La Luxure: Discover Your Blood Lust (25 page)

He leaned in for a kiss and she quickly
covered her mouth with the back of her hand. "Morning breath," she
muttered into it.

"Stop," he said, pulling her hand away and
pressing his lips against hers. The kiss was soft and tender as he
gently sucked then bit her lower lip.

"Good morning," he whispered after pulling
back.

"Morning," she replied, still lost in the
kiss, her eyes closed, head tilted back.

Abruptly he released her, and she stumbled to
keep from falling.

"Your breakfast!" In a few silky, smooth
strides, he jogged back to the stove and stirred the contents of
the skillet with a spatula.

"I'm going to go freshen up a bit," she told
him.

"You do remember where the bathroom is?" He
glanced back at her with an evil gleam brightening his face. "I
realize you don't have a map..."

She laughed. "I think I can find it."

"Because I'd be happy to show you the way,"
he teased.

"I'm sure I'll manage." Heading towards the
slate bathroom, she shook her head at him. "You really like to give
me shit don't you?"

He paused, looking pensive. "Yes, I really
do. Almost as much as I like giving you something else."

She laughed again. "You're terrible."

"I know."

She looked like a wreck. Not quite as bad as
the previous morning, but a wreck nonetheless. Luckily, she hadn't
been wearing makeup, so it was only her hair that was a giant,
fuzzy halo around her head. After using the bathroom, Julia
splashed water on her face and attempted to finger comb her hair
into something presentable. She didn't want to be too nosy and
rummage uninvited through Armand's medicine cabinet, but she
desperately needed something to erase the nastiness that had taken
up residence in her mouth. Opening the front of the vanity long
enough to spot a bottle of Listerine, she swirled a swallow around
in her mouth and left the bathroom feeling like a new woman.

A plate filled with steaming eggs, and a
glass of orange juice were waiting for her on the granite bar.
"That looks delicious."

"Take a seat."

As she hoisted her rear onto the barstool,
Armand beamed at her from the other side of the island. "Aren't you
going to eat?" she asked him.

His grin was sheepish. "I already did."

Oh, of course. Her.

She took a bite. The smell wasn't deceiving.
It tasted amazing, too. An omelet stuffed with mushrooms, broccoli,
feta, and spinach, with hints of garlic and a pinch of curry. She
took another bite, washing it down with some orange juice. For a
vampire, Armand was a skilled cook. "This is great."

"You like it?"

"It's wonderful. Thank you."

"You are welcome." He went into the living
room and turned on the stereo. After a moment's thought, turned it
off and clicked on the TV instead. She heard the weather forecaster
come on and turned around just in time to see the storm cell
skittering north from New Orleans: the red, yellow, green, and blue
swirls dissipating as they traveled.

"Has it stopped raining then?" she asked.

He glanced at her. "I believe so. Or at least
it's down to a sprinkle." He moved to the window, opening it and
the shutters. The light outside was gray, the early morning sun
just beginning to cut through the darkness of night. It wasn't
raining, but the cool air that blew in was scented with thick
moisture.

"Wow, it's really early."

"About 6am."

She yawned. "I thought I was still
tired."

After closing the window, Armand shut off the
TV and turned on the stereo. The volume was low, but it quietly
filled the apartment with the same industrial music he played in
the bar. He sat on the barstool next to her.

"Your place is really nice," she told him,
finishing up the last of the omelet.

"Thanks. I had it remodeled a few years ago."
She'd barely set her fork down, when he took her empty plate to the
dishwasher. "It was in desperate need of updating."

She glanced around the sleek apartment. From
the spacious bathroom to the state of the art kitchen, everything
was fresh, modern, and clean. Armand kept a very tidy home. "Well,
you did a great job. And thanks for breakfast. It too was
fabulous."

He returned to the seat next to her. Gently
pushing her hair aside, he asked, "How is your neck?"

She hadn't even thought of it. At his
inquiry, it throbbed. "Fine."

"I'd like to check it out, if you don't
mind."

"It's okay, really." The look on his face
told her he had no intention of taking no for an answer. "But, if
you must..."

"I must. Have a seat on the couch. I'll get
my supplies."

For someone who'd only obeyed when she'd
begged him to bite her, she was surprised at how fretful he was
over the broken skin. It made her wonder if the cream was some sort
of vaccine against vampirism.

Armand returned a minute later with the first
aid kit he'd used the night before. Sitting on her left, he placed
the kit on the coffee table, pulled out the jar of cream and a
fresh band-aid. With tender hands, he tipped her chin away, pushing
her hair aside and gently removing the bandage. He padded around
the wound. "It looks alright. I don't see any sign of
infection."

She didn't know if the infection he was
looking for referred to the normal kind, or the vampire kind. If it
was the latter, she wasn't sure she wanted to be cured.

The revelation was a surprising one, but the
moment the thought popped into her head, she knew she wouldn't mind
becoming whatever Armand was.

He dabbed a bit more of the cream on her skin
and then covered it with the band-aid. "I'll think you'll be
fine."

She leaned back against the couch, spying him
from the corner of her lidded eyes as he returned the cream to its
case. "I knew I would be."

Turning back to her, his eyes suddenly locked
on hers, and the small smile she wore slowly dropped away as the
heat of desire washed over her. She met him mid stride as he moved
in for a kiss, cupping her hands on his jaw as he slowly pushed her
back against the couch. His lips left hers, trailing over her chin
and down her neck, while his hand pushed the folds of the robe
aside, exposing her breasts and instantly hard nipples. His tongue
danced across her erect nipples, teasing, sucking, and nipping.
She'd never been that into having her breasts played with, but
Armand's sensual touch sent chills of pleasure through her, and
whimpers of pleasure to her throat.

Sliding smoothly from the couch, he knelt at
her knees, his mouth never leaving her skin. He pushed the robe and
her knees aside, easing his big body between them. His lips danced
down her skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps and an aching
throughout her entire body. His touch left her so aroused she
actually had to force her muscles to relax, and practice breathing
techniques to keep from exploding.

When his lips met her core, she couldn't hold
back the moan, nor could she keep her hips from pressing into his
mouth. He responded voraciously, his tongue flicking and caressing
her into a quick orgasm.

He'd barely let her finish before his mouth
covered hers in a heavy kiss. Pressing her knees further apart, he
slid into her, his full cock catching the last wave of her orgasm
and fueling it with new energy. Every stroke carried the orgasm
further, the endless waves of pleasure refusing to cease until his
orgasm met hers head on, and his body relaxed above her.

"My God, you are amazing," he said in
staccato between post-race runner breaths.

"Me? I didn't do any of the work."

He pressed his lips into her hair. "Trust me.
You are amazing." Gingerly, he slid out of her, lowering to his
knees and resting his head against her chest. He stayed there for a
long time, until both breathing and heartbeats returned to a normal
pace.

"Julia?" he said finally.

She felt so relaxed she could barely open her
mouth, let alone her eyes. "Hmmmm?"

"I'm exhausted."

Strangely, she was too, even though it seemed
like she'd slept all yesterday, and she knew she'd slept at least
six hours last night.

"Let's go to bed then."

He smiled against her chest. "I thought you'd
never ask." He rose, but she was so comfortable, she didn't bother
to open her eyes. Every bone in her body had turned to mush, her
muscles to liquid, and she and the couch were slowly becoming
one.

"I'll meet you there," she mumbled.

Armand laughed and she heard him leave the
room. She wanted to get up, she really did, but there was no
commanding her body to do anything but lie there like a lump of
clay. Armand returned a few moments later, and she made a
half-hearted effort to rise, but he scooped her up before she
managed to move a millimeter, swinging her up and over his shoulder
like a sack of flour.

That shook her out of the post-sex daze.
"What are you doing?" she asked his back.

"I've looked forward to lying with you in bed
all night. I'm not going to let the couch steal my pleasure." He
set her gently on the bed and climbed in next to her, pulling her
into his arms and the covers over them. He sighed into her hair.
"That's better."

Indeed it was. She settled into his embrace,
enjoying the scent of his skin and the warmth of his touch. This
couldn't be any more perfect. She didn't want to go home.

"Have you ever thought about moving to New
Orleans?" he murmured just as she was drifting off. "I know the
director of Public Works. He's looking for another City
engineer..." His voice trailed off and his body relaxed against
hers.

Chapter Eighteen

Once again, Julia awoke to a pitch-black room
and the most amazing smell. This time though, it wasn't the promise
of a delicious omelet tantalizing her nostrils, but Armand's spicy,
earthy scent. He was pressed against her, his heavy arm draped
across her chest, his breath soft and warm against her neck.

Julia peered into the darkness, trying to
capture even the teeniest amount of light. It was like a cave. No
matter how hard she strained, she only saw darkness. It had to be
daylight out there somewhere. As much as her muscles ached, and as
stiff as her back was, she knew she'd been sleeping a while, but
she was pretty sure she hadn't slept through the entire day.

Squirming under Armand's arm, she attempted
to stretch out some of the stiffness. She tried to be subtle about
it, but wasn't subtle enough. Armand murmured something and rolled
off of her. He certainly was a heavy sleeper for a vampire.

Vampire. It still felt strange using the word
in real life, like she was living some vivid, waking dream. She
nestled into the massive expanse of Armand's back. At least it was
an amazing dream.

"Julia?" His deep voice was thick with
sleep.

"Yeah?"

He rolled back towards her and cocooned her
in his arms. As good as his touch felt, his big body was
suffocating.

"Armand," she said, her voice muffled as he
pulled her against his chest. "I can't breathe."

"Sorry." He moved back. She couldn't see him,
but she could hear and feel him as he rubbed his hand across his
eyes. "What time is it?"

"I don't know. I don't have a watch."

"It's gotta still be early. Maybe three." His
voice was groggy as he reached across the bed and fumbled around
the nightstand for something. The movements sounded rough and
almost...clumsy. Gone was the decadent purr and silky moves. He was
now a sleepy, lethargic vampire, but was still the sexiest man
she'd ever met.

Grabbing a cell phone and holding it over his
head, he illuminated the screen. "Three-thirty." The cell phone
made a thump as he dropped it back on the nightstand.

It was later than she thought. She'd already
missed the conference, so it wasn't like she had anywhere to
be.

Julia jumped up. Clare. "Shit."

That woke him up. "What's the matter?"

"I gotta go. My sister's probably freaking
out by now. I haven't talked to her in a couple days, and with the
storm and all, if I don't call her soon, she's likely to send in a
search party."

"Use my phone."

"I don't have her number memorized," Julia
admitted sheepishly. "It's 205-something, but that's all I
remember. My phone's at the hotel." She ran her tongue across her
furry teeth. "It probably wouldn't hurt for me to spend a little
quality time with my toothbrush anyway."

"If you must," he said grudgingly, drawing
her closer until their bodies were firmly pressed together.
"Although," he kissed her softly, "I'd rather spend the time making
love to you." He was rock hard against her, not just his erection,
but the entire muscled mass of his body.

Her body reacted enthusiastically, sending a
rush or warmth and wetness to her core. She was surprised. It had
only been a few hours since they'd had sex, and it wasn't like she
hadn't had a few rocking orgasms. In fact, she was a little
sore.

So this was the famed
fuck like
rabbits
phase. It was not overrated.

"Mmmmm," she nuzzled against his neck. "As
good as that sounds, I really should go. Besides calling my sister,
I need to pack. I'll be back later...?"

"Jesus, I hope so." He released her and
tossed the comforter aside. "I'll get your clothes." He clicked on
the light as he left the room, and Julia blinked in the brightness,
amazed by how dark he was able to keep the bedroom in full
afternoon sun.

Armand returned carrying her clothes in a
neatly folded stack. "I dried them," he explained dismissively
after noting her baffled expression.

At first she was horrified at the thought of
him scooping up the wet pile of clothes she'd left on his bathroom
floor, drying and then folding them, but considering everything
else they'd shared, decided it was a foolish reaction. He didn't
seem to think it was any big deal. "Thanks."