Savannah nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
He moved closer to her, his muscled leg sliding against her. His arm slipped behind her neck, cushioning her head.
He sat with her for an endless time, seemingly content to just stare into the night. Savannah didn't speak. The moment seemed strangely special. The two of them, sitting in the quiet of the night. There was no death here. No monster waiting to attack. Just them.
She heard the distant cry of an owl, a sad, mournful cry. William shifted against her, pulling her closer to his body.
He was so strong. His body was full of thick, steely muscles that had been hidden behind his clothes. Now, naked, he looked like the warrior he'd been so long ago. The warrior that he still was.
She looked at him carefully, studying him from under the veil of her lashes. What had his life been like? What all had he seen and done in his thousand years?
She had done little in her life. She'd only just graduated from high school when the first tumor had been discovered. After that, her life had been a blur of hospitals and surgeries. She'd wanted to go to college. To study art in Europe. But she'd never had the chance.
«I can feel you, Savannah. Your sadness.” His voice rumbled against her. “What troubles you?»
«How can you tell—” She stopped as realization dawned. Of course, he knew. He'd given her the second bite. They were linked now. The second bite gave a vampire enormous power over his victim. According to the legend, he would be able to read her thoughts now. If he wanted, he could completely access her mind, no matter how far away she was from him.
She would never be able to escape him now.
«No,” he said softly. “You won't.” His arms tightened around her.
«I don't like you being in my mind,” she told him, her gaze fixed on the bubbling water. She didn't want him, or anyone, to know all of her emotions, all of her thoughts.
«Why not?” There was a hard edge to his words. “You've been in mine for days.»
Her head snapped up, and she stared at him, stunned. “Wh-what do you mean?»
His stare was locked on her, fierce with intensity. “From the first moment that I saw you, you've been all that I could think about. Waking. Sleeping. You've been there. In my mind. Driving me crazy.»
She swallowed.
«I thought about you all the time. About the things that I wanted to do to you.” His stare burned her. “I wanted you, naked, beneath me. Holding me so tight that I couldn't tell where you ended and I began.»
Need ripped through her. She'd thought she was too tired to respond anymore. But with just a few words, he had desire stirring within her again.
«You want me, too, don't you?” William murmured, lifting his hand to caress her breast beneath the churning water. “I can feel your desire.” And it was true. He could feel it. Her passion. Her need. It inflamed him. He wanted her. Now. Wanted to feel her body clenching around his. Wanted to hear her moaning his name. Her desire was a temptation he couldn't resist. His head lowered. “I want to taste it. Taste you.»
His lips captured hers. She met him eagerly, her moist lips parting instantly for the thrust of his tongue. His body was rock hard, throbbing for her. He had to have her again. He had to.
His hands cupped her br**sts. Perfect br**sts. They fit into his hands like they were made for him. She moaned, and he drank the sound eagerly from her lips.
He parted her thighs, pushing his hips between them. The broad tip of his penis pushed against her opening, eager to return to the paradise of her body.
His right hand slid between their bodies. He found her core, teased her, pushed lightly against her button of desire. Her legs strained against him.
«You're so beautiful,” he whispered. And she was. He'd never seen anyone so perfect. Her eyes were bright, flashing with desire. Her cheeks flushed a light pink. Her lips were parted and moist, just waiting for his kiss. The starlight shone down on her, lighting her delicate skin with a gentle glow. She was so beautiful that he ached just looking at her.
Her nails dug into his back. Her hips pushed against him. The bloodlust rose within him. The beast, hungry for her, roared its need. Just a taste. Just one more taste…
His head lowered to her throat. He licked her. Once, twice. She was so sweet. So damn sweet. And he just needed a taste.
His incisors burned. He could feel them stretching. All it would take would be one bite. Just one bite. And she would be his forever.
He scraped her neck, opening his mouth wider. He caught her delicate skin with the edge of his teeth.
«William,” she whispered, her voice soft, full of need.
He froze. The beast within him howled. The man struggled for control.
She wasn't strong enough. Her body wouldn't survive the third bite. Not now. He'd taken too much from her earlier. The blood loss had made her too weak.
His body shook with the effort of maintaining control. He couldn't do it. Not now. He couldn't drink from her. If he did, he would kill her.
His head lifted slowly, painfully, away from her neck. He stared down at her, taking deep, gulping breaths. He had to stay in control. He couldn't risk hurting her.
She lifted her hands, curving them around his shoulders and then sliding them down his chest. Her fingers brushed against his chest hair, rubbing against his ni**les. Her scent wrapped around him, stirring his need, and her hips pressed against him, pushing the tip of his penis inside of her tight opening just a little more.
He shuddered. “So damn good,” he whispered, his voice a savage growl. He lifted her smooth, soft legs and wrapped them around his waist.
He couldn't wait any longer. He thrust, deep and strong, into her welcoming warmth. They both gasped.
She was so tight. He could feel her body squeezing him, gently milking him. He moved slowly at first, trying to give her body a chance to grow accustomed to the feel of him. But then she moved, pushing her hips up against his. And he was lost.
He pulled back and then thrust deep. Again and again. His jaw clenched. Sweat beaded his brow. Deeper. He had to get deeper.
«Come on, Savannah. Come for me. Give me more. Give me—” Everything, he finished silently. He wanted everything that she had to give.
He felt her clench around him, heard her choked scream and felt the ripples of her release.
Her climax sent him over the edge. He thrust deep one more time and erupted. Pleasure slammed through him. His entire body shook in blissful release. He felt consumed by her, by the pleasure that ripped through him.
When the tide finally ended, his head dropped to her shoulder. His body shook slightly. His breathing was ragged. His heart pounded.