Midnight (11 page)

“Enough said.” She didn’t want to hear the gory details. “Do
you want another cup of tea?”

Ellie shook her head. “No, thanks. I have to go now, but I’ll
leave my number in case you ever want to talk again.” She handed Amara a slip
of paper. “Feel free to call anytime, if you need anything at all, okay?”

“I’m okay, but thanks.”

She looked at the paper after Ellie left, surprised that
Marco’s number was there as well.

“I am
not
calling him.” Amara glared at the paper
Ellie had left, now tacked to the bulletin board next to the fridge. “You
shouldn’t have bothered to give me his number, because there’s no way in hell I’m
picking up that phone.”

She stirred the pasta on the stove, the whole time casting
glances to the phone.
No.
She was not even going to think about picking
it up. If he wanted to see her, he was going to have to make the first move.

Carrying the pan to the sink, she drained her dinner into
the colander in the sink. The phone rang and she dropped the empty pan on the
counter and ran for it, picking up the receiver on the second ring. “Marco?”

“Good evening, ma’am. This is Jeff calling from the—”

She slammed the phone back into its cradle. She didn’t need
to be bothered by telemarketers tonight. Grumbling, she turned her attention
back to her meal.

“Stupid jerk. Would it really be that difficult to pick up
the damned telephone and call me?” She took out her frustrations with Marco on
the garlic and basil. By the time she was done, she’d turned them into mush.

Cursing, she added them to the sauté pan she’d heated the
oil in. The second the seasonings hit the olive oil, she was hit with a wave of
nausea so strong she had to lean against the counter. What was wrong with her?
The smell of food cooking had never bothered her before.

Was she pregnant?

No. That wasn’t possible. Those shots were very reliable,
and she wasn’t late. There had to be something else going on. But what was it,
and how could she fix it so she could enjoy a decent meal?

After the sauce was ready, she mixed it with the pasta and
brought a bowl of it to the table. She was going to eat the stuff, damnit, if
she had to choke down every last bite. She’d been a little dizzy lately, and it
was probably from not eating for so long. Once she had a couple of good meals
in her, she’d be fine.

Ten minutes later she’d only been able to force down one
bite, and that had been more than enough. This used to be her favorite recipe.
Now she couldn’t deal with the pungent flavor. Just the smell of it made her
gag. How was she supposed to force down the entire bowl when it made her want
to throw up?

“I’m glad to see you’re eating.” Marco’s voice came out of
nowhere. He hadn’t been there a moment before.

She screamed and dropped her fork, sauce splattering all
over the table and her clothes. Her eyes narrowed when she realized who had
spoken. Jumping up and turning to face him, she put her hands on her hips. “How
dare you sneak in here like everything is all right? I haven’t seen you for
days. What gives you the right to just show up without calling or anything?
Haven’t you every heard of etiquette? The polite way to visit someone is
not
to sneak up on them while they’re eating without bothering to pick up the phone
and call first!”

He said nothing. He just stood in the kitchen door, his big
shoulder propped against the doorframe. His expression was serious. A little
too serious. It made her nervous. She bit her lower lip and waited.

“I couldn’t stay away.” His confession froze her, the
tantrum gone. “I tried, Amara, honest to God I did. But I couldn’t stop
thinking about you.”

“You could have
called
.” She was beginning to sound
like a broken record. Tears welled in her eyes and she swiped at them, not
willing to admit that a
man
could get the new and improved Amara Daniels
worked up.

“I’ve already done enough damage. I didn’t want to hurt you
any more.”

“You hurt me by staying away.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” A look of genuine pain
crossed his face. “It practically killed me to stay away, but there was nothing
I could do.”

She smiled weakly. “Do you want some dinner?”

He shook his head.

“You really don’t eat, huh?”

“Not
that.
My needs are different.”

Didn’t she know it. “Yeah, I’m beginning to think the same
thing myself.”

“You still haven’t been eating well?”

She shook her head. “No. I haven’t been hungry. It’s
probably all the stress.”

The silence that stretched between them was more than
uncomfortable, but she didn’t know what else to say to him. Marco finally broke
the uneasy quiet. “I guess I did put you through a lot of unnecessary stress.”

She shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I survived.” She tried to
smile to show him she was fine, but it was becoming harder and harder by the
second. At this rate, she’d be bawling at his feet in no time.

He shook his head. “I almost didn’t.”

She couldn’t stop the tears now. They streaked down her
face, probably taking most of her mascara with them. If they didn’t resolve
this quickly, she was going to end up looking like a raccoon.

He didn’t move, but she could swear she felt him closer. The
heat of his body moved over her, enveloping her like he was just a few inches
away. She closed her eyes and greedily absorbed his heat. He’d deprived her of
it for so long it hurt.

Wait a second, hadn’t it only been a couple of days?

It felt like an eternity. It no longer mattered that she
should hate him for not calling, not to mention scaring her with his sudden
appearance. She could torture him later. Now she just wanted him to hold her. “What
are you doing standing all the way over there?”

He dismissed her question with a shake of his head. “I didn’t
want to hurt you, Amara. I swear, I never meant to.”

“The only thing that hurt me was when you deserted me.”

He crossed the room in three steps and she was in his arms.
Just like that she melted into him. He kissed her, deeply and desperately, and
she knew she wasn’t the only one who’d been feeling deprived. She moaned into
his mouth and clung to him, afraid he’d walk away again. The man was like an
addiction—one she’d never be able to break. Only when she was with him did she
feel whole.

When did she turn into such a sap?

He broke the kiss, but didn’t let her go. His arms were
wrapped so tightly around her she had trouble breathing. “Hey, could you loosen
up a bit before I pass out?”

He laughed once and loosened his grip a little. “How’s that?”

“Better. I’ve missed you so much.”

“It’s only been a few days.”

A few days when she’d lived in her own personal hell, not
sure where she belonged anymore. “Tell me you haven’t felt the same.”

“This is too strong. I can’t control it.” He closed his eyes
briefly. When he opened them again, she saw worry and raw desire in his gaze. “God,
Amara. I’ve tried. I’ve tried to stay away from you, but I can’t make myself do
it.”

She ran her nails along the line of his jaw, eliciting a
shiver from him. “Why bother trying?”

“I know there’s a reason why I should walk away, but I can’t
remember what it is.” He pushed her shirt up and ran his hands over her bare
waist before he pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it aside. “Maybe you
should refresh my memory.”

And give him a reason to walk back out of her life again? He
had to be kidding. “Instead of concentrating on the reasons you should leave,
why don’t we concentrate on the reasons why you should stay?”

He cupped her breasts in his palms and bent down to suckle
her nipples through her bra. The combination of his hot mouth and the scratchy
lace made her knees buckle. His tongue moved over the puckered nipples, soaking
the fabric.

“And what would those reasons be?”

Thinking of anything at all was becoming a challenge. “That
there’s something good going on here, and it would be stupid to waste it just
because we met in such an unorthodox manner?”

He looked up at her and shook his head. “I guess I got lucky
with you. Any other woman would have run screaming to the police the second I
set her free. Why is it that you didn’t?”

“Because I know you didn’t mean me any harm, at least not
after the first day or so. And I think you would have let me go if I’d protested
enough.”

He blew out a breath. “You’re right. As much as I’ve tried
to convince myself otherwise, I never intended to hurt you.”

“Does that mean you actually care about me?”

“Don’t push it, Amara.” He shook his head, but his eyes told
her all she needed to know.

His fingers skimmed up her back, unclasping her bra and
sliding it off her shoulders. She shivered when his mouth met her bare breasts.
He flicked his tongue across the sensitized flesh, using his lips to pull and
pluck her until her panties were drenched.

She tunneled her hands in his hair and held him close while
he suckled first one nipple, and then the other. She cried out when his fangs
gently nipped her breasts. “I don’t think I can stand up much longer.”

He didn’t answer. He nudged her legs apart and slid his knee
between them, his thigh brushing against her aching clit. Suddenly she became
all too aware that they were both overdressed for the occasion. She tugged on
his shirt, but couldn’t get her shaking fingers to work right. “Will you get
out of these clothes?”

“Soon.” He ran his tongue along her neck as he unbuttoned
her jeans. “Very soon.”

He pushed her jeans down her hips and she stepped out of
them. Then his leg was back between hers, his thigh moving back and forth along
her clit only separated by the thin lace of her panties. She rocked against him
shamelessly, needing release.

He wouldn’t let her have it. Just when she thought one more
second and she’d come, he moved his leg and stepped away from her. Her legs
were weak and wobbly and she almost fell. He brought his hands to her hips and
held her up while he knelt down in front of her.

“What are you doing?” If he had in mind what she thought he
did, there was no way her legs were going to hold her.

“Trust me.”

“I do trust you. It’s me that I’m worried about. I can
barely stand as it is.”

He nuzzled his nose against her mound through her panties.
When he traced her labial lips through the lace with the tip of his tongue she
almost died. He slipped a finger into the elastic leg band and followed the
same path his tongue had before he ripped the panties from her body.

She gasped as the cool air hit her skin. Goosebumps broke
out on her flesh, but they didn’t last for long. He spread her lips with his
thumbs and stroked her clit with the rough pad of his tongue. Forget
chilled—she was burning up.

She arched her back and leaned into the counter behind her.
He delved his tongue into her cunt, thrusting in and out a few times before he
returned his attention to her clit. He took the bundle of nerves into his mouth
and sucked hard. That was all it took for her to come, screaming and bucking
against him. Every muscle in her body clenched and she couldn’t take any more.

He didn’t stop, though. He continued to suck and lick her,
stroking his tongue inside her until she came two more times. By the time he
stood up and pulled her into his arms, she wouldn’t have been able to stand on
her own if she’d wanted to.

Amazingly, the feeling of Marco’s rock-solid cock pressing
against her through his jeans ignited another wave of hot desire. She fumbled
to unzip his pants, needing him inside her.

She finally freed his straining cock and wrapped her hand
around the length of him. She stroked him a few times before she ran her
fingers over the head.

Marco groaned, long and low, and thrust against her hand. “That
feels so good.”

“That’s the point.”

“You’ve got to stop.”

She stilled her hand. “Why stop if it feels good?”

“Where’s your bedroom?”

“Upstairs, first door on the right.”

She smiled to herself when Marco picked her up and carried
her all the way there. No man had ever bothered to do that for her before. The
fact that she really wasn’t a lightweight made it even more romantic.

He laid her down on the bed and stripped off his clothes
before he joined her. He tried to roll her onto her back, but she wasn’t going
to let him take charge just yet. She smiled to herself, thinking she owed him a
little for the days he hadn’t bothered to acknowledge the fact that she was
alive.

She put her hand on his chest. “Lay down.”

“This is no time for games. I can’t hold out much longer.”

“Oh, I think you’ll be surprised.” She gave his shoulders a
shove. “Lay down.”

He started to protest, but then changed his mind and
reclined on the mattress. His gaze was wary—she intended to change that. He
wasn’t used to women taking charge, at least not in the bedroom. She was going
to change that, too. She was having too much fun to quit.

Plus, she wanted him to get used to letting her take charge.
She could go for a little submission once in a while, but only if it was give
and take in equal portions. Marco had already had his turn being in charge, and
she was going to relish every second of her time.

She stretched his arms over his head and pressed his wrists
to the pillows. “Keep them there.”

He shook his head. “No way. I want to touch you.”

“No touching. Not yet.”

“That’s not fair.” He started to lift his arms.

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, and kidnapping me was a fair
thing to do?”

He let his arms drop back to the pillows with a dramatic
sigh. “You’ve got a point there. Just be gentle.”

Gentle? She had no intentions of that at all.

She ran her hands up his sides, scraping her nails along his
skin with enough pressure to leave a red mark. He hissed out a breath and let
his head roll back against the pillow. The struggle to do as she asked was
plain in his eyes. It was killing him, but at least he was trying. She didn’t
know how much longer he’d hold out before he took her control away and took the
lead.

She leaned over him and trailed a line of kisses across his
chest. She licked his nipples and dipped her tongue into his navel, wanting to
taste every inch of his exposed flesh.

Especially his jutting cock.

She didn’t have much experience in pleasuring a man orally.
It wasn’t something that had interested her before, so she’d avoided it on most
occasions. But for him she was more than willing to make an exception. She
wanted to taste him. Just the thought of holding his throbbing shaft between
her lips made her mouth water and her cunt quiver.

She darted her tongue out to wet her suddenly dry lips and
Marco groaned. Her eyes widened when she saw the mixture of pain and heat in
his eyes.

“Suck me, Amara. I need to feel your mouth on my cock.”

She ran her tongue up his length experimentally. He was so
soft, yet steely hard at the same time. She swirled her tongue over the
plum-shaped head and he thrust his hips at her. Confidence bolstered, she
licked the drop of pre-cum from the tiny opening. She closed her eyes and
sighed indulgently. “You taste incredible.”

Marco’s resulting groan was harsh. She ducked her head to
hide the laughter that bubbled up inside her.

Cupping his balls in one hand, she traced their skin lightly
with the fingernails of her other. He hissed and started to lift his arms again,
but she shook her head. “Stay where you are or I’m going to have to be forced
to hurt you.”

“God, Amara. Just do it. I can’t take any more of this.”

She took him inside her mouth, stroking up and down. She was
just getting into a good rhythm when he pulled her off.

She sputtered in protest. “Hey. I told you not to touch.”

“I had no choice. I was going to come.”

She wouldn’t have minded, but apparently he had other things
in mind. He got behind her and pushed her belly onto the mattress, covering her
body with his. He kissed her neck just before he bit down, his fangs sinking
deep inside her flesh.

She screamed, nearly ready to come just from the pain and
pleasure of it. It seemed that every time he did that, the pleasure got more
intense. It didn’t last long enough this time. Almost as soon as he started, he
pulled back.

She was about to protest when he pulled her hips up into the
air, leaving her upper body on the bed. She felt more open, more exposed than
she’d ever felt in her life, but she didn’t feel vulnerable. She felt safe with
him, no matter what he did to her.

He dipped his fingers into her soaked cunt and ran them
along her labial lips, spreading the moisture all over her. He pressed the tip
of his cock against her, rubbing it across her clit. Every nerve in her body
jumped.

“You teased me.” His tone was accusatory, but not menacing.

“I did.” She moaned softly as he continued to rub his cock
along her folds. “And I think you enjoyed every second of it.”

He laughed. “Yeah, probably a little too much. Another few
strokes of that amazing tongue of yours and I would have come all over your
face.”

That thought sent a rush of pleasure through her body. “Next
time, you will.”

He pushed his cock into her cunt, filling her completely in
one stroke. He didn’t even pause. His strokes were hard and irregular, his
balls smacking against her flesh. She fisted the sheets in her hands and held
on tight, poised on the verge of another incredible orgasm.

Something inside her was different this time. She felt like
she had that last time they’d been together, when she’d been so frenzied and
wild. It was like something deep inside her was taking over, a part of her that
she had no control over. Her entire body tingled—she felt aroused right down to
the tips of her toes.

She was having trouble drawing a full breath. She
needed…something, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. She was on fire, but
she didn’t know what it would take to put the fire out. Marco’s fingers
brushing her clit was all it took to topple her over the edge. She came with a
moan, clenching her inner muscles tightly on his cock.

His erratic breathing turned into a drawn-out groan as he
stilled and came, emptying himself inside her. When he pulled out and let her
go, she collapsed on the bed, too sated and boneless to move. He reclined
beside her, drawing small circles on her back with his fingertips.

It was a long time before she was even able to form a
complete thought, let alone talk. When she finally spoke, she had to keep it
simple. “That was so…”

“Yeah. I know what you mean.”

“Are you okay?” She raised her head a little to look at him
but found it was too much effort. She flopped back down against the soft pillow
and sighed.

He laughed. “I don’t know. Are you?”

“Yes.” She was okay, but that odd sensation hadn’t gone
away. It had lessened with orgasm, but it hadn’t gone away. It was a dull throb
low in her belly, a little like desire but not quite. She would have said it
was similar to what she’d felt at lunch that afternoon when she’d thought about
Robby’s blood, but it was too creepy to connect what she had with Marco to
anything about Robby.

Still, the feeling was there and it wasn’t going away.

“Amara?”

“Mmm.” Talking was still an effort.

“We need to talk.”

His sentence broke through her sensual fog. “What’s the
matter?”

“There’s something I need to tell you. It’s not exactly good
news.”