Taste of Grief (Just One Bite #3) (4 page)

Diandra smiled back. "Well then, do what you
wish." She nestled back among the pillows, eyes heavy with desire, a
contented smile playing lightly across her mouth. Lizbeth made a low groan as
she quickly tied the red ties around first one wrist and then the other. She
tested them, making sure they were secure but not tight. She didn't want them
to chafe the tender skin on Dia's wrists, but she wanted the feeling of being
tied down and submissive. Satisfied, she turned around on the bed and secured
Diandra's ankles in the same fashion. Dia gave half-hearted tugs at her bonds,
laughing because she knew she could rip free at any time if she so wished.
Fortunately for both of them, she didn't want to be free.

Lizbeth worked her way back up to the head of the bed,
kissing her way up from one of Diandra's ankles, up her leg, over the knee,
light kisses on her thigh. She kissed Diandra's flat stomach, her tongue
pausing to dip lightly into the cup of Diandra's navel before kissing higher. She
teased, skipped the bared breasts altogether. Instead she moved up to kiss
Dia's ruby lips, gently parting them with her tongue, running it lightly over
teeth and gums. She tangled her tongue with Dia's, a seductive dance, a sweet
parody of lovemaking. She smiled into her love's face before holding the white
tie up. "Do you trust me?" She searched Diandra's face and relaxed,
seeing nothing but pure lust on her face. With no more words spoken, she placed
the tie over Diandra's eyes, securing it firmly behind her head.

Diandra's pulse beat thick and heavy in her throat. She'd
never so much as dreamed of bondage, even something as light and sexy as this,
and she'd certainly never expected she'd allow someone to blindfold her. Even
though she knew her bonds were more symbolic than restraining, she had to fight
down the urge to struggle, to fight, to pull free. Successfully resisting, she
lay passive, all the muscles in her body slowly relaxing. If she could control
herself, she knew there would be nothing but pleasure to be had.

Lizbeth also relaxed now that she knew Diandra had given
herself over to the moment. She took a moment to idly stroke her fingertips up
one side of her lover's body and back down the other, laughing as Dia's body
bucked and she giggled helplessly. "Tickles, does it?" Lizbeth
pondered in a conversational tone. Only someone who knew her well, as Diandra
did, would hear the low thread of desire in that tone.

Diandra lay still, using her other senses to examine her
environment. She inhaled deeply, breathing in the musky, comforting scent of
sandalwood and the low hints of Lizbeth's soap. She felt the comforter below
her body, and the shifting of the mattress as Lizbeth moved closer to the foot
of the bed. She froze, barely breathing as she waited for whatever was to come
next.

She felt Lizbeth's tongue, just the thinnest trail of it, as
she licked her way up the inside of Diandra's thighs, careful not to move any
higher, prolonging the anticipation of the moment. She struggled against the
ties- her body on fire with the need moving in her, praying Lizzie would make
contact with that throbbing pearl and ease the ache building inside. Her heart,
normally barely beating at all, pounded with the rhythm of a mortal's own
heartbeat. A flush spread from her toes all the way to the top of her head, a
glowing testament to the desire she was feeling.

Lizbeth ignored her movements and licked her way up
Diandra's hip, leaving that heavy, throbbing place untouched as she moved to
lick one large pink nipple. She sucked it into her mouth, rolling it around her
tongue like a piece of candy, drawing a long moan from her lover. Her other
hand rose up, caressing and stroking the golden globe on the other side,
teasing the nipple to an aching point.

Diandra moaned and writhed, her hips lifting and lowering as
though moving with an unseen lover, her body aching with a desperate need for
release. Lizbeth shifted her mouth to the other nipple, and used one hand to
trail lightly down her lover's trim body to tickle at Dia's clit. She kept the
touch light, teasing, never letting Diandra find fulfillment from the motion.
Dia cried out, a primal sound of frustration and want. Lizzie sucked harder at
that pink peak and the next time Diandra's hips rose, she plunged two fingers
into the wet heat between those tanned legs. The muscles clenched tight around
her fingers, released, and clenched tight again. Diandra screamed, her orgasm
riding her, soaking her lover's hand and making her breath come out in shaky
gasps.

"Please," Diandra begged. "Please."

Lizbeth's voice came hoarse with desire. "Please,
what?"

"Please, whatever you have planned… don't stop,"
Diandra managed between gasps.

Lizbeth let out a laugh, a sexy sound full of promise.
"Oh, I didn't intend to stop. We're not done. Not by a long shot,
love." She reached forward and readjusted Diandra's blindfold to make sure
it still covered her eyes before leaning in to kiss the tip of her nose. Moving
slightly lower, she nipped gently at Diandra's bottom lip and then soothed it
with the tip of her tongue. Dia strained up, trying to press her mouth to
Lizbeth's, but was unable to reach as she backed away.

Dia settled herself on the bed once more, a groan of
frustration coming from her slightly parted lips. She loved the game and hated
it all at once. Since Lizbeth had come into her life, she'd become more
aggressive in the bedroom, shedding the timidity she'd shown previously and
trying for a more dominant role. Now she was tied down, the submissive in the
situation. It was both tantalizing and exasperating, but above all, it was
exciting.

Lizbeth licked her way down Diandra's body, tongue flat, and
pressed it firmly to that lightly dewed skin. Dia squealed, twitching her hips
again as that tongue found her wet center and slid home. Lizzie made sure to
keep her tongue firm as she slid it in and out. Each time she pulled back, she
flicked the tip over that sensitive bud of flesh. A few repetitions and Diandra
was screaming her name, fighting to free herself. Lizbeth merely dug her
fingers into those firm thighs and brought her again…. And again….
And then again.

Finally Diandra begged. "Enough, I can't go again.
Enough." Lizbeth laughed but removed the ties holding her down. She laid
her head on Diandra's stomach, snuggling close. The relaxation didn't last
long. As soon as her eyes were closed, Diandra pounced. The two women got
little sleep that night.

Diandra heard RaeLynn's first cry and was up, through the
bedroom door, and standing by the crib in a blink. She stretched a bit,
unsurprised to find her muscles a bit sore after last night's activities. That
probably would not become a regular part of their lovemaking, but she was happy
to have tried something new. Maybe they could bring the ties out occasionally,
whenever the mood called for it, just to keep things interesting, she mused as
she changed Rae's diaper and laughed at the baby's gurgles and coos. She
chatted happily back as she often did, exchanging their version of
early-morning conversation. Lizbeth was already off to work, so the two of them
could start their day however they wished.

She carried RaeLynn downstairs, letting her enjoy her footed
pajamas rather than dressing her for the day. They had nowhere to be, and her
daughter looked so pretty in the mint green jammies. She was just about to head
to the kitchen to make RaeLynn her bottle when the doorbell rang. Setting the
baby down in her playpen in the parlor, she headed for the door to find Adrian
waiting on the other side, suitcase in hand.

"Hi, can I come in?" he asked politely. She looked
past him to find a beat-up car sitting at the curb. She couldn't even tell what
make and model it was, as the plastic pieces that cars generally come with had
been removed. The trunk was open, and she could see boxes inside. Great, she thought
to herself, looks like he's all ready to move in.

She stepped to the side as an answer, one arm holding the
door open, the other one reluctantly extended in a welcoming manner. Adrian
walked in and set his bag to the floor. "Can we go into the parlor to talk
before I decide to unpack my car?" Diandra nodded her agreement, leading
the way before gesturing towards the armchair. She picked RaeLynn up from the
playpen where she was squirming and wiggling around wanting to say hello. She
sat her on the floor before curling up in her usual corner of the loveseat and
the baby quickly started over to Adrian.

He picked RaeLynn up, bouncing her on his knee as he spoke.
"If you would rather I not take the job, please just say so."

Diandra looked up in surprise before focusing on her baby to
avoid eye contact. "I have nothing against you. I don't even know
you," she said quietly.

Adrian laughed, startling her into looking up once more.
"Look, may I be frank here?" At her nod he said, "That's
bullshit. You've had something against me from the moment I turned up on your
doorstep for the interview, and you went all tight-ass on me when you opened
the door to me today. I'd like this job, but I think being polite and quiet
isn't going to get it. I'm hoping honesty might."

Diandra stared at him, unaware that her jaw was hanging open
slightly, shock written all over her face. "And you thought calling me a
tight ass and swearing at me might help?" Her voice was cold, as were her
eyes. He shivered slightly, squirming uncomfortably on the chair's cushion. She
thought he was like a rabbit trembling at the nearness of a wolf- she felt her
canines lengthen, becoming small fangs inside her mouth. Her throat was dry and
she struggled to hold back the change from woman to beast. Panic overwhelmed
her- she couldn't stop them from lengthening, and with a bit of horror she
realized she didn't know when she'd had her last drink.

"Excuse me," she said, hurrying for the kitchen.
She wanted to scoop RaeLynn up and take her along, but that meant leaning over
Adrian and she feared her control wasn't good enough for that. Reluctantly she
hurried for the kitchen, snagging the keychain that unlocked the cabinet where
she kept her blood supply.

She threw open the cabinet, searching frantically in the
back. She pulled out… nothing.
Nothing?
Seriously?
How could she have let herself get so low? She
knew better. Eamon had warned her that she must arrange her own supply soon-
now she was empty and she was thirsty, so thirsty. Her canines were full fangs
now, hanging down past her upper lip. What the Hell was she going to do?
 

A noise caught her attention and Diandra spun, automatically
crouching into a defensive position. Adrian stood in the doorway of the
kitchen, face serene as he studied her. She threw her hands up in front of her
face, trying, too late, to prevent him from seeing the glistening white teeth
extended well past her bottom lip. Panic overwhelmed her- no blood baggies, a
housekeeper she didn't want here… it just kept going from bad to worse. He
smiled at her and she knew this was where the fight-or-flight reflex came from:
she mentally prepared herself for battle.

"Now I know why I had to take this job. The Goddess
sent me here for a reason," Adrian said as he started walking towards her.
He smiled once more as he extended one arm towards her, hand fisted, the blue
veins in his wrist showing in crystal clarity. "You need to feed. Bleed
me."

Diandra started at him incredulously. He continued to smile,
waiting patiently for her to sink those elongated canines into his flesh and
feed. Apparently RaeLynn was in her playpen, for she hadn't followed him as she
liked to do. Seeing that her daughter was not in the danger zone, she shoved
Adrian- hard. He let out an exhalation of pain, his back slamming into the
kitchen wall hard enough to rattle it and shake dust to the floor. She stalked
towards him, standing over his body where he slumped on the floor.

"Now you listen to me, you unholy freak," she
started to say.

She was startled by his laughter, even as he winced from the
pain of his body shaking in mirth. "Oh, the white witch is an unholy
freak," he said. "So what the Hell does that make you?"

Diandra was furious, and against her will a hiss escaped her
slightly parted lips. "You want to watch yourself. I don't have the best
rein on my beast at the moment. Stupid comments like that get little witches
eaten, wise guy."

"Ah, but you'd have better control were you to feed as
I offered for you to. That's my purpose here." Adrian stood up, brushing himself
off. He was calm, and almost against her will she found herself settling down
as well.

"You keep saying you have a purpose here. Like, what,
some kind of calling? Your purpose is to play blood bank?" Diandra snorted
out an angry laugh, and then cursed when she nicked her lower lip with her
fangs in the process. "How do you know I won't just drain you dry and toss
your ravaged carcass into the ocean outside my door?" She crossed her arms
over her ample breasts, looking both angry and arrogant all at once.

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Because you're not one of
those types of vamps, that's how I know. I read your damned aura yesterday as
soon as you opened the door. "

"Fuck you, your aura-reading, and your attempt to be a
walking donor. I won't risk changing someone- it's a death sentence, you
twit," she snarled, fighting the urge to shove him again. He wasn't too
close to her, but she wanted to push him just for pissing her off. She was
afraid her wall and his bones weren't up to another go-around.

Adrian sighed heavily. "Fine- go ahead, be difficult.
I'll make it simple for you." Ignoring her protests, he walked past her to
remove a wine goblet from the dish drainer. He sucked in a deep breath, yanked
a knife out as well, and sliced it across his wrist in one smooth movement.
Diandra gasped, but he just winced slightly, holding the dripping wound so that
rivulets ran into the goblet. When it was full he grabbed a dish towel and
pressed it firmly against the wound to stop the bleeding.