Bitten by the Virgin (Virgin Blood 2)

“Picking up girls and taking them to the closest hotel. Giving everyone a show on the dance floor last night to feed that cocky ego of yours.” I try to smirk back as if it doesn’t affect me. I’m thankful he’s not a vampire or he’d smell the jealousy rolling off me.

“Might be hard to believe, princess, but I don’t meet women in bars and take them back to hotels.” He leans down, getting more in my face. “I remember you enjoying our dance last night.” He goes to kiss me, but I put my hands on his chest and push him back to stop. I did enjoy it, but now I feel like some cheap conquest. Or maybe I’m trying to make myself not like him so this won’t hurt so much.

“Oh, so I get the cheap treatment of the hotel and you letting every man in the bar last night know that you’d get to fuck me.”

His jaw hardens as he clenches his teeth, and I wonder if he’s fighting back from saying something. I find it odd because from what I’ve seen, he has no problems saying anything he wants, no matter how crude it might be.

I shove hard on his firm chest and he actually moves enough that I can slide out from under him and get to my feet. He sits up on the bed, staring at me as I place my hands on my hips while I’m still completely naked. I’m pretty sure my dress is ruined so there’s no way I can put it back on.

It’s then I really get a good look at his body. It’s littered with small scars, like something you’d see on someone in the military or a fighter of some kind. He has the build for it and it’s a reminder of how little I know about him.

It’s then it hits me that he can see my scars, too. I watch as his eyes go to my stomach and my hand flies to cover the mark. I turn around so he’s looking at my back, but even the act of looking away from him is painful. Oh god, did I become mated to him last night? A man that for all I know will be gone in hours is going to leave me to go insane. At least that’s what I think happens. I don’t know anything about female vampires when they lose their mates. I didn’t even know vampires could mate with humans until Kane and Juliet. This life is still new to me.

“Vampires don’t scar.” His words are low and filled with anger.

“No, we don’t.” I feel him come up behind me, and then he turns me around to face him. I look up into his dark eyes, trying to read his emotions.

If we’re mated, shouldn’t I be feeling more of his emotions or even hearing his thoughts? Maybe my own are too consuming and all over the place to even try and read his. I don’t even feel like myself. Valen’s hand goes to my stomach and moves my own out of the way. He places his there, and the feel of his rough hands on my soft skin is nice. I can’t stop myself from leaning into his touch, and the pull to him grows stronger.

“Tell me who did this,” he whispers.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” I try to say it like I don’t care. “It’s been taken care of already.”

With the amount of blood left at the scene and my blood all over Jarrod’s clothes, the police charged him with my murder even without a body. They thought he buried me somewhere, so he was locked away in a place where he could never hurt another woman. Justice was done or so they said. I never really thought it was because I wanted him to bleed too.

“Why do you even care? I’m just another random hookup in a line of many, I’m sure. I was all too willing to drop to my knees and suck you off at your command.” I throw the words out in anger. Or maybe it isn’t anger but sadness, frustration, jealousy and something else I can’t place. It’s all too much. I’m on overload here, feeling emotions I’m not used to having anymore.

I want to push him away from me but grab onto him at the same time. I can’t even help myself because I like the way he commanded me to do those things. He took the control right out of my hands. Control and order are how I’ve had to have things so that I can function. I need it all mapped out, and he took that from me last night. But now I’m doing the one thing I told myself I’d never do again. I’m falling head over heels for a man, and this time it’s worse than before.