Dead Sexy

Jake licked a path across her skin to coax the other breast in the same torturous manner. A decadent heat spiraled through her and she moved her pelvis. She wanted him, surrounding her, inside of her.

“Not yet,” he murmured as if he’d read her thoughts. He slid down her slick body and left a blazing path with the velvet tip of his tongue. Strong, purposeful hands parted her thighs. Almost reverently, he stroked her quivering sex.

The breath rushed from her lungs when she felt his damp mouth against the inside of one thigh. Then his lips danced across her skin to the part of her that burned the fiercest.

She gasped as his tongue parted her. He eased his hands under her buttocks, tilting her to fit more firmly against his mouth. His shoulders urged her legs apart until she lay completely open.

He nuzzled her, drinking in her scent before he devoured her with his mouth. Every thrust of his tongue, every caress of his lips, felt like a raw act of possession that branded her mine, mine, all mine.

If only.

As soon as the thought pushed its way into her head, she pushed it right back out. There was no hidden meaning behind his actions. It was all about the pursuit of pleasure.

A temporary pleasure.

Regret washed through her, but then his fingers parted her slick folds and his tongue swept her. Up and down. Back and forth.

Heat drenched her. She bucked and her body convulsed. A rush of moisture flooded between her thighs, and he lapped at her as if he’d never tasted anything so sweet.

When she calmed to a slight shudder, he slid up the damp length of her body, gathered her in his arms and kissed her. She tasted her essence—wild and ripe, bitter and sweet—on his lips and desire spurted through her.

She slid her hands over his shoulders and traced the sinewy contours of his body. His length pulsed between her legs, pressing against her tender flesh.

But he didn’t enter her.

Not yet.

Instead he devoured her with his mouth, his hands roaming her body, stroking pleasure points she never knew existed.

“Now,” she begged when she could take no more. She arched against him, opening herself up, desperate to pull him deep.

He growled and grasped her hips. Thrusting, he joined them in one swift, complete motion.

The air rushed from her lungs, only to rush back in as she gasped.

He pulsed deep inside of her for a long, decadent moment before he started to move. He withdrew, only to push back inside, burying himself deep.

Once. Twice.

She skimmed her hands over his back, urging him harder, faster, as she felt the bubbling heat of another climax.

Again?

She couldn’t believe how quickly she was ready for round two. Then again, it had been so long since she’d had a round one that it only made sense. It certainly wasn’t Jake himself who stirred her until she was desperate and out of control.

She was horny, that’s all.

She came quickly. She clutched at his shoulders. She cried out his name.

He buried himself one last time deep in her body and went rigid.

Through the fuzzy haze of pleasure, Nikki glimpsed him poised above her, his arms braced on either side. His muscles bulged. His skin glistened with perspiration. His eyes were wide-open. His gaze shimmered, pulsing into a hot, vibrant purple that glowed in the darkness. His lips parted, and she caught a flash of white as he bared his teeth—

Wait a second.

She blinked, and there he was still poised above her. But his eyes were closed, the vibrant color just a memory. His brow furrowed. His lips parted, revealing a row of straight, white, normal teeth. A groan rumbled from his throat as he gave in to his own orgasm. He stiffened, bucking once, twice, before collapsing atop her.

She felt a rush of panic, but then he gathered her in his arms. His strength surrounded her and eased the sudden tension in her body. He nuzzled her neck, his lips warm against her pulse beat.

She closed her eyes and saw him in her mind’s eye. His eyes blazing and his teeth—

Her eyes snapped open. She’d been on the wagon so long that she was hallucinating. She cupped his cheek and felt the warmth of his skin. The faint hint of stubble tickled her palm. Real.

And she wanted more.

The realization hit her, along with a rush of panic. Because she’d never wanted a man so badly.

The wrong man, she reminded herself. Then again, she didn’t know him well enough to know one way or the other at this point. Not that she would ever find out. He was temporary. A fantasy come to life.

And suddenly there seemed nothing wrong with pretending that Jake was the right man. The guy who would sweep her off her feet and carry her over the threshold and love her from this day forward, till death do us part.

It’s not as if he would ever know.

She slid her arms around his neck and gave in to the incredible urge to kiss him.

To love him.

Until the night ended and they said goodbye.

FORGET SUNLIGHT AND wooden stakes.

Neither posed half as much danger as the woman curled up next to him.

Lush. Blatantly sexual. Insatiable.

She was all three. A dream come true to a vampire who fed off sexual energy. Or she would have been except for the fact that, despite all of the above, she was an innocent.

Not a virgin, mind you.

Jake could spot those the way he sensed any other threat. She’d had her share of sexual encounters, but they’d been few and far between. Deep inside, she was naive when it came to men. Still nursing those pie-in-the-sky dreams of a knight in shining armor and forever.

Shit.

Jake eased his arm out from under her. The best thing to do was cut his losses and get the hell out of here right now.

Sure, he’d planned to rejuvenate all night, but the last thing—the very last thing—he needed to do was spend an entire night with Nikki Braxton.

Not because she wanted more from him than he could give but because for a few crazy seconds he’d actually wanted to give her more.