Page 48 of Betrayed in Blood
He started withNosferatu, an old black-and-white silent movie that was Sergi’s favorite. Then he followed it up withThe Lost Boys, a cult classic, and finished withFright Night, which had us both in tears from laughing so hard.
When the last movie ended, he took me to the widow’s walk, where a thermos of coffee waited for us. We spoke of nothing important—memories of our time in Madrid, the coast of Spain, and a new studio he wanted to build for Lyra on the far side of the yard. It would be built to provide several views, including the gardens, the sycamore, and the coastline. He’d had preliminary plans drawn up to present to her on her birthday, but he wanted her to modify it to her heart’s content to make the place her own.
Afterward, we strode hand-in-hand to his room, where a table for two had been brought in, dressed with a linen tablecloth and two place settings. Three candles burned in the centerpiece. Two silver-domed plates waited for us, along with a bottle of champagne. It was a light meal of salmon, fresh green beans, and mashed sweet potatoes.
“No dessert?” I asked as I finished my glass of bubbly.
His brows wriggled.
My laugh was throaty, and his gaze glowed. The beast was still hungry, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with food. I’d barely set my glass down when he lifted me into his arms and dumped me on the bed.
Once we’d stripped to our underwear, I thought he’d make love to me. I was wrong. We cuddled, fingers entwined as talk turned to business. He wanted me to review and provide suggestions for Sergi’s latest security plans, Lyra needed more stimulation, and I expressed my desire for some type of project.
Somewhere in all of that, we fell asleep.
Until Devon woke me with warm hands that roamed my body, stopping every few inches as strong fingers massaged my muscles. I moaned with delight as he worked each leg and then my arms before his hands ran up and down my back, working the knots in my neck and shoulders. Had I died and gone to heaven? Were angels restoring me? I needed more dreams like this.
I groaned again as a hard body lay next to mine, and I managed a smile. His hot breath against my ear sent shivers down my neck and spine. This was no angel giving aid, and I rolled over as his arms wrapped around me.
Devon.
His kisses were as soft as butterfly wings on my temple and then my nose. Then he ravaged my mouth with a passion that could raise the dead.
“Don’t move.”
As if I could.
He removed what little clothing I had on, leaving me naked and starving for more. His kiss might have been molten, but his hands were gentle as they once again traversed my body. This time was more an exploration, soft swirls of his fingertips sending ripples of pleasure over me. Through me.
This was the tender Devon—the seducer, the dark nights and secret hideaway lover. The one who made making love a living art form. There was the hot sex in the back of a jeep Devon. The vamp who held me against a shower wall as his thrusts made me scream. There was the missionary Devon when neither of us had any energy left after a hard day, yet we couldn’t sleep without our joining. But this Devon was the slow and methodical lover. The vamp who slowly torched every inch of me, growing the ripples into gentle waves, building until a tsunami of pleasure washed over me.
I’d seen all the versions of Devon while at the resort in Spain. Simone had arranged for a seaside bungalow the farthest away from neighbors. We had a private beach and spent days making love on a blanket spread across the sand. The evenings were best after our passions were spent when we lay entangled under the stars and spoke of silly things. A small respite in our preparations for war.
Regardless of which of his lover personas came to me, it all ended the same. A sweet release and a knowledge that no other vamp, human, or shifter could ever give me the love and safety that this vamp provided. And when he released his beast, his eyes glowing their icy blue hue that faded to a warm pool of moonlight, I knew he felt the same.
We were one.
After Devon found his own release, he carried me to the shower, where we washed each other with soft strokes. We dried each other off, giving light kisses over still-damp skin before tossing the towels on the floor and finding our way back to bed.
With our legs entwined, we stared at the ceiling as if we could see the stars until we fell asleep, our hearts beating as one.
Then, without thinking, I mumbled, “Love you.” I was asleep before hearing a response.
Devon watched her sleep.Her slow breathing and the rapid movement of her lids told him she was dreaming. Was it of him? He hadn’t realized how much Cressa’s debt had weighed on him until Lucas mentioned it.
In the beginning, it tied her to him. A way to force her to work for him. To steal what he needed to remove his censure. After the first few days, and she’d stolen her first item for him, which had been a rash decision on her part, she didn’t seem to want to leave. She put her entire being into their missions.
If someone asked when she’d taken possession of his heart, he wouldn’t have an answer. It wasn’t one moment. It was a gradual entrapment. A slow burn that only made the journey more enticing. More stimulating. She’d changed during her time at the manor. She’d become a warrior and discovered her true nature even without having full control of it. However, that was rapidly changing.
She had to spread her wings. He hated that saying even more than before. Whether she realized it or not, she’d been tied to House Trelane not by choice but through a business arrangement. Something he’d been blind to as well. Not anymore.
He sat on the bed and pushed her hair back to regard her face. Her eyelids had quieted, and she began to stir. Her legs stretched, and then her arm. When it met resistance, her eyes popped open.
She blinked, and her gaze focused on him, followed by an instant smile. “Morning.” Her voice was still groggy from sleep. Her morning smile disappeared. “Is everything alright?”
He gripped her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Everything’s fine. I have a meeting I need to run to, but I wanted to discuss something before I left.”
She rubbed her eyes, then pushed herself up to a sitting position, wrapping her arms around her knees. “Okay.”
