Love Bites (7 page)

“I do.” He shrugged. “To live without rules is dangerous for all involved.”

Sydney laughed quietly. “I’ve always hated rules. Like the unspoken one that women aren’t supposed to be interested in sex. That they aren’t supposed to want or need the attentions of more than one lover.” Because Kellan’s gold gaze sharpened, she swiftly changed the topic. “With Alysia dead, you and Lucas were on your own.”

“Yes, and we were as fumbling and afraid as baby birds that fell out of the nest. We fed like animals for awhile, on everything and anything that crossed our paths. Did whatever we had to to survive.”

“At least you had each other.”

“You’re right. And now I have you.”

Something inside her shifted into place, a piece she hadn’t even realized was missing. “I’m not saying I believe all this.”

“No, but you’re not saying you don’t.” He kissed her with every ounce of the passion she’d longed for in her relationship with Tate. His tongue lashed hers as he changed the angle, driving deep, offering all and taking all in return. Then he glided his lips across her cheek to her neck, his teeth skimming her pulsepoint as delicately as if she were made of spun glass.

Her blood boiled under her skin. Could he feel how excited he made her? Did he hear her heart quickening in her chest?

“Let me make love to you. Just me. Just you.”

As Sydney eased back, an image of him drawing his mouth from her with his fangs stained red flashed in her mind. The memory no longer aroused fear in her. Only passion. But there were new considerations. “I’m not sure we should be…intimate,” she said, hating herself even as she uttered the words.

Was she crazy?

“Why not? Is this moving too fast?”

That he didn’t try to strong-arm her and merely regarded her with a raised brow garnered him major kudos in her book. “No, not sexually. You know how much I’ve enjoyed….” There was no polite way to say it, and her normally ballsy manner of speech no longer seemed appropriate. Not when she felt so unsure of her footing. “It’s not that. It’s me. Something happened a few minutes ago—”

“What happened?”

She stared down at the hands she’d balled loosely in her lap. How to say it? “I wanted to bite you.”

She waited for him to question her. Maybe even to stare at her in wordless shock. But she never expected him to throw back his head and roar with laughter. “Is that a bad thing?”

Maybe she wasn’t being clear enough. She rubbed her fingertips over the freckles on her knee. Funny, they seemed lighter than they had just days ago. Must be some trick of the sunlight slanting over the bed.

And that was another thing. If he was a vampire, why didn’t he shriek and hide from the sun? She’d have to ask him about that, but her brand new bitey-bitey tendencies were a more pressing matter at the moment. “Not your thigh or your shoulder. Your cock. And not some little love nibble, either. I wanted to bite you like you’ve bitten me.”

“You wanted to drink from me.”

Drink
. How civilized that sounded, when the act was so primal and raw. “Yes.”

Kellan threaded his fingers through her hair and kissed her softly. When his cock jutted between them, she slid down to cushion his shaft between her breasts. His groan flowed like molasses over her skin, warm and sweet. “How can it be possible? How can you want to drink from me, when I haven’t turned you?”

“Easy enough.” Lucas slammed the door shut and glared at them. “For a latent vampire.”

Kellan glanced at his best friend and noted the metaphorical steam curling from his ears. Great. So much for a peaceful morning.

He rose and circled the bed, blocking Lucas’s view of Sydney’s naked body. Stupid to feel protective of her after all they’d done the night before, but he couldn’t help it. “Give Lucas and me a couple minutes?” he asked, cupping her chin.

Sydney shook her head. “No way. Whatever you have to say involves me, so I deserve to hear it.”

“When the hell did this become a bloody democracy?” Lucas dropped the bag of groceries he was carrying on the counter in the nearby galley kitchen. The unusual layout somehow fit them. “You’re just the snatch we picked up on the side of the road.”

“Lucas, that’s enough.” Kellan bent to pick up his jeans and climbed into them without benefit of underwear. He didn’t make a habit of wearing any.

“Though I’m beginning to wonder about that. How’s it possible we managed to flag down the one woman you’re torqued over? Dark, rainy night, and we stage the scene right as she drives by—”

“Stage the scene?” Sydney’s gaze swung accusingly to Kellan’s. “What the fuck is he talking about?”

“Shut up,” he said to Lucas, shooting him a warning glance. “What’s this latent vampire business?”

Cabinet doors slammed and drawers banged in Lucas’s wake as he put away his purchases. “Hard to tell you if I’m shutting up.”

Kellan heaved out a breath, even though he didn’t technically need to breathe. Two things always stirred him up enough to restart the habit. Excellent sex, and his ceaselessly annoying “little brother.”

Syd crossed her arms over her breasts. That hint of modesty pleased Kellan, because from her furtive looks at Lucas, he was the one making her feel shy. Good. Last thing he wanted was his girl to bare her wares to his best friend on a regular basis, even if the three of them had fucked like bunnies the previous night. “No need for him to talk about that, because I’m not a vampire.”

Lucas snorted. “Yeah, then how do you ’splain your urge for blood? That’s usually not a part of sucking cock.”

“You were listening?”

“Of course. I heard you lovebirds cooing all the way up the block.”

At the undercurrent in his lifelong pal’s voice, Kellan crouched to look into Syd’s eyes. Their dark depths churned, but she didn’t avoid his gaze. “Give Lucas and me a couple minutes. Please. After that, we’ll talk about anything you want.” He scooped a hand through her wispy dark bangs. “Are you hungry? There are Pop-Tarts in the cupboard.”

Lucas made another derisive noise in his throat. “Oh, he’s bringing out the romance now. Sharing his Pop-Tarts with his lady.” He opened a cabinet and jutted a thumb at the contents. “They’re like his frigging security blanket.”

Kellan’s narrowed his eyes at Lucas, but Sydney’s soft question captured his attention. “You don’t need to eat? Food, I mean?”

“No. But we can. It doesn’t hurt us. And it helps us blend.”

“Some of us have moved beyond our childish cravings for sugar, however.”

Kellan refused to engage in an argument. Not when Sydney was present, and not when he knew Lucas was spoiling for one to avoid his own legion of problems.

Sydney’s lips twitched. “What flavor?”

“Brown sugar and cinnamon. The only kind I like.”

“No wonder you taste so good.” Sly heat flared on her face, but she nodded and rose, dragging the sheet with her. “I’ll go take a shower before I eat.”

“We don’t have a shower. There’s a jacuzzi tub.”

She glanced at Kellan as if Lucas’s word couldn’t be trusted, and he nodded. “You’ll like it. It’s big and roomy with lots of jets.”

“That’s where we have our freaky vampire orgies,” Lucas added, smiling when she tossed her hair and sailed past him as if he didn’t exist. But he definitely watched her go, his gaze fastened on the sway of her hips.

“Damn, she is a sweet little package, isn’t she? Bet you can’t wait to lose your load between those cheeks. Let me tell you, man—” His words rushed out in a startled exhale as Kellan gripped him by the collar of his shirt and pinned him against the nearest cabinet.

“If you ever, ever, talk about Sydney that way again—hell, if you even think those kinds of thoughts—I’ll open you up and leave you for the vultures on Route 93. Understand me?” Kellan shook him for emphasis. “Yeah, you fucked her last night. I hope you enjoyed it, because that was the first and last time.”

“She loved it. I even heard her tell you that before I interrupted your little
tete-a-tete
. I filled her in a way you can’t alone.” Luke grinned, baring his fangs. “Unless that magic wand of yours sprouts a twin.”

Kellan released him so fast he stumbled against the refrigerator. “She is my mate,” he said in an even tone. His friend clearly had even less sense than he’d given him credit for on prior occasions. “I allowed you to have her once, because she wished it so. It won’t happen again.”

“Your mate? C’mon. You were right. That couldn’t have been what last night was about. So you got a little hungry for blood.” Luke rubbed his jaw, not meeting Kellan’s eyes. “She’s just a coffee shop tart. A juicy piece you nibble on and toss back for the rest of the fish.”

Kellan ignored him. Right now, he had bigger concerns than Lucas’s rumblings. “What is a latent vampire? And how do you know about them? How do you know my mate is one?”

“My mate, my mate, my mate,” Lucas mimicked, turning around to slam a fist on the ever-present box of Pop-Tarts sitting on the counter. “Why should I care about your mate when you never gave a shit about mine?”

Ah, so now we reach the crux of the matter
. Kellan cocked his head. “You’ve seen Emily.”

“Yes, I’ve seen her.” When he spun back, his blue eyes shone with more animosity than Kellan had ever seen from him. “We spoke while I was in the library doing some research. On vampires. On your horny little nympho. She helped me find what I was looking for, and then, finally, when I saw something in her eyes, she took one strong whiff of my coat. Do you know what she smelled?”

Pussy
? Kellan didn’t voice the question, but wisely kept silent.

“Perfume! She smelled your supposed mate’s perfume all over me, all but pouring out of my pores. She caused a scene in front of everyone, then ran away to be comforted by her coworkers as if I’d tried to ram her right there in the stacks.”

Disgust contorted Luke’s mouth as he ground his fist into the shards of Kellan’s treasured snack. Only the fact that he had six boxes stored in the cabinet above the sink consoled him as he watched the pastries die a horrible death.

“You wanted me to fuck Sydney so I’d forget Emily. Well, I fucked her. I liked fucking her tight little hole, I can admit it. I even came. But I didn’t forget Emily and now she’s even more repulsed by me than she was before. While you’re all snuggled up with your
mate
—” Luke spat the word “—I’m more alone than ever.”

“I wasn’t trying to make you forget Emily,” Kellan said quietly. “I know she’s your true mate. Honestly, I was jealous you’d found yours before I’d found mine. But I wanted to prove to you that she was yours, that there could be no ignoring your feelings for her or your shared destiny. You must claim her, Luke. You can’t wait until she comes to you.”

A soft noise from the doorway took their attention. Sydney stood just over the threshold, a towel clutched to her torso, the ends of her hair trailing water off her shoulders. “Water’s nice,” she murmured, letting the towel drop just slightly. Her dusky brown nipples poked over the top. “If you’d like to join me.” Her gaze flicked between them. “If
both
of you would like to join me.”

“Your man laid down the law on that score. No more three-way fun.” A sardonic twist of Luke’s lips tweaked Kellan’s conscience, as rusty from disuse as it was. “It’ll just be me and my hand for all eternity.”

“Even if I decree otherwise?” She arched a brow at Kellan. “So, you’re the boss of me now?”

“You said you only wanted me,” he reminded her, fighting the simultaneous ache in his balls and the hit to his ego that maybe Luke was right. Maybe she did need two men to satisfy her.

“I do. But maybe I was a bit too hasty in ending all of our fun.” She glided between them and let the towel fall away as she ran her hands up Luke’s chest. “We’ll help you forget her for a little while,” she said, leaning up to kiss Kellan’s best friend while her damp, heart-shaped butt wriggled against the straining front of Kellan’s jeans. Then she looked back pointedly. “Right? We’ll make him feel better. Since your harebrained scheme got him in this mess in the first place.”

“It wasn’t harebrained,” Kellan muttered.

“I can’t do this again. Emily already hates me.”

“Shh,” Sydney crooned, facing Lucas. “Let us help you forget for a little while. I promise she doesn’t hate you.”

“How do you know?” Lucas’s tone was peeved but he waited for Sydney’s answer with an expression of hope.

“I just do. Trust me, Luke.” She looked back at Kellan. “So?”

He drifted his hands over the water droplets gathered on the small of her back. Her creamy skin boasted a vibrant dragon tattoo with a sharply pointed tail decorated with rows of spikes. Spikes, he realized, that looked sharp and lethal enough to be fangs.

“As you wish.”

She leaned up to feather her fingers through Luke’s blond hair, touching him in a way that spoke more of compassion than sexual intent. Kellan’s gut loosened. She really did want to help his friend forget. True, he would’ve preferred if she’d sent a card rather than offered her body, but he did feel a certain responsibility for Luke’s predicament.

“Once more.” He almost growled the phrase. Vampires were territorial by nature, and this was enough to strain all bounds of his control. But since his control wasn’t the only thing straining at the moment—his cock gave a meaningful jerk—he wouldn’t create a scene.

Unless she suggested it again in the future.

“You heard him.” Sydney smiled flirtatiously at Luke and started undoing buttons. “Once more for the road. I know you’re mad at me—” she licked his Adam’s apple “—but I can make you forget that, too.”

Lucas gritted his teeth and knotted his hands in the wet ropes of her hair. “I’m not mad at you. It’s not your fault your man’s an idiot.”

“Too true.” She smiled and sent Kellan a coy look under the sooty fringe of her lashes. “You gonna play with us or just stand there rubbing my ass?”

“Your ass requires all my attention at the moment. Since I’ve heard just how delectable it feels between these perfect cheeks.” Kellan slapped one of them, tickled when she only purred out a laugh. She would never shy away from rough sex. Yet another thing he loved about her.