Chapter 53
Fifty-Three
LUCCA
Idon’t want Vivi to think I’m a smothering and overprotective boyfriend, so I give her space instead of asking every two minutes if she’s okay.
When Madeleine got her hands on her, I lost it.
Unfortunately, my claws and teeth couldn’t harm a ghost. If it weren’t for Rikkon and Miranda with their special Nightingale swords, I wouldn’t be driving home with the love of my life right now.
Gerard is ready for us when we walk through the door, ready to be of service.
Vivi and Aurora ask for nothing. They just want to rest. Vaughn went to visit Igor with Sophie and Tish.
The vampire enforcer is under the care—aka watchful eye—of the Red Guard.
Most likely, Vaughn will spend the night at Sophie’s apartment after they get rid of all the hidden cameras and bugs.
I throw my arm around Vivi’s shoulder as we walk to our bedroom. She leans on me, resting her hand on my chest.
“Tired?” I ask once we’re inside.
“To the bone.” She yawns.
“You probably used too much magic tonight, plus you got hurt.”
She steps away from me, avoiding my gaze. “Yeah, I guess.”
“What’s wrong, babe?”
She turns around, hugging her middle. “I don’t think that’s the only reason I’m exhausted.”
I frown. “Then what is it?”
Her pulse accelerates. She’s nervous, and I don’t like it. “You can tell me anything, my love.”
Her breathing is shaky when she exhales. “I think I’m pregnant.”
All the blood seems to rush to my brain, causing a buzzing in my ears. I open and shut my mouth, but it’s like I forgot how to form words.
“Lucca?”
“Is that a real possibility?” I finally manage.
She nods. “I know vampires haven’t been able to procreate since the portals were shut, but you were in Ellnesari with me, exposed to Nightingale magic again.”
My lungs squeeze tight, and I can’t breathe. I feel kind of faint.
Her brow furrows. “You’re not happy about it.”
“What?” I amble to the bed, sitting at the edge of the mattress because I’m afraid that I’ll face-plant any second. “Why do you think that?”
“You’re panicking.”
“Of course I am. Why aren’t you?”
She touches her flat stomach. “Because if it’s true, if I am pregnant, it’s a good thing.”
I pat the mattress next to me. “Why don’t you sit here? I’m not sure I can use my legs right now.”
When she’s within reach, I pull her onto my lap instead. “It wouldn’t be a good thing—it’d be a marvelous thing. A miracle really. I never dreamed of ever having a child, much less having a child with the woman I was destined to kill.”
She brings her forehead to mine. “But you didn’t kill me. You broke the curse, and I know we’ll find a cure for your uncle’s illness.”
“And Manu will come home with Karl, Cheryl, and Ronan,” I add, knowing that’s what she was going to say next.
“Exactly.”
My heart swells with emotion. I want to both laugh and cry. “I love you so much.” I caress her face, then claim her sweet lips.
She wraps her arms around my neck, tilting her head so I can deepen the kiss. The need to be closer to her is overwhelming. I want to meld my body to hers and become one. With care, I pick her up so I can place her in the middle of the mattress, then join her.
“Lucca…”
“Yes, love?” I kiss her collarbone, running my tongue over her warm skin.
She arches her back, her fingers reaching for the hem of my shirt. I pull back just enough to yank it over my head and toss it somewhere behind me. Vivi’s heated gaze travels slowly down my body, focusing on the line of my sternum, then the cut of my abs.
I take her hand and flatten it against my chest. “Can you feel how steady and fast my heart is beating for you?”
“Your heart is racing as fast as mine.”
I release her wrist, and she drags her nails lightly across my stomach, the sharp edges leaving faint pink marks on my skin that make my muscles contract involuntarily—all of them. I have to clench my butt cheeks and focus on not having a premature release. That’s how wound tight she’s made me.
Her fingers trail lower, skimming the waistband of my jeans and making me grunt. Her lips curl into a knowing smile. Such an innocent face contrasting with the devious intention I see shining in her sapphire gaze.
But I don’t want to give in just yet. I love when she teases; it makes the reward that much sweeter.
She pops the button with one hand, unhurriedly, watching my face the whole time.
Then she draws the zipper down painfully slowly.
I swallow hard, clenching my jaw as I breathe in the addictive scent of her arousal.
The denim loosens around my hips. I feel the cool air and then the light pressure of her knuckles rubbing against my shaft through the boxer shorts.
I can’t get enough of her—the look on her face, the flush on her cheeks, the way her mouth parts slightly.
I’m done keeping my distance. I lower my body to hers, bracing my forearms on either side of her head before I capture her lips.
She lets out a throaty moan, surrendering to my invasion.
With each stroke of my tongue against hers, I unravel more.
I drag my palm down the curve of her hip, then gather the hem of her skirt, pulling it up until the fabric bunches around her waist. Vivi opens her legs for me, and I roll my hips forward, pressing my erection against her soaked panties.
“Oh, Lucca… this feels so good,” she whispers against my mouth.
It’s like an offering I’m unable to resist. I nick her bottom lip with my fangs but don’t bite hard enough to puncture her skin.
“It’ll only get better.” I slide my fingers into her panties to touch her clit, flicking the sleek nub left and right. Vivi trembles under my caress, flexing her legs shut a little. “How’s that?”
“More, please.”
“So greedy,” I snicker.
“Who? Me?” Her eyes are widely innocent, but her lips paint a different story, followed by her hand, wrapping around my cock and guiding me to her entrance.
I slide home slowly, and we both shudder.
I love how her tight pussy wraps around my cock, how her walls clench around me when I kiss her neck.
She drags her nails down my back, but not as lightly as before.
This time she wants to mark me, and I’m more than okay with that.
The little bit of pain spurs me on. I move faster, pulling out almost completely to hammer back inside her.
“Faster, please!”
I cup her cheek, then kiss her long and deep while granting her wish.
My balls are tight, my climax around the corner, but I don’t surrender to my body’s demand.
I need to make Vivi break first. She squeezes me as her body convulses and cries out.
I swallow her moans of ecstasy, then let go.
The orgasm is intense, as it always is with her.
I don’t stop, though. I keep pumping in and out of her heat, trying to prolong the pleasure for as long as I can.
Only when Vivi’s body goes slack underneath mine, and she sighs in contentment, do I roll off her and tuck her into my arms. She rests her cheek on my chest, and we remain quiet for a moment in a lovers’ embrace.
Life is almost perfect, and for the first time in centuries, I have hope that we will eventually get there.