Dawn's Promise

"That's very generous." Candace looked up at Will and asked hesitantly, "What about Marcus and Neil? Are they free to go then? Am I?" Over the past few months she'd really come to rely on Marcus and the thought of losing him, of suddenly being on her own, unexpectedly tore at her heart. Neil, on the other hand, she'd tolerated him. He always seemed to be scheming and plotting. And if it had come down to a choice between her and him that night of the battle, she knew he would have left her behind and not thought twice about it. And besides, she hadn't liked the way he looked at her son, as if he was lunch.

Will lowered his head, hiding the sinking of his heart. Candace could leave at any time. Dane felt that she and the two males posed no real threat. "You can go at any time. We'll set you up with new a new identity and anything else you might need to get you started. But," his voice grew low, soft, "I was hoping you'd want to stick around for a while."

"This is the safest place for Chance, isn't it?" Candace marveled at how silly it sounded, her son was safer here in the midst of a nest of vampires, safer here, than anywhere else on Earth.

Will got up from the sofa and walked to the edge of the bed, sitting next to Candace. "Of course. We're pledged to keep him safe. But, what do you want, Candy? What about you?" He took her hand in his, seeing it in a positive light when she didn't jerk away.

Candace bit her lip, hesitating. She wasn't sure of what she wanted for herself. Chance had always come first and she'd never had to consider the possibility before. "I want to stay. I want to give you the chance to get to know your son." She slid her hand out of Wills and shifted on the bed to face him. "But, I won't be a freeloader. There must be something I can contribute. Some way I can help."

"We'll talk it over with Dane. Surely, he'll come up with something. We need you around here." Just sitting next to her on the bed played hell with his senses. He hadn't expected the sudden rush of emotion and the stirring of first love to blossom in his chest, almost as if the last twenty years hadn't happened and he could pick up exactly where he left off. He dipped his head and stared into the depths of her eyes, seeing the young girl she had been flickering in the shades of green. He ran a finger along her chin and tilted her head up, intending to claim her lips, this time in a soft kiss, not in a fury of unleashed passion as he had before.

Candace shifted nervously, tilting her chin away from Will. "Don't." She got up from the bed and walked across the room to put some distance between them. The spacious room suddenly seemed way too small. "We're not the same people we were. We can't go back."

Will got up from the edge of the bed and stalked across the room, closing the distance between them. Gathering Candace into his arms, he said, "You're right, we can't go back. But, we can move forward." Before she could protest with a thousand reasons why not, he pressed his lips gently to hers. Her mouth molded to his, lips slightly parted as an uncertain sigh escaped them.

Will wanted her to be absolutely sure and to think of no one but herself for the first time since Chance came into the world. She'd sacrificed so much for their son. Gone through the worst of times alone when he should have been there at her side. Gently, he ran the tip of his tongue along the open seam of her lips. Encouraged when she leaned her weight into him and wound her fingers through his hair, tilting her chin up to increase the contact. Slowly, he slid his tongue inside the sweet depths of her mouth and kissed her with the reverence she deserved.

Candace stood on her tiptoes, leaning on him to keep her upright, eager to feel more of the heated contact of his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed their bodies together. No longer hesitant, she claimed his mouth driving her tongue in between his lips and reveled in the taste of him. Her body tingled in awareness of his closeness, responding to the urgency of his response. His kiss was needy and wanting, yet gentle and patient.

She arched her back, sucking in a breath at the heady friction of her breasts against the hardened muscle of his chest. Shivers ran along her flesh at the roaming of Will's long fingers down her spine to settle on her butt, cupping and kneading the flesh in his palms. His kiss deepened. His tongue swabbed against hers with urgent desperation. She responded in turn, getting reacquainted with the tingling sensation arousal from the heat of a man's kiss and the feel of his hands on her body.

Candace broke the kiss, suddenly intimidated as Will's fingers traced around her rib cage to the underside of her breasts. His thumbs stroked her nipples through the lace cup of her bra, teasing them to fullness and achy need. Panting, she rested her forehead on his chest, curling her fingers into the soft cotton t-shirt stretched over his muscular pecs. "You were my first," she said softly.

There hadn't been many men in her life. After Chance was born, while the other girls were off chasing after frat boys, she was too busy to join in the fun. Between working full time, going to college, and raising her son, there hadn't been much, if any free time left over to think about boys.

Finally graduating made life easier. But, things were still hard. She had a job that paid more than minimum wage for the first time ever and wanted to set permanent roots somewhere. There'd been buying the car and then the house, establishing routine and stability for Chance was foremost in her mind. And then once she'd gotten her feet firmly settled on the ground, there were PTA meetings, school functions, and Chance's many extracurricular activities. There was little time left over to pursue an active social life and she'd grown too cautious over the years to date seriously. By the time she considered having a man in her life, the dating pool had gotten awfully shallow and dismally disappointing.

"There haven't been many since," she confessed. Will asked her what she wanted for herself. Challenged to come up with an answer, she reveled in the heat of his embrace. Her head still reeling from the potency of his kiss and the arousal turning her insides into a puddle of long denied desire. There was only one response. What did she want? She wanted him.

Will planted a soft kiss against the top of Candace's head and tightened his arms around her shoulders, pulling her so close not a molecule of air separated them. She wasn't the only one who had done without for far too long. The Sons kept him plenty busy. There was always something that demanded his time. He'd asked her what she wanted. Maybe, he should ask himself the same question. But, there was no point. He already knew the answer. The same as it had always been. He wanted her.

"You feel so good," Will whispered against her ear. "I've missed you. I've missed holding you, touching you, kissing you." He kissed a trail along the soft skin of her cheek back to her mouth. Claiming her lips again he ran his tongue along the sharp edges of her fangs, teasing them to full length. He groaned as her body bucked in his arms, responding to the sudden surge of arousal he coaxed to life with such gentle painstaking persuasion. Her fangs were sleek and deadly, smooth against the tender surface of his tongue. Sensitive and so erotic, an area he'd never explored on a woman before.

Her hips ground against his need, creating a most pleasant and torturous friction. He rubbed his arousal against her softness, letting her know the effect of the havoc she caused. Desperate for skin on skin contact, he tore her blouse free from the waistband of her jeans, sliding his hands along the soft curve of her waist, trailing them impatiently over the hard ridge of her ribcage and up to the fullness of her ripe breasts. They fit so well in his cupped palms, as if they were custom made for his hands. The nipples beaded in response to the lightest of strokes from his fingertips. He wanted his mouth on them, suckling the sensitive flesh until she writhed in abandon from the slightest caress.

Candace felt Will's hard length, pressing relentlessly against her pelvis with the promise of hedonistic delight. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. It had been such a long time since she had felt his embrace. Reveled in the sensation of his hands caressing her body. For today, she lived in the moment, in the sensations that swept through her body, refusing to think of the future or look behind her to the past. With a gentle grasp on his wrist, she coaxed his fingers to the buttons on her blouse. Slowly, one by one, Will worked the buttons free to part the material, sliding the cotton over her shoulders to reveal the white lace bra underneath.

Will slowly unfastened each button with the greatest of care. He was eager to explore the tender buds hidden beneath the sheer lace of her bra. But, he forced himself to take his time and go slow. How often had he thought of doing this with her? How many lonely nights had he spent imagining the feel of her satiny skin beneath his fingers? And here she was offering herself to him freely and without reservation.

He slid the open blouse down her shoulders and arms to fall in a pool of pink cotton at her feet. Will dropped to his knees at her feet worshiping her as he lowered the bra straps to reveal first one full breast and then the other. Hungrily he covered each ruby tipped bud with soft kisses and wet caresses from his tongue. Candace worked the back of his head, scraping his scalp with her nails, guiding his mouth to all that sweet, soft flesh. He worked at the clasp of her bra, restraining himself from tearing it free in urgent anticipation. Finally freed from the confining lacy scraps, he dropped the offending material, glad to be rid of it so that he could continue his pursuit of the finest, most decadent thing this side of paradise.

Candace threw her head back, moaning in pleasure as Will's wet tongue and hot mouth teased her breasts, suckling eagerly at the sensitive flesh, stiffening her nipples to throbbing points of desire. She clasped fistfuls of his sleek, midnight black hair in her fingers, clawing at his scalp to spur him on and contain her urgency to push his hands faster along their slow seductive pursuit of her tender arousal.

His fingers traced the curve of her waist, dragging agonizingly slow across her abdomen to the snap of her jeans. With deft movements, he worked the snap loose and the zipper down, using his thumbs to slide open the thick denim. Abandoning her tender breasts, he kissed a trail to the dip of her belly button and lower to the soft plane of her stomach, growling in masculine approval at the scent of her desire.

A nervous flutter skittered through Candace's stomach as Will took his time, licking and nuzzling her belly. His long fingers slid between the jeans and her underwear, peeling the denim over her hips and down her thighs. Of all the time to have chosen comfortable, plain cotton panties over something sexier, lacier, and more revealing, it had to be today. Of course, she hadn't anticipated that anyone would be seeing the underwear except for her. Not that Will seemed to mind her choice of intimate apparel in the least.

She used her palm to balance her weight on his broad, muscled shoulder, lifting one leg as he pulled her white tennis shoe and sock from her foot. Taking time to crouch on his knees, bending to sample the flesh of her inner thigh and the ticklish back of her knee before working the pants leg over her toes.

He made quick work of her underwear sending them over her hips and down her legs, gently lifting one foot and the other, pulling them free to join her clothes in a heap at her feet. She burned from the heated glimmer of desire in Will's dark stare. He drank her in with his eyes. Seared her with the gentle strokes from his fingertips along the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, coaxing her legs apart to allow his continued exploration higher to the thick patch of dark curls.

She'd never been very confident about her looks, especially after Chance's birth. Shamed by the soft layer of pudge on her lower abdomen that no matter how much she dieted and exercised never seemed to go away. The post-pregnancy stretch marks had long since faded to dull, slivery tiger stripes across her breasts and stomach. But, she'd always been self-conscious of them. Will nuzzled her belly, gently grazing the skin with his teeth. Kissing the stretch marks, lovingly tracing their path across her skin with the tip of his tongue. And she'd never felt sexier or more confident, standing here naked in front of him, than in this moment.

Will hitched a breath at the sight of Candace's naked form. Her curvy body was a feast for his starving eyes. Her soft, sleek skin, a decadent treat beneath the tip of his tongue. He kissed the marks zigzagging across her stomach and breasts with tenderness and adoration. She'd earned each and every one of those silvery lines carrying their son for nine long months. And to Will they were a beautiful and awe inspiring tribute to her courage and strength. The marks didn't deter from her beauty. They added dimension to the texture of her smooth skin. "God, Candy," he muttered in a gravelly voice, thick with desire.

His fangs pulsed and ached. He wanted nothing more than to sink them deep into the flesh of her thigh, tasting her in every way possible. Will patiently worked his way down from her stomach to the dark thatch of curls between her thighs. Coaxing her legs open with a gentle press of his fingers against the soft flesh, he lifted her calf and draped her leg over his shoulder. Intoxicated by the heady mix of feminine desire and the overwhelming urge to taste her, he raised up slightly on his haunches, planting his long fingers on her hips to hold her in place and buried his tongue in the sweet, warm honey of her desire. Nothing, no amount of blood had ever tasted better than the natural essence of the woman in his arms.

Candace fumbled to maintain her balance on one leg while Will continued his seductive assault of her tender core. His tongue was hot and moist against her folds, working her desire to a fevered pitch with long hungry strokes along her swollen nub. His fingers dug into her buttocks and hips. His strong shoulders rippled beneath her calf as he continued to taste and explore every intimate inch of her. The sensation of the contact between his tongue and lips, skating over her core and the zings of pleasure they left in their wake caused her body to quiver and tremble.

She was so close to the edge, panting and totally enraptured by his erotic kiss. Her body prisoner to this man and the pleasure of his heated caresses, quivered in anticipation of the orgasm promised in the gentle, urgent strokes of his tongue. Her fingers brushed over his shoulder, clawing at the t-shirt on his back in desperation. She was open, raw, and exposed, while he was fully clothed and completely in control. Dominating her with his wickedly seductive tongue and persuasive strokes of his fingers.

Candace dug her fingers into his hair and with a hard pull on the roots managed to tilt his head back. Eyes on fire, burning with lust and hot abandon, stared up at her. He licked his lips to clean them of the taste of her and sat back on his haunches. She tugged at his t-shirt, tearing it free from his chest and biceps with a hard, urgent jerk. His chest was a thing of wonder, hardened sculpted muscle beneath a sleek barrier of living silk. His back, the tattoo stretched across the rippling skin, was a work of art carved into flesh. In awe, she ran her fingertips over the intricate swirls and patterns, marveling at the time it must have taken to create them and the pain he endured to receive them.

The contact of her soft strokes along his skin was too much to endure. His back rippled beneath the gentle brush of her fingers along the patterns etched on his flesh. Growling in desire, his senses still drowning in the taste, scent, and feel of her, he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her down to the floor. He wanted to be on top of this woman, inside of this woman. Now. Each second without her was sheer misery and the worst imaginable torture he'd ever endured.

Will's throaty growl was enough to liquefy her insides and shattered what little hold she had left on her restraint. Fumbling with the stiff leather belt around his waist, she undid the brass buckle and worked her fingers along the hard ridge of his erection. Will's hands steadied her trembling fingers, guiding them to the button fly of his jeans. He helped her work the buttons free one at a time until all that separated his erection from her fingertips was his boxers. She gathered the denim and the smiley-faced print boxers over his hips and down his thighs, springing his jutting, iron-rigid length free. "Smiley faces?" she teased, stroking up and down his straining erection gently with her palm.

Huh? Will was so far out in erotic Never Land, aching and entrenched in her light strokes over his erection that he'd completely forgotten about Patrick's latest prank. The normally, utilitarian, tighty-whities, he preferred had been replaced by boxers with ridiculous print graphics. Puffy pink hearts, leopard prints, zebra stripes, hot lips, and of course, the smiley faced ones he chosen after his shower. Patrick had it coming in spades. And one of these days he was going to get his. "Long story," Will grumbled under his breath.

With a gentle push on Will's chest Candace coaxed him onto his back. Ridding him of the black combat boots and the weapons hidden beneath his jeans was going to take some doing. Impatiently, she tugged on the laces, working the double knots he used to tie them free with her nails. Finally, with one lace untied, she got busy on the other one, laboriously struggling to pull his long, size twelve feet out of the boots.

Will leaned up on his elbows, enjoying the show. Candace straddled him backwards, with her torso stretched over his shins, struggling to work his feet out of his heavy lug soled boots. He didn't offer to help. No sireeee. The view was so much better from this vantage point with her open and her thighs wide, bent at the waist with her pretty ass stuck up in the air. Screw the boots and the jeans. He'd take them off later. Right now the only thing he could think about was driving his raging erection into her wet sheath. He ran his fingers along the backs of her thighs, dabbling in the sweetness slicking her damp curls to coax her attention back to him instead of his footwear.

Candace swatted Will's hands away. She couldn't think straight with his fingers probing inside of her, stroking that special place, hidden so deeply, causing her to shiver with delight. In a huff of satisfaction, she tossed the boot across the room to join the other one she'd managed to pull free and went to work on his crew socks and jeans. Will was armed for the Zombie Apocalypse or something with an assortment of onyx handled daggers and blades. She worked weapons and sheaths free, tossing them in a heap beside the bed. Finally rid of the last stitch of clothing and last glimmer of silver, she sat on her haunches at his feet and drank in every last nude inch of the male stretched out on the carpeted floor.

Will groaned in heady anticipation as Candy crawled her way up his long legs. Suddenly he wished he were shorter so that she wouldn't have so far to travel before she reached the stiff jut of his agonizing erection. She hovered over his throbbing length, teasing and stroking with slow strokes of her fingers. When her mouth replaced the path of her fingertips, closing around his girth to suckle him and work his tender flesh with the tip of her tongue. Will moaned in desire and arched his hips off the floor.