A Vampire's Touch (The Red Velvet Trilogy) (3 page)

He bit my lower lip and I sucked in a precious breath. It didn’t last.  His possession continued, his tongue entered and mastered my mouth, taking everything.  My arms wrapped around his shoulders, squeezing his hardness. 

Speaking of hardness, his was pressed up against me, burning through my leather skirt right at my hip. I could feel his length and was taken aback for a moment.  He was huge and I didn’t mean because he was well over six feet tall. 

Holy shit
.
Could I even handle this?  It was too much. The intensity was mind boggling. He must have felt it too because he pulled back abruptly, putting some space between us. I took in big gulps of air as if I had surfaced from a long dive.  He stumbled back and wiped at his mouth. 
What the hell
? 

Just as the dark cloud of his dismissal settled over me, my cellular went off with
Black Eyed Peas, My Humps
.  I was seriously going to kill Tarah for messing with my phone. Turning quickly away, I answered.

“Hey there.  I see you’re still alive and kicking?
”
  Tarah asked.

I blew out a frustrated breath. “Yes I am. Have I told you lately how much I love you? Because, seriously, you are walking that line.”

She was silent for a moment, not sure whether I was joking or really pissed.

“Er…are you
ok
ay
?
  You sound kind of frustrated.  I would like to think you should be as relaxed as a woman could be right about now.”

I kept quiet but she was going to freak if I didn’t reassure her at some point.  “I am good, mommy.  Can I go play now?” I knew I was being a catty bitch but my ego was slightly bruised.

Giggling, Tarah wished me a pleasant night and I clicked the end button.  When I turned around, I was alone. I knew exactly what getting punched in the gut felt like at that moment.  Feeling ridiculous, I looked around for my drink. Not too far away from where I had stood in a maddened embrace with Jax.  This was too awkward.  One minute we were hot and heavy and the next, I am…
.

“Forgive me.”

That voice both thrilled and angered me.  I wanted to slam the flute down and ask to be driven home; not by him. Then again, part of me felt like a petulant child.  Maybe there was a good reason for his sudden disinterest.  Refusing to gush with the anticipated “It’s okay” I stayed silent and waited for his explanation.   I crossed my arms over my chest, giving the moment some added punch.  It worked because he actually fidgeted.  Mr. Cool was uncomfortable.   He took a step toward me, smoothing those tempting tresses back with his hand.   His eyes came back to me.  He was torn.  The crack of thunder followed by a jagged beam of lightening should have scared the shit out of me, but strangely, made me feel vindicated instead.  Its energy ran through my body and pushed me to act.

“Can I use your bathroom?”  I barely spoke above a whisper.  He pointed down the hall and I could see it through the open door.  I rushed away almost running past him.  Closing myself in, I dug out my phone and called Tarah.  Thankfully, I had made sure to see the name of the street we had turned onto.  Giving her a brief description of the house would be good enough.  I knew it would take her all of five minute to get here.  She was close by.

What would I do while I waited?  I couldn’t go out and face him now.  How messed up was this? Here I was thinking I might just have one of those incredible nights.  Was I deluded to think we actually had a connection back at the club? He seemed to be into me just as much as I was into him.  So why did he pull away? I didn’t consider myself the most experienced kisser but I was pretty damn proud of my performance with him.  I had really let go and that hadn’t happened in a long time for me.

Looking in the mirror, I poked at my cheek then turned my face; studying my profile.  What the hell was wrong with me?  It wasn’t like I was this atrocious Medusa.  I considered myself average in the looks department. Damn it, I looked hot tonight! 

The ding of my cellular took me out of my wallowing.  Tarah was pulling up and I needed to get my ass out there fast.  She was liable to bang the door down and give Jax a piece of her mind.  Grabbing my coat, I made my way to the front door.  He was sitting on the couch waiting.

“Sienna…
.
”

I held up my hand.  “You don’t have to explain.  I think I better go.” He got up and walked toward me as I turned to open the doors.  His chest pressed against my back. I could feel his nose in my hair, inhaling my scent deep into his lungs. 

Shit
. I needed out of here right now before I fell into his arms like a desperate ninny. I couldn’t take his rejection again.  Something had happened and I didn’t know what or why.

He grasped my shoulder making my blood heat.  Closing my eyes, I prayed for strength then, as if sensing my struggle, his hand fell away freeing me before I took it upon myself to move.  I twisted the knob and walked out into a flurry of snow.

“What the fuck did that bastard do to you?” Tarah growled.

She was pissed and wasn’t going to stop until I said something.  I looked down at my hands and rubbed the finger prints off my iPhone. 

“He didn’t do anything.  It just didn’t pan out between us.” I was so full of shit. 

“Bullshit.  Now spill.”

I glanced at her as she maneuvered the
B
eamer
down the mountain side.  So I turned in my seat and faced her.

“Fine.  Here goes.  We were getting hot and heavy and Jax pulled away then you called, we talked and when I hung up he was gone.”

“What?  What do you mean gone? Like he just left you there?”

“Yep.  And when he pulled away he didn’t look very interested; more like disgusted.”  I would never talk about this with anyone else.  It was simply degrading and embarrassing. 

“Get out.” Tarah was incredulous.

I nodded, adjusted my curvy ass on the seat and stared out the window. What else could I say? Being rejected sucked.

“His loss honey.”

My sad gaze swung back to my best friend. Tarah was the sister I never had and always had my back. She glanced at me and smiled.  I smiled back to lift her spirits.  I could tell she felt guilty.  This had been all her idea after all.

“You want me to drive back and kick his ass?”

I busted out laughing. “You would shit if I said yes.”

“
Probably
,
but
I would do it.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Jax

“Fucking hell!”  I roared, hearing the engine of the car outside fade away. I placed the empty bag of blood in the trash, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

With the exception of my days as a fledging, this was the most uncontrolled moment of my existence and I’ve lived quite a long time. After five centuries, you would think I could suppress the urge to devour a human in the middle of my living room. Hadn’t I just chugged four bags of O-Positive at the club?  Why then the sudden need to fill my mouth with the taste of her? With that type of diet and my age, getting up close and personal should not have been an issue. 

Her scent had called to me the moment she had walked into my establishment. I zeroed in on her among hundreds. Never had I experienced such a pull and those eyes…
.

If it weren’t for the fact that she smelled human, I could almost believe she was an
Elemental
.  Turning I walked toward the floor to ceiling windows.  The snow eased until it stopped completely with her angry departure.

She hadn’t even flinched when the lightening hit right outside the house.  Instead, her chin had lifted, eyes glittering with omnipotence.  These were all characteristics of that particular vampire species.   The unnatural gray eyes, the ability to control natural elements fearlessly…
.

I smoothed my hair back with shaking hands. My gaze stumbled upon the leather strap on the floor. I closed my eyes at the memory of how it came to be there.  Bending, I picked it up and clenched my hand around it.  I quickly tied my hair back and strode to the coat closet.  A sparkly object greeted me.  It rested on the small table outside the door.  I picked it up and immediately sensed her fragrance. 

I needed to clear my mind.  Stepping out onto the balcony I launched out and over, landing at the bottom of the jagged cliff on all fours, my body morphing into my beast of choice.  Being a
Shifter
allowed me to choose and tonight I was a wolf. The area was dense with foliage and the shelter was welcome. I knew I was unaccompanied with the exception of a lone coyote and some raptors circling above.  Moving with preternatural speed, I blurred into the wooded area and let physics take over.

The sun’s rays were starting to crawl over the mountain, melting the new fallen snow as I made my way back. Thankfully, my resistance to the burn was strong.  In this species, age brought on added bonuses. Bloodlust control and adaptability to sunlight with the correct protection were just a few but I needed rest. I entered my home and pressed the control that would bring down the shutters.  They weren’t required save for the times I had guests not as fortunate as I.  However, it was easier to regenerate much needed energy.

Naked, I slipped between the crimson silk sheets.  The soft friction did nothing to help my sudden state of arousal.  Damn it.

After an extended time of drowning in guilt and replaying the scenario with Sienna in my head, I fell deep into a dark, welcoming void where memories no longer existed.

Sienna

I
bolted upright in my bed and squinted at the sun, which was precariously high and angled across my room, telling me it was early afternoon. 
Holy shit!
I couldn’t remember the last time I had slept so late.  Could it be that I actually went out like a normal young person on her once a month weekend off?  Memories of my “night out” came crashing over me and with them a sense of despair. 

In my haste to leave, I had left my clutch behind. Thankfully Tarah carried a spare key to my apartment.  I cringed at the thought of having to creep back to Jax’s home to retrieve it but what choice did I have? Not only had the damn thing cost me a small fortune; I wanted my wallet back.  Theft wasn’t the issue.  God knew he didn’t need my money. 

I fell back on the bed with a sigh only to be jolted up with the buzz of the doorbell. 
Crap
! I had forgotten Tarah and I were going to meet up for coffee after lunch except I hadn’t even had any yet.  I bounced out of the bed, pulling down the skimpy tank I slept in.  The shorts weren’t much better but this ensemble was the closest to sleeping naked as I could get.  I smiled on my way to the door, thinking how annoyed she was going to be that I wasn’t ready to go. 

I opened the door and just about swallowed my tongue.  Jax Sparks stood there looking sexy as hell in a pair of relaxed fit jeans, black
Tap Out
t-shirt and leather jacket.  His
Ray
B
ans
were still on though he was inside the building but hell, I didn’t mind.  I was too busy gawking and thinking about how much I wasn’t wearing.

“Sienna
?
”

My name came out in a question.  I moved behind the door, trying to block his view.  The devil had the audacity to smirk.  My focus came back when he raised a dark eyebrow.  I guess I couldn’t just leave him standing in the hallway.  Taking a deep breath, I pulled the door wider and allowed him to enter. Why did it feel as if the moment his boot stepped over the threshold my life would change?  Much later, I would have my answer but for now I simply gave up trying to cover all the skin on display and sat on my cushy black leather couch.  Jax followed me, taking the empty space to my left. 

“I think you forgot this.” He pulled out my clutch from under his jacket.

Looking down, the sparkly piece looked ridiculous in his large masculine hand.  I swiped at my lip, hiding a grin.  I couldn’t let him see it because I was supposed to be pissed.  So, I coughed a little and cleared my throat. 

“Thanks.  You just saved me an uncomfortable trip.” Did I just say that?  By the scowl spreading on his face
,
that would
be a big, fat “yes”. 

I took the clutch quickly and placed it on my end table.  “I appreciate you coming all this way to bring it, really.”

“Sienna…
.
” He glanced at my legs and closed his eyes.

I remained silent.  If he was going to explain I sure as hell wasn’t going to make it easy.  His dark hair was loose today and my fingers itched to touch it.  He gave me the pleasure of watching him do it instead. 

“About last night...I didn’t mean to pull away like that. 

I crossed my arms over my chest.  If body language could speak, then I was talking.  Listening to his excuses of why he didn’t want me was going to kill me, but I didn’t have to show it. 
Remember he came to give you back your bag, not to see you…
.