"I think so, but…" Spencer turned from her, opened the door again, and shouted down the hallway. "Don’t eat Natalie!" Kicking the door shut with his foot, he turned back to Ashleigh. "There. Now she’s safe."
"What are you doing?" Ashleigh sat down on the edge of the mattress and began taking off her shoes and socks.
"Coming to talk to you." Spencer climbed onto the bed and took a seat in the middle of it, patting the spot next to him. "You want to know more about me, right? Like, for your books?"
"I am not making you a character in my books." Ashleigh laughed, and before she really put any thought into what she was doing, she had climbed into bed next to him. "But I would like to know more about real vampires."
"Okay." Resting his head against the headboard, Spencer wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She tried to move away, but he wouldn't let her.
"Tell me about your life. Are you really immortal?"
Even though Ashleigh was very attracted to him, she reluctant to cuddle with him. Her shoulders hunched inward, and she made sure there were a few inches between them as she scooted over a little.
"Yes and no." Spencer regarded her strangely then pulled her closer again. There was a slight annoyance in his voice, as if he didn’t like talking about being a vampire, even though he had been the one volunteering it. "We heal faster than you and can do a lot of things you can’t, but we still grow old and die. I have parents just like you do—our family is just different. Being immortal would suck anyway."
A small laugh escaped his lips as he looked around her room, scanning all the family pictures she had hanging on the walls. "You can’t have a family, or you’d have to watch all your friends die. No, thank you."
His stare settled on a giant poster of Caleb on the wall. Looking around, he saw a lot more of Caleb there—CDs, magazines, a band T-shirt on the chair near the bed. She was a great fan of Armageddon, and clearly, Caleb was her obsession. He glared at Caleb's smiling face, but quickly turned back to Ashleigh when she spoke.
"You want a family?"
"Yeah." A devilish laugh escaped Spencer’s lips, and he turned his head to her. It was clear he was very attracted to her. He was a great fan of her books, but he wasn't just another adoring fan, all giddy from meeting one of his idols.
"Tell me about your family."
She studied her hands as she spoke, her shy smile growing with every second. Ashleigh could feel his desire, and it made her very nervous.
The words flew off her tongue at a faster rate than normal. "Do you live like regular humans?"
"Kind of. We're part of the Morgan vampires, there's another small sect of vampires in Krest but they don't hide their identities like we do."
"Morgan vampires?"
"We make up the majority. The misfits unworthy of hanging with royalty."
"Huh?" She regarded him strangely.
"The Count—he's the first—he lives in Krest. He's got his own little family that we're not part of. Our ancestors broke off from the original sect a long time ago. Though we still have to answer to the Count, he doesn't really bother with us and leaves us alone."
"A Count?" She giggled at the thought. "That's not stereotypical."
"Like I said—we don't get along with them, so you'll never get to meet him. I don't even know what the guy looks like. I just know he's the first." He paused. "What else do you want to know?"
"Do you have a job?"
Hungrily, he watched her get up from the bed, admiring her curves as she walked over to grab her computer.
"Spencer?" She looked back at him when he didn't answer, a small smile on her face. She put her laptop on the dresser then reached behind it and grabbed the power cord.
"Yeah, I have a job."
His head was slightly cocked, the angle of his heavy stare making her very uncomfortable. He seemed ready to pounce on her at any minute, but she thought maybe that was just her imagination. She liked the thought of him pouncing on her, but not biting. Her heart raced as she thought about his body hovering over her, his hands slowly unbuttoning her pants, and those eyes staring lovingly, hungrily into hers.
"I’m a hunter."
The sound of his voice woke her from her daydream. She turned her back to him for a few seconds to get her bearings. "A hunter?"
"Yeah."
Even though she knew what he meant, she pretended like she didn't. Her voice carried a sarcastic air. "What do you hunt? Like animals?" She removed her bracelets and set them down on the dresser, her flirty gaze meeting with his in the mirror.
"No. It's a class of vampire. There are four different types. There's the Count, who's immortal. Then, there's the Elders–the smart guys with big bucks. They are descendants of the Count's original seven, so they are the top dogs of the Morgan vamps. Then, you have your common house vampire—those are the guys that make up the majority of us. They're also called half breeds because they're not full blood vampires."
"House vampires?" She was going to turn to him, but quickly startled when she saw him standing behind her.
"Then, there’s me." His arms slowly made their way around her waist, his touch so smooth and light it spread a great heat throughout her body like wildfire. Slowly nudging his head forward, he let his chin rest on her shoulder as he stared at their reflections, his lips lightly kissing the skin on her neck. His next words warmed her as they rolled seductively off his tongue. "The hunter."
"That sounds so cheesy." Ashleigh's hands went to his, which were resting on her stomach, as she watched his movements closely in the mirror. "All vampires are hunters."
"Not as good as me." Spencer gave a very soft chuckle. Ashleigh felt the wetness of his tongue as he licked his lips, his grip around her waist getting tighter. "I hunt for my master. Bring home the dinner."
"How is that a job?" Ashleigh turned around in his arms, pushing his hands off her. Even though he was very handsome, she was finding herself less attracted to him with each one of his words. This wasn't the sexy vampire dream she had been expecting.
"One of the Elders hired me to find you." His hand reached up to her chin, forcing her to look at him. "They want to meet you."
"You didn’t want to meet me?"
"I can’t say I wasn’t curious." Spencer stared down at her lips, his words growing softer. "And going on a treasure hunt seemed like fun."
"Who is he?" Instead of feeding the look in his eyes, she pulled away from him and walked over to the bed.
"Rich, movie star type. Spoiled and stuck up." Spencer sat down next to her. "If I told you his name, you’d probably recognize him. He wouldn’t recognize you though. You’re nothing like I would’ve imagined Victoria Allure to be like."
"What did you think she’d be like?"
"Like one of those ladies on the back of romance novels. You know…" He smiled as he playfully nudged her shoulder with his. "The big haired, nosebleed-heel-wearing, perfect girls. A sophisticated lady."
"I’m a lady." Ashleigh chuckled dryly as she turned to him, her eyes settling on the large fangs that stuck out from his top lip.
"Lady’s not the right word." His eyes caught what she was looking at, and it quickly melted his frown. When she saw his expression change, she quickly looked up at his eyes. "I meant a hot and sexy vixen."
She stared down at her hands. "I’m not a hot and sexy vixen."
"And I’m not a romantic vampire lord, either." Spencer placed a hand on her leg, a softer tone to his voice. "I would not find a girl like Victoria attractive, but you…I do."
"Why?" A devilish smile crept onto her face that Spencer picked up on right away and was ready to use to his full advantage.
"You’re not a snob. You’re normal." He moved close to her, slowly sliding his arm behind her back. "Like me."
Ashleigh laughed, her face turning slightly red as she covered her mouth and looked away from him. She tried not to let him see she found his cheesy lines hilarious. "I'm not normal, and neither are—"
>
In a quick movement, he had rolled over and was now on top of her, his gaze trapping hers. "And I know…" He lightly kissed her neck behind her ear, one of his hands going up the bottom of her shirt and rubbing her stomach. "Exactly what you like."
"You do not." Ashleigh giggled as she pushed on his shoulders. She wasn't protesting too much because a little bit of playtime with him might be fun, even if it didn't lead to sex.
"I read your books." He lifted his head and looked up at her, a giant grin on his face. "I know where your trigger is." As his eyes remained locked on hers, Spencer licked the bottom of one of his fangs.
"Trigger?"
Spencer began kissing her neck again, his hand wandering down her stomach and rubbing her inner thigh. His touches were rough, making her breaths get more and more shallow and rapid with each rub of his hand, his fingers getting closer and closer to their target.
Then, he went for what he knew was her weakness, his hand leaving her leg and reaching up her shirt. He shoved up her bra and grabbed one of her large, heavy breasts, kneading it roughly as his thumb squeezed her nipple against the base of his index finger. When he felt her take in a deep, gasping breath, his lips pulled away from her neck.
"Stop." Her shaky hands went to his shoulders as she tried to push his body upward. Then, her eyes met with his very serious looking ones, her breath rising and falling quickly as his face hovered over her bare chest, the tip of the charm on his silver necklace brushing the space between her breasts. "Wait a second."
"I told you I’d find it." He closed his eyes and swooped down on one of her breasts, his lips wrapping around her nipple. His hands took a firm hold of her hips, some of his fingers dipping under the waistband of her jeans.
"Before we…" Ashleigh nervously watched him bite at her nipple, and she could feel the light scrape of his fangs on her skin. Surprisingly, he didn’t hurt her and the pleasure of his act was overwhelming. "Do anything like this, we…need to set some….ground rules."
"Rules?" He smirked, his tongue making a quick pass over his lips. "Why?"
"No biting me." Though she liked the thought of experiencing a real-life vampire love bite, she didn't trust Spencer enough to let him do it. "Unless I okay it."
"Okay, baby..." Wrinkling his nose, he growled at her playfully, grinding his hips against hers. "I won't."
She stared into his eyes as his lips hovered over hers. He smelled amazing. She was finding it hard to think rationally, her body taking over and demanding she take what he was offering, even though she knew it would only be a temporary satisfaction. Then, he spoke again, ruining the mood.
"I'll treat you real nice." He ran his fingers through her hair, holding her roughly. All her attraction from him seeped out as she took in his cocky expression, his over-confident arrogance. "I'll give you some real-life inspiration, and you'll want this every night."
"Really?" Her eyebrow raised slightly, a sarcastic tone in her voice that showed she was not impressed.
"Oh yeah." He was eying her mouth, his mind not focused on the conversation. He quickly rolled off her and pulled down his pants and boxers, exposing a very ready piece. "Ready to meet your greatest fan?" He rubbed his cock, licking his lips as he watched her sit up in bed.
"Take off your shirt." She tried not to giggle as she pulled down her shirt, covering her chest.
"Sure." He removed it slowly, taking her smile as her having a great interest in him. Each button he undid showed more of his chest, which was toned and hairless.
"I see someone works out." She gave the very fit and sexy Spencer a quick once over. He had a body-builder's frame. Not an ounce of fat to be found on him. "A lot…" Although he looked amazing, he was arrogant, and if he hadn't opened his mouth, it wouldn't have spoiled the whole vampire fantasy, and she would've easily slept with him.
"Of course." He flexed his muscles, trying to impress her, "Looking amazing takes lots of upkeep."
"Amazing, huh?" She glanced down at his very perky cock, his hands going down to stroke it when he saw her gaze. It was a nice piece, something to be proud of, and he seemed to love showing it off. His good looks might make its way into her stories, but not his personality.
"Oh yeah, and now I'm gonna rock your world, sweetheart." He went to kneel on the bed, but she shot him an angry look. "What?"
"Cover that." She pointed downward.
Spencer let out an annoyed groan. "No."
"Now." She motioned toward the door.
Wrinkling his nose, Spencer bared his fangs at her, hissing.
"Come on, it’s not a big deal, just put one on. According to you, vampires don’t shoot blanks, and I’m not covered under that kind of insurance at the moment."
"You're not a vampire. I can't get you pregnant."
"I don't believe you."
"Fine, whatever. Then, do you got one?" He held out his hand to her.
"Nope." She laughed. "Ask one of your buddies out there. Maybe they came to the job more prepared than you."
He stood and pulled up his pants, irritably yanking up his zipper. She watched him walk over to his shirt, admiring the black tattoo that snaked around his upper bicep. He tossed it on without buttoning it and angrily left the bedroom.
He walked out into the living room, and his eyes turned to Natalie, who was sitting on the floor near the wall, her eyes staring straight ahead. Spencer smiled as he waved a playful hand in front of her face. They must have put her in a trance to keep her from “rescuing” Ashleigh.
"Hey." He strode over to the guys on the couch, holding out his hand as he sent them a very angry glare. "Help me out."
Nathan chuckled as he caught a glimpse of Ashleigh wandering into a room across from hers. "What’s wrong?" He turned back to Spencer, who was now wiggling his fingers and motioning for Nathan to hurry up.
"She’s cautious okay? So, hurry up, give me one."
"You better not be doing what I think you are." Nathan narrowed his eyes. "Leave her alone, Spencer. Robert will be pissed if you mess around with her. Flirting is one thing, but going further than that isn't appropriate. We promised we'd—"
"What’s he gonna do? He only said he wanted to meet her. He didn’t say anything about sleeping with her. And what’s he gonna do if she’d rather be with me? I’m better looking than our girly master anyway."
"He’ll put a bounty on your head." Nathan pointed an imaginary gun at Spencer. "Or better yet, make you kill yourself."
Ashleigh opened her door, her voice loud. "Spencer!"
Spencer smirked as he reached forward and playfully punched Nathan in the shoulder. "Make sure Ashleigh doesn’t see that chick like that. Put her in her room or something."
"Sure." Nathan motioned for Natalie to stand. "Go to bed."
Natalie slowly began walking down the hallway, Spencer squeezing by her and going back into Ashleigh’s room. She was sitting at her computer when he came in. He shut the door, clicking the lock into place.
"You’re back." She shut her laptop and set it on the floor, slipping it under the bed. She was now fully dressed, a very excited smile on her face. Reaching under the blanket, she grabbed a small object there and threw it at Spencer. "Here."
He caught it artfully in his hand. "Thanks." Spencer put it in his back pocket then walked over to the bed.
"I thought you’d need that for next time." Ashleigh laughed when she caught his dirty look.
"Next time?" Spencer took off his shirt and tossed it to the ground, his hands pausing on the waistband of his pants as he smiled at her. One of his eyebrows was slightly raised, a very playful air to his voice. "Who said you get a next time? Next time, you will let me off the hook on this stupid…" He pulled the condom out of his back pocket and glared at it. "Protection thing."
"Who said your next time would be with me?" She watched him pull down his pants, his former excitement now limp.
"Bad habits are hard to break, you know, especially in vampires." Spencer started rubbing his cock, his gaz
e taking in her smile. He ripped open the wrapping and let it fall to the floor. "And though I hate having to—"
"Excuse me." She hopped off the bed and went for the door.
"Hey!" Instead of chasing her, he motioned for her to return. "Where you going?"
"Checking on Natalie." She unlocked the door and walked out, leaving him scrambling to pull up his pants.
"But…" He quickly got them on and followed, his shirt in his hand. "What about…?"
"Hey!" Nathan, who was leaning up against the wall, pushed away from it when he saw them. "Where's your shirt?" He pointed to a very annoyed looking Spencer.
"Never mind about that," Ashleigh chuckled. "Where's Natalie?"
Nathan looked over at Spencer and then back at Ashleigh, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Bedroom."
While Spencer went to fetch Natalie, Ashleigh started up a conversation with Nathan. "So…tell me more about this man who wants to meet me." She walked into the kitchen, excitement in her voice.
"Oh…" Nathan laughed nervously as he glanced behind him and then back at her. "That guy."
"Spencer told me you were all hired to find me." She reached into the fridge and grabbed a wine cooler. When she popped the top, the bottle fizzed a little.
"He's a nice enough guy. Easy going, for the most part. He and I get along pretty well."
"What's he like?" She took a drink then looked briefly at Spencer and Natalie, who had joined them.
"You'll see soon enough."
"Why does he want to meet me?"
"He's a huge fan of your books, so he's an admirer." Nathan leaned up against the counter next to her, "He's got a crush on you."
"A crush?" She laughed with the bottle to her lips.
"Oooo…" Natalie giggled as she selected a bottle of beer for herself. "A crush. Is he hot?" She didn't seem to know she'd been under a spell, and now spoke as if nothing had happened.
"No." Spencer crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes not leaving the prize that had been denied him a few minutes earlier. "Not at all."
"Don't listen to him." Nathan's hands gripped the counter behind him loosely, "You're gonna love him. He’s easy to get along with, and he’s an awesome guy to work for."
Blood Kisses (Nightwalkers Book 1) Page 4