by Celia Kyle
Table of Contents
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
About the Author
Making Him Purr
Celia Kyle
Published: March 2012
Published by Summerhouse Publishing. Copyright, Celia Kyle. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.
Summerhouse Publishing
http://summerhousepublishing.com
Email
[email protected]
Cover Artist
Celia Kyle
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Chapter One
I can do this, right? Right. It’s one night. Look out world, Lisa Bradenton is breaking out. Boom! There, the shell of her former self was gone and in its place was a vivacious bombshell just waiting to get it on with a hunky guy. For one night only.
Her hands, unfortunately, weren’t on the same page as her thoughts. They were sweating and clammy, and absolutely refused to release the steering wheel of her car as if they had a mind of their own. This had seemed like a good idea as she got dressed for the evening. Now, after she’d made the hour-long journey, here she sat having doubts.
"Break out of your shell!” they’d said. "Live a little!”
"The only way you’ll get over him is to have a quick, no-strings-attached fuck. And Cole? Cole knows how to hook ya up with someone who will rock your world. Guar-an-teed.” That had been Rochelle. But what sealed the deal were three little words: We dare you. Lisa had agreed her friends were right about needing to live it up a little. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, off they went, planning her little night out all the way down to her pink silk panties. Gah! She was a heifer! What did she need with silk panties? It didn’t matter; her friends had decided she’d be wearing the skimpy panties so that’s what she wore.
The one thing she needed to help her get over her ex was a roll in the hay with a hottie. Then her ex would be out of her system and she could move on. The only problem with the plan was that she’d never been a one-night-stand kind of girl. Like, ever.
Her first and only lover had been her ex, Mick. Or, Mick-the-dick as Rochelle called him. Rochelle always did have a way with words, and her assessment of Lisa’s ex had been spot on. Mick was a dick. Lisa also found out, after a recent and rather enlightening conversation with Ro, that not only was he a dick, he had a small one to boot!
How was she to know? She’d never been with another lover and never even peeked at Playgirl. Until she’d had enough of Mick’s cheating, she’d never even thought of being with another man. Now, six months after their break-up, she was sitting outside Trasola, psyching herself up to go inside and pick up a one-night-stand.
Lisa’s cell phone rang and she dug through her purse, searching for the ringing offender. “Hello?”
“Get out of the car.” Rochelle.
“How do you know I’m still in the car? I could be freaking a hunky man right now for all you know.”
Rochelle snorted into the phone. “Baby, if you were fucking a hunky man, you sure as hell wouldn’t be answering the phone. Besides, I know you remember? I know that you’re sitting in your car, psyching yourself up to go in there. So, go already! You look hot! What’s the problem?”
The problem? Ro wanted to know the problem? Well, she’d never done anything like this before, for one. And two, she’d only ever had sex with Mick. He obviously wasn’t happy with her performance since he cheated on her. What if she sucked at it?
“Why couldn’t you guys come with me? I can wait here while you drive over.”
“No. This is about you getting a grip on your life and what you want. This is not about hiding behind the group. Mick pushed you into the shadows with his insults and controlling behavior. We’re pushing you back out. Get. Out. Of. The. Car. Go and find some one-time lover that thinks you’re the hottest thing on two legs and get the Dick out of your head, once and for all. Cole knows you’re coming in tonight and promises to keep an eye on you so you don’t end up with a freak that’s too freaky. Get going!”
Good Lord, the owner of the bar knew she was coming in and looking for loving.
Could she be any more embarrassed?
Rochelle was right. Crude, but right none the less. Plus, it made her feel a little better that the owner of the bar, Cole, was a friend of Ro’s and he’d make sure she didn’t end up with a total nut-job. Sighing, she let her head drop back to the headrest and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled it slowly through her mouth before responding to her friend. “You’re right. I’m doing it. I’ll call you guys in the morning.”
“You go girl!”
Laughing, she clicked the phone shut and put it back in her purse, double-checking to make sure she had the essentials: lipstick, keys, and condoms. Lisa scrambled from the car before she had a chance to second-guess herself, again.
Walking became a new experience for her in Rochelle’s four-inch stilettos, but tonight was about busting out of her old rut. Cute sandals were out, and sexy freak me pumps were in.
The shoes and the clothes had all been chosen and forced onto her by her friends.
There was no way she’d have ever gone out in such a tight fitting, short ensemble otherwise.
Lisa had curves. No, not just curves, her curves had curves. Every minute Lisa spent wrapped in Rochelle’s mostly spandex and flowing chiffon clothing she felt like she’d pop a stitch. But the girls had assured her that she looked hawt. Of course, they said it in their best Paris Hilton voice.
Tugging at her skirt as she approached the door, she took a deep breath and stepped into the bar. Looking around she was relieved to see that the interior looked like any other bar. Unless you knew the type of people, human and not, who frequented Trasola, you’d never know it catered primarily to creatures that went bump in the night. She just hoped they’d want to bump her. With the typical high-top tables, bar and pool table in the back, Lisa felt like she was breaking down her barriers in a place that felt like home.
Lisa hadn’t believed Rochelle when she told her about Cole, his troubled past and Trasola, at first, but her friend had shown her a bit of proof in the form of two tiny puncture marks on her neck. Yep. Cole the owner? Vamp all the way. When Ro had told Lisa of her plan to get Lisa out of her rut, she’d agreed, with one condition; she would not do a blood sucker. Blood freaked her out. Ro simply laughed and told her not to worry. Ro didn’t have designs on Cole, but she’d heard that his heart belonged to someone. Cole was a single woman’s walking, talking little black book, but he wasn’t on the market. He’d take a sip of blood if a lady offered, but that’s
as far as any woman had gotten, no matter how hard they tried. And Ro had tried. Never the less, Ro was sure he could find someone to sooth Lisa’s urges.
Pressing a hand to her chest, she begged her heart to slow as she approached the bar. Being that it was only eight o’clock, she wasn’t surprised to see the place fairly empty. A few families lingered at some booths (she tried to ignore the child with the snake-like tongue). While a few groups of people around her age were sprinkled throughout the room, the bar itself only had a couple people sitting at it, nursing their drinks.
Intent on looking around the room, she didn’t notice the man next to her until he whispered in her ear. “Lisa?”
Whipping her head around, she gasped. The man’s face was inches from hers and she stared into a pair of dark blue eyes. So dark, they almost looked black. “What? How do you…”
Laughing, he took a step back and she was thankful for the space. He was too big, too much, just too everything. “I’m Cole and I’d recognize Ro’s clothes anywhere.” He winked at her.
He wrapped his fingers around hers, tugging her toward the bar. Warmth surrounded her hand. Odd, because she thought vamps were cold, but she supposed blood had to flow through him somehow since vamps were supposed to able to have sex. Why couldn’t he be warm?
Cole even went so far as to pull a stool back for her and held it as she sat. Such gentlemanly behavior. Lisa hoped he wasn’t trying to get anywhere with her. She wasn’t about to be another notch on his fangs, that was for sure.
Once she’d settled on the chair, he turned his attention to the bartender. “What do you think of our gal here, Jonathan?” Cole asked the man behind the bar.
Lisa hadn’t even noticed the other man approach, but she turned her head and met his gaze. Tall, as tall as Cole, and he had the most beautiful brown… No, not brown, his eyes were the color of golden sunlight with hints of brown throughout. She couldn’t look away, even if she wanted to. But did she want to? No, she didn’t. She was staring, but that was the point of tonight, wasn’t it?
Tonight was about stepping out of her comfort zone and doing things she’d never dreamed of. Staring at a stranger, entranced by his rugged good looks and golden eyes was not something Lisa would normally do. Which was exactly why she let herself continue to stare at the man. A blush was creeping up from her cleavage. She could feel the blood rushing up her abdomen and heating her skin as it moved from her breasts, up her chest, and neck.
Feeling the heat reach for her face, she tore her eyes away and stared at the napkin he’d placed in front of her. She’d held his gaze for as long as she could, but it was something new to her. She and Mick had been together for so long that she’d never really flirted or tried to get a guy’s attention. Hell, until she left Mick, she’d never really even noticed other guys. A girl shouldn’t have her eyes on other men if she’s in a committed relationship. Too bad that rule hadn’t applied to Mick as well.
“I’m not sure, Cole.” The bartender’s silky voice caressed her neck, down her spine and settled in her lower back before wrapping her body in its warmth. “I’m thinking she’s a silk panties kind of girl.”
Lisa snapped her head up, staring at Jonathan, sheer panic thrumming through her veins. Damn, was Jonathan psychic or something? Could he read her thoughts?
She’d heard about the different paranormals who frequented Trasola, but…
“Silk panties?” Cole asked, “I don’t know. Let’s ask the lady. Lisa, are you a silk panties kind of girl or would you prefer a slow screw, maybe even a screaming orgasm?”
What? Yes, please. All of the above.
Lisa looked between the two men, shifting from one to the other and back again before settling on questioning Cole. Jonathan was just too good looking and too much to take in at the moment. “What are you talking about?” She almost asked him how he knew what she was wearing beneath the skirt which felt entirely too tight, but refrained. She knew Cole may have had an inkling as to the reason of her presence tonight, but she would have thought he would have been a bit more circumspect.
Cole propped his chin on his palm, leaning against the bar. He looked nothing like the big bad vamp who’d survived being turned in the middle of a war zone in Afghanistan. “Well, we take a bit of peach schnapps and add a good bit of vodka. The drink comes out looking like the palest pink silk panties you’ve ever seen and goes down like a dream. As to the others, those are drinks, doll face, but I really think the silk panties is the ticket for you. It’s usually in a shot glass, but I think you’re more of an ‘on the rocks’ kind of girl.”
“Sound like something you’re interested in?” Jonathan asked, drawing her attention back to him and his intriguing eyes. They didn’t look like any color she’d seen before, and she wondered if he was as human as he appeared.
“Perfect.”
“Yes, baby, you are.” With a wink, he turned his back on her and grabbed a couple of bottles and began making her drink. When he was facing her, she didn’t get a good look at his face other than chiseled lines and a set of eyes that made her knees weak. Now, she got a chance to take in him in from the back. And what a backside it was. Round and firm, worn jeans hugged his ass and muscular thighs. His back was broad and the muscles rippled as his arms poured her drink over ice before pouring the mixture into a shot glass. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to reveal the tanned expanse of his forearms.
Sighing, she placed her elbows on the bar and propped her chin on her entwined fingers. Maybe she could seduce him. Going home with the bartender was a bit cliché, but she didn’t care at this point. He looked yummy in all the right places and she was hungry.
He turned around, her drink in hand and she saw his eyes widen as he placed her drink on the napkin. Damn, now that he’d gotten a good look at her, she didn’t have a chance. She knew she shouldn’t have listened to Ro about her outfit tonight. A red, plunge neck halter-top was just not her. In the top and skirt combined with the shoes, Lisa felt like a fraud. A very well-rounded fraud. Rochelle told her men liked big breasts. Sure they did, but not when they came with a big ass to match.
She flashed the bartender a smile of thanks and placed her purse on the bar, searching for her credit card. Too bad a guy hadn’t shown up to buy her a drink. Who was she kidding? That wasn’t going to happen, she should just end the night before she got too depressed to drive home and eat a box of cookies.
A warm, callused hand closed over hers as she dug through her purse. Who thought that a credit card could get lost in something so small? Her eyes met the bartender’s.
“It’s on the house, baby. Unless your boyfriend will get upset if I give you a drink.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have a boyfriend, but won’t Cole…” She looked around, the owner of Trasola seemed to have disappeared.
“Nope, he’s a good boss and trusts us when it comes to this kind of stuff.” He paused and seemed to assess her. “Girlfriend?”
She laughed out loud. “No, no girlfriend.”
He leaned forward, those bulging forearms resting against the other side of the bar. “Good. So I won’t have someone dying to beat the crap out of me or claw my eyes out for flirting with you.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, “No, but the word ‘baby’ seems to flow pretty easily, along with the flirting. Am I going to get into a cat fight because you’re flirting with me?”
“Nope.” He shook his head, eyes locked with hers, “I’m a one woman flirt.” He flashed her a bright smile. Did he have exceptionally long canines?
“Hey Jonathan!” A guy yelled from the other side of the room. He stood behind the other bar that spanned the longest wall of the room. He raised a hand to the guy before returning his attention to her.
“Excuse me for a moment. Don’t go anywhere.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” She smiled. The first genuine smile since her relationship with Mick ended. Lisa admired his backside as the muscles moved and flexed beneath his pants when he walk
ed away. Maybe he was a good prospect for her man of the evening after all.
Chapter Two
Jonathan stayed near her the whole night. He sure as hell wasn’t about to let some other guy slide in and steal her away. He’d spotted her the moment she walked through the entrance and his heart stopped. Then it beat out a near painful staccato rhythm inside his chest. If he hadn’t been in the middle of mixing a drink he would have rubbed his chest where his heart threatened to burst through.
The woman was five and a half feet of lickable, kissable, and fuckable curves from head to toe. Her breasts nearly spilled from her too tight red top and her skirt barely covered her abundant ass. Though the short skirt did give him a wonderful view of her trim legs, his beast wanted to cover the woman in a blanket. He took a moment to pour the drink he’d been mixing and cash the customer out. When he looked towards the doorway again, she was standing near the end of the bar, eyes searching the room.
What was she looking for? Was she waiting on someone?
When Cole sidled up to her, he had to tamp down the warning growl growing in his chest. Cole owned the bar, let other paranormals work there and gave everyone a chance no matter their past. He couldn’t blow his job for a woman.
If only she wasn’t so appealing. His beast tore at him, telling him to challenge Cole for even getting near her, but he reared the errant animal in. Last thing he needed to do was go toe to toe with a vamp. Especially one like Cole. Sure, the guy could be fun and was a fair boss, but there were times that his past caught up to him and he was downright dangerous to be around.
Jonathan made small talk and gave her a drink on the house. They at least managed to talk long enough for him to find out she wasn’t with anyone. Score one for him! He wanted to slug Chris when he called him to the other side of the room, but being the manager on duty had its disadvantages. He finished his business with Chris and made his way back to his lady.
By the time he’d made it back to her, he found her sucking ice cubes and he shot the other bartender a disgruntled look. There was no reason a customer should be sucking cubes. Even if he hadn’t been around to comp her drink, she’d been willing to buy her own earlier. Why hadn’t Alicia helped her? Shaking his head at the other woman, he turned his attention to the sexy lady at the bar.
