Bite Me (6 page)

“Holy shit!” I tried to feel around the seat for my purse. I didn’t want to take my eyes off Conner. “What the hell was that?”

I watched as he closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath. His lips were still slightly parted, and I thought my eyes would pop out of my skull as his fangs receded until his teeth looked normal. When Conner opened his eyes, they were no longer bright.

“Do you believe me now?” he asked.

For the first time in my life, I fainted.

Something cold and wet slid across my forehead and cheeks. I flinched.

“Dammit, Donna, open your eyes.”

The voice was familiar and sexy. I was always a sucker for an accent. Especially a Scottish brogue.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and realized I was lying on my couch staring at my own ceiling. Conner’s concerned face hovered over mine. I gasped, jackknifing into a sitting position in the corner of my sofa.

“How did you get in here? I didn’t invite you in.”

Conner sighed and shook his head. “Did you forget I brought you home and changed your clothes last week? I don’t need an invitation to enter a home. Again that’s a myth.”

“Well, what am I supposed to think? The only thing I know about vampires is what I’ve read, seen on television, or in the movies and here you are telling me that all of it’s not true!”

He moved away from me to sit on the opposite end of my sofa. I felt my breath coming a little easier. “Not all of it is untrue. Fire, decapitation, and destruction or removal of the heart will kill vampires. We may not burst into flames in the sun, but many of us are sensitive to the light, so we tend to avoid it.”

I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. The entire situation felt surreal, as though I were dreaming and would never wake up.

“What about garlic and holy water? Or mirrors? I mean, do you have a reflection?” I hadn’t bothered to check when we were in the ladies room at work because I had thought he was insane at the time.

Conner ran his hands through his hair. I could tell he was frustrated, but he surprised me by answering my questions calmly.

“Holy water, crosses, and garlic have no affect on me. I do have a reflection.”

I threw my hands up in the air. “Is anything I know about vampires true?”

Conner leaned forward and put his elbows to his knees. “I know this is a lot to take in, Donna, and I will answer all your questions. Please calm down.”

Fuck that. I got to my feet, heading for my kitchen. “I need a drink.”

I kept a bottle of bourbon in the cabinet for cooking or for when my dad came to visit, and I definitely needed it right now. I grabbed a glass and dropped a couple ice cubes in it before pouring a pretty large amount of liquid from the bottle. After the first big gulp, which burned the entire way to my stomach, I glared at Conner.

“Okay, tell me the rest.”

He leaned against the counter, looking sophisticated and nonchalant. “The rest?”

I drank more of the bourbon and grimaced as it went down. “The rest of the truth about vampires. I want to be prepared when you do something strange or that contradicts all the things us humans believe about your kind.”

Conner smiled slightly. “You are amusing, even when nearly hysterical.”

I made a noise low in my throat before I drained the rest of the liquor. I slammed the glass down on the counter. “Tell me, dammit!”

He laughed. “Fine, fine. Calm down. Though I have to say, you’re very entertaining when you’re like this.” He folded his arms across his chest, the dark fabric of his shirt hugging the muscles of his arms and chest. My mouth watered. Supernatural creature or not, he was still all kinds of hot. “As I said earlier, I do have a reflection. I can also be photographed. Holy items have no effect on vampires. Crosses, holy water, garlic, silver are all ineffective. Well, silver works if it’s in the form of a knife or bullet, but so does steel. Only complete destruction of the heart or decapitation will kill a vampire. The sun doesn’t make me burst into flame. Most vampires are sensitive to light, younger ones are weakened by it, but it won’t kill us.”

I poured a little more bourbon in the glass, but not nearly as much as before. “So you’re really not indestructible?” I asked.

Conner shook his head. “No, far from it. Most of what you know was clever propaganda or the ravings of drunken or mad writers. It is hard to kill us compared to you. We heal much faster, but not instantaneously. Serious injuries, such as internal bleeding and many broken bones can slow us down enough that we can be killed by other means. However, I wouldn’t suggest trying it. Vampires are faster and stronger than humans, and you should only attempt to kill one of us if you are extremely skilled, don’t care if you live or die, or have no other choice.”

I nodded. “So you’re faster and stronger. Are you immortal unless someone cuts off your head or cuts out your heart?”

“Pretty much.”

I drank the rest of my bourbon, the warmth from the liquor spreading throughout my body. I was beginning to feel even more buzzed. Between the wine I had at dinner and the liquor I was drinking now, I was headed straight toward drunk. I realized that would not be the smartest decision I could make with an actual vampire in my house.

Carefully, I screwed the lid back on the bourbon and placed it back in the cabinet. I also set my glass in the sink. I realized I had not offered Conner anything to drink and laughed. That would be a risky proposition, asking a vampire if he would like something to drink while he was standing right next to me.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Sorry, private joke.” I sighed. “I don’t think I can handle any more epiphanies tonight.” A seriously scary thought hit me. “Fuck, you told me all this and you can’t brainwash me. Does this mean you’re going to kill me?”

Without being obvious, I shifted slightly toward the counter top where my knife block sat. I doubted I could win an arm wrestling match with Conner, but I refused to go down without a fight. Even if he were only human, the man was eight inches and at least fifty pounds heavier than me. I had no chance.

Conner raised his hands slowly in a gesture of surrender and moved toward me. “No, Donna. I’m not going to kill you. I knew days ago that I couldn’t control your thoughts, yet I told you all this anyway.”

He reached me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “I want you to know me, Donna. I want you to understand what I am.”

I stared up at him, into his beautiful blue eyes. “But why?”

Conner pulled me closer to him so the front of our bodies brushed. His hands slid down my back, pressing me against him. Damn, that felt good.

“Don’t you feel it? We have a connection.”

Oh, I felt it alright, but I had a feeling that Conner was being poetic rather than literal.

“I am extremely attracted to you, Conner, but I don’t think it’s smart to trust me so much after such a short time.”

He grinned at me. “That alone is proof that you are trustworthy. Also, I may not be able to control your mind or your body but I can feel some of your emotions and impressions of your thoughts. I know that you feel the same pull I feel. You can’t deny it.”

I scowled at him. “Is there anything else I should know about vampires?” I asked.

Conner’s grin widened. “I thought you couldn’t handle any more information tonight?”

“You’re right. I can’t deal with anymore tonight.” I rolled my eyes.

Conner cupped the back of my head in one of his hands, tilting my face upward a bit more. He studied me with warm blue eyes.

“Okay, I can see that you are overwhelmed. I will leave tonight, but I want to see you again.”

Before I could object, he placed a finger over my lips. “Please don’t say no right away. Think for a day or two. I’ll call you.”

I nodded.

“Good. Now, please walk me to the door.”

I followed Conner back through my small living room to the front door. Once we were there he didn’t open it immediately. Instead, he pulled me back into his arms. I rested my hands on his shoulders, confused.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Conner gave my waist a gentle squeeze. “It isn’t a date without a goodnight kiss.”

What? This had to have been the strangest date in history. It wasn’t horrible, just odd. Now he was talking about a goodnight kiss. I couldn’t decide whether I was looking forward to it or completely freaked out. Or both.

While I was trying to make up my mind, Conner leaned forward. Before I could organize my thoughts, his mouth was on mine and I stopped thinking completely. Just like when he kissed me before, I felt all the strength drain out of my muscles. His tongue tangled with mine as his hands cupped my hips. A simple kiss suddenly seemed like an erotic dance as he moved against me. The muscles between my thighs clenched. God, he could kiss. I imagined what his tongue could do to other parts of my body and shivered.

Conner groaned and pulled me even closer until I felt the hard length of his erection against my belly. My hands moved from his shoulders to his hair. I fisted both of them into the strands at the base of his neck. Suddenly he picked me up and pressed my back against the wall. I wrapped my legs around his waist. The spark between us exploded into an inferno. I sank my teeth into Conner’s bottom lip, tugging his hair.

He lifted his head and hissed, but his hips stayed plastered to mine. I rocked against him. I felt hot, like my skin was on fire. While Conner followed my rhythm and continued that delicious friction, I flicked open the first few buttons of his shirt with shaking hands. The smooth, tan skin of his throat and upper chest was revealed. I leaned forward, touching my lips to his collarbone, then I used my teeth and tongue on the smooth skin of his throat.

It had been way too long since I had sex. For a split second I felt like maybe I was the vampire. With the lust pouring through me, I wanted to eat Conner alive. I licked his neck, moving up to his ear. When I nipped the lobe, I could have sworn that he growled. Conner put both of his palms to my ass and yanked me away from the wall. As he carried me down the short hall to my bedroom, I fought with the rest of the buttons on his shirt.

He set me on my feet next to the bed. Within seconds, Conner had unzipped my dress and it lay pooled at my feet. Dressed only in my silky pink panties and black bra, I struggled with his shirt. I yanked it from his waistband and managed to get the last few buttons undone before Conner took over. He ripped the material from his shoulders, and I heard the buttons at his cuffs pop off and bounce on the floor. His pants quickly followed, leaving him wearing nothing but the dim light of my bedside lamp. Apparently Conner preferred to go commando.

He was beautiful. His skin gleamed in the lamplight, surprisingly tan. I saw he had several scars across his torso, one looked particularly vicious, and it rode low on his abdomen. Feeling as though I were in a trance, I lifted my hand and traced the scar. Conner watched me closely as I explored the puckered skin on his chest. I flattened my hand against his pectoral and dragged my hand downward to his waist. I felt the muscles jump under my palm. I sucked in a breath as my eyes travelled down and I saw his cock for the first time. He really was perfect; long, thick, and hard. I suddenly felt like slowing things down so I could savor every inch. I reached for him but, before I could even blink, I was on the bed and Conner was on top of me. I released the breath I had been holding.

“Please warn me before you do that again,” I whispered.

He smiled slightly and kissed me. The earlier desperation had settled, and now I wanted to enjoy every second and every touch. I ran my hands over his shoulders and back, feeling more thin scars. I wondered for a moment what Conner did before he became a vampire. He had so many scars. I never had a chance to ask because he pulled the straps of my bra down my arms and unhooked it. As soon as it was gone, Conner sucked one of my nipples into his mouth and all I could concentrate on were the sensations he created. I couldn’t stop myself from pulling at his hair as he licked and sucked both my nipples.

Conner moved his mouth up my neck, and I felt something sharp scrape my skin. I flinched and froze. Oh God, was he going to bite me? Was this all some sort of elaborate set up so he could fuck me then kill me?

He lifted his head. “What’s wrong, Donna?”

I swallowed hard. “Please don’t bite me,” I whispered.

Conner’s eyes flared, and I saw the tips of his fangs as his lips parted. I fought the instinct to cringe. He smoothed the hair away from my face. “I will never bite you if you don’t want me to. I can control myself. You are safe with me.”

My eyes flicked down to his mouth. The tips of his fangs were still visible. He knew what held my attention.

“I need you to trust me.” He pressed a light kiss to my lips. “I won’t always be able to control my responses to you, but I promise that I won’t take your blood unless you ask it of me.”

His Scottish accent thickened as he spoke and I felt goose bumps break out on my skin. It was nearly impossible not to believe him when he sounded like that.

“I trust you, Conner.”