La Luxure: Discover Your Blood Lust (22 page)

Of all the men in the world to fall for,
Julia had to choose a vampire. It didn't actually surprise her.
She'd been trudging through life as it was. Very little interested
her and nothing excited her. It was why she spent so much time
reading. Real life was boring. Until now.

She watched as the rain slashed through the
night sky in a horizontal plane. The gutters had turned into raging
rivers, the whitecaps spilling over the curbs. Debris flew by at
regular intervals: everything from signs to trash cans to chunks of
wood shrapnel. At any moment, she expected to see the Wicked Witch
of the West fly by on her broomstick.

And if Julia had an ounce of luck in her
bones, Armand would be riding behind her.

"Julia!"

The cold must be affecting her brain because
now the wind sounded like it was calling her name.

"Julia!"

Squinting through the haze of the rain, she
could just barely make out the outline of an approaching figure:
one with broad shoulders and a long trench coat whipping about his
legs. Julia jumped to her feet. Could it be...?

"Armand?"

"Stay there!" he shouted, his deep voice
barely cutting through the din of the storm. "I'll come to
you."

He started jogging towards her. Her patience
only lasted until he'd crossed the street before she leapt from the
stoop and slammed into his arms. He pulled her close against his
body and she could feel the warmth of his skin through her soaked
clothes.

"What are you doing out here?" he wondered,
his mouth at her ear as he pressed his face against hers.

"I had to see you. I couldn't wait. I mean,
my plane leaves Saturday morning and I just - I had to try." The
water was running down her face in a series of rivers and
tributaries, and her hair was plastered against her head like a
helmet, but she didn't care. Having him within her grasp was an
unbelievable stroke of good fortune. Fate seemed to be continuously
bringing them together: first at the cemetery, then at the parade,
and now here.

"I don't have my map," she continued, "and I
got lost."

He pulled her closer. "I'm so glad I found
you."

"How did you?"

"I guess I'm drawn to you," he said with a
smile. "Or extremely lucky."

Or a vampire.

"Thank God you're safe." He wiped at the
sheet of water covering her face, and then abruptly pressed his
lips against hers in heavy, passionate kiss.

The rain was forgotten. The wind became a
gentle spring breeze, and the chill that sank deep into her bones
disappeared beneath the heat he generated within her.

A crash erupted behind them and Armand jerked
away, quickly pulling her to the side as an errant shutter, ripped
from its hinges, flew past.

He took her hand. "C'mon. Let's get somewhere
safer," he said, leading her across the river that now covered the
street.

The wind had intensified, and without Armand
pulling her along, Julia would have struggled to walk, let alone
stand. His broad back provided a welcome wind block, but the rain
still managed to slam into her, and gusts frequently caught her off
balance. She clutched at him, desperately afraid if she loosened
her grip on his hand she'd lose him forever.

They weren't far from
Luxure
, just
over 3 blocks. A right and then a left and Armand was guiding her
into the narrow arched entrance, though the main door, and into the
pitch-black bar. Julia was completely blind, but Armand moved with
ease through the darkness, guiding her around corners and unseen
obstacles that occasionally brushed against her legs, and then
finally up a staircase where they emerged into his candle-lit
living room.

Chapter Sixteen

Before the door had clicked shut, Armand had
her in his arms, his lips finding hers with a soft, sensual kiss.
"I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found you," he
murmured, pushing the rain soaked hair away from her face. Cupping
her face in his hands, he pressed his lips against her cheeks,
forehead, nose, and chin. "You should have never left the hotel,"
he said, weaving the words between kisses.

"You aren't happy to see me?"

"It should have been me braving the storm to
get to you, not the other way around. Not my most chivalrous
moment."

"You rescued me, didn't you? That counts."
She smiled at his sour expression, her teeth chattering.

"Hmmph." He hugged her closer. "Jesus, you're
freezing."

"Am I?" Her clothing hung on her body like
heavy, limp noodles, dripping pools of water on the floor, and her
skin was a giant quivering mass, but she hadn't noticed. All she
could feel was the warmth of his skin and the pounding of his heart
against her cheek.

"Yes, completely frigid," he said, rubbing
her arms briskly. "You need to get out of these clothes and into
something warm. In fact, I'd like to get you warmed up as quickly
as possible."

She lifted her head and grinned. "My thoughts
exactly," she said with a cock of her eyebrows.

"Unfortunately," he leaned in to brush his
lips softly against hers, "my body heat would be insufficient. I
was thinking more along the lines of a warm shower. The power might
be out, but I should have hot water."

Taking her hand, he began to lead her through
the open expanse of his living room.

"You will join me though?" She didn't care if
the statement was too forward or not. Armand made her feel
comfortable with her desire, not ashamed of it.

"I'm not sure I could stay away. Although,"
he said as he pushed open the bathroom door, "this isn't quite the
date I had in mind. I was planning on fixing you dinner first."

She laughed. "You can fix me breakfast."

"I'll cook you anything you want, anytime you
want it."

Even with the tiny amount of light coming
from a single candle sitting on the vanity, Julia could tell the
bathroom was roomy and crisply modern. The floor and walls were
covered in gleaming slate tiles. There wasn't a bathtub, only a
large, glass enclosed shower with a large overhead shower and
several jets protruding from the wall. Armand flipped on the faucet
and the water erupted with a gasp of air.

He glanced at Julia, his expression dubious.
"There's water. For now."

"Is it that unpredictable?"

"Sometimes." He stepped towards the door. "If
you need to use the restroom, it's there." He pointed to a small
door, where Julia could just make out the corner of a black toilet
tucked away in a separate room.

She shouldn't be surprised, even if she was.
It would be more suspicious to build a bathroom without one.
Besides, he wasn't undead. Whether vampirism was a virus or a
subspecies of humans, he was still a living creature.

"I'll be right back with fresh towels."

Steam began to fill the room and Julia
quickly undressed, hastily folding her frigid clothes and plopping
them into a corner. Taking Armand's advice, she used the bathroom
before stepping into the shower. The water was nearly too hot, but
felt amazing as every warm droplet eased the chill from her
skin.

Bracing herself against the only solid wall,
Julia closed her eyes and hung her head. As the water rolled over
her body, she willed her muscles to relax. Every atom in her might
want to be here, every nerve ending might crave his touch, but she
was still a little anxious about all the details being with a
vampire entailed. She hadn't given it much thought earlier, but now
that she was alone, and his touch wasn't lighting her on fire, she
gained the capacity to speculate. Would he be a rough or gentle
lover? What would it feel like when he drank from her?

Warm hands cupped her waist, slid up her
sides, over her shoulders and down her arms, erasing every thought
in her head that wasn't focused on the soft touch. Even though she
hadn't heard him come in, Julia was too mesmerized by the feel of
his fingers as he traced the line of her spine to be startled by
Armand's sudden appearance.

Pulling her hair to the side, he pressed his
lips against her neck, inhaling softly and then nuzzling into her
skin. "Even the water can't erase your amazing scent." His hands
trailed down her sides and over her hips as his mouth explored the
curve of her neck.

Her breath caught. "Are you going to bite
me?"

Gently, Armand raked his teeth across her
throat, closing his mouth on her flesh with just enough force to
send a shiver of pain down her spine and a rush of wetness to her
already soaked core, but not hard enough to break the skin.

"No," he breathed, running his tongue up her
neck and across her ear lobe. "There's a better way."

Her breath rushed in with a gasp and escaped
in the tiniest of moans. "How?"

"Patience, my love," he said with a chuckle.
"All good things come with time."

She tried to turn to face him, but he stopped
her, covering the hand she had braced against the shower wall with
his.

"No, stay where you are," he murmured,
pressing his body and firm erection into her back. "Just for a
minute." With his free hand, he turned her face towards him and
devoured her with his kiss.

Her knees actually buckled, and she had to
adjust her stance to stay stable.

Releasing her face, his fingers ran down her
arm and over her breasts, lightly tracing each nipple before
trailing down her stomach, over the curve of her ass, down each
thigh and finally, dipping between her legs. His fingers were
gentle and skilled as they circled and caressed her clit with
perfect pressure. His quiet moans matched her own, his arousal
obvious as he moved his body against hers.

In record time, he brought her to the verge
of climax. Arching her back into him and pressing into his touch,
the pleasure abruptly overtook and consumed her, rocking her body
with intense energy that rippled through her in convulsing waves.
For the first time in her life, she didn't hold back, nor did she
care if she was too loud, or what weird expression might be on her
face.

It was the first truly satisfying orgasm
she'd ever experienced, leaving her panting and clutching at the
wall for support.

Armand gripped her shoulder, his own
breathing heavy in her ear. "God, Julia. I love the sound of your
orgasm."

He leaned his head against hers, his body
still pinning her to the wall. When his lungs finally calmed, he
said, "Let's get out of here. I think you're warmed up enough," in
a light, teasing tone.

"Oh, no." She spun out from his grasp and
planted her body between him and the exit. "Not so fast."

With a raised eyebrow, he eyed her
quizzically. She grinned. He had way too much power over her and
she was ready to take some of it back. Clare's mantra about
exercising one's sex goddess muscles scrolled through her head.
Armand certainly looked like a god, and if anyone could bring out
Julia's inner goddess, it was him. He wasn't the only one who could
tease...

She tipped forward, letting her breasts
barely brush his chest, and kissed his neck. Undulating her body
until her hips were pressed against his, she ran her hands up his
strong, well-defined arms, and nipped at his jaw. Tattooed on his
chest was a sneering demon with horns that curled up and over his
collarbones. She traced the lines with her tongue while her fingers
explored the hard ridges of his six-pack. Slowly she lowered her
hand until it just grazed his penis, and then gently cupped his
balls, raking her teeth across his chest as she did.

He let out a moan. "Jesus."

She took that as a sign of approval, and
slowly sank to her knees. He was a good size, with plenty of
"girth" and not overly long. Sliding her palm down the length of
his cock, she ran her tongue up the ridge, and then traced the
curve of his swollen head.

Swaying on his feet, the muscles in Armand's
abs contracted, and there was a "thump" as his hand hit the wall.
Pleased that her "sex goddess" actually worked, Julia repeated the
motion a few times, keeping her movements slow and precise before
finally enclosing her mouth around him, and stroking his cock with
her mouth and hand at the same time.

Armand responded with the most delicious
growls and groans, encouraging every lick, every stroke, until
Julia was not just performing a common sexual act on him, she was
making love to him with her mouth.

Never had she enjoyed having a man in her
mouth more.

And she sure as hell hadn't ever been this
turned on.

When his head was so swollen she could tell
he was about to burst, Julia slowed down and then stopped
completely. Running her tongue one final time up his cock and over
the tip, she continued up his stomach, ending at his neck where she
gently, but firmly bit him.

"There," she said, pulling away. "I think
you're sufficiently warmed up."

"You are a cruel, cruel woman," he panted, a
grin barely curling the corners of his mouth.

She feigned innocence. "I was just repaying
the favor."

He leaned forward. "Yes, but I can still feel
your orgasm against my fingers."

She turned her face until she spied him from
the corner of her eyes. With complete deadpan, she replied, "I
wouldn't want to use you up so early in the evening."

"I doubt you could."

"Why chance it?" She had to fight the muscles
in her face to keep from smiling. It was the first time she'd ever
met a man who could match her banter for banter.

"Why not?" he countered.

"There are only so many hours in this
night."

"I hope like hell there will be more nights
than just this one."

His eyes grazed across her mouth, and she
could tell he wanted to kiss her. Enjoying the sexual tension, she
held fast, even if every one of her mutinous muscles wanted to
throw her body into his arms.