For fifteen minutes he listened, completely bored, as Jason brought him up-to-date on any important happenings in his other businesses. His mind continued to return to the beautiful woman lying nak*d in his bed.
“I believe that about covers all of the business. Would you like me to drop your guest off somewhere?” Jason gathered the papers into a neat stack before he returned them to his folder.
“No,” Seth replied, practically growling. “She will stay here for the moment. When she desires to leave, I will take her home.”
“Are you sure that’s a wise choice?”
Seth’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t want to think about Jason being left alone with Willow. She was so tempting, so hard to resist. And he’d hate to ruin their friendship by ripping Jason’s head from his body.
“We’ve been friends forever, hell I’ve known you my whole life. I don’t want you to do anything reckless.” Now that business was finished, Jason had slipped back into their more usual light and friendly banter.
“I know what I’m doing. I’ll be all right.” Seth had to force himself to relax and forget about the vicious thoughts from a few seconds earlier.
“Just be careful until dark.”
“Yes, Mother,” Seth told his friend in a bored voice.
“I guess I’ll let you go so that you can get back to whatever it was you were doing with your guest.” When Seth opened his mouth, as if to say something, Jason quickly added, “And believe me, I really don’t want to know anything about it.” He headed for the elevator doors, shaking his head as he entered and pushed a button. “Because that would just be disturbing and gross, like walking in on your parents hav**g s*x.” Jason shuddered.
Seth couldn’t help but laugh at his friend. He was a nearly eight-hundred-year-old vampire, and Jason wasn’t thirty yet. But the substantial difference in their ages didn’t stop Jason from acting like a mother hen at times. Other times he acted as though he were Seth’s own child. Seth couldn’t decide which attitude frustrated him more. Or which he found more amusing.
As Seth watched the elevator doors close, he waved. He would be forever grateful for the young man and his family. Every member of Jason’s family knew the truth about him. Some of the very few humans to know about his race, they’d helped throw off any suspicions about him many times, often acting as though he were a son no one knew about—or some distant cousin—and helping him blend in. Hell, with help from them, he had been able to convince people he was his own child more times than he cared to admit.
Seth shook his head. He’d had a lonely existence for too long. If not for Jason and his family, he would have gone insane centuries ago. But of all the humans who had helped him over the years, Seth knew he would miss Jason the most when his time on this earth was over. He was tempted to change him, but refused to be selfish. When—or if—Jason ever asked, Seth would gladly grant the man’s request. But it had to be Jason’s decision. Seth wouldn’t coerce him or guilt him into changing merely so he would have company throughout the ages.
Walking over to the control panel he had discreetly hidden in a secret section of the wall, Seth pressed a series of buttons, locking the elevator. Until he unlocked it, the entire floor was blocked. Not even the few people with a key would be able to access his home. Continuing to lock up, he walked over to the mandatory door leading into the stairwell and barred that as well. This was his most vulnerable time—when the sun rose high across the sky.
Smiling, he returned to the hallway leading to his bedroom. All thoughts of loneliness and melancholy left him as his guest’s scent drifted up to meet him. Willow’s small form was stretched out, spread from one corner to the other at both her head and feet. It was a sight he was sure would make any man’s mouth water, and he was no exception.
Moving to the foot of the bed, he gave one tug and the sheet covering her body fell away. His gaze traveled her body, devouring every curve as both his lust and his hunger began to stir yet again. He could practically hear her moans in his ear as her n**ples hardened from the slight chill in his room. Sitting on the bed, he stripped off his clothes before leaning over and placing a kiss on her thigh. Unable to stop there, he shifted his position. Lowering himself, he began at her ankle and proceeded to kiss his way up her leg.
Willow sighed with pleasure in her sleep as Seth continued to tease a path higher, until he reached the soft flesh connecting leg to torso. Leaning down, he placed a lingering kiss on the flesh, allowing his tongue to glide over her skin. When he grazed her with his teeth she spread her legs apart, bending the knee and pulling it higher, to give him better access to her.
Seth transferred his attention to the patch of golden curls between her legs. As he scattered kisses above the curls, she let out a sound similar to disappointment.
“What do you want from me, sweetheart?” He was careful to keep his voice low and seductive. He made sure not to put any influence in it; he wanted to know just what she wanted from him as she hovered between sleep and wakefulness.
Willow repositioned her leg again. Dipping his head back down to the smooth juncture, she once again sighed with pleasure. She even reached down, one hand coming to rest lightly on the back of his head. Seth teased her flesh, tracing ancient symbols onto her body. When his teeth grazed against her skin again, she pressed herself up, closer to his mouth.
Intrigued, he took the opportunity to nibble on her, pleased when he heard a moan come out of her mouth. Moving his mouth over her flesh, he paused. Beneath his lips, and tongue as he pressed it against her body, he could feel the blood surging through the vein, teasing him.
She tasted so intoxicating earlier… Seth knew he shouldn’t drink from her again, especially not this soon, but had a hard time controlling himself.
Nibbling on the area again, this time biting a little harder, he was rewarded with another moan as her body pressed up against him. Willow twisted her hand into his hair. He gave in to the temptation, to the unspoken, unconscious request she was making.
Seth lost control of himself as her other hand joined with the first, tangling in his hair and holding him tightly against her. His teeth lengthened, sinking easily into the vein that had teased him seconds earlier. He fought to keep his mouth gentle, but drank greedily from her, unable to get enough of her taste.
As he drank, Willow stirred on the bed, her h*ps lifting restlessly. He could tell the minute she woke, but continued to gently drink from her.
“Oh my.” She moaned, beginning to buck her h*ps underneath him, despite the fact that he had yet to touch her dripping slit with even the barest of caresses.
“What are you doing to me?” Willow asked breathlessly. She was lifting her h*ps as though he were thrusting into her. She increased the pace of her movements as her fingers formed claws, digging into his scalp with her pleasure. Just as he was about to withdraw his teeth from her body, Willow screamed out, trembling in the aftermath of an orgasm.
With a smooth flick of his tongue, he easily closed the small holes in her skin, but nothing would hide the deep purple mark made by his sucking. It was the only telling sign that he’d drank from her body.
Climbing up on the bed beside her, he lay down, pulling her close to him, her back pressing into his chest. His hands roamed on her body, teasing her n**ples and caressing her br**sts. He nibbled on her shoulder as he moved his hand, seeking her wet p**sy. He tugged her clit, causing her to moan and lean back, pressing tighter against him.
Dipping his fingers into her, he moaned at how wet she was as she surrounded his digits. Lifting her leg, she bent it at the knee, giving him better access to her body.
Seth removed his fingers from her p**sy and positioned his hard c*ck at her dripping entrance. With one hard thrust he was buried completely inside her. His eyes closed and rolled up slightly at just how wonderful she felt wrapped around him. How perfectly they fit together.
“Gods, sweetheart, you’re so wet, so tight…” He nibbled on her shoulder. It was a struggle to keep his teeth from lengthening once again. The sane part of his brain warned that to drink from her again this soon would endanger her life. No matter how tempted he was to make her his permanent companion at the moment, he refused to be selfish. Several times in the past he’d been tempted to change a lover, but in the end had been glad he refrained. And for some reason, he didn’t want to change her without her knowledge—or consent. But now was not the time to dwell on those thoughts.
Willow moaned again as he began to thrust inside of her, stopping any more thoughts from entering his mind. She reached one hand behind her to dig her nails into his hip, encouraging him.
He continued thrusting with deep, patient strokes he knew were driving her wild. He moved one hand to tease her breast for a moment before lowering it and playing with her clit, rubbing tight circles around it as he enjoyed the increase in her moans.
Still stroking her, he increased the speed of his thrusts to match the rhythm of his fingers. Willow’s breath caught, and she let out a deep moan. He gave in to temptation. Gently biting the curve of her shoulder, he was careful not to allow his teeth to lengthen.
Her body tightened around him and he pinched her clit, tugging it between his thumb and forefinger, sending her over the edge. She shouted out his name and God’s as her entire body trembled around him. Growling into her flesh, he was helpless as her p**sy’s milking contractions again tore away his control.
He held her in his tight embrace, still buried deep within her until she was fast asleep. Leaving her only long enough to grab the blankets and wrap them up, he returned to her, pulling her back into his arms.
Settling down, Seth rested his face close to her hair and breathed deeply, memorizing the smell of her. As he fell into the deep sleep of his kind, he was certain that she would rest until later that night without any “help” from him. Especially since he had fed off her a second time.
Chapter Four
Cracking her eyes open, Willow couldn’t see much of anything around her. The room was cloaked completely in darkness. For a few moments, she felt disoriented. The sheets surrounding her didn’t feel like the cotton set she’d put on her bed before she went to the bar with Roxy. They felt smooth and silky and she knew she didn’t have any sheets like that. For a second she couldn’t remember where she was. As her memory, and all the things she’d done with Seth, returned, her face began to flame.
“Good evening. I was beginning to worry. How do you feel?” The bed shifted slightly as Seth sat beside her.
“I’m fine, I think. A bit sore, but that’s alright. And I’m starving.” She chuckled as her stomach started to growl noisily. “What time is it?” She struggled to sit up in the bed, almost forgetting at first that she was nak*d under the sheets.
“Almost midnight. What would you like to eat?” With a click, Seth turned on a lamp located on one of the nightstands.
Her eyes closed instantly as the room suddenly became brighter. Cracking her eyes again, she let them adjust to the change before opening them fully. He sat patiently, a smile on his face, looking delicious in his casual attire. Once again she couldn’t believe her luck. Had she really gotten to spend all night—and day—in his arms? Despite the slight distance separating them, she could practically feel the heat from his nak*d body as he pressed her deeper into the mattress when his h*ps thrust into her.