Brown, Aubrey - Hunger [Sequel to Ravenous] (Siren Publishing Allure) Read online

  Chapter Eight

  William stared at a card he received to attend a ball this evening. He discussed his options with himself, and decided that not seeing Rose was more than he could bear. He had no idea what he was going to say to her, had no real notion of what she would say to him. He felt as if his life had changed forever, and he had no idea what the future held for them. However, he had to see her. She was like a disease within his body that he could not remove.

  So with those thoughts in mind, he left for the annual ball at the Chestertons’ home. Once there, he materialized on the side of the home and walked to the front door with a group of his peers.

  He threw out his senses and searched for Rose, when his mind touched hers, he saw her turn around and hesitate for a moment. The slight twinge appeared strongly inside of his chest at the thought of her not wanting to see him. So decision made, he walked over to her and the countess.

  “Good evening, ladies. Lady Trenton, I trust you are well?”

  “Oh, indeed your grace, we are ever so excited to be here this evening,” she stated with glee. William then turned his attention to Rose, who was acting like a board.

  “May I place my name upon your dance card, my lady?”

  She looked as if she was about to refuse. Instead she said, “I have a waltz left, your grace.”

  “Please place my name there. If you are tired by the waltz, I can get you some lemonade, and we can talk out on the balcony?”

  She must have known what he meant for her eyes shifted nervously. Nevertheless she nodded her head.

  “Aye, your grace, I would love to take a respite with you on the balcony.”

  “That sounds wonderful, dear, but for now, Lord Shelton has come to claim the first dance,” the countess added.

  She was right, for the man of whom they were speaking was walking fairly quickly to Rose with something akin to lust in his eye, and William was just able not to rip out the other man’s throat.

  “I believe this is our dance, my lady. Please excuse us, your Grace,” Farnsworth stated.

  He bowed and swung Rose onto the floor, where he held her entirely too close for William’s liking.

  William’s preternatural hearing afforded him the conversation between Rose and the pup.

  “I see I may have some competition,” Farnsworth stated.

  “Who? William? Oh, nay, Nigel, he only thinks of me as a niece. He is a very old friend of my father’s and of mine.”

  “Rose, you may be young and innocent, but he does not look at you as if you are a small child. He looks at you as if he would like to gobble you whole, and then rip me from limb to limb.”

  “I am sorry, your lordship, but you are mistaken. And this is the end of our dance.”

  William then watched as she made her way awkwardly back to the countess and the viscount, who had moved closer to the food table.

  Was it true then, was he that transparent about his lust for Rose? For that was the only word for it. Pure, simple lust. He wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her until she said his name. He would then take his hand and pull up her skirt to follow along her supple thigh…

  “Your grace it is our dance, would you like to go out to the balcony now?” Rose asked.

  With his thoughts interrupted by the woman of his musings, he had to wonder again how long he had stood there like a fool, imaging making love to Rose. He decided that this needed to stop. One way or another, he needed to temper his lusts.

  “Indeed, let me procure some punch for you, and we will move to the balcony.”

  She leaned in. “I hate punch, William, let’s just have the discussion you seem to want to have.”

  Feeling his temper rise, he followed her to the balcony, where there were a few couples about. “What seems to be the problem, your grace?” she asked.

  “The problem? We have no problem other than you are avoiding me.”

  Rose looked around her and smiled tightly. She obviously did not want to have the conversation. Well, he did, and so he clouded the minds of the other couples and watched as Rose recognized the crackle in the air. He then wrapped an arm around her waist and transported them to his town home, specifically below ground where he slept.

  “Your grace, we should not be here. I will be missed.”

  He stopped her with a look, and she remained silent, but nervous.

  “This will not take long, Rose. Explain to me why you have been avoiding me, and why you told Shelton I was your old family friend,” he stated.

  “Well, we are, are we not? I do not understand you, your grace. I apologized for making a tizzy of myself the night I embarrassed you, and I said I wanted to be your friend. What else do you want?”

  “You can stand there, looking at me with complete innocence, while I made love to you last evening?” he practically roared.

  She winced. “I was hoping and thinking that you were hungry and the beast within made you do it. I was giving you a way out of your actions, William.”

  She was giving him a way out? That smacked of insincerity. “Are you in love with Lord Shelton?” he asked tightly.

  She lowered her eyes and refused to answer him. So he stalked over to where she was standing and ended up pushing her against the cold wall.

  “I ask you again. Are you in love with Lord Shelton?”

  She looked up into his eyes and squeaked out, “Yeeess.”

  He searched her eyes deeply and smiled. “You are lying to me, sunshine.”

  “Nay, I am not! Why, I just kissed, Nigel earlier in the day!”

  His smile slipped, and he lowered his head to sniff near her lips and growled. She smelled like the insolent pup. His monster within railed against its chains.

  Rose’s eyes widened, not with fear, but with lust. William could smell her scent in the air.

  He took her mouth with force, such force he knew he should let up and give her space, but he wanted to erase the marquis’s scent from her and mark her as his own. He did not have the answers of why, but he knew it was elemental.

  She moaned against his mouth and gave into his kiss. His cock was ready to penetrate her cunt and bring her to such a shattering climax that she would never think of seeing the other man again. He would deal with Gabriel later, but for now, he felt his fate was sealed with Rose.

  His hands roamed her delicious body as she writhed against his. It was delightful torture to have so many clothes between them. He wanted to feel her naked skin against his. It had been so long since he had a woman, especially one so tempting.

  “I want to see you naked, writhing under me, as my cock penetrates your wet pussy. I want to see your face reach orgasm and for you to cum all over my penis. Please, Rose, please.”

  She must have been insane with lust, for she nodded her head and captured his mouth yet again. William moved their bodies toward his bed. He nipped at her lip with his fangs, as his hands quickly undid the buttons at her back.

  It was taking too long for him, so he removed her clothing with a thought. She gasped as the cool air hit her warm skin. He tugged her body closer to his body as his own clothes met the floor. It was animalistic. It went beyond any sexual encounter he had ever had.

  He looked down at her now-naked form and groaned with pleasure. She was made for coitus. Her body was built to ensure hours of enjoyment. Her breasts called his mouth, and so he set his lips upon her to draw her forth.

  Her hands immediately flew up to his hair as she chanted, “William. Oh, William. Please.”

  She was so incoherent with lust that she was willing to do anything he bade her to do. It was pleasing to see she was such an avid lover. She was curious and innocent.

  His preternatural senses smelled her cum in the air, so he placed his fingers along her upper thigh and felt moisture there. She was hot, wet, and ready for his cock. However, he wanted to make her first time remarkable. So he continued to kiss her breasts as she writhed beneath him. His cock was sandwiched between her stomach and his belly. It alm
ost made him cum when she rotated her hips against him.

  “Rose, please, slow down, or we will be over before we have started.”

  “William, please, I am hungry for something. I need you to fill me. I want your massive cock inside of my slit. Please take me, William.”

  The words snapped his better judgment. However, he moved his mouth from her breast to her pussy. He spread her lips to reveal a glistening clitoris, which looked delicious.

  He growled at her spicy scent. He leaned in and licked her curls. She then bucked her hips, and cried out. He in turn held her hips in place with his hands and set his mouth and tongue to her cunt. His eyes closed in ecstasy as he tasted her on his tongue. Careful not to scrape his fangs against her, he set to suckling and licking her into a frenzy that gave her an incredible orgasm.

  He suckled her clitoris until she was spent beneath his tongue. He looked up and saw her smiling in sated splendor. He moved up her body to bring his lips to hers, so she could taste her orgasm upon his lips.

  She was moaning deeply as her fires seemed to come back to life under his caress. He stoked the blaze within her, and just before she came once again, he slid his cock into her warm, wet, and hot pussy, and groaned. She was so tight that he had to stop himself from impaling her. He gritted his teeth against the incredible feeling she gave him.

  “Are you all right, William?” she asked.

  He opened his eyes long enough to nod. “Are you all right?”

  “I am, however, you are going much too slow, please,” she ended with a plea.

  He could no longer deny himself the warmth of her pussy, which felt as tight as a glove that was two sizes too small. He rushed forward and heard her gasp. He stopped and looked deeply into her eyes and saw a small tear escape the corner.

  “I am sorry, Rose. It will not hurt again,” he promised.

  She rotated her hips under his bringing forth a curse from his mouth and a movement of his hips. He withdrew from her and plunged forward again. He felt her pleasure in the air. He could smell the blood from the tearing of her hymen. It was an intoxicating combination, which set his hips to pumping in and out of her.

  He knew she was an innocent, but she was an avid student and moved her hips along with his. She was making him crazy, so he said, “Sweeting, sweeting, come for me.”

  He moved his hand to her pussy and opened her up to find her swollen clitoris and massaged his thumb upon her. He felt her shudder as her orgasm started. He pumped into her twice more to find her cunt finally contract around his cock, bathing him in her sweet cum. That was the moment when he lost control and pumped all of himself into her.

  He almost fainted from the pleasure she gave him. He had never felt like this before in his life. It was as if he had been waiting for a moment like this since he was crossed. His vision came back into focus and found he had no urge to feed from her, that his orgasm was enough.

  She stopped shuddering below him and fell into a sweaty slumber. Even though he would have loved to let her sleep here next to him, they had been gone for much too long. He needed to return her to the countess and cloud her mind with events that did not take place this evening.

  “Rose, sweeting, you need to awaken. We must go back to the party.”

  Rose opened her eyes and nodded. “You are right, William.”

  They moved in unison as he materialized their clothing back on and set her hair to rights. It looked as if they had had a conversation, instead of him ravaging her.

  “Thank you, William. We must get back. I promised the last dance to Lord Shelton.”

  He stopped his movements and looked to her. “You will not be seeing Lord Shelton again. Things have changed.”

  He watched her spine stiffen at his tone. “Excuse me, your grace?”

  “Excuse you? Things. Have. Changed. We just had intercourse upon my bed, Rose.”

  She winced at his tone. “I know, William. I was here. However, what are your plans? I came here to find a husband and to secure an adoption for, Beth. You have not said one word about a future between us.”

  He stayed quiet for a moment. “Things have changed, Rose. I am not sure how to proceed.”

  “You are not sure how you should proceed,” she repeated his words slowly back to him.

  “Rose…”

  “Are you willing to marry me, William?” she asked.

  His demeanor slipped, and she sighed. He remained quiet for longer than he should have. His mind was in a jumble. He wanted Rose. He needed her like he needed blood, but marriage? Would she want to cross over? He was not sure he could do that.

  “Rose, I do not have an answer for you,” he whispered.

  Chapter Nine

  “Silence is an answer of sorts, your grace. I am here for the previously stated reasons. Tonight was a mistake. I should have never given you my innocence. I want a grand love like my parents have, and it is clear to me that you may want my body. However, you have no mind to take my heart and give me yours in return. Return me to the party, William,” she said with surprising force.

  “Rose, we must—”

  “We must what? Stand here and discuss the situation repeatedly and only end up where we are now? As you said, I need to return to the party, and you have minds to cloud, memories to replace, and I have to maintain a normalcy I am not feeling at the moment. So I ask you again, do we leave now, or am I walking back to the ball?” she asked through clenched teeth.

  His insides froze at her stance. However, she was indeed correct. She had been gone for far too long, and the sun was due to rise in a short while, and if he was to replace memories and fix the situation, he needed to leave.

  “We shall discuss this at a later point. Until then, know that I do not want you near Shelton. Our situation has changed,” he said.

  “Your words have been noted, William, now let’s go.”

  He did indeed return her to the party and slipped her into the ballroom just as the last dance of the evening commenced. He spent the hindmost bit of the event clouding memories and replacing moments. Enough so, that a few people could recall seeing and speaking with Rose and himself throughout the evening. He mostly concentrated his efforts upon the countess and the viscount. This was remarkably easy, for noble men and women had few concerns in life, and their minds were filled with mundane activities, in which only members of the ton deemed important.

  Shaking his head at the events of the evening, he saw Rose walk with Shelton out onto the dance floor. Angry and put out, he tried to recall every moment of their night together and their conversation after. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, one that he could not clear out.

  He knew two things for certain. One, he wanted Rose. He wanted her to distraction. Even now just thinking of their time together made his prick stand at attention. Her body was sweet and responsive. Two, he felt murderous at the thought of Shelton making her his wife, loving her, penetrating her, giving her children. The mere thought of the other man’s hands upon her sweet flesh made him want to tear the marquis’s heart out.

  So that left him with only one option. He needed to marry the chit before Shelton proposed to her. Her body seemed to call to his, and that was something he’d be damned to let another man have, or for him to live without.

  He knew he would have obstacles, and he also knew he needed to speak with Gabriel. Both problems were not appealing. However, when he looked out on the dance floor, where Rose was dancing in the other man’s arms, it seemed it was the only course of action. Why he hesitated earlier, he had no real notion. Perhaps it was the fact that she brought it up when it was his place to do so.

  The party broke up quickly after the last dance, and he watched as Rose and her chaperones walked outside and into their awaiting carriage. William slipped out without notice and followed the vehicle home, high in the air as watery mist.

  Rose gracefully exited the carriage and looked up into the night sky. William’s deceased heart felt as if it gave a thump within in his chest as
she actually set her beautiful eyes upon him. He wanted to go to her, and say the words he was feeling, but his throat seemed to dry up, and the words vanished.

  She then pivoted on her foot, and walked into the home where all the lights were extinguished and her window was firmly locked.

  Sighing, he knew he needed to speak with her soon. She must see to reason. Even though he could not impregnate her, she was still compromised, and he owed a debt to Gabriel that just seemed to increase. And he would not allow Farnsworth to have her.

  * * * *

  The next day, Rose awoke late because she had tossed and turned the rest of the night. Her body ached in unaccustomed places, and she had dried blood on her upper thigh. It was a stark red, which reminded her of what a fool she had been.

  She gave her virginity to William in a moment of weakness and uncontrollable lust. She had been insane with desire last evening, and beyond rational thought. And then when it was over, he had said that he needed to take her back to the party. No words of love or commitment passed his lips. Just as if she was a doxy that he already paid. Subsequently, he ordered her to stay away from Nigel, a man who was kind and seemed to like her. If he was not ready to declare himself or marry her, she had every right to see whomever she wanted. As long as no one of the ton found out about her night with William, and she did not give in to her body’s urgings, she would be all right. And of course, she could never tell her parents of this, she was certain William felt the same way. All she had to do was ignore her sexual desire for William and stay her course. She just had to convince her body to not hunger for Williams.

  She had no real understanding of what was happening in William’s head, but she had another appointment with her solicitor this very day, and she suspected he may be greatly close to closing the adoption for Beth.

  Setting her shoulders back and promising to forget her indiscretion, she moved on with her day, swearing that she would advance on from William and begin anew.