Read Online The Blood Bride (Blood Secrets) by Imogene Nix - Free Book Online
Authors: Imogene Nix
Ads: Link
looks little more than a teenager, yet she is older than I.” He laughed again. “Come, my lady Hope, it is time for us to open the proceedings.”
Hope allowed him to take her hand into the crook of his arm, where she once again felt that amazing sense of well-being and belonging. Together they moved back towards the doors and into the throng of well-wishers.
Earlier, he had given in to the urge to take her aside, and heaven knew the need to kiss her had grown once they were on the terrace. Only the faint sounds of the arrival of guests had seen him stop before going too far, before he committed the cardinal sin of leaning in to touch those lush lips of hers with his, of testing and tasting her, the way his treacherous body demanded.
Now, here they stood again on the terrace, with the scent of roses eclipsed by the fresh essence of Hope that filled him. He could smell her, and his body hardened. A special presence and quality about her filled his senses and made him want her more than he already did. It was more than the smell of her body. Not the smell of copper that rose faintly from all humans, the scent of blood that always seemed to be around them. No, there was an indefinable quality to her, one he sensed on many levels.
He ached to test the suppleness of her body. In this case though, the only way he could meet that need was through one of the dances. Perhaps, if he was lucky, he might also experience it in the act of lovemaking.
He had been Master of this nest for only a matter of months, so he had never before met her as she had been away, attending college. Nothing had prepared him for the emotional rush he’d felt in the library or again tonight. Thoughts of her had dogged his sleep, and he was finding it hard to concentrate on anything else.
It was a state of affairs that he was wholly unfamiliar with. A single woman drew him as none had ever done before, and that bemused him.
It upset his equilibrium. He had tossed and turned all day, as thoughts of her had raced through his mind, calling to him. Pulling him time and time again from the drowsing torpor he usually experienced in the realms of sleep.
His hand rested now at the base of her spine, urging her forward and into the crowded ballroom. He wanted to splay his hands over her body, the need to touch her silken skin pulling at him, and he realised he lightly caressed her through the gown. Warmth spread through him everywhere they touched.
Xavier escorted her to the podium that had been set up for the evening. Speeches first, then dancing and supper were the order of events, he knew, He looked around, while Hope answered the calls of the few well-wishers that knew her well enough to call out.
That alone confused him. She was beautiful, clever and talented. So where were her friends? Times surely hadn’t changed that much had they? Surely she didn’t walk through life as a solitary being? Why weren’t they here to share her triumph? He would ask later, he told himself, as they moved towards the front of the room. Just as he would get to the bottom of why her family treated her like a pariah.
She climbed up the steps, the line of her dress pulling tighter with each upward step, the lines of her body beneath the silk displayed for his eyes. Firm buttocks and long legs, built for speed, as well as pleasure, his mind told him. His body tightened further as a rush of heat spread through him and Xavier had to look away from the sight. When he looked back, she had turned around. She stood there, studying him from beneath long sable lashes that hid her eyes from his questing gaze.
Hope waited for him to join her, extending her arm to him. A nervous smile was present on her face, and he felt an answer rise on his as muscles moved involuntarily. He reached the top of the steps, taking her hand in his, warm and small, and he felt the flutter of nervousness in her tiny fingers.
So, she was not as unaffected as she tried to make out. He nearly laughed out
Hope allowed him to take her hand into the crook of his arm, where she once again felt that amazing sense of well-being and belonging. Together they moved back towards the doors and into the throng of well-wishers.
Earlier, he had given in to the urge to take her aside, and heaven knew the need to kiss her had grown once they were on the terrace. Only the faint sounds of the arrival of guests had seen him stop before going too far, before he committed the cardinal sin of leaning in to touch those lush lips of hers with his, of testing and tasting her, the way his treacherous body demanded.
Now, here they stood again on the terrace, with the scent of roses eclipsed by the fresh essence of Hope that filled him. He could smell her, and his body hardened. A special presence and quality about her filled his senses and made him want her more than he already did. It was more than the smell of her body. Not the smell of copper that rose faintly from all humans, the scent of blood that always seemed to be around them. No, there was an indefinable quality to her, one he sensed on many levels.
He ached to test the suppleness of her body. In this case though, the only way he could meet that need was through one of the dances. Perhaps, if he was lucky, he might also experience it in the act of lovemaking.
He had been Master of this nest for only a matter of months, so he had never before met her as she had been away, attending college. Nothing had prepared him for the emotional rush he’d felt in the library or again tonight. Thoughts of her had dogged his sleep, and he was finding it hard to concentrate on anything else.
It was a state of affairs that he was wholly unfamiliar with. A single woman drew him as none had ever done before, and that bemused him.
It upset his equilibrium. He had tossed and turned all day, as thoughts of her had raced through his mind, calling to him. Pulling him time and time again from the drowsing torpor he usually experienced in the realms of sleep.
His hand rested now at the base of her spine, urging her forward and into the crowded ballroom. He wanted to splay his hands over her body, the need to touch her silken skin pulling at him, and he realised he lightly caressed her through the gown. Warmth spread through him everywhere they touched.
Xavier escorted her to the podium that had been set up for the evening. Speeches first, then dancing and supper were the order of events, he knew, He looked around, while Hope answered the calls of the few well-wishers that knew her well enough to call out.
That alone confused him. She was beautiful, clever and talented. So where were her friends? Times surely hadn’t changed that much had they? Surely she didn’t walk through life as a solitary being? Why weren’t they here to share her triumph? He would ask later, he told himself, as they moved towards the front of the room. Just as he would get to the bottom of why her family treated her like a pariah.
She climbed up the steps, the line of her dress pulling tighter with each upward step, the lines of her body beneath the silk displayed for his eyes. Firm buttocks and long legs, built for speed, as well as pleasure, his mind told him. His body tightened further as a rush of heat spread through him and Xavier had to look away from the sight. When he looked back, she had turned around. She stood there, studying him from beneath long sable lashes that hid her eyes from his questing gaze.
Hope waited for him to join her, extending her arm to him. A nervous smile was present on her face, and he felt an answer rise on his as muscles moved involuntarily. He reached the top of the steps, taking her hand in his, warm and small, and he felt the flutter of nervousness in her tiny fingers.
So, she was not as unaffected as she tried to make out. He nearly laughed out
Similar Books
