“Good.” He stood up and adjusted himself. He probably didn’t think she noticed, but she did. “Are you ready to talk about what happened?”
She shook her head. Even if she wanted to submit herself to that humiliation, she couldn’t. Not if she didn’t want her parents to be hurt.
Sterling looked disappointed. “I figured.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. It wasn’t much, but she felt like she owed him something for all his help.
“Will you be ready to go soon?”
She nodded.
He gave her a single nod in return. “See you in ten.” He reached for her door handle.
“Wait,” she said as she sat up in a panic.
Sterling looked over at her. “Don’t worry, Lexine; I won’t tell anyone. But you are going to have to talk to me soon.”
He reached for the door, and this time, she let him go.
She flopped back on the bed. She was in so much trouble. And, while it was nice that Sterling wanted to hear what she had to say, she was in this by herself. She needed a plan, and she needed one soon because she wasn’t going to let Lucas win. He’d messed with the wrong Guardian.
HUNTER DROVE TO the same place where he and Quentin had been meeting each other for the last four nights. It was the same thing every night. One of them would get in the other’s vehicle, and then they would drive around, get out, and talk to shifters and vampires, trying to find out any clues as to who had been wreaking havoc around the area.
Hunter parked his car, exited, and walked over to Quentin’s to get in the passenger seat. Quentin nodded to Hunter, but that was the extent of his greeting. He was always civil and polite but never friendly, except for the brief introduction several nights ago. Hunter had tried to apologize for his reaction that night, but Quentin had told him it was fine even though it clearly wasn’t, which was kind of a relief. How was he supposed to explain his reaction to the shifter?
He was still struggling with it because, every time he was near the wolf, explicit images would enter his mind. Hunter would try to brush them aside because they had a job to do, but he dreamed about Quentin almost every night. Dreams that he never had about any female before. Thank God he had a job to do; otherwise, he’d be driving himself crazy.
“Where are we going tonight?” Hunter asked.
“I thought we’d head to the U and chat up some college students. They always seem to have some way of getting gossip.”
“Humans or shifters and vampires?”
“All three. Humans sometimes see things that they don’t even realize they’re seeing.”
“Very true. Since it’s the weekend, hopefully, we can find some intoxicated blabbermouths.”
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the campus and found a place to park some distance away. They got out of Quentin’s car and decided to head in one direction. They were hoping to come along some house parties or kids hanging outside since it was finally getting nice out.
They heard some voices and laughing down one street, so they turned the corner. Then, they heard a scream, which didn’t sound like someone having fun, and both of them broke into a run.
Hunter and Quentin drew closer to the voices.
“Get off me! Leave me alone.”
“Come on, baby. You’ve been giving me the eye all night. I know you want it.”
What was it with college boys thinking they could just have sex with anyone?
“I don’t want to have sex with you. Get. Away. From. Me.”
They heard a grunt and went to the side of the house that had music playing inside. Thankfully, the volume was low enough for Hunter and Quentin to hear the couple outside.
When they reached the college students, Quentin grabbed the punk by the collar. “Maybe you didn’t hear the lady. She asked you to leave her alone.”
The female looked relieved and scared at the same time. She shrank back into the side of the house as much as she could. Hunter supposed he and Quentin were pretty intimidating to a young woman. Neither of them was small, and Quentin had a don’t-fuck-with-me look written across his face.
The young male reached back and pulled his shirt from Quentin’s grip. “Who the fuck are you? Go away. Sara and I were just getting to know each other, weren’t we, baby?”
The female, Sara, shook her head.
“Yeah, that’s not what we heard,” Hunter said. “It sounded like you were getting ready to sexually assault this young lady.”
The punk actually had the nerve to look insulted. “What the fuck, dude?”
Quentin grabbed the kid by the front of the shirt and pulled him closer. Quentin had several inches and at least fifty pounds of muscle on the punk. Despite that, the kid fought Quentin.
“Listen here, dude. When a woman says no, leave me alone, get off me, et cetera, et cetera, she means what she says. She’s not playing hard to get. She doesn’t want you fucking touching her.”
The kid backed up and yanked on his shirt. The only reason he was able to get it out of Quentin’s grip was because the wolf let go.
“Listen, kid,” Hunter said, “I know you think you’re the shit, and the alcohol I smell on you probably doesn’t help, but you are not that irresistible. The next time you try something like this with a female, you might not get away with just a warning.”
“Fuck you,” the punk said.
Hunter rolled his eyes and sighed. This kid really had no sense of self-preservation.
Quentin was flexing his fist and looked like he really wanted to punch the jerk.
Hunter put his hand on the shifter’s arm. “He’s not worth it.”
“I know, but it would be so satisfying.”
Hunter turned back to the punk. “Get out of here, kid, and when you sober up, you need to ask yourself if this is really the kind of asshole you want to be.”
The punk sneered. “Whatever. Like I’m going to take some advice from a couple of queers.” He flicked them off and walked to the front of the house.
Hunter didn’t really get a chance to process the kid’s parting words before the female stepped away from the house.
“Thank you. I thought he was a nice guy, but I guess not.”
“Where are you off to now? Do you need us to walk you home?” Hunter asked.
“No, I’ll go back into the party. I have several friends in there, and I won’t leave their side for the rest of the night.”
“Okay, as long as you’re sure,” Quentin said.
She nodded again. “I’m sure. Thank you again.” She turned and headed for the front of the house. She turned and gave a single wave before she disappeared around the corner.
“Well, that wasn’t what we were looking for, but I’m glad we could help someone,” Hunter said, giving the front yard one last look and keeping an ear open just to make sure the punk hadn’t waited for Sara.
“Yeah,” Quentin agreed, but it sounded like he hadn’t really been listening to Hunter.
Hunter turned and looked at the shifter.
Quentin was examining his forearm.
Hunter stepped closer. “What’s wrong?”
“The little shit scratched me with something. I think it was his fingernail.” Quentin grimaced. “Gross. Who knows the last time he washed his hands?”
Worried for the shifter, Hunter grabbed Quentin’s arm and looked at his wound. As far as lacerations went, it was superficial and minor. But it was bleeding, and the shifter was right about germs. Even though shifters and vampires had stronger immune systems than humans, they could still get infections.
Without even thinking, Hunter brought Quentin’s arm to his mouth and licked the wound closed. “There. Now, it should heal nicely,” he said to the wolf right before the taste of his blood hit Hunter.
Hunter’s stance staggered, and he took a step back, so he didn’t fall to his knees. “Holy fuck.” His cock was as hard as a rock.
Quentin grabbed Hunter under his arms. “Are you okay, man? Is there something
wrong with my blood?”
Wrong? Not even close.
His blood was perfect. Hunter had never tasted anything as good as Quentin’s blood.
“I just need to sit down for a minute,” Hunter said.
Quentin led him over to the side of the house and helped him to the ground.
Hunter leaned his head back against the wall and took some deep breaths.
“Hey, thanks for healing me,” Quentin said.
Hunter looked over to see the shifter examining his arm again.
“That sure is a handy trait to have.”
Hunter snickered. “Yeah, except for the fact that we need blood to live. That’s kind of a make-it-or-break-it sort of thing. You don’t need anyone else to keep you alive.”
“Huh. I never thought about it like that.”
“Yeah.”
“So, who do you usually feed from?”
“I have a couple of females who keep me fed.”
“Vampire females, I’m assuming.”
“Yes.”
“So, I noticed you had a reaction to my blood. Is it because I’m a shifter, or is it because something is wrong? You can tell if someone’s sick through their blood, correct?”
“Yes, and no. You’re not sick or anything.”
Quentin looked relieved. “So, it’s because I’m a shifter.”
Hunter cleared his throat. “I don’t know. I suspect it’s because you’re male.”
Quentin frowned. “Male and females taste different?”
Hunter shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve only ever fed from females.” He looked at Quentin’s neck and his artery pulsing there. He wanted to taste the male again. Hunter groaned.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know if I should say anything since this is the first real conversation we’ve had since we were paired up.”
Quentin smiled warily. “I noticed. But I doubt I could think any worse of you than I did before.”
“Ouch.”
Quentin laughed. “Well, you did outright reject me.”
Hunter shook his head and frowned. “No, I didn’t.”
Quentin raised his brow. “What do you call jerking your hand out of mine like I had the plague?”
“I really hate this line. But it wasn’t you; it was me.”
The shifter looked doubtful.
Hunter leaned his head back against the wall and stared up at the stars. “Look, ever since I met you, things have been happening to me. I have always thought of myself as asexual. Until you came along. I find myself”—he cleared his throat—“aroused when you’re around. It’s like I’ve never been…so aware of another being. I don’t know what to do about it, and I’m kind of freaking out. Then, there are the dreams and, now, your blood. I have never tasted anything so good.” Hunter lifted his head and looked at the wolf. “So, no, there is nothing wrong with you. I think there’s something wrong with me.”
Quentin laughed, and Hunter would have been insulted after pouring his heart out to this guy, except Quentin put his big hand on Hunter’s knee.
“Tomorrow is our night off. I would like you to come somewhere with me.”
“Okay,” Hunter said warily.
The shifter clapped his hands together. “Great. Now, we’d better get back out there.” He stood and put out his hand for Hunter to grab and then helped him up.
Hunter couldn’t believe that was all Quentin had to say.
He must have read his expression because he said, “I’m not dismissing everything you told me. I’m just putting the conversation on hold until tomorrow. We have a lot to talk about, and we have to work tonight. Okay?”
Hunter nodded. “Okay.”
“All right. Let’s go then.”
Hunter followed, excited but extremely nervous about what the next night would bring.
DANTE HUNG UP his cell after taking a call from Hunter. He and the shifter, Quentin, had run into a couple of college kids where the male was trying to take advantage of the female. Hunter had wanted to give Dante a heads-up in case anything came of it, but Dante doubted that would happen. The kid would probably wake up the next morning, hungover and thankful that someone had stopped him. At least, that was what Dante hoped would happen.
“Everything okay?” Phoenix asked.
Dante was lying on his bed with Phoenix, watching the next episode of Game of Thrones. To say they were both fans was an understatement. The highlight of his night was watching TV with Phoenix.
“Yeah, at least, now, it is,” he told her. He hit play again since he’d paused it to take the phone call.
So far, all they’d done the last few nights was snuggle. When he’d said he was going to take it slow, he meant it.
Phoenix probably didn’t even realize how stiff she’d been in his arms the first night. Now, she willingly came to him, sometimes lying down before him and telling him to hurry up and get on the bed. She was learning to trust him more and more, and Dante was very pleased.
He would know she really trusted him when she told him about her past, but they weren’t there yet. However, Dante did think it was time to up the stakes. Tonight was perfect because he was off duty, so they had plenty of time. He just needed to figure out how he was going to do it without frightening her.
After the last episode of season one, Phoenix sat up and exclaimed, “That was fucking badass. Daenerys is my new hero. Or, more accurately, my heroine. The things I could do if I could walk through fire with dragons.”
Dante sat up and grinned at her. He couldn’t remember if he’d ever seen her happy with excitement.
“Can we start season two?” she asked.
“No.”
She frowned. “No? But don’t you want to find out what happens next?”
“Yes, but I’d rather kiss you first.”
Phoenix visibly swallowed, but her eyes also lit up for a second. That was a good sign.
“Is this because you saw Daenerys’s boobs?”
Dante laughed. “No, Red, this is because you are absolutely beautiful when you smile. You should do it more often.”
Phoenix looked down, and if he wasn’t mistaken, her face was now the same color as her hair.
Dante put his finger under her chin and tilted it up. “You know I won’t hurt you, right?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Good. I want you to remember that. Always.”
Phoenix was staring at his mouth. “I will,” she said, still whispering.
Since they were both sitting awkwardly, Dante moved to the edge of the bed and stood up. He held out his hand. “Come here, Red.”
Phoenix scooted closer and took his hand to let him help her off the bed. Dante thought it would be easier for her to have control if they were standing up.
He pulled her closer until they were less than a foot away from one another, and he placed her hands on his chest. “I know you aren’t comfortable with being close to others, so anytime you don’t like what we’re doing, you just push, okay?”
She nodded. “Where are you going to put your hands?”
“That depends. I can put them behind my back. Or I can rest them on your hips. It’s up to you.”
Phoenix bit her lip, and he saw her protruding incisor. It wasn’t as prominent as a vampire’s, but it was longer than a human’s, thanks to her cat-shifter genetics. For some reason, it really turned him on.
She released her lip. “You can put your hands on me.”
She shrugged, like it was no big deal, but he could tell by the rest of her body language that it actually was a big deal. She was stiff again even though she was trying to relax.
He was glad that she’d chosen to have his hands on her hips because Dante was already hard. Maybe Phoenix wouldn’t even react to his kiss, but if she did and tried to get closer, he would be able to keep her groin away from his ever-growing erection.
Dante rested his hands on Phoenix’s sides and brought his mouth down to lightly brush his lips over hers. W
hen she didn’t move away, he pressed his lips against hers.
For a few minutes, he continued to give her closed-mouthed kisses. He wanted her to be good and used to him.
It was strange to think that he’d drunk her blood and given her orgasms and received them in return, yet they’d never kissed. They were long overdue for this.
When Phoenix dug her nails into his chest a bit and her scent flared ever-so lightly, Dante knew it was time to take the kiss to the next level. He licked the seam of her lips, and she hesitantly opened her mouth.
He slowly licked the inside of her lips and then moved on to the rest of her mouth. She let him do all the work, which he was fine with, but he wanted her to kiss him back.
Dante searched for her tongue, and when he got it where he wanted it, he sucked it into his mouth to let her know what he wanted. Then, he waited.
Phoenix slowly, tentatively pushed her tongue in his mouth, and when she did, he groaned.
She dug her claws in deeper and tried to step closer. He almost let her because he was so lost in what they were doing above the neck. But, at the last minute, he remembered that his hard-on would probably scare her and would ruin all the steps forward they’d taken.
Phoenix released her fingernails and moved her hands up and over his shoulders and then down his arms. When she reached his hands, she trailed back the opposite way. Up his arms, over his shoulders, down his chest, and then to his waist.
Dante almost didn’t realize where she was headed until it was too late, but he quickly grabbed her hands and moved them away from his crotch area.
She broke their kiss and took a step back.
He opened his eyes and looked to see her frowning.
“Why won’t you let me touch you? Do you not like it?”
She tried to pull her hands out of his, but he held on, something telling him that it was important to not let go.
“No, that’s not it at all. The thing is, I like it…too much.”
Her frown turned into a scowl. “Then, why did you stop me? And what do you mean, too much?”
Please don’t make me say it, Red.
He squeezed her hands. “I like you touching me a lot.” He used his eyes to pointedly glance down toward his groin, making sure she saw the movement. “But I don’t want to scare you.”
Forbidden Addiction (Forbidden, Book #4) Page 8