Phantom Desires Read online

  “What do you want me to do?” She would do anything he asked, and he damned well knew it, still there was something forbidden about the way he was looking at her. Something naughty and exciting.

  “Put your hands on the arms of the chair.” He waited until she complied before continuing. “Grip the ends of the arms with your hands and keep them there. No matter what.” He moved closer, sliding his hands down from her knees to her ankles then lifting them one by one. “Good thing you’re a flexible little girl.” He sent her a wicked smile as he pushed her legs back and over the arms of the chair—over her own arms as well, pinning her. “Slide your ass forward to the edge of the chair.” She shimmied closer to him in the odd position, exposing herself utterly.

  Dmitri sat back to admire his handiwork and she could feel herself creaming for him. All it took was a look from him and she was ready.

  “Dmitri…” She heard the pleading tone in her own voice but was powerless to stop it. She wanted him so badly. She needed him.

  He chuckled, kneeling between her spread legs. “Ssh, bebe, I’m enjoying the view.” He sank down so his head was on level with her pussy. She could feel his warm breath waft across her most sensitive skin, making her shiver. Dmitri leaned forward and she felt sharp fangs drift across her inner thigh.

  Then his tongue lapped out, sliding through her folds searching for and finding the hard nubbin that cried for him. Circling, swirling, licking and making her pant with desire, he tortured her in the most delicious way.

  “You taste divine. Like a goddess. My own personal goddess come to Earth to torment me. To fulfill me.” Dmitri licked his way up her body as he rose on his haunches until he reached her breasts. His body pressed her back into the chair but any discomfort in her odd position was negated by the waves of rapture pushing her to do whatever he asked.

  She cried out when his mouth closed around one nipple. He sucked and pulled with his talented lips and tongue before switching to the other side. One of his hands went to her pussy, two fingers sliding in deep and beginning a pulsing rhythm as his other hand went to her free breast, tugging at the nipple while his mouth teased the other one.

  Then he struck. Fangs scratched at her breast, making her scream. The edge of pain turned her on more than she would have expected and she felt her womb ripple in climax as his fingers continued to tease and his tongue lapped at the small marks his teeth had made around her nipple.

  “Dmitri!” She trembled in his arms as he pushed her deep into the chair, his hand in her cunt imprisoned between their straining bodies.

  “I love to hear you cry my name, my love.” His voice was a breathless whisper as he lifted his head away from her breast and trailed kisses up her chest until he could nuzzle into her neck. “You come so sweetly for me, Carly. Are you ready to come for me again, sweet?”

  “Anything, Dmitri. Anything for you.” She wanted to feel him inside her. She wanted his possession, his cock in her pussy. She wanted to feel him come apart in her arms and fill her with his come.

  “I know what you need, my mate. I will always know.” He drew back just far enough to look into her eyes as he withdrew his fingers from her wet pussy. His gaze held hers as he pushed forward with his hips—at the perfect level with her in the chair and him kneeling before it. These old chairs had possibilities indeed.

  He pressed inside and stilled, just at the entrance, the wide knob of his hard cock spreading her opening, so close and yet so far from the hard, fast, filling possession she craved. She tried to move down onto him, but he stilled her. Her eyes flashed to his.

  “So impatient, my love.” The deviltry in his gaze wasn’t lost on her but she really couldn’t appreciate his teasing ways at the moment. No, at that very moment she wanted nothing more than his cock fully inside her.

  He could hold her off physically. There was no question of that. But would he be able to hold off a mental assault? She could already feel the pathway between them widening as he lost control little by little. She felt his need, ruthlessly kept in check while he toyed with her. She felt his matching desire, his redundant restlessness, the urge to move, to conquer, to take. And she wanted to be taken.

  Daring greatly, she sought the knowledge to whisper into his mind.

  “Come to me, Dmitri. You know you want it as much as I do. Don’t make me suffer.”

  His eyes widened. “I thought you wanted more time to get used to this, vixen.”

  “I do. Just…” She stroked her hands over his hard shoulders as he eased his hold. She used him for leverage as she pushed herself onto his cock. “…not right now, Dmitri. Now I want everything you have to give. I want it all. With you.”

  He growled and took charge. She loved the way he mastered her body, the way he powered into her, making her clench around him with the slightest variation in tempo or pressure. He hit something deep within that made her insides respond like never before.

  And he watched. When she looked at him again, she saw his gaze was focused on the place where they were joined. She looked, struck by the sight of the longest, thickest cock she’d ever seen making itself at home inside her. It was a raunchy sight, a naughty vision and she understood why he watched. She felt his need for possession as deeply as she felt her own need to be possessed by this man. This vampire. This immortal lover who had so easily ruined her for anyone else.

  As she watched, his motion increased, as did the power of his strokes. She gripped his forearms and their eyes met and held.

  “Soon, beloved. Very soon.” He moved closer, his teeth already lengthened to sexy, sharp points.

  “Drink, Dmitri. Do it now, please!” she pled with him for the pleasure-pain of the bite that only days before had scared her spitless. Now she craved it as much as she craved him.

  He lost all control then. As his fangs pierced her flesh, the trickle in her mind became a flood and their thoughts merged, twining together as closely as their bodies. She absorbed a little more of him as he did her while their bodies reached for a climax higher than any that had come before. He drank even as he filled her both physically and mentally, and she loved every last minute of it.

  She screamed at last. A harsh, guttural sound of a female beast utterly devastated by her mate. He groaned as he came, licking at her flesh, sucking at her blood as his warm essence filled her womb with heat, pleasure and the manifestation of their love.

  Long moments later as her breath steadied and Dmitri regained control by small degrees, she sighed and gazed into his fascinating eyes. She’d learned more about him this time—seen memories of his past that she didn’t fully understand, but she thought she might in time. He’d been around far longer than she’d originally thought. Some of the things she saw in his mind were centuries old.

  “You’re a mysterious man, Dmitri Belakov.”

  “To you, I am an open book, my love. Ask me anything. I will keep no secrets from you. Ever. This I pledge.”

  “Do you really love me?” A demon of doubt made her ask. She’d never had a man say the words, but she felt Dmitri’s love with each new encounter. Still, she wanted to hear it out loud.

  “How can you doubt it?” He stroked her hair away from her face. “I love you, Carmelita Valandro. More than life. More than anything. You are my mate, and I want you to be my wife.”

  “You do?” Shock warred with the warm feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  Dmitri’s smile held the world. “I do.” She heard the echo of those words like the vow they implied. “I do too,” she whispered. “Dmitri, I love you so much.”

  He kissed her then, the kiss holding the wonder of their shared love. It was sweet. It was tender. But it was also wild and unfettered, like the love flowing between them.

  She didn’t know how long they’d been caught up in each other when a piercing animal howl sounded through the room, making her jump.

  “What was that?”

  Dmitri shifted away to peer out the nearby window. The howl had sounded very close. Right
outside the window, in fact.

  His mouth firmed into a thin line, and his brows drew together in annoyance.

  “What?” she prompted again.

  “Probably an emissary from the local wolf pack. Get dressed and meet me outside. You might as well get to know the neighbors. And they need to know about you.”

  He left before she could even stand. “Wolves?” she said to the empty room. What in the world was going on?

  She arrived on the porch shortly after Dmitri. He’d apparently made a quick stop in her guest bathroom. She could tell by the bright canary yellow bath towel in his hand.

  “Shift.” He threw the towel at the wolf. “And put this on. There’s a lady present.”

  Unbelievably, the creature shimmered and…changed…paws turning to hands and feet as a man’s form appeared where before there had been only the wolf. And the man was gorgeous. Brown hair liberally streaked with gold, expressive eyes and a chiseled face, he was model pretty but muscled like a linebacker.

  Carly watched from the porch, her emotions ranging from fear to awe as she watched the wolf shift shape into man. He bent down to retrieve the towel, then wrapped it around his hips at a jaunty angle, but not before giving her a good look at a most impressive bit of anatomy. The man was built.

  “So I noted through the window. Can’t say I’ve ever known you to be one to play with your food, Belakov.” The stranger pierced her with a challenging, sexy, lopsided grin. She could see his curiosity but also the careful way he acted around Dmitri. This man—wolf—whatever—was wary. He didn’t get too close, but he also wouldn’t allow any show of fear. He was cautious.

  Considering he’d just come to call on the resident vampire, Carly figured that was a wise stance.

  Dmitri held out a hand to her, and she walked down the steps. She did her best to keep the tremble in her stomach from translating to her legs. She surmised it wouldn’t do to show fear in front of either of these men.

  “Jason, this is my mate, Carly.”

  Rather than some expression of disbelief or a knowing smile, the half-naked man’s response was surprising. He came forward and sank to one knee directly in front of Carly, shocking her.

  “Be welcome, Carly. My pack extends to you the same agreement we have with your mate.”

  He took her free hand, kissed the back of it, ending with an audacious lick as he winked up at her. She got the sense this man was seldom serious for long.

  “Knock it off, Moore. She’s mine.” Dmitri tucked her under one arm, drawing her away from the wolf-man’s hold on her hand. Luckily, he let go, leaving her firmly under Dmitri’s wing, so to speak. All in all, she felt far safer with her vampire lover than this jokester wolf-man.

  “Congratulations to you both.” Jason rose to his feet. “I hear it’s not often a vamp as old as you meets his One. I think I understand why you were so preoccupied that I was able to prowl right up to the house without you hearing me.” He gave her a bad boy smile, and she knew from his tone he was teasing her mate. “Of course, I saw through the window what had you so enthralled. Can’t say I blame you, poor devil.”

  Carly gasped, realizing he’d seen them—

  It didn’t bear thinking about. If she did, she’d just die of embarrassment. Already she could feel a flush of heat rising to her cheeks, and she couldn’t look the man in the eye, focusing instead on his feet.

  “Go easy on my mortal bride, Jason,” Dmitri’s voice rumbled with power. “She’s had a hard time adjusting. She’s not used to my ways, much less your animal nature. In fact, until you shifted just now, she didn’t even know about your kind.”

  “No shit?” Jason’s curious gaze felt like a laser sight focused on her, but she refused to meet it. “But I thought you guys shared a brain or something when you found your mates?”

  “We do, but she’s having a hard time adjusting to that as well.” Carly could hear the frustration in Dmitri’s voice and it was the first time she got an inkling that he was less than satisfied with her desire to take things slow.

  She looked up at him, sorry that she was so afraid, but he tightened his arm reassuringly, smiling down at her. She felt the love through their small connection and warmed to it, allowing him to open the connection just a tiny bit more. She figured if they did it in small increments it wouldn’t be so jarring as that first flood of overwhelming information had been.

  “Well, ma’am. I’m Alpha of your friendly neighborhood wolf pack.” He made a little bow as Carly looked at him, embarrassment forgotten now. “Jason Moore, at your service.”

  “Carly Valandro,” she replied politely.

  “Soon to be Belakov. As soon as we can arrange it.” Dmitri tugged her closer and she felt warmed by his words and his embrace. Carly Belakov. She liked the sound of it.

  “I just came by to advise you we intend to hold a howl over in the woods by the far pasture at full moon. Some of the party might spill over into the pastureland, but I’ll do my best to keep my people in line. Just wanted to let you know we’ll be there, as per our agreement.”

  Dmitri seemed to relax just a fraction. “That’s fine. Though it’s Carly who legally owns the land now. You should really ask her.” He let her go a little, so she could stand more freely on her own. She got the sense that it was somehow important that she be seen as a person in her own right rather than a mere extension of him. She followed his lead. After all, he knew these…um…people, better than she did.

  “Ma’am?” Jason smiled at her and she nearly forgot the question.

  “If I didn’t know you were already mine, I’d be jealous.” Dmitri’s voice purred through her mind, but luckily she didn’t jump this time. Could it be she was starting to get used to his silent commentary?

  “What is he?”

  “Werewolf.”

  “They actually exist? And here I thought vampires were bad enough.”

  “Bad? Get rid of the puppy, and I’ll take great pleasure in showing you just how bad I can be.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  “Send him on his way, and I’ll make it worth your while.”

  “As you can see, the pasture isn’t being used, so I have no objection. But thank you for asking. I think I would have been a little alarmed if I saw something and you hadn’t told me you were going to be out there.”

  “As would anyone, I reckon.” Jason winked at her, seeming more relaxed now that she’d agreed. “If you’d like to drop in at the party at the pack house as my guests after the hunt, you’re both more than welcome.”

  “Thank you, Alpha.” Dmitri took over the conversation again, and Carly was glad. She wasn’t quite sure what Jason meant by a hunt, but she had some wild ideas, considering he could turn into a wolf. “We’d be honored to drop in for a few minutes. It will give your pack a chance to meet Carly, since she will be Mistress here.”

  Jason bowed in a very formal way for a man dressed in only a canary yellow towel, but he was so handsome, he could make even that silly towel look like haute couture.

  “I’ll see you at full moon, then. It was a pleasure meeting you, ma’am.”

  “Likewise.”

  Carly had barely spoken when the man shifted form again, leaving the yellow towel in a puddle as he landed on four paws, a tawny wolf with gleaming eyes. He barked once, then dashed away faster than anything she’d ever seen.

  Dmitri retrieved the towel and ushered her back into the house. She wanted to know all about werewolves. But then, there was so much she wanted to know about. She knew the easiest—most tempting—way of getting the information was also the scariest. She could have all the knowledge Dmitri possessed if she would just agree to sharing their minds fully.

  She just wasn’t sure she could do it. Not yet. Dmitri was such a powerful personality, she was too afraid of losing herself.

  “When is the full moon?” she asked when he led her into the kitchen.

  “A couple of days from now. He usually gives me some warning when his pack intend
s to frolic anywhere near.” Dmitri opened a few of the cupboards, taking down glasses and a bottle of wine. “I brought this up from my wine cellar. Tonight is a celebration.” He poured the wine, giving her a glass of the deep red liquid. “Of course, every night with you is a celebration. But tonight you have taken one step further into the world in which I live. You’ve met and been accepted by the local Alpha. That—whether you realized it or not—was a big step.”

  “Why?”

  “Let’s just say, as a general rule, our kinds don’t mix much. Because I live way out here, I’ve had to have more contact with the were community than most immortals. Bloodletters, they call us, since most of my kind object rather strongly to the term, ‘vampire’. Personally, it’s never bothered me, but if you meet others—and you will—you would do best to remember that.”

  “Don’t call them vampires. Check.” She raised her glass to his with a teasing smile, but she was fascinated by what he was telling her. “So bloodletters and werewolves don’t get along?”

  “It’s not that we don’t get along. It’s more that we prefer to give each other a wide berth. And there are more than just wolves out there, Carly. Jason is Alpha of the dominant wolf pack, but there are other clans and tribes of werefolk in this region as well. By comparison, our presence is small. There are many more weres in the open places. My kind tend to prefer cities because of the availability of human prey, while the weres prefer open space in which to run.”

  “It makes sense.” But she didn’t like hearing human beings called prey.

  “To us,” he toasted. They touched glasses and drank, the excellent vintage warming its way down her throat. It was delicious. Curiosity made her look at the bottle’s label.

  “I’ve never had a bottle this old.”

  “You’ve never had a lover this old,” he joked, pointing to himself. “But like fine wine, I promise, most things do get better with age.” She laughed, and he moved closer.

  “I didn’t know you could drink wine.” She grew breathless as he invaded her personal space in the most delicious way.