Immortal Beloved: Chapter Eighteen
Sitting on the bed, Vicki began gliding a brush down her hair, untangling knots, and Henry watched her, silently. Glancing at him, she frowned slightly. “You’re staring.”
Smiling slightly, he slid closer to her and clasped his hand over her wrist that held the brush. “May I?”
“You want to brush my hair?” she asked, making it clear she thought he was nuts. Oh, he was most definitely certifiable, that he knew.
“I do,” he said softly, “May I?”
She nodded slowly and handed over the brush, “Sure.”
“Turn around,” he ordered gently and she turned her back to him, her golden wet locks hanging down to the middle of her back. How he longed to see that luxurious hair spread out over his pillow.
Humming slightly to himself, Henry lost himself in the task of brushing Vicki’s hair.
“Did I ever tell you how someone brushing my hair makes me sleepy?” she said after a while.
“No, you didn’t,” he murmured, running his fingers through her damp strands. “Have you had many people brush your hair?”
“Well, my mom when I was younger and …”
“And?” Henry prompted.
“Mike,” she muttered.
He could feel the tension start to coil in her body and that was the last thing he wanted. Scooting even closer, Henry resumed brushing her hair, and soon she was relaxed once again. Placing the brush down on the bed, Henry shifted her hair to the side and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. “You’re not a monster. You’re beautiful,” he whispered against her skin.
“Thank you,” she said softly, so softly even he had to strain to hear it.
There were so many things inside him, words mainly, that he wanted to say, that he wanted to express to her. And yet he could not. He didn’t what she would be receptive to or how much she could listen to before she drew back from him once again. Right now, at that moment, she was soft and pliant, warm and relaxed. The last thing he wanted to do was muck it up.
“Why don’t you lie down?” he said, getting up and placing the brush on the nightstand on her side of the bed.
She watched him pull the covers back, chewing her bottom lip. “What are you going to do?” she asked finally.
“I’m going to take a shower of my own,” he replied.
“You’re not going to…?”
“To what, Vicki?”
“Feed?”
He smiled, “No, I’m not hungry right now. I’ve still got you floating in my veins and it’s enough for now.”
“Oh,” she said, averting her eyes, looking suddenly shy.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, concerned. “Shall I fix you some blood?”
She shook her head, “No, I’m good. I just thought maybe I took too much…”
He smiled and tilted her head up to look at him with one hand. “You didn’t take too much. It was perfect.”
She nodded and stood, “Okay, thanks.”
“No need to thank me,” he said, chuckling lightly.
Shrugging she made her way over to the closet, flicked on the light for it and stepped inside. “Henry, how do you find anything in here? Honestly. This is as big as my apartment.”
“What are you looking for, love?” he asked, amusement evident in his tone as he made his way over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
“When you brought my things over, I had put away my old favorite t-shirt and I want to wear it. I’ve missed it.”
He quirked a brow, “You’ve missed a t-shirt?”
She turned then and grinned up at him, “Well it’s not just any t-shirt. It’s a ginormous t-shirt. Goes down to my knees and it’s baby blue and soft and it says ‘Perkins Cove’ across the top.”
“Perkins Cove as in Ogunquit, Maine?”
She smiled broadly, “You’ve been there?”
“A few times, yes.”
“Well it’s one of my favorite places and I missed wearing it. It has a soothing effect on me. Kind of like a child with its favorite blanket. Can you help me find it?”
“Of course. I put all your things…” he trailed off, heading toward the middle of the closet where a small dresser stood and opened it, “…here.” Rummaging for a minute, he extracted said t-shirt and handed it to her. “For you, mi’lady.”
The look of pure joy that etched across her face had Henry jealous of a t-shirt. Why couldn’t she look upon him like that? Why couldn’t he excite her and ignite feelings of comfort within her?
“Thank you,” she said happily and kissed his cheek quickly before bounding off for the bathroom to change.
“Now I really have experienced everything,” Henry muttered. “Sure I’ve lived thousands of years, been in war, seen the world change, watched history, been part of history, had one of the greatest figures in history as my father but nothing can compare to being jealous of a goddamn t-shirt.”
********
Henry lay in the dark in his bed watching Vicki sleep soundly and wondering how one woman could contain so many contradictions. She was at once hard, but soft, at once argumentative, and then putty in his hands. Trying to gauge her moods and figure out which persona he was going to get at any given time was something he figured it was time to stop trying to figure it out. It might make his head spin less.
After his shower that night he’d found her curled up on the couch, her beloved pillow on her lap and one of his throw blankets wrapped around her. She was watching some sitcom, but he could tell she wasn’t really watching it for her eyes were drifting off, staring out the large bay window, watching the night sky.
He’d settled in beside her, stretching an arm out behind her, waiting for her to acknowledge him.
“I think this is my favorite blanket of yours,” she said finally, fingering the multi-colored fleece between her fingers.
“Is it now?” Wow, something of his, something connected to him comforted her?
“It is. I don’t think I ever told you that before.”
“You haven’t. It’s yours if you want it.”
“No, no, I couldn’t take it.”
“Why not?”
“What would I have to look forward to when I came over?” she said, smirking at him.
He put his hand over his heart in mock offense. “Oh, I don’t know,” he drawled, “Me, maybe?”
She giggled then, actually giggled, and hit him playfully on his leg. Grabbing her hand, he kissed it softly. “Come to bed. You’ve had a long night.”
“I’m all right, Henry. I’m tired, but I just want to sit out here for a while.”
He nodded, “All right. I’m going to do some work then. Need anything?”
“No, and if I do, I know where it all is,” she assured him.
He grinned, “All right.”
After an hour, he stopped his work and found her fast asleep, the blanket bunched up in her fingers and drawn up tight to her chest. Smiling, he knelt by her side and pushed some of her now dry and silky hair from her face. Unable to resist, he kissed her softly on the lips before lifting her and carrying her to his bed. He wanted one day to consider it theirs…one day. Hopefully.
Now, he watched her sleep, pondering his next step and hoping she’d give him some kind of clue as to what that was. Fingering a strand of her hair that dropped forward on her breast, Henry sighed. Helena had been right. His life had been too complacent before Vicki came along. Complacent and boring. It had been a long time since he’d felt so much and he had to admit that even though it hurt, the hurt made him feel alive for the first time in a long time.
“Henry?”
So lost in his thoughts he hadn’t noticed that Vicki had awoken and was now staring at him in quiet intensity.
“Sorry, did I wake you?” he asked, dropping her lock of hair and withdrawing his hand.
She shook her head slightly and just watched him, her blue eyes boring into him.
“What is it, Vicki?” he asked, becoming concerned.
Without saying a word she slid closer and kissed him, tentatively at first. He could taste her hesitation and he had to wonder what she thought he would do-turn her away? Not bloody likely.
He deepened the kiss, reassuring her that he was not about to turn away any show of affection from her. Gently, tentative himself, he wrapped an arm around her waist and hoped she’d take the hint to move closer.
She did, sliding even closer so that her body was pressed up against his. Excitement ripped through him and he hardened immediately. This was her, all her, she was initiating this contact…
“Henry,” she whimpered, rubbing herself against him.
Taking control, Henry rolled her on her back and settled himself between her legs that she opened and wrapped around him immediately. He could feel the heat of her against his thigh and he groaned, knowing how wet she had to be. And God, he had to find out.
Hastily, he pushed up her damn t-shirt and surprisingly, she helped him take it off her. Growling, he kissed her, reveling in the feel of her naked breasts pressed up against his bare chest. More, he thought, I need more.
Trailing kisses from her mouth to her jaw, down to her throat to which he swirled his tongue around the bite marks he’d left earlier, he smiled against her silky skin when she gasped and thrust her lower half against him.
“I know what you want,” he muttered, going further down her body to her breasts. Laving one nipple before suckling from it greedily, he rubbed his thumb ever so lightly against her other breast until it hardened. When it did, he suckled that one in his mouth before pressing kisses to her flat, toned belly. Swirling her tongue around her belly button, he gripped her hips and slipped her panties off slowly. Once bare to him, she spread her legs even further, sending him the subtle message of where she wanted his attention. He chuckled into the skin of her thigh and bit it gently with his blunt teeth.
“Henry,” she whimpered again and the sound was music to his ears. It was him, she wanted him.
Spreading her outer lips with his fingers, Henry licked up her slit eliciting a deep, passionate moan from Vicki. “Peaches,” he muttered, “You taste like peaches.”
“Ooh,” she moaned again when he flicked her clit with his tongue and then suckled it gently into his mouth. Her hands dove into his curls, unknowingly pulling him closer to her center.
“What do you want, Vicki?” he asked huskily, teasing her with his tongue and finger.
“I want…”
“Tell me and I’ll give it to you,” he whispered, sliding a finger inside her and scraping her clit with his teeth lightly.
“Ahhh…yes,” she hissed.
“Tell me, Vicki. Do you want me? Is it me you want?”
“Oooh…God…” she moaned, her head thrashing from side to side, eyes shut tight.
“Tell me you want me,” he demanded, pumping her with his finger.
“I want you,” she gasped and he rewarded her by suckling her clit in his mouth while curling his finger inside her and rubbing her g-spot.
Immediately, she came in his waiting mouth and shouted her release to the heavens. When her orgasm began to ebb ever so slowly, Henry quickly removed his boxers and kneeled between her legs, staring down at her like a man starved and desperately in love. Which, he was. Her hair was spread out on his pillow, just as he’d wanted and envisioned and her naked, supple body was laid bare for him and he hungrily devoured every inch with his eyes. It was only her hands on his chest, sliding down to his waist and then to his rock hard member that drew him back to the moment. Heat and desire made her eyes darken to indigo and he was drawn in by them, drawn in by the knowledge that she’d reached for him this time.
Unable to be away from her any longer, Henry covered her body with his own, his erection seeking her heat. Home was inside her body, home was wherever she was, home was Vicki.
Wrapping her lean legs around him, she slithered a hand between them and guided him inside her. It was his turn to gasp. Even though he knew what it felt like to be inside her, and even though it had been only a few hours ago that he had been, it felt like a lifetime had passed since then.
He started a slow and steady rhythm, wanting to make sure she felt every inch of him inside her. With each thrust he thought, Mine, and he wanted her to be clear that she was his, that it was him inside her, that it was him she reached for.
Surprising him once again, she brought his face down and kissed him deeply while her soft hands ran down his back and then scraped her nails back up. “Harder,” she whispered against the shell of his ear and he was powerless to resist. She met him thrust for thrust and soon he was pounding inside her. Knowing his release was coming, and wanting her to join him; he slid his hand to her center and rubbed her clit roughly. Soon, her walls were clamping down around him and her sharp teeth were sinking into his neck.
Henry nearly howled his release, not knowing anything sweeter than being inside Vicki and having her teeth sink into him. He spilled his dead seed inside her and collapsed against her.
“Did I hurt you?” she asked softly, her voice slightly hoarse, her inner walls still pulsing around him.
“No, you didn’t,” he panted needlessly, nuzzling her neck. “Am I crushing you?”
“Not at all,” she said dazedly, stroking her hands down his back.
“Good,” he whispered. Because I don’t plan to move unless I have to.