“It’s about time. Vincent, are you all right?” Her voice trembled with concern.
“Yes, Catherine, I’m fine.” His eyes held a slight look of confusion. “What happened?” His hands grasped her gently. “Are you all right? How do you feel?”
Catherine’s happy laughter filled the cavern as she covered his face with soft kisses. Leaning on his chest, she grinned down at him. “Vincent, only you could ask that question after what just happened.” She kissed him again, wriggling playfully against him. “How do I feel? Can’t you tell?”
Closing his eyes, Vincent “listened” to the feelings she conveyed to him through their bond – joy, happiness and a very sweet satisfaction all mingled with just a hint of curiosity and concern.
Catherine nuzzled his nose to get his attention. “Are you sure you’re all right? What happened to you?”
Vincent still appeared somewhat dazed. The connection they shared was opened fully. Surely he could feel her every emotion now, yet he seemed to need to hear her voice aloud her assurance that she was all right. “What do you mean, Catherine?” Vincent tightened his hold as her concern for him flooded their bond.
“Are you saying you don’t remember what happened to you, Vincent?” His large, powerful hands stroked her soothingly as he felt her tense with the sudden realization that he truly was not aware of what had just happened between them. His eyes gazed into hers, encouraging her to continue.
“You sort of . . .” She paused as she searched for the right word. “I guess you kind of passed out after I . . .” Catherine suddenly found it difficult to meet his gaze. “Oh, you know what I mean.” She felt her face blushing and laid her head on his chest.
Vincent chuckled softly at her sudden shyness. Green eyes couldn’t quite make contact with blue ones and her cheeks turned what he thought was a very becoming shade of pink. Kissing the top of her head, he whispered softly, “Yes, Catherine. I know what you mean.” His hands gently caressed her back. “Tell me.”
Catherine snuggled into his embrace, burying her face in the soft ruffles of his shirt. It was easier to talk to him this way. She felt silly feeling shy around him after what had happened, but she couldn’t seem to help it.
“Vincent, you barely touched me, yet you gave me the most exquisite pleasure I have ever experienced in my life. Then, you seemed to almost pass out.” Catherine leaned up to look at him. Her shyness was gone now, replaced with a very deep concern for his reaction to their rather unusual lovemaking. Catherine watched his eyes as she waited for an answer. Truly the windows to his soul, she had learned long ago that Vincent’s eyes were also the windows to the very heart of this gentle man she cared for so deeply. Without saying a word his eyes could convey to her his feelings. If anything were wrong, she knew she would see it reflected in their sapphire depths. “Do you remember any of it, Vincent?”
He shook his head, slowly searching his memory. “I only
remember a feeling of great pleasure and contentment.” His eyes gazed
at her with such love and devotion, Catherine felt humbled.
“A feeling I wished would never end.” His mouth broke
out in a wide grin, exposing the tips of sharp
canine teeth and a surge of pride filled his voice. “I did
give you pleasure, didn’t I?”
Catherine couldn’t help herself. She laughed out loud. Quieted by the solemn look he gave her, she reached up to trace the outline of his mouth with her fingertip as she whispered, “Yes, Vincent. You gave me pleasure.” She kissed him gently. “More pleasure than I ever dreamed possible. I just wish I could have given you as much.”
“Please believe me, Catherine, you did.” He pulled her closer, his eyes smiled tenderly. “You did.”
Somewhat placated, Catherine once more rested her head on his chest. “Maybe so, but it wasn’t anything like it could have been if you’d let me . . .” One slender leg came up to rest intimately between his thighs while her hand toyed with his belt buckle. She felt him tense and decided to drop the issue. “All right, Vincent. You win. For now.”
Vincent knew the subject was closed only for the time being. He knew Catherine would not let it drop completely. As a feeling of joy and wonder filled him, he decided he’d just wait and cross that bridge when they came to it.
Catherine wrapped her arms around him and cuddled close. “Surely you can’t still be afraid of a physical relationship with me? Vincent, you were very gentle and very loving. There is no doubt in my mind that you would always be that way. And after what just happened . . .” She leaned up on his chest to look down at him once more. “Vincent, what exactly did happen?” She kissed the end of his nose. “That’s quite a talent you have there. How do you do it?”
“I’m not really sure I know, Catherine. The only thing I am sure of is that our bond has something . . . everything to do with it.” He fell silent for a moment, searching for the right words. “Please understand, Catherine. I was in no way controlling you. I can feel your emotions and feelings through our bond, but I cannot control them in any way. I would never do that even if it were possible.”
“I know that.” Catherine caught the slight twinge of guilt that clouded his face. “What, Vincent?” Her smile was gentle and encouraging.
“I cannot control your feelings, Catherine, but there have been times when I have drawn upon them.” His eyes searched hers for any hint of disapproval. Finding none, he plunged ahead. “Catherine, I have lost count of the many times your happiness or your sheer love of life has helped ease me through a particularly bad time. Or the times your wonderful sense of humor has bolstered me emotionally.” Vincent shivered as Catherine nodded silently, tracing his sculptured cheek with her finger.
“You mean like the times I’ve felt really bad about a
case and reached out through our bond only to catch you in
a playful moment with one of the children?” Her finger lingered
on his mouth a moment before she continued. “Or the times I’ve
felt lonely and reached out and felt you thinking of me?” She
laughed softly at his look of surprise. “Yes, Vincent.
I’m as guilty as you. I have also used our bond to experience your
emotions at times when I felt the need to be connected to you. It’s
a perfectly normal thing for people in love to do. Even close
friends do it with each other. I can remember lots of times
when I called Jenny to talk to her just because I knew I’d feel better
afterwards. It’s something that anyone with a
close emotional relationship has experienced to
some degree. I think we’ve just carried the art to a much higher
level.”
She kissed him again. “I very much like the idea
that you can reach out and touch me in that way, Vincent. I like
that we both can reach out to each other that way. The bond
has always been stronger in you than in me, but I can feel it growing
stronger in me everyday.”
“Yes.” Vincent smiled in satisfaction. “Ever since your stay here in the tunnels after your father’s death, our bond has grown with each passing day. These past few months, I have even begun to share your dreams.”
“My dreams!” Catherine blushed slightly as her memory recalled fragments of some rather erotic dreams she’d had recently. “You know my dreams?”
“Yes, Catherine.” He reached up to brush her hair back from her face, smiling sheepishly. “I sometimes dream your dreams with you.”
“Oh, Vincent, I’m . . .” Catherine buried her face in his chest, her voice a soft whisper. Suddenly she looked up at him and grinned mischievously. “On second thought, no I’m not sorry.” She poked his chest playfully. “It serves you right for being so damned noble and righteous.”
Vincent’s breath caught in his throat as she wriggled her body against his suggestively. “I just hope you have spent as many miserable, sleepless nights as I have. It serves you right.”
He chuckled softly. “Trust me, Catherine, I did.”
Vincent suppressed a soft moan as he felt her desires flare once again. His arms tried their best to hold her body still and he found himself wondering vaguely if Catherine was aware of the fire she aroused in him.
“That still doesn’t explain how you did what you just did to me. Is this something you could have done a long time ago or is it something new that’s recently developed? When did you discover this little talent of yours? Have you ever been connected to anyone else like you are with me?” She toyed with the open neck of his shirt, waiting impatiently for an answer.
“I have always been able to feel strong emotions in the people closest to me, but believe me, Catherine, I have never before experienced it to such a degree as I do with our bond. That is something I share only with you.”
Catherine grinned in smug satisfaction, unable to quell the unfamiliar feeling that suddenly overpowered her. It surprised her. She’d never felt it before in any of her relationships.
Vincent was surprised by her reaction, too, but took great
pride in the knowledge that the feeling of possessiveness he felt in her
was directed at him. Grasping her hand gently, Vincent held them
away from the curls Catherine seemed to find so
fascinating. Couldn’t she see what she was doing
to him? From the look in her eyes as she stared down at him, he was
certain she knew exactly what she was doing to him and she was
enjoying it.
She was enjoying it very much.
“Catherine, I wasn’t aware until tonight that I could carry this bond we share to such extremes. During your stay Below our emotional connection strengthened until it was so overwhelming I could feel your needs and desires my every waking moment. And then there were your dreams. There have been times when I had to close our bond slightly in order to obtain a certain amount of relief.” His long finger traced the outline of her cheek. “You are a very emotional woman, my love.”
Her eyes filling with tears, Catherine turned her head to place a kiss in his palm. “Oh, Vincent, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell me? Maybe I could have done something to help. I never meant to cause you any pain.”
Taking her face between his hands, Vincent whispered softly, “No, Catherine. Please, Idid not mean to upset you. The pain was not so unbearable.” Catherine trembled as he kissed away her tears. “It was a sweet pain, Catherine, one that I would willingly endure forever.”
Catherine pulled back to look at him again, her desires once more rushing to the surface. Seeing the reaction in his eyes, she smiled sheepishly as she realized that it was happening again. “It seems that I’m to have no secrets from you at all doesn’t it?”
“Not too many, I’m afraid, Catherine. And I’m afraid you will have none when it comes to your needs or your desires unless you learn to suppress them more.”
“Do you want me to learn to suppress them, Vincent? Would it be easier for you if I did?”
He smiled gratefully at her offer. “Yes, it would be easier.” His voice was a bare whisper as his hand traveled down her back to rest just above the swell of her hips, “but please don’t ever do it.” He smiled tenderly. “I have discovered that I need your emotions to sustain me as much as I need food and water. Without them, Catherine, I am certain that I would cease to exist. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Vincent, but if . . .”
He silenced her with a kiss that left her body weak, trembling and begging for more. “You know, Catherine, I think perhaps Kristopher was correct in his appraisal of you. You do ask a lot of questions.”
Catherine laughed softly. She had never been told to shut up quite so nicely. “Sorry. It’s the lawyer in me. Just one more question, then I’ll be quiet.” She squirmed slowly, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from him. Nibbling his earlobe gently she whispered, “Can we do it again?”
Vincent’s eyes filled with dancing lights of fiery passion as he tightened his hold on her. Catherine moaned loudly as he burrowed under her chin to nibble on the pulse at her throat. His hand moved slowly over the curve of her hip and she gasped with pleasure as one sharp claw touched the bare skin of her thigh where the skirt parted. Vincent pulled his hand back suddenly as though he’d been burned.
“No! Don’t stop, Vincent.” She smiled encouragingly as she placed her hand over his, guiding it back to rest on her thigh. “You can touch me, Vincent. It’s all right. I want you to touch me.”
His powerful hand stroked the length of her thigh and back again in a slow caress that made Catherine’s nerves sing with pleasure. With one graceful move he rolled her onto her back, one hand stroking her thigh, the other cradling the back of her head. Burying his face in the warm curve of her neck, he began nuzzling. Catherine tilted her heat back to give him better access.
Her eyes flew open in surprise as he began licking her. “Vincent!” Her breathing was already heavy and erratic and the sensations his raspy tongue aroused within her certainly didn’t help matters. She could hardly catch her breath. “What are you doing?”
“I am tasting you, Catherine. I wish to experience every sense of you that I can. The feel of you.” His hand squeezed her thigh gently. “The smell of you.” He breathed deeply of the fragrance that was uniquely hers. “And the taste of you.” His mouth moved lower until it came to the skin her low cut dress left exposed and his tongue drove her mad with desire. “Your skin is like nectar, Catherine. Sweet and intoxicating.”
His warm breath teased the swell of her breasts.
Catherine held her breath for a long moment, daring to hope that he would
go even further, but Vincent seemed content for the moment and made
no move to expand his explorations. Her disappointment was
quicklyforgotten as her body responded to the delicious tingles his
hands and mouth evoked in her.
A vague feeling of concern flitted through her mind and
Catherine wondered if Vincent would react the same way he had the first
time, but she had neither the time nor the strength to ask him before
her body betrayed itself. Catherine tangled her hands in his
thick hair and screamed aloud with intense pleasure as her orgasm
consumed them both. Once more Vincent collapsed heavily on top of
her, completely spent, and Catherine reveled in the wonderful sense of
total security she
felt in his embrace.
She could tell immediately that Vincent had reacted in the same manner because once again he held her tightly, whispering her name over and over. Shifting her body slightly, Catherine prepared to hold and keep him safe until he returned from wherever his passion had taken him. Her movement caused Vincent to tighten his grip. She could feel the tips of his sharp nails against her skin and wasn’t afraid. His face burrowed its way through her hair to nuzzle the side of her face. He murmured her name softly and began kissing and licking everywhere he could reach. Catherine giggled softly.
“You sure like to cuddle, don’t you, Vincent.” Her arms hugged his closer. “I’m glad. Because I really like to cuddle and you are very good at it. In fact you are the cuddliest thing I’ve ever known.” Her fingers reached once more to twine themselves in the curls on his chest and fondle the naked skin she hoped soon to see a lot more of.
“One day, Vincent. One day soon,” she told herself as she held him close and waited.