by Selena Blake
She watched him grind his jaws together as she approached. He sat in a small round booth, surrounded by potted plants. It was reasonably private.
When she stopped in front of Grayson’s table, the look of challenge in his eyes was unmistakable. Such beautiful gray eyes. He was not pleased that she hadn’t come to him last night.
“How ’bout a kiss, beautiful?” Frowning, Coco glanced to her left. A short, red-horned demon looked at the ceiling above her head. She followed his gaze.
Mistletoe hung from the archway.
A deep growl from Grayson had the demon backing away, apologizing even as he knocked over a table.
Coco settled herself onto the bench and scooted over.
Ignoring the menu, she turned toward him. “Possessive much?” she asked, though she was secretly pleased by his response. Did it mean he was jealous? After everything they’d shared the past few days, he seemed stiff. Frustration radiated from his strong frame. Did he still think he was her dirty secret?
“Where you’re concerned, yes.”
The waiter brought her a silver goblet. She didn’t even look inside before she took a sip. Warm, sweet nectar. AB negative. Her favorite vintage. Immediately she relaxed. What she really craved was a taste of Grayson’s blood.
A few tables over a woman let out a loud moan. Coco glanced over and saw the woman’s partner pierce her neck with his fangs. She felt a corresponding bloodlust at the sight. She couldn’t deny how erotic it was to watch lovers lose themselves in each other. And at a resort such as this, there was plenty of opportunity to be aroused.
Ignoring the couple humping like rabbits in the corner, Grayson pushed to his feet. With Coco here, he wasn’t interested in a drink anymore. There was too much on his mind. Too much that needed to be said.
She stared up at him, her blue eyes wide with surprise.
“We need to talk,” he muttered. Grabbing her wrist, he headed for the stone terrace. She had some questions to answer.
He’d been planning what he would say to her for hours. But in that plan he hadn’t imagined how drawn to her he’d be. In his imagination, she’d been wearing a baggy dress that hid her curves. In reality, her tits looked like they were sitting on a serving tray, just waiting for him to sample.
Outside, the ocean breeze did little to cool his temper… or libido. Sconces and moonlight cast shadows about the outdoor space. He needed to find a more private spot. Dodging the small patio tables, he stopped behind a large potted plant. Watching her now in the pale moonlight, she seemed ethereal. Like a gift from the gods. Or a dream come true.
Painfully beautiful in an outfit that amplified her curves… He dropped his hand and balled them both into fists. Patience. He needed patience.
Before he could lose himself in her, she needed to answer one very important question.
Chapter Eight
Coco watched the steady thump of blood through the vein in his neck. What would he taste like? Sweet and rich? Dark and delicious? Mood often affected the flavor of a person’s blood.
She ran her tongue over her lips in anticipation. He groaned and jerked her against him. But before she could get an answer to her question, his head was descending. She raised her lips for his kiss. She’d dreamed of this today. Of him.
His lips sealed across hers, and the waves of desire she’d been holding at bay, flooded her. She clutched the lapel of his jacket in one hand and tightened her grip around his neck with the other.
She realized now that this was what she’d been missing all these years. Him. The way he made her feel. So hot, lusty, and in danger of losing control. His kiss was firm, demanding. There was nothing gentle or coaxing, nothing sweet or slow. No. He was taking what he wanted. And heavens help her, Coco could deny him nothing.
Somewhere in the distance a woman laughed, but Coco couldn’t find the care to move much less pull away. She needed this. She needed him.
Just as it had been all those years ago, being in Grayson’s arms felt right. Perfect. She felt desirable, wanton, and yet safe. Why had she never realized that? Date after date. Man after man. None of them compared with the way he made her feel.
His tongue teased the seam of her lips. She opened them a fraction, enjoying the power she had over him. He groaned deep in his throat and speared his tongue into her mouth. They parried back and forth, an erotic dance that made her wet between her legs. Her breasts swelled, aching for his touch, and her nipples hardened against the silken fabric lining of her corset.
A large hand clasped around her cheek, holding her where he wanted her. “You taste so good,” he murmured. His other hand closed around her waist as he drank from her lips.
When he snagged her lower lip between his teeth, tugging gently, she sighed. Shifting so she could straddle his thigh, she groaned when the tight skirt made it impossible to spread her legs wide enough. Needy and wanton, she rubbed her hips against him, delighting in his needy moan. This was a novelty that would never wear off. Knowing she could turn this man -- and his beast -- on was an aphrodisiac like no other.
He trailed his lips down her jaw, nibbled the lobe of her ear, and then continued his quest down the column of her throat. She turned her head, offering her neck to his questing lips, and his warm breath caressed her skin. His big hands moved to her breasts, molding her curves.
“You know, this outfit would be illegal in most countries. Did you have it painted on?” he asked in that deep, rumbling voice.
“Why don’t you find out, wolf?”
His eyes shimmered with lust in the soft light, and she trembled at the intensity she saw there. She knew she was messing with fire. She could still feel his earlier ire crackling between them. The matter was not settled yet. They still hadn’t talked…
It was almost like he didn’t want to touch her, but couldn’t help himself. He seemed to be holding onto his beast by a thin leash. But she’d never felt threatened by that side of him. The dark, primal animal lay just below the surface. His desire for her was white-hot, if the ragged breaths moving his huge chest were any indication.
His fingers snagged the zipper running down the front of the corset, and just as he gave her a devilish grin another couple in the throes of passion stumbled by. Coco stopped his hand with hers as he began to unzip the garment. What if someone sees?
I think we’ve already determined that you like being watched.
He glanced over his shoulder at the lovers who were making out against the far wall of the terrace. The man palmed the woman’s breasts shamelessly. Growling, the woman wrapped her legs around his waist and slipped a hand around the back of his neck. Definitely a werewolf. Pulling him closer, she said something that had him ripping his shirt off.
“Besides, I think they’re too busy to notice us, love.” Grayson’s gaze dipped to the valley between her breasts and then met hers again. “But I’ll stop if you want me to.”
A muscle at his jaw clenched, and she knew it had taken most of his willpower to utter those words. Would take possibly more control than he had left to follow through with the promise.
A feminine cry floated across the terrace toward them. They glanced over to see the man suckling the woman’s nipples, his big hand holding her breast to his lips.
Coco felt a flush creep over her chest and shoulders. She couldn’t tear her eyes away. It seemed like Grayson couldn’t either.
“That looks like a good idea,” Grayson murmured wickedly and kissed the swell of each breast. Trembling with excitement, she sucked in a breath. The tendons in her neck quivered. Her knees knocked against his leg.
And then he traced the tight bodice with the tip of his tongue. Coco’s knees turned to Jell-O and she started to slide down the wall, but he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her up. Held her to him.
With his other hand he unzipped the corset and her breasts sprang from the confines. He palmed them greedily and she soaked up his warmth.
“So hot.” He sucked a pebbled point into his mouth.
Plump, ripe, delicious. She sighed as he teased the hardened peak with the tip of his tongue.
Energy swirled around them, electric. The scent of salt and evergreen hung heavy in the air. He didn’t care how much sweet talking it took to get into her panties, he was going to have her. Soon. That was all that mattered at this moment; driving himself into her tight little cunt and losing himself in release.
He switched his attention to her other breast, laving it, loving the feel of her arms draped around his shoulders, clinging to him. It pleased him that he could drive her wild and make her weak in the knees. He’d be sure to use that against her when the time came.
He slid his free hand down the slope of her stomach and cupped her mound. The taut fabric impeded his progress and he growled at the intrusion. Not enough access.
Lifting his head, he glanced around. Despite his earlier assurances about their privacy, he didn’t want anyone ogling his woman, especially while he had her half naked. But he couldn’t have made it to his room right now if his life depended on it. Too far gone. His beast was taking over.
“Trust me, love?” he asked, glancing at one eye, then the other, for any sign of hesitation.
“Yes.” She gave a single nod and licked her full lower lip. His cock jerked at the sight of it, remembering what it was like sliding over his body. Licking. Sucking.
Fuck.
With an urgency he was coming to expect where she was concerned, he let his claws grow. Fingers tipped with long, hard nails, he reached down and made a single slit from mid-thigh to the hem of the skirt.
Coco gasped.
“Don’t worry, love, your modesty is still intact.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that.”
Damn, her accent got to him. How could she be so sexy and so demure at the same time? It didn’t seem possible but she was a potent combination of both.
“What is it then?”
“Valencia’s going to kill me. This is vintage Valentino.”
He didn’t know what that meant and didn’t really care. The only thing that mattered was the sweet spot between her thighs.
“I’ll buy you another.” Valencia would just have to get over it.
He took a moment to refocus his energy, retracting his claws. Then he parted the fabric until he could slip his hand between her thighs. Still holding her upright, he nipped her ear again, ran his tongue along the outer shell. “You’ll have to be quiet, or everyone will come looking.”
She nodded quickly and her hands reached for the fly of his slacks. Her eagerness fueled his own. Within moments she had his cock out, her cool hands caressing his hardness.
She gave him a few long strokes, but that was all he could stand. Cock in the wind, he brushed her hands aside and slid his hand between her legs. Silken panties, wet with her juices, hid her pussy. Not for long. He ran his index finger up and down the length of them, letting the fabric glide between her nether lips. She sighed in his ear, her arms tightening around his shoulders.
Tugging the scrap of fabric to the side, he slid a finger through her lips and into her waiting pussy. Damn, she was wet.
Pausing, he stared up at the sky, fighting for control. Ten. Nine.
She squirmed against his hand, opening her thighs, thrusting against his finger.
Mercy. Eight. Seven.
“Grayson.” His name sounded more like a whimper on her lips.
Six.
She leaned forward and licked the shell of his ear.
Fuck! Control. I’m in control. Not the wolf. Not. The. Wolf.
In the back of his mind he knew he should seduce her more, play with her until she was panting for him. Begging him.
Five. Four. Three…
“What are you waiting for?”
“Control.”
He fingered her for a few more moments, ignoring her clit. That would only make her come. And he was greedy enough to want her to come around his cock. He wanted her right there with him, looking at him, feeling him, knowing that he was inside her, climaxing with her. That he loved her.
“I won’t break, wolf. You couldn’t kill me the first time you met me. And you won’t hurt me now, cher.”
Two.
“Please,” she whispered, her tone urgent. Husky. Her breathy little plea was a punch to his heart.
One.
He removed his hand from between her legs and used her juices to coat the tip of his cock. “Since you ask so sweetly.” He bent his knees, aligned their hips and angled his cock to her cunt. The first brush of his cock between her pussy lips sent fire down his back. His balls tightened, more than ready to come.
“Coco?” The feminine voice echoed across the terrace and the beauty in his arms froze.
Gaze locked over his shoulder, she sucked in a breath and her mouth fell open.
Grayson craned his neck and saw Izzy, icy-blue eyes staring them down. Her delicate brows were pinched and her bottom lip trembled. Without another word, she turned on her heel and made a beeline for the door leading into the bar.
“Izzy! Wait--” Coco called. The other woman’s departure galvanized her into action. She dropped her leg from his hip and pushed at his chest. “Let me go.”
She took two steps before looking down at the tattered skirt that hung open in the front. She yanked the sides of the corset together and flashed.
“What the hell?” Grayson stared at the empty space where Coco had been. One moment she’d been his arms and the next, she was gone. The only way he knew she’d even been there was the sweet scent she’d left behind.
That and the fact that his balls ached like he’d been kicked by a mule. He tucked his dick back in his slacks and zipped them.
Why the hell had she run off like that? Unless… Izzy was more than a friend.
Dragging a hand down his face, he glanced around the terrace. A few men were watching the door the blonde had gone through. Bloody hell, what piss poor timing.
A sense of urgency filled him. They needed to talk about this. Now. If her coven was more important than he was, damn it, he needed to know right now. Latham was right. He could only mate once. And if he was willing to put aside the past, bridge the gap, overcome their differences, then hopefully she would be too. She had to be.
He couldn’t lose her.
He strode down the boardwalk, a man on a mission. On the beach, he headed toward the cottage where he’d let her off two nights ago.
Take, his wolf uttered.
Patience.
Screw patience. Take.
Kidnapping the vamp would do no good. She could easily flash again and be gone in an instant. But he broke into a run anyway. He needed to find her, to settle this before she had a chance to start second guessing. Before Izzy could fill her head with reasons they shouldn’t be together.
The porch light was on but he saw no signs of life.
Using the skills that made him the best at what he did, he clung to the shadows as he approached side of the cottage. He saw a streak of movement through a window and stepped closer. Coco shoved the ruined skirt over her hips and stepped out of it. His gut tightened.
She was beautiful. Especially when she was taut with frustration. It reminded him of the moments before she came. Every inch of her tightened up, even her skin, and then she tumbled into release.
When she stalked into the closet, he jimmied the window open and hoisted himself inside.
She exited the closet, a pair of slacks in place of the skirt. When she noticed him standing there, she stopped abruptly, whispering his name.
A flush of heat ran over his shoulders, and it took everything in him not to pull her into his arms and lick every luscious inch of her.
She clenched the other flip flop between her hands. “What are you doing here?”
“I should think it’s obvious.”
Sighing, she shoved the shoe on her other foot. “I can’t do this now, Grayson. I’ve got to find Izzy--”
He stepped in front of her as she started for
the door. “Who is she?”
“She’s one of my best friends.”
“A lover?”
Her gaze swerved to his. “What?”
“You wouldn’t be the first vampire to take a female lover. Don’t sound so scandalized.”
“I’m not-- I mean… We’re friends. Nothing sexual.”
Thank gods for that. “But you still haven’t told her about me. About us. Why else would she seem so shocked to find us together?”
She ground her jaws together and looked away. The gesture told him that she knew he was right. If he hadn’t let himself be seduced by her, they would have had a chance to talk everything out. But he couldn’t turn back time. He could only get the answers he needed, now.
Something about the way she was standing calmed the beast inside him. More gently than he’d thought possible given how on edge he was, he cupped her cheek and made her look at him.
“I lied to her, all right?” She stormed away, a ball of chocolate-colored passion and fury.
When she pegged him with those incredible blue eyes and her lids fluttered to blink away tears, he felt a punch to the heart. What the hell had he gotten himself into?
You wanted answers, West.
“Why did you lie to her?”
Perhaps the more important question was, why was she so upset about it? Because her friend had found out? Because she felt guilty about it? Obviously the blonde’s friendship was important to her. He couldn’t think of a single person he’d regret lying to. Except her.
“Because I didn’t want her to know.”
He hadn’t expected the sting those words brought. “So I am your dirty little secret.”
Her fangs peeked between her lips. He turned away. “No.” She straightened her spine, lifted her chin. “Avery knows about us.”
Us?
They weren’t an us if she hid their relationship from her friends.
Son of a gun. He’d finally found someone more important to him than his career. Someone worth settling down with. Someone he could see a future with. And she was wrapped in a web of half truths.
“What is it she knows?” he couldn’t help asking. “That we’re fucking? Is that it, vamp? Is that all there is? Because I sure as hell thought there was more.”