Cassadaga Moon

Stiletto Sanction

Cassadaga Moon In the quaint town of Cassadaga, Florida, life isn’t quite what it seems. For the strictly raised Catholic Mia Christini, life is nothing like it seems. There are only three things Mia is sure of—her best friend Cindi might just be crazy, her boss is losing control, and morals are overrated. Weary of existing by a moral compass, she is ready and waiting for a one-night stand. She’s twentysomething, and it’s about time. When Jordan De L’croix sets his sights on her, she finds out that her integrity isn’t the only thing she needs to worry about, especially from a man who gets, or takes, what he wants with ease. And what he craves isn’t just her virginity. He craves her blood, redemption, and true love. Note: Hero and heroine involved in acts of vampirism. Genre: Contemporary Length: 69,956 words

CASSADAGA MOON Stiletto Sanction

R.M. Sotera

EROTIC ROMANCE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer. WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

CASSADAGA MOON Copyright © 2011 by R.M. Sotera E-book ISBN: 1-61926-099-9 First E-book Publication: December 2011 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of Cassadaga Moon by R.M. Sotera from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is R.M. Sotera’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Sotera’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

DEDICATION To my husband (Scott) and son (Austin) who believed in me and pushed me through the five years it took to finish this book. I am forever thankful for the love and support you show me everyday. I love you both. And to all the real vampires out there, the ones who live in the shadows, thanks for being so utterly gracious and letting me crash your world. A special thanks goes to Merticus and Zero with the AVA – Atlanta Vampire Alliance - Your honest answers to my neverending questions helped me to understand the lifestyle better, thus you made it easier for me to write the hero in this book. May all of your days be filled with immense love and happiness. And finally to my dear friend, Linda Bitz – Our memories and friendship will live on forever long after we leave this earth through Cindi and Mia. You’ve always had my back – soul sisters we shall always be.

CASSADAGA MOON Stiletto Sanction R.M. SOTERA Copyright © 2011

New Beginnings “Blood is one of the body’s vital fluids, and for some people drinking blood is deemed more of an intimate act than sex. Although blood drinking is the most common form of bloodplay practiced, blood sports practitioners—people who play with blood—are certainly attracted to blood’s ritualistic and vampiric connotations. Blood is the essence of life. Blood is dangerous. Blood is thrilling and frightening simultaneously. Playing with blood requires an incredible amount of trust, care and understanding, and time between play partners. Bloodplay is true intercourse between players. It is beyond pain and pleasure.” Arlene Russo, Vampire Nation

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Prologue Journal entry—October 31, bloodplay room When Jordan slices through my skin, with slow, steady precision, I need to tell him how good I feel, but I don’t know how to construct the house of words and then invite him in. Am I completely nuts? Should I have run fast and far away from him? I’ve read about alternative lifestyles and concluded those types of people were misfits. Then I met him, Jordan De L’croix, professor of religious studies and believer in twenty-first-century vampirism. The Gothic Sanguinarian. He’s changed my life forever. The cuts only sting for a moment. It’s the sensation of his lips against my flesh that sets my body on fire. When he looks into my eyes and whispers, “Baby, trust me. I won’t hurt you.” I believe him. Lately, my love for him is all I think about. I have this feeling that soon it will strangle me. Yet, in some strange way, I anxiously wait for it to devour me.

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PART I: Kissimmee Moon Rising Chapter One True love and redemption, two things he knew better than to desire. In his life, the game remained the same. Meet, cut, then suck. And more than likely fuck. Why would tonight be any different for him? Blonde, brunette, redhead, who’s the lucky one tonight? Jordan De L’croix leaned against the back wall of the massive room near the bloodletting supply table. Incredulous, he gazed at the swarm of women gathered in the Firestone Club, prepared to make the ultimate move. The techno music blared through the building, impregnating the smoke, the alcohol, and the eardrums of hundreds of raving vamps and vampire lovers. Overhead, cyberlights in encased prisms forced arcs of vibrant colors across the mysterious pandemonium. Female donors were here to meet their very own vampires. Though it was common knowledge these vampires weren’t the undead, the ladies still carried on as if they were giving their blood to the mythical storybook vampires. He intently studied a young woman with fiery red hair as she strolled across the floor toward him. The space between her eyebrows wrinkled. Oh, yes…come closer, darlin’. He snickered, guessing she contemplated which pickup line to use. Nonchalantly, she eased her back against the wall next to him. “So, are you here alone?” Her tone crossed between sticky-sweet and sappy-seductive.

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“I am.” Jordan tilted his head, surveying the goods. A vanilla aroma lifted from her pores and encircled the air around him. The overpowering, heady scent was better than the earlier intrusion of illsmelling sweat up his nostrils. She glanced at him, checked the crowd, then turned to him and softly spoke. “I’m not with anyone tonight, either.” Perhaps you will be, and very soon. He studied her. Her demeanor was tight and cautious, with her shoulders pulled back, and her arms crossed her chest. The olive-toned, tanned skin around her neck and shoulders showed no sign of a recent blood donation. Of course, that didn’t mean there weren’t marks on her inner thigh, the place in which he preferred to feed. Though he wasn’t a betting man, he’d wage a week’s salary on the fact she was a blood virgin. It surprised him that such young women never thought twice about bloodletting. His gaze slid down her body a second time. Yeah, he could see her in his bed tonight. He slipped from his thoughts back to the present and the blood virgin in front of him. If she only knew the dangers that lurked in the shadows of the club, she might think about twice about her actions. Maybe…but probably not. He admired the beauty of her cherubic face. “What’s your name?” “Tanner.” Her brown-eyed gaze slid slow and seductive over the length of his body. “I haven’t seen you here before, Tanner. I’m Jordan.” He slid his hand forward, gesturing a handshake. She reciprocated. The moisture from her palm lingered on his skin once she pulled away. You should be nervous. This isn’t a good place for you. He couldn’t help the chuckle that came next. Actually, I’m not good for you. “You seem a little nervous, doll.” An angelic smile changed her pretty features, and then her tanned face contorted in stern concentration. She lowered her gaze toward the floor. “It’s that obvious, huh?” Written all over your face, darlin’. “A little bit. How about I give you some advice? You can take it or leave it.”

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She nodded. “You seem like a nice young lady, but you need to be aware of what you’re getting into in this atmosphere. Blood drinking is a very serious act. What do you know about it?” She brushed her palms over her black satin mini and sighed before regarding him quizzically. “Honestly, I really don’t know much about it. I’m here with my friend who has been letting vamps drink her blood for the past couple months. She’s always talking about how exciting it is. What a rush it is.” Her lips curved into a playful slant. “When Susie visited New Orleans last year, she went to this underground club called Fang and had a blast. I’ve wanted to experience it since then.” “Oh, I see. Curiosity is getting the best of you.” Perhaps he shouldn’t insist she walk away. After all, it was her life, her choices. On the one hand, he wanted people to respect real vampirism, to take it seriously. The teacher in him demanded he attempt to educate those who were unaware of the lifestyle. But on the other hand, the pretty girl could turn out to be his mark for the night. Not to mention, it had been awhile since he enjoyed a rogue night of blood drinking. He thought about his situation for a moment, and realized that drinking from her would be the best education. Hands-on was always the best way to learn. Interested to see which way she’d go, he gazed into her eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched like a skittish colt. Ah, an innocent. Forgoing his usual tactics, he decided to walk away and let her experience whatever it was she thought was going to happen. But before he went his happy way, he needed to warn her. Walking into a club like this, with a naïve attitude, would be dangerous in the end. “Don’t do anything tonight that you’re going to regret or maybe even die from. Instead, if I were you, I’d go home and get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, do some research on the computer about real vampirism. Then, after you have gathered information, learned all you can, and taken the proper steps to insure your own safety, find

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yourself a vamp looking for a long-term donor. Trust me, most of the time you won’t find real vampires looking for donors in places like this.” He stopped, tired of preaching. After all, he wasn’t on the clock at the university. He glanced around the club. Where the hell is Jamison? Tension tightened the delicate features of the girl’s oval face. “You can actually die from this?” The words crackled. “If you’re not careful, yes.” She straightened and pushed her shoulders against the wall, appearing superglued in place. There was fear in her eyes as her gaze hit the wood floor. He sighed when he realized he’d frightened her. Oh shit, don’t stand there like that. Just leave from this place…trust me, it’s best. Before I decide to fulfill your desire. Tanner sucked in a deep breath and stepped forward. “I’m going to go now.” She turned to move away from him, then stopped. “What about you?” “What about me?” Ah shit. “Well…would you be willing to?” She batted her big brown eyes at him, doe-like orbs of vampire innocence, and his exact cup of tea. “Would I be willing to do what exactly, darlin’?” A cute chuckle came before she said the words. “Would you be willing to be my first try at having some fun with blood drinking?” He was minutes from a quick getaway. Yes, he was only minutes away from walking away, but not now. Seductively, he stepped in closer until his lips touched her ear. “I would love to be your first. I’m waiting for a friend, and after we talk, you and I will find a secluded spot in the club, and I will make you my blood doll for the evening.” A whisper sounded between them. “Really?” Now it was his turn to chuckle. “Yes, darlin’, tonight your wish is my command.”

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He studied Tanner as the excited smile stretched across her face. It amazed him how certain females wanted to be blood dolls, how they would let just anyone take their blood. He usually was extremely particular with his donors. Tainted blood was a serious threat, a danger he worked hard to stay away from. But there had been times when he had been less than careful in his practices. The current situation at hand would be one of those times. He usually tested the blood first, but tonight his hunger wouldn’t allow it, nor would the urgent need for pranic energy funneling deep in his gut. He slid his hand into hers. “Let’s go find my friend.” “Okay.” She tightened her fingers around his as they moved across the floor toward the bar. Passing the VIP section, he observed a petite blonde standing at the supply table, her well-manicured eyebrows knitted together as she studied the merchandise. She quickly gathered up a lancet and alcohol wipe with her black-lace-gloved hand, then walked past Tanner and him toward a tall, dark-haired man dressed in full vampire regalia near the DJ booth. The made-up count’s black velvet cape hung to the floor. A scarlet-red satin lining peeked from underneath as the boy reached out and pulled the woman against him. Role-players. It continued to intrigue him how some people dressed to the extreme, even donning fake fangs for effect. Visions of San Francisco and New Orleans flashed through his mind then disappeared. Just as quickly, recall of specials broadcast on the History Channel and the Biography Channel about his kind fragmented in his thoughts. Very rarely did people who considered themselves the real deal dress in crazy costumes. The role-players chose props. Most of his kind preferred to keep their personal lives secret. Yeah, until recently. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” A tall man with long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail handed Jordan a beer.

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Jordan glanced at his friend as he grabbed the cold beer. “You found me, Jamison, but you were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago. Where’ve you been?” “Stuck in traffic.” Jamison pinned his attention on Tanner. “And who do we have here?” “Tanner, meet Jamison Rierson.” Jordan smirked. The incredulous look on Jamison’s face was loud and clear. Tanner delicately shook Jamison’s hand. “Nice to meet you.” Jamison smiled and then turned his attention to the blonde girl standing with the role-playing vamp. Jamison shrugged a shoulder in what appeared to be a not-interested gesture. And then he gave a second look in the girl’s direction. Jordan scanned the room for a table then cleared his throat, hoping to detract Jamison’s uninterested feeling from the blonde female. She’s mine, too. “Let’s grab that empty table.” Jordan pointed, and the threesome moved across the crowded floor, dodging bodies swaying to the music. The aroma of sweat, mixed with incense, permeated into every crevice of the room. Jordan’s abdomen muscles tightened. The intense mixture was the one smell that made him instantly sick to his stomach, not to mention the vanilla stench from earlier still caked on the inside of his nose. As soon as they sat down, Tanner excused herself to the restroom. Jamison’s gaze followed her until she disappeared from view. “So?” Jamison took a swig of beer. “What’s with Tanner?” “Virgin blood doll,” Jordan replied then added, “Don’t give me a lecture on safe blood practices. I’m well aware of them.” “Then what are you doing?” Jamison arched a brow. “Seriously, what are you doing?” “What I always do. Taking care of my one and only. Numero Uno.”

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Jamison shook his head. “You know the consequences that could follow your actions. I’m not going to lecture you. Lord knows you don’t listen to my advice. Just be careful.” “I’m always careful,” Jordan smugly replied. Jamison rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. Do you see anyone else out there you like?” Jordan laughed low. “Yeah, the one you were just scoping out.” The blonde girl Jordan spoke of passed by the table, stopping briefly to offer a nod of approval. “And, it looks like she may be interested.” “Yes, perhaps she is. Is she going to be after Tanner, or before?” Jamison’s voice was lackluster. “Don’t answer that. I really don’t want to know. Can we talk about the gathering now?” “You’re still thinking of that chick, aren’t you? You dumped her. She dumped you. What was her name again? Nina, Mina—” “Mia.” Jamison nodded. “It was just a few weeks ago that I had her in my arms again. I would have tasted her blood without thinking twice this time around. Now, she won’t even give me the time of day. She ignores me every chance she has, which, all things considered, is probably a good thing. It’s making it much easier for me to forget about her. And honestly buddy, I’m almost over her.” He hesitated, tapping his booted toe against the table. “And here you are, one on the floor and the other in the wings. Let’s talk about the gathering, please?” Jordan glanced over at the blonde, not paying attention to his friend’s lamentations about some woman he loved and lost. He told Jamison a number of times that he had to stop regretting his position when it came to women. Jamison either had to stick by the rules or break them. Speaking of breaking rules. His gaze skated over the blonde’s chest and then lower, thinking of ways he could pull her away from the guy she engaged. He responded to his friend without losing focus of his target. “I made sure that Paige sent out the invitations and that she called the

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members that never check their mail. The blood dolls coming in have completed their blood screenings. When I talked to Betty today, she confirmed all the lab reports came back negative for any types of blood diseases. What about you? How are things going on your end?” Jordan’s gaze continued to scan the blonde whose boyfriend’s tongue was practically down her throat. She seemed to have a nice, deep throat. Ah…better to… Jamison made an annoyed tapping sound and interrupted his lovely thought. Damn him. “Everything is fine on my end. The caterers and valet service are set to arrive early, and Paige and Lilley made sure to hire enough waitstaff this time. I would hate to have to see you tending bar again this year.” Jordan’s lips curled up at the edges. “Yeah, me bartending wasn’t such a great idea. I had a hell of a hangover the next day.” “Actually, you bartending was a terrible idea. For every drink you served, I downed one myself. At the end of the night, I was lying half under the bar. Not to mention, most of the women were barely dressed, or naked, and perched up on the counter. By that point in the evening, the house resembled more of a brothel than a coven party.” A snicker sounded. “Well, I believe we have everything covered, and this party should go down without a hitch,” Jordan assured him, turning his gaze back toward the couple who would need to get a room soon or find some empty closet to get it on. No, there was only one closet used for that here, and it would soon be taken. The thought of her lips on him made the lower half of his body stiffen from excitement. “I say we call it a night. I have some unfinished business I need to take care of.” Jamison looked at him, at Tanner coming across the floor, and then back at the couple. “I swear you look for trouble, man.” Shaking his head, he stood up. “Perhaps. But she has graced our table enough in the past half hour for me to believe she wants to get to know me a little better. I’m only making her wish come true.”

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“Good luck with that.” Jamison stood. “What about the other young lady?” Jordan rubbed his chin. Good point, but when it came to juggling a few women at the same time, “pro” best described him. The soft lights in the club dimmed. “Would you ask Tanner to wait for me at the bar? Tell her to order a drink and I’ll be there soon.” “You snake.” Jamison appeared to want to add something else but only said, “I’ll buy her a drink and disappear when you show up. Speaking of show up, how long are you going to be?” “You’re a pal. That depends.” Jamison mumbled something, then walked across the dimly lit club toward Tanner. Reaching her, he slipped his arm into hers and escorted her back to the circular mahogany bar near the exit doors. Once Jamison and Tanner disappeared from sight, Jordan ordered another beer. Leaning back in his chair, he scanned the club. The petite blonde he had set his sights on appeared to be in an intense argument with her vamp boyfriend. He chuckled silently. It wouldn’t be long and she would be at his table making irrelevant conversation with him. Ah, but the hunt is half as fun as the reward. He continued to inspect them. Their painted white faces rearranged in seeming anger. Her lips curled up at the edges as her boyfriend leveled a piercing gaze on her. Within minutes, the boyfriend stomped away, and she turned a searching look Jordan’s way. A broad smile crossed his lips. Come on, baby, come on over. I can make it all better. I promise. Once her boyfriend’s hands hit the metal handles of the exit door, she moved like lightning toward his table. He nudged the chair opposite him with the tip of his black leather boot, toward her. A seductive smile dripped from her lips. She placed her scantily dressed body into the chair. “Hi, I’m Jenna.”

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Though her high-pitched voice and uneasy giggle irritated his ears, he reached over and pulled her chair closer to him. “It’s nice to meet you, Jenna. I’m Jordan.” Your dream man for the moment. That’s right, baby, scan me if you like. Her brilliant, green-eyed gaze flashed with merriment. She licked her top lip, then crooked a corner of her mouth. The mirth of her expression switched to a wicked gleam. “You are totally hot…that long blonde hair is to die for…and those piercings are wicked.” “Yeah, they’re usually a deal closer, sugar.” She reached out and slid her finger against the earring pushed through the side of his nose. “I love the diamond stud. It’s my favorite.” He chuckled, and brushed a stray hair from his face. “And you are my favorite.” Excitement flashed in her expression. “So, do you want to get out of here? I mean, we could go somewhere more private.” Jordan raised an eyebrow, amused by her attempt to seduce him. He gave a second glance toward the exit doors. You move fast, baby. Is your boyfriend even out of the parking lot yet? On second thought, who cares? His cock pushed against his jeans. Hell yes he wanted to go. And he would. “I wouldn’t mind going somewhere more private. What do you have in mind, sweet thing?” She tittered and then leaned toward him with her overflowing bust that pushed at the seams of her red-jeweled bustier. “We could go back to my place or your place.” No, not my place. She flashed another seductive smile at him and near his ear whispered, “Or I could do you right here. I’m wearing a skirt with nothing on underneath.” She cocked an eyebrow. “I even carry my own condoms.” How nice. But he didn’t need her condoms. He had his own. Slowly, he stood up. “Let’s go, sweet thing.”

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Once her hand was in his, he directed them across the floor to a dimly lit hallway off the east side of the room. Without losing a beat, they walked down the small corridor until he found the door to the storage closet. He turned the knob and pushed open the door, whisking them inside. With the heel of his boot, he kicked the door shut. Within seconds, her hand cupped his erection. The evidence of his arousal made her pink-lined lips moan with want. The sound resonated in the darkness. His blood turned to molten lava, heating him from the inside out. Skimming his hands over her clothed breasts, the jeweled fabric was rough against his skin. His breath heightened just as he shifted his legs in an attempt to alleviate the swelling between his legs. “Let me take my shirt off,” she whimpered in between uneven breaths. He touched his lips to her cheek. “That would be nice.” She unsnapped the silver hooks on her bustier, and in moments, his hands captured her naked, swollen breasts. He kneaded and stroked them before bending down and taking one of the erect buds into his mouth. She gasped in delight. He sucked harder. He was ready to take her. Now. He released her nipple from between his moist lips, and, taking a step forward, he pushed his body against hers until she was flush against the wall. Shifting her hands to the top of his jeans, she grasped the material and unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. In a smooth motion, she slid his jeans down his legs to his ankles. With both hands, she slipped his underwear down, releasing the engorged flesh waiting for her. A sigh escaped her lips. “There, that’s better.” She kneeled on the floor, took the head of his cock into her mouth, and ran her tongue up the length of his shaft.

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He cupped her head gently and stroked her hair as she licked his shaft from hilt to tip. That a girl. The feel of her soft mouth taking his entire cock sent a bolt of fire lancing through him. Closing his eyes, he relaxed his mind, enjoying the vibration of her deep throat on his dick. He grew close to releasing but wanted to feel the inside of her wet core. A blow job, no matter how good, wouldn’t suffice. He moved her head away from him and the suction of her lips broke. “What’s wrong?” A dazed look hazed her green eyes. “Nothing’s wrong, sweetie. I just want a little more.” His body was on fire, hot, hard, and ready to take her. Reaching down, he pulled a condom from his wallet, prepped it, then snapped it into place. “Stand up and spread your legs for me.” He didn’t need to say another word. They always do what I ask. An excited squeal left her lips. Quickly, she stood and moved her legs apart as he inched closer against her. He reached around her and pushed her against him before he cupped her firm butt. Nice. As he lifted her, she wrapped her long, lean legs securely around his waist. He slid himself deep inside. With a contented sigh, he put his lips over hers. The head of his cock bathed in her wet heat. She was moist, the inside of her mound as wet as an oil slick. His body pulsated through his swollen and rigid flesh. He rocked inside her. She groaned in between kisses. The sweet sound of ecstasy left her lips, and he came in violent succession. With both of their breathing uneasy, he gently placed her feet back on the floor. “That was awesome.” She patted her skirt back into place. “Yes, it was.” He brushed a wisp of sweat-ridden hair from his face. If that’s so, then why do I feel so empty? The question always surfaced right after he screwed someone, no matter how good the lay. If he could just learn how to deaden his feelings, life would be perfect. Fucking grandiose.

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She reached down and touched his cock while looking up at him. “Do you need some help taking the condom off?” A seductive smile curved his lips. “No. I believe I can handle removing it myself.” He rid himself of the protection and arched an eyebrow as she began humming some familiar tune under her breath. “Okay,” she said in a singsong voice. “I guess we should be going. Did you want my number?” “Sure, honey, you can leave me your number.” He winked at her before zipping up his pants, listening a little more closely to the sound coming from her lips. She was humming “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake. He coughed a laugh back. SexyBack. Yes, I am. She was sweet, not to mention she just let him have her. The least he could do was pretend he was interested, but he had no intention to call her. She pulled out a piece of Hello Kitty paper and a fuzzy pink pen from her small black clutch. “I live with my boyfriend, so don’t leave a message if I don’t answer.” No doubt the vamp boyfriend who left in an uproar earlier. She didn’t need to worry, because he wouldn’t be calling anytime soon. To be totally honest, he never planned to call. The paper with her number would soon find a new home in the trash bin in front of the club. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.” Realization of some kind flashed across her face. She batted fake, dark eyelashes at Jordan. “Actually, I don’t have a car. My boyfriend took the car when he stormed out of here.” He smirked and then pulled her hand into his. “How about I give you a ride home?” His gaze moved over her. “Or I can call you a cab.” “You can give me a ride,” she said without an ounce of hesitation. Before leaving, he stopped by the bar for Tanner and then herded the trio toward the exit.

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Outside, Jenna laced her fingers securely around his. Tanner leveled a confused look at him, but he smiled, that smile that made the women melt in his hand, and slipped her fingers into his other hand before he popped the small piece of paper with Jenna’s information into the blue trash bin. Jenna was cute, but he didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary for her. On the other hand, though, he was grateful she relieved the pressure between his legs. There were many women he could approach to help him with that need. And these days, that’s all it was, a need. Sadness rubbed his heart, prompting him to look toward the full moon illuminating the ebony sky. His body and mind had forgotten long ago what it felt like to truly love a woman he was having sex with. It was better that way. When they’d finally reached his black Mercedes Kompressor, he unlocked both doors simultaneously, and they slid inside. Jenna evileyed Tanner, who sat quiet as a mouse in the backseat. Looking through the front mirror, Tanner’s expression was hard for Jordan to read. “Jenna, darlin’, where am I taking you?” He pulled out of the parking lot and onto Magnolia Avenue. After hitting the airconditioning button on the console, he cranked the air to high. September in Orlando was sweltering this year. Even though it was past midnight, the humidity was still potent. His back was soaked with sweat, and the fact that he was dressed in jeans and a longsleeve, black shirt didn’t help matters, either. He could take his shirt off, but then that would cause other problems. Two women, one willing, the other, well, a bit scared. “I don’t know,” she said through her glares. “You could take me home with you.” She gazed at him through dreamy eyes. No, I don’t think so. But, with a grin, he nodded. “I believe we have upset your boyfriend enough for one night. Don’t you think? And my friend Tanner and I have a special event to attend.”

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A cute smile raised her rosy cheeks. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m going to have to make it up to him with some great sex.” Yes. There was no doubt in Jordan’s mind that she would be able to do it. “So, where are we headed?” he asked again. “I live in the Lakes Apartments in Rosemont.” She laid her head against the headrest. “What event do you and Tanner have to attend?” He glanced at Tanner. She cracked a smile, then bashfully lowered her gaze. “A sanguinarian party.” “I like parties.” Jenna placed her hand on his knee. “I’m sure you do, darlin’, but this party is private.” “Fine. But next time you better include me.” Jordan nodded. “Sure thing. Next time.” He veered the car onto the I-4 interstate toward the east. Within twenty minutes, they pulled into her apartment complex. “I live in building six,” she said as he drove around the office toward the back of the parking lot. Once he passed the kidney-shaped pool, building six was in view. Easing his foot off the gas, he pulled into a space directly in front of the building. “Here you go, darlin’.” She reached over and touched her warm lips to his cheek. “I had a great time tonight. Call me sometime.” Hesitation held her in place. “You better call me for the next blood party.” With that, she slid her body out of the car and softly closed the door behind her. When she’d disappeared, he motioned for Tanner to take the seat next to him and then drove the distance to his condominium on the south side of town. With the thought of bloodletting soon, he drove the rest of the way home with the windows down, Tanner at his side, and breathed in the aroma of fresh oranges from the blooming magnolia trees that lined South Semoran Avenue. Ozzy Osbourne’s song “Crazy Train” blared from the eight-inch woofers. A thought that he should be happy and feel fulfilled with his life flitted through his mind. After all, he had a

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cute blood doll sitting beside him who would soon replenish his pranic energy, and most likely his loins a few more times. But the funny part was, he wasn’t.

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Chapter Two Mia Christini watched her best friend, Cindi, slide into skintight black jeans she wished she had the courage to wear. Cindi’s slightly curved, petite frame filled the pants as if they were designed especially for her. The low-cut black lace tank showed just enough cleavage, making her size-A cup appear larger than life. Mia’s hourglass frame made her self-conscious to wear tight-fitting clothes. With so-called measurements of a brick fucking house, at least that’s what her boss whispered in her ear days ago, tank tops like Cindi’s made her chest look massive, as if it were erupting from some dormant volcano. Years of growing up in a Catholic environment led her to believe that a body like hers was cursed. Her grandmother insisted that she wrap her chest with tape in middle school to hide her size. For years she wished that she had a body like Cindi’s, one that wasn’t destined for sin. She shook her head in an attempt to forget the memory. Grandmother. Mia continued to study Cindi as she primped in front of the floorlength, brass mirror. Her friend’s cropped shade of magenta hair complemented her sapphire-colored eyes. “You’re staring again, Mia.” Cindi chuckled right before she flashed Mia her right boob. “Cindi!” “Geez, girlfriend…take a chill pill. It’s just a tit.” Mia’s mouth hit the floor. She tried to squash the image of the small hoop fastened to Cindi’s nipple. “Your nip—”

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“Pierced? Yeah, I know.” Cindi’s mirrored image arched a brow. “Drives the men absolutely wild.” At five foot two inches without shoes, confidence radiated from Cindi’s small frame. Mia’s best pal reminded her of the deadly elfin assassins that her favorite author, Krista Kane, wrote about in her romance novels. Cocky. Beautiful. Deadly. “Did it hurt?” Mia willed her mouth to close. It refused. “All sorts of good pain. The kind that makes you want to—” The crude hand gestures Cindi made almost sent pee down Mia’s leg. “Stop already. I get the picture.” “Do you now, Catholic girl?” “Loud and clear.” Still chuckling from Mia’s obvious reaction, Cindi reached for her hot-pink lipstick, silently moving her lips. Mia bet she was teasing her under her breath. With a chuckle at her own uptight reaction, she slid her gaze over the hotel room, thinking Cindi’s job must pay her well if she could afford a room like this. The Egyptian-cotton bedsheets, which Cindi had made a point to discuss the previous night over cocktails, had a thread count of two thousand. The teak armoire and circular table and chairs carried intricate designs carved meticulously into the wood. After she applied her lip color, Cindi’s gaze moved across the room. It stopped on Mia. “Hey, grab me my black leather belt from the red suitcase.” She secured a black-onyx choker around her neck. Fulfilling her best friend’s command, Mia tossed her the leather accessory. Confident Cindi drove the belt through the loops of her denim low riders, then fumbled in her cosmetic bag. “Shit, I need to run down to the gift shop for a minute. I forgot my contact solution.”

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“Okay.” Mia placed her hand on the novel beside her. “I’ll read while you’re gone.” God forbid if you had to wear your glasses. “Take your time.” Cindi nodded. “If you insist, you little bookworm.” Mia picked up the book and returned to the section she bookmarked, reading a few lines before her throat was tight and her pants tighter. Wow, why can’t I find a man like this one? Tall, dark, and deadly. She gazed at the clock on the wall. Thirty minutes had passed since Cindi had left. She turned the page and gasped. Her hands held the book like it was the Holy Bible, her gaze glued to the text. Hovering in the doorway, Cindi’s soft-pitched chuckle filled the room. “You seem pretty enthralled in that book.” Mia glanced up. “Oh sorry, I can’t seem to put it down. Want me to read a part?” “If you insist,” Cindi replied at the same time she rolled her eyes. Mia bounced off the bed and cleared her throat. Her inner actress emerged. Planting herself in the center of the room, she gestured in front of her, Cindi’s cue to take a place on the bed. Cindi plopped down on the bed, contact solution in hand. “Now close your eyes. I need you to experience the full effect of the dialogue,” Mia insisted. Cindi obeyed. “Yes, ma’am.” Mia’s dramatic gene took center stage. “He stood near the bar, and she carefully watched his every move. His dark-brown hair cascaded over one of his hazel eyes while full, pouty lips beckoned her to ravage them. Moistness settled between her legs. She wanted to climb on him, attack and grope every inch of his chiseled body. Sasha’s lust mode was overbearing, and Darian’s body begged to be taken. She turned herself away from the sexual tension gripping her from the inside out, and glanced at the menu on the wall.” Mia took in a breath for creative effect before she continued. “POV change,” she added, then continued.

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“He lifted himself off the barstool and moved with ease across the floor for a better look at the raven-haired beauty. Inches from her, he whispered, ‘Looking at you from so far away is killing me.’ She turned to face him, her gaze smoldering. “‘Perhaps it’s time we bring you back to life.’ Desire pulsed through him as he pulled her against his body and licked his lips in anticipation. Leaning in, he kissed her soft ruby lips. Tonight he planned to explore her most intimate places. Without a doubt, she would be his—guaranteed. Very soon, he would rock her world.” Mia finished the last line, forgetting for a moment Cindi was in the room with her. Embarrassed by losing herself in the book, she hoped and prayed she didn’t look as flushed on the outside as she felt inside. Author Kane knew how to write romance. Mia devoured her books the minute they appeared in the bookstore. She loved the stories because what she was afraid to experience in real life she could experience within the pages of Kane’s novels. She closed the book and stared at Cindi. “Well, what do you think?” Cindi held a questioning gaze. “What do I think? Well, let me see. My best friend is reading the pages of a romance novel to me with desperation and need in her voice.” Tapping her fingers against her leg, her questioning gaze turned into a serious one. “What’s going on, Mia?” She snatched the book from her grasp and studied the cover. Flipping the book in her hands, Cindi’s lower lip curled into a slight smile. “Why are you still reading this stuff?” “It’s the latest Krista Kane novel, and you can stop with the facial expressions,” she added, determined to win the upcoming romance books suck debate. She was sick of having to defend her choice of reading to Cindi. But she knew Cindi was right. Reading about something was not the same as doing it. Cindi grinned before her preaching tone took over. “You need to let yourself experience some of the down-and-dirty lust you keep reading about. You know what? I know you hate when I say this, but

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that Catholic upbringing of yours has really done a number on you. Oh wait, I mean Nona Christini has done a number on you. That nasty woman is still affecting you from the grave.” Mia was well aware of that fact. “Please don’t disrespect my Nona. She couldn’t help her beliefs.” “Trust me, Mia. I’m not disrespecting her, just telling it the way it is. She was a bitch. I haven’t forgotten the nights in college that you cried yourself to sleep because that woman said unthinkable things to you. If I had it my way, I’d have stopped her years ago from hurting you.” Mia wasn’t prepared to go into a lengthy discussion about her upbringing. Not now. The knives burrowed in her gut were dormant for the time being. The last thing she wanted to do tonight was feel them twist again. Desperation begged her to change the subject, before the words and feelings she buried deep in her heart ran wild. Flashing back to Cindi’s original comment about experiencing the romance she read about in books, she said, half serious, “Are you kidding me? Downand-dirty sex?” “No, I’m not kidding. You need to let yourself go with a man, just once. At least before the white-wedding day.” Mia glanced down at the black Jimmy Choo stiletto Cindi slid her right foot in. “Nice shoes.” A deep, throaty laugh erupted from Cindi’s tiny frame. “Thanks, but you’re not changing the subject that easily. Where were we? Oh yes, you and some down-and-dirty, hot-and-sweaty sex.” Cindi slid her left foot into the other shoe. Sweat trickled down the back of Mia’s neck. “I would love to experience the sexual fantasies you mention, Cin, but do you really think that what happens in these types of books can happen in real life?” she questioned innocently. At the almost-erotic flash of Jamison, a gush of feminine awareness washed over her. Could she really have her very own

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dream man come to life? She had thought she was close with Jamison Rierson, but he shot her feelings down as if she was the embodiment of some deathly disease. His rejection still splintered her core. Continuing to wallow in her disappointment over Jamison, she reached out and tried to grab her book from Cindi’s grip. But little ol’ Cindi snatched it out of the way in one quick movement, so she gave up the urge to get it back and continued, “I mean I tried to reconnect with Jamison. We went out on a couple of dates, kissed, and when I told him how I felt and asked him about his feelings, he told me that the kiss was a mistake. Then he went on and on about how he really cares about me, but not in the way I want him to care. So, if I can’t get anywhere with him, how can I experience anything with anyone?” “Listen to me, girlfriend, you know I love you like a sister.” This compassion was a trait Cindi showed repeatedly in their friendship. A tender smile passed over her friend’s face, but she wasn’t fooled. She braced herself for the lecture she knew Cindi was about to let loose, and tried to stop it. “I know you do, and I feel the same way. But I know what you’re going to say, and it’s not what you think. I can forget Jamison. Even though he’s my boss, I’ve succeeded in ignoring him. I don’t talk to him at work, and I delete his messages. And give me credit. We didn’t talk for years after college.” “Really? You could have fooled me about forgetting him. I can see your feelings all over your face.” Damn, Cindi always could read her like a book. Mia couldn’t look her in the eye, so she glanced at the hem on her skirt. “You still care about Jamison, even though you are trying to forget him. I’m right, right?” Damn if the truth didn’t have a way of always biting her in the ass. Mia fidgeted under the correct Cindi assessment, crossing and uncrossing her legs, trying desperately to look like she was somewhat

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in control. She didn’t want to think about Jamison tonight. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, a gesture that usually calmed her when the warm sensation behind her eyes emerged. I have got to forget him. He doesn’t want me. But then she buckled and turned her gaze on Cindi. “Okay, you’re right, but I am trying my best to forget him. I know he doesn’t care about me the way I do him. Like I said, our last date was proof of that.” Mia stopped. “Just give me time. I’ll get over him.” “Good. Jamison isn’t the right man for you. He’s always played you like a tight-strung fiddle with his erratic feelings.” Cindi patted on the bed next to her, motioning for Mia to take a seat. Obliging, Mia laid the book on the teak nightstand before she moved toward the bed and plopped down next to Cindi. A comforting hand reached out and gripped hers. “When you meet a man who rocks your world, and that man is not Jamison, you will let that special man do anything and everything. You know, cross borders that you never considered a possibility.” “If you say so, momma Cin.” “Smart-ass.” Mia huffed, and Cindi added, “I want to show you something.” She reached into the drawer in the nightstand by the bed and pulled out a battery-operated phallic toy. “Meet my little friend, Holmes.” Mia’s eyes widened at Cindi’s sinister expression and dildo in the air. Oh my God! She had heard about vibrators but had never actually seen one that wasn’t in the pages of a book. Her heart quickened a beat. Was this excitement she was feeling? Oh shit, I’m in serious trouble now. “What are you doing with that thing?” Playfully, Cindi rolled her eyes then stuck her tongue out in a licking gesture toward the phallic toy. “Oh for God’s sake, Mia, don’t look so surprised. It’s a vibrator, top-of-the-line model. There are many ways to experience wild, juicy, raw sex even without a breathing body.”

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With an expression she was sure was a cross between incredulous and excited, Mia stood, resembling a statue, gaze glaring at the hotpink plastic penis Cindi waved through the air like a wand. Thoughts of Catholic school, nuns, and lectures on mortal sins rampaged through her mind. The nuns would have a field day with her if they could see her now, not to mention the tongue-lashing she’d be privy to if they could read her thoughts. “Girlfriend, sometimes you have to improvise. Make do with what is around at the moment.” Before Mia could reply, Cindi was standing at the small table near the bed, liberally dousing perfume all over her small frame. Nonchalantly, without skipping a beat, she kissed the plastic toy before slipping it into her red leather suitcase. Once the shock of her best friend’s plastic penis has passed, Mia’s mouth managed to move. “I just can’t picture myself doing some of the stuff or crossing the sexual boundaries that many of the characters in these books cross.” Cindi let out a short laugh and shook her head. “Of course you can’t, but you will. Trust me, that man is going to come into your life, and when he does, your so-called sheltered life is going to bolt out the door. That Catholic upbringing of yours will be flattened. And it won’t matter anymore that your mother wants you to go to confession on a regular basis or that she’s upset you didn’t become a nun. God, just think how she would really feel if she learned you haven’t been to church in ages and that we were having this conversation.” “Cindi,” Mia warned before her lips tightened into a slight frown. “You know this is a touchy subject for me. Besides, the fact that I live like a virgin should be restitution for not attending church. My morals and beliefs have remained securely in place. Honestly, that’s all my mother really wants, anyway.” “Sorry.” A perceptive smile curved Cindi’s face. “Enough talk of religion. I’m so glad I was able to stop over and see you in between my research projects, and get to your students’ production of Chicago. It was nice seeing your parents and brothers at the play, but

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speaking of men…” Cindi cleared her throat, acting as if she were about to give a speech. Her smile changed her face, as if a Cheshire cat loomed behind her sapphire-blue eyes. Amused, Mia raised an eyebrow, waiting for her friend to continue, and wondered about the reticent expression on her face. When Cindi remained silent, curiosity over came her. “But speaking of men what?” “I’m really glad I didn’t have to go to South America right away, because the delay allowed me to meet Tristan.” “Tristan?” Mia gasped. No way. I only know one Tristan. He is trouble with a capital T. Was her best friend losing her mind? He was only eighteen years old, and in high school. She could go to jail for that thought! No, maybe she meant some other Tristan she met last night. Yes, I like that scenario much better. “You don’t mean my student Tristan?” “The one and the same. Smart mouth, cocky young man. Just my type.” Cindi’s words came across with a spark of eroticism, just before she let a devil-be-damned grin cross her face. “A nice piece of sexy caramel candy.” Mia shook her head. Tristan? She must have heard Cindi wrong. “Tristan…a piece of caramel?” “He reminds me of succulent candy with his toffee-colored, messy hair and rich, caramel-colored eyes. I didn’t think he was a student in the high school, so I introduced myself. He announced himself as the school rebel and entranced me with those eyes. Girlfriend, my heart almost stopped beating.” “Tristan.” Mia didn’t bother to hide her disbelief or shock. “Yes, Tristan. But enough talk about men. We have to get to the club before it closes.” “Oh…okay.” Could her best friend be serious? Tristan? Cindi coughed to cover up a laugh as they descended the lobby stairs. “Do you still journal everything?”

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Mia placed a hand on the brass handrail. “Yes, but not as often as I used to. Life has become a bit rote, so I’ve seen no point in writing down the same thing each day.” “Well, my friend, I just gave you a nice bit of information to write about. My growing lust for Tristan. Once I bed him, you will have all the lusty details to put on paper. Plus, we are going to a club tonight and a party tomorrow that I believe we can make very memorable. In a few days, you will be able to journal your little heart out.” “Great.” Bed him? The mere idea made her stomach drop. Instead of the usual butterflies in her stomach, rocks were in her gut. She knew Cindi like the back of her hand. When she put her mind to something, she did it. If she wanted someone, he was hers. For a brief second, she played devil’s advocate in her own mind. He is eighteen. Yes, but he is still in high school. She hoped she had enough money in her savings for bail. **** They went arm in arm down to the lobby and out the front doors. The late-afternoon sky was blanketed in varying shades of black and gray, resembling the onset of a hurricane right after the eye of the storm made landfall. Clouds swirled and straightened in the dark heavens. Palm trees bent from the strong winds. Mia took off running for her car, calling out to Cindi to hurry. Slightly concerned with the elements, Cindi broke her gaze from the tempest in the sky and, heeding her friend’s advice, ran after her. Minutes later, she reached Mia’s vehicle, flung open the door, and scurried in. Secure in the car, her gaze remained transfixed out the window. “Mia, look at the sky. Shouldn’t we find shelter?” “Shelter?” Mia glanced from the road toward her. “We’re in shelter. My car. Get used to it. We’re in Orlando, and here, you’ll experience the most God-fearing thunderstorms you’ll ever live through. You scared?”

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Scared? No. Hating rain? Yes. Amused at Mia’s attempt to “call her on the carpet,” she relaxed her head back against the seat and watched with half-hearted interest as rain poured from the heavens and pounded the car. Forget raining cats and dogs. It was like driving through endless waterfalls, with plenty of lightning surrounding both sides of the car. “We seem to be in the hellacious part now.” “Yes, we are. Just wait, a few minutes more and it will stop.” Just as Mia predicted, the storm stopped and they were heading down I-4 toward the club. Mia kept insisting that there was nothing to worry about the entire drive. She still seemed to assume that Cindi was afraid. Sweet little muffin, Mia was. Usually Cindi was the one calming Mia and protecting her. Cindi smiled when one of their excursions popped in her thoughts, the senior college trip to Key West. They had ended up in an undesirable area of town, and Mia was a wreck. When drunkards had followed them, and homeless bums had whistled at them and asked for money, Mia learned to fly. Yep, her fear took control, and her body took flight. Cindi had chased after Mia, who ended up at an intersection, sweating bullets and hyperventilating. From that moment on, she had ordained herself as Mia’s protector. She had told her that she would always take care of her. No one would ever hurt her friend, and if anyone ever tried, she’d kick their ass. Cindi rested her head against the window. She’d have to be on her toes at the club tonight and party tomorrow to keep a close watch on Mia. She hadn’t lied when she told her the club and party were work related. They were. She just hadn’t been too forthcoming with what kind of establishments they would be gracing and what her research really entailed. The lack of disclosure was part of her protection mechanism. Mia was such a good soul, so innocent, but she needed to loosen up, expand her horizons.

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Apprehensive, she glanced at Mia. Maybe the party is too much too soon? Well, too late now. We’re already on our way. The best I can do is keep an eye on her and hope that if anything weird goes down she won’t hate me. Thoughts of sharing with Mia the true nature of her work crossed her mind, but she didn’t want to lose her friendship. So many friends over the years had walked in and out of her life the moment they found out she was a psychic vampire. “You’re awfully quiet over there. Penny for your thoughts?” “Just thinking about how much fun we’re going to have the next few days.” Mia shot her a wry look. “Are you sure there isn’t something else on your mind?” “You mean besides us passing up the club?” The car slowed down as Mia glanced out the window at the sign whizzing past. “Firestone?” “That would be the one.” “Give me a sec. I’ll turn around at the street.” As Mia promised, she turned the car around and had them safely in the parking lot within minutes. They both emerged, slamming the doors shut behind them. A line of people started at the door of the club and wrapped around the side of the building. “Holy crap, Cin. It’s going to take us hours to get inside there.” “We’re not waiting in any line, Mia. Come on.” Pulling Mia’s hand into hers, she took off toward the front door. A big, burly bouncer with a Mohawk greeted them. “Ladies, the line is back there.” He pointed toward the montage of bodies gyrating to the booming bass wafting from the club. “My name is Cindi Vera Cruz. Check the guest list, and you will see we are on it.”

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“Hold on a second. Justin, hand me the guest list.” A cute man with curly, red hair handed him a clipboard, and Mohawk man glanced at it. “What’s the name again?” “Cindi Vera Cruz.” “How do ya spell that?” Cindi fought back the desire to snatch the clipboard from his fat hands and clobber him over the head with it. “C-I-N-D—” “Last name.” Now she had to fight back the urge twice as hard. “V-E-R-A—” “Okay. Okay. I see it here. Cindi Vera Cruz, plus one.” “Yep. That’s us.” He handed the list back to his assistant and removed the cloth rope from the VIP entrance. “Thank you kindly,” Cindi said, pulling Mia through the entranceway into the club.

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Chapter Three Jordan had just ordered Tanner a glass of chardonnay when the host at Firestone announced his table was ready. When they reached the secluded round table near the back door, Jordan slid the chair out for Tanner, and she plopped down. “Are you hungry?” He asked the question knowing damn well the poor blood doll was probably starving. She hadn’t eaten since her time with him, and since he’d just met her late yesterday afternoon, hunger could be a real possibility. “Are you?” A sweet tone answered back. “I can always eat, darlin’.” He wasn’t talking just food. His gutter mind always took center stage, and he loved it. Just the thought of him dining several times between her legs last evening made his pants a little snug. He glanced at his cock, catching the quick glance Tanner gave. That was his cue to grasp her hand and place it near the bulge. “You don’t mind, do you?” He leaned in close to her, the strawberry bodywash he’d purchased last weekend at Bath & Body Works to keep in his shower for his visiting women permeating from her recently bathed skin. “No. I’m growing rather fond of it.” He snickered. “Yeah, darlin’, they all do.” Her chuckle was sweet, and the long strokes she gave his erect cock even sweeter. Resting a gaze on her plump lips, it took all of his willpower to not push her to her knees under the table in front of him. Sucking him off was something she knew how to do. She may have

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been a virgin when it came to the blood game, but when it came to giving head, she was a pro. Lips made for pleasure. “Just don’t get too attached. It tends to like to wander,” he added. She squeezed him harder. Horny was taking the place of hunger, and he was just about to whisk her into his favorite janitor’s closet when the waitress appeared with their food. Thirty-five minutes later, they’d finished dining on shrimp cocktail, fried cheese, zucchini, and ravioli. He’d ordered a second round of drinks when Jamison approached the table. His appearance left much to be desired. His hair was tousled and not in its usual ponytail, and his expression was etched with annoyance. “To what do we owe this pleasure, my friend?” Tanner chuckled at Jordan’s words. A cordial expression crossed her face, and she added, “Nice to see you again.” Jordan opened his mouth to say something when a commotion broke loose at the bar. A brunette hauled back and threw a punch at a petite blonde, knocking her from the barstool she was perched on. Another woman broke a beer bottle against the forehead of the man beside her. The man cracked his head against the wood floor, giving Jordan a bird’s-eye view of the culprit that laid him flat. Christi Wilson launched off the barstool and straddled the incoherent man. The bar suddenly turned into mayhem central. Jordan was at Christi’s side before the bartender lifted the phone to dial 911. Christi wound up, ready to throw another punch at the passed-out man when Jordan grabbed her wrist. “What the hell are you doing?” In an uncontrolled slice of anger, she spit in Jordan’s face. “I’m going to kill this asshole.” “Hey! Spit on me again and it’s going to be lights out for you.” Jordan’s patience was wearing thin, and he bit back the desire to slam her head against the wood floor, so instead he managed to chuckle in spite of his desire to give her a punch that would knock her into tomorrow.

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Jordan tightened the hold on her wrist then swept an arm around her waist just as the Orlando Police Department barged through the front doors of the club. He gazed up just in time to catch Detective Kipling scanning the room. Our cue to fly the coop. He’d made it down the back hallway without Christi pulling out all of his hair and without Kipling seeing him. Jamison stood at the exit door. Shaking his head in what could only be described as disbelief, he pushed it open. “I’ll take care of Tanner and Kipling. Get Christi out of here.” “You asshole, I’m going to cut your dick off,” Christi wailed as Jordan rushed them through the open door. “You bet you’ll be doing something with it, but it won’t be cutting.” Christi kept bellowing obscene words, and Jordan just laughed. Keep that thought. **** A few hours later, Jordan hung up the phone. Jamison’s call came at the perfect time. He needed to get Christi home before her boyfriend came looking for her. The last time Matt showed up unannounced, all hell broke loose. He didn’t take to kindly to his girlfriend having sex with Jordan, so he probably wouldn’t be happy about what they did tonight. No. He wouldn’t be happy, but I sure am. The image of her full lips flashed through his mind. And then the remembrance of where they’d been. He readjusted himself before he made her later than she already was. After depositing a satisfied and pleasant Christi at her doorstep, he pulled the black Mercedes Kompressor from the curb and headed back toward the club. It was early, and there was fun still to be had. Twenty minutes later, he parked the car in his usual spot at Firestone. Once he reached the door to the club, he slipped an Andrew

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Jackson in the hand of Leroy, the only bouncer he cared for at the establishment, and waded his way through the crowd toward the back table he’d abandoned earlier in the evening. Jamison was at the table, sitting in his usual seat, but Tanner was missing. When he’d reached the table, his best friend nudged the vacant chair with the tip of his boot, gesturing for Jordan to take a seat. Jordan caught the eye of the waitress coming toward them, pointed to the longneck Budweiser on the table, and after she’d nodded and headed toward the bar, he plopped down. “What happened to my little Tanner?” Jamison took a swig of beer before he said, “I took the poor girl home. She’s goddamned infatuated beyond normal groupie with you. You really need to stop doing this to women. How are you ever going to find the right one when you—” “There is no right one. Not for a man like me, Jamison. Buddy, my lifestyle, my preference, they don’t bring the women that could be forever, only the ones that want forever to be one night.” “Bullshit.” Jamison shook his head and pinned Jordan with a challenging look. “You were in love once. Yeah, it was in college, and when she found out about the vampirism, she freaked and ran. She was probably meaner than she should have been, but what you two had was real. I’m not here to lecture you, buddy, but I think if you’d let your guard down and stop slutting around, you’d see I’m right.” Jordan took a long swig of his beer, then slammed it on the table. “Are you done lecturing me? And before you chastise me because I like to fuck women, you best look in the mirror.” “Fine.” “Yeah, fine. I think your little Mina…Mia has boggled your brain.” Jamison leaned back on his chair. “Perhaps she has.” A sadness fleeted across his best friend’s face. “You’re right. It won’t work.”

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Jordan’s phone tinged. He reached in his pocket, flipped it open, and said, “Jordan here.” Jamison silently motioned that he was going to the restroom and then pointed toward the bar. Jordan nodded and then said into the phone, “Glad you and Trixi came. Jamison and I will be there momentarily.” He chuckled. “Yeah, baby, I’m thirsty.” Excited about the new plans, a second night of blood drinking, this time with Trixi and Stacey, he disconnected from the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket before he joined Jamison at the bar. Once he’d filled Jamison in on the new plans, those plans being the blood dolls in waiting, the two men paid the bar tab and waded across the dance floor toward the rear of the club. On their way to the back room of the club, Jordan slipped a lancet into Jamison’s pocket. Jamison had mentioned he didn’t have any of his tools with him, and of course, Jordan always carried his talon and extra lancets in case of an emergency. The room was full tonight with many hungry sanguinarians. Jordan refocused his eyes in the dim lighting and scanned the room for Trixi and Stacey. The two redheads were sprawled out on the two black velvet loveseats against the mirrored wall. Jordan nudged Jamison, and the men moved to the couches, carefully sliding in beside their prospective donors for the evening. Comfortably seated behind Trixi, Jordan placed his hands on either side of Trixi’s waist and pulled her against him. Her white cotton blouse fit loosely at her waist, giving him ample opportunity to slide his hands underneath, and of course he just kept his hands traveling north. She conveniently forgot her bra, and he conveniently ran his hands over her tits, the soft, warm flesh inviting. His thumb touched her nipple, sending it to torpedo mode, and he pinched and played with her left tit while he slid the hair away from

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her neck with the other hand. Gently, he placed a kiss on the spot on her neck that he would soon cut, and sucked the skin into his mouth. She turned her face toward him, and a soft moan sounded. “That feels so good. Please pinch my titties while you cut and suck me.” “Yeah, I can do that. But, only if you unbutton your skirt and let me finger your pussy, too.” Trixi moaned again, a little louder this time, and unbuttoned her denim skirt. Jordan moved his hand from the tit he was squeezing and pinched down her warm flesh until his fingers rested in the soft curls above her pussy. When her breathing accelerated, he slipped his finger into her wet center. Then he punctured the skin on her neck. The blood surfaced. The crimson liquid made his mouth water. His lips touched her neck before he covered the cut with his mouth. He drew on her neck, and the metallic, salty taste filled his mouth, warming his body as he swallowed. He closed his eyes and licked the area, pulled his finger out of her pussy then slid it back inside. Her pussy clenched around his finger after he slid it back inside. The lights dimmed further, a sign that if the participants wanted to get funky, this was the time. No stray customers would be making their way back to this room now. Stacy turned her head slightly and whispered against his cheek, “I want to pleasure you. You just made me come. Now it’s your turn…” Well damn, he couldn’t fight a lady’s request, now could he? “Sounds like a plan, darlin’.” She slid off the sofa and landed on her knees, facing him. Then she unzipped his pants and pulled his cock into her hands, stroking it a few times from hilt to tip, carefully placing her lips around it and sucking it into her mouth. If Jordan remembered correctly, and he did, she gave a wicked blow job. Comfortable and content, he rested his head against the back of the couch and gazed toward the front doorway. A female with bright-

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magenta hair walked into the room. But it was the female that walked in behind her that caught his attention and sent a flutter of butterflies into his gut. The muscle-bound bouncer rushed the girls. The magenta-haired one touched the bouncer’s arm and appeared to be saying something, but Jordan couldn’t make it out. And the one with long brown hair glanced around the room quickly before backing out of the doorway. Trixi sucked him harder until he came in her mouth. But the usual feeling that came from a great blow job was gone, and in its place a desire to meet the amazing brunette that was here before she got away from him. Trixi cleaned him up and put him back together before she disappeared. I’ve got to find that woman. Jordan stood and planned to do just that when Jamison rose from his spot on the sofa and stood in front of him. His face was white as a ghost. “What’s wrong?” Jordan asked. “She’s here. Here at this club…” Jamison’s voice trailed off toward the doorway. Jordan glanced at the doorway while he tucked his shirt into his pants. “Who’s here?” “Her. She’s here. This isn’t good. I have to go.” Jamison’s voice held panic. “Can you be more specific? Her? She? What the fuck, who are you talking about?” Jamison dismissed Jordan’s questions and just said, “She can’t know about this part of my life. She’d never understand.” And with that, he left Jordan speechless and walked away. Jordan stared after him briefly before he remembered what he previously planned to do, find that woman. With a desire burning through him to find her, he walked toward the doorway that led into the front room of the club.

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Pretty lady…I’m coming for you.

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PART II: Cassadaga Moon Blaring Chapter One “What do you mean don’t run from the house if I’m scared?” “Mia, trust me. There’s nothing to worry about.” Famous last words. A jolt of energy, like an invisible hand lurching out from the atmosphere, slammed into Mia’s chest and traveled through her body at the realization that Cindi was a scientist who researched paranormal cults stemming from indigenous groups in the far corners of the world. First the strange club last night, and now this. So what are we doing on this porch in Cassadaga, Florida? Calm down. She semirelaxed and kept her attention zeroed in on the front door. Cindi would never put her in harm’s way, ever. There was no logical reason to be frightened about a party, even if it was in the psychic capital of the world. What could possibly happen that her best friend, aka badass Vera Cruz, couldn’t handle? One knock later, the door opened onto the goddess Aphrodite incarnate. If it weren’t for Cindi’s sudden death grip on her arm, no doubt Mia would have excused herself from the scene and hauled ass back to the car. During the greetings, Cindi muttered something about the two of them being from the Ravenfield Sanction. Then Cindi shot a quick, sharp look at Mia, the one that told her to shut her mouth, or else. So, she wants me to be silent. No problem. But what the hell is a Ravenfield Sanction?

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They followed their hostess with the mostess, through a massive foyer, to another room. A touch of Victorian flair decorated the room. Cindi motioned to the bar and walked over to it like she owned it, the spiky tips of her magenta hair swaying as she moved. “I see you found your favorite item of furniture,” Mia joked. Cindi smirked. “Of course. If there is liquor, I always find it. You know me.” She returned to the sofa where Mia had gone to sit, with two full glasses of burgundy. “So this is some evening so far.” Cindi brought the ratherexpensive-looking glass up to her mouth and took a hearty sip. “What do you think?” Mia sighed, not sure how to reply. Some evening. Not quite the words I was thinking. Mysterious and odd, now that would be a closer description of the evening thus far. “I hope it is all you ladies wished for and more,” a low, raspy voice interceded. Startled, both women focused on an overstuffed recliner in the opposite corner. Slowly, the chair turned until a flaxen-haired stranger faced them. He somehow looked familiar. This was when Mia’s life changed forever. The man stroked his hands along the armrests, slow and easy, with a sexy grin. She sucked in a quiet breath as his smile spread and he slid his hands to his thighs, splaying his fingers against his groin. The movements drew attention to the impressive bulge at the juncture of his legs. Damn. Just a wink from Mr. Sexpot, and her stomach fluttered. Holy Mary, Mother of God…pray for this sinner. Me. Lord, have mercy. Mia couldn’t look away from him if she tried. Nor could she rip her eyes from the glimmering studded diamond pushed through his nostril, or the small silver hoops in his ears. The man overdosed in pure sex appeal. “What’s the matter, pretty lady? Cat got your tongue?” he asked.

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Cat got her tongue? Understatement. How about her entire body? Embarrassed by his correct assessment, she pinned him with a stare. It was all she could muster. She hoped it was a good one. For a woman who taught voice control to budding actors on a daily basis, she should give herself a big F. The self-professed best-friend protector slid toward Mia, blocking his view. “We’re having a great time. Thanks. And who are you?” Cindi asked, before Mia could even form a sound. The words teetered on her tongue, and that was about it. He cocked an eyebrow, obviously not enjoying Cindi’s interference. “I wasn’t talking to you.” Oh, I wouldn’t have said that, Mr. Sexy. Cindi’s lips curved into a precarious smirk, obviously overwhelmed by the man’s brazenness. And suddenly, best bud appeared at a loss for words. “Oh, I get it. Your friend is deaf. Sorry, but I don’t know much sign language. If you have a piece of paper, I can write my part of our conversation down for her.” As if he were the hottest man on this side of the world, he leaned forward, placing both elbows on the armrests, puckered his lips, and blew Mia a kiss. The way his lips moved and his body swayed was sinful. You arrogant, sexy asshole. Aghast at his obvious flirting strategies, Mia gave him a silent tongue-lashing. He was the type of man her Catholic mother warned her about. He was scary, seductive, and probably to die for. Mia’s strange infatuation turned incensed. She had the urge to throw heavy equipment at him, but instead her voice decided to make an appearance. Yippie for small favors. “I’m not deaf. You just caught me off guard. I didn’t realize anyone else was in the room with us.” “Exactly,” Cindi chimed in. “Mmm… What else did I catch off guard?” His gaze traveled over her body not once, but twice. “Well? Are you having a good time darlin’?”

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Mia lost the simple function of speech again. But from Cindi’s expression, she hadn’t lost hers. “To answer your first question a second time, we’re having a marvelous evening. I’m Cindi, and this is my best friend Mia. We’re from the Ravenfield Sanction.” The hells angel tilted his head in a surveying gesture, one that looked like he was getting ready to bite into a nice juicy steak instead of a future introduction. Mia wanted to gag, twice, even though a part of her found him strangely charming. He continued to gaze at her as if she were part of his menu. More shocking, a part of her desired to be. The part of her labeled “good woman” itched to turn Catholic-woman-gone-wild tonight. “I’m Jordan, with the Stiletto Sanction. It’s nice to meet the two of you.” Before Mia could silently comment in her head, he had moved out of the chair and taken a seat between them. “So, was your drive here a pleasant one, Mia?” “It was an interesting drive, I mean, learning about the psychic town stuff.” Mia replied a little faster then she anticipated the words. The description of “stumbling idiot” took on an entirely new meaning with him in such close proximity. “Psychics aren’t your cup of tea?” His wry laugh filled the room. Mia forgot her train of thought, due to a random fixation with the diamond in his nostril. Uncomfortable, she glanced away. “It’s not that. I just don’t know a lot about their way of life.” Whom was she kidding? She didn’t know a single solitary thing about their lifestyle. Catholic girls don’t go there. “Do alternative lifestyles scare you, darlin’?” He continued to assess her with an intenseness that should have warned her to walk away from him, but somehow, she couldn’t, because he was much too fascinating.

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What about him was so interesting? One minute she wanted to level him with large objects, and the next she wanted to sit with him, answering every question he proposed. Cindi tapped her finger on her thigh, a sign she was slightly perturbed by the bad boy and his odd questions. “Jordan, would you like me to pour you a glass of wine?” He turned his attention to her for a moment. “As long as you’re offering, that would be great.” “Great, let me grab you a glass.” With her attention never diverting from Jordan or Mia for too long, she buzzed over to the bar, returned, and handed Jordan the vino. The entire act seemed as if it was completed before Mia blinked. “Thanks, Cindi.” So he has manners. Even though Mia tried not to stare at his full lips, she couldn’t help herself. They were really nice. Soft and kissable. Snap out of it! After placing the wine on the floor next to him, Jordan stretched out his arms against the back of the sofa. With a mischievous grin, he rolled his hips before relaxing back into the red folds, casually slipping a hand on Mia’s thigh. Oh my God, Mary and Joseph! Heat pulsated from his massaging fingertips through the denim of her skirt. She took a sip of wine, attempting to harness her overactive sweat glands, yet she couldn’t seem to turn away from his light-gray-colored gaze. “You’re staring at me.” Yes, she was. Cindi shook her head while Mia guzzled more wine. “Do you want to kiss me, darlin’?” Hell yes. No. I mean no, I don’t. Someone would think she’d never kissed a man before, the way the inside of her mouth salivated. She thought back to her last kiss from Jamison. No wonder she was acting like a cat in heat. Kissing her boss was a mistake, but one that she would probably commit again if he pushed her up against the wall and put his lips on hers as he did in the theater on Monday. All she

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had wanted to do was hang tryout sheets for the upcoming production of Chicago for her drama class, but instead she had enjoyed the head of the English department ravishing her in the middle of the school day. Cindi burst out with an uneasy laugh. “Easy, fella.” A sly grin lifted Jordan’s lips before his booted foot touched the side of Mia’s shoe. “Well?” A low, almost-inaudible growl left his throat. “Come on, woman, you know you want to.” Common sense told her to keep her ass in the seat, but she stood anyway. She should have realized being slightly buzzed and standing up would make things worse, but she wasn’t one to listen to her own intuition. “No. I need to go.” “Go where?” Jordan and Cindi questioned. “To the restroom.” Jordan cocked his head. Strands of hair touched his cheek, and he interceded. “I’ll take you to the restroom. I promise I won’t molest you unless you beg me to.” The way his black leather pants clung to his legs made Mia want to squeeze him so badly that she clenched her hands into fists. Oh, no you won’t. I am perfectly capable of stumbling down the hall by myself. “I don’t need your assistance. Just tell me the direction.” She cut him a sharp look that dared him to argue. Taking her cue or pacifying her whim, he let her win. “Fine, go out the door and down the hall to the stairs. The restroom is the second door on the right.” In a tipsy panic, she started across the room. Halfway, she turned back, remembering she was a lady and should act like one. “Thank you.” “You’re welcome, sweet thing. But if you’re not back in two minutes, I’m sending the cavalry in after you. Which, if you haven’t guessed, is me.”

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Chapter Two Inside the large bathroom, Mia plopped down in a black velvet chair. Her goal was to relax her jumbled mind, but images of the sexy hunk in black complicated matters. She was still trying to get over the disaster date with Jamison a few nights ago, and honestly, that had been taking up most of her mind roulette. Cavalry. After prepping in front of the mirror, she headed out of the bathroom and ran headfirst into what felt like a brick wall. “Ouch!” It wasn’t a wall, but her leather-clad dream man. In sheer embarrassment, she jumped back, only to have a firm hand grab hold of her. “Mia? Are you hurt?” Stupefied, she shook her head. “It’s me, Jordan. You know. The man of your dreams.” She knew who he was. Idiot! He didn’t need to inform her of that little piece of advice. How about stuck-up man of my dreams! “I know who you are. You just scared me,” she mumbled, and pulled away from him. Wrong move. A spinning room does not equal feeling good. She teetered, then placed her arms out to her sides for balance. Control teetered until he snatched her back against him, then tightened his hold. “Scared you, huh. Why don’t you let the big, bad wolf give you a hand, sweet thing?” “Stop doing that.” She brushed his hands away, but he kept his hold. Every nerve in her body was on betrayal, and suddenly they all ached for him. Every instinct cried for her to swing her arms around his neck and pull him against her. “You’re making me dizzy, Jordan.”

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“I do have that effect on women.” Conceited ass. “I’m sure you do.” “It’s that obvious, is it?” She ignored the question. The last thing he needed was for her answer to add to his already-conceited demeanor. “I just felt a little off-kilter from the wine, and sat down for a bit.” She stopped fidgeting and glanced up into his vibrant gaze. Her heart pounded fast against her rib cage. Even though she squirmed, he refused to unhand her. Stepping closer, he placed his hands against the small of her back. A pretend attempt at acting crestfallen tipped his features. “I take it, babe, from all the fidgeting you’re doing, that you’d prefer I let you go?” “That would be great.” Liar! “Mmmm, let me think about it. No.” His seductiveness sent sparks of heat through her body. Part of her wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and plant her lips against his mouth, but the other part wanted to knock his teeth down his throat. Her face warmed again. “What?” she stammered, realizing what he had replied. “I don’t think I want to let you go. Can you handle that?” he whispered. Oh, you’re just too cocky. And I feel sick. Small beads of sweat accumulated in every crevice of her hungry flesh. She desired his touch. In some unexplainable way, she longed for it. Touch me, please. “Say something, Mia. You look like you’re going to faint.” He was right. The room was beginning to spin, making her head feel lighter by the minute. “I’m fine.” His face moved out of focus before a chuckle sounded through the fog-induced haze in her head. “Actually, babe, why don’t you faint? That way I can give you mouth-to-mouth.”

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She needed to sit down before the evitable fall down came. With the room spinning, she was sure to be sick soon. Very soon. Muttered voices sounded down the hall. She turned for a moment toward the hum, then back at him. With a stoic look, he released her but stood close enough to pull her back into an embrace. “I’m only joking, sweet thing. Come on, I’ll take you back to the party.” “Thank you. Even the big, bad wolf gave Little Red Riding Hood a reprieve.” “Touché.” Relieved the spinning stopped, her demeanor softened. “Thanks, Jordan. Getting sick on you would have been the height of embarrassment for me.” “No problem, Mia. Let’s go.” He stopped midstep. “Actually, if you tossed your cookies on me, rather us, we could have showered together. I’d make sure to remove every piece of vomit from your”— his gaze traveled up and down her frame—“beautiful body.” Oh boy! He was saying all the right things for a stuck-up jerk. “That’s nice.” The prospect of sharing such an intimate, personal act freaked her. But on further reflection, heat coursed through her body from the mere thought of him naked. She felt her tongue touch her lips just as the image of his naked chest flashed through her mind. There was no doubt hell would be her final resting place. **** Walking back down the dimly lit corridor, Jordan slipped his hand into hers. Surprisingly to him, she didn’t resist his bold advance or glances. Familiar? No, it couldn’t be the woman who flashed into the doorway at Firestone last night. She wasn’t his usual personality type, but something about her captivated him. Her brown hair pulled together near the top of her head. Loose strands touched her slender neck and flushed cheeks. Big brown eyes stayed focused straight ahead, occasionally glimpsing the

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artwork along the way. A cuteness cocooned her. She had curves in all the right places—a delectable hourglass figure, a body made for sin. With him. The idea of her naivety and corrupting her innocence made his blood boil. He wanted to skim his hands over her clothed breasts, feel her fingers slide around the top of his jeans, grasp the material, unbutton and unzip them. A shudder ran through his body as he fantasized her kneeling on the floor, taking the head of his cock into her mouth. God, you’re beautiful. You’d look great permanently manacled to my bed. No, no. You’d be good as permanent arm candy. Something strange brewed inside him. Permanent? Do I really want something more? He sighed before his gaze searched for hers. Look at me, woman. She stopped her pretend studying of the wallpaper. Appearing bothered, she cocked her head to study him. “Don’t stare at me like that.” Exhibiting a little bit of authority my way, are we? I like it. He stepped into her private space and drew her to him. “By the way, that wasn’t nice. I can stare at you if I want to. Trust me, darlin’, I want to.” He had no other choice but to crush his mouth against hers without a whimper from her. At first, her body tensed, and she palmed his chest. Her petite fingers clasped his shirt as she pushed. Damn, usually the women were tearing my clothes off by this point in the evening. Laughing, he tightened his embrace. The aroma of her skin caressed his senses, reminding him of wild berries. Beyond ready to taste every inch of her, he stroked his tongue across her lips, and she clamped her mouth shut. Seriously? He chuckled. “Open up, darlin’.” “No,” she breathed against his mouth. “So, is this going to be our first disagreement, Mia?”

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Abruptly, she pulled away, leveling him with a look that made him want to climb up one side and down the other of her clothed frame. “What are you talking about?” Cupping her cheeks, he pulled her close again and whispered, “Stop fighting me, and let me kiss you the way you deserve to be kissed.” She looked like she wanted to run, then the look of panic dissolved to one of surrender, and she snuggled closer. When her eyelids fluttered closed, he pushed his tongue into her mouth. Good girl. To his surprise, she pulled him more rapidly against her, breathed in deep, and then her head fell backward and her body went limp. You have got to be kidding me. “Mia?” He touched the palm of his hand to her lips to make sure she still breathed. The woman had fainted. “I got you.” Chuckling, he swept her up into his arms and moved down the hallway. What would you do if you’d wake up in my bed? Probably turn the color of rubies. He kissed her forehead, thinking about the scenario. Perhaps another time. I hope. Damn. Something about her had his stomach clenched and his mind thinking about much more than sex. He wanted her in a way that was foreign to him. The thought of her earlier bantering excited him. What was she doing to him? Reaching the sitting room, he set Mia on the couch. Realizing Cindi hadn’t said a word when they entered, he scanned the perimeter. She wasn’t in sight. Pulling a chenille blanket from the back of the couch, he covered Mia just as his cell phone tinged, signaling a text message. He reached into the front pocket of his leather pants, pulled it out, and flipped it open. Two women entered the house tonight under false pretenses. Not part of the Ravenfield Coven. One is a scientist studying vampirism.

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We don’t need the publicity. Need to scare them. Ridge will deal with the scientist, you deal with the other. Make sure they don’t try a stunt like this again. By the way, I know how you are. Give her a little scare, nothing more. Elder JR. Jordan shut the phone and shoved it back into his pocket. Shit. This is definitely going to get messy. On the other hand, a little bondage may be just what the doctor ordered.

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Chapter Three When Mia came to, she had a screaming headache. Once she’d finally semirelaxed, she found she was lying on a sofa in the middle of a dimly lit room. She recalled Jordan’s arms wrapping tight around her, and that kiss. No one had ever kissed her like that. Ever. With a start, she sat up, moving her fingers in a circular motion on her temples in an attempt to lessen the pounding. The massage didn’t work. “How are you feeling?” Jordan whispered through the dimness. Mia scanned the room for him as she pulled her hair up and reclipped it. How did he think she was feeling? All her mind could grasp was the fire that ravaged through every crevice of her body when his lips touched hers. “Where are you, exactly?” “I’m over here, babe.” His voice was different. Raspy and short. “Stay where you are. I’ll come to you.” Mia’s gaze darted around the room in an attempt to locate her missing best friend, as Jordan sat next to her. Cindi wouldn’t leave her. Would she? Panic constricted Mia’s body like a python devouring its prey. Slow and thorough. Calm down. Maybe she just went to the bathroom. She forced a half smile to stop from hyperventilation. Shit! The warm sensation that his presence ignited started flowing through her body again, and she shifted when she felt the warm dampness between her legs. What is he doing to me? Desperate to gain control of her body, she repositioned herself in an attempt to calm down her raging hormones. “I must get going. I need to find Cindi.”

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He pushed his body forward, pinning her shoulders back against the sofa. “What are you and Cindi actually doing here?” The million-dollar question. In vain, she tried to wiggle from beneath his grasp. He was too powerful for her to budge and it pissed her off. “Let me go right now.” An astonished expression lit up his face. “No.” After an amused laugh, with one robust hand across her legs, he made sure she was completely immobile and under his control. “What did you say?” Mia barked, pissed that he thought her attempts at breaking free from him were so juvenile. Not to mention, exactly what were she and Cindi doing here? She would like that question answered, too. “I didn’t stutter, sweet thing. I know you heard me the first time. But in case you didn’t, I’ll ask again. What are you and Cindi actually doing here?” The strange gleam in his gaze unsettled her. His words came across like she was a hardened criminal. “We—” “We know the two of you are not coven members. Perhaps you and your friend are just interested in the lifestyle. Or did you two think a walk on the wild side would be fun? We can always use a few new blood donors. I don’t know, Mia. Why don’t you tell me what the story is?” A wave of panic shot through her body, and she latched on to both of the strong hands pinning her against the sofa. Obviously angry, he shot her a look that could have burned the skin off her face. “What is the story, Mia? I’m waiting. Would you like me to cut you right now? How about that? Would that satisfy your curiosity?” Cut me? Coven? Lifestyle? Blood donors? She had no clue what he was talking about. What she did know was that she had to come up with an explanation fast, or he might freak on her. Although he appeared to remain calm, his bottom lip twitched, and his eyes darkened.

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Acting 101 kicked into overdrive. She glanced up at the skulls on his do-rag and silently forbade herself a glance at his lips, as she processed words and actions into a logical explanation in her head. God, it would be so much easier if I didn’t want to kiss you so badly. “I think Cindi would be better at explaining our background and our reason for being here.” Where is Cindi? Then, a barrage of questions filled her head. What if the people in the house hurt Cindi? Did Jordan already know the truth, whatever that was, and he was aware of Cindi’s whereabouts? Oh my God, what if they cut her? What the hell does that even mean, cut her? Mia had to calm down, because in the emotional state she was in, her acting would suck. Perhaps she underestimated her own skills. He waited. “Very well, princess, let’s go find Cindi.” Lifting her from the sofa, he placed her feet on the floor. “Let’s go.” “Go where? I’m not going anywhere.” Every muscle in Mia’s body ached with need for him when her feet hit the ground. She wanted to run, away from him, from herself, but where would she go? Not to mention, what was Cindi really up to? “Yes, darlin’, you are.” “No. I’m not.” She and Cindi should have stuck with the original plan, to go shopping, but instead, they chose the research party, and so far their choice ranked bottom on the list. And it had nothing to do with the fact she was uncharacteristically attracted to a non-Catholic man that she could never have. Right, if I keep telling myself that, I just might believe it. “Enough of this bullshit.” He yanked her into his arms, hoisting her over his shoulder. “Don’t make me tie you up. I would enjoy that too much.” Her attempts at yelling for him to put her down were in vain. He just continued to walk down the hallway, smiling and nodding to people as they passed. The word “appalled” couldn’t begin to describe

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the feeling running though Mia’s head as his arms tightened around her thighs. Descending a narrow staircase, they eventually spilled out into a dimly lit corridor with a small wooden door at the end of the hallway. He knocked, and a short-haired woman swung the door open. “Hey, Lilley,” he said. Lilley smiled, batting long, dark eyelashes at Jordan. “Hey, you sexy man.” She glared at Mia. “Go ahead inside.” Jordan set Mia down into the empty room, which looked more like an oversized broom closet. Great. It was when Jordan ran his fingers down the cocky blonde’s arm, tapping her butt lightly with an open palm, that pangs of jealousy tinged Mia’s body and pissed her off. Before Mia could stop it, a low growl left her throat. Oh shit. At the same time that Jordan’s lips curled into a smug smile, Mia heard Cindi chuckle. Suddenly she felt like the comic relief of the night. A clicking sound from the door came seconds later. Startled, Mia faced Cindi. “Did they just lock us in here?” “Seems like it,” barked Cindi. She cocked her head at Mia. “Nice growling noise. Obviously his hand to her butt didn’t make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.” “I wasn’t growling. I was clearing my throat. Anyway, forget about that. We need to talk about what is happening now. What exactly is going on?” With a death grip on Mia’s hand, Cindi eased them both down onto the floor. “Mia, you need to listen to me carefully, okay?” “Sure.” In all the years that Mia and Cindi were best friends, Mia never feared anything that the two of them ventured in together, yet this was different. Cindi’s demeanor was reserved, her face full of concern. She almost sensed sadness in the pools of blue.

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“I need you to keep an open mind and listen before you say anything. I was hoping I could tell you the real reason I brought you to this party after we had gone, but that doesn’t seem likely, so here it goes. We are in a coven house, and what that means is we are socializing among a different kind of people. Actually, they’re regular people with different beliefs. That’s all.” Overwhelmed by this new plethora of information, Mia placed her palm against her forehead, resting her elbow on bended knee. “I don’t understand.” Appearing as if she were going to break into song at any moment, Cindi let a broad smile crease her face just a tiny bit, then pulled back. “We are with real vampires, Mia!” Mia stared wide-eyed for two full seconds. “Excuse me? Vampires? These people think vampires are real?” Her ears rang with the words real vampires. “These people are not the storybook type of vampires. They are real people who practice the art of blood drinking. I think that I have them believing that I am only a scientist and that we are here to cause no harm.” Cindi raked her fingers through her hair. Mia knew that move from all the years she’d watched Cindi do it. Cindi was scared. “Jordan and Lilley are the first and second in command to the Elder, and they are relaying my information right now to him. Trust me Mia, they aren’t going to do anything that would hurt us. They are a private and secretive organization. They’ll probably give us a warning and then let us go. No harm done.” Cindi’s intentions seemed harmless, but Mia contemplated what the “letting them go” part of the conversation really meant. One fact Mia was certain about, she was going to strangle Cindi when they exited this mess. Then, further refection made her think about Jordan. At least the man who garnered her attention that evening was a fox. And she forgot about her boss, Jamison.

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“There’s someone coming.” Mia’s stomach churned as she finished the words. “I hear footsteps getting closer.” Cindi bolted up from her reclining position. “Yeah, me, too,” she added and glanced at Mia. “Relax, girlfriend. Everything is going to be fine.” Before Mia could form a sentence in reply, the door opened, and Lilley and Jordan entered. “Our boss does not want to see either of you ever again,” Lilley practically yelled. “As for entering this coven house under false pretenses, well, our Elder decided to give you what you came here for. Tonight, you two can be blood donors to Ridge and Jordan, and at eight in the morning you can leave.” Before Lilley left the room, she turned to Cindi. “Oh, one more thing, I almost forgot. You won’t leave until you enjoy a little time in one of our secret bondage chambers. I am sure that the scientist in you is dying to know what other festivities some of us—how should I say—dabble in?” “You don’t scare me, blondie,” Cindi snapped, her tone razor sharp. Lilley smirked. “Good. I’ll make sure Ridge plays rougher than normal with you.” “Bring it on.” Without so much as a “have a nice day,” the dynamic duo left the room, slamming the door behind them. Mia stared at the closed door, wondering how this would end. Warm fingers touched her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mia. Just try to stay calm, and let’s just get through this night. I am so sorry I’ve done this to you, that I brought you to this place. Please forgive me for being so stupid.” A ghost of a smile crossed Mia’s face. “It’s okay, Cin. I know you never meant to put us in danger. Look at it this way, I have tons to write about in my journal now. Perhaps even a book is in my horizon.”

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“Yeah, hopefully you won’t be writing about the end of our friendship.” There was no time for Mia to promise Cindi that scenario would never happen, because the sound of the key turning in the door snapped Mia back to the situation at hand, the men. It’s like a damn game show with the revolving door. When the door opened, a very good-looking man, who Mia assumed was Ridge, maneuvered his way to Cindi. “She will be waiting for you tomorrow morning in the main foyer at eight,” he said. While Mia struggled to listen to Ridge, her gaze was fixed on Cindi. From the shade of red moving across her best friend’s skin, it was obvious that her anger escalated, a sure sign that a string of unspeakable profanities loomed. And they did as soon as Jordan entered the room. “You know what, I deserve this, but she doesn’t.” Cindi pointed to Mia. “You better not hurt her, Jordan. If I find out you hurt her in any way, I will come after you myself. You got that?” Jordan slipped a hand against the small of Mia’s back. “Cindi, Cindi, Cindi. Hurting her is not exactly what I had in mind. Don’t you worry. I will take care of our little Mia.” Mia felt her face flush at the same time the floodgates inside her body opened, releasing the liquid heat. If steam could have started erupting from the top of Cindi’s head, it would have. Exorcist coming. “Fuck you! You asshole, she is not OUR woman! You’re an arrogant ass!” Mia was sure her face transformed into a mask of shock. Probably not the right choice of words, Cin. Jordan glared, half humorous and half predatory, at Cindi, obviously intrigued by her choice of words. “Actually, Cindi, tonight she is mine. And as for the ‘fuck you’ part—most likely.” Whoa. I’m losing my virginity tonight.

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**** While Jordan enjoyed his feisty bantering with Cindi, he wanted to start the evening with Mia, so he did the one thing that would probably send her into a slow-burn boil, and then he turned his back on an irate Cindi and walked with Mia from the room. “Sorry about that, babe. Your friend is quite a feisty little thing. I hope I didn’t upset you by arguing with her.” He studied Mia. She cracked an innocent smile—the one that lit her face up like a Cherub angel—the one that he was beginning to adore. She was definitely the girl-next-door type. For that moment in time, he stood there just staring at her. He knew he was doing it, but God knew he couldn’t help himself. The skin on her face was flawless and she wore very little makeup, another thing he wasn’t used to on the women he went after. Mia cleared her throat, causing him to glance into her big brown eyes. “Actually, I think you made Cindi’s night. She loves confrontation.” “Is that so?” His cell phone pinged. He reached in his pocket and pulled it out. After taking a quick look at it, he smirked, then shoved it back into his pants. Damn Crystal, one fuck and she thinks we’re married. After a few more seconds of roving Mia’s face, he touched her chin. “Look at me, Mia.” Timidly, her brown eyes obeyed. “I know you had no idea what you were getting yourself into when you came here. I wish I could let you go, but I can’t. Well, I can, but I really don’t want to. I can promise that I won’t hurt you, at least not intentionally.” His fingers brushed against the wisps of hair gliding against her cheekbones, but she remained fixated, deep into her own little world. The one he planned on crashing very soon. “Are you ready?” Jordan asked. She nodded. “Good, let’s go to my room.” He stepped forward, and her feet didn’t budge. Incredulous, he stepped back into place and glanced

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down at her, cocking an eyebrow. But she still didn’t move her feet. “Did you want me to carry you?” “No!” He smirked. It was obvious by the pale white color washed through her face, she was frightened. Perhaps she should be, simply because he was dying to screw her brains out, but for some strange reason, one that confused him, he wouldn’t, at least not until she asked him. Her lips moved slightly in what appeared to be an attempt to count. Was she counting to calm herself? The thought riled him. Damn, she is cute. Extremely cute. But would he let her go tonight, definitely not. “Okay, then—” “I just wasn’t ready, that’s all,” she blurted. “I’m ready now.” “Then shall we?” As they moved down the hallway, Jordan knew without a doubt he would never hurt her. Which, contrary to his own belief, surprised the hell out of him. He resigned himself to be gentle, loving, and careful with her. She had sweetness, an innocence about her, and that was rare to find in a woman these days. Well, at least in his type of woman.

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Chapter Four The long walk to Jordan’s room sent Mia’s nerves teetering toward collapse. The counting backward in her head wasn’t helping matters since she couldn’t concentrate long enough to get the numbers in correct order. Every time she glanced over at the long black streak pocketed in his hair, she felt like thousands of butterflies nosedived into her stomach. This would be her very first one-night stand. Just the thought of sex before marriage sent her body into panic all over again, with sweat tingling and an accelerated heartbeat. If she didn’t get control, Jordan would be calling an ambulance soon. I have to wait for marriage or else I’m going to spend eternity in the flames. Twelve years of Catholic school did teach her she would burn in hell if she gave it up before the big “I do,” even if it didn’t teach her anything else. After reaching the end of the hallway, with no more doors in sight, Mia stopped both physically and mentally and eased her back up against the black-and-red wallpaper that ran the length of the corridor. Finally, Jordan stopped and assessed her before he said, “We’re going up there.” Mia pushed herself away from the wall and glanced in the direction Jordan pointed. Another set of stairs lead to a third floor. “Wow, this place is big.” “Actually, my room is the only one on the third floor. It’s the attic. I converted it into my room because it is private and the biggest bedroom in this place.” “Oh,” Mia murmured. “You actually live here?”

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“No. I have my own condo in Orlando. But I do stay here a lot.” Oozing with manners, Jordan stepped in front of her and extended his hand. “Shall we?” As his strong, smooth fingers intertwined with her own, she imagined what it would feel like having them caress every inch of her skin. Every bit of common sense told her to run fast and never look back. Being taught from when she was a small child that impure thoughts outside of marriage were the entranceway to the devil’s lair wasn’t helping her situation. Yet she didn’t seem to care. At least not tonight. She sighed. I’ve officially become the epitome of a Catholic sinner, and a hoochie on top of that! So busy walking down memory lane, she almost plowed into the door when Jordan said, “Here we are.” She halted as he swung the door open. She stood in awe at the sight before her, trying to drink in the entire room with her eyes before stepping a toe inside. The room radiated masculinity, with a spicy Gothic theme. Massive and antique brown rattan furniture lined the perimeter of the room. A chartreuse down comforter covered the four-poster mahogany bed positioned in the center of the room. If she wanted to sit on the bed, she would need a stepladder to reach it. Covering most of the floor was a charcoal, floral-patterned Oriental rug. A man with taste. Good taste, scratch that, great taste. “Well, let’s go inside.” Mia glanced over at the doorjamb. “Okay.” Jordan released her hand, glanced over her once, and then a warm smile lit up his features as he drew her to him. Nice and close, his rich, masculine scent was all she could concentrate on for the moment. “Tonight,” he whispered. “I just want to love you, Mia. Will you let me?” Moved by his words, she stood in total awe.

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A devilish smile broke over his face. She wasn’t sure if it was from the warmth flushing her face or the lockjaw she felt. “I’m assuming when you growled at me earlier, it meant you wanted me, too.” He was right on the money. Nervous as all hell, she nodded. “It really wasn’t that difficult of a question, Mia. Do you want me?” he asked a second time. Overwhelmed by his words and the way his eyes held a tinge of pleading, Mia rested her head against his chest. How could she construct the house of words that would let him know how she felt? And, once she did, how would she let him in? She had never experienced a one-night stand, but maybe that’s exactly what she needed. What were the odds that she would see him after tonight? And if need be, she could always go to confession and beg for forgiveness after her sinful act. Closing her eyes, she breathed in his Jordan-owned scent once more before a sudden, blinding, intense need for him overtook her. She didn’t answer him, but instead, she listened to the rapidness in his heartbeat. Were the fast beats a sign that he wanted her as much as she wanted him? “Yes, I want you,” she answered finally. “I promise I won’t hurt you,” he vowed. His low baritone voice wrapped around her, truly making her fear subside. “I could never hurt you, Mia.” “I know.” Did she really know? She hoped. For now, for this moment in time, it was good enough. In the next moment, his embrace tightened, and she shivered at the touch of his skin on hers. She wanted to touch his mouth, yield every bit of her body and soul to him. Her moral confusion wasn’t enough to keep her away from him, and slowly the walls she conveniently built around her heart began to crumble. With her still in his arms, he crossed the floor toward the fourposter bed. “I surely didn’t expect that reply.”

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“Me, either.” The words just rolled off her tongue, shocking her some more. In the back of her mind, the good Catholic girl was telling her to stop the travesty, get down on bended knee, and beg for forgiveness, yet the woman in her wanted to experience Jordan. Every solitary inch of him. Placing her on the comforter, he asked, “Really? What reply should you have given me?” She scooted upright and crossed her legs Indian style, grabbing one of the decorative pillows from the center of the bed for moral support. “Well, I’m not that experienced with one-night stands.” “Oh?” Surprise edged Jordan’s voice. “Oh?” Mia echoed, confused. Jordan coughed to cover up a laugh, then tilted his head in an incredulous lean. “Are we going to have sex, Mia?” As if on cue, her body flushed several degrees in temperature. Oh boy, what does he mean, “Are we going to have sex?” I thought…oh, geez. “I’m sorry, what?” “Well, darlin’, usually the saying ‘one-night stand’ is synonymous with sex. Is that what you want from me tonight? You just say the word, and I’ll give you what you want.” Flustered, Mia flopped back against the bed and dropped the pillow to her side. There I go again, open mouth and insert foot. Did she want sex from him? She let her eyes skate over him for the umpteenth time tonight. Wow, part of me does want to experience casual sex, especially with you, yet the other part of me wants to jump off this bed and run home. Jordan lingered at the edge of the bed. “I’ll tell you what. Let’s leave tonight to fate. I’m going to get us a couple glasses of wine and make a quick stop in the restroom. Keep my side of the bed warm until I get back.” Once he was safely tucked in the bathroom, Mia reclaimed the small Oriental throw pillow and placed it over her face. She needed to

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disappear from view, just in case her expression gave more of her inner secrets away. “Fine.” I need to calm down. I need to think of something else. She was just starting the counting-backward exercise in her head again when the bathroom door opened and he emerged. Her gaze shifted once again to the diamond in his nose. Damn, that thing is sexy. “Touch it,” he whispered. She refocused. “Touch what?” Prompting her undivided attention by brushing a strand of hair over his shoulder didn’t help her refocus. “Don’t act shy, darlin’. You know you are dying to run your finger over and across my shiny jewel.” “What?” Shiny jewel? What the hell are you talking about? “Right?” She opened her mouth, hoping for a sound that wasn’t a babbling moan, then closed it. Jewels? Usually when men spoke of jewels they meant… She let out a gasp just as her mouth flung open. He’s talking about his penis! Flabbergasted, she opened her mouth a second time, and sound filled the room. “You’re crazy.” Lifting a pink-colored nail into the air—quickly checking for chips in the polish—she proceeded to give him a piece of her mind. “Other girls may want to touch your stuff—jewel—whatever you want to call it.” She pointed between his legs. “But I am not one of your groupies, and I refuse to touch your…your thing!” A stoic expression tilted Jordan’s face as he remained patient for a full minute, and then his mouth curved into a seductive, badass smile. “I meant my diamond stud, Mia. But I see other parts of my anatomy have captivated you.” He winked, deliberately stroked the corners of his mouth. “Oh, wait. You were talking about my other earring, my Prince Albert, right? I would love to show you that piercing.” She wished the bed would swallow her whole.

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“Oh my God, shut up!” She reached up with both hands and splayed her palms over her face, in an attempt to make him disappear. Extreme embarrassment did not even begin to describe how she felt. Prince Albert? “Actually, darling, to show you that special piercing, you’ll need to get me naked first. This, in your case, won’t be hard.” Mia preferred to disappear from the face of the earth and see nothing, simply because she really wanted to see him naked. In the time it took him to sit next to her on the bed, snatch her finger, and place it on the side of his nose, she’d decided to ask him the question she was dying to have answered. “What makes you think you are a vampire?” A truly surprised expression crossed his face. “Wow, that question was unexpected.” “Yes, I know, but I was going to ask you that before you bated me with the earring question.” When his finger started stroking Mia’s arm, heat curled in her stomach, gradually moving through her body, desire splintering every inch of her soon-to-be-sinner’s body. “I can’t say I’m surprised you’re asking about my lifestyle. Most people are curious. And though, my beautiful lady, I intend to give you an answer, you’re going to get the condensed version since I don’t want to waste our time talking.” Yeah, talking is overrated. Mia folded her hands on her lap in an attempt to look studious. It was hard since she really was interested, more like fascinated. Before he began, he slipped his hand into Mia’s, his warm palm sending her body into heat mode. “I knew from a young age that something was different about me. During my childhood, I was sick a lot. I was tired and depressed constantly. Psychiatrists analyzed me, and doctors ran test after test on me. Of course, the diagnosis was always the same. Mononucleosis.”

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“I got mono every year from the age of eight until I turned nineteen. For months, I would lie in bed, hating my life, wishing the world would swallow me up. It wasn’t until I was in college that the idea of real vampirism took form. I met a girl in one of my classes who noticed I was missing a lot of school. We started talking. One thing led to another, and I was awakened with a taste of her blood.” His gaze seemed to study her, a faint smile tipped his lips, and he continued. “I’m sure being a teacher, you’re aware that blood carries energy, that it’s a life force.” His mention of teaching prompted her to stop him. “Wait…how do you know I’m a teacher?” A little bit of fear snuck into the inferno residing in her body. She must have had the “are you a stalker” look on her face, because he answered her question without a second prompting. “Actually, I didn’t until now. Your necklace says ‘Number One Drama Teacher,’ so I assumed.” Mia touched her fingers to the gold charm hanging from the chain around her neck. Observant. “I’m sorry I interrupted you, please continue.” “Not a problem, I understand your concern. I’m sure I freaked you out for a few moments. No worries, I’m not a stalker, not yet anyway. Again he laughed. That low, beautiful sound wrapped Mia up like a favorite blanket. “I only consume a very small amount of blood, a few drops, and it isn’t all the time. Only when I know my body needs it.” Thinking she understood, she interrupted. “So, it’s a religious belief. That’s why you drink the blood? Like it represents Christ?” He slightly shook his head, but she ignored him and continued. “This practice sure sounds a lot like some of the rituals they practice in Catholicism.” She narrowed her gaze. “The whole idea of blood representing life sounds like the information was taken right from the pages of a Catholic prayer book.” “No, Mia. It has nothing to do with religion. We all have different spiritual beliefs. I drink blood for health reasons, because my body

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needs the pranic energy from it for me to live a normal life, a life without constant sickness that doctors can’t cure. I was born this way, doll.” Disappointed that she was wrong in her assumptions, her tone came across let down. “I just assumed it was a sort of a religious belief.” “Many people who don’t understand it claim it to be satanic or a cult. I’m a very spiritual person, Mia. I practice all types of different beliefs, from voodoo to Wicca. As for organized religion, like Catholicism, it’s not for me.” He says Catholicism like it’s the plague. No one needed to tell her that a blank expression sat on her face, because she felt her muscles relax. Jordan tightened his embrace on her hand then laced their fingers. “Oh, I see. You’re a Catholic?” His voice rang soft before a devious laugh intercepted. “Is it that obvious?” Why the strange laugh? Perhaps now you find me amusing, as opposed to whatever this is we have going on tonight. True interest seemed to perk up his expression a little more. “Umm, please tell me more.” She shifted her legs so they curled to the right of her body. Here we go, spilling the Catholic upbringing. “I was raised devout Catholic. I went to Catholic schools, and if my parents had had their way, I would have been a nun by now.” “Interesting.” She cocked an eyebrow. He appeared honest, and, strangely enough, interested in her. “How so?” “Wouldn’t it be interesting to take your blood-drinking boyfriend home to meet your parents?” Mia thought about his words for a few moments. “Interesting is a good word.” Did he just say boyfriend? Her heart skipped and then started to race.

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She would have been fine if his lips hadn’t touched her hand. When that happened, all she wanted to do was kiss him, but instead he slipped his right leg across her thigh. “You know, Ms. Catholicism,” he whispered, “women would give anything to be where you are right now.” “You’re comfortably conceited.” He smirked. “No, princess, just confident. I know what I can do to a woman.” Now his breath was on her neck, and it felt like all the air was sucked from her lungs. “Of course from this moment on, I only want to do those things to you.” When her breath returned, she pondered his question. “Oh, great,” she murmured, finding his vain attitude borderline charming. I find a man that catches my attention more than my boss Jamison, and he’s stuck on himself. Isn’t that just my luck? “You know, Mia, Cindi wanted to get caught by us. Her research will now be one hundred percent accurate once she spends time with a real-life vampire.” He coughed, then huffed out a half laugh. “Tonight, Ridge will give her the learning of a lifetime.” Before his words registered completely, Jordan pinned her against the mattress. She pushed against his chest. “I need a…drink of water.” “Mmm….you’re not going anywhere.” She tried again in vain to break free from his embrace. She felt like Sybil, because first she wanted him and then she didn’t want him. She really needed to get a grip and enjoy the hunk of a man on top of her. Slanting his lips over hers, he hesitated one split second before he covered her mouth with his. God, he felt like heaven, but when he deepened the kiss, she panicked, pushing her palms against his chest. He growled deeply and unlocked his lips. “Is this what you want, Mia? I’ll let you go if you want me to.” He bent down and nibbled the edges of her mouth. For one split second, she was sure she was in control, until shockingly she pulled him against her and kissed him. He tasted of the

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passion that she had denied herself for so long. She planned to rip his shirt from his body, when the doorbell rang. Startled, Mia sprang forward, knocking him off-balance and onto the floor. “I’m so sorry.” She couldn’t have hidden the embarrassment in her voice if she were the best actress in the world. No way. It was there loud and clear. Laughing, he picked himself up from the floor, then, straightening his pants with his palms, he chuckled all the way to the door. When he swung the door open unto the lady in white holding a syringe, Mia just about peed in her pants. One hour later, Mia was well educated in vampire donors, bloodborne pathogens, blood dolls, and all the latest cutting tools used for bloodletting. Her head was spinning out of control from her newfound knowledge. What shocked her even more than the recent vampire education, she agreed to give a tube of her blood for testing. Even though she kept asking Jordan what the purpose of taking her blood was, he’d just smiled, the smile that made her want to do anything for him, and asked her to please do it for him. Jordan had a way of making her agree to just about anything. Lounging on the bed, she contemplated their earlier conversation, still stunned she’d agreed to give blood to some random woman dressed in a nurse’s outfit. For all Mia knew, the woman could be in a costume left over from Halloween. Jordan had just returned his phone into his pocket for the third time. Damn man was a busy person. Mia cleared her throat. “Wow, as you stated earlier, this lifestyle is pretty dangerous.” She pondered extremely sick and death for a few moments. Did she need her head examined? Perhaps her idea of a one-night fantasy would be her demise. It would really suck to pick a casket out before my wedding gown. “Yes, it can be, so we normally have our own donors.” She scrunched her face. “There’s that word again…donors?”

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The next part of the conversation covered donors more intensely, and their function in the vampire world. Sliding back into bed with her, he took her hand into his then looked into her eyes. “I can’t taste your blood tonight unless I am positive nothing is wrong with it.” Bombshell number two. Mia’s thoughts came to a screeching halt. “Hold on a minute. I haven’t agreed to you sucking my blood.” Okay, she gave her blood to the nurse willingly, but she didn’t seriously consider he would be licking her blood tonight. The fantasy in her mind was one that consisted of donating sinful sex, not blood. Trying hard to hide her shock, she changed the tone of her voice, hoping it sounded questioning instead of frightened out of her mind. “Just so I have this all straight. The nurse took my blood earlier because you plan to taste it tonight?” She covered her unease with a nervous laugh. “Yes.” Jordan’s voice was calm and crisp, as if he were answering a verbal question on a test instead of telling someone he’d just met he was going to suck her blood. An annoyance tick started in the pit of Mia’s stomach. Finally, a touch of anger was popping up in her emotions. It was about time. “You know, it’s one thing to think about and understand the concept of blood drinking, but you want me to dive into the process right now without even having a chance to think it over?” A tinge of panic settled in Mia’s bones, once the anger dissipated. Am I letting my fantasy get out of control? Sex is one thing, but letting him taste one smidgen of my blood, that’s plain crazy, isn’t it? Her breathing accelerated as she tried to concentrate on the procedure for stopping her impending hyperventilation, but, as usual, what was the right exercise when she needed it? “Calm down, darlin’.” He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “We are talking about a small scratch and then a drop of blood, nothing more. I promise.”

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“Whoa. Scratch? I just gave a tube of blood. Why aren’t you drinking that?” Mr. Calm and Collected shook his head. “That’s for testing. I don’t like tube blood. I like it right from the body.” “And do you always get everything you want?” A wicked gleam lit up his face. “Well, yes.” I seriously need my head examined. Still reeling with disbelief, she tried to pry a smile from the edges of her face. The continued squeezing he’d given her fingers made Mia’s body tingle with awareness. Honestly, had she gone completely insane? A part of her, deep down underneath the layers of Catholic guilt and fear, wanted him in every way possible. And if it meant some ritualistic blood drinking tonight, then she would welcome it, welcome him. Gently putting a hand on her shoulder, he rubbed her tenseness. “Real donors know the rules about clean blood, however, we do keep a nurse on staff, especially during parties, for when blood dolls come here. We assumed, after we found out you weren’t Ravenfield members, that you and Cindi were blood dolls since it was obvious you weren’t donors to anyone in the Stiletto Sanction.” It took a ton of willpower to keep her jaw from dropping. It was starting to feel like a natural occurrence tonight. Their conversation was getting better and better. “Okay, I have to ask, what is a blood doll?” “I would expect no less from you, darlin’. It’s a person who likes to bleed for pleasure. We call them party favors,” he said, matter-offactly. Reaching over, he released the inlaid clip in her hair, letting the strands cascade down the middle of her back. “There, that’s better.” “Party favors? You are telling me that these random women come into this house, they are tested for bloodborne pathogens, and if they’re clean, they give their blood, not wanting anything in return?” The utter shock of such a scenario sent a flutter dancing in her stomach. She couldn’t bear the thought of his mouth on another

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woman, let alone random party favors. That possessive feeling returned. “Yes, women who are party favors do that exactly. Think of it like women and men who want to have a good time but want to forget about what they did the next day. Basically, a one-night stand without the sex, if they so chose.” “Does this sort of thing happen all over the world?” “I believe so. Most covens have their own rules they adhere to.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “No more questions tonight. Please.” Behind all the words, all the revelations, he was flesh and blood, and the sexiest man she’d ever seen. Without a doubt she wanted him, every part of him. Tonight she was his, tomorrow she would do the penance for this cardinal sin. No doubt. It didn’t take long for his fingers to clamp around the edges of her shirt, sliding it upward and over her breasts. The electricity from his touch traveled through her body like sparklers through every vein. Tossing her shirt to the side of the bed, he reached in for her skirt and unzipped it before he removed it from her body, casting it on top of her shirt. Instinctively she pulled back, afraid of her own desire. Then his hands clasped her waist, held her captive, and all she wanted was his hands all over her body. She tightened her embrace until their hip bones touched. A sigh left Jordan. “That’s better. I was starting to think you were frightened of me.” “No, I’m not afraid of you,” she whispered. “Truth be told, I’m afraid of myself, and how I feel when I’m near you.” “Sweet Mia, you’re making me crazy, woman. I was hoping we were past that stage of our relationship. You know, the one where you want to run from this room, and all the way back to Orlando.” He really had a sexy sense of humor. The intensity of the moment was to the point that she felt if he touched her she would incinerate, and if he didn’t she would die. That was until he reached for her bra,

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and cold reality washed through her veins like the breaking of a dam. I’m a twenty-six-year-old virgin! Confusion shifted his expression. “What’s wrong now? You’re flushed.” She looked away, anywhere but at him. What would he think about her status as virginal? Living out her fantasy was all well and good, but she couldn’t change the fact that she hadn’t had down-anddirty sex yet. Pretending was an option. Yes, she could see it now. Things progress and they consummate their union, and he realizes, in the midst of their bodies converging, that he is going where no man had ever gone before. Suddenly Star Trek reruns were running rapidly through her mind. Shit! Mortification, here I come. “Mia, earth to Mia. What’s on your mind? I told you earlier, and I mean it, if you don’t want to fool around, we don’t have to. We can sit here and talk.” My Catholic upbringing is really becoming a royal pain in my ass. “Okay, I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to say it. I have never actually had intercourse.” Mia delivered the words as if she was giving a lecture, making sure the teak bureau in the corner was her focal point. His expression literally changed from shocked disbelief, to humor, and then back again. “Mia, are you telling me you’re a virgin?” “You’re making fun of me?” Why in God’s name did he have to ask her if she was telling him she was a virgin? She relayed the words in perfectly spoken English. What part of “I have never had sex before” did he not understand? A little perturbed, she moved her body to the right in an attempt to pull away from him. Incredulous, he glanced at the small space between them. “I don’t think this is going to work. Get your sweet behind back over here.” “No.”

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Maybe she was being childish, but she expected his reaction to her admitted virginity to be a little more compassionate, less humorous. Before her inner thoughts could decipher more reasons to be angry, his arms shot around her waist. The anger vanished. “No. Actually, I think it’s sweet that you waited. You are truly a good girl in the eyes of Catholic morality. But I still plan on corrupting you. Of course, my reasons are strictly selfish. I want you for myself. ” Questioning gray eyes studied her. “What do you want to do, Mia? I’ll do whatever you want.” She had no doubt in her mind that she wanted him. Trembling, she turned her face and initiated a kiss. She needed him to love her, even if it was only for one night. All through her life she rejected her carnal desires even when it wasn’t what she wanted. For once, she was going to have what she wanted, not what others thought was best, and let her needs crash through the willpower exterior strangling her like a noose around her neck. His grip coiled tighter. “Say it, Mia. Please…say it.” She glanced down. Why was saying she wanted him so difficult? It’s not like she would have an instant replay of this night anytime soon, at least she didn’t assume so. Prompting her response, yet gentle, his tone slightly pleaded. “Am I what you want? If so, say it.” “I can’t,” she whispered, warmness building behind her eyelids. “Yes. You can.” Gazing at the chartreuse down comforter, she admitted, “You.” But he still refused to release her, only held her tighter. “What about me? What do you want from me? Say it. I need to hear it from your lips.” She couldn’t fight his power any longer, nor did she want to. His consuming passion broke her. Like the serpent that tempted Eve in the

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Garden of Eden, so did Jordan court and tempt her. All that remained was her sweet surrender. Finally, her resistance shattered. “I want you, Jordan. I want you to love me.” I’ll deal with the consequences of my actions later. His breath danced against her tear-streaked face. “As you wish.”

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Chapter Five Mia inhaled Jordan’s Obsession cologne as he pushed her shoulders flat against the mattress. Inching her pelvis closer against him, she wanted to melt her body to his. Placing his thumb in between her tits, he unhooked her bra. The cool breeze from the air-conditioning caressed the skin, intensifying her already-magnified state of arousal. On the first try, he tugged her bra off. Leaning in, he grasped her tit, then sucked the nipple into his mouth. Gently, he bit the hard nub, alternating between nipping and sucking, practically pulling Mia from the bed with his movements. He squeezed the other tit with deep, full-hand caresses, making sure to pinch the nipple, rolling it between his fingers and thumb. The sucking started the fireworks moving through her body. Closing her eyes, she savored the exquisite feel of his lips on her body. “You feel so good,” he whispered, his breath ragged. Reaching underneath, he cupped her buttocks, carefully sliding her panties to her knees. “Wait,” she begged. Catholic guilt lingered, yet she was too far gone to retract. A low snort sounded. “Are you sure?” She considered his words, for a second. “No.” “Mmm…” He cupped her between the legs, his hand soft and warm. Gently, he massaged her canal, slipping one finger into the moist folds until he reached the small bulb between the nether lips, then slid in a second finger. Her body dampened to his touch. She wanted, no needed, his hands all over her body. The volcano of her desires had

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lain dormant for so long, and now, the intense, burning tension needed release. Her voice came through the desire-ridden fog. “You feel so good, Jordan.” “Then I shall continue, darlin’.” With her invitation, he stroked faster, showering her stomach with kisses. When she thought her body couldn’t take anymore, the first tremor erupted, stopping him in the midst of fingering her. “God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered. Mia’s passion exploded with his sweet words, her first orgasm with Jordan traveled through her body with soul-shattering intensity. Yes, she’d climaxed during foreplay with the two other guys she’d been with, but this one was different, more explosive and enjoyable, driving her to want more of it, of him. Shooting her arms around his neck, she pulled him on top of her. The only thought in her brain was holding him tight and never letting him go. Perhaps if she held on to him, the night would never end. Still reeling from his touch, she hadn’t noticed when he secretly grabbed the black bag. Moments later, his phone pinged. He swiped it from the top of the nightstand, flipped it open. “Looks like you’re safe, kitten.” Still riding the wave of sexual delight, Mia pushed herself up on her elbows. “What do you mean I’m safe? Kitten?” Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a long, silver piece of metal. His eyes enlivened as they danced over the inlaid jewels. Mia admired the array of stones. Sapphires, rubies, and onyx. “You have clean blood, my dear.” He glanced at her, then his eyes returned to admiring the object. “‘Kitten’ is a term of endearment. You are my little minx.” Her thoughts raced around inside her head in record speed. Clean blood. Minx, really? Curious, she watched his every move, slightly

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concerned, as he slipped his index finger into the talon, which fit him like a glove. What the… With panic surely present in her eyes, she strived to sound complacent. “What is that thing?” In the midst of his adoration, gray eyes roamed her face. “Mia, my sweet little minx, I’m a sanguine, a Gothic lifestyler. I drink blood, however, as you well can see, I don’t have fangs. This finger armor is what I use to acquire my blood from donors. I’ve been using this gadget for many years. I’m a pro at it, so you have no need to worry your pretty little head.” He hesitated. “I won’t lie to you though, the first cut is going to sting a bit. No worries. I’ll be careful.” Sitting motionless, she’d come to the realization that he just may be nuts. There was no way she was letting him touch her with that thing. He never asked her once, the entire evening, if she would mind if he drank her blood. Although he did insinuate early that he was going to drink her blood, she’d assumed it would be from the earlier vile donation. She did not intend to be a donor—not like this with him slicing into her flesh—tonight. Gothic crazy is more like it. “No, Jordan. I don’t want to give blood tonight. I would prefer to have time to think about such an intimate request.” Now she was totally off her rocker. It was okay that she wanted him to make love to her, yet letting him taste her blood was off limits? The imagined little devil sitting on her right shoulder spoke into her ear, and then the angel on the left shoulder countered, and she pingponged between the two. But she soon accepted with all the analysis going on in her head, tonight was a fantasy, and she should embrace the entire experience. Amusement rearranged his features. “Let me get this straight, you don’t mind having sex with me, but letting me taste your blood is too intimate?” He stifled a smile. “I’m afraid that you don’t have a choice. Remember, I’m your penance for sneaking into the coven house. ”

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Bullshit I don’t have a choice. “Jordan, everyone has a choice. And I didn’t sneak in here. I was lured in here by my best friend.” She scrunched up her face once the words left her mouth. Lured by my best friend, I sound like a lunatic. He opened his mouth then closed it without a sound. “I know that you’re scared, Mia, but isn’t the teacher in you just a bit curious? I know if I were in your shoes, I would be first in line to experience something new, different.” Unfair. She couldn’t believe he was playing the teacher card. Then the truth of his words hit her like a ton of bricks. Maybe she was curious, but didn’t curiosity kill the cat? Would curiosity kill this minx kitten, too? “I’m interested in your lifestyle. But…” With that, he sat up and leaned against the corner of the mahogany bedpost, then closed his eyes. “Then trust me.” “Fine. I’ll do it. But if I have to get stitches, you’re taking me to the hospital and paying the bill.” Maybe a childish ultimatum, but it was an ultimatum nonetheless. She demanded that he agree, covering her breasts with her hands. He opened his eyes just as he folded his arms across his chest. “I can guarantee you that bleeding to death isn’t going to happen. Your cut will be nothing more than a scratch.” His amused expression filled her with indignation. She fired back at him in the most smart-ass tone she could muster. “Really? Well, look at me, I’m new to this process. I assumed, Mr. Vampire, you would be drinking a cup of my blood. Just don’t hurt me. I mean, on a serious note, I hate pain.” “Ah, kitten, I told you earlier that I make a scratch and lick a few drops from it. The types of vampires that drink cups of blood are in myths. One more thing, I bet I can change your mind about pain.” Strategically rearranging her hands across her breasts, she met his sexy gaze with one of her own. At least she hoped it was sexier. With all the in-depth conversation, Mia kept exposing them. Not that she

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should care now, since he’d already become up close and personal with the twins. “You know what, you don’t need to cover your beautiful breasts. Trust me, they are etched in a permanent place in my mind. I happen to like looking at them.” He sighed. “Talking is finished. Where were we?” Drawing her to him, he inched her back down on the bed then whispered, “Spread your legs for me.” The raspy glint of authority in his voice had her automatically spread for him. A cold sensation on her inner thigh and recognition of the stringent smell of alcohol sent a chill down her spine. The warm touch of his hand followed by the cold surface of the metal talon grazed her thigh. Blinded by her fear, her body twitched in an attempt to pull away from him. But his strong hand grasped her right thigh, holding it in place. “Relax your muscles, kitten.” Relax. She listened with strange obedience to his distant voice. Silence. The cold metal claw pierced her skin, jolting her bottom off the bed a few inches. His mouth lowered to her thigh, and all common sense took a vacation as she moaned with pleasure from the heated desire splicing though her body. He tightened the embrace on her leg and licked the cut with renewed energy, and her sinner’s mind begged for more. Please lick me between my legs. She waited. It took every ounce of willpower not to grab him by the hair and hold his head between her legs until his tongue obliged. The words danced through her head like a seductive tango. Please lick me there.

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Chapter Six Mia’s eyes opened before the alarm chimed at seven o’clock, to Jordan sitting on the edge of the bed, already showered and dressed in faded blue jeans and a tattered Maroon 5 T-shirt. “Morning.” His voice was crisp and clipped. “If you would like some coffee while you’re getting ready, there is a pot over there.” He pointed toward the small, round table near the bathroom door. She glanced at the silver coffeepot, then back at him. “Thanks. How did you sleep?” He turned away with a grimace on his face, making her contemplate his cool demeanor. What happened to the man who had taken her in his arms and kissed every inch of her body the night before? Was he upset with her? What made him devoid of all emotion? The fake Jordan seated beside her was ripping her apart inside. She fought back the urge to vomit and burst into tears. Abruptly, he moved from the bed to the window. “I slept fine. Cindi will be waiting for you downstairs in the foyer in an hour. The bathroom is stocked with towels and whatever else you may need to get ready.” Why was he acting so strange? The nausea in the pit of her stomach lurched a little farther up. This was the kiss-off scene. Jordan stirred the sheer purple curtain covering the window with his finger and glanced outside. “The Elder appears to be gone. Looks like you’ll be able to leave without incident.” Finally, he looked at Mia for the second time since she awoke. “Is there anything else you might need before I leave?”

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How about treating me as if I’m not some total stranger? What did I do to you in the past six hours that’s caused you to be such an ass? Anger replaced the hurt feeling that was eating at her stomach. He was the player that she pegged him. How stupid to think what had happened last night was nothing more than a game for him. She slid off the bed. “No. I’m fine.” In all honesty it was a game for her, too. So why did she feel hurt by his actions? Crossing his arms, he turned and faced her. The stoic look was still glued to his face. “I guess this is good-bye, then.” What the hell? Jordan appeared ready to walk out of her life forever. Well, at least I have my memories of spending the night with him, and they were good. No, they were awesome. Mia made her way toward the coffeepot, and, with unsteady hands, she poured a cup. She wanted to lunge across the room and throw herself into his arms. He had touched an emotional side of her that she didn’t know existed, until last night. The boulder lodged in her throat made it next to impossible to stop her urge to cry. Contain yourself. Cupping the hot coffee mug, she reasoned with herself to calm down. He doesn’t deserve to know how I feel. Her internal battle escalated, and before she could stop it, the steaming cup of coffee crashed to the floor, its contents a puddle underneath her feet. Not the slightest bit phased by her actions, she spun around and blurted, “I really enjoyed last night.” **** Damn it! How could Jordan walk away now? He marveled at how fear didn’t stop her from admitting how she felt about him, how she spoke freely about her enjoyment of their time together, her admittance leveling him where he stood. Truth be told, he wanted to kiss every inch of her beautiful, slightly pouted lips and then throw her on the

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bed and lick her pussy until she screamed out from the desire ripping through her sweet Catholic ass, but he couldn’t, at least not yet. It also occurred to him he should turn around and send her into hysterics, tell her she was only one of his casual playthings. In all honesty, that would be the best thing he could do for her, to save her from himself. But she wasn’t a plaything. No, she was much more. But before he could say anything, she added, “I even enjoyed it with the pain and stuff.” Even her guarded smile sent his cock jutting against his jeans. With her smile warming his heart, his face softened. Exiting now would be impossible after looking into those big brown eyes. She glanced at the floor and her long brown locks grazed her shoulders. He wanted to smooth his fingers through her mane. So instead of leaving, he took her small waist into his hands. “I delighted in you more than you can ever imagine.” “Really?” “Yes, Mia. Although I want you to stay, you can’t. I want nothing more than to lock you in this room with me, make love to every inch of you. But I can’t. Trust me, getting close to me will only hurt you.” The words left his mouth before he could reel them back. The truth hit him square in the face. Getting close to him might hurt her. But the realization made no difference to him. He wanted her. My sweet virgin. The time has come for you to come out and play. Right or wrong, he would have her. Her innocent gaze rolled over him, making him clench back the desire to throw her over his shoulder and tuck her back into his bed. She touched his arm. Her warm hands sent shards of heated need through his body. “I’m probably not your type, either. Right?” Jordan was well aware of the storm brewing inside him, one that was fierce and would soon spiral out of his control. Two days ago, he was content with the flavor of the month or the slut of the night. How could he deny himself Mia now that he glimpsed paradise in her

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touch? She had no idea the lengths he would go to just to be with her, but soon she’d understand. “What do you think my type is, Mia?” Carefully, she seemed to choose her words. “Tall, blonde, beautiful.” He smirked. “You’re being extremely kind with that assessment. People who know me believe my type to be any woman with a pulse.” “It sounds like your reputation precedes you,” she responded in a much lighter tone. She’d just started biting her lip when Jordan stepped forward until her body was pinned securely between him and the door. “I don’t deserve a woman like you.” “Why?” “It’s a long story, Mia. Let’s just say that so far in my lifetime, I haven’t been the best human being.” He recognized compassion on her face and a little caution, or perhaps fear. “We all have skeletons in our closets,” she rebutted. Breathing in, he let her scent take him. The sweet smell of coconut lifted from her hair and embraced him. Moving her to arm’s length, he kept hold of her. She had no clue to what extent his skeletons reached. He may not hurt her intentionally, but someday, somehow, if his previous behaviors were any indication, he would cause her pain. Past sins could be buried, but they never truly disappeared, at least not from his recollection. “Baby, my skeletons have a mind of their own.” A sullen look crossed her face. Her dark eyes regarded him with disbelief. “Everyone can be redeemed.” “Perhaps.” She frowned. “You don’t believe in second chances?” “Not really.” Before she could reply, he kissed her forehead and slipped out the door.

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One hour later, with all her belongings, Mia descended the spiral staircase. She stepped off the last rise just in time to catch Cindi cussing under her breath. “Mia, are you okay?” Obviously concerned with her best friend’s saddened demeanor, Cindi planted a bear hug on Mia, practically knocking the wind out of her. “What’s wrong? I mean besides last night’s escapade.” Cindi studied her expression. “Did he hurt you? I will march back up those stairs and castrate him with my blade if he did anything that harmed you.” Blade? “I’m fine. Let’s just get out of here.” “I can do that.” Walking out the front door, neither one looked back, only shut the door softly behind them.

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Chapter Seven Monday morning, when the alarm blared with Toya singing “I Do,” Mia pried herself from the mattress, looking forward to her classes. After the confusion of the weekend, work would be a refreshing relief. Or so she thought. Easing into the school parking lot, a different dilemma had surfaced. Her boss Jamison Rierson waited for her beside her parking space. Confronting him was inevitable since he looked both perplexed and nervous. With his expression seeming urgent, Jamison practically accosted her when the car door closed behind her. “I need to talk to you. I feel so bad about what happened between us. I need to explain myself to you.” His voice was matter-of-fact, while his gaze searched her face. Mia’s head still whirled from the events at Stiletto House, and the last thing she wanted to deal with was Jamison. However, she felt it best she humor him. “I’m listening.” She leaned back against the car door. Our disaster date was long ago. Our shared kiss days ago. Must we rehash? “Mia, the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you.” His voice came across distant, and his gaze moved past her, toward something over her shoulder, then fixed back on her eyes. “I am sorry. Please believe me. I mean it. Hurting you was never my goal.” Without warning, her stomach fluttered, as if thousands of butterflies let loose inside her body. I need to forget you. “I want you to understand that although I do not feel for you in a romantic way, I still want to be friends. I know our date was a disaster, and I’m truly sorry about that. Please, forgive me if I led you

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to believe any differently. It was never my intention.” His gaze left hers and flittered everywhere but on her. Why couldn’t he look at her? Once again, what Jamison verbally relayed was quite different from what his body movements portrayed. Even after her unforgettable night with Jordan, Jamison still had some kind of bizarre effect on her. Part of her, and she wasn’t sure how big of a part, still found him attractive. Deciding he probably would not give up on the “friend” scenario, she agreed friendship would be fine and allowed him to escort her down the hall to her classroom. The day flew by, and before she knew it, she was driving home. She glanced at the bouquet of stargazer lilies Cindi sent from New Orleans, strapped securely into the passenger seat. Her best friend was a powerhouse. She’d dropped Mia off at home Sunday morning, and headed straight for the airport, arriving in New Orleans that evening. Mia would call her as soon as she settled in for the night. Pulling into her complex, a black line of thunderstorms had rolled in off the ocean, darkening the sky. The distant warning of thunder rumbled. It’s going to be a cozy night tonight. After phoning Cindi, she settled in for her nightly ritual, but tonight before she got down to the tedious business of grading highschool papers, her gaze transfixed on the storm outside. Rain clouds attacked the raven-and-violet-silver Florida sky on their way out toward the gulf. The stack of her students’ quizzes from the day lay nearby. Well, work before pleasure. Halfway through grading, the phone rang, and she quickly snatched the receiver. “Hello!” She hoped and prayed Cindi was on the other end. Silence. She waited. More silence followed. Just as she was about to click the receiver, someone said, “Hey.” Faint breathing tickled her ear. “You have turned my world upside down, woman. I woke up this morning with the taste of you traveling through my pores. I need to see you again.”

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She lost her ability to speak. Jordan was on the phone, and she couldn’t even whimper. “I can’t get you out of my mind, Mia. I want you.” She tried to form sounds. None came. “Say something.” He cleared his throat. “Perhaps I have the wrong number. Sorry I disturbed you, darlin’.” “Jordan! Please, wait.” In all her excitement, she jumped up from the recliner, clipping the glass of red wine on the floor next to the chair with her foot. As expected, a nice burgundy color canvassed the small Oriental rug under toe, and she couldn’t have cared less. “Well, well, I was starting to think no one was on the other end.” “I’m sorry. I guess I was shocked to hear your voice.” Her frantic demeanor came to a slow halt. “Jordan?” “Yes.” “I–I,” she whispered, as her voice cracked then disappeared into her throat. “You what, Mia?” “I can’t seem to get you out of my mind, either.” I said it. Without warning, motor-mouth syndrome stepped in to hold her hand. “I can’t begin to understand what happened between us, or why you think you’re a vampire. But I do know that I really like you, and I want to see you again.” She waited a brief second and then added, “I am willing to try and understand all this vampire stuff.” He chuckled, his laughter numbing. “I need to see you, too.” “Why don’t you come to my apartment?” The words that left her mouth shocked the hell out of her. Hoochie woman was taking over! Though, at the rate she was going, nothing appeared to be off limits anymore. “Really?” The raw sensuality of his voice froze her in place, but only for a brief second. “Yes. Unless you are in the middle of something. It is getting late and—”

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“I’m coming to see you now. Give me the directions, and I will be there to ravish you shortly.” One hour had passed since Mia invited her blood-sucking, potential boyfriend to her apartment. The entire time she waited for his arrival, she paced back and forth across her living-room floor, trying to settle her frenzied nerves, occasionally glancing at the clock on the VCR. The blue numbers read 10:00 p.m. Where is he? As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Overzealous, she bolted toward the door and swung it open, only to become the ugly duckling in the room. How did he always look so damn good? Even in his faded jeans and T-shirt, he looked like a dream. And his hair, those blond locks made her want to do more than just run a comb through them. “Hi, princess.” He reached out and pulled her against him. “Hi,” she managed to squeak. They remained in the doorway, entangled in each other’s arms, as she prayed to the Virgin Mary and all the saints she didn’t faint from the sheer intensity of his presence. “Well, don’t you look yummy tonight.” He growled. “Are you going to invite me in? Or make me stand out here all night?” Graciously, she stepped to the side, and motioned for him to enter. Gain some composure. I’m acting like a starstruck teenager. But, he didn’t enter, only stood staring at her. “Remember, sweet thing, I can’t enter unless you invite me in.” When the vampire pun registered, she smirked, thinking about how stupid she must look at this moment. “Oh—vampire humor. Aren’t you funny.” “I try to be. Nice place you have here.” He walked inside and over to the couch. She’d closed the door and turned just in time to get a nice view of his butt before he slid onto the sofa. “Would you like a glass of wine?” she asked. “Sounds good.” “Would you prefer red or white?”

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He let his eyes rove her body, his admiration practically gluing her feet where she stood. “Red is a definite for me. Unless you have something more pungent and metallic tasting.” “Ha. Ha. I guess that’s your vamp humor again.” “Yeah, it is. I figure a little bit of humor makes my odd lifestyle seem a tad bit funnier than strange.” Leaning back against the sofa, he spread his legs just enough for her to admire his other jewels, the ones she confused with his earrings on their last visit. Determined not to be bated by him again, she walked into the kitchen. “Hurry back. I’m getting lonely in here,” his voice echoed from the living room. Hold your horses. Five minutes later, she set the wine on the coffee table in front of him and took a seat next to him. “No, I don’t believe this will work.” He shot his arm out and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her snug against his thigh. “Much better.” Mia’s heart hammered against her chest cavity. “Sexy” didn’t begin to describe him. She cracked a nervous smile. “Okay.” “Let’s talk, sweet thing.” Nodding, Mia gave her undivided attention. At a loss for words, they sat for a moment in awkward silence. He leaned in, his breath stealing the air between them. Mia anticipated a lip-locking kiss, and, if that were the case, she would never learn anything about him tonight. No, no. I need to find out more about him. Words escaped from her, finally. “Tell me about your family?” Jordan chuckled, obviously in response to her nervous stupor. “If you insist. I was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. My father is a defense attorney, and my mother is a music teacher. She teaches piano.” “Do you play?” With genuine interest, she waited for his reply. At that moment in time, the way the light from the small lamp on the

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mahogany coffee table beside them caught the black streak in his hair handsome did not begin to describe him. God, you’re beautiful. “Play piano?” He licked his top lip, sending her hormones dancing a seductive salsa. The things she could imagine those lips doing to her sent a flush of heat coursing through her body. “Yes.” She gazed down toward his fingers to see if they were long and thin, a good indication a person was a pianist. “I dabble with the piano sometimes. Mostly I play my acoustic guitar.” “Are you any good?” He hesitated before he answered in a naughty Southern drawl. “Mia, darlin’, haven’t you learned by now that I’m good at everything I do.” She changed the subject. Yes, she was aware of the obvious fact that he thought he was good at everything he did, but that did not make it true, nor did his conceit make her like him any less. If anything, it made her more attracted to him. But why? Logic yelled for her to give him the boot, send him packing. Yet her heart felt differently. “What about brothers or sisters, do you have any?” “No, doll face. Just me.” His phone pinged, and he reached into his pocket, pulled it out and flipped it open. “What about you, do you have any siblings?” After checking the screen, he hit a button and slid the phone back into its place. “Yes. Two brothers.” With the phone secure in his pocket he pulled her hand into his, and they sat in the silence, meshed fingers together, transfixed on the way their hands fit. Did he feel the heat radiating from their hands? Every ounce of common sense lingered in her head, and shouted loud and clear for her to run from him. How long would it take a man like Jordan to

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discard her to the curb? Yet he was like some newfound drug, one that she couldn’t bear to live without. Since he already traveled through her veins, detoxing him would be next to impossible. Another thought emerged. Ask him to dinner. Without contemplating a game plan to ask him on a date, she blurted, “Would you like to have me for dinner this week?” Ah…shit. A wicked flash of excitement lit up his expression. “What an offer. I would love to have you for dinner.” She tried to focus on his face through her haze of embarrassment. “No, I meant would you like to come over for dinner. I can cook, or we can go out…” She plowed over her words, digging the hole deeper. “Calm down, sweet thing. I am well aware what you meant. I would love to have dinner with you even if you’re not the main course.” Relaxing from her vexation, she yawned. “It’s already past midnight, doll, and we both have to get up bright and early for work tomorrow. I say we call it a night.” “Both?” “Yes, Mia, I have a job at the University of Central Florida.” “Really?” She couldn’t have hidden the shock in her voice if she cut the cords. “What do you do there?” His grin, both boyish and roguish, made her heart skip a cadence. “I’m a professor of religious studies.” “No shit! I mean shoot.” Embarrassed by her choice of words, she cracked a smile. He deftly covered his laughter with a cough. “Geez, Mia, what do you think? I am a normal guy. Well, to an extent.” A quick wink in her direction added a wave of additional heat to her warm face and neck. Man, if you keep doing that, well, move over, sinners, I may be visiting tonight.

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As their conversation progressed, a brainless teenybopper replaced the independent woman she considered herself to be. Of course he had a job. He was a grown man. “Well, we did meet under bizarre circumstances, so I wasn’t sure about things that concern you.” “That’s fine, doll, we have time to discuss my lifestyle and the entire culture. I promise to answer all of your questions. Let’s consider it a future Q&A date.” His smile turned his lips into the most beautiful mouth she’d ever seen. She wanted to press her mouth against his. Instead, a raspy voice replied, “Sounds good.” “Let’s call it a night,” he suggested, as the two of them walked to the door. “Are you healing okay?” Mia glanced at the remnants of their first union. “I’m fine. I cleaned and bandaged the cut this morning, which I did yesterday, too. And, by the way, it is just a scratch.” With a tenderness that massaged her heart, Jordan reached down and kissed her cheek. “I want to do this the right way, Mia. I could take you back to your bedroom and make love to you all night long. Trust me, it’s what I want to do.” His lips grazed her ear. “Honestly, you couldn’t stop me if I chose to ravish you tonight, but I want more from you.” “Oh.” At this point, he could have said anything and she would have obliged him. He was right about his earlier words, she couldn’t stop him if he wanted to make love to her, because she wanted it just as much as he did. Harlot! “I never thought I would feel like this, at least not again in my lifetime. I am falling fast and hard for you, Ms. Christini. I wouldn’t have believed such a thing as love at first sight existed, especially for a man like me. Not until you. I thank the higher being that placed you in my path.”

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She reeled from the word “love,” but was it too fast? “Really? You lo—like me?” “Like you? Yes, I believe that issue has already been resolved.” Mia sighed deeply. “I better go. Remember, I’m all man, and you are driving me crazy. If I don’t leave this instant, I can’t promise you I will.” “I’ll let you go tonight.” With the best pout she could muster, she touched his hip. “But only because I know I’m going to be with you tomorrow night.” He smirked, leaned in, and kissed her cheek. “I should be finished with my meetings by eight in the evening. I should be on your doorstep shortly after. We’ll go out for pizza.” “We can order in, if you want.” “I like that plan.” A sheepish grin kicked up the sides of his face. “That way we can have dessert first.” With Mia hugging the open doorjamb with her back, Jordan slipped out the front door, leaving her to stare into the darkness of the tepid Florida night. **** I feel so drained. I need blood. Pulling up to The Firestone Club, he recognized the Stiletto Sanction members’ cars, so he parked and went inside. Becca already stood at the bar. “Hi. You ready?” she asked, her tone sweet. “Hey, Bec.” He kissed her cheek. “You look great. Thanks for meeting me tonight. I appreciate it. I know you just worked a late shift. You’re probably tired.” “Anything for you, Jordan. You called, I’m here. Sleep is overrated anyway.” Strolling across the club toward their spot, he placed a hand on her shoulder. She’d been his donor for two years. Lucky for him, their

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relationship was uncomplicated. In the past, he had donors who couldn’t understand sexual relationships didn’t always come with being a donor. He’d experienced both types of donor relationships in his life and usually liked the no-sex ones. She led him to a secluded area in the back of the club. Without saying a word, he slipped the talon blade on his finger and punctured the soft skin on the back of her neck. As the warm, salty fluid touched his tongue, his body gradually warmed with new energy. The blood coated the inside of his mouth before he swallowed, moving it down his throat. The taste of her type O-negative blood sent his body into overdrive. He closed his eyes and let the warmth travel from the core of his stomach into his limbs. The black color behind his eyelids sparked with splotches of white. Having had enough blood and reminiscing about his lifestyle choices, Jordan slipped the blade off his finger and slid it into his pocket. Content, he pulled a small tube of NEOSPORIN ointment and a small Band-Aid from the adjacent pocket and dressed her cut. Without saying a word, Becca kissed his cheek, then stood. He eased his head back against the chair. “Thank you.” “Anytime. That’s what I’m here for.” She turned and disappeared through the dimly lit bar. He closed his eyes and relished in the force dancing throughout his body. As Becca’s blood replenished his pranic energy, he pictured Mia. Did she dream about him? Her radiant image etched perfectly on the inside of his eyelids. His body ached to touch her again, like he did the first night they met. He folded his arms over his chest and slipped into a dream world. The darker side of his desires pushed through another image, a bedroom, no—his bedroom. And in the bedroom vision manifested an image of Mia’s manacled wrists displayed above her head, her body dangling from a small chain sunk into the ceiling. Her tiptoes grazed the floor.

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With his silhouette on a stool beneath her, her naked body teased him, and her extreme vulnerability and submissiveness excited him beyond imaginable possibility. He sucked in a deep breath and let the dream vision move into crystal focus. With both hands, he caressed every inch of her tight, virginal body, and when her swoon transformed into a high rumble, he reached down, snapped open the hook attached to his belt, and released the small leather tether. Exhilarated, the silhouette of a man whispered to the bound woman, “Remember, darling, the infliction of sweet pain will magnify the release of ultimate pleasure. Let me show you. Let me bring you pleasure beyond your wildest dreams.” **** Mia checked her cell phone for messages before she strolled back to the bedroom. Passing down the hall, she ducked into the kitchen to shut the garden window above the sink. The aroma of fresh rain lingered in the air, which meant one thing. Another storm was going to arrive within minutes. She grabbed a diet soda from the fridge before she made her way back down the hall toward her bedroom. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she waited for her laptop to boot up. Her fingers touched the keyboard, and she typed “Google.” Once the search engine came up, she typed “vampire.” A few seconds later, an endless list of sites appeared on the screen. She scanned them, not sure what she looked for, until her gaze zeroed in on The Life of the Sanguinarian.

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Chapter Eight The next evening, the tingling of the hot water caressed Mia’s body, encompassing her in total relaxation. How was she going to ask Jordan about the frightening images that plagued her dreams last night? Alarming photographs of women tied and bleeding from hooks. She dried the last part of her body, slipped on her favorite black linen skirt, pulled a blouse from her closet, and stepped into Gucci sandals. The sandals were last year’s Christmas gift from her very wealthy godparents. Aunt June always sent her extravagant gifts. She’d said it was because they’d never had any children of their own and they’d always considered Mia the child they’d never conceived. If it hadn’t been for Aunt June and Uncle Thomas, her life would have really sucked growing up. With a quick glance in the mirror and check of the time, she left the room in time to answer the doorbell. “Are you going to invite me in, sweet thing?” He leaned his shoulder against the inside of the doorjamb, his confidence and oozing sex appeal practically knocking her off her feet. She loved looking at him. “Yes.” He stepped into the foyer. “You look beautiful. Actually, you take my breath away.” His voice echoed as he drew them to the sofa. She left distance between them after they sat. “Come closer.” He patted the space beside him. “How’s this?” she asked, sliding until their thighs touched. “There, much better. I appreciate how you did what you were told.”

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She half smiled. The tone in his voice caught her off guard. But before she could consider his words a second time, he grinned wide, displaying a glimpse of silver in his mouth. She knew she was gawking. Her face felt like it lost all elasticity. “What’s wrong, Mia? Do I have something on my face that’s scaring you?” A shrug lifted her petite shoulders. “Nothing.” He raised one eyebrow. “Are you sure?” The pangs of backpedaling surfaced. “Well, yes. I mean I was staring at the gum in your mouth. I’ve never seen such silver gum.” She felt stupid, as if she were a teenager standing in front of her mother, lying about using her mother’s makeup. “I’m not chewing any gum, sweet thing.” “Really?” “I think you are talking about this.” He pushed his tongue out from between his lips. To her surprise, resting dead center in the middle sat three small silver balls in a vertical position. “You pierced your tongue?” “Correction, babe, I pierced it three times.” “Wow. I mean why?” she blurted. Although there wasn’t extra space between their bodies, he pulled her into his arms and pushed his chest closer against her until the bulge in his pants pressed her pelvis. The heat from his body burned through her clothes. If spontaneous combustion happened from bodies touching, they would have been dead by now. “As you can see, I like piercings.” “Yes, I can see you do.” Why so many piercings? She had to admit, although it scared the hell out of her, they did look sexy on him. “What you don’t know is I did these ones”—he whispered, slid his tongue through his lips, bared all three silver balls—“for you.” Pushing her palm against his chest, she halted him. “You pierced your tongue for my benefit?” For me?

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Amusement danced in his expression. “Yes. Definitely, yes. Let’s just say at some point in our relationship they are going to give you unbelievable pleasure.” Her curiosity piqued. “How so?” “Let’s just say when my mouth explores certain parts of your anatomy…your pleasure is going to explode into another realm.” He cupped her butt, and she felt the flush immediately. “Oh.” “Oh yes.” His tone, laced with a promise, heated her inside. To her surprise, she anticipated what would come as his hand tightened around her behind. “Let’s go to dinner before I end up ravaging you here and now.” “I thought we were going to order pizza?” “No, tonight I want to take you out. To the Cheesecake Factory. I want the world to see the beautiful woman who belongs to me.” He gave a long, silent, sizing-up moment. “I mean, you do belong to me, don’t you?” She turned a shy gaze toward him. “Yes. I don’t quite understand it, but I am yours.” She hesitated a moment. “All yours.” “Good. I couldn’t bear to think you weren’t.” **** As soon as their table was ready in The Cheesecake Factory, Jordan ordered a bottle of expensive champagne, and Mia excused herself to the restroom. Deep in thought, warm fingers touched his shoulder. He looked up, and there she was, his brown-haired beauty. “Hey, babe, I didn’t see you come back. How could I miss my woman walk across the floor?” His body tingled with awareness from her close proximity. As long as there is breath in my body, I will always notice you. She slid back into the chair. “It’s fine. I haven’t been here very long.”

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Scooting closer to the table, she waited. He reached over and placed his right hand on the back of her chair. “So, are you ready to get started with the Q&A session?” “Yes, I’m ready. I’m all yours.” “That’s what I want, you to be all mine.” His words resonated matter-of-factly. “Let’s continue with the vampire lesson I started to give you the night we met. After I finish, or during, you can ask questions. Sound like a plan?” She cleared her throat. Her features softened with a girlish charm. “Yes, sounds great to me.” One hour later he was finished spilling his guts. Taking a sip of water, he studied her. “I often wonder why it’s not out of the ordinary for people to believe in the supernatural, yet for one to believe in real vampirism is absurd.” His gaze fixed on her. “Are you still with me, babe?” “Yes.” “Good.” “So, what is Stiletto Sanction, exactly?” she asked, before taking a sip of champagne. “Our safe haven.” Her lips unlocked in amazement. “What about relationships? You mention real vampires live normal lives, does that include marriage and children?” “Mia?” Jordan’s face resembled a mixture of seriousness and comic relief. She glared at him. “Yes.” “I am human. I can do all of those things if I want to,” he added. “But we tend to stick with our own kind. In Stiletto Sanction, the rule is you date and marry your own kind.” Mia’s expression turned solemn, and Jordan slid his hand into hers. “I know what you’re thinking, sweet thing.” “You do?”

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“By our laws, I am forbidden to see you. Trust me, you and Cindi sneaking into the Sanction under false pretenses complicates matters a bit.” “Oh.” A server walked past their table. “Do you think I give a damn about the Stiletto rules, Mia?” “Yes. Well, maybe. I mean…I hope no?” “’No’ is the correct answer here. Let’s get one thing straight, nobody tells me who I can be with.” Pulling her into his arms, he secured her butt onto his lap in front of the entire restaurant. Yeah, people are staring. Do I give a damn? Nope, not one little bit. “Mia, I am falling in love with you. From the first moment I met you, I wanted you. The moment I tasted your blood, I changed. I have a sworn position to uphold with the Stiletto Sanction, and I will do my best to protect the Sanction. I can’t promise to uphold the oath of finding a vampire mate. Been there, tried that.” The devastated look in her gaze shook him. “Are you saying I’m forbidden?” “Technically, but we’ll find a way to work this out, darlin’, I promise.” She peered down at the table. “One more thing. Last night I did some research on vampirism, and I came across a lot of stuff. Basically there is no easy way to put it. It scared the hell out of me.” He could just imagine what she found on the Internet by typing the word “vampire” into a search engine. Yet he needed to indulge his sweet woman. “Like what?” “Images of people doing things.” “What kind of things?” His curiosity piqued. She glanced away, obviously searching for the right words. “Things looking very painful and bloody.” “Look at me, Mia.” With the tip of his finger, he reached under her chin. “Stop looking away from me. What did you see?” He waited. “Baby, answer me.”

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“People hanging from hooks. Women bleeding, tied on beds with people watching. And—and drinking blood.” Her words chopped through the space between them. He stared at her for a minute before his tongue passed across his top lip. When he was certain the laughing was squelched, he spoke. “Darlin’, what you were looking at is bloodplay. Bloodplay is not the same as vampirism. You have no need to worry your pretty little head. I promise not to string you up to a meat hook and bleed you all over the floor.” Relief shook her features. “Thank God.” “Unless you want me to.” He chuckled when her eyes almost popped from her head. Jordan could only hope she would be up for the experience someday. He would cross that bridge down the road. He planned to show her things beyond her imagination. Her face remained priceless, not to mention white as a ghost. “What do you mean?” “There are many vampires who enjoy bloodplay.” With raw, sexual heat in his voice he asked, “Since I have your mind there, would you do it if I wanted you to?” Her entire body stilled. “Do what?” “What if I asked you to enter bloodplay with me. Would you consider it?” Her expression turned contemplative. “With people watching?” His heart jumped inside his chest so suddenly he could have sworn he heard the thumping. Would she do it for him? “No, just you and me. Not another soul in the room.” Watching her struggle with her internal debate, he took the opportunity to interrupt. “Have I been honest with you?” “Yes,” she murmured. “Do you think I would let you get hurt, or rather, do you think I would let anything go too far, without pulling you from it?” He waited.

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She waited, obviously her mind pondering bleeding for him. “Well?” He wasn’t being fair with his prodding, but damn, she considered his question, even remained in heavy concentration over it. It took her minutes before she answered. “Yes.” He gauged her reaction carefully. “Yes?” With one word, she turned his cock from hard to iron solid. If she knew the thoughts he entertained about the two of them in his dream world, would she run from him? Or would she allow him to release in her the unbridled passion residing deep within her guarded psyche? Pulling his hand into hers, she stared at the fit. The heat radiating off her skin wrapped around his heart, and squeezed it. “I trust you enough to enter into something I don’t understand if it makes you happy and is something you want.” “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He asked the question but knew if she hadn’t admitted she would participate in bloodplay with him, he would have remained in the restaurant all night until she did. **** Back at Mia’s apartment, they strolled, hands interlocked, toward her building. The aroma of oranges hovered from the magnolia trees spilling into the night breeze. She breathed in the cool night air. Reaching the door, he embraced her, lifting her feet from the ground. “You are my woman, and there is no more falling. I love you, everything about you.” Why couldn’t she say it back? Her voice wouldn’t budge past the knot in her throat. Years of being hurt by love made it hard for her to say the words. The last man she thought she loved had tempted and lured her, then dumped her. What if Jordan planned to release the same carnage on her life? She wouldn’t live through the intensity of pain like that again and come out sane. Not to mention it had been only a few days. This type of attraction only happened in romance novels, not real life.

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“Don’t fret darlin’, you don’t have to say it right this moment. Just know that you’ve changed me.” Placing her feet on the ground, he added, “I want to come inside and love you the rest of the night, but I’m going to wait until you want me just as much as I want you.” He moved to walk away but turned back. “One more thing. I want to be the perfect gentleman for you. A one-night stand isn’t what I want. Not from you. It’s shocking for me to admit, Mia, but love and respect outweigh my lust.”

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Chapter Nine Unnerved by the second night of the same vivid dream of hanging in a warehouse, dripping blood, Mia rose the next morning before the alarm sounded, vowing to stay there until the images passed, or at least until her heart stopped racing. She glanced at the clock. It was Wednesday morning and she really wanted to stay in bed with the covers pulled over her head. Before the images of her students’ faces could flash through her mind, she picked up the phone and called in sick. A mental health day was long overdue. In the middle of practicing relaxation techniques, Jordan called. He was under the impression a walk around Lake Eola on such a beautiful day would be her cup of tea. At this point, she would have walked in a rainstorm, blizzard, hurricane, or tornado with the sexy, long-haired, earring-clad, tattooed man. Arriving within the hour at Lake Eola, she recognized her handsome man sitting beneath a huge cypress tree near the lake. The water was calm, and from a distance it looked like a sheet of cellophane. Not even a ripple danced on the surface. The stillness of the water meant today was going to be a scorcher. Spotting her, he stood up, waving his hands back and forth above his head, her cue to move toward him. I’m coming, sexy man. A little overzealous, she ran to meet him and didn’t consider the sweat factor, not until the beads dripped down her back. Oh God, I’m sure I resemble a drowned rat at this point. Instead of sexy, I’m a sweat ball!

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As if Jordan somehow heard her thoughts, he cupped her arms and stepped back, surveying her face. “It is so awesome having you next to me this morning. You look beautiful.” Perhaps her body didn’t look so bad after all. She reached around his waist, giving him a well-deserved squeeze. “It’s really great seeing you this morning, too.” His gaze moved past her, and she followed his stare, wondering what enthralled him. He studied the swan boats circling the lake. “You seem to be enamored by the boats.” “Yes. I guess I am. The people inside them look relaxed, like they’re having a ton of fun. I bet riding around the lake in one of those is relaxing…perhaps a little magical.” One swan boat broke away from the others. A group of teenagers guided the helm, and they steered it straight toward the bank where Mia and Jordan stood. As they came closer, Mia recognized all of them. But the one who stuck out the most sat in the back of the swan with one piece of his tousled, brown locks stuck to his forehead from sweat. The girls in the front were screaming and waving at her as if she was their long-lost sister. Mia’s first thought was why are they here and not in school? Followed by a second one, which whispered, they could be thinking the same thing. The swan came to rest on the bank of the lake, and Jordan glanced down at Mia. “I take it these kids recognize you?” “Yes, they’re my students.” “I figured. Check out the boy in the back. He looks less than happy about being there.” Jordan did a double take just as Mia glanced at the boy. The swan came to a perfect halt, and she recognized students, Tristan, Jessica, Tamara, and Lisa. Jordan’s hand tightened around Mia’s fingers.

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“Hello, Ms. Christini.” Tristan raked Jordan with a stare that practically knocked Mia off her feet. Then a devilish grin lit up his boyish face. “So, is this your man?” Holy shit. Should she introduce Jordan as her boyfriend, acquaintance, or friend? She tried to release Jordan’s hand, but his grip tightened, as if in anger. But why would he be angry with Tristan? He didn’t even know the boy. “Yes, I’m her boyfriend, Jordan. And you are?” The happy crew stepped out of the boat. Jordan waited while Tristan eased closer to Mia. With an arrogant force, Tristan stuck his hand out in Jordan’s direction. “Tristan’s the name, dude. Ms. Christini’s my drama teacher. I’m surprised you haven’t heard about me. I mean, Ms. Christini and I do see each other every day. And I do know her best friend Cindi…very well.” Mia wished a giant hole would open up and suck her into the ground. Now would be perfect. Suck me up, please! But instead, Jordan pinned Tristan with a vexed look. “Well, Tristan, my Mia sees many students every day. She doesn’t single out any students in particular. To her, you’re all special.” The girls giggled at Jordan’s words. They stood in the same spot, obviously, from where Mia stood, mesmerized by his appearance, resembling puppy dogs in a pet store window, bows and all. Surely his tight blue jeans and white cotton shirt opened at the chest added to their already giddy state. Poor girls. Tristan cocked his head. “Well, I guess I’ll have to do something in her class so she remembers me over everyone else.” He scanned Mia up then down. “So, Ms. Christini. I’ll have to cause some trouble so you can give me detention in your room. Or better yet, give me detention with Cindi watching over me. Oh wait, how about both of you watching over me?” He ran his tongue over his top lip, and Jordan’s grip on Mia tightened to the point of pain.

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The girls stood speechless, their gazes darting from Mia and Jordan, to Tristan. The surreal scene felt like a clip from MTV’s The Real World. “Well, kids, we have to get going.” Jordan started moving toward the path. The girls chuckled. “Yeah, us, too. Come on, Tristan, you promised you would buy us breakfast after the boat ride.” Snickering, they stepped into the swan. “Bye, Ms. Christini. Bye, Mr. Hunk.” Mia rolled her eyes. Jordan smirked. Tristan remained in his spot. “Bye, girls.” Jordan waved and edged Mia closer to the path. “You go ahead, sweet thing. I’ll be there in a second,” he whispered and headed toward Tristan. Before Mia could open her mouth to beg Jordan not to embarrass Tristan, he was standing in front of him. Tristan glanced over at her, puckered his lips. Oh no! She couldn’t watch, so she willed her feet to move. Please God, don’t let him kill my student! Cindi will be irate if anything happens to him. Her caramel candy. Mia shook her head. I know their relationship is wrong on so many levels, but he’s eighteen. Even the reminder that Tristan was of consensual age didn’t change the fact if Cindi and Tristan got caught doing whatever it was they were doing, Cindi would be spending time in the big house. Even though the boy was eighteen, and of legal age, he was still attending high school, and that just didn’t look good for Cindi. Thoughts of Cindi’s face plastered on the television, the headlines reading, Local Woman Has Sex With Boy Still In High School, flashed through Mia’s mind. She shook her head and kept walking. Yeah, but as long as Cindi’s mug shot looked good, she’d be thrilled with the scandal. Mia chuckled. I’m not ready for relationships where my best friend is incarcerated. I’m still trying to deal with a boyfriend who isn’t Catholic, and a vampire. Thirty minutes later, Jordan walked up the path toward Mia, plucking a flower on the way. At his approach, she tapped the palm of

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her hand against the empty space beside her. He sat on the bench next to her, laying the flower against her bare thigh. “Is everything okay?” she asked, running her fingers along the plush green stem of the burgundy and white petals. “Everything is fine, darlin’.” “You were gentle with him, right? Tristan appears cocky, but I think he’s just a scared boy inside an adult body.” He put his arms around her and pulled her against him. “Everything is fine. You’re right he’s a cocky adolescent.” His grip softened. “Sometimes your compassion paralyzes me. Too bad more teachers don’t care about their students the way you do.” Wow, the compliment moved heat through her body, touching her from the tip of her head to the soles of her feet. She glanced out across the water, and pointed to one of the boats gliding past them. “Well, you and I are going to have to paddle around this lake in one of those swans sometime soon!” She cracked a smile, then breathed in the fresh floral aroma from her flower. “It’s a date. I think it would be romantic to go boating at night. What do you think?” “That’s an awesome idea. In the day, it’s too hot. Nighttime sounds better, more romantic,” she agreed. Mia wondered if his true feelings about the dark had something to do with his vampirism. Some clichés just seemed too hard to resist. “Good. Well, shall we?” He pointed to the trail leading around the lake. “Yes, let’s get walking!” **** Just when things couldn’t get any worse, a recognizable tall figure emerged in the stretch ahead. Without a doubt, she knew this day was going to be memorable, but probably for all the wrong reasons.

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Two minutes later, the newest figure stood in front of them. “Well, if it isn’t the infamous Mia,” Jamison said. After a few excruciating seconds, she managed to croak a few words, “Hey, Jamison. You never mentioned Lake Eola at work.” Nor did he mention playing hooky here during their employee lunchroom conversations. A forced smile moved across Jamison’s face. “The conversation never came up the few times we had lunch.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “So, how do you know my buddy Jordan?” This time it was Jordan’s turn to be grilled. “Mia and I met at a local nightspot, and a friendship blossomed,” he replied. Confusion took the place of uneasiness. “Yes, that’s right. We met a while back,” Mia agreed. Jamison looked to the ground, then back at her. “You look great, Mia. As always. It’s nice to see you again.” A strange moment passed between him and Jordan, and Jamison added, “I’ve got to get going, you two. Enjoy the rest of your walk.” Without waiting for a reply, Jamison turned and walked away. Jordan didn’t even have to open his mouth, because she was aware of what he wanted, and damn, she wanted clarification on local club and friendship. “We work together,” she blurted out. “I figured you worked with him, from the conversation.” Jordan appeared guarded. She reached out and grasped his hand, searching his face for some spark of emotion. Anything. “Come on,” she said, “I’ll tell you about how Jamison and I met on our way to the coffee shop.” “What’s there to tell? You met at work.” A breeze shifted. “Actually, we met years before I moved to Florida. We met while I was still in college in Pennsylvania.” His brows lifted, and he dropped back a step. “Really?”

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It appeared from his expression that he knew more. And then what appeared to be a sudden realization sparked his expression. “Yes. It’s a long story,” she mumbled. “One I intend to have with you. Let’s walk and talk.” A quaint little coffee joint sat at the end of the trail. A trip to Lake Eola wasn’t complete without a coffee from Little Java’s. “Let’s go have a cup of java, and you can tell me all about Jamison.” They continued down the trail. “My relationship, or rather nonrelationship, with Jamison was strange. His feelings confused me. He would say he wasn’t interested in me, yet his body language was contradictory.” Jordan remained silent. “When we met I was a teenager in college. So perhaps I was immature when it came to men. But I thought he liked me as more than a friend. Even after I moved here, he asked me out to dinner again.” She couldn’t believe she was spilling her guts to Jordan, but for some reason she needed to tell him everything. But, even with her desire to sing the truth, his expression remained unreadable. “Go on.” “We went out a few months after I arrived, and everything was going awesome. I thought I understood his feelings. I mean I was sure we had something special. But I was wrong again. The next few months after our disastrous final date, I did everything I could to forget him. ” All she wanted to do the rest of the afternoon was spend time with Jordan, talking about something other than her failed relationship with Jamison. She was relieved when they reached the door to the Little Java Coffee Shop. Jordan opened the door and stepped to the side. “Come on, darlin’. Let’s get a cup of coffee.”

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Chapter Ten Comfortably seated at one of the high bistro tables, Mia and Jordan ordered two Café Cremeila and continued to talk, waiting for the waitress to arrive. “Here ya’ll go. Two Café Cremelia, with extra whipped cream on one.” The perky redhead placed Mia’s coffee on the table first, with the hand donning a ring on every finger, and reached for Jordan’s coffee. He slipped a twenty out of his wallet, placing it on her tray. “Keep the change…” he hesitated, glancing over at her name tag, “Tammi.” “Why thank you, sir. Y’all let me know if y’all fixin’ to need another one. ’Kay?” Jordan nodded. “Okay, Tammi. Don’t work too hard.” Mia added in a soft voice, “Thanks.” Tammi disappeared from the table, and another figure appeared. “Well, if it isn’t Jordan De L’croix. Hey, baby, how ’bout a threefor-one blood delight tonight?” the voice cackled. A tall, raven-haired woman stood in front of them with a body made for sin. Jordan held a horrified expression. Slowly, the beauty eased down into the empty chair beside Mia. As if a faucet turned on, Jordan’s mood moved from incredulous and stunned to a severe case of pissed off. “What the hell are you doing here, Christi? Don’t you have some sorry soul to mess with?” Christi let a seductive smile imprint her face, reached out, and ran her hand down the back of Mia’s hair.

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Mia jerked away from her, shooting Jordan a confused look. “Mia, this is Christi, an old acquaintance. Christi, this is my girlfriend Mia.” The raven-haired beauty shot him a look so wicked it should have incinerated him. “Old acquaintance. Really?” Christi’s head fell back before a deep, feral laugh erupted, garnering the attention of customers in a half-mile radius of the café. “How about the woman you fed from for more than a year? The woman you enjoyed outrageous sex with while sucking blood from between her thighs!” “Christi, what are you doing over here? Come join me, darling,” Jamison’s voice rolled through the room just in time. “Let’s not bother Jordan and Mia right now.” Jordan exhaled a breath. Christi looked up, as if in a sudden trance, and followed Jamison to a table at the far end of the café. “Who was she?” Mia’s voice cracked. Jordan raked his fingers through his hair once Christi and Jamison sat down at the table across the room. “One of the skeletons in my closet.” “I see.” Mia continued to study the buxom brunette. The words “sexy woman” were definitely an understatement. What did he do to her? “Do you? From the expression on your face I’m not so sure you do. I can’t change things that happened in my past, darlin’, but I can change my future. With you, I want to change. You make me want to be a better man.” “What happened with her?” “I didn’t treat Christi that great. Most likely she’s angry with me.” Mia gathered the beverage napkin in her hand. The next question on her tongue she really didn’t want to know the answer to, but she asked it anyway. “How many women have you had?” “Many.”

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The frown moved across her lips quicker than she could control it. “Does it matter, Mia? Do you care about me less, knowing I’ve had many women in my bed?” She glanced up at him again, and this time his gaze wouldn’t allow her the refuge of looking away. “Let’s get it all out on the table. Right now, darlin’.” “What?” “My sex life. No secrets. I’m about to rock that Catholic upbringing of yours to the core. You need to listen. Decide if I’m worthy of you…your love.” Worried, she countered. “What if I don’t want to know everything? Some secrets are good, right? I mean, you don’t have to divulge every sordid detail.” He half smiled. “Probably not, but I’m going to tell you anyway. I don’t want any secrets between us, not now, not ever. Trust me, I wish I could change what I’ve done, but I can’t. Listen to what I have to say, darlin’, then you decide whether or not I’m worthy of redemption.” His phone pinged, but this time he kept his gaze glued on Mia and let the caller go to voice mail. “I have enjoyed many women. Sometimes one at a time, sometimes more than one. Did I care about any of them? No—not really. I fucked them because it’s what I wanted. There wasn’t an emotional attachment behind it.” With his remark, Mia’s mouth dropped open. “You didn’t care about any of them?” “I cared about one other woman in my life, before you, but the relationship ended badly. She couldn’t accept the vampirism.” He reached for his coffee and took a deep gulp, gazing at the liquid before he returned the cup to the table. You cared for not a single one of them? “How could you sleep with all of those women and not care about a single one of them?” Her voice trailed off.

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“Sex and love do not equal the same thing, Mia.” He glanced toward Jamison and Christi. “I enjoy sex immensely, with or without love tagging it.” “Most men do, don’t they?” “Yes, most men do. It’s the way we’re programmed. Women usually think about love, men think sex. Women think about feelings and emotions while men think about how many orifices they can slide their dicks into.” Talk about laying it on the table. The man was spreading it all over the table. “How do I know I’m going to be enough for you?” “Love,” was all he said. But his answer didn’t pacify her. Seriously, how could she be enough when he’d had more than one woman at a time? “I can’t compete with all of the women you have had.” “You’ve already outshined them, and I haven’t even had you… in the biblical sense, yet. We have a connection that goes beyond sex, beyond love.” Maybe he was feeding her a line of bullshit, or maybe he was telling the truth. It really didn’t matter because she wanted him more than anything or anyone she’d ever wanted in her life. She reached over the table and kissed him. He grabbed her hand, pulled it into his. When he broke the kiss and his breath touched her cheek, he whispered, “I want to devour you, feel you in my bones, woman…in my soul.” “I feel the same about you. But, Jordan, before we leave, tell me about her.” She pointed to Jamison’s table. He glanced at Christi. “Come on, I’ll tell you her story on our walk back to your car.” They hit the sunny walking trail and both slipped on their sunglasses as Jordan discussed Christi’s story. “Renegade vampire gone wild” pretty much summed it up. “Does anything I’m saying make sense?” he asked.

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When they reached the parking lot, Mia stopped first. “Yes, it does. By making Christi feel special, she is less apt to run her mouth about the sanction. Right?” He glanced toward her car, moved them in front of it, and then leaned against the hood. Shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, he waited. His actions gave Mia the perfect opportunity to admire his body. “See something you like, Ms. Christini?” A wave of heat rushed across her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I—I—” “No need to be embarrassed, darlin’. I’m beyond flattered by your assessment of me. I plan to assess your curves later myself.” Mia half smiled. She needed to get her thoughts back on track. Right now all she wanted was to feel his hands all over her body. Get a grip, woman. She attempted to regain her pre-gutter mind back. Still feeling warm, she switched gears back to the discussion at hand. “Christi is an affection-starved little girl in a woman’s body.” Jordan nodded. “That’s a very considerate way of putting it.” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather ogle my body a little more?” Yes. Ignore him. She glanced over at the fountain perched in the middle of the lake, spewing water in a circular motion. Jordan stepped closer toward her, shortening the distance between them. “Go ahead, ask what’s on your mind.” “Jamison Rierson. How do you know him?” Her gaze stayed glued to the fountain. It was as if she was waiting for some magical element to change the form of it. She would need to make sure when she wrote in her journal tonight she mentioned the beauty of the fountain. “Vampire.” A group of small children running past them up the sidewalk broke her concentration for a split second before she gasped. “Seriously?”

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He laughed low. She just stared at him. “You’re serious. He is a vampire, too?” “Yes, he is.” A plethora of emotions rushed through Mia, to the point of almost knocking her off-balance. Oh my God! It finally made sense, why he wouldn’t get close to her. He assumed she would never understand his alternative life style. “You realize Jamison wanted you for more than a friend, don’t you?” She couldn’t speak. Her mouth felt as dried out as a plum that lay for hours in the Arizona sun. “Sure.” “Look at me.” Jordan took one more step, pinning Mia between his body and the car. “I understand if you had feelings for him. But know this, darlin’, I won’t let you go. Not without a fight.” Damn. Now her eyes were tearing. “Are your tears for him?” His voice slipped over her. It remained steady, his expression soft. She thought about it. Are they? “No. It’s too late for Jamison. I had feelings for him once, but when I met you, they disappeared. Actually, it’s like they never existed.” Was he questioning her feelings for him? Did he wonder if her new knowledge about Jamison would change anything between them? “Are you sure, babe? Am I what you want?” She didn’t need to contemplate his question, so she answered him with a fact, and then a question of her own. “Yes, you are what I want. How can you even ask me that?” “Because I’m not so sure, now that you are aware of Jamison’s secret. What if he decides going after you is what he wants? Not to mention, you are still falling in love with me. You could just as easily fall out of love with me.” She was in shock about Jamison—this much was true—but losing Jordan was not an option. He must know her feelings were a done

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deal. The falling was finished. She was in love with him. It didn’t matter that their courtship had been less than a week. Love at first sight existed throughout time and space. Touching his arm, she admitted, “I’m done falling.” A wry expression lit up his face. “Meaning?” She found refuge against his chest. “I love you.” I said it. “I needed to hear those words from you.” He crushed his lips against hers, and she could’ve sworn the impact of his kiss curled her toes. “Let’s go somewhere more private before I strip you naked right here.” “Good idea. How about my apartment?” His breath caught, then glided between them like velvet. “Mmmm, we better go…now.” Mia drove the distance to her apartment complex in a haze, occasionally glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure the black Mercedes Kompressor followed. What about birth control? She didn’t own condoms, and she wasn’t on the pill. What about the sponge and spermicides? Shit! She pulled into the complex and whipped her MINI Cooper into the space in front of building six. Jordan emerged from his vehicle before she had the keys out of the ignition or the window rolled up. “Geez.” Jordan planted himself by her car. “Remind me not to drive with you. You drive like a bat out of hell.” She pushed the door open and stepped out onto the sidewalk. “Ha ha.” She arched a brow at him. “I had a lot on my mind.” “Like what?” A sexy grin crossed his face. He seemed to study her as his face turned serious. “Well, besides the obvious heavy shit we just discussed back at the lake.” “Not that.” She dug in her small purse for keys. “Birth control,” she blurted. Will I ever learn to think before speaking? She examined the ring of keys in her hand. Probably not. “I have protection, Mia.”

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“Oh.” I really have to get with the sex program. She moved like lightning toward the stairwell. He snickered and followed close behind. “Did I say something wrong?” Taking the steps two at a time, she stopped and yelled back to him. “Shut up.” “Shut up! I’ll show you shut up,” he countered, sprinting up the steps to catch her.

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Chapter Eleven Bring on the sex! Inside the apartment, Jordan scanned the living room while Mia headed for the kitchen. She poured two glasses of her special sun tea and cranked the air down to seventy-five degrees before she rejoined him. The day was turning out to be a scorcher, and if it hit ninetyeight degrees like the meteorologist predicted, the humidity would make it feel like it was well over one-hundred degrees, turning her apartment into a sauna. Maxing out the air-conditioning would do nothing to cool her inner temperature. Oh well, some things are just worth suffering through. Appearing in the doorway, Mia watched Jordan study the framed pictures on her small oak desk. “Those pictures are mostly my family.” He took the tray from her hands, placed it on the small table in front of the sofa. “You resemble your mother. She is very beautiful, darlin’.” “That’s very sweet of you. Thanks.” “Just relaying what I see.” He walked over and stood in front of her. “Come on,” he whispered, and guided them to the sofa. He sat down and then straddled her across him, pushing his erection alongside her inner thigh. “Don’t you want some tea? “Not this moment.” His lips pressed to hers, as his fingertips roamed in small circles along her back. “I want Mia now. Tea later.”

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Her face grew warm. It was as if the room was closing in on her. A deep flutter lined her stomach. She was sure she was about to puke all over him. For God’s sake, she was a grown woman! But one who hadn’t experienced full-blown intercourse yet. Sheltered upbringing equaled embarrassment later. And her later had just arrived. Should she be perspiring as if someone released a fire hose above her head? It wasn’t just her virginity that frightened her. What if all the years of Catholic instruction were correct? Was giving herself to a man before marriage going to send her straight to hell? Am I prepared for the consequences of my actions? Even if Jehovah God stood in her living room telling her pointblank what she was about to do was wrong, she would do it anyway. Her body desired him more than it did eternal life. As if he could hear the bantering of her thoughts, he released her. “What’s wrong?” His face was beautiful. She reached out and traced the diamond stud in his nose with her finger. “I guess I’m a little nervous, that’s all.” “Don’t be, baby. I won’t hurt you.” The promise in his words eased her nerves. “I believe you.” When he placed the tips of his fingers against her cheek, her stomach flipped. “I promise to be gentle with you,” he assured her. When he reached for her wrists, his cell phone rang. “I’m sorry, babe. I have to get this.” She slid off his lap, depositing her body next to him. He flipped open the phone. “Yeah,” he snapped. At least his hands held no malice, because he was able to continue massaging Mia’s left leg. She gazed at him as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, almost happy for the unexpected reprieve. “Fine, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

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“You have to go,” she stated rather than questioned. She was well aware of the answer. “Yes, but it’s a good thing. Jamison wants to talk.” “Oh.” Her tone bordered more perturbed than sad. We were in the middle of…and you have to run. She didn’t expect her first time to happen like this. Not only was she absent the white dress, soon she would be minus the man. “I’m sorry, Mia.” He touched her hair, just a light stroke. “I shouldn’t divulge this information, but I think we are in too deep for me to keep it from you.” He paused. “Jamison isn’t just a vampire. He’s the Stiletto Sanction Elder.” “Elder?” she repeated, a little puzzled. What the hell is an Elder? “Yes. He is the leader of the group, the rule enforcer, the head honcho.” He lifted her back across his lap. His cock jumped, and. as if it had called her name, Mia’s gaze moved over it. Jordan laughed, and narrowed his gaze toward his dick. “See what you do to me, woman.” Awkward couldn’t describe Mia’s sudden predicament. Did she have to examine his crotch? Especially while he watched? “You can examine my jewels all you want when I get back,” he promised. “I’m going to see Jamison to talk about you.” Thank God Jordan changed the subject from his cock to Jamison’s Eldership. Examine it! He makes it sound like a science experiment. “What if he says no? Can he make you stay away from me?” Incredulously, he huffed. “Babe, I don’t give a shit what he thinks. All I’m going to do is try to talk some sense into him. I found someone outside of the group. He is going to have to deal with it. Nobody can make me do anything I don’t want to do. You should know that about me by now, Mia,” he promised, then kissed it with a seal of authority. “I don’t want you to lose your status in the group because of me. Can’t there be a compromise?”

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“Jamison will compromise. So, yes, would be the answer to your question.” “You seem positive that you can change his mind about us.” What if Jamison wouldn’t compromise? Did being an Elder give him the power to dictate relationships? It was hard for her to imagine the academic Jamison, the one who chaired the English department at Dr. Phillips High School, and this Elder Jamison were the same person. My co-worker is the head-honcho vampire. Wow. Warm fingers outlined the contours of her cheekbones. “Earth to Mia. I’m going to take off, but I’ll be back so we can continue where we left off. Okay?” His tone streamed through her thoughts. She glanced into his face, and his expression turned to one of demand as his lips crushed hers. This was the side of Jordan that frightened her, the untamed, almost ferocious part of him. Unsteadily, she pulled back. “Yes, I’ll be waiting.” “Good, keep my side of the bed warm.” The tone of his thrilled whisper felt like strumming fingers across her body. “Oh good, you’re going to sleep over.” She giggled. For a brief moment she felt as if she was seventeen again, sitting beside her black-haired high-school boyfriend, the sweet emotion of first love pulsating through her veins. “We won’t be doing much sleeping, Mia.” “I didn’t think so,” she murmured. Her thoughts swirled. If he were a mythical vampire, he would have understood the distress in her voice. Do I have clean sheets on my bed? A new toothbrush under the sink for him? Do I snore? Oh my God! He watched her for a brief moment. “Are you scared of me?” His humorous chuckle followed the question. Mia’s mouth dropped open. No way did he hear me. After a few seconds, “Ha!” was her reply. “Just wait, you little minx.”

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He clasped her waist, tickled her, then released his hold after one hearty laugh filled the room. His teasing turned to one of seriousness. “I’m so addicted to you, woman.”

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Chapter Twelve Driving down the barren street leading away from Stiletto House, anger mixed with relief and eagerness. His discussion with Jamison ended with the Elder’s approval. Jordan hoped Mia would accept the terms of them being together and understand if, or, as far as he was concerned, when they married, she would embrace the coven traditions dealing with marriage. His mind swirled briefly around the act of first rite, virgin blood, and consummation through sex. Coven ceremonies were quite different from most ceremonies she witnessed. He could bet on it. Her image flashed through his mind. When he’d left her earlier, her thick brown hair was tousled around her shoulders from him running his fingers through it. He could still feel the silky strands falling through his fingers. The way she’d looked at him with those innocentlooking, big brown eyes made him want to strip her naked and tie her to the bed. The things he wanted to do with her almost made him blush. Almost. Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed. She didn’t pick up on the third ring, so he planned to leave her a message. After the fourth ring, she answered. “Hello.” Her voice held the sound of angels singing. “Hey, baby.” “Is everything okay?” she whispered. Her concern titillated him. His cock jutted forward. Down, boy. “Yes. He gave his blessing. Even though we didn’t need it.”

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The next sound through the phone was the sweet melody of her honest laughter. “I’m so happy. Even though you don’t think we needed it,” she assured him. “Are you still sleeping over?” “I told you before, darlin’ Mia, no sleeping tonight.” He veered off the I-4 corridor toward Rosemont. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” And I am going to jump your bones. “I’ll see you soon. Bye.” “See you in a few,” he promised. With tantalizing thoughts of what he’d planned to do with her when he took her to bed, he snapped his phone shut and stuck it into his pocket. **** Mia paced the living room floor in happy anticipation of the doorbell’s buzz. On what felt like her twentieth stroll around the sofa, the chime sounded. The minute it took her to swing the door open felt like eons of time passed. But it was worth the wait. He stood leaning against the doorjamb, his face gorgeous in the silver moonlight. She couldn’t help herself. She lunged forward, pulling him against her with all her feminine power. I didn’t just accost him in the doorway. Yes, I did. He nudged her chin up. “What’s this?” “I’m sorry. Am I being too forward?” Her face warmed. Before she could say another word or think another rational thought, he crushed her against him and kissed her, slipping his tongue between her slightly parted mouth. Reaching up, she cupped her hands around his neck, and her kiss deepened. The need for him erupted through her body. In an agonized gasp, she pulled back. He fought for his own breath. “It’s okay, darlin’. Relax. I’m not going anywhere. Ever.” Her sudden need to view all his body blindsided her. “I want to see it.”

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He bent down and captured her lips again with a hungry urgency that left her breathless, before pulling back briefly. “You want to see what?” “It.” Should she call it his dick, cock, Mr. Happy, thingy? Did men name their private parts? She contemplated a response just as their conversation, the first night they met, flashed into focus. Jewels. “I want to see your jewels.” Calm down, Catholic hoochie! Sounding desperate isn’t becoming. The kissing stopped, and in its place, a wicked grin passed across his face. “Just so I understand where this conversation is going, are we talking about my earring this time or something more substantial in size?” She gazed at the strand of black hair touching his shoulder, then at the pockets of gold that claimed the rest of the dark tresses. Just say it. “You mentioned before you left to see Jamison that we could experiment when you got back. Well…I want to see it.” She placed her palm against his crotch. A brave move, but stepping up the process was essential to her suddenly brave exterior. He glanced at her hand, then ground his erect cock against her cupped palm. “How about we move away from the doorway? I’m not sure I want to unleash this monster in front of your neighbors.” Sliding strong arms around her waist, he lifted, and moved them forward into the apartment. She did the only thing that seemed logical and reclaimed his mouth. After a few feet, he kicked his foot back, slamming the front door. Mia stroked his erection again, but this time she fisted the material of his pants to get a better feel. “Be careful, baby, I’m doing my best not to strip you naked and make love to you right here.” She unhanded him. “But I want you to.”

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Her revelation scared the hell out of her. Her feelings for him were no longer hers to control. Somehow they existed beyond space and time. He grabbed two handfuls of her shirt in his fists, smiling as he pulled her shirt up and over her head. Her breasts pushed against the front of her bra, a cue to set them free. His finger touched the clasp. “Wait!” she yelled. His face took on a humorous expression. “I mean not wait…but—” she choked out her words. He smiled so broad his entire face danced with delight. “What do you mean, darlin’?” “I’m not sure what I mean. No. What I mean is— is—what if I’m extremely bad at this?” What if I suck at this? “Darlin’. I told you before, I would teach you everything you need to know. Trust me, babe, a lot of it is going to come to you naturally. Don’t think so much about it. Let your desire for me guide you.” Closing her eyes, she breathed in the spicy aroma that clung to him. His smell was like an aphrodisiac reminiscent of a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg. “I want to be all you want. Enough woman for you.” The truthfulness in her tone suffused the room. I want you to want me because I’m sexy. For the first time in my life I want to be that woman. “You are enough woman for me.” His voice was final. Was she enough? He touched a finger to her lips. “We don’t have to jump into intercourse, darlin’. There are other things we can do.” He displayed his silver-studded tongue. A shudder of heat coursed through her veins. Unexpectedly, as if they had a mind of their own, her breasts glided against his chest. He took it as his cue to unhook her bra, before he eased them both onto the floor. After what felt like an eternity to her, he dipped down and took the throbbing peak of her erect nipple into his mouth, palming the other breast as he sucked. As if that wasn’t enough to drive her into an

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ecstasy coma, he moved his mouth from one breast to the other, lapping the hard little tips. She arched her back in offering. “Oh…God,” she whimpered as she fought for more oxygen and for forgiveness for what she was about to do. “You taste so good.” He moaned the words. “I could suck your tits the rest of the night. I just might.” Without reprieve, his lips reclaimed her nipples. But this time, he nibbled the tips. Hungrily, she reached for his zipper. As he reached for the button of her jeans, she hesitated, tensed. From the confines of her breasts, he glanced up in between licks, the metal from his tongue ring curling her toes each time he looped around the nipple. “I do love you, Jordan” she whispered. His lips temporarily retreated. “You do? It’s no surprise, darlin’, that I love you, too.” In a quick minute, he slid her jeans down her hips and onto the floor. Just as she purred with delight, he reached in and gathered the top of her floral panties into his fist, pushing them to the floor, exposing the brown curls between her legs. When his hand found the soft, wet tunnel, she whimpered louder. His middle finger lingered at her entrance. She took in a breath that rattled her body. “You okay?” His deep, masculine baritone whispered in her ear. She thrust her hips forward, “Yes.” That was her invitation for him to slide his finger into the folds, and like magic he made her wish his command. Her body arched with delight as he pulled his finger out and slid it in again. She lost herself in the magic of his touch, moaning softly as he moved his finger faster. Arching her back, without an ounce of self-control, she rubbed herself against his hand. “Oh…you like my touch don’t you?” It was a rhetorical question. “My little minx.”

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“Yes…yes,” she moaned. “Let’s see how this feels.” He inserted two fingers in between her swollen little lips, sending her body into overdrive. Shamelessly, she ground herself against his hand. “Come for me, baby,” he whispered, sucking her tits again. Just when she thought her body couldn’t withstand anymore, her orgasm erupted. As her kegel muscles contracted, she fought the urge to pee her pants. “Good girl.” A brief few minutes passed as they lay in the quiet. Tonight, she was ready to explore a little further and unleash, as he so kindly put it, his monster. It was time for her to reciprocate. At least that was the advice her recently purchased magazines gave. Ready to give pleasure and to try out the newest techniques in the magazine, she unbuttoned his pants. She touched the smooth flesh, gazing over his erection a few times before she moved her finger to the mushroom head. He appeared to study her face, the lines of expression creasing his features unreadable to her. She stroked his cock. It jumped, and she stroked it again. “You’re killing me, woman.” “Sorry,” she murmured. His cheeks kicked up into a half smile. “Just let me know if you have plans on dissecting it.” “Funny.” Cautiously, she lowered her face toward his thighs, grazing his abdomen with her tongue on the way down, before she put her lips on his cock and sucked in. His sudden pelvic thrust broke the suction. Her head jerked upward. “Did I do something wrong?” “No, darlin’. I’m fine. Better than fine. Fucking awesome.” “Good.” Slowly, she took his cock into her mouth again. It was huge, the skin hot and sticky. The fullness of him filled her. Carefully,

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she recalled what the magazine on her nightstand suggested about the perfect blow job. First, secure your hand around the middle of it. Done. Second, suck on it like a Popsicle, making sure to let the entire shaft slide down your throat. Working on it. Third, swallow quickly when the love juice spurts. Okay, I can do this. Oh yes, she almost had forgotten about the hand movements. She continued to move her mouth up and down on the root, and he stiffened more. As if getting harder were even possible! When she harnessed his balls in her grip, he arched his hips to meet her. Placing his hands on either side of her head, he secured her face between his legs, and she sucked him off, quicker and faster. “I need to pull out, baby.” His thigh muscles contracted against her shoulders. She shook her head, increasing the speed. Not finished yet. His body stiffened, then released. Like a river overflowing, the salty liquid flowed down her throat, and one thought swirled in her head. Cosmopolitan lied about the taste! “That was incredible,” he moaned. Not exactly what she was thinking. She came up off him as the last bit of sticky goo slid down her throat. “Incredible” wouldn’t be the word she’d use right now, but as long as he felt good, that was all that mattered. Sitting up, he scooted his back against the bottom of the sofa and pulled her against him, placing the blanket from the cushion across his lap. She snatched her T-shirt off the floor and glanced at him before pulling it over her head. The bra would have to wait. “Cute.” As if his reply didn’t embarrass her enough, he laughed. She couldn’t believe after their intense sex play he managed to look like he just walked out of a Greek myth, hair hanging perfectly, shoulders glistening with sweat, muscles perfectly chiseled. She could just imagine what she looked like. Her hair was probably matted all

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over her head, and her makeup smudged under her eyes. She was sure she didn’t look as sexy as he did. She cracked a half smile. “Well?” “Like I said, you were incredible.” “I hope I did it right since it was my first time.” Acting 101 took center stage. “You bring out the animal inside me.” She wanted to throw up from the taste coating her mouth. “Woman, you did it beautifully,” he assured her. He arched an eyebrow and continued to study her. “But, you’re looking pale, darlin’. Actually, green would be a better description.” Relieved, she huffed. “Good, because I think Cosmo left out a few important factors.” “Cosmo?” he repeated. Mia huffed at him again, but this time with spunk. “I read in Cosmo how to give the best blow job, so I practiced what I read.” So help me God if he laughs… “Let me get this straight. You have been studying Cosmo so you can learn to please your man?” “Yes. But they left out a very important factor. She batted a stray hair from her face. “Taste.” “So, sweet thing, I take it from your nice shade of green the taste accompanying a blow job wasn’t discussed in detail. Was it?” “No. Cosmo left out that important part of the process,” she mumbled, refusing to give him the satisfaction of gazing at him while they discussed his penis. He chuckled, her cue to reach around and pinch the taut skin on the side of his stomach. “Ouch!” “Don’t laugh, it’s not that funny,” she teased, burying her head into his neck. “Come on, Mia. It is a bit funny.” “If you say so.” It wasn’t funny, it was gross. “Next time, I’ll make sure I have Certs in my pocket,” he promised.

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Oh, he was having too much fun with this little issue. She worked hard to stifle her laugh. Certs. How romantic! She needed this conversation to cease. “Can we stop talking about this? Please?” She puckered her bottom lip in an attempt to focus his mind on something other than the taste of his love juice, another word she learned compliments of the newest issue of Cosmopolitan. While making a mental note to write to the editor in charge, noting the article in question to be half truthful, Jordan pounced on her and flipped her, pinning her body beneath him. “Yes, baby, we can quit talking about the taste of me, but don’t you worry, I am going to teach you everything Cosmo didn’t, and everything it can’t. At least when it comes to you loving me.” The conversation ended. Rather, it screeched to a halt. “I believe it’s time we take this relationship to the next level. Don’t be afraid, sweet thing, I won’t hurt you. I promise.” Scooping her up, he carried her to the bed. “I know you won’t hurt me. I just, I’m not sure I’m ready yet.” He grinned, a recognized attempt to put her at ease. “You’re not ready yet. But you will be soon. Tonight we sleep.” “Really?” There was such relief in her voice. If she was being honest, and she was, the blow job escapade exhausted her mentally. She wasn’t sure she could perform another unknown feat. “Yes. Holding you against me is enough for tonight. Anyway, I have planned a special time and place for the big event.” He placed her on the bed. “When I finally claim your virginity.” He slid onto the bed beside her. “Now move your sweet little ass over, and let the big, bad wolf in.” She mumbled and moved to the right, and he folded his body next to her. ****

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As they lay in the darkness, Mia on the verge of sleep, he hoped she would always love him as much as she did this moment. There was so much he planned to teach her. He closed his eyes, and thought of the exhilaration that streamed through his body when his fingers touched the tightness of her mound, remembering vividly how she writhed under his hold, and how her hips had churned with desire for him. The thought of her swollen breasts and her pink-tipped nipples made him yearn to roll over and start sucking on one, and to lick her pussy with his pierced tongue. The anticipation of tasting her again thrilled him. He sighed deeply, and through the silence came the soft, gentle breathing of a woman asleep. My woman. He waited a few minutes before he emerged from the bed. Standing in the doorway of the bedroom, his gaze moved over her as she slumbered. Did her dreams include him? He desired to stay with her all night, even promised her earlier in the evening that sleeping wasn’t in the cards tonight, but the excitement of the past few days had knocked Mia out, and his body craved another form of nourishment. He hadn’t fed in a few days and felt the effects of his lack of pranic energy coursing through his veins. Dinner time.

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Chapter Thirteen Mia awoke the next morning to the blazing rays of the sun shining through her bedroom window. The remnants of the last evening’s festivities lingered in her mind. She moved her hand across the contours of the double bed, reaching for Jordan, but captured a piece of rough paper instead. Her heart stopped. What the…! Was it a Dear John letter? What else could it be? She was positive he would be beside her when she woke up. She sighed, thinking back to last evening. I did say I love you, but so did he…first. Oh no. Mortified, she gasped as tears warmed the back of her eyes. She must have scared him away. As if an invisible force crashed into her chest, she scrunched over until her breath recaught. Her Catholic guilt pushed her memories back to another time. A vivid image of her grandmother came into focus. The words her grandmother said long ago still pierced her soul. “If you give your body to a man before marriage, you are a slut—a whore—going to hell. He will throw you to the gutter like you would deserve. When I married your grandfather, I was untouched by male hands.” These were the words the old woman spurted before sitting down at the table during every Sunday spaghetti dinner. Mia came to think of her weekly words as the preamble to the dinner prayer. It was no use. She couldn’t contain the tears, so she let them trickle down her cheeks in droves. When the last tear fell, her gaze refocused on the paper she grasped in her fingers. Preparing herself for the harsh words she anticipated concealed within it, she opened it. Mia,

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I love you so much. I can’t live another moment of my life without you in it. Permanently. Marry me. Love, J Mia stared in disbelief at the paper, waiting for her heart to beat again. Marry me. He loved her, truly loved her. Perhaps she wasn’t cursed after all. I’m not so bad, Grandmother. I can be loved. Scooting off the bed, her cell phone rang. Picking it up from the nightstand, she flipped it open then plopped back onto the mattress. “Hello,” she said. “Good morning, sweet thing.” “It’s you.” “Were you expecting someone else, darlin’?” he asked. “No. I wasn’t.” “Did you read my note?” She glanced down at the parchment she clung to for dear life. “Yes, I read it.” “And…what did you think about my letter?” “It was nice,” she blurted out. There was so much she wanted to say, yet she couldn’t get the words to leave her throat. Of course she couldn’t. “Nice as in I have awesome hand writing, or nice as in you want to be my wife?” Dead air. “Darlin’, I’m well aware my proposal wasn’t the most romantic, but I will make the celebration of my proposal romantic beyond your imagination when I see you. I just didn’t want to wait. I had to leave last night, and I didn’t want to wake you, but I planned to ask you to marry me as soon as your beautiful brown eyes opened this morning.” “Was everything okay…since you had to leave?” “I needed a little nourishment.”

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“You could have raided my kitchen,” she answered innocently. He chuckled into the phone, his laughter hugging her like a favorite blanket. She knew her addiction to him grew stronger every time he opened his mouth. “Not that type of hunger.” “Oh…you mean energy hunger. Blood.” “Yeah, darlin’, blood would be the magic answer,” he assured her. “So, Mia, what is your answer about marriage possibly with me?” “Yes. Definitely yes.” Leaning against the headboard, she took a quick peek at her redpainted toenails. Saying yes to him felt so right. “I love you, Jordan.” “And I love you more than life itself. In just a few days you have taken a man like me, and made me feel worthy of love. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world by agreeing to be my wife.” She stood in blissful silence for a minute, engulfed in her newfound happiness until visions of her grandmother’s face flashed through her mind, bringing with it a flush of nausea. I am not a whore. I am worthy of love. The face flashed once more, but this time the awful words spoken to her years ago, which had sliced through her, manifested clear as day. “A non-Catholic man is a sure way to hell. Marry one and you condemn your soul to the flames, Jezebel.” “There is one more thing,” Jordan mentioned. Mia cloaked the image, moved the phone from her left ear to the right one, and sunk down to the floor. Twirling the fringe of the red and white oval carpet in front of her, she pulled her legs up Indian style. “What is it?” “I want a coven wedding, Mia.” She thought about his words. She hadn’t considered any other type of wedding outside of the traditional Catholic type her parents yearned for her to experience. Yet, in her own heart, she would be happy to elope to Vegas. “Are you there?” Jordan asked. “Yes, I’m here.” Coven wedding… “I’m surprised you don’t want to elope?”

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He laughed. “That does sound more like me, doesn’t it?” It sounded like him in more ways than she could count. He didn’t appear to be the type who would want to carry on at a big wedding. “It does sound like you.” “Well, darlin’, I want to show you off in front of my coven and every other coven in the tri-state area.” “Are you positive you don’t want to elope?” her voice cracked. If he were in the room with her instead of on the phone, he would see the begging in her gaze for an elopement. “Honestly, Mia, I can’t elope.” “Because of your position within the coven. Right?” “The main reason, yes. But I have my own selfish reasons, too. I want the opportunity to show you off in front of my world.” Just when she thought Jordan’s words couldn’t fill her heart with more love for him, he would say something else that blew her away. “Do you want a Catholic wedding, darlin’? Be honest.” Before she could stop the word, it flew out of her mouth. “No. I mean, my parents want one.” She hesitated, and scrunched her lips. “Is a coven wedding legal?” “Of course they want their little girl getting married in a big white wedding. And yes, darlin’, a coven wedding is legal. What do you want, Mia? We can always have two weddings if it makes you happy.” “You would do that for me?” “Don’t you know by now I would rearrange the world for you if it made you happy?” “But you’re not even Catholic,” she offered. “It’s just a ceremony, Mia. It’s what you believe in your heart that’s important. You forget, I believe in a higher being, just not the Catholic rendition of Jehovah.” “I wish you were here. I don’t need a Catholic ceremony for me, Jordan. But my parents will never understand a coven ceremony.”

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Camouflaging the disappointment in her tone didn’t work. It was obvious in her voice she was saddened. “No worries. We can have a separate celebration with them.” Mia thought about his statement. It might work. “Do you think a separate celebration with them could work? Not the traditional Catholic wedding, just a party after we pretend elope.” “For you, darlin’, I can make anything possible.” Excitement coursed through Mia’s veins. It was as if someone had removed a boulder from her chest. “This could work, Jordan.” Her thoughts went into overdrive. “I will tell them once we get married we decided to elope to Vegas. No doubt they’re going to assume I’m pregnant—which they’ll find out is false—when we travel to Pennsylvania for the wedding celebration. My mother will be so excited about planning a party, the disappointment of the huge white wedding she envisioned will surely dissipate from her memory.” “You can always wear the symbolic white dress for your mom.” “Oh no, not the one she has had me envisioned in since I was born. She had my wedding planned before I could walk or form a sentence.” His laughter rang through the receiver. “It sounds like a done deal. A coven wedding here in Florida and a Catholic façade ceremony in Pennsylvania. Let me go ahead and give Jamison a call. I need to let him know things are moving forward, and that you’re not calling the media, reporting on real vampires.” He laughed again, then added, “Or that you ran out of your house, screaming that I’m a crazy lunatic who is sick in the head.” Mia bit back a chuckle. “I will take you any way I can, sick, blood drinker, or crazy lunatic.” “Really? You’ll take me any way, huh? I’ll see you tonight. I’m taking you out on the town to celebrate.” The phone went silent. “Wear something incredibly sexy. After dinner I’m going to bring you home and tie you up.”

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Her breath caught. “Tie me up?” “It’s a real possibility tonight, darlin’,” he assured her. “I love you.”

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Chapter Fourteen A few months later, Mia sat in her bedroom and grabbed the pen on the nightstand before she opened her journal. With much to say, she didn’t know quite where to start, so she perched on the bed, closed her eyes, and cleared her mind. The raw emotions swimming in her core revealed the words in her heart. Journal Entry, October 31st This weekend I am marrying Jordan. I found my dream man in a vampire. It sounds funny, writing the words, yet that is what he is, and I accept him. All of him. I remember Cindi once telling me that the perfect man portrayed in romance novels didn’t exist. Her advice was simple. She said, “I may find parts of those men but never the real thing.” Yet I think I’ve found a close replica in Jordan. It’s funny how at first I disliked his arrogant ass, thought him a stuck-up dick, but somehow he let the façade he built around his heart crumble, and he allowed me in at the same time I welcomed him. We still have our skeptics, those of our friends and family who think we are moving too fast, but I don’t care what they think. Love binds us together. If the world ended tomorrow, if God called me home—or, I’m afraid in my case, perhaps the devil— I could go freely, knowing that I found my love of a lifetime in Jordan. Mia tapped the pen against her journal, and then her thoughts shifted, when Cindi came into focus. Cin.

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Glancing at her reflection in the floor-length mirror perched on the front of the closet, she stared into her own brown eyes, then gazed back down at the paper and continued. But most of all, I miss my best friend. I wish Cindi could’ve been here for my wedding. Yet I understand. Sometimes it’s hard for me to comprehend how much she loves her job, having to be in so many godforsaken places in the middle of the world. I haven’t told her lately how much I love her, my soul sister. I hope she knows. Heat moved across Mia’s face, and her eyes welled up with tears. Dear God, if you still consider me worthy of a prayer, could you help me corral my nervous nature to a minimum. To be honest, I am a little scared. And finally, if you’ve considered striking me dead or anything like that, could you wait till after I’ve had sex. I’ve waited a long time for the event, and I really would like to experience it at least one time before I die. Mia finished the last sentence, closed the journal, and then secured it in the nightstand by the bed when the doorbell rang. Bolting from the bedroom in a small frenzy, she made it down the hall in record time, even without stubbing a toe, and opened the door. There stood Jordan in all his glory. It was his outfit that changed her expression from excited to sultry. Leaning against the doorway, she felt thunderstruck for a few seconds before the cool air seeped into her open mouth. Black leather pants hugged his narrow waist. Damn, he looked fine. With a quick jerk, she pulled him against her. “Umm…you’re killing me here,” he whispered. “I believe the coven is going to have to wait for a while. I need to claim what is mine. Here and now.” He ran his hand down the back of her hair. “I

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am trying to wait and take your virginity on our wedding night, but you are making it impossible for me. I swear that minx persona you keep hidden is out in full force tonight. Does kitty need a petting?” “I’m sorry. You just have a way of making me burn inside.” And outside… After closing the door, he carried her to the sofa. “I want to taste you on my tongue. I’m afraid I can’t wait any longer.” He paused, and drew a ragged breath. “I need a little appetizer before the main course.” Within minutes, she was naked and sprawled across the floor. Jordan was on top of her, playing with her tits and sucking her nipples. And it felt like heaven. After a few intense moments of sucking her nipples, he stopped and glanced at her. “I see they’re happy to see me.” His gaze smoldered and caught Mia’s in its iron-clad grip. He pressed his outer thighs against her inner thighs until she was spread eagle underneath him, holding himself up with one elbow as the other touched her panties. “Don’t move a muscle.” The pressure of his palm against her red silk panties sent chills down her spine, instantly dampening her. Before Mia could react, he ripped her underwear from her body. “Hey, those were expensive,” she bellowed. He smirked at her sudden outburst but didn’t change his direction. “I’ll buy you a new pair. Two or three,” he added. Passion-filled eyes scanned her briefly. “Put your hands underneath your tits and hold them for me.” She looked at him as if he had just sprouted wings on his back. “You don’t need to buy—what?” “You heard me.” Taking her hands into his, he moved them toward her breasts. She closed her eyes as their hands cupped the soft flesh. “Don’t let them go. Do you understand?” The tone in his voice was foreign, unfamiliar to her yet somehow very entrancing.

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Watching with fascination, her gaze followed his head as it leaned in toward her breasts, leaving a mane of blond hair behind. Her eager breasts waited, and so did he. What are you waiting for? Do it already. Please. Unconsciously, she arched her pelvis forward, and he glanced back up at her. “In time, sweet thing, in time,” he whispered through the white-filled passion haze clogging her head. As he promised, he cupped her tits and started sucking. When he raised his hands from hers, she raised her own. “No,” he said, “your hands stay.” His expression was beautiful, savage, utterly mesmerizing. The air in her lungs seized up like setting cement. “Oh no…I–I can’t touch myself when I’m alone. I–I surely can’t do it in front of you.” “Massage your breasts for me, Mia.” What? “Are you crazy? I can’t.” “Sure you can. Your hands