Luther's Return (Scanguards Vampires Book 10) (16 page)

When the entrance door opened and then closed again a few moments later, the tension in Katie’s body finally released. She swung her legs out of bed.

“Whoa!” Luther stopped her, planting himself right in her path. “What do you think you’re doing?”

She motioned to her bloodstained shirt. “Getting cleaned up. What else?”

He pressed his palm against her shoulder, forcing her to lie down again. “I’ll take care of that. You: stay!” He turned to the door of the en-suite bathroom. “And take off your shirt.”

“The bra, too?” she bit out, annoyed by his commanding tone.

He spun his head to her. “Just the fucking shirt, unless you’d rather I help you with that.” Then he disappeared in the bathroom.

Katie felt a shiver run down her spine, turning her skin into goose bumps. Her nipples hardened at the same time and she suppressed a curse. Upset with herself for her sophomoric reaction to the order, she peeled out of the shirt and tossed it onto a nearby chair.

She knew exactly why she was reacting like this: because Luther’s blood was still coursing through her. It made her irrational, impulsive. It made her want to do things that were wrong—like stripping in front of him and provoking him until he tossed her underneath him and buried his hard cock in her. There, she’d admitted it to herself. But no way would she admit that to the Neanderthal in the bathroom.

All he would do was gloat. His words from the night before still echoed in her ears.

I would have kissed anything with tits at this point.

That had hurt. Did he not find her attractive? Did he not sense the smoldering heat that sparked between them? Was she the only one who felt it? Because it was singeing her, and there were only two things she could do to resolve her current predicament: run as far away from him as possible, or get as close as two people could physically get.

And right now, she didn’t want to run. She wanted Luther, even if he didn’t want her. And she would use all the feminine wiles at her disposal to get what she wanted.

24

Luther wrung out the washcloth he’d found in the cabinet under the sink and snatched a towel from the rack. He stared into the mirror, but there was no reflection. Not that he needed a mirror to tell him what he already knew: his vampire side was about to break through the surface and make him do things he would regret later. Because another minute in Katie’s company, and he’d either choke her to death for flaunting her enticing body and provoking him at every turn, or fuck her until she lost consciousness.

I figure I’m safe as long as I don’t let you fuck me.

Her words from the night before ricocheted in his head like a misfired bullet. She knew full well that he wanted her, and she used that knowledge to manipulate him. To play him.

God, he’d even started to care about what happened to her. When the prison guard had stabbed her, his heart had stopped for fear of being too late to save her.

Luther grunted to himself and walked back into the bedroom. Katie lay on the bed, propped up by two pillows. She’d taken off the shirt, but still wore her bra. Keeping his eyes down, he approached and sat on the edge of the bed.

Without a word, he brought the wet washcloth to her wound and wiped over it.

She jerked back.

“Still hurting?” he asked, surprised. The healing process should be almost complete.

“Just cold.”

He stopped himself short from apologizing for not having thought of using warm water. He was no fucking nurse. “Hmm.”

Carefully, he wiped away the encrusted blood, laying bare the skin beneath. It looked red and angry, still not fully healed. The wound had been deep and the blood he’d given her had gone to her internal organs first, repairing them, but the skin on the outside had still not fully regenerated.

“Will it leave scars?”

“I can make sure it won’t.” By either giving her more blood, or treating the wound from the exterior.

“How?”

He lifted his head and looked into her eyes for the first time since reentering the room. “Your brother is a vampire. You must know how.”

Her eyelashes fluttered briefly, and her lips parted just a fraction. Her breath filled the air between them. “Oh.”

“Up to you,” he said, shrugging as if he didn’t care what she decided, when in fact, he wanted her to say yes. Wanted her to allow him this tiny piece of pleasure.

“I mean, if you don’t mind,” she said hesitantly. “It would be nice not to have a scar there.”

He’d hoped for it, hoped that she was vain enough not to want her perfect body marred by a scar that would be visible if she wore a swimsuit—or made love to a man.

“Fine then.”

He laid the washcloth on the bedside table and patted the wound dry with the towel. He noticed his hand trembling with anticipation, his gums itching, his mouth salivating. Seconds passed.

“If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine. It’s not like it really matters. I mean…”

Luther dropped his head to her stomach and brought his lips to hover over her stab wound. “Don’t talk.”

Closing his eyes, he allowed his tongue to swipe over her skin, coating it with his saliva. The special properties in it would assure that her skin healed perfectly. Slowly and gently, he licked the area, enjoying the warmth of her flesh and the taste of her skin. No more blood was seeping from the wound, but he could taste it anyway. A microscopic layer of residue still coated her skin, allowing him to get a taste of what it would be like to drink from her.

A shudder traveled down his spine and sent a spear of electricity into his balls. He knew exactly what was coming now.

Fuck!

Beneath his tongue he felt her skin mend and regenerate. He knew he should stop now, but he couldn’t tear his lips from her. Instead, he continued to run his tongue over her now perfect skin and press his lips to it.

Katie’s hand on his nape as she suddenly touched him, almost made him jump from the bed, but her moan held him back. Her tender fingers caressed his nape, then slipped underneath his shirt and stroked the sensitive area between his shoulder blades.

He had to be dreaming. That was the only explanation for this. Maybe he’d passed out. After all, he’d given her a good pint of his blood on the drive here, and he hadn’t fed in a while.

“Luther.” Katie’s breathy murmur drifted to his ears.

He lifted his head and looked at her face. Her eyes were half closed, her lips parted. He’d never seen a more tantalizing sight.

“Please, don’t stop,” she begged, her hand sliding back to his nape, trying to pull him back.

He resisted and shook his head. “We can’t. Please don’t make me do this.” Because he knew why she was reacting like this.

Her eyes opened wider. “I want you.”

He threw his head back, groaning. “No. You don’t. It’s the blood talking.”

“No, it’s not.” Her fingers dug into his nape, trying to pull him to her.

“Hasn’t your brother told you what happens when you drink a vampire’s blood? That it causes sexual arousal?” But it wasn’t real. It was just an illusion.

“This is different,” she insisted, sitting up and bringing her enticing semi-nude body closer to him.

When she put her other arm around him, he gripped both her wrists and forced her back into the pillows. “Once it wears off, you’ll regret what you’re doing now.” And she’d hate him for not having stopped her.

“I won’t!”

“You can’t know that! My blood in you makes you want me. It’ll pass,” he ground out, still pressing her into the pillows so she couldn’t make an attempt to kiss him. Because once those lips touched his, he’d be lost.

A strange smile spread on her mouth, almost as if she knew something he didn’t. “Drinking your blood didn’t cause this.”

“It did.”

“Then why did I let you kiss me last night?”

“You didn’t let me kiss you. I forced you.”

“And I could have stopped you any time I wanted to.”

“May I remind you that according to your own admission, you don’t have any witch powers?”

“True, but I do have a really strong knee that I know exactly how to use against any man forcing himself on me, vampire or not.” She licked her lips and turned her head to look at where his hands were circling her wrists, keeping her immobile. “I don’t mind if you want to hold me down like that. If that’s how you like it.”

“Goddamn it, Katie. I’m warning you,” he hissed, holding onto his self control by a mere thread.

“If you don’t want me, you can close your eyes and imagine I’m somebody else. Just imagine I’m one of the hookers you had in prison.”

“I’ve never touched a hooker in my life!” Luther growled. “Damn you, Katie, you’d better not be blaming me later or I might just wring your pretty little neck.”

Surprise—or was it satisfaction?—flashed in her eyes, but he didn’t give her a chance to respond and sank his lips onto hers. He had to still this inexplicable hunger for a woman he barely knew.

Her mouth welcomed him. Soft lips greeted him and an eager tongue stroked against his, inviting him to a sensual duel. One he could neither win nor lose.

Slowly, he released her wrists. He felt her hands on him immediately. Katie didn’t waste time: she unbuttoned his shirt and touched his chest, caressing him as if she didn’t even notice the many scars that marred his once-perfect skin. As if she didn’t see their ugliness.

He was convinced that Katie wanting him was a side effect of her drinking his blood, but what man—vampire or not—was strong enough to resist a siren’s call? He knew he’d pay for it later, but right now, he didn’t care what punishment he’d have to endure. All he needed was a few minutes of ecstasy in Katie’s arms. And nobody was going to get in the way of it, not even Luther himself.

“Katie,” he murmured, releasing her lips for a moment.

“Don’t stop,” she begged, her voice drugged with lust. The sound made his cock even harder.

“I couldn’t, even if I wanted to.” He shrugged out of his shirt, then stood and shucked his shoes and pants.

When he lowered his boxer briefs, an audible intake of breath came from Katie. He looked at her. Her mouth had dropped open and she was staring at his cock, which now curved against his belly, hard and heavy.

“Take off your jeans, Katie,” he commanded, “because if I have to do it, I’m afraid I’m going to shred them.”

She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. Not breaking eye contact, she opened her pants and shimmied out of them. Beneath the denim, she wore black lace panties matching her bra.

When her hands went to the front clasp of her bra, he stopped her, “Don’t. I’d like to do that.”

Luther put one knee onto the mattress and joined her on the bed.

25

The old mattress depressed under Luther’s weight, but Katie barely noticed it. Her attention was focused on Luther’s beautiful body. She’d never seen a man like him, certainly not naked and this close up. He was magnificent, the embodiment of power and strength.

Not even the many scars on his torso could take away from that. On the contrary, they seemed to add to the image of the powerful vampire who now brought his body over hers and pressed her into the sheets.

When she felt his strong thighs spread her legs and slide into the space between them, a contented sigh came over her lips.

“Is this what you want, Katie? A vampire like me in your bed?” He slid his palm over her breast, caressing her through the lace. “Touching you?” He rocked his cock against her center. “Fucking you?”

She arched off the mattress, pressing against him, wanting more of the delicious friction he provided. “Don’t be a tease.”

He chuckled. “You mean like you? Like you teased me until you got what you wanted?”

“I haven’t yet gotten what I wanted.”

Luther lowered his face to hers. “Oh yeah, and what is it you really want, Katie? Aside from being fucked by me?”

She held his penetrating gaze, pushing back the thoughts that leapt to the forefront of her mind. To forget and feel safe again. Luther could at least help her attain one of those things, the other she had to find within herself.

“I just want to feel you inside me. That’s all I care about.”

“That I can give you,” he said, before he brushed his lips against hers. “Many times over.”

His kiss was passionate and all-consuming, his hands gentle and more tender than she’d expected. He didn’t rush it, instead, he explored her thoroughly. Just like his tongue licked and stroked her with unwavering confidence, his hands roamed her body like a man who had all the time in the world.

Katie let her hands travel over his body, caressing his strong muscles, exploring every ridge and groove. When he pulled back, she wanted to protest, but he put a finger to her lips to stop her.

He trailed his hand down one side of her neck and ran it between her breasts until he reached the clasp of her bra. He looked up and locked eyes with her.

“I would never close my eyes while making love to you.” He unhooked the clasp with one hand.

Her heart skipped a beat. “Luther, you don’t—”

“I mean it.” He peeled away the cups of her bra and exposed her bare breasts. “When you showed your boobs to Bauer, you nearly gave me a heart attack.” He brushed his knuckles over one breast.

“Vampires can’t suffer heart attacks,” she said between a sigh and a moan.

“When you invited him to sink his fangs into your breasts, it looked real, like you meant it. I couldn’t tell if you were acting.”

Luther dipped his head to her breast and licked over her nipple.

A strangled moan tore from her throat, and she thrust her breasts toward him, silently asking for more. But he held back.

“Or weren’t you acting? Did you mean it when you invited him to sink his fangs into your tits?” There was an angry undertone in Luther’s voice.

Katie sucked in a breath, when Luther’s lips suddenly closed around her nipple and sucked on it.

“Oh God!” she cried out, suddenly aching for more, for something deeper.

Luther looked up at her. “Did you want it?”

“No!” she protested. It was the truth. She hadn’t wanted the prison guard’s fangs in her. In fact, she’d been disgusted by the thought.