Carpathian 23 - Dark Storm

almost black with richness, good healing soil
     for her once the conversion had taken place.
    “It’s so beautiful,” she whispered, turning in a circle to take in everything.
    He crossed the small distance to her. It would be easy enough to rid her of clothes
     with a single thought, but he wanted the pleasure of opening her garments and uncovering
     her glorious skin like the gift she was. His hands went to her blouse. Very slowly,
     his eyes holding hers, he began to unbutton those tiny covered buttons. His knuckles
     brushed the swell of her creamy breasts, his fingers skimmed over soft skin.
    He parted the material, pulling it back away from her before he dropped his gaze.
     Her lacy bra pushed up her breasts and the tops of areola and nipples. His breath
     caught in his throat. He pulled the blouse free of her arms and allowed it to float
     to the side of the chamber.
    He knelt and untied her hiking boots. “Put your hands on my shoulders,” he instructed.
    When Riley complied, he tugged her boots free, removed her socks, massaging each foot
     as he did so. Remaining on his knees in front of her, he reached up to the waistband
     of her cargo pants. His fingers brushed her bare skin and his body tightened, a savage
     ache only she could assuage. He tugged on her trousers and pulled them over the curve
     of her hips, encouraging her to step out of them.
    She stood in her lacy bra and scrap of panties, the glittering rubies making her glow
     there in the center of the chamber.
    “Take your hair out of its restraints.”
    She smiled at his choice of words, but said nothing. She pulled the tie from her hair
     and let it fall free the way he liked it. She shook her head, allowing her hair to
     settle around her like a living cape. He caught her hips and pulled her to him, pressing
     a kiss into her intriguing little belly button.
    The conversion might ultimately be painful, but he wanted so much more for her. She
     had given him trust from the beginning, putting herself into his hands, into his keeping,
     and he intended to cherish and protect her, love her and keep her happy for all their
     days. He wanted to start out right.
    Dax got to his feet, still holding her hips, keeping her anchored to him. “They didn’t
     have undergarments such as these when I was a young man growing up. I’m fairly certain
     of that.” With a wave of his hand, the bra and panties found their way to her blouse
     and cargo pants. Once again he lifted her, shedding his clothes at the same time.
    Riley laughed softly and buried her face against his neck. “That is one handy ability.”
    “Stripping off your clothes?” he teased, carrying her to the bubbling spring. “I think
     so.”
    He stepped into the hot springs. The water came up to his thighs. “The rocks are smooth,
     like a seat,” he told her. “It’s shaped like a bowl beneath the water. There’s a natural
     seat and, like a bed . . .” He frowned, searching for the right word. It eluded him
     completely. He sent her a mental picture.
    “Lounge?” she asked.
    He nodded. “You can stretch out and the water will barely flow over you, keeping you
     a little cooler.” He lowered her feet slowly into the heated water, watching for discomfort,
     keeping her close to him. His arm snaked around her, holding her to him as he walked
     her into the middle of the pool.
    Riley gasped as heat enveloped her, as millions of tiny bubbles burst against her
     sensitive skin. His fist wrapped in her hair, bunching it tight, hauling her head
     back to give him access to her mouth. His mouth came down on hers, brushing, teasing,
     coaxing. The moment she opened to him, he took control, kissing her over and over,
     a fierce claiming. He got lost in her mouth for a few minutes—or maybe much longer;
     time slipped away.
    His cock was aching, painfully swollen with anticipation. He trailed burning kisses
     from her mouth to her throat, his teeth nipping, tiny little bites that excited him
     even more. Her taste burst onto his tongue, spreading through his body like a lightning
     bolt. His mouth wandered across her shoulder, along her collarbone, down lower to
     her breast.
    She arched her back, cradling his head as he tugged and rolled her nipples. She gave
     a little cry when his sharp teeth nipped her. His tongue instantly took the sting
     away. She moaned and pressed closer to his mouth. He suckled strongly and then went
     back to her sensitive nipples, pulling them taut,