He drank from her like a man dying of thirst. His hold almost crushing as he pinned her bucking hips to the bed.

  “Ohhh…God. Etienne.” It was a breathless cry, as her head pressed into the pillow. “Yes. Yes.” She reached for him, gripping his head between her palms to hold him close, and then violently pushed him away when the sensation grew so tender she thought she’d scream.

  A growl surfaced. She felt his rumble hum against her flesh. “Do not deny me your sweet nectar,” he moaned, before sinking his tongue deep inside her sex.

  He was relentless. Licking. Sucking. Biting.

  She was lost to the man. Another orgasm swelled and released. This time it covered her in a blanket of warmth that seeped into her bones. She lay listlessly bathing in the glow as he rose and slid up her body. Not waiting for her to recover, he spread her thighs wide, his cock like hot steel searing a path inside her.

  Again he rode her, hard and fast. Then his muscles grew taut. She felt his shuddering pleasure beneath her palms. He groaned low and long as his seed filled her.

  In the moments afterward, she lay quietly in his arms.

  “You’re mine,” he murmured.

  She snuggled closer. A smile pulled at her lips, but faded. If only that were true. Annie was on the run. Now that her lust had run its course, the fact that Etienne was here set her on edge. It seemed a little strange that both he and her stepfather would show up at the same time, or was it coincidence? She didn’t have time to ponder the thought. His fingertips began to dance across her back. The tickling sensation made her squirm against him.

  “Stop that,” she laughed, but didn’t mean a word she spoke. The mere stroke of his fingers was tinder to the fire smoldering inside her. It was unbelievable. Her nipples drew taut as her body screamed for him to take her again.

  He gazed down at her with a wicked grin caressing his lips as his hand moved lower and found the crease of her ass. A shiver raced up her back as he followed the path, skimming over her rosebud, until he slid a finger between her folds. She inched her leg over his hip to give him more access.

  Annie’s eyes closed. A sated sigh released as she lay there, enjoying the slow, steady pace of his hand. When her eyelids rose he was staring at her with such intensity, her heart stuttered. She had never met a man who made her forget, yet when she was in his arms that was just what she did. He left her no choice but to feel—each and every little stroke.

  Her climax rose like a wave, building in strength and depth. When it released it wasn’t the explosive, earth-shaking kind. Instead, it was a gentle breeze moving through her, stirring something deep inside that she couldn’t describe. All she knew was that he had touched something no one had ever even come close to. It left her feeling whole.

  Through the night and into the morning they held each other and made love once more. She was on the edge of drifting off to sleep when he released her and crawled out of bed.

  Muscle and strength moved across the floor. As he reached for his shorts, he said, “I’ve got to go.”

  His words came crashing down upon Annie. She turned her head away, refusing to watch him leave.

  He must have seen her disappointment, because he hastily moved to her side and gathered her into his arms. “I’ll return this evening.” The heated kiss that followed sealed his promise.

  “Why can’t you stay?” The plea in her voice was humiliating.

  “Ahhh…bébé. There is business to be attended to. Sleep.” As he said the word, she felt his compulsion—his command to do as he demanded.

  Annie tried to fight it, but it was useless. She was too tired and her eyelids so heavy. As he pulled the covers over her, sleep descended.

  Chapter Five

  Etienne gazed upon Annie sleeping in the big, lonely motel bed. Knees tucked to her chest, she looked so innocent, so guarded cast in a sliver of moonlight spilling through the only window in the room. The bedding was wrapped around her like a shield. Heaviness grew taut in his chest. How he wished he could have risen beside her.

  At least he knew she slept well, even though he had not. He had kept a silent vigil throughout the day, happy his compulsion had been successful. She had not awakened, sleeping the entire day away, and her dreams had been devoid of nightmares.

  How could she have come to mean so much to him in such a short span of time? And what about Meryell?

  Annie stirred, but didn’t wake. The whisper of his name upon her lips tightened the grip around his heart. Thoughts about Meryell were fleeting. Instead, Etienne shed his clothing quickly, climbed onto the bed and slipped beneath the sheets. He snuggled up to Annie’s warm naked back and pressed his lips to the curve of her collarbone.

  Her womanly scent lay beneath a hint of last night’s pleasures.

  She whimpered. The soft needy sound made a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

  Her eyelashes fluttered, then opened half-mast. Over her shoulder, she gazed up at him.

  “Touch me,” she murmured in a lethargic voice. Stretching her limbs, she adjusted to lie flat on her back.

  A chuckle rose in his throat. “Lustful wench.”

  He could see she fought a grin. Instead, she pushed the sheets and comforter down, revealing them both slowly. Then her thighs parted in invitation.

  She took a long, deep breath. On an exhale, she sighed, “Now.”

  What choice did he have? A naked, willing woman lay before him demanding he pleasure her. He did what any red-blooded man would do.

  He touched her.

  She was silk beneath his palms as he smoothed them over her abdomen. He watched goose bumps rise across her skin. Before his eyes, her nipples firmed, tight beads of flesh that urged him to lean in and capture one in his mouth.

  Her gasp of delight told him how much she enjoyed the way he tongued the bud, drawing on it, before scraping his teeth across the sensitive flesh.

  “Yes,” she hissed. The sensual sound heated his blood, made him think wicked thoughts of what he could do to her. His cock lengthened as desire rushed into his testicles, hardening them.

  He cupped the underside of the breast he suckled, while his other hand kneaded and fondled the fullness of her other globe. Her back arched, pressing her body firmly into his hands and mouth.

  Eyes closed, lips slightly parted, her face was a picture of rapture. He had never seen anything as beautiful as Annie accepting what he offered. It was humbling.

  As he switched breasts, laving attention on the other nipple, he stroked a palm down her rib cage, her belly, fingers delving into the soft curls at the apex of her thighs. He could smell her musky desire, knew she was ready, even before his fingers pushed between her hot, wet folds.

  “Tell me what you want, bébé.”

  She gazed up at him through feathered lashes. “Fuck me.”

  “Here?” He drove his fingers deep inside her. “Or here?” He slid his slick digits to her puckered rosebud. Gently he applied pressure, testing the tightness without breaching the entrance, his cock jerking at the thought of taking her there.

  Her shocked inhalation told him that no man had breached this sacred place. A sense of pride filled him. He would be the first, if the heat burning in her eyes said what he thought it did.

  “Would that please you?” she asked shyly, even as her body tensed with the thought of him fucking her ass.

  He dipped his fingers back into the warmth of her pussy then anointed her anus once more. The need to feel her accepting his cock was unbearable.

  His erection grew firmer. “Beyond my wildest dreams.” Just the thought of penetrating her, feeling how tight she was, taking her for the first time, made his balls throb.

  Indecision filtered across her taut features. Her teeth teased her bottom lip, leaving little indentations in their stead.

  “Do you trust me?” he asked, once again slipping his fingers between her swollen folds. He finger-fucked her slow and steady, her body welcoming him with each thrust.

  She was wetter than before. A good thing—a very good thing.

  “Yes,” she said without hesitation. Then she swallowed hard. “Will it hurt?” Her brows pulled together along with her thighs.

  He nudged her legs apart and continued to thrust his fingers in and out, feeling her body clench around him. “Momentarily. But I will prepare you to alleviate the pain. Then you will feel pleasure like you have never felt before.” He pressed his thumb against her clit.

  She groaned. The throaty sound made him hornier than hell.

  He had fed before coming to her. Still, his gums ached, his canines threatening to appear. He stroked them with his tongue, trying to ease them back, but they pricked his tongue, the taste of blood filling his mouth.

  Fighting the urge to take the final step that would bring her into his world, he pushed away from her and got to his feet. Quickly he turned his back to her, so that she couldn’t glimpse his fangs pressing hard against his lips. Without a word, he padded across the room and disappeared into the bathroom.

  On the counter was a small bottle of lotion he could use as a lubricant. He turned on the faucet and swiped a washcloth beneath the running water. After he wrung the excess moisture out of the cloth, he retrieved the lotion. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. There was something different about the man reflecting back at him in the mirror.

  Hope.

  Hidden behind centuries of despair there was a flicker of light in his eyes. He felt it growing, filling and warming his soul. Embracing the feeling, he surrendered to it, accepting his growing emotions for Annie.

  Now if he could only figure out how to reveal the fact that he wasn’t human. As his fangs retracted, he pushed his anxiety aside. A beautiful woman awaited him.

  With his control firmly in hand, he walked out of the bathroom and immediately lost it. Like a piece of art she lay upon the bed. Her chestnut hair draped across the pillow. Her suntanned skin a delicious contrast against the white sheets. Her expression a mixture of apprehension and excitement.

  “I’ve never done this before,” she innocently admitted the obvious.

  She was simply adorable. Pride filled him as he approached. He would be her first. “Then it will be the first in many ways I plan to explore your body.”

  An uneasy smile touched her lips. “A promise or a threat?”

  “Both,” he growled, unscrewing the cap from the lotion before setting it and the washcloth on the bedstand.

  Annie’s heated gaze followed his every move. Her chest rose and fell, increasing in pace as he climbed on the mattress, growing nearer. She opened her arms and he eased into them.

  Velvet hands caressed his back, stoking a fire beneath his skin. Gently he used a knee to part her thighs, pressing his erection to the warmth of her sex. She raised her hips invitingly and he slipped inside.

  The exquisite feel of her cradling him deep took his breath away. It was hard to think past the rocking of their bodies.

  Annie was lost to the sensation of their bodies locked together. They moved as one, even the beat of their hearts matched. She held him close as he eased in and out, wanting the moment to last forever, needing to feel like what they had between them was real. Not something she was imagining.

  The friction of them moving against one another was electrifying. She felt more alive than she had ever felt before. She even thought Velia rose to elicit a purr of delight. Strangely that didn’t bother her. Instead Annie found it more arousing. The fact that he was reaching her on a deeper level was amazing and just fucking hot.

  A flutter began low in Annie’s belly. The whisper of sensation shot to her nipples, causing them to tingle and grow taut. She was slick and wet. Her breathing shallow and quick.

  Just as her womb began to tighten, he withdrew. She couldn’t help the whimper of disappointment that met the emptiness he left behind. He moved off the bed, his thick erection arched proudly against his rock-hard abdomen.

  Dark hunger blazed in his eyes as he slipped his palms beneath her knees and pulled her to the edge of the bed. Silently, he helped her to her feet. His strong hands turned her around, so that her back faced him.

  “Bend over. Place your hands on the bed.” Anxiety exploded through her as she obeyed his command. She knew what he intended to do. She couldn’t help tensing, both from excitement and apprehension.

  A single finger slid down her backbone, trailing along the crease of her ass to touch the puckered flesh of her anus. A shiver raced through her.

  “Relax,” his deep voice encouraged. He didn’t enter her, just placed a little pressure against the sensitive area.

  Easy for him to say. Her fingers curled in the bedding.

  When he wedged a hand between her legs and drew them apart, she gasped. He stepped behind her, pressing his hips to her butt, his cock a whisper of sensation across her swollen folds.

  Unconsciously she rose up on tiptoes, arching to take him into her body. Instead he teased her, his firm erection sliding back and forth over her clit.

  “I need— Oh God. Etienne,” she moaned, as something cool and wet touched her anus. She didn’t have time to think before she felt his finger start to probe, working the lotion inside her. The scent of vanilla rose.

  Her mind was a haze of emotions. She wanted this, but her body seized, every muscle tightened.

  “I can’t wait to feel how hot you are,” he murmured the sinful words. “You have a beautiful ass, Annie.”

  When his finger broached the first ring of muscle, a sudden burst of pain erupted.

  “Oh shit.” Her jaws locked tight against the ache penetrating her body.

  “Breathe.” On his demand, she gulped down a mouthful of air and he pushed farther inside her.

  Her heart leaped against her chest from the foreign feeling, the fullness consuming her thoughts. He waited, seemingly sensing when the worst of his invasion had passed.

  When he extracted his finger she felt strangely empty, like a part of her was unfulfilled.

  More lotion. A coolness against the burn.

  This time his finger entered her without any resistance. Another finger joined it, moving in and out in a slow and steady pace. As he had promised, the soreness lessened, morphing into incredible pleasure with every thrust. She even found herself pressing against his hand—wanting him deeper.

  “That’s it, bébé,” he growled his approval, scissoring his fingers to stretch and prepare her further. “Are you ready for me?”

  She glanced over her shoulder as he extracted his fingers and reached for the lotion once more. He squeezed a generous amount into his palm and started to stroke his cock.

  Watching his hand move up and down his shaft sent a series of spasms to clench and release in her womb.

  Ready? She was more than ready.

  He must have realized what the image did to her, because he looked down at his erection, before pinning her with his hot stare. “Do you want this?” His held himself in offering. “Do you want me to fuck your ass?”

  She couldn’t speak. Her answer was a quick nod.

  He wiped his hands on the washcloth and then moved into place, holding her gaze with his. She couldn’t have looked away even if she had wanted to. She felt his cock nudge her anus, then push, filling and stretching her, inch by inch, slowly, until he was seated deep inside her.

  An indrawn breath matched her own. If she didn’t know better, she would swear the earth moved beneath her. Chills raced through her at the intimacy of the moment. Their connection was like something she had never felt before. A hum echoed through her body, igniting waves of sensation throughout.

  He must have experienced the same, because he closed his eyes. She felt the tremor that shook him as his grip on her hips firmed.

  When he started to sway back and forth, in and out, she looked away, tossing her head back. Eyes closed, her mouth parted on a moan of ecstasy.

  Etienne buried his fingers into her hair, pulling her head back so that her neck arched. “Yes,” he hissed. “So tight. So fucking tight.”

  She writhed beneath him, needing and wanting more.

  He answered her urgent request by slamming his hips against her ass, striking a spot that made her knees go boneless and squeezed the air from her lungs. A hand around her waist steadied her. She tried to breathe, tried to gain control, but his sinful fingers trailed down her belly, finding their way to her throbbing clit. The second he touched the sensitive organ, she went off like a Roman candle.

  Bright lights burst behind her eyelids.

  A deep, throaty groan ripped from somewhere deep in her chest.

  As a huge wave of sensation built and engulfed her, threatening to devour. She began to tremble uncontrollably. Like a rubber band stretched too thin, something inside her ruptured, splintering her in a million pieces.

  And then it happened.

  She didn’t know where she ended or he began. It was as if their orgasm united. She felt the rush of blood fill his testicles, the point of pleasure-pain that swelled inside him. Like a star looking down from the heavens, she rode the energy surging through him.

  Etienne lunged forward one more time, tossing them both upon the bed. A cry somewhere between rapture and anguish tore from his throat.

  Amazingly, she perceived the combustion of heat and light that rippled down his cock.

  But it was his spirit that enamored her, touching every inch of her, body and soul, making its mark on her. As they drifted into the aftermath, Annie knew she would never be the same.

  She lay crushed beneath his weight for only seconds before he rolled off her. “Are you okay?”

  She couldn’t move, but managed to respond with an “Mmmm”.

  He chuckled. “I’ll take that as yes.” With gentle hands, he rolled her over, reached for the wet washcloth and began to cleanse her body.

  The cloth was cool against her heated skin, but it was the way he carefully touched her that made something tighten in her chest. When he was through, he disappeared into the bathroom. She heard the water running, the commode flush, and then he reappeared.

  “What do you want to do tonight?” he asked, climbing into bed beside her. She cuddled close, loving the masculine scent that rose from his skin as he wrapped his arms around her.