Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they, including the world they live in, belong to Kim Harrison.
Her hand snaked it's way around my waist from behind and I stifled a shudder as her warm breath danced upon my naked shoulder. What happened next was utterly unintentional. Really. I swear. I tilted my head back away from her to expose my bare neck, urging the vampire to go further. My mind was lost in a drunken haze of lust and desire; as if I wasn't the one controlling my own actions. I parted my mouth to speak, but a warm finger pressed against my lips to stop me. I didn't say anything after that. It wasn't so much the fact that she didn't wish me to, but the fact that her finger felt so nice pressed onto my lips. My tongue found it's way through my parted lips to taste the smooth texture of her long piano-playing fingers. She moaned at that. My eyelids fluttered shut at the harmonious sound, and I did it again. And again. However, to my deception, there was no sound produced that resembled the first. Damn. I had really wanted to hear that again.
Well, I thought devilishly to myself, there are plenty other ways to make her moan.
As if sensing the direction of my thoughts, her hand slipped lower to nestle between my thighs and a soft whimper escaped me when she refused to move it. My hand begun to descend to follow hers, but she used her free hand to pin it forcefully against my chest. I whimpered pathetically again, and she moved her lips inches away from my ear.
"Not yet." The husky whisper sent butterflies shooting through my stomach and my body clenched in anticipation.
My hips moved upwards into her palm but she let it go limp so that it moved parallel to my body. My head tilted up to look at her to find an evil grin plastered upon her features. She was in control. Damn. Once she was reassured I was well aware of her devilish intentions, the hand pinning mine to my chest was used to tilt my head away from her to once again expose my neck. Double damn. She lowered her head to breathe onto my scar. Her scar. The one that made every other vamp—living or deceased—believe that I had already been claimed. But I wasn't...I think.
Her mere breath upon my exposed neck sent my heart racing into jackhammer mode, and my core throbbed almost painfully. The warmth danced it's way from my neck to rush to my center, spreading across my body and I moaned at the feeling of it. As soon as the sound escaped my lips, her palm pressed upwards into me and I threw my hands behind me to grab her neck, pulling her closer. She parted her lips on my neck so that I could feel the hard surface of her small canines brushing with excruciatingly delicacy upon the flawless flesh of my neck. I heard a sharp intake of breath and only shortly after did I realize it had come from me. The grip I had on the nape of her neck tightened and I pulled her even closer, wanting her teeth inside me. I could have sworn she let out a low growl before picking me up and carrying me over to my bed, keeping her position between my legs and not so far away from my neck.
Everything that had previously happened had occurred in the threshold of my room. I don't quite remember how we had gotten there, only that there was no more denying the fact that I wanted her. Like...really. How could I have possibly ignored the feeling she gave me when we touched, when we shared blood? I was stupid. Blind. And even though her eyes were now black as midnight and her jaw was clenched in restraint, I could tell that she was happy. She was with me, finally, and she was happy.
She lay me down on the sheets and simply stood there for a minute or two, gazing lovingly at my naked form. It was both slightly embarrassing and enticing at once. Her pupils would roam all over my body before locking with mine, and she would give me a smile that made my heart wish to leap from my chest and into the palm of her hand. It was the irresistible desire of being irresistibly desired. While she watched me, I couldn't help but notice that she, too, was nude. How we both suddenly got naked and in each other's arms...I have no clue. But hey, live in the moment, right? As she ogled me, I did the same. My bottom lip found it's way between my teeth as her perfect, creamy breasts came into view. I silently envied her for having such generous mounds of flesh attached to her torso when mine were the bare necessities. My gaze touched her every impeccable curve before lingering on her facial features.
As soon as out eyes met, her pupils dilated to their full capacity until there was no more white left in her eyes. She lunged. I hardly felt the weight of the vampire I loved upon me as her hands and knees fell to either side of me. She slowly lowered herself until I could feel the wetness of her center upon my stomach and once again, my head tilted away from her unintentionally—which pretty much meant "bite me" in vamp language. She didn't hesitate to place the rest of her weight onto me so she could have an easier access to my neck. Slowly, her lips parted until her small, sharp canines were once again nipping gently at my neck, never breaking the skin. She groaned pleasurably. Or maybe I did. There was no concrete way of determining, now that we were intertwined with no way of telling where she began and I ended. She took small pinches of the flesh from my neck between her teeth and pulled leisurely.
Taunting. Teasing. Testing.
"Will you give me this?" She posed the ritualistic vampire question, breathless and yet calm and collected despite the situation.
I opened my mouth to tell her she was a stupid vampire for thinking otherwise when that absurdly sexy finger was on my lips again. I sighed relaxingly and let my body fall further into the sheets at her touch. Damn it how did she do this to me? I was going to kill her after this for thinking she had the slightest control over me. Well, maybe I'd pay her back first...but then she was dead. So dead.
"Rachel," the moment my name fell through her lips I completely lost it. My hands traced their way down her spine to cup her perfectly-shaped ass and I squeezed. She hissed as my nails dug into her skin, but damn it I wanted her to bite me! My eyebrows shot up in surprise as her hiss turned into a pleasurable moan and she writhed suggestively above me. She liked pain? Shoot. Well...it might come in handy later on, but right now I needed something to snap her out of this.
The corners of my lips curled into a smirk as my hand slipped lower between her thighs. No way she was going to be able to ignore this. My fingers moved rhythmically upon her, and she desperately attempted to move away all the while remaining close to my neck and stay focused at the same time. She couldn't tease me if I was doing the same to her. A devilish expression crept it's way onto my features. Ahh, the feeling of being evil. It was as soon as my finger slipped inside of her that her control withered and died. Her mouth covered my neck and teeth slid into my flesh. The searing pain rapidly turned into an almost unbearable pleasure as she begun to pull on the blood that flowed within me.
"Ivy," I moaned piteously. "Ivy. Oh God, Ivy."
"Rachel."
"Ivy." Gosh I sounded desperate. "Don't stop, Ivy."
"Rachel?"
The voice I heard definitely belonged to Ivy but not the one I was in bed with. It was filled with worry. I tried to pull away from the vampire at my neck; the pleasure having become a dull sensation, now. It took me all my strength to push her away, and when I did, I gasped. Her mouth was covered in my blood and her lips were curled to show her canines. Ivy's brows were furrowed, giving her a hostile and aggressive allure. I jerked back as she hissed at me. Yes, hissed.
Something shook me, and I felt dizzy. My eyes opened to see Ivy standing above me—fully clothed, I regret to inform. Hey! I had clothes on, too! Wait...what? None of this scene was making any sense. I was in my pajamas and so was Ivy. Mmm...Ivy. My hand crept toward her, sliding around her waist and pulling her closer to me. We'd just have to start all over again.
She jerked back suddenly at the touch of her fingers, and I looked up at her to see an expression that conveyed a mixture of angst and fury plastered upon her features.
"Ivy?"
Only then did I realize I was scared; my voice was weak and quivering. Adrenaline was surging through my veins and keeping her black gaze fixed to mine. Shit. Fear for vamps was like drugs to a junkie. If I didn't get out of this situation, I was going to be in big doodie.
"Ivy..." I hurriedly leapt away from her but she was faster. She pinned me to the wall beside my bed and my back crashed against the wall. The sheets slid from my waist to reveal my pink tank-top and underwear. Fine, I was slightly girlish. Who gives a crap? Ivy's gaze roamed over my body before stopping at my neck. Only then did I realize that this was serious. "Ivy," I rushed. "Let me go."
She snorted; the breath from her exhale making the red curls blow out of my face unintentionally. "I'm not out of control, you stupid witch."
"What?"
She casually stepped away from me and stood in the threshold of my room, leaning against the frame nonchalantly as if nothing had occurred. If I hadn't known her for so many years I would have been utterly dumbfounded, but I could tell she was upset by the way her eyes glistened in the faint light. Though even if I hadn't recognized that little known fact about Ivy the Big Bad Vampire, her broken voice would have told me the direction of her emotions.
"My name."
"What are you talking about, Ivy?" My own voice was still slightly racked with fear. I hadn't been prepared for her lunge, and she could have taken my blood by force right there and then if she had wanted to.
"My name," she repeated in a cracked voice before collecting herself. "I...I needed to wake you up."
Her voice almost broke my heart, I had never seen her in this state before. She seemed to notice my worry, and her eyes clouded with dark anger. "Rachel, do you have any idea how different my name sounds coming from you when you're sleeping than when you're awake?"
Oh God. Had I been moaning her name out loud?
She didn't let me answer. "When you're awake it's filled with repugnance and fear. Desire and love fills it when you're dreaming. Every night, Rachel. Every night. I've stood here every night for the past week, watching you sleep. I don't even need to be a vampire and capable of sensing your mood to tell what you're dreaming about."
She stepped forward cautiously, testing my reaction. I didn't move. Ivy approached me slowly until her hand was cupping my cheek. I sighed at her warm touch. Simply this was better than any fantasy. I leaned into her palm and she placed her other hand onto the opposite side of my face. Why had I been denying both of us this for so long? God was I dumb.
"Ivy." I breathed.
Her eyelids fluttered shut at the sound of my voice and I could have sworn seeing moisture accumulate within her lashes. "Like that," she whispered.