Thanks to all the folks who sent feedback. You keep
me writing! And to
Marie-Claude for uberBeta.
***
"Randy-" she breathed. "Please."
"Joan." He whispered her name in return. It sounded strange, emerging
as it was
from behind his fangs. It gave him pause. He pulled away
from her, his hand
falling away from her throat. "Look at me." He insisted,
"See what I am. Are
you sure this is what you want? That -I- am what you want?"
Joan let out a shuddering breath, a shiver skimming down her spine as
she
noticed his silky voice assuming the sibilance that spoke of his gameface.
She
turned slightly in his lap, looking steadily, expectantly at him.
Randy was heartened by her calm acceptance of his changed features.
He
continued, low and intent. "I feel things for you, pet. Deep,
strong, dark
things. Not the stuff of fairy tales... perhaps more that of cautionary
ones
with lurid illustrations..." He paused a moment, thinking of the book
that had
gotten them to this point. He gave her a small, wry smile. "And
while the
story of a vampire redeeming himself after falling in love with a slayer
might
fall squarely into the category of fairytale, I'm not sure a 'happily
ever
after' is possible..." Randy's voice trailed off as what he had said
registered
with him. There was no point in denying it, he realized. "I...
I love you,
Joan. With all that I am. With all that I aspire to be...
Be sure about
this. We're talking about forever."
He had barely finished speaking when she slid from his lap. He
couldn't help
but close his eyes against the pain searing through his undead heart.
They
snapped open when he felt her weight return to his lap.
Joan stared into Randy's amber eyes. She gave him a small smile
as she draped
one arm over his shoulder, her hand moving to caress the back of his
neck.
With the other hand she drew whispersoft patterns across the ridges
of his
forehead. Teasingly light, her fingers then danced down the bridge
of his nose
to trace the sharp angles of his cheekbones. When his tongue darted
out to
moisten suddenly dry lips, her fingers traveled there, skating along
the cool,
damp surface.
When Randy's lips parted beneath her touch, she slipped a finger just
inside,
tracing the line of fangs still hidden by chill lips. She felt him
shudder
slightly as she traced the sharp contours with a fingernail. Licking
her own
lips, she drew closer to him.
Randy could feel the warmth of her breath across his face as she closed
the
distance between them. The caress of her fingers on his ridges
had touched him
more than he could have imagined. She flicked a nail across an incisor,
making
his whole body quake with desire. Love and lust roared through him
as she
managed an eloquent, wordless reply to his question. Yes. She knew
what he was.
And she wanted him.
Her lips were warm against his. Hot, even. And in constant motion.
Trailing
heat and moisture, as they pressed against his in an ardent kiss.
Then her
parted lips skimmed from jaw line to cheekbone, across the bumps and
ridges of
his forehead, then back down his nose. Returning to his she slipped
the tip of
her tongue inside, seeking his fangs.
Randy sat quietly under Joan's touch, wonderingly accepting her attentions
to
his ridges, and now fangs; both areas so sensitive to touch that he'd
become
startlingly aroused, achingly hard beneath her. As he let her
control the pace
of the kiss, he rested his hands on her hips, occasionally squeezing
her in
silent praise of her ministrations.
Joan reached for one of Randy's hands, intent on bringing it to her
breast. The
lapse caused her to nick herself against one of his fangs. At
the taste of
Joan's blood, Randy's body stiffened beneath hers, his hips coming
briefly off
the chair, arching his hardness against her. Her
startled moan sounded more
of arousal than fear, and as his hips settled back into the chair;
Joan writhed
against him, keeping her mouth pressed to his.
Randy savored the deep, wet, bloodtinged kiss. When Joan pulled
back for
much-needed oxygen, she could see the stain of red on his pale lips,
a spot he
removed with a flick of his tongue and an expression of near ecstasy.
A shudder
ran through her at sight. She licked her own lips, wincing slightly
as she
encountered the small wound.
Randy watched Joan's face as she tongued the small nick in her lip,
worrying it
with her tongue. It made him even harder, if that were possible.
Randy
reached up, gently placing a finger against the wound. He inhaled
sharply at
the feel of Joan's warm, rough tongue against his sensitive fingertip.
She
brought her hands up to hold his wrist, move his finger along her swollen
bottom lip. She drew his finger back and forth along the moist
inside of her
lip and then stopped, taking the tip into her mouth, sucking
at it. Joan met
Randy's eyes over their clasped hands, her gaze hot, dark. When
she nipped him
with her strong white teeth, he snatched his finger from her mouth,
replacing
it with his tongue in a frenzied kiss.
For endless minutes they explored each other's mouths and soon, bodies.
Until
it was no longer enough.
"I..." he began, his voice a soft growl. "I need you." He pushed
up against
her softness as punctuation. "I need to be inside you... Please, Joan."
He
kissed her, then trailed his lips down her throat, hovering over her
scar. "Let
me have you again."
TBC