his swollen flesh.
No pain. They’d been wrong. There wasn’t pain, just—
Pleasure.
She could drink from him all day, he didn’t care. The feel of her mouth, sucking on his neck, licking, was one of the most erotic things he’d ever experienced.
Better than sex. Stronger, harder, so much bet—
Her head pushed against his hand. She wanted to stop.
No.
His fingers tightened. He could make her keep drinking. There was no danger to him. He could—
What am I doing?
His hands dropped from her. He stepped back.
And immediately missed the press of her mouth.
But the haze was clearing from his eyes. The lust still blazed through his body, the remembered pleasure seared his nerves, but at least his sanity was returning.
His fingers touched the wound on his throat. The skin was tender, but he knew the wound would heal soon.
His gaze locked on Maya’s face. She licked her lips, and her eyes slowly faded from black to blue.
Then that stare narrowed on him. “You don’t taste like a human.”
His heart was racing. Arousal, not fear. “Oh? And just what do I taste like?”
She didn’t answer. Just stared at him a moment longer as if trying to figure out some sort of puzzle.
Good luck with that one. He’d keep his secrets from her until he was damn good and ready to reveal them.
His cock was so hard and thick that he was pretty sure the zipper of his jeans might be leaving a permanent impression on his flesh.
He’d just gotten turned on by a vampire’s bite.
Impossible.
Or so he’d thought.
His gaze dropped to the front of Maya’s T-shirt. Her nipples poked against the fabric, sharp, tight peaks.
She’d been aroused by the exchange.
Good. So he wasn’t the only one being driven to the edge.
“We’ll talk about your niece at dusk. Figure out a game plan.” She was obviously dismissing him for the time being and ignoring the tension between them, and her own need.
Interesting.
He found he wasn’t quite as capable of ignoring the need. The lust pumped through his blood, driving a hunger he’d never expected to feel.
If her bite felt that good, he couldn’t help but wonder, how would it feel to fuck her?
She walked toward the wall. She punched in a series of codes, and a faint whur filled the air. There was a soft clank as the shutters locked into place.
“What are those for?” he asked, and his voice was harder, deeper than he intended. She had control. If she could fight the desire, so could he.
Maybe.
Control had never really been his strong suit.
He tried again, clearing his throat and deliberately not looking at the bare expanse of her pale legs. But he bet they’d feel good wrapped around him. “I thought the sun didn’t hurt you.” He knew it didn’t. He’d once tied a vampire to a tree and waited for the sun to rise and the fire to start.
Nothing had happened.
Lucky for him, it had been easy enough to start a fire another way.
“The shutters don’t just keep out the sun,” she said, yawning a little and heading toward the bed. “They keep the monsters out, too. They’re made of reinforced steel. It’d take someone with a hell of a lot of strength—more strength than a vamp has—to get past ’em during the daylight.”
The lady sure believed in being prepared.
She pushed back the covers, climbed into the bed. Then she threw a pillow at him. Hard. “You should fit on the sofa in the den.”
The den? His fingers curled into the lumpy pillow. Since when did the place have a den? There was a bathroom the size of a closet, a miniscule bedroom, and he’d been pretty sure when they entered the house they’d walked through a kitchen.
Huh. Now that he thought about it, he did remember seeing a rather ragged green couch in the kitchen.
And there was really no way he was going to fit on it. “I think I’d prefer the bed.”
She stretched out. “Um, I’m sure you would.” Another yawn, one she made no attempt to cover. “But you’re getting the sofa. Or the floor. Your choice.”
What a fine choice it was.
“There’s food in the cabinets, if you get hungry. Pay to…keep it stocked.” Her eyelids began to lower.
“Uh, Maya?” Surely this wasn’t it. The great vampire was just going to curl up now and go to sleep?
And he was going to stay up, horny, all damn day long?
What about the bite? Did she think they were linked now, that she could trust him?
A long sigh filled the room. “Slick, I’ve been hunting all night. I killed a demon, got my body ripped open, and had to deal with you.” She drew out the last, making it seem as if his presence had been the most stressful part of her night.
Adam frowned.
“Now, I’m tired, and apparently, I’ve got one hell of a hunt planned for tomorrow.”
But he hadn’t even told her all the details about Nassor and his pack yet.
“So I’m going to bed.”
“You need to—”
Her eyes closed. “We’ll talk tomorrow.” Her voice had started to slur.
Well, damn. The vampire was dismissing him.
Just curling up and going to sleep.
He spun and stomped toward the door.
“Brody.” No sleepiness in her voice now.
Glancing back over his shoulder, he found her stare trained on him.
“I’ve got you in me now. Got your taste.” Her eyes were wide open as she told him, “We’re linked. Don’t think about lying to me or betraying me. I told you that I’d help you find the girl, and I will.”
But only after she’d gotten her beauty sleep.
Adam
