Sanctuary, Texas Complete Series Box Set Read online

  I smiled and reached up to embrace him.

  My hands slid along his arms and up over his shoulders as he lowered himself onto me. He guided his cock back to my entrance and sank inside me. I made a noise that sounded like the purr of a cat, enjoying every inch of his hardness as it returned to my wet pussy, filling me once again.

  His chest rubbed against my sensitive breasts and I arched into his mouth as he suckled first one nipple and then the other. Every surface of my body throbbed with my pounding pulse. He raised his head and looked up at me.

  “May I?”

  I nodded and turned my head to the side, baring my neck. He leaned down and licked my neck, then kissed along my collarbone and back up to the soft hollow just where my neck and shoulder came together.

  His thrusts sped up and my focus returned to my throbbing sex and all-consuming desire to find release. An orgasm started building within me again, swirling inside and heating my skin until the touch of his skin to mine was like fire on ice. My need only grew more and I rocked my hips, matching his rhythm. He ground his pelvis against mine and it set me off like he’d struck a match.

  A scream tore from my throat and I arched my back, pressing against him as hard as my human body was able. Muscles tightened and I wrapped my legs around his waist, digging in my heels and pulling him deeper.

  A slight pinch on my shoulder made me flinch just slightly, and then the pain faded to pleasure as I felt the pull of blood. I moaned as he drank. Being the one to feed him filled me with a sense of empowerment. He asked. He didn’t take. He made sure I knew it was a gift to be given, not a debt I owed. I loved him for that.

  I’d known him two days. Could I love someone that fast? My mind soared to a place of euphoria and I contemplated my realization. His cock moved slowly inside me as he drank. When he finished I felt the swipe of his tongue as he sealed the bite and licked away any trace of blood.

  His strokes increased their speed and depth, pushing against my womb and sending me spiraling toward a second orgasm. I couldn’t come again. Not so soon. Not so hard.

  “Fly, min kjaereste. Let go and soar again for me.” He reached between us and pressed hard on my clit. Everything went white. My body contracted as if it were made of one single muscle. A deeper, huskier scream, almost like a growl came from my throat and I dug my fingers into his arms. I rode the wave of pleasure higher than I’d ever gone before.

  He roared as his body went rigid against mine. After finding his release, he lowered his chest down on top of me, pulling his cock free of my slick sex. He rolled to the side and moved me to lie in the crook of his shoulder.

  I snuggled closer, throwing a leg over his thigh. It was unexplainable, but I loved him. He’d stolen my heart in that cold bus station and brought it to a sanctuary. What we’d done together over the last two days, I hadn’t done with another man … ever. I hadn’t wanted to, either. With Erick, I wanted it. Wanted everything. I was alive again, truly alive for the first time in four years. At his side, anything was possible.

  “I’m glad you are happy, kjaere.” His chest rose and fell as he spoke. “You fill me with a joy I thought I’d never find again.”

  I smiled against his skin and rubbed my thumb back and forth over one of his ribs, tracing a small arc back and forth. “There you go reading my mind again.”

  A chuckle shook his shoulder, jostling my head ever so slightly.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this happy before, Erick. I …” I snapped my mouth shut before I said too much. I couldn’t tell him I loved him now. He was a thousand years old and I’d known him two days. Whether I loved him or not, I couldn’t say it out loud, yet. “You feel like home,” I whispered.

  He squeezed me tighter and I craned my neck to look up at him. I was rewarded with a soft kiss on the lips. “As do you, my beautiful Bailey. As do you.” He rubbed his hand through my hair and I leaned into the caress. His thumb traced figure eights on my scalp and my eyes drooped. Sleep was calling, but I wanted to enjoy just being with him a little longer.

  “You’ll stay with me … tonight? I don’t want to wake up and find you gone.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he assured me. “Sleep, min kjaereste.”

  I could have sworn he said something about a busy day after telling me to sleep. But, tomorrow would just have to wait. Tonight I was snuggled in the arms of a man who offered me a chance at a fresh start. A chance to love and just maybe, be loved in return.

  I was taking it.

  Chapter 10

  The gentle, but persistent prodding of Erick’s cock against my ass awakened me from a contented sleep and I shivered in anticipation. One of his arms was draped over my waist with the palm holding one of my breasts hostage. I wiggled my hips, rubbing against his hardness.

  He shifted behind me and trailed his lips along my bare shoulder. Chuckling, his breath tickled the hairs along the back of my neck.

  Wait. “Why does it feel like you are breathing?”

  He moved his hand from my breast and lifted my leg, sliding into my wet sex without a hitch. I took a deep breath, surprised that I was so ready for him. A moan slipped from my lips as he slowly pumped in and out, stroking the folds of my sex and building a burn deep in my belly.

  “It’s something I did long before I became a vampire. Motor memory. The act of drawing air in and out of my lungs serves no physical purpose, but it does give me a more human appearance.”

  He thrust in and out, grabbing my hips to give himself more leverage. Another moan slipped out and I leaned back against his chest, quite content to let him have his way with me.

  My body was still sore from the night’s escapades, but he had no intention of allowing me to be lazy. One of his hands slipped from my hip to my slick folds and rubbed directly across my clit.

  I gasped and jerked, digging my nails into his arms. Fire burns in my belly, and an orgasm rushes forward with unusual speed. How does he do this to me? He pressed again on my now-throbbing clit and I grasped at the sheets in front of me, fisting handfuls. I heard myself screaming his name as my body contracted, squeezing his cock for everything it was worth. He drove into me once more, growling into my ear and taking his release as my mind and body continued to soar in ecstasy.

  As my panting returned to normal breathing, he rolled away and got up from the bed. He walked around to my side and scooped me into his arms. I started to protest, but then decided that being carried against his hard, sexy chest was exactly where I wanted to be. Why walk when a sexy man insisted on carrying me?

  He pushed through the bathroom door, put me down on the edge of his large soaker tub, continuing across to the shower. A few turns of the hardware had water coming out of all the spigots, including the ones on the wall. I stood, my legs still a little wobbly, and moved to his side.

  “You should have waited.”

  “I can walk.” A slight smirk twisted my mouth, but my legs wobble like gelatin, betraying how much he’d affected me.

  “Barely,” he answered, a smartass grin splitting his face. Taking my hand, he led me into the steaming hot water. The streams pounded against my body.

  I sighed. “I’ll just stand here if that’s okay with you.”

  He laughed.

  I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, letting the rain-like spray from the showerhead directly above me smooth my mussed hair away from my face. Ecstasy. That’s what Erick’s shower was –a marbled room of perfect bliss.

  The squeak of a lever made me open my eyes. A draft of cool air wrapped around my wet body as all the flowing water stopped on my side of the shower. Then his hands were on me, running up and down my body, creating a silky lather from neck to toes, chasing away all thoughts of the cold. He took special care with all of my most intimate parts.

  A moment later, he pushed a button on the wall next to me and the massaging jets of water returned, along with the steady stream from the overhead spigot. The water temperature was warm enough to keep the chill at b
ay, but not hot enough to fog the glass wall of the enclosure. He rubbed and guided the water over my soap-slicked body until every trace had been washed away.

  “Feel better?”

  “What a lovely way to begin the morning.” I licked away some of the water from the top of my lip.

  He returned my grin. “There are towels on the warmer. I’ll be out in just a moment.”

  I followed the line of his hand across the bathroom and saw several black towels hanging over a chrome frame. Stepping carefully out of the shower, I tiptoed across the black marble floors and grabbed one of the oversized, fluffy towels.

  After pressing as much water out of my hair as I could, I wrapped the damp towel around my torso and set the hairdryer to my long tresses. A few minutes later, the water turned off in the shower.

  He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. Via the mirror, I watched water droplets fall from the ends of his blond hair and run in rivulets down his muscled chest. I couldn’t help but wet my lips. An urge to toss down the hair dryer and lick the water from his chest crossed my mind. I caught his naughty smirk in the mirror. Heat crept into my cheeks, and it wasn’t due to the hair dryer.

  He disappeared into his closet, returning with an armful of clothing. “Be careful how you look at me, Bailey Ross, or I’ll take you right back to bed.”

  The way he’d used my full name made me giggle like a naughty school girl. He made me laugh—made me feel like I could just be me. I didn’t have to be afraid of what was around the corner in his world. Granted, there were all kinds of crazy, supernatural creatures here, but they seemed like decent people, unlike most of those I’d encountered since my parents died.

  I continued drying my hair, greedily watching for glimpses of his bare body in the mirror as he dressed. My efforts were rewarded when he let the towel drop to the floor. My heart leapt into my throat and moisture pooled yet again between my thighs.

  “I can smell you, kjaere.”

  I turned off the hairdryer and lay it on the counter, picking up a bottle of leave-in conditioner instead. I spritzed a healthy amount over the length of my hair and smiled back at him in the mirror. “I can’t help it.”

  My stomach chose just that moment to growl and gurgle as loudly as it possibly could. Heat raced to my cheeks, turning my face bright red yet again. Way to ruin the moment. What was wrong with my stomach? I was starving, but still. Why did it have to be so loud?

  He appeared beside me, dressed and ready for the day. A pair of dark, loose-fitting jeans rode low on his hips and a short-sleeved t-shirt covered his spectacular chest, leaving his arms on full display. Arms that any human man would envy.

  “Here.” He handed me a colorful stack of clothing items. A bright pink bra and panty set and a tank-style maxi dress in royal purple. “I pulled these from the closet. We’ll have to stop by Calliope’s later today and let you pick out a few more things. I’m afraid all I got you are these two outfits.”

  “Thank you. They are lovely. I’m sure I don’t need anything else right now. I’ve made do with a pair of jeans and little else for a long time. You don’t have to keep getting me—”

  His finger touched my lips. “I will do as I please.”

  “But—”

  He pushed harder. “Say, yes sir, thank you.”

  “Yes s-sir, thank you,” I repeated slowly, tilting my head to the side. Sir? Was he just playing with me or was he asserting a little more dominance than I’d seen so far? He knew I was uncomfortable with that type of role-playing, yet just that little demand made my heart speed up and stoked my seemingly constant state of arousal.

  “Good, kjaere. Now why don’t you put these on?” He smiled, gave me a soft kiss on the lips and then pressed the clothes into my arms. I stood frozen, still absorbing our small exchange. He stepped back slowly and sat on the edge of the tub in the center of the bathroom.

  “Are you going to just sit there and watch?” I asked, when words finally returned to my brain.

  “Yes.” He nodded and grinned, a wicked sparkle shining in his bright blue eyes.

  Two could play this game. I plopped the clothes on the counter and unhooked the towel, letting it pool to the floor at my feet. My eyes never left his face and I smiled when his eyes widened. My dare excited him and I felt a sense of power I’d never experienced.

  I slowly slipped on the panties and then the bra, the underwear cinched and stretched in all the right places until they fit better than a glove. I grabbed the hem of the dress and pulled the large loose garment over my head. It hung on my body like a sack until the enchantment began working. The upper part of the dress tightened around my torso and bust until it fit like a second skin. At my hips, it flared into a full skirt and lengthened until it just brushed the tops of my feet. I twirled, watching myself in the mirror.

  It was beautiful. I couldn’t wait to actually go into Calliope’s shop myself and look around.

  “The color is perfect on you.”

  “Thank you.”

  He rose from the edge of the tub and followed me out the bathroom door. Grabbing the hem of my dress, I went barefoot down the stairs and padded into the kitchen.

  The black and white color scheme was clean and modern, but lacked personality. It was cold in more ways than one. Goose bumps populated my arms as I opened a cabinet to look for a frying pan.

  Nothing. Completely empty.

  I opened another door. Same thing.

  “Shit.” He growled behind me. “I forgot to grab a pan and some cooking utensils last night at Bella’s.”

  I closed another empty cabinet and turned to face him.

  “I’m sorry. It’s been so long since I fed anyone.”

  “It’s okay.” The idea that he wouldn’t have any pans or dishes hadn’t even crossed my mind.

  “I’ll stop while we are out today and pick up a few more things.”

  I flashed him a supportive smile. At that moment he looked more like an embarrassed boyfriend than a millennia-old vampire who’d seen empires rise and fall. I liked it. It made him seem more real.

  He took my hand and led me toward the front door. I slipped on a pair of sandals as he opened it. “We’ll get you some breakfast and then—” His words stopped suddenly and he turned, looking down to meet my gaze. “Rose wants you to meet Arlea today. Do you think you are up for that? If not, I will insist it wait.”

  “I don’t want you fighting with Rose. If I need to meet this woman today, then that’s what I’ll do. It can’t be that bad.” I searched his eyes for some hint of reassurance. What I saw was uncertainty. He knew this Arlea woman. Why would he be so against my meeting her? “Is she mean?”

  He looked away and shook his head. “No, she’s not mean. Just old and ...”

  “And what?”

  “Arlea is an Oracle. She sees fates.” A long sigh slipped from his lips and he shrugged his shoulders. “All the Sisters are seers of some variety. You need to be prepared.”

  “For what?”

  “For something you may not like.”

  Well that wasn’t vague at all. Something I might not like? Was she going to read my palm and tell me my fortune? That was all such bull. No one could see the future. Though only a few days ago I would have said dragons and pixies didn’t exist either.

  We exited his apartment and walked down the stairs to the sidewalk. Across the street stood two tall men, one with short brown hair and the other with shoulder-length black curls. The first was in loose jeans and a white t-shirt. The one with black hair sported Western jeans, boots, and a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up just a little, showing muscular forearms. They glanced up when we reached the bottom step and nodded toward us before going back to their conversation.

  “Are they vampires?”

  He took my hand and led me around the corner to the town circle. “Yes. Marcus lives in the apartment they were standing in front of. The one dressed like a cowboy is Javier. His place is next door to mine. They are Protectors,
like me.”

  “So they have the tattoo that protects them from the sun, too, I guess.” I mentally pinched myself. That was a stupid question, seeing as how we were all outside and the sun was up.

  “Yes.”

  “Are all the Protectors vampires?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “We are stronger and faster than many supernaturals. Also, we don’t grow old.”

  “So it makes you the perfect soldier.” There were definite advantages to being a vampire. But not being able to enjoy the taste of food ever again had to be high on the list of cons. And for most of them, daylight wasn’t an option either.

  “It certainly makes us difficult to replace. The Protectors are chosen by the Oracle of Lamidae, Arlea. Rose bestows the magick needed to gift us with immunity against the sunlight.”

  “Are there other vampires in town who aren’t Protectors?”

  “No.”

  We turned onto the main circle of town and passed Calliope’s shop. A pretty, ocean blue dress in the window caught my eye and I couldn’t help but stare, if only for a moment. The color of the dress reminded me of Erick’s eyes.

  “Vampires, as a rule, prefer their space. You won’t find them in groups. That Sanctuary is the home to four of us already is quite stressful because we need to feed. In a small town, there are not many options. No hospitals and clinics mean no blood banks. Most vampires keep to large metropolises and stay as anonymous as possible.”

  “So then do they all feed from Rose? She was going to let you drink her blood.”

  “Several of the Protectors have taken up with other people in town. That helps with the feeding, but Rose still provides when we need extra. Though she has not fed me since you arrived.”

  “Do I taste different?”

  “Very.” He nuzzled my ear and opened the café door. “Your blood is sweeter and lighter.”

  He made it sound enticing. I couldn’t imagine the draw. I’d tasted my blood before, several times after being beaten by Kevin. All I remembered was a bitter, metallic taste and the pain I’d associated with the taste. It was the furthest thing from sweet and light. Still, it made me curious.