His Captive Mortal (A Vampire Romance)

“You...you had an urge to protect?”

“Odd, isn’t it? Goes against my vampire nature to look out for anyone but myself.” I grin. “I must be quite confident you can truly cure me of my curse.”

The way her gold-flecked eyes travel over my face with curiosity tell me she doesn’t quite buy my deflection. I’ll have to guard my feelings from the little fairy.

“I got you moved to the day shift. You see? I’m not all bad.”

“Yeah,” she says, her eyes focusing on my lips. “Thanks for making that happen.” To my utter shock, she lowers her head and kisses me.

I surge into action, cupping her face, holding her in place to return the gesture. My tongue licks into her mouth, teasing her lips. She wraps her arms around my neck and thrusts her own tongue into my mouth just as my fangs lengthen with arousal. She yanks away from me with a gasp of pain, her tongue sliced on a sharp tooth.

The smell of blood makes my fangs punch out. I grasp her head to pull her face back down to my mouth to repair the damage.

She makes a screaming sound in her throat, pushing her hands against my chest as I suck her tongue into my mouth, sealing the cut and promoting its quick healing.

I release her, and she scrambles back from me, her face pale and terrorized.

“I was sealing the cut.” I keep my tone reasonable although her lack of trust irritates me more than it should. I’m the one who’s played the asshole with her. She has no reason to trust me. And yet I’m offended, just the same.

When did I become so sensitive?

“My saliva has quick-healing and analgesic properties.”

“Please, don’t,” she begs, scrambling off my lap.

Fuck.

Aurelia

The vampire looks annoyed, his brows lowering as he stands and stalks to the kitchen.

I didn’t mean to act so bitchy, but for a minute there, I thought it was the end, and I was about to get sucked dry.

Now that I see I’ve offended him—maybe even hurt his feelings—it occurs to me that he might be right. A little more trust might be in order.

Opening the fridge, he regards my empty shelves. “Why don’t you have any food here? What do you eat?”

I hate it when people find out how poor I am. “Well, sorry. I didn’t know his royal highness would be requiring food. Maybe you’d like to pitch in for groceries.”

He turns. “Is that why you don’t have food?”

I shrug.

“Is it?” he demands.

“That and I don’t have a car, so I don’t buy a lot of food at one time.”

He rolls his eyes and vanishes.

Will I ever get used to him disappearing and appearing like that? I blink at where he stood, heart lurching. I rub my chest, feeling abandoned. But that’s stupid. Good riddance is more like it.

Will he come back tonight? Will he bring food? Rummaging through the kitchen, I realize I truly hope he’ll bring food for me, too. But surely that’s too much to hope for. He made it plain he looks out for no one but himself.

I try to stay pissed but keep coming back to one thing: he was protective of me with Tommy. Maybe it’s just because he needs me. He certainly tried to play it off that way. But there’s no denying our chemistry. We are fire together. Everything about the sexy vampire turns me on, even when he acts like a jackass.

Or was it especially when he acted like a jackass? Because as infuriating as I find him, some part of me doesn’t want him to ever stop.

But that’s messed up.

I need to steel myself against his charm because I’m in way over my head. I don’t even know if he plans to kill or turn me when he’s done with me. I don’t know if he’d take any compunction in forcing me to do whatever he wants—lick his boots, serve as his sex slave...damn. Why did that turn me on?

I flip on the tv, waiting, I suppose, although I have no clue if he’ll even return.

An hour later, a car pulls up and parks outside my duplex. Not able to look out the window, I open the door a crack and peek outside.

No. Way.

Charlie walks up the sidewalk carrying at least four bags of groceries, maybe more. I throw the door wide and run out in bare feet to meet him. “Let me take some of those.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He cranes his neck around the pile of bags to look at me with amusement. Sexy vampire.

“Oh so now you’re chivalrous?” When he doesn’t answer, I ask, “Are there more?”

“Yes, but I will get them. You may put things away.”

Bossy pants.

I guess I should be used to it by now. I peer into the first bag he sets down and get excited.