Reaching in the pocket of her robe, she fingered the small sack Léopold had given her. The older vampire was somewhat of an enigma. Dominant and sexual, she felt drawn to him. Deadly as he was, she trusted him like an older brother. She knew he wanted her, but he didn’t take what wasn’t his. Nor was he the type to take women against their will. Given his dark and mysterious good looks, she knew someone like Léopold could have any woman, and had probably already had hundreds of lovers over the years. Even though he’d made attempts to put her at ease, she also knew he could be cold and calculating, remembering how he’d burned the cabin to get her to do his bidding. Encouragement, he’d called it. She smiled. Only in the paranormal world would someone call torching a cabin an ‘incentive’. After watching Rowan bring Luca to his knees, she was certain Léopold had done what was necessary to protect his kind.
She looked down at the satchel with anticipation. Samantha couldn’t wait to dump the dreaded contents, so she could finally be free. Looking around the spacious wooden deck, she hoped Luca would return soon. She wanted to tell him about her decision to stay. Butterflies danced in her stomach. She prayed he felt the same way about her as she felt about him. In the heat of passion, he’d said he loved her, but she longed to hear him say it again. She wanted a life with Luca and could not imagine loving anyone else. She was his.
Luca briefly spoke to the captain, explaining how they’d make a brief stop and then return to New Orleans. As much as he’d like to take a Caribbean cruise with Samantha, trouble was brewing with the wolves. Earlier, he’d slipped out of Samantha’s arms to go call Kade. Both Kade and Sydney were at the pack house strategizing with Marcel. Apparently, Jax Chandler, the New York Alpha, had not taken kindly to Marcel’s message refusing him access to Kat. Although it may have been typical in some packs for an Alpha to pick a mate of his choice, Tristan and Marcel, both unmated, refused to take a mate who wasn’t in agreement. Once mated, wolves could seldom separate without physical repercussions. The brothers fiercely protected their sister. Although she had a wild side, she was deeply loyal to their packs.
Ever since Luca had rescued Kat, he’d kept tabs on her over the years; ‘friends with benefits,’ but friends nonetheless. He was concerned for her safety, knowing how independent she could be. She often went missing for periods of time only for them to find out later she’d been on holiday with friends somewhere on the other side of the world. She lived life to the fullest, but now someone wanted her to be his. Someone, an Alpha, like Jax, who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
He regretted that the wolves at Rowan’s mansion had escaped them. Interrogation would have yielded critical information about their true purpose in causing a war. Sköll had insinuated that he was there because of Kat, but it could have been a ruse. He wasn’t even certain Sköll knew Jax or was in his pack. He could have been lying to protect another wolf.
His thoughts turned to Samantha as he dug into the ice box and located a bottle of champagne. She was a feisty little witch, and actually a little scary now that he’d seen her powers. Petite and fair, she’d stolen his heart. He rolled his eyes in disbelief and laughed to himself. All these years he’d been so insistent that he’d never fall in love again, let alone with a human. When he reflected on his young love for Eliza, he realized that he’d never been in love with someone as deeply as he loved Samantha.
Fearless when faced with the unknown, she stood her ground. And she was smart as a whip, amazing him with her knowledge of cryptic code breaking and how she reveled in the challenge. Samantha had never backed down to Léopold either. When he was captured, she’d risked her life with the ancient vampire just so she could find Luca. Strong-willed. Beautiful. Intelligent. His.
Luca’s thoughts drifted to their lovemaking and how passionately she had embraced the experience. He loved watching her climax, letting go of her inhibitions. He grew long and firm thinking of how she’d taken him into her mouth, teasing him endlessly. She trusted him, a vampire, to take her to places she’d never gone before. Remembering the sight of her tied to his bed sweetly moaning and writhing in pleasure, he smiled. Lascivious and loving, she brought him to a new level of felicity that he’d never known in his long life. He couldn’t imagine what life would be like without her. It wasn’t just the bonding. It was everything about her. He loved her more than life itself. He wanted her here, building a life together. Forever.
A broad smile broke across Samantha’s face as she felt Luca’s strong arms encircle her waist and a kiss to her ear. She turned in his arms to face him and smiled. God, she loved this man. The sight of the gorgeous male took her breath away. Shirtless, he wore white cotton drawstring pajama pants and padded around barefoot. He was confident and comfortable no matter his surroundings. Over her shoulder, she noticed the champagne and glasses he’d set on the glass end table.
“Hmmm…champagne? So early in the morning?”
“Yes, darlin’. This is New Orleans,” he drawled. “Think of it like mimosas without the orange juice.”
“Well, when you put it that way, how can a girl refuse?” She gave him a flirty smile, turning around to face him.
“That’s what I’m counting on. But before we toast, let’s get rid of the remains, shall we?” he suggested. “Would you care to do the honors?”
“Nothing would make me happier.” She carefully opened the packet, and turned it upside down. Red, gray and black ashes floated downward, falling gently into the sea.
When the pouch was fully emptied, Luca raised a knowing eyebrow at her and held up a lighter. “Just to be on the safe side.”
“Just to be on the safe side,” she agreed as she watched him light the bag on fire.
Tossing the lighter aside, he pinched the end of the sack and held it up to the air to burn. Devoured by flames, he cast it into the waves.
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see that thing gone,” she sighed.
“You and me both,” he concurred. “Now for something really important, a toast and a proposition.”
“A toast sounds wonderful. But a proposition? Sounds cryptic, but then again, I do love a good mystery.”
“Ah, but you are good with puzzles. First, the toast.” He held his flute to hers. “To finding more than just an amulet. To finding you, Samantha…the love of my life.”
“And to finding you. To us,” she countered.
Clinking glasses and then taking a sip, Luca took her slender hand in his and led her over to the open-air deck bed. He pulled her onto his lap and held her.
Samantha’s cheek rested on his bare chest. The masculine scent of him piqued her desire. She wanted to make love to him again over and over. Sensing he wanted to talk, she resisted the urge to slide her hands down into his pants. Instead she caressed his chest and played innocently with his flat nipple.
“You are making me lose my train of thought, you naughty girl,” he groaned at her touch. His arousal grew, but first, they needed to talk.
“Samantha, look at me.” He placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head toward his.
“Yes,” she said lazily.
“I told you about Eliza. She was my first love...long before I was turned. I was only a young man when I met her. When we were attacked that night and she died, I was devastated, just filled with rage. I swore never to love again. And for all these years, it’s been fairly easy to do. In truth, I never met anyone who could make me feel. Sure, lust is something that comes and goes like the wind. But finding someone, someone like you; it is rare.” He absentmindedly rubbed her palm with his thumb.