Macey jolted at the unexpected sensation on such an intimate area of skin, but he didn't stop there. Nuzzling and licking, he moved north to the wet, throbbing center between her legs. And when he settled there, covering her with his dangerous mouth, she couldn't control a gasp at the sharp, intense sensation of his lips and ton private quarters, and 7Vgue tasting her. . . stroking and licking and teasing.
She was panting now, as the pleasure built, tightening and rising inside her like a coil ready to spring free. She could hardly breathe, was afraid to breathe, for fear she'd miss this. . . whatever it was. . . this hot, liquid sensation building inside her beneath the rhythm of his mouth.
Chapter FOURTEEN
~ Wherein Three Becomes a Crowd ~
Macey was awake long before she opened her eyes or even stirred next to Grady.
Paralyzed by her thoughts, by the knowledge that her life had irrevocably changed-that the moment she rose from this oasis of comfort and pleasure, reality would intrude sharply-she lay there for a long time. Basking as long as she dared.
Grady was warm and solid beside her. She felt the soft tickle of his thick, shiny hair against her temple, the easy thump of his heart beneath her palm. The smooth warmth of the top of his foot and ankle was wedged beneath her heel, where their legs had settled, entwined.
Each body adhered gently to the other, warm and moist due to the heat generated from their activity and the result of skin-to-skin slumber. She listened to him breathe, measured her own indrawn breaths against his, considering how they mingled and then separated.
Mingled. . . and then separated. Just as Macey must separate from Grady, both physically and emotiamned lonely life, being a Venator.
He was smart. Oh, Grady was too smart. Too bold, too determined. He knew too much and was determined to know more. He was a good man, a strong one. He was everything she'd want in a lover, a partner.
And like his aunt had done, he could be so easily caught in a crossfire- of vampire and Venator. He wasn't equipped to face the undead. He wasn't part of that world, and she couldn't expose him to that danger any more than she'd already done.
It's a damned lonely life, being a Venator.
The phone rang in the living room below, breaking the silence with a shrill chime. Macey's eyes flew open. The interlude was over.
Grady sighed and broke away from her, rolling off the bed onto his feet. "Linwood, probably," he said, shoving his legs into his pants. "If it's a call not a visit, it's likely good news. "
He started to leave, then turned suddenly and came back to the bed. He bent and kissed her on the mouth, gentle and filled with promise, then backed away reluctantly as the telephone continued to ring. "Don't move. "
Macey sat up as he left the room. Low beams of sunlight spilled across the bed as she climbed off and located her skirt. Still daylight; the vampires wouldn't be out and about yet. This gave her only a minor sense of relief. She looked around the room as she buttoned her blouse, knowing it would be the last time she'd see this place.
Moments later she walked down the stairs, ready to face her changed life.
When she reached the living room, Grady was just hanging up the phone. Dressed only in half-fastened trousers, he was all sleek and muscled and rumpled, with his unruly hair and five o'clock shadow. When he turned, his attention swept her from head to toe. The expression in his eyes made her heart give an extra, off-rhythm bump.
"Was that your uncle?" she asked, ignoring the fluttering in her belly and the sudden intense desire to head back upstairs.
"Flora was home sleeping when they got to her boarding house today. She's been working at a cabaret at night, according to her landlady, which is probably why you haven't heard from her. "
Macey's tension eased a little. "What about Dottie?"
"She was more than happy to answer the questions from the beat cop Linwood sent over. And. . . you're dressed. "
So her friends were both safe. For now. But how much longer? And how much longer for him? "Thank you for doing that, Grady. " She kept the sofa positioned between them, because she knew if he got close enough to touch her, she wouldn't say what she needed to say. "I've got to go. "
He stilled. "It's Sunday afternoon. Where do you have to go?" He edged to one end of the sofa.
"I've got things to take care of. "
"I'll come with you. " He slipped around the sofa faster than she realized, and all at once was there, taking her hand. His eyes were cool and determined. "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. "
She pulled away. "Grady, I have to go. You don't know the whole story, you don't understand. You can't. You can't be part of this-or part of my life. "
"What are you talking about? I can't be part of your life?"
"You read the book. You know about it-more than you should. More than is safe for you to know. "
"Christ, Macey, that's not-"