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  I laughed and said, “Chansey, I rented the entire house for the night. There won’t be anyone else here. We have the whole place to ourselves.” I dangled the keys in front of her and said, “I came over earlier this week and made the arrangements with the owners. We won’t see them at all while we’re here.”

  She lifted her hands from her lap and covered her eyes. “I should have known. I’m sorry I doubted your judgement,” Chansey apologized.

  I pulled her hands away from her face and leaned over to put my forehead against hers. “No, don’t be sorry for wanting our wedding night to be perfect.”

  She reached up and touched my lips with her fingertips while she stared at my mouth. “I want to go in. Now.”

  That was more like it. “Yes, Mrs. Brennan, anything you say.”

  I carried our luggage and set it down on the porch as I unlocked the door and swung it wide. “It’s not our house, but it will have to do,” I said as I lifted Chansey and carried her through the door over the threshold.

  She laughed as she shook her head. “You and your traditions.”

  I put her on her feet and said, “You know you would have been disappointed if I hadn’t done it.”

  She looked around the foyer, taking in all of its beauty as she said, “No, I think it would have been you that was disappointed, old man.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” I replied as I went back to the porch to get our luggage. I returned carrying all of our bags at once and nodded toward the hall. “Our bedroom is the last door on the left down that hall.

  When we entered the bedroom, an ornate, hand-carved mahogany canopy bed faced us on the far wall. It was covered with plush ivory linens and at least a dozen pillows. The overhead canopy was covered in matching fabric and long privacy curtains hung to the floor on each side.

  I put her bags in the bathroom before placing mine next to dresser and I walked over to her. I watched her eyes take it all in and she smiled as she said, “It’s absolutely beautiful, Curry.”

  I placed my hands on her face and stroked her soft, rosy cheeks. “No, you’re the only absolute beauty in this room.”

  She went up on her tiptoes to seek my mouth and I had never tasted a sweeter kiss from her. Her hands begin to explore my chest over my shirt and when they found my shoulders, she pushed my linen jacket away. I let it to fall to the floor behind me and she reached for my shirt to tug it loose from my pants so she could run her palms under my shirt across the skin of my chest.

  I was immediately enveloped by her Agápe scent. As always, it pushed me to the limits of my self control and I battled to pace myself because this time was different. I didn’t have to tell her ‘no.’

  She slowly pulled away and looked up at me through her thick, dark lashes. She smiled as she lightly nibbled on her bottom lip, a sure sign she wanted to say something. By the dim lighting of the bedroom lamp, I watched crimson flood her cheeks and I whispered, “What is it?”

  She inhaled deeply and exhaled it slowly as she softly said, “I have something special for you, but I need a minute in the bathroom.”

  I couldn’t say a word, so I just nodded my head.

  She turned around and reached into her long hair, lifting it away from her neck. “Unzip me?”

  I reached for the zipper and gently placed kisses on the back of her neck as I slowly unzipped her dress. I spread the back of her dress and stroked one finger from her nape to the curve of her lower back. I immediately felt her reaction to my touch when goose bumps lifted on her flesh and my lips couldn’t resist following the trail my finger had made.

  I didn’t want her away from me for long, so I decided to give her some incentive to come back quickly before I left her go. I began by kissing her neck and I teased her with my tongue as my lips moved lower down her back. I dropped to my knees and grasped her hips as I slowly kissed my way down her spine. The lower I went, the deeper she arched her back and she shivered again as I spread kisses across her waist. When I heard her heavy breath, I decided she was successfully convinced to hurry and I gave one of her hips a gentle pat as my mouth stopped just shy of her panties. “Don’t take long.”

  I heard her barely squeak out, “Okay,” as I got up from my knees and then I proudly watched her weak knees carry her toward the bathroom. When she turned in the doorway, she was holding the front of her dress in place with one hand and she reached for the door with the other. “I won’t be long.”

  “Oh, I know,” I boasted before she smiled and I watched her disappear behind the closing door.

  I stood with my hands on my hips trying to decide if I should be undressed when she came out, but decided it would be so much more fun to do that together.

  I looked around at the candles in the room and went to open the nightstand drawer. I found the box of matches Mrs. Butler had left for me with an unexpected bowl of red rose petals and note that read, “Your wife will love these.”

  I tossed the petals across the bed and left a trail from the bathroom before I struck a match and lit the five candles around the bedroom. I was lighting the last candle when I heard the bathroom doorknob turn and I blew out the flaming match in my hand.

  Chansey opened the door and gracefully stepped into the glow from the surrounding candles. She was wearing a ruffled, sheer, ivory chemise held together by a simple satin ribbon tie below her breasts, making her look both innocent and damn sexy at the same time.

  A feather could have knocked me over. I had imagined this moment a million times, but none of my fantasies had prepared me for what I saw or how it would make me feel to see Chansey walking toward me wrapped like a priceless gift only I could open.

  She stopped in front of me and I watched the candlelight dance on her as she slowly spun in a circle to give me the complete view. Giving in to my desire to touch her, I reached for her face with both of my hands and said, “Beautiful doesn’t begin to describe the way you look.”

  I leaned down to kiss her and she arched into me, making me want to feel her against my bare skin. As if she heard my mental request, I felt her reach for the top button of my shirt.

  I watched her until she finished with the last button and then she pushed my shirt away as I pulled my hands free from the sleeves. As I tossed the shirt aside, she reached for the button on my trousers and I felt her unfasten it before sliding my zipper down. She pushed my trousers down my hips and I stepped out of them when they puddled at my feet.

  She reached for my shoulders and I lifted her so she could wrap her legs around my waist. I had her back against the wall in an instant and she moaned as I kissed her neck and her chest. I heard her heavy panting as I moved closer to her breasts and she clung to me, digging her fingers into my back.

  When I backed away from the wall, I carried her to the bed and she pulled me on top of her as we gently fell among the rose petals. I kissed her mouth and then went lower on her neck until I reached her breasts. I felt her hand reaching for the simple bow holding her chemise together and I lifted my chest out of her way. She slowly pulled the satin ribbon and I watched as her chemise fell apart to reveal her breasts.

  I worshipped her body with my hands and mouth until she trembled beneath me and I heard her plea, “Curry, I can’t wait any longer,” as she hooked her thumbs in my boxers and pushed them away.

  I reached for her panties and felt ties on each hip like her chemise, so I took a chance and pulled the satin ribbons to see what would happen. Her panties fell away just as her chemise had and I couldn’t stop myself from telling her, “Damn, that was so hot.”

  She reached for my neck, pulled me hard against her and stared into my eyes as she bent her knees up and out until they were resting on each of my hips. She wiggled around until she felt me press against her and I heard her heart fluttering a million beats a minute as she lay beneath me waiting.

  I stroked her hair away from her face. “I love you, Chansey Brennan.”

  She smiled up at me. “I love you, Curry Brennan.”

  She sq
ueezed me tightly and gasped against my ear when I slowly entered her, so I stopped because I was afraid I had hurt her. She relaxed her hold on me and I began to back away, but she pulled me tight against her and wrapped her legs around my waist. “Don’t stop,” she whispered breathlessly as she brought me closer using her legs.

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You’re not hurting me. I promise,” she said as she arched against me and squeezed her legs to pull me closer. I gradually gave in because I was incapable of refusing her or myself of what we both wanted.

  As I made love to my wife, my mouth trailed over her neck and felt the fast pulsation of her artery against my lips. Without any warning, I suddenly felt the urge I shouldn’t. I squeezed my eyes tightly and shook my head as I tried to resist what was happening, but there was no denial; I wanted to drink her blood.

  Sebastian said that I would never want to bite Chansey, yet I felt myself losing control. I had to put some distance between her throat and my teeth, so I pulled away, but she hooked her hands behind my neck and pulled me back down as she arched her back deeper and locked her ankles around me. “I feel like I can’t get you close enough.”

  I was about to make another attempt of pulling away when Chansey’s Agápe scent enveloped me and multiplied my already existing desire for her, making it near impossible for me to stop what we had started.

  “Chansey,” I said into the skin against her neck as I felt my incisors lengthening.

  She dug her fingers into my back like she holding on for dear life. “I love you so much, Curry.”

  I licked my lips and said, “I love you, Chansey, but I have to stop.”

  She grasped me hard, almost painfully, and her strength was incredible and I realized she was overpowering me. “No, I need you closer.”

  I felt my incisor accidentally prick her skin when she pulled me down against her and I smelled her Agápe scent stronger when her blood came to the surface. “I’m sorry, Chansey. I have to stop because I’m going to bite you if I don’t.”

  She lifted her head and tilted to the side, giving me full access to her neck. “That’s what I want, Curry. It’s what I need so we can be closer.”

  I shook my head, but knew it was useless to keep saying it. I couldn’t stop any of this from happening because I was feeling the point of no return as it erupted.

  I didn’t think it was possible, but I felt Chansey tighten her grip with her arms and legs as she said, “Do it now. Please, do it now and make this unforgettable.”

  I looked at the artery in her neck and without hesitation, I quickly pierced it. I covered the wound with my mouth and greedily drank with zero control from the woman I adored.

  Drinking from Chansey was an experience I’d never encountered. The guilt I felt from the ecstasy of drinking my Agápe’s blood made me imagine she was actually enjoying it. I imagined feeling her intense love for me as I took part of her body inside myself. Instead of hating me for what I was doing, I imagined I felt her love for me grow because of it.

  I was a sick bastard and this had to stop before I hurt her.

  “Don’t stop yet. You’re not hurting me and being this close feels so amazing,” I heard Chansey whisper.

  Drinking from Chansey while I made love to her was amazing and then I felt this eruption of love from my heart, my mind and my body that left me dumbfounded.

  I came to my senses and realized what I had just done to Chansey, so I injected a coagulant from my incisors where I pierced her skin and artery and I jerked my mouth away from her neck. I scooted away from her and slid off of the edge of the bed before I stumbled across the floor in shock of what I did to my wife.

  I stood across the room and started at her on the bed. “I can’t believe I did that. I’m so sorry I hurt you, Chansey.” I didn’t know anything else to say as I balled my fists with anger at myself. I wanted to put them through the wall.

  She sat up and slid across the bed so she could come to me. “You didn’t hurt me, Curry. I wanted you do it. I was rather determined to make you, in case you don’t remember.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for my dangerous mistake,” I argued.

  She reached up and grabbed my face, forcing me to look at her. “It was amazing and it was not wrong and you’d see that I’m right if you’d stop and think about it. We connected in a completely different kind of way. I felt every ounce of your love for me and you felt mine too, didn’t you?”

  She was right and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. “I felt your love for me and I feel how happy you are right now.”

  She was still holding my face. “We’ve been joined in a way we don’t understand yet, but I’m anxious to see what happens next.”

  This was no random bite and our new bond meant something, but I had no idea what. The lunar eclipse was a possible precipitator, but knowing what possibly brought it on didn’t tell me what it meant.

  I needed to talk to Sebastian, but I couldn’t in front of Chansey. I would have to wait until she was asleep, so I didn’t decline when she asked me to come back to bed with her. The sooner she went to sleep, the better, but I knew my little vixen didn’t have sleeping on her mind when she asked me to come back to bed with her. To think otherwise, would have been foolish on my part, but sleeping wasn’t what was on my mind either; it was my fear of biting Chansey, again.

  It took some work on Chansey’s part to convince me to make love to her again, but she succeeded, and I seriously doubted I would ever be able to refuse her again after the astonishing experiences we had. My urge to bite her and her urge to be bitten didn’t resurface the second time, or the third, but the unknown of what happened between us scared the hell out of me.

  Our new bond was mind-blowing and it brought a whole new experience to the surface when we made love again. Not only did I experience my own feelings, but I felt Chansey’s as well, and it made everything double the pleasure.

  After I convinced Chansey she needed to rest because we would need an early start to catch our morning flight, she turned on her side and nuzzled into me to sleep. When I was certain she was asleep, I eased out from under her and grabbed my phone from my jacket pocket and went to the kitchen to call Sebastian.

  He answered on the first ring, “Don’t freak out, Curry.”

  “Don’t tell me to not freak out, Sebastian,” I said a little too loudly. I lowered my voice and continued, “You have no idea what I just did to my wife.”

  “I know what you just did to Chansey,” he argued.

  “I’m not talking about that. Something besides that happened,” I informed him.

  “I know that you bit Chansey and you drank her blood. Now you share the most phenomenal bond anyone has ever experienced and it can’t be broken, even by death.”

  “How the hell did you know that?” I asked.

  “That was the final stage of completing your Agápe bond with Chansey,” he explained.

  He knew. He knew all along and didn’t warn me. I felt myself begin to shake with anger. “Why the hell would you not tell me that?” I yelled furiously.

  “Curry, what would you have done if I told you? Honestly?” Sebastian proposed.

  “There would have been no way that I would have gone through with it. I would have been too scared of hurting Chansey,” I admitted.

  He laughed and said, “And it would have been the biggest mistake of your existence. Look at what you would have missed with your wife. Only vampires with Agápes get to experience intimacy from the human and vampire perspective simultaneously. Now you both will have that experience every time without the necessity of drinking from her.”

  “It will be like that every time?” I asked.

  Please say that it will be. “Yes, every time. And the bond isn’t limited to intimacy only. You’ll always be able to feel her and know her emotions.”

  I thought of how I imagined reading her thoughts while I was biting her. Maybe it wasn’t my imagination. “You mean li
ke reading her mind? I almost thought I could read her thoughts when I was drinking from her.”

  I wasn’t sure I wanted to read Chansey’s thoughts. She could be quite the little spitfire, so that might cause some problems. “You can’t read her mind, per say. If her emotions are really strong about something, you can figure out what she is thinking because of that strength. You were probably picking up on her thoughts when you drank from her because they were so intense and you had a direct line to her through her blood.”

  What did the bond mean for Sebastian and Ella? “You said that the bond couldn’t be broken by death.”

  Sebastian answered, “The bond between a vampire and his Agápe can never be broken. My bond with Ella is different than when she was living, but I still feel her all of the time. She is never apart from me.”

  I wasn’t sure that didn’t make things harder. “Doesn’t that make it worse for you? To feel her without having her? Without touching her?” I asked.

  “It was at first, but I have come to cherish our connection. I live for it. I live for her because she asks it of me.”

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I felt betrayed, but I see now how right you were for not telling me,” I apologized.

  “I understand and I completely expected your anger, so I was prepared,” he explained. “Don’t you have a wife you need to be getting back to?”

  “I absolutely do,” I agreed. “Thank you, Sebastian.”

  “My pleasure, Curry. Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon.”

  Oh, I planned to enjoy the rest of it, starting right now.

  ≈ ≈ ≈

  We got an early start the next morning so we could make our eight o’clock flight for Nassau. As we sat waiting in the airport for our boarding call, she looked at me and smiled. Curiosity got the best of me so I asked, “What? What has you smiling so big?”

  She nibbled her bottom lip. “I was just thinking about last night and you were so right for wanting to wait. It was so special and perfect. Thank you.”

  I leaned over and kissed her nose. “I’m glad we waited, but if the wedding hadn’t been moved up, I was going to give in soon. Despite what you may think, my will isn’t ironclad.”