“She’ll be okay,” he said again as if he knew she needed his reassurance more than she needed her next breath.
And for the first time since leaving the house, Meg started to think that he just might be right.
“BASICALLY, SHE JUST ATE too much,” Doc Jamison told Meg an hour later.
They stood in the doorway of one of the exam rooms. Inside, Babe lay on a large steel table. Dillon stood next to the animal and stroked her soft fur. Babe’s leg gave an excited shake and relief swamped Meg.
“She has a bad case of indigestion,” the vet went on. “A very bad case what with all the plastic she ingested on top of the sugar.”
“But she’s going to be okay, right? You’ll give her some Tums and send her home.”
“More than settling her stomach, we want to get her to pass everything, so she has a busy night ahead. You’ll have to watch her, too, and keep her out of the pantry tonight. Otherwise, I might have to pump her stomach. That’s as painful for dogs as it is for humans.”
Meg nodded. “No more Twinkies.”
“Or anything that isn’t on this list.” He handed over a neatly typed list of appropriate foods, along with at-home care instructions. “Don’t give her anything tonight, but once she passes everything, she’ll need nourishment. Namely, plenty of protein. I’m also going to give her a little something to ease the cramps. If you follow Shirley, there—” the vet motioned to the woman next to him who’d been sitting at the front desk “—she’ll get you all taken care of.”
Meg left Babe with Dillon and followed Shirley back through the double doors and out to the front desk. Five minutes later, she had a full bottle of pain pills along with a bottle of powdered fiber that she was supposed to mix and feed to Babe once they got home.
Meg took a deep breath as the news sank in. Indigestion. Not a heart attack or a stroke or any of the other horrible things she’d imagined might result from sponge cake overload.
“She’s going to be okay.”
Dillon’s deep, reassuring words echoed in her head a split second before he appeared next to her, Babe cradled in his arms.
“I think she’s starting to feel better,” he murmured, nuzzling the dog.
Babe rewarded him with a lick on the cheek and Meg realized that Babe was just as susceptible to him as every other female in Skull Creek.
Every female, that is, except Meg herself.
The knowledge should have been comforting—she was standing strong, holding her own, waiting to be ravished rather than making a fool of herself and acting on her own one-sided lust. Instead, she couldn’t help but feel as if she was missing out on the chance of a lifetime.
His deep voice pushed into her thoughts. “Ready?”
In more ways than one, she realized as she followed him out to her car and watched him load Babe into the backseat. He gave the animal another affectionate scrub behind her ears and Babe’s tail twitched. She liked Dillon, and so did Meg. And she was ready, all right, to head home, to give in, to let go.
The notion stuck in her head and warred with her determination as she made the drive back to her place, Dillon following on his motorcycle. Once they pulled up in her driveway, he gathered Babe from the car and toted her inside.
A few minutes later, Meg watched him lay the animal on a batch of fluffy quilts that she’d pulled from the closet, and suddenly she wasn’t half as scared to make the first move with him as she was not to make the first move.
To feel his arms around her and his lips eating at hers and his body so deep she didn’t know where he ended and she began.
To lose herself in the sweet heat she’d been fighting since she’d come face-to-face with the new and improved Dillon Cash just a few days ago.
And backslide into Manhandler Meg?
The question struck, reminding her of the past and her own reputation, and the all-important fact that she was still desperate to erase both.
Throwing herself at Dillon Cash would accomplish nothing.
At the same time, it was the one thing she wanted most at the moment. The only thing.
She busied herself for the next few minutes giving Babe her medication and getting her settled for the night. With each movement, she felt Dillon’s gaze and while the tension between them was thick, there was something oddly comforting about having him there. She didn’t feel so alone.
He’d been her friend back when she’d needed one most. And he’d been her friend tonight when she’d needed one most.
All the more reason to resist the crazy thoughts racing through her head.
“I should be going,” he said.
Let him, her conscience urged. Otherwise you’ll regret it tomorrow.
“Thanks for showing up at the animal hospital.” She started for the front door.
“That’s what friends are for.” He followed behind her, so close she could feel the warmth of his body, the tightness of his muscles, the rush of his breath ruffling the hair on her head. Her skin prickled and her nipples throbbed and she felt the moisture between her legs. Her memory stirred and his voice echoed, so clear and distinct, it seemed he whispered them at that particular moment.
A woman who trusts herself, who listens to her body and lets it guide her, is the ultimate in sexy.
She turned on him. Their gazes collided. Surprise registered on his face as her hands went to the bottom of her blouse. Before she could breathe, let alone give in to the insecurity whirling inside of her, she whisked the material up and over her head.
By the time her gaze met his again, his eyes had fired to a fierce, glittering green. She felt a niggle of apprehension because as right as everything was, it wasn’t. There was something different about him. Something that went beyond his sexy appearance and newfound confidence. Something dark and dangerous.
The notion struck as he stared at her, into her, but then his gaze dropped to her breasts and she forgot everything except the desire swamping her.
Lifting her hands, she worked at the bra clasp until it snapped and popped. The cups fell away and the scrap of lingerie landed at her feet. Her skirt soon slouched in a heap around her ankles and she stood before him wearing nothing but a pink thong. She hooked her thumbs at the waistband, slid the satin down her legs and stepped free. Just like that she was completely naked.
She felt a moment’s hesitation as she stood there, but then he murmured, “You’re so damned beautiful,” and it was all the encouragement she needed.
Closing the distance between them, she reached for the hem of his T-shirt. He lifted his arms, letting her pull the cotton up and over his head. Where she’d seen him bare-chested back at the motel a few days ago, the sight of him now was a hundred times better.
Muscles carved his torso, from his bulging biceps and shoulders to the rippled plane of his abdomen. Gold, silky hair sprinkled his chest, narrowing to a tiny whorl of silk that disappeared beneath the waistband of his jeans.
She meant to slow down, to at least let him do something, but she couldn’t help herself. She reached out and pressed her palm against his chest, feeling the hair tickle her skin. She followed the golden path lower until it stopped at his waistband.
He balled his hands into fists at his sides, as if it took everything he had not to cover her hand with his and urge her lower, wanting her to take the lead.
And where she would have stood her ground and tried to hold back a few moments ago, she’d already waved the white flag and given up.
She’d lost the battle with her own damned lust.
Oddly enough, she felt more like a winner than a loser as she dropped to her knees in front of him and reached for the waistband of his pants. The zipper hissed and he sprang hot and eager into her hands. She trailed her fingers over him, tracing the bulging veins until she reached the ripe, plump head of his penis. He stiffened and a drop of pearly liquid beaded at the tip. She leaned forward, closed her lips around the smooth ridge and lapped at his essence with her tongue for a long sweet moment before
she felt his hands on her shoulders.
“Don’t.”
Her gaze met his and where she expected him to look victorious, instead he looked more startled.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” The word was raw and thick. He shook his head and the strange look faded into one of hungry determination. He pulled her to her feet and his mouth claimed hers in a deep, thorough kiss that took her breath away.
Dillon plunged his tongue deep, tangling with hers as he tried to understand what the hell had just happened to him.
Or rather, what had almost happened.
One draw of her sweet mouth on his cock and he’d been ready to explode. Just like that. Like some wet-behind-the-ears virgin. Like the town geek experiencing his first blow job.
The thing was, it wasn’t his first and he certainly wasn’t a virgin. And he sure as hell wasn’t a geek, no matter how much a tiny voice inside of him screamed otherwise.
He was a vampire who thrived on sex.
He didn’t get off until the woman got off. It was her climax—the sweet, dizzying energy—that seeped into him, stirred his hunger and sent him over the edge.
Not this time.
Not with Meg.
Because she’s the ultimate challenge.
The explanation whispered through his head, easing the anxiety that rushed through him. This was his moment of truth, and so it made sense that he would be a little out of sorts. On top of that, he was hungry.
So damned hungry.
He fought against the urge to push her up against the nearest wall and bury himself inside of her. Instead, he eased the pressure of his mouth and shifted the kiss from fast and furious to slow and wicked and thorough.
His tongue tangled with hers and he ate at her mouth. She stiffened at first, as if unsure as to the sudden change, but then she relaxed, sucking on his tongue, giving as good as she got.
It was the most passionate kiss of her life.
The most stirring.
The most unnerving.
He felt it as his hands slid down her trembling body, tracing the curve of her spine, kneading her sweet ass for several long moments until she clutched at his shoulders and slumped against him.
Sweeping her into his arms, he headed upstairs, down the hall, into her bedroom. Moonlight pushed through the French doors, filling the room with an ethereal light that bathed her flawless skin as he stretched her out on her cotton candy-pink sheets.
He didn’t bother taking his jeans off or sinking to the bed beside her. As determined as he was, he didn’t trust himself. His gut clenched too tightly, the hunger too fierce. The sharpness of his fangs grazed his tongue and electricity sizzled through him.
Easy.
“Dillon?” Her soft voice drew his attention.
She stared up at him, her lips full and slick from his mouth, her nipples ripe, her breasts flushed, her legs open. Her cleft was wet and swollen and desire knifed through him, along with a pang of hunger so fierce it stalled his heart for several fast, furious seconds.
“I want you,” she murmured, as if she thought he waited just to hear the words.
That was exactly what she thought, he realized as he stared deep into her eyes and saw the rush of uncertainty, the flash of defeat. His chest tightened and something shifted inside of him. Suddenly it wasn’t about his own damned hunger, but hers.
“No.” He leaned over her and slid a finger into her pulsing heat. “I want you.” And then he captured her mouth with his.
Over the next few minutes, he stroked and tasted and drove her to the brink of orgasm. He plunged his tongue deep, mimicking the action with his fingers, in and out, deeper and deeper, until she whimpered and tugged at his jeans.
But he was a man on a mission and so he caught her hands and pushed them up over her head. He placed a long, lingering kiss on her lips before trailing his mouth over her jaw and down the side of her neck. Her pulse beat against his lips and his groin tightened. Heat swept through him and he trembled. He felt the sharp edge of his teeth graze her fragrant flesh. Once. Twice.
She gasped, the sound like a loud pop in his head that yanked him back to reality. He licked the tiny scrape he’d made on her skin and moved on, kissing and nibbling until he reached her breasts. He lapped at her ripe nipple before blowing on the tip and making her moan.
Her fingers threaded through his hair and held him to her as he drew her deep and sucked her long and hard. He heard her pulse beat in his head, throbbing against his mouth, and it took everything he had not to sink his fangs deep and feel the warmth flowing into his mouth at the same time he felt her tight, hot body close around his cock.
His mouth closed over hers again as he trailed a hand down, over her breast, her abdomen, until he reached her slick folds. He touched her again and she gasped. A drop of warmth spurted over his knuckle and trailed across his palm. His gut tightened and he grew harder, hotter, hungrier.
He slid a finger deep, relishing the incredible heat that sucked at him. With each thrust, the pressure built, pushing her higher until her eyes glazed over and her cheeks flushed. Another deep, dizzying thrust and suddenly she was there.
Her nails dug into his shoulders and she arched off the bed. A moan burst from her lips and he caught it, absorbing the sound the way he absorbed the delicious energy that rushed through him, quieting the roaring in his ears.
But there was none of the usual satisfaction that he usually felt at this point.
Just the fierce need for more.
For her.
He stood and kicked off his boots. Shoving his jeans and underwear down, he kicked them aside then joined her on the bed. He pushed her legs even wider, pulling them up at the knees to give himself better access. The head of his penis pushed a delicious inch into her sweet heat and pleasure spiked through him—
“Wait!” Her soft plea pushed past the sudden roaring in his ears and his gaze collided with hers. “A condom,” she gasped. “We need a condom.”
He hadn’t had much need for protection during the past few months. Vampires couldn’t catch anything—not with the mother of all viruses already flowing through their veins. Nor could they give anything. Passing on his vampness involved sharing his blood, not his body. As for making little vamp babies, that was pretty much impossible according to Garret.
But Meg didn’t know any of that, and Dillon had no intention of letting her know he wasn’t really half as sexy as she thought. It was his vamp charisma.
Here today, gone tomorrow.
A pang of regret washed through him, followed by a rush of so? Who cared why she wanted him so badly. The fact was, she did want him.
Badly.
He focused on the thought and reached for his jeans and the ancient condom that had been in his wallet since junior high. Tearing at the foil packet, he rolled the latex on in one swift motion, he pressed her down into the mattress and settled between her legs. The head of his erection slid along her damp flesh and she shuddered. Her soft, wet folds sucked at the very tip of his head and he groaned.
“Wrap your legs around me,” he finally managed to whisper, his voice husky and raw.
Her legs snaked around his waist. The motion lifted her and he slid deep. Usually he paused at this point, relishing the heat, building the anticipation because he drew the most energy when a woman came apart in his arms.
But then he felt the same rush of desperation he’d felt when she’d taken him into her mouth, and he couldn’t control himself.
He started to move, penetrating deeply with each plunge of his cock. His hands played over her body, feeling every curve and indentation. The feel of her roused him as much as the sight of her spread beneath him, her head flung back, her eyes closed, her lips parted, her body lifting to meet the thrust of his hips.
Catching the tip of one nipple between his lips, he sucked her in, drawing on her, feeling her soft flesh graze his fangs as he moved in and out. Her muscles tightened around him and her body went tense as
he slid free. Another deep thrust and she exploded. She milked him as the ecstasy gripped her. Heat rippled through him, sating his hunger and feeding his own energy. He forced his mouth from her breast and stared down at her, drinking in the picture that she made lost in the throes of orgasm.
Her face and neck were flushed, her lips parted and trembling, her eyes glittering.
His hunger roared to life and suddenly, he couldn’t plunge fast enough, deep enough. He tried, pushing and withdrawing and…there. Yes, there!
Pleasure splintered his brain and his body convulsed. He felt his gaze brighten and blaze.
“What the—”
Her soft voice pushed past the beating in his skull and lifted the haze of pleasure long enough for him to see the shock on her face as she stared up at him, into him.
He clamped his eyes shut and gave her a plundering, consuming kiss meant to distract her from what she’d just seen.
Or what she’d thought she’d seen.
No way could it have been real.
At least that’s what she told herself. Denial rushed through her, easing her panic until she forgot everything save kissing him back.
Thankfully.
Otherwise, Garret would have his ass.
At least that’s what Dillon told himself as he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, his heart pounding, his blood rushing. No way did he want to consider the possibility that he didn’t want her to know because he actually liked her and wanted her to like him. Now and tomorrow. And if she knew the truth, she would surely write off her attraction as a result of his vamp charisma.
And she’d be right.
He ignored a pang of regret and tried to focus on the sweet rush of victory that spiraled through him.
He’d broken Bobby’s record.
Instead of being the town’s biggest geek, he would now go down in the history books as Skull Creek’s most legendary lover.
Unfortunately, the truth didn’t make him feel half as good as Meg did when she snuggled into his embrace, closed her eyes and fell asleep.
A realization that pushed him to his feet and had him reaching for his pants and boots. A few minutes later, he hit the front door, climbed onto his motorcycle and got the hell out of there.
Love at First Bite Bundle Page 32