To Have: Vampire Assassin League #19 by Jackie Ivie Page B

hanging by strips of cloth about her neck. He shoved it over her shoulders and out of his way. Her loose-fitting, see-through trousers were next. Daron grabbed the fabric at her hips, and ripped outward. She seemed to know exactly what he needed, and exactly what to do. Thank the gods. He was ready to howl with frustrated and withheld need. He needed to be buried. He needed to be within her. Now.
    She shimmied onto her perfect butt, wrapped her legs about him, and was more than directing. She was making certain of his aim, her hand guiding, and moving aside just as Daron grabbed her hips, and rammed. Hard. Unbelievable moistness enveloped and squeezed him. Tight. Hot. He’d never felt anything like this. Ever. He worked in deeper, shuddering with every bit of gained space. It was better than incredible. Beyond amazing. Joining with his mate was a force of nature and it was massive. Strong. Powerful.
    And she was there, right with him, wrapping her legs about his hips. Instinctively matching a rhythm that had explosive force behind it.  Her legs gripped about him, pulling every thrust deeper, giving just a bit for his withdrawal. Gripping for the return thrusts. Flexing again for his withdrawals. She rolled when he did, her legs locked tightly, maintaining the rhythm even as they swiveled back. This was beyond imagination. More amazing than paradise. And when she achieved pleasure, her screams resembled throes of musical notes to his ears. He wanted it again. And again. Each time, his heart thumped in heavy beats along with hers. His lungs tightened. His throat constricted. And his efforts increased.
    He called her his love. His woman. His mate. His heart. His reason. His sanity. His missing half. And when he ran out of words to describe what she meant to him, he delivered his emotion with his body, and with kisses. Soul-deep kisses that carried love, and life, and wonder. Tension ratcheted higher, taking him with it. Daron pushed up, gaining position, power. Strength. His movements increased. Getting wilder. Harder. And going deeper. Exquisite pressure built within his spine. Intimate. Fiery. And then it moved, lancing through him, reaching his groin, and Daron exploded.
    Ecstasy slammed through him. His heart became a caged entity. His breath stalled. He barely heard her accompanying cry. He was shuddering. And emptying. And sobbing. He also had them hovering well above the mattress, doing a slow spin as absolute wonder poured over and through him. It controlled everything. It even erased time. He held her tightly to him and lowered them back to the satin covered bed. Close to his heart. Meshed. Enjoined.
    He couldn’t believe he’d been this lucky.
    He’d gained the one thing that mattered.
    As far as he was concerned, she was worth every second of the twenty-four hundred year wait.

 

CHAPTER NINE
    He watched her sleep. Seconds became minutes and then they blended into hours. He built his palaces underground for several reasons. This particular one was his latest recreation, and it truly was his favorite. He’d recreated the other Persian palaces as well. Pasargadae, Persepolis, Susa, and Babylon were all deep underground in various arid locations of the globe. Hidden and secure. That was one reason his palaces were underground. They were immense. They were covered with gold and silver. That is how a Persian prince stored wealth. In plain sight. Any one of his rooms could be dismantled and melted into bars of purest silver or gold, while the gems embedded into the walls would fetch a good price from any jeweler. Having such wealth meant protecting it. Building each palace far beneath the earth’s surface was an excellent security measure.
    Another reason was the solitude and quiet. He could hear any of the numerous fountains in the complex as water gurgled and dripped, forever recycling. And right now, as he watched Evelyn, he could hear every breath. If he concentrated he could hear her heart beating. Or maybe it