Blood Song: Prelude (Blood Song Series Book 1)

by Charli B. Rose

  “Oh, Toven, you do realize she has a thing for you, so she considers all your affairs as her business, right?”

  “I know she’s often toed the line between professionalism and too friendly in her interactions with me. I’ve constantly had to put her in her place,” I grumbled then took a deep draw of blood from my glass.

  “Yes, but there was never anyone in your personal life other than women passing through fleetingly. Now, she feels threatened.”

  Blood lingered on my lower lip. I quickly licked it away, not wanting the visual reminder to Celesta as to what I was. “Well, she’s out of line. And if she wishes to keep her job, she’ll get back in line quickly.”

  A few minutes later a knock sounded. Adrianna entered with appetizers almost too beautiful to eat. The meal passed quickly and pleasantly. We’d barely finished one course before another tempting dish was placed in front of us. Celesta and I sampled everything Adrianna prepared—each dish tastier than the last.

  Was Italian food supposed to be an aphrodisiac? The longer we sat there sampling food, the more I craved Celesta over the wonderful offerings Adrianna placed before us. The craving was deep and carnal and getting harder to suppress.

  After about the third course, we slipped to the middle of the semi-circular couch so we could watch the dancing water show better. The spectacle of colors cast a muted splashing of varied hues across Celesta’s face, painting it impossibly even more beautiful. She watched the light and water display in awe, and I watched her in awe.

  She seemed to feel the weight of my stare on her because she glanced my way. Something in my expression made her blush. My breathing shallowed, lungs barely drawing in enough oxygen to sustain brain function. Cotton filled my mouth when her tongue slipped out to moisten her lips. Her eyes searched mine. The longer I looked into her eyes, the more I became convinced that even if humans didn’t possess the power of charm, this one certainly did. My body shifted closer to hers or hers shifted closer to mine. It didn’t matter who moved, all that mattered was that a sliver of charged, heavy air was all that separated our lips.

  “Toven.” My name on her lips was a prayer, a warning, I wasn’t sure which. But it churned up something in my blood and made me ache to have her speaking my name into the heavens in all sorts of pitches and volumes.

  Before I could seal my lips to hers, a knock on the door sounded. I swore under my breath as Celesta slid back fractionally from me before clearing her throat and bidding the knocker to enter.

  Adrianna beamed into the open space and set a delectable looking chocolate dessert in front of us. “Enjoy,” she stated as she slipped quietly from the booth.

  We each grabbed a spoon and dug into the oozing chocolate piece of perfection. The moan that escaped Celesta’s throat with the first bite sent a jolt straight below my belt. I shifted to adjust myself, relieving the discomfort which had been on the rise as the night progressed.

  “How do you know Adrianna?” Celesta asked over dessert.

  “I met Adrianna’s father during a lengthy stay in Italy years ago. He’s world-renowned. Adrianna has been cooking since she was tall enough to reach the countertop. She moved here to try to establish a name for herself independent of her father. I invested in her and this place when she arrived,” I explained, licking chocolate from my spoon once I was done.

  “I think she’s certainly making a name for herself,” Celesta praised with her mouth still full of creamy chocolate.

  She set her spoon down and stared at me. A tiny smirk tipped up her lips in an adorable way.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You have a little something on your mouth.” She pointed to her lips.

  I licked my lips. “Did I get it?”

  “No,” she answered breathlessly and scooted closer to me. She reached her finger up and swiped gently at the corner of my mouth. I held my breath at the contact.

  “There, I got it.” She lifted her finger up for me to see a dab of chocolate on the tip. Instinctively, I wrapped my hand around her wrist and brought her finger to my lips. I licked the small dollop of decadence from her fingertip. It was barely enough chocolate to awaken my taste buds with the flavor of chocolate, yet it was the best bit of food I’d consumed the entire meal. She plunged her finger in between my lips momentarily, shocking us both. Using my hold on her wrist, I pulled her finger from my lips and placed a soft kiss on the tip once it was freed from the warm cavern of my mouth. But I didn’t release my hold on her; instead, I used it to pull her closer to me.

  Wanting to make sure this wasn’t going to be another moment lost between us, I quickly descended on her lips like a lion pouncing on a gazelle. My tongue plundered the warm recesses of her mouth, exploring every inch. She moaned into my mouth and shivered as I kissed her deeply. Within moments, she turned up the intensity of her returned kiss, matching me stroke for stroke.

  I anchored one hand in her dark-colored tresses, so I could control the angle and depth of the meeting of our mouths. My other hand snaked around her waist to urge her closer to me. I shouldered the table away from our turned bodies to provide more room. Her hands tangled in my hair as she ravaged my mouth. She shifted and somehow managed to get up on her knees on the couch. My grip on her hip urged her to straddle my lap—thankfully, her skirt had a slit up the back. Her hands left my hair long enough to hike her skirt up sufficiently to accommodate the motion of swinging one leg across my lap.

  When she sat down fully, I felt as if I’d died and gone to heaven. My cock strained upward painfully against my zipper in a desperate attempt to reach the warm heat emanating from her body. She began to rock her hips against mine, creating a delicious, yet torturous friction. Much more of this would have me coming in my pants like an inexperienced teenager, but I couldn’t quite seem to care enough to stop her motions.

  A deep need begged that I break our kiss, so I could kiss her neck and feel her thundering pulse fill my mouth before I took a taste. I forced myself to continue preying on her mouth to keep myself from giving in to the urge. To distract myself, I dragged my fingers up her spine, eliciting a shiver from her. I trailed one hand around to her side, slowly working my way to where her front was pressed against mine. All the while she kept up a slow but steady rhythm with her hips.

  I eased my chest from hers just enough to slip my fingers between us. I dipped my fingertips in the edge of her blouse, tracing swirling patterns across her heated skin. They finally reached the lacy edge of her bra. Goosebumps rose on the swell of her breast beneath my fingers. Plunging one finger beneath the edge of her garment, I traced downward until my finger encountered her peak, already puckered in arousal. Lightly brushing over it caused it to harden further. She arched her back, pressing the pointed nub into my questing fingers, and her hips increased their motion. Her body moved to the tempo my fingers set on her body.

  She tore her lips from mine and pressed kisses to my neck and jawline. She whispered in my ear, “What are we doing? We have to stop. We can’t keep going right now. Adrianna could come back at any moment.”

  As if the mention of her name summoned her from the kitchen, a tap sounded on the door. I very nearly growled. “Just a minute,” I spoke in a husky tone.

  I didn’t really care if Adrianna opened the door and saw exactly how we were making use of her romantic booth. But Celesta’s cheeks were already red with embarrassment, so I wanted to spare her. I pressed a quick kiss to her lips before smoothing her hair while she arranged my messy locks. I straightened her blouse then helped her to climb off my lap, already missing the way her body fit over mine.

  It only took minutes for us to both be presentable. But the scent of arousal filling the enclosed space and the guilty expression on Celesta’s face would tell Adrianna exactly what she’d interrupted. Oh well, it couldn’t be helped.

  “Come in,” I said in a calm, neutral tone. I downed the last of my blood and wine.

  “Adrianna, you’ve outdone yourself tonight. Your father would be very
proud of the chef you’ve become.” I beamed when the panel slid open.

  “Yes, Chef, everything you prepared was delicious. I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite,” Celesta chimed in.

  “Is there anything either of you would’ve changed about your experience tonight?” Adrianna asked.

  Celesta and I exchanged a heated glance, knowing we both would’ve changed the interruption. But that disruption very likely saved me from making a huge mistake. So while my body hated it, my mind and heart were grateful I hadn’t done something we’d both regret.

  “I-it was all very w-wonderful,” Celesta stammered out.

  I leaned on my elbows, resting on the table. “The only thing I’d suggest is to slow down the appearance of each course, so there’s time to really savor each round of tasty delights.”

  “That’s really my fault. I served you more courses than normal because I wanted to show off all my skills and make sure you didn’t feel you wasted your money by investing in my pipe dream. So, normally the courses are more spaced out,” Adrianna rambled in a rush.

  “This isn’t a pipe dream. It’s a reality. Now that you’ve thoroughly impressed us, next time you won’t have to serve up extra dishes.” I winked at her.

  “You’re going to come back sometime?” her tone was filled with excitement and hope as she clutched her hands together, trying to contain herself.

  “Of course, we will. We’ll probably be back in a few weeks,” I promised.

  “I look forward to seeing you both again very soon then. And of course, since this is your business too, there’s no charge for dinner.”

  We exited the glass booth and bade our goodbyes to Adrianna. She kissed my cheek before she hurried back to the kitchen. I tossed some bills on the table to cover our meal.

  “That was very sweet of you,” Celesta stated as we walked out hand in hand.

  I shrugged off her comment. “She can’t make money if people don’t pay. The meal was worth paying for.”

  “Why can’t you accept that you’re an exceptionally good man?” she asked as she stopped and looked me in the eyes.

  “Because in my past I’ve been an exceptionally bad man,” I reasoned.

  “I will prove to you that you’re more than your past one of these days,” she vowed and pressed her lips to mine.

  Deep in my heart, I really wished she could do just that. Then maybe I could halfway convince myself I was worthy of her.

  22

  Celesta

  Toven guided me into the car once the valet brought it around. After he slid behind the wheel, the air grew thicker, harder to breathe. The sexual energy which filled the car was palpable, crackling between us. I wanted to touch him. For him to touch me. The white knuckled grip he had on the steering wheel was the only indication I could see that he wanted to touch me as much as I wanted him to. He was a model of self-restraint.

  My mouth dropped open; a plea poised on the tip of my tongue. But before I could release it into the cosmos, he turned the radio on.

  It was all I could do to keep my hands to myself. At one point, I had to sit on them to prevent them from wandering over to his thigh, his chest, his face, his anything. My fingers were desperate to feel his heat pulsing beneath them.

  Toven kept his eyes trained on the road the whole ride home. He didn’t even peek at me one little bit. He was probably just focused on getting us home safely, considering the accelerated speed at which he was pushing the car.

  I concentrated on what I wanted to do when we got home, how I wanted to touch him. The volume of the radio prevented conversation, which was fine by me, as I was lost in the fantasy of completing what we started over dessert. I ached all over with yearning. I’d never been so turned on in all my life, and I needed some relief. And soon.

  The sound of the engine died once Toven pulled into the garage. Ever the gentleman, he was around to my car door before my seatbelt had retracted into its housing unit. He gripped my sweaty palm in one hand and planted his other on my elbow to help me get out of the car. I stepped up to his stoic form and peered up into his eyes.

  A war raged there. I was too new at this to be able to recognize all the combatants, let alone decipher who was winning. With my free hand, I rubbed my fingertips along his jawline, enjoying the soft roughness of his facial hair.

  “Come on,” he said and stepped back.

  With his long legs, I had to walk quickly to keep up. Maybe he was even more anxious than I was to finish what we’d started at the restaurant. My nerves jangled at the possibility. Though I was scared, I wanted it. Desperately.

  My shoes clicked on the stairs as we climbed silently. All too soon, we’d reached my bedroom door. I hadn’t expected us to go to my room. But maybe he thought I’d be more comfortable in my own space. Had I cleaned up my dirty clothes?

  Before I could spiral down that rabbit hole, Toven turned to face me.

  “Dinner was amazing. You were amazing,” he whispered as he reached up to cup my cheek.

  I leaned into the palm of his hand. Heat filled his gaze, and my heart lurched in pleased response.

  “I…um…have an early meeting tomorrow out of town, so I’m going to have to call it a night,” he said, schooling his features to reveal no more.

  “Oh…OK. I guess I’ll see you later then?” I tried to mask the disappointment that cracked my heart.

  He kissed my cheek softly, then turned on his heel and strode to his room, not looking back once.

  I opened my own door and slipped inside. My forehead rested against the cool wood as I replayed the end of our meal trying to figure out what I’d done wrong.

  Before I pressed my door all the way closed, the sound of Toven’s voice filtered through the air.

  I strained to hear.

  “…No. Not my house. The other address…”

  “You know what I like…”

  “I’ll be there in less than thirty minutes…”

  “Thank you.”

  He was entering the hallway. I quietly shut my door so he wouldn’t know I’d eavesdropped. His footsteps stopped outside my door. I held my breath, waiting for him to call out to me.

  After a few moments, his footfalls echoed on the stairs, then the house was silent.

  The story continues in Blood Song: Refrain.

  Click here to get the next book.

  Thank You

  This moment is so surreal to me, the end of another book (but not the end of this story). Thank you for taking the time to read my words. For some of you, I’m a new author. If that’s you, thanks for taking the risk. I hope you enjoyed it. For those of you who read my rocker romance first, thank you for taking a chance on PNR with me. And for those of you who trust I’m going to tell you a good story no matter the genre, thank you for coming along for the ride.

  This part of Toven and Celesta’s story was half written before I ever started writing Dawson and Izzy’s story (Lyrical Odyssey series books 1-3). When I put Toven on hold, I didn’t expect his gruffy character to be patient with me for a year, but he was. I really hope I’m doing his story justice.

  Coming soon

  Blood Song: Refrain (Book 2)

  Her heart beats for his.

  CELESTA

  Everyone I cared about was gone. Dead. Except him. Though he’d argue since he was a vampire he was dead too. I was still searching for the truth, but it was elusive. As elusive as Toven’s heart. I offered myself to him—my blood, my body, my heart—but just when I thought I was making progress, he pushed me away again. He was afraid he’d hurt or taint me. Time was running out to convince him that he was worthy of love.

  TOVEN

  Everything that was important to me would soon disappear. My past was racing towards me, ready to destroy everything—my freedom, my music, her. There had to be a solution to save my life, to keep the song from fading into silence. I thought the biggest threat to Celesta was me and my nature. But I was starting to realize I was very naïve in my thinking. I had t
o save her before my time was up. Then I’d walk away. For her sake.

  Can love resurrect a dead heart?

  Order here.

  Also By Charli

  Lyrical Odyssey Rock Star Series

  Beats of the Heart (book 1)

  Notes of the Heart (book 2)

  Songs of the Heart (book 3)

  Turn up the Tempo (book 4) coming soon

  About the Author

  So, I know these things are generally written in third person as if someone else is talking about me. But I just can’t do it. LOL. It may be “unprofessional” but I’m just me. And I hope that’s OK with you guys.

  I’m a Carolina girl, through and through. I’ve lived in North Carolina my whole life. I’m a wife, a mom, a scientist and a freelance editor. And now I guess I get to officially add author to the list of things I am. I still can’t believe it.

  For as long as I can remember, reading has been my favorite way to pass the time. I always have a book with me and usually am reading more than one at any given time. Editing for indie authors gave me a unique glimpse into the indie publishing world. It’s a world I’m really enjoying becoming a part of.

  Let’s Keep In Touch

  I’d love to hear from you guys. Tell me what you think of Dawson and Izzy. Tell me what you’d like to see me write next. Recommend a great book for me to check out. Let me know what typos you found within my pages. Whatever you want, I want to hear from you.

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