Slade (Venom Series) Book Two Read online

  I turned around and looked at him. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”

  He frowned. “How did you find out?”

  I glared at him. “So, it’s really true?”

  “Yes, but it’s complicated. I didn’t mean to do it.”

  I laughed coldly. “Right. Is that what you told Vanessa before she killed herself?”

  He rushed forward so fast that I didn’t even see him move. “What did you say?” he asked, angrily.

  I looked up at him, feeling suddenly small. But my anguish gave me courage to keep going. “Don’t you think that sleeping with her twin sister might have sent her over the edge and not the fact that you were a vampire?” I snapped.

  “You don’t know the whole story, so if I were you, I’d stop. Now,” he demanded.

  “What’s wrong? You don’t like admitting the truth? What about that story of how being a vampire was a curse? It didn’t stop you from turning Talia into one though, did it?”

  His face was red and he looked so furious that I had to take a step back. “Trust me, you don’t know what went on,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Then tell me!” I cried. “Why did you cheat on someone you supposedly loved? And why should I trust you now?”

  “The only thing that you need to know is that I didn’t cheat on Vanessa knowingly. And as for you and me – you’re right. You can’t trust me.”

  I scowled at him. “Obviously I’ve figured that out!”

  He grabbed me by the shoulders and for a second, I thought he would shake me. “You can’t trust me because deep down, you’ve thought the worst of me the moment we met,” he said angrily. “Hell, you’ve never given me a chance.”

  “A chance?” I snapped. “I believe that I gave you several chances.”

  “Oh, really? You didn’t even bother to ask me what happened. You just started accusing me. That’s not a sign of trust, honey.”

  I raised my index finger and pointed it at him. “You have to earn trust, honey!”

  “What more could I have done to earn your trust?” he hollered. “I saved your life, more than once. I brought you out here to keep you safe! What more do you want from me?”

  “Nothing! I don’t want anything from you, Slade!” I yelled back.

  “Fine!”

  I raised my chin. “Yeah, it is fine!”

  His eyes were glowing as he glared at me. “God, you’re so damn infuriating.”

  Ignoring him, I pointed to the door. “I think we’re done here. Get out.”

  He took a step toward me and pulled me roughly to him. “You might be done, but I’m not,” he growled, smashing his lips over mine.

  Gasping, I kissed him back, still furious, but insanely… wanting him more than ever. I slid my fingers into his hair and pulled his mouth closer, our lips bruising the others as we kissed angrily.

  “I need you,” he whispered against my mouth, as he gripped my buttocks with his fingertips, pulling me closer. I could feel how much he wanted me and a wave of fire ignited inside of my pelvis. But, then an image of him with Talia flashed through my mind, bringing me back to my senses.

  “No,” I said, pushing him away from me. I stumbled backwards, away and out of his reach. “We can’t do this.”

  “Why?” he asked, frustrated. His hair was sticking up at different angles, and I had to fight from throwing myself at him. He looked so damn sexy. “Give me a reason why.”

  “I hate you,” I said, frantic for him to leave.

  “Hate? That’s a pretty strong statement. I don’t believe you,” he whispered, his emerald eyes searching mine.

  I took a few steps back and fortunately, he didn’t notice that I’d grabbed the dagger from the dresser. I held it behind my back. “It’s the truth.”

  He smirked. “You make a terrible liar.”

  My body trembled, but not from fear. It was the overwhelming desire for a man that I couldn’t trust. A man who had a thirst for blood, and apparently… treachery. My reaction to him was infuriating. “Is that right? And you think you know me so well?”

  He reached up and gently placed his index finger on the pulse of my neck. “I know what I feel.”

  I pushed his hand away. “Give me a break. You don’t know anything about what I feel.”

  “On the contrary. Your face is flushed and your heart is racing.” He grinned darkly. “You want me as much as I want you. Admit it.”

  I clenched my fist, wanting to slam it into his arrogant face. “What I want… is to kill you. That thought excites the hell out of me.”

  His eyes moved to my nightgown and he took another step toward me. “And you excite the hell out of me, Chelsey.”

  I looked down and cursed myself for allowing him into my chamber. The material was almost transparent in the soft lighting. I gripped the dagger tightly, wondering exactly what I was going to do with the damn thing, anyway. “I swear to God, if you don’t step away from me, I’ll scream. I’ll scream so loud that everyone will come running.”

  He touched the top button of my nightgown and smiled. “I’d rather hear you scream in pleasure.”

  I stiffened up. “You’re a real prick. You know that?”

  His smile faded. “So, I’ve been told.” He removed his hand, but his fingertips brushed the tip of my breast, making my sex quiver in pleasure.

  I nodded at the doorway. “Get out of my room. I’m not going to ask you again.”

  “Good, because it’s getting annoying.” He pulled me into his arms. “And I have a much better use for your lips,” he whispered, leaning in to show me.

  I touched the end of the blade to his waist. “Do you feel that?”

  His eyes widened and then glittered with amusement. “A knife?”

  “Move away or I swear… I’ll use it on you.”

  He leaned forward and I could feel the heat of his breath caressing my earlobe. “You know what they say – some things are worth dying for.”

  “I doubt that Vanessa –”

  “Enough!” He knocked the knife out of my hands and pushed me down onto the bed. Then he got on top of me and stared down into my eyes. “Don’t mention her in this bedroom. This is between you and me now.”

  I stared up at him with unshed tears. “Get off of me!”

  Sighing, Slade rolled away from me and onto his back. He stared up at the canopy. “Chelsey, this is ridiculous. Look, I didn’t think I was being unfaithful to Vanessa. I thought that when I’d made love to Talia, that it was her. Talia tricked me into believing she was Vanessa.”

  My eyes widened. “She did?”

  “Yes. Talia deceived me just as much as she did Vanessa. I loved Vanessa. I would have never hurt her in that way.” He rolled to his side and stared down at my face. “I swear to God.”

  I frowned. Why couldn’t he have just told me that?

  “Anyway, enough about that. It happened over a century ago. This is now and I’m here, with you,” he said, grabbing my hand. He kissed my knuckles tenderly. “And, there is nobody else that I’d rather be with.”

  I sighed. “I’m… sorry,” I whispered, feeling slightly ashamed. He’d been right. I’d jumped to conclusions without giving him the benefit of the doubt.

  “It’s okay.”

  “You can stay if you want.”

  He dropped my hand and touched my nightgown. “You know very well that if I stay, I won’t be able to keep my hands to myself.”

  “I won’t stop you,” I whispered, as he began to caress my outer thigh through the fabric.

  “You should, though,” he said, moving closer to me.

  I stared up at him. “Maybe I should, but I don’t want to.”

  He leaned down and kissed me. “Now I know that I should go. We should take this slower.”

  “What if I don’t want you to go?” I pouted, still wound up and aching for his touch.

  His eyes traveled down my body. “What do you think is going to happen if I stay?”

  “Someth
ing I need,” I whispered, touching his lower lip.

  His smile was dark. “Something you need? How do you know that I can give you what you need?”

  “I just know,” I replied, slipping my hand around the back of his neck. I pulled his mouth to mine and began kissing him.

  As he kissed me back, I felt his hand pull my nightgown up until my thigh was exposed. He rubbed the outside of it slowly with the palm of his hand. “Is this okay?”

  “Yes,” I answered, as his hand moved to my inner thigh, sending a wave of heat to my pelvis.

  He brought his lips back down and kissed me again. First softly and then with an urgency that took my breath away. I slid my hand up to the back of his head, enjoying the silkiness of his hair. I felt an incredible urge to pull it, and when I did, he groaned in the back of his throat. Then he pulled away and began kissing my jawline and then my neck. “You smell so good,” he whispered, licking the skin under my earlobe.

  “You do too,” I said breathlessly as his hand moved closer to my panties. I closed my eyes and moaned as he made love to my neck with his tongue and lips. From the attention he was giving me there, it was obviously his favorite place to be. When I felt his teeth graze my skin, I squealed.

  “Sorry,” he said, breathing heavy. “I won’t bite you. I promise.”

  “It’s okay,” I whispered.

  He began kissing me hungrily on the lips again and that’s when his hand moved along the edge of my panties.

  I stiffened up.

  “Has anyone ever touched you there?” he whispered, running his finger over my most private spot.

  “No,” I gasped. I moaned as he did it again, and again, teasing me. “It tickles.”

  He moved his hand away.

  “It’s okay,” I said, pushing my pelvis against his hand, wanting more.

  “You’re driving me crazy. I’m trying to take this slow but…” he slid his hand under the fabric and groaned. “It isn’t easy.”

  I gasped as he began to explore my folds. Soon, he was moving his fingers around and I was making mewling noises against his chest, not sure if I wanted him to stop or continue. The frenzied fluttering inside of my pelvis increased, until I felt like I was going to go mad. Then something seemed to explode from deep within, and I cried out in in a mixture of ecstasy and relief.

  Slade whispered something and kissed my forehead as I shuddered in his arms. When my body was calm, he moved his hands up to both of my breasts and squeezed.

  “Now it’s my turn,” he whispered, pulling up my nightgown.

  I helped him remove it and then lay back down, feeling suddenly very shy. I covered my breasts with my arm, but he pulled it away.

  “You’re beautiful. Don’t you dare hide yourself from me,” he said, before kissing me. As he slid his tongue into my mouth, I relaxed and began unbuttoning his shirt.

  “Here,” he said, helping me. Soon his shirt was off and I was able to run my hands along his chest and shoulders to his wide, muscular back. His lips returned to mine, hungry and rough. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced.

  I wrapped my legs around his waist and he cupped my breasts, while grinding his hips into me.

  “Chelsey,” he said, breaking away from my lips. He squeezed my hips against his pelvis so that I could feel his hardness, and his eyes were like cinder as they bored into mine. “Do you want to keep going?”

  “Yes,” I replied, nodding vehemently. “More than anything.”

  He kissed me again and then asked me if I wanted to unbutton his pants

  “Okay,” I said, swallowing, I slowly unbuttoned them, my hand trembling.

  He guided my fingers to his underwear and asked me to touch him in a ragged voice. I slid my fingers under the fabric and wrapped my hand around his manhood. I wasn’t sure, but it seemed too big for where it was supposed to go. I suddenly felt nervous, wondering if I was really ready.

  I removed my hand as Slade pushed his pants down and away from his hips, kicking them off the bed. Then he positioned himself between my legs.

  “You sure?” he asked, staring down at me. With his broad shoulders, chiseled pecs, and tapered waist, I couldn’t imagine any other guy looking so sexy.

  “I think so.”

  He tilted his head and smiled. “You think?”

  I lowered my lashes, embarrassed. “I… um… I’m just worried about the pain.”

  “I’ll be gentle,” he promised and then began kissing me again.

  I returned his kisses and then moaned when he moved lower and began teasing my nipples with his tongue. Then it was back to my lips, and before I realized what was happening, he was pushing against my opening, while holding the outside of my hips firmly.

  “Relax,” he whispered when I clenched up. He smiled gently. “It’s going to feel really good. I promise.”

  I nodded and let him try again. This time, he pushed and pushed until something seemed to give, and before I knew it, he was buried deep inside of me.

  “There,” he said, hoarsely. “Doesn’t that feel good?”

  I didn’t tell him, but good wasn’t exactly how I’d describe the achy burn he’d caused by popping my cherry. I wondered what the big deal was with sex, and ended up digging my nails into his lower back when he went deeper and then pulled out. I don’t know why, but it seemed to make him go faster. After a while, however, his thrusts began to feel good. Really good.

  “Slade,” I moaned as he hit a spot that felt amazing.

  “Chelsey,” he gasped, his face twisting in pleasure. Grabbing my hips tightly, he stopped moving and shuddered against me. I could feel his heart pounding against mine as he collapsed on top of me.

  “Slade,” I whispered.

  “What?” he said, still breathing hard.

  “Did you just… come inside of me?” I asked, worried.

  “Uh, huh.”

  “I can’t get pregnant, can I?”

  He let out a sigh. “We aren’t compatible, as far as making babies go.”

  “Okay. Well, that’s good. I’m too young to have a baby.”

  He rolled off of me and pulled me into the crook of his arm. “I wouldn’t have done it if I thought we had anything to worry about.”

  “I figured you knew what you were doing.”

  He kissed the top of my head. “Are you okay?”

  I was sore. I knew that. I touched the area between my legs and noticed that I was bleeding.

  “There’s blood,” I said, reaching for the nightgown. “I need to clean up.”

  “Is there a lot?” he asked, stiffening up.

  “Kind of.” I laughed. “You’re not getting all worked up about it, are you?”

  “It’s blood,” he said matter-of-factly, and then smiled. “But, you’ve managed to work me up much more than blood ever could.”

  “I doubt that,” I said, pulling the nightgown over my head.

  He crawled over to me. “You have no idea, Chelsey. Ever since I saw you at Club Nightshade, something came over me. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. Hell,” he grinned. “I even got a boner and that’s never happened to me on stage.”

  I laughed. “A boner? Wow, how… flattering.”

  He smiled. “It was embarrassing. Anyway, it wasn’t just the fact that you had me all hot-and-bothered. I really felt there was a connection between us. Something that I haven’t felt since…”

  “Vanessa?” I asked.

  He sighed. “Yes. But… with you, it’s more gratifying. I mean, you know what I am and accept me anyway.”

  I smiled.

  He touched my cheek lovingly. “I hope you don’t regret losing your virginity to me. I’m thrilled that I got to be a part of it.”

  My cheeks grew pink. “It was a thrilling… ride,” I answered, laughing.

  He nuzzled my ear. “I’ve got an unlimited wrist-band with your name on it. Let me know when you’re ready to go again.”

  “I definitely will,” I whispered as he kissed me again. “But, it
probably won’t be until tomorrow.”

  “You mean, today?” he said. “It’s after one.”

  “Yes. Today,” I answered.

  He reached down and grabbed his pants. “Speaking of which, I’m going to let you get some sleep.”

  “You’re welcome to stay the night here with me,” I said, not wanting him to leave. I smiled. “I mean, you are my husband-to-be, right?”

  “That’s what Talia thinks, but everyone else knows the truth. We’d have a lot of explaining to do if Liam or Melody finds us in the morning.”

  I sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “Not that I want to keep it a secret,” he replied, squeezing my knee. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re my girl now. I mean, I know it’s too early to call this love, but, you mean a lot to me. I can’t stop thinking about you. I want you to know that.”

  “Me, too,” I answered, feeling the butterflies in my stomach go stir-crazy. I had never been in love, but I did feel something for him, already. Something deep.

  He leaned over and kissed me deeply. When he pulled away, his eyes were glowing again. “I’m already getting hard again. I’ve got to get out of here or you won’t be able to walk later.”

  I laughed.

  He got dressed and then I walked him to the door.

  “I’ll see you in a few hours. Try to get some sleep.”

  I smiled at him. “I will. You, too. Uh, do you sleep?”

  He nodded. “Yes. Sometimes.”

  “Okay. Well then you rest up, too. We’re going to have a long day ahead of us.”

  He gave me one of his sexy grins. “And maybe a longer night?”

  “Of course.”

  He pulled me into his arms and gave me another deep kiss before he left. When he was gone, I leaned against the door and let out ragged sigh. My family and my best friend were gone, but now, at least, I still had Melody and now… Slade.

  AFTER LEAVING CHELSEY, I went in search of Talia, still furious that she’d been talking trash about me. I knew I should stay far away from the bitch, but she needed to know that she was stepping over the line, once again.

  I walked to each of the chambers until I picked up her scent behind one of the heavy doors. It was two floors down from Chelsey’s, which was comforting. I didn’t want Talia anywhere near her, and I’d already decided to stay the rest of the night, guarding her any way that I could. As I raised my hand to knock, my ears picked up the sound of her voice talking to someone on the phone.