Still all tangled together, we then tipped onto our sides. The silk sheets didn’t seem so soft now that I had the feel of Sam’s skin beneath my hands. We just glared at each other as the tingly shudders from our orgasms slipped away. In spite of how weird she may have felt at having done what she feared and lost control, the silence wasn’t awkward. No feeling that a big, fat pink elephant was dancing and prancing around us. She didn’t even squirm under my glare the way she usually did.

Minutes later she puffed and glanced at the bedside clock. “Well, I should go. We should forget this happened, needless to say it was a big mistake.”

“What?” Even as I rolled us over and trapped her beneath me she was laughing. “You better be kidding.”

“You should see your face.” She was still giggling.

“It wasn’t funny. No way will I let you go off into another state of denial.” But I was giggling even as I said it. Mostly with shock; I hadn’t thought it would bother me that much if she were to do that. I shook off the issue. “And never has anyone left me straight after sex.”

“Oh but it’s okay when blokes do it.”

“I’m not doing it. I believe you were warned about the ‘over and over and over again’ part. Oh and never has anyone run from me before.”

She shrugged, smiling sweetly. “Just making you work for it a little.”

“A little?”

“I took it easy on you.”

“You were like Houdini.”

“But I stuck to human velocity. And I never used my gift either.”

I brushed a kiss across her lips. “Feel free to conjure your whip some time.”

She grinned. “I’m not sure you could handle it. Not if you can’t even manage one female Sventé.”

“In my defence, this one female Sventé is a hard-ass.”

“And you’re used to girls throwing themselves at you rather than legging it away from you. Speaking of which, how did your consorts take it?”

“As I expected.”

“Would I be right in thinking that Joy took it the worst?”

The memory of her plea entered my mind.

“What? You’ve got a weird look on your face. What did she do?”

“Nothing worth talking about.”

“Your expression says otherwise. What happened?”

I sighed. Sam would no doubt find the truth shudder-worthy but I didn’t want to lie to her. I had a feeling that she would know if I did anyway. I rolled off her and back onto my side. “Joy, um, guessed that I was getting rid of them because it was you who I wanted, though she actually thinks it’s to make you my only consort.”

“And...?”

“Joy can make herself into a perfect replica of someone, so she offered to morph into you as often as I wanted and then things could stay as they were.”

Sam grimaced but I couldn’t read her expression. She twisted her body to face mine. “But you said no?”

“You sound surprised.”

“I am. I mean, as creepy as Joy’s little offer sounds to me, it’s probably a decent one from a bloke’s point of view. You could have kept your consorts and still, sort of, shagged me.”

I kissed her neck as I spoke. “It wouldn’t have been you, so it wouldn’t have been real. She wouldn’t ever kiss me like you do. Or tease me like you do. She wouldn’t have had your scent, your voice, your blood, or your mind...And I wanted every part of you.” I looked up at her then, shrugging. “I guess that makes me a greedy, spoilt brat.”

Again her expression was unreadable. She brought her face to mine and gave me a long, soft, searching kiss. Nothing like any kiss I’d ever had before. And just like that I wanted her again. I slid my hands around her and pulled her close, aligning her body to mine. I explored every curve and line all over again, but this time lightly and not so insistently, and never invasive.

Wriggling and squirming in frustration she said, “I’ll tell you what, you don’t tease me so much, and I won’t fight you this time.”

“I’d say ‘not a chance’, but I did notice that my caging-in techniques need some work. Not surprising seen as I’ve never had to use them before.” I rolled us so that I was on top of her again and I arranged myself securely over her. “Let’s see if we can get you calling out my name again.” I kissed her again. “Sam?”

“Hmmm?” she murmured through another kiss.

“Promise me you won’t go back into that state of denial again.” She seemed just as surprised to hear me say that as what I was to hear me say it. I decided that it should be another one of those things that I knew was important but didn’t bother to try to understand. Whatever it was, it meant enough to me to voice it.

Her fingertips traced my cheek. “No more denial. It’s too late for that now anyway.”

This time when my lips came down to hers they moved fiercely and urgently. I then trailed my hands down to the backs of her thighs, raised her h*ps to mine and surged deep inside her.

Chapter Thirteen

(Sam)

Even though I wasn’t one for sprawling all over the bed in my sleep and I usually curled up in a foetal position, I still like to have my space. But when I woke up, I found myself nestled into Jared like a bird under the wing. I even had an arm draped over him. Usually I kept my arms huddling against my chest. Sure, I remember us getting into this position; Jared on his back with an arm curled round my waist, holding me to him as reverberations from more orgasms subsided. But how had I fallen asleep like this? And how had I actually slept the entire time like this?

I could try telling myself that I’d just been so wiped after such an eventful encounter with Jared – he had the stamina of a Trojan. Or I could try writing it off as a result of my stomach being so tanked before I fell asleep – I’d swallowed a decent amount of his blood in addition to some NSTs. I could even pin the blame on the bed – it was without a doubt the comfiest bed in the world. But if I was honest, I would admit that the situation was nothing to do with any of those things, and everything to do with the fact that it was Jared who I was with.

But I’d never tell him that. Just like I’d never tell him that he was by far the best shag I’d ever had; his ego was bad enough already. No one had ever touched me the way he had, hands exploring every part of me like he was learning and marking me. No one had ever been so intent on pleasuring me in every way possible or gotten so much satisfaction from that. And then there was the way that he had looked at me...like every tiny flicker of emotion I felt was important. Sometimes something blazed in his eyes that I would have mistaken for possessiveness if it weren’t for how certain I was that this was just about sex for him.

God, I’d forgotten what real sex was truly like. Sex with Victor didn’t count as real as far as I was concerned. I, me, wasn’t part of it. The desire he made me feel wasn’t real. As such, I hadn’t had an orgasm in years. Jared and his teasing had me cl**axing again and again. In truth, I’d loved the teasing just as much as I’d hated it. It was beyond my understanding how he managed to hold back for as long as he had that first time; the hunger had been so evident in his expression. In fact, I couldn’t understand why he had felt the need to restrain himself at all. Yeah he’d said he wanted to drag it out, but I didn’t get why that would matter to him. Then again, Jared didn’t operate in the same way that everyone else did.

Like electrifying my cl*t and G-spot, for instance...That just wasn’t normal. But God it had felt so good. It had burnt and sizzled and sent shooting sensations through me that were the perfect balance of pleasure and pain. As if I hadn’t already been on fire just by having him kiss and touch me! Over the edge I’d gone.

Never had I thought he would make me lose control enough to call his name. But taking into account everything he made me feel, how could I not have? I hadn’t just called it out that one time either. Every single time he had been inside me, without fail, he’d reduced me to such a rapturous state that I would have called out anything he wanted. But after the first time I hadn’t needed asking again anyway. He was just as smug about it every time.

The smugness was partly why I’d joked after our first round of sex about it all being a mistake. I’d just wanted to bring him back down to Earth, but I really hadn’t expected him to react so badly at the idea of it. Too many things about him I just didn’t get. I got him, just not all of his reactions concerning me. I mean come on if Joy could have morphed into me at his leisure then it was a shock that he hadn’t even tried it. Surely a girl-obsessed bloke wouldn’t be so fussy and would prefer a collection of consorts to this casual shag. I really hadn’t, and still don’t, know what to think of it. In a way, it had somehow managed to sound sweet, especially when he had said that he wanted every part of me. Shrug. Well, now that he’d finally gotten what he wanted his interest may have expired. It’d be a shame; we seemed to have this weird instinctive understanding of what the other liked and wanted, and it made us good together – in bed, I mean. Just in bed. Honest.

Jared’s perfect stillness and even breathing told me that he was still asleep. I’d happily have stayed here, but I was just so thirsty. Quietly and gently I freed myself from his hold and edged myself further and further along the bed. Finally reaching the end, I gently pushed myself up. I hadn’t even taken a step before an arm curled around my waist and I was dragged backwards, colliding with a na**d body.

Jared, his chest pressed against my back, nuzzled the crook of my neck. “Hey,” he said a little sleepily. “Trying to escape before I woke up?”

“I might have done if you hadn’t destroyed my clothes.”

“They were in the way.”

“So were yours,” I said, amused, “but I didn’t tear them.”

“No, you just used them to get me all tangled while you made a run for it.” He repeatedly kissed my neck only gently, but tingling still started between my thighs. I was sure that I had the most sensitive neck in history. “You. Taste. So. Good.”

“Are we talking about my skin or my blood?”

A low chuckle tickled my ear. “Both. And I can think of some other parts of you I enjoy tasting. But none of that beats being inside you; I f**king love that.” Then he proved that he meant it – in earnest.

He proved it again when he teleported me to my apartment and joined me uninvited in the shower. Needless to say, that wasn’t a problem. Then he proved it again in my bedroom once we’d dried off. See what I mean about the Trojan stamina? Little more than ten seconds after our final round, there was knocking on the front door. Considering that both of us were lying on the bed na**d and panting it seemed reasonable to ignore the visitor. But the knocker was relentless.

Groaning, I got up and slipped into my white, silk robe – which made Jared grin in a way that said he wouldn’t mind shagging me while I wore it. “I better get that, it might be Sebastian; him and Antonio probably want to know how last night went.” Seeing that Jared was making no moves to leave, I pointed at him, “If you’re staying then you stay in here. I don’t want my business spread around.”

“Anyone would think you were ashamed of me,” he said light-heartedly, gently slapping my butt as I was leaving the bedroom.

I flipped him the finger, scowling playfully at him. I was half-expecting the knocker to have gone by now, but they tapped on it again just before I reached it. Abruptly all the tingly feelings still running through me fell away as I opened the door; it was his pained expression that did it, he looked ashamed of himself like a dog walking with its tail between its legs. “Max,” I said, surprised.

He smiled as he eyed my appearance, taking in my wet, dishevelled hair. The smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Sorry, did I disturb your shower?”

“Er, yeah.”

“Can I come in?”

Saying no would be wise, but then that would mean that passers-by could do a little eavesdropping. I stepped aside and his smile grew as he entered. He looked good even in just his t-shirt and jeans like a model from a catalogue or something. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, I just had to know you were okay after having to go to that gathering last night. I know you can take care of yourself and everything but...”

“Well thanks, yeah I’m good. There was no trouble or anything.”

“Good.” After an uncomfortable pause he cleared his throat and began, “Listen, about what happened at the restaurant -”

“Max, it’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. I was out of line, I had no right to question you about things that weren’t any of my business. It’s just...well you already know I like you. I guess I’m just hoping that I haven’t messed up any chances I might have had by coming across all paranoid.”

I sighed. “The thing is -” I stopped as his eyes moved from mine to over my shoulder and his expression darkened.

I turned my head to find Jared standing at the edge of the kitchen casually swigging an NST. At least he’d put his pants on. I rolled my eyes at him. I thought you might do that, I grumbled. I might not want Max the way I did Jared, but I had no interest in tormenting him.

Jared offered me an innocent smile and a small shrug of the shoulder.

Dreading Max’s reaction, I slowly swerved my head back round. To my surprise he had pasted a fake smile on his face. “So it was that kind of night,” he said – something that Fletcher would have said in the exact playful tone that Fletcher would have used.