BodySnatchers (9 page)

“Why, when we both feel it? Regina, it’s inevitable.”
Stepping up behind her, he removed the pan from her grasp and laid it in the
sink. Then, with slow, deliberate movements, he turned her in his arms and
stared down into her eyes, his own a piercing pale blue.

“I need to eat,” she said, her hands fluttering against his
chest. She needed to eat? What was wrong with her? This vampire who looked good
enough to eat was about to kiss her and all she could say was “I need to eat”?
Think,
Reggie
!

“I need you.” He bent to take her lips, his mouth covering
hers, his tongue licking at her bottom lip.

Her lips parted on a gasp. Think?

Think what?

Think about how good he felt inside her, how warm his lips
were pressed to hers. How gently he touched her, smoothing his hands down her
back to curl around her hips and bring her even closer.

Yuri dove in and plundered, thrusting his tongue through her
teeth to duel with hers.

Thought wasn’t an option. Feeling, tasting and touching were
instinctive and natural, and she thrust back with both her tongue and her hips.
The hard evidence of his arousal pressed into her belly, making her want more.

Reggie’s hands crept up his chest and circled behind his
neck, tangling in his hair and tugging him closer. At the same time, her lips
moved against his, voicing a thought as random as this encounter. “This is
wrong.”

“Maybe so, but I can’t help myself.” His kisses moved from
her mouth to her throat.

Had he tried to resist the draw between them as much as she
had?

Hard, sharp teeth skimmed over the sensitive skin of her
neck, and she didn’t fight him. He could sink his vampire fangs deep into her
jugular and drain her dry, and she’d welcome it gladly.

“You must have me in another one of your trances,” she
whispered, her head thrown back to give him better access.

“No, my Regina, I want you on your terms, no matter how hard
it is to restrain myself.” He grasped the hem of her tank top and dragged it up
her waist and over her head, tossing it to the kitchen table.

She could have resisted. Instead she pressed her body
against his, shoving his coat from his shoulders.

When he let go of her long enough to straighten his arms,
his black trench coat fell to the floor, the buttons clicking against the
ceramic tile.

Skin. She wanted to be skin to skin with him, and it
couldn’t be soon enough. Taking charge, she ripped his black T-shirt up and
over his head, slinging it to the floor. Then her hands moved over the rivet at
the waistband of his jeans and yanked it loose, sliding the zipper down with
more desperation than care.

“Easy,” he said, his hands grasping hers. Then he slid his
jeans down, kicking off his shoes until he stood naked and proud, his penis
hard and pointed in her direction.

Reggie’s breath caught in her chest. Last time she’d seen
him, she’d been in the shock of waking up from a trance. Now that she had time
to study him from head to toe and all those gorgeous parts in between, she was
speechless.

His sultry look turned confused. “What?” He glanced down at
himself and back to her.

“Are all vampires as well-equipped?” she asked, excitement
feeding through her veins like fire on dry tinder.

“Not that I go around looking at other vampire’s cocks, but
I’d venture to say it’s one of the perks.” His eyes narrowed into the dark and
sexy look of the hunter. “My turn.”

She stood like a deer mesmerized by oncoming headlights,
frozen to the kitchen floor, her bottom leaning against the kitchen sink. When
she should be remembering what happened to her father at the hands of a
vampire, all she could think about was what this vampire’s hands were going to
do to her.

As she stood in her bra and jeans, Reggie’s body sweltered
in her own skin.

Yuri moved closer, his body calling out to the inner wanton
in her.

Feeling highly overdressed, Reggie was ready to shake free
of all encumbrances standing in the way of her and him.

He slid his engorged cock against her belly. Instead of
telling him to get lost and running like a frightened child, she pressed
closer, unable to quell the surge of unbridled lust washing over her like a
tidal wave pulling her under and dragging her out to sea.

His hands tugged her jeans over her hips and downward until
he knelt at her feet to lift her legs one at time, releasing her of the stiff
fabric.

“I’m going to hate myself later,” she moaned, her legs
spreading wider as his hands rose up the insides of her thighs.

“Maybe so, but I’m going to love you now.” His fingers
slipped into her folds until he found her moist center. First one then two
fingers slid in, abrading her vaginal wall with the rough texture of his hands.

Reggie squirmed, her legs spreading wider, giving him more
access to her. She clamped her teeth on her tongue to keep from begging him to
take her.

Dragging his moistened finger between her folds, he swirled
her juices around and around the little nub of her clit, teasing but not
touching the swollen tip.

When he flicked his finger against that special place, she
rose on her tiptoes, her hands clutching at his hair, pulling him closer.

He grabbed her by the hips, hiked her bottom up onto the
counter and replaced his finger with his tongue lapping at her hypersensitive
clit in much more aggressive and sensuous strokes.

Reggie welcomed the cold countertop against her hot ass as
she spiraled toward that ultimate peak. Spurred by that magical tongue laving
her clit, her body erupted into a cataclysm of sensations. Her orgasm was so
exquisitely intense, she didn’t realize she’d shouted out loud until she heard
Yuri chuckle, his breath warm against her thighs.

“Stop laughing. You did that to me.”

“But you yell with such gusto.” He kissed the inside of her
thigh and looked up at her with those wickedly blue eyes gleaming.

“Shut up and fuck me.” She tugged at his hair until he stood
and wrapped her legs around his waist, his penis positioned at the opening to
her pussy, the velvety head poised to plunge into her slippery depths.

He hesitated.

“Oh for the love of Mike, do I have to do everything?” She
grabbed his hips and slammed him home, her cunt absorbing all of him inside,
the walls stretching to accommodate his size.

As he moved in and out of her, she leaned back, her head
resting against the cabinets. “Why,” she inhaled sharply as her body clenched
around him, reveling in his strength, “why did you stop a moment ago?”

He pumped in and out of her, his eyelids drooping over those
ice-blue eyes, his lips pulled back over his teeth, exposing the long incisors.
“I was going to scold you,” he said, his voice breathless and strained.

“Scold me?” she asked as he pressed deeper. How much better
could this get and she not fall apart?

“For saying fuck.” His body rammed hard on the word, and he
held steady, the muscles in his arms and legs tense. “But I decided I like it
when it’s you.” He pulled back slowly, hissing as he did, and then he rocked
into her again, holding her hips against his.

His cock pulsed inside her, the sensation pushing her over
the edge yet again. She cried out, grasping his shoulders, holding on as she
rode the wave until they both coasted in to the shore and collapsed against
each other.

When she could breathe again, she pushed back without
breaking their intimate connection and stared down at where they were still
joined, his cock hard and deep within her.

“Definitely a perk,” she said. And then the world came back
to her like a train wreck. Her body stiffened, and she pushed against him. “Damn.”

“What?” He slipped free of her warm, moist center, the cool
air in the apartment a shocking blast to his heated shaft. His hands retained
their hold on her thighs.

“I shouldn’t have done that.” Her voice was soft and sad,
and her eyes filled with tears. “I shouldn’t have made love to the enemy.
Again.”

Chapter Eight

She slapped his hands away and pushed him aside, running
from the room, her tight, white ass sexy even as she disappeared around the
door into her bedroom.

He followed her across the living room and stood in front of
her closed door. “Regina, I am not the enemy. Why do you refuse to believe me?”

“Are you a vampire?” she called out through the wooden
panels.

“Yes, but not by choice.”

“Then you’re the enemy!” she shouted. “I can’t believe I
just did what I did. My sister will never forgive me, and my father, God rest
his soul, is probably rollin’ in his freakin’ grave. What was I thinking? Where
are my black running shoes?”

Yuri smiled as he listened to her run-on ranting.

She might regret it now, but she’d be back again. He’d bet a
trip into the sunshine on it. The amount of passion they’d shared couldn’t be a
fleeting blip on her radar. It came from deep within her. Otherwise she would
not have reacted with such vigor and intensity with a being she professed to
despise.

However, if he didn’t settle the issue of Andrei Skirko and
free Reggie’s sister and the other women purloined from the streets of Houston,
there wouldn’t be a next time. Of that he was certain. Regina’s sister meant a
lot to her. If something were to happen to her while they had been making love,
Regina would never forgive herself or him.

While she busied herself in her room, Yuri returned to the
kitchen. After he dressed, he cleaned the burned skillet and cracked two eggs into
it.

When Reggie emerged, showered and dressed in black, he held
out a plate to her. “Sit and eat.” He didn’t ask, he ordered. Knowing she’d
refuse, he was prepared to take up the gauntlet.

“I’m not—”

He held up a hand. “When was the last time you ate?”

Pressing her lips together, she looked as though she might
not answer. “Yesterday at noon.”

His brows rose. “And you’re arguing with me? Sit. And. Eat.”
He plopped the plate on the table and pulled the chair out for her.

“I’m not hungry,” she said, but her gaze followed the plate
to the table. “Okay, so maybe a little.” She sat and picked up a forkful of
scrambled eggs.

“Hard sex tends to work up an appetite.”

She glared at him over the fork. “Don’t expect a repeat
performance.” She shoved the fork in her mouth and chewed, continuing to frown.

“I don’t expect anything,” he said, leaning against the
refrigerator, his arms crossed over his chest. It was true. He didn’t expect
anything, but he knew she’d come around with enough of the right persuasion. If
only they had more time.

A quick glance at his watch and he straightened. “When
you’re ready, we need to go.”

Her fork clattered to the plate, and she stood so fast her
chair teetered on two legs and crashed to the floor. “I’m ready.”

* * * * *

No matter how much experience she’d had with late-night
stakeouts, Reggie couldn’t control her galloping heart rate. Hovering in the
shadows across the street from the A.S.E. warehouse, she tapped her finger to
the headset, hoping it was in good working order as she awaited the signal to
move in.

A hand on her arm made her jump. “Don’t do that,” she
whispered.

“I think he’s been dying to touch you for the past thirty
minutes.” Torsten chuckled. “Not that I blame him. You do look pretty amazing
in black.”

“Leave it alone, Torsten,” Yuri warned.

“You’re too obvious, Yuri,” Torsten continued. “Can’t you
see she doesn’t want anything to do with you? Isn’t that right, Reggie?”

“Right,” she answered. If she said it often enough, perhaps
she’d feel it. At that moment though, she was scared. Scared for her sister and
scared for herself.

How had she gotten in so deep with Yuri in less than
twenty-four hours? And a vampire, no less. No matter how much she damned her
own actions, she couldn’t stop thinking about the way he’d held her and touched
her. Just thinking about him made her go all warm and wet between the legs.

What she didn’t understand was why he hadn’t tried to bite
her even when she gave him ample opportunity. Twice now he could have sunk his
vampire teeth into her. Yet he hadn’t.

Melisande had said a woman had turned Yuri. She hadn’t given
him the choice, forcing him into a life of immortality. A life some would find
appealing.

Reggie got the impression Yuri found living forever was
lonely. Another chink in the wall she’d attempted to erect around her heart
where Yuri was concerned. In her attempt to hate him, she didn’t want to know
the heartless bastard might not be heartless after all.

Her thoughts drifted again to her kitchen and the image
engraved in her mind of Yuri standing there naked and beautiful, his cock hard
and huge for her. Her breath caught in her throat, and her body caught fire all
over again.

Yuri leaned close. “Thinking about me?”

“No.” She instantly regretted how weak her answer sounded.
Mentally, she shook herself. Was she going soft? How could she keep her edge
against the vampires, werewolves and other creepy creatures roaming the streets
of Houston if she couldn’t keep her thoughts out of Yuri’s pants?

A long black limousine drove up to the doors, which
immediately opened as if the people inside had been watching and waiting for it
to arrive. Once the vehicle slid inside, the rest of the PIA team moved into
place. This was it. The black limo had to be the one carrying Andrei.

“I’m moving in,” Blake Tanner said into the radio. He had
insisted on being the lead with the C-4 explosives they planned to use to
breach the doors.

A shadow slipped across the face of the building and stopped
directly in front of the large doors, now closed to the outside. After ten
seconds, he moved back the direction he’d come.