I'm so thrilled to be taking part in the Love Is Love blog hop. Such fabulousness! There will be a Rafflecopter drawing for one lucky person to win a Kindle e-reader AND an amazingly, mind-boggling collection of over FORTY books, generously provided by many of the authors participating in the hop! So please don't forget to enter. The Rafflecopter entry and a list of the participating authors will be included at the end of this post.
Since my book REMEMBER HIM is scheduled to be released next month, I though I'd post an as-yet untitled Amsel Clan short for this hop. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for reading!
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Carter
"Why Valentine's Day?" I whined.
Greta peeked her head out of the dressing room and said sweetly, "Because I want it on Valentine's Day. That way, it will always be doubly special."
"That way," Sam added, "her Valentine's Day gift every year will have to be huge. Poor Kirner."
"Exactly," Greta shot back, disappearing behind the curtain. "Ooh, ow. Eep! Jesus!"
Sam laughed. "What are you doing in there, wrestling an alligator?"
"Trying… to get… this dress on. Kinda… tight. Wait—ah! Got it. Now close your eyes."
"They're closed," Sam and I both said.
Silky fabric brushed past my hand as the seamstress helped settle Greta in front of the mirror. After a few minutes, she said, "Okay."
I opened my eyes and was instantly rendered speechless. Greta's wedding dress was the most beautiful I'd ever seen. The bodice was tight and strapless, like a corset. Then the skirt fanned out in layers upon layers of silk and tulle. Sam and I both stood and walked around Greta to see everything. The back of the skirt trailed behind her a few feet, making it perfect for private chapel where she would be married the next day.
What made the dress especially perfect for Greta, though, was the color. The top of the dress was white, but the skirt was pink—pale pink just under the bodice, but gradually darkening in hue until the hem, which matched Greta's stunning eyes.
Those same eyes met mine, waiting impatiently for my reaction. Finally I was able to express myself. "It's so beautiful, Greta. I just can't believe it. I…"
Sam gently hugged her, trying not to step on the voluminous skirts. "You're magnificent," he said. "I've never seen anything so beautiful."
"I'm so glad you like it. Now you know why I waited until the day before the wedding to show you. I wanted it to be a complete surprise."
Anne, the dress designer, stood looking on, smiling brilliantly. I shook her hand and said, "Thank you so much. You've gone above and beyond what I'd ever imagined."
"It was such a pleasure," she gushed. "And so exciting. I've never designed a dress for a…"
"Vampire?" I asked with a smirk.
"Oh God, I am so sorry. I shouldn't have said that." She put her hands over her face and groaned in embarrassment.
"Please don't worry, Anne," Sam said. He pulled her hands gently away from her face and smiled warmly. "We know we're a novelty."
Greta twirled around, admiring herself in the mirror. "I tried to tell her it was okay to ask us questions, but she insists not to."
"Oh come on," I said, urging the woman to speak up. "It's fine."
Anne bit her bottom lip. She really was a beautiful woman, and I made a mental note to ask her if she was single. Several of the guards back home would definitely be interested. She finally worked up the courage to say, "Okay. There are two things I'm insanely curious about."
"Shoot," I said.
"Can I see your fangs?" The words were nearly inaudible, and her cheeks flamed.
"Sure." After making sure the seamstress had left the room, I opened my mouth wide. Anne leaned in stared in amazement as my fangs lengthened.
"Oh, wow!" She put her hand up to her mouth and giggle. "That's wild."
I chuckled and asked, "What else were you so insanely curious about?"
Anne's blush became even more impressive before she asked, "Can you really seduce people? Like in movies and books? Do you… talk in their heads?"
Knowing I literally had the power to render her unconscious—or worse—with my powerful mind, I hesitated. Sam cleared his throat and offered, "Allow me."
He walked slowly toward her, letting his fangs descend and licking his lips hungrily. His eyes flashed silvery-white. Anne's own eyes were wide and I heard her heart rate spike. Greta and I glanced at each other. Sam was truly a master of his art.
Anne walked backward into the mirror, with her human mind instinctively wanting to flee. Her lust overwhelmed her senses, though, and she couldn't tear her gaze away from the vampire stalking her. When Sam stood within inches of her, he braced one hand on the mirror. With his other hand, he lightly drew one fingertip across her lips. All this while maintaining steady eye contact with her. I couldn't begin to imagine what thoughts he was putting into the poor woman's head.
Greta's thoughts came through to me. If Stefan saw this, he would totally lose his shit. Damn, but he is sexy though.
I raised an eyebrow. You'll be a married woman in less than twenty-four hours. Stop fantasizing.
Greta stuck her tongue out at me. Spoil sport.
Anne suddenly moaned loudly. "Oh, yes!" she cried, arching her back for more contact with Sam. Her blood pressure went through the roof as her chest heaved. I was stupefied. I looked at Greta and thought, Did he just… to her?
She nodded. Holy shit. He just gave her the big "O" without even touching her. A lot of guys can't do that using their dick and both hands all at the same time. Give that boy a prize!
When Anne grabbed at his waist, Sam backed away from her as though she'd just burst into flames. She put a hand to her heart and panted. "I just need to sit down a minute. A little dizzy."
Sam panicked, thinking he'd hurt her. Apparently he had no clue what had happened. "Are you okay? Oh God. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone so far."
"Please don't apologize," Anne said with a weak laugh. "Absolutely worth it."
Once Greta changed out of the gorgeous dress, we hurried a still oblivious Sam to the parking garage. It took all of my efforts not to choke as I contained my laughter. When we climbed into the Rover, Greta and I let loose with loud cackles and guffaws. It took us several minutes to calm down.
Sam crossed his arms and scowled. "What's so fucking funny?" he asked.
Greta groaned. "Oh my God, Sam, are you that dense?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The designer, Anne!" I snapped. "Are you not able to realize what you did?"
"Yeah, I almost made her faint. I feel so terrible."
I snorted and began laughing again, so Greta had to explain it to him. "Okay, sweetie. Here's the deal. You just gave my wedding dress designer the best orgasm of her life."
"I what?" he cried in horror.
"You rocked her world, all right," I replied with a snicker. "Move over Casanova. Make room for the Pharaoh."
Greta and I kept breaking out in fits of giggles during the entire ride home. Sam stared straight ahead, unable to process what he'd done.
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The house was a flurry of action, as last-minute wedding preparations were finalized. As usual, the kitchen was the center of activity. I heard Lowner snapping out, "No! Bad dogs. Don't you dare!"
I looked at Greta and she rolled her eyes. When Lowner began screaming at the animals, the inevitable quarrel was about to start. Once again, our housekeeper's voice boomed out above everyone else's. "Quincy, I need you! Does anyone know where he is? Where's he gone? Quincy? Quincy!"
"For fuck's sake!" came a voice from upstairs. "Can I not get a moment's peace?" A door slammed and a very pissed-off Quincy landed right in front of us, having leapt over the balcony. Without greeting us, he stormed into the kitchen.
Greta and I followed, dragging a catatonic Sam with us. I set him in a chair turned to watch the action. The room was full, but everyone had backed up to give Quincy and Lowner space to duke it out.
"Can you ever," Quincy snarled, "let me finish one bloody thing before screaming my name and asking me to do something else? Jesus Christ! You can't do anything that doesn't require my help!"
Lowner picked up a lump of sticky dough and heaved it at his mate. It struck Quincy in the chest, and Lowner smirked triumphantly. "You bastard. Do you realize how much cooking I have to do today? And now I've got these dogs all over me. So do something!"
"Those dogs are all over you because you constantly give them treats when you think we're not looking!" Quincy shot back. An orange bounced off his head and he growled. "Stop that."
"No!"
A banana was next. It sailed through the air, but Stefan came into the room and caught the projectile before it hit its mark. He growled in warning and slammed the fruit down on the counter. Unfortunately, he used so much force that its skin split and the banana exploded. There was instant silence, and we all gasped when we surveyed the carnage. A few of the lower-ranking guards ran from the room.
Stefan's normally spotless uniform was covered in mashed banana. The fragrant fruit was also splattered over his face and in his hair. Without speaking, he held a hand out to Lowner, who quickly wet a towel and gave it to Stefan.
"The next time," he said, half-muffled through the damp cloth, "and I do mean the very next time I hear you two fighting like this, there will indeed be fruits flying around this house, but I assure you it won't be the edible kind! As it stands I have half a mind to put the two of you in a cage and let you fight to the death. What is wrong with you? You're both over two hundred years old, yet you bicker like toddlers constantly. None of the other mates fight like you. Sam and I never fight. Right, Sam?"
We all turned to Sam, who was listing slightly in his chair. Stefan hurried to him. "Babe? Sam? Are you okay?"
Sam blinked a few times and began to mumble. "She… and I just showed her my… and I told her… I'd hold her down and… suck her blood, but I didn't think… and the orgasm and… I am such a pervert."
Stefan looked pointedly at me, silently demanding clarification. I took a deep breath and explained. "It's all very simple. We went to the designers to see Greta's dress, and it was gorgeous, by the way, and I thanked the designer and she asked to see my fangs, so I showed her, but then she asked if we can really seduce people by talking in their heads, but I didn't want to do it, for obvious reasons, so Sam offered to do it, but he must have gone a little overboard, 'cause the woman had a full-on orgasm, like moaning and gasping, right there in front of us without even touching herself, which Greta tells me is kinda unheard of."
He looked at me as though I'd claimed to be Superman, then shook his head quickly. "So you're telling me my mate had fully-clothed, silent sex with a woman? And that woman had a hands-free orgasm? Did Sam have a—"
"Lord, no," Greta answered. "He didn't even realize what he'd done until we got him into the car and told him. He thought the woman was just dizzy."
Stefan breathed slowly, trying to remain calm, but it wasn't working. He crossed his arms to keep from strangling someone. "He didn't realize… Uh huh. Well, I have hard time believing that."
"Stefan," I urged. "He really didn't know."
"Oh, please. How could he not? He may not have the experience with women like Freyr had after he met you, but—" Everyone in the room gasped loudly. Stefan slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide with fear. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Carter."
My body went cold, and then burning hot. I could feel myself losing control. I screwed my eyes shut, trying to tame my beast. As I fought with my anger, I heard the door open and close, and Freyr's sweet scent assaulted my senses. My stomach turned and I wanted to vomit.
"Where is everyone?" Freyr called. I opened my eyes, not surprised that my vision was sharpened. My ears picked up every racing heart in the room. Evidently, everyone else was terrified at what was about to happen. A few more guards beat a hasty retreat.
My mate sauntered into the kitchen and his gaze fell on me. With a brilliant smile, he crossed the room to stand in front of me. "Hey, babe."
He leaned down for a kiss, and at that moment, I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I was so furious. I knew I should give Freyr a chance to explain, but I just didn't want to hear the explanation right then. I needed time to think—away from my mate. I put a hand to his chest and pushed him back.
Freyr's eyebrows pulled down in confusion. "Carter? What's wrong?"
I couldn't say it. I shook my head and walked calmly out of the kitchen, leaving Freyr to stare after me.
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Freyr
What the hell had just happened? I came home from work, ready to spend a little time with Carter before the craziness of the wedding started, and he had pushed me away. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. No one said a word, and expressions of fear and terror masked their faces. When I looked at Stefan, and he wouldn't even make eye contact, I braced myself for the worst.
"Stefan, what is going on?"
His shoulders slumped and he looked more pitiful, more insecure than I'd ever seen him. His regretful gaze finally met mine. "Jesus, Freyr. I'm sorry. I told Carter that you'd…"
"That I'd what?" I demanded.
He swallowed hard. "That you'd been with women after he moved in with Alder." My mouth dropped open in disbelief and he hurried to make excuses. "They came home from seeing the dress, and they told me that Sam had been joking around and he'd given some woman an orgasm, but he didn't know. I couldn't believe he didn't know he'd made the woman come, though. Carter tried to calm me down, but I was just so pissed that I let it slip that you… had experience with women after you met him."
My jaw fell open. This was so much worse than the worst. I grabbed Stefan by his shirt and slammed him against the wall. "You what?" I boomed. "You couldn't control your fucking temper for two seconds? Do you know what you've done?" My fangs lengthened as my anger raged. A harsh roar ripped from my throat.
Greta cried, "Freyr, don't!"
Quincy tried to pull me back, but he wasn't strong enough, so two guards grabbed my arms and yanked hard. I release my grip and staggered. Stefan opened his mouth to speak, but I put up a hand. "I can't even look at you right now, Stef."
I ran from the room and headed upstairs. As I walked down the hall, saw my bedroom door open, and hoped I'd find my mate there, but the room was empty. I closed my eyes and concentrated. After a moment, I finally heard Carter's heart, beating quietly somewhere in the house. From the echo, I guessed he was in the basement. The irregular beat told how angry and hurt he was.
As much as I wanted to run to him and explain everything, I thought it may be better to let him have his space for a while. Exhaustion overcame me and I decided to shower. When I took my suit coat off, my hand bumped something. I'd almost forgotten it. I reached into my pocket, withdrew the small blue box. With dry sobs shaking my body, I walked into the closet, put the box in my sock drawer. Then I fell onto the bed and wondered what the hell I was supposed to do to make this right.
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Carter
I sat on the well-worn couch in the basement and seethed. Freyr been with women, after he met me? He'd told me he'd loved me from the first time he saw me. So why would he then go and screw a… Did that mean he was bi? What that the real reason I was so mad—that it was a woman? I had been together with Alder at the time, and had no clue about how Freyr felt about me. Would I have been this angry if he'd slept with another guy?
"Christ," I said with a groan. My phone's alarm clock startled me and I sighed.
Pulling it out of my pocket, I checked the alert message:
5:00pm. Get ready for rehearsal dinner. Be at restaurant at 7:00.
"What lovely fucking timing." For a second, I thought about not going to the dinner, but Freyr and I were hosting it, so there was no way I could skip out on Greta. I rolled my eyes and went up to the bed room to go get ready.
When I opened the bedroom door, Freyr was on the bed asleep, still wearing his shirt and pants. He had curled up into a fetal position, clutching my pillow to his chest. My heart ached for my beautiful immortal. I thought back to when I woke in the hospital, and he'd told me what Alder was like, how he manipulated me and made me blind to his faults. Freyr could only sit back and watch his own brother slowly eating away at my soul. So had Freyr tried to put ignore his feelings for me by looking for love somewhere else? What it his way of coping?
I sat on the edge of the bed and brushed a lock of shaggy, blond hair away from my mate's face. His eyes opened slowly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he whispered.
I lay down next to him, still not touching, still wondering. "Tell me now."
Freyr thought for a moment, then said, "I couldn't have you. Alder had you so tight in his grip that you barely saw what happened around you. Whenever I tried to talk to you, you shied away from me. It was too painful to watch you with him, so I tried to forget about you. I tried with a few men, but every time I…" He glanced at me, seeming to ask for permission. I nodded, so he continued. "Every time I had sex with one of them, all I could picture was you under me. It wasn't working. All I thought of was you. So I decided to find the exact opposite of you."
"A woman," I stated.
He nodded. "Her name was Caroline. She was blond, blue-eyed, and had huge boobs."
I couldn't hold back my laugh. "So when you said you found the exact opposite of me, you really meant it."
"Yeah. I tried with her, I did, but it was no use. After three weeks of completely underwhelming sex, she ending up breaking up with me. She said she could tell I loved someone else. And that was it. I know it sounds insane, Carter, but I was so in love with you I couldn't stand it. I tried to run, to forget you, but my heart kept pulling me back. I know now I should have told you, but truthfully, she meant so little to me that I'd nearly forgotten her. Are you still pissed at me? I love you, Carter. You know I do. More than anything."
Gently, I pulled my pillow out of his grasp and closed the space between us. He wrapped his arms around me and took my mouth in a soft, but passionate kiss. His tongue slid over mine and I shivered with anticipation. This was what I needed—Freyr showing me exactly how much he loved me.
He pushed my shirt up and pinched my nipple, just hard enough to make me keen with pleasure. "Love you so much," I breathed as he sucked on the hard nub. "Please, Freyr. Make love to me."
We stood and watched each other undress. Freyr licked his lips and let his pants fall down to the floor. All I could focus on was the thick cock straining the seams on Freyr's boxer shorts.
"Your turn," he said with a smirk.
I began to unbutton my pants, then stopped. I'd forgotten the surprise I'd planned for Freyr that night. Sam and I had gone shopping earlier that week, and he insisted on taking me somewhere to buy what he called, "real underwear." I'd ended up purchasing several pairs, including a jock designed especially for Valentine's Day. It was hot pink, with a heart cutout strategically placed to show just a peek of my dick.
Hoping for the intended reaction, I pushed my pants down slowly. When his heart rate spiked and his fangs lengthened, I knew the jock was a hit. Freyr walked around the bed, stalking me like a hunter. Precome dampened the pink fabric as anticipation coursed through me.
He fisted his fingers in my hair and pulled our bodies together. I craned my neck up to see his eyes flash white, and he growled. "You are so fucking sexy. Lean over the bed."
I did as I was instructed and felt Freyr's fingers trailing down my back. Then he fell to his knees behind me rubbed his hands in circles over my ass. The friction created a delicious heat and I squirmed under his touch. When he spread my ass wide, and worked his tongue against my hole, I began begging.
"Oh, shit. Please. Fuck me, please." I heard the cover of the lube bottle click open and after a moment, Freyr's long finger sank into me. My dick was so hard it ached, so I buried my face in the duvet, trying to hold off my orgasm. "Now, Freyr. Now!"
The blunt head of his cock pushed against me and I made myself relax enough to let him in. He thrust in quickly, and groaned at the tight muscles clamping down on shaft. "Oh fuck, babe. You're amazing."
I pushed back onto him, and our bodies slapped together, over and over. His cock ghosted over that oh-so-sweet spot inside me and I arched my back in pleasure. The air was forced from my lungs, so I could barely say, "Come… coming. Oh, God yes… I'm coming."
Freyr pulled down the front of my jock and wrapped his hand around my cock, just as I slipped over the edge. I let out a long, low wail of ecstasy, and emptied by balls all over the bed. My mate growled quietly, digging his fingers into my hips while he pulled my ass back onto him twice more before he froze inside me. He grunted hard and collapsed on top of me, breathing hard.
It took us a few minutes to recover. Freyr turned over onto his back, and we lay there staring at the ceiling. After only a few minutes, my cell's alarm clock rang again. I laughed when I read the message:
5:45 Stop fucking your mate and get ready.
Freyr and I decided separate showers would be best. We made it to the restaurant with only minutes to spare.
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