“Then I intend to explore.”

He stood and she was up in his arms before she realized that he had scooped her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and drank in his unique scent as she rested her head on his shoulder.

He walked out of the room and the candles extinguished as he passed each one. She looked up and saw his eyes rimmed red, and worried that she would not be able to resist the vampire within him.

Once in his bedroom, he lowered her to her feet and began to undress but stopped her when she went to do the same.

“No,” he said, brushing her hands away. “I want to undress you.”

She stood and watched as he dislodged his shoes with his feet and cast them aside. Then he pulled his tie from around his neck, slipped out of his suit jacket, yanked his shirt from his trousers and unbuttoned each button, not tossing his shirt aside fast enough for her. She loved his naked chest, loved the feel of it, the taste of it, loved resting her head on it.

Her glance followed his hands as they undid his belt, unhooked his button and unzipped his trousers. They went down along with his underwear and were off along with his socks in a flash.

He stood naked, his penis jutting out proudly and after her heart took several quick beats, he approached her.

His hands went to the bottom of her dress, and he inched it up slowly along her body.

The knit material was soft and hugged her almost refusing to let go, causing a tantalizing friction as it eased up along her skin. His fingertips skimmed her flesh sending more goosebumps running over her.

She lifted her arms without being told and he yanked it off the rest of the way, his mouth kissing the flesh of her breasts just above her black lace bra. His hands were at her back and had her bra undone in seconds and when slipped it off her, his mouth captured one of her nipples, teasing it with his tongue.

After treating her other nipple to the same teasing, he stepped back and let his eyes wander over every inch of her. His dark eyes heated with passion as he did, though not a hint of red surfaced.

Lara stood proud in her black lace bikini underwear and her high-heel sandals. Another time she might have felt exposed and vulnerable, not anymore. She felt sexy and ready to make love.

“You are so beautiful,” he said and once again scooped her up and carried her to the bed.

He approached her from the bottom of the bed, kissing along her ankle and leg as he took off her shoes. He kissed and nibbled along every inch of her flesh, and she thought she would go mad as desire shot through her.

When he worked his way between her legs, he kissed her black lace underwear, already moist with passion. The sensation was so erotic that she feared she’d come, and she didn’t want to, not yet.

Whether he felt her impatience, or it was his own, didn’t matter, she was just relieved when his fingers took hold of the band of her panties and pulled the flimsy lace down, stripping it completely off her.

He turned her over quickly, nipping along her firm bottom and she had to smile recalling his earlier words in the library. He was a man of his word.

After his tongue drove her to climax, he got to his knees and slipped his arms under her thighs to lift her up so that he could slip his penis easily into her. All sound reasoning was lost after that. She didn’t know how many times she came, though it amazed her that she came hard each time. For someone who had been accustomed to flaccid orgasms, this was a dream—no—fantasy come true.

They rested afterwards, talked some, dozed some, and later Lara left his side, against his protests, promising him it would be worth it. When she returned to his room, the only thing she wore was her bright red lipstick.

He smiled and his smile grew and turned to groans as she left red imprints over every inch of him.

The night wore on and so did they and sleep finally claimed them, and the time they had left together.

CHAPTER 15

Lara woke, stretching herself awake. She never felt so satisfied in her life. It was like waking Christmas morning and finding that Santa had been more than generous. She turned and discovered she was alone in bed. She listened to hear if the shower in the bathroom was running. It wasn’t.

Santa hadn’t come after all.

Michael had woken before her, leaving her to wake alone, a sure sign that their time together was over. She hurried out of bed and grabbed her clothes off the floor. She thought to slip into his sweatshirt that was lying on the chaise, but didn’t want his intoxicating scent embracing her.

She slipped her dress on and peeked out into the hall. It was empty, so she hurried to her room. All she wanted to do was take a shower, pack, and get out of there, and if she could leave without seeing him, then all the better.

Her eyes caught sight of the clock...11 a.m. and her heart sunk, though relief flooded her. She’d shower and pack and wait outside for the car and if she was lucky, she wouldn’t have to see Michael at all to say goodbye. She would leave him a note, thanking him for everything.

How did a woman thank a man—vampire—for giving her the best orgasms ever?

But then he had never made love to her as a vampire, only a human male, and she was glad for it. Or was she? If she had let him bite her, he would no doubt have felt the love she had for him and she still did not quite understand the depths of it herself. Then how would she have been able to leave him?