DEATH CALLS – The Director’s Cut

Just like the process of movie editing, writing often involves various revisions and sometimes the writer’s version of a scene is changed during the editing process.

This is the first love scene from DEATH CALLS and it happens pretty early on in the story because these are two characters who have been involved for some time. The scene is in the print version, but in a shorter form, so I’m presenting you here with what I’m calling the Director’s Cut of the scene.

To set the stage — FBI Agent Diana Reyes has had lunch earlier in the day with her pregnant best friend. For some time Diana has been wondering about her love affair with Ryder Latimer and the pregnancy and her friend’s normal life brings home just how much Diana may be giving up by remaining with Ryder.

For that reason, Diana has opted to not see Ryder that night, but when Diana arrives at home, Ryder is on her fire escape. Diana is pissed off by his not respecting her wishes and begins to pay him back with a little striptease that backfires. The striptease leads to this scene.

“I don’t regret . . . us,” she whispered and cradled his cheek. Funny, but it was the truth despite the doubts she had been having lately. In some ways, he was her damnation and her salvation all rolled into one inexplicable package.

“Let’s not talk about this tonight,” he pleaded. “The night is short and I . . . I don’t want to spend it . . .”

Burying her head against his chest, she wrapped her arms around his waist beneath his shirt, savoring his substance.

Her embrace shook loose something inside of him.

Ryder needed to make it impossible for her to deny that this was real even though it had been born out of unusual circumstances. Meant to be, no matter how unlikely it seemed. No matter how many doubts both of them now seemed to be having.

Ryder eased her away slightly, bent and brought his lips to hers, his touch gentle and questioning at first. Beneath his lips came the soft brush of hers, almost hesitant, possibly fearful, but soon she answered his every kiss, biting and opening her mouth to him, her small body pressed close.

It was sweet torture, the feel of her breasts skimming his chest. Her warmth, slowly working its way into the cold of his body. The heat of her passion drove the chill from his skin.

He opened his mouth, invited her inside and she entered, tasting and urging him on with the movement of her mouth and of her hands at his back, clutching him.

“Ryder,” she murmured against his lips and moved her hands around to the snap on his black jeans which she quickly undid. “Come with me.”

She eased away, but grabbed hold of his hand and tugged him toward her bed. Ryder followed, pausing at its edge as she climbed into the center and lay down. At his hesitation she asked, “This is what you want, isn’t it?”

She wore her false bravado face. Funny how he could recognize it so easily. Funny how he wanted to drive the fear from her until she truly welcomed him into her bed that night. Invited him into her heart. Driven by that desire, he eased over until one small movement would be all he needed to touch her.

“Can you deny it’s what you want as well?” He didn’t give her a second to answer as he brought his hand to her breast. Rubbed his thumb across the straining tip. As she sucked in a rough breath, he smiled, satisfied, and lowered his mouth to her. He licked the very tip and she moaned, cupped the back of his head and drew him down the rest of the way so that they were lying together.

Diana nearly bolted off the bed as he suckled more roughly. Warmth raced over her and between her legs came the throb of want. The wetness of desire.

She lied to herself that it wasn’t love and brought her hand to the middle of his back, stroked the muscles there as he continued to pleasure her with his mouth, not touching her anywhere else. The problem was, she needed more of him. She always needed more even if she refused to give a name to that desire. Even as she wondered if it was a result of some vampire head game, much as Foley had suggested.

Ask me to touch you, he told her.

Why?

His demanding reply came swiftly. It echoed her earlier wish and erased her doubt about the why of it. Because I need you to want me as much as I want you.

“Dios, Ryder. I need you,” she husked and loosed the bonds of his restraint. Of her own.

With a groan he brought his hand to the middle of her belly, caressed her skin. Slowly, way too slowly, he lowered his hand until it rested on top of the nest of curls between her legs. She pressed her hips up, urging him on. He paused, gazed up at her as he breached the edge of her panties, and then unerringly found her center.

She jumped as his thumb pressed against her and closed her eyes as he eased one finger inside.

Open your eyes. I want to see your hunger.

She slowly dragged them open, locked her gaze with his as he moved another finger within, imitating the act of love while he pressed against the nub between her legs, starting a quickening inside her.

Diana gasped and raised her hips up as he brought her closer and closer to the edge. She grabbed hold of his shoulders, held onto him as her body trembled.

Beneath his fingers, Ryder experienced the pull of her. The scent of her arousal perfumed the air, so strong that it brought forth the heat that signaled that the vampire within wanted a taste too. It was always a struggle to keep the vampire restrained around her. To let the human make love to her. He had lost that battle last time, his defenses breached by her begging him to loose the beast.

He wouldn’t allow it to happen tonight. He knew he had to show her his human side, his mortal love so that if the animal came . . . she might not hate him or herself as much for surrendering to the demon.

He shifted lower, dropping a trail of kisses along her body. She opened her legs, knowing his intent and welcoming it. He slipped between her legs, brought his mouth to the sensitive nub.

Her hips arched up off the bed in acceptance.

Ryder kissed the center of her as with his fingers he continued to stroke. Her wetness — slick against his hand — and the smell of her . . . the heat . . . He groaned and she held his head to her.

He lost the battle.

The change surged over him, but even as it did so, he continued to kiss and suckle, replaced his hand with his tongue and mouth until her body arched into a tight bow. He bit the nub gently, but then paused, struggling to contain the vampire.

It was almost all too much. The animal smell of their sexual musk. Her racing pulse reverberating in his ears. Her nether lips, wet and flush with blood. The demon imagined feeding there, at her most private of places.

He gasped at the roiling passion making his loins ache at the thought of taking her there, and looked up at her with his vampire face. Fangs exposed. Eyes glowing. Skin flushed and warm.

Diana stared at him. His arms were braced at her sides, shaking. Shoulders heaving from the force of his breaths. His rough, harsh pants reminded her of a lion at a zoo, caged. The human in him was barely keeping the animal behind bars.

In her mind, suddenly, the picture came as clearly as HDTV. Her own breathing. Sharp little pants. His teeth, sinking into her swollen flesh. Blood, rich with life. Passion. Flowing through both of them. Charging them. Her strangled cry of pain followed by pleasure that robbed her of herself.

Her lips throbbed and she gasped at the thought of his bite there. Nearly climaxed from the images the vampire wanted her to see. Wanted her to desire so it could do as it wished. So it could control her much as Foley had warned.

She shook away those thoughts and with years of skill and strength, reversed their positions, shoving him hard onto the mattress. His arms pinned above him. His hips trapped by hers. Erection brushing her lips.

She drove down onto him, fucking him before he could continue fucking with her mind. With her heart. Riding him, quickly at first to slake the burn, but gradually slowing. Becoming more tender to draw out the human. To make him Ryder again and not the beast.

As she locked her gaze with his, moved on him, the demon slowly fled. Ryder’s eyes became their intense dark brown once more, losing their demony glow. His fangs remained however, as if he couldn’t muster the last little bit of command necessary.

She released her hold on his one wrist and reached down, traced his mouth and the edges of his sharp pointy teeth with her thumb.

“I won’t bite again,” Ryder promised, growing fearful she would suddenly decide to leave him. To run away and take with it the one thing which grounded him — her love.

A little furrow appeared across her forehead and her gaze skittered across his face. She continued to touch him with her hand, but long minutes passed before she finally answered, “I know.”

Her trust in him brought a delight so intense, he had to close his eyes and take a deep, shuddering breath to finally rein in the demon. Without waiting for more, he flexed his hips and shifted upward, building the passion. Bringing her closer and closer to the edge.

Diana studied the myriad of emotions cross his face — one that was neither human nor vampire. Watched as his passion rose and the human reappeared. At that her own desire rebounded until the tension inside her grew so intense, she had to stop for a moment. Her body trembled. Her breath was ragged with the length of him, impaling her.

“Diana?” His voice had a thread of fear along with something indefinable. Something she didn’t want to consider. She just wanted release. Freedom.

Riding him, friction creating the increased heat of body against body, she deepened his penetration and finally took them both over the edge.

She followed his shout of release, with the satisfied growl of the animal, with her own cry of completion.