Lynsay Sands - The Reluctant Vampire

For instance, he wanted to tie her to his bed and kiss and lick his way from the tips of her toes to her nose, and then kiss her as he plunged himself into her. But he doubted he’d make it halfway up her thighs before they were both screaming and fainting.

And that was another thing, Harper thought with disgruntlement. He had never fainted in his life, and while he knew it was this whole life-mate, mind-blowing-sex business, it was still damned demoralizing to be fainting like a breathless virgin at the end of every encounter. And he couldn’t even blame her for exciting him too much or driving him wild with passion until he lost control.

Well, perhaps he could this last time, Harper acknowledged with a smile. Drina had definitely been the one in control of this last round, and she had driven him wild with passion, so fast and so hard that he’d performed no better than an inexperienced fourteen-year-old with a high-priced hooker. He swore she hadn’t been on her knees two minutes before he’d been throwing his head back and screaming like a madman. . only to wake up on the floor in a heap.

Which was precisely why he normally tried to take control of the situation. It was an effort to slow it down and try to make it last longer than two grunts and a gasp. Unfortunately, so far that wasn’t working. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t keep trying, though, Harper thought wryly. Drina deserved for him to make slow love to her, to be appreciated and-

These thoughts paused abruptly as another occurred to him. Why did she let him take control in the bedroom? Drina was a woman who had fought for independence and control her whole life, yet she’d never once protested his taking the lead when it came to passion.

Harper dropped his gaze down to her and frowned, now worried that his doing so might be taking away from her pleasure. Well, not pleasure exactly, because he knew damned well that she enjoyed it as much as he, but Drina might resent it at the same time. He scowled at the thought, and then a creak drew his gaze to the stairwell. There was nothing there. The sound had just been the house settling, he supposed. But it made him realize how reckless they’d been indulging themselves here in the hall. While Stephanie wasn’t there, Leonius might decide to add Drina to his list of desirable females. Allowing themselves to get caught up in a passion that left them passed out and vulnerable just hadn’t been that smart. The least they could have done was move to his room, where the door could be locked, he thought and began to sit up.

Rustling and the sounds of drawers opening and closing drew Drina from sleep. Blinking her eyes open, she sat up slowly and peered around what she knew must be Harper’s room. He had said it was a nice room, and he hadn’t been kidding. It really was lovely, with the bed, closet, and chest of drawers in one corner and the rest of the room taken up with a little sitting area complete with television, music system, and bookshelf as well as a love seat, chair, and then a small dinette set.

It was like a small bachelor apartment, she thought, her gaze sliding to where Harper was quickly dragging clothes out of the chest of drawers and packing them away in a suitcase. Drina watched him for a moment, and then slid her feet off the bed to sit on the edge.

“Oh, you’re awake.” Harper smiled at her, then closed the drawer, shut his suitcase, and quickly carried it to what she presumed was the door to the rest of the house.

Drina stood up to follow him, thinking they were leaving, but stopped after a couple of steps when he merely set the case down by the door, and then turned back.

Smiling, he walked back to her and slid his arms around her waist.

Drina relaxed against him with a little sigh, and then asked with annoyance, “Why is it you always wake up before me? I’m older than you. Surely I should wake up first?”

Harper chuckled at her complaint and bent to kiss her nose. He then countered, “Why do you always make me so crazy with passion that I ejaculate far too soon, and then swoon like a girl?”

“I’m not too pleased about the fainting bit either,” she assured him. “It’s rather alarming. I didn’t even faint when those damned corsets were all the rage, and they wore them so tight you couldn’t breathe.” She grimaced, and then leaned back, and met his gaze as she added, “As for the other, I don’t think it’s too soon.”

“No?” he asked with a smile, his hands sliding up and down her back.

Drina shook her head, and then smiled and admitted, “Well. . there are some things I’d like to do to you that I don’t think we’re going to get to for a decade or so until this new-life-mate madness passes, but. .” She shrugged. “I guess I can be patient.”

“Decade?” Harper asked with a grimace. “I thought it was a year or so before it slowed down?”

“So they say,” she agreed. “But I’m not holding my breath.”

Harper grinned, and then bent to kiss her. It started out a sweet, gentle kiss, but soon turned more carnal. When Drina pressed close and wrapped her arms around his neck, he began to back her up, then turned them and fell back on the bed so that she landed on top.

Breaking away on a laugh as they bounced, Drina sat up to straddle him and grinned wickedly. “Now I have you right where I want you.”

“I thought that might be the case,” Harper admitted solemnly, and when Drina stilled and eyed him quizzically, he explained, “It occurred to me that you’re a woman who has fought for independence and control all your life, and yet in this area I keep taking that control from you. I don’t want you to hate me, so it’s time I gave up the reins and-” He paused with surprise when she suddenly covered his mouth.

“First off,” she said softly, “I don’t hate you for being dominant in the bedroom.”

She felt his mouth move under her hand and lifted it.

He was smiling crookedly, and now that he was free to speak, said, “I’m glad to hear it.”

“Secondly,” Drina began, smiling back. “As it happens I. .”

When he raised his eyebrows at her pause, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

“Surprised as I am to admit it, I don’t appear to mind. I don’t understand it myself,” she added in a rush. “I mean, I noticed in Toronto that you liked to be in control, and since I’m all about control, I wondered myself why it didn’t bother me, but. . it doesn’t. I even like it. It kind of turns me on.” She frowned, and then admitted, “Which really rather bothers me.”

Harper smiled gently at her confusion, and then raised a hand to brush her hair behind one ear, murmuring, “Or maybe you’re just tired of having to be in control all the time and are enjoying a break.”

“That’s possible,” she admitted wryly, and then warned, “Which means it may change.”

“I sincerely hope so,” Harper assured her and when concern flittered across her face, he said, “I’m sure it will change for me too. We have time immortal ahead of us, Drina. Change is good.”

Relaxing, she nodded. There would be times when he was dominant and times when she was, and times when neither was, she supposed. There might even be times when they wrestled each other to be on top. But that would probably be fun too. Definitely never boring, she decided.

“Take off your T-shirt.”

Drina blinked her thoughts away at his words-which had most definitely been an order, not a request-and met his gaze.

“Take it off,” he repeated. “I want you naked.”

She smiled faintly, aware that her nipples were tightening, and moisture was pooling low in her belly, then sat up straighter, reached for the hem of her T-shirt, and slowly began to pull it up and off. She swiveled her upper body slightly to toss it to the floor, then turned back and simply waited as his eyes slid over her breasts, taking note of her already erect nipples. The sight made his eyes begin to glow.