Becoming Forever (Waking Forever Series) (41 page)

Leaning back, Ash straddled Emma as she q
uickly unbuttoned her jeans. She pulled them and her black panties off, dropping the garments to the floor. Looking down at Emma, Ash felt a rush of love and longing swirl in her. “You’re beautiful.” Emma’s eyes glowed an iridescent blue, accenting the thin web of blue veins that spidered along her pale neck and jaw line.

Emma sat up, and turning her head, pressed her che
ek to the hollow between Ash’s breasts. She marveled at the warmth radiating off the woman, accompanied by her intoxicating scent. Cupping the side of Ash’s firm breast, Emma ran her tongue in slow circles around her erect nipple. Ash gasped and pressed Emma closer to her.

Running her fingers through the silkiness of Emma’s hair, Ash bit her lower lip as her hips began to rock back and forth independent of her will. “Em?” The beautiful woman un
der her looked up. “Can we go to bed?”

Emma smiled, and
ran her palm over Ash’s breast before bringing both hands to rest on the woman’s hips. “Absolutely.”

Grasping Ash’s bottom, Emma effortlessly stood up. Ash released her legs
from around her waist, and slowly slid down the front of Emma, absorbing the smoothness and coolness of her skin. Emma took Ash’s hand, and the two women walked up the stairs and into the bedroom.

Emma turned the lights on, and seeing the woman’s perfect body
again, Ash couldn’t help but smile. “See something funny, detective?” Emma asked as she walked toward Ash with a smirk on her face.

“Funny isn’t the word.” Ash put her hands on Emma’s waist and pulled her tightly against her. “Perfect. Flawless. Gorgeous. But certainly not funny.”

Emma bent her head, and began gently sucking the jugular vein that pulsed furiously in Ash’s throat. Tilting her head back, Ash moaned. “Amazing. I almost forgot amazing.” She grabbed Emma by the back of the neck, and pressed her closer.

Feeling her resolve to not feed on Ash waning, Emma turned her attentions to Ash’s shoulder and
then across her clavicle. Ash’s hands were on her shoulders, and pushing her toward the bed. Emma fell backward as her legs touched the side of the bed, and a split second later Ash was on top of her. The woman’s warm, wet mouth found Emma’s nipple and began to slowly and deliberately suck and pull at the cool, taut flesh.

A low growl escaped Emma before she could stifle it, but Ash didn’
t seem to notice or mind as she slowly kissed her way down the flat plane of Emma’s stomach, and across her jutting hip bones. Pushing her legs apart, Ash ran her hand up the inside of Emma’s thigh. Without warning, she entered her with two fingers.

“
Fuck.” Emma gasped, clenched her teeth, and clutched at Ash’s back. Ash smiled at the uncharacteristic expletive, and ignored the stab of pain from Emma’s nails digging into her shoulders. She began a slow, steady rhythm as she moved her fingers in and out of Emma.

Spreading her legs to afford Ash more access, Emma’s hips moved in time with Ash’s thrusts.
She bit her lower lip to stifle a loud growl when she felt Ash’s mouth on her clit. She grabbed at the back of Ash’s head, pushing her further into her.

Emma tightened around Ash’s fingers, and
Ash breathed deep, her own desire growing as she took in the lavender and vanilla scents radiating from the vampire. She couldn’t get close enough to Emma, and reached under her hip to pull her nearer. The possessive feeling surprised Ash, but every part of her wanted to clasp and be held inside Emma.

Short electrical pulse
s shot through Emma, causing her to thrust her hips upward faster. Her fingers tangled in Ash’s dark tresses, her mouth continuing to pleasure Emma as her fingers pushed further into her. Emma arched her back, a strangled cry escaping her lips as a sudden and intense orgasm shot through her body. Taking a deep breath, Emma caught the scent of blood. She looked down at Ash and could see the remnants of scratches healing along her shoulders. Unlike human blood, Ash’s blood smelled of something indescribably earthy and sweet that permeated the vampire’s body.

Emma
reached down, and gently pulled Ash up. Finding her mouth, she kissed her deeply as they shifted, and Ash stretched out under Emma. “Are you okay?” Emma ran a tentative finger across one of the scratches. The redness was already fading, the blood was dried, and the urge to lap at it pushed at the back of her throat.

Ash
grinned as she nodded, pushing Emma’s head down. She sighed contentedly when Emma’s mouth found her breast. Emma began to suck Ash’s hardened nipple into her cool mouth while lightly biting down, the tip of her incisor scraping across the small bud. Ash whimpered and pushed her hips against Emma.

Emma slid her hand between Ash’s parted thighs. Her long, slender finger slid into Ash
and her thumb began to brush across her clit in slow, methodical strokes. Ash moaned, and tilted her hips upward as she pulled Emma down on top of her before shifting her balance, and rolling the two of them over.

Now straddling Emma, Ash
was on her knees and held herself steady with one hand on Emma’s shoulder as she pushed her hips down. Tossing her head back, Ash closed her eyes, lost in the myriad of sensations washing over her. Emma thrust her finger deeper into Ash, pushing her thumb harder against her clit as the woman began to tighten and quiver around her.

“Emma.” Ash cried out in a strangled, guttural voice as she felt the tension in her body constrict and then rapidly expand
with her climax. Collapsing on top of Emma, she buried her face in the woman’s neck, and clung to her.

Emma wrapped her arms around Ash, and held her close. The feel of the
other woman’s rapidly beating heart was reverberating through her. The smell of sex and blood permeated the room, and the burning in the back of her throat that Emma had grown accustomed to flared. She was loath to leave Ash, and break the moment of intimacy, but she was afraid in a momentary loss of control she might hurt her beloved.

“Ash, honey?” Emma whispered the words into the side of Ash’s face.

Lifting her head, her eyes unfocused, Ash grinned. “Honey?” She kissed Emma on the cheek. “I believe that is our first term of endearment.” She tightened her arms around Emma.

Emma pressed her lips to Ash’s warm forehead, and had to force herself not to lick at the thin perspiration that had formed there during their love making. “You smell amazing.” She hesitated. “Too amazing.” She was holding her breath to minimize the intoxicating scents from further chipping away at her will power.

Ash’s head popped up. “Oh. I-” She rolled to Emma’s side. “Do whatever it is you do when you-” Ash blushed at her own vernacular inadequacies, and made a sweeping gesture with her hand. “You know when
this
sort of thing happens.”

Emma got up, and walked toward the bathroom. “This hasn’t happened before.”

“Sorry?” Ash sat up.

Standing in the doorway of the bathroom, and feeling steadier with the distance between her and Ash, Emma managed a smile.
“I haven’t been with a lot of people, and never with a shifter.”

“Thank god
. I mean-” Ash hesitated. “I had sort of worried about being compared to nearly two centuries of experience.”

Emma laughed. “I grant you, I have been far less
amorous than the average vampire, but even if I had thoroughly sowed my wild oats, I assure you there would be absolutely
nothing
for you to worry about.”

Squelching the urge to rush toward Emma and take her in her arms, Ash reached over, and pulled the dark blue comforter back. “Hurry up in there.”

Emma grinned, walked into the bathroom, closed and locked the door. She turned the shower on as hot as the tap would allow, and waited as steam filled the room. Stepping into the spray, she let the nearly boiling water wash over and off of her, and with it most of Ash’s scent. Taking deep breaths in through her nose, the smell of blood and sex slowly diminished, diluted by the steam.

Emma turned the shower off, and toweled off.
Wiping at the fogged up mirror with her cool hand, she looked at her reflection. Her eyes were still vivid, but her teeth had retracted.

Eager to get back to Ash,
Emma walked into the bedroom, smiling as quiet snores came from the bed. Sliding into bed, she reached for the sleeping woman next to her. Ash curled up next to Emma, laying her head on the woman’s bare shoulder. Muttering, Ash draped her arm across Emma’s waist. “I’m sorry ahead of time for the drool.” 

Smiling, Emma kissed the top of Ash’s head. For the first time in her existence she was in love.
She felt as if her heart had restarted after nearly two centuries of atrophy. She was shaken, vulnerable, and hopelessly and happily lost to the woman beside her. Regardless of the complications, she would try for whatever joy and elation she and Ash might have, and she wouldn’t give that up.

Chapter 19

Ash s
at on the sofa in Emma’s study wearing a pair of gray cotton shorts and a navy blue t-shirt she had found in the dresser upstairs. Emma had woken her shortly after dawn to tell her she was going out for groceries.

“I didn’t want you waking up alone.” Emma had nuzzled the back of Ash’s warm neck as she spoke.

Turning over Ash grinned, her eyes still closed with sleep. “Hmmm. Okay, can we have waffles?”

Emma chuckled. “Sure, anything you want.”

Ash took Emma’s hand in hers. “I want you to come back to bed.” She pulled the woman toward her.

“But then who will make the waffles?” Emma stretched out next to Ash.

Ash opened her eyes for the first time, and looked at Emma. “You’re dressed.”

“Astute observation
, detective. I wasn’t planning on going to the grocery naked after all.” Emma teased.

Ash turned on her side to face Emma, and propped her head up on her arm. “You make things so difficult.” She ran her hand under Emma’s t-shirt. “Now I have to undress you all over again.”

Emma frowned. “Is that such a chore?”

Smil
ing, Ash rested her hand on Emma’s breast. “The effort-to-reward ratio is entirely in my favor.” She leaned over and kissed Emma’s neck.

Leaning back to afford Ash better access, Emma practically purred. “Not entirely.”

Sipping the orange juice she had poured herself, a flurry of heat skittered through Ash as she remember her and Emma’s lovemaking both last night and that morning. She had known being with Emma would be intense because they loved each other, but she hadn’t imagined how completely fulfilling and exciting sex with the beautiful blonde would be.

Retrieving the television remote from the end table, Ash
remembered Emma had Rachel Maddow and NewsHour on her DVR. She settled in to catch up on her news and current events while she waited for Emma. When she turned the television on it was tuned to the Animal Planet channel. Ash watched as the title shot scrolled across the center of the screen,
Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Animals
.

The lock on the front door clicked, and a second later Emma stepped into the doorway of the study with three canvas grocery bags in hand. She smiled broadly as she looked at Ash. “Hey.”

Ash looked up, her smile broadening as, once again, she remembered the events of the night before. “Hi. Need help?” She looked at the bags.

Emma shook her head. “Nope. Twenty minutes and I’ll have
your waffles ready.” She looked at the television and raised her eyebrow. “What are you watching?”

Ash looked back at the television, and the caption under a
sketch of a brown and black dinosaur read Aralosaurus. The animal looked to be about the size of an elephant with a head reminiscent of a duck, except for the rows of teeth protruding from its bill-like mouth. “Inspiration?”

Emma laughed. “
Good luck.” The woman disappeared down the hall. Ash turned the volume up on the television, and focused her attention as a male narrator explained the anatomy of the Aralosaurus.

After ten minutes Ash paused the live feed on a sketch of the Aralosaurus’
front claws. She put the remote down, and sat up on the edge of the sofa. Extending her hand out in front of her, Ash concentrated on the television, and then on her hand. The tickling in the back of her throat that had plagued her during the raid began to slowly build and spread through her chest and down her arm.

Staring intently at the television, Ash smelled leaves burning as her mouth went dry. Looking at her hand she watched in amazement as her index finger and middle finger merged, the skin expanding to fill the gap between the two digits. Her skin pickled and turned a bright red before taking on the texture of scales
, the color shifting to dark brown. Her breath came in short bursts as her heart pounded in her ear.

A series of cracks and pops filled the room as Ash’s thumb extended and the palm of her hand widened. Her nail beds felt itchy as thick, yellowish claws rapidly grew outward. Ash only allowed herself to visualize the claw and no other aspect of the
dinosaur. As a result, the thickening of her skin and the expansion of muscle mass went no further than the middle of her forearm.