Her Soul to Keep Read online

  Mariah tilted her head to deepen his caress. “I don’t live very far from here.”

  He couldn’t believe how quickly things had progressed. How naturally. “Sure you want to bring me back to your place?”

  She wrinkled her nose then nodded. “I’m inviting you, aren’t I?”

  “You’ll be safe with me. Tonight.”

  Her eyes widened. “I just shivered.”

  A genuine smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Call a friend. Knock on a neighbor’s door. Let them see my face; I’ll give them my ID. I don’t want you to worry about me.”

  Her gaze locked with his for a long breathless moment, then the corners of her own lips lifted in a whimsical smile. “I’m not worried you’ll murder me or anything. And since I’ve already offered you my body—that pretty much rules out any molesting, unless it’s me doing you.”

  Viper drew in a deep breath and began to relax, determined to enjoy her gentle aggression. “We haven’t even kissed. How do you know you’ll like being with me?”

  “Are you kidding me?” One brow slipped upward. “Have you looked in a mirror lately? Maybe you don’t find me all that attractive.”

  “Who hit on whom?”

  Her smile deepened. “Ooh! A man who knows his grammar. I’m completely turned on now. Not the most elegant sentence, but there’s something to be said for brevity.”

  “Are you nervous?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “You’re beginning to ramble,” he murmured. His fingers tugged at the lock of hair that kept slipping from behind her ear. “Come closer.”

  Her glance dropped to his lips. “You’re thinking about that kiss we haven’t shared?”

  “I want a taste of that coffee you sighed over.”

  She leaned closer. “Did I sound too orgasmic?”

  “Is that even possible?” he said, his lips curving again. Lord, he’d missed their sexy bantering.

  “Why do I get the feeling you don’t smile very much?”

  “Because I don’t.”

  Her dark eyes melted with a sheen of moisture. “You don’t have to be lonely, so why are you?”

  Deflecting the question, he drew back a fraction of an inch. “You’re attractive enough a thousand men would want you. Why are you lonely?”

  “I guess I just haven’t felt a connection. Do you know what I mean?”

  Viper knew exactly what she meant. He sat across from the only woman he’d ever felt he belonged with...and lied. “I never gave it much thought.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “That is such a man thing to say.”

  Because he didn’t want to lie again, he raised his other hand slowly and slipped it behind her neck.

  Her eyelids fluttered closed, and her head fell back, supported by the palm cupping her now.

  He shifted toward the edge of his seat and leaned close, staring at her parted lips.

  The first tentative touch almost made him come unglued. His body tightened against the urge to take her to the ground and cover her.

  Instead, he breathed softly through his nose, pressed his lips against hers, and canted his head to deepen the pressure.

  A low, breathy moan seeped into his mouth.

  He circled his head slowly, dragging his lips over hers, suctioning softly until she gasped, and he gently thrust his tongue inside.

  The taste of her—coffee, a lingering hint of mint from her toothpaste, her own sweet flavor—sent a fine tremor racing down his spine.

  Her head drew back, and her tongue traced her bottom lip. “Are you reassured now that we’ve got that out of the way?” she asked, the glibness of her words betrayed by the breathless delivery.

  Viper settled his forehead against hers. “How far did you say your place is?”

  “We can be there in five.”

  “Make it four,” he muttered, and then stood, holding out his hand to pull her up.

  Chapter Two

  Minutes later, they arrived hand-in-hand and winded at her front door.

  Viper cut a quick glance around them, straining for the crunch of footsteps and the beat of a telltale heart. No one lingered in the shadows around them.

  Specters from his other life hadn’t followed him here.

  Earlier, before he’d stalked her, he’d been careful not to lead anyone else to her door. He’d scrubbed the scent of blood, booze, and cigarettes from his skin and hair, and dressed in freshly laundered clothing. He’d laid down a trail in the opposite direction from her house and backtracked.

  No one would ever connect her to him. No one could ever know how precious she was. The seamy underbelly of the dark world he moved inside would never touch her.

  He’d sacrificed everything to make sure of that.

  Her keys jangled as she clumsily fit one into the lock. “Don’t be expecting too much. I didn’t know I’d bring company back with me tonight.”

  The door swung open, and she stepped inside.

  Viper followed on her heels, not letting her put space between them. His hands gripped the sides of her hips, and he pushed her deeper inside before kicking the door closed behind them.

  Then he pulled her backward, wrapping both arms around her waist and gliding his lips along the top of her shoulder and up her neck, finding the pulse thrumming just beneath the skin.

  Her head fell against his shoulder, and his teeth began the slow slide downward. He jerked back his head, trying to get control of himself.

  She drew deep, rasping breaths into her lungs. “What’s wrong? Why did you stop?”

  Knowing he’d lisp around his elongated teeth, he shook his head against hers and smoothed his hands over her firm belly, then upward to cup her breasts through her clothing.

  She kicked off her sandals and slid down. Her clothing rustled. When her skirt dragged against his jeans on its downward journey, he rucked up her T-shirt and pulled it over her head. With a soft snick, she opened the front clasp of her bra, but before she could lean away to remove it, his palms enclosed her breasts, squeezing gently.

  The feel of her warm, plump flesh filling his hands caused his entire body to tighten with excitement. He scraped thumbs over her hardening nipples, eliciting a gasp. Smiling, he plucked then twisted while her chest jerked with her excited little breaths.

  He glided a hand down her belly, then stroked up again until she quivered and tensed. When he stroked downward again, her hand halted him just before he touched the soft hair atop her mound.

  “It’s not fair,” she moaned, rubbing her back and shoulders against his chest. “You have on too many clothes.”

  He twirled her in his arms, reached down to cup her bare bottom and lifted her.

  Her legs wrapped around his waist, and her mouth landed on his cheek, his chin—

  He turned his face to avoid her mouth. “Your bedroom?” he bit out, although he already knew.

  Mariah lifted her arm to point and snuggled her cheek alongside his as he moved through her darkened living room and down the short corridor to her bedroom.

  A single lamp beside the bed lit the room. He stepped toward the bed and climbed onto the mattress, taking her to the center before lowering his body to blanket hers.

  “This isn’t going to work,” she murmured.

  He ignored her complaint and trailed his mouth down her neck, shielding his teeth behind his lips until he reached her breasts.

  A soft cry filled the air above him as he stroked her with his tongue, chancing gentle nibbles with his front teeth.

  Her fingers thrust through his long hair, combing it, pulling it as he deepened the suctioning that drew her nipples into taut beads.

  “Danny…”

  Not Daniel, as he’d insisted. Did some small corner of her mind remember him after all? He pulled away and sat up to strip off his jacket and his T-shirt, which he tossed to the floor behind him.

  Her hands reached for his belt and opened it. She thumbed open the waist of his pants then began to slide a hand inside.
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  Instead, he backed off the bed to remove his boots and jeans.

  She came up on her elbows, her greedy gaze raking his body.

  When he was nude, he stood still for a moment, letting her look at his body. “Do I pass?” he teased.

  Her thighs closed then slowly parted again. A slick of moisture glazed her pale skin.

  As he climbed back onto the bed, Viper noted her heightened arousal in the flare of her nostrils and quickening breaths.

  Her legs widened at his first gentle nudge. He reached down to lift her knees and arrange them on either side of his hips.

  Then he lowered himself, closing his eyes as his skin met hers. Pure heaven. He was gonna roast in Hell. “This too fast for you?” he gritted out.

  Her hands slipped around his back and kneaded the muscles on either side of his spine. Her face was tightening, her eyes glittering with unashamed excitement. “I need you moving inside me. Now, please.”

  Her tight, urgent words were exactly what he wanted to hear. He lifted his hips and slid a hand between their bodies. His fingers closed around himself, and he fitted the tip to her entrance and slowly thrust inside. The feel of her moist channel closing around him made him clench with sensual delight.

  Her eyes closed tightly, and her thighs clasped him, her hips tilting to receive him.

  He settled his cheek beside hers and stroked deep into her liquid heat. Surrounded by her creamy walls, he began to move, his body shuddering, already in the grip of his overwhelming arousal.

  Planting his knees in the mattress, he slipped his arms beneath her thighs and lifted her hips off the bed, churning, thrusting, and circling his hips to tunnel deeper inside her sweet body.

  She gasped and her arms wrapped around his back. Her fingertips scraped up and down, digging into his skin to urge him deeper, faster.

  His motions increased in strength and intensity. He jerked against her, beginning a sweet pummeling that moved her up the slippery, silk comforter. He followed, not letting her escape, not giving her a moment to deepen the quivering breaths that gusted against his cheek.

  Wrapped inside her arms, sliding into her deliciously wet channel, he fought the tension growing inside him, not wanting to surrender, not willing to allow the beast inside him to crawl out and take his pleasure and her blood.

  The internal battle he fought made him sweat and tremble.

  When her first shivers rippled along his shaft and her internal muscles clamped hard around him, he groaned and opened his mouth to suckle the salt and perfume from her neck, testing with his tongue until he felt the surge of blood beneath her skin, and he gave into the urge to taste.

  His razor-sharp teeth slid into flesh, nicking the pulsing artery.

  A sharp hiss sounded in his ear, and her hands came between them, shoving at his chest. Her body bucked, writhing under him.

  But he didn’t let go, even knowing he’d hurt her. Wait, let it happen.

  The next frightened roll of her hips brought him deeper and she groaned, her fingers now sinking in the hair on his chest to clutch him closer.

  Her body spasmed, her back arched hard, a low agonized moan squeezing from her tight throat.

  Still, he held back his own release, letting hers sweep through her, knowing the exact moment it happened because a keening cry rose around them.

  When the quivering beneath him lessened, he withdrew his teeth, lapped at the tiny wounds to close them, and drew back his head to stare down into her pale, shocked face.

  “I know who you are,” she said, her voice rasping painfully. Tears welled in her eyes, but didn’t spill over. Her lips trembled.

  “Who do you think I am?” he asked, afraid she might have gleaned the truth.

  “Husband,” she whispered, moisture finally leaking from her eyes to track down the sides of her cheeks and slip into her sweat-dampened hair.

  A wave of possessive satisfaction swelled inside his chest. He dove down to cover her mouth, stroking his tongue inside, greeting hers, claiming the taste of her as he continued to plow deep inside her body.

  “Let me see,” she said, tears thickening her voice.

  Viper closed his eyes, and let the beast surface, welcoming the primal force that scratched its way through his consciousness to reveal itself.

  His body stiffened, muscles hardened. Every part of him strained outward. Even his cock, lengthening, thickening, pressing relentlessly against her inner walls until her hips undulated helplessly beneath him.

  Another wash of quivering release shook her body, shuddering through him, as she cried out, her nails scraping harder, drawing blood from his back.

  A deep, rasping growl built at the back of his throat, and he drew back his hips and lunged forward, powering into her now, sliding through her tight channel, churning in the cream that slid around him, until at last, he threw back his head and roared.

  Viper didn’t know how long he lay atop her, his body racked by fine tremors as the beast eased away, sliding back into its cavern. But he came to awareness with her hands gliding over his skin, cupping his shoulders, petting his hair, sliding along his slick back as she hiccupped beneath him.

  She was crying.

  Slipping his hands beneath her, he rolled to his back, bringing her over him. He cupped the back of her head and urged her face into the crook of his neck. His lips brushed her crown once, and then he settled beneath her, waiting for her tears to dry while he held her close.

  “I remember everything,” she said, her voice hoarse.

  “I wish you didn’t,” he said tonelessly although his gut knotted hard.

  “How cruel is that?” she bit out, lifting her head to glare into his face. “You took everything from me.”

  “I wanted you safe.”

  The corners of her lips turned downward. “I understand why you did it, but how do you bear it? Knowing what we had.”

  Viper swallowed and slipped his hands around her back to hug her closer. “I get through every single day,” he said, his voice roughening, “because I know you’re nearby. I know you live. And that’s enough.”

  “I should never have looked for the truth about those dead boys.”

  “Not so dead,” he muttered.

  “I was so self-righteous. The world had to know…”

  “They can’t handle the truth,” he quipped.

  She gave a sharp laugh. “You do a terrible Nicholson.”

  “I have no regrets.”

  “You’re stronger than I am. If you feel an ounce of the pain I do now…” Her head shook slowly. “Will you leave me again without even a glimpse of our past?”

  The rasp in her voice scraped him raw. “I…have to.”

  She snorted, her mouth stretching into a sad jeer. “This is why I can’t move on, you know. Something inside me remembers you. No other man can compare.”

  Move on? His chest clamped hard and he closed his eyes, praying for the strength. “If you want to find someone else, I can make it easier.” He opened his eyes to meet her steady gaze. “I can free you.”

  “You’d let me take another lover? Another husband?”

  While inside his psyche wailed and thrashed, he schooled his face into a mask. “I want you happy. Safe.”

  She laid her head on his shoulder and rubbed her cheek against him. “It’s our anniversary today, isn’t it?”

  Hoping she’d given up, decided not to rant as she had the last time he’d sought her out, he exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get you anything.”

  Her fingers plucked his chest hair hard. “There are other choices you know,” she said, her voice hardening. “Ones I should have the free will to make.”

  “You can’t come with me.”

  “Because it’s too dangerous? I remember that too. You shoved me out the door of that warehouse, out into the street, while you stayed inside.”

  “I saved your life.” His fingers clenched the sheet then relaxed.

  “You sacrificed our life together. Yo
u didn’t have the right to make that decision alone.”

  “Well, it’s done now. No going back.”

  “Except you do…keep coming back, that is.”

  The knife twisted deeper in his chest. Was she really so eager to end it, once and for all? “So I’m weak.”

  Her fingers relaxed, and she lifted her head. “You could let me come with you.”

  The plea in her brown eyes nearly had him relenting. “You can’t come with me,” he repeated dully. “I don’t want you to see what I’ve become, how I live.”

  “You’re a vampire.” She pressed her face into his chest. “God, they really do exist. I kept thinking there was something more…”

  “That Goth club isn’t just a place for the wannabes. Vamps feed there. Not all of them are nice. You shouldn’t have gone there.”

  “Why can’t you just make me one, too? Let me stay with you.”

  “Turning is too dangerous. As many die as make the change. I won’t risk you.”

  She shoved at his chest. “Don’t I even get a say?”

  “Mariah…” He lifted her head, forcing her to meet his gaze. How could he make her understand? “Dying isn’t the worst thing that can happen.”

  Her eyes and nose were red now, her face wet with smeared tears. “Then explain it. Make me understand how you could just abandon me.”

  His thumbs wiped the moisture, then he slipped his hands beneath her arms and pulled her higher until her face hovered just above his. “Your soul could slip away, not make the journey. If that happened, I’d have to kill you.” He forced himself to finish it, despite the jagged edge entering his voice, despite the burning at the back of his throat. “I just…can’t.” Tears landed on his cheeks, each one stabbing his heart.

  “I remember the day you disappeared. I thought I saw you outside. On the sidewalk.”

  “I had been attacked and turned. Bloodlust overcame me. I had just enough sense left to know I couldn’t come to you. I would have devoured you.”

  “Where did you go?” The edges of her mouth turned down.

  “To a den. An orgy. Blood in buckets. I sated myself, then got sicker than a dog.”

  “What about women? Has there been anyone else?”