This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress 5)

No, he wouldn't, and that knowledge only fueled my desire. Bones might be a master at control, but once pushed past his limit, he made love the same way he fought; ferocious, unbridled, and inexhaustible. I couldn't count how many bed frames we'd ruined in our time together, and I hoped there were many more broken ones ahead of us in our future.

"Close your eyes," I told him. He did, and I pressed on his lids lightly to punctuate my next point. "Keep them closed until I tell you otherwise." That little smirk still hugged his mouth as he complied. "Fancy me calling you mistress as well? You could always punish me if I forget and address you as Kitten."

"No 'mistress,' and no more talking, either," I said, biting back my grin even though he couldn't see it.

Then, with far more slowness than I usually used, I unbuttoned his shirt, letting my knuckles brush his skin. Once that was off, I moved to his pants, controlling my urge to reach inside and instead treating his zipper to the same slow handling. With his pants undone, I dragged them down an inch at a time until they slid past his feet. Then, at last, I allowed myself to stare. Bones's body was a pale, smooth landscape of beauty, the only dark interruptions being the thin line of hair on his stomach that flared to a patch of darker curls cradling the only fat thing on him. His skin gleamed with a vampire's natural incandescence, emphasizing the hard muscles, lean lines, and enticing contours. His entire body invited touch, and I accepted that invitation.

My fingers grazed his chest, measuring his reaction in his deepening scent and the thrum of power in the air. His eyes remained closed, arms folded beneath his head for comfort - or maybe because he knew that showed off his chest to greater benefit. Probably the latter. Bones had mastered the art of seduction before this country even elected its first president. I continued trailing my fingers down his chest, enjoying the feel of him underneath their tips. He might be far more experienced at making someone weak with desire, but I had an edge, too. I knew everything he liked, and I was going to exploit that knowledge to my fullest advantage.

I splayed my hands along his ribs and moved them slowly up to his raised arms. His power tingled against my palms, sending pleasant vibrations through me. Then, I placed both hands on his chest and rubbed my thumbs across his ni**les. They hardened to match the rest of his body.

"I love your hands," he sighed. "You think I look like an angel? Well, Kitten, your hands are my heaven and your eyes are my home."

The words warmed me, but his voice was its own temptation with its smooth English accent and sensual undercurrents. If I let him keep talking, he could entice me into doing whatever he wanted instead of what I'd planned.

"Shhh . . ." I drew out. Bones might not be able to see my smile, but he could probably feel it as I brushed my mouth over his in a feathery kiss.

"Mmm, my mistake," he murmured, stretching in a way that sent muscles rippling down his body.

I licked my lips, forcing down my urge to follow those ripples with my tongue. Instead, I let my hands wander at will, stroking and touching him from his face to his feet and back again.

Honestly, I hadn't spent so much time just handling him before. Lust usually cut short such a thorough exploration since I lacked his patience and control. Tonight was different, though.

Feeling him this way, lingering over the curves of his body and enjoying the low sounds of pleasure he made, was more than arousing; it was affirming. Bones was mine, and no matter what the future threw at us, we'd meet it together, come hell or high water.

He rolled onto his stomach when I directed him to, revealing those wide shoulders, the narrow curve of his waist, and the twin hard mounds of his buttocks. This time, it wasn't enough for me to merely caress him. I crouched over him, running my mouth down his spine and feeling his shiver underneath my lips.

The taste of his skin and his scent was like an aphrodisiac. I climbed on the bed, letting my hair tease his flesh as I continued to drag my mouth over him, licking and nibbling everywhere. He began to make low, guttural noises with every new inch of his back, ass, and legs that I gave the same thorough attention to.

"Sweet bleedin' hell, luv, this was a smashing idea."

His voice was strained, and his hands were now clenched into fists. I didn't comment on him speaking this time, but bit gently into a muscled cheek, not breaking his skin with my fangs, just applying pressure. Then my tongue crept out for a long lick while I pressed my bare br**sts against the back of his thighs. His shudder reverberated underneath my mouth and along my subconscious as his arousal touched me even though his hands stayed where they were.

"More."

The word was almost harsh in its vehemence. I smiled into his skin as I dragged my body lower down his legs.

"Don't worry, I'm not done yet."

I turned him back around, my lips trailing along his hip to the flatness of his stomach. His muscles bunched underneath my mouth in expectation, but I only blew a teasing breath on the hardness jutting to his navel before sitting back. The bedroom was lit by candles on the nightstand and the dresser, natural light being easier on vampire eyes instead of the glare from electric bulbs, but now, those candles would serve a different purpose.

I scooted off the bed, stopping when Bones's hand shot out to land on my arm even though his eyes were still closed.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I pushed his hand off with a throaty laugh. "You're having a hard time being obedient, aren't you? If you don't behave, I won't do what I intended, and trust me, you'll wish I had." That wicked curl was back on his mouth even as he dropped his arm. "My sincerest apologies, mistress, for my shameful disobedience. If you pray continue, I vow my complete submission."

Smart ass. Despite the promise, I knew Bones was about as submissive as Genghis Khan, but that was okay. I'd make what I knew was just his temporary compliance count.

I took one of the candles off the nightstand, considering Bones in the light of the flickering flame. His body was stretched out, arms once again behind his head, limbs completely relaxed even though he was still hard as a baseball bat in one very notable place. All this bounty, mine to enjoy. I licked my lips. Damned if I knew how I'd gotten so lucky, but that was a question for another time. Now was the time for action, not contemplation.

I moved closer until my legs pressed against the side of the bed. "Do you remember the first time you bit me here?" I asked, tracing my finger over the tight bud of his nipple.

"Yes." One word, hissed with all the weight of desire that I could feel through his emotions.

"It felt like your fangs were burning me." My voice was no more than a whisper from the shiver of remembrance, and I blew out the candle with an unsteady puff. "I can't duplicate that with you because you're not human," I went on. "The juice in my fangs won't feel the same, but maybe this will be close."

Then I poured some of the hot wax that pooled in the candle directly onto Bones's nipple.

His whole body arched while a strangled groan tore from his throat. I didn't wait for the wax to harden, but covered it with my mouth, biting into his skin and tonguing the searing mixture at the same time. His back arched again, strong hands tangling in my hair to press me closer with enough force to drive my fangs deeper into him. Pleasure blasted across my subconscious, inciting me to bite him again, pushing the wax aside in my mouth to swallow the heady vintage of his blood.

Then, before the wax cooled too much, I poured the remains from the candle onto his other nipple, rewarded by another guttural moan. I waited a second before switching my fangs there next, alternately licking and sucking the hard, heated peak. Once I'd swallowed another decadent mouthful of his blood - and possibly a few stray bits of wax - I leaned back, wiping my mouth of any spare drops and staring into his scorching green gaze.

His power throbbed beneath my hands, the scent of his lust heavy in the air. It mingled with the smoke and fragrance of my own arousal, creating an erotic ambiance. Without taking my eyes from him, I leaned forward, brushing my breast along his side as I reached to put the extinguished candle on the nightstand . . . and grab the other lit one.

Very slowly, I ran my free hand down his body, brushing aside the remaining bits of wax on his chest before following that thin line of dark hair to where it widened at his groin. Bones's eyes didn't close as my hand circled around him, but his lips parted, revealing those sharp twin fangs. I moistened my own lips as I looked down at the hard flesh in my hand. It overflowed my grip, pulsing with a different sort of power, the tip wet with the palest drop of pink as I stroked with firm, smooth pumps. Then I glanced at the candle in my other hand before meeting his unblinking gaze.

"Do it," he said, his voice so rough I almost didn't recognize it.

I blew the candle out with a soft puff that still left it smoldering, then poured the entire scalding contents onto the hard flesh in my hand.

His whole body jerked while flashes of pain and pleasure assaulted my subconscious. I mashed the top of the candle together to ensure that it was out before throwing it aside, ignoring the fleeting burn in my hand. Then, before the wax had a chance to cool, I fastened my lips around the head of his cock. A primal groan came from his throat when I pulled him in deeper, tonguing his flesh, taking as much as I could with two sharp, pointed fangs in the way. He felt like sculpted marble, flesh warmer from the contact with the wax that clung between my fingers.

I stroked him as I continued to work his length into my mouth, sucking on his flesh like I wanted to rend the skin from him.

His hands clenched convulsively, tearing the sheets from the ripping noises. I didn't pause to check, but continued to flick my tongue along his flesh, brushing away the wax. Only pleasure flooded through our connection now since he'd already healed from the initial contact the wax caused. Even if I couldn't feel that through his emotions, I'd know it because my hand didn't sting anymore. Besides, I knew that on occasion, Bones liked a little pain with his passion.

And after I became a vampire, I found out one of his favorite ways to receive it.

I lifted my gaze to stare up at him as I took him as deeply into my mouth as I could, my fangs pressing against the veined hardness beneath them. His eyes closed and his back arched - another invitation I took him up on.

I sank my fangs into him, reveling in the shudder that went through his body and the shout that seemed to erupt from his throat. The ambrosia of his blood teased my tongue as, very carefully, I rocked my mouth against him, taking his c*ck deeper without enlarging the punctures I'd made in it.

This had taken practice to perfect.

That blend of ecstasy and pain swarmed back over my emotions. He groaned, h*ps lifting in time to the rhythmic movement of my mouth. I pulled my fangs out to sink them in again at the base of his groin, only my vampiric lack of a gag reflex making it possible for me to enclose him completely. Then, I sucked once more, running my tongue along his length while swallowing the drops of blood that leaked past my fangs from the punctures.

"Turn around," Bones said hoarsely as his hands urged me up toward him.

I resisted, knowing what he wanted and also knowing I'd lose all sense if I let him do it.

"No. Just you, or I'll stop," I said, the words somewhat garbled, but punctuated with another slide of my fangs into his flesh.

He moved so that he was on his side, his body curled toward mine, hand reaching between my thighs. A choked moan escaped me as he rubbed my cleft, thumb circling my clitoris even as his fingers penetrated my depths.

"You're so wet," he muttered. "I want to drown in your taste and cover myself with your scent."

The graphic imagery made even more things inside me tighten, but I had a reason for not wanting him to go down on me, even if I couldn't recall it at the moment.

"No," I said again, taking him back inside my mouth and grazing his length with my fangs.

He groaned. "Soon. Don't stop, Kitten. Deeper. More."

I encased him to the hilt again, sucking even more strongly. His hand stayed where it was, fingers moving over my flesh with greater insistence, making my h*ps arch with each accompanying stroke. An ache began to build in me, a familiar tension that spoke of needs that couldn't be denied. Each rub wound me tighter, inflaming me. I continued to draw on the hard length of him, licking and biting the spots I knew he liked best, trying not to give in to the urge to feast on his blood. His hand moved faster, until cries spilled from my mouth even though they were muffled by his flesh.

"I can't wait anymore," Bones all but snarled.

I barely had time to pull my fangs out of his skin before he yanked me up, sliding down at the same time. His arms lashed around my waist, holding me in a viselike grip, mouth latching onto the soft, tingling flesh between my legs.

Pleasure slammed into me like a dam had burst. His fingers dug into my hips, molding me closer. Tongue and fangs and lips became a blur of sensations that whipped me with rapture, stealing all thought under the chaotic flood. The more I moved, the higher it took me.

Harsh cries took on the cadence of breathing, fed by a million nerve endings that urged me on for more. Had his hands not held me, I would have fallen from the tremors that started to rip through me. They culminated in an orgasm that felt torn out of me.

Some measure of coherence returned, enough to make me mildly embarrassed at how his head was now compressed several inches into the mattress. He finally released his grip and I fell back onto the bed. When he crouched over me, his eyes were still fierce, flaming green. A chopped inhalation escaped me when I saw traces of blood around his mouth. Mine? Or his?

"Bones - "

"Don't." Something lurked in his tone that shivered me. "Don't say anything, especially