“Hungry for a late night snack?” He chuckled, thinking he was breaking the tension building between us, but instead he was drawing more attention to my sudden craving to feed from him.
“I am actually.” My pulse was beating in my throat. I licked my lips, hoping my voice wouldn’t waver when I spoke this time. “I should probably head home and grab something. It was nice chatting with you.” I spun around and started in the direction of my apartment complex. It was about a twenty-minute walk from here, maybe more.
“Okay, but if you don’t mind, I would prefer to walk you home.” He synchronized his steps with my fast-paced ones.
Dear God, he was torturing me and didn’t know it. I watched him from the corner of my eye as he scratched his head and licked at his lips. His mouth opened like there was something else he wanted to add, but wasn’t sure if he should.
“Yeah, sure. Thanks.” I wrapped my arms around my midsection in an effort to keep my hands to myself. Landon was being a gentleman, which meant I needed to be a damn lady and not devour him.
The coldness of the wraith twisting inside me sent panic shifting through my chest. I breathed in slowly through my nose, and then exhaled long and soft through my mouth, reminding myself I was in control. Not the wraith. Me. The hunger I felt gnawing at my stomach wasn’t real. It was in my head, a game the wraith seemed to enjoy playing when he wanted someone in particular.
“You know, um, we could swing by the little coffee shop across the street and grab something together.” He cleared his throat. “I mean, if you wanted to. They have muffins.” He tacked on as though it would persuade me to say yes.
My heart ceased before kick-starting in my chest again. Landon had never asked me out. Granted, I hadn’t ever given him much of a chance. Hell, I never even spoke to the guy unless he spoke to me first or it was something work-related I needed to discuss.
I wondered what had given him the courage to ask. Was it the setting, us walking together through the park? I dug my fingernails into the palms of my hands, debating for longer than what was probably acceptable about my answer. Jesus, I was no doubt making him feel awkward. This was a tough decision, but when I stripped away everything and looked at the bare facts, it wasn’t really. Everything in my gut told me to say no, to think of a way to decline his offer without crushing his spirit, but the message never got relayed to my mouth.
“Sure, a muffin sounds good,” I said before I could stop myself.
What the hell had I been thinking? Had the words even been mine?
I surveyed myself, searching for any indication the wraith was overtaking my thoughts and actions. All I felt was me though, which made my response ten times worse.
Chapter 10
The tingle of spices and freshly brewed coffee wafted to my nose the second I stepped inside Beans and Brew with Landon. It was after ten, and the place was packed. Apparently, the people of Newvale didn’t value sleep much. A barista began grinding more beans as we walked to the counter to place our order, and the voices of those around us grew to compensate for it.
“I’m always so amazed at how busy this place gets this time of night.” Landon leaned into me; his warm breath tickled my ear as he spoke over the noise. The faint scent of mint hung on his breath, and I realized he had a piece of gum in his mouth. My senses had zeroed in on him, which wasn’t a good thing. I needed to cut this—whatever it was—short and hightail it home.
“What are you getting?” Landon bent toward me again, so I could better hear him over the grinding of the beans. “I’ll buy.”
I shook my head. If he bought, then it turned this into something it wasn’t. Right? Right, I decided. “I’ll have a muffin, and you don’t have to buy mine. Thanks, though.”
“No coffee or anything to drink?” His blue eyes locked with mine, and the wraith danced to life inside my chest. Suddenly, all I could focus on was his lips—dampened and waiting for me to press mine against them. “You sure?”
I nodded as I tore my eyes away from him. “Yeah, only a muffin, and I’m buying it myself,” I repeated, seeing as how he didn’t seem to hear me the first time. “You don’t have to.”
“It’s okay, really. I don’t mind.” The smile in his tone begged me to turn and look at him, but I held strong, keeping my eyes glued straight ahead. “After all, I was the one who asked you here.”
“Doesn’t mean you have to pay.” A flirtatious tone slipped into my voice that I wasn’t proud of. Panic trickled through my veins as I wondered if my self-control was slipping into the hands of the wraith.
Guilt crashed over me in waves, and I sank my teeth into my bottom lip as the thought of how wrong this entire situation was flitted through me. I shouldn’t be standing here, waiting in line for a muffin with Landon. I should be at home, curled up on my couch with my laptop, working on the cover I’d been creating. What would Randal think if he happened to see the two of us together? Did he know of my feelings for Landon? My muscles relaxed as the answer to my question surfaced in my mind. No one besides Bree and Sage knew.
“Hey, sugar,” the barista greeted Landon warmly. I was unsure if she knew him personally, or if that was her normal greeting to everyone. After all, this was the South. It was common to be called sugar, honey, sweetheart, darling, or cupcake, to name a few, without a person thinking you were flirting with them. “What can I get you?”
“I’ll take my usual chai, and she’ll have a muffin,” Landon said before I could speak for myself.
“What kind of muffin would you like, honey?” The woman shifted her attention to me. “We have lemon, poppy seed, blueberry, and apple cinnamon tonight.”
After flashing my eyes at Landon to signify I knew what he was doing and wasn’t happy about it, I dug money out of my wallet. “Lemon, please.” Who knew, maybe it would taste heavenly and become the distraction I needed from Landon and his tempting aura. Anything lemon always reminded me of yellow auras. They were sweet and sour, and the scent made me feel happy and alive, vibrant with energy. They were my favorite.
“You can put everything on my tab, Amelia.” Landon held up a hand to shield my money.
“You got it, sugar.” Amelia winked, before turning to gather our order.
“What was that?” I crumpled the money in my hand and shoved it back into my wallet. Irrational irritation prickled through me. I knew I shouldn’t feel so agitated by his act of chivalry, but didn’t he realize paying for my muffin turned this into something it shouldn’t be? His paying made this feel too much like a date, and I couldn’t date Landon. Ever.
“Nothing.” He shrugged his shoulders and crammed his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie. His cheeks tinted to a cute shade of pink I found endearing. It mellowed out my emotions and curbed my irritation. “I told you I was paying.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled, fighting with the clasp on my clutch. I sighed and straightened my shoulders. “So, are you a regular here or something?” He knew the barista by name. Maybe her little byname she tossed his way was more personal than I thought.
The color of his cheeks seemed to darken at my question. He smoothed a hand over the back of his neck and shuffled on his feet before answering. “I actually own the place.”
I blinked, not thinking I had heard him right. “You what?”
He licked along his bottom lip and dropped his gaze to the checkered tiles making up the floor beneath us. “I own it. When I first moved to Newvale, the apartment upstairs was the only place I could find available on quick notice to rent, but a few months after I moved in, the owner hit some hard finical times and he was forced to put the place up for sale. I didn’t want to move—the apartment and location had grown on me—so I bought them both as a package deal. It was a win-win I guess you could say.”
Wow, so Landon was Mr. Money Bags. I realized then how little I knew about my employer. “Do you come from one of those silver-spoon families or something?”
A lopsided grin formed on his face. “No. Far from it,
actually.”
“How did you get the money, then?”
My question might seem a bit forward, but I didn’t care. A guy his age who didn’t come from money generally didn’t have access to enough to buy an apartment, a coffee shop, and open a nightclub.
Hell, guys twenty-something usually didn’t have enough money to buy me a freaking muffin.
My interest in Landon piqued, and I wondered if I was missing something about him. I skimmed my eyes over him, searching for any supernatural qualities visible in his aura. Nothing. His being wealthy at such a young age because he was immortal was out. What was I missing though?
“It was willed to me.” Sadness puckered the area between his eyes, instantly making me feel like shit for having asked and for jumping to such ludicrous assumptions the way I had.
“Oh, sorry.” I wasn’t apologizing for the loss he had suffered, but for the thoughts tumbling through his mind because of my question.
“It’s okay.” He flashed me a quivering smile.
“Here you go, sweethearts.” The barista interrupted our moment. Thank goodness. She set a coffee mug and my muffin down on the counter. “You two enjoy your evening.” She winked at Landon as he reached for our order. I didn’t think it was a gesture meant for me to see, but I had. I also witnessed the flushing of his cheeks again.
I took my muffin from him, careful not to touch him in any way. The guy behind us moved forward with a huff, as though we had taken too long, grazing my shoulder in the process. His cocky, self-assured demeanor wasn’t an impulse spurred by the current situation. It was something he always possessed. The orange-red glow of his aura signified this for me. As I watched him, the wraith seemed to stretch through my center, reaching for the energy surrounding the jerk. Regardless of who my company was tonight, it was apparent that I needed to feed at some point. I wondered how quickly I could cut this hang out session with Landon short, and get that guy alone. He was exactly what I needed—a little oomph. Bonus, I didn’t know him, and I wasn’t physically attracted to him. Obviously, he could use a little help dimming down his douche bag tendencies, and I could use a pick-me-up. It looked as though this might be a—as Landon had put it—win-win situation for us both.
“It’s sort of crowded in here.” Landon popped the top off his tea and blew on the frothy goodness dangerously close to the rim of his cup. “Plus, Amelia will be watching us like a hawk. Want to head back outside?”
I contemplated his offer, while wondering if it would seem rude if I bailed on him. He was my boss and I didn’t want to piss him off, but I needed to ditch him if I wanted to feed from the guy who had bumped into me. I didn’t think he would be here all night, and my hunger needed to be tamed while I was still in control. While I was thinking, my wannabe-prey for the night pulled out a laptop from inside his backpack and set it up on the bistro table nearest the back counter.
Chances were he would be here awhile, which was a good thing. I released a sigh and relaxed. Maybe I didn’t have to appear so socially awkward after all.
“Sure.” I would eat my muffin and talk for about fifteen minutes or so, and then I would tell him I was calling it a night. That was the plan at least.
Landon moved to the door and held it open for me. I passed through while holding my breath. The last thing I needed when my senses were so heavily awakened and the wraith was chomping at the bit was to smell a delicious guy. Scent could be a powerful thing, especially when the guy looked like Landon, and temptation had always been a part of our relationship.
“Should we cut back across to the park and walk there?” He took a sip of his chai. It must have still been hot, because he sucked his upper lip into his mouth at the same time his brows pinched together before he spoke again. “Or we could stroll the sidewalk. It’s up to you.”
My heart thundered as my eyes refused to lift from his mouth. I watched closely, almost as though I were hypnotized, as he licked his lips. They glistened in the lights from the streetlamps and illuminated shops surrounding us. His tongue darted out once more, and I thought I would lose it. Knowing his apartment was upstairs didn’t help me rein myself in.
Ice prickled underneath the skin near the center of my chest and spread outward until my entire body was almost fully consumed by it. The wraith was fighting me. Had those carnal thoughts even been my own?
“So…what do you want to do?” Landon was looking at me as if I had two heads. It was then I realized I had yet to answer him.
“The park.” My words came out rushed and spastic. All I could think about was getting the hell away from his apartment. Bad things would happen if we stayed so close. The eerie knowledge that the wraith wanted exactly that to happen slithered through me, causing the hair along the nape of my neck to stand on end.
“Okay.” He laughed. It was such a beautiful, masculine laugh. “The park it is, then.”
I chuckled, trying to mirror his and lighten the mood, but it sounded creepy. After tonight, Landon might be so put off by me that I wouldn’t have to worry about keeping a distance between us anymore, because he would do so on his own out of fear.
The truth was, I would take him labeling me as a creeper any day over me sucking his life away and then using mind voodoo crap so he wouldn’t remember. Landon was a good guy. He deserved so much more than anything I could ever offer him.
I took a bite of my muffin and I pushed all my thoughts aside. The wraith was listening, and I didn’t need to give him any ammo for another janitor or Sam incident.
I kept pace with Landon as we stepped over the curb and headed into West Mill Park again.
“How’s the muffin? Amelia makes them fresh every morning.” I could feel his eyes on me, appraising me, but I refused to look up from my feet while I walked. I couldn’t risk getting sucked into his blue eyes. “I have to say that is one of the perks of living above the place. Her muffin-making routine makes my apartment smell awesome first thing in the morning.”
“I bet.” I picked a piece of the muffin off and popped it into my mouth. “It’s great. Lemon is my fav—” I didn’t get to finish my sentence, because Landon’s arms were wrapped around my waist, and I was pulled flush against his rock hard body. His scent invaded my nose, and the feel of his heart beating at a quick rhythm thumped against my palm.
The wraith practically sighed inside me from the sudden nearness, and the teasing taste of his aura lingering within my reach.
This was not good.
I licked my lips, struggling to gather myself and peel away from Landon. Now more than ever I needed to cut this night short and get my ass home. Even feeding from the douche bag at the coffee shop without reapplying Lexy’s concoction in the vial seemed too risky. The second I looked into his eyes, I saw a want mirroring mine reflected there and it froze me in place. My breath hitched as his, a mixture of chai tea and mint, slipped across my face, mingling with my own.
“Sorry,” he whispered. “Didn’t you see the guy coming at you on rollerblades?”
“No.” I’d been too preoccupied with trying to avoid a situation like this to notice much else.
Bits of red saturated Landon’s aura. Normally, he seemed calm and composed around me. Never did he allow himself to get so worked up in my presence. It was one of the things that both irked and relieved me at the same time.
As I watched the red swirl through his aura, I realized how weak I was. My eyes zeroed in on his lips as he slipped his tongue over his lower one. I knew it was time to pull away, that I should be responsible and break the spell we were locked in because of what I was, but I couldn’t. Not when I was right where I had wanted to be for so long. Not when the wraith was hissing in my ear, urging me to give in to the temptation that had always surrounded Landon.
Kiss him…feed me…do it…you’ve always wanted to…now’s your chance…do it…little succubus, the wraith sang. I couldn’t deny how right he was. He knew my desires and me well, considering he was privy to them all the damn time.
Wh
ile I was busy thinking, debating, and warring with myself, Landon took it upon himself to erase the small distance separating our lips all on his own.
Chapter 11
The hunger I had felt bloomed at the mere touch of his lips against mine. I reached up and slipped my fingers through his soft hair, exactly the way I had always wanted. Landon’s lips were on mine, and it was an amazing moment. His tongue encircled mine, and the delicious taste of his aura filled my mouth. I was in heaven. My entire body shivered with pleasure until the sensation of the wraith spread like ice water through my center.
Alarm nipped at my insides, but I shied away from it, continuing to brush my lips against Landon’s while siphoning his energy into me. His tongue glided against mine, sending an electric current straight to my core. A burning desire for more of his essence rippled through me.
I needed more.
As I pulled away from him, I smoothed my fingertips along the side of his face. His eyes were dazed and hooded by lust. Never had he seemed sexier. This was what I had always wanted; he was what I had always wanted. Why had I ever told myself no when it came to him?
“Landon.” I licked my lips, preparing to utter the words that needed to be said. The same annoying sense of alarm nudged my insides, but I forced it away. Even though I knew there was a reason I shouldn’t be doing this—not with him, especially not with him—it was lost to me in the moment. “Can I kiss you again?”
“There’s no need to even ask.” He bent forward and closed his eyes in preparation, his voice a low hum floating through the air.
While he may have no idea why I asked, it most certainly was something that had to be done.
The instant my lips pressed to his, his energy poured into me like a swift flowing river. My tongue brushed against his as I tasted his essence. It was sweeter somehow, citrusy—like lemons. The muffin didn’t compare to this bliss, nothing did.
Succubus Kiss The Complete Series Page 41