CORPOREAL INTERLUDE

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At first, Calica Wilson wasn’t sure what had just happened beyond the fact she‘d been in an accident. It wasn’t as if she had been recklessly speeding on her motorcycle. She had too much respect for her Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7R to take a blind corner at break-neck speeds. On top of that, the roads were just this side of slick since this afternoon’s freezing rain.

But by midnight, even the side-streets had been treated for ice, and there was no rain or wind now. It was just one of those crisp, moonless January nights that made it feel like late fall despite the fact St. Louis was well on its way into winter. Such thaws made the night just right for a riverside ride. Calica liked the idea it was not too cold to have to bundle up in anything heavier than a light leather jacket and gloves. She also liked the fact it was late enough to make traffic in this part of the city virtually non-existent. Apparently not foot-traffic however.

He hadn’t been there before. Cali could have sworn to it. She’d taken the turn, revved up the engine and bam!--slammed right into the guy. It was as if he’d simply fallen from the sky right in front of her.

The flood of terror that washed over her upon impact quickly gave way to anger when the man, who hadn’t even been knocked off his feet, began cursing at her…in French, of all things. Calica struggled to keep the Ninja under control, but went down in a crunch, and slid sideways across the entire width of the road. The sound of polished metal scraping on asphalt made Cali wince more than the pain she was currently being subjected to. Having fallen off three spins back, she was now tumbling wildly after the machine as it careened into an ill-placed streetlight.

The strange man she’d hit was still ranting across the street. Being Canadian, Cali knew what he was saying, but couldn’t make any sense out of it. Something about now he would have to hear about it from Anita and how Jean-Claude would never believe this careless, moronic, shit-for-brains human ran into him. Admittedly, he had been distracted (by the argument he’d had with Jean-Claude previously) when he’d landed, but it wasn’t his fault the boy had crashed. Fucking teenagers these days believed the whole fucking world revolved around them. Everyone else just better get out of their way….

Unfastening her helmet, Cali turned away from examining the damage done to her Ninja to peer across the road at the raving lunatic who, by all laws of physics, should be laying in scattered pieces on the pavement instead of pacing back and forth in a maniacal tizzy.

"I’m not a boy," Cali suddenly called out to him, correcting him, even though she wasn’t sure she wanted the brunt of his attention.

As if someone had flipped a switch in him, the man faced her and froze. The sudden silence of the night was deafening.

Cali looked back at him and something inside her seized, despite her own anger. He seemed tall in a looming sort of way. His hair was long, nearly down to his waist, and blonde in a beautiful, but unnatural gold-ish color. His skin was so white it fairly gleamed like the night’s absent moon. To top all that off, he had the face of a Greek god--chiseled and proportionally perfect. (From what she could see of it that is, as half of his face was obscured in a veil of that thick, golden hair of his.)

"What did you say?" the god spoke, switching from French to slightly-accented English.

Cali pulled off her helmet and shook out her red hair. "I said," she emphasized articulately, "I am not a boy!"

The expression on the god’s face changed. He looked stunned at first, then chagrinned, then horrified.

"Mademoiselle!" he exclaimed, crossing the street to her side in the blink of an eye. He reached down and effortlessly lifted the Ninja from its side, setting it upright for her. "Pardonnez-moi! I did not realize!"

"What? That I was female, or that I understood French?" Cali replied sarcastically.

Apparently consumed with new-found concern, the man seemed to forget himself now, seizing her hands in his and pulling her to him. He stretched out her arms and gave her a quick visual examination, then ran his hands over her body searchingly.

"Hey!" Cali protested, shaking him off and backing up a few steps. Dizziness washed over her and she felt herself sway precariously. "I’m fine! Better than my bike, eh? You son-of-a-bitch. Where do you get off being pissed at me? Oh…shit…."

As her knees gave way, she felt his arms slide around her. His long hair brushed her cheek making her skin tingle.

"Mademoiselle, are you injured? Speak to me! Madem--"

"Oh," Cali gulped, looking into his startlingly pale blue eyes. He was simply breath-taking. He was a god. What other explanation was there?

"Mademoiselle, si’l vous plait! Are you hurt?"

"You’re a vampire," Cali declared before fully realizing it. She could feel the man’s…the vampire’s arms tense around her. "Well…fuck me," she finished in a dazed surprise. She’d never actually met a vampire face to face like this, despite the fact she’d moved to St. Louis over a year ago.

The slightest of smiles turned up the corners of the vampire’s beautifully full mouth. His lovely eyes twinkled mischievously and he eased his grip on her.

"I will assume you do not mean that…literally?" he replied, lowering the timbre of his voice to a whispery rumble.

Cali’s mind was clearing, but at first, she didn’t catch his meaning. "What? Oh! No! What in hell! Let me go!" It was the right thing to say, she told herself, but since he’d mentioned it, she couldn’t help fantasizing for a split second, what a turn in the sheets with this god-like creature would be like. It was just too hard not to fantasize about him. He was incredible-looking, and Cali had heard things about vampires and their…abilities.

However, the humor in his expression evaporated in an instant, and the vampire unceremoniously released her. Cali hadn’t realized how much she’d settled into his embrace until it was gone, and then she almost lost her balance again.

"Of course," the vampire all but growled back at her. He seemed angry again all of a sudden. "I have forgotten myself. In the presence of beautiful young women, I tend to do that. Forgive me."

It was then Cali fully noticed his face. The right side of it had been hidden behind the fall of his hair before, but now, just as he turned away from her, she could see it. Looking closer, Cali realized he was scarred, and badly, but just on the right side. The severity of it was startling at first, but strangely enough, Cali believed it did not detract from his overall beauty.

But he was edging away from her now. He flung out his hand, gesturing at her somewhat impatiently. "If you are not injured then I will take my leave of you. I--" His expression suddenly changed again as his nostrils flared and a flicker of alarm lit his stunning eyes. He raised his hand slowly to look at it, and his mouth fell open in outright surprise. "Merde! You are bleeding!" He was back at Cali’s side, stripping off her jacket and pawing at her clothing before she could react. "You are hurt! Why didn’t you say something?" He seemed angry for a different reason now.

Cali shook her head. "I’m all right," she countered. "It’s just a scrape, eh? It probably looks worse than it is." She gasped as her shirt was suddenly hoisted up to her breasts, exposing her abdomen to the crisp night air and the vampire’s cold probing hands. "Do you mind, Mister…?"

"Asher."

"Mister Asher!"

"Non. Just call me Asher."

Cali felt his fingertips run down her spine in exploration. She tried not to squirm. "Okay. Asher. Do you mind?"

"Hold still," he ordered, peering behind her. "I’m not going to hurt you."

"You’re not helping either…Asher" Cali snapped back.

"Turn around for a moment," the vampire instructed her with all the authority of the god he impersonated.

Not knowing what else to do, Cali turned her back to Asher and took a deep breath. She twisted her torso around to try to see what he was up to back there. It was starting to drizzle and the coldness of the rain against her bare skin was making Cali shiver slightly.

"Ah, here," he pointed out. "You were right. It is not a serious abrasion, but your hip is…bleeding, Mademoiselle. Your shirt was torn in the accident." His voice had taken on a halting, wistful tone. "There is…dirt in the wound. If you would…permit me. I could clean it for you. I could…ease your pain."

Cali frowned. What did that entail, exactly? She had visions of him dragging her to a walk-in clinic and being surrounded by white-coated interns. No doubt, she’d have to fill out an accident report and then the police might be called in. Asher might be held for questioning.

Cali shook her head. "No thanks, eh? I’ll be fine. I think I’ll just go on home."

"Mademoiselle--"

"Calica."

"Pardon?"

"My name is Calica. Calica Wilson. My friends call me Cali."

"Ah, I‘m pleased to meet you," the vampire murmured, "despite the circumstances." Asher leaned over a little so Cali could see him better. "Mademoiselle Calica, please. Let me tend to you. It is the least I could offer you, considering. I feel badly that you were injured."

Cali took a deep breath and was about to reply when she felt the slightest brush of the vampire’s presence in her mind. For a moment her body felt on the cusp of an orgasm, but it faded too quickly for her to be sure. She jumped, startled.

"Jesus Christ! What was that?"

Asher locked his eyes on hers. "Just a brief demonstration, Mademoiselle. I did not mean to startle you." His gaze turned back to her wound and he licked his lips in a seemingly unconscious gesture.

Cali suddenly understood what he was asking her permission to do. Her eyes grew wide and she fought her initial instinct to pull away from him. She’d never fed a vampire before, but had always wanted to. In truth, the opportunity to experience what everyone was talking about had never presented itself to her. She’d be downright stupid to turn it down now that it had.

"I will be behind you," the vampire went on, his voice altering slightly, becoming darker, more distant. "You…will not have to look at me."

Something in his tone tugged at Cali’s heart. Apparently, as beautiful as he was, he was still worried the sight of his ravaged face might offend her.

"It’s not that, " Cali quickly amended. Swallowing hard, she looked away from the vampire and then nodded, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. "You can feed," she whispered. "But I’m not really that hurt, eh? You don’t have to…go to any extremes, I mean."

"I understand," Asher readily agreed, sliding his large hands around her bared waist. He tugged at her jeans, forcing them farther down.

Cali gathered up her shirt in her hands to keep it out of his way. She felt his breath on her skin and shivered.

But the sensation of cold only lasted for an instant after the vampire touched his lips to her back. Then, a blazing heat burst into life inside her, shooting through her loins like liquid fire. She cried out, surprised.

"Sssh," Asher chided, whispering against Cali’s skin. "I am not going to bite into you. I promise, this will not hurt you. Relax, Mademoiselle."

"Uh, it’s Cali." Asher’s hair tickled the fleshy skin around her wound making Cali quiver.

"Oui. Cali." His tongue snaked out and slithered over her hip as his fingers dug into her waist. The graze of his teeth sent tingles skittering down her legs and made her lower abdomen clench in arousal.

A breath escaped Cali she hadn’t known she was holding. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. The feeling of Asher’s glorious mouth moving on her was almost more than she could bear. As his power seeped into her, her mind fluttered with an ecstasy she couldn’t quite grasp, saturating her body with new sensations. Cali couldn’t help but respond uninhibitedly to the vampire’s exquisite ministrations, writhing and moaning rather wantonly. It was both unnerving and exhilarating, but the summit of satisfaction dangled like a lure just out of her reach, teasing her with glimpses of what could have been had if she been a little more assertive at the start. It was frustrating her enough now to make her a little reckless and a lot bolder.

"More," she breathed, feeling Asher lap languidly at her wound, his full lips pressing into her skin with a gently grinding movement. "Oh god. Please. Do more."

Asher raised his head and released a blissful-sounding sigh. "You taste exquisite, ma cherie and I am oh so tempted to oblige you, but you made it clear to me from the beginning you did not want the full effect of my power." His mouth covered Cali’s oozing wound once more, and the vampire made soft sucking sounds before once again sealing his lips to her skin.

"I, I changed my mind," Cali countered. "I want more."

"Non, non, non, cherie," Asher rumbled. "It does not work that way. I cannot afford the risk of having you say I put you under the influence of my power against your will." Asher nuzzled the small of her back, dropping soft kisses across the span of her hips.

Cali opened her eyes. "But I’m giving you permission now."

Asher’s fingers tightened. "You have already been influenced by a taste of my power. You could still say I coerced you with such into wanting the full effect. I must protect myself, cherie. You do understand?"

Cali swore under her breath. She honestly believed she was more under the influence of her hormones than his power at this point. What he was doing to her with just his mouth was thrilling her down to her bones.

"Listen," she began, forcing her voice not to quaver as his soft tongue continued to lave her skin. "Maybe we could go somewhere a little more private. And drier, eh? Dry would be nice."

Cali felt the sudden tension in the vampire’s hands. He abruptly raised his head and peered up at her.

"My manners!" he scolded himself. "And I dare claim to be a gentleman." He rose to his feet, releasing his hold on Cali’s hips to take hold of her hands. "If Jean-Claude knew I was ravishing a young woman in the middle of the street with no regards for her modesty or comfort, he’d have me bound naked to a board and soundly whipped." A quick, sly smile flitted across Asher’s face, one that took a moment for Cali to fully understand. "My sincerest apologies. As I said before, you are lovely and I tend to forget myself at times. Bonsoir Mademoiselle. Thank you for your generosity in this rather odd turn of events." The vampire slowly licked his lips, and then with a quick squeeze of her hands, Asher turned to leave.

"Asher, wait!" Cali called before she could stop herself. "That wasn’t what I meant. I thought maybe we could…. "The vampire turned back around. Cali tried to shrug nonchalantly. "Can I give you a lift?"

Asher looked back at the motorcycle and frowned, then faced Cali with a darkening expression. "I don‘t understand."

"A lift. You know. A ride…somewhere. "

Asher rolled his eyes. "I know what you meant by that. What I did not understand was the suggestion preceding that. Maybe we could…what?"

Cali shook her head in frustration. She wasn‘t exactly brave when it came to this sort of thing with a guy, let alone a gorgeous, god-like French vampire. How much more blunt could she be without asking him outright? Think. Think. Think.

"What I meant was, maybe if we went somewhere…else, it would be a little more private and…." Maybe one thing would lead to another, was better left unsaid, Cali thought. "I was thinking you wouldn’t need to use your full power on me if we were somewhere…else. Eh?"

The vampire appeared momentarily stunned, and then he looked a little embarrassed. He bowed his head, letting his heavy hair slide fully over his face. "I refuse to believe you are truly propositioning me, though I must admit, it certainly sounds that way. You do not know what you are asking, cherie." Asher looked up slowly and fixed his crystalline eyes on Cali’s face. "Don’t get me wrong," he went on breathily. "I would like nothing better this night than to indulge in such an offer, but I cannot accept."

Cali frowned. Had she said all that?

A surprised smile suddenly lit the vampire’s face. "Are you truly so disappointed?"

Cali shrugged, trying not to look as embarrassed as she felt. "Yeah, I guess."

Asher drew up beside her. He reached out and touched her hair, running his fingers down the length of it. "I’m flattered beyond words," he whispered to her. "It has been a very long time since a woman has shown that kind of interest in me. I want you to know that it is not you I am rejecting, merely your suggestion. For your sake, I seek to spare you."

Sighing through her teeth, Cali put her hands on her hips and nodded curtly. "Right. Right," she said, averting her eyes. She felt like a fool now. Had she really told this vampire she wanted to hook up with him? Christ. "Look, you misunderstood me. I wasn’t asking what you think."

The vampire peered down at her and narrowed his eyes. "Non?"

"No."

His elegant hand shifted from her hair to her cheek. "Don’t lie, cherie. Not to a vampire."

Cali’s mouth gaped open in surprise. "I was not--"

But Asher swiftly captured her lips with his in a soft, but passionate kiss. His hand slipped into her hair once more and he tilted her face up to his, drawing her body tightly to him.

Cali simply could not think how to appropriately react, and even if she could, her body was too focused on Asher to pay any attention to her brain. All that was registering in her mind now was the sweetness of the vampire’s kiss, the firm, sinewy curves of his form, and the solid strength of his embrace. She was only vaguely aware she had been kissing him back when he slowly pulled away from her.

"Calica," Asher said, breathing in her name. "Let my kiss suffice. I can smell the desire you are so desperately trying to hide and it is tempting me beyond my sensibilities. It has been too long for me, and this ancient yearning inside me aches for reprieve. I long to throw all caution to the wind and indulge myself one time. One night of sweet corporeal interlude to ease the doubts of my heart. One night of fulfillment. One night of wanton bliss."

Calica felt her eyes start to water. The wind was picking up and it was starting to rain heavier now. Maybe he wouldn’t notice, she thought, trying to subtly drag her hand across her cheek.

It was just that, his pain was as exquisite as his anger. There was something dark and brooding about Asher that struck a chord with Cali, and strangely enough, made her want to be with him all the more. She could tell he was lonely, despite his earlier references. He’d clearly suffered in the past at the hands of someone cruel, and as a result, was now too frightened to let anyone very close to him--even though he admittedly longed to.

Stretching up on her toes, Cali reached for Asher’s face and drew him back down to her. She kissed him lightly at first; still a little apprehensive, then slid her hands down his neck to his broad shoulders. The muscles beneath her palms shifted as his arms moved to encircle her. He deepened the kiss and crushed her against him as the rain splattered down on them.

They parted suddenly, looking unfavorably into the black sky. Cali felt Asher’s arm around her, urging her forward.

"Come," he said softly. "We should find shelter."

Cali stopped in her tracks. "You’re coming with me, right?"

Asher nodded. "If you truly wish."

"I do, " Cali said and smiled. "Look, my apartment building is two blocks or so from here. On this baby it will take less than five minutes to get there." She went to her motorcycle under the dented streetlight and straddled the seat, gesturing behind her. "Climb on."

Much to her delight, Asher hesitated only a second before climbing onto the Ninja with her. He wrapped his arms snuggly around her waist and leaned his head over her shoulder to whisper in her ear.

"Just look out for descending vampires," he teased. "They think the world revolves around them and everyone else just better get out of their way."

********

Calica led Asher up the stairs to her second story apartment. By the time she reached the door, she was admittedly freezing from her brief, but breezy motorcycle ride. She was also soaked to the skin from the rain. Her hands were even shaking as she unlocked the door, making the keys jingle like bells, but she wasn‘t entirely sure that was from the cold. She glanced back at the vampire standing quietly behind her and offered him a quick, reassuring smile.

"Let me get you a towel," Cali announced, throwing open the door. She paused at the threshold and stepped out of her wet shoes.

Asher nodded but said nothing. Following Cali’s cue, he politely took off his shoes and placed them at the door beside hers. Then he stepped into the living room and stood in the middle of it, crossing his arms over his chest as if he were suddenly chilled. He seemed a little uncertain of what he was doing here and was looking around the apartment now like it was a kind of gilded cage he‘d been placed in. Water streamed down his body from the ends of his long hair onto his already drenched dark clothes. His skin seemed even whiter under the room’s artificial light which also made the striking paleness of his eyes accentuate his supernatural beauty.

Cali had every intention of going into the bathroom, but found she simply could not pry her eyes off the glorious apparition standing in her living room. "I’ll turn up the heat too," she told him quietly, wanting to make him as comfortable as possible.

Asher locked his gaze on her and tilted his head as if hearing something peculiar. He smiled slightly and seemed to relax a little.

"You really do want me, don’t you?" he questioned her, taking a step closer to her.

Cali looked away from him, certain her face was turning as red as her hair. "Eh? Is it that obvious?"

The vampire nodded. "To me it is."

Lowering her head in embarrassment, Cali made a beeline for the bathroom. "I‘m sorry. I can‘t help it, really. Does it…bother you?" She stepped inside the bathroom, lighting a few candles around the sink, grabbed two towels off the shelf, and then turned on the faucets to take a shower. "Look, I’m going to take a quick shower, okay? To try to thaw out a little. Just make yourself comfortable and I’ll try to get my raging libido under control--"

Turning back around, Cali came face to face with Asher. She stopped in her tracks.

"Non," he breathed quietly. "Do not try to stop it." He dropped his eyes from hers and moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue. It looked like a nervous gesture to Cali and what he said next confirmed it. "Feeling your desire helps me."

Cali frowned. "Helps you?"

The vampire nodded. "With what I am intending to do. Until you see me, I am not sure how you will react. Being aware of your intense desire for me…helps me cope."

Licking her lips, Cali peered into Asher’s eyes. Slowly she reached up and pushed aside the wet tendrils of hair from the right side of the vampire’s face.

"How bad is it?" she asked earnestly.

Asher smiled humorlessly. "Oh they spared my face. The rest of my body was not given the same consideration." His eyes drifted from Cali’s down the length of his form. "It continues on and ends just above my right knee." He looked up again. "I would understand if you bowed out of our little tryst tonight. Few women find such physical disfigurement sexually appealing."

Taking a deep breath, Cali released Asher’s hair and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I find you appealing, Asher," she told him quietly. "Would you believe me if I were to say your scars don’t matter to me?"

Asher smiled again with a little more sincerity this time. "Non, cherie. I know better."

Cali frowned. "You told me I couldn’t lie to you. I’m saying your scars don’t matter. Now you tell me if I’m lying."

Asher’s eyes darkened slightly. "You can say that now. You haven’t seen me."

Calica was getting annoyed. She didn’t like being thought of as shallow and superficial. If there was one thing she was not, it was superficial. She could understand his apprehension, but his constant self-deprecating nature was grating on her.

"How can I? You don’t want to give me a chance to!" she snapped back.

This seemed to take the vampire by surprise. For a long time, he stared at her, silent and unmoving like a stone statue, and then he fluidly turned and gestured at the running shower.

"Shall we bathe?"

Cali’s mouth fell open. She blinked back at the vampire and nodded decisively. "Uh, sure."

Asher parted the curtain and took Cali’s hand in his. Still fully dressed, he stepped inside the tub beneath the spray of hot water and drew Cali in with him.

Cali peered up at Asher curiously, huddling against him as the water pelted their clothed bodies with a soft pattering sound. The vampire gathered Cali in his arms and bent his head towards her.

Cali closed her eyes, feeling the weight of Asher’s lips settling over hers. The water streaming down her face moistened their kiss to the point of making their lips hot and slick.

Asher’s hand moved to stroke the water from Cali’s hair as his mouth slid to the side of her face. He kissed her hungrily, covering the span of her cheek, up to her brow and across her closed eyes. She sighed appreciatively and flattened her hands against the vampire’s chest, leaning into him. Asher obligingly tightened his hold on her and dragged his mouth down the length of her neck.

It wasn’t long before Cali felt tingling warmth spreading through her body and knew it had little to do with the steamy water. Asher was kissing her with an increasing passion, forcing her head back as far as it would go until there was no escaping. Not that Cali wanted to escape him. He was so incredibly sexy; his kisses were effectively turning her insides to molten goo. And they hadn’t even shed a stitch of clothing yet.

"Is this your power?" Cali managed to say as the vampire returned his attention to her neck, laving it with his tongue and nipping it with his teeth.

"What do you feel?" Asher asked her, keeping his lips pressed to her skin.

"I feel…euphoric," Cali said and smiled, delving her fingers into Asher’s heavy, wet hair to push it off his shoulders.

"Already?" the vampire replied. He turned Cali around and held her back against his chest.

Cali opened her eyes. "Is that bad?" She felt, more than heard, the vampire’s rumbling laugh.

"Bad? Non, not at all," he answered her earnestly. "Especially considering I have not subjected you to anything more supernatural than my kiss." His hands slowly began to rove over her curves, pausing imperceptibly on her breasts before sliding down her ribs.

Cali cracked a smile. "Has anyone ever told you, you are one hell of a kisser?"

Asher leaned his head over Cali’s right shoulder. "A time or two, oui." He touched his lips to her ear and breathed into it, making Cali sigh.

Turning her head for another kiss, Cali stroked the vampire’s arms, feeling the wet silk of his shirt beneath her fingertips and taking careful note of the sinewy form beyond that.

Asher’s hands were toying with the buttons at the collar of her shirt now. His long fingers trailed down her throat and over her collarbone, sending currents of anticipation running down to her toes.

Cali anticipated Asher unbuttoning her shirt, but when his hands slid back down to her sides, she thought he might skip the buttons and simply pull it off of her. Trying not to squirm with impatience, Cali helpfully stretched her arms over her head.

But Asher’s hands continued down her hips to her waist. It was the button to her jeans that he unfastened, lavishing her upraised arms with numerous little kisses until she wrapped them around his neck and drew his head down to hers. Then he kissed her deeply, thrusting his tongue through her teeth and into her mouth, filling it.

Through the sound of the spraying water, Cali heard the zipper of her jeans being pulled, and then felt the heat of the water streaming over her bare skin. The sensation of cool, but soft fingers sliding into her pants made her gasp against Asher’s mouth. Her heart leapt inside her, then banged so forcefully against her chest, she was certain the vampire could hear it.

As if to confirm her suspicions, Asher eased himself away from Cali’s mouth and laid his smooth left cheek against her brow. "I want to taste you," he whispered thickly in her ear. "Is this something you would like me to do?"

Cali’s tension grew. She wasn’t sure if she was up to being bitten. It would mean he’d have to take her mind completely and even though a vampire’s bite was reported to be nearly as mindblowing at times as outright sex, Cali had gotten her mind set on getting the real thing with Asher tonight.

"Asher, I--" She paused, took a deep breath and started again. "It’s not that I mind you taking my blood, eh? It’s just that--"

"Not your blood, ma cherie," the vampire interrupted her. His hands peeled back the front of her jeans, and then slid them down to her upper thighs along with her underwear. "I want to taste your sex." With that, the vampire dropped to his knees behind Cali and continued to peel the wet jeans from her legs until she was free of them.

Facing away from Asher and being naked from the waist down made Cali feel more exposed than she should have despite the fact her sopping wet shirt was hanging low enough to cover her completely. Maybe she felt peculiar because she couldn’t see what the vampire was doing, she could only feel and that seemed to sharpen her senses and deepen the sensations.

The vampire rose gracefully to his feet and pulled Cali close, keeping her back to him. He kissed her cheek and brow until she turned her head towards him; then he covered her mouth with his and moaned softly into it. Keeping his mouth fastened to Cali’s, Asher leaned over and grasped the back of her left thigh, raising it to prop her foot on the side of the bathtub.

Cali felt as if she had been spread wide open. She could feel her pulse throbbing between her legs with heightened anticipation. Heated water ran into each tiny crevice and rapidly down the length of her leg, pelting her bent thigh, feeling hotter and harder directly beneath the water’s spray.

Asher tore his mouth from Cali’s and dragged his teeth down her neck, sealing his lips at the base of her throat. He began gnawing gently, carefully, but forcefully sucking her skin in between his teeth to mark her.

Cali smiled to herself and reached up to stroke the vampire’s hair.

Now Asher’s hands moved beneath Cali’s overly-long shirt and shifted, one going behind her and one remaining in front. His fingers trailed along the top of her raised thigh all the way up to her navel, then straight down to her clit.

Cali gasped and started, feeling that one brush of his hand shoot through her lower body like a bullet.

"Ah, so sensual," Asher whispered to her, raising his head. He touched his fingertip to her clit and rubbed it slowly, then followed her cleft down to her opening. "So warm and wet for me. All for me."

Biting her lower lip, Cali closed her eyes and leaned her head back on Asher’s shoulder. "For you," she murmured back, feeling her knees quiver. She felt the heel of his hand press against her clit. His wandering fingers parted her down-covered lips and teasingly slipped his finger up her.

All the while, the hand behind Cali brazenly explored her ass, squeezing her curves with a decided savor. Then, sliding his fingers down the length of her crack, Asher traced his fingertip around her warm, puckered asshole. As her tension slowly ebbed away, he carefully eased it inside.

"You are tight everywhere I penetrate you," the vampire murmured. "Your body has not known many men. I feel honored to be counted among those esteemed few."

Trying not to writhe too wildly, Cali dug her nails into Asher’s arm and buried her face against the side of his neck. "Oh yes," Cali sighed, her mind reeling from sensations. "Please. I‘m begging you."

"You do not have to beg me, ma cherie," Asher said and kissed Cali’s forehead. "You need only ask."

"Asher, please."

Asher turned his head to kiss Cali, and then he turned her around to face him and knelt down in front of her.

Cali opened her tightly closed eyes. Peering down into Asher’s gorgeous eyes she smiled and reached out to stroke the hair from his face. She watched as the vampire tentatively placed his hands on her knees and slid them up her thighs under her shirt.

"You have lovely legs, Cali," he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her thigh. "They are very sexy."

"Thanks," Cali breathed in reply, feeling his fingertips tracing the outline of her pubic hair as his mouth nibbled its way around to her inner thigh. With the slightest pressure of his arms, Asher urged her to spread her legs for him. He raised her other thigh and propped her foot once more on the side of the tub.

Folding his long legs underneath him, Asher leaned forward, aligning his face between Cali’s thighs. "Beautiful," he breathed, turning his head slightly as his eyes seemed to drink in the sight of Cali’s body.

Cali closed her eyes and licked her lips apprehensively. He was so close to her, she could feel his cool breath on her sensitized skin. Her knees were quivering again and Cali wasn’t sure they’d hold if she came. Reaching out she placed her hands on Asher’s shoulders to steady herself. Having something tangible to hold helped ground her as well. She was expecting nothing short of violence cumming considering Asher had whipped up her anticipation to a peak the size of Mount Everest.

The first delicate touch of the vampire’s mouth to her sex alone nearly sent Cali over the edge. She gasped and tightened her grip on Asher’s shoulders, pushing her hips towards his succulent mouth.

His tongue was cool, but not unpleasantly so. Against her heated skin, Asher’s coolness made her more aware of every careful caress he gave her. He ran the tip of his tongue slowly up one side of her clit, then down the other as if gauging which side drew the most response from her. Settling his hands on Cali’s upper inner thighs, the vampire used his fingers to spread her open wider to accommodate his ministrations.

Softly he sucked on her clit, stroking her folds with his tongue in long, languid strokes. Cali could feel the hard press of his fangs and the occasional prick of their points catching on her loose skin. The tiny bursts of pain coupled with the building pleasure was zoning out Cali’s mind faster than she believed possible.

She could not help but writhe now, gasping to breathe as her body tingled with pleasure from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

Asher’s mouth ground against her devouringly. He opened his jaw and turned his head, snaking his tongue into her completely with one slippery thrust.

"Oh!" Cali half-moaned, half-gasped, feeling the first tremor of her impending orgasm. "Oh Asher!"

The vampire hungrily lapped at the heated moisture between Cali’s legs. He moaned low and long, sending small vibrations throughout her insides that made Cali’s whole body shake, and she gasped again. Asher moved his tongue inside her like nothing Cali had every felt before, and it was effectively driving her wild with desire. She grabbed fistfuls of the vampire’s thick, wet hair and tangled her fingers tightly in his long locks.

"Yes! Please!" she cried out, feeling as though she was on the verge of cumming, and twisting his hair into massive wet snarls.

Asher dragged his tongue up the length of her cleft and nipped at Cali’s throbbing clit. He caressed it with his lips, then as if to mark her there the same way he had marked her throat, the vampire pulled her into his mouth and sucked on her voraciously.

The explosion of sensation that followed was Cali’s undoing. She nearly screamed, throwing back her head and gasping wildly for air. Her body rocked with her orgasm: so hard she would have fallen over had Asher not been holding her.

The vampire continued the stimulation until Cali was reduced to a quivering, molten mass, then he raised his head, turning his face up to hers, and smiled sweetly.

"Oh god," Cali panted as her mind continued to white out with small aftershocks. She dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around Asher’s neck and covered his mouth with hers in a savoring embrace.

Asher held her tightly, shifting her into his lap while cradling the back of her head with his hand.

Cali could taste herself in Asher’s mouth. She thrust her tongue between his teeth and swirled it over his, wanting desperately to taste him. Her hand reached up and pushed his hair from his face so she could cover it with kisses too. Sitting on his lap the way she was let her feel the hardness of his cock pressing up against the backs of her thighs. Leaning forward to kiss him, Cali wiggled her hips to rub herself against him.

Deepening their kiss, the vampire moaned softly and tightened his grip on Cali’s back. Then Asher eased away from her, getting to his feet and helping Cali up. He locked his eyes on hers and took her hand, placing it over his growing erection.

"Is this what you want?" he whispered to her, his voice low with desire.

Cali lowered her eyes to her hand and squeezed him gently. "Yes," she replied, her voice sounding thick in her ears. She rubbed her palm over him and sighed with appreciation at his impressive size.

Asher inhaled sharply through his teeth and shuddered. For a moment he closed his eyes, threw his head back, and let Cali play with him. He shuddered again and growled softly, and then, as if deciding he couldn’t stand anymore, he pulled away from her hand.

"Enough," the vampire breathily declared. "You’re going to make to me cum."

He reached up to grasp the collar of Cali’s shirt, then deftly unfastened each button as Cali blinked up at him in surprise.

"I want to make you cum, eh?" Cali said belatedly.

Asher raised his brow. "You will, cherie. There’s no doubt about that." He pushed the shirt off her shoulders and pulled it from her arms, and then tossed it behind him where he‘d tossed Cali‘s jeans earlier.

Cali looked at Asher’s shirt collar and bit her lower lip. Tentatively, she placed her hands on his chest and toyed with the small pearl buttons at the base of his throat.

But Asher stayed her hands by covering them with his. "No. Not yet." He folded them across Cali’s breast and turned her slowly around to face away from him.

Understanding his apprehension, Cali simply took a deep breath and threw her head back into the spray of water, letting it stream through her hair and down her back. She wondered if he was undressing and strained to hear any telltale sign. Instead, she felt Asher’s fingers moving beneath her bra strap. He snapped the hooks, then slid the garment off Cali’s shoulders.

As Cali lowered her arms to let the lingerie fall to her feet, she felt the slightest pressure of Asher’s hand on her lower back, clearly urging her to bend forward. She obliged him, balancing herself against the tiled walls, and closed her eyes.

It was then she heard the clinking sound of the buckle on his belt as he worked to unfasten it. The sound of the water splattering on his clothes altered and became more muted as it hit more bare skin. Cali held her breath and peered under her arm behind her. She saw Asher‘s wet silk shirt slip from his outstretched hand to land on top of their previously discarded clothes.

Then Asher’s hands settled on Cali’s hips and he pulled her closer to him, bending her over more. He took his hand off of her momentarily and guided the head of his cock against her, nudging it inside just enough to penetrate her. Replacing his hand on her hip, the vampire lowered his upper body over her back and touched his lips to the side of her face.

"Ca te plait, ma cherie?" he murmured against her ear.

Cali nodded, turning her head to look at him. "Oui, j‘aime ca," she sighed. "More, Asher. I want more."

Smiling, Asher straightened and pushed himself into Cali deeper.

Cali gasped and quivered, feeling hot and filled by him. His long, muscular thighs brushed against the backs of Cali’s legs, making her want to lean into them. When she did, Cali felt the scarring down Asher’s right thigh. She noted it made his skin feel coarse and unnatural, but to her, it didn’t particularly detract from his overall sexiness.

Asher began moving, rocking his hips back and forth, and pushing himself in and out of her at a slow, steady rhythm. His hands squeezed her sides with each inward thrust of his cock to hold her to him.

Cali quickly picked up his rhythm and swayed opposite him, increasing the force of the vampire’s impact inside her. Gradually, Asher picked up his pace, gauging her readiness by the intensity of her responses. Delirious with pleasure, Cali gasped for breath and clawed futilely at the slick tiled walls of the shower.

Asher’s hands flattened and skimmed over Cali’s ribs, stroking her with the same rhythm he was fucking her with. His fingers splayed across her breasts and toyed with her nipples, plucking and twisting them until they were achingly hard.

"Asher," Cali sighed, squeezing her eyes tightly closed. Her body felt as though it were burning from within. Everywhere Asher touched her sizzled with sensation. There was a precision to each caress that affected parts of her body that seemed to be experiencing feeling for the first time. Her mind alone seemed more attuned to her body than it ever had been before, and each sensation burst through her brain with the power of a freight train. Obviously, her friends hadn’t been lying about a vampire’s abilities.

Through the heat waves of her desire, Cali heard Asher moan. It was soft and breathy and sexy beyond belief. He moaned again, emitting a half-growl, half-groan and wrapped his arms around Cali‘s torso to hold her immobile. Steadily, he increased his speed and thrust into Cali harder, driving her flat against the shower wall now.

Cali writhed against Asher, gasping fitfully as pleasure coursed through her body. Asher laid his cheek against Cali’s hair and groaned deeply, pounding himself into her.

Knowing her body was pleasing Asher thrilled Cali down to her toes. She wanted him to cum for her, clench his magnificent body around hers and scream her name with unparalleled ecstasy. But being in the position she was inhibited her ability to intimately touch Asher. Cali tried to be content knowing he was getting off using her, but the desire to touch him was simply too intense to be ignored.

Reaching up, she stroked the vampire’s thick, wet hair and trailed her hand down his temple to his cheek. It was the right side of his face she touched, but she caressed it as lovingly as if it were his perfect left.

"So gorgeous," she panted. "You’re so…fucking gorgeous."

Asher froze momentarily, then released a long tremulous breath. Slowly, he eased his body away from Cali and stepped back.

Hesitantly, Cali turned around to face the vampire. She hoped with all her heart she had not done anything wrong. However, the reflection of adoration in his beautiful eyes quickly assured her otherwise.

He stood there now, unabashedly naked before her, water streaming down his gleaming white skin, both scarred and smooth, and soaking his waist-length hair, plastering it to the curves of his torso like shimmering ribbons of gold. His body was exquisitely formed with fine, toned muscles and elegantly chiseled bone. Beneath his slim tapered waist, in a nest of golden curls, his wetly glistening cock stretched beckoningly outward. His large round scrotum lay neatly between his upper thighs, crowning long, sinewy legs that seemed to go on and on and on.

"Oh Asher," Cali said simply, telling herself to breath. "You’re really beautiful."

The vampire opened his mouth to speak, seemed to think better of it, and reached out to Cali instead. "Come to me," he whispered, drawing her near.

Cali settled herself in the circle of Asher’s arms and laid her head on his chest, enjoying the chance to cuddle with him for a moment. She felt the vampire press a kiss on the top of her head and looked up at him. He locked his eyes on hers and turned his head to capture her mouth in a more devouring kiss.

Wrapping her arms around Asher’s waist, Cali ran her palms over his back: up his spine, over his shoulders, down his sides, and across his hips. She savored the feel of his shapely ass, squeezing it with decided relish and delving her fingers into his crack. He kissed her harder and groaned softly, burying his hands in her hair to cradle her head.

As their kisses grew more passionate, Cali’s hands grew more restless. Now that she could, she wanted to touch him everywhere, and experience him in everyway. Tearing her mouth from his, she took a deep breath and turned her head to whisper in his ear.

"Asher, let’s go to bed, eh?" she half-gasped as the vampire slathered her throat with kisses.

"What?" he mumbled against her skin.

"Bed. On va se coucher." Cali raised her head and kissed his perfect jaw line. "The hot water’s running out." She eased herself away from him, prying his arms off her.

"Wait," he called unexpectedly, seizing her hand to keep her from getting out of the bathtub.

Cali looked back at him openly.

For a moment Asher dropped her gaze, then he peered up at her and licked his lips slowly.

"Finish me," he whisperered thickly.

Cali blinked back at him. "I will in bed, okay?"

Asher locked his eyes on hers and shook his head. His hand skimmed the length of his body, down his waist to his loins. He grasped his cock, wrapping his large hand around it and stroked it a few times.

"Not in bed. Here. Under the last of the warm water, by the glow of the candlelight. In this moment--which rarely presents itself to me these days." He paused and took a deep breath. "I don’t ask this lightly. It’s just that, everything seems so perfect right now, I want to savor it. Finish me. I swear it won’t take long."

Cali understood Asher’s need to savor his moment. She nodded readily and lowered herself to her knees in front of him, freeing herself of his smoldering gaze to watch him slide his hand slowly up and down the length of his cock before he guided it to her open lips.

Replacing his hand with hers, Cali stretched out her tongue and swirled it around the velvet-like tip a few times. She opened her mouth wider, darting a quick upwards glance at Asher’s face before taking him inside her mouth.

Asher groaned in appreciation and leaned back against the shower wall beneath the water’s spray. He dragged his fingers through Cali’s wet hair and caressed her scalp with long, languid strokes.

Tightening her grasp around the base of Asher’s cock, Cali eased him further inside her throat, laving the vein-laced underside of it with her tongue. Slowly she pulled her head back, flicking the rim of the tip as she did. The vampire groaned. Pleased by her accomplishment, Cali pushed him back into her mouth, deeper and faster. After stroking him with her lips and tongue a few times, Cali’s throat began to relax enough to accommodate all of him. Steadily, she increased her rhythm.

The vampire’s fingers tightened in her hair. He moaned and sighed and shuddered with obvious pleasure, thrusting his hips forward to absorb each downward push of Cali’s mouth.

"…Oh cherie," Asher murmured with a grin. "N‘arrete pas."

Peering up at him, Cali ran her left hand over Asher’s inner thigh and caressed his scrotum, weighing his testicles in her palm, and squeezing each one tenderly. She slid her lips back down to the tip of his cock and wetly slathered her tongue over his satin-like skin. She nipped him gently, up and down his length, and then kissed her way back up to his oozing tip.

The vampire quivered exquisitely and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall with a deep moan. "Plus vite," he growled and placed his hands on either side of Cali’s head.

Teasingly, Cali ran her tongue up and down Asher’s cock several times before taking him back in her mouth. She closed her eyes as well and slithered her lips down his hard length, sucking and gnawing with her teeth, pushing him deeper and deeper inside. Then she dragged her mouth back up a little faster, sucking harder, and plunged herself back down on him faster still.

Now Cali felt Asher’s hands guiding her head, encouraging her into an even harder, faster rhythm. As she did, she felt the tension in his thighs building as his breaths came in short, forceful gasps. Each moan he emitted now was deep and melodic, echoing in the ceramic-filled bath like beautiful erotic music, and urging Cali to suck him off that much harder.

Asher’s great body began spasming and shaking more with each passing moment. Then, almost without warning, the vampire came with an intensity that startled Cali. He rigidly collapsed against the shower wall, crying out with an inhuman shriek, and trembled fitfully as he ejaculated into Cali’s mouth.

His cum felt cool and silky on her tongue, tasting slightly metallic and sweet. Slowly, she eased his cock from her mouth and sat back on her haunches.

"Bon?" Cali asked anxiously.

Asher’s eyes flew open and he fixed them on her. They had turned into a solid icy-blue that made his gaze all the more piercing.

"Tres bon!" the vampire corrected. "Magnifique!" He reached out and grasped Cali’s hands in his to help her up. Once she was on her feet, Asher crushed her to his chest and kissed her deeply.

Just as Cali felt herself swoon, Asher released her and stepped back. Cali looked up at him and smiled coyly.

"I’m glad you enjoyed it," she told him earnestly. "I really wanted you to, eh?"

The vampire returned her smile, watching as she leaned over to turn off the faucets and pull back the curtain.

"You, cherie Calica, are the first woman whose mouth I’ve plundered in nearly two-hundred years," Asher said wistfully. "Merci beaucoup. I had truly forgotten how incredible it felt."

Cali climbed out of the shower and reached for the towels. She handed one to Asher and wrapped the other around her body to ward off the room’s impending chill.

"Two-hundred years, eh?" she mumbled. "Somehow, I find that hard to believe."

"It is true, ma cherie," the vampire stated earnestly.

Cali grinned and narrowed her eyes dubiously at Asher. "No sex for two-hundred years?"

Asher raised his brow. "I didn’t say that. I have had numerous lovers in that time. I have lovers now."

Surprised by his candor, Cali clutched her towel tightly to her chest and stared back at him with wide open eyes. "Lovers? Plural?"

"Oui," Asher confessed. "It is so complicated with them however. In all honesty, our union was forged as a political ploy. We love each other, but almost too much--too carefully. There is no wild abandon between us. Not like you and I will have tonight."

Cali laughed lightly. "You mean, had--like we just had tonight."

Shaking his head, Asher stepped up to Cali and raised her chin with his hand. "What that?" he whispered, inclining his head towards the shower. He bent to kiss her and then gathered her into the circle of his arms. "Ma cherie, that was merely foreplay."

END

End

Tonight is Your Birthday

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay.

The day was still salvageable, Calica thought to herself as she pushed the key into the lock on her apartment door and turned it a little too hard. Well, what was left of it anyway as it was close to midnight now and after midnight, her birthday would be over. She could still call up a few friends and see where the parties were at. Head out and hang out until the wee hours of the morning. It was her birthday after all. She shouldn’t have had to work, but she did. She shouldn’t have to spend it alone since apparently no one seemed to remember the day, but she was. She had. Fuck it. Maybe she should just go to bed.

Pushing open the front door and slamming it behind her, Cali threw her keys on the nearest end table and headed to the kitchen mumbling to herself. What were birthdays anyway? It was just the day you got another year older. Big deal. Who cares? Obviously no one. She slid out of her coat and tossed it aside not caring where it landed. She kicked off her shoes and pulled off her socks and threw them aside as well.

Grabbing a cola from the refrigerator, she accidentally knocked over the bottle of orange juice which in turn knocked over the ketchup. Righting the overturned containers, Cali shook her head. Yeah. It’d been that kind of day. Better to just go to bed and forget about it.

She closed the refrigerator door which plunged the kitchen back into darkness, but Cali didn’t bother turning on the lights. She took a moment and leaned against the counter as she drank and thought about things. A lot of things. Her life was changing. She could feel it and it wasn’t just because of her birthday. There was someone in her life now who was important to her. She was finally able to admit she had feelings for this person. Not to him of course, but deep down, she believed he already knew. He was perceptive that way.

Cali had to smile. Thinking of Asher often made her smile. God, he was so sweet. And so sexy. What she wouldn’t have given to have been able to spend her birthday with him. Even if she could have just seen him today. That alone would have been enough to turn things around.

Setting her empty cola can down on the countertop, Cali pushed off of the cabinetry and headed for the bedroom. Maybe she’d dream of Asher tonight. At least then, she’d wake up happy. Padding down her darkened hall, Cali paused at the thermostat to turn up the heat a little. Hellish weather. No snow, but wind chills in the teens. Even her cozy little apartment was chilly. There was probably a draught somewhere.

She turned away from the device and took one step forward, then stopped short. Her bedroom door was closed. Strange. She hadn’t remembered closing it before she left this afternoon. Her reasoning kicked in and she decided it must have been the wind that closed it--which would also explain the draught, but all her windows were shut, right? It was February. No one left their bedroom windows open in this weather.

Chills ran up Cali’s spine that had nothing to do with the mysterious draught. Slowly, she reached for the doorknob and turned it, bracing herself to slam it and flee on a moment’s notice. She pushed it open a crack and peered inside.

Strangely, the room was more or less glowing. Candles had been set up and lit around the perimeter of the room. Their flames danced erratically in the breeze, throwing wildly undulating shadows across the walls. Cali peeked in further. The breeze? Yes, there was definitely a breeze in the room and since the window was wide open, that explained that at least.

Something moved on her bed which Cali caught out of the corner of her eye. Warily, she turned her head, opening the door a little more.

“Bon anniversaire, ma cherie!”

Calica’s mouth fell open and she gaped at the vampire beneath her sheets in a stunned silence. For a moment, she couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t speak. All she could do was stare.

But what a sight for sore eyes. There was Asher in all his naked glory, reclining in the middle of her bed, covered with just the top sheet so Cali could follow the outline of his hips and thighs with her eyes. His long golden hair was wildly tousled as if he’d teased it slightly. The candle glow on his pale skin made him look ethereal, like some spectral entity from beyond. His startlingly steelly blue eyes were sparkling with the dancing lights all around him and the smile on his beautiful full lips was purely carnal.

Swallowing down the amphibian in her throat, Cali blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t just imaging all this, and then struggled to find something to say.

“How did you get in here?” she asked, though she really could have cared less. She was stalling for time now, trying to take in the implications of what coming home to a naked vampire in your bed actually meant.

“Through the window,” Asher answered, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do.

Cali told herself to move. Do something intelligent. Walking sideways towards the window to close it seemed like a good idea.

“It’s freezing in here now,” she said, forcing herself to turn away from him and face the window. She quickly closed it and rubbed her arms briskly. “Least you could have done was close it again, eh?” Cali knew that sounded harsher than she actually intended. Really. Who cared if it was even snowing inside? Asher was lying in her bed.

She turned around to face him, to apologize and try to explain that she’d just had a bad day and was in a mood, but the sight of him short-circuited her mind again.

“So sorry, ma cherie,” Asher said and pursed his lips in an endearing pout. He sat up further, pulling himself to his knees and then crawled towards her, down the bed on all fours. The sheet slid off his body revealing that yes, he was indeed naked. “Come to me. I’ll warm you up.”

His voice rolled off his tongue, low and virile, with just enough of a breathy French accent that made Cali’s toes curl. Her eyes latched onto his and she found herself drawn to him. Not from anything supernatural that he was doing, but from her complete infatuation of him.

“What are you doing here, eh?” she asked, drifting towards the foot of the bed where he was poised and waiting.

“It is your birthday,” he replied and passed his tongue slowly over his upper lip. “I’ve come to give you a present.”

Cali cracked a smile. The day’s depression and frustration were quickly ebbing away. “How did you learn that? I never told you. Did I?” She struggled to recall.

Asher shook his head sending his golden mane sashaying around his face. “Non. A petite oiseau told me.” He rose up on his knees again, and then settled back on his haunches, folding his long legs underneath him as Cali drew closer.

“A little bird?” she said, rather dubiously.

Asher reached for her and immediately started undressing her. “A night owl,” he whispered back with a sly smile. He pulled the sweater over her head and tossed aside. Then he deftly unbuttoned her blouse and opened it.

Cali obligingly removed her jeans and panties and stepped out of them. Asher pushed off her blouse and reached behind her to unfasten her bra. He pulled it off of her and let it fall to the floor, then seemed to take a moment to study her. Another very carnal smile graced his gorgeous mouth.

“Happy birthday,” he more or less growled. Gathering her up in his arms, Asher kissed her hungrily and leaned slowly back, drawing her body up over his in a graceful and powerful maneuver that only a vampire could pull off.

Asher lay back on the sheets with Cali on top of him, still kissing her voraciously as if she were his one source of sustenance. Cali was beginning to thaw to his ministrations and raised her hands to stroke the sides of his face as he kissed her. She could feel his thick hardness pressing against her thigh and shifted her legs to center him better between them.

Asher broke the kiss and pushed her back slightly. “Non non non,” he protested. “You can’t possibly be ready for that yet.”

“Yes I am,” Cali countered and paused to gnaw on Asher’s neck making him quiver. “I’m so ready. Trust me.”

Turning his head to the side, Asher let Cali nibble on him while he slid his hand down the length of her body and slipped his fingers between her legs. He ran his fingertips along her opening a few times before pushing one inside and swirling it around. Cali’s mind immediately blanked from the sensation and she gasped against Asher’s neck.

“So you are,” he murmured and brought his probing hand to his mouth. He licked his fingers clean and grinned mischievously. “Are my kisses that sensual?”

“Seeing you draped on my bed was sensual,” Cali whispered, teasing his lips open with hers. “Undressing me was sensual. The candlelight was sensual. Your kisses…are my undoing.”

Capturing his mouth with hers, Cali arched her back and pushed herself down on him. She was so wet he slid easily inside and the feeling of that alone was to die for. She moaned deep in her throat and ground her hips against him, entwining her legs around his for leverage.

Asher encircled her back with his arms, keeping her pressed tightly to him. He opened his mouth wider and snaked his tongue across hers. Cali caught it between her teeth and sucked it slowly, drawing it deeper into her mouth while grinding her lips into his.

Asher moaned now and ran his hands down her back to her ass. He squeezed it and held it, letting her rock back and forth on top of him as the pressure of his hands guided her rhythm with the movement of his hips.

Cali sat upright and increased her pace, riding him like a woman possessed. Her mind was already whiting out with pleasure shocks and her body was already twitching and spasming around his thick cock with an increasing frequency. She was going to cum very soon and the way he was reacting, it appeared as if he wasn’t far from satisfaction himself.

Deliberately, Cali slowed herself down. As wonderful as their frenetic fucking was, this was a time to be savored, not rushed. Opening her eyes, Calica peered down at the vampire beneath her and ran her hands along his chest to his nipples to toy with them awhile. Asher opened his eyes as well and looked up at her, but as soon as Cali pinched his pale nipples between her fingers, his eyes fell closed again and his mouth opened in an erotic little gasp.

“Harder,” he breathed in a barely audible voice that was husky with desire.

Obligingly, Cali pinched him harder, making him writhe against her. Asher arched his back, pushing his chest against her teasing hands and threw his head back against the pillow. His mouth fell open wider, baring his glistening white fangs temptingly.

Cali raised one tentative hand and touched it to his mouth. Asher’s eyes opened, revealing they had bled to a solid icy blue color and he locked them on hers as she explored his teeth, running her fingertips over the points of his elongated canines. Impulsively, Cali jabbed the soft pad of her thumb onto one of his fangs, making it bleed. She watched Asher’s face as the drops of blood fell on his tongue. Again, his eyes fluttered close and he groaned deeply. His lips sealed around her finger and she felt his tongue rub against it as he sucked it hungrily.

His hands were urging her hips faster now, digging his fingers into the soft flesh of her ass. Again, she obliged him, building back up to her previous pace and beyond, banging herself against him with demanding force. Her ultra-sensitized clit was bumping harder into him, sending pulses of pleasure coursing through her with growing need.

In another powerfully supernatural maneuver that could only be gracefully accomplished by a vampire, Asher pulled himself up into a sitting position, shifting Cali against him so her legs were now wrapped around his waist without falling out of her. His hands once more fastened around her hips urging her on as her arms enfolded around his neck. He pushed her body harder against his and dragged his mouth down her throat suggestively.

“Oui Asher,” Cali gasped. “Oui!”

The vampire struck her swiftly, sinking his teeth deeply into her neck, grinding his mouth against her skin. His power fell over her then and her body succumbed to nothing short of a volcanic orgasm, her mind flashing white as her senses exploded in unadulterated ecstasy. Asher tensed and moaned loudly, locking her body to his with his powerful grip as he came too.

Cali all but collapsed on Asher, gasping and shuddering in intense gratification. Over and over, waves of sensation crashed through her until Asher raised his head and took her mouth in a tender, but passionate kiss.

That one orgasm was going to do her in for the rest of the night, Cali thought as soon as she was able to get her mind clear again. Asher was easing them both down to the mattress again, entwining himself around her body like an overly affectionate feline.

“Oh Asher,” Cali whispered, hoarse now from screaming out her pleasure earlier. “It gets better every time we make love. That was the best…birthday present I could have gotten today. And here I thought the day was shot. No one remembered. No one cared that today was my birthday.”

Asher leaned over and kissed Cali’s cheek softly. “I’m sorry I could not give you your present sooner, cherie,” he lamented. “Try to remember from now on; when you have a vampire in your life, an occasion is not of the day, but of the night. Today wasn’t your birthday. Tonight is your birthday. And we have all night to celebrate. All night for amour.”

Cali smiled. “A vampire in my life. Now that really is the best gift of all,” she said and reached for him once again.

THE END