Claw Mark Read online

  He had an erection, his shaft was dark and solid, smooth too. He had no twisting veins just marble-hard skin that I knew hit all the right places deep inside me.

  I licked my lips. He was truly delicious, this husband of mine.

  “Come in,” he said, filling his hands with suds. “And I’ll give you a soap down.”

  “How can a girl resist?” I said, stepping into the stream of water. “Mmm, that’s nice on tired muscles.”

  He swept his hands over my shoulders and down my arms, spreading the sugary scented bubbles over my skin. When he reached my hands he gathered them in his big palms and carefully massaged between each finger and around each knuckle.

  I watched his movements, my heart swelling with love for him and adoring the way he treated me like I was made of china and the most precious possession he’d ever owned.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, suddenly looking up at my face. A frown had creased his brow.

  “If I’m with you and Ryle then yes, I’m always okay. I know you’ll never leave me and that you’ll always protect me.”

  “I’m glad you know that because it is the truth. We will kill anyone that tries to hurt you, human or vampire. You know that?”

  I nodded. I did know that. Ryle had killed for me in the past and Aimery had nearly done the same, except my dad had been watching him pin Tony to the wall at Smithfield. A murder wouldn’t have gotten him into his father-in-law-to-be’s good books.

  I cupped Aimery’s cool jawline and pressed my lips to his. “I love you.”

  “And I love you,” he murmured, sliding his slippery hands to my breasts and squeezing gently.

  I leaned into his touch, tangled my tongue with his, and thoughts of hunger and tiredness left me. So did the fact that I was on a train, racing into snowy mountains away from a murdering female vampire. I just wanted to be as near to Aimery as possible. Show him with every scrap of my being how much I wanted him and needed him. How much I appreciated him loving me with a passion I’d never dreamed possible and would never have believed existed in the universe.

  “Mmm…” he said, kissing down my neck. “You’re hot.”

  “And you’re thirsty after that long journey?” I tipped my head, exposing the flesh that covered the veins in my throat, giving him permission to feed. “Aren’t you?”

  “Mmm, thirsty and hungry,” he said, licking over the pulse below my ear. “Hungry for you.”

  Suddenly he lifted me high, his grip solid and tight around my buttocks and waist.

  I wrapped my legs around his lean hips and gripped his powerful shoulders. “Aimery,” I said on a laugh. “What…?”

  “Watch.” He held me slightly away from his body then dropped his gaze.

  I stared down at his cock angled at my spread pussy and trembled in anticipation. He was big, cold and hard and could fill me to capacity. The first few plunges always flirted with pain too. But it was good pain, a sweet ache that cranked up my lust for him.

  “I hope we don’t break this cubicle,” he said as his shoulder banged against the side and the wall creaked. The train was picking up speed, drumming over the rails in a constant click, clack, click, clack.

  “Take it slow,” I said, curling my fingers into his strands of hair and holding on. “Slow and deep, fuck, yes, take me deep, Aimery.”

  “Perfect plan,” he said, lowering me onto his cock.

  I bit my lip as the glossy head of his erection parted my soft, warm folds and he pushed in the first few inches.

  “Ah, yes,” he said. “So hot and wet for me.”

  I groaned, locked my feet together and shut my eyes.

  The sensation of being impaled was divine. I wanted him in me, all the way. I angled my hips to encourage his entry.

  He groaned, a long, guttural noise that echoed around the cubicle. Then he pushed me down, slow and steady until our pubic hair meshed.

  “Oh, oh…” I struggled to hold my head up.

  He caught my nape in his palm and cradled the back of my skull.

  “I’ve got you,” he said, sprinkling wet kisses over my cheek. “I’ve got you, just feel.”

  “I can feel you…all right,” I managed.

  He paused, then, “Can you feel this?”

  Damn, he’d got me just right. His arm around my waist pulling me up and away from his body and then back down again, catching my clit in a beautiful slow massage. Combined with the water and the soap, it was perfect and a desire for more burst through my body.

  “Fuck, that’s not going to take…long,” I said. “Aimery…I…”

  He chuckled in a strained kind of way. “I love it that I can get you speechless so quickly.”

  “Oh…yeah…I…” He was right. I was speechless. I moaned, closed my eyes and let the shower stream down on my closed lids, my cheeks, chin and breasts and gather where we were joined.

  For several minutes we just rocked but then I couldn’t deny the mounting pressure. “Come, I’m gonna…”

  “Now?” he asked.

  “Fuck yeah. Bite me, damn it, now.” I opened my eyes and saw his fangs slide out as he stared at me with lust-glazed eyes. Jesus, he was so gorgeous when he did that. Not least because I knew how those fangs and his vampire saliva made me feel. His otherworldly bite sent my human pleasure into stratospheric levels.

  Suddenly everything went black and the train released a trumpeting horn. We must have charged into a tunnel.

  My clit felt like it would burst and my pussy hovered in a wonderful prerelease state.

  Aimery sank his teeth into my neck and pinned me against his pulsing cock.

  My clit erupted in pleasure. Sensations crashed through me. I clung to Aimery, holding my breath, lost in the bliss flooding my system and multiplying my orgasm.

  I threw my head back farther, wanting him to take all that he needed and making sure my blood would run freely for him.

  He groaned, sucked, drew my essence into his being as a cold wash of his cum burst into my spasming pussy.

  I pulled in air as the train charged out of the tunnel with another loud whistle. Light burst into my vision and mixed with the flashes already blinding me. My orgasm swirled on and on, extending as Aimery took his fill. Intense satisfaction washed over my senses as another tremble of ecstasy shot from my clit.

  I moaned and let water trickle into my mouth.

  Aimery had bunched my hair in his fist and when he finally pulled back from biting me, he kept my head tipped and stared down into my eyes.

  He had a drop of blood on his lower lip, right in the center. The falling water quickly washed it away and the droplet faded to nothing as it ran from his chin.

  He smiled and I saw his fangs retract, only the smallest hint of scarlet on them.

  “That was…amazing,” he said.

  “It always is.”

  He smiled and kissed my neck, over my bite mark. It wouldn’t be bleeding, he’d have made sure of that. It would also be gone by this time tomorrow.

  “I like it with Ryle here, you know I do,” he said, his tone suddenly serious. “But I can’t help but cherish it when we have a moment just the two of us.”

  “I know.” I pushed his hair from his handsome, angular face. “I understand.”

  “Do you? Understand that is?”

  “Yes, of course. You love Ryle, but not in that way. So yes, it just being us sometimes is special.”

  He was quiet for a moment and then, “It’s never really done it for me, the two guys thing.” He lifted me from his cock and set me on my feet. He pulled my chest into his so that my breasts pressed up against his hard pecs. “It doesn’t hit my spot,” he said with a small huff.

  “Have you ever tried it?” I don’t know what had made me ask. Maybe it was the way it sounded as if he had. How did he know it didn’t hit his spot?

  He glanced away.

  “Aimery?” Now I was really curious.

  He shrugged slightly. “What the hell. Yes, a few centuries ago. There
was this guy, Pablo, he was hot for me, wanted me, in the end I said I’d give it a go.”

  “A vampire?”

  “No, he was human.”

  “Oh, I see.” I kissed him, lightly, sensing he needed reassurance. “Go on.”

  “Nothing else to say, we had a relationship for about ten years and then parted company.”

  “Ten years. That’s more than just trying it.” Blimey, I couldn’t imagine Aimery with a bloke. He was such a great fit with a woman, me in particular. But something about that thought was also incredibly erotic. Imagining him bending over and being taken from behind, or perhaps being on top, sliding his wonderful cock into another man and giving him an amazing high. I couldn’t deny I was fascinated and turned on by the thought.

  “Ten years,” he said, “when you’re alive for millennia is barely a blink.”

  I guessed he had a point. I traced the shape of his lips with my thumb and thought of all the women and men, my two husbands had kissed in their many years on this planet. Would they look back on me and think I’d just been a blink?

  “Hey, don’t look so worried,” he said then suckled on my thumb before kissing my palm.

  “I’m not.” I smiled and pushed away a feeling of insignificance that I knew was an imposturous emotion. I was special to Aimery and Ryle just the way their previous wife Natifa had been and they always spoke so fondly of her.

  “We should get dry.” Aimery flicked off the water and steered me out. “I’ve been fed and I’m feeling thoroughly satisfied but you need tea and food.”

  “Oh, I’m satisfied,” I said, “but food wouldn’t go amiss.”

  I’d just finished drying and brushing my hair when there was a gentle knock at the carriage door.

  Aimery glanced at me, made sure I was decently covered in the thick toweling robe he’d found in the cupboard, and then unlocked and pulled the door open.

  “Your supper, sir.” It was Thomas.

  “Thank you, perfect. All three trays in this carriage would be wonderful.” Aimery stepped aside as a trolley topped with several plates covered in brass domes was wheeled in.

  “Anything else, sir?”

  “No, that is all thank you.”

  Thomas backed out, narrowly missing Ryle who’d suddenly appeared.

  Ryle smirked and moved a black bag he was holding behind his back.

  “I’m sorry, many apologies, sir. I didn’t see you standing there.” Thomas clasped his hands together and looked up at Ryle. A flash of wariness crossed over his eyes.

  “No problem.” Ryle smiled, licked his lips and then rolled them in on themselves. He tilted his head, as though sniffing the air.

  I couldn’t help but wonder what he’d smelled that had pricked his interest. Was there a lingering scent of my blood in the room? Was he absolutely ravenous or did our waiter have a particularly delicious blood type?

  Thomas stepped back and disappeared from my sight.

  “You must be starving, Bea,” Ryle said, stepping in and shutting the door, his attention now firmly on me, just the way I liked it. “Come on, eat, eat, eat.”

  I laughed. “Yes, I am hungry, but I’ve just had tea.” I pointed to the empty mug in front of me. Aimery had, as usual after he’d fed from me, made me drink a draft of the delicious herbal tea that would replace my strength and ensure my blood stayed vital and strong.

  “Good,” Ryle said, placing the bag on the bed. “You’re going to need your strength.”

  I stood, tipped my hips proactively and looked him up and down. “I’m plenty strong enough for you.”

  He threw back his head and laughed. “I agree. You’re a wild one.” He glanced at Aimery. “Did you have fun?”

  “Of course.”

  I looked at Aimery. He’d pulled on his dark pants though his chest was bare. As he walked to the window and drew the curtains against the darkness whizzing past, I couldn’t help but admire the way his muscles rippled beneath the surface of his skin. How come he’d just sated me spectacularly yet still I wanted more? I would always want more, of both of them.

  “Mmm, look at this, Bea. Your favorite, steak,” Ryle said, holding aloft the lid from a plate of steaming food. “Or,” he said, “You could have…salmon.” He replaced the first lid and showed off the third dish. “At a guess I would say duck à l’orange.”

  I studied the tempting spread and settled on the steak. It would indeed give me strength, iron too. “This smells gorgeous,” I said, setting it in on the small table and reaching for my cutlery. I cut into the steak, it was medium cooked, and as soft as butter.

  Both men watched me pop a chunk into my mouth and chew.

  “So what’s in the bag?” I asked Ryle after I’d swallowed.

  “Eat up and I’ll show you,” he said, folding his arms. He wore jeans and a white T-shirt. The ridges of his collarbones were just visible within the V-neck of his top and his jeans were faded in all the right places.

  “Show me now.” I knew it was futile to ask. He was as stubborn as he was beautiful.

  “Oh, no, eat all of that steak, Mrs., and then I’ll see if you’re up for my game.”

  “Sounds intriguing.”

  “It is.”

  I popped more food into my mouth.

  Ryle looked at Aimery who’d sat in a purple and cream striped bucket seat and crossed his right ankle over his left knee. “Are you playing or watching, Aimery?”

  Aimery gave a lazy smile. “Watching. It is your turn.”

  “Ha, don’t make out you’re being generous,” Ryle scoffed. “I know how you love indulging in voyeurism.”

  “I won’t deny that,” Aimery said with a shrug. “And who can blame me when Beatrice is on show?”

  “Mmm, you’re going to like this outfit I’ve got her then.” Ryle reached into the bag, and with his hand still stuffed deep, turned to me.

  “Finished,” I said, popping a last scrap of meat and a wedge of potato into my mouth. “Show me.”

  He laughed. “You’re saving dessert for later then?”

  “Maybe I want you for dessert.” I stood and pushed the food trolley aside. Aimery would see to it that a sufficient amount of food went back to make it look as though we’d all eaten.

  “You can have me.” Ryle pulled a long, black piece of material from the bag. “Any way you want me, Mistress.”

  “Mistress?” I took the outfit from him and held it up by what appeared to be the shoulders. It was made of material like fishnet tights, had feet too and little loops over the thumbs so that it left only fingers, head and neck bare. It did have some modesty. Shiny material covered the netty fabric over the crotch and the breasts. Small details, to look like suspender belt straps, ran from the faux knickers to a line of delicate over-stitching on the thighs.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said, amazed at the lightness of the garment.

  “Not exactly snowy weather attire,” Aimery chuckled.

  “No, but perfect for what I want,” Ryle said in a low, sexy voice. “Will you wear it, Bea?”

  “Of course.” I paused. “But tell me what exactly it is you want, Ryle, and what do you mean ‘Mistress’?” I had a fair idea but I wanted him to spell it out. This wasn’t my area of expertise.

  “Do you remember that first night in the basement at the Order?” Ryle said, pushing a lock of my hair over my shoulder and then stroking my neck, over my bite mark.

  “Of course. How could I forget? We had an amazing time in our own private room.”

  “Yes, we did, but before that, we watched a few other couples having fun.”

  “Yes, including Denny.”

  “Including Denny.” Ryle nodded. “Do you remember Luca, though, with his Mistress. He was—”

  “Attached to the ceiling, tied up. She was whipping him.”

  Ryle grinned. “Yes, it was hot to see, wasn’t it?”

  I nodded.

  “And,” Ryle went on. “I remember a conversation we had about trying that, me and you. It
’s played on my mind ever since.”

  I couldn’t deny that it had crossed mine too, during quiet moments, when all else in my thoughts were settled. The idea of Ryle succumbing to my desires, obeying my instructions and reducing himself to a plaything for me was spine-tinglingly sexy. As was the idea of him being able to trust me to not go too far when he was tied up. It was all seriously hot and it was right up there at the top of my fantasy list.

  Chapter Three

  “Yes, I’ll do it,” I said.

  “And you’ll wear the outfit?” Ryle nodded at the garment hanging limply in my hand.

  “If it completes the scene for you.”

  “Oh yeah.” He pressed his lips to mine and cupped my cheeks. “Everything about you is perfect, baby. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you. I want all the experiences, all the memories I can get while we’re together.”

  I stared into his earnest eyes. “Yes, I want that too.” I glanced at Aimery. “With both of you.”

  Aimery inclined his head a fraction to acknowledge my statement. But I sensed he was staying still and silent because this was my and Ryle’s time.

  A sudden burst of energy flooded me. It was as if my inner Mistress suddenly decided it was time to introduce herself.

  I pushed back from Ryle. “Give me that bag,” I said sternly.

  A wash of excitement crossed his face, then he rushed to give me his mysterious black bag.

  I took it with a flourish. “Now strip and be on your knees by the time I come out of the bathroom.”

  “Yes, Mistress.” He pulled at the base of his T-shirt. But I didn’t wait to watch him pull it off instead I dashed into the bathroom and shut the door.

  Once inside I could feel my heart pounding to the same rapid tempo as the train on the tracks. I dropped the robe to the floor and pulled on the body stocking. It was tight but comfortable and the modesty panels made it sexier than if it had been completely see-through, plus the stocking effects really were quite realistic.

  I admired my shape in the mirror. Good eating and sunshine had filled out my curves making me more womanly than when I’d been in London. I also had a nice tan. My hair, freshly brushed, fell in silken waves and I completed the look with a swipe of the brightest red lipstick I had in my makeup bag.