Only Vampires Cry Blood (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #3)(49)

Shaz' hands on my wrists stopped me before I could remove my thong panties.

“Then stop trying to find it in these goddamn vampires. It's not good for you. I'm afraid it's going to destroy you, and this, what we have, won't mean anything anymore.”

“Never!” I shook my head vehemently, shoving his hands away so that I could abandon the thong. “What we have is the only thing that keeps me who I am. Sometimes I wish … that I never had this kind of power. That I was nothing more than any other werewolf. That you and I could just be, without all of this interfering.”

“You can't live that way, Lex. Regret steals time from you. It gives nothing back. I love you and that means all of you. Even if I don't always understand it.” Shaz peeled his shirt off, revealing hard abs and a smooth chest that taunted my desire. “The influence of vampires like Arys and even Kale, it scares me when I see what it does to you. But, don't think for a minute that I would change anything about who you are.”

The sweetness of Shaz brought tears to my eyes. Maybe we could just run away and leave all this behind. Was that so unrealistic? Neither of us had any reason to stay. Yet, even as I thought it, I knew Arys would never let me go. If I skipped town, that vampire would be hot on my trail. I could tell myself he wouldn't care, but that wouldn't make it true.

Standing naked before Shaz, I could easily forget about everything else, so I did. I let it fall away and reached for him. Running my hands over his bare chest, I closed my eyes and breathed in his musky, manly scent. The urge to shift forms and run was expected and welcome. I didn't do it though. No, I wanted to savor him in this form, perfect as he was.

Shaz captured one of my hands in his, bringing it to his lips. He kissed my fingertips gently before sucking my pinky into his mouth. The moist warmth felt good, the promise of more to come.

With my free hand, I worked his jeans off, eager to get to what lie beneath. He was already hard, anticipation readying him for me. I would have gone for his erection like a hungry beast, but he stopped me. Grasping both of my wrists, he guided me over to the couch.

“There's no need to rush. We have all the time in the world. Let me love you like only I can.”

I looked at him carefully, hoping I didn't appear confused. It just astonished me when he treated me like something precious, to be loved and protected. It was nothing like the bloodlust and carnal desire I'd grown to expect. Shaz brought me back to a state of being that reminded me that things weren't always about blood and sex. Life and love meant something, too; they meant more.

“I love you like I love nothing else on this earth.” My words came naturally. It was true.

A bashful smile tugged at his lips, warming my heart. He reached to pull the pins from my hair, watching it fall in a mass of blonde tangles. Dropping the pins on the coffee table, he buried his hands in my hair and peered deep into my eyes. There was no further need of words. The emotion conveyed in his touch was more than enough.

His kiss was soft, the barest brush of his lips on mine. The tip of his tongue flicked out to trace my upper lip before delving between my lips, into my mouth. It was breath taking. Shaz kissed me with absolute love. Our tongues entwined, dancing together with a natural ease.

In an achingly slow motion, his hands slid from my hair and down my arms. Every nerve ending came alive beneath his touch, tickling me ever so slightly. I gave a girlish giggle, the kind that I hate. It was different when Shaz elicited such a sound from me.

He continued his loving touch all along my body, caressing all of me except for my most intimate places. It was relaxing, and I sank into the heady sensations. I rarely felt this relaxed and even rarer that it had nothing to do with vampire power.

As Shaz touched me, he continued to kiss me with a slow burning passion that began to grow fierce. I filled my hands with his amazing platinum hair, picturing his gorgeous white wolf fur. No matter what I had with Arys, he could never run by my side beneath the silver light of the moon. Only Shaz could do that. What we had was beyond special, touching my soul so that I wanted to shed tears of joy.

I threw my whole heart and soul into our kiss. If I conveyed even half of the emotion that no words could possibly say, it would be enough. Arys had hurt me with his recent absence and his filthy actions, but I could deal. If ever Shaz were to do such a thing, it would destroy me. Knowing that told me so much more about myself than I'd ever wanted to know.

The thought had me feeling desperate, needing to cling to him. I shoved the thoughts from my head and hugged him to me. All that mattered then was that I felt his hot flesh pressed to mine.

When his lips trailed down my neck, he paused near the vampire bite. Sniffing it lightly, he delicately licked the edge of the wound before moving past it. Sucking at my skin, Shaz made a wolfy sound that spoke directly to my wolf.

I needed to lose myself in him. When he pulled me down atop him on the couch, the thrill that filled me was electrifying. Touching him calmed the storm that had been raging inside me.

He sat on the couch so that I knelt over him. It put us perfectly face to face. There was an unmistakable desire in his eyes. It made me feel renewed, as if everything else ceased to matter but that very moment.

His hands glided along my body, from my hair to my hips. I could feel his erection beneath me, and I wiggled just a little. A soft sigh escaped him, and he blinked those heavenly green eyes at me, causing my heart to pound a little harder.