8. Chapter 8
Chapter eight
SAGE
After Samantha Blaine’s comment earlier, Luca was looking my way all night. I couldn't be sure what he was thinking, but my curiosity had me sticking around long after Ollie left, typing up notes for my article into my phone.
Luca had once again put distance between us after I spent the night at his house, and I once again let him. He was still talking to me and checking up on me, but any progress I’d thought I made on getting the gorgeous man into my bed seemed to be gone. As long as he still struggled with letting people get close, I was going to have to endure our little game of cat and mouse.
It wasn’t that he was toying with me so much as that he was fighting with himself. I understood his hesitation. Everything he knew about himself and the world around him had changed in an instant and he was still learning to cope with that.
I didn’t blame him for wanting to avoid relationships while he was still coming to terms with who he was now, but I’d only been looking for a friends with benefits type situation and Luca’s reaction earlier made me a little curious what exactly he was thinking. He knew as well as everyone else that I hadn’t initially been planning on staying this long. But I also hadn’t given any thought to leaving.
Nikko and Tex left after the crowds died down and Luca finished out the shift on his own while Mad and Colt covered the door. When the last customers left, Luca waved the couple off while he finished up behind the bar.
“You can go, I’m just about done here anyway.”
Maddox frowned at Luca. “Think that’s a good idea after the cops were just in here?”
“I don’t think they’ll rock the boat again so soon,” I said. “Especially since they’re now on the radar of two journalists. They’ll have to be careful until this blows over at least.”
Mad hesitated, but Colt patted his shoulder. “Leaving Luca here isn’t the same as leaving Nikko or Tristan. He can handle it.”
Mad’s eyes fell on me and I realized what the problem was.
“Oh. Should I leave?”
Colt snickered. “Luca will make sure he gets home safe.”
Luca nodded. “Of course.”
Colt finally dragged his mate out the door and I finished up my notes while Luca wrapped up his work in no time at all. Vampire speed must be nice. Goddess, the things I could get done with an ability like that.
“What’s that face?” Luca asked. “You seemed lost in thought.”
“Just thinking about what I could do if I have vampire speed. It would be kinda awesome if not for all the downfalls it comes with, huh?”
Luca looked more disturbed than amused. “I don’t think the world would survive that. You’re scary enough without any special abilities.”
I laughed. “Didn’t think I’d ever be called scary by a vampire, but it makes me feel like I’m doing something right.”
“You don’t need inhuman powers to be amazing, you already are.”
I arched an eyebrow at the comment, but Luca didn’t look away or retract his statement. The man did not lack confidence in his charm, that was for sure.
And while Luca was as smooth as ever, I’d never quite managed to keep that level of cool around hot guys. So while I meant to tell him I thought he was pretty amazing too, what came out was, “Want a blowjob?”
A shocked laugh spilled from Luca’s lips, but while I could feel my cheeks heating, I didn’t take it back.
“Yeah,” he agreed, surprising me. “But I need a shower first.”
“Isn’t there a shower upstairs?” I asked, circling the bar to stand in front of him.
Before I knew what was happening, my ass hit the bar and Luca’s lips were on mine. Fuck yes, it took him long enough. He nipped at my lip and a shiver ran down my spine as I deepened the kiss and pulled him closer. His fingers dug into my hips and a little thrill ran through me. For all his resisting, Luca wasn’t unaffected by me.
My hands slid up inside his shirt and then I was pulled into his arms. A second later, he was setting me on my feet in the apartment above the tavern and turning on the shower. While the water warmed, he pulled his shirt off and started working the buttons on mine.
He pressed me up against the sink, taking my mouth again like he couldn’t wait another second to devour me. My searching hands found the button on his pants, and I quickly stripped him down and shoved him toward the shower. I was so fucking ready I could barely breathe, and patience wasn’t my strong suit. I didn’t even have the brain capacity to pretend I had any cool.
Luca kicked his shoes and pants off and stepped into the shower, leaving me panting as I watched the water running down his body. Holy shit, I was ready to explode just watching the erotic display of muscle flexing under his tan skin as he rubbed suds all over.
Blow jobs were great, but I wanted to feel the evidence that this actually happened tomorrow. I clumsily pulled open the cabinet door, nearly smacking myself in the face as I lunged for the bottle I knew would be there. In a flash, I finished stripping down before rushing to join him, and nearly face planted when I jumped into the slick tub.
Luca managed to catch me against him before I could actually fall, but the end result was still a little embarrassing. I peeled myself off of him with a mumbled apology and felt the rumble of his answering laugh in his chest.
“There’s no rush,” he assured me.
“Easy for you to say.”
“Trust me, I want this just as much as you do.”
I didn’t know if that was true, but there were better things we could be doing with our mouths. Luca seemed to be thinking the same thing because he leaned down and captured my lips again. The heat from before flared up again in an instant as I pushed forward, deepening the kiss.
Luca’s hard, slick body moved against mine, the man was built like a god, and I couldn’t help but want to worship every inch of him. My hands wandered as I pulled my mouth from his and latched on to his ear, then slid my mouth to his neck.
Remembering our last time, I wasn’t gentle as I bit down and sucked a mark into his skin. Luca shivered in response and a dangerous thread of something dark and exciting moved me to play with fire. I moved along his skin, nipping and tasting as I went until I found his nipple and bit down, gently at first, and then harder.
My hands found his cock and I stroked him so slowly and gently it would offer nothing but frustration. Luca sucked in a breath and his fingers tangled in my hair. There was the slightest tug on my scalp, but he didn’t pull, if anything, he was holding my head in place as I licked and nipped at the sensitive skin. I moved my way back up his collarbone until I found his shoulder again, and bit down.
Luca had already been on the verge of losing control, which was exactly what I’d wanted. And with that last bit of aggression on my part, his teeth hovered over my neck. A thrill ran through me as I tilted my head, giving him permission. My cock throbbed and my breath came faster as his teeth sank into my neck.
LUCA
Sage knew just what buttons to push. I hadn’t intended to bite him, I didn’t actually know what I was intending. After everything that happened earlier, some possessive side of me I didn’t know existed wanted to stake my claim. And now his blood coated my tongue, warming me from the inside while his hot body pressed against mine.
It was heaven, and it was hell. Sage liked things a little rough, his breathing and pulse picked up every time I bit or pulled his hair or grabbed him a little too roughly. He wasn’t the least bit scared of me, but he should be. Because while I’d never let it go that far, the things I wanted to do to him scared me . Before I turned I’d never had the urge to get rough with a partner, but now I didn’t just want to bite him, I wanted to possess him. I wanted to leave my mark all over his body. It was a dark kind of possessiveness that I’d never thought I had in me before.
Sage shivered in my arms and my teeth clamped down harder, not wanting to let go. There was a kind of euphoric edge to drinking his blood during sex that could have ended things quickly, but I hadn’t even begun to do the things I wanted to do to him yet.
A sharp pinch on my shoulder both surprised me and made my cock throb in his loose grip. I pulled my teeth from his neck, running my tongue over the wound and grimacing at the bloody water running down his chest. But a glance at my own chest made me realize Sage wasn’t the only one bleeding. That bite that had shocked me into letting him go drew blood.
Sage pulled back, eyes closed and blood still lingering on his lips. I shoved him against the wall, sealing my mouth over his. Gods, I was about to explode, but Sage still refused to give me any relief with his light, teasing touches. I reached for him instead, stroking with an urgency he didn’t seem to be feeling. His head dropped back against the tile with a groan before he took control again and pushed me back with a strength I hadn’t expected, reversing our positions before sinking to his knees.
His eyelids cracked open as his mouth found my cock and swallowed me down. Shit, I couldn’t resist tangling my fingers in his hair, and while I didn’t force his movements, his eyes darkened noticeably at the occasional tug. His blond hair was darker in the water, messed up from my hands and falling across his forehead, his eyes were more of a stormy gray than blue, his face was flushed, and my mark still lingered on his skin. He was the hottest man I’d ever laid eyes on.
Sage’s tongue did things that nearly brought me to my knees, and it didn’t take long before I was close to ending things way too fast. When his slick fingers came up to explore I hissed in a breath. I’d always been up for topping or bottoming, but Sage’s constant button pushing touched instincts that made me want to dominate him. Which meant his teasing touches and frustratingly gentle brushes over my prostate only made my blood race until I couldn’t take it anymore.
I cut the water on the shower and stole the lube from his hand as I bent him over the sink. Sage gasped as his chest hit the cold marble and I wasted no time regaining the upper hand, sliding a slick finger inside him. My intention was split between making him feel good and getting revenge for all the teasing he’d tortured me with, I honestly couldn’t decide which option would win out in the end.
“You drive me crazy,” I hissed.
Sage whimpered when I pressed firmly on his prostate and I nipped at his ear.
“Don’t come until I tell you to,” I demanded.
He was already shaking, his hands sliding on the sink where he held himself up. His eyes remained tightly closed, but he bared his teeth at my command, and I felt a little better about leveling the playing ground. The problem was, I was driving myself just as crazy as I was him. His body gripped my fingers and more than anything I wanted to give in and fuck him until he forgot his name, but now it felt like giving in too soon would be letting him win.
“Luca!”
It wasn’t the begging I’d been hoping for. His tone was growly and demanding and my spine tensed at the unspoken order. A hissing sound escaped my teeth, and it shocked me a little. Sage was mine to play with as I pleased, I would not give in to his demands.
Reminding him who was in control, I added another finger and pressed down on that spot that drove him crazy. My other hand grabbed his hair and pulled him back against my chest.
Sage’s hips pressed back against me searching for more even as he tiled his head, exposing his neck. His meaning was clear and when he offered himself up like that, it was like I was helpless to refuse. His blood hit my tongue just as I sank inside him for the first time and the warnings hadn’t prepared me for the experience at all.
Sage panted, his hands gripping the sink as he thrust back against me. His cock was red and dripping and ready to explode, but I hadn’t given him permission yet, and while he fought my control every step of the way, his hands didn’t move from the sink. He was waiting, and the thrill that bit of compliance gave me was enough to send me careening toward the point of no return.
His lashes were wet, his skin flushed, and little erotic sounds spilled from lips that were swollen from the abuse of his teeth. A pained grimace painted his features as he worked to hold back, and as much as I wanted to draw out this moment, I couldn’t.
I grunted against his neck, pulling my teeth free to give the order as I finally took him in my hand. His body tightened around me and an intense orgasm sent shivers through my whole body. I hooked one arm around Sage's chest and forced myself deeper, giving in to the instinctual need to leave my mark.
A sweet moan slipped past his lips as he shuddered and exploded, his cock throbbing in my hand. He collapsed against me, a tired smile on his lips, and a deep sense of satisfaction settled over me. But it didn't last.
As our bodies cooled, and I noticed the blood still smeared on his neck, the fingerprints from where I got a little too rough, and the teeth in my reflection that still hadn’t receded because even now, the urge to keep drinking refused to be satisfied. Who the hell was I anymore?
Sage groaned and huffed a little laugh. “Goddess, that was amazing.” His eyes cracked open to take in the evidence in the mirror, but was nothing but heat in his gaze. “That was the hottest sex I’ve ever had.”
“Don't you see what I did to you?” I demanded.
His lips twitched. “Do you mean what I coaxed you into doing to me? You like to be in control, and I like challenging that control. I may be human, but I’m not fragile. I’m not interested in being handled like I’m made of glass.”
He was playing with fire, but I couldn’t deny that the end result was… probably the hottest sex I’d ever had too.
“Was I too rough with you?” Sage asked.
“Of course not, I should be asking you that!”
“That’s easy, you were not. That’s settled then, right? Cause I need a nap.”
Sage stretched and sauntered out of the bathroom leaving me staring after him. The upper hand I’d thought I’d gained only moments ago? It was now clear he’d let me have it. The playing field was never level, and I hadn’t let him win. He’d been the one in charge the whole time.
I pressed a hand to my chest, pondering the odd way my heart pounded. Since becoming a vampire the damn thing had been nothing but slow and steady. No amount of upset or physical activity had moved it since the day I died, as if it was only there for show. But Sage had left it racing somehow. And for a moment, it felt almost like being alive again.