BLOOD KISSES
Nightwalkers Book 1
H.N. Sieverding
Erotic Romance
Secret Cravings Publishing
www.secretcravingspublishing.com
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A Secret Cravings Publishing Book
Erotic Romance
Blood Kisses
Copyright © 2013 H.N. Sieverding
E-book ISBN: 978-1-61885966-2
First E-book Publication: November 2013
Cover design by H. N. Sieverding
Edited by Tabitha Bowers
Proofread by Rene Flowers
All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Secret Cravings Publishing
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Secret Cravings Publishing
www.secretcravingspublishing.com
Dedication
I would like to thank all my readers. You are the people I write for so thank you for reading my books! And a huge thanks to my beta readers and greatest fans, Leta Fisher and Jennifer Rhodes. I love you ladies! Lastly, I’d like to thank Tricia Andersen and my family and friends. Thank you all for your love and support.
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*Trouble With a Cowboy, a western, erotic romance:
Can some slashed tires and an ornery bull bring two hard-headed people together for some fun in the sun and a little more?
**Forget Me Not, paranormal erotic romance:
A war is brewing, a war that could destroy an entire vampire race if left unchecked, and Julian Marino has been requested to participate in it. He stops his search for a long time friend to go home and discovers there is more at stake than just his wants.
As a member of the Cravings Club, you’ll receive 4 books in a variety of genres every month. We will try to match your books to your preferences, however, if you’re a major paranormal fan, I suggest you join the Cravings Paranormal Club. Everything is the same, 4 books every month for $9.99 except that 3 of your 4 books will be paranormal. The remaining book will be of a different genre.
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BLOOD KISSES
Nightwalkers Book 1
H.N. Sieverding
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
Ashleigh typed quickly, her eyes glued on the screen of her laptop as she typed.
The fire crackled, the calm sound drastic compared to the heavy, breathless sounds escaping her lips. Drake’s kisses wandered down to her breasts, his hands grabbing her knees and—
"Hey!" Natalie jumped in front of the screen, scaring Ashleigh. She laughed at Ashleigh's reaction. "Whatcha doin'?"
Ashleigh quickly minimized the word document so that Natalie couldn’t see what she was working on. "Writing."
"Writing? Looks to me like you're just drooling over Caleb again." Natalie pointed at the screen, which showed the shirtless lead singer of Armageddon, Ashleigh’s favorite band. A giant smirk filled his lips as he struck a flirty pose for the camera.
"I wasn't." Making a sour face, Ashleigh saved the file and shut her laptop. The surface was covered in pink skull stickers that sparkled under the harsh lights.
Natalie’s eyes snapped up to a handsome man walking past them. It was rare to get any good eye candy in the old book store, so Natalie’s eyes couldn’t help but follow him.
"I’m ahead of the deadline, so that’s good." Letting out a tired sigh, Ashleigh looked over at the man too. He was waiting in line at the checkout, his tall, muscular frame towering over the people near him. "I think Gramps needs help."
She sent Natalie a cocky grin. When she didn't answer, Ashleigh spoke cheekily, “Why don’t you go over there and help that guy pick out a good romance novel, like Nightwalkers, instead of eye fucking him."
"Well, certainly…" Natalie playfully clasped her hands together in a praying motion. "Victoria."
Shaking her head, Ashleigh stood up and shoved her laptop in her bag. "Stop calling me that."
"Come on," Natalie chuckled as Ashleigh walked over with her toward the desk. "Don’t you want an ounce of Victoria’s fame?"
"I do have it." A sideways frown filled Ashleigh's lips. This subject annoyed her. She whispered, "I am well aware of her fame and her cult following—which I love and is awesome—but I like things this way." Ashleigh began fastening the buckles on her laptop bag. People like the mystery of not knowing who I am, and besides…"
Scowli
ng, Ashleigh struggled with a broken snap. "My goal as a writer isn't to be famous, it's for my books to be."
Ashleigh stepped up to the counter, eyeing the display for her book, Nightwalkers—Betrayal. She frowned at the sexy picture of a half-naked woman being bitten by an overly masculine man with ungodly looking abs. It wasn’t what she had wanted for the cover, but her publishing company had pressured her into it.
She stood to the side, watching Natalie wait on the handsome man in the suit. Out of the corner of her eye, Ashleigh was checking him out cautiously. He was blond and dressed in a fine suit, which wasn't her type.
Spying a copy of Betrayal in his hands, she beamed with pride, even though she was trying her best to hide it. But when Gramps sent her a giant smile, she quickly forced a grimace and turned from him. She knew he would soon tease her about this, something she wanted to avoid.
"Nice choice." Natalie smirked as she took the novel from his hands and scanned the barcode.
"My friends and I are very big Victoria Allure fans." The man’s voice was deeper than Ashleigh was expecting, his eyes covered by a set of designer sunglasses. He smiled at Natalie, and even though it was very sexy, it also contained a hint of devilishness. This, Ashleigh liked. She sent a huge grin to Natalie. "We’ve been trying to get a private meeting with her, but her publishing company won’t arrange it. I know she works here, so I decided to come ask her myself."
Ashleigh chimed in, her answer slightly snippy. "You're wrong, she doesn't work—"
Gramps finished her sentence. "Today."
"Her name's Ashleigh Brown, right?" Nathan briefly glanced at Natalie's nametag and then over at Ashleigh, who was wearing one that said “Mary Anne.” Ashleigh was dressed in jeans and a sweater with the book store's logo on it.
"No." Ashleigh locked eyes with him as she mustered a smile.
"No?" He regarded her strangely.
"What she means is…" Gramps sighed. "Miss Allure would be very angry if she found out you knew her name. As her friend…" He motioned toward Ashleigh. "She is simply trying to honor Miss Allure's request for privacy. Such things are important to Miss Allure, so please respect her wishes."
"Yes," Nathan spoke. "I understand. I'm very sorry."
"Maybe someday she’ll come out of the closet." Natalie laughed, briefly glancing over at Ashleigh, who sent her a very dirty look.
"Naw." Gramps bagged an older woman’s books in a brown paper sack with the words “Harmon and Brown” stamped on it.
The other costumer tried to chime in. "But Ashleigh's—"
"She likes her privacy too much," Gramps interrupted.
He motioned for the old woman to leave. Most of the people here knew Ashleigh wrote Nightwalkers, but because most of the population was made up of older people and farmers, her secret never seemed to go past the county line.
The townsfolk here were also highly religious and didn't care for Ashleigh's horror novels, Ashleigh's grandmother being one of them. She was furious when Gramps had started carrying the books his store, but he never took them down. Though most never sold here, he always displayed them proudly.
"Yes, she does." Ashleigh gave her grandfather a dirty look because she knew what was coming.
With a sly smile, Gramps spoke, "But maybe a handsome man like you could change her mind. From all that sex she writes about, she’s in need of one of those."
"I believe you're wrong." Nathan smiled as he watched Gramps curiously, "Someone who writes as sensual as she does couldn’t be single." He took out his wallet. There was a foreign symbol monogrammed in the fancy leather. His light-colored fingers opened it, revealing a very fat stack of cash.
Ashleigh giggled quietly as she took a candy bar off the display near her, setting it on the counter in front of her grandfather. She liked what the stranger had said, and she tried not to let her smug expression show.
"I doubt Victoria has time for any meetings, anyway." Natalie took the man’s money and placed it in the register. "She’s working on a new book and is off the next two weeks. What was the name of it again?" She turned to Ashleigh.
"Blood Kisses." Ashleigh took out her wallet with small pink hearts stamped on its surface. Originally, it had been white but had now faded to a dull gray.
"Really? I thought the next one coming out was Love Bites." Nathan laughed as he glanced at Ashleigh. There was a warm tone to his voice, and he seemed to have a very friendly personality.
"No." Ashleigh didn't make eye contact with him. "Love Bites is the one releasing next month. Blood Kisses is the book after that."
"All right." He nodded. "How exciting. You all get to hear about the books before we do. I really envy that. I wish I knew her as well as you do." Then, he turned to Natalie. "So, is there any way you could arrange a meeting?"
"She and I are great friends." A cocky tone crept into Natalie's voice as she bagged his purchase. "And we're one of the select few who know her identity."
Ashleigh glared at Natalie, but Natalie motioned for her to shush. "Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to ask her about it. I'm sure she'd love to meet a handsome man such as yourself." Natalie’s eyes opened wider as she raised her eyebrows playfully. She was laying it on thick. "And if not, maybe I could get her to send you an email or a signed copy of her book or something."
Ashleigh tried not to laugh at Natalie. "How much for this Gramps?"
"Five bucks for you missy," Gramps cackled as he held out his hand. "That includes the ones you took yesterday."
"Fine." Ashleigh frowned, her bottom lip pouting a little as she handed him a bill.
"So you'll contact her for me?" Nathan was the only customer left in the store. Now that their conversation had switched to something he was interested in, he seemed intent on staying. "I would love to speak with her."
"See?" Gesturing with her hand toward Nathan, Natalie’s voice was louder than it needed to be. "It’s because of this kind of stuff that I think Victoria needs to be more in touch with her fans. You know, come out and talk publicly. Like do a book signing or interview or something." She turned back to him. "Don’t you think so?"
He was going to say something, but Ashleigh beat him to it. "No." Her voice took on a deeper tone. "She has a pen name for a reason, remember?" She unwrapped her candy bar and took a big bite off the end of it, speaking with her mouth full. "She likes her privacy."
"I like that idea." Gramps grinned as he walked from behind the counter and toward Ashleigh. "Then maybe she’ll stop thinking about vampires all the time and take interest in some real men. Vampires don’t exist."
"I never said they did." Ashleigh spoke in a mocking tone as she took another nibble from the chocolate treat. She glanced over at the man briefly, who was chuckling under his breath. He had pulled out his phone and was hiding it under the counter as he typed.
"And I’m not—" Stopping short, she suddenly remembered something. "Speaking of her, I have to send an email." Quickly pulling out her laptop and walking around the counter, she set it down and opened it. Ashleigh’s attention quickly got absorbed in what she was doing. Biting on her nail, she had an intense expression on her face. Then, her fingers went to the keys, and she started typing.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" Natalie’s bold question made Ashleigh look up sharply. She was leaning on the counter now, her hands cradling her cheeks as she supported her weight on her elbows.
"I have no need for one." He was too involved with his phone to do more than flick his eyes up to her for a second.
"Really?" Natalie didn’t really know how to react to his answer, so she just grinned stupidly.
"Okay ladies, it’s almost closing time." Gramps strode up to Ashleigh and shut the lid of her laptop, almost slamming her fingers in it.
"Hey!" She quickly opened it back up and resumed her furious typing.
"Sorry sir, I don’t mean to rush you, but we’re closing soon. The pretty ladies are available tonight, if you want to continue your conversation about Miss Allure, especiall
y this catch of a granddaughter of mine. She knows more about Victoria than anyone."
"I do not." Ashleigh glared at him.
He was holding a set of keys in his hands, dangling them in front of Ashleigh. "Lock up for me, sweetheart. I promised old Grams I’d meet her at the lock for that cruise she’s been harping me about."
There was a sad tone to her voice. "Fine." Ashleigh took the keys from him and shut her laptop, annoyed. He had embarrassed her by proclaiming to the world she was single and desperate enough to have her grandfather try to set up dates for her. "See you tomorrow, Gramps."
"Aww, sweetie. Give me a smile." He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I think you’re a brilliant writer. Sorry about what I said earlier," he whispered in her ear before pulling away. He kissed the top of her head as he squeezed her playfully.
"Thanks." Ashleigh shoved her laptop into its case quickly.
Gramps motioned toward the man. "Go talk to him. He likes your books. Use that as a conversation starter."
"I…" Pausing, Ashleigh peeked at him then turned to her grandfather. In a low voice, she continued, "Can't…"
"Why not?" Gramps regarded her with confusion.
"No one cares about plain old Ashleigh Brown." She sighed in defeat. "My fans…they all think I'm this big time thing, but I'm not. I can't live up to Victoria's fame…this persona my fans have invented. This thing's gotten way too big for me. It's like I have to keep this secret now."
He put his hand on her shoulder as she gazed up at him with sad eyes. "I'm sure your fans would be satisfied with the beautiful, talented, Ashleigh Brown. I know I am, and that young man seems to be as well."
Blood Kisses (Nightwalkers Book 1) Page 1
