Chapter Thirty-Three

Toni kicked off her slingbackpumps and crossed to the lamp on her bedside table, turning the brightness down to something more romantic. Her blood sang with anticipation, that special kind of giddy excitement a girl only felt when she knew she was about to get laid by a super sexy guy. Maybe later she'd do a victory moon walk.

Nearly chuckling, she scooped up the bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape sitting next to the Contessa phone on her nightstand. What would Dev say if he knew she was about to use his gift of one of his finest French reds to seduce another man out of his clothes?

"Hey, Jacken, why don't you grab a couple of wine –" She cut herself off.

The object of her lust was standing with his back pressed flat against her locked bedroom door, his eyes unblinking, his lips parted around short, shallow breaths.

Here was a new sight: Jacken on the verge of an all-out panic.

She held up the bottle, slowly, carefully. No sudden movements around the virgin, ladies and gentlemen, we don't want to scare him off. "I thought we could enjoy a glass of wine first."

"No." He cleared a scratch from his voice. "I mean, no, uh … thank you. I'm good."

Politeness? Oh, this was worse than she'd thought. "Are you sure?" She couldn't help a small smile. "You look a little nervous."

"Yeah, I'm … feeling a bit boggled."

"Boggled?" She laughed as she set down the bottle. "That doesn't sound like a word you'd use."

"Fucking boggled, then."

She rolled her eyes, even though she laughed again. "Our children are going to be such potty mouths, Jacken, I swear to God."

The shell-shocked expression returned to his face. "Children," he repeated hoarsely. "Jesus, Toni, I can't believe … this just can't be real." He shoved both hands back through his hair, then stood with his fingers gripping the base of his neck, his elbows spread wide. The stance served to display and augment the magnificent bulk of his body to perfection, his biceps curled up thick, the massive range of his shoulders and lats tapering down to a flat, board-like belly and narrow hips, his solidly muscled legs planted apart in his typical posture of confidence and power.

The sight sent a bolt of pure lust shooting straight through her. "You've got such a great body. You have no idea how long I've wanted to see you naked."

His arms fell back to his sides. He blinked, then snorted. "Yeah, well, I might have a clue about that on my own end."

She strode up to him with a heavy-lidded look. "Well, then, why don't we start making everything feel a lot more real?" She tugged the shirt from his waistband.

He exhaled a burst of air and jerked sideways away from her.

She arched her brows at him. "Running away? That's what boggling does?"

He flushed. "No. I just … I don't …."

She stepped back. "Let's take a short station break. How much do you know, exactly? Are you aware of the whole penis-in-the-vagina thing?"

"Jesus," he hissed, his face turning a deeper shade of red. "Yes, of course. We all took sex ed in school, and … I watched part of a porno once."

Eee-yikes. "Um, well, those aren't exactly the best training videos for what women like. So maybe it'd be best if you just follow my lead."

"No … I mean, yes, following you is fine. It's just …. It's hard to get used to the idea that I'm allowed to do this, Toni, okay?" He held up both hands, showing them to her. "I've never been allowed to touch you. At all."

"Oh, honey," she murmured, her heart warming. "Keep reminding yourself that I'm yours now, okay?" She grabbed his shirttails again, but paused. "I'm going to just do my thing, all right? If I move too fast, you be sure to let me know." She hauled his shirt off over his head, catching a glimpse of the twin dark patches of hair under his arms. In his armpits and on his head seemed to be the only places on his body he had hair. And … her eyes strayed to the front of his pants. There?

She forced her eyes back up, and smoothed her palms over his tattooed chest, feeling his muscles tense beneath his flesh. "Let your hunger for me guide you," she whispered. "Don't think of anything else." His skin was warm and surprisingly soft over the hard contours of his muscles. Satin over steel …. She swept her thumbs along the ridges of muscle underlying his pecs. A small sound escaped her lips as the raw virility of him sent heat spiraling through her, desire pooling hot and liquid between her thighs.

Jacken slammed back against the door, a crack of wood, his nostrils flaring.

She gave him a sultry smile. "That's me. I'm so wet for you, Jacken."

His eyes opened wider.

"Touch me, too." Wrapping a palm around the nape of his neck, she pulled him down for a kiss. "I want your hands on me so much," she said against his lips. Taking one of his palms, she placed it on her breast.

A breath ripped out of him and rushed into her mouth. He tried to pull away, but she wouldn't let him. She locked her palm solidly over the top of his hand at her breast and slanted her lips passionately over his, plunging her tongue deeply into his mouth, delving and exploring, making him kiss her back. God, it was so much better than that drugged-out day in the mansion's main parlor. Everything was so vivid this time. His tongue was sweet velvet against her own, and the taste of him was like having living fire inside her mouth, with all the burn and none of the pain.

She arched against him until finally, finally, he gave her boob a single, cautious squeeze. Her nipple peaked against his palm, and she moaned low in her throat, the need between her thighs growing hotter, wetter.

Jacken tore his lips from hers, a long, hissing breath threading between his clenched teeth.

She didn't want to stop, but it was impossible not to notice that the noises he was making weren't entirely pleasure-filled. "Jacken," she breathed, "what's wrong? Are you in pain?"

"Jesus, yes. I need to claim you, Toni." He tunneled his fingers into her hair and tilted her head to one side, his eyes latching onto her throat with glinting hunger.

She looked at his elongated fangs, brilliant white and wickedly sharp, and an unholy thrill curled up her spine. Who would've guessed the prospect of being bitten would be such a turn-on, but she'd never wanted anything so much in her life. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Thank God," he groaned. He pulled her close and dropped his face to her throat, one hand cradling the back of her head and the other pressing the center of her spine. He nuzzled her flesh, the rush of his breath tickling her as he drew in several deep lungfuls of her scent. She felt him shudder, and her heartbeat picked up its pace.

"Your scent's already so deep inside my head. Damn …." A low growl rumbled out of him, the animal quality of it spraying gooseflesh up her arms. He latched his lips onto her neck and sucked eagerly at her skin, the pull of his mouth drawing a corresponding tug out of the depths of her womb. Her nipples ripened and puckered, her breathing speeding up. A pulsating power hummed from his fangs, sending a shiver of anticipation through her belly. Suddenly she couldn't hold her head upright any longer.

Jacken lifted his own head. "Toni." His voice was heavy with desire, deep and silky. "Do you know about the first bite hurting?"

"What?" she mumbled.

"Shit," he cursed softly. "Toni, open your eyes." His grip on her hair tightened, keeping her head from lolling off her neck. "I need you to listen to me."

It took a Herculean effort, but she pried open her eyes a little, peering at him through the slit of her lids.

"This is going to hurt," he told her. "I'm sorry, honey. The first bite always does. Just … hang in for five seconds, then the Fiin?? will kick in and you'll be fine."

She nodded drowsily.

He hesitated still. "After you've got Fiin?? running regularly through your body, then it'll never hurt, okay?" His hand at the small of her back urged her snugly against his body.

"It's all right," she murmured.

But, no. It wasn't all right.

As his enormous shoulders hunched over her and his hard jaws snapped closed around her throat, her entire body jerked in pain and shock. Holy Mother of –! What she'd thought would be no worse than a couple of immunization shots felt instead like two daggers plunging into her vulnerable carotid. She cried out, fear rocketing through her.

Blood gushed out of her artery, filling Jacken's mouth, bringing such a noise of shattering pleasure out of him, her panic deepened. He sucked harder, and instinct for survival seized her. "Jacken!" She struggled against him. "Stop!"

He only held her tighter, one arm wrapping around her waist like a steel band, the other hand tangling around a fistful of her hair.

A fear unlike any she'd ever known roared through her. Her eyes flared wide and she hauled in a sharp breath. The sound of Jacken's greedy swallowing and his constant rumblings of elation filled her with the absolute certainty that he was going to lose control and drink too much.

He was going to kill her!