“That, my pet, is not wine,” he whispered, his eyes studying the curves under his finger with intense interest. “And, no – I will not sprout wings,” he finished, his eyes shining with humor and something else that Abby couldn’t quite put her finger on. It took a moment before the realization hit her, and when it did, she felt her stomach lurch. Oh, ick! She had almost drunk… Oh, man - now that thought was way up there on her gross-out meter! She could barely stand the sight of blood, much less the thought of drinking it.
“Oh, holy hell,” she breathed, her face turning crimson. “I am so sorry.”
“There is no need to be, my pet,” he assured her. “No harm was done.”
“Where do you…” she stammered – at a total loss. “What I mean is… um, where does it come from?”
For some reason, the vision of him clamped down on some strange woman’s neck caused an irritating tightening in her chest and a trickle of jealousy to ripple up her spine. Damn it all to hell!
“I have a nice little set up with the local blood bank,” he replied. “It never ceases to amaze me what money and a little compulsion can achieve,” he said –his voice low and serious, “besides -I have had my fill of hunting, so it is well worth the price.” Wow, she thought in wonder, if nothing else, this man was brutally honest. Hunting? Compulsion? What in the hell did all that mean?
“Well hell - never thought I’d see the day when Desmond LaGrange became domesticated.” A silky voice cut through the kitchen and Abby jumped- spinning around to see a large man leaning in the doorframe of the back door.
He was well muscled and tan, his hair - as black as Desmond’s, hung down his back in a thick braid that was interweaved with some sort of beading and long, thin strips of leather. His eyes were a deep rich amber and his wide smile showed perfect white teeth that seemed to glow against the deep bronze of his skin. “What? No apron?”
Abby unconsciously took a step closer to Desmond as the strangers eyes swept up and down her body in a slow, openly appraising way - causing her entire body to flush in embarrassment and make her feel uncomfortable.
She suddenly felt extremely vulnerable in only Desmond’s silk shirt - which barely hit her at the knees. She felt his arm slip around her waist in an almost possessive grip and let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding – automatically relaxing with his touch. Christ! The vamp was like super-charged valium! As soon as he touched her - a soothing calm washed over her. Oh, who the hell was she kidding, she thought irritably – all it took was just being in the same room as him.
“Lucas,” he greeted, his arm tightening ever so slightly as his long fingers fanned out deliciously over her stomach - causing her to gasp. My God, she thought, what he could do with just a touch. And she found herself fighting the overwhelming urge to grasp his hand and guide it lower. Good Lord, Abby - she silently screamed at herself – stop it!
“Hey there, Des,” he replied, his eyes not leaving Abby for a moment. She felt Desmond’s body tense, and again swore she heard him growl, low in his throat - yet barely audible.
“Easy there, my friend,” Lucas said with a grin, finally meeting Desmond’s gaze. “I’m here to help, remember?”
Desmond nodded, and she felt the tension ease slightly. “Thank you for coming, Luke.”
“So,” he drawled, “this is the mystical daughter of the legendary Fey King?”
“Luke, this is Abby.” Luke went to take a step towards her, and Abby instinctively pushed back against
Desmond - slamming her back against his broad, solid chest and it felt as if she had hit a wall of granite. Damn, but the man was muscular!
There was a part of Desmond that swelled with pride as Abby pushed herself up against him - but there was also the part of him that knew that this was beyond dangerous. With the way his body was reacting to her tight little derrière as it pressed up against him - he knew that keeping his distance from her was going to prove difficult to say the least. What she did to his body with just her presence was bad enough – but what she did to him when they touched was so much worse. He needed to protect her- not lust after her like some sex starved adolescent. He stopped the thought cold. He had been on his own long enough to know that that was how it was meant to be, and this beautiful little slip of a woman could not be a part of that. She had no place in his world. What he was feeling was lust and nothing else – but who could blame him? The woman was sheer perfection. Who the hell wouldn’t lust after her? Luke was practically drooling all over himself, he thought with an angry scowl – his arm tightening ever so slightly.
“Don’t worry, princess,” Luke said with a grin, interrupting Desmond’s train of thought. “I promise not to bite. Well, that is - not unless you want me to. Then I’d be more than happy to oblige.” Abby swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to smile - ignoring his blatant innuendo. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, “it’s very nice to meet you.”
“So Chief, what do you need from me?” he asked, his face still set in that wicked grin as his eyes roamed over her face. “All you need to do is ask.” Even though the words were directed at Desmond, Abby couldn’t help but notice the slight leer he gave her as he spoke them.
“I need you and the pack to patrol the grounds. I don’t know how much Marcus has already told you, but Abby was attacked by a demon several nights ago, and from what is being said, they know of her and are willing to do whatever it takes to try and get their filthy hands on her.”
Luke gave a low whistle, his eyes once again traveling slowly over Abby’s entire body. “Well, I can’t say that I blame them,” he replied with a chuckle, “she smells damn good. Not at all hard on the eyes either.”
Again Abby felt Desmond’s entire body tense, “Easy wolf,” he growled in warning - but Lucas just broke out into a deep, rich – completely, amused laughter.
“Damn, blood-sucker,” he choked out – his eyes gleaming with humor. “Don’t go getting your fangs all up in a bunch. I’m just making a little friendly - completely obvious, observation. She is gorgeous after all. You can’t blame a guy for noticing. I mean, I’d have to be damn blind not too, and as you know – wolves have excellent sight.”
“Lucas…” Desmond growled and the man held up his hands in front of him in surrender even though his eyes stayed on Abby.
“Ok…ok, I’m done.”
“You had better be,” Desmond warned softly.
After a few moments, Luke’s smile faded, and he looked back to Desmond. “But in all seriousness Des – you know you have our protection - whatever you need, we are at your disposal. Now if the two of you will excuse me – I’ll go gather the pack and fill them in,” he gave Abby a slight wink and was gone.
Abby watched him leave and shivered from the shear animal essence that the man left in his wake. She felt Desmond’s other arm wrap around her middle - causing her breath to catch in her throat. “Are you cold, my pet?” he whispered in her ear, his lips teasing the sensitive spot right below her lobe. Cripes – did this man know every erogenous zone that she possessed? She shook her head slightly, trying desperately not to be distracted by the feel of him pressed up against her. He was raw sex, and that was definitely proving to be a problem. It was taking everything she had not to turn around and plunge her hands into his thick head of hair - to pull his full, perfect mouth down to hers and finish what was started with that kiss – but she bit back the thought and cleared her throat.
“No, I’m fine - just a little weirded out by your friend.”
“Luke is harmless,” he offered, still disturbingly nuzzling her neck as he spoke. “Besides, he knows that I would neuter him in an instant if he were ever to step out of line.”
“Well, that sure is comforting.” Abby muttered - taking a step away from him, even though her body hated her for it.
She cleared her throat turning toward the stove and began stirring the sauce that was bubbling in one of the pots – trying desperately to slow down the erratic beati
ng of her heart. She blushed when she realized that her hands were shaking and took a deep, steadying breath.
Desmond felt an instant sense of regret the moment she stepped out from of the circle of his arms, but quickly shook it off as he busied himself with finishing her dinner. He grabbed a plate, tossed some of the pasta onto it and handed it to her. She poured the sauce over the steaming noodles and turned – walking over to the table. She noticed that he had a wonderful looking salad waiting, and grinned happily.
For someone who was food intolerant, he sure thought of everything - she thought with a happy grin. She pulled out one of the chairs and sat down, crossing her bare legs elegantly.
Desmond watched her with rapt interest as desire coursed through him. She was breath-taking, and seemed completely unaware of that fact. A flicker of anger bubbled through him as he thought about the way Luke had practically devoured her with his eyes, and his mouth set in a tight line. “Yes, I have definitely got to get you some clothes,” he mumbled irritably.
Abby stifled a yawn as she finished the last sip of her wine. Dinner had been wonderful and she was feeling full and sleepy and… disturbingly content -if not just a bit tipsy. She wasn’t a big drinker, but the wine Desmond had given her with dinner was delicious, and before she knew it -she had finished more than half the bottle. Perhaps it was the wine, or the food or just Desmond, but as the night progressed she found herself feeling as if she had known this man for years – not just days. He was just so incredibly easy to talk to.
“Why don’t you run up to bed and get some rest,” Desmond said quietly. “I’ll just clear the table.”
Abby burst out laughing at the thought of this viral, drop dead gorgeous vampire doing the dishes like June fricking Cleaver! Was he serious? He had been so unbelievably charming and accommodating all during dinner as she sat there and stuffed her face like a pig – she just couldn’t let him play housekeeper too. “Absolutely not,” she stated firmly, standing and taking her dishes to the sink. “You have been so wonderful to me - the very least I can do are a few dishes.” She turned on the water and set to work.
Desmond watched the comely beauty with intense interest, his eyes locking on the curve of her backside - which was barely concealed by the smooth fabric of his shirt. And those long, shapely legs…my God – they were just made to be wrapped tightly around his hips, he thought silently - his body responding immediately to his wayward thoughts and he shifted in his seat uncomfortably. It took everything that he had not to walk over there and take her, right there against the sink. He felt himself growing harder – if that were even possible - at just the thought. It wasn’t bad enough that he wanted her physically - but the scent of her fey blood called to his baser needs. His fangs descended slightly and he bit back the curse that came to his lips. He would need to feed more while she was in the house he surmised with a quiet grunt – she was just too damn tempting for her own good. Or his!
In all of his existence, nothing had ever been as difficult as to not take this woman as his own – in more ways than one, and he knew that he had to try and keep those needs in check - but as each minute passed that he spent with her, he was finding that harder and harder to do - and he loathed himself for his weakness. He had never had a woman affect him as this one did and it put him in a position that he was not at all comfortable with. He needed to protect her, and that was all. He had no business thinking the thoughts that he was thinking. Yet, whenever he was near her, his needs blazed out of control.
When Abby finished - she turned around towards Desmond and was shocked by the look of irritation on his face. “Desmond is something wrong?” she asked - her eyes wide with concern. He seemed to snap out of some dark place and gave her a slight smile.
“Nothing, my pet,” he promised, standing and walking over to her.
Taking her by the hand he led her silently out of the kitchen and up the stairs. It wasn’t until they had reached the bedroom that he spoke, his voice silky smooth. “Get some sleep Abby,” he ordered, before pressing his lips to her forehead and disappearing out the door.
Abby stood there in confusion, not understanding his strange change of mood- but as she glanced toward the bed, she realized that she was just too tired and dizzy to try and figure it out tonight. She would worry about it in the morning – sleep was just too inviting at the moment. She sighed deeply and crawled beneath the silky sheets and thick comforter - within moments she was asleep, visions of steely sea blue eyes haunting her dreams.
Chapter 4
When Abby woke the next morning she found Desmond at his usual place beside the fireplace, and suddenly wondered if he always sat in the chair as she slept. Although she should have found the thought of him sitting there during the night, watching her sleep strange and unsettling – she actually found the idea quite comforting. It gave her a sense of peace that she had never experienced before – and it was nice. She stretched contentedly and sat up. She was about to call out a good morning when something caught her eye. The room was filled with shopping bags. “Desmond?” she questioned, looking around in confusion. “What is all of this?”
“You said that you needed clothing,” he answered, standing and grabbing one of the bags. He walked over to the bed and held it out to her. “I could only guess at the sizes,” he explained, “but I believe I was fairly close.” Abby took the bag he offered with trembling hands – her eyes wide. It was from an extremely high end store that she could never have ever dreamed of walking into, and pulled out a beautiful deep blue cashmere sweater - that most likely cost more than she made at Echo’s in a month - and her mouth fell open.
“I can’t accept this,” she breathed, absolutely floored. When on earth did he have time to do all of this?
“Nonsense,” Desmond scoffed, thoroughly enjoying the expression on her face. “You said you needed clothing.” He gestured to the remaining bags. “So there you have it - clothes.”
“But, I’m…I’m a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl,” she explained, her hand gently stroking the glorious fabric. “This stuff is way too expensive. There is just no way possible that I could ever pay you back.”
“Abby, I don’t expect you too,” he replied softly - his tone warm and sincere. “Money is of no consequence to me.” Which it wasn’t - but he also had ulterior motives for the clothing. He reasoned that perhaps she wouldn’t heat his blood or consume his thoughts so if she wasn’t walking around the house half naked. This woman was complete and utter temptation, and he was trying desperately to control every urge his body, mind and soul threw out at him – but he was finding the task to be one of the hardest he had ever taken upon himself. Just her scent caused his body to tingle and tighten with its heady essence – not to mention what her body, her smile and her laugh did to him. Christ, it was as if he lost his senses when she was near!
Before she could stop herself - Abby jumped from the bed and threw herself at Desmond – her arms wrapping around his neck in a fierce hug.
No one had ever been so kind or thoughtful before - and she had no words. She heard him groan as she felt his entire body tense. Oh crap! She had gone too far, she thought miserably.
“Abby,” he pleaded - although his arms slipped around her waist and pulled her more tightly up against him – pressing her snugly against his chest. She greedily breathed in his spicy scent - her knee’s trembling slightly at the contact of their bodies - her soft contours molding perfectly to his strong, solid ones.
“My God woman – I swear you are going to be the end of me.” He breathed, a moment before his lips descended on hers and took them in a fierce, savage - soul-stealing kiss. His tongue ravaged her mouth in silent need as his hands slid down her back to cup her bottom and pull her even closer. His leg stationed itself between her thighs and intimately touched her at her core, causing her to shiver with need.
She could feel his erection pressing against her hip and moaned in pleasure as she wantonly pressed herself up against it as she chased his tongue
with her own, wanting more – so much more. And consequences be damned. His mouth devoured hers and she found herself wondering if anything had ever felt so perfect. Never had just a kiss ever affected her this way. She could kiss him like this forever. She felt the heat spreading through her body only to settle at the apex of her thighs, making her want him with a desperate ache that she had never felt before. It was a deep, throbbing need that only he could satisfy - and she wanted him to - so very badly.
Desmond’s hand slid up her waist and he cupped her breast - his fingers gently kneading her flesh, and causing her nipple harden instantly. She moaned into his mouth as she arched her back to press herself more firmly into his grip. God, this felt beyond incredible.
Abruptly he pulled away – muttering a string of curses under his breath.
Abby looked at him in confusion - but a moment later there was a knock at the bedroom door.
“Des,” Marcus called. “I need to speak with you privately.”
“I’ll be there in a moment,” he answered, his eyes not leaving Abby’s. He took a deep, ragged breath and offered her a pained smile. “Enjoy your gifts,” he whispered, his voice thick and husky, and oh so sexy.
He placed a light kiss against her forehead, his lips lingering a moment. “I will see you later.” With that he turned and left the room – leaving Abby to flop down on the bed, a loud, frustrated sigh rushing past her kiss swollen lips. Oh, Holy Hell!
Abby didn’t see Desmond the entire day, and by late afternoon, she was beginning to worry.
The house seemed deathly quiet and she was becoming uncomfortable with the silence. She put on the sweater he had gotten her with a pair of jeans and black Italian leather boots - all of which fit her to perfection, and headed downstairs. As she wandered into the kitchen she found a note from him lying on the table.