I ignored him and turned my back, walking in the other direction. It was a mistake to call for him, a mistake to meet with him — only to find out that I was in the same damn position I'd been in a few days ago.
In love.
Chasing after something so forbidden that I'd risked my life in order to follow my heart.
"Thirty days," Sariel called behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder. "Thirty days?"
"Thirty days of humanity — learn to love as a human does. If she loves you in return, truly loves you as you are and mates with you, I'll restore your immortality — and allow her hers."
My heart picked up speed in my chest. "And if I fail?"
Sariel grinned menacingly. "Then I kill you. Blood must always be shed for balance. You know that by now, son."
"Thirty days," I repeated.
"Thirty days, oh, and do try not to get shot or develop a sickness that's not yet found a cure."
"I haven't agreed."
"You agreed the minute the words fell upon your ears." Sariel raised his hands above his head.
A clap of thunder sounded.
Severe pain ripped through my legs as I fell to my knees onto the cold wet pavement.
Heart racing, I reached for my chest only to find that my skin was warm to the touch.
"Thirty days," he whispered and disappeared.
Shaking, I rose to my feet, stumbling past buildings. When I finally made it out of the alleyway and into the lit up street, I glanced at my reflection in the store window and almost got sick.
My skin had color.
And my eyes… were blue.
Loving this collection by Top Shelf Romance?
Check out the other Top Shelf Romance Collections available now:
Kiss Me Slow
Featuring: Tijan, Willow Winters, Corinne Michaels & Louise Bay
Need You Now
Featuring: Skye Warren, Annika Martin, Claire Contreras, Sierra Simone & Laurelin Paige
Promise Me Forever (Free with Kindle Unlimited)
Featuring: Kate Stewart, A. Zavarelli, Kennedy Ryan & BB Reid
Make Me Yours
Featuring: Devney Perry, Amo Jones, Chelle Bliss & K. Bromberg
Don’t Break This Kiss
Featuring: Jessica Hawkins, Kylie Scott, Marni Mann & Carrie Ann Ryan
Never Let Go (Free with Kindle Unlimited)
Featuring: Tijan, Kandi Steiner, Alessandra Torre & Ella James
Keep My Heart
Featuring: Lex Martin, Nana Malone, Kennedy Fox & Willow Winters
Love Me Always
Featuring Carly Phillips, J. Daniels, Shayla Black & Natasha Madison
Take The Chance (Free with Kindle Unlimited)
Featuring: Brittainy Cherry, Emma Scott, Melanie Harlow & Helena Hunting
Want more Dark Ones?
Check out these books:
The Dark Ones (Ethan & Genesis’s story)
Untouchable Darkness (Cassius & Stephanie’s story)
Dark Surrender (Alex & Hope’s story)
Darkest Temptation (Mason & Serenity’s story)
Darkest Sinner (Timber & Kyra’s story)
Darkest Power (Horus’ story)
Acknowledgments
I'm so thankful to the amazing editors who worked on this book with me! Laura Heritage, Paula Buckendorf, and Katherine Tate! You guys are AMAZING and always do such an incredible job!
Jill Sava, thank you for saving my life and making sure I NEVER put a book out before you read it and fix it, and then email me and go, um did you mean to use those commas the wrong way? You are awesome.
To my publicist Danielle Sanchez and the rest of the crew at Inkslinger, thank you for always having my back and making sure each release is incredible!
The Rockin' Readers fan group, wow, you guys seriously stepped it up and helped me with this book and didn't laugh when I said, hey I think I'm going to write a vampire novel. Thank you for hanging out with me on a daily basis and helping me with these fun projects!
ALL THE BLOGGERS, ah, you guys, seriously. I can't even express my gratitude for all that you do.
Erica, you're the best agent a girl could ask for!
Nate, thanks for not getting irritated when dinner burns because I'm busy finishing just one more chapter.
And last but not least, I thank God every day that I'm able to do what I love! He's everything.
About the Author
Rachel Van Dyken is the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over 90 books ranging from contemporary romance to paranormal. With over four million copies sold, she's been featured in Forbes, US Weekly, and USA Today. Her books have been translated in more than 15 countries. She was one of the first romance authors to have a Kindle in Motion book through Amazon publishing and continues to strive to be on the cutting edge of the reader experience. She keeps her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, adorable son, naked cat, and two dogs. For more information about her books and upcoming events, visit www.RachelVanDykenauthor.com.
Also By Rachel Van Dyken
Kathy Ireland & Rachel Van Dyken
Fashion Jungle
Rachel Van Dyken & M. Robinson
Mafia Casanova (Romeo Sinacore’s story)
Eagle Elite
Elite (Nixon & Trace’s story)
Elect (Nixon & Trace’s story)
Entice (Chase & Mil’s story)
Elicit (Tex & Mo’s story)
Bang Bang (Axel & Amy’s story)
Enforce (Elite + from the boys POV)
Ember (Phoenix & Bee’s story)
Elude (Sergio & Andi’s story)
Empire (Sergio & Val’s story)
Enrage (Dante & El’s story)
Eulogy (Chase & Luciana’s story)
Exposed (Dom & Tanit’s story)
Envy (Vic & Renee’s story)
Elite Bratva Brotherhood
RIP (Nikolai & Maya’s story)
Debase (Andrei & Alice’s story)
Dissolution (TBA)
Mafia Royals Romances
Royal Bully (Asher & Claire’s story)
Ruthless Princess (Serena & Junior’s story
Scandalous Prince (Breaker & Violet)
Destructive King (Asher & Annie)
Mafia King (TBA)
Fallen Dynasty (TBA)
Cruel Summer Trilogy
Summer Heat (Marlon & Ray’s story)
Summer Seduction (Marlon & Ray’s story)
Summer Nights (Marlon & Ray’s story)
Covet
Stealing Her (Bridge & Isobel’s story)
Finding Him (Julian & Keaton’s story)
Wingmen Inc.
The Matchmaker’s Playbook (Ian & Blake’s story)
The Matchmaker’s Replacement (Lex & Gabi’s story)
Bro Code
Co-Ed (Knox & Shawn’s story)
Seducing Mrs. Robinson (Leo & Kora’s story)
Avoiding Temptation (Slater & Tatum’s story)
The Setup (Finn & Jillian’s story)
The Dark Ones Series
The Dark Ones (Ethan & Genesis’s story)
Untouchable Darkness (Cassius & Stephanie’s story)
Dark Surrender (Alex & Hope’s story)
Darkest Temptation (Mason & Serenity’s story)
Darkest Sinner (Timber & Kyra’s story)
Darkest Power (Horus’ story)
Ruin Series
Ruin (Wes Michels & Kiersten’s story)
Toxic (Gabe Hyde & Saylor’s story)
Fearless (Wes Michels & Kiersten’s story)
Shame (Tristan & Lisa’s story)
Seaside Series
Tear (Alec, Demetri & Natalee’s story)
Pull (Demetri & Alyssa’s story)
Shatter (Alec & Natalee’s story)
Forever (Alex & Natalee’s story)
Fall (Jamie Jaymeson & Pricilla’s story)
Strung (Tear + from the b
oys POV)
Eternal (Demetri & Alyssa’s story)
Seaside Pictures
Capture (Lincoln & Dani’s story)
Keep (Zane & Fallon’s story)
Steal (Will & Angelica’s story)
All Stars Fall (Trevor & Penelope’s story)
Abandon (Ty & Abigail’s story)
Provoke (Braden & Piper’s story)
Surrender (Andrew & Bronte’s story)
The Consequence Series
The Consequence of Loving Colton (Colton & Milo’s story)
The Consequence of Revenge (Max & Becca’s story)
The Consequence of Seduction (Reid & Jordan’s story)
The Consequence of Rejection (Jason & Maddy’s story)
Curious Liaisons
Cheater (Lucas & Avery’s story)
Cheater’s Regret (Thatch & Austin’s story)
Players Game
Fraternize (Miller, Grant and Emerson’s story)
Infraction (Miller & Kinsey’s story)
M.V.P. (Jax & Harley’s story)
Red Card
Risky Play (Slade & Mackenzie’s story)
Kickin’ It (Matt & Parker’s story)
Liars, Inc
Dirty Exes (Colin, Jessie & Blaire’s story)
Dangerous Exes (Jessie & Isla’s story)
The Bet Series
The Bet (Travis & Kacey’s story)
The Wager (Jake & Char Lynn’s story)
The Dare (Jace & Beth Lynn’s story)
The Bachelors of Arizona
The Bachelor Auction (Brock & Jane’s story)
The Playboy Bachelor (Bentley & Margot’s story)
The Bachelor Contract (Brant & Nikki’s story)
Waltzing With The Wallflower — written with Leah Sanders
Waltzing with the Wallflower (Ambrose & Cordelia)
Beguiling Bridget (Anthony & Bridget’s story)
Taming Wilde (Colin & Gemma’s story)
London Fairy Tales
Upon a Midnight Dream (Stefan & Rosalind’s story)
Whispered Music (Dominique & Isabelle’s story)
The Wolf’s Pursuit (Hunter & Gwendolyn’s story)
When Ash Falls (Ashton & Sofia’s story)
Renwick House
The Ugly Duckling Debutante (Nicholas & Sara’s story)
The Seduction of Sebastian St. James (Sebastian & Emma’s story)
The Redemption of Lord Rawlings (Phillip & Abigail’s story)
An Unlikely Alliance (Royce & Evelyn’s story)
The Devil Duke Takes a Bride (Benedict & Katherine’s story)
Other Titles
A Crown for Christmas (Fitz & Phillipa’s story)
Every Girl Does It (Preston & Amanda’s story)
Compromising Kessen (Christian & Kessen’s story)
Divine Uprising (Athena & Adonis’s story)
The Parting Gift — written with Leah Sanders (Blaine and Mara’s story)
Bad Penny
By Staci Hart
Dick Lips
“Did you know that a man’s lips are the same color as the head of his dick?”
I took a long lick of my ice cream to punctuate the question. Ramona choked on hers, and Veronica, our other roommate, laughed openly and a little too loudly for a public place. A few people in the ice cream parlor turned to look.
“I’m serious,” I said. “It’s a real thing. I can vouch for it. I’ve seen a lot of dicks.”
Veronica snorted. “Oh my God. Stop it.”
Ramona couldn’t stop giggling. The three of us sat at a small table on the patio of our favorite ice cream joint, which was conveniently located around the corner from our apartment. It was hot. June in New York is no joke — though nothing compared to August — and that day was particularly humid without a cloud in the sky to give us reprieve from the blazing sun. Hence, the ice cream, shorty shorts, and tanks we all wore.
Curse of getting ready to go anywhere with your roommates. Everyone matched.
It happened more than I’d admit to openly. But we were attached at the hips: we lived together, worked together at Tonic — a tattoo parlor— and boy hunted together. Well, I hunted boys, Ramona played with her engagement ring, and Veronica rejected all potential suitors. The only difference in our appearance was the color of our messy buns: Veronica’s was pitch-black, Ramona’s was platinum-blonde, and mine was a silvery shade of lavender that I’d stuck with for three whole months. It was nearly a record.
“Like take this guy for example,” I started, nodding into the ice cream parlor where a group of guys sat just inside the rolled up garage doors.
We all looked, not even pretending to be inconspicuous. Everyone knows no one can tell if you were looking at them when you have sunglasses on.
Two of their backs were to us, but the third faced our direction, and, boy, was he a looker. He was in a sort of muscle shirt, which sounds horribly douchey, but he pulled it off well enough that I wished he’d pull it off. He was tan and dirty blond with biceps that had curves like a rollercoaster and a tattoo on his shoulder that I couldn’t make out from the distance. Black Wayfarers sat on his nose, and when he laughed at something one of his friends had said, I swear his smile blew a circuit in my brain.
“Wait, which one are we looking at?” Veronica asked.
“Blondie. With the arm porn,” I answered. His lips were wide and full, a dusty shade of pink that sent a little tingle between my legs. “So, check his lips out — they’re like the perfect pink. Like not too pink. You just want a nice, neutral shade, nothing extreme. Don’t want any surprises when he unleashes the beast.”
Ramona snickered. “That is a neat trick, Pen. I swear to God, I can picture it now. I bet it’s pretty,” she said dreamily before licking her ice cream.
My bottom lip slipped between my teeth. “Mmm, I bet it is too. Shaped like a pretty little mushroom with veins in all the right places.”
Veronica groaned with her mouth full of ice cream. “You are so gross.”
I made a face at her. “It’s not my fault you don’t appreciate the finer things in life. Like a gorgeous dick.”
A laugh burst out of her, and I smiled. She could pretend she thought dicks were gross, but I knew it was a boldfaced lie. I’d heard her calling for Jesus behind the wall we shared — though it was rare enough that I found myself constantly on a mission to get her laid.
Blondie glanced over and caught all three of us looking. A slow smile lifted one corner of his lips, and I found myself mirroring him.
The girls and I didn’t look away because we were utterly shameless. And with him looking at me like that, I did what any woman with a pulse would do: I held his gaze and did something blatantly sexual to my ice cream.
His eyes were on my lips. I was pretty sure at least — he had on sunglasses too, so he could have been watching the granny who sat behind me. But I knew I had him when his smile faltered, his brows rising just a hair, and a little shock worked through me, a rush that set my heart ticking a little faster.
Veronica hit me, effectively knocking my elbow out from underneath me and sending the tip of my nose into my cone.
“Hey!” I said with a simultaneous pout and scowl.
She only laughed and picked up a napkin to wipe my nose off for me.
“You are so fucking boy crazy,” she said with a laugh. “Get serious.”
“Never.” I let her wipe off my nose. I’d earned that. “And what’s wrong with being boy crazy?”
“Nothing,” Ramona answered for Veronica and in my defense. “You’re happy chasing all that dick, and it’s super entertaining to watch.”
“Thank you,” I said gratefully and stuck my tongue out at Veronica.
“You’re welcome. If we were on The Golden Girls, you’d be Blanche.”
A laugh shot out of me. “Duh, she’s my spirit guide. A different beau every episode. A drawer full of crotchless panties. A lot of dramatic flailing.” I licked my cone with my e
yes on Blondie, who was still watching me too. “And Veronica would be Dorothy. Forever single and an absolute killjoy.”
Veronica rolled her eyes. I heard it from behind her sunglasses.
“Who would I be?” Ramona asked.
“Sophia, except taller. Or Rose but with less anecdotes about cows.”
We broke into more giggling. Maybe the heat was making us punchy.
“Anyway, the dick-lip thing works for women too.”
Veronica chuffed. “Oh? You can tell the color of our dicks?”
“I wonder if it would apply to a clit.” I hummed thoughtfully. “But no, our lips are the same color as our nipples.”
Ramona froze, her red lips dropping open in a little O. “Oh my God, it’s true.”
“I know it is.” Eyes locked on Blondie, I stuck out my tongue to swirl around the top of my cone. I closed my lips over the top of it real slow, making a show of it.
He gripped the edge of the table.
Ramona shook her head. “I’m never leaving the house without lipstick on again.”
Veronica snorted.
“Isn’t it weird?” I asked. “It’s like nature was like, This is your mouth. It’s for eating and putting genitals in. Let me color-code that into your brain, so you don’t forget that lips are for food and fucking.”
Ramona chuckled. “Only you, Penny.”
I put up one hand and shook my head. “Blame nature, not me. Lips are so sexual. Why do you think women wear lipstick? We want men — or women, if you swing that way — to notice our mouths, but we don’t really give their lips the consideration they deserve. Blondie’s lips are soft and smooth, and I bet his dick is too. I bet he kisses like a god and fucks like a porn star.”
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