by L. D. Rose
Valerie unlocked the main entrance and led him down the hallway of evenly spaced doors, wraparound carpets, and bare walls. The snapping of bolt locks resonated from within many of the apartments at the sound of their muffled footsteps. She stopped in front of her apartment door, turned around, and looked at him expectantly.
“What’s the number?” he asked.
“113.”
“Mind if I take a quick look around?”
Realization dawned in her eyes and she laughed. “And here I was, thinking you were being polite.”
He grinned. “I always have an ulterior motive.”
With a shrug she unlocked the door, pushed it open, and motioned for him to go first. “After you.”
He inclined his head and stepped inside, noting the layout of the kitchen and living room, right to left. The single bedroom apartment was absolutely pristine. Fading sunlight filtered in through the windows, revealing a place barely lived in. It looked like a model apartment landlords showed potential renters, where nothing appeared used or real.
Blaze spared her a glance as she closed the door. “Are you sure you live here?”
She laughed. “That’s what Deron always says. He claims I live in an IKEA catalogue.”
Blaze scanned the open space again. “I have to agree.”
“Just finish your recon, will you?” Valerie dropped her messenger bag on a nearby end table. She pulled the PPK and its holster from the back of her waistband, placing them beside the bag along with her badge.
“Yes, ma’am.” Blaze gave her a playful two-fingered salute, which made her grin. He went through her apartment quickly, checking the closets and any potential hiding spaces a person could squeeze into. Vampires wouldn’t be able to break into her place, but humans could, and the Temhota had their own little posse of hired hands to do their day work. It wouldn’t surprise him if Cyrus had a mortal entourage, too.
“Mind if I check out the bedroom and bathroom?” he asked, figuring he’d need permission.
“Sure, go ahead.”
All the rooms were the same. Clean, neutral, generic. He’d hate for her to see his suite back home. What she had going on here bordered on OCD, but he had a feeling it was more due to her absence than any kind of compulsion.
He couldn’t help but wonder if she stayed at the station or with someone else.
“Everything’s clear.” Blaze walked back into the kitchen, leaning against the archway. Valerie had her back to him, reaching up into a cupboard for something. She’d loosened her hair, the straight blond strands falling around her shoulders, a bloom of jasmine sweetening the air.
His eyes followed the lines of her body from top to bottom. He saw the profile of one of her small, firm breasts, held within her tank top, before she lowered her arm and blocked it from view. Her long, trim waist flared at her hips, her ass perfectly rounded in her jean shorts. Those lithe runner’s muscles in her legs flexed as she stood on her tiptoes, and all he could picture was how they’d look wrapped around him, squeezing him tightly.
She held a small bag in her hand as she turned to face him with one of her rare, vibrant smiles. Although all he could see was the heat of her body, he could still distinguish the details and the delicate form of her face. And with the superimposed image of her Rome had given him, it was all he needed.
His body hardened, his heart thudding in his chest. If that wasn’t enough, the stirring low in his belly sure as hell was.
He wanted her. Badly.
And so did the leech inside him.
“Blaze?” She peered at him with concern, taking a step closer.
He snapped out of it, realizing she’d asked him something he completely missed. “Huh?”
“Do you want some coffee? Something to drink? Eat?”
Yeah, you. He swallowed his saliva, straightening. “I should get going.”
“Oh.” She tried to hide her disappointment but she was bad at it. She wants you to stay. “Where are you heading?”
“Probably home for a few hours. Rest up a bit.” And drink about a gallon of blood while thinking of you. “You know.”
Valerie set what he assumed was the bag of coffee on the counter. She took another step toward him as a wave of jasmine swept over him, tugging him in places he shouldn’t be tugged.
He took a reflexive step back. Goddamn it, he was fine. He’d been fine right up until now. What the hell just happened?
Bad idea, Blaze. Bad fucking idea to starve yourself and walk into her apartment at dusk, with that body, and that face, and those eyes, and that smell . . .
“I’ll show myself out.”
She looked entirely confused as he turned away and headed for the door. Christ, he was acting like he’d never been in a woman’s apartment before, and God knew he’d been in many. But he’d never been this hungry around a woman before—at least, not in ordinary circumstances. And he wasn’t famous for his control.
He could feel it, that ugly darkness inside him spreading through his veins, making his lips and toes tingle. The leech opened its jaws and yawned, sucking down what was left of his civility. His gums tightened, squeezing his canines, urging them to grow, to elongate.
To spring free.
“Blaze—”
He needed to get out. Now.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he ground out, his voice a near growl. “Good night, Val.”
He slammed the door behind him and managed to stagger ten paces down the hall before his limbs stopped working.
Sweat dripped down the sides of his face and trickled down his spine. His hands shook and he clenched them into fists. He stood there, chest heaving, heart pounding, fangs pulsing, cock throbbing. He closed his eyes and lifted his face toward the ceiling, trying to wrestle the monster down, trying to beat it back into submission.
But it was already too late.
Through the din in his head, Blaze heard a door click behind him, disengaging from its frame. It creaked open slowly as jasmine slithered through the hallway toward him, rising up and striking at his senses, delivering the final blow. He craned his neck and spotted her.
Valerie’s blond hair fell in a curtain as she peeked out, looking for him. Her eyes widened when she found him, still standing in the corridor, and she quickly retreated.
“Sorry,” she murmured, but before she could close the door, he was already there, his hand propped against it.
She looked at him in pleasant surprise. “Blaze, I—”
He didn’t give her a chance to finish. He seized her mouth with his before he slammed the door behind him and locked it shut.
His leather-bound hands cupped her face as he kissed her with shocking ferocity, his tongue invading her mouth, tangling with hers.
Valerie made a soft sound of surprise and it seemed to fuel him on, his rich, dark scent seizing her brain and hypnotizing her. A bolt of excitement sizzled through her veins and settled between her legs, igniting a trail of fire in its path.
Yes.
Blaze kissed her hungrily, desperately, like he’d been famished for years and he was starving. A dam burst inside her, allowing every emotion she’d been packing behind it to flood her body. Hate, anger, sorrow, desire, lust, all of it flowed freely, making her blood roar in her ears and her body tremble with need. She ached for something, anything to channel it to, so she took aim at him and unleashed the tide.
Mouth sealed to his, Valerie gripped his neck and leapt up onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist. He caught her as if he’d known she was coming, lifting her easily as she buried her tongue deeper, meeting his aggressive demands with her own. A low growl rumbled in his throat, resonating straight through her and sending heat curling into her sex. He tasted illicit and intoxicating, like smoke and smooth whiskey, and she wanted more,
needed more.
Her back hit the wall, sending picture frames crashing to the floor. His hands cupped her ass tightly, almost painfully, keeping her propped up as he ground his thick, full erection against her pelvis. Every muscle in her core clenched in response. He released her mouth and moved to her jaw, her neck, her collarbone, scraping teeth and leaving fire in his wake. His five o’clock shadow grazed her sensitized skin and she moaned, turning her head to give him better access.
Blaze fisted the hem of her tank top and yanked it up along with the bra lining, spilling her breasts. He didn’t bother pulling it all the way off before he took one of her hard, straining nipples into his mouth. She let out another desperate moan at the hot, slick sensation. His tongue swirled and his teeth bit, making her squirm. She held his head against her, running her hand through the soft buzz of his hair, before she accidentally knocked off his sunglasses.
Shit.
He froze in place when his sunglasses thumped on the carpeted floor. Valerie’s heart launched into her throat as she stared at his closed eyes, wondering if she’d made a big mistake. He hid his eyes for a reason, after all. But another part of her wanted to see them, needed him to show them to her. She had to see what he was thinking, feeling.
She wanted him to trust her.
He lifted his head, eyes still squeezed shut, throat working. His lashes were long and black, fanning against his bronze cheekbones. She caressed his jawline but didn’t say anything in fear of worsening the situation. She just waited, her breathing ragged and labored in the still air.
Blaze opened his eyes. And Valerie ceased breathing.
If they’d been normal, his eyes would’ve been dark brown or even black. But a pale, thin glaze covered the entire globe, pearlescent and shining like the surface of an opal. Depending on how the light hit them, sparks of color glinted off their surface, giving them an almost ethereal glow. And here she was, expecting the red eyes of the devil, when they were nothing of the sort.
They were beautiful.
She didn’t say a word. She simply yanked her shirt off the rest of the way and tossed it over his shoulder. Then she pulled him close and kissed him deeply, showing rather than telling him what she thought.
He returned her kiss, working them both to the fever pitch they’d started with as he lifted her away from the wall and carried her to her bedroom. She managed to get rid of his shirt in the process, frantic to see the full glory of his body. He bumped into walls several times and she laughed in between his curses and his kisses. Finally, when they reached the threshold of her bedroom, he stopped, breaking their kiss as a slow, sexy smile curved his luscious lips.
“Permission to enter, Detective.”
Now it was Valerie’s turn to growl as she lifted her hips and ground up against him. “What do you think?”
She must’ve said something right, because she was suddenly lying on her bed, blankets and sheets stripped and tossed all over the floor. So much for an IKEA catalogue. And God, she was burning up, her hair matted and her body slick with sweat. He hovered over her, heat radiating from him like the sun, his skin as sodden as hers. Sweat pooled in the hollow of her throat and he licked it clean, his fiery mouth covering every inch of her body as she ran her hands up his big, muscular arms and down his rippling chest.
And that’s when she felt them.
Scars. Everywhere. Down his hard abs, up his broad back, bands, strips, cords, and lumps of hard tissue. She nuzzled his damp neck, finding some of the worst damage there. Jesus. Her breath caught like glass in her throat at the extent of it all. She’d never noticed the old wounds, except for the burn scars on his hands and forearms.
The tattoos. That was their purpose—to hide the damage.
Blaze either didn’t notice her reaction or he ignored it because he didn’t falter, moving down her body and disposing of her shorts as if they offended him. He knelt on the bed, those unearthly eyes locked on her as he slowly removed his gloves.
She wore nothing but a pair of soaking wet, blue cotton panties. He slid his hands beneath her hips and pushed her toward the headboard, lifting her over the tangled sheets.
“Get comfortable,” he murmured, his voice thick and husky, his breath tickling the skin below her bellybutton. He stroked a rough hand from her knee to inner thigh, sending a thrill of anticipation through her. “This is going to be a long ride.”
God, he was going to explode.
The leech inside him thrashed against his ribcage, roaring to be set free. His body was painfully hard, aching for relief, and the hunger was almost unbearable, digging holes into his belly. The edge of his sanity was coming up fast, and if he careened off it, if he let go of the chaos inside him, he would tear her apart.
Blaze’s hands trembled as he caught the sides of Valerie’s panties and pulled them down over her legs, tossing them aside. Her arousal hit his senses like a wrecking ball, nearly destroying what little semblance of control he had left. Combined with her jasmine scent and the salt of her sweat, he barely held on.
She watched him with those wide, gorgeous eyes as he stared at her sex, flushed and swollen with blood, burnout hot in his vision. If he put his hands on her first, he’d end up searching her blindly, so he did the next best thing.
He used his mouth instead.
Blaze dipped his head and ran his tongue over her core, orienting himself. Valerie gasped as he struck the nub of her clit, her hips jolting off the bed. The monster inside him roiled at the taste of her as a low rumble escaped his throat.
Then he proceeded to devour her.
Between the folds, over the hills, and into the valleys, he licked, sucked, nipped, and consumed. She writhed above him, so much he had to pin her hips down to keep her from striking him, and he threw her legs over his shoulders. He sensed her pleasure heighten, higher and higher with each assault of his tongue, her body growing tense and her muscles coiling. Her moans grew louder and more frequent, her breath swift and uneven.
He ran a hand up the slick length of her body and she grabbed onto it, pressing his palm over the sexy little swell of her breast. He penetrated her with his tongue once, licked twice, then pierced her again.
She erupted.
Valerie shook beneath him as she came, her hips bucking against his grip. He lapped up everything she gave him, his own body on fire now that he broke the seal of her first orgasm.
Because he sure as hell wasn’t finished yet.
Barely allowing her time to recover, Blaze slipped two fingers inside her, pushing them to the hilt. He couldn’t feel her clench around him, but by her response he knew she did. He fought to regain focus, his blood roaring in his ears as he slowly moved his fingers in and out. He closed his eyes as he kissed the inside of her thigh, sending her into another writhing fit.
When a pulse throbbed beneath his tongue, he stilled.
There it was, pushing against her skin, perilously close to her core. He worked her harder, sensing how she elevated again, the pulse pounding wildly beneath the fragile surface with every pump of his hand. He locked his mouth over it, his fangs throbbing in time to its beat as he scraped them over the sensitive area.
She tried to arch up, releasing a shout. His ears caught the rustling sound of her hands balling in the sheets. Fuck. He picked up the pace, thrusting his fingers faster, deeper, pushing her toward another orgasm.
Blaze trembled. I can’t let go. He needed her like he needed to breathe, and there was no way he could stop now, not with her blood rushing below his teeth or her sex pulsating beside him. The low, rumbling, familiar voice of his demon whispered against his skull, urging him to fulfill his darkest fantasies.
Make her come and take a bite.
A couple of quick pumps and she would detonate. He had to time it perfectly, had to ensure the pleasure would drown out the pain, so he b
raced himself, poised like a cobra ready to strike. He pushed his fingers to the hilt inside her again, once, twice, but it wasn’t until the third time—always the charm—when she convulsed around him.
Then he sank his fangs into her flesh.
Valerie’s scream resonated pure rapture as blood rushed into Blaze’s mouth, rich and thick, hot and salty. He kept working her as he sucked harder, yanking another feral sound from her throat. Her blood filled his belly, settling the twisting chaos inside him, drugging the leech like nothing else could. Ecstasy tore through his veins and he groaned against her, grinding his pelvis into the mattress.
Jesus fucking Christ. He’d never felt anything so erotic in his entire existence.
But it wasn’t enough. He had to have more, all of her, bury himself inside her. Finish what he’d started.
Then pull your goddamn fangs out of her, asshole.
As she drifted back to Earth, he took one last deep draw, the leech inside him demanding that he keep going. But he pulled out, winning the battle. If Cyrus had taught him anything during those seven months of hell, it was when to stop.
As soon as he came up for air, Blaze covered the wound with his palm, putting pressure on it. He managed to keep her blood from dribbling down his lips as he gulped and shuddered from the sensations coursing through him.
Valerie reached for him, trying to pull him close. He raised his head to find her gazing at him, her eyes half-lidded and her lips slightly parted. Gorgeous. God, she was so gorgeous.
