Beyond the Edge Page 4

  Leo shook his head. “Don’t be silly.”

  “Well, I must be silly,” Brett continued, growing grimmer with every passing second, “because I’ve been waiting for years for one of you to offer to turn me and I have yet to hear a word about that.” He paused and tried to smile, but his expression veered toward a grimace more than anything else. “If you wait much longer, I’ll look like your father rather than lover.”

  The notion was ridiculous, but Leo didn’t laugh. Neither did Lisa. She appeared to be as stunned as Leo himself felt.

  It wasn’t that Leo had never thought about the possibility. He’d thought about it a few times, even if he’d never told either of his lovers about it. Instead, what was startling to him was Brett’s matter of fact tone, like turning him was something they had agreed upon and merely needed to set a date for.

  “Is that what you want?” Lisa asked. “You never said anything.”

  Brett shifted one shoulder and returned his full attention to his tray.

  “I didn’t know how to bring it up,” he said, pushing food around his plate. He glanced up, took one look at each of them, and added, “I’m not even sure I should have, seeing the faces you two are pulling.”

  “No, that’s not—” Lisa started, at the same time as Leo said, “Of course you should have brought it up. If that’s what you want…”

  Leo hesitated. The answer was obvious to him. He’d never thought it would be anywhere near this simple, but if that was what Brett wanted, Leo didn’t see any reason to say no.

  At the same time, he didn’t know what Lisa thought, and this wasn’t a decision he could take with Brett without her being part of it. He looked at her, and after giving him a faint nod, she continued for him.

  “If that’s what you want,” she repeated, “we’ll turn you.”

  Leo didn’t know how ‘we’ would work in this case, but he liked that she had said that rather than ‘I,’ liked the idea that they might do it together, as they had done so many things over the years.

  “But you have to be absolutely sure,” Lisa added. She took Brett’s hand and led it to her mouth to kiss his fingers. “This can’t be a spur of the moment thing because your birthday makes you feel old. You have to be aware of everything you’ll lose.”

  “I’ve lived with two vamps for years,” Brett said in a dry voice. “I think I have a pretty good idea what it’ll be like.”

  “You think you know,” Leo replied, taking his other hand and setting the fork down, “but it’ll still be different from what you expected.”

  “And one of us will be your Sire,” Lisa said. “That’ll also change things.”

  Leo nodded. He’d been about to say the same thing. Granted, he had never given much thought to what it would mean to be a vampire until the quiet evening when he had awakened with fangs of his own, but his new existence had been full of surprises.

  He had known that vampires fed on blood, but he had never imagined the hunger that a newly-made vampire experienced, or how easy it could be to lose oneself in the bite and the feel of hot, flavorful blood bursting onto one’s tongue.

  Almost right away, Lisa—Beth, she had called herself at the time—had managed to control herself so she wouldn’t kill, but for Leo it had been much more complicated, however much he had wanted to follow her example.

  “Have you ever turned anyone?” Brett asked after a few moments of thoughtful silence. His eyes darted between the two of them. “Either of you?”

  Leo and Lisa looked at each other again before shaking their heads together.

  “I don’t know what it feels like to be a Sire,” Leo said. “But I know what it’s like to be a Childe. It’ll change something inside you. And it’ll change what the three of us have.”

  “What’s the alternative?” Brett asked, meeting Leo’s eyes, then shifting his gaze to Lisa. “You two watching me get older and older until I die?”

  A lump was growing in Leo’s throat. This was something he had tried not to think about as the years passed, especially since gray had started to appear at Brett’s temples. To hear it put into such blunt terms… He took Brett’s hand in his and held it tight, wishing he knew what to say. Lisa found the words that eluded him.

  “On your next birthday,” she said slowly. “If you still want it then—”

  “I will,” Brett cut in. He’d never sounded so sure of himself.

  “Then we’ll turn you,” Leo picked up. “In one year.”

  Lisa reached over, laying her hand on top of theirs, and while none of them said the word ‘promise,’ they all knew that was what had just happened. As unexpected as it was, Leo felt good about it all. Things would change when Brett was a vampire with them, but they’d never have to part.

  Watching Lisa’s ring gleam on top of his hand, Leo wished Brett had been wearing his, too.

  * * * *

  The house was immaculate, every surface scrubbed, vacuumed, shined, or polished. Large daisies and tea-light candles floated in glass containers strewn throughout the foyer and living room, forming a path to the French windows that opened onto the backyard.

  Outside, the same theme continued with larger candles lining the edges of the pool and tall tiki torches set around the yard. Candles and torches were ready to be lit when the guests were set to arrive.

  It was strange, Virginia thought, part amused and part panicked, as she checked one last time that everything looked perfect. She hadn’t been quite as picky for her own moving-in party, when the guests she expected were her friends and Anando’s. Of the thirty plus people who were coming that night, she and Anando only knew three: the guest of honor and his two partners.

  “What are you so anxious about?” Anando asked, coming from behind her to encircle her waist with both arms.

  She turned in his embrace and rested her hands on his shoulders. “I’m not anxious.”

  Anando didn’t say anything. He raised an eyebrow and lifted one of his hands to touch his own nose with a finger. Virginia grimaced.

  “Not fair,” she protested. “Do I go around and sniff you?”

  She pressed her face to his neck and snuffled, causing him to laugh.

  “You’re welcome to it if you want,” he said in a rumbling voice. “But I doubt you’ll smell anything more than desire.”

  She flicked her tongue against the faded marks on his throat so she would feel him shudder against her.

  “What does desire smell like?” she asked.

  “From a man, it’s mostly musk. Kinda sharp. Overpowering.”

  His hands slipped over to Virginia’s ass and pressed her closer to him. She could feel the hard length of his cock against her hip and bit her bottom lip not to moan.

  “From a woman,” he continued, lower now, whispering right into the shell of her ear, his lips caressing the outer edge with every word, “it’s sweeter. Subtler. The difference between aged whiskey and fine champagne.”

  Virginia’s eyes had fluttered closed. They reopened in a flash, and she jerked away from Anando.

  “Champagne! Did we—”

  “Put it on ice?” Anando finished for her, a smile curling his lips. “Yes. The canapés and cake are in the fridge. There’s enough blood for all vampire guests. Everything’s ready. Why are you so worried about it?”

  Virginia lifted one shoulder in a small shrug. “I’m not worried,” she said again. “But it’s a lot of people. I want everything to be perfect.”

  Anando considered her. “You do, hmm? How come? It’s not even your party.”

  “Especially because it’s not our party. Our friends trusted us to make tonight special. Do you want to disappoint them?”

  Anando’s laugh was deeper this time, rumbling like thunder in the distance. It slinked beneath Virginia’s skin and raised goose bumps over her arms.

  “I have a feeling it would take a lot for them to be disappointed. Unless you changed your mind?”

  One day, Virginia would stop blushing for the smallest reaso
ns; that day obviously had not come yet, because she could feel her face heating up. Anando responded, as he so often did, by pressing the back of his fingers to her cheek, where they felt so nicely cool.

  “I haven’t,” she said. “But for all we know Brett won’t want that.”

  Incredulity widened Anando’s eyes. Unable to suppress a grin, Virginia conceded the point.

  “All right. He will. We all do. But that doesn’t change the fact that Brett should have a nice birthday party.”

  “And he’s going to.”

  Anando’s fingers glided down her arm, ending at her hand. He took it and wove their fingers together.

  “But you know what? The guests aren’t supposed to arrive for another four hours, everything is ready, and I hate to see you so tense.” His smile always left her a little weak in the knees. “I think you need a distraction.”

  She couldn’t help but grin when he tugged on her hand and led her to the bedroom. She had a good idea what kind of distraction he had in mind, and he was right that it would help her relax before the party started.

  Just being in the bedroom, surrounded by familiar colors and textures, with the smell of the flowers Anando had delivered every week without fail, calmed her nerves. Her heartbeat jumped again when Anando took hold of the hem of her dress and lifted it over her head.

  “Mmm, pretty,” he purred. Taking her hand, he raised it over her head and made her spin around for him before letting go again. “Really, really pretty.”

  Virginia chuckled. Since moving in with Anando, she had retired most of her ‘plain’ underwear pieces, replacing them with nicer ensembles. This one was white satin with hints of black lace. The bra pushed her breasts together, enhancing her cleavage, while the panties were minimal, to say the least.

  “You’re acting like you’ve never seen it before,” she teased as she reached for the buttons of his shirt.

  Anando captured both her hands, raising them on either side of her. “The problem is, I always get these things off you too fast. I should take my time and admire first.”

  She tried to free her hands and pouted at him when he wouldn’t let go. “How about me? Can’t I admire?”

  “Plenty of time for that later,” he assured her with a wicked smile. “For now, it’s about helping you relax, remember?”

  Curious about what he had in mind if not the obvious, Virginia allowed him to remove the last of her clothes without attempting to return the favor anymore. He drew the comforter down, folding it at the foot of the bed, and briefly went into the bathroom to grab a bath towel.

  She watched as he folded it in two and set it in the center of the bed. He held her hand as she climbed in, and directed her to lie down on her stomach on the towel. He didn’t join her on the bed, and instead lit a few candles around the room before dimming the lights to their lowest setting.

  Was he going to light one of the thick candles they sometimes played with? She had once feared the feel of molten wax striking her skin, but he had long ago taught her to enjoy it. It hardly seemed like a good way to relax, however.

  “Close your eyes,” he said even as he turned on soft, slow instrumental music. “Breathe deeply. Try to relax.”

  It was easier said than done.

  Virginia did close her eyes, and she took long, deep breaths as he had suggested, but how could she relax when she could hear him moving about the room and—yes, that small squeak was the familiar and always thrilling sound of the toy box being opened. One of the hinges always creaked a little.

  What was Anando pulling from the box? What did he have in his hands as he walked back to her?

  It took all of Virginia’s self control not to peek.

  His steps slowly returned toward the bed—no, not the bed yet, the bedside table. He opened the drawer, and this time she was rather certain what he pulled out of it: lube. Anticipation curled her toes, and she pressed her thighs closer together before relaxing again.

  Rustling fabric and the metallic sound of a zipper being pulled down told her Anando was undressing. She hid her smile inside the crook of her arm and waited, impatience thrumming through her along with her heartbeat.

  The first touch of Anando’s fingers on her skin seemed to take forever, and even then it was a simple touch to her ankle as he murmured, “Spread your legs for me, Virginia dear.”

  She did as he asked. The mattress dipped as he knelt between her legs. She could feel his knees against the inside of her thighs and closed her legs ever so slightly to accentuate the contact. Was he watching her?

  She couldn’t help but shift a little at the thought, imagining how she must look to him from his position. She had no secrets for him, and he had seen, stroked, and licked every last inch of her body, but some stubborn remnant of modesty made her face warm up at the idea of being so fully open and exposed.

  Anando clucked his tongue. “You’re supposed to relax, remember?”

  She all but jumped when he caressed her left leg from knee to thigh with ever so soft fingers, then gasped when, without warning, something liquid and cool dripped onto her, trickling down her spine to pool at the small of her back.

  It felt slick and she could catch a faint, flowery smell. She’d thought they were out of massage oil, but it seemed Anando had replenished their stock. She sighed deeply, knowing what was to come.

  One single finger swirled through the small pool of oil, drawing circles on her skin.

  “Sweet, sweet Virginia,” Anando murmured. “Always so warm.”

  That same finger traveled up her spine, leaving a wet trail in its wake, then sank back down into the oil before continuing downward between her cheeks and to her puckered opening. She shivered when Anando circled her entrance, his touch light as air.

  Without truly realizing what she was doing, she pushed her ass up toward him. Anando’s chuckle, deep and low, sank underneath Virginia’s skin and down to the very core of her.

  “Something you want, Virginia dear?”

  “I thought you wanted to help me relax,” she said, her words ending with a tiny whimper when, rather than pushing inside her, Anando’s finger retreated. Both his hands were off her now, and oh, how she missed them already!

  “True,” he mused, “but there are a few ways I could do that.” A small snick punctuated his words, and that, she was sure, was the lube. Wasn’t it?

  She remained very still, holding her breath, straining her ears as she tried to figure out what he was doing. Maybe a little peek…

  Just as she was about to open her eyes, something firm and wet pressed against her ass. Not his finger, and she wondered at once which it was, dildo or butt plug. She soon had her answer as Anando pushed the cone-shaped toy inside her until the base was tight against her.

  As always, the first few moments felt a little uncomfortable, but Anando soon distracted her. This time, both his hands brushed through the oil, and he started massaging her lower back, spreading the small pool of oil upward along her spine—and completely ignoring the plug in the process.

  For a few minutes, Virginia continued to expect him to nudge the plug, or play with it, or anything, really. Anando, however, stroked her back in long, smooth movements, his fingers digging into her skin and undoing knots she hadn’t even realized were there.

  “Feels so good,” she mumbled, melting under his skilled touch. “Someday you’ll have to tell me where you learned to do that.”

  Anando laughed but did not reply. He shifted behind her, putting all his weight into the next stroke, a sweeping caress that started from the middle of her back and went up to her shoulders. His hands, usually cool and refreshing on her skin, had warmed up and felt heavenly, and so did his small bump against the base of the toy.

  The unexpected nudge reminded Virginia of the toy’s presence. How could she ever have forgotten it was inside her? She could only blame Anando’s hands—Anando’s strong, large, wicked, delightful hands.

  As wicked and delightful as the rest of him.


  He continued to massage her back, but now, with every other stroke—then soon with every stroke—he pushed, nudged, shifted the toy with his body, causing Virginia to jump, gasp, and writhe even when she started to expect the jolts of pleasure.

  It felt like too much, and surely she would come from nothing but this. Minutes passed, feeling as long as hours, and Virginia remained poised on the cliff, waiting for one stronger, deeper nudge that just wasn’t coming, until she could have cried in frustration.

  “The relaxing thing?” she said, grinding her teeth. “Not working.”

  “No?” Anando never stopped massaging up and down her back. “Could something be missing, maybe?”

  She didn’t know how he could keep his voice so level at that moment.

  “Stop teasing,” she demanded. “If you’re going to… Oh yes…”

  He didn’t even lift his hands off her. From the feel of it, all he did was shift his hips and push forward, and his cock slid inside her, its entry eased by Virginia’s arousal.

  “You were saying something about teasing, Virginia dear?

  She didn’t reply. She couldn’t reply, not when he was pressing his cock inside her, and in the same movement nudging the plug again, then pulling back, and allowing it to shift back as well. The rhythm of his hands changed with that of his hips, and the massage turned to caresses, his hands reaching to her sides to stroke her breasts or clutching her shoulders as he arched against her—but all of it always excruciatingly slow.

  She didn’t mind being teased, not anymore, not when pleasure was radiating from everywhere he touched her, spreading through her in a relentless and all-encompassing tide.

  Coming would have been nice, and so would feeling him come inside her, but there was no sense of urgency left in Virginia.

  Being close to him, being one with him, her heart beating for the two of them, their bodies and minds joined by more than sex—this was what she had always wanted without ever being able to put a name or emotion to it. Now she did know, and she smiled, her eyes still closed but certain Anando was watching her.

  “I love you,” she murmured.