Excerpt
Prologue
“What are you drinking?” A frisson of pleasure rolled down Chelle’s spine as a very seductive and sexy male voice spoke softly and close to her ear.
She glanced to her left to check out the person the voice had come from. Gorgeous blue eyes captured hers, and she smiled at the guy they belonged to. He was tall, and she had to tilt her head up to see him. Dark waves cascaded down to his shoulders. He had sexy stubble covering his jaw, and she wondered if he kept it that way all the time. It sure did look magnificent on him.
“Um...rum and Coke,” she supplied then swiveled back around on the stool she’d perched on at the bar. She didn’t want to keep staring at him. Well, she did, but she didn’t want him to know she wanted to keep gawking at him. She hoped he wasn’t asking about her drink because he figured she was underage—she wouldn’t be twenty-one for another eight months. She had the fake ID she’d gotten from an ex-roommate when the girl had to renew her license, but this was the first time Chelle had ever used it. Brandon, the guy she’d come in with, glanced at Mr. Gorgeous Eyes and made some huffing sound. Brandon and Chelle weren’t a couple. They were just friends from SF State, but sometimes, Brandon acted as if they were more.
“It looks like you could use a refill,” the guy said, and Chelle’s shoulders instantly relaxed as she glanced at the almost empty glass in front of her.
She swiveled back around on the stool to face him and propped her arm on the edge of the bar, affecting a pose of confidence. “That’s very perceptive of you,” she said, feeling slightly more assured that her fake ID was working. The guy at the door had given her a suspicious once-over before he’d examined the California driver’s license she’d handed him. She could have sworn he’d studied it for an entire sixty seconds—or longer—as if there might be a test later and he’d have to recite the age of every female patron in the place.
“It’s one of my many talents.” Mr. Gorgeous Eyes nodded toward the bartender.
“Jory, another for the lady and her friend. On the house.” He grinned. Oh, what a sexy grin it was. “I’m Lane,” he added, and Chelle wasn’t sure what he meant. Was that his name?
“Lane? You mean like…like a road?”
“I suppose. Or you could think of it as a beautiful pathway with a multitude of flowers gracing each side as you stroll down without a care in the world holding hands with your lover.”
Oh. That was…quite remarkable, she had to admit. She instantly felt bad for her snippy response because his description was so much better than just a road, but who named their kid Lane anyway?
“My name is Chelle,” she supplied before he had a chance to ask, hoping it would ease some of the awkwardness and lessen her rudeness.
“Chelle, like from the sea or the snail?”
She smiled. He was quick. She had to give him that. And he had a delicious accent. English, very refined and elegant as though he came from some time long ago. At any rate, his voice was very sensual and pleasant to listen to.
“Touché,” she said.
“Hey, man, I’m Brandon.” Her friend, whom she’d almost forgotten about, stuck his hand out in front of Lane. Lane glanced down at it and smiled before shaking it.
“You’re with the band, right?” Brandon added rather enthusiastically. Geesh, you’d think he was meeting a real celebrity or something.
“Yep.”
“You guys are great. That last set you did tonight was sick. You know, I come in here every Saturday night just to listen to your band.”
Chelle gave Brandon a quick glance. She hadn’t realized he’d even been in this particular bar before tonight. In fact, she hadn’t known Brandon even liked classic rock. She loved rock from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and this guy who’d approached her and was talking with her was in the band. She may not be as enthusiastic as Brandon, but she was interested in the guy. He was hot, and he seemed very enamored with her. She just hoped that having Brandon sitting next to her hadn’t hindered any of that.
“Thanks. I’m glad you and your girlfriend like us.”
“Oh, we’re not a couple,” Brandon quickly supplied. If he hadn’t, he knew she would have, and she was glad he’d covered it with finesse.
“We attend State together,” she said with a smile.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all night,” Lane whispered close to her face. So close that his lips practically grazed her neck and his warm breath tickled her ear, sending shivers down her spine, leaving her suddenly and completely aroused. Music wafted through the club again. She glanced at the stage where a deejay wearing headphones fiddled with knobs and switches on the large display of electrical equipment in front of him. Foreigner’s Waiting For a Girl Like You gently floated from the speakers and couples entered the dance floor.
“This is one of my favorite songs,” Chelle said with a great amount of yearning in her tone. She closed her eyes and swayed to the sweet, slow rhythm.
“Come on, then. Let’s dance.” Lane grabbed her hand and tugged her to the middle of the dance floor.
He pulled her in and tucked her against him, and she stiffened slightly, not sure of his intentions. She’d danced with strangers before, and while some were gentlemen, others were not.
“Relax. It’s just a dance,” he whispered, his voice heavy and dripping with sex. God, he was gorgeous. She had a difficult time keeping her hand still as she placed it on his broad shoulder. The desire to lower it and rub it over his chest was strong.
After a few minutes, she realized what a great dancer he was and relaxed, letting him lead her smoothly around the dance floor. When the song ended, he released his strong hold on her, but kept her hand in his as he guided her back to her seat.
“That was nice. Thanks,” she said as she sat down and picked up her drink, but his hand came down on the glass and he tugged it away.
“Let me get you a fresh one. You never know what might have landed in that one while we were on the dance floor. Your friend is out there dancing now, too, and I’m sure he didn’t even think about leaving your drink unattended.”
Chelle glanced out at the dancers and smiled when she saw Brandon having a good time with someone other than her, then frowned at the thought of someone slipping something into her drink. “Thanks, but I’ve probably had enough anyway.” As much as she’d enjoyed dancing with Lane and would love to know more about him, she had an important day tomorrow and needed to be on her A-game one hundred percent in the morning. “I’m kind of tired, and I should really go home. I’ve been working all day, and I have an exam tomorrow to study for.” She managed to catch Brandon’s eye and waved at him, indicating that she was leaving. As usual, whenever they went out together, they’d brought separate cars; never wanting to put the other out if one of them wanted to leave earlier.
“Do you need a taxi? I can call one for you.”
“No, I have my car. It’s parked down the road, just half a block.”
“Then I’ll walk you to it. This isn’t exactly the best neighborhood for a beautiful woman to be out walking alone.”
His gallantry was impressive, and he was very considerate. He sure seemed to be concerned about her well-being. Not like most of the jerks she usually met at bars. First, with the drink, then with an escort to her car. Add his chivalry to his handsomeness and height, and he was someone she could most definitely see herself falling for. If he walked her to her car, maybe he would ask for her number.
He glanced at one of the other guys in the band and gestured with his hand that he was leaving. The other guy nodded and smiled. “This way,” he said and placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her through the club and out a back door.
She was pleased when she realized that the exit opened up into an alleyway, right next to where she’d parked.
“That’s me,” she said, pointing at the light blue 1999 Honda at the curb under a streetlight. “How did you know that door would lead right to my car?”
“Lucky guess. You said it was parked a half block down, and this is the only area where parking is allowed.”
“Oh. Right. Well, thanks for walking with me.” She turned to open her car door, but his hand covered hers. Pulling it away from the handle, he used her hand to spin her body to face his. When his lips grazed hers, she didn’t stop him like she normally would have after having just met a guy in a nightclub. She wasn’t the type to give in or be taken so easily. Except, this guy was so damn sexy, it was very difficult to resist him—the plumpness of his lips and the sweet taste of his tongue as it slipped inside, her mouth barely open on a gasp. There was no denying the fact that no matter what her brain told her, her body reacted of its own accord, giving in to his sweet kisses and the tender touch of his hands on her body. His lips were so, so soft on her neck as his tongue made tiny little circles just below her earlobe, driving her crazy with lust. He spun them and backed her up until her back came into contact with the wall on the nearest side of the alley. Their bodies shrouded in shadow.
Then.
What the fuck? He’d bitten her?
She tried to pry herself from his grasp and shoved at him as his sharp teeth penetrated her skin. He began to suck slowly and she became filled with a great sense of nirvana, something hot and sweet flowing through her veins. She stopped resisting. It was almost like an exchange. Her blood for a powerful high she had no desire to stop. She relaxed in his arms, allowing him to suck. His intake grew stronger and stronger, and her legs gave out, but his strong arms held her up against the wall before she could fall. The narrow street behind him became distant, and she began to lose consciousness, or so she thought. Although she couldn’t move any part of her body, she heard him gasp after his teeth retracted from her skin.
“Oh, fuck!” His voice sounded panicky. Then she was in his arms as he carried her back inside the club and placed her body down on a cold floor in some room.
“What the fuck did you do?” another male voice similar to Lane’s barked.
“I…don’t know. I guess I took too much.” Lane lightly tapped Chelle’s cheek. “Wake up. Please. I didn’t mean to take so much. It’s just been so long since I fed, I got carried away. Damn it. I didn’t even need to compel her, she just accepted it all and gave herself to me without any struggle.”
From somewhere above, Chelle watched the two men, the body on the floor, herbody, then her eyes took in her present state in bewilderment. Her spirit floated above as Lane frantically pressed on her corporeal chest to wake her up, but her body didn’t respond to his efforts. Her existence now just a transparent essence, a light beamed to her right. She wanted to go to it. The lure of it was so strong and peaceful.
“Let her go, Lane.”
“I can’t. I’m not a killer. I can’t just let her die.”
As the draw of the light urged her closer, she looked back at the shell she’d once inhabited on the floor. Lane scored his wrist with his fangs and shoved his arm against her lips. To her spirit, the light was strong, warm, comforting. Tranquility she’d only found in dreams. Pleasant dreams. But then something tugged at her.
Life.
There was still so much she wanted to do. So many things she hadn’t experienced, yet. The light would have to wait.
She wanted to live.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love hearing from you and always look forward to your comments!