"Ah," he said, and then shrugged. "Well, I could go with you, and then they wouldn't have to worry about setting you up with anyone."
Her heart did a little flip-flop. "Really? You wouldn't mind?"
He smiled. "Not at all."
Savanna considered that. She was sure he was just offering to be polite, but that didn't stop her heart from hammering wildly with excitement anyway. Or her fingers from trembling a little as she dialed the phone and put it to her ear.
"Hey Mom, it's me," she said when her mother answered.
"I've been trying to call you for days, dear," her mother said. "I was starting to get worried when you didn't return my calls."
Savanna chewed on her lower lip. "I...um...I've been busy with work," she lied.
"You are still coming to dinner, aren't you?" her mother asked. "I have this really nice guy I'd like you to meet. He bags my groceries all the time at the store. But I want to make sure you're coming before I invite him."
"I'm still coming," Savanna said. "But I don't think you need to invite him. I'm going to be bringing someone with me."
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. Then, in a resigned voice, he mother said, "Oh Savanna, please don't tell me you met him at one of those dreadful Goth clubs you go to."
"Actually, I did," Savanna said, a smile curving her lips as her gaze slid to Kaige. "But I think you'll like him."
She and her mother spoke for a few more minutes before Savanna hung up. Remembering that her friend Michelle had also left a message, she called her next. Not wanting the other girl to worry, she told her that was feeling better and would be back at work that night.
Telling Kaige to make himself at home, Savanna went into her bedroom to grab her things. Not one to ever pack light anyway, she knew she was probably bringing way too many clothes even as she put a few extra Tee's in the bag, but she wanted to make sure she had enough. As she added several pairs of skimpy bikini panties and matching bras to the bag, she couldn't help but get excited at the thought of Kaige seeing her in them. She wasn't sure if the relationship with a sire was supposed to be platonic, but after what had happened between her and Kaige when she'd fed from him last night, it was difficult not to have sexual thoughts where he was concerned.
Zipping the bag, she found herself wondering if all vampires got sexually excited if they fed from each other. The mere thought of drinking from Kaige again had her dizzy with desire. Savanna let out a little moan as she picked up her bag and left the room.
Kaige was sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine when she walked into the living room. At her entrance, he tossed it on the coffee table and stood up.
"Did I hear you say that you're going to go to work tonight?" he asked.
She nodded as she set the bagdown on the floor. "That's okay, isn't it? I mean, I just fed last night, so I shouldn't be tempted to bite any of my coworkers, right?" She could just imagine having to call the vampire hotline because she couldn't get in touch with Kaige.
His mouth twitched. "Probably not, but just to be on the safe side, you'd better feed before you go to work."
Savanna's pulse quickened at the thought of nibbling on his wrist again. Even more, she felt a little tingle of arousal between her legs. Wow, she had it bad. "Oh...okay," she said. "Do you want to do it here?"
He nodded. "Why don't you sit on the couch? That seemed to work well when we did it like that last time."
Savanna said nothing as she walked over to the couch and sat down. She wiped her suddenly damp hands on her jeans. Would Kaige expect her to bite his wrist this time, or would he do it himself again? But he was already lifting his arm to his mouth. She caught her breath at the sight of his fangs.
At the sound, Kaige paused to look at her. "You might want to close your eyes."
She shook her head. "I'm okay."
He hesitated, as if debating whether he should insist, but then with his eyes still on her, he sank his fangs into his wrist.
Savanna breathed in deeply as the scent of Kaige's blood filled the room. She ran her tongue over her lips in anticipation and was surprised to feel the sharp tips of her own fangs. She hadn't even realized they'd come out. She parted her lips eagerly as he held his wrist up to her mouth.
Kaige's blood was hot on her tongue and just as intoxicating as she remembered. Savanna let out a little moan and closed her lips more tightly around his wrist, drinking deeply from him. He slid his hand in her hair, his fingers slowly massaging as she gently sank her teeth into his skin.
As his blood flowed through her, Savanna felt the tingle increase between her legs. She squeezed her thighs together, hoping to ease the ache there, but it only seemed to intensify it. Dear God, it was all she could do not to slide her hand down and touch herself.
Not wanting to take too much, she tenderly pulled her mouth away. Slowly running her tongue along the inside of Kaige's wrist, she lifted her gaze to look up at him. His dark head was thrown back, his eyes closed, the expression on his face one of pure ecstasy.
As if just realizing that she had stopped drinking from him, Kaige opened his eyes. He gazed down at her for a long moment, his eyes dark and smoldering with a look so intense that she caught her breath. The next thing she knew, she was in his arms and he was kissing her.
If she'd thought Kaige's blood was intoxicating, that was nothing compared to the feel of his lips on hers. His tongue swept into her mouth and slid over her fangs, making her whole body tremble and she melted against him. Eager to see what his fangs felt like, she thrust her tongue into his mouth and almost lost her mind at the feel of the sharp tips caressing her teasing tongue.
He lifted his head with a groan. "You have no idea how much I want you right now," he rasped.
Savanna let out a husky laugh as she slid her hand between them to the bulge straining at the front of his jeans. "I think I have a pretty good idea, actually," she said against his mouth.
Kaige groaned again, the sound a deep growl within his throat as she cupped him firmly in her hand. "What time do you have to be at work?" he asked hoarsely.
She kissed him again. "Not for an hour."
"Thank God," Kaige breathed, lowering his head to kiss her again.
Savanna hadn't known it was possible to kiss and undress each other at the same time, or maybe she'd never wanted a man badly enough to try before, but she and Kaige managed to do both quite well.
She fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, almost yanking them off in her haste to get him naked. But if she were in a hurry, then Kaige was even more eager. The moment his shirt was off, his hands were beneath the hem of her snug-fitting shirt and he was pushing it up with an urgency that had her dragging her mouth away from his so he could take off her top. By the time he reached around to unclasp her satin demi-bra, his mouth was on hers again.
She tugged at his belt, then went to work on the buttons of his jeans. She'd always thought the button-fly kind were sexy as hell on a guy, but right then she would have preferred a zipper. The things were giving her fits!
Kaige had better luck, his finger deftly undoing her tight-fitting jeans with amazing ease. A moment later, he was pushing them over her hips and down her legs, leaving her wearing nothing but a tiny pair of black bikini panties. Rather than take them off like she'd expected him to, however, he gave her a hand with his jeans instead.
When they were off and he was gloriously naked, Savanna wasted no time pushing him back onto the couch. She was so bold; what had gotten into her? As she wiggled out of her skimpy panties, she decided she didn't care. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. She took a moment to gaze at him in appreciation. With that chiseled chest, those broad shoulders, and six-pack abs, he was every woman's fantasy. She didn't think she'd ever seen a guy with such a gorgeous body. Or so well-endowed.
Stepping out of her sopping wet panties, she placed her hands on his shoulders and straddled his lap. Kaige put his hands on her hips, guiding her into position even as she sank down on his hard cock. She gasped as he filled her pussy, her hands clutching his shoulders, her fingers digging into the hard muscles there.
"Ride me," Kaige commanded softly.
Savanna didn't have to be told twice, her hips undulating as she slowly moved up and down on his thick shaft. Damn, he felt so perfect inside of her.
Kaige slid his hand up her back, pulling her close, and she arched against him as he pressed his lips to the hollow behind her ear. He nibbled his way down her neck, the tips of his fangs gently scraping against her skin as he went. Savanna tilted her head to the side, wondering breathlessly if he would bite her. The thought both frightened and excited her at the same time. But to her chagrin, he only continued to kiss and nibble. Not that she was complaining. She was more than thrilled with what he was doing.
Savanna clutched at his shoulders, holding on for dear life. Her neck had always been one of her erogenous zones, but tonight it seemed even more sensitive. She wondered absently if it was because she was a vampire now. But as Kaige's teeth brushed against her skin again, she decided she'd think about that later. Right now, all she could focus on was what he was doing to her.
She and Kaige were so out of control that she knew neither of them could last for very long. She rode him harder and harder, taking his cock deeper inside of her with every motion. God, he was touching her in places she'd never been touched before.
When she came, it was like every orgasm she'd ever had in her life had all been rolled into one. It was cliche, but she swore she could see stars as she threw her head back and screamed. It only got better when Kaige groaned and pumped his hot cum into her. It warmed her insides and made her feel as if she were going to melt.
Afterward, all Savanna could do was collapse against him and rest her head on his shoulder as she tried to catch her breath.
"Oh my God, that was incredible," she breathed. She pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. "Is it always like this? Sharing blood, I mean. Is it always such a sexual experience?"
Kaige gently smoothed her hair with his hand. "Only with you," he said softly.
For some reason, his words pleased Savanna immensely.
Chapter 5.
Savanna barely made it to work on time that afternoon. After the amazing sex they'd had, it had been more than a little tempting to say the hell with her job and spend the night in bed with Kaige. Somehow, though, they had both managed to control themselves. So, after a quick shower and a bite to eat, Kaige had dropped her off at the lab. She'd told him she could have just taken the subway, but he had said that was silly. He even insisted on picking her up when she got off from work. She hadn't admitted it to him, but she really liked his chivalrous gesture, and she found herself walking into the lab with a bounce in her step.
Her coworkers must have noticed the change in her, too, because several of them commented on her appearance, saying she looked like she was feeling a lot better. Savanna merely smiled and told them she was, but that reply wasn't enough to satisfy Michelle.
"You look amazing," her friend said as they had lunch together. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd been on vacation. Or that you spent the afternoon in bed with some guy."
Savanna tried to hide her blush by concentrating on her nearly empty container of yogurt, but the redhead saw itand immediately pounced.
"No way!" Michelle gasped. "Who is he? When did you meet him? More importantly, why didn't you tell me about him?"
Savanna shrugged, trying to make the whole thing appear more casual than it was. "I met him at the club I went to the other night," she said as she scraped the inside of the plastic yogurt container with her spoon.
The other girl blinked. "And you're already sleeping with him? That's fast. He must be a real hottie."
"Hot" didn't even begin to describe Kaige, but Savanna only smiled as she lifted the spoon to her mouth. She supposed the other girl was right, though. While she was by no means a prude, she didn't normally sleep with a guy quite that quickly. But it had just felt right with Kaige. Besides, she'd been so damn hot for him that she couldn't have stopped herself even if she had wanted to.
"Let me guess," Michelle said as picked up the other half of the sandwich she was eating. "He's tall, dark, handsome, and wears an overcoat, right?"
Savanna licked the last of the yogurt off the spoon. "You forgot brooding," she said as she set the empty yogurt container down on the table. "Actually, he is tall, dark, and handsome. Not brooding, though. And he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt the first time I saw him."
Her friend's eyes went wide. "Now I'm really intrigued," she said, leaning forward in her seat. "Sounds like a complete departure for you. Tell me everything!"
Savanna took a sip from a bottleof water as she considered the best way to describe how she and Kaige had met. Deciding a slightly modified version of the story might be best, she told Michelle that she'd gotten herself into a "tight spot" at the club and that Kaige had "come to her rescue."
"I wasn't really feeling too well after that and he was nice enough to take me home," she said, not bothering to add that it had been to Kaige's home that they'd gone or that she'd ended up staying there for a couple of days. "I hadn't really planned on sleeping with him tonight. It just kind of happened. We'd just had a sexy, romantic...dinner, and before I knew it, we were making out in my living room."
Michelle let out a sigh. "And to think that I spent my afternoon doing laundry and giving myself a pedicure," she said as she sipped her iced tea. "So, what does he do for a living?"
Savanna opened the container of grapes she'd brought with her and popped one in her mouth. "He's a professor at the university."
The redhead lifted a brow. "Really? What does he teach?"
"History," Savanna said.
"That's not the type of guy you normally go for," Michelle observed.
Savanna grinned. "I know, but I think I may have been limiting my prospects too much."
The other girl sat back in her seat. "So, when are you going to see him again?"
"He's picking me up after work," Savanna said. "Oh, and he's going with me to my parents' house for dinner tomorrow night." She didn't feel it was necessary to mention that she was already staying at his house.
Her friend looked even more incredulous at that. "Picking you up from work and going with you to your parents' house for dinner? Girl, that's some serious boyfriend material you've got there," she said. "He doesn't have a brother by any chance, does he?"
Savanna laughed. "Afraid not."
She and Michelle spent the rest of their lunch break talking about guys and how difficult it was to find a good one. Savanna agreed. While she didn't want to get ahead of herself, she was already starting to think that Kaige was definitely a keeper. Now that she thought about a little more, she decided that Kaige actually was the vampire she had always been looking for. He was tall, dark, and handsome, and while he wasn't exactly what she would call brooding, he had come to her rescue just like Angel had always come to the rescue of the girls on the TV show. What else could she ask for?
Savanna couldn't help but smile. She had spent a good part of her life drooling over make-believe vampires and now she was actually involved with a real-life one. She kept waiting for someone to come in and tell her that it was all a big joke. But it wasn't, and she knew it. Kaige was real and so were the things she was beginning to feel for him.
Though Kaige should have gone to the university to catch up on some paperwork after he dropped Savanna off at the lab, he found himself going to the clinic to talk to Jensen instead. After what had happened between him and Savanna at her apartment, he needed someone to talk to, and his sire was really the only person he felt he could confide in.
Kaige found the blond-haired vampire in his office reading some reports.
"Where's Savanna?" his friend asked as Kaige sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk.
Kaige rested his ankle on his knee. "At work."
Jensen lifted a brow. "Is she ready for that?"
Kaige nodded. "I don't see why not," he said. "She's dealing with being a vampire very well. Much better than I did."
The other vampire let out a snort. "That's not saying much. But from the time I spent with her, I'd have to say you're right. She seems to be doing fine."
Better than fine, Kaige thought, which still amazed him. He had expected her to react much differently. "Besides," he said to Jensen. "I made sure she fed before she went to work."
Jensen was silent for a moment, as if considering that. "She had no problem with the bagged blood?"
"We haven't tried that yet," Kaige said.
His friend's brow furrowed. "You're still giving her an IV then?"
Kaige shook his head. "She takes it from my wrist."
Surprise flickered in Jensen's eyes. "She's okay with doing that? I mean, she's not put off at all by the whole concept of drinking blood from the vein?"
Kaige shrugged. "Like I said, she's dealing with being a vampire very well."
Jensen sighed. "I admit, when you first told me that you had turned the girl, I wasn't sure you'd be very good at mentoring her, but you obviously did a damn fine job. I have to hand it to you."
Kaige shrugged again. "I really didn't have much to do with it," he told the other man. "It seems Savanna grew up with a pretty positive image of vampires, so she's actually not that upset to be one of us."
His friend gave him a rueful smile. "If only you had accepted being a vampire as easily."
"Things were different back then," Kaige said. "Besides, I wasn't that bad."
The other man laughed. "Except for the part where you tried to throw yourself off the roof of the church after discovering that drinking holy water wouldn't turn you back into a human again."