“Bite me—” She stopped herself at the rise of his lips. “Strike that.”
“If you would have been here, piccolo diavolo, then I wouldn’t have had to manhandle Draven. That is on your conscience.”
“Apologize to Draven. He isn’t my keeper, nor does he know my whereabouts.”
Draven shook his head, obviously not wanting to get involved in the middle of their pissing match. “There’s no need.”
She raised a brow. “Really? Hawk damn near crushed your windpipe for no reason.” She turned her glare back on the object of her scorn. “I say he needs to apologize for acting like an ass.”
A muscle ticked in Kaleb’s cheek. “Be careful, piccolo diavolo. You need to know your place.”
“And just what is my place, Hawk?”
Wisely, he kept his mouth shut for once. Instead he stood there looking all hot and sexy and way more delectable than any man had a right to. Damn him for kick-starting her libido in the middle of an argument. There certainly would be no hiding the truth from him, that much was apparent in the slight flaring of his nostrils and the knowing grin now full-blown on his lush lips. Men didn’t have lush lips, did they? And yet there was no other way to describe them. She remembered all too well what those lips had felt like against hers, not to mention the many other places he had used them. Her memories of a young, innocent girl came to mind. Hell, she had been a virgin then. No wonder he hadn’t ever wanted a round two. Now, she’d like to show him a thing or two.
But of course, she wouldn’t.
A pair of worn Levi’s hung low on his lean hips, hugging his muscular thighs before flaring slightly at the knees. A black Henley completed the top half, sleeves pushed to his elbows, showing off his one tattooed sleeve that alone made her heart trip over itself. She had a weakness for tattooed men, thanks to meeting Hawk in her impressionable years. A few buttons at his neck were left open, showing a spattering of hair that Suzi longed to run her fingers through, to feel the softness against her palms.
Yeah, she had it bad.
All the more reason to give him what she came for and get the hell out of Dodge. Yep, another overused analogy, but this time one he wouldn’t hear.
“So where’re we doing this? The ladies’ room? Dark corner?”
“Draven’s office.” Kaleb glanced back at the bar owner, no doubt checking to see if it was available because no way would Kaleb seek permission for anyone.
The man saluted Kaleb with a fresh glass of wine as a bartender swept up the broken glass where he had last stood or rather hung from Kaleb’s grip. “All yours.”
Kaleb looked down at Suzi and held out a hand in the direction of the stairwell. “After you.”
With a heavy sigh, Suzi marched past the insufferable bastard as he grabbed a full bottle of wine and two glasses, then followed behind. She took the stairs in front of him, feeling his gaze on her ass as thoroughly as if he had palmed each cheek and slowly caressed them. Suzi knew that feeding him wasn’t going to be easy for her by a long shot. Keeping her hands to herself and her libido in check was going to be damn near impossible. But then she’d stake her life on the fact the jerk counted on it.
Suzi turned in the center of the room, not willing to get anywhere near that leather sofa. She wiped her sweaty palms on her tight, dark blue jeans. They rode low on her hips causing a bit of her midriff to show, the exact spot the damn vampire had focused on the minute the two of them were alone. Second-guessing her outfit was a little too late. Next time she’d wear whatever Omar the tentmaker was making this season.
“Well?” She drew his gaze upward. “Let’s get this the hell over with.”
“You have somewhere else you need to be, piccolo diavolo?”
“Maybe I do. But it sure in the hell does not include standing here having a tête-à-tête with you.”
And the quicker she got him taking his fill, the sooner she could stop thinking of him in the horizontal with her straddling his lean hips. What the hell were those love handle things anyway that rode just above his jean line? Lord, those made her want to follow the muscle line with her tongue straight to his… Enough! At this rate, she’d never make it out of here unscathed.
Remember why you hate him.
Kaleb set the two wineglasses on a round table, uncorked the bottle and then poured them each a glass, before handing her one.
Suzi quickly shook her head. Too much wine and she’d be promising Kaleb her tomorrows. “None for me. I’m not here to fraternize. Take what you came here for and I’ll be on my way. Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Hawk.”
“It’s Kaleb to you.”
“You will always be Hawk to me.”
She caught a glimpse of his extended fangs as he took a swallow of the deep red wine then licked the remnants from his lips. His prominent brow only enhanced his dangerous look. And he called her little devil? He looked like the beast himself as his obsidian gaze seemed to swallow her whole.
“It’s all the same, piccolo diavolo. But when I’m fucking you, I’d prefer you to call me by my given name.”
“Well, then … no worries there, Hawk.” Suzi winked at him, then walked over to the end table and grabbed the other glass of wine, downing the contents in one swallow. If she were to endure his company, then she might as well do it with good wine. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, “Shall we?”
“You are one cold-hearted bitch.”
“It takes a cold heart to know one.”
Instead of taking her proffered artery, though, he grabbed her left hand and held the sparkling bauble up for his inspection. “So who is he?”
Suzi shrugged. “No one you’d know. Besides, he’s irrelevant.”
“I bet if you asked him, he’d beg to differ with you.”
“Irrelevant to you.”
“He’s fucking you, isn’t he?”
She looked up at his black eyes, seeing her own reflection in their mirror-like reflection. “Why would you think otherwise?”
“Then I’d say he’s not irrelevant. How long?”
Suzi was quickly losing her train of thought this close to him. He smelled of the open road and musk, a scent unique to him and as heady as the wine she had just drunk. “How long?” she repeated his question.
“Since he’s been fucking you?”
She pulled her hand from his grip, then grabbed the wine bottle and poured herself another glass. She downed it just as quickly. “I can see we’re going to be here awhile.”
Picking up the bottle, Suzi carried it over to the leather sofa and sank into its luxury. She poured herself a third glass, then set the bottle on the side table to her right. “Why are you doing this, Hawk?”
“What?”
“Don’t play stupid with me.”
“You’re the one hiding a fiancé. I am nothing if not honest with you.”
“So you just want me to be your personal donor … nothing more?”
“No, piccolo diavolo, don’t mistake my intentions. I also want to fuck you.”
* * *
And he did. In the worst way. His cock strained against his Levi’s, plaguing him something fierce. He needed to remind himself to wear looser fitting jeans around her. Much more and his intentions would be peeking out the top of the waistband, begging for attention. He quickly adjusted the front of his jeans, then grabbed his own glass of wine and stalked her to the sofa. He towered over her, the beast within barely leashed, and yet she simply looked back at him as if he stood before her in his human form. He had been full-fledged vampire since she had stormed into the club tonight like a dust devil, wreaking havoc on his emotions. And yet, not once had he seen her cower.
Maybe he needed to work on looking more menacing.
That or he needed to show the little slip of a woman her place, the thought alone nearly had him laughing. Kaleb sincerely doubted anyone could show Suzi her place. She might come in a small package, but her feistiness showed up in spades.
“You’ve al
ready done that, Hawk.” She leaned back, resting her head on the back of the sofa. The wine had softened the edge on her gaze. “I don’t intend to allow you that privilege again.”
“Oh you will. Count on it.”
“You have a mountain-sized ego. No one could accuse you of self-effacement.”
“There’s a difference between ego and confidence, piccolo diavolo. But you would be correct. I have both.”
“You won’t get any arguments from me. Now if you’ve come to feed, have at it. If you’ve come to get laid, there’s an entire club of Sons groupies out there that I am sure are more than willing.”
The sound of the industrial music filtered through the room, the heavy beat thumping against his chest much like the cadence of his beating heart. And here he thought that forcing her to personally feed him would be perfect retribution for choosing Ion all those years ago, when in fact the comeuppance was his. Having her this close and not have the right to do as he wished was torture at its finest.
His nostrils flared as he caught the scent of her desire. Whether she chose to deny it or not, she couldn’t hide her body’s reaction to him. Suzi might not like him, though her libido sure in the hell did. Fucking her wasn’t on tonight’s agenda, but he would. Just not before she damn well begged for it. And he had every intention of getting her to do just that, her fiancé be damned.
Kaleb set his half-filled glass of wine next to the bottle and dropped to his knees in front of the sofa before her slightly-spread, slender thighs. Her gaze widened as he placed a palm on each of her inner thighs and spread them, making room for him to slip between. His hands slid up the muscular surface, causing her breath to intake just as his thumbs skimmed the sides of her center, yet not quite touching the soft folds concealed by her jeans. Here, the strong scent of her desire easily wafted to his nose. His balls tightened.
“Don’t, Hawk,” she said, the request weak at its best.
He had no intention on pushing the issue. No, he’d much rather leave her wanting, even if it meant his own groin plagued him. He ran his palms up to her hips to encompass her slim waist, contacting the bare flesh just above the line of her jeans. Kaleb pulled her forward so her thighs skimmed his ribs and his chest was just shy from touching hers. Her pebbled nipples didn’t escape his notice, though at the moment he chose to ignore them. Kaleb bit back the desire to pull them between his teeth, nip them, then soothe the aching nubs with the pad of his tongue. His cock twitched at the idea of suckling her pert breasts, but he had no intention of appeasing that itch. He’d wait until she had gone, then take care of his aching groin himself.
“Please, Hawk.”
Tears welled in her eyes. She no doubt hated herself for desiring him. Her pulse beat heavily at the base of her throat, telling him as much. He could hear her blood rushing through her veins. His fangs ached with the need to feed, which he wasn’t about to deny himself a moment longer. Cupping the back of her neck, he drew her closer so that their chests aligned and her moist center straddled his abdomen, her backside still perched on the edge of the sofa.
Tilting her head to the side, just centimeters from the last bite, Kaleb drew his lips back and sank his fangs into the flesh. The soft pop of his teeth breaking through her skin and her slight gasp cut through the silence as the DJ below changed songs. Warm blood rushed over his tongue and down his throat. He could easily get lost in the potent flavor unique to her, and lose himself to the point of madness. Kaleb needed to keep a tight rein on himself in order to keep from yanking down her snug jeans and burying his cock in her balls-deep.
Suzi’s hands released the grip she had on his shirt and slid up his chest to his nape where she tangled her fingers in the lengthy curls. Her arousal rose with the quickening of her heartbeat, telling him she wasn’t far from an orgasm that he’d one day allow her. But that was not for today. Instead, he’d allow her to teeter on the edge.
Her breathing quickened and her fists tightened in his hair. Just scant seconds from her reaching the pinnacle, he withdrew his fangs and licked the twin holes closed. Her breath hitched, and her thighs trembled as he released her. Kaleb stood and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. His fangs slowly retreated and his features returned to their normal state. Her gaze left his and traveled down his chest to the front of his jeans, still swelled with his heavy erection.
One of his brows raised. “See something you want, piccolo diavolo?”
Suzi clenched her teeth, her fiery gaze returning as she quickly stood and readjusted her shirt. “Go to hell, Hawk.”
Her shoulder bumped into his arm as she brushed past, pushing him to the side.
“Piccolo diavolo?” Kaleb stopped her with his acquisition.
Hand on the door knob, her spine stiff, she kept her gaze on the door.
“That fiancé of yours?”
She glanced over her shoulder, her blue gaze so cold that a shiver passed down his spine.
“What of him?”
“He best not be fucking you.”
Kaleb heard a colorful stream of curses and her hope to one day castrate him as she stormed from the room and descended the stairwell. Biting back a blaspheme of his own, Kaleb released his cock, wrapped his fist around it, and jerked it until he reached his own climax with the name piccolo diavolo roaring from his lips.
Chapter 8
“Little brother.”
Kaleb turned his head and caught his twin strolling into the clubhouse as if he hadn’t been absent the last six months. His mate, Cara, followed him through the door, a khaki-colored backpack slung over her right shoulder. Her features had changed a bit, due to the changes in her DNA and becoming one of them. In truth, Kaleb thought she had never looked better.
“Only by minutes.” Kaleb skirted the bar and walked over to his brother, capturing him in a one-armed hug, while the other hand clapped his shoulder. “About damn time you remembered where the hell you live. And speaking of…” He glanced at Cara, offering her a small apologetic smile. “No offense, but I do hope you two plan on getting a place of your own. I don’t think I could possibly stomach the honeymoon noises coming from your room.”
Kane laughed, the smile easily reaching his eyes. Kaleb hadn’t seen his brother this truly happy in a very long time, not since Ion’s loss some ten years back. It would do him well to remember that Kane’s mate had everything to do with that. Kaleb would need to cut her some slack, no matter how rocky the beginning of their relationship was. If she made Kane happy, then who was he to get in the way of that?
“Duly noted, Hawk.”
Kaleb rubbed his nape. “You bring news?”
“Mircea says he wasn’t involved in Wheezer and Red Dot’s beheading. He assures me that he has not put a hit out on you.”
“And you believe him?”
“I do.”
“And Rosalee?”
Kane sighed heavily, blowing air through pursed lips. “She’s still missing, bro. Mircea hasn’t seen her. If she’s in the States, then she left without his permission and is acting on her own.”
“I’m going to leave you two to talk,” Cara interrupted. She rose on her tiptoes and briefly kissed Kane’s lips. “Besides, I need a shower. That plane ride was hell.”
Kane patted her on the backside as she turned and headed for his room. The door softly closed behind her before Kane turned back to Kaleb. “I’d stake my life on the fact she’s here and behind this. But you and I both know Rosalee never acts on her own, case in point, Ion and then Alec. So the question is, who the hell did she recruit this time?”
Kaleb strode to the bar and pulled a bottle of Jack from the top cupboard and two highball glasses. After pouring two fingers of the amber liquid into each crystal cut glass, he carried them back over to Kane and handed him one. He held his glass up and touched the rim of his to Kane’s.
“Salute,” Kaleb said then downed his glass, the liquid warming his esophagus, then his gut. “Glad to have you back, Viper.”
Kane wip
ed a palm over his lips. “Glad to be back. Good whiskey. Single Barrel?”
“Only the finest,” Kaleb said, sitting heavily onto the leather chair in the living area and kicking his bare feet up onto the scarred center table. “Any ideas who she might’ve gotten involved in her schemes this time?”
Skirting the lone chair Kaleb sat in, Kane made himself comfortable on one of the sofas. He rested one arm along the back, giving Kaleb his full attention. “I called Mircea before we left Italy. The old man swore that all primordials other than his bitch of a stepdaughter were accounted for in Italy. No one knew of her whereabouts. The witch has definitely flown the coop.”
“So she’s most likely here in the States. But why come after me? Her beef is with you.”
“Because she knows the easiest way to hurt me is through my family. You killed Alec, and because it’s forbidden to kill an ancient, she probably feels justified, and that she’d have Mircea’s blessing in coming after you. If she targeted me, then it would likely mean certain death for yet again disregarding Mircea’s wishes. Rosalee’s not stupid. She knows how to work the old man.”
“How did Mircea handle the accusation?”
“How do you think? The old man pretty much demanded that we not take retribution, that he’d handle Rosalee if she indeed were the guilty party. He pretty much forbid us to act on our own.”
“And what do you say?”
“I say fuck that. She entered our territory looking for a fight. Well, dear brother, I’ll damn well give her one. Mircea better pray he gets to her first or I guarantee that I’ll be taking her fucking head.”
“You get a hold of Red? Find out what the Knights might have to do with all this?”
Kane nodded. “He knew nothing of the phone call made to you. As far as he knew, none of his men made that call. He assured me if he heard otherwise, he’d call. We have his and the club’s support if we need them to help find this fuck who took Wheezer and Red Dot’s head. He wasn’t too happy to hear that someone had posed as a Knight when calling you. Both Red and I feel it’s got to be someone close to the Sons or Knights who’s helping her.”
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