by Gwen Knight
“Have you been awake very long?” he asked.
“Only an hour or so. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sleep in the daylight, but those windows…”
“Smart glass,” he informed me. “By now I’m sure you’ve noticed the many skylights and windows adorning the house.”
I chuckled under my breath. “I’ve noticed. You have a lot of windows for someone with a severe allergy to sunlight.”
Even he smiled. “The glass is tempered and controlled by a sensor. As the sun rises, the glass darkens. Much like tinted windows in a vehicle. We have shades if needed as well, for those particularly bright days that might reduce a vampire to ash. Some vampires can walk under the sun. Day walkers, we call them. I, however, am not one of them. So smart glass it is.”
“Clever.”
“I’m glad you approve. Now, I believe we have some business to attend to.”
Ah, the true reason he’d ventured out onto the balcony. Dusting my hands off against my legs, I grabbed my bowl and pushed to my feet. Time to sign the contract and put in motion what I’d dubbed Operation Coffin Bait.
I re-entered the house to find Ms. Doyle standing next to the nearest chair, her hand extended toward me. “If you’d please, Ms. Winter.”
Blinking, I glanced between her and Ethen.
“The bowl,” he confirmed.
“Ah. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize,” he commented before starting down the hallway.
“Oh, and thank you for stocking the upstairs kitchen with food,” I murmured to Ms. Doyle as I skirted past her.
“Of course, dear.”
Ethen took the next right into his office. I paused at the door and studied the interior, unsurprised to find it comprised of the same cherry wood as the rest of the house.
“Come in.”
I did as he asked, then eased into the high-backed chair across from his desk.
“Madam da Silva sent over the contract this afternoon.”
Though I’d expected her to do exactly that, my heart skipped a beat.
Ethen glanced up from the papers with an arched brow. “Is something the matter?”
I shook my head, unsure how to calm my nerves. He didn’t realize what exactly this meant to me, and, right now, I wasn’t sure if he needed to know. His reaction to the news that my blood was untasted made me wary regarding my sexual inexperience.
“Would you like to read it over before I sign it?”
“Do I need to sign it?” I asked.
“Yes. You’re employed by the company. Therefore, Madam da Silva does the negotiating on your behalf, but you are still required to sign. So, I would prefer if you read it over. If anything feels unseemly to you, I will request a modification before signing.”
“You…you would do that for me?”
“This is as much your contract as it is mine.”
Speechless, I leaned forward and accepted the proffered pages. Then I settled back into the chair and started to read.
“You may read anywhere else,” Ethen commented after a few moments.
I almost smiled, completely aware of the unease in his voice. Clearly, his office was his own personal space. I recognized the dismissal but chose not to acquiesce. Instead, I crossed one leg over the other and faked a look of concentration. “I’m good.”
“You mean to remain in here, then?”
This time, a grin did cross my face before I parroted back a version of his words from last night. “It isn’t often I get the chance to read a contract in Ethen Rune’s office.”
His silence was a touch uncomfortable before he laughed under his breath and shook his head. “Touché.”
I hadn’t made it a full paragraph in before my head snapped up, and I stared at him as he typed an email out on his computer. “Three nights? I thought these courtesan agreements were usually for a single night?”
“It is for the length of time bid by the client,” he responded without so much as glancing at me.
“You…bid for three nights?”
“Why do you suppose your contract was the highest grossing?”
Truth be told, I hadn’t considered it. The past few days had been non-stop excitement and drama, and none of it the right kind. “I don’t understand…”
“What’s there to understand?”
“You don’t even know me.” I stared down at the contract as though I could find some hidden meaning to the intricately typed words. “You spoke to me for five minutes, if that. But you negotiated a three-night contract?”
The chuckle that rolled off his lips was not necessarily a pleasant one. “What does speaking to one another have to do with anything?”
How quickly a few words could shut me down. As though finally understanding the weight of his implication, he lifted his head, a line of concern wrinkling his brow.
“I see,” I responded before he could backtrack. Pushing to my feet, I signed the contract, then handed it over and slipped out of the room.
His meaning had been clear enough. He hadn’t chosen me for me. To him, I was a body. Blood and sex. Nothing more.
Fine. I could accept that. It wasn’t as though he meant anything to me, after all. Merely a tool to secure the funds needed to pay off Alexei.
Quid pro quo.
***
“Winter. Open the door.”
With a sigh, I glanced up from my phone. “It’s your home,” I called back. If he wanted the door open, he could damn well do it himself.
I knew better than to let his words upset me. He was correct, after all. What did it matter if we were friends or not? Except, apparently I wanted him to like me. Not that it mattered what I wanted. The contract needed to be fulfilled regardless of my personal desires. Emotions couldn’t hold sway here. The entire gala had been brought together not only for charity but for the purpose of bidding on the courtesans. Some of the women had been lucky enough to know their clients, but I wasn’t one of them. That Ethen had chosen me even though he never bid on a courtesan meant little, or so I kept telling myself.
The door swung open and on the other side stood Ethen himself, a perfect blend of man and beast. He leaned against the frame and dragged a hand through his hair. “Please accept my apology. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
I offered a blithe shrug, reminding myself that it didn’t truly matter what he thought. “You weren’t wrong.”
“Perhaps not, but it was hardly polite to point it out.”
A tiny smile tugged at my lips. We’d met less than twenty-four hours ago, and although I knew very little about him, I had learned a few interesting tidbits. Namely, that manners and appearance meant a great deal to him, not to mention he was an entirely different creature in his home versus public. And most importantly, it seemed he wasn’t the monster my family had painted all vampires. I wasn’t so naïve as to believe there weren’t any out there in the real world…I simply knew Ethen was not one of them.
“So…” Brushing my hair over my shoulder, I turned that smile toward him, determined to put aside my feelings and get the deed done with. “Three nights, hey? Sure you can put up with me for that long?”
“Your presence has been far from arduous,” he commented. “I’m convinced we’ll survive our time together.”
Coming from Ethen, I took that as a compliment. I knew we’d survive our time together—the question was whether or not I’d survive the afterward. If Tessa’s situation had taught me one thing, it was to not, under any circumstances, fall for a vampire. I knew it would be a cold day in hell before I ever fell in love with a vampire, but it had me wondering…how did a girl not develop an emotional attachment to someone she was intimate with? I rubbed the crease in my brow, utterly discomfited by the question.
“Are you all right?”
Maybe I needed to be upfront with him about this. His reaction last night suggested otherwise, but perhaps in this instance, it was best to be honest with him. Chewing my bottom lip, I glanced up at him and considered
my options. So far Ethen had been nothing but kind to me. Perhaps I owed him the same courtesy.
My mind decided, I forced myself to swallow. “You already figured out that I’m a novice at all this…”
He nodded.
“The thing is…I’m not just a novice at being a courtesan.”
“What exactly does that mean?”
Holy crickets, this was embarrassing to admit. It wasn’t as though I could explain to him the reasons either. Mentioning my family seemed unwise. “I’m…well, I’m not a virgin per se…but I’ve only ever been with one…well, just the one…before this.”
Surely he caught my drift? How the hell did you tell a vampire you’d only had one sexual partner before him without explicitly speaking the words? I met his gaze and silently pleaded for him to understand.
His eyes grew wide and his mouth parted. “I see.”
Relief rounded my shoulders. “I felt you should know, in case this affects the contract. I’m hardly a skilled courtesan, and…” My words drifted off into silence.
He pushed away from the doorframe and entered the room. This was it. The moment of truth.
“And what?” he asked in a gruff voice.
He offered me his hand. Nibbling my bottom lip, I paused and stared at his palm as though it might bite me. “Are you asking me to leave?”
A chuckle rumbled from his lips. “No, Winter. I’m not asking you to leave.”
Relieved, I took his hand and rose unsteadily to my feet. “Then…you want me to stay?”
He curled a finger beneath my chin and guided my head up until our gazes met. “Very much.”
Delight uncurled in the pit of my stomach. His fingers brushed across my jaw before threading through my hair. My eyes fluttered shut as the softest breath escaped my mouth. I’d run my hands through my hair countless times before, but it’d never felt like this. With a contented sound, I leaned into his touch, savoring every shiver that puckered my skin.
“I don’t have enough clothes for three days,” I whispered.
“That won’t be a problem. I don’t foresee a need for clothing anytime soon.”
Part of me wanted to scoff at his confidence, and maybe I would have had I not agreed with him. Who needed clothes anyhow?
His lips ran along my jaw until they settled against the side of my throat. “I told you the first bite should be reserved for moments of passion or tenderness.”
I nodded, speechless.
“I’d very much like to show you now,” he murmured.
Excitement rolled over me, my nipples tightening beneath my scant tank top.
“Would you like that?”
My knees buckled when his fangs scraped against my skin. Only the strength of his arms kept me upright.
“Winter?”
I nodded again, incapable of mustering a single word. Yes, I wanted that very much.
My sexual fantasies had always been fairly standard. Never had a vamp’s bite so much as tickled the radar. But there was something about Ethen. Something I couldn’t ignore. And I now wanted his teeth on me more than anything. I wanted to feel my skin give way beneath them, as he took from me something no one else ever had.
“Tell me what you want,” he said. “There will be no games between us.”
My tongue swept across my lips. “I want you to taste me.”
“Thank God,” he murmured, his desire palpable.
He eased me against the nearest wall, his knee bracketed between my legs. Not a moment later, he ran his mouth down the thin column of my neck, nibbling my skin as he went. The arms that held me trembled, his breath fluttering with every exhalation. I took comfort in his reaction, that I made him feel something.
Jagged fangs scraped my flesh. I gasped and clung to his shoulders, my own chest heaving with anticipation. Oh, God, I wanted him to do this. Such a terrifying notion, but I refused to renege. I wanted this.
His lips parted, and I felt the hot lash of his tongue against my skin.
“Ethen…”
The sound of his name affirmation enough, he bore down on me. I cried out the moment his fangs sank into the soft hollow of my throat, the sudden intrusion a mix of pain and pleasure that upended me. I cupped the back of his head and pulled him closer. My body came alive as he drank, desire claiming every inch of me, quickening my pulse, urging me to respond.
Drunk on pleasure, my hands swept down his back and cupped his firm ass through his slacks. I wanted him naked and above me, wanted to feel him moving within me as he drank. Spurred by my touch, Ethen growled against my throat and pressed harder, burying his fangs a little deeper. His grip grew insistent, as did his bite. I trusted that he wouldn’t hurt me. He’d stepped in on my behalf with Luke when others might have turned their back. Last night, he could have fed from me, but instead, he’d waited for the right moment. His every movement was calculated, I was sure, but still, I trusted he would do right by me.
His tongue skimmed my neck, laving away the blood before it could slip down my throat, his lips never breaking contact. My fingers curled into his hair as I leaned my head to the side, my mouth parted as I fought to catch my breath.
The heady surge of desire gathering in my stomach was addicting; I never wanted him to stop. I could see now how easily Tessa could have fallen prey to this.
“Ethen,” I whispered, my body alive and aching for him.
I’d been with a man before, but it hadn’t been anything like this. Nervous and self-conscious, I hadn’t allowed myself to enjoy the experience. But this… God, I wanted to tear his clothes off and pin him against the wall. The heat of his mouth, the firm scrape of his teeth, the hard press of his fingers, and it wasn’t enough by far.
Ethen clutched me tight with one arm as he took another long pull. A moan rose to my ears, one full of hunger and lust. His hand swept down my front, popped open my jeans, then slipped beneath the waist. When he found my center, I almost rejoiced. He parted me with a single stroke, then slid within, sheathing his finger in my heat. I arched against his hand, unabashed at my reaction.
I wanted more, wanted to know how it felt to have him between my legs while taking from my throat. I wanted it all. His thumb found its mark and my hips bucked against him, an indelicate moan escaping my lips.
This I had never felt before—this sensual heat that stretched throughout my body with his every touch.
My body shivered. I knew what an orgasm was, and I was hardly innocent enough to claim I’d never felt one. But I’d never experienced one at the hands of another. My stomach quivered seconds before light burst behind my eyelids. I groaned and tipped my head back against the wall, my fingers gripping Ethen’s shoulder while a series of euphoric flutters worked through me.
Still, I wanted more. I wanted to feel my body stretch around him, wanted to feel him bury himself within me. Except, Ethen chose that moment to withdraw, the pressure at my throat and groin suddenly vanishing.
Awash in the potent rush of endorphins, I swayed to the side, his hands the only thing keeping me steady on my feet. My eyes fluttered open to find Ethen staring down at me with a mix of emotions. My mouth curved into a sedated smile at the sight of his pristine mouth. Not a drop of blood stained his lips…a true gentleman.
He cleared his throat and straightened his shirt, his own chest heaving. “Forgive me. I hadn’t intended to take so much. How do you feel?”
“Just Yankee Doodle Dandy,” I chirped.
His dark brows knit together in a sympathetic frown. “Winter?”
A giggle slipped from my lips. “You should call me Amelia. No one calls me that.”
“I took too much.” A troubled sigh escaped him. “Let’s get you to bed, shall we?”
“Only if you stay with me,” I slurred.
Ethen froze, his hands rigid against my back. “I don’t think that would be wise right now.”
“Wise, schmise. My father would have a fit if he knew I was here.”
A strong arm hooked under my knee
s as another curled around my back. In one smooth motion, he swept me off my feet and carried me back toward the bed. “Is that so?”
“Mm. He doesn’t like your kind.”
“A trait that didn’t pass to you.”
Another soft giggle, then a yawn. “Maybe it did. Who’s to say?”
“If you don’t like vampires, why ever would you become a courtesan?”
“Shh. It’s a secret.”
A plush mattress gave way beneath me. Once settled in the bed, Ethen stepped back and gazed down at me. “Then you shouldn’t speak it lest you hate yourself in the morning.”
“This bed is really soft,” I mumbled. “I like it.”
“I’m glad it meets your approval.”
“You meet my approval.” I snuggled deeper in the downy pillows. “You might be a bit uptight, but you’re nothing like what my father said…”
“And what did your father say?”
“That all of you are beasts, bloodthirsty monsters…”
“Well, let’s be grateful you don’t think of me as such.”
I gave a lazy shake of my head. “Not anymore. You’re good people, Ethen.”
His deep voice chased me into my dreams. “Sleep well, sweet Amelia.”
Chapter 9
The dip of the mattress and gentle stroke of fingers through my hair woke me. My lashes fluttered open to find Ethen seated on the edge of my bed, dressed, once again, to the nines. The suit jacket molded to his broad shoulders and covered a vibrant purple shirt that set off the blue in his eyes.
“Good evening. How do you feel?”
I stretched from head to toe, wincing slightly at the pull in my throat.
Ethen’s warm fingers brushed my jaw and turned my head so he could inspect the bite. “A little deeper than I would have liked. My apologies, Winter.”
The sound of my surname floored me. I hadn’t been so far gone last night that I didn’t recall our conversation. I’d given him permission to use my given name, something very few even had the privilege of knowing, but he’d chosen not to use it. Another wall. Another barrier. At least to myself, I could admit that it stung. I’d opened myself up to him, figuratively and literally, only to have him close the door in my face.