Chapter 86

Tessa’s POV

“Tess—”

“I’m serious, Joseph,” I said, cutting off whatever he was about to say. “Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me you didn’t feel anything when we kissed? Was it that meaningless to you?”

“We’ve both had a little too much to drink,” he said, shaking his head as he stared down at the wine glass. “It’s probably better if we—”

“I will never have the courage to say any of this sober,” I told him, keeping my eyes locked on the side of his face. “Do you regret that kiss?”

“Yes,” he said meeting my eyes.

It felt like someone had stabbed me in the heart. I couldn’t stop the tears from filling my eyes. I looked away from him so he wouldn’t see them as well.

“But not for the reason you are thinking,” he continued. “The life that I live is a dangerous one. It’s not for a human. Especially a young human girl with an entire future ahead of her. You deserve better than a vampire like me. It’s a dark and lonely world I live in. It’s no place for you.”

I found myself reaching over to him and touching his arm, feeling the warmth spreading across my body.

“Can’t I be the one to decide what’s best for me?” I asked.

He met my eyes and stared at me for a moment longer.

“Tessa—”

“Joseph…” I said in return, playing the palm of my hand against his face and running my fingers down his features. He closed his eyes, leaning into my hand… leaning into my touch.

“You shouldn’t do that…” he breathed; his eyes still closed.

I found myself fighting against the urge to smile.

“Why?” I asked, my tone dropping to a whisper. “Because you like it?”

He opened his mouth to respond, but I wrapped my other hand around the back of his neck and caressed him gently. I brought my fingers up his head and draped them through his hair, scratching his scalp gently with my nails.

I saw goosebumps forming on his arms.

“Should I stop?” I asked, leaning in closer to him. “Do you not like my touch?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it…” he said, his voice almost strained.

“Then, look at me.”

He managed to open his eyes and our eyes met immediately.

We were only inches from one another. I was still stroking his cheek with one hand and caressing the back of his head with my other. I was practically on his lap, and I don’t know how I even got there. His entire body was still, his hands lingered at my waist, and he was staring at me with these dark eyes that were pouring into my soul.

He dropped his eyes from mine, and he began looking at my lips and then back up at my eyes.

“Tell me how that kiss made you feel?” I said in a whisper.

He didn’t answer me.

He did something better.

He kissed me.

His kiss was filled with this hunger and passion I could hardly even catch my breath. His arms were wrapped so tightly around me, he pulled me close to him and I let him. I wanted to be close to him.

His mouth fit perfectly against mine and the feeling of his tongue swirling around mine sent my heart into turmoil.

He lifted me further onto his lap so my legs could wrap around his waist, and he continued to kiss down my neck. I let out a small moan as he reached the sweet spot between my shoulder and my neckline. He licked it gently and nibbled on it without puncturing it.

I realized at that point that I had never seen his vampire teeth. He must hide them unless he’s feeding. I wondered if they hurt him when he revealed them.

The thought was quickly brushed out of my mind when he stood up with me still wrapped around him.

He brought his lips back to mine and sucked on my bottom lip as he walked me into my bedroom. I let out a small chuckle when he tossed me on the bed.

My heart was pounding heavily, and I saw the hunger and lust in his eyes. At that moment, I knew that he wanted me just as badly as I wanted him. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the ground. His abs were incredible and made me want to run my fingers down them. But I refrained from doing so.

Mainly because he was positioning himself on top of me, and his nearness was hypnotizing. I couldn’t take my eyes away from his.

He hovered over me for a moment, taking me in. The lust never left his eyes though.

He was soon ripping the buttons of my shirt apart, revealing my bra and torso to him. Buttons flew across the room, hitting the walls all around us.

I liked that blouse.

I was a little bummed it was ruined now, but his kisses along my chest quickly brushed the minor inconvenience out of my mind.

I ran my fingers through his soft hair as he kissed down my torso and made his way to my pants. I closed my eyes as the buttons of my pants came undone. He was more careful this time and didn’t actually ruin my pants.

I was thankful for that.

I helped him slide my pants down until he was able to take them off and toss them to the ground with the rest of our clothing. He positioned himself between my legs. I still wore my underwear that kept the barrier between us. But I knew it wouldn’t be long before they were gone too.

However, I wanted his pants to disappear as well. Me grabbing at the top of his pants was indication enough because he gave me the sexiest smirk and his brows raised slightly once he realized what I was after.

He undid his pants, slowly and painfully. He was doing this on purpose to tease me. I let out a small whimper which brought a smile to his lips.

I liked his smile. It made my heart flip in my chest.

He was soon just in his boxers, and he brought his lips back down to mine. We kissed for a long while. feeling one another’s skin against each other. Our parts were still covered, but we could feel everything.

He could feel my hardened nipples through the soft silk bra that I wore, and I could feel his growing erection through his boxers. It was turning me on and making me want him even more. It was an agonizing feeling, having him so close but having him inside of me.

Joseph began to kiss down my torso again and this time he stopped right above my undies. My heart was racing, and my body trembled as I felt him moving them to the side, revealing myself to him.

I felt his breath on my area, and it made me moan softly. He hovered over it for a moment longer, looking at it.

It made me feel a little self-conscious until I felt his tongue running circles around my clit. I gasped at the sensation and threw my head back. The softness of his tongue against me made my entire body tremble with pleasure.

He held my legs firmly to keep me from wiggling too much, but even still, I couldn’t help myself. Everything was so incredible. I let out a louder moan this time as he continued to please and tease me.

I felt his fingers nearing my center and pressed his thumb against my clit, moving it in a circular motion as he continued to use his tongue as a lubricant.

“Oh… shit…” I gasped as I felt myself on the edge of the bed. “Joseph…” I breathed, keeping my eyes closed tight as the orgasm crept up around me.

I felt myself exploding around him, gasping as I did so. He licked the juices that were released from me and kissed up my torso again. He began to kiss my neck, and I realized while he did that, he was shimmering himself out of his boxers.

His erection was huge, and I squirmed with the anticipation.

He paused just as his manhood was at my core. He moved himself off me and grabbed his pants off the ground. I stared at him with wide eyes, confused, until he pulled out a small silver packet.

A condom.

“I’m on the pill,” I assured him, breathlessly.

“It’s for safety,” he said as he tore open the package and began to maneuver it over his shaft.

I didn’t know vampires could get humans pregnant.

Or maybe he meant an STD.

Did he think I slept around that often?

I brushed the thought out of my head as he put himself back into position and I felt him entering me. I gasped at the heavy feeling of his length, but once it was inside, it felt familiar and comfortable.

And good. It felt really good.

He moved faster, sweat pouring down the nape of his neck, making me want to lick him. I threw my head back and moaned out loudly. I wanted to be on top, so I pushed him to his side and straddled him.

A smile played on his lips as I did that and while I moved my hips up and down, I kissed him tenderly, exploring his mouth curiously with my tongue.

He was breathing heavily against me which meant I was certainly doing something right.

We picked up our speed and continued until we were both falling into one another. Our orgasms came quickly, and my entire body buckled against his.

I rolled over onto my back, breathing to catch my breath.

He stared up at the ceiling, also trying to catch his breath.

I wanted to say something to him, but I was too tired to even form a proper sentence. He finally looked over at me and gave me a small smile.

I knew at that moment that everything was going to be okay between us. I had to be.

He leaned over and kissed me gently on the forehead.

“Sleep,” he whispered.

It wasn’t a suggestion, and I wasn’t going to refuse him. I don’t think I could even if I tried. He ran his hand down the side of my face as I closed my eyes.

Joseph being next to me was all I needed right now.

With that, I was able to fall asleep.