Joseph had been quite the opposite, but she’d loved him nonetheless. He had taken her in when she had nowhere else to go. He had respected her age and treated her like a princess. He had come to mean everything to her. He had been a father figure first, protecting her from the bad world she had been a part of, to the caring lover she later found in him. It had taken a couple of years of begging to finally get her way. But in the end, she had become his mate.
Brea never once regretted her decision, even if there were times she thought he might. No one could make her laugh or feel more loved than Joseph. She had quickly become his everything and he would have stopped at nothing to protect her. Even though things had begun to shift in their relationship, his death was a huge blow to her heart, leaving a hole she doubted could ever be filled again. Nor did she want to. Joseph deserved to be remembered for the good times.
“He took you in.”
“When I had nothing and no one.” A lone tear slipped down her cheek. She smiled weakly. “Now I’m back to where I started. I don’t understand my godfather’s sudden obsession and need to chase after me. I haven’t heard from him in years. It’s not like I kept in touch with him. I hate him for Kinky. He had nothing to do with my relationship with my godfather. I know it’s not yet proven, but my heart tells me Raúl is at fault.”
“When he called you, you said Raúl asked if you had learned your lesson. What was that about?”
She shook her head, moistening her lips with her tongue. “I can only assume he blamed Kinky for keeping me from him. What other reason could he possibly have for killing a man who meant nothing to him.”
“And now he blames me.”
Brea knew it wasn’t a question. She had said as much to Draven the night they had fled his nightclub. She should’ve never gotten him involved. Raúl Trevino Caballero was a very bad man, worse than any of the men involved in her family’s business. Last she heard, he was responsible for over twenty thousand deaths in Mexico and beyond. He was not a man you wanted to piss off. Maybe it was time to cut her losses, send Draven back to Oregon, and go it alone to her godfather’s. No one was safe with her, and especially not someone with human DNA.
If Draven wouldn’t leave on his own, she would devise a plan and head out without him. They could lie low here for a few days while she figured out exactly what she was going to do. Draven might not like it, but she would not be responsible for another death. Raúl’s vacation home wasn’t far from here. She could easily make the distance on foot. Draven would only slow her down. Once she left, he could find his way back to the border and his car.
Her heart weighed heavy. Leaving him wasn’t something she wanted to do, but she had little choice. She couldn’t worry about protecting him, when she needed to keep herself alive while she got close to her godfather, close enough to take his life with her bare hands, or her fangs. Brea didn’t care which, as long as the end result was the same. Raúl Trevino Caballero would not live to kill another human being. He needed to be stopped, and she was just the person to do it.
“We’ll lie low here for a few days.”
“Raúl doesn’t know about this place?”
She shook her head. “My father never fully trusted the man, and rightfully so. With Raúl it was always best to keep a few secrets. Daddy would never have put his family at risk to get what he wanted.”
Draven patted the sofa, sending a dust cloud into the space separating them. “This place could use a good cleaning.”
She thought of his pristine white apartment, knowing he’d feel more than a little uncomfortable in the years of dirt layering the place. “We can clean it. It’s not as bad as it looks. Just a little surface dust.”
“And food?” One of his dark brows rose. Damn if even the slight arch of his brow wasn’t turning her on at the moment. She needed to feed. “Yours might be taken care of, but what am I supposed to do for nourishment? My stomach is growling like a malnourished lion at the moment.”
“There’s a store about ten miles west of here.”
He groaned. “I don’t think I’m ready for another trek through the woods at the moment, not with my sore ankle. Maybe after we get some sleep. I’ll just have to suck it up, and we can go in the morning.”
“I’ll tell you what. How about I make you a deal?”
“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?”
Brea smiled, trying not to laugh and make light of his aversion to feeding her. “You feed me first, then we’ll clean up this place a little. We’ll get some sleep. Come morning, I’ll run to the store and get you some food.”
She could make it to the store easily in no time, but she’d need to take care of her death chill first or she’d be too weak to make the fast sprint through the forest. Taking Draven would only slow her down.
Draven let out a heavy sigh, grabbed his hair band from his wrist, and made a messy knot at the back of his head, exposing his throat. “I sure in the hell hope this place has running water, because after I feed you, I’m going to need a cold shower. A very cold shower.”
Chapter 3
Draven rested his head against the corrugated metal shower wall as cold water washed over his heated flesh. He hadn’t been lying. Following feeding her, he had an erection bordering on painful. Hell, he was still half-hard. And if he allowed himself to think about the sharp points of her fangs drawing blood from him, there would be no amount of cold water that would be of any help.
A groan escaped him.
What the fuck had he gotten himself into?
There were only a few short hours before the sun set, leaving them in total darkness. This far out, there was no electricity or gas, hence the cold shower. He supposed they could light a few candles, put some firewood into the fireplace, but the last thing they needed was to draw attention to the abandoned cabin. When daylight waned, and the night fell upon them, they’d only have the moonlight in which to see.
Brea would be able to see perfectly fine with her enhanced vision, but Draven would be in for a lot of bruised shins. Not to mention what they would do to pass the time. Another groan escaped him as his cock returned to full mast. There was no way of getting around the five finger shuffle. Draven had a feeling that over the next few weeks, he was going to become pretty good friends with his right fist.
Wrapping his hand around his erection, he slid his hand from root to tip, barely suppressing another groan as Brea’s image in full vampire form swam before him. She was no doubt going to be the death of him, figuratively and literally. His balls tightened. He smoothed his hand over the steely length to the satiny tip.
“Draven?”
Fuck!
He supposed he was also going to become friends with the f-bomb as well. “In the shower still.”
“You need to make it quick. Hard telling how much water is in the well and we may need to conserve it.” Her voice filtered through the wooden door. If she only knew what the hell he had been up to. “You okay in there?”
“I’m fine, Brea.” His tone came out a bit harsher than he intended. He let go of his cock and resigned himself for another night of aching balls. “Christ,” he said, barely above a whisper.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
He hadn’t thought about her super-sonic vampire hearing. Just fucking great. “I’ll live … for now. I’ll be out in a sec.”
He turned the handles and the cold water ceased. Stepping from the wood planked floor, he grabbed a threadbare towel. Draven opened the door and strode into the living area, no longer caring what Brea thought. His erection tented the towel. Water rivulets ran down the sparse hair on his chest.
Her breath caught when she turned to look at him, her gaze stopping on his erection, barely contained by the towel. She licked her lips and her gaze blackened. Her reaction wasn’t helping his condition, not one iota.
“What do you expect, Brea?” Draven was happy to see the death chill gone. “If I’m going to continue to feed you, then you’ll nee
d to respect my ‘alone time.’” He added quotation marks with his fingers on the last two words.
Her cheeks reddened as she averted her gaze. Brea had beautiful baby blues, a perfectly heart-shaped face, and soft bow-shaped lips. He loved her funky style. One side of her hair was shaved close above her right ear, while the left side grew overlong to just below her chin. A diamond stud sparkled from her left nostril. Five stainless steel rings pierced each of her ears, three in the lower lobes and two higher up in the cartilage, making him anxious to find out if she had more.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that’s what you were doing in there.”
“You think I just happen to love cold showers?”
The tiniest of smiles slipped up her lips. He caught the gesture. “Just warn me next time.”
“What the fuck am I supposed to say? Excuse me, Brea, while I go yank one off? It’s embarrassing enough I’m sporting wood around you three-quarters of the time.”
“I’m flattered.”
Draven rolled his gaze. “I wasn’t looking to compliment you. I think you and I both know what my thoughts are when it comes to you. But I respect the relationship you had with Kinky. And because of that, I will never ask anything from you. I will feed you when I have to, but otherwise you’re safe from me. I won’t force the issue or my desire to have you. All I ask is for you to please fucking respect my alone time.”
She nodded, her face even redder than before. “I am so sorry. If you need to finish your … um, shower…”
He shook his head, hands on his hips. “I no longer feel like it. Sort of takes the edge off, you out here knowing what the hell I am doing in there.”
“Then would you mind?”
He blinked. “Mind what?”
“Putting some pants on?”
Draven laughed. “I wouldn’t mind at all, but they happen to be drying at the moment. Since it’s the only pair I had, I washed out the clothes I was wearing and hung them over the rack in the bathroom to dry. I don’t have to tell you that they had to be sweat-soaked and smelly. You’ll have to deal with me in the towel for the night.”
Draven plopped down onto the floral sofa and propped his feet onto the center storage trunk being used at one time for a coffee table. He crossed his legs at the ankles and leaned back against the scratchy material.
A lone bedroom sat off the living area with what appeared to be a full-size bed. Looks like he’d be taking the couch, uncomfy as it was. He hoped to find a spare sheet in some drawer or closet shelf to take the edge off the itchy fabric. No way in hell could both he and Brea fit in the small bed. Even if they could, he’d still opt for the sofa. The more distance he put between them, the better off they’d both be.
Darkness descended quickly this deep into the woods. Brea had opened a couple of windows, but the breeze had completely stopped, leaving the cabin stuffy. Sweat gathered on his flesh even though he wore little to nothing. Add the close proximity to Brea in the mix…
She crossed the room and headed for the bathroom. Her bare feet padded so softly across the wood flooring Draven couldn’t detect the sound. It was as if she floated. Brea looked damn sexy in her dark blue skinny jeans and an oversized gray sweater that frequently slid off one shoulder. She wore a navy bra beneath, if the thin strap was any indication.
Any other time, he would’ve jumped on the woman, taken advantage of the situation. Fuck Joseph! Did the damn vampire even realize what putting him in charge of his mate would do to him? Draven would get through this scary as fuck hike through the woods, find her godfather, and end the insanity. Once Brea took care of Raúl, then they could go their separate ways and the Sons would never have to know about her existence.
Everyone would be happy.
He could return to his life as he knew it.
However, the thought of leaving Brea behind no longer set well with him, left an odd ache in his chest. Even though he had only been in her company a few short days, he was pretty sure happy wouldn’t come close to describing his mood when they parted ways.
Draven heard the water start. He crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the back of the wooden door. His imagination easily called up the image of her standing beneath the old shower head, water sluicing over her naked curves. Her hand no doubt followed those same curves, lathering up her flesh, over her pebbled nipples.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”
Draven sat forward and scrubbed his palms over his eyes. His erection sprang back to life and all he wanted to do was go outside and get some release for his aching balls. Without a doubt, though, about the time he got started, Brea would be done showering and come looking for him, which certainly didn’t help his current situation as he now envisioned her watching him masturbate.
He couldn’t help wonder what she might think of his Prince Albert piercing. She had plenty of piercings of her own, and he was betting his might work in his favor should she ever lay her cerulean eyes on it.
The water cut short and he had an erection to get rid of. The towel wasn’t doing him any favors.
“Grandma’s tits. Big ol’ saggy balls.” Think, think … shit that disgusts you. “A baboon’s ass.”
The door to the bathroom opened and Brea stepped through, wrapped in an old worn terry cloth robe covering her from chin to ankle. Thank goodness, except he was pretty sure she was naked underneath it.
Damn!
Not helping. He shifted in his seat, grabbed the sofa pillow, placed it over his lap, and groaned.
“Did I hear you say something about a baboon’s ass out here?” The amusement in her tone told him she likely heard all of his disgusting comments. “Entertaining yourself in the dark?”
“Now if I were entertaining myself, it wouldn’t have been a baboon’s ass I had in mind.”
Her smile was back, along with the slight reddening of her cheeks. She was just so damn adorable when she was embarrassed. “Mind if I join you on the sofa? It’s the only other soft seat in the house and I’m not quite ready to turn in for the night. Where are you going to sleep?”
“Right here. You can have the bed to yourself.” He patted the cushion beside him and a small amount of dust rose. “Have a seat.”
Brea sat, curling into the corner of the couch and tucking one leg beneath her. “Not sure how long we can go undetected here. By now, I’m sure Raúl’s men reported back to him that they lost us.”
“But you said he didn’t know about this place.”
She shook her head. “He didn’t. Daddy never wanted him to know. He thought it was safer for us should Raúl ever decide my father lost his usefulness. That doesn’t mean they won’t be combing the woods looking for us.”
A sliver of moonlight came through the window, slightly illuminating her where she sat. Brea’s gaze lowered to his chest, staying there a bit more than he was comfortable with. He had a monster-size erection to get rid of and her heated gaze wasn’t helping. “Like what you see, sweetheart?”
She laughed. “Isn’t that what a woman usually asks a man?”
“I’m not the one doing the ogling at the moment.”
“Can I help it if you look sexy as hell sitting there in only that towel? Remember, I have vampire DNA running through my veins. It has a tendency to amp up the emotions.”
“Emotions meaning desire.”
She lowered her gaze again, this time to her hands clasped in her lap. “I haven’t had sex, not since a month or so before Kinky’s death.”
His pulse hammered in his ears. “And you’re telling me this because…?”
Her gaze landed back on his. “Because you aren’t the only one suffering here, Draven. I can scent your desire. And quite frankly, I want you too.”
Chapter 4
Brea tiptoed from the bedroom on her way to the small kitchenette, not wanting to wake Draven. A brief glance showed he had slept on his back with a forearm slung over his eyes. His broad shoulders barely fit on the old sofa, making her feel bad for her night of comfort. Maybe
she should’ve offered him the other side of the bed. After all, they were adults and could sleep together without having to actually touch one another or have sex.
“I want you too.”
Lord, had she really admitted as much? The night had ended there, with heat filling her cheeks and her heading for the bedroom … alone. Draven hadn’t so much as moved a muscle. Not a word after her admission. It appeared her dry spell wasn’t about to end, which was just as well since she had yet to get over Joseph’s death. Even if things had ended on a sour note for them. Not that she hadn’t loved Joseph, but sometimes the gaps were just too far to bridge.
Pulling her lower lip between her teeth, she reached into one of the upper cabinets, looking and praying for some coffee that might have been left behind. Any coffee, stale or not, was better than no coffee at all. Brea moved aside some dusty cups and found an aluminum tin in the back. Taking it down from the cupboard, she grabbed the black plastic knob and lifted the lid. Dark grounds filled half the can.
A little more rooting through cupboards and drawers produced some old circular coffee filters. Brea then opened the cupboard beneath the gas cooktop and prayed to find the propane tank at least partially filled. Bingo! Several minutes later and she had coffee percolating on the stove top. The aroma filled the small cabin. Not that she needed substance, thanks to Draven feeding her the night before, but she still loved the smell and taste of a good cup of coffee. The jury was out on whether or not this old percolator would produce the perfect cup or not. Brea leaned more on it being drinkable.
“Is that coffee I smell?”
Brea turned, catching Draven swinging his long, muscular legs to the floor, stretching his arms overhead. A yawn escaped him before he stood and headed in her direction. The white towel still wrapped his lean waist, hanging dangerously low on his hips. Her mouth dried. Damn, if she didn’t want some of that. She quickly averted her gaze from his morning wood, her cheeks heating.
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