Rebel Obsession (9 page)

A lifetime spent not knowing the feel of a male’s kiss or his touch left her yearning for more. Like a fire doused with gasoline, control fell away and only one thought remained. More. More Io. More kisses. More touching. More of all of him.

The only male who had ever touched her more intimately than those in her family had been the family physician, but Miriam didn’t count him. The doctor was clinical and unattractive. Io, on the other hand, was very much the opposite. Io was warm, open, and beyond what she heard human girls describe as hot.
He’s hawt!
they would say. Io was definitely
hawt!

Heat pooled between her legs, and she shifted on the couch to ease the tightness in her belly and thighs, her eyes trained on this mouth.

“Unacceptable how?” she said, her voice breathy.

Io stood up and held out his hand, his gaze locking on hers, his eyelids hooded. “Because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I met you.”

Oh, God.
Miriam’s breath caught. She was in so much trouble.

CHAPTER TEN

Io wrapped his hand around Miriam’s and helped her up. Just like when he had seen her two weeks ago, it didn’t matter that her hair and clothes were in disarray. Miriam was the most beautiful female he had ever met. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you cleaned up and into bed. You need to rest.”

“I’m not going home?”

He shook his head. “No. You’re staying with me today. Besides, it’s almost dawn.”

“What about my car?”

“I’ll take you back to it after sundown.”

She took a deep breath that sounded like resigned acceptance and followed him into his basement bedroom, where he flipped on the lights. She hesitated when she saw there was only one bed.

“Where will you sleep?” She bit her lip, but Io sensed she was secretly pleased with the accommodations.

Which secretly pleased him. He liked feeling her attraction to him bubbling just beneath her reserved exterior. He couldn’t be imagining that. Miriam clearly liked him, and she had liked the kiss he had given her just a few minutes ago, too. The scent of feminine arousal hadn’t been in his imagination.

“It’s a big bed,” he said. “My side, your side.” He gestured back and forth.

Miriam nodded once. “Okay.” She rubbed her palms nervously over the sleeves of her blouse.

He led her to the bathroom and turned on the light then started the shower. He heard her gasp and turned to see her looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes met his. She looked mortified.

“Why are you always seeing me when I look so awful?” she said, turning away.

He sighed and brushed his hand down her back. “Miriam, you really need to stop with this obsession over how you look. Because I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He lowered his voice to a reverent whisper. “You’re stunning.”

Her head whipped around. A suspicious frown furrowed her brow. “You’re lying just to make me feel better.”

He shook his head. “Like hell I am.”

Io had to stop himself from kissing her again to prove his point, brushing his fingers over her cheek and taking a deep, steadying breath instead.

Her bright blue eyes opened wide then flicked down toward his hand as if she wasn’t used to someone touching her face like that.

“Does my touching you bother you?” Io pressed his palm against her cheek.

“No. It’s okay. I’m just….” She looked down.

“Not used to being touched like this?” Io stroked the pad of his thumb across the apple of her cheek, right under her eye.

With her head still turned down, she looked up through her lashes at him. “No. I’m not.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

The air was thick with sexual tension. He knew what he was doing was wrong and that he was breaking all kinds of the king’s laws where Miriam was concerned, but he couldn’t stop himself. Miriam did things to his heart no female had ever done, and he felt emotions with her he had never felt.

Miriam blinked and gave a single, subtle shake of her head. “No.” The single word trailed off as if she wanted to say more.

“But?” Io dipped his head, gazing heavily into her eyes, prompting her to finish her thought.

“But I’m scared.”

Scared? He hadn’t expected that.

“Of what?”

“What my father could do to you if he finds out.”

“Your father isn’t here, Miriam. You are. And that’s all that matters to me.”

She inhaled and her eyes fluttered as she dipped her head into his hand, nearly melting his heart. With such a simple gesture, she made his body sing with desire in a way no female had ever come close to.

“You make me feel things,” she said, but stopped short of going into detail.

“You make me feel things, too.” Io pressed his nose into her hair and inhaled as his lips pressed against her forehead.

For several long moments, they remained still. Io could hear the heavy beating of her heart and feel the way her chest rose and fell deeply as she leaned ever-so-slightly into him. One graceful hand pressed hesitantly against his chest, her fingers bending as if she was afraid to fully touch him, almost as if she wasn’t sure she should. In a way, it felt like Miriam feared letting herself take that final step.

“Touch me, Miriam,” he said, whispering against her forehead. “Don’t stop halfway.
Touch
me.” He didn’t know why, but he needed this from her, and he felt like she needed it, too.

For a heartbeat, he thought she would, her hand stilling and her breath catching. Io could feel her press forward, but then she pulled back, shaking her head almost apologetically.

“I really should get cleaned up,” she said quietly, looking down and gesturing toward the bathroom as she took a step back.

She left a void where she had just been, and Io felt naked without her beside him.

What kind of life did Miriam have? From the sound of it, her father didn’t allow her any latitude. No wonder she felt like a prisoner in her own home. Even now she acted as though she wasn’t quite sure how she should behave. She was caught between two worlds: one where she had to follow rules and one where she was free to make her own choices and do as she wished.

Io had a feeling that the rules of protection her father had erected around her went a lot further than just preventing males from touching her, too. Io imagined that no male could even speak to her without the king’s permission. And even then, it was likely that her father had to be present. Hell, Io would bet his life Miriam’s father wouldn’t even allow a male to simply
look
at her without his approval first.

And the way she had just reacted to him all but confirmed his suspicions.

It was becoming more and more clear that what Persephone had said was true. Miriam used cobalt to find freedom. Freedom from rules, her father, and the oppressive state she lived in as the princess.

Squeezing his eyebrows together, his muscles tensed and he bowed his head. Surrendering her upset him. What was this pull she had over him? She was a light in the darkness, and he was the moth drawn to her. “Come on, Miriam. I’ll grab you a towel and scrounge up a spare toothbrush and some clean clothes for you.”

She was almost as tall as he was, even if she was quite a bit more slender. He could probably find her a pair of drawstring sweatpants that she could cinch around her waist. The thought of seeing her wearing one of his T-shirts about made him spring his zipper, though.

Okay, so time to leave her alone.

He handed her a towel then closed the bathroom door and rummaged through his closet before pulling out a faded red T-shirt and a grey pair of sweats.

While she showered, he went to his linen closet, where he had a shelf of toiletries. Surely he had an extra toothbrush he could give her. Yep. He had two. Io grabbed the one with purple accents and set it on the neatly folded clothes he had picked out for her. Then he sat down in the chair beside the bed and waited.

Sleeping in the same bed with her could be hazardous to his health, but when had he ever taken the safe route? Even so, he couldn’t stand the idea of being more than a few feet away from her. What if she needed him? What if she went into withdrawal? It could happen and probably would after the purge he’d given her earlier. He didn’t want to risk being in another room where he couldn’t tend to her immediately if she needed something.

Speaking of which, he hopped out of the chair and took the stairs two at a time to retrieve the elixir from the kitchen. If she did go into withdrawal, he would need that.

* * *

Miriam felt weird taking a shower in Io’s home. She had never showered anywhere but her own bathroom, which was three times the size of this one. But this was nice. Cozy. Comfortable. And the idea that this was where Io showered made her feel like she was doing something naughty, being naked where Io had been naked.

And his soap smelled good. Like him. Tangy and a bit citrusy. She inhaled the scent as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair.

That kiss. Her belly went all light and airy again as sensations pulsed through her belly and…lower. For a moment, she hesitated as she worked conditioner through her hair. She just wanted to remember how his strong lips had felt against hers, as well as how he had looked standing so near her, touching her face in a way no one had ever been allowed to touch her.

Io sure did enjoy flirting with disaster. He knew the laws. He knew her father would punish him if he discovered how reckless he had been toward her.

Wait a minute. What was she thinking? What did she care what her father thought? Wasn’t she trying to break free from being under his thumb? Io had touched her…had practically begged her to touch him. And she had walked away. Her one chance to be her own person and explore her curiosity about him, and she had wilted like old lettuce under the domineering shadow of her father, which seemed to follow her everywhere.

What a dope she must have seemed like, ruining a perfect moment of intimacy between her and Io, all because she still felt burdened by her father’s inane rules.

Even so, Io surely hadn’t been impressed by her novice lips. Io was the type of male who had probably kissed hundreds of females, both human and vampire alike. Her inexperienced lips had to be a far cry from what he was used to. Hell, when he kissed her, she had locked up like a dummy. What kind of female froze like that when a guy kissed her?

One who had never been so much as touched, that’s who.

With a soft groan, she slapped her hand over her face and grimaced with embarrassment.

For all her verve and rebelliousness, this was the one thing she had never done. She had never had sex. She had never felt the weight of a man above her during carnal relations, never been caressed by his hands, never been groped, felt up, cuddled, or so much as nudged by a male. And she had never felt a male’s lips against hers. Until tonight.

The reason for this was clear. No vampire male dared approach her for fear of her father, no matter how much they admired or longed to be with her. The cowards. And while humans were none the wiser and more bold about their intentions, Miriam wasn’t that careless. She had no desire to mate with a human. Not that she was racist. Human males just weren’t strong enough to handle her physically, and the thought of what her father would do to a human who dared to defile her in that way prevented her from even thinking down that road. Miriam didn’t care what happened to her, but she cared immensely about what happened to others, and her conscience wouldn’t allow her to be that reckless and irresponsible with a human.

But Io. He was another story. Io was a vampire. He was a warrior—tall, strong, virile, and brave. He had kissed her despite knowing she was the king’s daughter. He knew the consequences, but still, he had kissed her anyway.

Her lower belly and between her legs lit again with warmth and butterflies. Io’s devil-may-care actions excited her and before she realized it, a gentle purr bloomed in her chest. Wow. Io made her feel things she had never felt. He made her body sing.

And he was sexy as hell. And hawt! His hair was short and thick, a rich, dark brown. She imagined her fingers combing through it. How would it feel against her hand? Was it soft? Coarse? Would he close his eyes and moan with pleasure at her touch? And what of his eyes? Io had the most incredible green eyes with brown highlights, and when he looked at her, she felt like he was seeing right inside her.

A knock came at the door, jolting her out of her Io-induced fantasy.

“You doing okay in there?” Io spoke through the door.

“Um…yeah…yeah. Almost finished.” How long had she been in the shower? Apparently too long for Io to check on her.

“Okay, I’ve got some clothes for you. I’ll slip them in when you’re done. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

“Okay, I will.”

She quickly rinsed the conditioner out of her hair then shut off the water, towel dried her hair, and wrapped the towel around her.

“I’m ready,” she said.

A moment later, the door cracked open and a toothbrush came through, held in Io’s large hand. She took it, smiling at his modesty. Next came a T-shirt and sweats.

“I hope they fit well enough to get you by,” he said.

“They’ll be fine, I’m sure.” She took the clothes.

His clothes. The thought that she would be wearing clothes he had worn gave her a perverse thrill.

She pulled the shirt over her head. It was four sizes too big and hung on her like a blanket, but it worked. The sweatpants weren’t too bad. They were only an inch or two too long, but the waist was obviously too big. She pulled the drawstrings as tight as they would go, and even though they were still far too loose for daily life, it would do for tonight.

She quickly brushed her teeth then opened the door and stepped into the bedroom. Io was sitting on the edge of the massive bed and looked up.

Miriam held her arms out to the sides and pulled a three-sixty. “What do you think? Am I ready for the catwalk?”

He smiled and stood up. “Absolutely.” One of his eyebrows quirked ever-so-slightly, his gaze growing dark and appreciative. “Oversized is definitely the look this year.”