The couples moving in and out of each other’s arms reminded Fallon of her first dance with Adrian in that rustic little tavern in Pinetop. It felt so good to be held in his arms, the soft, sensual music flowing over her, and Adrian bewitching her.
Next she thought of the kiss they’d shared before he left her side to help unload a truck of party supplies. Her lips still tingled with his promise of more where that one came from.
She grinned. If life hadn’t dealt her a rotten hand, she could actually see fitting in with all these people, especially Adrian. Where that thought came from she didn’t know, and she quickly pushed it away. A man didn’t figure into her future plans, because she didn’t have a future. The only thing she looked forward to was Chavez’s death and joining her daughter.
Several children broke through the crowd, their boisterous laughter teasing her ears as they weaved through the people. With grease lightning speed, they each snatched several cupcakes off the table where Maggie stood.
“Little brats,” Maggie chuckled, before she sobered and a tear glistened in her eyes, green eyes that once again looked in Tucker’s direction with such sadness and longing.
Damn that man, Fallon thought before she turned her attention back to the noisy children scuffling away with their stolen sweets.
Fallon could see Christy playing with these kids. Fact was her daughter would have loved to have run free amongst the trees and fields of wildflowers. Pain and anger rose within Fallon. She released a heavy sigh, pushing away her emotions and dragging her thoughts from a dream that would never be.
Several more individuals arrived who Fallon remembered seeing at Little Tavern. One of them was the cowboy who had introduced himself as Mason. He stopped to speak to a group of men tapping a keg of beer. A hiss rose and several patted each other on the back for a job well done.
It takes so little to make men happy.
Several bonfires burned brightly. Mason’s eyes caught the reflection of the flames, the light flickering in their depths. A man handed him a plastic cup of beer. He blew on the foamy head, sending it from the cup, and then raised the drink to his mouth. Fallon watched his throat muscles work as he swallowed. The pulse of the vein in his neck attracted her like a lodestone.
Quickly, she was overpowered by the rustic scent of blood. The heady swish coursing through his body heightened her hunger. It called to Fallon, as it raced from one artery to the next. The steady beat was mesmerizing.
Damn. She was hungry. Her mouth watered and she couldn’t help licking her lips.
In the past, she could ebb the hunger for days at a time, but not today. For some reason she needed to feed—and soon. Every human within her sight became a potential meal. Especially, Mason.
She caught his eye and a brilliant smile lit his face. He drew his attention back to the crowd of men, tipped his hat, and then turned to head in her direction. She could hear their rowdy comments and “yeah baby” as he strolled away.
“Don’t even think about it.” The deep throated warning came from behind her.
She couldn’t help the smile that pulled at the corner of her mouth. She glanced over her shoulder to see Adrian directly behind her.
“I feel your hunger.” His warm palm closed around her throat. His thumb found her pulse and stroked back and forth, teasingly. Their gazes locked. Her heartbeat doubled at his expert touch. Heat flared through her body. “Let me take care of your need.”
“Evenin’, Fallon.” Fallon drew her sight to the forefront as Mason tipped his hat. He took in her jean-clad legs and the black rhinestone corset she wore. Appreciation gleamed in his eyes. “How about a dance?”
Adrian pressed his hard body to hers. His arms folded around her possessively. “She’s mine, cowboy.” The firmness in his voice left no doubt he meant what he said.
The grin on Mason’s face died a sudden death. “Pardon me,” he said, before slipping the rim of his Stetson between his thumb and forefinger. “Fallon.” He nodded, then he turned and walked away.
“You will not feed from anyone, but me.” The tightness in Adrian’s voice was hard to miss.
The happiness Fallon had felt only moments ago vanished. She couldn’t help the hurt that seeped into her voice. “You still think I’d hurt one of your people?” With a jerk of her shoulder she tried to escape his grasp, but he held her tightly. Anger simmered below her skin.
Fuck this. In all her days no one had distrusted her. And the one person she wanted—no needed—to trust her clearly didn’t.
His warm breath stirred the hair around her ear. “I just like the feel of you sucking on my neck.” Her fury fizzled, dying, as he pulled her closer into his embrace. The firm bulge between his thighs pressed against her ass. “Of course, I do like your delicious mouth on other parts of my body.” He ground his hips against her.
She turned in his arms and laced her own around his neck. “Mmmm…that does sound good.” She pressed her nose to him and nuzzled his neck. He smelled earthy, masculine. Good enough to eat. With a single lick she dragged her tongue over the vein pulsing with life and up his neck and over his jaw, until their lips met in a fiery kiss.
Adrian’s large palm pressed against the small of her back, keeping their bodies close. She loved being touched in that sensitive spot. There was something about it that made her feel vulnerable—surrendering to his control. And when a man’s hand wasn’t there she loved his tongue stroking and caressing the area.
His other palm cupped the back of her head as he slanted his and deepened the kiss. The feel of his tongue invading her mouth brought a fresh rush of desire between her thighs. Her breasts grew heavy. An ache pulsed low in her belly.
A slap on his back jolted them, breaking them apart.
“Feed her.” Briar’s voice was hoarse and laden. The large man hovered over Fallon. Concern and his own hunger darkened his eyes, barely visible beneath the hat he wore so far down on his forehead.
Fallon immediately got the feeling that she, personally, had done something wrong or incited the crowd of vampires who were all now staring at them. She felt her skin tighten.
“Her hunger is stirring everyone’s thirst. Your desire isn’t making it any easier on all of us,” he complained. “Feed her—fuck her—but whatever you’re going to do, do it quickly.” The scowl that thinned his lips said that for two cents he’d rip her head off and toss it on the fire. Still she had to admit there was something sexy about him. Briar’s cock was a firm ridge beneath the tight blue jeans he wore. And like the man it outlined an impressive package.
Briar raised a brow. His sour expression quickly changed into one of intense satisfaction when he realized exactly where her gaze was directed. He grew even firmer beneath her scrutiny.
Adrian issued a warning with a low, menacing sound.
The heat of embarrassment flooded Fallon’s face. Caught like a kid with her hand in the cookie jar. But it was so hard being around all these strong, masculine cowboys and not at least looking. It truly was a woman’s candy store.
Fallon wondered whether the blood exchange that she and Adrian had shared had opened a path between her and his people, or was he channeling her emotions through him to them?
She jerked out of Adrian’s arms. “I-I’m sorry.”
Adrian brushed off the burliness of his friend with a chuckle. He didn’t respond to Briar, instead he said, “I’d like to do both, but I think I’d better feed you and then tend to my guests. C’mon.” He grasped her trembling hand and led her into the forest, away from others’ eyes.
“Maybe I should leave,” she said without thought. Pine needles crunched beneath their feet. Darkness surrounded them, but she saw perfectly the little raccoon that peered from behind a bush, and the night owl that blinked in the tree above them.
“Darlin’, there’s no way I’d let you leave me.” He swung her around in his arms. His soft gaze touched her face. “Ignore Briar. His bark is worse than his bite. Besides, it’s my fault.” His knuckles gra
zed her cheek. “I should have closed the link between us and them.” His lips softly touched hers, moving as he continued to speak. “I wasn’t thinking.” He captured her mouth in a tender kiss.
Her fingers wadded his cotton shirt as she leaned into him. He tasted so good. The flavor of hops and wheat from a beer he must have drunk touched her taste buds.
And…the man could kiss.
The kiss turned passionate, building quickly into a flame heating her body. It didn’t help that he took that moment to slip his hand beneath her corset and fondle an already painful nipple. She whimpered, needing more than a mere caress. She needed him deep within her body touching that part of her that was coiled like a tight spring just waiting to explode.
And, God, she needed to feed. Feel the flow of his blood seep down her throat, quenching the burning hunger inside.
He broke the kiss and slanted his head, baring his throat. “Take me, baby.”
Adrian didn’t have to ask twice. Her incisors lengthened with his sweet endearment. The piquancy of her own blood filled her mouth. She snuggled close and then sank her fangs deep into his flesh.
The minute she tasted him upon her tongue a surge of energy shook her. Her taste buds were doing the most unusual thing. All she could relate it to was the rock candy she had eaten as a child that exploded in her mouth, popping with multiple flavors. Again, she felt Adrian’s power beneath her palms and racing through her veins.
His moan was arousing and another rush of moisture dampened her thighs. But it was nothing like the rich taste of his blood flowing from his body to hers. The coppery scent permeated her nose and the metallic flavor was an aphrodisiac upon her tongue.
“Yes,” he groaned. His arms tightened around her.
His hips undulated against hers as he shoved his hand down her pants. Skillful fingers found her slit and pushed between her wet folds. She inched her feet further apart, loving the sensation of him pumping in and out of her pussy as she fed. When he circled her clit it felt like a Roman candle exploded inside her. She gasped, breaking the suction on his throat. She cried out as her head lolled back. Wave after wave of sensations rippled over her. If he hadn’t held her she would had collapsed.
“Close the incisions, darlin’.”
Oh shit! She tried to gather her wits about her long enough to lick the two streams of blood oozing from the puncture wounds. Then she swiped her tongue across the bite marks, watching the skin heal and mend.
The pulse between her legs still throbbed, as his hand lay against her swollen folds. “I’m so sorry.” But her orgasm had erupted without any warning. One minute she was feeding, the next writhing in his arms.
He extracted his hand, pulling her closer within his embrace. “No apologies. You’re beautiful, hot and passionate.” She pushed her hand between them, intent on cupping his erection. She startled, as he stepped backward and out of her embrace. An uneasy burst of laughter followed. “You touch me now and there’s no way I’ll make it through the night.”
“When?” She heard the need in her own voice. The scent of her arousal hung heavy in the air and thickened with thoughts of taking his cock into her mouth. She almost closed her eyes to savor what it would feel like to dip her tongue into the slit at the head of his erection and taste the salty come she knew would be there.
His eyes dilated as she shared her thoughts with him. “Stop that,” he demanded, shifting his hips. “Woman, you’re killing me.” His hand rose as if to touch her, but it fell back to his side. “Later, after the crowd goes home.” His voice was hoarse. “Then the morning is ours.”
That was a promise Fallon fully expected him to deliver, because right now she was hurting with the need to touch him. She wanted to run her hands over all that solid muscle. Feel him tremble beneath her palms. This powerful man was hers, at least for the time she remained in Northern Arizona.
And then she would even the score with Chavez.
Chapter Seven
It was pushing midnight and the party raged on with no signs of breaking. When one fire burned low another log was added to breathe life into it again. An impressive dent had been made in the food, thanks to his guests. Several more barrels of beer had been tapped.
Good news was that everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves, even Fallon. Or was it a façade? He couldn’t help noticing her watchful eye. The way a shadow would slither across her face as if she regretted enjoying herself.
“What do you know about her?” Briar asked. Adrian’s friend stared long and hard at him, before he knelt close to the ground, running a stick through the dark soil.
His back to a tree, Adrian glanced toward Fallon. Her soft laughter rose above everyone else’s to stroke his ears. She was sitting across from Maggie at a picnic table. Whatever she said forced a giggle from Maggie. It had been a long time since he had heard her laugh. Not that she had much to laugh about since she came to him.
“Not much,” Adrian admitted. “Fallon’s running from something or someone.”
Sometimes Adrian felt his home was for wayward vampires. Crystal, the slender brunette who walked up beside Maggie, had been with him for about ten years. Doreen, the busty blonde who called Crystal away to help refurbish the soda pop, had lived at his ranch for the last five years. And of course, Maggie had been with him for three years.
“That can’t be good,” Briar commented.
“Nah. I’m sure it isn’t.”
The stick in Briar’s hand stopped in mid-stroke. “What went on this morning?”
“Bad dream,” Adrian offered, but nothing more. There had been no time when they arose to question her and for some reason he felt it would have been a worthless attempt. Unless he probed her memories he wouldn’t find anything out until she told him. His promise to leave her thoughts untouched was probably not a good decision.
He watched as Fallon slipped her hand across the table to rest upon Maggie’s. Maggie retreated, pulling her hand into her lap. He couldn’t miss the similarities between women. Neither trusted easily and both appeared to be running from shadows. Fallon’s he hadn’t discovered. Maggie had been attacked by a Master vampire. If Adrian ever got his hands on the demon, he would kill him.
“Maybe it’d be best to send her on her way.”
Adrian jerked his head around pinning Briar with a glare.
Briar held his hands up, stick wedged between his fingers, palms facing Adrian. “All I’m saying, Boss, is this gal has turned your head. You’re different around her.”
Adrian’s anger rose hot and fast. His chin slowly dropped as he looked through narrowed eyes. “Are you questioning my ability to lead?” The fine hairs on his neck stood on end. His fury energized the air around them. He didn’t attempt to quiet his feelings, drawing several of his people’s eyes, including Fallon’s and Maggie’s.
“Absolutely not,” Briar said quickly, adjusting his hat, again. Yet he waited until everyone went back to their business before he continued. “Women mess with a man’s head.” A hollowness echoed in his voice as if he knew it to be true from personal experience.
Strange, because all the time Adrian had known Briar he had never spoken of a woman. The man kept to himself. It wasn’t Adrian’s place to meddle.
“I’ll admit that Fallon intrigues me.”
Briar huffed, a breathy sign of disbelief. “Intrigue? Heard that one before.” He pulled his hat further down over his eyes, tossed the stick aside and rose. “She’s got you fuckin’ tied in knots.” His friend nodded in an upward gesture. “That hard-on isn’t because you’re happy to see me.” A low, deep chuckle rose, before he said, “All I’m saying is…be careful. A woman like her means trouble.”
As if to emphasize the point two men approached Fallon and Maggie. They spoke, and then both women rose. A well-muscled man stepped to Fallon’s side, while the tall lanky cowboy took Maggie by the hand. Fallon flashed her partner a brilliant smile as hand in hand they headed for the dance floor.
Adrian’s immediat
e reaction was to lunge forward and rescue Fallon from the man who pulled her into his arms as the music started. Instead Briar’s interested stare kept him rooted to the tree he leaned against.
It’s just a dance.
Fallon moved in fluid motions, easing in and out of the man’s embrace. Her hips had a sexy sway as she two-stepped to the beat of the music. It was as if the melody glided her from one step to the next. Her hair hung loosely. Then a gentle breeze whispering through the trees raised it from her shoulders and the dark curtain floated around the two dancing, in a sensual embrace. The cowboy buried his nose in her mane as he scented her soft perfume.
The tenderness in her face as she mouthed the words of the song had Adrian pushing away from the tree. His body tensed, wanting to feel her in his arms.
It’s just a dance.
Bottom line she meant nothing to him. Like he had said earlier, she intrigued him. He watched the cowboy draw her closer so that their lips almost met.
A low growl rumbled in Adrian’s throat. The heat of jealousy rose forcing him to take a step forward.
Who was he kidding? She did mean something to him. He had felt it the moment she hit town. The damn woman slithered right beneath his skin and refused to release the hold she had on him. Yet, there was no doubt in his mind, if he had to choose between his people and Fallon—Fallon would lose.
His duty was to his people.
Still that little nagging sensation pulled at him telling him to get Fallon out of the cowboy’s arms and into his. Or better yet—into his bed.
As he left Briar behind and crossed the distance between him and Fallon, he thought of calling down the rain. But there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Of course he could make everyone think it was later than it was. Yet, that would be selfish. Everyone was having such a good time.
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