Addicted Ch. 02

Jasmine stared at the television, the words and pictures were nothing more than background noise, flashes of light. She hurt, physically and emotionally, stuck between longing and disgust for the way she still yearned for Kiran. Her body missed his touch, her lips cried out for his kisses, her ears strained to hear his voice and her eyes missed seeing his smile…and that fine body of his. She didn't even want to think about the pitiful way she smelled her coat because his scent lingered on it. She was addicted and she felt like a junky, fiending for her next fix of Kiran Odysseus Channing.

Jasmine had left her job that day, the day her world as she knew it came crashing down, and drove straight to the nicest, nearest hotel. She stopped in the hotel's gift shop, picking up essentials and buying a t-shirt and a pair of sweats with the hotel's logo on them to hang out in. There was no way she was throwing a pity party dressed in a designer suit.

She knew instinctively that Kiran was waiting for her at her house, mostly because he wasn't waiting outside by her car when she exited the building. So, she had taken a week off and planned to spend the entirety of it at the four star hotel, wrapped in a blanket and mindlessly watching TV soap operas. Her life felt like one at the moment, so she could relate.

If she could just walk away from them, her best friend and the man that she had fallen for, it would have been so much easier. But, she couldn't. Candace had been there for her through thick and thin, and as much as she wanted to be mad at her, she couldn't stay that way for long. She was closer to her than a sister, and that kind of deep bond was not easily ignored or forgotten.

And Kiran…well, he had been so wonderful, taking her out and catering to her every whim, sharing himself with her. Then again, the issue raised its ugly head. He hadn't shared himself with her, had he? The knowledge that they were vampires had stopped bothering her after the first two nights of contemplation. It was the fact that they had hid it from her, and for so long, that kept her holed up in the hotel room.

The feelings of betrayal wrapped around her heart, the tears that she wept over her friendship and lost love were almost unbearable. She thought she could handle anything, but this was too much. It hurt, not being trusted after putting all of her trust in those two. After a couple days of remorse, she chided herself for being so weak and decided to move past the tears. So, instead of crying, she sulked in the confines of her hotel room, ordering room service and consoling herself with a gallon of ice cream.

Jasmine tried to focus on the television, but the restless sleep that had plagued her that week was finally catching up to her. She had just drifted off when the jingle of her cell phone woke her. She was disoriented enough to grab the phone off the bedside table and answer it without looking at the caller ID.

"'lo?"

"Jasmine Antoinette Ward! Where in the hell are you?"

"Candace?"

"What the hell, Jazzy? You scared the crap out of me, disappearing like that. Apparently, it's bad for the baby when I'm stressed out for an entire week because my best friend is AWOL. And it's also bad for the baby when I try to beat the immortal out of Kody while he's trying to give me an exam. You owe me and your namesake one hell of an apology. Now, where are you?"

Jasmine debated whether or not to just come out and say what she was thinking. But, her need for honesty at the moment spurred her on. "You're a vampire."

"Yes," Candace breathed.

"Why…"

"Why didn't I tell you?"

"Well, yeah."

"How much has Kody told you?"

"He's told me that all of you are vampires."

"Yes we are. Now, what did he say concerning your relationship?"

"Just that he wanted to spend the rest of time loving me. That I was his everything…that I was his mate," Jasmine admitted, feeling her heart swell as she thought of Kiran and the way he made her feel as if she was the only woman in the world.

"Well… It seems like most of it is out there, so it can't hurt to tell you. Peter explained it to me this way. When a vampire takes a mate that is not a vampire, it is his responsibility to tell his mate about himself. It's kind of a way for the couple to establish a strong, trusting bond that will last for ages, like their love."

"What do you mean?"

"The vampire is exposed to great peril by revealing himself, but he opens up and trusts his mate not to tell anyone. His mate needs to believe him, first. Then, she is allowed to choose between returning to her old life and making a new start with her mate. And so, she takes a huge leap of faith when he asks to turn her and she agrees. She has to trust him with her life."

"Hmmm."

"I wanted to tell you so badly when Peter changed me…but I had the dream that showed me that your mate was one of Peter's relatives. When I told Peter about it, he told me that I had to keep things to myself until you were properly informed."

"Why? We're best friends and I wouldn't have told anyone," Jasmine stated, feeling slightly indignant.

"It's against the rules to tell a human about the existence of vampires when that person is to be mated with another vamp. Because it's such an intimate and giving act, it should only be shared by those who are pledging their lives to each other. Dreams and premonitions prevent others from letting it slip too soon. Those dumb bitches ruined that moment for you and Kody, and for that, I will never forgive them."

Jasmine chuckled. "So what happened to them, if it's against the rules?"

"The head of the family is supposed to deal with the breaking of rules. Their mother is in charge of discipline in their family and she saw fit to relegate those three to silence. They can't talk for the next year or so."

"How does that work?"

"Their voices are gone. Their mom touched each of their mouths and muttered something…now they are mostly relying on sign language and note writing to communicate. One of them is telepathic though, so she can project her thoughts. If it were up to me, I would have ripped their tongues out."

"Seriously? Their mom can do that?"

"Seriously. I thought my momma was scary, but Mrs. Philippa A. Channing is also a force to be reckoned with."

"She's that tough and she spawned the three bitches?"

"She blames the vamp boarding school that her husband talked her into. She said they went there and came back totally different. Nothing is good enough for them now and they seem to get off on causing other people heartache."

"I see. Note to self, don't let Kiran send our kids there."

"So, you're warming back up to Kiran, huh?" Jasmine could hear Candace's smile over the phone.

"Shut up. I may still be carrying a torch for him, but that doesn't mean I don't feel betrayed."

"Well, word on the street is that he had something big planned. He wanted to wait 'til then to divulge. So, don't hold it against him. Just think, this is the vampire equivalent of proposing. It's huge and Kody isn't the type to just drop it on the first date. And he's not the type to bite and then explain, which was Peter's way of doing things."

"So you didn't have a choice?" Jasmine was intrigued.

"Apparently, Peter asked me if I wanted to be his for eternity while he was in the middle of giving it to me so fucking good. I yell out 'yes, yes, yes' and he bites me. Talk about an intimate moment. I gave him hell when I came to, but even if he had sat me down, I would have said yes. I was attracted to him the instant I rolled down my window and I loved him the moment his mouth met my vajay-jay."

"Too much information!"

"Like you haven't heard it before."

"True, but that doesn't mean I want to keep hearing about Peter's face in your muff, Candy. Wait, what was that about after you came to? 'Came to' as in you passed out during sex?"

"He's that good, Jazzy. What can I say? That's probably why I put up with his ass. He's lucky I liked the fact that he was so caught up in loving me, he couldn't control himself."

"Very lucky."

"Does this mean you're going to be in my wedding? I would die if my maid of honor and BFF ditched me."

"Well, I shouldn't, just to get you back for that whole sexy dress fiasco that started all of this, but, I love you and I would never ditch you…even if I was pissed off at you. I had thought about it this week and I decided that I would have shown up next week, I just wouldn't have spoken to you and I would have staked Kiran before he got the chance to say anything to me."

"So aren't you even going to ask about him?"

"No."

"Jasmine, you're going to have to face him sometime. He's not going to give up on you easily."

"That doesn't mean I want to talk about him anymore or that I care enough to ask."

"Well, if I was you, I would at least want to know…"

"Fine, fine. Where is Kiran and did he put you up to this?"

"On his way to you and yes. He has been tracking you for a while, but when you picked up your phone, he had your location pinpointed. Technology these days…insane. He's probably going to rip off whatever you have on and show you just what it means to be his mate. I suggest you just get naked because he's not going to have that much patience or control."

"Ohh…that sounds sexy."

"I bet. Wear him out, girl."

"That's only if I decide to give him another chance. I don't know if you've forgotten, but he's a vampire."

"So am I and I'm not any different than I was before. Well, I guess I was knocked up the next time we spoke and I had fangs, so physically, I was different. But other than that, nothing changed."

"Everything changed! You found someone that you wanted to spend your life with. You wanted to move in with him and have his babies! You found the life that you wanted to live, the path you wanted to travel, and I have none of that. We used to hang out and lament that love had passed us by and now I'm the only sad sap around."

"What are you talking about? Kody loves you and you love him. He wants to spend the rest of his life with you. He wants you to have his babies and from the sound of things, you want that too. You path is laid out before you…you're at a crossroads and you have a choice to make. Do you want to spend your life regretting what could have been or will you take that leap and letting Kody catch you?"

Jasmine sighed, letting the weight of Candace's words settle in her mind. "I'm scared, Candy."

"I know, but you're my BFF and I wouldn't steer you wrong. I want to see you happy. This is fate, it was meant to be, or I wouldn't have been dreaming about you two."

"I suppose."

"Listen to your heart. Your mind might try to convince you that it won't work and that you're too different, but let your love for him be your guide. He's still that same guy you fell for, there's just a little more to him than you first thought. Trust him. That's all it takes. The rest will work itself out."

"Candy, what would I do without you?"

"Apparently, you would run off, sit somewhere and sulk."

"I'm sorry for disappearing like that. It was a lot, you know?"

"I know. Which is the only reason I'm letting you off the hook."

Jasmine heard the low growl, followed by a short knock at her door and she knew exactly who was there from the way her panties soaked through. "Looks like I've got company."

"Don't make him break the door down. Talk to you later!"

"Bye."

As soon as her cell phone snapped shut, the knocking began in earnest. She unwrapped herself from the blanket and padded to the door in her sock feet. She barely had time to open the door before Kiran was in the room, grabbing her by the upper arms and planting a long, sensuous kiss on her lips.

"Mine," he mumbled in between his scorching kisses.

"Kiran," Jasmine responded breathlessly.

Jasmine barely registered the sound of the door clicking closed or the lock being turned. All she could think about was how much she missed Kiran's lips upon her own. She knew he was walking her backwards toward the bed. And when he lifted her and placed her in the center of it without breaking their kiss, she felt her pussy cream.

After a few more minutes of branding her lips with his kisses, Kiran broke away. "My own, I am truly sorry for the way you found out about me. I wanted to…I had something planned for Valentine's Day. I thought the day that is used to celebrate love would be the perfect day to tell you what you mean to me. I want to be with you for as long as I live, and believe me, that is a very long time."

"Kiran, it's going to take more than that…"

"I love you, Jasmine Antoinette Ward. You are my lovely treasure, my queen, and I will show you what it means to be loved. You will never want for anything that is in my power to give to you, I promise. All I ask is that you will be mine, forever."

Jasmine closed her eyes, letting the fullness of her heart warm her. He had said the words that she had longed to hear from him since their first date, maybe even before that. He had told her before that he wanted to spend his life with her, that he was playing for keeps, but even those words, spoken so long ago, carried more meaning at that moment.

Her eyes opened and she looked into the depths of those swirling blue orbs and knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was meant to be with the devastatingly handsome redheaded man that lay next to her. This was the moment that Candace has spoken of, the one she almost allowed to be stolen from her, and she could be nothing but grateful that Kiran had not given up on her.

"I love you, Kiran Odysseus Channing. I love you so damn much. I…I will be yours, but only if you'll be mine."

Kiran's grin exploded across his face, but Jasmine barely got to see it before he was back, feasting on her lips once more. He pulled back slightly, allowing her a moment to catch her breath.

"Lovely treasure, huh?" Jasmine teased.

"Very lovely, always mine. Only mine."

"You're sounding kind of possessive there, Kiran."

"Possessive very." And with that he began to plant kisses down her neck, his lips coming to rest on her pulse.

"Kiran?"

He heard the slight tremor in her voice. She was still nervous, he knew, but he would put all her fears to rest soon. "Not yet, lovely. Valentine's Day will be the day that I make you mine for all time."

"Oh, okay. But if you want to…you know, take a sip, I'd let you."

"You want me to feed from you, my own?"

"Only if you want to. I mean, if you're hungry or something."

"Oh I'm hungry, my mate, but not only for your blood. This body that you insist on teasing me with makes me very, very…hungry."

Jasmine squealed as Kiran attacked her shirt, tearing it from her body. Her breasts fell free because she hadn't bothered to put on a bra that day. Kiran dropped down, grabbing a breast in each hand and lapping at each nipple alternatively. "Will you come just from this, lovely? Or do you need more?"

Jasmine glared down at him, nearly moaning at the wild look in his eyes. He was hungry alright and she knew exactly what she wanted to feed him. "I need more."

"What do you need?"

"You. You eating me until I explode."

Kiran laughed darkly. "Such dirty words coming from such a pretty mouth. Let's see if I can't put that mouth to better use."

He ripped the sweatpants from her body and smiled. "No panties? Lovely."

Kiran returned to licking her nipple while his fingers stroked her sopping wet mound. He kept his touch light, chuckling at the way Jasmine lifted her hips under him, searching for more contact.

"Stop teasing me! Eat my fucking pussy, Kiran."

Kiran loved the way she spoke to him, her tone just this side of commanding. Maybe one day they would play that game. He had no doubt that the strong, sensual woman that stood before him could make him beg and take him to places he only dreamed about. Fuck, he was so in love with her. "No."

Jasmine frowned. Kiran laughed again as he stood, quickly stripping. His naked form crawled over hers, his legs straddling her body, until his cock was lined up with Jasmine's mouth.

"Open those pretty lips for me, love."

Jasmine looked as if she was going to protest, but the moment he slipped a hand behind him and began to stroke her pussy again, this time rubbing against her clit at a rapid pace, her complaints were forgotten. Her mouth opened and Kiran pressed his cock forward.

He closed his eyes tightly when he felt her tongue pressing against his rod. He let her love him with her lips, her hands, and her tongue for a minute more before he pulled back, turned around and positioned himself above her pussy. Kiran buried his face in her dripping wet snatch and moaned as she started working his cock in earnest. Their first 69, but not the last, he decided as he dipped his tongue into her hole.

He moaned deeply against her pussy. His tongue was buried inside of her as far as he could manage and though she couldn't quite take his entire cock, the amount she had down her throat was impressive, more than anyone before her. And then he felt it, something constricting tightly around his member. She was using her throat to massage him, milk him of his cum.

"Shit, baby. Oh god, I'm so close," Kiran whispered against her mound.

She heard him though and sucked him down faster, using her tongue to lick up and down his shaft. His whimpers, deep and soft, urged her closer to her own precipice. It was so fucking sexy, the sounds he made. She had pulled back and wrapped her tongue around the head of his dick, teasing the underside with measured licks, when he began humping her mouth in earnest. Her mouth was filled with his cream as he exploded, practically roaring her name. She swallowed most of it, licking her lips to gather the cum that had escaped. Kiran was tasty.

Once he recovered, Kiran pressed his face against her again, lapping at her prominent clit and using his fingers to stroke the spot inside of her that he knew would bring her closer to completion. She pressed against him, feeling his torso against hers, his skin, slick with sweat. She needed more, something to push her over the edge. He pressed a kiss to her thigh and then sunk his teeth in, biting her and drinking of her sweetness.

It was exactly what she needed, the sharp pain and overwhelming pleasure. She came suddenly, her juices overflowing and running down her leg. Kiran left her thigh to lap up her essence, sighing at the combined taste of her blood and her cum in his mouth. If he hadn't already cum, he would have been sorely tempted to explode on the spot the moment his tastebuds processed her sweet ambrosia.

He flipped around, pulling Jasmine's prone form to his own, snuggling as close as he could.

"You're lucky I like you, Kiran."

"No, my own, I am lucky that you love me as I love you."

Kiran cradled his love and watched as sleep claimed her. His woman was so perfect for him and he was so glad that he had been able to convince her to come back to him. He might have come in and seduced her with his kisses, but he knew Jasmine well enough to understand that the fact that she had even let him in, allowed his lips to meet hers more than once meant that she had forgiven him. Otherwise, she would have found a way to maim him before he even set foot inside of he room.

He released a breath and huddled closer to her soft body. She had been away for long enough and he intended to keep her by his side from that moment on. As he laid next to his love, he felt a niggling feeling in the back of his mind. He focused on that feeling, recognizing it as his twin brother's attempt to contact him.