In Blood and Worth Loving Read online

  He bared his incisors and shot to his feet. He looked angry.

  She tensed. Why did he have to be so volatile? Why did he think he had carte blanche to insult her as if she had no feelings?

  He stalked across the room to stare down at her.

  She instinctively pushed against his chest. “I don’t want you touching me and I need to go home.”

  “That’s too damn bad because you are going to stay here until I’m ready to let you go and I am very definitely going to do more than touch you during that time.”

  She stepped back. “You can’t mean to force yourself on me, Adrian.”

  He stepped closer to her. “Call it what you like, but you’d better reconcile yourself to the fact that I am going to fuck you again and again and again.”

  Her stomach muscles clenched. She couldn’t believe that he’d really force her. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Oh, yes, I would. I’ll leave it up to you to decide how pleasant or unpleasant that fucking is going to be for you. You can participate and enjoy it or you can suffer through it. Either way, I am going to fuck you as much and as often as I like.”

  She stared at him. Somehow she’d allowed the roses, the breakfast, and the unexpected sweet talk and bursts of tenderness to lure her into forgetting she was with a ruthless vampire used to getting his way. “Last night you promised you wouldn’t hurt me.”

  His jaw clenched. “And I kept that promise last night.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Oh, yes I am.”

  “Are you telling me that your promise was only good for one night?”

  “Apparently so since I have no intentions of keeping it today.”

  Cool, arrogant bastard! She stepped around him.

  He gripped her arm and turned her back to face him. “Don’t walk away from me, Brandi.”

  She swallowed a lump of fear as she found herself staring up into his glowing eyes. “Adrian—”

  He shook his head. “And do not make the mistake of forgetting who the hell you’re dealing with. I always get what I want, Brandi. Always.”

  His continued threats angered her. “Why? Because your lovers want to give it to you or because you’re not above resorting to rape?”

  “I’ve done a lot of things in my life of which I’m sure you wouldn’t approve.”

  “Does that include rape?”

  He narrowed his gaze. “You’re about to find out. Aren’t you?”

  “Fine. If you want to behave like a common rapist, I can’t stop you.”

  For a moment he looked so furious she half-expected him to shake her. “That’s right, Brandi. You can’t stop me. But go ahead and try if you like.”

  It was difficult to reconcile this angry, threatening vampire with the male who had whispered so seductively to her at breakfast. She jerked away from him and tore off her clothes. “Go ahead, Adrian! Use force!” she invited when she stood nude in front of him. “I’ll just bet you have a lot of practice.”

  He bared his incisors. “Don’t push me!”

  Despite her fear, pain fueled her anger. She wanted to hurt him as he was hurting her. “I’m sure this won’t be your first or last rape.”

  “Bitch!” He hurled the word at her like an emotional missile.

  In the time it took her to blink several times, he’d undressed and stood before her nude and fully erect.

  The reality of her situation hit her. He really was capable of rape. She moistened her lip. “Adrian—”

  “Who the hell am I to argue with you or refuse your invitation to use force with you? After all, you did say you wanted me to ravish you.” He swept her off her feet.

  She pushed against his chest. “Put me down.”

  He ignored her and strolled across the room.

  To her surprise, he leaned down to place rather than toss her onto the sofa. Then he held her there with the weight of his body.

  She shoved against his shoulders.

  “Looks like your gamble backfired. Doesn’t it, Brandi?”

  “Get off of me!”

  “Not until I get what I want, you conniving tease!” He used his knee to push her legs apart.

  “Adrian!”

  “You’re about to learn the hard way that I’m not above taking what I want.”

  She swallowed hard. “Then do it.”

  “I plan to. What’s more, I’m going to make you enjoy it.”

  She balled her hands into fists and turned her head away. “Just do whatever you’re going to do and then leave me alone. I don’t want to hear your taunting, hateful voice ever again. You’re as foul as—”

  “Shut up, Brandi, before you really make me angry!” He bent his head and sank incisors roughly into the side of her neck.

  “Adrian…” she whimpered his name.

  Shut the fuck up! He reached between their bodies to position his cock against her entrance.

  “Adrian…please…”

  He pushed the head of his cock into her.

  She sobbed, trying to draw her body away from his. “Adrian…you promised me you wouldn’t hurt me. If you do this…I trusted you.” She balled her hands into fists and pushed against his shoulders. “Don’t do this, Adrian…please…” She uncurled her fists and stroked her fingers through his hair. “You don’t need to do this…please don’t…”

  He stiffened, halting the slide of his cock into her.

  She turned her head, pressing her lips against his hair. “Stop, Adrian…please…stop and let me up. You don’t need to do this. If you do this you’ll kill my trust in you forever.”

  I don’t give a fuck about your trust!

  “Don’t say that. I don’t believe it. Last night and this morning you were so gentle…you calmed my fears and fulfilled my fantasy…I trusted you to keep your word.”

  He withdrew his incisors from her neck and lifted his head.

  She opened her eyes and stared up at him through a flood of tears. “If you don’t stop, you’ll completely ruin my fantasy. Is that what you want?”

  He didn’t move or respond.

  She could sense a struggle in him. His most primal nature wanted to force her, but she suspected the gentler, kinder Adrian who had brought her roses, cooked her breakfast, and flirted with her wanted to stop.

  She just had to reach that part of him and make it easier for him to stop while she could still forgive him. “Using force is beneath you, Adrian. No male with your looks and charm has to use force.”

  He stiffened.

  She went on. “I know you think I’m just an easy lay. And I know that’s how I behaved with you. But I’m not easy. You’re my fantasy man and I couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have more time with you. But just because I dared to want something more than sex with you is no reason to do this. Nor is the fact that I wanted something real with you. Does seeing something good and decent and worth loving in you make me deserve to be forced into sex?”

  He lay unmoving on her.

  “You don’t need to do this and I think part of you, the good, decent part which is worth loving doesn’t want to do this. Let me up, Adrian.”

  He shook his head, his incisors bared.

  “Don’t destroy my trust in you, Adrian. Let me up and I promise I’ll never dare to think you’re worth loving again. Just please let me up.”

  He abruptly rolled off her onto the floor. Rising quickly, he flashed from the room.

  Brandi sat up and rose. Her knees shook so badly she sank back onto the sofa. She wrapped her arms around herself as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

  She was still sitting there when Adrian returned to the living room, fully dressed. She stared at him. His eyes no longer glowed but she sensed he was still angry.

  As was she, but she would forgive him if he apologized and promised it would never happen again.

  He crossed the room to her.

  She dropped her head, afraid what emotions he might read in her unguarded gaze.

&nb
sp; He put a hand under her chin, but didn’t lift it. Look at me.

  She looked up. Even as the cold look in his eyes sent a chill through her, the touch of his fingers on her chin was gentle. If only he would take her in his arms and apologize everything would be right in her world.

  He bared his incisors.

  She shook her head. “No…”

  Gripping her arms, he bent his head, sinking his teeth into her neck.

  Brandi gasped. As her blood flowed into his mouth, he pulled her close to him.

  She closed her eyes.

  He worked his hands into the waistband of her skirt. Moments later, she felt his palms on her bare ass cheeks. The hard length of his cock pulsed against her belly.

  She wanted to feel violated by what he was doing to her. Instead, she found it intimate and incredibly erotic. Her heart raced. Her nipples hardened and her pussy flooded. She was as aroused as if he were about to enter her. She balled her hands into fists at her side to keep from slipping her arms around him.

  How could she feel this sense of warmth and belonging with a male capable of and willing to use force to get what he wanted? Why did she hunger for his touch? His attention? His cock? His tenderness? His incisors buried deep in her flesh? His love? Why did she want to love him when he clearly didn’t want or need anything real with her?

  Unable to resist the need for him pulsing through her, she leaned into him, tilting her head.

  He massaged her ass cheeks as he fed on her.

  Despite herself, she was soon lost in the rapture of knowing he hungered for her blood as she hungered for him. How could anything that felt this wonderful repulse or anger him? Surely he experienced some of what she did. How could a single weekend with her be enough for him?

  If only he’d say or do something to restore her trust in him.

  He stiffened against her. His hands stilled on her ass.

  Coldness replaced the warmth she’d felt as he’d ingested her blood. She opened her eyes.

  He removed his incisors and stepped away from her.

  His eyes glowed. Her blood glistened on his lips and teeth. He looked almost feral. The sight aroused instead of repulsed her. She didn’t care what he was or what he’d done. She wanted him to do something to restore her trust in him.

  “Don’t waste anymore of your time longing for that or for me. I don’t care about you or your trust, Brandi,” he told her and stalked away from her.

  She turned to stare after him. Adrian! Please don’t leave me again. Don’t go angry. Please.

  He turned and looked at her.

  Don’t go. Stay and reassure me. Make me believe you are worth loving.

  “Trust me, Brandi, the way I’m feeling right now, you don’t want me to stay.”

  But she did. “Adrian…”

  He turned and left, slamming the door behind him.

  Oh, Adrian. How could you have felt none of what I did when we made love?

  She felt hurt, angry, and used. Forgiving him now was out of the question. It was time to return to reality where vampires were bloodsucking lowlifes suitable only for killing. Not lusting after and certainly not for falling in love with.

  She waited until she heard his car start and drive off before she rose and pulled on her clothes. She’d find a way home and forget him.

  Chapter Nine

  Adrian drove with reckless abandon for twenty minutes before he trusted his ability to control his voice enough to call home. Jay didn’t answer his cell phone or the phone in his bedroom. Adrian reluctantly called Conner who didn’t answer until the fifth ring. “Adrian. Your timing stinks.”

  “I need a favor.”

  “When?”

  “Now.”

  “Now? Unless it’s extremely important now will have to be a few hours from now. I’m busy.”

  Clearly Conner was with a woman. “I hate to interrupt you, but this is important.”

  “Damn. What do you need?”

  “I need you to come up to the cabin to take Brandi home.”

  “Where are you?”

  “On my way home.”

  “What’s wrong, Adrian?”

  “Nothing’s wrong. Can you pick her up?”

  “Is she all right?”

  “The teasing little bitch is fine.”

  Conner sighed.

  “Can you pick her up or do I need to go back and—”

  “No. I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I don’t think you going back would be wise. Damn, your timing stinks, Adrian.”

  “Look, if you can’t do it, I’ll go back—”

  “No. I’ll pick her up. I’ll be on my way in twenty minutes tops. In the meantime, stay away from her, Adrian.”

  “I wouldn’t go anywhere near that bitch again if she were the last woman on earth!”

  “So, it’s like that? She got under your skin and—”

  “I’m not in the mood for any psycho babble, Conner!” he snapped and broke the connection. Annoyed by his inability to walk away and leave Brandi to fend for herself and angered that he’d allowed her to drive him to using force, he pressed his foot on the accelerator. It didn’t help. He could still hear her whimpering his name and see her dark eyes filled with tears because of her fear that she couldn’t stop him from raping her.

  Does seeing something good and decent and worth loving in you make me deserve to be forced into sex? I promise I’ll never dare to think you’re worth loving again.

  What the fuck made her think he cared what she thought or felt or that he wanted her love? Damn the conniving bitch! Why should he care if she no longer thought he was worth loving when romantic love was a weak human emotion?

  He didn’t want her love, but he could no longer deny that he found her nearly impossible to resist. He ran his tongue over his lips. That last sensuous taste of her blood lingered in his thoughts, making him burn for her. But damn if he would allow himself to become a slave to his hunger for a woman who’d practically implied being with him had somehow fouled or polluted her.

  She insisted she wanted him to ravish her. When he attempted to do that, she behaved like a typical human woman—changing her fickle mind and crying rape.

  She was free to return to her dull human lovers who left her dissatisfied. He’d return to the fems who didn’t get weepy or try to change the rules of the game because they thought someone was “worth loving.”

  An hour and a half later, after barely restraining himself from strangling a state trooper who pulled him over for speeding, he stopped his car outside Marcella’s Olde City townhouse.

  She met him at the door wearing nothing but a warm smile. “It’s good to see you again, lover.” She drew him into the house and closed the door. “Take your clothes off and tell me what’s bothering you.”

  He shook his head. “Nothing’s bothering me. I don’t want to talk. I want to fuck.”

  She stroked her hands over his chest. “I can feel the tension in you, but if you want to fuck first and talk later, I’m game, lover.”

  That was the beauty of being with Marcella. She knew what he needed and was always ready and willing to give it to him without making unreasonable emotional demands on him. It would be a cold day in hell before Marcella babbled on about him or any other male being worth loving.

  “I don’t want to talk at all.”

  She leaned up to nip his neck. “Then let me fuck the tension out of you.”

  “That’s what I need.”

  “Then get naked and let’s fuck.”

  He undressed quickly and pushed her against the wall.

  “In the mood for some rough sex, lover?” She laughed, parting her legs. “Sex me up as roughly as you like.”

  Moments later, they were sharing a hard, rough standing fuck. Thoughts of sex with Brandi hovered at the back of his mind, teasing and taunting him. He angrily dismissed them and kept his eyes open, and concentrated on thinking only of Marcella.

  As her pussy signaled her coming climax
, she pushed herself off the floor and wrapped her legs around him.

  He knew what she wanted and needed. He normally didn’t allow his lovers to ingest his blood. But Marcella was always there for him—as a friend and a lover. He tilted his head and closed his eyes as her incisors pierced his skin.