Would you like to bite me?” he asks just as softly.

Oh God help me, I want to BITE him.

“Yes,” I say as his eyes darken.

“Like a bit of pain, do you?” he asks darkly and my heart
flutters. Oh you have no idea.

No point beating about the bush, “I do. I like all sorts of
things. I rarely say no.”

His expression turns to one of hunger and lust. Of course it
does, what man in his right mind wouldn’t be turned on by a statement like
that? Part of the reason I said it.

“I can be adventurous too,” he smiles, “I’d like to explore
your adventurous side,” he says, tracing a finger down my arm sending currents
shooting through me.

His foggy blue eyes come back to mine, he whispers, “If
you’re not careful, I’m going to fall for you.”

My breath catches in my throat. Throwing caution to the wind
I whisper back, “I’ve already fallen.”

Several seconds pass in silence. I watch as a range of
emotions cross his face, starting with surprise and, thank the old gods, ending
with love.

“Thank god,” he says with a huge smile, “because I have as
well.”

I grab the back of his head, “Again,” I whisper. I think I
might like Adventurous Cole. He sounds hot. He nips at me again, and again. Oh
God, he can’t comprehend what he is doing to me. Pulling my hair he leans
forward and kisses me, “Your turn,” he says mischievously.

My heart leaps into my throat, Oh shit! Even in my aroused
state, I still have some reason, not much admittedly. I can’t. I don’t think I
can control myself. I want to feed from him so badly. Even though I have fed
from CK, it has been eight months since I fed on human blood. I feel my fangs
aching to drop. Slowly deliberately I push his head to my right and I lean into
his neck sniffing gently.

Oh holy crap! He smells delicious. I can’t believe how this
man has turned me into a freak without control. Me! Millennium old, controlled
to the point of cold, me.

Please don’t let me draw blood, Please don’t let me draw
blood, my brain starts it mantra as I carefully sink my teeth--my regular
teeth--into his flesh. I groan, but in restraint, not passion. Cole sucks in
his breath, “Harder,” he whispers his eyes closed.

I do as he asks, gripping his shoulders with my hands far
too tightly, just in an act of trying not to lose myself in him.

“Ah!” he cries out.

It hits me like a bucket of cold water and I pull away,
alarm radiating off me. “Sorry,” I mumble looking at him warily.

Opening his eyes he looks at me quizzically, “Don’t be
sorry, my love, I like it.” He grins salaciously.

“It wasn’t too hard?” I ask, worried

“A little, but it was all kinds of hot,” he says shyly.

Hm, all kinds of hot, eh? I can work with that. Relieved, I
sigh and kiss him tenderly where I had bitten down, a big red mark already
showing. Having stowed my Vampy needs away in the overhead compartment, with a
quick mental note to get some alone time with Devon later, I move my kisses up
along his jaw, over his chin and up to his mouth. “I don’t want to hurt you”.

Frowning, he rubs my bottom lip with his thumb in question.
“It’s fine,” I say, casting a glance at his neck, I raise an eyebrow at him.
“It’s fine,” he says.

To be honest it doesn’t look fine but I don’t make a fuss. A
big red mark, quite clearly showing my teeth imprints. Crap, Devon will have a
field day with this. I wince at the thought. It’s now that I see my nail marks
on his shoulders. Except they aren’t nail marks I realize with horror, they are
claw marks! When a Vampire Shifts it’s subtle, not all freak-show, but a drop
of fangs, our eyes go slightly darker and our nails extend into sharper points.
And there in all their glory are ten tiny puncture marks, five on each
shoulder, where I had gripped him, ironically, trying to stay in control of my
fangs. Partial Shifts do occur, but very rarely. Seems my Vampire wanted out
and out she got.

Noticing my stare at his shoulders, Cole looks down, “Shit.
You got me there as well didn’t you, you little minx,” he grins. “You marked
me.” He winks.

I smile hesitantly. “Sorry,” I say again sheepishly. Frustrated,
he admonishes me. “Stop apologizing. I like it, I told you. I really like these
marks. Makes me yours,” he adds shyly.

“Mine?” I whisper knowing that as an entirely different
thing.

“Yours.”

“Oh Cole, I love you so much, I don’t understand it,” I declare
suddenly, shaking my head in incomprehension.

“Hey, don’t my love. Don’t question it. Please. I am so in
love with you too, if you ever left me I’d be lost, torn in half, I couldn’t
bear it. Yours,” he says again more firmly.

Oh Cole, if only you knew what it is to be truly mine, I
sigh heavily.

Cole takes my hand and places it over his heart. I can feel
the steady beat vibrating through my hand. “Yours,” he says again forcefully
this time, worry etched on his beautiful face.

“Mine,” I whisper so softly he almost doesn’t hear me.

He smiles that 1000-megawatt smile and pulls me to him,
planting a kiss on my forehead.

I murmur, “I am yours, body, heart, soul.”

His smile gets bigger at my words. “Body, heart, soul,” he
repeats. I grin up at him and he kisses me, all giddy and carefree. A dark
shadow passes over my happiness but I push it away.

Noticing my slight frown he pauses. “What is it?” he asks
warily.

Well I suppose now is as good a time as any to mention
Devon. Most men, human and Vampire, in the past have been crazy jealous of our
relationship. I just hope that Cole isn’t going to be one of them. Diving in at
the deep end, I tell him, leaving out the two most important facts: Vampire and
our sexual relationship.

Cole looks a bit surprised but shrugs it off. “That’s what
you were worried about telling me? That you live with your best friend, who
admittedly is a guy, in this, what is it, ten bedroom mansion? I am not the
jealous type, Liv.”

Yeah, yeah I’ve heard that line a million times before.

“Okay, good,” I smile. “I was a bit worried as others in the
past have found it a problem. We are very close. We live and work together, by
choice,” I reiterate so he gets the message loud and clear.

“Baby, it’s fine. I am not one of those guys who feels threatened
by friends.” He kisses me and asks, “Bathroom?”

Accepting his acceptance, for now, I point him to the one to
the right of the bed that I had built specifically for gentleman callers. Mine
is off limits. Much like my staying overnight rule, which has been shot to hell
and back now. I flop onto the bed and wonder for the hundredth time, what the
fuck am I doing?

Cole pops his head round the corner “Mind if I take a
shower?”

Startled by the normal question, as most wouldn’t bother
asking.

“Of course not,” I reply.

He smiles his thanks. Oh well, might as well have one myself
then. I drag my arse out of bed and head to my bathroom. It’s a bit of a
cliché, much like my bedroom. I prefer to think of it as ironic. Black granite
walls and floor, black Jacuzzi tub, sinks and toilet, but my favorite piece is
the huge three-jet power shower. I open the shower door, step in and turn on
the jets. It doesn’t matter if the water is scalding or freezing, I won’t feel
it but out of a sense of normality it’s set to medium. I stand for a moment
under the water, kind of wishing Cole would join me and then grab my shampoo
and go about the cleaning process. Finishing up, I step out and grab my fluffy
black towels. Sweeping my long hair into a turban style, I then wrap the other
around my body. Wandering back into the bedroom, Cole is already dressed, just
putting his shoes on. He glances up and his eyes heat up at the sight of me.

“Leaving so soon?” I murmur disappointed.

He frowns, “Not unless you want me to?”

God No! “Not a chance,” I say.

He smiles again, “Good, I thought we should go down for
breakfast and didn’t think it appropriate to go downstairs wrapped only in a
towel in light of your... roomie.” He laughs.

“Hey, don’t let Devon put you off wandering around in just a
towel,” I say huskily walking towards him. He stands, towering a good foot over
me. Oh, I do like tall men. He hooks his finger into the fold of my wrapped
towel and pulls me closer. ”Stop looking at me like that, or I may have to take
you again... and quite frankly, I’m starving,” he says with a soft chuckle.

“Give me five minutes to get dressed,” I murmur and pull
away before he can protest. Biting his bottom lip, he lets me go.

As promised, I am ready in five minutes with hair still wet
but clipped back off my face; at least I am clothed, with a stretchy black,
strapless shorts playsuit and heels. I don’t do flats. Not anymore.

Eyeing me appreciatively he holds out his arm for me and I
take it, placing my hand in the crook of his elbow.

“Shall we?” he asks with a wink.

“We shall,” I answer with a wink of my own.

“Lead the way then,” he says. “I have no idea how to get to
your kitchen.”

I laugh, “Kitchen? No, no my dear. Do I look like I cook?”
Actually I do. I studied with one of the top chefs in France a few years ago.
But still, a little mystery never hurt anyone... yet.