Taken by Moonlight (33 page)

“What was
the purpose of the meeting?” She shifted her gaze to where Conall sat as she
asked that question. He was leaning forward on the chair, staring at her. It
gave off the impression that he was patiently waiting, although she didn’t
think Conall the patient type.

Vivienne
moved over to the drawer that contained her intimates and pulled it open. She
quickly removed a panty and walked rapidly over to the closet once more. Door
open, she put it on quickly and poked her head out. Conall was now standing.
She froze as he approached her. As she watched him move, watched him put one
long leg before the other, watched the slight sway of his big arms, she could
as much help the pool of wetness growing between her thighs as she could stop
the falling of a waterfall.

He stopped
directly before her, and she lifted her gaze from his wide torso to his eyes.

“Maximilian
Cronin called the meeting to claim kinship over you and Cassandre.” His hand
lifted and a finger curled around her damp hair. She’d partially dried it
before returning to her room.

“Wh—what’s
kinship
?”
she managed as he came impossibly close to her. She had to remind herself, over
and over, that despite her attraction to Conall she didn’t know much about him,
much about anything he said.

He closed
his hand over her hair and cocked his head to the side. “Soft.” Eyes lowered to
her lips and Vivienne inhaled deep and unconsciously parted them. His eyes
flashed yellow for a brief moment before he turned away. Vivienne watched him
in confusion as he said, “The law of kinship can be applied to any two
creatures joined by a blood or familial bond. Cronin tried to claim kinship of
you and your sister through your grandmother.”

“He didn’t
succeed, right?” Still not sure exactly what kinship meant, Vivienne knew that
whatever it was, if Cronin got it, it was bad.

“No. I made
a counter-claim for you, and Cassandre has the right to choose.” He faced her,
and his voice was strong when he said, “Even if Cronin had gotten the Council
to vote in his favor, I wouldn’t let him have you.”

She nodded
and slowly approached him. Conall’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t move away.
When her hand landed against his chest, his gaze fell to her lips.

“Thank
you,” she said softly.

He didn’t
hear the words, but saw her lips move. Conall felt the beast stir. Hell, it had
been stirring long before now, with Vivienne’s scent so strong on the air. He
nodded and was about to force himself to leave the room—he’d been unpredictable
of late, and she was the last person he wanted to hurt—when she stepped into
him, pushed herself onto her toes, and placed a quick kiss to his jaw.

Her eyes
rested longingly on his lips before she tried to step away from him. Conall
secured her waist in the crook of his arm, and Vivienne gasped, and then moaned
as he pulled her tightly against him. His erection pressed into her belly, and
she boldly slid her hands into his hair and pulled his head down to hers.

Conall felt
his control snap. It was as if the thread holding it…just vanished. He lifted
her easily, growling against her lips when her legs wrapped about his waist.
Her tongue was eager in its exploration of his mouth, and he quickly took them
to the bed. He deposited her, none-too-gently, but Vivienne had the same wild
look he was sure dominated his entire being. He’d tossed his shirt and was
about to unzip his pants when small, soft hands pushed his away. Giving him a
saucy smile, Vivienne turned her attention to his belt. She slowly pulled it
from his jeans, falling back onto the bed as she did so, and licking her lips.
She was teasing him. Dressed in a measly T-shirt with a seductive, needy look
on her face, Vivienne was teasing him.

She came
upright once more and slowly tugged at his zipper, turning her head to the side
to watch him as she pushed his jeans down over his hips. Eyes narrowing
dangerously, Conall pushed her back onto the bed, and tugged both his jeans and
boxers off.

Her eyes
widened as they settled on his arousal, and a small “o” formed on her lips.

Conall
smelled her fear, and it overrode her desire for him. The beast retreated
slightly and a smidgen of sanity returned. It was enough that Conall might have
been able to willingly remove himself from her room.

“Vivienne,”
he began, only to stop abruptly when she pushed her hips off of the bed and
reached both hands under her T-shirt. Her eyes, golden and shining brightly
with passion, no longer fear, locked on his as she slid her underwear down her
legs and then dangled it from her fingers, baiting him.

In the next
instant, he was settled between her thighs. His erection nudged her slick folds,
and she whimpered before lifting her hips to his. Conall leaned down and kissed
her, probing her mouth with his tongue until she moaned his name, and twisted
her head away.

“Please,”
she murmured.

Pushing
himself to his knees, he ripped through the fabric shielding her body from his.
He groaned as he looked down at the perfection of her body, before he lowered
his head to her breast. As far gone as he was, as much as he wanted his cock
buried snugly in her. He had to taste her.

Her fingers
slipped into his hair, holding him against her as her hips rocked up against
him.

“Conall,”
she moaned, and he licked his way down her body. He lifted her hips and she
parted her legs further for him.

Conall
growled and lowered his head, pulling her nub into his mouth as he pressed a
finger into her sex. Her body clutched at him, and she bucked against his
mouth, pressing her fist against her own to keep her screams of pleasure
bottled. Although needy for his attentions, she remembered that she was in her
parents’ house. Conall didn’t have any such qualms. He wanted Vivienne, and
regardless of where she was, he was going to have her.

As he
stroked her, a ragged groan tore from her lips before she cut it short.
Unsatisfied, he added another finger, moaning against her as her body clenched
down on his. As his hand moved, little noises escaped the back of her throat. Conall
growled, pulling her closer to his face. Her body tensed and she began to shake

Vivienne
groaned and whimpered, her hand leaving Conall’s head as she gripped the
sheets.

“OhmyGod.
OhmyGod
.”
She pressed her fist against her mouth and screamed, her body jerking rapidly
as she came. Sliding his fingers from her, Conall flicked his tongue against
her bud once more before he moved up her body.

When
Vivienne opened her eyes next, he was staring down at her with those yellow
eyes. His gaze was everywhere, on her lips, her breasts…. She moved her hands
to his ass and gripped him tightly. His teeth snapped together, and she noticed
his fangs were longer. Reaching up, she ran her tongue along them, feeling the
pinch as they nicked her. She groaned when he fell onto her, kissing her
deeply. His hands moved under her hips, lifting her. As his girth parted her,
she gasped both in pain and pleasure, and promptly forgot how to breathe.
Closing her eyes, Vivienne groaned and buried her face in his neck.

Conall held
still for long moments, allowing her to adjust to him, before he began to move.
As he slid back before coming into her again, Vivienne whimpered. He felt so
good. His movements continued, strong, powerful thrusts that seemed to ingrain
him into her body. When she began moving her hips for more, he lifted his head
and stared down at her. His eyes shined brightly, yellow and fierce. As he held
her gaze, Conall’s pace increased.

“Yes…yes!”
It was intense, and fast, and Vivienne couldn’t be more turned on at that
moment if she’d tried.

Feeling the
overwhelming need to pull out and flip her over, Conall bit into his cheek,
hoping that pain would keep him from taking her as he wished, and potentially
hurting her in the process. The first time he’d taken her, he’d lost control,
but his control before then had been much greater than it was now. If he lost
it now, what was to prevent him from changing completely, and taking her
despite protests?

Vivienne’s
legs locked tightly about his waist, and before he knew what was happening, she
was straddling him, riding him. Surprised, he stared up at her. She leaned down
and licked his lips, moaning as her body continued its erotic dance. It was
hard to believe that a few days ago she was an innocent. It was harder to
believe she’d become so strong as to topple him.

Her body
began to tremble, and he knew she was close. Pulling her head down, he kissed
her, all the while pushing up against her.

Come
with me.
Her voice
was an erotic breeze in his mind. She pulled away from his lips and kissed his
neck.

Come
with me, Conall.

Gripping
her hips, he thrust hard. Vivienne bit into her lip, and Conall watched as a slight
well of blood appeared. He caught the little drop in his mouth, and moaned.
Like everything about her, her taste was addictive. He felt himself swell
further. Her words, spoken directly into his mind, were turning out to be a
potent aphrodisiac he could not ignore.

Yes…please.
Just like that.

She
clenched her muscles against him, and her hips bucked frantically. The
trembling intensified and Conall’s own release was close. Vivienne pressed flat
against him and nipped at his jaw, his chin, his neck.

With a deep
growl, he bit down against her shoulder.

She cried
out, and squirmed, but his arm closed about her waist. Her hips continued their
wild dance, and then she surprised him even more. She bit him. Sharp teeth
closed over a part of his shoulder.

Come—with—me.
Yes. Come.
Her body
rippled around him, and she screamed into his shoulder.

Conall
couldn’t stop his release if he tried. He buried his hand in her hair,
tightened his hold on her shoulder, and did exactly as she commanded.

It took
long moments for her breathing to level, for her body to stop strumming like a
violin being played by Conall’s agile fingers.
That—was—intense
. She’d
only had two out-of-body experiences in her life, and both had been with the
man lying next to her. The man she’d barely known for a few days, but knew so
intimately well. Biting her lip, Vivienne darted a glance in his direction.
Conall lay on his side, a muscular arm thrown across her middle, as he watched
her.

Vivienne
lifted her gaze to the ceiling. Could she deny him anything? She remembered her
first encounter with him, running smack into him after being chased by Eli.
She’d been partially correct about that creature chasing her. It hadn’t been a
wolf. It had been a
werewolf
.

Conall’s
arm tightened about her waist, and she turned to him. A little smile graced his
lips, making him all the more irresistible to her. She thought back to the
question at hand. Could she deny him? As she stared into his penetrating blue
gaze, another question popped into her mind. Did she want to?

“You said
I’m your mate,” she began softly, and Conall nodded once, waiting for her to
continue. “How can you be sure?”

Conall’s
eyes narrowed and Vivienne felt something caress her mind. It was light, like
the flap of a butterfly’s wing, but it was still there.

“Are you in
my head, again?”

He smiled,
and she knew the presence she felt was him. “We usually recognize our mates in
two ways: scent and attraction.”

“So you
were attracted to me the first time that you saw me?”

“I was.” He
also remembered that his attraction hadn’t been as strong as it was the next
time he’d seen her in his club.
Strange.

“And you
smelled me?” she asked in slight disbelief. It wasn’t as if she were one of
those women who bathed in perfume.

“You don’t
have to wear perfume, Vivienne. You smell like peaches. Ripe, sun-kissed
peaches.” He paused and his eyes flickered yellow for a brief second. “You
taste like peaches, too. Everywhere.”

She felt a
distinct throb in a place that had no business throbbing after what she and
Conall had done only minutes ago. As the familiar heat began to rush through
her body, Vivienne looked back to the ceiling. Okay, so maybe she was his mate.
The attraction thing definitely stood. But how would she describe his scent?
Unconsciously, she leaned closer to him and inhaled. Conall smelled of nature.
Earthy and wild, like an untouched forest. She wasn’t a nature buff, but she
wouldn’t mind smelling him every day.

“So what do
mates do?” Vivienne asked slowly, returning her gaze to his. When a seductive
smile touched Conall’s lips, she shook her head and smirked. “In addition to
that
.
I mean, if I’m your mate, what do you expect from me? And what should I expect
from you?”

Not if,
Vivienne. I am your mate as you are mine.
The words caressed her mind, but his voice was firm.
His hand slid up to her face, cupping her chin as he leaned closer.