back of my neck was more urgent. He’d pulled me against him at some point and I’d gone willingly, my nipples brushing against his hard chest as his tongue dove into my mouth over and over with a sweet, hypnotic pattern of strokes that made heat curl deep inside me. I was lost in that kiss, in the power of his mouth slanting over mine.
His tongue stroked against mine, encouraging my responses, and I whimpered against his mouth, my fingers curling in his shirt to anchor him to me. Again, his tongue licked against my own, and my body wanted to follow that delicious movement. It made my mind go to deep, dark, dangerous places—like the thought of that wonderful tongue flicking my nipples into stiff little peaks. Or between my legs—
Josh pulled away, breaking the kiss and my erotic daydreams.
My eyes opened—when had I closed them?—and I stared at him in fuzzy confusion. Why had he stopped? I wanted to ask, but the only syllable that fell out of my mouth was a soft “Whuh?”
His thumb stroked over the wet lower curve of my lip. “Like that,” he said in a soft, husky voice. “Just like that, sweet Marie.”
“Just like what?”
“You.” He leaned in and pressed another feather-light, openmouthed kiss on my parted lips. “Soft. Gorgeous. Full of need. When someone kisses you, that’s how you need to look back at him. Like he could pull you into his lap and make you his in the next moment.”
I pulled away from Josh slowly—and a bit reluctantly. His words were destroying the delicious, erotic fog over my thoughts. I didn’t want to kiss someone else. I wanted more of Josh, his expert tongue and amazing lips. His hard body pressing me onto the couch and covering me.
I certainly didn’t want to think about kissing vampires at the moment. “So . . . that was good?”
“Pretty good,” he said, and there was a husky note in his voice. His gaze seemed to go back to my mouth once more. “Did you want to practice again?”
“Can we?” Oh man, my voice sounded so breathy.
“Of course.” He tugged at the curls on my nape and tilted my head back just a little.
I barely managed to swallow the gasp building in my throat before his mouth descended on mine again. He kissed the hell out of me—thoroughly, thoroughly kissed—and his tongue swept into my mouth again, driving all rational thought out of my head. There was only Josh and that powerful, endless kiss.
By the time he pulled away again, my thoughts were mush. My lips felt full and a little tender from his kiss, and my nipples—and my sex—ached with need. He could have definitely tossed me down on the couch and had his way with me.
As if sensing what I was thinking, he leaned in once more. I parted my lips in anticipation of his kiss—
And wasn’t prepared for the sensual slicking of his tongue over my parted lips in a blatant move that left me breathless.
“That’s how you kiss someone, Marie,” he said in a husky voice as he broke the kiss and retreated back to his end of the couch. “Did you take notes?”
“Buh?” I asked, still all foggy with need and incredibly eloquent.
“You’re getting better with your reactions,” he said casually, as if we’d just been describing the weather. “Just let me know if you need more practice.”
“More practice?” I echoed, and then reality crashed over me.
That’s all this was, of course. Just practice. I pulled away from Josh and scooted back on the couch, giving myself space. “I’m good for now.”
“Suit yourself,” he said casually.
But he licked his lips, as if savoring my taste, and it sent another pulse of heat through my body.
• • •
“You ready for this?” Josh said, fixing the neck of my sweaterdress so it hung over one shoulder, exposing my neck, collarbones, and my upper arm.
I batted his hand away. “I will be just as soon as you leave, Henry Higgins.”
“Who?” he asked.
“Never mind. Just go. Please,” I said urgently, eyeing the empty table that I was supposed to be sitting at. Josh had been hovering behind a shield of plants at a two-seater table in another section and had come over to let me know that he was there. It seemed that my “coach” wanted to supervise my date. He said it was to give me pointers. I was starting to think it was because he wanted to keep an eye on me.
From what I could tell, Josh didn’t trust vampires. And the more I found out about them, the less I liked. They were secretive and apparently untrustworthy. No one in the Alliance liked them much, and they didn’t even seem to like other vampires much. Vampires were loners. Suspicious loners. It seemed to be a rather cutthroat community compared to the supernatural clans, which were more like a big family.
But I wasn’t a girl with a lot of choices. I had vampires, or I had nothing. So I picked vampires.
Josh nodded in approval. “You look stunning tonight, Marie.”
I was surprised by that compliment. “Really?”
“I want to lick you all over. But I’ll leave that for your date.”
I felt my cheeks heat. “Gee, thanks. I’m going to go sit down now.”
He winked at me and grinned.
When I turned to leave, he swatted me on the ass.
The man was impossible, I thought as I went back to my table. It was going to be hard to concentrate on my date with a massive were-cougar male hovering nearby.
Lonnie Smith showed up a short time later. He didn’t look several hundred years old, which his bio had listed. I’d never met him in person; whereas most supes liked to come in to the agency themselves, vampires were a reclusive lot and didn’t venture out unless they had to. Getting one to show up for a date was a trick in itself.
He wore a black turtleneck with several gold chains looped around his neck and a black leather coat over it. His black hair was slicked back, and he looked like something from a bad ’70s movie. Maybe vampires had a hard time keeping up with fashion.
I extended my hand for him to shake and gave him a quick smile of greeting. “Lonnie? Hi, I’m Minnie.”
“Minnie, my angel,” he said in a low, rumbling voice. He clasped my hand in his and held it tight. “You look more beautiful than in your picture. I am very pleased.”
Though he held my hand a bit longer than was comfortable, I resisted the urge to pull it away. “Thank you. I’m glad you’re pleased.”
“Oh, very,” he said, still holding on to my hand and sitting down in the chair next to mine.
I had no choice but to sit down as well. So he was a little touchy-feely. I could deal with that, I guessed. After all, being turned had to involve a certain level of intimacy, didn’t it?
He began to rub my hand. “So tell me about you, Minnie. What do you like?”
I adjusted my glasses with my other hand, noticing that his gaze kept straying to my bare neck. True to Josh’s orders, I’d worn my hair twisted up in a loose knot, and it seemed to be getting Lonnie’s attention. This date was already turning out much better than my last one.
“Me? Well . . . ” I paused, thinking. I couldn’t really give away too much, but I didn’t want to sound boring. Unfortunately, all the things I liked were pretty boring. “I’m kind of a homebody.”
“Me, too,” he said with a close-lipped smile. “What kinds of things do you like to do at home?”
“Well, I like to curl up and watch a good movie. And puzzles. I like puzzles.”
“Puzzles?” Lonnie looked as if I’d just said the most unappealing thing in the world. Oh, no. I was losing his attention.
“What do you like to do?” I asked quickly.
He gave me a half smile. “Not puzzles.”
I cast around for something else to say. I never realized small talk was so hard, especially when your date wasn’t exactly helping things along. “Do you like sports? Running? Tennis?”
“I’m a vampire. Unless it happens at night or indoors, I can’t do it.”
“Oh, of course,” I said quickly, feeling flustered. “Maybe table . . . tennis? I like table tennis.”
He glanced at the door. Shit, I was losing him.
“And sex,” I added desperately. “I
