Must Love Fangs

He followed me in, frowning. “Amazing . . . vampire?”

“Andre, remember? He was on the list.”

“He was a ‘maybe,’ Marie. I’m not sure that I like him as your pick. There’s something about him that’s untrustworthy.”

I waved his concerns away, shutting the door. “Andre’s one of the better ones. He’s good-looking, friendly, polite, and he wants to see me again!” I punctuated the last with a giddy little hop and grinned at him. “Isn’t that awesome?”

He stared at me as if fascinated.

I stilled, giving him a blank look. “What? What is it?”

“You.” The awed expression remained on his face. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you smile, Marie.”

I grinned up at him. I hadn’t had a lot to smile about lately, but right now? The world had potential, and I was thrilled to be in it.

Josh’s hand went to my waist and he stepped forward. He kept staring down at me, and my smile began to slide away, my pulse quickening. Was something wrong? But then he tilted his head toward me, slowly, his eyes going hazy with desire, and I realized he was going to kiss me. Those lips that I’d been fantasizing about for days moved closer to mine.

I should have turned him away. Should have thrown on the brakes and stepped out of his grasp. There was Andre, the vampire with potential, to think about. My future of living a full, healthy undead life.

But Josh was here, in my arms, his strong arms wrapped around my waist, his gorgeous face tilted close to mine. He looked completely and utterly delicious, and so ready to kiss me.

I tilted my face to his.

“You sure you want me to kiss you, Marie?” Josh said softly, his mouth so close that I felt his lips whisper over my own, a merciless tease.

“If I didn’t, you’d be sitting on the front step right now,” I told him, looking up into his eyes. They were still gleaming like a cat’s, and it was even more noticeable now that we were inside my dark apartment. I was fascinated by the way they reflected the light.

“Good,” he said, the sound half a growl. Then his mouth descended on mine.

I whimpered at the fierce possessiveness of his kiss. This wasn’t the coaxing tease that he’d given me before. This was a brand of ownership, and I was totally unprepared for the intensity of it. His mouth swooped over mine, hard, hot, his tongue sliding into my mouth in a slow rhythm that left no doubt in my mind what he intended.

Josh was kissing the hell out of me, and it wasn’t because he was excited for me that I’d found a vampire. He was kissing the hell out of me because he wanted to claim me for his own.

Surely not.

But then he was kissing me harder, dazing me with the intensity—and deliciousness—of his kiss. He sucked at my lower lip and bit it in a sensual invitation. “You’re so beautiful,” he told me softly, and his hand stroked up my back, pulling me tight against him.

I moaned at the feel of that big, warm body against mine. My hands went around his neck, my face tilting up for another kiss. Why stop now?

He seemed happy to oblige, but this time it was a light, teasing kiss intended to coax my mouth open and leave me wanting.

“You’re mine,” he whispered against my mouth just before he stroked his tongue into my mouth again.

My internal brakes squealed to a halt.

Chapter Nine

I shoved at his chest. “Excuse me?”

Josh didn’t respond, and I pushed his jaw away when he leaned in to nibble on my neck. “Joshua Russell!”

He finally leaned back. “What?”

“I am not yours.”

A devastating, confident grin spread over his face. “Then quit kissing me back, Marie.” When he leaned in to kiss me again, I averted my face. He drew back, looking puzzled. “Why is it not okay for me to kiss you?”

“Because you’re declaring ownership like some sort of Neanderthal. I’m not yours. I am mine. If you still want that one-night stand you keep mentioning, I’m totally game for that. Just not anything else.”

He stared at me as if I’d grown another head.

“What?” I asked. “You’re the big ladies’ man. You said yourself that you don’t date more than once. Can’t I do the same?”

Josh’s eyes were flashing cat in that way that told me he was completely irritated. “So you want a one-night stand?”

“Sure.” My heart thudded at the very thought of spending the night with Josh. No strings attached. Just him and me, in bed together, doing lovely, dirty things to each other. “I’m fine with that.”

“And then you’re going to turn right back around and go out with that vampire again, right?”

When he put it that way . . . “Right.”

“And you think I’m not going to have a problem with this?”

I put my hands on my hips. “Why not? You’re a serial dater. I’m surprised you don’t have ten women lined up in the wings, just waiting for you to crook your finger and they’ll come running. You just snap your fingers and panties go flying.”

“I haven’t dated anyone in weeks, Marie. Not since I started helping you out. Does that tell you anything?”

I forced myself not to play through the possibilities. “All it tells me is that you’re going through a dry spell.”

He hissed, and to my shock, it sounded just like . . . a cat. I watched his eyes go completely feral, his nostrils flaring. His eyes glinted with the low light and I gasped, realizing that they were changing to were-cougar eyes. Josh was losing his grip on his humanity. His hands went to my shoulders, and I felt his claws prick against my shirt, digging into the fabric just enough to let me know that they were there.

He smiled, and I watched his canines elongate. “Is this what turns you on, then, Marie? You want to see some crazy supernatural shit in bed? I don’t understand this fetish, but if that’s what it takes to make you look at me, I’ll give you what you need.”

He thought I was a freak with a vampire fetish? That . . . hurt. I gave him my iciest look. “Get your hands off me.”

He flung himself away, pacing into my living room. His movements were quick, jerky, as if he was working hard to control himself. He wouldn’t look at me.

I felt . . . awkward. Unhappy. I was losing his friendship, which wasn’t what I wanted. Not at all. How was I supposed to fix this situation? How could I? Why had I let him get close in the first place? “I’m sorry, Josh. You just don’t understand.”

He laughed, but there was no amusement in his voice. “I don’t understand? I’ve been hitting on you for weeks, Marie. I know it’s hard to get it through your thick skull, but I like you. I like your personality. I think you’re beautiful. I live for one of those rare smiles. I love it when you chop people down to size with that tongue of yours. I don’t even mind when it’s me. Every time you speak French, I get instantly hard. And all you want are . . . vampires?”

He turned around, and I saw frustration in his face. “So tell me, Marie. What does a vampire have that I don’t? Because I’m seriously interested, but it seems that all you’re looking for is a cheap thrill. Is it that they have bigger fangs? Is it the undead thing? What?”

I said nothing.