Carpathian 17 - Dark Curse

her bottom sliding intimately over his shaft, the friction sending shudders of pleasure through his body. In another minute the decision would be out of his hands.
    Right now, in the ecstasy of taking her life mate\'s blood, her body was on fire, welcoming his, but she wasn\'t ready to take that next step and he refused to take advantage-if he could restrain himself.
    Reluctantly he left the warmth of her breast and slid his palm between her mouth and his chest. Enough, fél ku kuuluaak sÃ-vam belso. Beloved, you have to help me .
    She swept her tongue across the twin pinpricks, her gaze a sexy, drowsy combination that only increased his desire. She reached one hand up to curl around his neck, bringing his mouth to hers.
    His heart stopped as her lips feathered across his. Back and forth, a slow, light touch that stole the air from his lungs.
    \"You really are the most amazing man, Nicolas.\"
    Even her voice was a seduction. He wasn\'t going to live through this. His lungs burned, his groin ached and every muscle was tight with sexual tension.
    With even more reluctance, he put her aside, laying her body on the bed. It took some doing to get his normally graceful body to move so that he could stand up and pace a little away from her to give himself a reprieve. He had to get out into the cool night air and regain his control.
    \"I have to go, Lara. You rest until I return.\" It was cowardly to retreat, and he could see by her face she didn\'t like it, but it was the only safe avenue open to him.

Chapter 10
    \"You\'re going to leave me here? You don\'t want to talk about what just happened between us?\" Lara\'s hand Page 97

    Christine Feehan: Dark Curse
    trembled as she pushed back the silky fall of hair from her face.
    Nicolas was in a heightened state of sexual awareness. He was hungry, starving even, and the scent of her drove him crazy. He could already taste her in his mouth. The demon in him roared to life.
    He stepped back away from the bed, turning his head so she wouldn\'t see the red flames he knew would be flickering in his eyes. He curled his fingers into his palms, the sharpened nails digging deep. Teeth sharpened and when he spoke, his usual low voice held the hint of a growl. \"Now is not the time to talk with me about sex, Lara. I am not a saint by any means.\"
    She studied his averted face. Her gaze drifted down his body to the thick, impressive bulge pushing at the front of his jeans. There was a heady power in knowing she had driven him to the edge of control, yet she wasn\'t ready to face the consequences. Nicolas was desperately trying to give her time and truthfully she needed it. She took a deep breath and pulled back from the edge of the precipice she was so tempted to jump off.
    \"I don\'t want to be left alone,\" Lara said. \"Not again. Not even when you\'ve made the cave so beautiful. I need to be out in the fresh air with you.\"
    Nicolas shoved his hands through his hair and paced back and forth, reminding her of a trapped jungle cat.
    Muscles rippled beneath his thin shirt and there was a fluid grace to his every stride. Abruptly he came back to the bed, towered over her for a moment and then he crouched down. \"Fél ku kuuluaak sÃ-vam belso.
    Beloved, I am in desperate need of blood. I had planned to close down the sharing of our minds so you would not have to experience it. I cannot very well take you with me and have you watch something that distresses you, no matter how necessary.\"
    She pushed herself up, surprised that even with the infusion of his blood, she felt a little weak and dizzy.
    Ignoring it, she forced herself to stand. \"Take me to the inn then. I can visit with Terry and Gerald. I want to see if Terry is doing better. I feel responsible. I never should have taken them along.\"
    He didn\'t want her near either man, and certainly not until he made certain the parasites were completely gone from Terry\'s system. He didn\'t want to share her, not now, not with anyone until their bond was complete, but she needed to be grounded. She needed to feel as if she didn\'t come from some tainted line. He was wrong to keep her family from her just because he wanted to be the only one she relied on.
    He took a breath and let it out, determined to do the right thing no matter the cost to himself because all this goodness wouldn\'t last. He knew himself better than that. The darkness was as much a part of him as breathing. \"I can check on the two of your friends for you, but I