The Perils of Paula Page 3

  “Hi.”

  Paula whirled around. In the darkness she could just make out the man called Orion standing in her living room. “Holy bloody hell, where did you come from?” She hadn’t left the door open. It wasn’t the neighborhood to do that in.

  “Just passing by. Nice underwear, by the way.”

  “Crap.” Paula dropped the bill in her hand down to cover her breasts. She wore no bra. They were loose and pressed up against a thin white singlet top.

  “How’s your thigh?”

  Paula looked down at her thigh then up at him. “What? How did you—where did you get in?” The paper bill went down to hide her cotton-covered crotch.

  Orion smiled. “I’m a vampire.”

  “Yeah right and I’m pixie.” Great. That’s all I need. A drunk in my apartment.

  He shook his head. “You’re too tall to be a pixie. I’ve met ‘em.”

  “Why are the most gorgeous insane?” What was the quote? Who the Gods love most they sent mad.

  “You think I’m gorgeous, sweetheart?”

  Sweetheart?

  Orion opened his mouth and showed her his fangs.

  “Holy fuck.” The teeth she once thought were crooked were anything but. They were evenly spaced, white and neat but for the two long extended fangs on either side. Fangs? “Are you here to kill me?” Sure, she wasn’t the best person on the planet, but killing her? Wait. Maybe this is a delusion. Maybe the heat’s gotten to me. Paula opened and closed her eyes several times. Each time she blinked, he was still there.

  “Why would you think I’d want to kill you?”

  “Well, it’s been a shit of a week, and really, all things considered, it seems only logical, in a Fellini kind of way, that it would end with me sweating my ass off in the dark and a vampire appearing to suck my blood dry until I die.”

  Orion laughed at that. “Hollywood’s funny and very wrong. We don’t kill but we do like to suck.”

  “Um, right.” The no killing thing was good. The sucking sounded even better, however regardless of that, he was still in her apartment unannounced.

  “Your life is in danger.” Orion walked toward her windows. “Do you have any candles?” He pulled down the blinds until the room was in total darkness.

  “Candles?” He announces my life is in danger and he wants candles. What the hell?

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “The shadows can only come in through an exposed pane of glass or an open door.”

  Paula watched him move around her apartment with ease despite the dark. He opened and closed drawers. “What are you looking for?”

  “Candles.” Orion picked up a packet of Tim Tams. “Is this all the food you have?”

  “It’s all I need.” Tim Tams made her happy in times of crisis.

  “You have six—no wait, eight packets of them.”

  Paula went over to him and snatched the packet from his hand. “You’re a man, er—vampire—you wouldn’t understand.” She yanked open another drawer. “Candles and matches.”

  “Excellent.” Orion set some candles alight. The room glowed yellow.

  Paula dropped the packet of biscuits and looked at him. “What the hell is this about? You tell me you’re a vampire and that I’m in danger and it appears you have an issue with shadows. Now, I like you but—”

  “You think I’m mad.”

  “Well, yeah.” That pretty much summed up what Paula thought.

  Orion came to stand before her. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but what I say is the truth.”

  “You’re a vampire.”

  “Yes.” Orion nodded.

  Strangely, that wasn’t freaking Paula out as much as she thought it would. Maybe, genetically, like her mother, she could accept the odd and the unusual as part of life. Besides, books like Twilight had made the idea of vampires as normal as schoolteachers. “And you’re telling me I’m in danger?”

  “Yes but I’m here to help you.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. Firstly, at the fact he wasn’t sweating in all that black. And secondly, why would her life be under threat? “Uh huh. How so?”

  “The shadows are after you.”

  “The shadows?” Paula leaned in closer to him and sniffed. Nope, he didn’t smell drunk. He did smell of musk and spice and all things nice. “Weren’t they a 1960’s pop band?” She recalled her grandmother having an old vinyl record in that name.

  “Yes but not in this case. You saw them when we did the pumpkin speed test. They’ve been watching you.”

  Shadows. Pumpkin speed test. Vampires. Right. “You’re watching me. In fact, you’re in my home without an invite.”

  “Yes but I’m different.” Orion stopped in front of her.

  Paula looked up at him, breathing hard but not in fear. A wild sense of anticipation had overcome her. “How so?”

  “I just am.”

  Yes. He was. “And I’m supposed to believe that? You’ve just announced you’re a vampire.”

  “And a man.”

  “With fangs.”

  “And I like to suck stuff.”

  Suck stuff? Yes please. “I should call the police.” Yet she felt no sense of fear or urgency to do so. Her eye widened as Orion moved in close to her. She licked her lips. She knew exactly what he was about to do, and vampire or no vampire, she was going to let him.

  Orion leaned in and placed his mouth on Paula’s.

  Paula held the belief that first kisses always told you exactly where a relationship was bound to go. When Orion sucked her bottom lip between his, she instantly pressed her hands against his chest and gasped. It was a kiss that spoke of both possession and passion, and she slid her tongue into his mouth to taste more. How long they kissed, she wasn’t sure. All Paula knew was it took very little effort for their bodies to press close together and their arms to wrap around each other as if neither wanted to let go.

  ****

  “Oh sweetheart,” Orion murmured against her lips. He pushed back slightly and looked at the woman he held in his arms. That kiss, while he’d most certainly planned it, hadn’t been meant to be like that. His urgent desire to taste her was one thing. The need to hold on to her and never let her go surprised him, and a vampire was rarely surprised.

  “Um…”

  Orion smiled down at Paula. That she was confused by what had just happened made him feel good. At least he wasn’t the only one surprised by the kiss. It hadn’t been what he intended to do. He was there to help and protect. Not kiss. Yet he’d known from the moment he first saw her she wasn’t like any woman he’d ever met. And I need to know more. He pulled at the straps of her singlet.

  “Hey—”She made a half-hearted attempt to push his hands away.

  “Have you really sworn off men? Off dick?” One strap then another fell. Orion saw the confusion mixed with desire in her eyes. “Or maybe you just need to let go and feel without worrying about consequences.

  Paula swallowed hard. “I, er—you’re a vampire. I barely know you and—”

  “Hush, just feel.” Orion pulled down the singlet top and exposed her breasts. His hands covered them, molding them in his palms. “Beautiful.”

  “Oh boy…” Paula’s eyes closed and she held her breath.

  “You can stop me at any time, sweetheart.”

  Her answer was to raise her hands and pull his head down to taste of flesh.

  Orion was more than happy to do so and that she needed him too was even better. The laws of attraction weren’t based on outward beauty. They were based on kindred souls and the need to give in to true feelings and desires. He sucked one nipple inside his mouth, careful not to graze the tender pink nipple with his fangs.

  Paula’s head dropped back as she sighed in contentment. “Orion…”

  The sound of his name on her lips made him look up in wonder. No woman had called out to him in such a way before. It was a sound that sent a smooth, flowing warmth of acceptance through his body almost as if he h
ad found something he’d been missing. His hands moved down to cup her ass. “Sweetheart?”

  “Yes.”

  He smiled. It was rare for two people to instantly understand what the other needed and that their needs were akin. Perfect.

  ****

  That Paula had said yes to virtually anything he wanted of her without even thinking told her all she needed to know. This man wasn’t someone she could allow to pass through her life. There was a weird sense of almost déjà vu when it came to Orion. To Paula it was like it was meant to be. That he was a vampire had only mattered for a second. He could have said he was a headhunter with a slew of wives and she would have had the same reaction. That he was a man who wanted her and she wanted him back was much more important. “Orion, I need...” There were so many things she was feeling at that moment. The need to just hold him against her body, to talk to him, to learn about him, and the primal need to take him into her body and be joined as one. She lifted her hands and pulled at his shirt. “Off. Now.” Go primal. Go instinct.

  Orion was happy to oblige. He pulled his clothes off with a speed that made Paula giggle. Once naked he reached for the crotch of her panties and used them to pull her close to his body. Her hand fell on his dick and she stroked the length of the shaft, her eyes on his. “I don’t understand this. You…me…us.” Fast sex was fun, but this was more than that. I just don’t know what.

  Orion tugged her panties down. They dropped to her ankles and she kicked them off. “Sweetheart, I have lived too long to question the vagaries of fate. All I know is I need to be inside you now.” Orion walked her over to the small dining table and pushed her back onto it.

  Paula opened her legs in invitation. She loved that moment when a lover covered her body with his. It made her hot and trembling with need. As his skin touched hers, Orion hesitated.

  “What?”

  “Your tattoo.” He pointed to the covered patch on her thigh.

  “Fuck that. I need you inside me now.”

  He chuckled. “I thought you’d given up on dick.”

  Paula grabbed the base of his shaft and moved his cock where she needed it. “Not yours.” His first thrust made her gasp. It was hard and forceful and everything she needed. Tender lovers were fine. But right now she had the need to be taken and owned. The rush of pressure as he pushed up inside was so intense Paula closed her eyes and willed herself to memorize this moment forever.

  “Okay?” Orion’s hands framed her face.

  That he asked was sweet. She grabbed his butt and wrapped her legs around his hips to give him no illusions as to what she required. “Please.”

  “Anything you want, sweetheart.”

  And he gave her just that. Every thrust of his dick was deep, slow, and hard. Each was as she wanted. They carved an indelible mark into her memory. The sweat from his body was slick against hers. And his mouth? Oh the man could kiss. Her tongue flicked over one fang. Strangely, it didn’t feel as she imagined. Paula expected something odd and alien, and yet it was a part of him that she accepted. “Orion?”

  “Yes?” His eyes were soft on hers as he kept thrusting.

  “What happens if you bite me?”

  That stopped him mid stroke. “It’s not something I do without asking the lady.”

  “Would you ask me?”

  “Would you want me to?”

  Here she was, under a man, a vampire in fact, she barely knew who was doing something highly intimate to her, who Paula also just now registered was not wearing a condom, and she was wondering what it would be like for him to bite her. Who am I? Who am I with him? “Do I turn into a zombie?”

  Orion laughed. “No, zombies are created a little differently.”

  “Do you need my blood?” What did this man crave?

  “No, our need for blood has become minimal over the centuries. We’ve learned to adapt.” Orion’s finger traced the skin of her neck. “The blood from our lovers ties us to them.”

  “Do you need me?” That, to Paula, was what it came down to. She was still joined to his body. Her need to remain like that overwhelmed any other logic.

  “Yes.”

  The blood from our lovers ties us to them. “Please.”

  “Are you sure?”

  There was a look of hope and intense pleasure within his eyes. “Yes. I don’t know why or how, but I am.”

  “I will always look after you.”

  Paula felt the sudden urge to cry. No one had cared a damn for her in years. “Please…”

  No other words were needed. Orion’s mouth moved down to her neck and he kissed and sucked on the skin until it was wet and pink. Paula held him close and waited for whatever was to come next. She tensed sightly when she felt a slight pain as his fangs pushed into her flesh. But it was only minor and over within seconds. The one thing she experienced most was a wild surge of heat and need that started in her belly and rushed outwards to every nerve cell and limb as Orion sucked deep on her neck. To Paula it felt like a sudden injection of life had surged into her body. “Orion…” He came inside her on those words.

  Chapter Five

  Paula stood naked before Orion. “I’m not going anywhere. I have to try and find a new apartment and a job—”

  “It’s not up for discussion, sweetheart. I have to keep you safe,” Orion replied as he began pulling on his clothes. “I’ll explain it all when we’re at the retreat.”

  “Retreat?” Fantastic sex was one thing, but real life priorities had a way of screwing that up.

  “You’ll be safe there with us until we can figure out what the shadows want.”

  “Us?”

  “Patrick, Ignatius, Magnus, and I. We’re a team.”

  Paula had a feeling he wasn’t talking about a netball team. Orion was a vampire. What were the others in this team? “Are you super heroes or something?”

  “No.” He pulled his boots on.

  “Well, what then?”

  Orion arched his eyebrows at her. “Does it matter?”

  Paula threw her hands up into the air. “Yes, because you’re asking me to believe some weirdos called the shadows are after me and that four men I barely understand let alone know are going to save my ass. I’m a woman. I require details.”

  Orion smiled a small smile. “Of course.” He stood up and leaned against a bench. “Do you want to put your clothes on first?”

  “Got a problem with naked?” The words came out in a waspish tone Paula couldn’t stop. She wasn’t angry. She just hated being out of control, and ever since Darrin that was how her life had been.

  “Nope, naked looks good on you,” Orion responded urbanely. “Who are we? We’re just four men who want to help others. We have no agenda other than that. You know people can care for the welfare of others without there being a reason.”

  “You’re a vampire.”

  “Yes.”

  “Is that what vampire’s do? Help others?” If so, Hollywood had gotten it very wrong, which wasn’t surprising considering the falseness of the place.

  “The majority of vampires from the fifteenth century on have made it their duty to help humankind. Of course there are always rogues of our species who care for none, but on the whole, we do what we can to help those in need. ”

  “I can look after myself.”

  Orion nodded. ”Of course you can.”

  That was okay then. Paula didn’t want him thinking she was useless. “Why should I go anywhere with you?”

  “Because, sweetheart, I want to take care of you.” Orion came to stand before her.

  That was sweet but not necessary. Paula had been taking care of herself for years. “Well, I’m not going. I have things to sort out.”

  “What if I got down on my knees?” Orion did exactly that. “What if I begged you?” He crawled in closer so his face was before her pussy. “What if I did this?”

  When Orion’s tongue stroked down the outside cleft of her cunt, Paula’s legs instantly opened to allow him access. Orion t
ook full advantage of this, putting a hand at the back of each of her thighs and tonguing her clit.

  Paula whimpered as his mouth toyed with her flesh. As a form of begging, it was very persuasive. She could easily see herself falling into line with anything he wanted. Her fingers threaded through his hair holding him close as he licked and sucked. “Oh-h-h-hh…” She pulled at the tie to his hair. It fell down around his shoulders giving him a sexy vulnerability that touched her. Simplicity yet strength. “I need cock.”

  Orion looked up at her. His mouth and chin were wet from her juices. “Come with me and you’ll get all the available dick you need.”

  Available dick? Visions of the other men popped into her mind. Is he saying what I think he is? “I—er…” What? Yes. No. Oh I couldn’t, but I could.

  Orion’s eyes were soft on hers. “Vampires never deny those they love. We understand lust and love are two different things. Multiple lovers are not an issue if you always come back to the one you love. ”

  Love? “Um—”

  “Come with me.” Orion followed that up with his tongue on her clit in a persuasive thrust.

  Paula was ready to fall on her knees and agree to anything. “To the retreat?” He voice was low and breathless and out of control. “Because of these shadow people?”