Once Bitten, Twice Shy (17 page)

“Living here?” I repeated, my eyes narrowing.

“Yes, living here.” His voice was testy.

“I don’t recall agreeing to move in,” I began. “Actually, I don’t even recall being asked if I wanted to move.”

Lex gave me that stare again, the one that clearly said he thought I was a few IQ points shy of reasonably intelligent. “What?”

I rose from the table, my fragile enjoyment of the morning fraying rapidly. “You can’t just say we’re going to get my things from Conner and Donna’s house and assume I’ll go along with the plan. I’m a twenty-nine year old woman, not a stray kitten.”

Lex sighed and seemed to understand my point. “Okay, will you please move in here?” he asked politely.

I shook my head. “No.”

His expression turned thunderous. “What did you say?” he whispered.

I scowled at him, refusing to back down even though he intimidated the hell out of me. Crossing my arms over my chest, I leaned forward until we were almost nose-to-nose.

“I said, no! No, I won’t go to Conner and Donna’s and pick up my things. No to living here with you right now. No!” I resisted sticking my tongue out at him, but just barely. Something about his high handed manner just drove me nuts.

I also needed time to think about the idea of him biting me. The nasty vamp bastard who had kidnapped Donna and me had bitten me and it
hurt
. From the things Donna told me later, after it was all over, made me think that perhaps this wasn’t the norm. I mean, before Conner turned her, Donna said she begged him to bite her during sex, so it must be kind of nice.

Still, the whole idea of literally putting my life in someone’s hands while I was rolling around naked with them made me very nervous. I wasn’t sure I could go through with it.

Lex rose from his seat. “You will stay here where I can protect you.”

I tilted my head back, refusing to be intimidated by his looming over me like a dark shadow. “I hate to bring this up, but you’ve been gone more than you’ve been here the last month. I’m sure you’ll have to leave again at some point. How are you going to protect me? At least Conner has extra men at his house,” I argued.

Lex glowered at me. “I’m also a member of the Council and I can acquire men if the need arises. I want you here.”

I shook my head vehemently. “No. I either go back to Donna’s or I go back to my apartment,” I argued.

His hands clamped on my upper arms. “Do you understand the kind of danger you’re in?” he asked angrily. “There are vampires out there who want to hurt Conner and me. If they figure out how much you mean to me, they will use you, possibly even kill you.”

I was intrigued by his mention of how much I meant to him, but first, I needed to address his high-handed attitude. I enjoyed his dominating me in the bedroom, or dungeon, but, when it came to my life choices, my decisions were my own, not his. If he wanted me to stay with him, he really needed to work on convincing me it was the right thing to do.

Lex’s hands tore through his hair. “Goddammit!” he yelled. “Why do you have to be so fucking stubborn?”

I shrugged. “That’s just the way I am.”

He put his face in mine, something he habitually did when he wanted his own way. I noticed it before and realized he did it a lot when we were arguing. I wasn’t sure if he was doing it on purpose. Whether he realized it or not, Lex tried to physically intimidate me into doing what he wanted. We would have to discuss that at a later date, because, at that moment, there was only one battle I was interested in winning.

“Well, maybe the way things should be is for me to haul your pretty, white ass down to the dungeon, strap you to a table, and cut all your clothes off of you,” he growled.

While the image that popped into my head made my clit and nipples perk up, the rest of me was pissed at the thought.

“Lex, I am not ready for a step like that.”

“I’m not asking you to move in. I’m telling you that you’re going to do it. It’s for your safety. If you want your own goddamn room, you can have it. I want you safe!” he roared.

Obviously, my hard-line approach wasn’t working. I decided to try a different tactic. “Why is my safety so important to you? We don’t know each other that well. Hell, we just had sex for the first time last night. You’re acting more like an overprotective father than a new boyfriend.”

I kept my voice calm, but my words seemed to enrage him further. His hands grabbed my arms, pulling me up on my toes.

“Boyfriend?” He spat the word as though it made him sick.

I stared at him wide-eyed. I had no response. He gave me a little shake and I gasped. Oh God, he was pissed.

“What we have between us is more than that. Surely, you can’t be that blind.”

My hands curled around his forearms. Even angry he hadn’t hurt me, though I was pretty sure he was strong enough to crush my biceps with a slight flex of his hand. As though he were reading my thoughts, his fingers squeezed a little tighter. I winced because, though it wasn’t that hard, some of my skin was pinched by the change in his grip.

Lex saw my flinch and released my arms. “I’m sorry.”

I shook my head. “I’m okay. My skin just got a little pinched.”

He lifted the sleeve of my t-shirt and we both looked at the skin of my arm. There was a red mark that was rapidly turning purple. Crap, I always did seem to bruise easily. The pinch hadn’t even hurt that badly.

I glanced at Lex and saw that his face was tight.

“I’m so sorry, little one. I didn’t mean to harm you.” He started to touch the spot with a finger but stopped before he made contact with my skin.

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. “You didn’t really hurt me, Lex. I just bruise easily. Sometimes, I barely bump a piece of furniture and end up with a huge purple mark on my leg.”

He still appeared extremely upset. “I shouldn’t have put my hands on you. I am deeply sorry.”

Great, I was sure that he was preparing for self-flagellation. I had an idea to distract him.

“So, do you feel badly enough to take me back to Donna’s and let me stay there?”

He started to nod, then his eyes snapped to mine and narrowed. “Did you just try to manipulate me?” he asked menacingly.

I had to fight a smile as I shook my head.

The distress on Lex’s face began to melt. “Are you sure I didn’t hurt you?” he asked again.

I nodded.

“Then, no, you can’t stay with Donna. And I will be punishing you for your behavior later.”

Now that he was calmer, I decided to try and continue our discussion. Maybe he would listen to reason. “Lex, I’m serious. I don’t think I’m ready to move in here with you.”

He lifted a hand and I didn’t finish what I wanted to say because he didn’t look angry any longer, only determined.

“You will stay here. If you continue to argue, instead of the ten swats I intend to give you, it will be fifteen. Then twenty. I’m sure you understand where this is going.”

I huffed out a breath. “You can’t force me to stay here,” I argued.

Lex studied me. “Yes, I can. I could bind you to my St. Andrew’s Cross downstairs and have Donna pack your things. I’m sure Conner would be happy to send them over with a couple of his men.”

“You’re crazy! Why would you think that would be okay?”

His eyes were those of a predator now, calculating, aloof, but no longer angry. He fisted his hand in my hair, another habit of his that I had noticed. When he wanted my attention, that’s what he did. This one I kind of liked, even though I would never willingly admit it.

“Because you’re mine,” he answered. “You told me yourself last night.”

I clenched my jaw so tightly, I thought I might crack a few of my teeth. I couldn’t argue with that, because it was the truth. I should have known that would come back and bite me on the ass.

“Fine,” I snapped. “I would like to go get my things today.”

I could tell that the asshole was trying not to grin at my grudging agreement and he nodded.

The almost smile that hovered in his eyes disappeared quickly. “Thank you, Ivie.”

I sighed. I couldn’t maintain my anger with such sincere gratitude and concern. Even though I didn’t like it, I also understood that Lex wanted me to stay with him because he thought it was for my own good.

I needed more coffee first. Donna was going to give me hell about this.

A
s it turned out,
I was right. Donna gave me hell when I showed up, but not for the reason I thought. Lex called Conner while he was driving us over to let them know we were coming to pick up my things.

I could hear Conner chuckling and Donna bitching from the passenger seat. After Lex hung up, I asked, “What’s Donna’s deal?”

He looked at me, his eyes sparkling with humor. “Apparently, Conner had to call Finn this morning to ask if you were with him when you never came downstairs.”

“Oh crap,” I muttered.

He grinned. “Finn explained some of what happened last night.”

“Oh crap.”

Lex laughed.

When we pulled up in front of Conner’s house, I saw Donna standing on the porch, her arms crossed over her torso and a toe tapping.

“God, she looks like my mother,” I mumbled.

Donna’s scowl deepened as though she heard me.

“I think she heard you,” Lex said.

“Shit on toast.”

I opened the passenger door of Lex’s SUV and hopped down. Donna waited, with a disapproving look on her face, until I got to the top of the steps leading to the front door of the McMansion.

“You couldn’t leave a note or spare a minute to phone me?” Donna asked, looking every inch someone’s mother. The disapproving look on her face was almost a spot-on impression of my mother.

“Sorry, Mom. I was a little busy.”

The tight line of her mouth relaxed a little and humor sparkled in her eyes. Bitch was fucking with me. “Oh, I just bet you were.”

In spite of myself, I felt a blush creep up my cleavage to my face. Damn my fair skin. I brushed past Donna and stuck my tongue out at her as I went by. Her laughter followed me up the stairs to the guest room where I had been sleeping until last night.

A few minutes later, as I was folding up clothes and packing my suitcase, Donna stuck her head in the door.

“Is it safe to enter?” she asked.

I rolled my eyes at her and kept packing.

“I come bearing gifts.” She walked into the room, carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses.

“We’re drinking at 10:30 in the morning?” I asked.

She glanced at the bottle. “Yeah, want me to get the champagne and OJ?”

I shook my head. “Fuck it. Fill that glass up for me.”

After Donna filled up a glass with chilled white wine, she handed it to me. Then she filled her own and took a sip. She shuddered.

“Ugh. White just isn’t my thing.”

I tasted it. It was delicious. “This is good stuff. What’s wrong with you?”

Donna set the glass on the nightstand by the bed and flopped down next to my suitcase on the bed. “I brought it for you. You know I like red wine the best.”

I took huge sip. “Well, thanks,” I mumbled.

Donna rolled onto her side and bent her arm at the elbow, resting her head on her palm. “So, did you and Lex talk at all, or were you too busy doing other things?”

I almost choked on my wine. Shit, I should have known that she wanted dirt.

“We talked,” I answered vaguely.

“About?”

I sighed. “We talked about me moving in with him. Well, actually, we argued. Then we talked about the whole biting thing.”

Donna perked up. “He hasn’t bitten you yet?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“Oh, girl, you are in for a treat! I swear it’s the most intense feeling. Your orgasms are going to be mind-blowing.”

I laughed softly. “If they got any more mind-blowing, I’d be dead.”

Donna grinned. “So, is he into kink?”

Cursing my fair skin, I blushed again.

She threw her head back and howled with laughter. “You should see the look on your face! Oh my God, he must be very kinky for that kind of reaction.”

I glanced toward the closed bedroom door and leaned forward. I didn’t want to risk Lex or Conner overhearing this conversation.

“He strapped me down to a bench and spanked me last night,” I whispered. “Then he cuffed me to his bed and strapped my thighs down. I’ve never come that hard before.”

Donna’s eyes glazed over. “Holy shit. I’m not big on spanking but that sounds hot.”

I took a sip of my chilled white wine because it had been hot. So hot in fact, that the memory made my clothes feel too heavy and tight.

Her expression changed slightly. “So, did the two of you discuss anything else?”

I shook my head.

Donna smiled slightly. “So he didn’t talk about Claiming you?”

I stared at her in horror, then remembered that I needed to be careful how I reacted. By then it was too late.

“What is it?” she asked, sitting up straight on the bed. “Did he scare you? Or are you not serious about him, because, Ivie, you need to know Lex is—”

I interrupted her. “Even if he was interested in that, I’m not.”

Donna fell silent and stared at me for a moment. “Okay, don’t get mad, I’m not trying to read you, but, Ivie, you are putting off some seriously agitated vibes.”