Obsessed with the Vampire: A Paranormal Romance (Vampire Enforcement Agency Book 2)

by Kellie McAllen

  The problem was, she was missed him. She missed their intimate conversations, the gentle way he held her and made love to her, the way he looked after her. Even at his worst, when he was yelling at her for doing something he thought was stupid, it still felt like he cared about her. It killed her to think that it wasn’t true. Was none of that real?

  It sure felt real to her. Not only did she miss him, she realized that she loved him. Even if he didn’t love her. When he wasn’t bossy and overprotective, he was smart and kind, sweet and tender, compassionate and loyal.

  She pulled up his picture on her phone and stared at him. You could see all of those qualities in his handsome face and soulful, amber eyes. She stroked a finger down the screen, wishing she could touch him.

  Her body missed him, too. She missed his deep, lingering kisses, his delicate caresses, his passionate lovemaking. She’d give anything just to feel his arms around her again, his tantalizing scent surrounding her, and his blood pumping into her mouth.

  But she wasn’t going to ask him to come back no matter how much she loved him. He might take her back, but she’d never know for sure if he wanted her or just felt obligated to her. And the last thing she wanted was to be with someone who didn’t really love her.

  She shoved the phone in her pocket and got busy, readying the house for her meeting. She was looking forward to seeing everyone again and getting to know them more. She hoped they felt the same way.

  Would everyone come back? Maybe she’d even get some new people. She had put up new signs at the clinic that said the meetings would be held every week at this time and address. She hoped she had enough chairs and snacks for everyone. She might need to start a signup sheet so others could volunteer to bring the snacks once in a while. Now that she wasn’t with Roric, her resources were tight again.

  When the doorbell rang a few minutes before 9, Caroline took a deep breath, plastered on a smile to hide the mixed emotions she was feeling about Roric, and pulled the door open. Houston stood on the other side, looking as handsome as ever in faded, low-slung jeans and a tight, hunter green tee shirt that emphasized his muscles. He looked bigger every time she saw him, and she suspected he spent every free moment working out, for lack of anything better to do. She pulled him in and hugged him, sighing into his arms, thrilled to see a friendly face.

  They’d texted every day, talked on the phone several times, and even got together for dinner once since last week. Houston was probably trying a little too hard to take over for Roric, and Caroline wasn’t really ready for that, but she enjoyed his company, and at least she could keep tabs on him better that way.

  “Hey beautiful, how are you doing?” He tilted his head and looked at her like he was worried about her, his whiskey eyes brewing.

  “I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?” Did she look as conflicted as she felt? She thought she’d put Roric out of her mind, but maybe her angst still showed on her face.

  He bit his lip and hemmed and hawed for a moment. “Uh, did you watch the news today?”

  Oh, yeah. Houston would’ve seen that, too. “Yeah, I saw him.” Him, not it. Obviously, Houston was talking about Roric. She waved it off like it was no big deal. Like she hadn’t watched it 12 times, pausing every time they did a close up.

  She must’ve pulled off the blasé attitude she was trying to affect, because Houston moved on to the bigger issue. “So, what do you think about the announcement?”

  Caroline didn’t get a chance to answer him, though, because the doorbell rang again and kept ringing as several more people arrived in succession. They quickly started up a lively conversation, but Caroline didn’t participate in it because she was too busy greeting everyone as they arrived. There were a few new people, and almost all of the previous attendees showed up, so she had a good crowd again.

  When she was ready to start, she clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. It took a few minutes to get everyone to stop talking and settle down. She was glad they were having a good time, but she had an agenda she wanted to stick to. “Can everyone take a seat? We have a few new faces today, so I’d like to give them a chance to introduce themselves.”

  After that, she had everyone else give their name and a quick reminder about their story.

  “I’d like to talk today about our biggest issues as new vampires. Is it cravings, breaking the news to your family, adapting your career? What do you struggle the most with?”

  A forty-something vampire named James pushed up his big, gold glasses and rubbed his thick, brown mustache. “Don’t you think we should talk about this new school they’re planning? It’s a pretty big deal.”

  A melee of voices rose up. It seemed everyone had something to say about it. Caroline waved her hands and raised her voice to be heard over them.

  “Okay, sure. If that’s what you want to talk about today, that’s fine. This group is for you, to give you a safe place to talk about the issues that are affecting you. James, since you brought it up, what are your thoughts?”

  James crossed an ankle over his knee, tugging it towards the rounded belly straining against the button of his dress shirt. “Well, I think it’s worrisome. How are they going to decide who has to enroll? I’ve been a vampire for six months now; I don’t think I need training.”

  Claire, a business woman who came straight from the office, sat up taller in the straight-back dining room chair and tugged on the jacket of her non-nonsense suit. “Me, neither. I don’t want to walk away from my life to go back to school. I have responsibilities.”

  A girl named Sky with messy, black hair, dark eye makeup, and several facial piercings sneered. “This school is just a way for them to control us.”

  Darien, who looked like he’d already done a few terms in prison, twitched in his seat. “Yeah, they’re going to round up all the new vampires and lock us in there like prisoners.”

  Caroline frowned, not liking the direction the conversation was going. “I don’t think that’s their intention. They’re just trying to make sure that new vampires get the training they need to function in society.”

  A young guy named Derrick with buzzed hair and tattoos covering most of his arms spoke out, staring intensely around the room. “They don’t want us in society. That’s why they’re doing this. They don’t trust us, so they’re trying to take us out. You watch — they get all the new vampires in there, then the President will make an executive decision that they’re too dangerous to be released. Next thing you know, they’ll be gassing us like Auschwitz.”

  Sky and Darien voiced their agreement, and even Houston seemed interested in the man’s position.

  An older man named Edward sat in Caroline’s father’s old recliner, reminding her of him, and smoothed a hand down his sweater vest. “This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but as a former human, I can’t blame them for wanting to take drastic measures. Look at the chaos and tragedy vampires have wrought recently. They’re turning savage. If it keeps going like this, humans are going to want to eliminate the threat completely.”

  Marie, a middle-aged woman with long, braided hair wearing a broomstick skirt and knitting a scarf, waved her knitting needle. “That’s just the work of a few, rogue vampires. Most of us are peaceful.”

  A few others nodded.

  James adjusted his glasses. “But how can they tell the difference? The Agency can’t keep up with all the rogues. More and more are popping up every day.”

  Claire crossed her nylon-sheathed legs, swung her black pumps, and tapped her fingers on her knee. “Why are they acting like this? What’s their goal?”

  “I think most of them are just untrained. They haven’t been mentored, and they don’t know how to control their bloodlust,” Marie said.

  “Or they don’t want to. It’s like meat eaters vs vegetarians. Meat eaters don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t eat meat. Their bodies are designed to consume it.” Derrick licked his chapped lips. His gaunt features made him look like he needed a meal.

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nbsp; Lea, the pretty girl who’d made a point to talk to Houston last week, leaned forward and tossed her hair behind her shoulder. “So, vampires should be allowed to eat humans because they can? What kind of logic is that?”

  Derrick sneered and pointed a finger at her. “That’s the food chain, princess. Animals don’t stop to consider the rights of their prey. They don’t limit themselves to cruelty-free food sources.”

  Claire raised a sculpted eyebrow and turned towards Derrick. “It’s sounds like you agree with that philosophy.”

  Derrick clenched his fists against the grungy denim of his jeans. “You bet your tight ass, I do. We’re vampires, for God’s sake. Why are we letting humans make the rules?”

  Several people gasped, and Edward blurted out what Caroline was thinking before she had a chance. “You used to be a human, how can you think like that?”

  “Because humans don’t care about us. All they care about is themselves. If we don’t stand up for our rights, they’ll destroy us. That’s why the rogues are turning as many humans as they can. Increasing our numbers gives us more power.” Derrick jumped up. Caroline flinched, and so did a lot of the others.

  Claire was the only one who still looked totally calm, like they were discussing strategies at a business meeting. “Are you suggesting that we should be making more vampires?”

  Caroline’s heart raced as Derrick bounced on his feet like a boxer, ready for action, and jabbed his fists. “Hell, yeah. I’ll turn anyone who wants to be turned. The whole application process is just another way for the humans to try to keep us under control. And registration? You might as well put a big target on your back. When the humans try to take out the vampires, that’s they first place they’re going to start looking for us.”

  His admission got everyone babbling. Caroline opened her mouth, trying to think of how to get control again.

  “You’re not registered?” Marie dropped her knitting and gawked at him over her reading glasses like that was the most outrageous thing he’d said.

  “Yeah, but only because an agent hauled my ass in there and forced me.” Derrick scowled at Caroline like she was the one who’d done it.

  She couldn’t take it anymore. This was turning into a circus. She held her hands up and raised her voice to be heard over all the chaos. “Listen, listen! I think we’ve gotten way off track here. This is not the place for that kind of talk. You’re all entitled to your opinion, but I can’t condone rogue behavior.”

  “You’ve been spending too much time with that agent boyfriend of yours. He’s a traitor to our kind. Don’t let him brainwash you.” Derrick leaned over and tapped a finger to his buzzed head, glaring at her. Caroline’s body tensed, and she squeezed her damp palms.

  “I think you need to leave.” She forced the words out through clenched teeth so they wouldn’t rattle with her fear.

  “If anyone wants to start fighting back and reclaim your rights, you know how to reach me.” He pointed towards the clipboard where everyone had written their contact information then walked out of the apartment.

  Caroline’s body quaked as the door slammed behind him. The others were still jabbering to each other, and she was afraid that too many of them agreed with Derrick. She couldn’t let this meeting turn into a rebel uprising. She stood up, her body still shaking, and spoke loudly over the voices.

  “I think we’re done for today.” She shooed everyone out of her apartment as quickly as she could, even Houston.

  As soon as the last person was gone, she sagged against the door, the adrenaline rushing out of her and leaving her weak and shaking. Derrick had been one step away from inciting a rebellion right there in her living room! She had no doubt he wouldn’t hesitate to turn violent if it suited his purposes. And how many of the others agreed with him? Even the ones who didn’t had been influenced by his opinions and were questioning things. The last thing she wanted to do was help the rogue movement. Could her group ever get back to its original purpose, or had she stirred up a hornet’s nest?

  Chapter 24

  Piper had just stepped out of the shower when the doorbell rang. She glanced at the clock on the wall and freaked out for a second when it said 8:27. There was no way she’d been in the shower that long! Sure, she’d shampooed and deep-conditioned and shaved and did all that other ritualistic pre-date grooming, but she thought she had plenty of time for all that.

  But then she remembered that the clock had been stuck at that time for over a week since the battery went dead. She really needed to change that.

  She jabbed at the home button on her phone to show the time. Only 7:30. So why was Davede there already?

  She did the quickest towel dry ever then grabbed her robe off the hook on the door, grateful that it was the cute, short, blue silk one she’d bought recently and not her ratty, old terrycloth. She pulled it on as she hurried to the living room, tying the belt right before she yanked the door open. “Davede, I—”

  She stopped talking as soon as she saw Houston standing with his hands in his jeans pockets and a cheeky grin on his adorable face. He raked his eyes up and down her body appreciatively.

  She glanced down and noticed that her robe was clinging to her damp skin and her nipples were pressing against the wet fabric. The fabric gaped at the top, revealing a lot of boob, and it barely covered her butt cheeks. The skin that wasn’t covered up was warm and pink and glistening with moisture. She looked pretty dang sexy, and clearly Houston agreed.

  “Hey Piper, wow, uh… I know we didn’t have plans or anything, but I was wondering if…”

  The boy was actually tongue-tied! Piper grinned, feeling a surge of feminine power. She needed to send Houston away; she had a date with Davede in an hour. But the way Houston was looking at her made her whole body throb with desire.

  She’d yet to get past first base with Davede; he was too much of a gentleman. But here was Houston looking like a home run all-star in low-slung, faded jeans and an Astros jersey. His tan skin and golden hair made him look like he’d been out in the sun hitting fastballs all day, even though she knew that wasn’t true anymore.

  They both had something the other wanted, and she still had time before Davede arrived. Could she squeeze in a quickie with Houston first? She didn’t want to tell him she had a date, though.

  “Hey Houston, I, uh… I have plans with Caroline a little later, but I have some time. Do you want to come in?”

  “Yeah, that’d be great. Are you sure?” He gulped and licked his lips as he stared at the pulsing vein in her neck.

  “Yeah, definitely.” She held the door open, and Houston slipped past her, rubbing against her body.

  “It’s good to see you again. Sorry about dropping in on you like this.”

  “I don’t mind. Any time, really. But I don’t have long, so less talking and more kissing.” She moved right to the couch, dropping down and patting the cushion next to her. There was no point wasting time on small talk. They both knew why he was there.

  Houston chuckled then sat down and immediately reached for her neck, wrapping his hands around it and kissing it. Then one hand trailed lower and squeezed her breast. It was firm and swollen, eager for his touch. She squirmed against his hand, trying to get some friction on her nipple. Houston obliged and rubbed his thumb back and forth over it while his hand cupped and kneaded her.

  Piper slid her hand down his abs to his waistband and rubbed his length through his jeans. He was as hard and long as a baseball bat already. Her legs clenched, longing for his invasion. When he plunged his fangs into her, pleasure slammed into her. She moaned and writhed and slipped her hand between her legs, stroking herself through the silk.

  Houston took the hint and slid his hand under hers, rubbing her slit in rhythm as he sucked, freeing her hands to undo his jeans and release his erection. It bobbed out at her as soon as she pulled down his zipper.

  He hissed and tore his fangs from her when she grabbed him. “Careful with that. It’s a time bomb.”

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bsp; She squeezed him and gave a hard pull. “I like to live dangerously.”

  Houston growled and stuck a knee between her legs, spreading them as he moved between them. Then he shoved his pants to the floor and kicked off his shoes. Piper pulled the tail on her belt, untying the bow, and slid her fingers between the edges of the robe, letting the silk fall open.

  Houston devoured her with his eyes then dropped to his knees and kissed her as he pulled her body to the edge of the couch. His length plunged inside her the same time his tongue did.

  Piper lost track of time as they challenged the limits of Houston’s stamina. All that baseball training must’ve built up his endurance. The boy definitely knew how to swing a bat. He was ready for an extra inning, but Piper shoved him off of her before they went into overtime.

  “Houston, you have to go. I’m going to be late.” She jumped up and glanced at the clock in the living room that was actually working. Davede would be there in fifteen minutes, and she needed another shower. She had to get Houston out of there.

  “I’m sure Caroline won’t mind if you’re a little late. She’s cool.” He casually slid his jeans back on, taking his good, old, sweet time about it.

  “No… we have reservations. And I still need to get ready.” She walked towards the door, hoping he’d follow.

  He sat down instead, to tie his shoelaces. “I wouldn’t mind watching that.”

  She rolled her eyes at him and pulled the door open. “It’s not a spectator sport. Besides, you’ll distract me with your sex appeal.”

  He chuckled and stood up then walked towards her and gave her a long, lingering kiss that made her wish she could cancel her date and spend the rest of the evening letting Houston have his way with her. But then he slipped out the door without trying to convince her.

  Piper had barely made it back to the bathroom before the doorbell rang again. Crap! She was still in her robe with the scent of Houston all over her. Davede wasn’t usually early. Maybe Houston had forgotten something.