by C. C. Wood
“Just another night in my glamorous life,” I murmured to myself as I walked through the storeroom to my office.
“Very glamorous indeed.” At the low male voice, I whirled, lifting my hands to defend myself. When I saw who it was, I very nearly zapped him with a good bolt of electricity anyway, just to teach him a lesson.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, lowering my arms. “And how did you get in?”
The vampire was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched me. “That little pup disarmed all your wards, even the ones in the back. I decided to wait inside in case you needed my help.”
I scoffed. “Macgrath, the day I need your help is the day hell freezes over.”
“No man is an island, Ava,” he stated. “Or woman in this case.”
I rolled my eyes and gathered my things from my desk. “What does that even mean?” I asked him sarcastically.
“That you can’t do everything alone. No one makes it through life without help from someone, sometime.”
I bit back a sigh. My question had mostly been rhetorical because I did understand the expression well enough. “That’s true,” I agreed. “But there’s nothing in my life that obligates me to taking your help.”
“I’m offering it freely, whether you take it or not.”
He straightened and stalked towards me. Though I wanted to back away, I held my ground. He didn’t intimidate me but he made me feel things that I didn’t want to feel. In close quarters, I couldn’t ignore the way my skin heated or my heart raced.
I would never admit to anyone, much less myself, but Macgrath was sexy as hell. He made my body hum with desire and the bastard knew it.
“If you’re that cheap, I definitely don’t want anything you offer me,” I retorted.
“Why do you fight me on everything?” he asked, his eyes moving over my face.
“Because you kidnapped my best friend!” I cried. “Oh and let’s not forget the years you spent with a psychobitch witch.” I hesitated. Shit, I hadn’t meant to rhyme.
The corners of his mouth twitched. “I’ve made mistakes.”
I shook my head, feeling my ire rise. “Mistakes? You call everything you’ve done mistakes?”
“You don’t understand what it feels like to not know who you are,” he stated gruffly. “To want someone, anyone, to know you and care about you.”
I glared up at him. “I do know what that feels like,” I snapped. “But you don’t see me going around kidnapping people or helping crazy witches.” I realized we were standing mere inches apart and jerked back. “Why are you here?” I asked angrily.
He followed me each time I tried to put space between us until my back bumped the wall. Macgrath leaned over me, placing his palm on the wall above my head, looming over me. “Because I can’t stay away from you,” he answered. He looked as angry about it as I felt. “There is something between us, Ava, a connection. I know you feel it even though you pretend not to.”
“I don’t,” I denied. “And what you’re doing is called stalking.”
“You don’t feel anything for me?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” I shot back. “Though most of the words used to describe my feelings shouldn’t be used in mixed company.”
“That’s not why your heart beats faster. Or why your scent changes. You want me, even though you hate it.”
His body drew closer and I could feel that connection he mentioned as it flared between us. I wanted to touch him and have him touch me, but I resisted.
“I don’t,’ I denied again.
“I’ll prove it,” he said and somehow it sounded like a threat.
Before I could tell him to back off, his head lowered and he kissed me. His mouth was rough and demanding. And delicious.
I made a noise in the back of my throat as I let Macgrath take my weight. Immediately, his arms circled me, dragging me closer to his hard body. When his tongue slid between my lips, I stopped trying to resist and clutched at his waist. His torso was hot and unforgiving as he pressed my back against the wall.
When his palms skimmed over my shoulders and down to my breasts, I moaned, arching against him. My tongue danced with his until it brushed his sharp fang. The slight sting brought me back to my senses and I twisted my head away.
“Stop,” I panted. “Macgrath.”
When I said his name, he rested his forehead against my shoulder as he struggled to control himself. After a few long moments, he stepped back and slowly removed his hands from my body.
I pressed my palms against the wall, using it to hold myself up when my legs were too weak.
Macgrath and I stared at each other in silence. My chest moved quickly as I struggled to slow my breathing and I could see the brilliant gleam of his eyes in the shadows of the storeroom.
“I’ll see you soon,” he whispered as he disappeared in the darkness, the glow of his eyes fading away.
I shivered at the rough sound of his voice.
Because I knew that his words were a promise.
The End
The Blood & Bone series will continue with Ava and Macgrath’s story in Fall 2017.
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About C.C.
Born and raised in Texas, C.C. Wood writes saucy paranormal and contemporary romances featuring strong, sassy women and the men that love them. If you ever meet C.C. in person, keep in mind that many of her characters are based on people she knows, so anything you say or do is likely to end up in a book one day.
A self-professed hermit, C.C. loves to stay home, where she reads, writes, cooks, and watches TV. She can usually be found drinking coffee or wine as she spends time with her hubby, daughter, and two beagles.
Titles by C.C. Wood
Novellas:
Girl Next Door Series:
Friends with Benefits
Frenemies
Drive Me Crazy
Girl Next Door – The Complete Series
Kiss Series:
A Kiss for Christmas
Kiss Me
Novels:
Seasons of Sorrow
NSFW Series:
In Love With Lucy
Earning Yancy
Tempting Tanya
Westfall Brothers Series:
Texas with a Twist
Wicked Games Series:
All or Nothing
Paranormal Romance:
Bitten Series:
Bite Me
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Bewitched, Bothered, and Bitten
One Little Bite
Love Bites
Bite the Bullet
Blood & Bone Series (Bitten spin-off)
Blood & Bone
Souls Unchained
Destined by Blood
Cozy Paranormal:
The Wraith Files:
Don’t Wake the Dead
The Dead Come Calling
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