The man absolutely mesmerized her. His speech was formal and cultured, more…old school. She found the cadence in the deep timbre of his voice extremely sexy, almost hypnotic. Shaking her head to clear it, she was disappointed she didn’t have any books he’d be interested in. “You’re probably looking for first editions. Unfortunately, I sold the only one I had a month ago.”
His gaze searched hers. “First editions have their own unique worth, but I’ve found that changes are sometimes made in later editions, making the item even more valuable.”
That’s an unusual perspective for a collector, but who am I to judge people’s preferences? “I hadn’t thought of it that way. Well, feel free to browse to your heart’s content. Something else may capture your attention.” She’d just lifted the book to shelve it, when his warm fingers encircled her wrist, catching her hand in midair.
At the moment of contact, an electric sensation instantly surged through her. Rana inhaled sharply and jerked her gaze to his, but for some inexplicable reason, she wasn’t afraid of him; just intensely aware how much he affected her.
“Did you just get this one in?” He indicated the book in her hand. “What’s it about?”
How could he sound so casual? Did he not feel that? Or maybe she was losing her mind. “It’s a book about vampires,” she said in a shaky voice, then cleared her throat. “I doubt it’s your kind of reading.”
He raised a dark eyebrow, amusement obvious as he continued to hold her wrist. “What kind of books do I look like I would read?” As he waited for her response, he slowly slid his thumb across her pounding pulse, causing liquid fire to course through her. The man oozed seductive charisma, making her intensely aware of his nearness, his clean masculine scent. When she began to throb in places she shouldn’t while in a stranger’s presence, images from her erotic dream flashed through her mind and embarrassed heat shot along her cheeks.
Jerking from his grasp, she gave him a challenging smirk, then opened the book, and read an excerpt, “‘They are the undead, forever doomed to walk the night in search of their next meal. The beating pulse of their victim calls to their basest instinct: to feed.’”
She glanced up with a knowing grin. “Is this what you like to read?” but stopped short when she saw him focusing on her throat, his expression intrigued. As if he sensed her stare, his silver gaze lifted to hers and a slow, sexy smile tilted his lips. “Why does that sound so sensual when you read it, versus how I’m sure it was intended to be taken?”
Rana blushed again, this time feeling the heat shoot all the way to her hairline. Swiftly turning to put the book on the shelf, she said in an unsteady voice, “My guess is your taste runs more in the non-fiction section.”
“You don’t believe in vampires?”
She could tell he was teasing her. “Certainly not.” Lifting up on her toes, she started to place the book on the top shelf, but her foot slipped and she caught her wrist on a lower shelf’s edge. “Ow!” Damn, that hurt.
Before she could turn around, the man’s hands were on her waist, righting her. “Are you okay?”
Rana tensed at the sensation of him holding her—the rightness. Just like she’d felt in her dream. Shrugging out of his hold, she faced him. Having her back to him made her feel vulnerable. “I’m fine. The guy who built my bookshelves left a rough area. I’ll have to sand it down before that happens to someone else.”
As she started to walk away, the man caught her wrist once more, his dark brows drawing together. “You’re hurt.”
She looked down at her wrist and saw nothing, yet there were drops of moisture slowly sinking into the smooth texture of his jacket sleeve.
Frowning, she glanced at her wrist again just as beads of blood surfaced in the long red gash. “Oh, you’re right.” That’s going to look lovely tomorrow.
Holding her arm, he gently rubbed his thumb over her wound, erasing the blood, but it just resurfaced again. When she met his gaze, his nostrils were flared, his expression inscrutable. They stared at each other for what seemed like several tense seconds before he spoke. “Do you have something to clean your wound?”
Rana nodded mutely, then walked behind the counter to open the first aid kit.
Without asking, he took over, rubbing the alcohol swab tenderly over the cut. The antiseptic stung and she winced, but she couldn’t quit staring at him. Why am I letting this complete stranger take care of me?
When he leaned over and blew on her wound, then looked at her with a mischievous smile, saying, “I’ve heard it helps. Do you have any bandages?” she was finally able to tear her gaze away.
“Bandage? Yes.” She’d just reached inside the kit for a bandage when she felt his finger rub across her wound once more. Tensing, Rana quickly turned back to see him holding out his hand with an expectant look. “Blood was surfacing again,” he casually explained.
As he put the adhesive bandage on her arm with precise, measured movements, she couldn’t help but feel cherished and protected. Now why would I think such a silly, fanciful thing? Rana handed him an extra wipe, careful to keep her expression neutral. “Here, so you can clean the blood off your hand.”
He waved it away. “No need. I took care of it.”
What had he cleaned his hand with? Lifting her bandaged arm, she smiled her thanks. “Good as new. I’m sorry about your coat. I’ll be happy to pay to have it dry-cleaned.”
Clasping her hand, he smiled, his gaze locking with hers as he rubbed his thumb along the fleshy part of her palm. “Come have dinner with me instead.”
Rana blinked as his invitation seemed to reverberate in an echoing whisper over and over in her mind, like a sing-song chant. “Um…” She briskly collected the trash, then put the first aid kit back together—anything to distract her from these intense, unsettling feelings. Glancing up with a polite smile, she shook her head and said, “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t even know you,” when what she’d really wanted to say was, “Is tonight too soon?” to a total stranger. What was wrong with her?
“Not true. We’ve already met once before,” he countered with an encouraging smile.
She sucked in her breath. “You remember me from the cemetery?” Whom had he been there to see? Had he lost someone recently too?
The man’s expression turned tender with his nod. “How could I forget you? You looked very sad that day. I’m sorry for your loss.”
His mention of Jack’s death reminded her how emotionally fragile she was. Maybe that’s why her reactions were so off-the-scale tonight. The last thing she needed was a relationship right now, even if she felt a strong connection with this man. She shook off the feeling of familiarity. He was still a stranger.
“Thank you. My grandfather and I were very close. I’ll miss him.”
Tsk, tsk, using me as an excuse. She heard Jack’s voice in her head as if he were leaning over her shoulder.
Oh, shut up, Jack. I’m trying to respect the dead.
Yeah, riiiiiight.
She raised her eyebrow, letting her tone turn business-like. “Are you done shopping? I’m about to close up for the night.”
“Yes, I found what I was looking for.” Turning, he headed for the door, his movements fluid and graceful. It was as if he didn’t really walk, but instead glided across the floor. Before he walked out, he met her gaze. “Good night.”
“Good night,” she called after him, not sure what to make of the man. He’d said he’d found what he was looking for, but he didn’t buy a thing.
Chapter Four
Rana lay on the bed, her eyes closed, body igniting in a slow, steady burn of anticipation. He leaned over and kissed her neck before sliding his lips down to her breast. Grasping a taut nipple in his hot, moist mouth, he took a long, hard drag through the thin material of her cami sleep-shirt.
She gasped and arched her back toward him, clutching his broad, muscular shoulders. Reveling in the powerful tendons flexing underneath her fingers, she welcomed the surge of lust that sho
t through her.
He kissed a path to her other breast and lavished it with equal attention through the thin material. While his mouth pleasurably distracted her, his hand traced along her stomach and lower past her panties until he touched her damp curls, ratcheting their passion.
She moaned in pleasure when his finger slid inside. “Open for me, Rana,” he whispered in her ear.
His intimate words fueled her desire, making her ache for him. She opened her legs wider, wanting, needing his touch. He added another finger and plunged them both deep before he drew them back out and spread her moist warmth around her, playing with her, taking her anticipation higher.
“You’re so responsive.” Satisfaction laced his desire-filled tone. “Watching you is pure pleasure.”
Passion built and she panted as sweet, thrumming tension coiled within her.
When he lifted his dark head and his pale gray eyes met hers. Rana’s heart jerked. It was the man from her store.
The shock of making love to a complete stranger jolted her out of her seductive dream. She sat up in bed, breathing hard, her heart pounding as she clutched the covers around her.
Sensing a presence, she turned toward the French doors and sucked in a startled low scream when she saw a man’s outline in the night shadows. Somehow she knew it was the man from her dream and her fear subsided.
“I must still be dreaming. This is the second time. Why do I keep dreaming about you?” she whispered.
“You’ve dreamed about me before?” He sounded taken aback, but pleased as he took a step forward and the moonlight reflected on his face. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.”
She shook her head and squared her shoulders. “I’m not afraid. The first time I dreamed about you, we were in the cemetery. I asked you your name, but you wouldn’t tell me then. You said, ‘remember us’.” She frowned. “What did you mean?”
Surprise flitted across his face, then determination replaced it. “My name is Lucian.” His smile was tender. “And yours is Rana. A strong name that suits you.”
She liked the way he said her name, with a bit of a delay on the first “a”, like he savored the way it sounded. To her foggy, sleep-filled brain it came out like an endearment.
His gaze raked her naked shoulders and arms, lingering on the spaghetti straps of her sleep-shirt. The fire in his eyes turned hot and intense. “Can I come in?”
The fierceness of his gaze made her completely aware of her half-dressed state. Rana pulled the covers closer. She might not be afraid of him but she was afraid of the way he made her feel. Weak. Needy. Desperate. Which made no sense. Even though this was a dream, he was still a stranger. “No.”
He sighed, his expression disappointed. “Then dream on, love.”
She shook her head. “Not while you’re here.”
He flashed a smile. “Your wish is my command. Sweet dreams,” he said before he shimmered and completely disappeared.
Rana rubbed her eyes and blinked at the spot Lucian had stood. Or where she thought he stood, rather. Lying back, she closed her eyes, her heart beating hard. That was the craziest, most vivid dream she’d ever had. Goose bumps formed on her arms when she conjured an image of Lucian in her mind and realized the ache between her legs was very real, very annoyingly real. She tossed and turned for an hour until exhaustion finally took over.
*
Lucian reappeared as soon as she fell back to sleep. He stood beside her bed and stared adoringly at her, reliving their shared passion. His entire body throbbed, begging for release, but he tamped down the unfulfilled ache. He welcomed the discomfort. It felt good to be alive again after feeling dead for so long. He needed to be near her. He craved the closeness. Vampires couldn’t enter another’s home without permission. The only exception was if they had a deep connection with the person, then permission wasn’t required. It was more a formality and should still be given. He was breaking a cardinal vampire rule in Rana’s case, but he didn’t care. The fact he could enter at all further validated their bond.
During the day, he’d woo her as any man would court his mate, but at night she was all his to bring to heights of passion. He’d only satisfy her, however, not himself. She’d have to ask him to stay before he allowed himself that pleasure. He’d risk the insanity until she succumbed.
And she would. He closed his eyes and drew in his breath, inhaling her aroused feminine scent, reveling in the heat emanating from her soft skin. Lucian willed himself to remain calm as he reached out an unsteady hand to touch the cascade of hair on her pillow.
She’d shocked him when she told him she’d dreamed about them in the cemetery. He hadn’t found her at that point yet, but somehow their souls must’ve already connected. He’d dreamed about her too, but his dream was on a continuing loop. He kept reliving that moment they’d both stopped and stared at each other in the cemetery. When he’d woken, he felt rejuvenated for the first time in decades.
Rana’s gorgeous shoulder-length hair pleased him immensely. And her hazel green eyes, filled with sadness at first but quick to humor, drew him in. Her coloring was nothing like Elizabeth’s, but the soul, the intensity, the connection was there, even stronger than before.
His entire body shook with his desire to taste her. Earlier, when she’d hurt herself in the store, an overwhelming need to protect rushed through him. He’d done what he could to help her heal, but rubbing his healing saliva on her arm only made him want her more. The sight of her bright red blood stoked the fire burning inside him to pure unadulterated yearning.
The taste of those tiny droplets he’d swept from her arm only managed to whet his appetite. He’d relished the flavor, sweet and pure, a decidedly erotic combination considering her passionate side he’d seen tonight. He might be tortured, but he could wait. Their joining would be that much sweeter for it in the end.
*
The next morning, Rana parked behind her store, then started to walk with brisk steps in the drizzling rain through the alleyway toward the front of her bookstore. She missed the smell of fresh baked bread from David’s parents’ store that usually wafted through the alleyway every morning. The rain had soaked it all away. Thanks to the overcast day, the alley was darker than usual, but Rana paused when she noticed a man leaning against the wall in the shadows.
She wasn’t worried about being attacked. It wasn’t uncommon for people to use the alley to cut through to the parking lots behind the stores. She’d stopped walking, because his wiry build reminded her of her father—or what she could remember of her father. He was probably just waiting out the rain, yet the resemblance was enough to make tense apprehension zip along her spine.
Holding her head high, she grasped her keys tighter and continued forward with determined steps. If it turned out to be her dad, she wouldn’t let him intimidate her. As she drew closer, the man tucked a cell phone in his jacket and turned to face her. She breathed a sigh of relief. He was just a little older than her.
“Hey,” he said when she was about to pass him. “I’m not getting cell service here. Do you know where Lewis and Harmon’s office is?”
He was looking for a law office at seven in the morning? L&H were pricy, but his slick suit and silky shirt said he could afford them. “Once you exit the alley, turn right. Go four blocks up and the law office will be on your left.”
Nodding his thanks, he shoved his hand through his short brown hair to shake out the wetness.
When Rana started to walk on, he called after her, “Do you know what time most businesses open around here?”
She glanced over her shoulder, glad the drizzle had turned to a foggy mist. Otherwise, she’d be soaked by now. “Not for another hour.”
His green eyes appeared to flash as they locked with hers. “Perfect. Come have coffee with me.”
Rana blinked several times. His request had a mesmerizing cadence that was hard to resist. She didn’t have to open the store for an hour. She could go. Right? I could go for a half hour and still op
en the store on time, but then she noticed his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. There was something almost cruel in the slight downturn of his lip.
He must’ve seen her hesitation because his gaze sharpened and he held his hand out, his tone turning silky. “Take my hand.”
Rana’s hand floated toward his. Her thoughts felt adrift, like a tossed jigsaw puzzle hanging in midair. When her fingers had almost brushed his, a horn blared and someone yelled, “Look where you’re going, kid!”
Distracted, Rana glanced up to see David zooming past them on his bike. “Morning, Rana!” he yelled behind him.
Shaking her head, Rana dropped her hand. What had just happened? Why was she even thinking of having coffee with this guy? A sliver of fear crept along her spine and she quickly backed away. “I’ve got to go. Good luck with your appointment.”
Before he could reply, she turned and bolted toward the entrance of the alley. She’d almost reached the edge of the building when she glanced back to see if the man had followed her. The alley was empty. Where had he gone? she wondered as she took a deep breath and slowed her pace. Just as she rounded the corner, the man from the alley was now leaning against her store’s entrance.
She instantly froze. No matter how fast he was, there was no way he could’ve gone around the other building and beaten her here, yet she hadn’t seen him pass her either.
“Surely you have time for one coffee,” he said with a smirk as he straightened.
Real fear rose up as he swaggered toward her. What could she do? No one was around, and David had already gone around back. Just as she revved herself up to make a run for it, he suddenly stopped and glared at the ground around her. The sun had started to shine through the thick clouds, casting brilliant warm rays across her shoulders.
“Perhaps another time, hmmm?” the man said, then turned and walked off toward the other side of the building, disappearing into the shadows.
Rana stared at the spot in the doorway he’d vacated, unsure what to think. There had to be some logical explanation. She jumped when David spoke beside her. “Who was that guy you were talking to in the alley?”
Love's First Bite: Bad Boys and Alpha Vampires Boxed Set (6 book bundle) Page 48
