The Assignment Ch. 05

"Mara," he breathed against her hair. "I feel like I've just died and have been reborn."

Mara sucked in a deep breath and tried to answer him but her heart was still beating too wildly to talk yet. Instead she stroked her hand lightly against his chest and kissed him softly. She lay in his arms and listened to his heart slowly return to normal. She didn't ever want to move from his embrace. She had never felt so safe, so loved and cared for the way she felt in Demetri's arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly when his breathing returned to normal. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

His anxious tone made her smile and she raised her head to look into his beautiful face. "You just took my breath away," she smiled softly. His anxious expression smoothed out and he smiled a slightly arrogant smile of immense male satisfaction which made her laugh. He was probably always going to be an arrogant ass but he was hers so she'd just have to put up with it.

"I love you, Demetri Bozic," she sighed softly, her face glowing with her love for him. His beautiful face lit up with such joy she sucked in a deep breath and leaned up for a kiss.

"I love you, Mara Fitzgerald," he murmured against her lips. He gave her another long kiss and then he pulled back the covers and settled her in bed beside him feeling a deep contentment now she was finally in his arms. He didn't deserve this beautiful woman at his side but he would never be able to let her go now. She was way too precious to him. She completed him every way.

She wriggled against him and he felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked down to see her big brown eyes watching him. "Are you sleepy, Demetri?" she asked with a little smile playing over her lips.

He smiled slowly and brushed her hair from her face. "Why? What did you have in mind?" he asked with a little laugh, his body hardening instantly as he saw the impish look on her face.

She rolled over to lie on top of him, her face barely an inch from his. "I was thinking we had a lot of lost time to make up for," she laughed softly and rubbed herself sensually against him.

He growled as his body moved in answer to hers. "Then let's make up for that lost time," he said huskily capturing her lips with his and proceeding to show her just how much he truly did love her.

___

Demetri sighed softly as he slipped behind Mara so quietly she wasn't even aware he was there until his arms snaked around her body from behind and his mouth unerringly found the spot on her collarbone that made her go weak at the knees. She gave a slightly startled squeak before she relaxed back into his embrace and moaned softly.

He had a habit of doing that to her, appearing out of nowhere and scaring the living daylights out of her. She honestly thought he took a perverse pleasure out of it and it would be his own fault if he ended up with something sharp sticking out of him if he chose the wrong moment to do it.

His lips whispered up the side of her neck and her irritation faded completely as she melted under his touch. He was just way too sexy and way too sure of himself but she loved him anyway. "I thought we were going to the club tonight," she smiled, turning in his arms and sliding her hands over his bare chest drawing a deep growl from him.

"We won't be going anywhere if you keep doing that," he said huskily, his mouth moving to capture hers in a deep, drugging kiss. He knew he should be getting ready but Mara was wearing the most sinful little black dress he'd ever seen and all he could think about was stripping it slowly from her body and sliding deep inside her. Making love to his beautiful woman was all he could think about since she'd finally surrendered to him.

"We are going to the club," Mara said firmly stepping back from him and giving him a mock scowl. "I'm sick and tired of hearing your little bimbos asking Bill if you're going to be in. So get ready and come to the club with me. It's about time they realised you are most definitely off the market."

Demetri grinned widely at his woman's possessiveness. As if he cared about any other woman now he had his Mara in his life, but if she needed to stake her claim then who was he to deny her? "You're stunning when you're jealous," he laughed softly, moving to slide a black silk shirt over his wide chest.

Mara laughed at the smug satisfaction on his face, containing her little pout of disappointment that he was covering his gorgeous body up. Crawling back into bed with him was a very appealing notion but if she was to take over the complete running of Karpathia's then she wasn't doing so until every woman who entered the place knew without a shadow of a doubt that Demetri Bozic belonged to her and no one else.

"Have you spoken to Caleb yet about the club?" she asked slipping on her a sandals and grabbing her wrap from the bed.

"He said he's going to kiss you the next time he sees you," Demetri answered with a slight frown on his face. He'd approached Caleb with an offer to buy out his half of the club, knowing his friend wasn't interested in running it and wanting to give Mara something that was completely hers. Caleb had been glad to get rid of his stake in the place, hence his comment. Demetri didn't know if he meant what he had said but he sincerely hoped he didn't. If Caleb kissed Mara...well he didn't think he would like that very much.

"Why on earth are you scowling?" Mara asked with a slightly puzzled expression. "You think Caleb wants to run away with me?" She laughed when his scowl darkened further and she shook her head. "I somehow doubt Annie would allow it, love," she said with a smile. "And you can't really complain if Caleb did give me a sisterly peck. Not the way you're always winding him up by hugging Annie."

Demetri laughed, his scowl melting away as he ran his fingers through his long black hair, his green eyes twinkling with devilment. "It doesn't seem to bother you when I hug her. You don't get all jealous and possessive like Caleb." He had to admit that he did hug Annie way too much just to irritate his friend. It usually worked too.

Mara rolled her eyes at him but her lips were twitching in a smile. "I'm not about to get into a fight with a vampire," she remarked drolly. "Anyway, even the densest person on the planet can see that Annie only has eyes for one vampire and it most certainly isn't you."

She jabbed at his chest and he caught her back into his embrace, dropping a quick kiss on her luscious lips. "No kissing Caleb," he murmured softly. "One friendly hug is permissible the next time you see him, but no kissing. So I won't be tempted to beat him up for trying to take what's mine."

He gave in to the temptation to kiss her again, threading his hands in her long brown hair so he could tilt her head back and possessively devour her lips. He meant it to be a quick kiss but the moment her beautiful body was pressing against his he hardened with desire and his tongue was teasing its way into her sweet mouth to lick boldly against hers.

When he finally raised his head, his eyes had darkened with need and he was mentally calculating how pissed she would be if he ripped off her dress and threw her on the bed. His earlier thought of sliding the dress slowly from her body was obviously way too optimistic for him. When Mara was in his arms he couldn't do anything slowly. It was always hot, passionate and extremely lusty.

"Demetri," she groaned when she saw the look on his face. "I really want to go out tonight."

His beautiful face etched into another scowl before he grinned ruefully at her. "Whatever my woman wants," he sighed softly, hurrying her downstairs and out to the car. He decided that the sooner they went out the sooner they could come home again. It had nothing to do with the fact that he wanted to be seen out with her, that he ached for everyone to know that she was his.

Getting to the club turned out to be quite hazardous. Demetri found he couldn't keep his eyes on the road when her short skirt slid up to reveal far too much tempting thigh to his gaze. And her sweet scent of honey was permeating the car too. He was groaning by the time he finally pulled up outside Karpathia's. At the rate his body was reacting to Mara he was going to be spending most of the night with a very painful erection.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked for the fifth time. "We could just go home and spend the night alone." He gave her a hopeful look, rolling his eyes when she met his with a stern glance. Conceding defeat for now, he teased her with a wicked smile as he leaned over and ran his tongue slowly over her bottom lip before he slid it inside her mouth for a long, wet kiss. When the scent of her arousal was off the charts, he pulled away and got out the car.

Mara groaned when he quite literally kissed the socks off her and then walked away as if nothing had happened. He was deliberately trying to use her lust against her and she wasn't going to fall for it. Living with Demetri had quickly taught her to guard against his subtle manipulations. He thought he was so clever when he tried to get around her but he didn't fool her one little bit.

She accepted his hand when he opened the car door for her. Casually, she brushed the back of her hand against his groin, moving away a fraction of a second after doing so but still hearing the breath hiss out of his mouth. Two could play his game and she was most definitely planning on being the winner tonight.

Demetri couldn't stop the almost feral grin that crossed his face when Mara declared all out war on him. His green eyes sparkled with delight as he followed her into the club, his gaze fixed on the gentle sway of her backside in her figure hugging dress. He was going to have a hard time keeping his hands off her. He wondered idly how she'd feel about a little bit of fun in one of the booths, or maybe they could go down to the office?

"Demetri," Mara laughed looking over her shoulder and seeing him standing still with a thoughtful expression on his face. She could almost imagine what was going through his head. He quite literally had a one track mind and it usually involved her being naked and his hands and mouth wandering over her body. The word insatiable had been invented by Demetri Bozic.

He gave her another of his wicked grins, the ones that set her pulse racing and a wet heat pulsing between her legs. He was at her side in an instant, looping an arm around her waist and hugging her tightly against his side as they entered the club.

It was busy as usual as they threaded their way over to a booth that had been roped off and marked as reserved. Mara had called Bill earlier and told him to keep a booth free for them. She could feel eyes on them as they moved through the throng of people and she was sure the eyes belonged to the many woman whom Demetri had once satisfied his hunger and lust with over the years.

"So, how are you going to do this?" he chuckled in her ear as they slid onto the cold leather seat. "Do you want to announce it in between dance tracks?" The laughter in his voice was unmistakable and she elbowed him lightly in the stomach which just made him laugh even more.

"Shut up and go and get me a drink," she snorted trying not to laugh at his obvious enjoyment at her reaction to him being in such demand from his previous lovers. She watched him walk over to the bar and her heart leapt inside her. Sometimes she had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Sometimes it seemed so impossible that someone as beautiful as Demetri wanted her and no one else.

He moved with such grace, his big, powerful body oozing his sex appeal and causing many a head to turn in his direction. She wasn't surprised to see a pretty little brunette appear at his side almost instantly. Though she couldn't hear the conversation between them, she could tell by the other woman's body language that she didn't like what she was hearing and she smiled slowly as the brunette was left standing with a stunned expression on her face as Demetri turned away from her and made his way back to their booth with a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses.

"What?" he asked with a confused smile as he slipped back into the booth, pouring two glasses of wine and handing one to her.

"I think you just broke her heart," Mara laughed softly and he turned his head to look back at the brunette who was still watching him with a vexed expression on her face.

He shrugged. "She'll live," he answered after sipping at his wine, his eyes now firmly fixed on Mara's face. He wasn't interested in the other woman. He had been polite but firm with her, getting his point across succinctly. The only woman he wanted was sitting beside him watching him with an amused expression on her face. "What?" he said again. "I thought the whole point of coming out tonight was to let everyone know that I belonged to you?"

Mara laughed and sipped at her wine before she set her glass down and slid closer to him. His arms automatically reached for her, half pulling her onto his lap so he could lean down and give her another breathless kiss. He groaned deep in his chest and she answered him with breathy little moan of her own. "Now, I prefer you to let them know like that," she sighed against his lips when he finally let her up for breath.

"Oh, I think I can do that," he answered huskily going back for another long, hard kiss before he released her slightly and sat back so he could look into her beautiful face. "Though I do have something else planned." Big brown eyes stared up at him with more than a hint of curiosity in them and he smiled roguishly at her.

"Mara, I know we talked about the future just a little bit," he began with a slightly uncertain expression on his face. "I know you don't want to make the change just yet." He stopped and frowned slightly, considering his next words carefully.

Mara frowned too, reaching up to smooth his silky black locks over his shoulder. She knew what he wanted but she wasn't ready for it at the moment. "Demetri, I love you so very much," she sighed softly. "I don't ever want to be without you. I'm not saying never to the change. You do know that, love?"

Demetri watched her expression carefully, seeing the concern on it and lightly tracing one perfect cheekbone with his finger. "I know, beautiful," he breathed softly. "I can wait until you're ready. I may get a little impatient from time to time because Caleb has Annie completely and I want the same with you, but I'd never push you into it. What I was thinking was, until you're ready to fully join my world then maybe I should join yours while I'm waiting."

He watched her confusion grow and he smiled slowly, one hand disappearing for a moment and coming up with something shiny in it. Mara stared at the ring with an open mouth. There was no box, just a beautiful perfect band of white gold with a square cut emerald which matched the colour of Demetri's eyes.

"I know this isn't the most romantic of settings and I should be getting down on one knee or something equally as ridiculous," he sighed, his eyes intent on hers as he spoke. "I will do that if it's what you want, Mara."

She dragged her eyes from the ring and stared at him stunned. "You want to get married?" she finally managed to get out when she could breathe again. Demetri really wanted to marry her? She didn't think vampires could get married. Surely if they could, Caleb would have married Annie? She was quite literally stunned and didn't know how to react.

Demetri was watching her face intently, almost being able to see her thoughts whirling madly in her head. He couldn't believe how nervous he felt. He wasn't used to actually caring what someone else thought. "I want to get married, Mara," he said quietly. "If you'll have me. If you don't want to get married then fine, just wear the ring so everyone can see that we're together." He didn't particularly like option two but if she was more comfortable with that then he'd live with it.

Mara's heart thumped wildly in her chest as she saw the longing in Demetri's beautiful green eyes. She knew this was hard for him. If she hadn't already been certain that he loved her, this unexpected action would have proven it. She smiled slowly, her brown eyes shining with her love for him. "I would love to marry you, Demetri," she breathed softly, holding out her hand so he could slide the engagement ring onto her finger.

He felt a wild joy spring up inside him at her agreement. He did pull her fully onto his lap and began to kiss her quite outrageously, his tongue delving deeply into her mouth as heat exploded between them instantly. He lifted his head and cradled her face gently, his expression warm and loving as he held her close. "I love you, my Mara," he whispered softly. "Come on."

He pulled her from the booth and marched into the middle of the dance floor, the sea of dancers parting to allow them to do so. No one got in Demetri Bozic's way when he wanted something, and the unassuming humans who frequented the club were no exception.

He smiled at his woman, holding her left hand high so he could admire his ring with a fierce possessiveness taking hold of him. Who would have thought that something so intrinsically human could have such a profound affect on him? That one little item of jewellery could tell the whole room that Mara belonged to him as surely as he belonged to her?

Mara managed to refrain from rolling her eyes as she heard startled gasps around them, mostly from women. She was acutely aware that they were simply standing still in the midst of the other dancers and that quite of few of them were standing still too, watching them with open interest.

"Is this enough for you, Mara?" Demetri asked with a smug smile on his beautiful face. He wasn't unaware of the slight looks of disappointment on some of the men's faces around them. He knew his woman was beautiful and so incredibly desirable. He wanted them to know without a doubt that she was not available should there ever be a night when he couldn't escort her to the club.

He spun her round and then caught her into his arms, moving slowly against her body in time to the slow, heady beat of the next track to be played. His beautiful woman laughed, her hair swaying as her head tilted back and her face shone with such radiance. She quite literally took his breath away and he wondered how he could ever have been so lucky as to find her in the first place.

"Demetri, stop pretending all of this is for me," Mara laughed, bringing her mouth close to his and grinding slowly against him, delighting in the feel of his hardness pressing insistently against her. "We both know this little show is just as much for your benefit as it is for mine."

He laughed with her, gently teasing her mouth with tiny little touches of his lips. "I can't hide anything from you, can I, beautiful?"

"No," she sighed softly, gripping the back of his neck so she could deepen the kiss and press her tongue into his mouth as they continued to move sinuously against each other.

Her life had changed so much and all for the better. She would always have to be one step ahead of Demetri at all times, because he was such a manipulative man and so used to always getting his own way. But he loved her with every fibre of his being and she knew that anything she wanted, all she had to do was ask him for it and he would try his damnedest to give it to her. And she loved him too, just as fiercely as he loved her. He was her entire life now and she couldn't imagine a moment when he wouldn't always be in her thoughts and her heart. Her beautiful, arrogant vampire.

"I love you, Demetri," she sighed against his lips and she felt the soft growl which rippled through him at her words. He raised his head and stared into her big brown eyes, his expression strained with his need to be with her.