It was too much too soon. Marc knew that deep in his soul, where his restraint was rooted in long years of patience. He would have her, but it would be elsewhere-away from his friend"s home, where he wasn"t beholden to respect the rules Atticus had set forth.
But she tasted divine. Marc lost track of time as he kissed the only woman he"d been this attracted to in more years than he could count. She fit in his arms as if she"d been designed to his exact specifications. She yielded to his mastery in the most delightful way and her little moans of pleasure were the s.e.xiest he"d ever heard.
Only one thing could pull him from the sublime feel of her kiss...
The sun.
As the very first rays of dawn kissed the eastern sky, Marc knew his moment out of time with Kelly was at an end. He pulled back, regret filling his world.
"I haven"t been tempted to stay out this late in many long years, but I"m glad my first vision of dawn in centuries was with you, ma cherie."
Kelly"s beautiful blue eyes held the glaze of someone dazed with pleasure for a few precious moments more. Then realization of his predicament clouded her expression with worry.
"Get inside, Marc!" Kelly took his hand in her much smaller one and dragged him toward the door to the house. He went willingly, perplexed and charmed that she"d try to protect him.
Her reaction shocked him. She actually seemed to be anxious on his behalf and willing to push him inside, following close after to slam the door on the threatening light. She didn"t stop herding him until they were well within the windowless hallway that ringed the inside of the home Atticus had designed.
"That was close." She slammed the door to the hall and leaned against it. Her pulse beat hard in her neck as reaction set in.
Marc didn"t know what to make of her, but the visible pounding of her blood against her pale skin had him licking his lips, eager for a taste.
He moved close, blinded for a moment by the hunger that grew inside him until it was nearly uncontrollable. Kelly "s eyes widened in fear as he advanced on her. His fangs elongated as bloodl.u.s.t and instinct overrode his saner side.
Marc wasn"t sure what he"d have done if Dmitri hadn"t chosen that moment to clear his throat. Marc looked up to find Dmitri watching him with narrowed eyes from the other end of the long hall.
A tense minute pa.s.sed as Dmitri held his gaze, one raised eyebrow speaking volumes. At length, Marc pulled back. This was wrong. He saw that now. In a crisis of pa.s.sion he"d let his impulses overcome his better sense, but oh, it had been sublime while it had lasted.
Marc drew back, away from Kelly. She trembled in reaction, fear lighting her beautiful eyes. Fear he had put there. Marc felt lower than pond sc.u.m.
"Je suis desole, ma pet.i.te. I"m sorry." With those last whispered words, he backed away putting even more distance between himself and temptation. It was sunrise. He could feel the sun weakening him already. Lesser bloodletters would soon be down for the day, and the threat to Kelly would ease.
Nodding to Dmitri, Marc left her, realizing with a sinking heart that the only threat to her in this house was himself. Chapter Five The next evening, Dmitri cornered Marc in the library. Marc wasn"t used to answering to anyone in his own territory-except perhaps his closest and oldest friends-and Dmitri fit that description on both counts. Still, it rankled to have his shortcomings pointed out by another, and Marc suspected Dmitri had sought him out for that reason.
"I"m leaving tomorrow," Dmitri said, taking a seat in one of the leather wing chairs that sat before a wide fireplace.
"So soon?" Marc closed the book he"d been perusing and set it back on the shelf before taking the seat opposite Dmitri before the fire. "I thought you"d be here for a few more weeks at least."
"So did I, but I just received word that the new owner has taken possession of the house above ground. I want to figure out just who she is and why she was interested in buying the place in the first place. It "s no show place, that"s for certain." Dmitri regarded Marc steadily. "But the question is, do you need me to stay?"
"If you"re referring to what you interrupted last night, I a.s.sure you that I can handle the situation."
"It didn"t look like it to me, if you"ll pardon my saying so."
Marc bristled. "I don"t care what it looked like. Kelly is in no danger from me. You should go home and look to your own house. And let me know if I can be of any a.s.sistance. You know I"m always here to help if you need it."
"That"s much appreciated, Marc. And the same goes. Atticus mentioned something about an upstart named Gibson who might issue a challenge?"
The statement was phrased as a question, and Marc was glad to let the subject of Kelly and his lack of control the night before drop, to indulge in talk of the minor vampire who plagued him. Normally, Marc wouldn "t have aired the dirty laundry of his territory, but this was Dmitri after all. They"d been friends long enough. They could discuss anything. Well, almost.
"Leonard Gibson is a foul creature, and I regret the day I gave him leave to live in my territory. I should have known he "d be trouble from the moment he came crawling in, seeking my blessing to build a lair nearby."
"Then why did you let him?" Dmitri"s tone wasn"t judgmental, but Marc had been asking himself the same question for a long time and he didn"t like the answer.
"I guess I"d become too complacent. The sad truth is, I didn"t care one way or the other at the time. I realize I should have vetted Gibson thoroughly before granting him a foothold in my territory, but hindsight does me no good now."
"So the question becomes, what are you going to do about him?" Dmitri had a way of cutting to the heart of a matter.
"I believe he"ll challenge me sooner or later. I don"t trust him to fight fair, but after last night... Well, I doubt myself and my control, Dmitri. Frankly, I"m sick of being Master, but Atticus has flatly refused the job, as did Ian, and they"re the only two I"d trust with such power of those under my jurisdiction."
"Then you must kill this Gibson before he gets the chance to kill you."
Marc"s resolve hardened. "I will." His hands tightened on the arms of the leather-covered wing chair. "As I said, I expect the challenge soon. When it comes, I"ll be ready."
"I hope so, my friend. If you need me, all you have to do is call. I will gladly stand second for you."
Marc was touched by the offer. It wasn"t something to be taken lightly. A commitment to act as his second in a formal challenge was a very large responsibility. Essentially, Dmitri had just offered to put his life on the line for Marc-something they"d done a few times over the many years they"d been friends, but not recently. It was good to know the bonds of Brotherhood were still strong between them.
"So now we come back to the matter of Kelly."
"I"d rather we didn"t. She"s driving me crazy, but I can"t have her. End of story."
"Perhaps not." Dmitri shot him a glance that spoke of mischief. Marc remembered that look. It had prefaced some wild times in the past and always spelled trouble and pleasure in roughly equal measures.
"What did you have in mind?"
"Well, if you can"t have her in the flesh, maybe you could have her in another way."
"Such as?"
Dmitri"s grin turned downright devilish. "Are you up for a little dreamwalking?"
Marc wanted to deny the temptation, but he knew he wasn"t strong enough. A Master, he had many gifts both physical and psychic but dreamwalking was something Dmitri had perfected to an art over the years. He"d always been fascinated by dreams and slept lighter than any other of their Brotherhood. During the hours of daylight he often amused himself by insinuating himself into mortal dreams, if he could find anyone asleep during the day. Marc knew he found it amusing but Marc also suspected it was a way he could still see the sun-in other people"s dreams.
Dmitri had taken Marc along on his dream adventures before. Invariably, he coaxed his mortal dreamers into reliving some vacation on a sunny beach or even a simple Sat.u.r.day afternoon ballgame in the park. Marc couldn"t say he hadn"t enjoyed those phantasmical forays into the mortal, sunlit world. Those memories were precious to him to this day.
"You propose invading Kelly"s dreams?"
"Come now, it wouldn"t be an invasion so much as a coaxing. I saw the way she looked at you. She"s attracted, even if she doesn"t want to be. I think she could really let go if she believed it was only a dream."
"You"d be there too?"
"But of course, my friend. I"m better at this than you are and we have shared women before."
"Kelly"s different." Marc forced the words through his teeth. He didn"t want to show any vulnerability where the mortal woman was concerned, but Dmitri knew him too well. No doubt he"d already seen how deeply involved Marc"s emotions were with the little human.
"She is. Very different. She is a friend of our kind and a good woman. Not at all like the girls we used to bed." Dmitri moved closer, his voice coaxing. "I like her too, Marc. It will be no hardship to bring her pleasure, even if it"s just a dream. She"ll enjoy it and she"ll have no idea that we"ll truly be sharing s.p.a.ce on the dreamplane. We"ll treat her well, Marc. Just like old times. No- better than old times."
Marc thought about it. The idea was all too tempting. He "d shared women with both Atticus and Dmitri in the old days.
They"d enjoyed finding new ways to pleasure their prey while they drank from them both physically and psychically. They"d been inventive back in their early years as blood brothers.
But they hadn"t done anything like that in a long time. Atticus was mated now and would never join in their revelries again.
Dmitri was a Master in his own right and they didn"t often see each other anymore. This was a rare opportunity to do something both forbidden and entirely appealing. Dmitri could walk in Kelly"s dreams easily and Marc could make love to her without her ever knowing it was at least partly real.
He could even bring her a s.e.xual experience she would likely never pursue in the waking world. Loathe as he was to admit it, he"d seen the way her eyes followed Dmitri. She was intrigued by him and Marc bet she wouldn"t be averse to bedding him if she thought it was just a dream.
"All right. I"m in." Marc"s bold statement made Dmitri smile. "When do we do it?"
"No time like the present. I"ll catch her when she slips into the deepest part of sleep then bring you in. You remember how?"
"Of course. We used to do this often enough. I"ll be waiting for your signal."
Dmitri held out his hand for a deal making shake. "Just like old times, mon frere?"
"Oui. Only better. I think Kelly will surprise us both once we get inside her dreams."
After dawn, Kelly took a breather. All the vampires had gone downstairs for the day and she was left alone in the big house.
Surprisingly, she felt lonely when Lissa and the men weren"t around.
She had a cup of tea out on the deck as the sun burned off the morning fog, taking time to settle her troubled thoughts. Marc LaTour was on her mind, as usual of late. The man was so frustrating, so handsome, so d.a.m.ned s.e.xy! She had a real problem handling him. She wasn"t physically afraid of him. She doubted he"d ever hurt a woman deliberately. But she was afraid for her heart.
He was immortal and she knew the chances of her being the One for him, like Lissa was the One for Atticus were next to nil.
That kind of thing only happened in fairy tales. So anything between them could only lead to tragedy. She"d be wiser to stay as far away from Marc as possible, but her traitorous heart wouldn"t let her.
She sighed heavily as she went back inside, cleaned what little mess she "d left in the kitchen and headed upstairs to her bedroom. She"d catch a few hours sleep now, then get up in the afternoon to handle whatever business of the Maxwell Winery had to be handled during the day. By nightfall, she"d be back with her friends and once more in danger of the temptation Marc posed with each breath of his s.e.xy body and every flash of his cunning eyes. The combination of muscular male perfection and undeniable wit was her downfall.
Kelly made sure the house was secure, then went upstairs. She changed into her nightgown, and lay down on the plush mattress. Her room here was almost bigger than her entire apartment had been back in the city, and it was certainly decorated with much more style, not to mention very expensive furniture. It was gorgeous and she loved the large, fluffy bed with its down stuffing and silk comforter.
Each of the guest rooms and suites had a color theme. This one was pale lilac and it was fast becoming one of her favorite colors. The attached bath was huge and decorated in a complementary pale baby blue color. She could get used to living like this, if only Marc would go back to his own house.
If he weren"t always underfoot, her life would be so much simpler. She was living and working with one of her best friends and Lissa"s husband was utterly devoted to his new wife. It was a pleasure to watch them together and see the love Lissa had found.
Kelly wanted that. She wanted a man to look at her the way Atticus looked at Lissa, but doubted she"d ever be so blessed.
Kelly drifted into sleep thinking about her friends and their love, clinging to the longing for a love of her own. Maybe that"s why the first face that met her in her dreams was Marc"s. He was everything she wanted in a man, but he wasn"t for her. Immortal and impossible, it could never work between them.
"About time you got here." Marc met her with a lopsided smile. "We"ve been waiting for hours."
"We?"
Marc moved aside, and she saw Dmitri there, leaning against a pillar in the weird dreamscape. They were in a forested glade, in the sunlight. This had to be a dream. Neither of the men could take the sun.
Woods were all around them, sparkling with life. Four pillars in the Greek style surrounded a giant platform bed hung with billowing white silk curtains. It was like something out of an old Disney film, only with much naughtier overtones.
Dmitri moved forward to stand beside Marc. "Do you like the decor?" He waved a casual hand toward the trees with a polite arch of one eyebrow.
"It"s beautiful. It reminds me of a movie I saw once, but without the werewolves." She laughed, liking the ambient sound of the forest around her.
"You want a werewolf?" Marc looked scandalized.
"Not a problem." Dmitri waved one hand and a howl sounded through the forest, sending a shiver down her spine.
A moment later, a giant timber wolf stepped into the clearing. Kelly was frozen in place, though her first instinct was to rush over to Marc and cling to him for protection. The wolf began to change and from one moment to the next the wolf was gone and in his place was a man. A very muscular, very handsome, very naked man.
"Who"s he?" Marc"s low-voiced question was directed at Dmitri, but Kelly heard him.
"The Alpha of the wolf pack that lives near me. He"s actually not a bad guy, once you get to know him, but he"s not really here. He"s just decoration."
"Are you saying werewolves really exist?" Kelly turned to Marc, seeking answers.
"Ah, ma cherie, you did not know?" Marc stepped up to her and touched her face, stroking her skin with gentle fingers as his gaze captured hers. "There are werewolves, werecats, werehawks. All sorts of predator spirits sharing souls with men and women all over this globe."
"This is too weird."
"You don"t like him?" Dmitri asked, reclaiming her attention. "No problem." He waved again and the naked wolfman disappeared.
Chapter Six.
"How did you do that? Did you just do that?" She looked from where the wolfman had been to Dmitri and back, but Dmitri only raised that aristocratic eyebrow of his and said something to Marc in French that was too rapid for her to follow.
A moment later, Marc"s hands wrapped around her waist from behind and his lips touched the side of her neck. Shivers raced like lightning down her spine at his sudden, surprising, utterly devastating movements. He was warm against her back, his hands spanning her waist with open palms to cover as much skin as possible and suddenly she realized her plain cotton nightgown had turned into something much more sinful.
A silk gown flowed to the ground from just under her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. It was open at the front, flaring away from the middle of her chest, leaving her skin bare except for a tiny g-string barely covering the spot between her legs that was becoming wetter by the second. Marc"s hands roamed lower, teasing the elastic band at the top of her panties, covering her tummy and making little sparks of excitement burst inside. She melted back against him.
"What"s going on? Marc?"
"Ssh, ma pet.i.te. Let us take care of you." His hand dipped lower, beneath the g-string and into the damp curls at the apex of her thighs. Her hips lifted, inviting him deeper. "Good girl," he breathed at her ear. "I can feel how much you want me. Almost as much as I want you."
"You were right, Marc, she is a beauty." Dmitri stood in front of her and watched all with those stirring dark eyes of his.
He stepped forward, just inches away from her, and lifted one hand to her shoulder. His touch was warm and knowing as he stroked one finger under the spaghetti strap of the gown.
"Her skin is as fine as silk," he commented to Marc.
"And as warm as sin," Marc agreed from behind her.
The way they talked about her made her feel hotter. It didn"t make sense to her. She"d never enjoyed being talked about as if she was an object, and she"d never been in an intimate situation with more than one man in the room. Both things were making her squirm now though, and not in anger, fear or humiliation. No, her reaction was far from any of that. If she was honest, she"d admit she actually kind of liked it.