Microsoft Word - Blood and Sex from CE.rtf (7 page)

He slid onto the stool beside her and turned his body toward hers so that their legs touched. “Hey.”

She looked up at him, then smiled a sweet smile that made her cheek dimple.

“What’s your name?”

“Dahlia,” she yelled over the music.

“Well, Dahlia. I just wanted to tell you something.”

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Her brows pulled up. “What?”

He leaned in, almost touching her ear with his lips. That power inside him sparked, ready to do its thing, and he concentrated on bending her will. Only a little, to make the game go faster.

He wasn’t into rape. But there was no need to take hours just to get past her defenses. So he only used a tiny amount to relax her. “I’ve been watching you all night, and I can’t stop.”

Dahlia giggled. He could feel the heat from her face as she blushed, but didn’t pull away.

“Thank you.”

“Let’s go somewhere else.”

She pulled back and arched a brow at him.

“I’m not going to hurt you. We don’t have to leave the club. Let’s just go somewhere quiet.”

Dahlia shrugged.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall to the private rooms. Blane led her inside and shut the door behind him, turning the lock as he went.

She flicked the light switch. The room went dark, forcing his senses to strengthen. Her blood and the scent of her wet skin filled the room. He smiled to himself. Oh, if the girl only knew.

“I like it dark.” Her voice was slow and seductive. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Not at all.” He pulled the toothpick from his mouth and dropped it to the floor.

Blane reached out to grab her. His hands locked around her warm shoulders and pulled her forward. There would be no foreplay, no pretending. Just like it had been with all the other women since Christiana had stepped into his life. It would be a great day when that woman walked right back
out
of his life again. Then—maybe—things would go back to normal and he

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would stop dreaming about her every damned day.

The woman went straight for his zipper.

“Whoa.” He backed up against the door.

“Want me to stop?”

“I didn’t say that.”

He pulled her face to his, but he didn’t kiss her. He never kissed them, the humans. It didn’t seem fair. Instead his lips went to that soft, warm jawbone, then trailed down toward her pulse. Her heart was racing, tempting him as she stroked her hand over his hardened flesh. He’d only wanted her blood, but who was he to deny a hand job?

At least this way, he could bury his face in her neck and try not to think about it being
her
.

* * * *

Christiana slurped down the last of the third glass of that wonderful pink drink. She had to give kudos to Jonas; the creative new menu for their kind was a nice deviation. The Blood Daiquiri she’d ordered was strangely cold, an acquired taste, but it did give a nice buzz, like drinking from an intoxicated human. Khalil would be interested in the innovations.

Tossing a sizeable tip onto the table, she stood and moved past the line of booths toward the exit.

“Christiana!”

She peeked back over her shoulder to see Elena, Jonas’s
compagno,
who
was looking more like him by the day, hurrying toward her. Her gut twisted. Every time the new vampire got near, Christiana had the strangest urge to kiss her. It wasn’t the first time she’d felt this for another female, but it was the first time it had been this strong. The other vampiress who made

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her feel this did it on purpose. This from Elena was, however, completely unintentional. There was no intent that she could detect, and the attraction wasn’t mutual. It was just that Elena was magnetic. Compelling.

Even that was an understatement.

Which was why she kept walking, hoping to make it out into the club before she was forced to endure another moment with the strange feelings for Elena. They’d spent every spare moment together for two weeks, working with Jonas as bait to teach Elena control over her new abilities. It had been a pleasant way to avoid Blane—until this new attraction to Elena started.

“Wait.” Elena grabbed her arm, then tugged her into a hug that seemed a little too warm for such a reserved female.

Christiana stiffened, but tried not to let it insult the woman. She had done nothing wrong, despite the discomfort she caused.

“Thank you for helping me.”

“You’re welcome.” Christiana stepped back as the
sorella
released her. The urge to kiss her was even stronger than before, as if the
neonato
were attempting to seduce her through blood magic, but there was no surge in emotion that would come with such an attempt. Curious. “It is my job.”

“You did a lot more than your job. If it weren’t for you, I’d have completely worn Jonas out during that first week.” Elena smiled. “Thank you for making this easier. For us.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Please tell me you’re coming back with us.” She leaned in and whispered, “You’re the only friend I have besides Jonas. I think Tori doesn’t trust me.”

Actually, it wasn’t just mistrust Tori was feeling. She’d felt the human’s jealousy of

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Elena. With it, there was downright accusation. But the human detective had good reason not to trust Elena. There was something about her, something in the way that everyone reacted to her very presence, that made it eerie. It was as if she were the most irresistible creature on Earth, when she wasn’t abnormally beautiful. Then, when she was near the
padrone
, that power intensified somehow and everyone could feel it. It positively electrified the air.

Elena’s perfume wafted toward Christiana, and it made her head spin.
Yeah, there was
definitely a good reason not to trust Elena with your mate.
Christiana stepped back again. “I haven’t made plans to stay. I will wait to see what Khalil asks of me.”

“All right, but consider staying. You can stay in the pool house if you like.”

Right
. No way was she staying in the house with Jonas and Elena. She really wouldn’t be able to keep her mind off Blane if she had to listen to them having sex every night. “Thank you for the offer. I will consider it.” She backed slowly away. “I will see you tomorrow night.”

Christiana turned and walked toward the main bar. Yes, she’d see them tomorrow night, on their way to Venice, and she couldn’t be happier. She couldn’t take another second near Elena or Blane. If she didn’t get out of Collins soon, she was going to have a sexual meltdown. One that would probably include ripping the clothes right off Blane. Which he would probably welcome.

She stepped through the door that separated the VIP section from the main bar and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She flipped the top open and looked for the envelope icon.

Vincenzo should have sent her an e-mail by now, but there was no message—

Wham!

She bounced off something—or someone—large and stumbled back.

Christiana glanced up to see what happened. It was Blane. No doubt, he was stepping out

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of one of the fetish-themed rooms down the corridor behind him, just as she’d seen him do night after night during her time in the city.

Seeing him now, tugging his zipper into place, her blood practically boiled with anger.

But it wasn’t the women that agitated her.

He didn’t even look at her. “Watch where you’re goin’.”

“You stepped out in front of me. I can’t help it if you’re too busy running away from some hu—girl to pay attention.”

His green eyes rolled up to her. “Oh. It’s you.” His lips parted in a bright smile. “Still didn’t get laid, did you,
Princess
?”

The smug look on his face made her hand curl into a fist.

Then she tried to loosen her fingers. What was it about him that made all of her control fly right out the window? They’d been on the verge of physical battles every day since she’d arrived. Of course, it was his fault. He just couldn’t let the opportunity to jab her pass by unnoticed.

Blane leaned closer. She could smell the human’s blood on his breath, and the vibration of confidence and sexual interest rolled over her as it did every time he was so near. “You know, I’d be glad to take care of that for you.” He thumbed toward the hallway. “We could go back into one of those rooms, and—”

“No.” Christiana took a deep, steadying breath and tried to smile. “While I’m sure that might appeal to those
canes
you’re so fond of, nothing sounds less appealing to me right now.”

His jaw clenched. “Afraid you might like it?”

“I have no doubt you’re well practiced.” She smiled genuinely at the thought. She’d had plenty of time to consider that in the past two weeks. “It’s that precise idea that makes me sure