Once I got my breath under control, I began to inch toward the stairs. One by one, I made my way down, cursing my stupidity every step of the way. When I hit what I thought was the bottom, I stuck my hands out and felt around for the door.
“Looking for something?” a deep voice asked, and I screamed. Then I ran. I was halfway up the stairs when he caught me. In the blink of an eye, we were no longer on the stairs but back at the bottom. “What are you doing down here, Diana?” he whispered in my ear.
A minute or six later, when I no longer felt like pissing myself, I replied, “Uh, I was just looking for wine.” It was a horrible lie. I was a horrible liar, but there was no way I was telling him the truth.
“Liar,” he whispered, his gravelly tone sending chills up my spine. “Now, I’ll ask you once again, what are you doing down here?”
The way he said it, as if I was an errant child, hit a nerve, and I reacted. “Why, Zack? Is Victoria down here with you? Have the two of you been giggling in your coffins about how she fanged the stupid human?” I tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t budge. “Let me go.”
“No.”
Obstinate vampire. “She attacked me last night!” I shouted. “Yes, I might have lied and said I overheard the two of you talking, when I didn’t, but it was for the case, not because I was trying to get into her lover boy’s pants. She came into my home and attacked me.” My eyes welled, and my voice wobbled, which only made the stupid situation ten times worse. “Fuck you,” I rasped. “Fuck you and fuck her.” I turned to leave and found myself pressed against the wall. My robe slipped, and I felt his bare chest rub against my bikini top. My traitorous nipples practically wept with joy from the stimulation.
“Let me go.”
“She almost had you drained. You almost died because of my carelessness. I had to give you my blood, to force it down your throat while begging you to take it—begging you not to die.” His forehead dropped to mine as he whispered, “You almost died.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. Here I was, monsterfying him, and there he was all worried about me. “I’m fine. You saved me. I’m here. See; feel.” I took his hand and pressed it against my beating heart.
The minute his skin touched mine, I felt that same crazy connection snap into place. From the sound of his sharp inhale, he felt it too. His fingers trailed from my heart down to my bikini top, his erotically charged touch a direct link to the deepest, darkest parts of me. My breath hitched, then turned to a groan as his thumb stroked over my nipple before continuing its sensuous descent down my stomach to the top of my bikini bottoms.
Before this went any further—and I really, really wanted it to go further—I asked, “Where’s Victoria, Zack?” I had a feeling I knew the answer, but I needed to hear him say it.
“Gone. She hurt you. I had to stop her. I—”
I kissed him before he could finish the sentence. The thought that he’d ended her for me made me all melty inside.
The next thing I knew, my legs were around his waist, and we were moving. Not just moving, but moving fast—so fast it felt like we were flying.
With a jolt, I was back on my feet. My robe hit the floor, my swimsuit following in its wake, then my back hit the bed, and he was on me. As his lips caressed and his tongue devoured, I could feel him inside me, feel how much he wanted me. It was heady, exciting . . . beyond erotic. It was also very, very dark.
“Lights,” I whispered. With a whoosh, candles all over the room erupted with flames. Relieved to discover we were in a bedroom—an elegant, very masculine bedroom—I gazed at the dark, dangerous predator hovering over me, his deadly fangs glistening in the candlelight, and a warning ghosted through my head. I was playing with fire. There was no doubt I would end up getting burned.
Burn baby burn.
As Zack stared down at me, his eyes shifting from red to black, from monster to man, I realized he was waiting—waiting to see if I would accept him—all of him. Stupid vampire.
“Kiss me.”
His mouth split into a breathtaking smile, then his head dipped, and he kissed me. No, he devoured me. Sliding my hands under the elastic waistband of his pajama bottoms, I gripped his velvety hardness, while at the same time swallowing his sexy groan.
As he pushed up and began to strip off his pajama pants, I got an eyeful of his delicious body. Lordy, he was beautiful—all lean muscles and masculine angles. And just look at that giant cock. When he wrapped his fingers around his erection and lined it up to my entrance, I nearly swallowed my tongue. Watching him, how he handled himself with such ease and confidence, was beyond orgasmic inducing. Slowly, he slid inside. We both let out a groan. He pulled out and pushed back in, which elicited another groan. Fangs now on full display, he lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to mine. I didn’t want gentle. I wanted him to feel as breathless and out of control as he made me feel. I wanted his fangs in my neck and that big cock pounding inside my body. He started to pull back and I nipped his
