Starved For Love (2 page)

“You need to find more suitors. The three you have aren’t enough.” He yanked me back into his arms.

“I’ve learned my lesson. I promise to never barge into here again.” I turned away and faced the wall.

“That’s not the point, Pia. You have to embrace your nature. Your sisters don’t have suitors. They—”

“Fuck around. I get it. I should be a slut.”

He rested his forehead against my shoulder. “What if I wasn’t here today? What if you had to make do with Rat?”

I closed my eyes, trying not to picture that image. “I don’t know.”

“You need backup. Would a mortal once in a while be so bad?”

“Did my father ask you to have this talk with me?”

He laughed and it sounded easier and lighter than before. “No, but contrary to popular belief, I do care about what happens to you.” He pressed a kiss against the back of my neck, his hand tracking toward my breast. “Think about it.”

I rolled onto my back and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I think you owe me a night of pleasure, Master.” I knew Sin cared but his brand of fuzzies stung.

He opened the drawer by the bed. “Let’s see what kind of toys I left in here.”

Chapter Two

Day one of my cycle

Valerio Hunan. I kept repeating his name in my head as if it would settle the butterflies in my stomach. I stood in front of the Roxy hotel and, once again, checked the address written on the notepaper in Sin’s elegant script. He had way too much faith in me. How would I discover the information he wanted?

Stroll in and just ask? I’d thought about it over my morning porridge and decided to start by making an appointment. Simple. Maybe I could scope out the skyscraper like they do in spy movies. I should come back in disguise with a camera and matching shoes.

With a heavy heart, I folded the note and placed it in my purse. If I left now, I’d never return. Stupid Sin with his stupid blood contract.

This was why I needed new suitors. A few good men who wouldn’t hurt me or coerce me into espionage, and in return I would… I sighed, shoving my hands in my jacket pockets. I couldn’t break this blood contract, and I couldn’t dump Sin. The feeding contract binding us was made between Sin and my dad. If I broke it, my father would suffer the consequences, not me. I crossed the street. Every muscle in my body ached. Sin had accomplished his part of the bargain. For someone who had seemed put out by my surprise visit, he sure had enjoyed himself last night.

So had I.

A doorman opened the door for me and I approached the main desk in the lobby. “Valerio Hunan, please?”

The woman at the desk slid her glasses off her nose and stared at me. This happened from time to time with mortals. My stunning sisters could stop traffic, and though I hadn’t caused any car crashes, I wasn’t a slouch. I inherited my mother’s delicate bone structure and lack of height. My father gave me the crazy curls, with the bright color of sunflowers highlighting the chocolate brown, and his vibrant blue eyes. “Ma’am?”

She blinked, shook her head and then scanned her computer screen. “Mr. Hunan is residing in the lower deluxe suite.” She picked up a phone and dialed. “I have an interviewee at the desk.” Then she hung up. “Take the elevator to the twelfth floor. His personal assistant will meet you there.”

I shut my mouth with an audible click and hurried to the elevators before she realized I was an imposter. How lucky was I? Nothing should come that easy. I checked my make-up in the reflective elevator walls.

The doors slid open onto a subdued lobby decorated in different shades of gray. My wedge heels sank into the thick carpet, making me wobble on the first step.

A tall man with skin the tone of caramel strode in the room, a lock of golden hair falling over his face. “The interviews don’t start for another hour but you get brownie points for being early. You can start with the paperwork—” He glanced up at me. “Ms. Blyton?”

My heart dropped into my gut and fizzled in my stomach acid. “You know me?” I could barely hear my own voice over the roar of my pulse.

He grinned. “Of course, we know your father. I didn’t realize you were interested in meeting Val. We can skip the paperwork. You and sisters have already been approved for interviews. Please, come this way.” He gestured to the open door behind him.

They knew my father. Approved? What kind of business did Mr. Hunan run? Mortal men didn’t mix in the same circles as incubi. I stared at the assistant as I strolled to the door.

He tossed strong vibes. I couldn’t place his species, but he was definitely immortal. Shit. Of course they weren’t human. Why would Sin be worried about mortal businessmen?
Pia, you bimbo
. Just like the vampire to omit important tidbits. “And you are?”

“I’m Hoel. Val’s assistant. Let me take your coat.” He followed close behind after hanging my fall jacket in the closet. “Both your sisters were here to welcome us to the city yesterday.”

“Oh.”
Welcome
was most likely code for
they came and screwed us
. I glanced over my shoulder at tall, handsome and golden Hoel. It couldn’t have been much of a chore for my sisters, but Hoel better not expect an encore performance from me. I had issues sharing males with my sisters. It would be akin to swapping chewed gum.

“What made you change your mind about meeting Val?”

“A seven hundred-year-old vampire.” Changed my mind? I never made it up. What the hell had I walked into? If it looked like a trap and felt like a trap…Sin, the sneaky jerk, had set me up. Retribution for disturbing his busy schedule.

And why had my sisters been here? They told me everything, even the stuff I didn’t want to know; however, neither had mentioned Mr. Hunan. I could have asked them about him and saved myself this embarrassment.

“Who?” Hoel unlocked and opened another door letting us in the lower deluxe hotel suite.

“Never mind.”

I stopped mid-stride. The view of Lake City and the river winding through the park made me catch my breath. I loved my city.

Hoel skirted around me and pulled out a chair, but I bypassed him and the sitting area to gaze out the window. “It’s quite a view.”

“Yes, it is.” The new male voice made me spin around. Hoel had been holding out a seat for me to sit across from a male when I’d ignored them both. Oops, score one for my lack of tact.

This must be Valerio Hunan. A sensual smile crossed his harsh, handsome face as he rose from his seat. It softened the hard angles of his sharp cheekbones. Soft black hair tumbled to his shoulders and had that just-got-out-of-bed quality I loved. Intelligent, pale blue eyes met mine.

“Sorry, I didn’t no—notice you.” I crossed the room and offered him my hand.

He took it with his long fingers and pressed his lips to my knuckles.
“Enchanté.”
He spoke with a mild accent, almost French but not quite.

“Sir, let me introduce Pia Blyton, Flynn’s youngest daughter.”

Valerio raised an eyebrow in my direction then dismissed Hoel with a slight wave of his hand. “Did your father coerce you to meet with me, Mademoiselle Blyton?” He sat and gestured to the seat across from him.

“Please, call me Pia.” I smoothed the flare of my dark yellow dress against my hips before sitting and tucked my feet under the chair. “Why would my father do that?” My vampire, on the other hand, loved torturing me. I gave Valerio my most disarming smile and prayed for escape.

“Your sisters came at my request, but they are not what I’m looking for in a new wife. They gave me the impression you weren’t interested in marriage.”

The bottom dropped out of my world. I grabbed onto the arms of my chair and clung for dear life. “You’re an incubus?”

He nodded.

“Fuck me,” I squealed and shook my head, racing to door. “Ignore that. That’s not what I meant. This was a mistake.” The doorknob wouldn’t turn. Holy Toledo, marriage was the last thing I needed to screw up my already fractured life. I clutched my seizing heart. My parents were going to kill me if they ever heard about this.

I’d stake Sin the next time I saw him. I’d wait until sunrise when he slept and jab toothpicks in his black heart, making his death slow and painful. I spun to face a very confused Valerio.

He’d followed me and stood in the middle of the room, staring as if I’d grown a second head.

An incubus on the hunt for a new succubus wife was my worst nightmare. My heart wasn’t screwed in right and I suffered for it. I wouldn’t drag Valerio’s whole family down with me. What wives would agree to take me in when I offered nothing to the marriage? Unemployed, living with my parents and a college dropout. I couldn’t handle any more rejection. I was just starting to heal.

Why hadn’t my parents warned me? Instead, they sent my sisters. They knew this incubus was in town wife-shopping and hadn’t bothered to tell me a thing. I was both relieved and insulted. I tried to twist the knob one more time behind my back.

Hoel had locked me in.

I didn’t want to be seduced. Valerio would have to shackle me if he wanted to place his marriage tattoos on my wrists.

“Pia?” Valerio leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “I can unlock the door and let you out.”

I straightened and smoothed my dress, trying to regain some kind of composure. Point two for lack of grace. “Yes, that would be nice.”

He ambled toward me, bemusement dancing in his eyes. “How exactly did you end up on my doorstep if you’re not interested in marriage?” He slid a key into the lock but didn’t turn it.

“Zur-Sin.” Not an ounce of guilt assaulted my conscience. The bastard sent me here. He must have known
exactly
why Valerio was in town. I had no trouble dropping his name.

Valerio laughed, the sound free and surprised. “Now that’s an interesting story I’d like to hear.”

I glanced at the doorknob.

“I don’t bite. Not like your suitor.”

Hanging my head, I covered my face. “You know about my suitors?” My kind considered keeping limited lovers a shameful practice.
The more the merrier
was the succubus motto. Suitors dated back to when my dad was a kid in the seventeen hundreds. Incubi used to try to control their wives’ feeding habits by letting them use only approved suitors. This had led to major conflicts in marriages and poor eating habits had developed. If a succubus didn’t receive enough variety in her diet, she became malnourished. I knew this firsthand. This tradition had affected the incubi, since they had to feed from their starving wives. Once they realized this weakened our race, the practice was stopped.

He stroked my head.

The tug of his fingers through my curls sent tingles through my scalp. This was a hand of experience—firm, confident and skillful. A succubus knew when a male could give her pleasure. We had to; our survival depended on it.

“Your father told me you had trouble adjusting to our lifestyle. In my opinion, he never should have sent you to mortal schools. It’s twisted all your values.” The lock clicked as he turned the key. “You may go.”

The dismissal slapped at my ego. I glared at his broad back as he walked away, allowing my gaze to wander to where that back tapered to his nice firm ass. I shook my head. “My sisters went to the same schools and they’re fine.”

“Yes, they are.” He poured himself a drink from the bar. “Would you like one?”

“No.” I stepped away from the door but didn’t enter the sitting space, and hovered at the threshold. “Why don’t you want to marry them?”

“I have five wives who are very much like your sisters. It’s not what I’m looking for.”

Five seemed like a lot. Incubi didn’t need to feed as often as succubi, and only had a hunger proportional to their power. He must be formidable to need so many wives. I stepped forward, keeping the chair I’d been sitting on between me and Valerio. “What
do
you want?”

Sipping on his drink, he returned to his chair and crossed his legs, gazing at me like a lion assessing his prey. “I don’t know. Someone special. I don’t need a sixth wife for feeding. My physical needs are met.”

“I bet.”

He glanced up from his drink at my retort. “Are you judging me? Taking suitors is considered very out of vogue. What bothers
you
so much that you take such extreme measures?”

Too many things, according to my family. My father was the one who decided to choose suitors for me, starting with Sin. “It’s for protection.” His silence weighed heavy in the room. “A man broke my heart once. Actually, I broke his first. He didn’t know or understand what I am.”

“Mortals wouldn’t. You fell in love. That’s a dangerous practice for our kind.”

I snorted. “Like I had a choice in the matter. It happened. Drop it.” I didn’t like his tone. It reminded me of my father’s.

He finished his drink. “Why would Zur-Sin send you here?”

I shrugged. “Punishment.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Meeting me is punishment?” A dark aura surrounded his eyes. “Your suitor doesn’t seem to treat you very well if he thinks he has the right to punish you. I should discuss this with your father. He should monitor you better.”

The blood drained from my head, leaving me a little dizzy. “What? No! Don’t do that.” I ran around the chair to plead. “It will just make things worse.” I already was watched too closely. If my family tightened its grip on me any harder, I’d pop. “Sin is pissed that my feeding schedule was messed up. One of my suitors disappeared and the other was camping, so I had to go back to Sin again.”

“Three? You only have three suitors?” He took my hand and drew me closer.

The heat from the contact crept up my arm. I stared at our hands, expecting to see electric sparks dancing between our fingers.

“Sweetheart, you’re being irresponsible. You need more than that.” He pulled me onto his lap before I could respond. Stroking my cheek, he guided my face closer to his.

“It’s not easy finding males I can trust.”

“You trust these suitors?” He twirled one of my curls around his finger.

“Well, not with my life or my bank account or anything, but they understand my problem. We have arrangements.”

His grin turned weary as he shook his head. “Pia, Pia. It’s a wonder your father hasn’t married you off against your will. You obviously need management.” He pressed a chaste kiss to my shocked lips.

Something sparked and ignited in my lower abdomen. Heat rushed through my body in a wave of ecstasy. I yanked away from the incubus. “Oh my God, what was that?”

A hungry predator stared back at me through Valerio’s eyes. He jerked my head back, and gone was the chaste kiss as he plundered my mouth. His lips devoured mine, not letting me catch my breath, and the sweet taste of his tongue set my blood boiling.

Holy crap
. His hand traced along my inner thigh and slipped under my dress.

I grasped his shirt and surprised myself by pulling him against me. Wherever our bodies touched, my skin tingled to the point of desperate desire. I’d gone from running away to sitting on his lap in minutes.

God, he was good.

The tips of his fingers brushed against my panties. He hesitated and started to retreat.

What had I done wrong? He began this and he’d better damn well finish it. I tugged him back into my kiss by his thick, silken hair. A woman could spend the night just running her hands through the mess.