Red Read online

  "But they can't possibly be healed,” I said finally. “What time is it?"

  "Monday."

  That got my attention. My last memory was of Saturday afternoon. I sat up quickly, clutching the sheet to my chest. Surely Marco was kidding. It was still dark outside.

  "I wasn't finished,” he said, moving around behind me again.

  "Is it really Monday?"

  "It's early, but yes, it's Monday."

  I glanced over my shoulder at Marco who was still intently working on removing my stitches. He didn't look like he was kidding.

  "Why didn't you wake me?"

  "Because you needed the rest in order to heal. How long does it normally take you to recover from wounds like these?"

  "A week, maybe."

  "Well, it's been a day and a half.” He sighed. “In another day or so, there won't even be a scar. Told you I was good for something.” He winked.

  Marco took the small scissors he'd been using as well as the thread he'd clipped from my back and went into the bathroom. To my disappointment, he was wearing pajama pants and a robe. I would rather have seen him naked, even it that wasn't such a good idea.

  When he went back into the bathroom I followed, wanting to take a look at my back. Marco replaced the scissors to the first aid kit and threw away the stitches while I turned to the mirror and stared over my shoulder in amazement. Where I should have had angry red marks on my back, there were only thin faintly pink lines.

  As I looked at the rest of my reflection more closely, I realized that I looked exactly like the picture Marco had painted of me. My head was turned slightly toward the mirror in order to see my back, and I still clutched the red sheet to my chest. My hair was tousled from sleep. Some was swept upward, some down. The only things out of place were the faint marks on my back. But in this picture, Marco could be seen clearly in the background. When I turned to him I could tell by his expression that he saw it, too.

  "I should go,” I whispered.

  "You can leave if you want, but you're still out of power,” Marco said as he took a seat on the edge of the tub.

  "How do you know that?"

  "I sent someone to check. I hope you don't mind."

  "Why would you do that?"

  "Because I knew that leaving would be your first thought."

  I suddenly felt sorry for Marco. I was being rude and ungrateful and it made me feel bad. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him, which should have been my first priority. Complicated was not an adequate word. He had been kind to me when he didn't have to be and all I had done was ask what time it was. It hit me then just how terrible that repeated question must have made him feel. It wasn't that I was so eager to leave him, but the longer I stayed the more I wanted to be there. I knew that I couldn't stay with Marco forever. The sooner I left the sooner my life could return to normal. But I felt I owed him an apology for the way I had acted.

  "I'm sorry, Marco. I'm grateful for you letting me stay here and taking care of me, but I can't stay."

  "What's so pressing that you have to get back to? No damage was done to your house. There's some cleaning to be done in your yards, according to Luther, but nothing major."

  "What exactly are you getting at?"

  "You're alone right now, and so am I. In a week I'll be leaving for the hearing."

  "But, Marco I can't...."

  "Let me finish. The hearing will take place two weeks from today."

  He moved toward me and took my small hand in both of his. I could feel the strength in the hands that so tenderly caressed my knuckles, and I sensed how much effort it took for Marco to maintain his composure.

  "Stay the week with me, Lilith. For all I know, I might not return."

  He must have seen my hesitation, but before I could respond he continued, “I'm not asking to change your life ... just stay a little longer."

  What Marco didn't realize was that the more I was near him, my life was changed. That was the first time I'd ever heard Marco use my real name. That gesture alone told me how very serious he was.

  "But what will we do for a week?"

  His wicked smile returned and I regretted my choice of words.

  "You can get to know me with all of my clothes on."

  "What if anyone tries to call me? What about Kat?"

  "I sent her a note. Luther dropped it off yesterday. I let her know that you could be reached here if she needed you."

  "You presumptuous bastard."

  Marco held up his hands in a gesture meant to look innocent as he said, “I didn't say for how long."

  I sighed. “So what now?"

  "It's three o'clock in the morning, so now I'm going to bed."

  He walked toward the door.

  "Since you've had more sleep than I have, you're welcome to watch television."

  "I think I'll have a shower first.

  He shrugged. “Suit yourself, but can I have the sheet back?"

  I started to refuse but then I thought what the hell? He'd seen it all before. Besides, the look he gave me was definitely a challenge. Marco didn't think I'd strip naked and hand him the sheet. I wanted to prove him wrong, but I didn't feel like putting on a show for him. I turned my back and began to walk over to where Marco's robe hung by the shower. With every step, I let the sheet slide further down my body. There was only the briefest pause before I snatched his robe around me. By the time I turned back to face him, I was completely covered. Marco collected the sheet from the floor with a smile and left the room.

  After a minute or two I decided that I'd prefer a bath.

  "Marco, are you asleep?"

  "Yes, I have a terrible habit of talking in my sleep."

  "Where do you keep the bubble bath?"

  There was a pause before he answered with a growl, “What makes you think that a werewolf has bubble bath?"

  I walked back into the bedroom and found Marco sprawled across the bed facing me. I crossed my arms underneath my breasts and just looked at him for a minute.

  He sighed. “It's under the sink."

  I took the two steps up to where he was spread-eagled on his stomach across the mattress and kissed his cheek.

  "I won't tell anybody.” I smiled.

  "Bitch,” he growled as he snatched a pillow from the foot of the bed.

  I started filling the large marble tub and located the bubble bath. Not only did Marco have bubble bath, he had several different scents. I chose vanilla and poured some underneath the running water.

  When I walked back through the bedroom Marco had rolled to his back. The even rhythm of his breathing told me he was asleep. I took the lighter from the bedside table and lit the vanilla candles which sat in various places around the bathroom. I turned off the light, slipped off the robe, and stepped into the bubbles. I had just closed the thin red curtain when Marco appeared in the doorway.

  "Sorry, I meant to close the door."

  He walked forward with a grace that only an animal of prey can possess and stopped just short of touching the tub.

  "You didn't wake me,” he said softly.

  He brushed his face across the silk curtain and breathed deeply.

  "You've chosen my favorite scent."

  "And that woke you?"

  "No.” He looked back at me.

  Images could be seen through the red curtain, though with a soft glow thanks to the candle light. Marco could see me, but not as clearly as he could if I had not closed the curtain. He looked more dangerous than I'd ever seen him. His hair was ruffled where he'd tossed and turned on the bed, and his robe hung open to reveal his magnificent body. Through the red curtain and his pajamas I could still see that he was aroused.

  My heart felt like it was in my throat as I finally said, “Then what's wrong?"

  "I can't sleep.” His voice had taken on an edge I'd never heard before.

  "If I stay here...."

  "I know. I'll keep my distance."

  His words sounded like he was going back to bed, but
he didn't move.

  "I'd really like to get to know you,” I began. “But I can't do that if you keep giving me that come on look."

  "This is my natural look."

  He smiled slightly and his eyes bled to amber.

  "Marco, you have to stop."

  "Is that what you want? Be careful how you answer, Red, because I can smell a lie."

  "You can smell a lie?"

  "There are subtle changes to someone's body chemistry when they lie. Some people sweat, others make nervous gestures.” He knelt in front of the tub and leaned in to touch the curtain with his face. “And in some people like yourself, their heart beats faster ... and I can hear it."

  "You can hear my heartbeat?"

  "Yes,” he whispered. “I hear the way it hammers against your ribs every time I'm near you. It flutters now, like a small bird in a cage."

  I took an involuntary move toward him.

  "I'll ask you again, Red. Is that what you want?"

  "No."

  He growled and I nearly pulled him through the curtain.

  "Marco, I can't. Please don't think that I'm rejecting you, I just can't. There are so many things that it would mean if I slept with you."

  "Why would it have to mean those things? You know only three percent of our DNA separates us from what you see on the Discovery Channel."

  "Because I mean something to you, and you're not just an animal."

  My response seemed to melt something inside of him. Marco's eyes faded back to chocolate brown and he rested his face dejectedly against his hands.

  After a minute, I began to worry.

  "Marco, are you crying?"

  "No. I'm having an allergic reaction to compassion,” he growled sarcastically.

  "I'm sorry."

  "Don't be. You're the first person in years to see me as anything more than an animal."

  "I think you're a lot more, but if you don't tone down the hormones, I'll never be able to know for sure."

  He laughed, but not like he was really amused.

  "I'm sorry. I usually have much more control than this, but the full moon is only a week away.” He looked back to me. “And I'm horny."

  "My, you have a way with words."

  This time the laugh sounded genuine.

  "Are you always like this before a full moon?” I asked.

  "Aren't you?"

  I thought it over for a moment and realized that my sex drive did seem to increase just before the full moon.

  "Yes. How do you expect me to stay here with you the week before the full moon?"

  "I could sleep on the couch,” he offered, sounding defeated.

  "No, don't do that."

  He turned back to me expectantly and I wished I'd chosen my words more carefully.

  "Part of the reason that I agreed to stay is my bizarre desire to be close to you. If you sleep on the couch, that would defeat the purpose. Besides, touching you seems to calm me down."

  "I could touch you now,” he growled.

  "Damn it,” I whispered with feeling.

  "Yes,” he agreed.

  "I want you so much it hurts,” I breathed.

  He leaned into the curtain and his eyes turned amber once more. “Let me ease your pain, Red."

  "But, I...."

  "Please. It's killing me to not touch you,” he begged as his ears began to grow to a point and his voice deepened.

  Marco's partial transformation should have frightened me, but it had the opposite effect.

  "I'll keep my pants on,” he gasped. “But God knows, Red, we both need some kind of relief."

  "What did you have in mind?"

  "I'll preserve your dignity,” he panted. “Nothing will have changed in the morning, just let me touch you."

  "But, I'm afraid."

  "Don't be, just give me the word,” he growled.

  "What word is that?"

  "Whatever you'd like it to be, take your pick."

  "Would you like to join me?"

  That was all it took. Before I could blink twice the curtain was parted and Marco was in the tub with me. He crawled forward on all fours through the bubbles and I realized that I had backed as far away from him as possible. He looked wild. Marco was a fierce and untamed creature, but he didn't belong in a cage. He was beautiful and terrifying all at once and I was torn between ripping away his pajamas and screaming.

  He knelt before me and placed his hands on my shoulders. I was trembling, but not with fear.

  "I won't hurt you, Red.” His rough voice whispered against my ear. “Don't be afraid of me."

  I touched his face and through that touch I knew the amount of control it took to resist tearing me apart. My heartbeat grew more frantic and it excited him.

  "Let me touch you, Red. The faster your heartbeat becomes, the more you look like lunch to me."

  "You want to eat me?"

  "You have no idea."

  He leaned in close. His breath was hot against my lips as he said, “I'll be gentle."

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and Marco pressed himself against me with a growl. He kissed me softly and I moaned. I wanted more. I pulled the wet robe back from his shoulders and he slid it the rest of the way down, never taking his lips from mine. The kiss was hungry and desperate, but not quite the violence that I knew he was capable of. His tongue twirled around mine in a dance that made my toes curl.

  Marco pulled back enough to look into my eyes. “Do you trust me?” he gasped.

  I looked into his amber wolf eyes and whispered, “Yes."

  Without further hesitation he parted my thighs and slid between them. I cried out as he made contact with my skin.

  "Shh,” he whispered softly as he licked the pulse in my throat.

  Marco was hot beneath the thin wet silk of his pants and so hard he could have broken pavement. He bit gently on my lower lip as he began to move against me. I growled and wrapped my legs around him, sending water splashing over the sides of the tub. He braced one hand on the tub and one hand underneath me as he began to grind his hips against mine. As he moved against me with only the thin silk between us, Marco found the right spot and applied pressure.

  When the right spot gets hit, I am anything but quiet. I growled and tried to claw my way through his back as he fought to hold me. The rotation of his hips grew faster and I clung to him.

  Orgasm rocked my body and I screamed. I tore his shoulders with my nails and I tore the curtain down. But Marco didn't stop. He eased up, making the contact more gentle, but still moving slowly, caressing all the right places.

  As I kissed him deeply I could feel him growing fangs.

  "Don't stop,” I whispered urgently.

  I bit the delicate skin of his throat and he growled.

  "Easy, Red. Don't finish me yet."

  When I looked into his eyes, I saw a genuine desire to please me. I brushed my fingers lightly across his nipple and I knew that my eyes had bled to amber. He growled his desire in response to my touch and pressed himself more firmly against me. At any moment I expected him to rip through the front of those wet pants and I wouldn't have objected. My desire was blind and for a moment so was I. My body bucked and swayed as Marco held onto me, rotating his hips ever faster. I screamed his name and that was all it took. Marco had reached his limit. I cried out as he howled his release.

  For several minutes I couldn't move and would have most likely drowned if Marco had not held me. My breathing was so fast that I thought my heart would explode through my chest. Marco pressed a trembling kiss against my throat and sat back, sliding me gently onto his lap. I rested my head against his collarbone, but didn't have the strength to hold him. My body still shook slightly and I was starting to see spots.

  "Are you alright, Red?"

  I breathed deeply but found I couldn't speak for several moments.

  "Red?” he asked again a bit more urgently.

  "Yes,” I gasped. That one word was all I could manage.

  "Are you alrigh
t?"

  "Yes."

  He cradled the back of my neck in his hand and tilted my head back enough to look at me. The smile that spread across his handsome features was one of the sexiest things I'd ever seen. It was a smile that was purely male and completely sexual. That smile said in no uncertain terms that he rang my bell, and he knew it.

  "Was it good for you?” he drawled.

  I smiled and it took more effort than it should have.

  "I had no idea,” I breathed.

  "You still don't."

  He was right. If just that contact had left me this weak, what would actual penetration have done? I wanted to know, but I was afraid I couldn't handle it.

  "Can you sit up?” he asked.

  I shook my head.

  He smiled again and his deep rumbling laugh raised the hairs on my arm.

  "You're welcome,” he smiled as he rose to his feet with me still in his arms.

  Water cascaded down our bodies as Marco took a step out of the tub. He sat down on the edge with me in his lap and picked up the robe from the floor with his toes. I wished that I could have offered some help, but I felt like I'd been given a tranquilizer. He wrapped me in the soft dark robe and attempted to stand me up. I propped against Marco for support as he slipped out of the wet pajama pants. I could hear the damp fabric sliding down his legs, but I didn't have the energy to open my eyes.

  Marco scooped me up once more and carried me to the bed.

  He leaned over me and whispered, “I'm going to take a quick shower."

  I thought then that perhaps spending the week with Marco wasn't such a bad idea after all. I sighed deeply and felt like I had never taken such deep breaths before. My mind drifted in and out of consciousness as I heard Marco turn on the shower.

  The next thing I knew he was curled up behind me and it felt as if my heart had finally decided on a normal rhythm.

  "I feel ... strange,” I mumbled.

  "Come here,” he said, rolling me to face him. He was still between me and the door.

  "Tell me how you feel.” Marco positioned me so that my head rested against his shoulder.

  "Weak, drugged. Alive, but nearly dead.” I sighed again. “I can't move, but I don't really want to. I've never felt like this before."

  "It's called satisfaction,” he said and I could hear the same feeling in his voice.

  "Are you satisfied?” I asked.