Chapter Forty-Two
Bailey went home with Tristan late Saturday night, saying there were a few last-minute things they needed to do for the life-mating ceremony tomorrow.
Jilly and Luke had left earlier, with Jilly pleading a headache.
Alone at last, Tessa thought, snuggling on the sofa with Andrei. He had turned off all the lights. The soft glow from the fire in the hearth cast dancing shadows on the walls.
“It’s nice,” she murmured, “just the two of us together.”
Andrei nodded.
“Do you think Jilly will ever feel comfortable around me again?”
“In time.”
Staring at the flames, she said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do about Christmas. I always go home.”
“We’ll figure something out.”
Tessa sighed. “I was looking forward to seeing my folks. And eating my mom’s pumpkin pie.” She glanced up at Andrei, bit down on her lower lip when she saw his face. His eyes were dark with guilt, his jaw clenched. “I don’t have any regrets,” she said quickly. “Honest! I love the new bond between us. I know now there was really no other way for us to truly be together. It’s just . . .”
“You don’t have to explain,” he said. “I’ve been where you are.”
“We haven’t talked about our future,” Tessa said tentatively. “Maybe you don’t feel the same way about me anymore.”
“You’re worried about that now? Seriously? I love you, Tess. Nothing will ever change that.” Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her.
There was something different about his kisses. It took her a moment to realize that, in the past, he had always been careful not to hold her too tightly for fear of hurting her. His kisses were deeper now, more intense. She was surprised to realize he had also kept her from reading his more intimate thoughts.
Lost in his kisses, basking in his caress, she surrendered to the magic that was Andrei. Somehow, she found herself lying on the rug in front of the hearth, wrapped in his arms, their bodies pressed intimately together, so close she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began.
His hands were cool against her heated flesh. For the first time, she let herself caress him in places she had not dared touch before. He groaned softly, a wordless plea she could no longer resist.
Tessa ran her hands up and down Andrei’s back. She loved the feel of his skin beneath her palms. Because of the bond between them, she knew what he was feeling, thinking, knew he was keeping a tight rein on his own desires, determined to let her go as far as she wished. Her vampire senses heightened the intensity of every need, every desire, overpowering every other emotion she had ever known.
She wanted him, wanted him desperately. Always before, she had been able to draw the line before things went too far, wanting to take Jilly’s advice and wait until her wedding night. But tonight there was no turning back.
She was lost, drowning in a world of sensual desire that would not be denied. Their clothing disappeared as if by magic and for the first time, she knew what it was like to feel the wonder of bare male skin against her own. It was a feeling beyond description, like silk brushing silk. All her inhibitions fell away under the touch of his hands. She couldn’t stop looking at him, touching him. He was beautiful, his shoulders broad, his chest solid, his arms and legs firm and well muscled. He was, she thought in a rare moment of lucidity, a study in sheer masculine perfection.
She writhed beneath him, her hands restless as they skated up and down his back.
He whispered to her in a language she didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. His husky tone, the fire blazing in his dark eyes, told her everything she needed to know.
His mind brushed hers, a question looking for an answer, and she raised her hips in silent invitation.
There was no pain as his body melded with hers, only indescribable pleasure as he moved deep within her. She cried his name, desperately yearning for something that hovered just out of reach, then exploded within her, leaving her breathless and feeling oh so complete.
* * *
Andrei rose on one elbow, his hand brushing a wisp of sweat-dampened hair from her cheek. “No regrets, dragostea mea?”
His tone was light, but Tessa saw the worry in his eyes, the fear that now, no longer caught up in the heat of the moment, she would wish they had waited. “How could I be sorry when you’re such an incredible lover?” she asked, trying, and failing, to stifle a grin.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” he said, flashing a wicked grin of his own. “I took it easy on you because this was your first time.”
“Oh, my!” she exclaimed, widening her eyes in mock horror. “I am so afraid. Maybe you should do it again and get it over with.”
“As always,” he said, his eyes growing hot as his body covered hers, “your wish is my command.”
* * *
Tessa sighed as Andrei washed her back. It was a night of firsts, she thought, because she had never showered with a man before. The feel of his soapy hands aroused her in new and exciting ways. Apparently, it was having the same effect on him, she mused, catching sight of their reflection in the glass.
Having made love twice, she wondered if there was something wrong with her, that she wanted him again so quickly. Would he think her a wanton if...
The thought had no sooner crossed her mind than he was carrying her back into the bedroom, sitting on the bed, pulling her down on top of him.
So many ways to make love, she thought. How glad she was that she had waited for Andrei to teach her.
Later, locked in his arms, his breath cool against her cheek, she grew increasingly aware of time passing. In a few hours, the sun would rise and she would . . . what? Lose consciousness? Fall asleep? Andrei had never told her what it was like to succumb to the darkness.
“Andrei?”
“Yes, love?”
“What will happen to me when the sun comes up? Is it like falling asleep?” she asked hopefully.
“Not exactly.” It had been terrifying for him, the first time. The sudden lethargy, the sense of falling into nothingness. There were no dreams, no sense of time passing, no sense of anything until the sun went down and he awoke abruptly.
“Tell me.”
“I won’t lie to you. It was scary the first time. One minute you’re awake and the next you’re waking up with no memory of what happened in between. It doesn’t hurt. There are no dreams, good or bad . . .” He paused. That was no longer true for him. Since tasting Tessa’s blood, his existence had changed. He dreamed while at rest. He was able to partake of mortal food from time to time.
Seeing the pensive expression on his face, she asked, “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Maybe it will be different for you.”
“Why?”
“Your blood is different from most mortals. Or it was. I’m not sure if that’s true now that you’re no longer human. But I’ve had dreams, something I hadn’t experienced for more than seven hundred years until I tasted your blood.”
“You’ll stay with me, won’t you?”
“The whole time, if you want me to.”
“At least the first time.” She worried her lower lip. “You’re sure I’ll wake up again?”
Andrei laughed softly as he gathered her into his arms. “I’m sure, love.”
* * *
He lay beside her, her head pillowed on his shoulder, as the sun came up and she slipped into the sleep inherent to their kind. She had always been lovely, but now, her beauty subtly enhanced by the Dark Gift, she was truly the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
Even though he could be active during the day, it was natural for him to take his rest when the sun was up. Holding Tessa close, he let himself slip into the familiar darkness.
* * *
Yawning, Tessa rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up. There was no clock in the lair to tell her the time, no windows through which to judge the hour, yet she knew it was midafternoon. And that she should be trapped in the dark sleep.
Why wasn’t she?
She glanced at Andrei, lying beside her. And smiled. She loved him, she thought, her fingertips tracing his lower lip. Loved him with every fiber of her being.
“As I love you.” Capturing her hand, he kissed her palm, then drew her down beside him. “I had a feeling the dark sleep wouldn’t be able to hold you.”
“Did you?”
He grunted softly. “Your blood has enhanced my powers, as mine have enhanced yours. We are both the stronger for it.”
She smiled, vastly relieved that she wouldn’t have to be unconscious during the daylight hours.
“You won’t be able to go sunbathing, or stay out in the hot sun for long periods of time,” he warned, “and you may have to wear dark glasses for a while.”
“I don’t care!” She kissed him soundly. “I was dreading having to sleep all day and now I don’t have to!”
Andrei rose over her. “As long as you’re awake . . .” he said, flashing a wicked grin.
“What did you have in mind? As if I didn’t know.”
He kissed her cheek, then nipped her earlobe. “Any objections?”
She started to say no, then stared up at him. “Wait! You’re not going to bite me, are you?”
“I thought I might, why?”
“Why? Because I’ll die from the bite of my sire, that’s why!”
Andrei threw back his head and laughed. “Is that what you think? That I waited all this time just to turn you on Friday and do away with you two days later?” Lowering his head, he kissed her. “There are bites,” he said, lightly raking his fangs along the side of her neck, “and then there are bites.”
“If I taste you now, will it be as amazing as it was before you turned me?”
“Better, my love. From now on, everything only gets better.”