Page 27 of The Huntress
Despite his allure, she would leave after Val.Argh.Callie was so out of her depth it was laughable. His sensuality was off the charts. She should escape and find a safe human man for her first time. Now that she’d had a sample of lust, she wouldn’t shy away from men.
If she stayed and succumbed, Gabe would rock her world. Could a normal man ever compare? But could she walk away without experiencing his expertise?
Giving up on hearing anything, she opened the bathroom door. The living room was empty with no sounds to guide her, so she closed the door. A shower, a visit to Val, then she’d leave.
Chapter Twelve
A MYTH
Gabepausedatthefront door, trying to control his breathing and his heart rate. He willed his erection to subside, but it was a foolish hope. Not that he wanted it to go, when everything within him longed to bury it in her softness and have her scent drench him.
His mind’s eye lingered on where he’d rather be, what he’d rather be doing, with the vision of Callie in the throes of passion with her blood dribbling over a taut nipple. He shuddered, his erection throbbing with his heartbeat. The need for her was painful, and he relished the burn, the novelty of it.
Drawing in a deep breath, he acknowledged the reason behind Syl’s minions intruding. Darius. Not that it made dealing with them easier. He could smell them—their fear. They had a right to fear him. Now more than ever. They had interrupted what would have been a treasured experience.
His mind drifted to Callie again, unable to cease returning to the temptation of her. Her hooded green eyes, her parted lips, the rise and fall of her lace-encased breasts… Leo had been right to find her fascinating, to form a fondness for her. She was beautiful—her auburn hair against her creamy skin was its own enticement.
Her taste. How was it possible? Gabe shook his head. He suspected her blood changed with what she consumed. She was a myth. In all his centuries, he’d never met one such as her.
Goosebumps rippled along his sensitized skin. Yet another sensation he hadn’t felt in centuries. Eagerness, need, pleasure, pain, fury, frustration—too many emotions to experience in one day.
He sensed the impatience of his visitors, but he didn’t care. If it wasn’t for their intrusion, he’d have her pinned to the wall, tasting her and her delicious blood as she orgasmed. With a grunt, he wrenched the door open. This entrance was one of three—two known, one secret.
“What?” he demanded of the two vampires—a tall woman and a stocky blond man. Gabe didn’t know either and didn’t care to.
“Lord Sylvester requests you bring your captive,” said the tall brunette woman, her skin glistening, and her lips pouting.
He didn’t pay attention to her lure. Their kind used their physical wiles to attract dinner, for the most part. Turbulent, selfish, vain, vampire women were far more trouble than they were worth.
He rested his forehead on the hand that held the door open. “Did Darius complain?” When had his life become so complicated? Fragrant Callie arrived to torment him, yet her stubbornness was a barrier he looked forward to breaching. Now he had visits from his brother’s sycophants.
The blond man nodded.
“I’ll be there.” Gabe slammed the door in their faces and strode to the bathroom.
The shower was running. A vision flashed before him, burning into his retinae. Callie rubbing her body with the soap dancing down and over her curves in rivulets. Her breasts upright, her hips curved, her thighs strong and firm.
He groaned and again rested his head on the doorframe as dizziness assailed him. To not follow orders tempted him. The urge to defy Syl, his authority, hissed across his mind. Delicious and sinful as the thought was, it would bring many vamps down on Gabe, perhaps harming Callie in the ensuing battle. No, he had to obey. The sooner the better. A tiny lie or an innocent secret became monstrous over time. Revealing who she was, how special her blood was, should be done now.
He cursed, thumping his forehead on the doorframe. Once they knew how precious she was, they’d hunt her, challenge him for the right to her. Worse, enslave her. He sucked in a sharp breath. Not on his bedraggled soul would he allow harm to befall his untamed Callie.
He opened the door and walked into the spacious bathroom. Steam filled the room, adding to the romance of it.
She cried out, slamming her body against the tiled wall as if to hide her nudity. “Gabe?”
“Yes.” Moving the high-back chair closer to the shower, he sat, spreading his knees to accommodate his arousal.
“What the hell? There are boundaries. A shower means privacy.” She waited, as if he would leave. When he didn’t, her shoulders slumped, and she continued to soap her body.
Despite the misty glass obscuring her, his gaze trailed her hands as they traveled over her body. The reality was better than his vision. A flick of his wrist cleared the glass to reveal her nudity in pure clarity. His mouth watered in anticipation.
“Who was it? What did they want?” She stepped under the water to rinse off.
“They want you.” He opted for honesty.
The squeak from her showed she hadn’t expected that. She switched the water off. The shower door slid open, and she popped her head out, a breast pressed against the now transparent glass.
He groaned and studied her. Did she know what she did to him? How sexy he found her? How her every move aroused him? Was she sent to torment him, to deceive him? He didn’t have any enemies he could think of, though vampires did have extensive memories, carrying grudges far longer than they should.
