Page 358 of Halfblood Deceived

Well, two can play that game.

Mari knelt on the bed, straddling Andreas. She braced her weight on her knees to not fully sit on his lap, and held onto his shoulders for balance. His skin was hot under her palms. She expected surprise, tension, or an outright rejection. She expected him to grab her by the waist and toss her off him. Never did she imagine his eyelids would drop like that. His ridiculously long lashes cast shadows on his cheekbones.

He straightened, bringing their faces closer, and cradled her neck, long fingers entwining in her chaotic hair. Her pulse raced, and her throat went dry. And fuck, she knew he could smell the lust making her embarrassingly wet. But double fuck, she wanted him to.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked.

Mari had the feeling that he was asking himself as much as he was asking her.

“No, I’m in your lap and bed because I am definitely having doubts,” she sassed, because that was always easier. “You idiot.” She added for good measure.

His lips twitched in that crooked smile that made her want to bite and lick him. “So fucking mouthy.” There was satisfaction and frustration in his voice. He leaned closer to press his nose against her neck and inhale. A low rumbly sound left him along with a hot exhalation that made her arch her back reflexively. His lips brushed her skin, not in a kiss, but as if wanting to know what she felt like.

Mari’s chest rose and fell faster. “Anytime this century.”

He drew back to meet her gaze. “In a hurry, are you?”

“I am a very busy female.” She sounded just as desperate as she felt.

“Not tonight. You’ll be useless after I’m done with you.”

Oh, my fucking gods. She wished she could close her thighs to ease the needy throb in her clit. “Will I?”

“You slept like a rock after Zeydan fed on you, remember?” And there it was again, the rage in his eyes, the resentment.

Vampire males are so fucking territorial, Mari thought.

“I remember.” She admitted. “Zeydan drank only what he needed. And he was very polite about it. Kept all his baser impulses to himself, indeed.” I’m ridiculous. Reassuring him is fucking ridiculous. But… Mari loved the slight softening of his scowl. Morrigan help her. She fucking loved it. She sank her blunt nails into his shoulders. His skin was hot enough to burn. “Are you implying you won’t be polite, Andreas?”

He growled low. “When have I ever been polite, sweetheart? Besides, I very much doubt you like it nice and polite.”

Sweetheart. Her mind went to the gutter at once. She imagined him pinning her to the mattress, fucking her into it without an ounce of politeness. She smiled. “Oh yeah? You think you know what I like, Andreas?”

He tightened his grip on her hair, making her neck arch. And fuck, the mild sting traveled at full speed to her already swollen, needy clit. She panted.

“I think I do,” he all but growled, eyes shifting and canines descending fully. “I think you want me to bite you hard enough that you’ll feel my fangs in your delicate neck even a week from now. I think you are going to fucking love how very impolite I’ll be with all my baser impulses, sweetheart.”

She was panting now. Her hips bucked reflexively with the need for friction.

The smug bastard smiled.

Mari growled. “Less talk, more action—”

He bit her. Hard.

Mari cried out.

The sting was glorious, fucking amazing. And then came a wave of pure heat that erased the pain and sent confusing, wonderful signals to her nerve endings.

He growled against her, deepening the bite, tightening his hold on her hair to arch her neck.

Mari moaned, clinging to his shoulders, opening her legs further, rocking her hips—

He was hard.

She was expecting that, but a gasp still escaped through her parted lips along with an undignified whimper. She rocked her hips again. They could still blame their arousal on the unavoidable side effects of an unrestrained feeding… but then he pushed back.

Oh, goddess. Oh fuck.

---