Love Me to Death (Underveil, #1)(44)

“And my mouth,” she whispered, only inches away from him. “Together.”

He held her away by the shoulders.

“What?” she asked, enjoying the boldness brought on by the plan and assisted by the vodka. “You don’t like my plan?”

“I approve wholeheartedly of your plan…in execution,” he said, still holding her shoulders. “It’s your motivation that concerns me.” His grip loosened slightly. “And the timing. You’ve gone from cold to hot.”

“Hot, yes.” She reached out and ran her hands over his hard chest. “Very hot.”

The words were true. It was the first time in a while she hadn’t felt cold. The wagon was cozy, and she’d had just enough alcohol to warm her.

“Relax, Nikolai. I won’t bite you,” she whispered. But she would. There was no going back. She could never return to her old life. All she could do was follow her destiny and make wise choices. So far, she’d made no choices…until now. She was not going to put her fate in anyone else’s hands again. Even if those hands could make her see stars.

“Kiss me, Nikolai. Not as a show for some woman spying on us. Kiss me for me. For you. For real.”

And the kiss was real. Too real. So good, she almost lost her nerve.

“Elena.” Her name from his lips drove her wild, and she pressed even closer.

Step three: get him so aroused he wouldn’t care if she bit him. So far, so good.

She ran her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp.

He groaned and rolled her beneath him.

“You’re not so talkative tonight,” she teased, running her hands down his back and up again.

“I’m slightly overwhelmed.”

“Only slightly?” She slid her hands under his shirt and scraped her nails down his back, and he thrust against her.

“Okay. More than slightly.” His voice was deep and raspy, which caused her lower body to tighten.

She scraped her nails back up to his shoulders. “You want me.”

He placed his forehead against hers. “God, yes.”

She reached between them and unsnapped his jeans. He grabbed her arm and pinned it above her head, then did the same with her other hand. This is not what she had planned. She needed control in order to achieve her plan. But this big, powerful man had a different scenario in mind.

“Not now. Not here,” he said. “Not like this.”

What the hell? He was saying no? She’d have none of that. She wrapped her legs around him and thrust up, and he groaned. He released her arms and grabbed her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers in a deep, consuming kiss. That mouth. That delicious, talented mouth.

She wrapped her arms around him and reveled in the intimacy. Several times, she almost bit him, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. It would be so sneaky—wrong, like what he had done to her. Yeah… He had done it with no thought as to her wishes. So be it.

She took his bottom lip between her teeth and bit down. Hard.

He hissed in pain, but then groaned as she rocked up against him and sucked.

The result was instantaneous and shocking. His blood filled her mouth, and she went crazy. More. She needed more of it. Of him. Now.

“Elena,” he said when she pulled away to swallow. “My God, what you do to me.”

Like super high-octane gas, his blood fueled her. She no longer felt hungry or thirsty or tired. She felt powerful. Strong. Strong enough to push him over onto his back. She straddled him and kissed him again, drawing deep on his lower lip as he cupped her breasts over her parka.

She needed his hands on her. “Clothes off,” she ordered, ripping the parka from her body. Damned Velcro on the sleeve. She couldn’t get it off fast enough. Then she removed the pajama top.

She looked down at Nikolai who gazed up in wonder, blood glistening on his lips. “Beautiful,” he whispered. “Extraordinary.” He reached up and skimmed his fingers over her breasts, causing warmth to pool between her legs. “Perfect.”

“I need you naked.” She unbuttoned the shoulder of his shirt and pulled it down to his waist. She climbed off him and tugged his boots off, then unzipped and yanked his jeans down, shirt right along with them, and tossed them away. Kneeling at his feet, she paused to enjoy the view. He was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Every inch of him was powerful, and his skin flickered gold in the lamplight. Yes. She wanted this. All of him, and his blood coursing through her made her strong. She needed more.

“I need to bite you,” she said, crawling back over him wearing only the boots, centering her core right over his erection.

“I know.” He placed his warm hands on either side of her face. “Open. Let me see.” She opened her mouth, and his erection pulsed under her. “You’re changing.” He placed his thumb against a tooth. He withdrew, showing her a puncture wound with a drop of blood swelling from it.

Holy shit. She ran her tongue over her top teeth to find two elongated and very sharp canines. A pang of fear stopped short and melted immediately when he grinned.

“And your eyes are red. Deep, beautiful, passionate red,” he whispered. “I love it.”

Her chest pinched inside. Slayers didn’t believe in love. And there was no way the most distinguishing features of vampires—her red eyes—appealed to him. Focus on the plan, she reminded herself.