“Oh, I didn’t apologize.” Lacey grinned. “It’s who I am, but I could attempt to be more... ladylike.”
“That’s boring.” Viktor chuckled. “And you, Lacey Cruz, are not boring.”
Viktor brought his wrist to his mouth and nicked the vein with his fang. The bubble of blood appeared. “Just a lick or two, but no more.”
Watching her tongue snake out toward his blood was almost more than Viktor could handle. He had to control himself from slipping his cock inside her. Now wasn’t the time. He needed to make sure she only took a very small amount. His blood was potent. He could make a huge amount of money on the street selling his blood, better known to addicts as Crimson Rush.
“It’s salty.” Lacey licked the next drop of blood. “And very good. Who knew!”
When she went for another lick, he pulled his wrist away and licked it himself, sealing it. “That’s all. My blood is very addictive to humans.”
“I can see why. It’s called Crimson Rush, right?” Lacey asked as she cuddled against him.
“Yes, and you never want to take more than you just did,” he warned with a serious frown.
“So is my blood as addictive to you as yours would be to me?” Lacey glanced up at him, then moved to straddle him.
“Everything about you is addictive to me, Lacey.” Viktor moved and stood, his hands on her ass as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Tilting her head, she stared sweetly up at him and smiled. “Have your dessert,” she teased, baring her neck for him.
Viktor knew once he tasted her, he would never be satisfied with anyone else’s blood again. Planning on entering her as his fangs sank into her skin, Viktor positioned himself. There would be pain at first, but he hoped to mask it with pleasure. With a thrust of his hips, he entered her at the same time his fangs sank deeply into the vein of life in her neck. At the moment, there were no more doubts. This woman was his.
Chapter 26
Lacey woke, stretched, and moaned. Her lower body ached and felt stiff. Opening her eyes slowly, she realized last night or early morning had not been a dream. She was in Viktor Valentino’s bed. Sitting up, she brushed the hair out of her face and looked around. She was alone, but on the bed were her clothes folded up and a towel and washcloth. She didn’t even remember falling asleep.
Whipping the covers off her body, she searched for her phone. Finding it, she looked at the time. “Holy shit!” she hissed. It was eleven o’clock. She hadn’t slept this late... ever. Making sure she didn’t have any messages from her dad, which she didn’t, she hurried around the bed, grabbed her clothes and the towel. After rushing to the en-suite bathroom, she peed, then jumped into the shower.
Standing still, she let the hot steaming water wash over her body, hoping it would take some of the soreness out of her limbs. Then again, it was a sweet reminder of her amazing night with Viktor. She glanced at her wrist and moved it around. The soreness was completely gone. Viktor must have removed the brace while she’d slept.
Curious as to why her wrist was fine, but her body was sore from the sex they had, she made a mental note to ask him. She couldn’t help her curious ways. Her mother always said she had been a curious cat in her past life.
As she soaked under the water, thoughts of a life with Viktor filled her mind, as did questions. Would he want a house like she dreamed of? Would he really eat Oink? She chuckled at the thought. Lord, she was seriously a mess.
Finishing her shower, she toweled off, and frowned, hating putting on her gypsy uniform and wishing she had clean clothes. Once dressed, she looked around for some toothpaste. Did vampires brush their fangs? She chuckled and managed to find a small tube. Using her finger as a toothbrush, she cleaned her teeth, rinsed, and spat. After drying her hair as best as she could, she used her fingers to brush it out. Anxious to see Viktor, she cleaned up, quickly made the bed, then headed out of the bedroom and out the door.
Voices slowed her down to a complete stop. It was his brother, Bishop, and someone else. Disappointed, she turned to go back to the bedroom until either Viktor came back up or they left, but his brother’s words stopped her.
“Does she know why you brought her here?” Bishop’s voice carried toward her.
Lacey waited for Viktor’s response, but he remained silent. Either that or she couldn’t hear him. She thought she knew why he’d brought her here, but maybe she had been wrong.
“Shit!” Bishop said, his voice a little louder. “Guess you made it more complicated by fucking her.”
The sound of flesh on flesh was loud as was the cursing. “Shut your fucking mouth, Bishop, or I swear I will kill you, brother or not.”
“You were to protect her, not fuck her. At least until we know if Jezebeth saw her,” Bishop growled. “And if you hit me again, I will kill you.”
“Fuck!” Another voice slightly familiar to Lacey rose to the hallway. “Will you guys stop? Shit, this sure hasn’t changed. Dammit, Viktor, stop!”
“You’re always making it difficult fucking them, Viktor. First Emilia and now her,” Bishop said angrily.
Lacey leaned heavily against the wall, her heart sinking to her toes. Bile rose to her throat. As much as she wanted to be a badass bitch at the moment, this hurt. This hurt really fucking bad. Last night had been special to her, but Viktor hadn’t sought her out because he wanted her. No, he had come to her out of a sense of duty, others knew that was his purpose and there she was spouting a bunch of shit about them being together, blah, blah, fucking blah. He came out of a sense of duty, not for the feelings he had for her.
Why hadn’t he just been honest in the first place? She probably would have fallen into his bed anyway, but at least she wouldn’t have made a fool out of herself about all that other shit she was too embarrassed to think about. They could have woken up and called it what it was: a good night with great sex. She was a big girl and could make those decisions, but she could have prepared her heart instead of waking up thinking that maybe they could find a house together and build a life with Oink the pig. And had she really said that if things didn’t work out with them she’d become a nun because he’d ruined her for sex? Jesus on a cracker, he must have gotten a good laugh and a big fucking ego from that. Then again, to be fair, she hadn’t heard his response, but didn’t that say a lot? She hadn’t heard him deny it and Viktor’s voice would carry just like his brother’s.
“Bishop says she is a genius on the computer,” the new voice said calmer. “We can use her.”
“For what?” Viktor’s voice reached her, and the bile rose again. Yeah, his voice definitely carried.
“We need someone who can get on the Dark Web,” the man replied. “I mean deep on the Dark Web, and if she’s as good as Bishop claims she is, we need her.”
“No.” Viktor’s voice was firm. “No way.”
“Just whip out that dick and I’m sure you can have her doing anything,” Bishop taunted.
Anger, bitterness, and her inner bitch all reared its ugly head. Pushing off the wall, she headed down the hall toward the steps. Stopping, she opened her Uber app. Hopefully, she paid enough attention last night and knew the complex she was at. Once she’d inputted the information and confirmed her ride, she headed down the steps to see Viktor and Bishop glaring at each other, as well as the larger man she had briefly met. Charger, she thought his name was.
“Actually, he doesn’t need to whip it out. I saw enough of it last night.” She smirked at Bishop, who actually looked a little embarrassed. Good. “And the Dark Web will cost you more than a nice cock.” She watched the men cringe at her use of the word cock and realized Jill had been right.
“Name your price.” Charger’s voice was serious.
“That’s dangerous.” Lacey cocked her eyebrow at him. “Never ask that of a woman.”
“She’s not doing it,” Viktor growled, but everyone including Lacey ignored him.
Actually, that was a lie. Lacey didn’t ignore him; she heard him loud and clea
r. Her anger tripled, and so did her price. “Five hundred.” She watched for any reaction from the large man but got none. “The Dark Web is tricky. I also need to pay a friend of mine for the use of his computer equipment.”
“Name the time and place.” Charger didn’t blink an eye at her cost. “The sooner, the better.”
“I’ll let Jill know,” she replied, then glanced over her shoulder at Bishop, then Viktor. “You guys have a nice day. And thanks for a great night, Viktor.”
With that and a wink, she headed toward the door and walked out like a boss. Before she could even step down on the first step, the door behind her opened. “What in the hell are you doing?”
“I’m going home,” Lacey replied as she continued toward the curb to wait for her Uber. Glancing at her phone, she opened the app. He was two minutes away. Shit.
He passed her and stood in front of her, stopping her progress. She stared him straight in the eye. “What?”
“You heard?” Viktor frowned, his eyes narrowing.
“Everything,” Lacey replied without any hesitation. “But hey, don’t sweat it. I’m not.”
“My brother’s a fucking dumbass,” Viktor growled, his features darkening as he sneered.
“Runs in the family.” Lacey’s tongue could be sharp when she was pissed. Something she learned growing up around bars. “Next time, and it sounds like there will be a next time with your history of fucking them and leaving them, don’t let the chick go on and on like she’s got a shot. It’s a dick move.”
Her Uber pulled in, but Viktor continued to block her path. “After last night you seriously believe what you’re saying?”
“Yes, I do.” Lacey frowned with a nod. Then she laughed. “And I’m just now realizing maybe I’m the dumbass because you actually said and I’m going to quote, ‘I am a Protector, Lacey. I cannot change that.’”
“What’s your point?” Viktor growled, clearly growing aggravated. “Or do you even have one?”
“Why did you come for me in the first place at the hospital?” This time Lacey’s eyes narrowed. “Was it because of some kind of duty or because of me, Viktor?”
“Why does this even matter?” Viktor didn’t answer her question, which said a lot.
Hurt clogged her throat, but she pushed it down. “That question answers all of mine.” She pushed him aside, and he allowed it. She headed toward the car, opened the door. “James?”
“Yeah,” the driver replied. “Lacey Cruz?”
Lacey nodded, getting in and slamming the door shut, refusing to look his way. The car began to move, but she continued to stare down at her phone, repeating over and over again that she would not fucking cry. Suddenly the car stopped, throwing her forward. Looking up, she saw Viktor standing in front of the vehicle before moving quickly toward her door. Before she could lock it, he swung it open and leaned down in her face.
“I came out of a sense of duty.” Viktor’s voice was low and tense. “But I took you to my bed because you are mine. Never mistake that again. I will see you tonight.”
With that said, he slammed the door and walked away. Her eyes met that of the driver in the rearview mirror. They both were wide-eyed. Slowly, she turned to see Viktor’s large frame moving angrily toward his condo.
Her heart beat so hard she felt lightheaded and wondered if she was going to pass out. She once again turned to look, but Viktor had already disappeared. Bishop and Charger came out, getting on motorcycles then pulled up behind them.
“Ah, should I go?” the driver asked.
“Yes, go,” Lacey said, then kept glancing as both Bishop and Charger followed them all the way to her apartment. They stopped out on the street, said a few things to each other, and then Charger took off. Bishop remained. He glanced her way as she got out of the Uber and it took off. After he gave her a nod, he looked straight forward, took out his phone and put it to his ear. He glanced her way again, then continued with the conversation with someone.
Lacey went up the steps to her apartment with a frown, unlocked her door and went inside. Creeping to the window, she pulled the curtain to see him still sitting there and realized he was now the one protecting her.
Viktor’s words kept replaying in her mind. Her skin tingled, remembering him saying she was his. By the reaction of her body, she must enjoy that type of dominance, even though her mind was telling her heart to shy away from a man like Viktor. What really disappointed her and sent her stomach into turmoil was that he came to her out of a sense of duty. Lacey didn’t want that from him. She wanted the gorgeous bastard to come for her and only her, just because he wanted her. Not some Warrior-code bullshit. Was she being too critical? Probably. She had her moments when she read way too much into situations and blamed the author part of her for that.
With a sigh, she backed away and looked at the time. She had to work tonight. Having a ton of things to do, she rushed through them, then glanced at her computer, then to the window. Bishop remained. Frowning, she sat down at the computer and used her last few hours before work to start writing today’s word count, but creativity was mixing with her reality, and all she could think about was Viktor Valentino.
Chapter 27
Bishop sat on his bike outside of Lacey’s apartment over the Gypsy Tavern feeling a little guilty. He shouldn’t have said what he had to Viktor. It was wrong and he knew it. He glanced up at the apartment to see the curtains move. Charger had been right. Until they knew for sure Lacey was safe, she needed to be watched. So when Viktor ordered him to follow the Uber, he did so without a word of protest.
Leaning against his motorcycle for the past two hours gave Bishop plenty of time to think, which was not always a good thing. Today was no exception. He liked to stay busy—less time to realize his life was shit and had been that way for a long time. Seeing the content look on his brother’s face when he and Charger showed up at the condo fueled something inside Bishop that he wasn’t proud of. Jealous that once again his brother had found happiness with a woman, something that Bishop had never had.
Frowning as Bonnie’s face played through his mind, Bishop cussed long and loud. His attraction for her was strong, but dammit, it was weird. If Emilia would have survived, then Viktor would have been Bonnie’s step-daddy. So would that have made him a step... uncle?
“Fuck!” Bishop hissed, shaking off that thought. Yeah, too fucking weird, but his pull toward her was undeniable. He began to pace around, trying to shake the thought. Shit, he signed a contract with Sloan Murphy because of her. Was he insane? And he blamed his fucking brother. Why? Well, he hadn’t figured that out yet, but that was the only logical excuse he could think of at the moment about why he was acting like a lunatic.
“What are you doing?” Lacey’s voice made him jump.
He turned quickly to find her standing at the edge of the drive leading to the Gypsy Tavern. Her hand was on her hip. She wore a pair of cut-off shorts and a T-shirt that showed her midriff. Her hair was pulled to the top of her head with some sort of clip, and was messy as hell. One thing he could say for his brother was he had damn good taste in women. Lacey Cruz was stunning with those bright green eyes staring up at him.
“Thinking of ways to torture my brother.” Bishop replied, but quickly realized how poor of a job he was doing watching over her. He hadn’t even heard her approach. “You?”
“Same,” she replied, just as quickly. She nodded toward the tavern. “Come on. If we put our heads together, I’m sure we can come up with something sinister and painful. You have got to be bored as hell sitting out here in front of my place. Not a lot of action during the day.”
“Appreciate it, but I best stay here.” Bishop frowned, leaning back on his bike. “Viktor wouldn’t like it.”
Lacey cocked her eyebrow at him. “Exactly.”
A newfound respect for this woman overcame him as he laughed. Turning, he pushed his bike as he walked next to her. Once they were inside the tavern, she clicked on lights and headed toward the bar. “Ne
ver been in here before.”
“It’s a pretty popular place, not as extraordinary as the Red Dragon.” She started a pot of coffee. “I know it’s a little late in the day for coffee, but I need another pot or two, so I can make it through the rest of the day. What would you like?”
“Coffee is fine,” Bishop said, sitting down at the bar.
“I’m sure it’s obvious why I want to torture your brother.” Lacey smirked. “Why do you want to torture him?”
Bishop couldn’t say it was because he sent him to watch over her. That just sounded like he was an asshole. Undoubtedly, he was an asshole, but that was beside the point. Sort of.
“He’s the reason you’re here, I’m sure.” Lacey turned, grabbing two cups out of a cabinet at the side of the bar. Being a man, his eyes automatically went to her ass. Yeah, Viktor definitely had fucking good taste and he briefly wondered what Bonnie’s ass would look like in a pair of cut-offs. Snapping his eyes away, he cursed under his breath.
“Yeah.” His curt reply made her smile. “Listen, I’m sorry about this morning. I shouldn’t have said what I said, but then again, you weren’t supposed to have heard it.”
Lacey shrugged as she poured their coffee. She sat his steaming cup in front of him before placing sugar and creamer on the bar. “It woke me up for sure.” She blew on her coffee, looking at him over the rim. “But what I don’t understand is why that made you so angry?”
Frowning, he glanced down at the coffee he hadn’t touched yet. He knew why it made him angry; he’d already figured that one out. His eyes rose to hers. “Why did it make you so angry?”
She stared at him for a long time before laughing. “Honestly, Bishop—” She paused, then shook her head. “Having a few hours to think about it, which is all I’ve done since I left, I have no idea.”
After taking a long drink of black coffee, Bishop set the cup down, a large smile breaking over his face. “That’s fucked up.”
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