Until the Sun Falls from the Sky (The Three #1)(14)

I didn’t want to try. In fact, I felt hope for the first time in a week. Actually, for the first time in four weeks, since I got my invitation to The Selection.

“Maybe we shouldn’t do this tonight,” I tried. “Maybe we should try tomorrow night. Or,” I hesitated, “next week.”

Or never but I wasn’t going to go that far, not yet.

My very weak hope was dashed.

“I can’t,” he replied.

“Why not?”

He sighed and his hand stopped stroking my thigh. His fingers curled into my hip again and he rolled me to my side facing him as his legs came out from under mine and he stretched out full-length beside me. His arm moved around me, his hand sliding up my back to catch a tendril of hair and start playing with it.

“I’ll give you a little lesson you should have learned in studies,” he began with a disapproving tone before I could give into hyperventilating at our newer, far more intimate, position.

I pulled my lips between my teeth and nodded.

“Five weeks ago, I informed The Council I would be releasing my concubine and I’d need to attend A Selection. A week ago, three hours before I arrived at your Selection, she and I officially ended our Arrangement. By law I’m not allowed to feed until I have my new concubine. Not even at A Feast. This means I haven’t fed in a week. That’s a long time, my pet,” he finished on a whisper and then went right on whispering, “I need you. Tonight.”

I ignored his admission of need, which made me feel strangely aroused. What helped that arousal (too much), was the way he whispered, his deep voice soft and low and somehow physical.

Instead, I asked, “What’s a feast?”

His hand went from playing almost tenderly (all right, so it was tenderly, I couldn’t deny it) with my hair, to sliding down my back and drawing circles at its small.

That felt nice too, both my body and mind admitted it without delay or quarrel. It just felt nice. Really nice.

“That I’ll let your mother or Edwina explain,” he told me, still talking low.

“So you’re hungry?”

He nodded and answered, “Very.”

“Why do you have to wait? That seems stupid.”

Something passed across his face, annoyance, definitely, impatience also, frustration too, I was pretty certain. Then there looked to be defiance but that was so fleeting I couldn’t be sure.

“It isn’t smart, you’re correct, however it’s also the law,” he answered.

“Wouldn’t that make the first bloodletting, the initiation, rather dangerous if the vampire is hungry?”

I thought he’d lie.

Instead he agreed by saying, “Yes.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” I whispered and I could feel my heart, which had been slowing, start to speed up again.

“I was there when they wrote the law and I still don’t understand it.” He stopped speaking because I wasn’t listening.

I was panicking.

His head cocked slightly then his fingers ceased drawing on my back and his hand flattened, moving over my bottom and up to my hip.

“Leah, your heart,” he warned.

“I can’t help it!” I burst out. “You even admitted you were hungry. What if you can’t stop!”

“I’ll stop.”

“What if you can’t?”

“Leah, I’ll stop.”

I shook my head and started to pull away but his hand slid down my hip, over my bottom again but this time to cup it and he pulled me closer, pressing my h*ps into his.

He was aroused too, very aroused, I felt it immediately. And his arousal made me even more aroused. It was insane but it was true.

Oh my God. What was wrong with me?

I stilled against his body and my eyes caught his in shock.

His face came close, his mouth barely a breath from mine before he promised, “I won’t hurt you.”

“You can’t help it.”

“I can.”

“Please don’t do this,” I whispered my plea.

He drew a breath in his nostrils and his black eyes, so close, lost focus.

“God, you smell sweet,” he murmured.

“Lucien.”

When I said his name, his eyes came back into focus and they were more intense than ever.

“You’ll like it,” he told me softly.

I shook my head. My panic was keeping pace with my arousal. He was turning me on and scaring me to death at the same time. How, I didn’t know, but he was doing it.

It was as if he sensed this and he liked it. He liked it too much, I could tell because his eyes started burning and that turned me on too.

“In a week, you’ll be begging me for it,” he said quietly.

My pulse spiked and my breath went ragged. His eyes flared.

“Calm, my pet,” he murmured, his hand pressing into my behind, his h*ps starting to grind against mine.

That felt good too.

My lips parted, my br**sts swelled and my ni**les went hard, all at the same time a rush of warmth flooded between my legs.

In a second I was going to kiss him. I had to. It wasn’t even my choice. I wasn’t in control of myself. This wasn’t mind games. This wasn’t even head games. This was all me.

My eyes dropped to his mouth.