“Training with my father. I was young, not yet able to heal without lingering effects, and he cut me open from neck to navel to teach me a lesson.” His motions never slowed.

“You learned that lesson?”

“I thought I had. Never trust an opponent. Even one you love.”

He unfastened his pants, and down they were pushed. No underwear. She caught sight of his erection and nearly wept with wonder. Maybe, since vampires seemed to live forever, he’d been on earth during the human/alien war some eighty years ago and had come into contact with some kind of nuclear … something. Because damn. He was huge. Bigger than any man she’d ever seen.

Long, thick, hard, with a plump head that would stroke her just right. His sac was drawn up tight, beautiful. He had no body hair that she could see, and anyone else she would have assumed waxed. But he wasn’t the type to care what anyone else thought. He liked himself just fine. Maybe too fine, but still, that kind of confidence was attractive. Heady. And in his case, warranted.

One knee, two, he climbed atop the bed. His gaze never left hers, even when he stopped at her waist, his legs cradling hers. Rather than fall on her and devour as she hoped, he stayed where he was, just breathing her in.

“Now I get to look at you,” he rasped.

His gaze tracked her, every inch of her, lingering on her beaded nipples, her quivering navel, between her legs. Soon she was panting, on fire again, utterly desperate because those eyes caressed.

“Your nipples are like berries,” he said. “Your stomach is a naughty little tease leading to …” He traced a fingertip to the small thatch of curls, so soft, so gentle. “This little treasure.”

Oh, God. She needed a stronger touch, a deeper touch. Now.

“McKell,” she said. Begged. “Victor. Please.”

He leaned back on his haunches, grabbed her legs and spread them wider, as wide they would go. But again, he didn’t fall on her. His gaze returned to her core, and his fangs extended.

He licked his lips, flicked his tongue over those sharp incisors. “You’re so pretty there. So wet. So mine.”

He wasn’t going to touch her yet, she realized. He was simply going to torture her.

“Can I touch what’s yours? Please.” She reached down and thrummed her clitoris. At that first needed contact, her hips arched off the bed, and she moaned. Yes.

“Ava,” he growled.

She stilled, the mattress quaking with the force such a cessation required. “Yes?” Would he tell her to stop?

“Do that again,” he said, a hoarse entreaty.

One she didn’t mind obeying. Over and over she circled her clit, her hips pumping with the movement. All the while he watched, stroking himself, fangs sharp and gleaming, and that ramped up her arousal.

“Make yourself come.”

Again, she didn’t mind obeying. She pressed harder, circled more intently, the pleasure building, breaking, slamming through her. She cried out, muscles clenching on bone, stars winking behind her eyes.

As she came down from the high, she refocused on him and realized he was still stroking his shaft, up and down, the motions smooth, even though his hand trembled. Her needy body once again lit up in flames, craving a taste of the sensual man in front of her.

“That was beautiful,” he croaked out. “I’ve never seen a woman take care of herself before.”

Just watching him, that plump head hidden by his hand, then revealed, then hidden again, caused her excitement to veer toward the edge of another climax. He was the beautiful one. Pure masculinity, utter warrior.

“More,” she said.

“For you, yes.” He stilled.

She moaned, reached out. “For you, too.”

“I almost lost you,” he whispered, taking her hand, kissing her knuckles. “Promise you’ll never leave me behind like that again.” When she hesitated, he added, “You’ve already promised not to purposefully endanger yourself. This vow asks no more of you than that one.”

This wasn’t an ultimatum on his part, she knew. He wouldn’t leave her unsated if she refused. He was concerned, that was all, and even that was a stimulant. “I promise,” she said, and she meant it.

“My good girl.” Finally he fell on her. He sucked on her nipples, hard, his fangs nearly breaking skin. She loved it, loved every sensation. For every swipe of his tongue, every nibble of his teeth, drove her need higher … higher … just the way she’d wanted, until she was writhing, clawing at his back, tugging at his hair.

He was going to make her come again, just by lavishing attention on her breasts. No, no, no, she thought. That would make three for her and zero for him. Even in her lust-fog, she knew she wanted him receiving an equal amount of pleasure.

Ava flattened her hands on his chest and pushed. He fell to his back, and she rose over him, honey curls forming a curtain around their faces. His hips arched up, rubbing his shaft against her moist folds, but not penetrating, and they both groaned. At last she got to lick his scar, tracing the edges with her tongue, and clearly, he liked. He gripped the sheets, ripping them to shreds.

“I’m going to suck you,” she said, “but I won’t let you come. Not yet.”

“Why not? Do you think you’ll dislike the taste of my seed?” How disappointed he sounded.

“Oh, I know I’ll like the taste.” Truth. There was nothing she disliked about this man. “But I want you to come inside me.” Or rather, in a condom, while thrusting hard and deep. Oh, yes. Soon. Please.

“I’m not like those puny—those humans.” He reached up and smoothed the hair from her face. “I can come in your mouth, please let me come in your mouth, and then immediately come inside you.”

The disappointment had given way to desperation. “Immediately, hmm? So you don’t think you can last once you get inside me?”

“That’s not—I won’t—I can last!”

She tried not to grin. So easy to tease, this one. “Well, lucky for you I’m going to make you prove both claims.”

“Just prepare to be awed.”

The grin grew, unstoppable. Ava inched down his body and when that beautiful cock was poised at the entrance of her mouth, she sucked him inside without hesitation. His width stretched her jaw, made it burn, but wow, a burn she welcomed, taking him all the way to the back of her throat and humming.

His hands fisted in her hair. Over and over he chanted her name, but soon he was incoherent. She cupped his balls, squeezed, tugged. Everything she did seemed to fuel his need, and that made her proud, made her want to work him harder. So she did. As she pushed down, she rubbed her tongue over the shaft. As she lifted, she lightly scraped with her teeth.

“Ava,” he groaned, and that was the only warning she had before he jetted white-hot inside her mouth.

She swallowed every drop, loving that she had brought him to this point, astonished that her own need was stronger than ever. That her skin was heated, molten, her muscles aching, and her bones shaking. She couldn’t bring herself to release him, especially when, true to his word, he immediately grew hard. Harder, actually.

As she began eating him up yet again, he latched onto her arms and jerked her upright, at the same time rolling her over. Still no penetration. Not yet. She pleaded with her gaze. Please. Need. Now.

Understanding or not, he cupped her jaw and peered deep into her eyes, perhaps seeing into her soul. His violet eyes were bright, his lips swollen, red, his fangs elongated, sharp.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, and locked her ankles against his lower back. Hint, hint, but still he didn’t sink inside. Maybe his come was an aphrodisiac, because she burned. She craved. She had to have him, would die soon, surely. Was lost, falling, spinning, riding a wave of pure sensation, more and more of those stars winking.

“You’re mine,” he growled. “You know this, yes?”

Yes. Oh, yes. Forever. But with the strange thought—forever?—common sense intruded for a brief moment. “C-condom,” she said.

He frowned. “What’s that?”

“A … wrapper for your cock … to prevent pregnancy … and disease … and if you don’t fuck me soon, I’m going to kill you.”

His hips pressed, teasing. “I don’t get diseases.”

“Well, do you want to make a baby with me?” She’d never wanted a child. Thought she never would. But this conversation reminded her of the little McKell she’d imagined running around her apartment, and how she hadn’t been completely repulsed, and had maybe even been a little intrigued, and …

Stop, she screamed at her mind. Enough thoughts of forever and kids.

“No,” he replied, “no children.” Like her, he didn’t sound convinced. “But I think I told you that vampires don’t produce children very often, and never with humans.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

So they couldn’t have kids. That was a good thing. Really. She could have McKell all to herself … “Then why aren’t you inside me? Make me yours, McKell.”

The last word left her, and he reacted instantly. He shoved inside her at last, roaring, hitting her deep, all the way to her core. Sweet merciful heaven. She arched up, sending him even deeper, and shouted his name.

Her nails drove into his ass, urging him to slam in and out of her. Which he did. With so much force her brain rattled against her skull. But God, she couldn’t stop him. Didn’t want to stop him. Just wanted more, more, more.

True to his word—again—he lasted. Every thrust increased her need, her pleasure. She bit at him, wanting so badly to break his skin, to taste his blood. A want she couldn’t tamp down. She wanted to stay joined with him forever.

Forever. There was that word again. Just thinking it was almost enough to send her flying over the edge. Almost. There was something else she needed … something just out of reach …

“McKell,” she gasped, not knowing what it was, what she had to have.

But he knew, he understood. He sank his fangs straight into her neck, so deep he hit a tendon. God, even that was ecstasy. She climaxed immediately, tightening around his shaft, screaming, begging, lost again, so lost.

He drank and drank and drank, his gulps in rhythm with his thrusts, and then he, too, was coming, shooting inside her, shouting her name. And maybe his seed really was a drug, an aphrodisiac like she’d assumed, because knowing they were skin to skin, that there was nothing between them, that he was filling her up, the first man to truly touch her this way, had her coming again. Coming so hard she couldn’t breathe, could no longer speak.

A long while later, she collapsed against the mattress, McKell still on top of her, still inside her. He collapsed, too, his weight smashing her. She didn’t care. She loved that weight.

He’d said she belonged to him, had called her his, and just then, she believed him. And she liked it. Maybe that was the afterglow talking, but she’d figure everything out later. Right now, there were better things to do.

For once she didn’t hop from the bed and leave her lover behind. She closed her eyes and slept. Content. She was content.

Twenty-four

His woman had let him love her and drink from her, McKell thought, satisfaction slamming through him. He tightened his hold on the still sleeping Ava, and a breathy sigh escaped her. That sound … like a match being lit …

Only an hour had passed since she’d slipped into this unconscious state, yet he suddenly wanted her again. Wanted her with a desperation that frightened him. Craving a human this much, a nonmated human, was unwise.

When the bond was complete, if she would ever allow him to complete it, he would want her even more. Which meant he would be even more obsessed, more under her spell, more hers than his own. Not that he cared. He just wanted to turn her. So badly.

That wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, though. He’d bruised her pride, made her feel like humans were inferior—and they weren’t. How could they be when Ava was one? But Ava was better than humans and vampires. Now she wouldn’t even consider the possibility of turning.

His fault, he knew. How would you feel if I insisted you become human? she’d said. He would have hated it, felt inferior. As he’d made her feel.

If he would have kept his big mouth shut, rather than making her feel like she wasn’t good enough, just as she was, she might have entertained the notion one day. So that they could be together. Forever.

Forever, exactly what he wanted with her.

Perhaps he could fix things, he thought. She had mentioned reversing time before. Perhaps he could. Perhaps his past failure stemmed from the fact that he just hadn’t had the proper motivation. And as Ava had said, since he could manipulate time in one direction, why not all directions?

If he could reverse time, to the first day he met her, keeping the memories he had, he could change the way he’d acted, the way he’d treated her. He could make her feel special from the very beginning, so that she would be happy to become vampire, protecting herself for eternity.

He liked that idea. A lot. Only problem was, he didn’t like the thought of her not knowing him. Of waiting to kiss her and touch her until she got to know him again. Of living somewhere other than this home. Their home. And what if, by starting over, he lost his memory of her? He would do nothing different. Or would he? Would he even end up in the same place?

Hmm. Were the possible rewards worth the mounting risks?

He didn’t know. Whatever happened, he just wanted to be with her.

How he laughed at his earlier foolishness, thinking he would one day kill her to make room for someone else. There would be no killing her. Ever. He didn’t want to be set free. Didn’t want to find anyone else. Someone more suitable. He snorted. How could he ever have thought such a thing? There was no one more suitable.