After the Kiss

  After the Kiss

  Michele Hauf

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter One

  One hour ago I, Belladonna Reynolds, married a werewolf.

  I said “I do” to a man I had fallen head over heels in love with months earlier as the fall leaves were gently covered with snow.

  I said “I do” to a man who shifts shape into wolf form.

  And I said “I do” to a man who, during the full moon, is half-man, half-beast, and can frighten me as much as he seduces me.

  His name is Stephan Severo. He’s close to a hundred years old.

  I kissed him to seal our vows. Severo’s kisses are like this: tender whispers of flesh upon flesh; lashes of tongue capable of buckling my knees; deep, delving dances with my soul; an intense, sensual connection I wished not to cease.

  He was staring at me now. Eyes like shadowed whiskey owned me. We stood upon the threshold before Severo’s mansion, a home we’ve shared since October. It was April, but I was not cold. I was shivering because I was nervous. Tonight we were to consummate our vows.

  It wouldn’t be the first time we’d made love, but I intended to make it feel like it.

  Would he give me the one thing I needed more than air tonight?

  Swept up into his arms, the long red skirt of my wedding gown schushed across the stiff white dress shirt I’d made him wear to the courthouse. Severo was most happy in casual jeans and sweaters. He’d cleaned up nicely. So much so, I couldn’t figure out what was different about him tonight.

  But something was.

  Severo carried me through the open front door. He kicked the door shut. The muscles in his arms tensed against my back. So powerful, my husband. I feel safe with him, and honored that he chose me to be his mate. I was the one woman he intended to spend the rest of his life with.

  “Lover,” I said on a sigh and nudged my head against the stubble on his neck. “I do.”

  “As do I, my Bella.”

  His full beard was soft beneath my exploring fingers. He keeps it trimmed short and the fine hairs swept his neck to the thick lustrous hair on his chest. I could sometimes get lost in the sensuous reverie of stroking it.

  He’s mine.

  Almost.

  There’s a piece still missing. Part of Severo does not yet belong to me.

  I want it. I must have it. The craving for it doubles me up in bed alongside him some nights while he sleeps. I want to lean over and take it from him—without permission.

  He denies me. He’s denied me for months. I understand his reluctance. His staunch need to keep a dark part of his history from surfacing. Memory torments him. He has suffered so much.

  Understanding something doesn’t make it easier to accept.

  I cannot accept it.

  “Hungry?” he asked as he walked through the dark kitchen; I was still cradled in his strong arms.

  “You know I’m not.” I would never be hungry for food. “You?”

  “Only for you, sweet.”

  I kissed him under the jaw and touched the tip of my tongue to the stubble. Severo tilted his head like a cat encouraging its master’s touch. But he was no tame feline; this man was of a wild breed that defied taming.

  I snuck up and kissed him on the mouth. He answered with a wanting, openmouthed kiss. All the way to my toes, I felt the connection. His kisses rendered me boneless.

  Navigating the house in the darkness, he’d stridden this path many a time and with me in his arms. The bedroom was just down the hall.

  My heart beat a little faster. Anticipation. Only truth within the quiet sanctuary where we bared ourselves to one another flesh and soul. We entered the masculine room lined with blue fabric walls. The long navy draperies, drawn shut, made the room even darker.

  I caught my fingers beneath the lamp and Severo dipped to allow me to flick it on.

  A soft glow glinted across his shoulder-length brown hair, but I couldn’t see his eyes as he dove to nuzzle between my breasts. His tongue slipped beneath my dress and lashed my nipple. Hot and wet, it claimed me, melted me. I arched my back, pushing my flesh deeper into his mouth.

  “That feels so good,” I whispered. “Take all of me.”

  Yet would he let me take all of him?

  We landed on the bed with chuckles as the awkward landing tangled my fingers in his hair and Severo lost his footing and crushed my torso with his powerful build.

  “I want to tear this from your skin and eat every part of you,” he whispered. Fabric was cleaved from the stitches at my shoulder. “I’ll buy you a new one, Bella, promise.”

  “It’s my wedding dress,” I protested, tugging the fabric from his grasp.

  I didn’t care about the dress. I wanted to be naked and under him. Wrapped within his regard. Swimming in his presence, his masterful kisses, his slick tongue and exploring fingers.

  “The zipper is down the side. You might like to see me in this again some time.”

  “If you insist.”

  He obliged and the dress went flying. Air caressed my bare skin, followed by Severo’s hands, gliding, finding their way along territory he’d explored many times, yet each journey felt new to me. It might take him a lifetime to master my nuances. I looked forward to his studies.

  He paused only to unbutton and discard his shirt and pants. Boxer briefs were tugged down and tossed. I’ve found clothing on the curtain rods and behind chairs in the morning following previous encounters.

  “Mm, you purr sweetly when I lick you, Bella. Spread your legs. So hot and wet for me.”

  This man has taught me that dirty talk turns me on. I used to be reserved and say all the polite things. Names for sexual parts were a no-no. I’m still shy with some of it.

  “Put your fingers inside me.”

  But I have learned to ask for what I want.

  “You belong to me now,” he said in a growly tone that made my nipples rock hard. “That paper we signed says so.”

  “I’ve always been yours. I don’t need a stupid piece of paper. Ohh…”

  On the verge of coming, I tensed my body to heighten the sensation. He stroked his bearded chin across my nipples. My muscles flexed tightly with the simmering urge to release. I clutched the sheets. Aclimax teased at me. Maybe now or maybe not. I told myself to relax.. Soon, Bella. So close.

  I cried out and he entered me with his hard shaft to experience the pulsing grip of my ecstasy. Severo came immediately after I did. We two have learned it was best to surrender right away and save the rest of the night for long and lingering lovemaking.

  Poised above me, this man, this creature from another realm, his muscles taut and like steel—he was mine. All mine.

  Almost.

  Greedy desire shimmered through my system in the wake of orgasm. It warmed my mouth, and the now familiar tingle in my canines did not alert so much as stir my hunger.

  If there was ever a time for this—what I most desired—it was now. On the night we’d said “I do.” The night I had given my promise to love, honor and cherish.

  Surfing Severo’s hard bicep with my tongue, I tasted salty flesh slicked with perspiration. Sliding my leg along his thigh prompted him to roll to his back at my unspoken command. Still breathing heavily from the climax, he was lost in a mindless afterglow.

  God, he smelled delicious. All man, sex and strength. I needed that smell all over my body. I wanted all of him inside me. More than his erection. More than his kisses and masterful fingers.

  I needed—

  “Bella!”

&
nbsp; On hands and knees, I crouched over him, the huntress startled from the hunt for sustenance—for the ultimate bond.

  “What, lover?”

  “No.” He moved from under me, sliding his legs over the side of the bed. Bare back to me, he sat and flexed his shoulders. “Not your bite. Not…I need time yet. Please.”

  Crash. My teeth slid up in their sockets. I winced at the abrupt retreat from passion.

  Did I mention? A few months after little ol’ mortal me met Severo, his enemy—some vampire bitch with an Elvira complex—decided the best way to get back at him would be to change me into the one thing he hated most in this world.

  A vampire.

  And while he’s learned to accept what he cannot change, and I know he does genuinely love me, he still refused to let me bite him.

  It is what I needed to finally fuse the connection between us. I want Severo’s blood inside me, coursing through my system, claiming me. Binding the two of us.

  We two would become one as our heartbeats synched.

  “Sorry.” He stood and wandered toward the bathroom. Muscles tensed across his delts. I loved his sexy, bow-legged walk. He limped, favoring his left leg after being caught in a wolf trap decades ago. My handsome, wounded lover.

  Husband. Who still rejects you.

  I rolled to my back, stretching my arms out across the sheets and stared at the ceiling. My fingers strayed to a warm area on Severo’s side, but the warmth faded so quickly it might have been imagination.

  Always he said, “Give me time.”

  How much time did he require? I needed him body and blood. Would he ever relent, and in doing so, relent willingly? Could this marriage between a werewolf and a vampire last?

  “What have I done?”

  Chapter Two

  I didn’t need a reminder to tell me tonight the moon would be full, but I noted the date on the small fridge calendar, anyway. The design featured pastel faeries with small wings and huge eyes, much like those Margaret Keane paintings I remembered from the sixties.

  Such was Bella’s humor.

  It surprised me the butler hadn’t removed the thing. Crowel was a house brownie and took pride in his work, be it cooking, cleaning or detailing the cars. Brownies do not brook teasing lightly. Perhaps Crowel hadn’t yet noticed the travesty.

  Bella certainly did leave her mark everywhere in the house. We’ve been together half a year now. We’ve been through a lot.

  The first night I met Bella—rather, captured her—she had been human. Four nasty vampires had been pursuing her.

  I’ve always hated vampires with a passion that runs deep to my core. That is, until one of my enemies changed Bella. Though initially reluctant to accept that transformation, after the werewolf within me had approved, I easily followed.

  Mostly. I could accept Bella. But that didn’t mean I now had to throw down the welcome mat to every other longtooth.

  “The vampire and the werewolf,” I muttered, and padded barefoot into the office. “What a pair.”

  Hell, we were an amazing pair. Perhaps even more in love, for our differences kept the relationship new and interesting.

  Still didn’t mean I had to take her bite. The thought of Bella sinking her teeth into my neck made me squirm. It wasn’t a disgust kind of squirm, more uncomfortable and if you will, ominous. A werewolf marked by a vampire would be shunned by his kind.

  I was no longer a pack member, but to be ostracized by my breed held no appeal to me.

  Landing in the leather office chair, I spun about and punched in the combination on the safe under the desk. Before the imminent midnight shift I always stored my wallet inside. Tonight I put my new gold wedding band in the safe, as well. Taking it off didn’t feel right. This ring was one mark I did want, to show the world how much I loved my wife. But it would be broken and lost when I shifted.

  Glancing out the window, I gauged the time. Must be nearly ten in the evening.

  Bella had run into town for groceries and shopping. I suspected she was buying another new dress and shoes. She did love expensive shoes.

  I love taking them off her and licking her high arches and kissing each of her toes. One of her erogenous zones stretches from the base of her smallest toe along the side of her foot. How I enjoy making her squirm in delight.

  I hoped she would hurry home. We could fit in a quickie. But the full moon waits for no man—or werewolf.

  I missed the midnight deadline. Severo was already gone by the time I strode in and deposited my shopping bags inside the foyer. Crowel would bring them to my room.

  “Just as well. I’m in no mood.” I didn’t want to pretend last night hadn’t happened.

  Sure, I’d shopped up a storm. A little retail therapy had improved my frame of mind minutely. And didn’t this tight little violet number look perfect on my figure? The shoes were Christian Louboutin, five-inch spike heels that made me feel like sex on a stick (make that two stilettos).

  But seriously? The moment I recalled Severo’s refusal last night I lost all desire to seduce my husband. Shopping had not dulled the simmering anger. I felt the need to kick something.

  No one liked to be refused. And by their new husband?

  Heels clicking sharply, I spied the open arsenal door. Odd. Severo would never leave it open.

  My conscience argued that I had expected too much last night. I hadn’t asked Severo beforehand if it could be “the night.” Why is it we—whether mortal, immortal or otherwise—never truly talk to those we love? We don’t reveal our thoughts unless they are pried from us. We think that to ask for what we want is being pushy. Assumptions come so easily.

  Severo and I communicated very well. But we did tend to dance around the issue.

  The arsenal was dark, and I didn’t flip on the light as I strode inside. It was a complete weapons room, always fully stocked should vampires ever attack.

  Bit of a conflict of interest now that the werewolf had married a vampire.

  I ran my fingers along the weapons lining the wall. I see quite well in the darkness. It’s a skill that initially shocked me after becoming vampire. Hell, everything shocked me. The ability to survive without food. The increased strength. The whole instantaneous healing bit. It all rocked.

  “Even the blood drinking.” I licked my lips.

  I’d had to stop and take a donor before returning home. I was hungry. Sue me. The vampire who transformed me explained I’d need to drink frequently during my early years. I could live with that.

  Severo has watched me take blood a few times. It turns him on, yet he’d never admit that out loud or near any of his breed. The man does have his pride.

  But so do I.

  Leaning over a stainless-steel counter, I planted the heels of my hands against the cool surface and surveyed the equipment. Wooden bullets designed to slow a vampire down in preparation for the big-boy stake that would puncture its heart and make it ash. Holy water in thin glass vials would reduce any baptized vampire to ash. Silver crosses would leave a nasty burn that would never heal and eventually eat the vampire alive.

  I shuddered.

  “Why doesn’t he get rid of this stuff?”

  Vampire intruders were always a risk. I didn’t fault him for wanting to be armed and ready.

  But really. Did he have to keep this stuff? What if I tripped and knocked over a vial of holy water and it soaked into my skin? I’ve been baptized. Hell, I had to throw out my gold cross necklace, a gift from my grandmother, after being transformed.

  “How would he like it if I stocked the shelves with liquid-silver bullets and silver-braided whips?”

  I turned and caught my breath. A towering beast stood in the open doorway.

  Talons clawed the wood door frame, leaving raw gouges in their wake. Dark fur covered the beast’s legs, arms and torso. The body was all man, the limbs extended and bulked with furred, hard muscle. The head was all wolf, flaunting a toothy snarl and perked ears. The fur was dark brown, nearly black, like Sever
o’s hair.

  It stalked toward me.

  I crossed my arms and stood firmly, tapping a Louboutin toe. “I don’t think so.”

  The werewolf slapped both paws onto the steel counter at either side of my hips, pinning me in. Severo growled.

  “Are you serious?” I said.

  Of course he was. The werewolf showed once or twice during the full moon. The only reason it came up to the house was for sex. Having sex with his mate was the ultimate bonding for the werewolf. I’d had sex with this gorgeous beast. I loved Severo that much.

  Give me time.

  Those words, uttered so frequently, set me on the defensive. I wasn’t in the mood for this tonight. Not unless he was willing to give as good as I gave.

  “Get out of here,” I said firmly. “You don’t want my bite? Then I don’t want the werewolf.”

  The fur on his muzzle skimmed my cheek. Ivory canines gnashed and his growl put a tremor in my heartbeats. I had to be careful. His human brain was only half-present when he was in werewolf form. Yet the man within wrangled the beast well.

  “I mean it, Severo. Leave!”

  Put off by the tone of my voice, the werewolf stepped back toward the door. He slapped the wall with a paw. Talons ripped through drywall and metal door frame. Yes, our repairs budget is a monster.

  With a show of teeth and a yipping howl, he loped off.

  I caught my forehead in a palm. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I love you,” came out in a whisper. “But I need more.”

  Chapter Three

  I was aware Revin Parker had snuck up behind me in the alleyway. I trusted the vampire and so ignored him.

  Current donor’s hot blood was running down my throat like some kind of hundred-year-old wine that hadn’t seen light or crumbling cork. It was sublime.

  I shoved the donor’s shoulders against the brick wall, but he no longer struggled, nor did he cry out in pleasure. The young college guy was out cold. Yet I shoved him roughly to the ground as if he’d not satisfied my craving.