by Vivi Anna, Sylvia Day, Delilah Devlin, Cathryn Fox, Myla Jackson, Lisa Renee Jones
Four
Pain ripped through him from the point of penetration to every nerve in his body. Self-preservation instincts kicked in and he grasped her arms to shove her off. Before he could, the pain fell away like so much chaff in the breeze, replaced by tingling warmth. Sensuous heat spread through his body.
Fear fluttered through his belly. For the past weeks, he’d been fighting vampires on the streets of Houston. They were evil, treacherous monsters. Now he’d given his throat to one of them.
No. Cassidy was his girl. His neighbor, human in every way except the teeth penetrating his jugular. What had he been thinking? Was her plea of blood a trick? Would she kill him and have the last laugh on the gullible cop?
Cassidy’s hand skimmed down his back to his buttocks, cupping it firmly and pressing him into her pelvis.
His cock jerked to life and swelled beneath his trousers.
Thoughts jumbled in his head as the waves of desire clouded his brain and forged their way to his lower extremities, igniting his senses into a frenzy of lust and a need so commanding he couldn’t deny.
The hands he’d gripped her with smoothed down her arms, sliding over moist droplets of rain. Lower still, they traveled to the hem of her dress, lifting it up over her hips.
A loud thump sounded from outside the house, but it barely registered in TJ’s head. He couldn’t think beyond driving his engorged penis into this incredible woman.
The harder and faster the better. But he was limited to how far he could move without breaking her hold on his neck. Intense waves of pleasure surged from the point her mouth touched him, and he was incapable of turning her away.
With her dress bunched up around her waist, he tore at her panties, pushing the scrap of lace and elastic over her hips and down her thighs.
Cassidy moaned and pressed her furry mound against his pants, fumbling to unbuckle his belt with one hand. Her haste only cost more time.
Shoving her hands away, TJ grabbed for the belt, unbuckled and ripped it from his belt loops.
“Show-off,” she said into his neck, her lips brushing against his skin like feathers of a boa.
“I take it you’re feeling better?” His fingers worked loose the top button of his uniform trousers.
“Ummmm, you’ve no idea.” Before he could unzip his pants, her hands were there, sliding beneath the waistband, pressing the zipper down at the same time her fingers slid into his briefs.
“I think I do.” All the air left his lungs when her hand rolled his balls between her fingers. “Oh, yes. I think I do.”
He lifted her legs around him and carried her down the hall into his bedroom. Setting her ass onto the edge of the bed, he eased her back until he lay over her, his chest pressing against hers, the fabric of his shirt and her dress unwanted layers between their skin.
Her legs fell open and TJ pressed his cock against her creamy opening, fighting the urge to slam his way home and fuck her like there would be no tomorrow. And the way the storm raged outside, there might not be a tomorrow for the two of them.
Yet, he held back, knowing how much more satisfying it would be to see her come, to witness her screaming out his name, begging him to take her.
Insinuating his hand between them, he parted her folds and flicked her swollen clitoris.
Cassidy bucked beneath him, her teeth sinking deeper into his neck, inspiring bittersweet rivulets of pain to trickle across his nerves. “Easy, now.”
Her jaw loosened and her tongue shot out to lave his skin.
As the pain subsided, his fingers slid lower and dipped into her cunt, stroking the inner walls with first one, then two fingers until he had all four fingers shoved in as deep as they would go.
Another moan vibrated against his neck and her legs rose up around him.
Before she could lock them around his middle, he put out a hand halting her progress. “Un-uh. Not yet.”
A mewl of protest gurgled from her throat as she released his throat and licked his blood from her lips.
For all the nights of fighting bad vamps, TJ wondered why seeing a tongue lap at the deep red blood didn’t repulse him.
Her heels braced on the edge of the bed, she pushed upward, ramming his hand farther into her.
With his other hand, he cupped her ass and slid a finger down the crease between her cheeks until he found her anus. He dragged her juices downward circling the tight little hole, coating it before he poked in.
Cassidy’s fingers raked across his back and kneaded the muscles along the base of his spine. Her strength had returned and she was ready.
A vague thrill of satisfaction filled him knowing he was the one to provide her sustenance. His penis throbbed, demanding release, aching for the smooth, slick walls of her vagina wrapped around him.
“Scoot back,” he urged, lifting her to shift her farther onto the mattress.
She inched backward until she lay across the middle of the bed.
The brief loss of connection left TJ breathless and off balance, until Cassidy looked up at him, her hooded gaze beckoning him. She spread her legs wide and ran a hand down over her mons, swirling a finger across the opening to her pussy, coating it with a thick sheen of come. With his blood still staining her lips bright red, she said, “Fuck me.”
Unable to resist, and completely mindless of the consequences, TJ climbed between her thighs, and poised his cock at the mouth of her glistening core.
Her legs snaked up and around his waist and slammed him into her at the same time she reclaimed his neck.
A euphoric haze blinded him but for the woman writhing beneath him. TJ rammed into her, lifting her hips to drive deeper until her teeth clamped tight over his throat and her body went rigid.
Blood pounded against his eardrums like a freight train, roaring through his head like a raging storm. His own body peaked and spiraled into a mind-blowing kaleidoscope of exploding sensations. With his cock sheathed to the hilt, he froze, letting his orgasm wash over him until he lay limp against her body.
Sometime afterward, he could feel her teeth retract, slipping free of his skin. Her tongue swept over the wounds, gently laving the punctures, the gesture strangely soothing.
“Wow,” he said, nuzzling her ear as he lay on the bed next to her, turning her to face him without breaking their intimate connection.
“Wow,” she echoed, a smile curving her lips as she lay with her eyelids at half-mast.
“If I’d known making love with a vampire was so great, I’d have done it much sooner.”
Her brow furrowed and she slapped at his arm. “And here I thought you actually liked me for who I am, not what I am.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest. “More than you can imagine. I thought you never wanted to see me again.”
Snuggling closer, she unbuttoned his shirt and pressed her cheek to his naked chest. “I wanted to come to you so badly. But I didn’t know how you’d react to my…er…condition.”
He nipped at her ear. “I can see where your…condition could be an advantage.” He pushed his still stiff cock deeper.
“But what about your job, your life?”
Tugging gently, he inched her dress up and over her head. He loved seeing all of her body and it was even more beautiful with her appetite satiated, her skin pink and healthy. “I definitely have some rethinking to do on this whole vampire thing.” His stomach flipped at what his supervisor would say if he knew TJ had slept with the enemy.
She reached up and traced a finger across his lip. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to see me anymore.”
Not see her? This was Cassidy, not a mindless, heartless beast. Had he been wrong all along about vampires?
“Not all vampires are bad,” she said, as if reading his thoughts. “Just like not all humans are good.”
“True. As it is, I like working nights, and I can’t imagine spending my life with a mere mortal after having you.” He rocked his hips, his cock swelling within her channel.<
br />
“I can never have children,” she said, sliding her arms out of her bra.
He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder and took one rosy-tipped breast between his teeth. “Kids are overrated.”
“I’ll never die. Unless I stand out in the sun too long or someone stakes me.”
“I’ll make sure you stay away from sharp objects. And maybe someday I’ll join you.”
“Would you do that for me?” Her fingers laced around his neck, pulling him down to her lips.
Would he? He stared down at Cassidy, her dark hair fanned across his pillow and couldn’t think of another face he’d rather see there, human or not. “We’ll take it a day at a time and see what tomorrow brings.” Then he kissed her.
Outside, the raging storm spent itself and eased into a gentle, cleansing rain.
MYLA JACKSON is an award–winning, multi-published author of highly sensuous romances. Ever since she and her sister, Delilah Devlin, challenged each other to write romance, neither one has looked back. From kick-ass action/adventure to character-driven stories, she takes her readers on wild and sexy rides, garnering fabulous reviews and rabid fans. Myla atributes her success to her sense of adventure, a love of fast-paced fantasies, and the synergy she and Delilah generate as brainstorming partners.
Tempting Grace
Sasha White
To my Allure Sisters,
for their patience, support, and friendship.
You Rock, Ladies!
One
For the first time in over a year Grace Walters didn’t want to go home. She didn’t want to walk up the brick path and look at the pretty flower bed she’d planted just last week. She didn’t want to open the door to the small two-bedroom cottage-style house that she’d bought thirteen months earlier. The one and only place she’d let herself call home since she was fourteen and decided that she was better off on the streets than in a house where no one cared.
She didn’t want to go home, because she knew she’d see that small pile of clothes on the dryer that belonged to Chelsea, and then she’d have to accept that Chelsea hadn’t felt at home there. That no matter what Grace had done, Chelsea had still gone back to the street, and this time, it had killed her.
Grace didn’t want to remember. She didn’t want to think.
“Why don’t you get them both?”
She started when a deep voice broke through the thick fog coating her mind. “What?” She turned and found Lukas Martin behind her, less than a foot away. How had he gotten so close without her even noticing? Her instincts for self-preservation had always served her well before.
“You seem to be having a hard time deciding between ice cream flavors, why not treat yourself and get both?” Lukas said with a smile. A pale eyebrow arched and a playful gleam lit up his chocolate eyes as he leaned even closer. “But if you want a real treat you should let me cook you dinner.”
Grace started to say no, like she had so many times in the past month when he’d asked her out. But this time, the refusal stuck in her throat.
As if he sensed her weakness, he stepped forward, the playful gleam fading as his gaze took on a more intense heat. “Grace?”
Need blossomed from deep within. One she’d thought was long buried. She swept her gaze over his leanly muscled six-foot frame, and the energizing tingle of sensual awareness she always felt whenever Luke entered a room zipped through her. Grace knew intuitively that he could satisfy that need.
It was a bad idea. Her head knew that, but her heart, her aching heart needed to feel something other than the pain of failure, and there was one thing she’d always been good at. One thing she’d always succeeded at…and she was too tired to deny the pull that Lukas’ eager-to-please attentions awoke within her. “One night,” she whispered.
“One night?”
“One night. You and me. No dinner, and no promises.” She met his gaze and let him see the need she felt rising from deep within. “Tonight.”
Shock whipped through Lukas. She’d said yes! Adrenaline filled his veins and he fought the urge to shout out. Finally, after so many rejections, Grace had said yes.
His elation faded as her words sunk in. One night.
No dinner.
She hadn’t said yes to a date. She wanted a one-night stand.
Disappointment flooded him and he started to shake his head—then he took a better look at her.
“Grace, what’s wrong?” Her normally bright green eyes were dark and dull, the skin around them pinched and drawn. “Are you okay?”
She looked at the hand he’d placed on her shoulder, her head turning slowly, as if it took a lot of effort.
“I’m not hurt, Lukas.” She looked up at him from beneath those long sweeping eyelashes and his pulse jumped at the raw need there. She stepped closer and placed a small hand on his chest. “I just need to feel something. I need you tonight.”
There was no way in hell he was going to turn her down.
They left the grocery store quickly and quietly, neither of them buying a thing. Grace was amazingly passive as he led her out to the car and got her settled in the passenger seat. He’d never seen her so…dim before. As if the light from within had gone out.
The drive to her place was silent. Lukas wanted to talk to her, to ask her what had happened. What had made her change her mind about him, finally? But he wasn’t sure that was the smart thing to do.
He’d never been attracted to tough girls before, and when his father had told him Grace’s story it never occurred to him he’d be interested in her. But when he met the ex-stripper, he’d fallen hard and fast. The vibrancy of her personality softened the hard edges he knew she’d developed in her youth, and her love for the troubled kids she worked with was obvious to anyone with eyes.
The vibrancy was gone right now though. And so was the hardness. As a defense attorney he worked with all types of people and saw all sorts of things, and it almost seemed like Grace was in shock. If she wasn’t technically in shock, she was certainly close. Making her talk about whatever set her off wasn’t the smart thing to do.
And taking advantage of her vulnerability by sleeping with her wasn’t the right thing to do.
He’d been enthralled by Grace ever since he met her. Her personality, her background, her attitude…the whole package had hooked him from day one. Not to mention she was the first woman he’d met that had made his cock stand at attention just by being near.
Lukas wasn’t a fan of one-night stands. In fact, he wasn’t even sure what the big attraction to sex in general was. It was nice, but it never made him feel the way he thought it should. So in the five minutes it took to get to her place, he made a decision. As much as he wanted Grace in his life, he wasn’t going to change his ways.
Grace unlocked the door and entered her small house. She didn’t look around, she didn’t want to see what was there. Instead, she stepped inside, waited for Lukas to enter, then closed the door behind him. “Follow me,” she said.
“Grace,” he spoke softly as he followed her down the small corridor to her bedroom. “I don’t think this is—”
She spun around just inside the entrance to her bedroom, stopping him cold. “Then don’t think.” She stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed the full length of her body against him. “Just feel.”
Two
He tasted good.
Grace swept her tongue across his full bottom lip before delving deep into Luke’s mouth, enjoying his smooth clean flavor. His hands circled her waist, and for a minute she thought he was going to push her away. Then his grip on her tightened, pulling her closer. The hardness of his muscles against her had heat thrumming through her body, attacking the cold knot of failure that had settled deep in her chest hours ago.
She pulled back, twisted her hands in the front of his shirt, and stepped backward, pulling him into her room. His warm hands covered hers, and he tried to pull them away gently. “Grace.” He shook his head at her. “This isn’t righ
t. It isn’t what I want.”
“It’s what I want.” She looked into his eyes as she walked. When the edge of the bed hit the back of her knees, she stopped. “I need to feel something warm, Lukas. I need you.”
She pressed against him, kissing her way up to his ear. She nipped at his earlobe and ran her tongue gently around the rim. “This is what I want. What I need.”
He pulled back slightly, and the emptiness inside her spread. She thought he was going to walk away. Their gazes locked and she knew the minute he gave in. His eyes darkened, softening as he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.
He was smooth and gentle when she wanted hot and hard. His tongue slipped between her lips, searching out her secrets and soothing her soul. His touch, his feel, his flavor was so much…more than she’d anticipated. A shiver danced down her spine and for a brief second she wondered if she’d made a mistake.
Then she stopped thinking.
A sigh of satisfaction welled up within her, and she reveled in the warmth his touch imbued. It seeped into her body, into her soul, reminding her just how good human contact could feel.
She wrapped her arms around him and fell back onto the bed, pulling him down on top of her. She’d thought she needed to dominate him; to tease and please him until he begged her to let him come, until she regained some sense of control. But really, what she’d needed instead was to remember what it was to feel. Wanting more of his warmth, she tugged his t-shirt free and reached beneath it to find hot smooth skin that shifted beneath her fingertips with every touch. Lukas nudged her chin, and she tilted her head, moaning at the fire that burned along her skin when he trailed nibbling kisses down her neck to her collarbone.
He was taking things too slow, teasing her when she didn’t want teasing. She wanted more, fast. She braced her heels on the bed, and with a heave and a twist had him right where she wanted. On his back and between her legs.
