Page 102 of The Vampire's Bride

My eyes widen when I look down at his stav. I’ve seen drawings of male anatomy before, but he is the first man I’ve ever seen completely nude in the flesh, and he is so much bigger than I imagined.

He growls as I trace my fingers over his length. I’m surprised by a large bulge of spongy tissue circling the base that swells and tightens beneath my touch. “What is—”

“My knot,” he says, voice rough. “All Vampires have this at the base of theirstav, whether born or made.”

Tentatively, I grip his shaft. My fingers cannot completely wrap around his girth, and I swallow hard, worried that we will not fit.

His stav is hard as steel against my inner thigh, and warm liquid beads from the tip, leaving a wet trail along the tender flesh.

He groans as I swipe my thumb over the head of his crown, and he grips my wrist firmly, yet gentle enough that I could pull away if I wished. “If you continue, I will be unable to hold back my release.” He brings my hand to his lips and presses a tender kiss to my palm. “And I want to bring you pleasure before I find mine.”

As much as I want him, I’m a bit nervous. “I’ve never done this before,” I whisper. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

He brushes the hair back from my face, gently tucking it behind my ear. “Then, we will learn together.”

I blink up at him, stunned. “But you were married before me.”

“I never wanted them the way I want you.” He cups my jaw, brushing his thumb across my lower lip. “I desire you more than anything.” His intense gaze holds mine. “Show me how you wish to be touched, my Juliet.”

Cupping the back of his neck, I pull his mouth back down to mine and whisper against his lips, “Kiss me, Valaric.”

He captures my mouth again with his own. Desire ignites deep within as he blazes a heated trail of suctioning kisses down my neck to my chest. My heart beats wildly as he traces his tongue along the gentle slope of my left breast.

Heat sears my veins. It’s not enough. I want more. “Valaric, please,” I whisper, running my fingers through his hair. “More,” I breathe.

He opens his mouth over the already stiff peak and begins a gentle suction. My body arches against his as pleasure ripplesthrough me. The slight sting of his fangs as he pricks my skin sends an answering pulse of heat between my thighs. I cry out, wrapping my arms and legs around him, drowning in the delicious sensations of his mouth on me.

He moves down the length of my form, worshipping me with his lips and his tongue. He trails a series of kisses over my abdomen and then moves even lower. My entire body is trembling with need as he slides one hand up my thigh toward my center. He pauses in his exploration, and his eyes snap to mine. “May I touch you?”

Breathless and panting, I somehow manage to nod.

His obsidian gaze holds mine, full of desire and hunger, as he presses a tender kiss to the inside of my left thigh.

He dips his fingers in my already slick folds and the breath stutters from my lungs when he reaches the small bundle of nerves at the top. My every nerve ending hums with pleasure as he brushes his thumb over the softly hooded flesh.

I bite my lower lip to stifle a moan. I’m breathless, my heart pounding against the cage of my chest so loudly I’m sure he can hear it as he watches me, studying my reactions to his touch.

When he reaches my entrance, he carefully slips the tip of one finger inside, and I immediately tense. Not because it feels bad, but because I’ve never been touched there before.

“Tell me to stop and I will.” His eyes search mine. “I will take only what you willingly give. Nothing more.”

I cup his cheek and my voice comes out a breathless whisper. “Don’t stop.”

Desire burns in his eyes. “Open for me,” he whispers. My entire body trembles in anticipation as I do what he says, and he guides one leg over his shoulder followed by the other. “I want to taste your sweet nectar on my tongue.”

He takes my hand and places it atop his head. “Guide me, my Juliet. Show me how to touch you.”

My pulse pounds as he dips his head between my thighs and drags his tongue through my folds. When he reaches the small bundle of nerves at the cleft, the air explodes from my lungs.

“Valaric,” I breathe out, gripping the silken strands of his hair to hold him in place as I arch against him. “Right there.”

He concentrates on that area, teasing his tongue over the sensitive pearl of flesh, driving my desire even higher. Clamping my legs around his head, I gasp and cry out his name, begging him to never stop.

Encouraged by my pleas, he growls and loops his arms up under my thighs, holding them apart as he continues to worship me with his tongue. Pleasure builds like a giant wave deep within, wonderful, terrifying, and great.

My heart beats wildly against the cage of my chest. Balanced on the edge of a precipice, I’ve never felt anything like this before. I’m so afraid to give myself to this overwhelming sensation, worried it will swallow me whole and carry me away into oblivion.

“Valaric,” I barely manage, as desire coils tight in my core. “I don’t know what to do.”