Page 26 of A Bond Beyond Blood (The Butcher’s Daughter Trilogy #1)

V inny

Her pout was fucking adorable, like everything else about this girl.

While Jacqueline finished her breakfast—not without complaint and quite reluctantly, hence the cute little pout—I stripped the bed and put fresh sheets on, then ran a bath.

She’d been recovering for a week now, and as much as I understood how restless she must be, I also knew firsthand what her body needed in order to heal bruised ribs.

Downtime—and not just seven days’ worth. Although she was healing remarkably well, and surprisingly quickly, she needed plenty of rest if her body was going to heal correctly.

But fuck me , I hadn’t been able to keep my hands off her any longer.

My need had become a constant ache, my feelings for her multiplying with every second I remained in her space.

Sleeping beside her for the past week, caring for her, tending to her injuries.

.. I was getting to know Jacqueline on a deeper level, something I hadn’t dared to even wish for just a few weeks ago.

She loved romance books about sexy male fairies, and to be fair, that was news to me; the only fairy I knew about was Tinkerbell.

Random old Chuck Norris movies could completely catch—and hold—her attention for hours.

She had a deep, deep aversion to bubblegum, unless it was cinnamon-flavored.

Her devotion to her two older brothers stood out the most, though, almost as beautiful as that love she had for her old man.

Giovanni Fiorino definitely held the larger place in her heart, but I gathered that was more about Jacqueline being pissed at Leo for moving across the country than anything else.

But as far as I could see it, Leo living out in Cali meant one less overprotective big brother for me to face off against someday.

And I would. Face off with them, I mean. I had no plans of going anywhere, which meant meeting the men in her life was inevitable.

This newfound intimacy was a gift, and one I didn’t take lightly.

She’d always been so clear about her hatred of my kind, obvious desire for me aside, and I never wanted to push for something she wasn’t willing to give.

But now that I had her within my grasp, now that she’d given herself to me willingly, I couldn’t imagine letting her go, couldn’t imagine returning to a professional relationship with this woman who’d created an addict after just one taste.

We’d danced around the important things this week, like Eli, and why he was here, for one, and I’d been happy to let myself pretend I didn’t have a massive secret that might implode this thing before it even gets off the ground.

But now that Jacqueline was feeling better, it was only a matter of time before we had to face the multiple elephants in the room.

I had no way of knowing how she’d react when I told her the truth, that I knew she never stood a chance against vampires but I continued to train her anyway.

That I couldn’t bring myself to let her go, so I risked her safety for my selfishness.

She’d have every right to tell me to get fucked, and anytime I considered that outcome, my stomach twisted painfully and I lost my goddamn nerve.

Imagine that, a beast both in and out of the ring, who was afraid to talk to his girl.

As I fluffed the pillows, I sensed Jacqueline behind me and turned around as she entered her bedroom.

Her eyes narrowed as her lips twitched on a pleased smile. “Did you change my sheets, Vincenzo?”

God, I loved how my name sounded coming from her lips.

“I did.”

She smirked, then stripped out of her robe, letting it pool on the floor at her feet.

My cock jerked, pressing painfully against the prison of my jeans.

She bit into that full bottom lip seductively and I licked my own lips, absently searching for the lingering taste of her, then she flashed a devious smile. “Imagine my disappointment,” she purred. “I thought we were going to dirty those sheets.”

Groaning, I dragged a hand through my hair. “You are nowhere near healed enough for that, Jacqueline.”

She stepped forward and I stepped back, maneuvering myself toward the bathroom.

Pouting, she propped her hands on her full hips. “I feel fine.”

My eyes narrowed and then I moved in front of her, smirking when she gasped at my sudden nearness. “Don’t lie to me.”

Her lips pursed, but then she placed her palms on my chest, briefly distracting me with the warmth of her touch. “Fine. I still have a little pain.”

I raised my eyebrows as I walked us slowly backwards into the bathroom.

“A little?” I chuckled, slipping my hands over the curves of her hips and pulling her against my body.

I’d seen the way she flinched when I feasted on her, each euphoric jerk of her body resulting in a wince.

“Sweet girl, I’m a boxer. How many rib injuries do you think I’ve had? ”

She rolled her eyes, then her gaze caught on the bathtub behind me. “Did you run me a bath?”

I nodded, then leaned forward and brushed a kiss to her soft lips. “The Epsom salts will ease the pain and help with any inflammation.”

She’d taken a few showers this week with my assistance—and the help of a metal stool I set up in the center of the shower stall so she could sit while I washed her hair—but a good soak would do wonders for her pain.

I moved aside and took her hand, then helped her into the warm water, fighting to ignore the way her luscious curves called to me as they sank below the surface.

I’d reached the end of my self-control and was hanging by a fraying thread here.

She sighed contentedly and I slammed my eyes shut as the sound sank deep into my core, stirring my already half-hard cock. I squeezed my erection, urging it to stand down. Jacqueline needed care, not a horny vampire with a fucking hard-on.

“Get in with me?”

Fuck me, how I could I possibly deny her?

I groaned and tipped my head back, breathing deeply, but all that did was pull the scent of her into my nose, the sweet honeyed smell of her skin, the way the steam from the bath picked up and emphasized remnants of the wildflower bouquet of her perfume to fill the bathroom with her fragrance until she was everywhere .

“Sweet girl,” I murmured, “you have no idea what you’re doing to me.”

“Show me,” she whispered breathlessly.

I had her out of the bath and pressed against the wall before she could say another word.

Eyes wide, Jacqueline gasped as I claimed her mouth, kissing her fiercely, driving my tongue between her lips to taste her with firm, demanding strokes. She moaned and I rocked my hips against her core, stopping abruptly when she whimpered.

I pulled back, searching her face for any sign of discomfort. “I hurt you.”

“No,” she said firmly. “It wasn’t that kind of sound.”

Narrowing my eyes, I held her gaze as I dropped one hand between us and unbuttoned my fly slowly, smirking when her pupils dilated with lust. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and tightened her legs around my waist, positioning her sweet cunt at my tip once I’d freed my cock, her entire body slick and dripping with bathwater.

“Please,” she said, even as she took control and eased herself onto my dick.

I sucked in a breath as her heat engulfed me slowly.

It took every ounce of self-control to remain still as the monster in me roared with need.

It wanted to slam her against the wall, claim her, tear into her supple flesh and drink her down.

The hunger burned in my veins, a prickly sensation that wouldn’t abate until I fed again, but even then, where Jacqueline was concerned, a hint of that monster always remained, waiting patiently to stake its claim over her.

But she’d been beaten quite fiercely just a week ago, and though she was healing faster than I’d expected, I had to maintain control. I wouldn’t bite her, but even the idea of fucking her too hard made me uneasy. She wasn’t delicate, my girl, but she was human.

So I held still, waited for my sweet girl to take the reins.

There were still so many bruises over her silky skin, the damaged muscles and tissue around her ribs, and a tailbone that had caused her nothing but grief for this past week. I had to let her steer this ship.

When she’d buried me inside her as deeply as she could, Jacqueline sighed—

And I almost came from that sound alone.

Leaning forward, I pressed her shoulder blades into the wall and braced my forearms against the wall on either side of her shoulders.

Then I bent my legs just enough that she could rock against my thighs, and dragged my teeth along her jawline until I could lick up the shell of her ear.

She shivered and I chuckled, the sound drawing a delicious shudder from her body in response.

Her pussy clenched and flexed around me, greedy little thing, so I sucked her earlobe into my mouth, then rocked my hips forward to encourage her.

“You’re in control,” I murmured against her ear.

She whimpered and rocked her hips, squeezing my cock with a quick flex of her inner walls.

“That’s a good girl, Jacqueline, fuck me,” I whispered, scraping my teeth along her jaw. “Take what you need.”

She made a needy mewling sound in her throat, then, using her thick thighs and the pressure of the wall at her back, she lifted her hips, then sank down onto me again and we moaned in tandem.

“That’s it, sweet girl, just like that. I’ve got you.”

“Kiss me,” she said as she lifted herself once more, then lowered back down slowly.

I turned my face and caught her mouth, kissing her unhurriedly to match the pace of each steady rise and fall of her hips, capturing each sound she made, each exhalation as her breathing picked up speed in rhythm with her hips.