Page 98 of Mostly Shattered

“What time of day is it?” Frowning, I look at the light coming through the curtains. “Should you be in here? The sun?—”

In a panic, I stand and rush to pull the curtains closed.

He chuckles. “Open them and look.”

I hesitate as I pull the thick, velvety material away from the wall to peek, careful not to let too much light in. There is no window, only bright lights on the brick wall to mimic the sun coming through the windows.

“We are underground. This is my crypt,” he explains.

I let the curtain drop back into place.

“Sunrise is in a few hours,” he says. “You were asleep for almost a full day.”

“Then we’ll leave in just under two hours.” I smile as I return to the bed. His hands press against the soft material at my hips to pull me closer. “As much as I would love to avoid familial duties and stay here, I have things I must take care of.”

His hands stall on their way up my back. “Tell me you are not going to agree to marry Chester Freemont.”

I give a dramatic shiver. “That is one of the issues I need to address.”

“And the others?”

“Anthony will tell my parents about Conrad. I think it’s time I told them all the truth.” It is a conversation I don’t want to have, but it will help me explain why Mortimer’s premonition won’t come true. “I don’t want to think about all of that now.”

“What would you like to discuss?” His words are filled with meaning. He pulls a zipper, undoing my gown down the back with a wicked grin.

I feel like there are things we need to work out, but for the life of me, I can’t think of what those might be. Costin is not perfect. Then again, neither am I.

Before I can answer, I’m lifted into the air and flipped around to land on the bed. I bounce on the soft mattress. Costin comes over me, stroking my hair away from my face.

“Stay here with me,” he urges. “Never leave.”

“Tempting,” I whisper, lifting my head to receive his kiss. “I’m here now.”

His hand glides down my body, pulling the Victorian nightgown with it. The material traps my arms to the side as he exposes my breasts. He gives my mouth a tender kiss before moving to nuzzle my throat and then caressing his way down my chest.

“Two hours is not long enough, but I will make do.” His lips feel warm, like he’s already fed. I try not to think about it. If I’m with him, I must accept that he is a vampire.

I feel his hard body above mine, pressing me down. I try to free my hands to explore, but he doesn’t let up. His mouth continues its slow, torturous march across my chest. He is centuries old, and yet he somehow manages to make me feel like I’m the first woman he’s ever touched.

I feel the brush of his cock against my inner thigh, padded by the thick material of the gown.

“Get this thing off me.” I wiggle against the material to be free.

He laughs. Within seconds the press of his body is gone, and I feel a whoosh of material sliding off my body like some magician’s trick to leave me exposed. Just as quickly, he is once more on top of me, having discarded his clothes in mere seconds.

There is nothing between us but my amulet and the hard length of his member moving along mythigh. He pulls my knees, lifting my legs so that he can settle between them. I gasp at the intimate contact. There is a domineering, controlling nature to him. This is a man used to getting what he wants. And no part of me wants to deny him.

He kisses me, so deep and long that it steals my breath. His hands move, expertly gliding over my skin. Time holds no meaning. I know he’s not mesmerizing me, but I feel myself being drawn into the vortex that is him. And I never want to come out.

He rolls onto his back, gripping the soft curve of my ass to pull me with him. The movement draws me down onto him. We make love in measured, slow, deep strokes. I stare into his eyes, completely unafraid of him.

His hands seemed to be everywhere, touching everything. I’m oblivious to anything but him. We roll around on the bed almost as if it’s a battle, pinning each other down to have our way.

Our climax builds, and the moment is bittersweet. I want the release, but I don’t want the sensations to end. I don’t want to wake up from this dream to find reality waiting for me. I want his touch to last forever.

I feel connected to him. After so long feeling alone, it’s nice to have somebody there with me. I don’t have to explain things to him. I don’t have to worry that he’ll discover the supernatural is real, likehuman boyfriends in the past. Conversely, I don’t have to worry that he’ll use me for access to my supernatural family because he doesn’t need the Devine’s influence. He’s powerful in his own right.

I roll on top of him, needing release. It keeps holding my hips, controlling the pace. His grasp tightens. The pleasure builds until it has no place to go but to erupt inside us in a crescendo of perfect gratification. He stiffens beneath me, and I above him.

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