Page 82 of The Vampire Curse

Meeting his gaze once more, I can’t seem to read the look in his eyes. It could be want, fear, surprise, or some mixture. Neither of us speaks, so I inch back slightly and let my fingers trail down his muscled stomach to the waist of his trousers, slowly undoing them.

“You don’t—” he starts.

I cut him off with a kiss and whisper against his mouth, “I want this.”

Alaric’s hands are braced on my thighs, hiking my skirt up to my hips, his fingers brushing dangerously close to my core. I slip a hand between us to free him and wrap my fingers around his hard length. He sucks in a small breath, barely noticeable, but the pressure of his fingertips tells me all I need to know. I move my hand up and down.

“Clara, I—” he says, breaking off his sentence with a growl. His hands roam over me, eventually returning to my hips. He lifts me slightly, pulling me closer to him and positioning his cock at my entrance, then slowly, he lowers me down onto him. I take him in inch by inch.

My head falls back, and I moan at the sensation of him filling and stretching me. My breathing hitches at the feel of him.

“If I could only hear one thing for the rest of my life, it would be that sound,” he says almost reverently.

My head snaps up, my face burning.Fuck, he’s buried deep inside me, and he still manages to make me blush from the sheer intensity of his words.

He tightens an arm around my waist, his other hand cupping the back of my neck, guiding my mouth to his as we rock against each other. He kisses me hard as I move faster, his fangs scraping along my lower lip, but not breaking the skin.

Alaric grasps the ties at the back of my dress, and pulls. The material gives without resistance under his strength, and air glides over my feverish skin. His hands grip my hips, moving me and keeping me from speeding up, as if he wants to draw this moment out forever.

Alaric’s mouth moves along my jaw and down my neck to the spot he bit. His tongue flicks the area, and I feel the sensation in my core build, and build, and build. It’s almost too much.

I feel my body tighten around him, then I cry out, my back arching as I climax. He groans in response, thrusting harder and faster. I can feel him thickening inside me, and then he finds his release as I’m slowly coming down from my high.

His arms wrap tightly around my waist and he holds me tight, trailing kisses along my neck and shoulder as our movements gradually slow.

I rest my forehead against his, staring into those strange eyes of his. The blue has nearly been swallowed up by the red. A shudder of desire sweeps through me. The corners of his eyes crinkle slightly as a self-satisfied smirk forms on his delicious lips.

We stay like this for a long moment, our breaths mingling.

I could blame being blinded by desire as a side effect of the mark he’d warned me about… but that would be a lie.

Alaric tilts my head and trails slow, languid kisses along my jaw and down my neck.

“Next time,” he murmurs against my skin. “I will take my time with you and savor every second.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Clara

I stretchas the edges of sleep tug on my mind and body. My muscles are a little sore, but not uncomfortably so. There is something so peaceful about lingering in the space between the dream world and the waking.

Soft material glides over my skin, and I feel nearly weightless. Fire crackles in the hearth, warming the air. Alaric’s musky scent surrounds me.

I would be content to stay in this moment forever.

But as always, the moment fades, and my mind rouses. I blink open my eyes. Dark materials and opulent furnishings decorate the room.

I sit up, clutching the sheets to my naked body as everything comes rushing back.

Asking for the mark. The overwhelming need it sparked. The first mark was nothing in comparison. It's like a rope tied around my waist, tugging lightly, urging me to find him and ask for the final mark.

The feeling that lingers isn't the same as it was the first time. It’s less demanding.

My hand splays out on the empty spot next to me, not entirely cooled. He must have just left. I’m disappointed.

I slide my legs off the bed and stand. The discarded dress from yesterday is gone, and in its place, draped over the back of the couch, is a new one, deep blue in color.

I quickly slip into it. By the time I finish lacing up the back, Alaric still hasn’t returned. My stomach tightens.