Obsessed with the Vampire: A Paranormal Romance (Vampire Enforcement Agency Book 2)

by Kellie McAllen

  “What about you? What’s your family like? How do they feel about… you know?” He winked, flicked his eyes towards the people next to him, and took a sip of his drink, his eyes sparkling more than the amber liquid in his glass.

  She dipped her head and focused on wiping up a sticky spot on the bar. “My parents died when I was 18. Vampire attack. I’ve been on my own since then. Most of my friends went off to school, but I didn’t get a chance to go. Maybe someday.”

  He frowned and reached out to lay a hand on hers. “That’s rough. I’m sorry, Caroline.”

  “It’s okay, I’ve put it behind me. I like my job, I’m good friends with my coworker Gray, I reconnected with another friend recently, and Roric’s been great. Even his brother treats me like family.”

  “Well, you’ve got me for a friend now, too.” He squeezed her hand then stroked it.

  It made her a little uncomfortable, so as soon as she could, she pulled her hand away and started to pour him another drink.

  The space around him cleared for a moment, so Caroline slid the drink towards him and asked, “How do you think your friends and family will react once you tell them?”

  He picked up the drink, but his smile faltered, and his hand stopped halfway between the bar and his mouth. “I don’t think it’s going to go over too well, especially not with my family. They’re pretty conservative. My friends are cool, but I’m still kind of nervous about telling them.” He quickly downed half the cocktail then set it down on a napkin and stared at it.

  He’d offered his friendship to her, but she realized he needed her friendship just as much. She ran a hand down his arm, and he looked up at her with need in his eyes.

  “If they’re really your friends, they’ll still accept you. If they don’t, well then, it’s time to make some new friends. I’m here for you if you ever need somebody.”

  “You’re really great, you know that, Caroline? You’re kind and strong and beautiful. I hope that boyfriend of yours appreciates how special you are.” He stared into her eyes, his own whiskey eyes making her feel warm and a little lightheaded.

  Then his gaze dropped to her neck, and his fangs descended as his mouth opened. She felt the blood pulsing hot and fast through her body. She put a hand to her neck and felt it throbbing in her jugular. The rich scent of Houston’s blood swirled around her in a cloud as his heart rate increased, too.

  “Are you hungry, Houston?” she whispered, her voice raspy.

  He licked his lips and swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he nodded.

  “I think we should go get something to eat. Let’s go to the break room.” She nodded her head towards the back hallway then whispered to Gray that she was taking a short break.

  Houston met her at the end of the bar then followed her down the hallway and into the break room. She went straight to her locker to pull out her small cooler, but before she had a chance, Houston pressed his body up against hers, pinning her to the lockers, then pulled her hair away from her neck and sunk his fangs into her flesh.

  The sharp prick of pain was quickly erased by the rush of pleasure as he sucked her blood from her vein. It crashed through her body like a wave with each pull. Her body thrashed, out of control, quickly sinking. It was an undertow she couldn’t out-swim. Houston was drowning in it, too, and his hands groped her body like he was grabbing for a lifeline.

  When she realized she was drowning, she grabbed onto him and tried to claw her way to the surface, but the buffeting waves made it hard to focus on anything else. With one hard shove against his chest, his fangs pulled out of her, and her head broke through the water. She sucked in a deep breath as her mind cleared.

  “Houston, no! You can’t just drink from someone like that, especially me!”

  “You asked me if I was hungry. You said you were there for me if I ever needed you.” He stepped closer and reached for her, lust swirling in his intoxicating, whiskey eyes, but she pressed her hands against his chest, holding him back.

  “I meant as a friend. I’m sorry, Houston, but I’m involved with Roric. Sharing blood with someone else is like sleeping around. It’s not right.”

  He raked a hand through his golden hair, his face twisting. “But you fed me yesterday. You turned me. You made me into this, this animal. I have all these cravings. I need to drink!”

  “I was trying to save your life! I know you’re thirsty. Here, I have some blood bags.” She opened her locker and dug into the cooler, bringing out a bag for each of them.

  He looked at it in disgust, but she pressed it into his hand. “Drink, Houston. You’ll feel better, I promise.”

  He shoved it back at her. “I don’t want this. I want to drink from the vein.”

  She put the blood back in the cooler. “Okay, I’ll take you to the clinic. You can drink there.”

  “No, I don’t want some stranger. I want you, Caroline. Your blood, it does things to me. It sets my whole body on fire.” He moved closer again and stroked a hand down her cheek, sending a current of electricity streaking through her body. She shivered and closed her eyes, savoring the feeling. A moan escaped her lips.

  The sound jolted her back to reality. She shook off the sensation and stepped back, holding out her hands. “I said no, Houston. You need to leave. Do you want me to drive you to the clinic?”

  “If you won’t feed me, I’ll take care of myself.” He slammed a fist into her locker and walked away.

  Caroline watched him go, feeling torn in two. She didn’t trust him on his own, but she didn’t trust herself around him. What was more important, her responsibility towards him, or her loyalty to Roric?

  Chapter 15

  Piper dropped her paintbrush and palette on the table, knocking over a cup of dirty water as she raced across the room to grab her ringing phone. It was probably just a stupid telemarketer, but she couldn’t help it — she was desperate for some excitement.

  She was home by herself, making unnecessary touchups to her latest painting for lack of anything better to do, and seriously contemplating going to bed at 10pm, just to end the boredom.

  Her eyes lit up when she saw the name on the caller ID. This night might have some promise after all! She pushed the green button and dashed back over to clean up the spill.

  “Hey Houston, how’s it going?” She tried to sound casual but it was hard since she was breathing like she’d just run a marathon. She grabbed a rag and started sopping up the spilled water.

  “Hey Piper. I’m sure you probably already have plans, but if not, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out.”

  She should have plans. It was Saturday night, and she was young, single, and decently attractive, or at least she thought so. But she couldn’t remember the last time she’d done anything really fun. What happened to the wild and fun-loving Piper who used to go out drinking and partying on Saturdays with a bunch of friends?

  Ever since she moved back to Modesa and took a job at the middle school, she’d turned into a boring adult. She went to bed early, spent her free time painting, and hadn’t gone to a party or even on a real date since she graduated from college. All her college friends were spread out around the country, and her high school friends had moved on, too — everyone except Caroline. But she was usually working on the weekends.

  She was embarrassed to admit the truth, but hanging out with Houston sounded like the perfect cure for her weekend doldrums. They could go dancing, or maybe his friends were having a party. “I actually just finished a project I was working on and could use a break. Did you want to meet at a bar or something?”

  “I was thinking of somewhere more… private.” His voice got low and rumbly like the purr of a tiger, and the sexy sound went straight to her center. He wanted to go somewhere private? Did that mean…?

  She wandered over to the living room and dropped down on the couch, fanning her flaming face with her hand. “Uh, yeah, sure. Do you have someplace in mind?”

  “What about your place?”

  She
glanced around at her apartment. She probably should’ve spent the evening cleaning it. Her dining room turned art studio was a chaotic jumble of canvases and art supplies, and now there was a pool of paint-tinged water soaking the table and dripping onto the paint-splotched drop cloth on the floor. Hopefully, Houston would be too preoccupied by her to notice.

  “That sounds great.” She gave him her address.

  “Cool. I’ll see you soon.”

  She went into a frenzy as soon as she hung up, trying to clean up the place a little, but then she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror and her train of attention jumped the tracks and went in a totally different direction. There were paint splotches on her clothes, her face, and just about everywhere else that wasn’t covered up. Houston would never even notice the state of her apartment if she didn’t do something about her own appearance. He’d take one look at her and run away screaming.

  She dashed into the bathroom and stripped out of her clothes then jumped in the shower. She scrubbed so hard, using the hottest water she could stand, trying to get the paint off, that her skin was pink and raw by the time she got out. It matched the blush on her face.

  Once she was dry, she dug through her lingerie drawer. Her eyes landed on her sexiest set, a sea foam green lace bra and matching panties that looked great against her pale skin and red hair. She wasn’t planning to go far enough that he’d see them, but she decided it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared. She slipped them on then turned towards her closet to pick out an outfit.

  She wanted something sexy, but since they weren’t going out, she didn’t want anything too fancy. She ruled out all her work clothes and the grungy, paint-stained stuff she normally wore around the apartment. All that left was some jeans and a few blouses that were too risqué to wear to work. She squeezed herself into some skinny jeans then put on a tight, black shirt that showed a little too much cleavage for a middle school teacher.

  Her curly hair was up in a messy bun that didn’t look great, but at least there wasn’t any paint in it, and taking it down would be worse, so she left it. She had just enough time for a coat of mascara before the doorbell rang.

  She rushed to the door but stopped herself and took a couple deep breaths. She didn’t want to look desperate. Once she was calmer, she opened the door.

  Houston stood on the other side, looking as delicious as a dark chocolate caramel candy bar in black clothes and a silky, brown jacket. She swooned and leaned against the doorjamb, trying to act casual instead of overcome with lust.

  “Hi Piper.” All he did was smile at her and say two words, but it was enough to soak her panties.

  “Hey Houston. Come on in,” she purred back at him and moved to let him pass. His arm brushed her chest as he walked through the doorway, and tingles raced up and down her body.

  “Nice place. Love the artwork.” He scanned the living room walls which were covered in her kaleidoscope-style paintings.

  When his gaze landed on the art studio set up in her dining room, he whipped his head back towards her. “Did you paint all those?”

  “Yeah. I was an art major, and now I’m an art teacher.” She cringed as soon as the words left her mouth. She wanted to be a famous artist, not a middle school teacher, but even though she thought she was pretty good, she hadn’t managed to sell much of her art, and teaching paid the bills.

  Houston didn’t seem to think it was as lame as she did, though. “Wow, I’m suddenly having all these sexy teacher fantasies. I bet your students are in love with you. Think you could give me a lesson?”

  He stepped closer, and she felt her face get hot again. The heat streaked down her body and ignited her groin.

  “If any of my students looked like you, I’d probably have those fantasies, too.” She couldn’t believe she’d actually said that, but apparently it was the right thing to say, because the next thing she knew, Houston was only inches away, staring into her eyes like he wanted to devour her.

  “You were amazing last night. If I’d known it could be like that, I probably would’ve been at the clinic years ago, begging to be turned. Thanks for helping me out.”

  “Anytime.” She smiled and took the opportunity to gaze into his amber eyes. She wished she could take a close-up of them so she could try to paint them later, but it would be impossible to match the depth and intensity of them with paint.

  “Do you mean that?” Houston moved impossibly closer, putting his hands on her hips. They felt like hot irons, branding her with the imprint of his fingers.

  “Yes.” Her voice was a raspy whisper, but it was from lust, not lack of confidence. She’d let Houston drink from her any time, any place. She didn’t care about the laws. What she and Houston did in private was their business. No one would ever have to know.

  Her phone rang, distracting her for a moment from the intensity growing between them, but she wasn’t about to answer it. It was probably just Alec, checking up on her.

  Davede’s face flashed through her mind, but they weren’t exactly a couple yet. And besides, he’d probably be too scared to drink from her again now that they’d almost been caught by her brother. Houston might be her only option now.

  She gulped, and his gaze shifted from her eyes to her neck. “I don’t see the point of going to the clinic if you already have a willing partner, do you?”

  She shook her head, too overwhelmed with desire to speak. Her body quivered, her muscles reliving the memory of their time together.

  “I’m really hungry, Piper.”

  “Would you like something to eat?” She stroked a hand down her neck, her fingers lingering on the throbbing vein.

  Houston didn’t bother to answer. He just leaned down and sank his fangs into her neck, wrapping his hands around her body to hold them steady. All her blood rushed to the wound as he sucked, making her dizzy. She swayed on her feet, but Houston held her tight, pressing her against his body.

  Pleasure burst through her body like fireworks, starbursts exploding against her skin, setting her on fire. She rubbed her body against his like she was trying to put out the flames, but it made them burn hotter. She sucked in lungfuls of air, but it only fanned the flames. She heard loud moans and wondered for a second if someone needed help, but then she realized it was her.

  Houston led them over to the couch without breaking his hold on her neck. They slumped down together into the pile of silk pillows. Her head lolled against the back of the couch as Houston let his hands explore her body. He kneaded her breasts then trailed his fingers down her belly and slid them into the waistband of her jeans. His fingertips tickled her curls, but her pants were too tight for his hand to go much deeper.

  Frantic for more of his touch, she yanked the button open and pulled down the zipper. Houston’s hand immediately curled around her mound, and his middle finger stroked up and down her then pressed on her clit. She gasped and pushed her hips up to meet his hand. His erection was hard against her hip.

  Did she want to have sex with him? A tiny voice in the back of her mind was whispering that she barely knew him, but her body was screaming yes, and at the moment she couldn’t figure out why it mattered. She’d heard that having sex while a vampire drank from you upped the intensity by like a million. She desperately wanted to experience that.

  Houston pulled his mouth away from her neck, and her body complained at the loss of him, but his words made up for it. “God, Piper, you’re so sexy. I want you so bad.”

  “Then take me.” The words burst out of her mouth before her brain had a chance to filter them, but then Houston slipped a finger inside her, and her brain short-circuited.

  She tore her blouse off and shoved her hands under his shirt. He pulled his hand from her panties long enough to slip off his jacket and yank his tee shirt over his head. She whimpered at the loss of contact, but then he pulled down her bra cup and his mouth was on her breast.

  She ran her hands over his abs and pecs as he sucked on her nipple and stroked his fingers through her curls again.
She groaned and writhed under him, desperate for more. Eventually, she pushed him away.

  He stared at her, a look of worry creasing his face, but she didn’t let him suffer for long. She pushed her jeans and panties over her hips and shimmied them down her legs then unhooked her bra and dropped it on the floor.

  “Take your pants off, Houston,” she growled when he stared at her without moving.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He grinned and jerked into action then, dropping his pants and boxers. She took a moment to admire him. He was gorgeous. Tan with fine, golden hair on his arms and legs. His chest wasn’t huge, but it was toned, and the flat plane of his lower abdomen narrowed to a sexy vee. She ran her hands down it and fondled him.

  He moaned and jumped on her then, latching onto her neck again as he buried himself inside her. She cried out and let herself sink into the sensation. It was better than anything she’d ever felt before. Her mouth found his neck, and she nipped at the skin, wondering what it would be like to drink from him.

  Would Houston be willing to change her if she asked him? She’d fantasized about being a vampire for so long, but was she brave enough to go through with it?

  Chapter 16

  Roric frantically waved a dishtowel below the screeching smoke detector, trying to clear out the thick, gray smoke that swirled around his head. When that didn’t work, he ran around his suite, yanking open all the windows. Cool, dawn air flowed in, and the smoke started to dissipate, taking the scent of burnt garlic with it. Eventually, the blasted smoke detector quit squawking at him.

  He grabbed the pan off the counter and chucked the charcoal briquettes that used to be garlic bread out the nearest window, leaving it open so hopefully the smell would dissipate before Caroline got there. No big deal. They could live without garlic bread. At least the spaghetti turned out okay.

  He’d tested the pasta every couple minutes to make sure it was cooked just right, and the sauce was out of a jar, so he couldn’t screw that up. He even made a salad, cutting up all the vegetables himself. That took forever. He never realized how labor-intensive salad was.