Isaac Read online

  My eyes trail down her body. She is wearing a dark green shirt that fits tightly around her small firm breasts. Her jeans lovingly hug her hips and fit snugly around legs that go on for miles. Her jeans should be illegal with how they show off every delicate curve of her body. The shirt brings out her eyes and shows off the how tapered her waist is. She looks like she walked out every fantasy I ever had as a young boy and she’s all mine. I just need to convince her of that. It’s too bad I have never dated and have no idea how to woo a woman.

  “You came,” I say and must clear my throat several times to even get the words out. It seems that all my blood flow is in my little head right now and I can’t seem to form a complete sentence. She laughs, and the sound doesn’t seem to be helping the situation in my pants. My cock jerks and I feel a bead of moisture escape the tip.

  “I would have told you no if I didn’t intend to come.” She says with one eyebrow cocked and one hand on her hip. She is the sexiest thing I have ever seen.

  “I’m glad you did,” I say, finally finding my tongue untied.

  “What would like to drink?” I ask as she takes the seat next to me. I can feel the heat of her through the thin layers of cotton separating us. What I wouldn’t give to feel her pressed against me with nothing between us.

  “What are you having?” She looks at my glass that is half full. I am a stubborn old vampire, and I trained my body to accept whiskey. It was my favorite drink as a human and something I was not about to let go. I threw up the first million times I would drink, and still, I persisted until finally, I could drink it. I must be careful not to drink too much, or it could still make my sick, but I still drink a glass or two a day without any harsh effects. I do not tell her any of this though, to do that I would need to explain about vampires and I’m not ready to do that yet. I just need to make her fall in love with me first, so she sees I’m a good man first. Most people associate vampirism with being soulless. That is certainly not the case. If that was the case would we have such a thing as a destined mate? I think not.

  “Whiskey,” I tell her, and she throws her head back with another earth shattering laugh that has me nearly cumming in my pants. She has no idea what she does to me with such simple things as laughter.

  “I should have guessed. I’ll take a glass of red wine. I’m not much of a drinker.” She says as I wave down the bartender. I ask the bartender for her wine, and he barely spares me a glance as he stares at my lovely companion. I must bite my lip to keep from growling at him. I do send him a look that conveys how close to death he is at this moment. He quickly looks away and hurries off to get her wine. I understand why he would be interested in her, but she’s mine. I will rip him apart if he tries anything with her. I have never experienced jealousy before, and now I understand why it causes men to act out of character. I am practically breathing smoke as he finally sets the glass of wine in front of Paige.

  Paige gently lifts the glass to her lips, and I find myself practically swallowing my tongue as her lips press against the glass and the ruby red fluid slides into her mouth. I never knew a simple thing as taking a drink of wine could be so erotic. Her full lips pressed against the glass imprinting it in a way that I wish it were my lips or my dick her mouth was pressed against. I nearly groan at the thought. My cock just can’t seem to behave, and I know if I do not stop thinking about her lips I will have very wet pants.

  “You’re so beautiful,” I tell her honestly. It seems to radiate out of my very soul. She has me completely under her spell, and she doesn’t even know it. For her to understand the depths of my devotion to her, she would need to know vampire history and that would only send her running.

  “Thank you.” She says shyly and looks away as she sets the glass back down. She doesn’t know how beautiful she is. She has no clue. I shake my head at the absolute absurdity of the situation. I am with the most stunning creature on the planet, and she doesn’t know her worth. It’s like the winning the lottery because most women who are anywhere near as attractive as she is, is beyond conceited.

  “Tell me about yourself,” I ask as I lean back trying to figure her out. She had to have been very sheltered if she doesn’t know the effect she has on men. Maybe she was raised by nuns.

  “My entire family is in the military. My father and brothers are all in the army. I grew up knowing I would join as soon as I was old enough.” She smiles over at me, and I swear my breathing halts as the sun shines down on me with the rays penetrating my very core. Her smile is the sun. She’s breathtaking.

  “Are your brothers older?” I ask as though my world didn’t just completely shift.

  “Yes, I’m the baby in the family.” Her cheeks flush, and I can smell the blood as it surfaces on her skin. A rumble starts in my chest, but I quickly cover it with a cough. Fuck. I’m not sure I will survive this. At least I now know why she doesn’t know how gorgeous she is. I bet her brothers scared away any guy from approaching her.

  “Let me guess; you started training with them as soon as you could walk?” I ask, and I’m rewarded with another giggle.

  “You could say that.” She smiles and looks down at her glass as though remembering how she grew up.

  “Some of my best memories are of training with them. We would start out working hard, but no matter what we were doing, there was always fun involved. I remember this one time we decided to practice tracking and of course I was the one they would track. I became very good at covering my tracks and then stalking them. This one day I decided to climb a tree, and when Mikey was underneath me, I jumped out and landed on him.” She laughs again, and I join her. I bet that was a surprise to her brother.

  “I was only six and didn’t weigh much, but I didn’t consider how high I had climbed. I hurt my brothers back and twisted my wrist. My dad was furious with me.” Her eyes sparkle as she talks. I can’t help it I lift wrist and bring it to my lips and kiss her soft skin. My eyes close as her sweet flesh meets my lips. I can smell her blood, and a craving takes root like nothing I have ever know before. My fangs descend and cut into my lip, but still, I do not move away. My blood fills my mouth, and I swallow it down, warring with myself to release her. Instead of dropping her hand I set it down on my leg and entwine my fingers with hers. I finally open my eyes and stare into her eyes.

  “It doesn’t hurt anymore.” She says breathlessly. My fangs retract, and I take a deep breath through my nose. I need to learn to control myself around her, or I’ll be explaining vampires to her before I’m ready to.

  “Did your father stay mad for long?” I ask her and take a drink of my whiskey.

  “No, he was mad for only that day, and by the time night rolled around he was apologizing to me for getting upset in the first place. He decided he didn’t want me training with them anymore and that was the worst punishment he could ever give me. I cried, and he caved, but he kept a close eye on me after that.” She sighs, and I squeeze her hand.

  “That’s what a good father does. He worries about his children.” I tell her, and she smiles at me. I love her smiles as much as I do her laughter. At this point, I doubt there is anything she could do that I wouldn’t find adorable.

  “What about your family?” She asks, and the smile slides from my face.

  “I don’t have any family anymore. They have all passed away.” I hate talking about them. It’s not that I still grieve them it’s just difficult to explain without someone either feeling sorry for me or discovering just how old I really am.

  “I’m so sorry to hear that.” She says.

  “What do you do for fun?” She changes the subject, and I could kiss her for it. She must have been able to tell I was uncomfortable with the subject, so she changed it.

  “I ride my motorcycle up in the hills,” I tell her, and her eyes widen.

  “You have a motorcycle?” She asks, and I chuckle.

  “Yes, that’s what I wanted to show you. I was going to drive you up into the hills where there are some beautiful places I kno
w you would enjoy.” I let her know what I had originally intended. She blushes again, and I lean over a cup her heated cheek.

  “That is so pretty,” I tell her as my thumb strokes her reddened cheeks.

  “It’s mortifying at times when I’m not supposed to be showing any emotion.” I bet she has been disciplined for it as well. She is a ranger after all. They are taught to bury their emotions and never let it show.

  “You don’t need to worry about that with me,” I move my hand down to her neck and my thumb presses against her pulse. Her heart is beating as wildly as my own, and I swallow hard to keep myself from not leaning forward and swiping my tongue over it.

  “You’re very intense; you know that?” She says, and I worry that maybe I’m coming on a little too strong but then she licks her lips and I know she likes how I’m behaving.

  “I would apologize, but I have never felt this way before, and I’m unfamiliar with how to handle it.” I go for honesty. She bites her lip to keep from smiling though I still see it in the corners of her mouth as they curl upward.

  “I think you’re doing just fine.” I like that she leans into me and I take her mouth. I never planned for our first kiss to be so public nor did I plan for it to be so soon but everything fades into the background as our lips meet. Her lips are so soft like rose petals. I have never felt anything quite so soft. I can’t stop my tongue from sliding out and swiping across her lips. She gasps, and my tongue pushes between her billowy flesh. I moan as I taste her sweet mouth. Her tongue tentatively touches mine and spasm races through me and into my cock. I’m seconds away from cumming when I pull away and curse.

  “I’m sorry. I thought I had more self-control than that. I wanted our first kiss to be more romantic.” I tell her, and she runs her finger over her lips. They are slightly red and moist, and all I want to do is dive back in for more of her sweetness.

  “I thought it was pretty perfect.” She says, and I can’t help but smile.

  “Yeah?” My eyes land on her lips, and I consider sampling some more.

  “Yeah.” She whispers. I lean in for another taste when someone calls out for the bartender breaking the spell; we were both under. Damn it. This isn’t the time or place to be acting like love sick teenagers.

  “I guess tomorrow after training you should take me to see the scenic parts of Washington.” She says as she leans back and lifts the glass to her lips. Does this mean she agrees to another date with me? Fuck yeah. I can’t help the smile that overcomes my face at the prospect of another date with her. Not that I want this one to end. If it were up to me, I would be taking her home and never letting her leave. I would be with her night and day.

  She places the glass back down on the table and leans over so only I can hear her.

  “You can walk me to my room if you want.” My cock bobs in agreement. Down boy. I say to it in my head. I’m sure she is just ready to say goodnight and maybe another kiss.

  “I would like that,” She blushes again, and I groan under my breath.

  “I’m not asking you back for sex. I don’t want you getting the wrong idea but your training start early, and I’m a bit tired.” She says, and I run my finger over her pink cheek again.

  “I understand,” I take the last sip of my whiskey. I stand up and help Paige stand. I do not let go of her hand, needing to feel her for as long as I possibly can. This meeting your destined mate business is far more intense than I ever thought it would be and I dread having to say goodnight. I want to wrap her in my arms and feel her breath against me as we sleep. I want to be able to fast forward through the awkwardness of dating, so she’s comfortable enough with me to stay with me.

  I lift her hand and kiss the back of it as we wait for the elevator. I can’t keep from touching her. I know she can feel this strong pull between us as much as I do, she is just able to fight it more than I can. She didn’t spend hundreds of years alone and yearning.

  The elevator arrives, and she pushes the button for her floor. The tight space seems to crackle with unspent desire as I close the gap between us. I pull her against me, and her curves melt into me as though she was made for me. Her curves fit perfectly to the contours of my body. It’s a good thing we are alone as both of our breathing escalates. We are both panting for breath. She stares up at me with her large green eyes, and I run my fingers through her hair of fire. I grip the back of her hair in my fist, and I latch my mouth on to hers. She moans as I delve into her tasty mouth. I have never tasted anything so sweet, so pure, so mine, before and I know I never will again. She is it for me.

  A bell dings and the doors open as I pull away from the paradise I found with her. Her shiny red lips tip up when she sees how reluctant I am to stop. She takes my hand and leads me to her door. She stops outside of it and presses her hand to my chest as she leans up and brushes her lips against mine. I growl as I press her back against the door and take her mouth the way I need. She whimpers as I press my hard length against her and her mouth opens to mine. I delve deep as I wish I could with my cock. I nearly lose all control as her lips move against mine. I reluctantly pull my mouth away before I do something I know I shouldn’t.

  “I will take things as slowly as you need me to but know this… I will have all of you. I want you in my bed, in my life and I’m not just talking about for the remainder of your training. I’m talking about for life. I know what I want, and that’s you.” I tell her near her ear before taking her mouth again. I groan as I grind against her one more time before sitting her down on her feet again and moving back a step. She looks dazed as she looks up at me. Her lips swollen and her eyes glazed with need. I have never seen anything more beautiful than how she looks right now.

  “I want you to think about what I just told you seriously because once I have you, I’m never letting you go,” I say as I run my thumb across her full bottom lip. Her tongue darts out and catches the edge of my thumb making me moan. I close my eyes to gain some semblance of control. I open them to find her staring up at me in wonder. I am so tempted to open the door and show her exactly what that look does to me. Before I can change my mind, I turn and walk away. I didn’t say goodbye because that will never be words that come out of my mouth with her. I will never say goodbye.

  Chapter 6. Paige

  It’s so difficult to concentrate on my training the next day with him watching my every move. I can still remember the heated look he gave me before he left. A look that said so many things without saying anything at all. He wants me and not just to slake his lust; he wants all of me. I need to tell him that it’s not possible right now. I already signed on for this mission, and there will always be more. I decided to make a career with the military instead of staying at home and raising babies. I had decided that wasn’t the life for me a long time ago. Why is it that this man has me second-guessing that decision now? I will talk to him more about it tonight. Hopefully, he will see reason and at least understand that I must do this mission.

  I am sweating and panting by the time we are finished for the day. He hasn’t said much to me all day though I understand it’s not a good place to talk. I do not want the men thinking I sleep around. Honestly, I’m not one for public displays of affection. Last night was a fluke. That kiss had taken me away from everything, and I forget where we even were at that moment. His kisses are so insanely good that I lose all sense. Just thinking about them now has my nipples puckering and causes my panties to dampen. My reactions to him are frightening in their intensity. It’s almost violent.

  He dismisses us, and I grab a towel again to wipe the sweat off me. The others take off toward the bus, and he walks over to me as he did yesterday.

  “I will be by to pick you up in an hour. Wear jeans and a heavy jacket if you have one. If not I will bring one for you to wear. We’ll be on my bike, and you need to be protected.” He says as he leans so close to me that I can smell his masculine scent. I take a deep breath and shudder as the smell of his cologne, and the underlying smell of pure male tak
es over my senses. He smells so good even after working out with us so hard that I seriously consider licking him. I do not even think I saw him sweat even a little bit. I bite my lip to keep from moaning.

  “I’ll be ready,” I say in a husky sounding voice. I sound like I have been having sex for hours. My cheeks heat at how much my voice proves the effect Isaac has on me. I should just wear a blinking sign that says, ‘hot for you’ in bright red letters on my forehead. He runs his finger down my cheek as he always does when I blush before stepping away. His hands flex at his sides as though he wants to touch me more and is fighting to control himself. My earlier embarrassment flees as I realize that he wants me just as much if not more than I want him. I smile up at him.

  “I’ll see you in an hour,” I tell him before turning and racing to the bus. The sooner I get to the hotel and ready the sooner I get to be with him again. I look out the window as I take my seat and see him leaning against the door frame watching me as the bus pulls away from the building. I really need to think about what this all means. Am I ready to give up my plans to be with him? Would it be a disappointment to my family if I did? So many questions race through my head during the bus ride and even as I go up to my room. I puzzle over it all as I get ready. I want him, that’s certainly not the problem. It’s what I will do to keep him that’s the problem.

  A knock sounds at my door just as I pull my leather jacket over my shoulders. I peep through the hole to see Isaac standing there with a bouquet of flowers. I smile as I open the door.

  “Sorry, I’m early.” He doesn’t look sorry at all. I laugh and open the door wider. He hands me the flowers, and I bring them to my nose and breathe in their heavenly scent.