Chapter 27

It’s impossible to say no to him.



I was dreaming. Nathaniel wasn't really standing on my doorstep. I just had to lift my hand and touch him. His smile, his hazel eyes, and the pull of our energy was overriding my thought process. My body needed him, pulsing with fresh, hot desire that was spreading deep in my veins. I bit my lip, forcing everything I had in me not to throw myself into his arms and just stay where I was.
"Nathaniel," I said, and after clearing my throat I added, "What are you doing here?"
"Well," he began, stepping inside and then closing the door behind him. The blissful moment of having him close obscured my ability to think straight. The tension blazed through the air. "I didn’t hear from you after I gave you that cheque. I was worried, but I stayed away, like you asked me to."
"As you can see I'm fine and now isn’t really a good time for a visit," I said, moving away and closing my eyes. I needed to forget that his perfect body was so close to mine. The energy ostracised my self-control. The scent of lime leaves, mint and lemon wrecked my tiny bit of resistance. I tried to breathe through my mouth, but this strategy wasn't getting me anywhere. My body craved his touch; the thirst, strong and unnerving awakened my other needs. Heat between us weakened my knees. "How about I pop into the factory in a couple of hours and then we’ll talk."
Nathaniel frowned and passed me, entering my messy living room. I walked to the sofa and sat down, crossing my legs. Images of us together in bed began shifting the temperature of my body. His eyes darted to mine and I forced myself to stay on the sofa.
"I just want to talk, that’s all, and I'm afraid that I'm busy later," he said. I imagined him ripping my clothes to pieces, imagined his heavy panting and deep groans. My heartbeat increased, reviving the moisture between my legs. I could control it, whatever the hell was happening to me.
"No, you’ve got to go. I'm expecting someone," I said quickly, but my voice sounded weak, broken, and judging from the way Nathaniel was looking at me right then I was flustered.
His eyes flickered with curiosity. He shoved his hands into his pockets appearing amused. Was it possible that he was sensing my arousal?
I wanted to believe that he wasn't aware of what was happening to me, but Nathaniel was a dhampir and their senses were much sharper than those of humans. It was safer to act like everything was all right.
"Tell me, Julia, who are you expecting?" he asked. His husky voice sent a shiver down my spine. I felt tension in my neck; trembling powers were pulsing alive. My energy was in need of release.
"I don’t need to tell you anything," I said, shrugging my shoulder and involuntarily getting up. "Do you want a drink or something?"
My mind questioned me: why the hell did I just move? I walked to the fridge and felt him following behind me. I gripped the handle, breathing in and out. He couldn’t possibly violate my rules. He was dating other people and we were just friends. I pushed away thoughts of us together.
Yet again, my subconscious gave me excellent advice and I just had to stick to it. His scent filled the small cramped kitchen, suffocating parts of my brain with lust.
"Water is fine, Julia," Nathaniel said, once I was holding the kettle. I put it back, aware that he was watching me the whole time. Another breath and I turned around to face him.
"Are you sure? I can make you some tea?"
"Tea with a dash of your blood sounds great, but I don’t want to push my luck." He chuckled, and his eyes darted down to my bare legs and thighs. No wonder he was looking at me like that. I was half naked.
"Ha, ha, very funny, so what do you want?" I asked like I was talking to myself. I turned around, trying to pick up a glass from the tallest cupboard, at the same time distracting myself from him. He was way too close. I stood on the tip of my toes, counting in my head. The fire blazing between my legs knocked the air out of my lungs. I grabbed the glass and then felt him closer. Nathaniel was standing right behind me.
Time stopped. My heart practically exploded in my chest. I kept telling myself that I was in control. The potion that flew in my veins wasn't the cause of this irrational arousal.
"You, that’s all I want is you, firecracker, and right now you’re making it very difficult for me to think rationally," he whispered in my ear. I stood still on my toes, frozen solid as lust shot down between my breasts, making my nipples erect. I was so wet for him and I knew he could smell it. I swallowed hard.
"You can’t have me," I said, my voice hoarse.
"Oh yes, I can, and I will," he whispered, moving his body an inch closer. His erection brushed over my arse. A gasp slid out of my mouth.
I didn't know if it was me or the potion that I drank in the early morning hours, but something broke me, shattering my resolve to pieces. Sparks began crackling through my fingertips, desire demanding to be dealt with.
A drop of sweat rolled down my face, falling to my cleavage. Nathaniel didn’t move; he didn’t touch me again.
It was me that turned around and lunged myself at him. I grabbed his face and plunged my mouth to his, kissing him furiously. The scent of his cologne fizzed away the doubt, the desire of having him close won. I forgot about counting and our rules. Nathaniel hesitated for a split second, trying to back away, but I brought my hands around his waist and pressed myself to him harder.
I moaned into his mouth and then he was back. The need of controlling what was happening to both of us gone. He kissed me back, holding my chin in place.
Every breath, every thought and every heartbeat felt right. Our tongues moved with the rhythm of our lips. The heat of his skin on mine multiplied, the tingling moving down to my toes.
Nathaniel kept kissing me at the same time trying to take off his jacket. Once he succeeded, he grabbed my arse cheeks and lifted me on top of my kitchen counter, throwing pots and pans all around us and slamming his body closer.
My heart stuttered nearly to a halt, but I needed and wanted more. The thirst for him kept growing, the craving deep in my core was unnerving. Nathaniel’s hands moved down to my breast and he made a growling sound in the back of his throat. Magic crackled around us electrifying every small hair on my body.
"Bedroom," I moaned when he pressed his hardness between my legs.
He understood. "Lift your legs up."
The heat of a long strong body pressed against mine, throbbing through me. Nathaniel carried me to the bedroom. I began fighting with his belt, moaning and panting at the same time.
"I want you so much; you’re so hot," I murmured.
He laughed and before I knew it he was out of his clothes, standing as nature created him in front of me. Normally I would have drunk him in, enjoying the view, but then my arousal took over my trembling body. Our bodies crashed together as we kissed. His lips moved down to my neck, collarbone and my breasts. Nathaniel’s tongue licked each nipple.
His hands travelled over those sensitive spots, making me wild and so ready. I couldn’t think any more about what I was doing; the need for him inside began shutting down parts of my brain. I cried out with pleasure and the agony of wanting more, panting for this sweet release of energising power.
When his tongue caressed me, my skin tingled, embraced with heat. An inferno of energy burnt me when his lips traced the skin on my stomach. Then his hand joined in and I grabbed it then barked with frustration.
"I want you inside me, now! Stop teasing me."
Nathaniel laughed loudly, turned me around and then thrust into me without warning. I cried out and demanded more, arching my hips. Our bodies fit perfectly with each other. Our hips collided in the rhythm of my pulsing energy.
I moaned as he pounded into me. The pressure kept building: wind blew everything in my room, the lights flashing. Then he was on top of me, moving inside me fast. I was moaning as he picked up the pace, lifting me up and kissing me until I climaxed.
Nathaniel was the only man for me, the only creature who connected with my magic and able to release it.
It was the most blissful feeling in the world. The orgasm shattered me, filled me up, and with every subsequent breath I wanted more of him.


***


"Julia, hey, Julia."
I heard a voice, a familiar voice of a person who wasn't supposed to be anywhere near me. I opened one of my eyes and found myself face-to-face with my ex-boyfriend number two. It took me a moment to gather that I was lying naked next to him and felt light and very relaxed.
I blinked a few times, feeling his hand on my buttocks.
"Nathaniel?" I asked just to be sure. "What are you doing here?"
He frowned and then he kissed me slowly, sensually. I let him. I was so weak, and I wasn't fully awakened yet.
Too many memories slammed into me. I pushed him away sitting up on the bed, massaging my skull. I opened my mouth to ask questions, but no sound came out. I gasped in horror, putting everything together slowly. In a matter of seconds everything was clear to me. Yesterday or the day before I drank a lust potion. A few months ago, Kelsie bought it in one of the paranormal stores. She didn’t have her bag, so I said to throw it into mine. Then we completely forgot about it.
Nathaniel was leaning on his elbow staring at me with perfect loving eyes. I swallowed hard, remembering our very intimate, passionate lovemaking session from the previous night.
Now he was here, in my bed, obviously expecting me to throw myself into his arms. Shit, I loved him, even after what I knew and heard. Sex with him was the most amazing thing that happened to me since I went to Kate’s house all those weeks ago to apologise, but I couldn’t allow myself to get distracted.
"I'm sleeping. What does it look like?" he asked, staring at me intensely.
I quickly jumped out of bed and grabbed my robe, feeling angry and stupid. Yeah, maybe this time it was all my fault, but he didn’t even try to stop me. He went ahead with it, looking particularly eager and happy with that fact that I was giving us another shot.
"Yesterday, when you came to see me I was under the influence of a lust potion," I said. "This shouldn't have happened."
Nathaniel sat on the bed staring at me blankly.
"Lust potion? Really? Do you think you can throw something like that over on me?"
“It's true. I didn’t want you… well, sorry, no, I did, but not like that. I drank it accidentally, thinking it was something else."
Nathaniel shook his head and tried to pull me towards him, but I got away and started pacing around the room. The words started flowing out of me.
"I'm sorry, Nathaniel, but yesterday in the early hours of the morning when I finished my shift, Jasper showed up in the agency. Yeah, he’d been helping me with this whole search for a white witch, but things went wrong, and he used me. He tricked me into having sex with him in Wales and now he is dema—"
"Hold on, you slept with your ex-boyfriend?" Nathaniel cut me off, standing up. I slammed my hand over my mouth. Fuck, this was bad. I couldn’t even keep my mouth shut when he was around.
"Kind of. I don’t remember much from that night. We went to this house and I was poisoned. I didn’t know what was going on, like earlier when we had sex."
I had to stop talking. My words were only making him more aggravated. Tiny drops of sweat gathered on my brow. I bit my lower lip, trying to figure out how to fix this mess.
Nathaniel used his vampire speed to pin me to the wall, the heat of his body tangled my mind.
“You're mine, Julia. I can’t fucking believe you went so low," he said, sounding hurt and angry.
I stood in my room not even knowing if I heard him correctly. I laughed and pushed him away.
"Who the hell do you think you are? We’re friends, remember? We aren’t even together," I shouted, losing control. "What I do on my own time shouldn't concern you. You don’t own me."
"Don’t be absurd. I agreed to your silly rules because I wanted to be close to you. I didn’t expect you to go and fuck your ex-boyfriend the first opportunity you had."
The bulb in my bedroom exploded and I took a step away from Nathaniel. I just reached the next stage of fury and was ready to kick him out of my apartment.