Darkness Calls (14 page)

This last campaign had been all footwork, and he admitted she had him dead to rights. One kick after another had connected, and while he was reeling, she swept his feet out from under him. She now stood before him, trying to control her breathing, her fists braced for more conflict. A fine glisten of sweat covered her arms and shoulders, and the gray of her tank top was stained with perspiration along the neckline.

“Ready to concede, Ryder?” she asked softly, and there was no hint of derision or anger.

Ryder grasped his side and awkwardly lumbered to his feet, but he refused to concede defeat. “I can't leave you alone.”

She dropped her fists and placed her hands on her hips. “Don't do this. I have to keep my mind on the case, and with you around…” Her voice trailed off as she backed down, clearly not wanting to take the fight any further.

Ryder gave her his answer by putting his fists up. “What are you, anyway?” he asked as he swayed a little.

“I'm your worst nightmare. A psychologist with a black belt in tae kwon do,” Diana responded in jest, hoping to convince him to stop. She didn't really want to hurt him, but he didn't back down. “Come on, Ryder, give,” she pleaded once more, but she had all choice taken from her as he charged, displaying a sudden burst of speed and strength that caught her off guard.

This time he landed a short jab that connected with her stomach, but had little force. Instinct was hard to combat, however, and she struck out at him, landing an elbow to his face. He straightened, a little surprised by the shot, and she swept his legs out from under him.

He landed hard on the mat, where he remained motionless, flat on his back.

D
iana slipped to the mat beside him, concern driving her to check him out. In a second, he grabbed both her wrists, flipped his body and nailed her to the mat. His weight, and the way he had pinned her arms and legs, made it virtually impossible for her to escape without doing him serious bodily harm. “Ryder, that was not fair. Now, give before I have to hurt you.”

“Never underestimate the enemy, Diana. You're too quick to let yourself become committed.”

“You're not the enemy, just annoying,” she replied, wishing he would remove his body from hers. The weight and feel of it made her think of things she'd rather not be thinking. Like how nice it might be for him to take his shirt off and let her savor all that hard muscle.

She knew he had no plans to release her, and, quite frankly, she had no desire to go. His gaze, as it touched on her face, seemed to mirror her emotions. His eyes were warm and inviting. So dark and deep, it was as if she could slip inside them and lose herself.

When her bright green eyes, as alive as anything Ryder had ever seen, widened, her pupils dilating, he recognized her passion. Her fragrant breath, choppy as it was from her exertions, blew against his face as he leaned even closer to whisper, “You concede we might be…friends?”

She closed her eyes, as if to shut him out of her thoughts. She arched to try to get him off, but the movement only served to bring their bodies into closer contact. In response, he became aroused. He closed his own eyes, trying to ignore the sight of her face and all it revealed to him. As he brought his own strained breath under control, he inhaled the exciting scent of her. Fresh, living woman, skin soft and flavored with the light sheen of sweat from her earlier exertions.

Bending his head, he brought his face down to the gap between her neck and shoulder, inhaled again and wanted to growl. He opened his mouth on her skin, tasting the saltiness. She moaned, grabbed his head and held him tight.

“Ryder.” Her voice was barely a whisper, and he reined in his most brutal of desires, trying not to think of the thickening pulse beating so close to his mouth. His heartbeat accelerated and brought a rush of blood and heat, signaling the coming change in his body.

He strove to control his animal urges and concentrated instead on the supple feel of her body moving beneath his, urging him on. As the beast in him was aroused, the human trapped within responded, and he hardened against her belly. Rotating his hips, he pressed into her, needing her to know how much he wanted her. Needing her to acknowledge it, yet certain this wasn't right for them.

“I don't want this,” he whispered, fearful of so many things. Still, it had been so long since he had held a woman in his arms that he nuzzled the soft shell of her ear and tugged at her lobe with his lips, wanting to enjoy the fleeting moment before it had to end.

“I don't want this, either.” She attempted to break free, rocking her body beneath him and trying to loosen the hold of his fingers on her wrists. He maintained his grip on her, and she sighed. “What a time for us to finally agree.”

Her humor gave his need a sharp, painful edge. It had been too long. And never since becoming a vampire. He was afraid of what would happen if he took it further, but was even more afraid of continuing his existence without exploring this very fascinating and multidimensional woman. Feeling the edges of his upper teeth with his tongue, he confirmed that he had mastered the animal. He pulled away from her to reach down and cup the side of her face. “I think it's nice we're finally agreeing on something,” he said softly, his voice both teasing and serious. He trailed his thumb over the fine edge of her brow.

She brought her hand down to the nape of his neck, cradled the back of his head and drew him close as she raised her mouth to his. “Problem is, we're both wrong.” She brushed her lips back and forth across his, her touch light and almost tentative.

He held her cheek, stilling her motion. His gaze locked with hers, and with that connection came the understanding that neither could pull away from the dangerous ground they were approaching. Her soft sigh signaled her consent, and he moved the short distance and tasted her lips.

They were satiny and full, as sweet as anything he had ever sampled. He plucked at her lower lip with his teeth, soothed the little nip with a swipe of his tongue. Her eyes widened further, in surprise, then she responded in kind, pulling at his lower lip with her mouth. He groaned and said huskily, “So what do we do now?”

She moved her mouth to the side of his face, dropping one kiss and then another on his skin as she worked her way up to his forehead and then back down to his mouth, her actions filled with tenderness. “I think we're already doing just what needs to be done, Ryder. So please, shut up.”

He laughed and met her mouth, experiencing the texture and flavor of her. The hard, perfectly straight edge of her teeth. The slippery, satiny glide of her tongue dancing with his. The intimacy of the kiss, filled with the sweet breath of life. A breath he hadn't experienced in way too long.

She responded eagerly, meeting his demands, holding the back of his head to keep him close. Shifting her body against his, urging him to want so much more.

When they finally broke apart they were both breathing heavily, shaking with the force of their need. Meeting her gaze, Ryder had no doubt what she wanted, and despite nearly two centuries of telling himself that he was not meant to have a normal relationship, he knew he wanted to give her that and more.

He rolled, bringing her smaller body to rest upon his. She sat up, straddling his hips with her legs. She settled against him, his erection nestled at the center of her, and he placed his hands at her waist. She threw her head back and shifted her hips, drawing herself back and forth across him, creating even more heat with the friction of her movements.

“Diana.” She opened her eyes, glanced down at him and stilled at the tone of command in his voice.

He reached for the hem of her sweat-dampened tank top, burrowed his hands beneath the edge and pulled the fabric up. When he reached her breasts, he stopped and cupped them, and ran his thumbs across the hardened tips hidden beneath the fabric of her sports bra.

Diana grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it off, exposing the black cotton bra. She cupped his hands as he pulled at her tight nipples beneath the fabric, for each tug sent a corresponding sensation to the awakened nub between her legs. She wanted him so badly it scared her. She knew so little about him, and she knew her dreams had been a warning of sorts, telling her to avoid him. Or maybe, she conceded, a vision of what was meant to happen.

He slipped his hands from under hers and insinuated his thumbs beneath the band of her bra. Her breath rasped in her chest and she had to shift her hips against his erection to satisfy the growing urges of her body. “It's not too late to stop,” she managed to say between shaky breaths, even as she increased her movements.

He met her mouth with his lips and whispered, “It was too late before we even met.”

She groaned then, knowing she was lost, and gave herself over to him. He made short work of taking off her bra.

Then he surprised her with the way he hesitantly nuzzled his head against her breast, brushing first the fine satin of his hair and then the rasp of his beard across her nipples. He took the sensitive tip of her breast into his mouth, sucking on it, gently teething until she shivered, cradled his head to her and reached under the hem of his shirt to stroke his back. Beneath her hand, his muscles flexed. His skin was hot, unbelievably so, and seemed to be growing warmer by the second.

Only a fine edge of control kept her from her climax as she slowly drew herself along the length of him, hating the barrier of their clothes. When he slipped his thumb downward to apply pressure to the nub between her legs, she slipped over the edge, crying out her completion. He held her close with one muscled arm and brought his mouth up to swallow her cries.

Her slender body shook in his arms, and her soft mewl of protest as he moved away made his heart ache. He had been denied this for so long, living in a world where he maintained only a semblance of humanity. But now he had her. A vibrant, loving woman who embraced him with her heart. A woman freely giving him something to be treasured above all else.

It was insanity to take it any further, he told himself, until her softly uttered “Love me, Ryder” breached all the walls he had erected so long ago.

Ryder rose with her in his arms and walked the long length of the room and hall to his bedroom. She clung to him, her head buried against the side of his neck. She kissed his skin and opened her mouth on him, tasting his flesh before playfully nuzzling his ear with her nose.

He stopped before his large sleigh bed and let her slip to the floor.

“Ryder?”

He faced her, placed his hands on either side of her waist and slowly caressed her skin. “Mmm,” he replied as he bent his head, opened his mouth on the side of her neck again and sucked gently.

Ryder savored the quick little catch in her breath as she dropped her head to the side to give him greater access. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she urged him to sit on the edge of the bed. “I want to give you one last out. One last chance to say no before I ravage you,” she said, her dimpled grin flashing.

She was too tempting, he thought, meeting her gaze as she ran the palms of her hands along the slope of his shoulders. He smiled and ran the backs of his hands along the defined muscles of her abdomen. Her skin was soft, and there were faint tan lines near her shoulders and breasts from an obviously small bikini. He regretted that he'd likely never see her in it, but he tried to keep up the lighthearted mood she had created by teasing her back. “Darlin', if anyone should be suggesting ravaging, it should be me.”

He raised his hands and cupped her breasts, making her sigh. “No fair, Ryder. I can't think when you do that.” She moaned, a low, needy sound.

“Then don't,” he managed to say before he returned to her breasts.

Her body responded to his ministrations, but she wanted…no, she
needed
more. Reaching for the edge of his T-shirt, she quickly pulled it off, exposing his upper body to her gaze. He was lean, with muscles that were tight and well defined. There was little hair on his chest, just a smattering between his pectorals that arrowed down into the waistband of his sweats.

Even as his hands and mouth continued to draw her to the edge, she ran her hands along all the muscle and skin she had exposed, enjoying the sinewy grace of his body. His heat seeped into her, reaching through her, creating a desire that bordered on wild.

Stepping into the vee formed by his open legs, she cupped his head with one hand while encircling his erection with the other, needing to give him pleasure. She wanted to take him with her to the sensual, vital place where everything seemed amazingly alive, surprisingly sensitized.

The fleece beneath her palm was soft in direct contrast to his hard arousal. Slowly she moved her hand up and down, rubbing the fabric against him. He groaned and moved his head away from her breasts as his breathing grew labored.

Her gaze locked with his, and in his eyes she saw desire, need and, scarily, a want that went beyond anything she could have imagined. His eyes widened as she continued to stroke him while caressing the skin of his shoulders and slowly moving her hand to his back. Against her breasts, his breath came in soft, soughing gusts of warmth that bathed her skin with heat. Until he covered her hand with his, reluctantly stopping her.

She bent, removed his clothing and watched him ease onto the center of the bed after removing a condom from the nightstand. Peeling off her own socks, pants and panties, she knelt on the bed and inched to him slowly, feeling suddenly…adventurous.

She dropped a kiss on the inside skin of his ankle. Moving upward, she did the same on his knee, and as she neared his groin, she stroked the side of her face along the length of him. Beneath her cheek, he was hot, musky. His skin soft and inviting. She ran her tongue along the head of him before kissing him intimately.

Ryder nearly bolted off the bed, his breath trapped in his throat. It seemed all the blood in his body rushed to the place where she greedily loved him with her lips.

“Diana, please. Come here.” The husky growl of his voice surprised him. He discreetly ran his tongue along his teeth and noted only a small bump. When she held out her hand for the condom he had removed from the packet, Ryder wondered if it was even necessary. After all, he wasn't really alive, was he? He hesitated but passed it to her. She eased it into place, stroking him as she slowly unrolled the latex over the long, thick shaft of his penis.

Shifting to her back, she opened her arms and he quickly joined her, sheathing himself in her warmth. He moved slowly at first, his thrusts long and unhurried as he let her accommodate to his size.

Diana gripped his shoulders and met his dark, unyielding gaze. “We will not regret this, Ryder.”

He braced one hand on the sheets beneath her head and cupped her jaw tenderly with the other. It seemed as if he wanted to speak his mind, but the moment quickly passed. He shuttered his gaze as little by little he increased the intensity of his thrusts, pushing her along toward another climax as he strove for his own.