Break Out - By Nina Croft Page 0,33
you doing? You could have killed us all.”
“I did tell you to strap yourself in.”
“Yeah, right, and that would really have helped if they’d zapped us into tiny little pieces.”
He laughed softly, and his hand slid down her body, to rest against her hip, rubbing the sore spot gently. “You want me to kiss it better?”
At his words, the muscles in her belly clenched. She had a flashback to the feel of his mouth on her, his dark head between her thighs. Her legs clamped together, and she almost came from the memory.
She needed to get her mind off sex. She couldn’t allow herself to relax around him. Closing her eyes, she ran a quick, calming mantra through her mind. When she had her unruly body under control, she brushed his hand away and stiffened her spine.
If she was sensible she’d leave right now, but this might be the last time she would see him alone, and there was something she’d wanted to ask him, a few things actually.
He was the oldest person she had ever heard of, yet he didn’t seem like the other long-lifers she had met. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask. I might not answer.”
“Do you like living forever?”
He slanted her a smile. “Well so far, I’ve always preferred it to the alternative.”
“But don’t you get bored?”
“No, I’ve never gotten bored. There’s a whole universe out there waiting to be explored.” He grinned. “Besides, I’ve learned to keep myself entertained.”
She decided not to pursue that. “So, did you choose to become what you are?”
“A vampire?”
“Yes, did you choose it because of the immortality.”
He shook his head.
“So why?”
For a minute, she thought he wouldn’t answer, and then he shrugged. “I was married once. She was killed, and I wanted revenge.”
His voice was expressionless, and Skylar had no clue what he was thinking. “What happened?”
“The Church—the Inquisition, to be precise—took her. They accused her of being a witch—”
“A witch?”
“She was a healer. The Church didn’t care that she helped people. They came for her when I was away. By the time I returned, she was dead. Tortured and burned at the stake.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be—it was a long time ago. Afterward, I went hunting for the darkness. If you look hard enough, you’ll always find it. You could say I sold my soul for revenge, but I had that many times over, so the bargain was good.”
The thought of Rico married made her feel uneasy, and the next question slipped out before she could stop it. “Did you love her?”
He shrugged. “It was a marriage arranged by our families, but I came to care for her.”
. . .
Her skin glowed with moisture, her hair slick against her scalp, her eyes huge and shadowed by the death of someone she had never known. A death that had happened so many centuries ago.
A wave of unexpected tenderness rose inside him. For some reason, Skylar pulled at emotions he’d thought he’d lost. Perhaps emotions he had never had before.
In view of what he suspected, it wasn’t wise to care for her.
But, dios, she had him tied in knots.
The material of her jumpsuit molded to her full breasts and slender legs. He breathed in and caught the lingering scent of her arousal on the warm air. She wanted him, and at the knowledge, his own body responded, heat coiling in his belly. He allowed his hunger to rise, pushing the doubts from his mind.
Leaning in close, he whispered in her ear. “Enough questions. You still owe me an orgasm.”
Her eyes widened, and he took advantage of her shock, slipping a hand between their bodies, between her thighs, feeling her tremble against him. He saw the moment she gave up the fight, all the tension draining away.
Pressing upwards with his fingers, he rubbed her core, and she moaned low in her throat. She was already poised on the edge, and she came quickly—her whole body shuddering with pleasure, a small scream escaping her throat.
He waited for the tremors to stop then kissed her lightly on the lips. “Two orgasms,” he murmured.
She raised her head. Her eyes half-closed, her face flushed. “And I always pay my debts.”
She dropped to her knees in front of him. He’d been hard since the moment she walked in the room. Now he throbbed with need.
He held himself still as her light fingers traced over the length of his erection. Her fingers fumbled on the fastening of his pants, but at last she peeled open the damp material