A Mate for Lance (The Program Book 5)

by Charlene Hartnady

  It was royal blue and looked really good on her. “I’ll just grab a jacket and we can go.”

  Lance nodded. “By now you should know that I don’t do things in half measures and that includes dating you. You wanted everyone to know…” He shrugged, looking far too sexy for his own good. “Well, now they know.”

  “Yes, they do.”

  “By the rubber scent in the room, I can tell that you got my…other gift.”

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you bought me that.”

  “Everyone thinks that you have a vibrator that you use often. We can’t disappoint them now that we’re dating. Can we?” He wore dark blue jeans and a lime green button down shirt. Nothing fancy or over the top but it worked. He looked good. The shirt did a fantastic job of showcasing his broad shoulders, his thick biceps. Holy moly!

  “You left a note to say that I’m not allowed to use the thing so it doesn’t help much.” She tried not to sound snippy. It was her that had insisted on the whole dating thing.

  Lance gave her a panty-wetting half smile. “We can’t fuck. I can make damn sure that one of us stays satisfied…namely you.”

  “What?” Her heart raced a little faster at his words. Her cheeks heated and yes, her nipples puckered. A zing of need raced through her but not for the vibrator.

  His nostrils flared. “You heard me, Amber.”

  “I think we should go.” Before she did something stupid. Like beg. For sex. Hot, hard sex. Sex she knew he could deliver.

  He held eye contact for what felt like the longest time and then he nodded.

  She breathed out in a sigh.

  ****

  “Oh my word.” Amber clasped a hand to her mouth. “It’s so beautiful.” Her eyes were firmly on the skyline and not on the beautifully decorated table.

  His eyes moved in the same direction and he had to agree. The lights from Sweetwater and the dark looming mountains in the distance were breathtaking. Tranquil and beautiful. The moon hung from the sky in a half crescent reflected on the lake.

  “I come here often.” The castle roof was another one of his hangouts. The views, the feeling of open and freedom. The feeling of peace it instilled in him.

  “Do you bring women here often?” She looked a little hurt. The tight line of her jaw and a flash of something in her eyes.

  He shook his head. “No. I don’t date remember.” He wasn’t sure how he felt about her reaction. Was she jealous? He sure as hell hoped not.

  “Not to date to…” She let the sentence die. A look of anger flared.

  Lance held up a hand, trying not to laugh. “No. I’ve never brought anyone here. You’re the first.” Fuck! Now it sounded special. “I had to ask permission to bring you here and to set this up.” Fairy lights twinkled. The table was spectacular. Crystal glasses, white roses and candles. Allison had outdone herself. “Rumors will spread. The flowers, this dinner…they’re going to think that I’m fucking head over heels and that you’re making me work hard. You won’t look like just another notch. I’ll make sure of that.”

  She looked relieved and it worried him some more. No, she wasn’t about to fall for him. Amber had said that her parents wouldn’t approve. That he drove her nuts and that she didn’t even like him. They were good. This was all so that she didn’t look like another notch on his belt. That was all.

  He hadn’t lied about that. This female wasn’t just another, nameless fuck. He didn’t want the others to see her that way either. In many ways, she was special. She was going to make some male very happy one day. He felt everything inside him tighten at the thought. Even his gums itched, his fangs wanting to erupt. Right now, she was his.

  Her body was a work of fucking art. A work of art. Dammit. The dresses she wore revealed nothing and hinted at everything. All tits and ass. Was there any other combination?

  Lance stepped towards her and her eyes flashed to his. Nervous. She sucked in a breath. He clasped an arm around her waist.

  “What are you…”

  “You’re my date.” Lance growled. “I can kiss you.”

  “No, I—” He covered her mouth with his. Fucking delicious. Soft, pliable lips that opened on a sigh. He cradled her cheek with his other hand and deepened the kiss. Her chest heaved against his. His other hand clasped her ass and she pushed him away.

  “Hey…” She gave his arm a slap. He released his hold on her ass, moving it back to her waist.

  “Shhh.” He gestured to the waiter behind them.

  Amber’s cheeks flushed further and she bit down on her lower lip, pulling away from him. The waiter filled the wine glasses and left.

  “Shall we?” He gestured to the table.

  She nodded, not making eye contact with him.

  “I would look like a pussy if I didn’t try. They would smell a rat. I might be a lot of things, but a pussy isn’t one of them.”

  Her gaze moved to his, a confused look on her face. Her eyes were big and so damned beautiful.

  “I can be seen, at least trying, to get between those thighs.”

  Her throat worked as she swallowed thickly. It was good to know that she wanted him just as badly. They sat down across from one another. Lance picked up his glass and held it out to her. She picked up hers as well. “To the orgasm I’m going to give you later. I’m envious of a piece of rubber. Who would’ve guessed?”

  She blushed like mad. Her gaze dropped to the table top.

  “We can’t toast to that.” She was sexy as fuck. As much as he wished he could replace the dildo with his own cock, there was a part of him that looked forward to watching her unravel while he remained fully clothed and in complete charge of his faculties. Being inside her made him lose it. Coming inside her took him away to the point where he could only feel. For once, all he wanted was to give. He saw this as an opportunity.

  “Yes you can.” He moved his glass closer to hers. “I insist.”

  She finally met his stare and chinked her glass against his. “So damned bossy.”

  “So I’ve been told.” He took a sip of the wine. “Three and a half years.” Too fucking long for a sensual female like Amber to go without so much as being touched. Even three days seemed too long.

  Her throat worked and her eyes flashed to his for a second before looking away. “Can we talk about something else? I should never have told you that.”

  Lance shook his head. “I’m glad you did and I want to know. Why the long wait? Did the last guy break your heart or something?”

  She shook her head. “Who, Freddy?” She gave a dismissive laugh. “Hardly. He owned a barber’s shop down the road. Really sweet. He lived with his mom.”

  Lance barked out a laugh. “With his mother…sounds like an upstanding guy. This bozo was the groping one that didn’t know his ass from his elbow?”

  “I really liked him a lot at the time,” she explained. “We dated for over a year. We had a good relationship even if things were a little…awkward in the bedroom.”

  “Awkward.” Lance heard the rumble in his voice. “Did he hurt you? I swear to god if he—”

  “No…” Her eyes were pleading. “Nothing like that.”

  “Was he a sicko? Did he expect…” Lance saw red at the thought of this bastard hurting Amber in any way.

  “He was really bad, that’s all. The sex was over in minutes and uneventful.” She was talking quickly. “You talked of him not knowing his ass from his elbow, well, it was more like he didn’t know my ass from my elbow. He was a bit rough with his hands, scratched me with his nails and couldn’t find my clit to save his life. I don’t think he knows what a g-spot is.” Her cheeks became more and more flushed. “At least he tried though, my first boyfriend never made any effort. I had my first orgasm on my own…how damned embarrassing. My first orgasm with another person was with you, so you’ll excuse me for not wanting to give this up just yet.” Then she covered her face. “Oh shit! I shouldn’t have said all that.”

  Fuck! Lanc
e found himself wanting to punch walls. He also felt proud that he had given something to this female. That he had been her first fucking orgasm. Amber refused to meet his stare. Her blush intensified. Damn, she was definitely only with him for the sex. Good. Great. That was fucking fantastic. He huffed out a breath, waiting to feel relieved. It didn’t happen. “So the sex was bad. That’s probably why you broke up with him. Compatibility is important. You need to know that it was him and not you.”

  She finally met his eyes. Hers were blazing. “Don’t be so rude. Sex isn’t the most important thing in a relationship. Freddie wasn’t a bad guy.” She took a big gulp of wine.

  “Like hell it isn’t. It’s up there, Amber, one of the most important things; otherwise, you may as well mate your brother or your best friend. Freddie was a dick. He should have tried harder to please you. He didn’t give a shit. I don’t need to know him to know that.”

  “We had a good relationship,” she defended. “Don’t call him that.”

  Lance ran a hand through his hair. “Let’s talk about something else. We can agree to disagree. All I’m saying is that if he loved you, he would’ve made you see fucking stars.”

  “He couldn’t find my clit, that doesn’t mean that he didn’t love me.”

  “He should have tried fucking harder.” Lance got up off the chair and moved right into her space. So close that he could feel just the tips of her lush breasts against his chest. Christ! “He should’ve asked you what you liked, how you liked it. He should’ve paid more attention to how your body responded to his touches. He should’ve bought a fucking book. He should’ve had a map fucking drawn…he should have pleased you and he didn’t.”

  Her breaths were heavy. Her mouth hung open. Just a smidgen. Her bottom lip was wet. The scent of her arousal made him harder than he’d ever been.

  She swallowed hard and tried to move her chair back. “You’re right about the subject change. I’m an only child. I was sickly. My parents decided not to have any more. He left me by the way.” Her eyes wouldn’t meet his. Her fingers played with the edge of the napkin. She was embarrassed.

  “Freddie was an idiot,” Lance repeated, adamant. “Anyone still living with their parents once they hit adulthood—”

  “I still live at home,” she blurted. That edge of defiance flashed in her eyes.

  “Mmmmm. Interesting.” He sat back in his chair and folded his arms.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Her jaw tensed and she took another gulp of wine. “I work for my dad and still live at home.”

  “I find that a turn on.”

  She laughed. He loved the sound. “Of course you do.”

  “When you go back home…to your parents…” He had to smile. “Can I sneak into your room and…”

  “No way.” She was smiling too. “Don’t you even think about doing something like that.”

  “You would love it.”

  More of her arousal. Her eyes were bright. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and shook her head, not saying a word.

  The waiter returned. Lance put a napkin over his crotch. It didn’t help. Not one fucking bit. It was like he had a miniature flying carpet over his dick area. The waiter placed a shiny steel covered dish in front of each of them. To the male’s credit he didn’t look down.

  The male then removed the cover off of Amber’s plate first.

  “I’m sorry.” Amber shook her head. “I can’t eat this. I’m allergic to shellfish.” She looked upset. She moved her chair back. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” Fuck!

  “It’s just… I’m seriously allergic, as in, I can die from the tiniest amount of shellfish.”

  He could smell her fear. “Take them away.” Lance pointed at each plate in turn.

  “Please, can you inform the chef.” Amber looked worried. “I can’t have any shellfish or tree nuts.”

  “Shit! They probably didn’t know you were out on a date with me.”

  The waiter nodded. “I will inform the kitchen. Apologies for the inconvenience.” The male picked up both plates and left.

  “I’m sorry,” Lance finally growled. Their first date and he fucked it up.

  Amber smiled. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know. It’s not like we’ve talked very much since we met.”

  “Tell me about this allergy. Vampires do not suffer from such afflictions. So I don’t know anything about it,” he said, brows furrowing. “It is strange to me that something simple like a cooked meal can evoke such fear.” He paused. “Can you really die from it?”

  She nodded. “I’m allergic to a types of shellfish. I haven’t had a reaction in many years…thank god.” She played with the napkin. “Shellfish, like prawns, lobster and shrimp, cause a life threatening reaction. Ultimately, it gets really hard for me to breathe. I’m also allergic to bees. A bee sting can kill me, too. I swell up, get hives, my throat closes. The scary part is that a reaction isn’t always immediate, especially with shellfish. I’ve had nightmares about dying in my sleep.”

  The thought of anything happening to her… Lance pulled out his phone. “Let me call the kitchen just to make sure that you don’t—”

  “I did put my allergy down on my forms and I have told the chef. Like you said…” She raised her brows. “They must not have known this dinner was for me and I never told you any of this before so, it’s not your fault.”

  “I made a point of mentioning your name. We have many different chefs that work for us. They are all vampires so they will not be familiar with your allergy. I doubt anyone realizes how serious this is. I will call them just to be sure.”

  Amber nodded, the relief evident on her face.

  “I’ll discuss it with Allison tomorrow as well,” he said, as he dialed. He asked to be put in contact with the main kitchen and after speaking with three different people, he finally discussed the whole thing with the male preparing the food.

  “I’m also allergic to tree nuts like peanuts,” Amber chimed in.

  He relayed this to the male, explaining that the fragile human could die if she ate them. He ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket.

  “I have my medication in my bag for in the case of emergency.” She shrugged. “Thanks for that. Having a reaction is not fun. It usually ends with a trip to the emergency room and since my folks don’t know I’m here—” She stopped abruptly, her eyes widening.

  He had to smile. “Your parents, the ones you live with, don’t know that you’re a part of The Program?”

  She shook her head. “They wouldn’t approve.”

  “How did you get away with leaving for weeks on end? What did you tell them?”

  She chewed on her lip. “I told them that I was going to Paris on holiday in the hopes of meeting a really nice foreign guy.”

  He had to laugh. Nice? No. “Foreign…that’s funny.” He folded his arms. “Try total different species.”

  She sighed. “They didn’t like Freddie at all. My mom said that he was a loser.”

  “I like your mother. I totally agree with her.” He noticed the edge in his voice and cleared his throat.

  “Let’s not start on that one again,” she said, frowning.

  Lance nodded. He meant every word. The male was clearly a loser. He had only been interested in his own gratification instead of trying to make her happy.

  The same waiter appeared with fresh plates. “Salmon three ways. The chef sends his apologies.”

  Amber smiled and nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate the effort.” The male nodded. After refilling their glasses, he left.

  “Is there anything else I need to know?” Lance picked up his fork.

  “Like what?” She cut off a small piece of fish.

  “Anything life threatening…fucking is so much simpler than dating.”

  “So sorry to put you out.” She rolled her eyes and ate the food. He watched her mouth move and her throat work as she swallowed. It was going to be a long few days.

&n
bsp; “You should be,” he grumbled.

  Her mouth fell open. “I’m not.”

  Lance laughed. This female was something.

  The rest of the evening was uneventful. They talked. They laughed. It wasn’t half as bad as he thought it would be. In fact, he would go so far as to say that he enjoyed himself. Amber looked like she had enjoyed herself as well. They didn’t fight…much.

  “I’m coming in.” He put a hand on the wall next to her as she slipped her key card across the slot on her door.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t…”

  He ushered her inside and closed the door behind them.

  “This isn’t a good idea…we…”

  “It’s a fantastic idea.” He pushed her against the wall and captured her mouth. That mouth. That sexy as fuck mouth of hers. He could kiss it all day and all fucking night. Their tongues slid together in a languid fashion and the hands that were flat on his chest gripped the fabric of his shirt and dragged him closer. The female moaned as he broke the kiss.

  “You need to go.” Her irises were dilated and her breath came in short little pants. “This will look bad.”

  “They’ll know that nothing happened. Where is it?” His eyes scanned the room. “Where’s the vibrator?” he added.

  She shook her head and started to talk but he put an index finger over her mouth. Her hot as hell mouth. Lance couldn’t resist. He kissed her again, this time sucking in her lower lip and giving it a soft nip.

  “You shouldn’t be doing that.”

  “First, no fucking; now, no kissing? Soon you’ll ban touching and I’m going to touch you, Amber. One of us is going to have release tonight.”

  Her eyes widened and her irises dilated even more.

  “Where is it?”

  “I’ve never…used one before.”

  “Neither have I.” He smiled. “Looks like it’s going to be a first for both of us.”

  She stepped out of her heels and walked to the bedside table where she pulled open the drawer. With a shaking hand, she removed the still sealed box and put it on the bed. Then she took out a pack of batteries.