Unafraid (7 page)

She circled her hips one more time before
slowly sliding down his length until he was completely bathed in
her slick heaven. The delicious slide of skin against skin had him
doing math problems in his head again. She rose and fell over him
in a sensuous rhythm as old as time. He messaged her breasts and
pinched her tight nipples. Her head was back and her face tense
with the need for release. On and on it went with her speeding up
and slowing down to prolong the ride when she felt him getting
close. Finally, gratefully, her muscles began to ripple around him
and he knew she wouldn’t last much longer. Near to releasing
without her, Griffin reached down and pinched her little bud. She
exploded, again screaming his name as the muscles of her core
clamped down and pulsed around him, dragging him over the edge into
oblivion.

She collapsed over his chest in a boneless
heap. She weighed next to nothing, so he relished having her doze
and using his body as a pillow. He was still lodged firmly in her
body and knew it wouldn’t be long before he got his second wind.
Keeping her where she was would be very convenient.

The quiet and warmth of their shared pleasure
was shattered when someone rapped loudly on the door. Tessa jolted
upright when the rapping was followed by a very deep and slightly
accented male voice, calling her name, demanding she open the
door.

“Tessa, amata, open the door,” came the
entirely too coaxing male who had just called Griffin’s female
“beloved.”

Tessa lifted off of his still erect length
and began searching for her clothes. She looked hunted and a bit
scared when she looked back and forth between him and the door. A
growl ripped from his throat and he went for the door without
bothering to find his own clothes. This male would die!

“Griffin, wait!” Tessa stepped in front of
him to block the door.

“Who’s at the door, little one? Do you have
something to tell me? You told me you didn’t have a lover.”

The male knocked again, “Tessa, I can hear
you talking. Are you okay, piccolo fiore? Open the door.”

She blushed furiously and shifted from foot
to foot. Griffin was about to lose his shit. Tessa was not that
human’s “little flower!” He had never ever been possessive of any
female in his life but knowing the human in the hall had touched
what was now his made him want to rip the male apart.

“I said I didn’t have a vampire lover,” she
clarified.

* * *

Tessa had never been so nervous in her life.
After she hurriedly explained to Sebastian that she was fine and
would call him to discuss her possible return to work at Bella
Notte, he reluctantly left her door. She could practically feel
Griffin breathing on the other side of the door, listening to her
trying to get rid of their unwanted visitor.

Sebastian was visiting his family home in
Italy when Tessa was fired. When he returned and stopped by the
restaurant to check on business, he was livid to find that she’d
been dismissed. Sebastian knew Tessa would have a good reason for
her behavior. It was nice to know she had a job to return to, but
Tessa wasn’t sure she wanted to go back to that dead end position.
Sebastian hinted as she ushered him down the hall that he could
find her a position at one of his other various businesses around
town.

When they walked toward the stairs, the
apartment door opened a crack and she knew if she tried to walk
Sebastian out Griffin would make an appearance. It had been a
miracle that Griffin agreed to let her speak to Sebastian instead
of him ripping off his head and bouncing it down the stairs. Tessa
had to admit that having such a beautiful man go all caveman over
her was flattering, but the extra-long fangs and steely black eyed
gaze she had endured when she reentered the apartment were the
stuff of nightmares.

He was furious but he had no right to be
angry. At this point they had nothing more than a few days in bed
and a little blood between them. She didn’t know his last name,
where he lived, or even his phone number for God’s sake. That was
exactly what she told him just before he literally tore off her
clothes and pinned her to the wall. It was not her dominant but
giving lover that had taken her body before. This was his
possessive alter ego that she had seen only a glimpse of during
their time together. He’d been demanding and unforgiving, but she
loved every minute of it. He had bitten her several times and taken
her body on every possible surface in her home.

Tessa was actually glad Sebastian had come by
when he did. She assumed he had gotten the address from her
employee file because he had never been to her place before, but
Griffin didn’t know that and she didn’t feel the need to inform
him. It seemed that believing he had competition made Griffin
infinitely more eager to stake a serious claim. He stayed until
morning before work and ‘other various responsibilities’ he wasn’t
willing to explain took him away, but he promised to return that
evening. He returned and slept in her bed every night for a
week.

FIVE

Tessa stood in the kitchen of Griffin’s
downtown high-rise condo gawking at her surroundings. He’d just
given her a tour of his home and she was still trying to find her
voice. She knew Griffin came from money, even if he never willingly
admitted anything about his family, but she never imagined this.
Her entire studio would fit inside of his master bathroom. He must
have been horrified when she took him to her place. Tessa was
mortified.

“It’s only a home, Tessa. I don’t know why
you look like you’re going to be sick.” Griffin stroked her back
and leaned over to inhale deeply at her neck. “Come sit with me
while we wait for dinner to be delivered.”

Griffin tugged her into the massive living
room area and gracefully sat in a plush chair nearly the size of a
loveseat. He tugged her into his lap and continued stroking her
arms while she gazed out over his view of the park. Tessa couldn’t
help comparing it to her view of the brick building that sat
opposite her window at home. It was unreal. The more she took in
her surroundings the more embarrassed she became. Griffin must have
hated being in her dilapidated little hole in the wall. She could
feel the heat rising up her neck, revealing her shame.

She didn’t belong there for many reasons, not
the least of which was she knew Griffin was keeping secrets. Tessa
wanted to believe Griffin was in love with her but he still didn’t
trust her. Understandably, he was limited with how much information
regarding his people he could tell her, but she felt there was more
to it than that.

Griffin had left her apartment the morning
after Sebastian’s visit with a promise to return that evening after
work and a dinner meeting he couldn’t get out of attending. Every
night for a week he returned and spent the night in her bed.
Several times his phone would ring and he would ignore it or he
would excuse himself to go outside and take the call. There were a
few times that she would wake in the middle of the night to find
him gone from bed, whispering on his phone in the hallway, but she
pretended to be asleep when he returned.

She knew it would be hard for them to be
together and she imagined Griffin would catch a lot of flak for
being with a human. Judging by his reaction to knowledge of
vampires the night they met, Tessa feared that it may even be
illegal for him to be with her. The problem was that he didn’t talk
to her about anything important. She was completely excluded from
his life and there were things she really needed to know. Taking a
fortifying breath, she decided there was no time like the present.
If he couldn’t open up to her, there could be no real
relationship.

* * *

“I know the human sci-fi perception of a
vampire is incorrect. I’ve seen you during the day countless times
and you haven’t burst into flames, but it can’t all be wrong. Even
myths begin with some kernel of truth. For instance, I know you
need to consume blood to live.” She paused and looked out over the
park. Griffin knew she was nervous by the way she fidgeted on his
lap and held herself slightly away from him. There was
determination in her gaze when she looked back.

He stiffened, but tried not to look
forbidding while his little love looked for the answers she needed
in his eyes. He didn’t want to have this conversation. It would be
far too easy to tell her everything she wanted to know. The
constant longing for her that had taken up residence in his chest
was making it harder and harder to deny Tessa anything she wanted,
including the ability to destroy his life and expose his people.
This was it. The unspoken ultimatum was there in the air between
them. He had to give her some answers, or let her go.

“Are you immortal?”

He had to either trust her now or call in his
father for help erasing her memory. Griffin didn’t think he could
do it. He had tried several times to enthrall her but it had never
worked. She would begin to do his bidding, but quickly shake off
the compulsion as if it wasn’t something she really wanted to do.
He’d tried to block her mind from hearing his phone conversations,
but it didn’t work. He either had to leave the apartment or ignore
the call. Griffin didn’t think he was capable of erasing her
memory, even if he could do the job. He wanted her too badly and
the idea of losing her was nearly as painful as the thought of her
screwing that Italian pretty-boy. He was jealous for the first time
in his life. He hated the human male for touching Tessa. He loathed
every male that ever so much as looked at her. The demanding urge
to erase every other male Tessa had ever known and prevent her from
seeing them again had forced him to her bed every night.

It occurred to Griffin in that stunning
moment that he loved her. He was in love with Tessa. That nearly
painful ache in his chest had a name that he hadn’t been willing or
able to recognize before. His parents hadn’t been a good example of
what it meant to be in love. Their blood bond had been arranged by
their parents long ago. Griffin knew his parents cared for each
other and had a need to be near one another, but he doubted it was
the all-consuming emotion he felt for Tessa. He wondered if a
forced bond could ever compare to a true connection. Sadly, he knew
he would one day find the answer to this question. For now he would
give his little love all he could give her. He would give her as
much of the truth as he was able.

Griffin pulled her close and kissed her
deeply. The vanilla taste and wet warmth of her mouth made him
eager for more but he took his time, enjoying the connection they
shared. He knew she loved him too. Before, he hadn’t recognized
that look in her eyes or what it meant when she touched him so
reverently. He didn’t understand it until he discovered it in his
own heart. Yes, she loved him too and that made the kiss all the
sweeter. Griffin pulled back to finish this conversation before he
let his growing arousal carry him away.

Now he had to make some compromises if he
wanted to be with her. Griffin sighed deeply. He trusted Tessa with
his life. It was the need to protect his people and the rules of
conduct among humans that had been drilled into him since birth
that kept him from relaxing with Tessa.

“
No, we are not immortal, but we have a
much longer life span than humans. On average we live about four
times longer than humans, but just like humans, the better care we
take of our bodies the longer we will live. There are those who
have lived twice as long with the proper care. We heal quickly if
injured, but if our hearts are injured beyond our body’s capacity
to heal in time to stop loss of blood, we will die. Like any other
creature, if you take off the head, it’s all over. We can’t
regenerate or fuse a lost limb to our bodies like they do in the
movies.”

She smiled broadly and he knew she was
shocked he had answered her question at length. She had expected
the opposite. “Can you make me like you?”

She looked so hopeful. Griffin felt sick. He
pulled her close again wrapping his arms tightly around her petite
body. She was so small and frail. Of course, she would bring all of
his hidden wishes and fears out into the open. He had indeed caught
himself often thinking of turning her so he could keep her by his
side, but the risks were high and Griffin had many other problems
to deal with before he could make that kind of commitment. He
didn’t release her, opting not to see the defeat he knew she would
feel.

“It is possible to turn a human but there is
a tremendous risk. It usually isn’t done unless the human is going
to die. It’s usually a last ditch effort to save a loved one,” he
admitted.

“Why? What risks?” she asked against his
chest.

“Less than half of humans that have undergone
the transformation have survived. I’m no scientist but my
understanding is that as the human blood is consumed by the vampire
blood and the human body fights it like a virus. The human gets a
raging fever and endures untold pain. The human body fights for
survival. More often than not the human dies in the battle,” he
quietly explained.

“Oh,” she replied.

“It’s not at all common for a vampire to
enter a long-term relationship with a human. The human will grow
old long before the vamp or they take the chance of losing them to
the change. After a human is changed they can no longer conceive
and there are no known cases of a human surviving a vampire
birth.”

The intercom from the front desk buzzed to
announce the arrival of their meal. He stood with Tessa in his arms
and stood her on her feet, glad the conversation was over for the
moment. He had ordered dinner from a great little Italian joint
that usually didn’t deliver. But the Vaughn name was important in
more than just vampire society and he had no problem getting what
he wanted.