Let Him In (Let Him Trilogy) (26 page)

Zane’s cock sprang to life and it had absolutely nothing to do with the scent of her blood, which eluded him still. Hunger, on the other hand, was a contributing factor, however it was not the thirst for the liquid coursing through her veins making every cell in his body tingle with anticipation. 

“Fuck,” he hissed as his sac began to ache, matching the relentless throb in his stiff cock, which was pressed hard against the girl’s soft stomach. 

Sliding an arm under Lacey’s legs, he lifted her up and then climbed into the van, gently placing her on the single back seat before closing the sliding door and then kneeling beside her.

Zane trailed his fingertip down her damp forehead, petite nose, pink, bow-shaped lips and even the small white teeth behind them. Although he did not know what velvet felt like, from the description of it he doubted her porcelain skin was any less soft. Naturally beautiful, she didn’t need or use a drop of make-up, which pleased him for the world was already inundated with clown-faced girls. 

Leaning forward, Zane placed his lips against Lacey’s. “Oh fuck,” he mouthed against them. More velvet. And warm, like blood. He pulled back, resisting the urge to thrust his tongue between her slightly parted lips so that he could taste every inch of her mouth.

Growling low in his throat, Zane’s eyes feasted upon the exquisite buffet laid out before him: Full breasts slowly rising and falling behind the thin, wet fabric clinging to them. Narrow waist partially bare because of the turquoise sweater’s bunched up hem. Slightly rounded hips and long legs wrapped in soaked, faded denim. 

“Fuck,” he growled again as his gaze came to an abrupt stop on the plump V-shaped area between the girl’s thighs.

Zane had never wanted blood more than he did the girl’s body, and at that moment the only thing he wanted to do was rip off Lacey’s jeans, toss her legs over his shoulders and then ram his stiff, throbbing cock deep inside her pussy, thrusting into its tight heat again and again until he was free of the maddening ache in his groin.

“Who are you?” he whispered, gazing upon the angelic face before him. 

His entire life had been about the pursuit and procurement of blood, the only thing he could smell, taste and from which experience pleasure. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, a human female arrived with the power to change everything.

He could not make sense of it.

Zane brushed his fingertips over the exposed skin of Lacey’s stomach. A tiny moan drifted from between her parted lips a second before her eyelids fluttered open. At the sight of him she inhaled sharply, pulling her legs up to dig her heels into the seat and then propel herself backwards until she was flat against the van.

“W-What are you d-doing? W-What h-happened?” she stammered, her wide eyes darting back and forth between Zane and different areas of the van
.

He stayed kneeling, for if she was frightened now she would be downright petrified when she caught a glimpse of the bulge at his crotch. “You fainted,” he answered in the most soothing tone he could muster, “so I put you in here.”

“You could’ve called an ambulance.”

“I could have left you on the ground.”

“I would’ve preferred that, actually.”

“I would have preferred you remaining unconscious.”

Hugging her knees, she pulled them even closer to her chest. “I’ll just bet,” she murmured, dropping her gaze.

Zane lifted one brow. “If I had wanted that I could have taken it quite easily, Lacey.”

Her eyes snapped back to his. When her small tongue flicked nervously across her bottom lip the steel rod in his pants twitched. “I have to go.”

Zane tilted his head, listened intently to what sounded like tiny pebbles pelting the roof. “It is still raining.” 

“Just a little water.” Lacey slowly turned around so that her back was against the seat instead of the van, lowered her feet to the floor. “No big deal.”

Zane gave her what he hoped looked like a tender smile before dropping his gaze to the bag on the floor. He pulled out a candy bar along with the bottle of soda and then held both out to her. “For my own piece of mind, I insist you wait until it has passed.”

She looked at his hands as if he were holding bloody body parts. “No, I can’t.”

“You can, Lacey.  You can and you will.”

The feisty spark that always made him want to take his hand to her bare ass returned to her eyes, which were the color of brewed green tea. “Get out of my way,” she demanded, lifting her chin. “Now.” 

Zane tossed the candy bar and soda back into the bag. “And if I do not?”

“Then I’ll...I’ll scream!”

“You could—”

“I can and I will!”

“—however since it is after eight o’clock I hardly see the point.” She blinked, the inner corners of her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “Gus, the owner of the store, left five minutes ago. There is only me and you, angel.”

She swallowed hard. “Are you deliberately trying to scare me?”

Zane placed his hand over his heart. “Tap-tap-tap,” he said as he rapidly patted his chest. “Not trying, succeeding.”

“Oooh,” she said, “big man scares small girl. You should be proud of that extraordinary achievement.”

Zane tossed his head back and laughed. Amusing little creature, she was. When he looked at her again she had her arms crossed over her chest and her pink lips pursed. “Stop pouting,” he growled as his aching balls turned into lead weights. “I do not like it.”

“And I don’t like being held hostage by a—”

“Cocky asshole?” he finished for her, arching a brow. 

Under the soft glow of the interior light he watched her cheeks turn pink. Her gaze dropped to her hands as she mumbled something. 

“I beg your pardon?”

“Nothing.”

Zane sprang up, slamming his fists into the seat as he planted one next to each of her thighs, trapping her between his outstretched arms. Lacey’s eyes widened as he leaned forward until their noses almost touched. “Kindly repeat yourself.”

He had heard her loud and clear, of course, but that was not the point: if she did not have the courage to stand behind her opinion, then she should not state it so freely.

And besides, her bratty behavior was seriously starting to piss him the fuck off.

Lacey took a deep, ragged breath as her gaze darted to his mouth. Her small, pink tongue flicked out to lick her lips, but she remained silent as she looked back up and into his narrowed eyes. Zane growled low in his throat, at the sweet scent of her breath and the warmth of it as it caressed his face. “Lacey—I will not ask you again.”

Her throat clicked as she swallowed hard. “I said ‘If the shoe fits’.”

“Meaning you do think I am a cocky asshole.”

“Y-Yes,” she said in a tiny voice.

“I see. Well, I must disagree with your assessment. I am confident, not cocky. As for being an asshole...” Tilting his head to one side, Zane looked up as he feigned contemplation. “I do not think I qualify as a stupid, mean or contemptible person.”

“You acted like you were going to run over me!”

“You told me I could not scare you even if I tried.” Zane shrugged. “I merely accepted your challenge.”

Her mouth fell open. She stared at him for a long moment and then her gaze dropped to his lips for a split second before she rolled her eyes and looked away. “Okay, instead of asshole, how about jerk?”

Zane narrowed his eyes. “Jerk: a person lacking in judgment or prudence.  Synonyms: Fool. Ass. Idiot. Imbecile. Madman—” 

“That sounds about right,” she murmured, rearing back until her head left an indentation in the vinyl seat.

“Madman: a person who is of unsound mind.” He curled his top lip. “Do you think this description fits me?”

“I...”  Her voice trailed off as her gaze returned to his lips.

“Why do you keep looking at my mouth, Lacey?”

Her eyes widened as they snapped back up to his. “I wasn’t!”

Zane growled. “I should warn you that I cannot stand being lied to, angel. It makes me insane, which means the inability to control one’s rational—”

“Let me go,” she said, her melodic voice pleading. “Just let me go before I...”

Her voice trailed off as he slanted his mouth over hers. “Before you...what?”

Zane watched, unblinking, as her eyes moistened. Underneath their tear-induced sparkle was apprehension and indecision. Would she try to make a run for it, or was her fear too great?

Lacey’s short, quick breaths teased his lips while he waited for her to make a move.

He did not have to wait long.

She tentatively pressed her soft lips against his and Zane’s mind went blank from shock. As he struggled to form a coherent thought she slipped her warm, wet tongue into his mouth and he groaned so loud he was sure every resident in the surrounding counties could hear him. 

And then he became nothing but hunger and flesh.

Zane’s hands flew up to fist in Lacey’s damp hair as he closed his eyes. Pulling her head forward, he thrust his tongue into the inviting warmth of her mouth as the aching, throbbing need in his groin ascended to a deranging level. He continued his frenzied exploration of her mouth as he clawed at the material preventing his itching hands from experiencing the heat and softness of her skin.

Zane was only vaguely aware of a shrill sound coming from seemingly far away. He was well aware of the sharp burst of pain that followed, however. Jerking back from the unpleasant sensation, his eyes popped open as his hand flew up to his mouth. Only after his fingers confirmed that he still had his tongue did he realize that Lacey was crying, soft hiccup-like sobs erupting from her as she yanked her sweater back down over her white, cotton bra.

“Get out,” he whispered in a raw voice as he backed away from her. Her wide, glistening gaze darted from him to the sliding door and then back to him. “Now, goddamn it!”

Lacey sprang off the seat with a startled squeak and then was all thumbs as she struggled to open the door.

He rushed forward.

Her hands flew up in a warding off gesture.

Ignoring her, he seized the handle and pulled, leaping outside as the door slid open.

Her feet hit the gravel parking lot a moment after his.

Zane climbed back inside and slammed the door, sliding into the driver’s seat as she ran around the front of the van. Looking into the rearview mirror, he stuck out his tongue. No damage, but it still hurt like fucking hell.

He bared his teeth at Lacey’s back as she struggled to upright her scooter. “Tease,” he snarled, seizing both the steering wheel and the gear shift. Jerking it into reverse, he stomped on the gas.

Lacey began searching the ground as Zane whipped the van around in a half-circle, almost taking out one of the wooden beams holding up the roof of the store’s porch. She found what she was looking for as he shifted into drive, and was jumping on to her scooter as he sped out of the parking lot. 

When Zane glanced into the rearview mirror a couple of seconds later, Lacey was a red, baseball-sized dot going in the opposite direction.

He stomped on the brake with both feet. Closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to recall both the sensation of her soft, warm body pressed against his and detect her delicate scent.

Both eluded him.

What felt like the flaming steel blade of a machete slicing through his internal organs reminded Zane of where he had been going when he had driven by and seen Lacey walking into the store: to pick up his and his siblings’ dinner.

Zane’s eyes, narrowed and darkened by agonizing thirst, returned to the rearview mirror. His world, which had alway
s
revolved around his family, was now gravitating toward the one person capable of making him feel both pleasure and pain, and who quite possibly could harm him in some as yet unknown way. He knew he should leave town as Blodbad had ordered before the unseen force pulling him toward the girl became too powerful to resist...

If only he still wanted to fight it.

The scooter zigzagged as she drove past the shadowy trees and down the slick road, but it wasn’t the chilled, drenched clothing clinging to her that was making her body quake.

As they poured from her eyes, hot tears of rage mixed with the cold rain streaming down Lacey’s cheeks. Blinking rapidly, she managed to clear her vision for only a moment before it blurred again.

She had learned long ago to go with her gut feeling, because it was seldom wrong. What had happened with Zane had been a much needed refresher course in that valuable lesson, which she’d always had trouble following.

Not anymore.

Because she’d been right about him the entire time.

Lacey whipped the scooter into the driveway, killed the engine. She swiped her hands over her eyes as she stormed across the front yard, up the porch and into the dark, damp, musty house. Her soaked clothes hit the floor with a squishy plop as she quickly undressed in the foyer and then raced upstairs to the bathroom, grabbing the towel hanging on the back of the door before charging to her room. She attacked her wet hair with such ferocity that by the time she was finished her scalp felt like it had sustained friction burns.

After yanking on her flannel pajamas Lacey snatched the silk shirt off her bed, taking it downstairs with her. She tossed her soaked jeans, underwear and socks into the washer and then threw her sweater, bra and Zane’s shirt in the trash can beside the back porch. She slammed the door behind her, fresh tears clouding her vision as she retreated to the living room.

Nothing could be worse than staying in Hermit.

Nothing
.

Lacey didn’t know how long she’d been sitting in her father’s recliner, only that by the time his car pulled into the driveway her ass was numb. When Clint stepped into the foyer she turned on the small lamp next to her and said, “We need to talk.”

Whether it was her tone, the look in her eyes or both that made him pause before closing the door and say in a timid voice, “Okay”, Lacey didn’t know and didn’t care. She had his attention, which was the only thing that mattered.

Lacey waited until he stepped into the living room before standing up. “I don’t want to wait until February to move again,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Clint stood still for the longest time just gaping at her before he finally replied, “If that’s what you want, kiddo.”

Lacey rolled her eyes. Don’t pretend that’s not what you want, too, she thought but didn’t say, needing to stay on track and not get derailed by another pointless argument.

“I want to be in a new town by the first of the month.”

Clint slowly shook his head. “I don’t think that’s going to be possible, kiddo.”

Lacey’s heart jackknifed. “And why the hell not?”

“I have only one hundred bucks leftover from—”

“Don’t you get paid tomorrow?”

“Yeah, but—”

“How much will that be?”

“After gas and the cost of fliers, two hundred.”

“If I give you the money I have left and you put back the same amount out of the next two checks...” She chewed on her thumbnail as she did a quick mental calculation. “Then we’ll have seven hundred and thirty dollars by the end of the month.”

“Which won’t be enough to cover electric hook-up and first month’s rent plus deposit anywhere, kiddo.”

“You don’t know that,” she snapped, one hand flying to her hip while the other waved about frantically. “You found this dump, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but—”

“How far south has your search for Mommie Dearest taken you?”

“Harrisonburg, but I haven’t finished—”

“Then we can move there. I’ll start researching it at the library tomorrow,” Lacey said as she began pacing back and forth. “I’m sure I’ll be able to find something we can afford.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Stop saying that word!” Lacey barked, coming to an abrupt stop in front of him. “I don’t want to hear any buts!”

“Kiddo, just calm down and listen to me for a moment,” Clint said, gently touching her arm.

Lacey slapped his hand away, his meant-to-be-soothing voice only fueling her panic-filled rage. “I’ll calm down when I’m at least twenty miles away from this fucked up town and you’re going to listen to me for a damn change!”

Clint’s mouth opened but the only thing that came out of it was the same sound that ghost woman made in the movie “The Grudge.” His eyebrows squished together as his hand flew up to rub the back of his neck.

Lacey snapped her fingers in front of his face when his unblinking gaze darted from her to the window and then to the floor. “I am going,” she said when he looked at her, “with or without you.”

Panic filled Clint’s bloodshot eyes a moment before they filled with tears. “Y-You can’t leave m-me,” he stuttered, something she’d only ever heard him do when upset and talking about Amelia. “You’re a-all I have l-left.”

Lacey didn’t think he could have shocked her more...

She was proven wrong when he fell to his knees.

“P-please, don’t abandon me, t-too,” he cried, gripping the hem of her pajama top with shaking hands. “I l-love you so much!”

Lacey’s bottom lip trembled and her eyes moistened, despite her efforts to keep the former still and the latter dry. She’d waited so long to hear those words come out of his mouth... 

But when it came right down to it, that’s all they were—words. Without the actions to back them up, they were just random letters of the alphabet thrown together.

They meant nothing.

Lacey shook her head as she cleared her throat, which felt so tight she didn’t think she’d be able to swallow a string of thread. “I don’t believe you.”

Clint sprang up, grabbed Lacey by her upper arms and gave her a firm shake. “T-Tell me what I have to do to c-convince you,” he croaked, “and I’ll d-do it.”

“I shouldn’t have to,” Lacey murmured, shaking her head.

Cupping her face with his hands, Clint whispered, “No m-more traveling, no more f-fliers, no more—”

“Amelia?” Lacey interrupted, his words like helium inflating the balloon of hope inside her chest.

“No m-more Amelia,” he said, and then smiled as he shook his head. “Ever, kiddo. I s-swear to G-God.”

A forceful sob burst out of Lacey as she flung herself at Clint, throwing her arms around his neck. “I love you, Daddy.”

“Oh, k-kiddo.” He gave her a squeeze and then reared back just enough so that he could look her into the eyes. In his sparkling, cognac-colored gaze she saw what he was feeling before he verbalized it. “I’m s-sorry...for everything.”

“Doesn’t matter now.” Lacey planted a kiss on his stubbled cheek and then ruffled his in-serious-need-of a-trim curly hair. “So forget it.”

“I can’t...I’ve been horrible. I know this...I’ve always known this. But...”

He closed his eyes, fresh tears trickling down his cheeks. “I loved her. I
still
love her. I don’t know why. And because of it, I couldn’t just give up on her, even though she gave up on me. I knew that, too, I guess...that she left me...but I just couldn’t believe she’d do such an awful, awful thing and so...”

He shook his head. “You’re right—it doesn’t matter. Things will be different now, kiddo...I promise.”

Lacey nodded. “I know,” she said, and she did—because her gut told her so.

“Except for gas to get me back and forth to work and food, I’ll save every penny I earn from now on. By the end of the month I’ll have around a grand, which should be enough to find a place in—”  Clint’s brows furrowed. “Where are we moving?”

Lacey shrugged. “Don’t care, as long as it’s somewhere in town.”

Resting her cheek against her father’s warm chest, she closed her eyes and instantly regretted doing so when Zane’s snarling face popped into her mind.

“I hate the country,” she murmured. “There are all sorts of wild animals running around here…really dangerous ones.”

Clint chuckled as he nuzzled the top of Lacey’s head. Her scalp prickled and a shiver rippled through her body. The warmth of her father’s breath was the cause, she told herself, not the memory of Zane’s soft yet firm lips upon hers. Not his wet, probing tongue inside her mouth. Not the scraping of his nails over her sensitive flesh as his strong fingers seized her bra.

“Hold on just a little longer, kiddo,” her father said, “we’ll be out of here soon.”

“Not soon enough,” Lacey whispered, hugging him even tighter.