Forever Valentine Read online

  “But how can you—?”

  His lips stilled her worried words this time and when he drew back, she was his to command. His magnetism had always drawn her, but now focused on her exclusively, she could barely control herself. She was beyond caring if his words would prove false in the harsh light of morning when she was alone once more. For this moment, and the hours to come, she would suspend disbelief as much as she could and just enjoy the wonder of him.

  “Make love to me, Ian.”

  He swept her up into his arms and placed her gently on the bed. Luckily it was large enough for both of them, though he was a tall man. The bed in his home was larger still, and he would introduce her to it as soon as possible, but for tonight, this first time, he would take her here, amidst the lace and frippery of her feminine retreat.

  Another man might’ve been intimidated by the womanly surroundings, but Ian delighted in the idea that he was conquering her pretty rose colored bedroom just as he conquered her soft pink flesh. He wasted little time on her clothes, pulling her top off over her shoulders and tugging at her skirt. The front closure on her lacy bra gave way under his questing fingers and the thin cotton of her panties was no match for his decisive pull.

  She was naked.

  And so incredibly beautiful.

  Ian was amazed she had such power over him. Her light skin called to him, her warm scent begged him to breathe her in and never let go. Gingerly, he touched her, cupping the smooth roundness of her breast, watching with genuine enjoyment as her nipple pebbled and strained upward in his hand, calling for his kiss.

  He bent and licked the pointy tip, reveling in her sighs and the tender feel of her fingers sifting through the hair at the nape of his neck. She held him to her, encouraging him with her panting breaths and eager fingers as he sucked her nipple deep, using just a hint of the teeth that were even now lengthening to scrape along her delicate skin. He would leave no mark, but he would tantalize her in a way she’d never forget.

  She would never forget him, or this night. He would see to it. It was a need deep inside him, to put his mark on this woman and brand her for life. He didn’t question the need. It just was. And it was close to overwhelming.

  Ian took a moment to rid himself of his clothes in short order, not leaving the bed. He knelt above her body, tearing at his shirt and throwing it across the room as her gaze followed his every movement. When his chest was bare, he lay back on the bed at her side, encouraging her exploration with a few nudges and a wicked smile. Jena didn’t let him down.

  Her little hands roamed over his chest as he tugged at his pants, finally succeeding at getting them off when she turned the tables on him. Her pouty lips circled his nipple and then that devilish tongue of hers peeped out to tease him, but he wouldn’t let her have her way…this time.

  No, this first time was all about getting inside her as fast as possible. The hunger was riding him hard and he knew he had little control left. If he wanted to make this good for her at all, he had to be in control of every movement.

  He might give her a turn later at calling the shots, but not this time.

  He flipped her onto her back and spread her legs, kneeling between them. She was open to him and very vulnerable in this position, but a quick check of her expression told him all he needed to know. She was with him.

  “This time it’s got to be fast, but I’ll make it good, sweetheart. I promise. I just can’t wait.”

  “Don’t wait, Ian.” Her breathy sighs pushed him forward, his hard cock seeking its home between her slick thighs.

  “I’m sorry, cara. I can’t wait anymore. I need to be inside you.”

  And with a long, hot shove, he was home. Inside her. Welcomed into her depths with a feeling of warmth he’d seldom felt in his long life.

  “Ian!” Jena wrapped her luscious legs around him, using her thigh muscles to pull him closer. Ian couldn’t resist. He leaned down over her, capturing her lips with his in a kiss of heat and discovery as he began moving, powerful and sure, within her.

  He pumped her slow and steady, now that he was where he wanted to be, he could take the time to make sure he was with her every step of the way. She was so responsive, it took little to make her climax, once and then again. She came so beautifully, her energy bathing his senses as he drew it all in.

  Ian had fed off of many women in the centuries of his existence, but never had an orgasm given him such a feeling. It made him want more. And more.

  Ian drove steadily, delighting in the feel of her pussy clamped around him, her inner muscles milking him as he moved faster and faster. The fire was overtaking him, drowning him in the heat of her sexy body and he was a willing victim. Her orgasm rippled through him yet again, recharging his psi energies and pushing him onward.

  Ian rubbed his chest along her soft body, loving the feel of her tightened nipples as they rasped over his skin. She was so soft, so delicate, yet so explosive in his arms. She was perfect.

  Only one thing would make this experience even better.

  Her blood.

  Ian licked his way up her neck to the pulse he could feel pounding just under the surface. He could just hear the faint sound of her heart, tempting him as it pumped her rich blood through the network of veins and arteries he knew so well. All it would take was a sip. Just a taste of her amazing demi-vampir blood.

  He had to guard against taking too much. He didn’t want to hurt her and he knew with such passion flowing, he could easily get carried away. No, he’d have to be very, very careful.

  Just a taste. That’s all he wanted. He needed to taste her essence as he came inside her lovely body. It was imperative.

  Leaning in, he licked over the spot he chose, just over her pulse.

  “Give it to me now, cara,” he ordered in a soft voice, just beneath her ear. “Now I make you mine.”

  “I’m yours, Ian.”

  Her whispered words spurred him on as he bit down as gently as he could manage. At the first taste of her flowing blood, he knew.

  He came hard inside her tight channel, flooding her womb with his seed as her essence flooded his mouth and senses. Senses that were screaming at him in triumph.

  She was his.

  Jena thought she knew what to expect from a vampire’s bite after the experience with Sebastian, but Ian’s slow, sexy sucking was nothing like what Sebastian had done to her. It was also nothing like anything she had remotely imagined or dreamed.

  It was better.

  And more intimate.

  She felt him in the marrow of her bones…and in her mind.

  “Ian?”

  “Oh, dear God in heaven!” His words sounded through her mind differently than before. This time she didn’t just hear his words, but she felt his wonder, his amazement, his humility and joy. It stole her breath as she peaked yet again under the triple assault of his hot, hard cock, his sucking mouth, and his overwhelming feelings of awe.

  She picked up more than that as his climax began to ease. She heard the words and saw the images of his life. She shared in his past and realized dimly that he was doing the same. He was in her mind!

  “Ian!”

  “I’m here, my love. I’m here now and I’ll never leave. We’ll never be apart ever again.”

  “Oh, God, Ian. What is this?”

  “Don’t you know? Can’t you see it in my memories? Can’t you feel my hopes come to fruition, my prayers of eight hundred years answered in a single moment?” He drew back and stared down into her eyes. She saw herself reflected there. It was an odd sensation, but it felt so…right.

  “Are you trying to tell me—?”

  “You’re my one and only. My mate. The one woman in all the world, and all the centuries, who can complete me. Don’t you feel it? Don’t you feel me within you, a part of you, in every possible way?” He stroked his long cock gently inside her, reminding her of his presence not only in her mind, but in her body as well. “I love you, Jena. More than life. And I will love you to the en
d of my existence.”

  “Oh, Ian.” She clutched his shoulders, tears leaking from her eyes, but they were tears of joy. She felt the truth of his words, felt his emotions as he felt them, as she guessed he was feeling hers.

  Ian kissed her nose, then licked away her tears. “That’s right, my love. I feel what you feel, just as you feel what I feel. Isn’t it fantastic?”

  “Amazing. It’s amazing, Ian. I never realized…” She trailed off as she got caught up in his emotions, just scratching the surface of his memories of the seemingly endless years he’d searched in vain for her. His wonder at finding her was off the charts and it humbled her to think this magnificent man—this knight of old—could be so thrilled with the idea of having plain old her in his life. “Oh, Ian. I love you too. So much!”

  “I know.” The cocky arrogance was back, but she could feel the sentiment and indulgent love behind his words. He was such a special man. And she was his mate. The idea would take some getting used to, but she didn’t mind that one bit. She’d love delving into this man’s mind, his heart, and his incredible sexual expertise. After all, she had a lot of catching up to do!

  “Hold that thought, love. First we have to secure the room against the sun and then I’m going to barricade the door, take the phone off the hook and spend as much time as I possibly can making love to you.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Ian pulled swiftly from her body and went over to close the heavy drapes, inspecting them for light fastness. She could hear his thoughts and he apparently heard her too when she told him the curtains were indeed sun proof. She’d had them made specially since her skin had always been so fair and she couldn’t spend a lot of time in the sun.

  Ian returned to her moments later. He rested his broad back against the headboard of her full size bed and nestled her into his arms, resting his chin lightly over the crown of her head. She sighed and snuggled against his warmth, feeling him taking up residence in her heart and very soul.

  “I can hardly believe this is happening. I mean, when Sebastian saved Christy in the hospital, it was a shock to learn that vampires existed, but then I found out about Lissa and Kelly. I never dared dream I’d be a match too.”

  Ian seemed to ponder her words. “I know some of our researchers were already looking into why and how the three of them congregated together as such close friends. Finding a cluster of mates so close like that seemed statistically impossible before, but now, after finding you and knowing your true nature, it begins to make more sense.”

  She shifted a bit in his arms to look up at him. “How so?”

  “Your power probably drew them, my love.” He leaned down and kissed her sweetly, then pulled back again. “Even demi-vampir have some echo of the true vampire’s influence. Fate plays a role too, of course, but I’m not surprised those three women—destined to become vampire mates—would be drawn into your orbit. Tell me,” he stroked her shoulder and down her back, “were any of them friends before they met you?”

  Jena had to think back. “Christy was my roommate and I introduced her to the others. I met Carly, Lissa and Kelly in calculus class and we formed a study group. I don’t think they knew each other before that, but they’ve been as close as sisters ever since.” She resettled her cheek against his warm chest, just above the reassuring beat of his heart. “I met Sally about a year later in a martial arts class and she just jelled with the rest of the group even though she’s a little older than the rest of us. After that, the group of us were pretty inseparable, even though we were majoring in different things.”

  “It’s as I thought then. You are the link that drew those women together. I wonder—”

  “If Sally is also some vampire’s mate?” She finished the thought for him. “Now wouldn’t that be a kicker? Especially considering her line of work. Sensible cops like Sally probably don’t deal well with the supernatural.”

  “You might be surprised.” Ian turned her, teasing her skin with his light dusting of chest hair that rubbed her in all the right ways. “It’s a matter that definitely should be explored—but later. Right now I want to make love to my beautiful mate once more before the sun rises.”

  “Ian, do you think—?”

  “That your potent demi-vampir blood will allow me to walk in the sun?” He shrugged but there was an almost painful mix of hope and resignation in his eyes. “We shall see. But I dare not get my hopes up. We’ll take this slow. The first step, which we’ll take tomorrow night, will be to notify Marc LaTour, the Master of this region, about our mating and your family history. I trust him. He’ll help us figure out how to protect you.”

  “Protect me?”

  “Honey, if word of your demi-vampir nature gets out, every unscrupulous vampire in the world will be looking to bite you. The idea of seeing the sun again is very tantalizing. Even if your blood doesn’t work like that, just the idea that it might, will bring them flocking to your door.”

  “Can’t we just keep it a secret? I mean, I’ve lived this long without any problems. As long as we don’t tell anybody, I can probably continue living as I have.”

  He paused, seeming to consider her words. “Yes, that’s true, and I definitely do want to keep it a secret as much as we can, but we have to tell Marc. For one thing, it’s my duty. For another, we’ll need his help to establish protection for your mother. And for yet another,” he lay down facing her on the wide bed, “we might be able to use this to our advantage, for the protection of both vampires and mortals alike. If I do gain some ability to move about when the rest of my kind cannot, it could be a major advantage. One that the Master Vampire will need to know about in order to utilize.”

  “Hmm, that’s my man. Always the soldier.” She stroked his tightly muscled shoulders. “I trust your judgment, Ian, but I’ll admit I’m a little scared of all this.”

  He kissed her deeply, then pulled back. “I won’t let any harm come to you, my love. It would literally kill me if anything happened to you.”

  “You know that goes both ways, don’t you?” She stroked his cheek. “It’s so odd. I’ve only really just gotten to know you, but you’re in my heart already. I know you, Ian.”

  “That’s the way it is between destined mates—or so I’ve heard. You can talk to your friends about it now. They’ll tell you it’s how it’s meant to be.” He moved over her as he spoke, his words trailing across her skin in little, warm puffs of air. “But we have time now. Time to learn each other and love each other. I know I’m looking forward to it. Almost as much as I’m looking forward to coming inside you a few more times before this night is through.”

  Jena all but purred at his words, shifting under him in welcome. “I think that could be arranged.”

  Ian paused, staring down into her eyes intently. “You feed something in my soul that no one ever has, Jena. You are my world.”

  “Oh, Ian.” She battled the tears that wanted to form behind her eyes, her love for this special man welling up inside her, nearly out of control. He felt it of course, just as she felt the steady wonder of his words through their connection. She was so much a part of him now. She couldn’t explain it and understanding it was beyond her at the moment, but they were joined in more than just the obvious way. “I love you.”

  His lips claimed hers then as his body covered hers. His weight was welcome, though he used his forearms to brace most of his heavy bulk off her. Still, the tantalizing brush of his chest, the rasp of his legs over and between hers, all these things only heightened her pleasure.

  Ian felt what she felt. Her pleasure heightened his own in a way he had never before experienced. So this is what his newly mated friends had discovered. The perfect union of souls, the communion of spirits that brought more fulfillment than anything he’d ever known. He could happily live on this abundant, exuberant energy for the rest of his life and never go hungry.

  If Jena would let him.

  If she chose to stay demi-vampir and never be converted to full vampire, he would
live out her lifespan with her and leave this realm with her when she departed. It was just that simple. He could not live without her and would follow when she moved on to other realms.

  Jena stopped his shower of kisses with her gentle palms on either side of his head, pushing upward to get his attention. When their eyes met, he knew she had walked in his thoughts and not liked what she found there.

  He tried to head off her serious words. “I’m sorry. Let’s not ruin this moment with thoughts of the future, my love. It was wrong of me to dwell on such things at a moment like this.”

  He saw as well as felt her think about his words as he rubbed his lower half against hers, reigniting the fire he’d let flag. Her hands tugged downward now, bringing his lips within a breath of hers.

  “Don’t let it happen again, lover. We’ll talk about that other stuff…when the time comes. But not now.” She trailed her lips over his, her lower body reaching upwards as if yearning for him. And he felt the deep need in her thoughts that reflected his own.

  All that mattered now was this, their coming together in passion and…love. For the first time in his long life, he’d found a woman who loved him and he loved her in return. It didn’t seem possible that he could be so blessed, but he didn’t question it. No, the time for questions was over. Now was a time for action.

  “Later,” he agreed as he moved his lips down her body, stopping here and there to worship at her soft spots. “We’ll talk later.”

  He paused for a long time at her breasts, toying with her ripe nipples, teasing them with his teeth in a way that made her squirm deliciously. He felt her responses and he used his own mental powers to influence her reactions, to increase her sexual fire. He made her come just from his lips on her body, loving the little climax that fueled his own ardor. She was so responsive to him, it was gratifying to feel the love along with the passion for once. It was a heady mix that fueled him more than he ever would have thought. Love tasted divine to his senses and he wanted more.