Page 102 of Immortal Bastard (The Order of Vampires)

The back of her knees hit the bed, and she toppled to the mattress. He was there, taking up the space, filling her view as he towered over her with that hungry gaze that promised to devour her. She was trapped.

“Exactly how I like you.”

His weight pressed into the bedding as he lowered his mouth to hers, teasing rather than kissing. The moment she leaned up to meet him, he pulled back, toying with her.

“Look at you,” he said as if speaking to himself, then she realized he was showing her everything he saw. A mirror image of her body filled her mind clear as day, yet she still watched him through her own vision, her mind somehow able to hold multiple views at once.

When she saw herself through his eyes, she felt all of his admiration. His esteem overwhelmed her in a way that chased away any self-doubt or insecurities she experienced in the past whenever she’d pick herself apart in front of a mirror.

It felt good to see herself in such an appreciative way for a change. Light and refreshing. Safe, cherished, and maybe even a little addicting, because she didn’t just see through his eyes, she comprehended how he processed and cataloged every detail.

She didn’t want the deluge of positive sensations to end. Just one glimpse of what he saw repaired years of damage to her self-esteem, bathing her heart in gentle compassion.

“Wow,” she breathed. “You’re doing incredible things for my confidence.”

His hands framed her waist and dragged slowly down her sides, then back up again, lifting her breasts. “And why shouldn’t you feel confident? You’re flawless.”

She wasn’t, but through his eyes she was. It was a paradox that massaged the self-conscious mind and eradicated the urge or need to criticize her appearance. Her insecurities disappeared the longer she saw herself from his point of view.

They said humans only used ten percent of their brains. She was coming to suspect that wasn’t the case for immortals. Layers of awareness unfurled within her imagination. Sensory details multiplied until she lost track of the improvements.

Every time he pushed their mental link, her brain seemed to undergo a software update, perceiving new colors she couldn’t name and seeing the world around her in such vivid contrast to before, that she cognitively gobbled up all the delicious details. It was sensory overload, but not in a bad way.

He was a drug. An organic form of ecstasy that awakened every nerve and overdosed her brain in pleasure hormones. She could literally feel her happiness rising as he looked at her. And when he touched her… She felt him in every single cell of her body and the ethereal matter that made up her aura, until nothing but pure euphoria rushed through her entire being.

His finger brushed delicately over the wing of her collarbone. “Soft.” He caught her knee, quickly tugging her legs apart. “Docile.” His thumb traced her lower lip, gently pulling her mouth open and dipping inside. “Pliant.”

Without exerting force, she bit his thumb and he chuckled.

“But never without fire.” He pulled his finger away and grazed the press of her pierced nipple through the damp towel. “I think your vivacious spirit arouses me even more than your body.”

She was definitely a vibe and should probably be grateful he was one of the few people who appreciated her fiery energy and volatile temperament. Most people found her intensity draining.

“Your intensity matches my own,” he said, fully present in her thoughts. “I enjoy your beautiful mind as much as I enjoy your body.” He tugged open the towel, exposing her naked breasts and bare sex, then nudged her shoulder so she fell flat on her back.

“My beautiful pintura.”

A jagged breath passed her lips when he caught the underside of her knees and dragged her to the edge of the bed, spreading her thighs wide. Warm lips pressed to the sharp curve of her hip and she gasped. His tongue traced the jutting curve of her hip lower until he was at eye level with her sex.

She shut her eyes, alarmingly exposed. This was more intimacy than she knew how to process.

The press of his kiss to her clit drew a sharp gasp from her lips. “Breathe, little one. There’s nothing obscene or shameful about the closeness between mates. It’s as intimate a bond as two creatures can share. Let me show you.”

His tongue trailed over her sensitive flesh with provocative intention, slowly opening her with shallow dips of his gently probing fingers and tongue. Heat gathered at her core and a soft moan built in her throat. He kept his exploring touch delicate, which only put her more on edge.

Stoking, kissing, petting, delicately thrusting, he awakened all of her. A fire built in her core and spread through her veins, and her body began to purr—literally purr.