Blood Rites: (Royal Blood #3) (4 page)

But maybe Bex was right? I needed a little
fun. Maybe Sebastian was it.

Five

Vaughn

I sat in my office, in my house
in Bloomsbury, listening to the commotion downstairs.

Marcia had been in and out all
day, setting up for the party that was just starting to wind up.
She was my event planner and obviously loved her job. I gave her
money and told her to go wild with it. Planning rich, posh parties
was her idea of doing crack. She was a neglected, fifty year old,
trophy wife of a colleague at work, and was always glad for
something to do. Her husband always shook my hand in the halls to
thank me for keeping his wife happy. He obviously couldn’t, since
all he did was fuck a string of whores behind her back, but I kept
my mouth shut. Explaining how I knew about his extracurricular
activities would involve revealing much more of myself than was
necessary.

And Marcia? I looked up to her
like a motherly figure, so there was no way I’d tap that and
besides, she thought of me as the son she never had. I liked to dip
my wick into someone much closer to my own age.

Tonight’s brief had been romantic. I told
her that I wanted to impress a woman and to do her best with making
the house look fit for a princess. Marcia had obviously swooned and
the stars in her eyes had sparked even brighter. If only she knew
the truth about the real men I dealt with. What would she think of
me then?

My phone began to ring,
vibrating in the pocket of my tuxedo. Pulling it out, I saw that it
was Sykes. He sure knew how to fuck up a man’s evening. I didn’t
want to deal with this shit tonight, but if I didn’t answer, it
would mean more trouble down the line. I’d yet to meet the man in
person, but speaking to him on the phone was the next best thing.
Our face-to-face would happen within the week and when it did, our
deal would be struck.

Swiping my thumb across the screen, I
pressed the phone to my ear. “Sykes,” I said, leaning back in my
chair.

“Vaughn,” came his deep voice. The man
always sounded like he’d had one too many cigarettes and I wondered
if he was as slimy in person as he sounded down the phone.

“What can I do for you?” I asked, eager to
get away.

“I just wanted to make sure everything has
been accounted for.”

We were trialing a small-time operation to
see our men’s compatibility. Fucking annoying, but necessary. I
never took unnecessary risks with my weapons, my drugs or my money.
I only did that with my day job because it was required. I didn’t
get this far by being a pansy-ass fuckwit. I got here because I was
ruthless.

G
lancing at my reflection in the windows, I
scolded. “So far, everything is in order. How are things going with
Baxter and his operation?” Baxter was the lead man for my London
arm of my drug trade and he was currently trying to smooth things
out with the Necromancers on his turf. Mergers were never easy and
a sight more difficult in the criminal world.

“Royal Blood are making things difficult,”
Sykes replied. “There might be some infighting on my side of
things.”

“I trust that your men will deal with it? It
would be unfortunate if anyone in my employ were to be harmed.” The
threat was clear without ever saying it. If anyone under my
protection were to be harmed or killed, then our deal would be
off.

“We will deal with it, like we always
have.”

I rolled my eyes, listening to
the party start downstairs. Music filtered through the house and I
found myself wanting to get off the phone so I could be there when
Lorelei arrived.
If
she arrived.

“Sounds like you’re having a party,” Sykes
drawled. “Am I keeping you?”

The last thing I needed was for a man like
Sykes to turn up uninvited to a staged society fling I concocted to
get a woman into bed. “Not at all,” I replied, trying to sound
bored. “I was coerced into hosting an event at my residence.
Appearances, you know.”

“Of course.”

“Will Royal Blood be a problem for you?” I
asked, turning our conversation back to business.

“Maybe, but our clubs have had a long
standing rivalry. Not of my doing, I assure you. It goes back
beyond my time.”

Fuck, Sykes talked slicker than
any mafia boss I knew. Just by talking with him, I understood that
he was meant for bigger things than biker gangs. The Necromancers
were his springboard that had come pre-loaded with a network of
petty crime. I alone could think of a dozen ways to capitalize on
that and expand, which was the only reason why I was talking to the
bastard.

“I understand you are acquainted with
Jacques Lafayette?” Sykes asked.

My blood began to run cold at the mention of
the notorious human trafficker. Yes, I knew Lafayette, but I didn’t
trade women that way. This was a red flag and a fucking huge one at
that. Sykes was about to become bothersome and I hated
bothersome.

“I know of him,” I said carefully.

“I would like an introduction if you can
manage it. Let’s call it one of my terms of business.”

Fuck
. “Shall we discuss this further next
week? It would be much better to discuss specific terms in person,
yes?”

“Of course,” he replied with a chuckle.
“Where are my manners. I will have my people talk to yours and
arrange the specifics. Enjoy your party, Mr. Vaughn.”

There was a click as the call disconnected.
I put the phone down and rubbed my eyes, feeling strung out. This
was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth. Motherfucking
Lafayette? Sykes was looking to do more than take his operation
international. I was a bad man, but he was a borderline sadist.

“All good?” Hawkes asked.

“For now,” I said, standing and
straightening my jacket. Fixing my cufflinks, I nodded toward the
door. “Is she here?”

“Not yet.”

I was glad he said ‘not yet’.
My balls were going to burst if I didn’t get to fuck something
soon, add that telephone conversation to the mix and they were now
fucking blue. “I’ll be down in a moment.”

The door clicked closed and I
was alone. Checking my appearance in the reflection of the darkened
windows, my thoughts firmly landed on Lorelei. If she didn’t come,
then what was I going to do? Pursue her, of course. I couldn’t even
think about fucking another woman with her on my mind. No, fucking
someone else would be empty until I could taste her.

Taking a deep breath, I opened
the office door and strode down the hallway. If I had to suffer
this party without her…this was all for her.
Just to get her into
bed
, I
reminded myself.
No connections, no commitments, no falling for
her.

Hesitating at the top of the stairs, I
regarded the party below, the finely dressed men and women who I’d
have to mingle with to keep up appearances. Time to put my game
face on.

I began to descend as the front
door opened and she stepped across the threshold. She was
just…
there
.

I halted my stride, pausing on the
staircase, my gaze taking her in. A fine, red silk dress hugged her
curves, accentuating her breasts and hips, illuminating her ivory
skin. Her hair was curled, pinned up just so, and I felt the urge
to let the chestnut waves out so they could spill down her elegant
back. I envisioned running my fingers though her locks and tugging
her head back so I could take her mouth with mine.

I sucked in a breath, but I couldn’t catch
it. She was fucking stunning. I’d never seen a woman more beautiful
than Lorelei Lansford.

As my gaze collided with hers, it felt like
the wind was knocked out of my lungs.

What the fuck was with that?

Six

Lorelei

The party was in full swing by the time my
car pulled into the driveway.

The outside of the manor was adorned with
fairy lights, the sounds of music and laughter floating on the
summer breeze and I stared out at it with wonder. I’d never felt
this excited to come to a party in my entire life. It had
everything to do with Sebastian Vaughn. The anticipation of seeing
him again was killing me.

My door was opened and I stepped out onto
the footpath, my heels clicking on the pavers. There was a man in a
black suit at the front, checking invitations and another opening
the large double doors for guests to enter.

Approaching, I handed my invite
to the man, who scanned his list and I was ushered forward. My
heart began to race in my chest and I felt like slapping
myself.
Get
a grip, Lorelei
!

Stepping into the foyer of the grand house,
I scanned the crowd of finely dressed socialites. I knew I was one
of them by birth, but it didn’t stop me from feeling like an
outsider. Fancy dresses were a compulsory thing for me, not because
I liked wearing them. Mother always said I had to put my best foot
forward for the Lansford family name. We were rich through
business, not title and to these people? Title was everything.

Not one of them stopped to say
hello or acknowledge my existence and I stood awkwardly for a
moment, wondering if I’d made the right decision by coming here.
Raising my head, my gaze collided with Vaughn’s and he stopped
mid-step on the staircase, his lips parting.

I stood in the middle of the
foyer, dazed and for a moment it was just the two of us. My skin
began to heat, but I couldn’t bring myself to look away. He was as
handsome as I remembered, but this time he wore a tailored tuxedo
with a crisp white shirt and bow tie. He looked good enough to eat.
I resisted the urge to bound up the staircase and into his arms.
Magnetism…that was a thing right?

His gaze never left mine and I
began to wonder. Did he feel it too? That…
pull
?

He began descending the stairs
once more, his hand lightly trailing down the bannister as he
approached. I waited in awe as the crowd seemed to part for him
without his gaze even leaving mine. He commanded attention,
demanded respect… Sebastian Vaughn was a powerful man and his
sights were set on me.

Finally, he stood before me,
his gaze traveling across my lips, over my breasts and down, before
caressing their way back up.

“Lorelei.” His voice was just as silky as I
remembered.

I flushed as his slow perusal of my body
continued. “Sebastian.”

“Please, no one calls me Sebastian,” he said
with a smile. “Call me Vaughn.”

He held out his hand and I placed mine in
his, delicious shivers racing up and down my bare skin. He bent to
lightly kiss the back of my hand and I almost spontaneously
combusted as his lips brushed against my knuckles.

“I wasn’t sure that you would come,” he
murmured, standing again, his fingers tightening around mine.

I flushed. I wasn’t, but it was Bex who’d
convinced me. “What makes you say that?”

Vaughn smiled, something passing through his
expression, but it was fleeting. “Would you care for a drink?” he
asked. “Or a dance, perhaps?”

I smiled. He appeared to be flustered.
“Yes.”

“Yes, to which?”

“All of the above.”

He led me into the middle of a
large room off the main foyer, a ballroom of sorts, and I realized
that the music I heard before was a jazz quartet set up in one
corner. Vaughn pulled me around, commanding my attention once more.
His right hand curled into mine and his left slid across my waist,
tugging me close. Our bodies were pressed together and my lips
parted ever so slightly, the feeling of him against me sent sparks
everywhere. They were lighting up the room.

All these finely dressed
people, a live band, fresh flowers and fairy lights, champagne,
fancy finger food, waiters… It was exactly like a fairy-tale ball
in here. If this was how he got women into bed, he was pretty good
at it. I was swooning and I never swooned.

“Is this your house?” I asked, trying to
make small talk as he began to move me to the music.

“It is,” he replied, his lips curving into a
smile.

“It’s very nice.”

He chuckled. “I suppose it is.”

We swayed back and forth to the
music, his grip tightening on my waist. The rest of the room seemed
to fall away and it was just us. His blue eyes seemed to pierce
right through me and into the places I usually kept hidden. The
very places where my fantasies lay, and he was in them.

“
Do you feel
it too?” I whispered and instantly flushed. I hadn’t planned
on
that
slipping out, but Vaughn…well, he had this thing about him
that totally blew my carefully placed guard right out of the
water.

His lips parted, his gaze
dropping to my lips. I could feel the entire length of his body
against mine as we swayed and I swore he was…no, that was too much
to take in. If I thought about Vaughn’s…
thing
…I’d be done. I’d melt into a puddle right
here.

“The way you flush is quite spectacular,
Lorelei,” he murmured.

“Oh, I—” I felt my cheeks heat again.

“The things I could do to you,” he murmured,
his lips brushing against the shell of my ear.

I gasped, shivering in his
grasp. That was…
forthright
. I glanced around awkwardly, not sure what to say to that,
and realized that there were eyes on us. A lot of eyes. I squirmed,
casting my gaze downward, fixating on a pearly white button on
Vaughn’s shirt.