by Tina Folsom
“Not yet.” His voice didn’t sound like his own. He concentrated on his breathing and tried to settle his thumping heart.
When her lips curled up to form a naughty smile, he gave her a slap on her derrière to warn her not to try anything. What he hadn’t counted on was that the reverberation of the light slap reached his cock a split second later, sending a rippling sensation through his body, nearly robbing him of his control.
So much for paddling her ass while he was inside her. He would have to remember that—and use it when he was more used to her body. But for now, it wasn’t a good idea. Not if he wanted to last longer than three seconds.
The moment he removed his hands from her hips Nina started moving. Like Lady Godiva she rode him, her breasts bouncing up and down. She lifted herself as high as she could, only leaving the tip of him inside her, then dropped down again. This time he met her with his own thrust upwards, doubling the impact, almost knocking the wind out of her. She gasped.
Amaury pulled her torso to bend over him.
“Feed me those gorgeous tits.” He opened his lips to receive the first nipple she guided to him and sucked it into his greedy mouth, laving it with his tongue.
“Oh, yes.” Her encouragement was appreciated. He thanked her by dropping his hand between their bodies to find her most intimate spot as he continued to drive his cock upwards, moving his hips in counteraction to hers.
Coated with cream from her arousal, his finger found her clit and circled it, then flicked it lightly. Her already hard nipple in his mouth stiffened further. So responsive, so ripe. Like a fruit ready to harvest.
His teeth scraped at her skin, but he didn’t bite down. He felt her shudder and instantly stilled. Had he gone too far? Frightened her?
Slowly he released her nipple and looked up at her. She looked like she was in a drug-induced state.
“Do it again.”
Amaury stared at her, not sure he’d heard right.
“Your teeth. Do it again.”
Capturing her other nipple, he lapped at it with his tongue, then sucked at it thoroughly.
“Please,” he heard her say. She was tempting him to bite her.
His teeth glided along her skin, scraping the surface, but only lightly, not breaking the skin, just teasing. When Nina arched her back, thrusting her breast toward him, he sucked more of it into his mouth. In unison with his sucking motion, his pistoning cock surged into her, again and again. And like the experienced rider she proved to be, she held on and moved in rhythm with him.
His fingers played with her clit, stroking, pinching, while his mouth worked her nipples, making them stand up like brave little soldiers. He would have liked to go on forever, but the way her muscles squeezed his shaft, the way he slid in and out of her, deeper every time, he couldn’t hold on.
His teeth clamped down on her nipple as he gave her engorged nub another pinch, then felt her channel clench around him, felt the waves of her orgasm hit him, and tumbled with her—over the edge and into oblivion as he came: hot, breathless and with a seemingly endless stream of his seed filling her. He’d died and gone to heaven, and the golden-haired angel looked down at him.
***
Nina dropped her head onto Amaury’s chest and exhaled. She hated to admit he was right, but this was better than she’d ever had. Without a doubt. Not that she would ever tell him that. A man could get too bigheaded if he knew. And Amaury certainly didn’t need to get any more full of himself than he already was.
She felt him press a kiss on her hair. His sudden tenderness surprised her. The man had decidedly too many sides to him that needed exploring. And she was just too exhausted to do any more explorations tonight. As for addressing why she was again sleeping with the enemy rather than fighting him and his vampire brethren, she would go on that guilt trip tomorrow.
“Will you tell me now why you came to the club?”
Nina lifted her head, crossed her arms on his chest and rested her chin on it. “Why do you care?”
“We’re working together now. So you’d better tell me what’s going on.”
She sighed. “Fine. I got a text from my informant, saying that a man involved in Eddie’s death is here tonight.”
“You think he was talking about Luther?”
She dismissed the thought with a movement of her head. “No. That creep just hit on me. He didn’t fit the description I got. Unfortunately you interrupted me before I could find the guy.”
“Luckily, I got here when I did. Zane saw you in the club, and Quinn alerted me. They were following a lead.”
“A lead on the bodyguard killings?”
Amaury nodded. “Yes. I think that one of the human employees of Scanguards knows more than he’s telling. Zane tailed him to the club. We were trying to figure out if he was meeting somebody here.”
“It could be the same guy. If he’s an employee of yours it makes sense.”
“Why?”
“Because I was also told he was at the staff meeting that night your friend Zane caught me.”
Amaury lifted himself to a semi-sitting position without letting her escape his embrace and nudged a pillow behind his back. His hands remained around her back, pressing her to his naked body.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. The information came from the same informant. Not that Benny bothered staying. He hightailed it out of there before he could get caught. Snake. Especially since he’d already sold my hide to those two vampires you and I were fighting the other—”
“Hold it!” Amaury interrupted. “After he sold you out last time, you took his tip at face value and came to the club tonight? Are you crazy?”
Nina made a dismissive gesture. “This time I was prepared.”
Amaury huffed and shook his head in disapproval. “Prepared? Damn it, Nina, you have to stop going around putting yourself in danger.”
She completely ignored his reprimand. “Anyway, Benny was the only one who could identify him. His description could have fit any number of guys.”
“Where’s Benny now?”
“If he values his life, he’s left the city.”
“What if that guy was here to meet Luther? It would be too much of a coincidence of him showing up here, you being given the info to come to the club, and Zane and Quinn tailing our employee here. I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Nina felt his hand stroke tenderly over her ass, a gesture which appeared entirely subconscious considering Amaury seemed preoccupied with Luther.
“Who’s this Luther anyway? He seemed to realize that I knew about vampires.”
“That’s probably because he could smell me on you.”
“What?” She didn’t like the sound of that.
“Luther and I go way back. He would have been able to detect my scent on you. Most likely that’s why he was toying with you.”
Nina frowned. “Old friends, then?”
There was a moment she thought she’d detected a grain of pain in his eyes. But it instantly disappeared.
“Not quite. We used to be. Unfortunately he blames me and Samson for his mate’s death.”
“Mate?”
“Luther was blood-bonded to a wonderful woman and was probably the happiest vampire I knew then.”
“Hold on. Don’t throw words around I don’t understand. What’s ‘blood-bonded’?” She tried to pull away a fraction, but Amaury didn’t release her from his embrace. Instead, he made her snuggle even closer to him. She hadn’t pegged him for the cuddly type.
“It’s like a marriage, only it’s for eternity. A vampire blood-bonds with his life mate, and they’re connected forever. They can sense each other. It’s an incredibly close connection between two people.”
“I see.” Nina felt awkward hearing him talk about marriage and love while he still held her against his warm body. A body that only minutes ago had joined with hers in a union so perfect she’d not known it was possible.
“He and Vivian were expecting their f
irst child, when—”
“Child? I thought the undead couldn’t have children.” Amaury threw more incredible things at her than she thought she’d be able to handle. Vampire children? No—way too weird.
“Undead? Where do you get those expressions from? And Luther’s mate was human. As a vampire blood-bonded to a human he was able to impregnate her. It’s the only time a vampire can father children, if his mate is human.”
His hand stroked absentmindedly over her back, up and down, sending delicious shivers along the way.
“And their children, what are they?”
“Hybrids. Half vampires, half humans. They have traits of both species. They can be out in the sun without burning, but they drink blood and have the strength and speed of a vampire. And they are immortal.”
“That’s just so bizarre.”
He smiled. “It’s rare. But it happens. Luther was working with us, with Samson and me. He was working for Scanguards. He was a great guy back then. Loyal, dedicated. And he loved Vivian. And she loved him. But there were complications with her pregnancy. One night she started bleeding. Luther was away on an assignment. We called him, but he didn’t make it in time. She was losing the baby, and we were losing her. There was nothing we could do. By the time Luther came back, she’d died. He blamed us.”
The blue of his eyes couldn’t hide the sadness in them.
“But why, when you couldn’t do anything?”
“We could have turned her into a vampire to save her.”
She hadn’t thought of that possibility. “Oh. He wanted you to do that?”
“Yes. He wanted to be with her for eternity. He loved her.”
Eternal love—what a frightening, yet strangely exciting concept.
“But if you knew that, why didn’t you turn her?”
Amaury’s eyes had a sad look in them. “Because she didn’t want to.”
Realization set in. “She didn’t?”
“No. We offered it to her, but she said if she was a vampire, she couldn’t have children. She’d just lost the baby. She preferred to die.”
Nina pulled back from him slightly. “But then why is he still blaming you when it was her choice? I don’t understand. You and Samson did nothing wrong.”
“He doesn’t know that she refused.”
“You never told him?” Why would they keep such an important detail to themselves?
“No. How could we? He loved her. Do you know what it would do to him to find out that his mate, the woman he loved more than anything else in his life, chose death over him?”
Suddenly she understood, and tears welled up in her eyes. “Oh my God, so you and Samson decided it was better he hated you than her?”
Amaury nodded his head. Nina touched his cheek in a tender caress.
“Does he hate you and Samson enough to want to destroy you and Scanguards?”
“I’m afraid that’s possible.” He paused. “I think we’d better go and talk to Samson. He needs to know that Luther is in town.”
She sat up. “Yes. I think you’re right. Besides, we’d better get out of here before somebody finds us and throws us out.”
Amaury gave her a roguish grin. “I doubt that’ll happen. I own fifty percent of the club.”
Nina’s mouth dropped open, then she boxed him in the chest. “How many more secrets do you have up your sleeve?”
He raised his hands. “No sleeves, see? I’m naked.”
She let her eyes gaze over his body. “I can see that.”
“Uh-oh. You’ve got that look to you. We’d better get dressed before you have your way with me again.”
“Me? Me have my way with you? Now if that’s not the pot calling the kettle black!”
His response was a throaty and way-too-sexy laugh. This vampire was seriously dangerous.
Nineteen
Never in her wildest dreams had Nina imagined entering Samson’s house on Nob Hill. But there she was at the entrance door, Amaury a step ahead of her, waiting for the door to open. She shifted nervously from one foot to the next. Was this a good idea? Amaury she could handle. He lusted after her and was therefore not interested in hurting her, but what about the others? Nina hadn’t forgotten the order Amaury had received to wipe her memory.
A beam of light illuminated Amaury as the door opened halfway.
“Forget your key?” a male voice asked.
“I didn’t want to intrude unannounced. I’m not alone.”
The door opened wider, and light flooded onto her as Amaury pulled her next to him. She met their host’s gaze and recognized him as Samson. Her pulse fluttered.
She noticed him raise an eyebrow at Amaury, as if to chastise him. But a second later he turned into the perfect host.
“Please, do come in. I don’t think we’ve met.”
Samson stretched his hand toward her, and she shook it, wondering if he noticed how damp her palms were.
“Good evening,” Nina said. She hoped that was appropriate; what exactly was the correct greeting when being introduced to a vampire?
“Samson Woodford.” His introduction was formal, as if they were at the Queen’s tea party.
“This is Nina.”
“Pleased to make your acquaintance.” Samson led them into the living room. He remained stiff then turned to Amaury. “May I have a word with you in private?”
Yes, Samson was clearly displeased about her presence. She didn’t have to be a mind-reader to figure that out.
“That won’t be necessary.” Amaury’s reply elicited a frown from his friend. “Nina knows who we are.”
There was silence so thick she could have cut through it with a knife as Samson eyed her up and down, pressing his lips together tightly. His displeasure with Amaury was evident. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. What if he expected Amaury to “take care of her” now that he’d given away their secrets?
Nina noticed how Samson sniffed and felt heat rush to her cheeks. If Luther had been able to smell Amaury on her even before they’d had sex, she could only imagine what Samson could scent now. Under his scrutiny, her face burned with embarrassment right down to the follicles of her hair. She searched for the hole that would surely open up right in front of her to swallow her up.
“Care to explain why you brought one of your women to my house?” Samson’s voice was sharp and unyielding.
One of his women?
She absolutely hated the sound of that. Sure, whatever they had wasn’t going to be anything permanent, but to be classified as “one of his women” made her sound like a slut. And she wasn’t a slut. Well, not really anyway. Her morals weren’t any looser that Amaury’s, that was for sure. Not that it seemed to be such a high standard to attain.
“She’s not one of my women.”
She could have hugged him for his defense of her morals. Nobody had ever defended her. Maybe he was truly a good guy.
“She’s Edmund Marten’s sister out to slay vampires to avenge her brother.”
Or maybe not. Amaury had decided to throw her to the wolves—after he’d slept with her. Perfect. He’d gotten what he wanted, and now he went back on his promise. Why had she believed him in the first place? Was she completely delusional?
“Well, that explains things. Yvette mentioned you were with a human,” Samson answered, his voice much more relaxed now.
“Figures.” Amaury let out a grunt.
Samson held up his hand. “She’s only doing her job.” He looked at Nina and pointed to the couch. “Shall we sit?”
“Samson, darling, did you see the pregnancy book I brought down earlier? I can’t find it.” A petite woman swept into the living room then stopped in her tracks.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we had company. Hi, Amaury.”
“Evening, Delilah. Sorry to intrude.”
Delilah’s gaze rested on Nina. Nina returned it. Was she a vampire too? She looked decidedly normal.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your frien
d?” She stretched out her hand. “I’m Delilah.”
Nina shook her hand.
“This is Nina Martens,” Samson said.
“Martens?” Delilah gave her a look of surprise, and Nina nodded.
“Edmund Martens was my brother.”
“Oh, dear. I’m so sorry.” A second later she found herself embraced by the pretty woman. Not knowing how to respond, she looked over Delilah’s shoulder and saw Samson’s and Amaury’s stunned expressions, until Samson’s lips finally curled up into a smile.
“Sweetness, you’re making our guest feel uncomfortable.”
Delilah released her and responded to her husband with a suppressed smile. “I get so emotional these days.” Then she looked back at Nina. “It’s just the hormones. Sit down. I’ll have Carl bring us some refreshments.”
Before she could turn back, a stocky man dressed in a dark suit appeared behind her.
“Miss Delilah, may I bring some cold drinks?”
“That’d be great, Carl.”
Minutes later they were all seated, drinks in front of them. Nina looked at Delilah as she sat close to Samson, her hand leisurely draped over his thigh, his hand stroking hers.
“Delilah, it appears that Nina knows we are vampires,” Samson said.
“Oh!”
“And seems bent on avenging her brother by slaying some of us.” Samson looked directly at Nina, giving her the feeling she was the bad schoolgirl being hauled in front of the strict principal of a reformatory school. Yet there seemed to be no menace in his voice. He rather sounded like he was mocking her. Did he not realize she could fight vampires? She’d killed one of them already.
“I think I’ve been able to convince her that we’re not the bad guys,” Amaury interjected. “But that’s not why I’ve brought her here tonight. We have a bigger problem on our hands than this little wannabe slayer.”
“Hey! I’m not a wannabe slayer!” Was nobody taking her seriously?
Amaury laughed off her protest.
“You promised me you’d let me take charge of this. And I will. So, no more slaying.” He took her hand and squeezed it before he looked back at Samson and Delilah. “Luther is in town.”
“Luther?” Samson shot up from his seat and started pacing.
