A/N: Wow, I was pretty happy with how the last chapter turned out, but I was not expecting so much enthusiasm, thanks guys! Caroline's confrontation with Marcel was one of two scenes that made me want to write this story and I had a lot of fun writing it, I'm glad you seemed to like it as much as I did

As for this chapter… You've been warned, this is almost all smut. If you're not into that, you can go directly to the last few lines, they're important to the plot.

Happy New Year everyone! :D

Chapter 9: Torture Me

Get the rope, tie me to the bedpost

Because I can't find within myself the happy host

If I find my peace of mind, torture me

If I seem too serene, torture me

Torture me with all I've wanted

Torture me

She wakes up to a faint tickling sensation. Her eyes protest the sudden light, so she shuts them again and tries to swat away whatever it is that is disturbing her sleep, only to have it move from her stomach to her chest, and her half asleep brain finally registers the presence hovering over her. Forcing her eyes open once more, she looks down to see Klaus blowing cool air against her skin. When she realizes that this is what roused her from her sleep, the tickling turns arousing instead of annoying and she squirms under him, trying to rub her nipple against his lips, but he pulls back, crawling up her body until he's eye level with her. She brings a hand up to his neck to try and pull him down, but he catches both of her wrists in an iron grip and pins them down to the mattress. Her gaze darts from her left hand to her right, trying to figure out what he's up to. When she brings her eyes back to his face, there's a silent question written in his, along with a challenge. At first she doesn't understand what it is he's asking, but then it hits her as their conversation about fantasies replays in her mind. Her body involuntarily arches up off the bed in anticipation and she gives an eager nod.

At that, he moves off of her, sitting back on his heels and watching her in silence. Just when she's starting to wonder if he is ever going to talk or move or something, he motions at her hands, still resting on either side of her head where he positioned them.

"Hands, higher," he commands, and she notes that he's not compelling her yet, trusting her to do as he asks.

She obeys, stretching her arms until he gives a satisfied nod and trying not to be too obvious about the fact that his hungry gaze caressing her exposed breasts at the motion is already turning her on.

"Like that?" she asks with an innocent smile that is fooling exactly no one.

"Yes. Now spread your legs. Wider," he adds after she moves them only a few inches. "Good. Bend your knees, just a little, feet on the mattress."

Once he's satisfied with her position, he settles on top of her, nestled between her thighs, his weight pushing her back against the bed, a promise of things to come, and he offers her his neck. She sinks her fangs into his flesh without hesitation, knowing that she will need his blood in her system. It's a necessary precaution given what he seems to have in store for her. Once she's drank enough to be safe, she pulls back, and his lips find hers for a brief but heated kiss. Then he looks at her and warns, "Last chance to back out."

She defiantly rubs her hips against his, raising to the challenge.

"Why? Afraid you're not going to be able to fulfill my fantasy?"

"Oh, you have no idea what you're in for, love." He leans down to speak softly against her ear. "I will have you begging in no time. And seeing as any capacity for mercy I once had is now nonexistent, all this begging will be in vain." His voice drops down to a whisper before he continues, the words felt more than they are heard as his lips lightly brush the skin of her neck with each syllable. "You will plead and scream and sob, all the while knowing that it's useless, that you will not come until I let you, and that I will only let you when I see fit." A ghost of a kiss below her ear sends a completely disproportionate jolt of excitement straight to her groin and she bucks up against him, causing him to withdraw slightly to give her a predatory grin. "You will be powerless, you will love every second of it, and you will hate the fact that you love it. You will hate me just as much as you will need me."

"I can't hate. Or love, for that matter," she reminds him, her voice more breathless than she intended.

"We'll see. Ready?" At her nod, his pupils dilate and she can instantly feel the power radiating off of him and taking control of her mind. She definitely wouldn't have agreed to this if her emotions were on. "You will not move until I allow you to."

"I will not move," she repeats dutifully, the instinctive urge to shake her head to gather her bearings after his compulsion going unfulfilled.

He moves once more, and she follows him with her eyes as he goes to his closet and rummages through it for a couple of minutes before coming out with what seems to be a dark piece of material. When he turns back to her holding it in front of him, she sees that it's a silk tie.

"Now, tell me, in that fantasy of yours, are you able to see what's being done to you?"

"I've never really thought about it."

"Now would be the time," he advises, the tie dangling from his index fingers as he comes closer to the bed to stand beside it, looking down at her.

"What would you do?"

He shrugs, letting the cloth graze the inside of her arm in a teasing caress, from her shoulder and all the way to the tip of her fingers and back.

"I would want to watch, but that's just me. You know how big of a turn on it is for me. For you, this is about letting go, surrendering control. Being blind would enhance that as well as heighten your other senses. Trying to anticipate, not knowing what comes next… I think you'd enjoy it."

"Okay then."

Nodding, he places the material over her eyes and lifts her up to tie it behind her head before letting her rest back against the mattress. The complete darkness feels somewhat strange, unsafe even, and she licks her lips in anticipation, unsure about this new development.

"I'll take it off if you want me to," he says, noticing her hesitation.

"It's fine."

"I know, but I meant later, if you change your mind. I won't relent on your immobilization because it's the point of this whole thing, but this is different. All you have to do is say the word."

"Noted," she says, already wishing that she could see him but unwilling to give up before she has at least tried it his way.

If there's one thing that she has never doubted, emotions off or not, it's that she would be able to trust him when it comes to sex.

She feels a finger teasing her folds and she can almost hear his smirk.

"So wet already, love. Is it because of my touch? My voice? My promises?" She decides not to answer that. It's a little bit of everything, though his voice and promises are mostly to blame in this case. They both know what kind of effect he can have on her with his words alone. "Now, where shall I start? Wait, I know," he says almost casually, withdrawing his fingers.

She hears him move, and before she can even try to guess what he's going to do, he plunges into her and she cries out at the unexpected intrusion, taken completely off guard. She was so sure that he was going to torture her, make her wait for it, taunt her…

He doesn't stay still, his motions are quick and deep, he's stretching her, filling her, taking her, and she can already feel her orgasm approaching. Unintelligible words fall from her lips with each new stride. The only thing that would make this better would be being able to wrap her legs around him, but she'll take what she can get.

What she gets is Klaus fucking her hard, pleasuring her, bringing her closer and closer to the edge until she knows one last thrust is all it will take…

And then he's gone.

She growls in protest, her core aching from the loss, her orgasm looming before her almost hesitatingly before it retracts without giving her the satisfaction of washing over her.

"Klaus!" she screams in frustration.

"You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you?"

He must be a few feet away from her now, because she can't even feel the heat of his body next to hers. She grits her teeth at his smug tone even as she has to struggle to get her breathing under control.

"No… Okay, maybe a little."

The bed dips under his weight as he settles beside her once again so that he can whisper against her ear.

"That was just to remind you of what you will so desperately need. Now the fun can begin."

His teeth lightly scraping her neck send shivers down her body and she swallows hard in an attempt to quell the urge to turn her head and capture his lips with hers. Not that she would be able to anyway, but controlling herself instead of letting his compulsion control her is a victory in itself, no matter how small. She knows she's in for a long ride, she is not going to break when the journey has barely started.

"What's next?" she asks defiantly, letting him know that though frustrated, she is nowhere close to begging yet.

"Well, I'm thinking it's been a while since I've tasted you, and that's a shame. But you're still so sensitive that I'm sure the feeling of my tongue in you right now," he pauses just long enough to make his point by letting his fingers brush over her slit, the touch too light to be qualified as a touch, really, but still enough to make her gasp, "would make you come in seconds. And we can't have that now, can we? So I'm going to have to find another way to occupy my time."

His hand glides over her stomach, tickles her side and follows the curves of her body up until it reaches her own hand above her head. Intertwining his fingers with hers, he brings her hand to his mouth and presses a soft kiss against her palm, the simple touch such a contrast to his earlier roughness that she can't help but let out a tiny whimper. And then his fangs pierce the tender skin of her wrist and the whimper turns into something resembling a purr. He found out early on that this is one of her most sensitive areas and he's not above using this knowledge against her.

Instead of feeding the regular way, he tears his mouth away from her, only slightly, just long enough to let the wound heal and the drops of blood roll down her arm, all the way to the crook of her elbow. He then follows their path with his tongue, tasting her blood as well as her skin, and she growls, wishing that she could at least squirm or rub her thighs together or something. It's almost as if she can still feel him between her legs, her core still throbbing from his earlier attention, and it's not nearly enough.

She feels his thumb gently caressing her wrist, checking to make sure the injury is gone before he places her hand back down against the mattress, seemingly satisfied.

Capturing her bottom lip in a light, teasing kiss, he lets his fingers wander leisurely across her body, avoiding her most sensitive spots. This is starting to feel more like the torture she was expecting, and she can't wait to see what else he has in store for her.

She soon finds out as his mouth leaves hers to kiss a path down her body, to her navel and back up, a single flick of his tongue over each nipple his only mercy as she pants with need, lips pressed tightly together to hold back her pleas.

"You're almost there, aren't you?" he asks knowingly against the skin of her stomach, hands at her waist.

"No," she manages to breathe out.

"Liar."

She just huffs and he chuckles, the vibrations drawing a new sound of both pleasure and frustration from her throat.

"You were right. I am going to hate you."

He doesn't answer, choosing to descend lower instead. She's all but shaking with anticipation, but he of course bypasses the place where she wants him the most and starts kissing his way down her leg, taking his sweet time and leaving no part of it untouched until he reaches her toes and switches legs, this time starting at the sole of her foot and making his way up. She can only hope that once he gets to the top of her leg, he's going to make good on his promise of tasting her and not torture her some more, because she's so tense that she feels she's going to explode any second now.

"This will be a lot more enjoyable for you if you relax, love," he says in between licks and nips, unknowingly – or maybe knowingly – echoing her thoughts.

She really wants to scoff and say something about how this is rather funny coming from the guy who is trying to see exactly how tense he can make her before she breaks, but he's working on her knee now and God, when did this become an erogenous zone? Her fingers give an involuntary twitch as his tongue travels higher, up the inside of her thigh, and stops just short of its intended destination. Apparently his compulsion doesn't apply to uncontrollable physical reactions.

"You are going to get there eventually, right?"

She tried for nonchalant, but her voice came out small and weak. Instead of answering with words, he hums against her skin, the sound reverberating all the way down to her toes, the soft sensation immediately followed by a sharp pain.

"Oh fuck," she mutters as the sting of his fangs piercing the skin so close to her center is quickly replaced by the warm feeling of his tongue slowly lapping at her blood. Once her wound is healed, his lips come into play, not kissing, just brushing against her skin in a barely there caress, travelling down to her knee and back up again, as if he's letting the feathery touch guide him wherever it wants, exploring her body to find the perfect spot to place his next kiss. He settles somewhere just below her hipbone and she lets out a strangled breath, unable to believe how badly such a simple gesture can affect her. She blames it on the fact that her body is on overdrive, her skin hypersensitive, her sense of touch heightened by his ministrations as well as her lack of sight, the smallest stimulation blown way out of proportion.

"So responsive," he murmurs appreciatively, placing another soft kiss on the same spot and letting her feel his smile against her skin when he gets the same gasp in response. "So hot and soft." Another kiss, this time closer to where she wants him. "So eager."

Lip-biting is a position she's stuck in by now, so it comes as no surprise when, at the first contact of his tongue between her folds, she can taste her own blood from her split lip. She forces herself to relax because this is only making things worse – her blood is not nearly as satisfying as his, it just makes her crave his more, and she knows he's nowhere close to being willing to let her feed from him yet.

The motions of his tongue are slow, almost lazy, his fingers parting her to allow him in deeper, and her whimpers are getting more desperate by the second. Oh, what she wouldn't give to run her fingers through his hair right now.

The warmth of his tongue disappears abruptly, and she's somewhat surprised because she wasn't close to her orgasm yet and she thought he was going to bring her to the edge before withdrawing, but it all makes sense when two of his fingers plunge into her instead and his lips close around her clit. The pace of his fingers is slightly quicker, and combined with the feeling of his tongue against the bundle of nerve, it adds fuel to the fire, to the point where she knows that he's going to stop soon because she's about to come. His other hand travels up her body until it finds her breast, kneading and pinching and caressing.

"Klaus," she growls, and he reacts by curling the fingers that are buried deep into her heat, making her body tense up impossibly at the new sensation. "Fuck, you're good," she grumbles begrudgingly, and his answering chuckle almost pushes her over the edge. For a split second, she lets herself entertain the hope that he underestimated the effect he has on her and that he will accidentally let her reach her peak, but it gets crushed when he instantly retracts, cool air hitting her hard with his absence.

She tries to swallow back her sob, but she's not that successful, and she feels him move over her until he can reach her hand. Taking it in his, he brings it to his lips and peppers it with light kisses, managing to soothe her as he waits for her to completely come back from the edge. After a few minutes, he returns her hand to its position above her head and she feels him lie down on his side next to her, one hand playing with her hair while the other rests against her stomach, nice and comforting.

"You wanted this," he reminds her, his voice coming out both soft and teasing.

"I know," she assures him once she finds her voice again. "I just don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Let's find out."

And his hand glides over her damp skin until it reaches her slit, lips finding her neck and sucking on her pulse point as his fingers slide into her once again. She can feel her face contorting in pleasure. Even if he still isn't going to let her come this time, having him touch her feels incredible. It relieves some of the pressure even though she knows that it's also building it up more and that it will only make it worse when he leaves her hanging.

He's more insistent this time, relentless, and she feels her vampire features emerging, her control slipping away. When his mouth finds hers, she can taste his blood and she realizes that he must have bitten his own lip to let her have a taste. She sighs gratefully into his mouth, but when she tries to bite him to get more he pulls away, and the word escapes her before she can help it.

"Please."

He did warn her that begging would be useless, so she's not surprised when he ignores her and buries his face in the crook of her neck, speaking in the low tone that he knows can drive her crazy with desire.

"This is hard for me too, you know," he says, and his voice, combined with the movements of his hand between her legs, has her trembling with need. "I've been hard for you since I woke up. I don't think you realize how much self-control I'm exerting here. You can't. Because you have no idea how good it feels to be buried deep inside of you. You can't imagine how much I want to feel you around me. Tight and wet and warm and so fucking demanding."

He picks up his pace for a few seconds but stops and withdraws his fingers as soon as she shows signs of nearing her release, and this time she doesn't even try to hide her desperation.

"No! Klaus, please. Fuck me." His sharp intake of breathe makes her think that she might be getting through to him and she continues. "I need you now. Do it. You know you want to. You need to. You need it as much as I do."

There's a pause, but then she feels him shake his head.

"Maybe not quite as much, love. See, even though it wouldn't feel nearly as good, at least I can use my own hand if it gets unbearable. In fact…"

He trails off, and he adjusts his body next to hers so that she can feel his hard length against her hip, feel his hand wrap around it, the back of it brushing her hip as he starts slowly pumping it up and down. He lets out a relieved sigh followed by a moan even as his body tenses up with the stimulation and another sob escapes her at this new torture. Hearing him pleasuring himself right here when she's been on the verge of orgasm for what has to be hours is more than she can take.

"No. Don't do this. Please Klaus, no. Anything but this."

He stops at the urgency in her voice and even without seeing him she knows he's watching her carefully.

"Why?"

"I can't… Not this." She swallows as she struggles to say something that makes sense. "If you need to come so bad, let me do it. Allow me to move. I won't get myself off, I promise, just… Don't make me listen to this when I could be the one touching you."

He seems to consider it for a moment before he comes to a decision. She feels his hand move, leaving his own body to get back to hers, settling at her waist.

"We'll take care of me later, then," he concedes, his voice coming out breathless for the first time since this started.

"Thank you," she whispers.

He must have used his vampire speed then, because in the next instant his shoulders are nestled between her legs once more, and his tongue plunges into her and she cries out, her distress forgotten in favor of something more primal as this time he doesn't hold back, his licks quick and hard and deeper than ever.

"Klaus! Yes. I… Oh. Oh," she mumbles, barely coherent, before more articulate words make it out of her mouth. "Let me watch."

As dreaded, his motions stop at that, but it's okay because he would have stopped soon anyway. Besides, he'll get back to it once he's relieved her of the makeshift blindfold, and right now she really, really wants to look at him. She can feel his stare on her face as he contemplates, his fingers tracing circles against her thighs, silently letting her know that he's not done with her.

"Are you sure?" he asks, his voice low and husky.

She wants to nod enthusiastically, but since she can't, she settles for, "Yes. God, yes. I need to see you."

She hears his growl at her request and feels him crawl up her body. Before she knows it, he's kissing her hard enough to make her head spin, one arm near her head supporting his weight while his other hand finds the tie and swiftly takes it off, letting it fall noiselessly to the floor next to the bed. God, how she wishes she could wrap her arms around his neck! He breaks the kiss then, and she opens her eyes to find him watching her, his eyes dark and hungry. Yes, that's much better. She will never get enough of the way he looks at her, as if he can't get enough of her.

"Better?" he asks.

"Yes."

He gives her a small nod and a smirk.

"Now, where was I?"

"Much lower," she replies instantly, and his smirk turns wolfish, his eyes lighting up with the sudden prospect of a new game.

"That's right," he says pensively. "Somewhere around here." His lips find her neck, and her answering moan is part-bliss, part-protest. "No?" he asks, feigning confusion.

"No. Lower," she says, deciding that playing along is the quickest way to get him back where she needs him.

A quick lick along the valley between her breasts.

"Here?"

"No."

"Here, then?" he asks, his mouth finding a nipple and sucking on it hard, which results into another one of those moans he can so easily drag out of her.

She briefly wonders what he'll do if she rigs the game now and pretends that yes, this is exactly where he was just a few minutes ago. Will he keep lavishing her breasts with attention until she begs him to stop? Most likely. And frankly, this sounds very appealing right about now, as his tongue traces random patterns around the tight bud, hardening it almost to the point of pain.

But no. She needs him back between her legs.

"No."

"Hm," he says thoughtfully. "Strange. This looked about right. Maybe here?" he suggests, bringing his mouth to her other nipple.

"Klaus, stop teasing," she chastises, the effect somewhat muffled by her strangled voice.

As pleasurable as this is, her core needs his attention more that her breasts do right now.

"I don't think I will," he replies after a beat. "You're absolutely stunning when you're frustrated."

"I'm more stunning when I come," she tries.

"Oh, I know," he agrees. "And you will."

His fingers pinch one nipple while his mouth sucks on the other, and she can feel more liquid heat pooling at her center.

"That feels…" Her voice catches in her throat when he starts applying more pressure and a groan falls from her lips before she manages to breathe, "Amazing."

He hums against her skin and meets her gaze, watching her as she watches him, his mouth never leaving her. Damn, this is hot. He might be on to something with his somewhat voyeuristic tendencies. All too soon, he retracts, but any idea of protesting flee from her mind as she sees him heading lower, finally reaching her center once again. His quick, teasing licks against her clit have her begging again, reducing her to incoherent pleas and wordless sobs. The stimulation is pure torture, not just because of how good it feels, but also because of the way it emphasizes the emptiness between her thighs. This is not enough, she needs him inside of her, hard and hot and throbbing. Not just his fingers or his mouth.

His tongue leaves her so that he can speak, his thumb taking its place to expertly keep her on the very edge.

"What do you want, Caroline?"

"You. In me. Now. Please."

"You're going to need to be more specific, love. What is it you need? My fingers? My mouth?"

Did he just read her mind? Oh well, she supposes he doesn't have to, her body speaks volume, and she has never doubted his ability to read it.

"Your cock. I need you to fuck me."

"You are of course aware that even if I do, I will not let you find your release just yet? Are you sure you can handle it?" She never should have let him know the effect his voice has on her when he takes on this erotic lilt. The sound rolls over her entire body, almost as powerful as his touch, making her even more desperate for him. He knows it, of course, and he takes full advantage. "Wouldn't you rather settle for my hand? It might be slightly less disappointing when I stop right before you climax."

He's right – of course he is. But it doesn't matter, because she can't think past the next three seconds, and all she knows is that if he doesn't take her right now she is going to break. She'll deal with the rest later.

"Yes, I'm sure," she says, her voice almost defeated because either way this goes, she is not going to win.

He doesn't make her wait after that. Settling himself above her, his entire body covering hers, he pushes into her slowly and she cries out in a combination of relief, pleasure and gratefulness. He pulls back just as slowly before sliding back in, setting a languid pace, most likely because he knows how close she was and how quickly she would have come had he decided on a more frantic rhythm. It's building up, and she almost doesn't want it to because the faster she gets there, the faster he'll stop, so she fights against it, trying to slow her breathing and relax. But as expected, she fails, and of course he notices.

"I can feel how close you are, Caroline. Do you think I will have mercy this time?"

"Yes. Please yes. Klaus, let me come. Make me come. It's too much, I can't…"

He stills inside of her. She feels a wetness against her cheeks at the thought that he's going to pull out, and it takes her a while to understand that a few tears have escaped her eyes in her frustration. He doesn't move away, doesn't move at all in fact, except for the calming kisses he's pressing against her face, lips tasting the salty drops and taking some of her despair away as he whispers in between kisses. "Shhh, love, last time, I promise." He's still not moving, and she's honestly not sure if him still being inside of her is a blessing or the most torturous thing he's done to her so far. She's slowly coming down and regaining some of her sanity, and she decides to use it to express her thoughts a little more coherently.

"Please just let me come this time, or stop altogether, but no more. I can't take any more."

He brushes a strand of hair away from her face, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I know. I know. We just need to wait for a few minutes."

"Why?" she asks, slightly less desperate thanks to his relaxing voice.

"You're too high-strung right now, too sensitive. It would be over in a matter of seconds, and not that enjoyable for you. After everything I just put you through, I'm sure you want the finale to be worth it."

She hesitates for a couple of seconds but she knows he's right.

"Alright."

She watches him as he lets his hybrid side take over and leans down to let one of his fangs scrape her bottom lip before his features turn back to human and he gently sucks on the wound. He pulls back once the cut is healed.

"The next time I kiss you, feed from me."

She doesn't answer, because she doesn't need to. They both know he doesn't have to tell her twice.

They stay quiet for a while as she waits in agony for him to decide that he can safely move without making her come instantly. Eventually she can't take it anymore. She has to distract herself somehow, the feeling of him against her, inside her, unmoving, is just too much, and she knows she will never come back from the edge if she keeps focusing on it, on what it will feel like once he starts sliding in and out of her again.

"Klaus?"

"Yes?"

She pauses for a moment, letting the silence and the seriousness in her gaze fool him into thinking that she has something important to say, before continuing.

"I'm going to find a way to get back at you, you know that, right?"

"I'm counting on it."

"Good."

"Do me a favor, will you? When you do think of something, give me a heads up."

"We'll see."

"How bad are you wishing there was such a thing as ropes strong enough to hold me down right now?" he asks knowingly.

"You can't even begin to imagine."

"No, probably not," he agrees.

"If only I could compel you."

"What would you have me do, love?"

"I'm sure I could think of a thing or two."

"If that was meant to sound as dirty as it did, you know you only have to ask. No compulsion needed."

"Remind me once I recover from this."

"So, about two weeks, then?"

Her fingers twitch with the need to punch his shoulder for his cockiness. Damn compulsion. Although honestly, he might be right, if exaggerating. If the 'finale', as he put it, is indeed worth everything he just did to her, she's going to be out of it for a while.

She's about to throw some smartass remark at him when he suddenly lifts himself up to get a better angle, the slight shift reminding her of how turned on she still is despite their somewhat casual conversation. His right hand stays next to her head to support his weight while his left hand travels down her body to hook behind her knee, lift her leg up and wrap it around his waist. A soundless "Oh" forms on her lips as the new position allows for deeper penetration, more than making up for the loss of his pleasant weight against her.

He slowly pulls out of her before thrusting back in, watching her carefully to make sure she's not about to lose it. When she gives him a small, approving smile, he does it again, and again, and again, his motions getting just that little bit harsher with each new stride until he's furiously pounding into her and her breaths come out in sharp, desperate pants.

"Yes. More."

He complies, and her answering moan brings a smirk to his lips before he leans down to place a soft kiss just above her breast. It's amazing really, how adept he is at balancing out the roughness of his thrusts with gentle gestures like this one, something most guys never seem to get quite right even with their emotions on.

The thought that crosses her mind then is both startling and unwanted.

If it's this good now, how incredible would it be if we…

No.

No.

She cannot wish for her emotions back. Not now. Not ever. Wishing has to be the first step towards actually feeling again and she knows she just can't deal with it.

"Harder," she pleads suddenly, both because she really does want more and because she needs to chase those traitorous ideas out of her mind.

It works, better than she imagined.

Though his pace doesn't change, he lets his left hand slide down her leg and reaches for their joined bodies, thumb pressing almost delicately against her clit, the pressure just enough to make her cry out in ecstasy and send any rational thought flying out the window but not quite enough to push her over the edge yet.

She instinctively knows why. He's not torturing her anymore, just making sure she gets as much as she possibly can out of this, and there's still one thing missing to make it perfect.

When his mouth meets hers, she's prepared, her fangs ready for his lips. The moment she tastes the first drop of blood, the pressure of his thumb increases and her world explodes.

The tension, the frustration, the orgasms he deprived her of in the course of a few hours, the need, his blood, all collide together, so powerful they threaten to break her as she shouts and sobs and pleads and sighs into his mouth, the only thing keeping her somewhat sane the feeling of his weight pushing her back into the mattress as he collapses against her as if he just knows that she needs some kind of anchor, his thrusts slowing down so that he can drag out her pleasure while he seeks his own.

"Klaus." The whisper against his lips, combined with her pleading tone, makes him pull away almost imperceptibly so that she can speak more freely. "Blood. More blood, please. Need more."

The slight shift in position is immediate as he offers her his neck instead and she sinks her fangs there, reveling in the warm flow that instantly invades her mouth as her orgasm finally seems to die down. This sends another wave of pleasure throughout her body, making her clench harder around him. He lets go then, and she lets out another low growl at the feeling even as her own body starts relaxing, the aftershocks still making her tremble. His hips jerk forward a few more times after that, each new motion bringing another moan to her lips, until he stills completely and she takes it as her cue to stop drinking.

When he feels her fangs retracting, he draws back and looks at her for a moment before his lips crash against hers and she responds eagerly. They kiss for what could be seconds or minutes, she has no idea, before he pulls back and gives her a smirk.

"As enjoyable as that is love, if we don't stop I'm going to be ready to go again soon, and I don't think you are."

A breathless laugh escapes her at that, quickly turning into a contented sigh, her body still humming with residual pleasure.

"No, definitely not."

With one last peck to her lips, he slides out of her and falls back against the mattress beside her, his smirk widening when she groans in protest at the loss. He turns to his side and lets his hand rest just below her breast, tracing small, slow circles against her sweat soaked skin with his thumb.

She realizes he's giving her some time to recover, which is a good thing since she's not sure she can even form a coherent sentence right now. But she can reward his efforts with a heartfelt – although barely audible – "Damn", and she can only imagine his satisfied expression at that since she still can't move to look at him.

"Worth it?" he asks quietly after a few minutes.

"Fishing for compliments?" she retorts, though the fact that the odd shudder is still washing over her every once in a while takes some of the sass out of her words.

"Just making sure it was everything you hoped for."

"And more," she admits with a sigh.

"Good. Oh, you're free to move."

"Yeah… I don't think I can."

"I must have done something right."

"Can you at least try not to sound so smug?"

"No." She shakes her head at him at that, proving that she is indeed free of his compulsion, and he presses his lips against her shoulder. "You held off on the begging for quite a while. You're more stubborn than I gave you credit for."

"Maybe you're just not as talented as you gave yourself credit for."

The dig is half-hearted at best, as they both know that she got more than she bargained for and that this classifies as the most powerful orgasm of her life even taking into account the earth-shattering, addictive, life-changing, ground-breaking sex she's been having with him every freaking night and day for over a month now.

"No, I'm pretty sure this is all on you, sweetheart. You're just that strong-willed."

"Yeah, probably," she says with a yawn.

Hell, she knew this was going to be exhausting, but nothing could have prepared her for that.

"What was so hard about hearing me touching myself?"

"It was unfair, for one," she says without hesitation despite the suddenness of his question, and he nods in silent agreement. Knowing that he would be able to come when she couldn't was by far the cruelest thing he did to her today, and he knows it, but he hadn't expected her to be that affected by it.

"But that's not why you had such a strong reaction."

"No."

"What was it then?"

"I'm not sure. I wasn't exactly rational, if you hadn't noticed," she says wryly. "But there was something wrong about it. Like I should have been the one bringing you pleasure." He gives her a pensive look at that and she finally manages to move a little, turning her head to get a better look at his face. "What?"

"You were feeling possessive."

"No, I…" she trails off as she thinks about the implications of what she just said, about the way she felt when she was pleading with him to stop, telling him that she could take anything but this. "Huh. Yeah, I guess I was. That's… weird, isn't it?" she asks hesitantly.

"Yes and no," He answers cryptically. He pauses and sits up, leaning back against the headboard and waiting for her to do the same, letting her know that something important is coming. "I think it's time you shared your little secret with me."

"What secret?" she asks nonchalantly, but he doesn't miss the slight shift in her body language, the straightening of her shoulders, the tension in her neck.

She's guarded. Something she wouldn't need to be if she honestly had no idea what he's talking about. He gives her a pointed look, but she just fakes ignorance, which would be a viable strategy if he was bluffing. Unfortunately for her, he's not.

"You're not completely emotionless, are you?"

TBC…

This has got to be the longest smut I've ever written. For those of you who wanted to see Caroline's fantasy come true, I hope this lived up to your expectations :)