Chapter 45
EMBERLINE
My face was on fire, one hand pressed over my mouth so I wouldn’t tell Dante to stop.
I didn’t want him to stop, not really, but this was humiliating, having someone down there, staring at my most private parts, not saying a word.
Was he horrified? Disgusted? Did I look weird?
Oh gods, why had I let him take off my panties? Why hadn’t I walked away?
Because I wanted Dante so intensely, my insides hurt.
Because my entire body ached to be full, instead of empty, ached to have him inside of me, filling me up, to feel his warm, solid weight against me, like in the training room.
His coarse, filthy words had unlocked something reckless inside me, my nipples tightening into nubs, wetness gushing between my legs in a way that scared and humiliated me.
I was used to feeling hate. Rage. A need for revenge. But lust was just as consuming and far more dangerous.
I wanted Dante to devour me whole.
And I might get my wish.
My husband’s hot breath skated over my belly as he leaned closer. My entire body shook in anticipation, my breath coming faster and faster. His fingers dug into my thighs as he slowly, slowly, slowly pushed my legs wider.
“Saints, you are perfect,” he finally breathed, his voice slightly slurred, fingers dragging up and down the insides of my thighs, tickling with every pass. “I knew you would be, I knew it, but you are so beautiful, Emberline, so godsdamned beautiful. What did I ever do to deserve you?”
I was trying to come up with an answer when Dante leaned forward and pressed his lips to the base of my stomach, and a soft gasp stole away the words. His mouth moved over my skin, goosebumps rising all over my body as a thick, low growl rumbled in his chest.
Then his mouth moved to the seam of my cunt, and his tongue flicked out, gentle, a whisper of sensation, and the resulting earthquake rocked me to the core.
This was… this was…
My husband growled against my sensitive flesh, then pushed his tongue in deeper, my hips bucking against his face, my body catching fire.
“Dante, Dante, oh gods, that feels so good.” Sounds poured from my mouth, my hands gripped his hair, nails scraping his scalp, while my insides quaked and clenched, straining for something just out of reach.
The pressure of his mouth was delicious, and just when I thought this couldn’t feel any better… he used his thumbs to spread me apart, then his mouth fastened over my clit, lashing back and forth in a frenzy.
One big, calloused hand slid beneath me, lifting me higher so he could devour me like his last meal. I moaned at the way he kept pressing his tongue deeper and deeper into my pussy, drowning in the sensation of his mouth as he lavished all his attention on me, of the way my body sang at his touch.
Something powerful brewed like a storm inside me, hips rocking greedily against that probing tongue, fingers tugging his hair hard enough to hurt.
I was poised on the edge of something big, every nerve stretched too tight, then he clamped his teeth around my clit, bit down gently, and brushed the tip of his tongue over the engorged nub.
My vision went white, my ears hollowed out, and every muscle in my body froze.
I hung suspended in the air, breathless, boneless, waiting for the crash… and then… then…
“Oh gods… oh gods… oh Dante.” I clung to him as an orgasm ripped through me, not the mild little muscle quakes I secretly gave myself in the dark, but a seismic shift of the cosmos, my body convulsing in his hands, wave after wave of pleasure exploding through me, wiping me clean.
Dangerous, perilous heat followed that rush of ecstasy, dangerous because I’d never felt this free, and perilous because I couldn’t imagine not ever feeling like this again. Already, I was greedy for more, yet somewhere deep in my heart, I knew the truth.
I could never keep Dante.
At the end of this, we’d walk away from each other, and while his heart would be intact, mine would not.
Tears gathered in my eyes as he kept licking and growling, ravenous, hungry, like he couldn’t stop. I was a shaking, sweaty mess, rocked by aftershocks, muscles weakening as a heaviness seeped through my muscles, deep into my bones, leaving me completely, utterly wrecked.
Dante rocked back on his heels, and my hands slipped out of his hair, fingers twitching, body jerking with every residual contraction in my core.
“That was…” His voice trailed off, his expression as dazed as I felt.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, big, scarred hands resting on my knees, worry shining in his blue eyes. “I’m sorry I got carried away. It was just… you tasted delicious. I couldn’t stop.” I swore there was a hint of pink beneath his tan cheeks.
“That was amazing.” My voice came out rough. “And I didn’t want you to stop.” I eyed him. “What about you?” I asked softly, trying to figure out the parameters of this situation. Was I supposed to return the favor?
The idea thrilled me, even when I had no idea what that favor entailed.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said gruffly, his eyes glowing. “I’ll take a shower, and I’ll be good.”
Oh. Oh.
“We could…” I pushed up to my elbows awkwardly, naked from head to toe, staring down at my husband, still dressed, his lips shiny from… well, me. Maybe I should feel exposed right now, but I couldn’t. Not with the adoration in his eyes.
“Let me feed you,” he offered, his big, warm hands tenderly cradling my knees.
I wrestled with myself over the decision, feeling just a little greedy for saying yes, but not wanting to refuse. Not when he tasted so good.
Dante took one look at my face and chuckled, pulling me to his throat, groaning as I pressed my lips to his pulsing vein, tasting soap and smoke. Biting down fast and hard to cause the least amount of pain, I moaned when his blood filled my mouth, my eyes rolling back in my head.
Maybe I was deprived because I’d only ever had bagged blood, but I felt like a god consuming the universe. Like stars and supernovas and nebulas were pouring down my throat and exploding inside me, as though I could taste every one of his emotions, as if I was swallowing a firestorm.
I’m still naked, I realized dimly. Dante’s rough hands skimmed my body, smoothing down my arms, my back, cupping my breast, thoroughly exploring every inch of me as my lips moved against him, that dark spark of need reigniting between my legs.
“Take more, you need to be strong,” he urged, hand smoothing down my back. “My strong, beautiful wife. Gods, you are so beautiful.”
There was a sense of wondered awe in his words, and I preened beneath his praise, drinking deeper, my fingers kneading his chest. I lost track of time, pressed against him, warm and safe and perfect in his arms.
When I was done, I licked his strong throat, placed a lingering kiss on the long, white scar, stark against his dark skin. So much suffering. So much pain.
So much strength.
“I’m going to tuck you in, go take a shower, then we’re going to sleep. The rest of the day. Together. In my bed.” His glowing eyes never left my face. “Turn that brain of yours off for a few hours. We’ll figure out what comes next, tesoro,” he promised.
“And what does come next?” I asked because turning my brain off was a no-go at this point. My carefully constructed world lay in pieces, and I didn’t know how to begin putting everything back together.
“We live happily ever after, of course.” His smile was gentle, rising over me, six foot six of strong, vampire male in his prime, covered in scars because he’d been betrayed by his own father.
The father we were going to kill. Together.
And maybe that’s why I let Dante tuck me into bed, fluff a pillow under my head, and turn out the light without so much as an argument.