He smiled down at me, seemingly unaware of the debate going on inside me. “You incite the poet within me.”
I didn’t say anything more—I just watched him watching me, not sure what I should say or do. Sinjin didn’t seem concerned, acting as if he had all the time in the world to do nothing but stare at me.
“Please remove your blouse, love,” he said at last in a husky voice. He stood at the foot of the bed, his feet shoulder-width apart and arms crossed against his chest. He looked every inch the dark rogue, his longish hair mussed and falling forward, one lock obstructing his right eye.
Sinjin Sinclair was the absolute epitome of God’s gift to women and I couldn’t stop gloating over the fact that I was the woman lucky enough to have him. Then a realization dawned on me and I had to correct myself—God had nothing to do with the creation of Sinjin Sinclair. But for some reason, that thought didn’t scare me.
I gulped down the sudden embarrassment that overtook me at the thought of undressing in front of him. But with Sinjin in attendance, there was no room for modesty or shame. I glanced down at the white, long-sleeved, button-up shirt I was wearing and my fingers suddenly felt like they had weights attached to them as I fumbled with the buttons. Eventually, I managed to undo one and then two, and before I knew it, I’d reached the final button. I glanced up at Sinjin to find his gaze wholly fixed on me, and somehow the intensity of his stare gave me the strength to let the blouse fall off my arms. I glanced down at my white lace bra and back up at Sinjin again.
“Take it off,” he said.
I flushed at Sinjin’s straightforward and commanding words. Reaching behind me, I unhinged the clasp of my bra and pulled slightly, the straps loosening and tumbling down my shoulders. I felt a blush steal over my cheeks, but I ignored it and allowed the bra to fall on the bed and took a deep breath.
Sinjin’s eyes focused on my bare breasts, a smile spreading across a face that had to be sculpted by the devil himself.
“How stunning you are,” he whispered. “As I always knew you would be.”
I stood up and started approaching him, but he held me back with the palm of his hand. “No,” he said firmly. “I want to watch you.”
I stopped and glanced down at my jeans and wedge sandals. When I kicked them off, my height dropped about three inches and I felt the cold hardwood floor against my bare feet. I returned my eyes to Sinjin almost as if I was looking to him for direction. His gaze was steadily fixed on my face and I could tell that he was recording every second of this, permanently imprinting it into his memory.
I smiled as I unzipped my jeans, then I pulled them down the sides of my hips and allowed them to crumple at my ankles before stepping out of them. When I faced Sinjin again, he was staring at my black lace panties—thong panties. Thank God I’d at least taken one lesson from Christa in the sexuality department and traded in my granny panties for one of Victoria’s secrets.
“Turn around,” he commanded.
And suddenly I was overcome with the feeling of supreme control, of power. The need and desire in Sinjin’s eyes were overwhelming, and the idea that I was causing his disquiet was something that wholly appealed to me. This was an example of the age-old battle of the sexes, and at this point, I thought I was winning.
So I turned around slowly, allowing him to admire my backside as much as he appreciated my front. When I faced him again, he said nothing, merely stared at me with those pale blue eyes that were now on fire, a subtle reddish glow behind his pupils.
“Your eyes,” I started.
“Remove your panties,” he interrupted, obviously not concerned about his eyes.
I slid my fingers beneath each side of my panties and pulled them down, saying a silent prayer that I wouldn’t pass out. I stepped out of the black lace thong, steeling my courage, and glanced up at Sinjin. He was staring at me with an intensity I’d never seen before.
“I have dreamed of this moment for what seems an eternity, love,” he said as the fire behind his eyes continued to burn.
Before I could respond, he was instantly beside me, using his incredible vampire speed to meld with the air, only to be spat out a moment later. I inhaled sharply as he pulled me to him and I felt the coldness of his body against me. But after a few seconds, his body temperature warmed to mine.
He kissed me and splayed his hands across my back, grabbing my butt and pulling me into him so I could feel his obvious excitement for me. I looped my arms around his neck and met his tongue, feeling consumed by an incendiary need, burning with a passion the likes of which I’d never known.
Sinjin broke away and observed me with an expression I’d never seen from him before. If I didn’t know better, I might have said it resembled … love? But, no, that was my female brain speaking. Sinjin had made it very clear that he didn’t have it in him to fall in love—or at least, that he’d never admit to it. I wasn’t sure why it had seemed okay at the time, because now, the thought bothered me. It bothered me because I knew I could fall in love with him. That is to say, if I weren’t already …
“I will never disappoint you, poppet,” he whispered and tilted my chin so I could see the promise in his eyes. “I know you cannot understand our connection yet, but you will, in time.”
I said nothing—simply nodded, letting him finish.
“I will remain your protector and destroy anyone who would cause you harm. I will be, first, foremost, and forever, your loyal subject, and I will stop at nothing to bring a smile to your beautiful face.”
“I don’t want you to be my subject, Sinjin,” I started, frowning. “I want us to be equals. As much as you want to do for me, I want to do for you.”
But Sinjin just chuckled as if he knew more than I did, as if there was more to this picture than I could possibly grasp. I didn’t respond. I just held his gaze instead as the smile ran away from his face. He pushed me toward the bed and I acquiesced, lying down as he stood above me and watched me, his gaze penetrating my body from head to toe. He pulled his black V-neck sweater over his broad shoulders, followed by his black T-shirt. I felt myself smiling as I admired the ridges and valleys of his bare torso.
“I thought vampires were supposed to be pale?” I asked, appreciating his tan skin.
He laughed. “We remain exactly as we were at the time we were changed.”
“I see,” I said as I focused on his pants. Then, in my best Sinjin voice, I added: “Remove your trousers.”
He chuckled and shook his head, smiling down at me and said: “I have missed you.” He started unbuttoning his pants and I didn’t even have time to wonder what he meant by missing me, because before I knew it, he was standing in front of me completely naked.
And I was in … awe. “Wow,” I said, smiling, not even bothering to pull my attention away from his erection, which was, in a word … sizable. “Um, I haven’t been with anyone in a really long time, Sinjin,” I started, worry squeaking in my voice.
He arched a brow and smiled at me. “I will take my time.”
I just nodded and said nothing more as I watched him kneel down and grab each of my knees, pulling me to the end of the bed. He pushed my legs apart.
“What are you doing?” I started, my tone betraying my concern.
“What I have wanted to do since we met,” he answered with a mischievous smile as he pressed his face between my legs. My pelvis shot off the bed as soon as I felt his tongue lapping at me, and it took me a good few seconds to calm down. Once I did, I felt my body begin its own rhythm as Sinjin’s tongue worked to bring me to climax.
I wasn’t sure what to expect regarding the prowess of my six-hundred-year-old lover, but he definitely understood how to pleasure a woman. He was experienced and then some. But the last thing I wanted to think about was Sinjin’s sexual conquests. Instead I focused on the sensation of his tongue as I gripped the sheets—hard. When he pulled away from me, I opened my eyes and looked at him with confusion.
“I want to hear you, love,” he groaned
out, the blue of his eyes eclipsed by white. I heard myself gasp, but I wasn’t frightened. I just nodded dumbly and watched him resume his place between my legs as he started licking me again, still looking up at me. I dropped my head back and closed my eyes, feeling my body begin to convulse as an orgasm shook me. I opened my mouth and moaned, my hips undulating against him.
He pulled away from me and chuckled, staring down at me with a hungry expression. He spread my legs farther apart and positioned himself between them, rubbing me up and down with one finger before plunging it deep within me. I arched up against him, gripping the sheets again, and closed my eyes, filled with anticipation.
Then I remembered. I glanced at him and smiled. “I want you to drink from me, Sinjin,” I said in a breathless voice.
He was already on top of me and I could feel his penis at my entry, as if it was waiting for permission to impale me. He smiled broadly and bent down, kissing my neck as he did so. His hips ground against me, promising what was soon to be. I gripped his back and hugged him tightly, wanting nothing more than to feel him thrust inside me.
“Remember what I told you earlier? Because my glamour is useless on you, my bite will cause you pain,” he whispered into my ear. “But you possess the ability to ignore the pain by way of your magic.”
“Ignore it?” I repeated, utterly confused.
He drew up from me and nodded, his gaze riveting, beautiful. “You are a powerful witch, my little poppet. You must bewitch yourself into enduring my bite without suffering my sting.”
“How do I do that?”
“Close your eyes and focus,” he responded matter-of-factly, like it was no big deal.
“I don’t even know what that means,” I muttered, wondering if this whole Sinjin-drinking-from-me thing was going to pan out.
“Close your eyes,” he said softly, so I did as he commanded. I could feel his lips on my neck again, kissing a trail down to my breasts. “Focus now, love, order your body to numb itself, not to feel the pain of my bite.”
“But I want to feel you,” I argued.
He chuckled. “You will feel me, love; of that I have no doubt. But you must free yourself of the pain. If you were a mere human, I would glamour you myself.”
And suddenly the idea of being a mere human held lots of appeal. “How do I convince myself not to feel pain?” I asked, my eyes still closed.
“Concentrate,” he answered. Before I could insist on a better answer, I felt him thrust inside me. I arched against him, a moan escaping my lips as his mouth moved to my breasts, sucking and toying with my nipples. I squeezed his back more tightly, opening my eyes to find his riveted on me.
“Are you in distress, love?” he asked, smiling down at me.
“No,” I managed to say between rapid breaths as I pushed my pelvis forward. “I want all of you.”
He chuckled again and drove deeper as my grip tightened and I could feel my nails burrowing into the soft skin of his back. I moaned as he pushed inside me still harder. Before I knew it, he was fully ensconced within me, thrusting inside me even faster.
I glanced up at him and saw that his fangs were fully distended—white, sharp, and long. I wanted nothing more than to feel them puncturing the virginal skin of my neck. I wanted them sinking into me as Sinjin lapped up my blood.
“I want all of you,” I repeated, hoping he understood my intentions.
“Love, not if you are not prepared,” he started.
I shook my head. “I don’t care. I want to feel you.”
He didn’t say anything more, but he continued to watch me as he thrust inside me and pulled all the way out again, teasing me torturously.
“This moment belongs to me and I will never forget a single second of it,” he whispered, staring at me with unbridled passion.
“I want to feel your bite,” I repeated, not allowing him to change the subject.
He smiled at the same time that he thrust into me again and I arched up to receive him more deeply. I was on the brink of another orgasm—I could feel it in the distance, just slightly out of reach. Then Sinjin’s fingers landed on the sensitive nub between my thighs, and something blossomed inside me, spreading throughout my core as I began moaning uncontrollably with pleasure. And that was when he did it.
I felt a burning pain when he sank his teeth into my neck. I couldn’t even register it, though, because my body was showered in the most intense orgasm I’d ever experienced. Sinjin’s timing had been impeccable. He pulled his fangs out as he began sucking at my wound. His fingers dug into the linens as he continued driving his shaft into me, his rhythm becoming more and more urgent. Each thrust was stronger and faster than the one before.
“Yes, Sinjin, yes!” I ground out between clenched teeth, reveling in the feel of his body as he quenched his thirst on me. He lifted his face and I could see the red of my blood spilling from his mouth. He closed his eyes, and his head dropped back as he swallowed. When he faced me again, the stain of my blood was on his lips. But there was nothing in me that was frightened or turned off. Instead, I cherished the fact that I could provide his sustenance, that I was sharing myself with him in the ultimate fashion.
His eyes were on fire again, no longer white but a burnished red, like embers. “You taste,” he began and then shook his head as if he had no words. He opened his eyes and before I could respond, he dropped his head to my breasts, taking one in his mouth. He sucked and teased my nipple ruthlessly before sinking his fangs into the soft flesh above it. I squirmed beneath him, at the pain as well as the sensation of his fingers stroking between my legs. I hadn’t even realized he’d pulled out of me until he entered me again and began pumping inside me as he sucked savagely at my breast.
I felt another orgasm seize me. I grasped the back of his head, pushing his mouth against me harder and allowing the orgasm to crest to its peak as I screamed out his name. He drove into me with renewed zest only to pull his face away from my breast at the same time that he withdrew from me. Then he sank his teeth into the soft skin of my inner thigh. He pushed two fingers inside me and I was suddenly struck with the realization that my vampire had an insatiable libido.
“I have to feel you inside me again, Sinjin,” I managed, beginning to smart from the pain of his bite. As long as he was inside me, the pain didn’t register.
“As you wish, love,” he said with a smile and pushed into me with one quick stroke, making me gasp beneath him in response. He made no motion to bite me again, but he continued to watch me with spellbinding eyes. His jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed, which had to mean one thing.
“I want to watch you,” I whispered to him, wanting to witness his orgasm. “Do it for me, Sinjin.”
He said nothing; he just closed his eyes and continued to pump hard and fast into me. A few moments later he threw his head back, fangs fully extended, and moaned loudly. Then he opened his eyes and focused them on me again.
“Wow,” I said with a smile.
He pulled himself out of me and collapsed on the bed beside me. I rolled onto my side so I could face him. He looked at me and smiled. “That, poppet, exceeded even my expectations.”
I felt myself flush as I realized just how happy I was. I could honestly say I was happier than I had been in years. “Thank you,” I said in a soft voice.
“Thank you?” he asked with surprise.
“You’ve renewed my hope in men,” I said with a little laugh. “I never imagined in my wildest dreams anything could be this … perfect.”
He chuckled and ran his fingers down my face. “Thus begins day one, little poppet.”
I laughed and relaxed against him, relishing the feel of his naked body pressed up against mine. I felt his fingers as they caressed my upper arm, lazily drawing loops. I couldn’t imagine a time when I had felt this content, this complete. I wasn’t afraid of warlocks, I wasn’t concerned with what it meant to be a witch, and I was also amazed to find that my thoughts weren’t revolving around indecision and doubt.
/> I just was.
And it was a feeling that I loved wholeheartedly, a feeling that Sinjin had allowed me to achieve.
No, this is your doing, Jolie, this is the person you were meant to be, that inner voice piped up.
Sinjin opened my eyes, he is responsible for bringing me out of my solitude, I argued.
Sinjin might have acted as a vehicle but you’re responsible for your own actions. He might have helped you to find your way but everything you are today is due to the choices you’ve made, Jolie.
Hmm, I like that.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I truly had shaped my own destiny, merely because I’d been open to it. Yes, Sinjin had given me the opportunity, but he hadn’t imbued my powers within me. That was purely 100 percent Jolie Wilkins, and for the first time in a long time I was proud of myself.
But of course Sinjin played an enormous role in this metamorphosis of self. It was almost as if Sinjin had warded all those negative feelings of doubt and fear away, as if merely being with him kept my bogeymen locked in the closet. I glanced up at him and smiled, rolling over onto my side again so I could gaze at him, overwhelmed by his beauty and perfection.
“What are you doing, love?” he asked, a chuckle in his tone.
“I just want to look at you,” I whispered and traced the outline of his face, running my fingers over his lush lips and losing myself in the vibrant blue of his eyes.
“Are you happy?” he asked. I didn’t answer right away, instead pondering the question.
Yes, I was happy. Absolutely happy. Happier than I had been in a very long time. I’d thought I was happy while living my solitary and lonely life with only a cat and Christa to call my friends. But the truth was I’d been fooling myself—I hadn’t really been living, just going through the motions day after day but not allowing myself to experience true life, afraid to witness pain and disappointment so I shut out all emotions, including love, excitement, adventure.