Ensnared: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance

by Rebecca Rivard

  But the man knew that would kill her. Still, the beast was roused. It took all of my considerable control to master it.

  I drew a slow breath, then another. When I thought it was safe, I fastened my mouth on one of her pretty furled nipples. Licking and sucking.

  She groaned. “I can’t. Please…”

  “Non?”

  I slid a hand between her thighs, testing her arousal. She was slick and wet.

  I smiled.

  My fangs were at full length now, preparing to feed, and her eyes widened. I scented her spike of fear, and the part of me that had once been human felt…regret.

  I closed my mouth and wrested the beast back under control.

  “It’s all right.” I speared my fingers in her hair and pulled her head gently to the side. “Don’t be afraid—I would never hurt you. I merely want a taste. Un petit goût.” I’d switched to French without knowing it, something I only did under stress—or when wild to feed.

  I fastened my gaze on her soft golden skin and repeated in English, “A small taste, ma petite. That’s all.”

  Star’s throat worked. I steeled myself for rejection. I was over the line, even if she was a blood courtesan. I was feeding too frequently and I knew it, even if she didn’t. Keeping her dazed and needy so she thought only of me.

  Tomorrow, I promised myself. Tomorrow I would give her a break—take only the minimum blood I needed for survival. But right now…

  I nuzzled her skin. “Lord, I want you.”

  “Yes,” she murmured. I scented another spike, but this time it was the hot spice of desire.

  Thanks the dark skies.

  Her head tilted sideways in surrender. Her hand came to my nape, pulling me closer. “Please, Remy. Go ahead.”

  A growl rumbled in my chest. I cursed the beast that made me feed even as I undid my pants and prepared to take her against the wall. “It will be good for you. I promise.”

  “I know.” She slanted me a look from smoky green eyes. Her lips were still swollen with my kisses from the night before. Every part of her smelled of me.

  And still it wasn’t enough.

  Then I forgot everything but the woman and my need. Lifting her by the hips, I thrust home at the same time as I sank my fangs into the sweetness that was her throat—and fed.

  CHAPTER TEN: Star

  We didn’t leave the room for three days.

  Remy mentioned he was in Baltimore for business, but he seemed to have as much time as necessary to take me every way possible. From time to time, I surfaced and wondered about the outside world, but mostly I was lost in a sensual haze, learning his body and being explored by him in turn.

  At dusk on the third day, I woke to hear him in the shower. I pulled on a silky purple bathrobe that had appeared from somewhere and walked to the windows. Far below, people strolled along the harbor front. I set my hand on the thick glass and stared down at them.

  That almost claustrophobic feeling from the first day returned.

  Did the man never go outside?

  Remy entered the room. When I didn’t turn around, he came up behind me and caressed my upper arms.

  “You’d like a walk, yes? You look like you’re going to jump out the window.”

  It no longer surprised me how he seemed to read my mind. I shrugged. “I’m not used to spending all my time in bed.”

  “I know. That’s one of the things I like about you.” His lips brushed my neck. “Your energy. But you make a beautiful courtesan.”

  I stiffened. I’d thought we’d gone past that stupid contract, that I was his lover, not his freaking courtesan. But maybe it was good that he’d reminded me.

  This is just sex, Star. No hearts involved.

  “Go take a shower”—he smacked my bottom—“and when you come back, we will go for a walk. But first, I have a surprise for you.”

  “A surprise?” I tried to infuse my voice with enthusiasm. “Does it involve clothes?” Because otherwise I was going to have to wear the shirt and skirt I’d arrived in, and as far as I was concerned, I’d like to burn the whole outfit.

  “No guessing. Go take your shower.”

  I nodded and headed for the bathroom, but when I was alone in the shower, I leaned against the wall and dragged in a breath.

  It’s just sex, Star.

  For a long minute, I let the hot water pour over me. Then I straightened and finished washing before wrapping myself in one of the fluffy white towels. As I left the bathroom, Remy entered the hall, dressed in black jeans and a silver shirt that set off his eyes. He looked rich, sexy and impossibly beautiful.

  Then he grinned and my chest clenched. Lord, I was in deep shit.

  “Ready for your surprise?”

  I summoned up a smile. I’d die if he guessed I was halfway in love with him. “I am.”

  And I was kind of excited. Malik and a couple of flunkies had arrived earlier in the day with a pile of mysterious packages.

  “Et voilà.” Remy opened the closet door with a flourish.

  I blinked. I’d expected him to be generous, but the closet was stuffed with more clothes than I could wear in a year: soft sweaters, all kinds of shirts, skinny jeans, and assorted other pants, skirts and dresses. All in my favorite colors: vivid golds and greens and reds and pinks, along with some black for contrast.

  “How did you know my size?” I fingered a sleeveless black lace dress. Somehow I knew it would fit like it had been sewn just for me.

  “I have an eye for a woman’s body,” he said with typical Remy arrogance. “You are happy?”

  “Oh, yes. It’s too much, but they’re beautiful.”

  He smiled and handed me a shopping bag labeled with the name of a sexy lingerie store. “You’ll need this, too.”

  Inside were a dozen sets of bra and panties along with several tiny nightgowns. “Wow.” I scooped up a handful of the gauzy little nothings and let them trail through my fingers. “I feel like effing Cinderella.”

  Remy gave a bark of laughter and, taking the shopping bag from me, set it on the floor and then dragged me close to kiss my still-open lips. “Such a mouth you have. But I promised I would supply your needs, and I’m a man of my word.”

  He released me and took a copper satin bra-and-panty set from the bag. “Wear this.”

  I rubbed the silky material between my fingertips. I suppose I should’ve felt as if I were being bought—and I did, a little—but the man clearly had money to spare.

  I glanced at Remy. His gaze flickered a hot blue. My inner thighs clenched. I’d learned what that look meant.

  I might be Cinderella, but he was no Prince Charming. No, he was more like the wolf.

  I turned toward the bathroom, but he shook his head. “Non. Here, where I can see.”

  He propped himself against a wall and crossed his arms, watching as I removed the towel and tossed it into the bathroom. The only light in the hall came from the bedroom a few feet away so that except for those hot eyes, he seemed to disappear into the shadows.

  I unclasped the bra, conscious of his gaze. My face heated, but so did my lower belly.

  I decided to put the panties on first. I hung the bra over the nearest doorknob and stepped into them, feeling awkward and self-conscious—but excited, too.

  I glanced at Remy. He’d banked the heat so that his expression was cool, but his cock was straining at his jeans.

  And suddenly I didn’t feel awkward at all. Instead, I felt strong, powerful. Sexy.

  “That’s it,” he husked. “Put them on. For me.”

  I eased the panties the rest of the way on and took my time adjusting them.

  Next, I held the bra up to my breasts and slanted Remy a look up from under my lashes. “I could use some help.” I turned around and presented him my back.

  He was across the hallway before I was finished speaking. One long-fingered hand splayed over my stomach, while with the other he moved my hair aside to expose my nape.

  “Such a bad girl.”
>
  “You think?” His erection poked my bottom. I wriggled against him. “But you like bad girls, don’t you?”

  He muttered something in French, jerked down my panties and sank his teeth into the side of my neck just below my ear.

  It was another two hours before we made it outside.

  * * *

  When we finally emerged from the hotel, a light rain was falling. All around us, people scurried for shelter, but I just shoved my hands into the pockets of my new leather jacket and took a deep breath of the damp air. It smelled of asphalt and exhaust from the constant stream of cars moving down Pratt Street, but it wasn’t the canned air of the hotel and that was good enough for me.

  Remy paused under the awning. Malik, who’d been waiting in the lobby, stepped forward with an umbrella. Remy held it over the two of us as we strolled along the waterfront, Malik trailing a few yards behind.

  We’d only been in the hotel a few days, but before that I’d been working nights for a week and sleeping half the day. Now we passed a pear tree in full bloom and I blinked at the delicate white blossoms. When had spring arrived?

  “You need fresh air,” Remy murmured. “From now on, we will go outside each evening.”

  His tone was matter-of-fact—the vamp taking care of his food supply—but when I glanced up at him, I surprised an expression that was oddly tender.

  He looked past me, his face settling into its usual cool lines. “I believe this restaurant has an acceptable wine list—for America, that is. Would you like to go inside? Perhaps to have some dinner?”

  “That would be nice.” I touched my stomach. “I could eat a horse.”

  His lips quirked. “We’ll see what we can arrange.”

  He turned his head to speak to Malik. “We will be dining here. Obtain us a private table—and then you may have dinner yourself.”

  “Oui, monsieur.” Malik strode past us into the restaurant. Remy was facing me, so he didn’t see the look Malik sent me as he went by.

  But I did, and what I saw made me shiver. Because his eyes were narrowed with dislike.

  The host led us to a small, private table in the corner. I opened the menu and studied it. Not that it did me any good: I hadn’t a clue what sea urchin tasted like. Ditto for quail and cauliflower mousseline. And there weren’t even any prices.

  Remy glanced at me. “Why don’t you try the salad with beets and goat cheese?” he suggested. “And if you like fish, the chef prepares an excellent sea bass.”

  “Sounds good.” I shut the menu, relieved.

  The waiter arrived, and Remy gave him my order, adding, “And a glass of Sauvignon Blanc to go with the sea bass.” For himself, he ordered a dry red that I’d never heard of.

  Remy had taken the seat to my right, so close I could feel his thigh against mine. The wine arrived and he raised his glass. “To my beautiful little Star.”

  I touched my glass to his. “Thank you.”

  He took a sip of his wine, his black eyes on mine. My mind flashed to that first night in the hotel, and the two of us drinking the wine. My body heated. I squirmed on the chair.

  Remy gave a small smile and set his glass on the table. He set his arm on the back of my chair and played with my hair.

  “Tell me about your family. There is no one? But your father, he’s not dead, is he?”

  I stared down at the table. “No,” I said between tight lips. “But he’s dead to me.”

  He stroked my nape. “I’m sorry, ma petite.”

  “For what? That I had a bastard of a father? That’s not your fault, is it?”

  “No, but I’m sorry anyway. Especially that there was no one to help you.”

  I swallowed noisily. “Mom tried. But he was too strong for her. And I don’t just mean physically—he was just too effing strong. And then she died.”

  “There was no one else? A relative?”

  “None close by. My dad didn’t get along with his family, and most of them are either in the Philippines or in California. My aunt tried to help—Mom’s sister—but it’s hard to get custody from a birth parent. And then we moved from New York to Washington, DC and no one knew where we were. When I left, I didn’t tell my aunt because I didn’t want to make her lie to my dad—or the police. If my dad even called them.”

  “And your father? Where is he now?”

  “I don’t know. A few years ago, I was in DC and I went by our old apartment, but he was gone. I had nightmares for weeks, thinking he was in Baltimore looking for me.” I shook my head. “Stupid, right?”

  “I can find him for you.” Remy’s fingers continued their slow slide over my nape. “Make sure he never hurts you again.”

  I gripped the stem of my glass. I was tempted. So damn tempted.

  Even now—seven years later—when I saw someone who looked like my dad, or heard a man with a Filipino accent, my heart kicked into overdrive.

  But no. I wasn’t that kind of person. Except—“I worry sometimes. That he’s found someone else to beat on.”

  Remy nuzzled my hair. “I’ll put a man on it. You’ll feel safer if you know where he is. Tommy Salazar, yes?”

  Somehow I wasn’t surprised he knew my father’s name. “I—all right. Yes. I would like to know.” And I would feel safer. “But don’t do anything without telling me, all right?”

  “Very well.”

  “Just like that?” I leaned back so I could see his face. “You swear you won’t do anything?”

  He moved a shoulder. “This is your decision. But understand that all I’m promising is that I won’t do anything without your knowledge. I may take action whether you want me to or not.”

  I shook my head in reluctant admiration. “You’re a tricky son of a bitch, aren’t you?”

  “You don’t live as long as I have without learning a few things.”

  I traced the line of his jaw. “I can see I’ll have to watch myself around you.”

  He just smiled. His hand tightened on my nape, drawing me to him until I was perched on my chair, leaning into him, our mouths so close I could feel his lips a hairsbreadth away.

  His tongue slid over the seam of my mouth. “Open to me,” he murmured.

  My mouth opened and his tongue swept inside. He tasted of red wine and something uniquely him. Sparkles fizzed through me. I fisted a hand in his shirt and sucked on his tongue.

  He groaned against my lips. “Ma petite…”

  “Excuse me. Sir, madam.” The waiter had arrived with my salad.

  Remy released me and waited until the waiter had gone again. “You’re strong.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I admire that about you.”

  I drew a deep breath, my head still swimming from that kiss. “How do you know? We’ve only known each other three days.”

  “I know. I see it in everything you do. You didn’t let that bastard steal your smiles. You got out, and you’re going to make something of yourself. Trust me, I know.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered and picked up my fork, but inside I was smiling. Remy was so strong. To hear him say that I was, too, was the best compliment he could’ve given me.

  * * *

  That night, Remy was sweet, almost gentle, as if trying to make up for all the bad things in my life.

  I could’ve told him he didn’t have to. Like he’d said, I’d got out. I’d survived, and I was proud that I’d done it on my own. If the price for that was the occasional nightmare, well, I’d lived through much worse.

  But I enjoyed it all the same.

  As soon as he got back to the hotel, he drew me to the bedroom and kissed me, over and over until my knees were weak and my brain hazy with pleasure. Then he undressed me and laid me down on the bed before removing his own clothes and crawling on top of me.

  I reached for him and he pressed my hands to the mattress on either side of my head.

  “Tonight, I want you to enjoy. All right?”

  His dark hair curled over his ears and down the side of his neck. His ey
es were very black, his expression earnest. He looked young, almost human.

  I nodded solemnly.

  “Do you like this, Star?” He moved his hands over me, his gaze intent, as if he wanted to learn my deepest secrets. “And this?”

  “Yes, yes.” My hips arched up to his. “Just like that.”

  His teeth flashed white in the shadows. His fangs were only slightly elongated. “Ah…”

  He bent forward to press his mouth to mine.

  “I’ll tell you a secret,” he said against my lips. “I can sense you—how aroused you are—and it makes me wild. There’s a bond between us, a blood bond. From me feeding on you, and because you drank from me. Even that small amount is enough to create the bond if the human is—how do you say it?—in sympathy with the vampire.”

  I nodded, unsurprised. “I wondered…because I feel it too. Right from that first day we met.”

  “Ah…I wondered if you did. It’s because we’re attuned. Compatible.”

  He gave me a long, hot kiss and then sat back up. As he drew a finger over my collar bone, something occurred to me. I tensed and pushed myself partway up on my forearms.

  “You can’t use this blood bond to control me, can you?”

  “Non.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You’re sure?”

  “Calm yourself, love.” He pressed me back down on the bed. “Sometimes I feel your emotions, and I can tell where you are at all times. But no, I cannot control you except through compulsion. And frankly, I find you difficult to compel—you have a very strong will.”

  I smiled at that. But I had another question. “When I leave—will it still be there? This bond?”

  “It will.” Remy petted my breasts and I sucked in a breath. “But I have many of these bonds with humans. Unless I’m concentrating on you, it’s barely noticeable. And you’ll forget me after a while.” A shadow crossed his face. “It’s how humans are.”

  I tilted my head. “That bothers you?”

  Maybe that was why he tried to keep things cold, businesslike; he couldn’t afford to get close to a human. Because if he fell in love—or even just made a friend—their time together would be the blink of an eye compared to his lifetime.