Rebel Obsession (29 page)

She felt the same way. Everything about Io screamed
I’m your mate.
He was bold and outspoken. He took risks and went after what he wanted. He refused to be intimidated by money, titles, or even her royal blood.

“Claim me,” she said, whispering.

His gaze blazed hot, and his full lips parted seductively. “Precious Miriam, make no mistake, your body will be fully and well-claimed by morning.”

The tone of his voice heated her blood, and her breath quickened as he knelt in front of her and took off her shoes. She stepped out of them then he reached for the fastenings on her jeans.

She had worn such casual clothes as a general
fuck off
to her father. He hated seeing her in jeans. But somehow she doubted her father would be happy about her taking them off, especially since Io was doing the honors.

Io’s fingers made short work of button and zipper and peeled the denim down her long legs. He bathed her with a sigh that sounded like a half-moan as he leaned forward to kiss the teardrop of her left thigh, just above the knee.

She was fully naked except for the lacy panty that matched the discarded bra, but even that had to go as Io hooked his fingers inside the delicate elastic at the sides of her hips and slowly pulled down.

Now
she was fully naked.

Io leaned forward and buried his nose against the nearly hairless flesh of her femininity as he wrapped his arms around her hips. She gasped as his tongue forced between her lips and licked her just once, lingering against her hard nub for an eternity as he inhaled and exhaled over and over. Hot air rushed over her, then her skin cooled as he sucked her aroma back in, then he blew out once more, and then in. Repeat.

“So perfect,” he said, then growled against her.

He dragged his mouth up her stomach, rising with deliberate ease to stand in front of her. Her fingers pushed into his thick, dark hair. He was so damn sexy. He gazed at her breasts again, sighing, admiring, making her tremble as he bent down. When his mouth closed over one rosy, tight nipple, Miriam dropped her head back so that the ends of her hair swayed over the rounded top of her buttocks.

“Io.” She breathed out his name.

“Mmm.” One hand spanned the small of her back while the other molded to the round softness of her breast and squeezed to pucker her nipple more deeply inside his mouth. His wicked tongue flicked the hardened flesh as he sucked the expanse of her nipple between his lips. His teeth nipped just once then he sucked again before pulling away to release her breast with a gentle, yet erotic, pop.

“God, I love your breasts!” He rose to his full height and brushed his lips over hers, urging her toward the bed.

When the backs of her thighs met the edge of the mattress, she climbed backward onto the bed, her lips separating from Io’s as he pulled away. Poised on her knees, she froze. Io was a god, more virile than Zeus. His muscles stretched and bunched as he untucked his shirt and drew it up and over his head.
Best show in town.
She reached to help him.

“No,” he said, grabbing her hand. If looks could start a fire, she’d have been a blaze. “Just lie down.”

“You don’t want my help?” She grinned as he shook his head in a way that let her know tonight was all about her, and that he wanted her to watch. “Fine, I’ll wait.” She sprawled back, propping herself up on her elbows, swaying her bent legs back and forth. Funny how last night she had been nervous, but now all she wanted was to feel him. Amazing the difference twenty-four hours could make.

Io tossed his shirt to the floor, razing her with his gaze, then went to work on his belt. “You’ll get plenty of opportunity to help. Don’t worry.” He pulled his belt free and unfastened his jeans.

Biting her lip, Miriam hardly moved, hardly breathed, and could only stare as he pushed down his jeans and stepped out of them.

He didn’t have on underwear, and his erection jutted out in front of him, full and heavy and large. Suddenly, her nerves made a marked reappearance. How was he going to get that large rod of flesh inside her? Would it hurt? She had heard that first times hurt for a female. Now she understood why. Sure, she had seen him yesterday. She had even wrapped her hand around him. But for some reason, she hadn’t thought—really, truly thought—about
that
going in
there
until just now.

Miriam didn’t want it to hurt with Io. She wanted it to be perfect.

“Sshh,” he said. He had rightly sensed her worry. “Just relax. Roll over.”

Huh?
“Roll over?”

“Trust me, baby.”

She did as he said and rolled onto her stomach then felt the bed shift as he crawled up over her. The inside of his legs rubbed against the outside of hers and she shivered when she felt the head of his erection brush over her ass. What was he doing? Was he going to take her from behind?

Then his weight settled over her as he straddled her hips and sat on her bottom.

“Am I too heavy?” he said.

She shook her head. “No.” What was he doing?

His hand combed aside her hair, then his fingertips skimmed the length of her back from the arch down low up to her shoulders then down again. Over and over, he lightly caressed her back, then her shoulders and down her arms.

“Mmm, that feels good.” She relaxed into the mattress as he increased the pressure of his touch. When had a massage ever felt so good? And been so unexpected? She wouldn’t have taken Io as a foreplay-savvy kind of guy. Several minutes passed before Io shifted his concentration to the lower portion of her back, and he scooted down.

She stiffened, his erection sliding down her ass. But he didn’t try to open her. He didn’t push her legs apart. Instead, he slowly drew his palms down over her ass then kneaded her cheeks before caressing further down to the backs of her thighs. As he pushed his hands back up her legs, his thumbs pressed against her inner thighs and made contact with her labia as his fingers reached her buttocks. Repeatedly, he rubbed up and down her thighs, always pressing his thumbs against her tender flesh at the end of every ascent.

Miriam practically gushed between her legs when he urged her to roll to her back a few minutes later. Her body was alive, and every nerve ending sizzled, her breath coming in heady, rapid pulses. She could hardly think, only feel, a bouquet of lusty impulses she only barely contained. Faint light and shadows played over them both, but she was sure if he turned on a lamp, her entire body would be flushed crimson with arousal.

As if to punctuate her point, a soft purr lit in her chest, and she saw Io’s erection twitch at the sound.

He bent over her body, doing to her front what he had done to her back, moving from her breasts to her stomach and still lower. He pointedly avoided the heart of her, but teased ruthlessly with his fingertips as she parted her legs for him. His strong hands kneaded her hips, her thighs, the insides her legs, and his fingertips grazed lightly down the junctures where her legs and torso met. Damn, Io had her lit up brighter than a spotlight, and just as fiery hot.

When he urged her legs to part, she didn’t resist. She wasn’t even nervous. She was so hot for him nothing else mattered than getting him inside her. Now.

He lowered himself between her legs and drew the tip of his tongue up her inner thigh.

Jesus!
Was he trying to kill her?

He switched to the other leg, then back again, crawling ever higher. Was she even breathing? Everything centered around his tongue and the inch-by-inch upward journey it was making toward her quivering heat. His lips brushed further up, his tongue followed, his fingers teased, and her body tensed with what was sure to be an even more powerful orgasm than the one he’d given her yesterday.

His mouth passed over her slit and just the feel of his breath on her clit nearly sent her into orgasm.
Christ!
A full body shudder quaked her, and she choked back a stifled groan. And still he refused to put his mouth directly on her core. His lips kissed from side-to-side, almost as if he was worshipping her. Each kiss drew closer…so close, ever closer, until finally….

He closed his mouth over her swollen nub and licked just once, long and with a drawn-out exhale that sounded more like a sigh of relief.

Head thrown back, eyes slammed shut, her fingers dug into the bed as she sucked in her breath. She was going to come. There was no stopping it.

Io’s hands pressed against her inner thighs, holding her open, and his thumbs pulled her labia apart as he licked her again once more.

She nearly blacked out from the force of her orgasm. Her entire body lifted off the bed as she blew apart, crying out.

In an instant, he was above her, the head of his erection opening her as he pressed in. She felt a pinch, then tightness, and then his body was flush with hers. She was still in the throes of orgasm, coming against all his steely hardness. If anything, his hard presence served only to intensify her orgasm and she locked her arms around him and cried out again, quaking violently.

“That’s my girl,” he said, grinding his pelvic bone against her clit. “That’s my baby.”

Then he bit her, just sank his fangs right into her shoulder and rocked against her body as the venomous euphoria took her, making her come again as her body went all loosey-goosey and floating-on-a-sea-of-clouds relaxed. The pleasure of climaxing during venom euphoria was unreal, and Miriam could only choke out an abrupt gasp from the force of the sudden rapture.

* * *

Io had worked her into welcoming his body in the way he had learned ages ago. He hadn’t thought he would ever have need of the technique, but now he was grateful to have learned it. A female’s first time could be uncomfortable or pleasurable, depending on the care given her by the male claiming her flower. And Io had made sure Miriam’s first time was as pleasurable as he could make it.

Paving the way by exciting her, then taking her while she climaxed, was much better than taking her when she hadn’t been properly prepared. Dosing her with euphoria was the final step in persuading her body to relax enough to accept his size. And the way Miriam shuddered and cried out again told him she was good and relaxed. Only a fully relaxed female could climax again so quickly after already having two powerful releases.

 He sucked hard on her neck as his body tightened, taking in her blood as it flowed over his tongue like spirits. Her feminine sheath contracted around him through another, less powerful release and he couldn’t hold back any longer. Giving her long, hard strokes, he felt his already-tight scrotum strain higher.

He growled. It was time to take what was his…to claim her as a properly mated male.

Pushing himself up on his arms, he released her neck and slammed his hips into her as his seed poured into her body.

“I’m coming, baby.”

Her glossy, blue eyes sparkled in the scant light as her gaze met his. Her body was spent, and soon his would be, too. At least for a little while. And then he would do it all over again. The day without her had infused him with a need to take her as many times as his body would allow before giving out. He needed to mark her, put his scent all over her, implant her with his body’s offerings until he had nothing left but his mangled, sated body. He had never felt anything like this before—this overwhelming need to take the same woman over and over until his body was dry and completely spent, unmoving. The urge felt almost instinctual. Was this part of the mating bond? Surely, his
calling
hadn’t gone into full effect already. It was too soon.

Io lifted himself off Miriam and rolled to his back, taking her with him. As she collapsed on top of him, he pulled her close, caressing her back. Her long, black hair fell over his chest and shoulders in waves of silk. She purred and rubbed her cheek over his chest, slithering against him as she settled in.

He kissed the top of her head. “You okay, baby? Did I hurt you?” Rarely in the past had he been concerned about a female’s comfort, but Miriam’s was all he seemed able to think about now.

She turned her face into his skin and kissed the generous swell of his pec. “No, you didn’t hurt me.”
Kiss.
“I’m surprised. I thought it would be painful.”

“It
can
be.” He caressed her face with the backs of his fingers. “But I took extra care with you. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“My thoughtful male. You honor me.”

“No, Miri. It’s you who honor me.” He cupped his palm against her face, cradling it. “You’ve entrusted me with the most valuable gift you can give, and I promise always to cherish your virtue and hold it next to my heart as if my life depends on it.”

Io had never been one for romantic proclamations, but with Miriam he was Shakespeare. Her Romeo. Waxing poetic spilled from him as if he’d been writing poetry all his life.

“I love you, Miriam. You are my lifemate, my lover, my friend. You are my life now.” He spoke the words in their ancient tongue. “I will honor you always above all others.”

Her eyes lit with recognition of the ancient vow between mates. Miriam had been versed in the old traditions and knew what his words meant. They were the equivalent of human marriage vows, only stronger.

She replied in the ancient tongue, as well. “I love you, too, Io. You are my lifemate, my lover, and my friend. Your life is my life, and mine is yours. I will honor you forever.”

He pulled her close, kissed her, and then she snuggled against him. They were mates, and now it was official. They didn’t need a ceremony, or anyone to witness their promise to one another. What he and Miriam had just done was akin to running off to Vegas to get married. They had eloped and spoken the vows that would forever link them. Vampires took the ancient vows very seriously. No marriage certificate was required. No rings needed to be exchanged. Say the words, and that was all. And he had just said them, and so had she.

He was bound to her forever, and she to him. He was off the market. Who would have thought monogamy would appeal to him so deeply?

Only one thing could have made him happier: being able to share the news with his best friend.