Cody (9 page)

S
HE WANTED SEX
.

Cody knew it the moment he opened his hotel room door and found Miranda standing on his doorstep.

It was a truth that had nothing to do with the fact that he could read every lustful thought racing through her brain.

Rather, he saw it in the trembling of her full lips, the high color in her cheeks, the tense set to her shoulders, the outline of her ripe nipples against the T-shirt that she wore. It was much more snug than the oversized number she’d had on earlier and it emphasized the full shape of her breasts and narrow tuck of her waist. Her shorts revealed long, shapely legs accented by the pink cowboy boots she’d had on last night.

His groin tightened and his erection stirred.

Her scent—warm, sweet apples and decadent woman—teased his nostrils. Her soft breaths echoed in his ears.

She licked her full lips and he felt the moist stroke on the head of his dick. “
I
need to talk to you.” Another swipe of her tongue on her trembling bottom lip and she added, “I’ve got a proposition for you.”

She rubbed her lips together and he almost groaned out
loud. “You feed off sex, right?” Before he could answer, she rushed on, “Which means you
need
to have sex like I need a really good pizza every Friday night. Right?”

“I’ve never heard it compared to a double pepperoni with extra cheese, but yeah. Something like that. And this matters because?”

“I need sex, too. I mean, I don’t
need
it. I want it.” Her gaze met his and he saw the seductive thoughts that haunted her. “I can’t stop thinking about last night. About us. About you.”
Because of you.

That’s what she wanted to think. What she’d convinced herself of and while Cody knew it wasn’t the least bit true, he wasn’t going to point it out to her and put her on the defensive.

She was here and he wanted her to stay.

The hunger, he reminded himself. He hadn’t fed and so he wasn’t thinking clearly.

It wasn’t
her.
Or the softness in her whiskey-colored eyes when she looked at him or the warmth of her body so close to his own. And it sure as hell wasn’t the methodical sound of her breaths that echoed in his head. Or the steady beat of her heart that sped up every time her gaze collided with his. Or the simple knowledge that someone was there and for the first time in his afterlife he didn’t feel so painfully alone.

The thought struck and he stiffened. Since when did he give a rat’s ass about being alone? He liked it. No one to worry over. To disappoint. It’s who he was. Who he would always be.

“You want to have sex with me,” he stated, suddenly desperate to hurry the encounter along. She would
proposition him. He would say no. The end. “That’s it, right? That’s why you’re here?”

“Not just any old sex. I want to have sex behind the bleachers at the football stadium. The gazebo in the town square. The history section of the library. The feed store. And a few others. See, there’s this list—”

“Restroom Randy’s Hottest Sex Spots,” he cut in. “I know.”

“But how—” she started, the words stalling as she shook her head. “Duh. You’re a vampire. You know everything about me.”

“I know what you’re thinking at the moment you’re thinking it. But only if I stare into your eyes.”

“So if I turn around?” She put her back to him. “You can’t read my mind?”

“I can feel what you feel, but I can’t pick your brain.”

“That’s a relief.”

“And why is that?”

“It’s not fair that it should be so one-sided. No one should know everything in a relationship. But then this isn’t an actual relationship. It’s business.” She turned back around. “If you agree to have sex with me in every spot on the list, that is.”

Yes.
The answer raged through him, but he clamped his lips shut.
You’re already in too deep, buddy. Don’t make things worse.
“So who came up with this list?” he asked instead.

She shrugged. “Just this guy I used to know. He thought up this brilliant idea to write down the ten hottest places where he and I supposedly did it.”

“Supposedly?”

“We didn’t actually do anything. We went out once and he tried to feel me up. I turned him down. He got pissed off and made up the list.”

“And people believed him?”

“My name was Rivers, so it had to be true.”

Because she came from a long line of women who had no qualms about stripping bare and getting it on in the middle of a football stadium, or any of the other nine spots.

“So? Are you interested or not?”

“Maybe.”

“Meaning?”

“First I want to know why you’re doing this.”

“You’re the one with super vampire senses. Don’t you already know?”

“Yes, but I want to see if you do.” He stared deep into her gaze and saw the desperation. Despite her words, she didn’t just want this. She needed it. To satisfy the wildness inside her. To calm the restlessness. To distract herself from the fact that she wasn’t nearly as satisfied with her life as she pretended to be. “You won’t ever get enough,” he pointed out, his voice deep and knowing. “Doing it once. Twice. Three times. You’ll just want more.”

“Says you. You’re a vampire who feeds off sex. It’s different for me. I’ve spent too much time trying not to think about sex, really great, exciting, fulfilling sex. It only stands to reason that’s all I can think about now. I need to sow a few wild oats. Cut loose. Enjoy the moment. Then my curiosity will be satisfied.”

Even more, you’ll be gone. No temptation. No fall from grace.

Or so she desperately hoped.

“So will you do it?” she added. “Eight encounters. Eight different places.”

“If there are ten spots, then why just eight encounters?”

“We already did the back alley. Granted, it was outside of a bar rather than a Piggly Wiggly, but an alley’s an alley.”

“And number ten?”

Her eyes clouded and she stiffened. “I’m not interested in that one. If you’ve seen one backseat, you’ve seen them all. It’s just the other eight. You help me fulfill those and you’ll get to feed. I’ll keep my mouth shut about your identity and you won’t have to worry about pissing off the angry villagers.”

“And if I don’t?”

“We’ve never had a vampire in town before. I’m sure the newspaper will put you on the front page when I go to them with your story.”

If
they believed her, which she really didn’t think they would. But she was using it to bargain anyway because she wanted this.

She wanted him.

“So what about it? Are you in?”

It was the last thing he needed to agree to. He wouldn’t just be going back for seconds, he’d be going back for thirds and fourths and so on. Letting her under his skin. Into his thoughts. Fortifying the connection.

At the same time, he had five entire days until Garret Sawyer flew back into town. Five days to feed and build his strength, and Miranda was offering him the perfect sustenance.

And
a prime opportunity no sane vampire in his situation could resist.

Feeding off of several different women with Benny James so close on his tail wasn’t the smartest thing to do. The last thing he needed was to stir Benny’s curiosity even more by cruising the local bars and picking up females.

If he said yes to Miranda, he could maintain his low profile and stay off of Benny’s radar.

It made sense despite the alarm bells ringing in his head.
No ties,
a voice screamed.
No friggin’ ties!

“Okay.”

“Great,” she blurted as if he’d just agreed to cut her lawn. “We can start first thing in the morning.”

“Why not right now? We’ve got eight encounters and only five days. It seems a shame to waste time.”

She glanced at her watch. “It’s already midnight. I have to work tomorrow. We’re starting a breakfast bunko tournament and I have to be there early. Not to mention, I’m smack dab in the middle of deciding on appetizers for the food buffet at next week’s senior sock hop. I’m the activities coordinator at Golden Acres. It’s a nursing/retirement village just outside of town.”

“Breakfast Bunko?”

“I know it doesn’t sound all that fun, but the residents play for cinnamon rolls and it’s really a blast. Especially if Erwin Holiday wins. He’s allergic to cinnamon and so he raffles off his winnings to the highest bidder. It just prolongs the fun that much more.”

“I’ll bet.”

“It’s settled then. We’ll start tomorrow.” Namely
because as eager as she was, she was also scared. Scared to give in to the wildness inside of her. Scared to stop planning and simply act. Scared to lose her precious control.

“I thought you wanted to cut loose? Enjoy the moment?” His gaze collided with hers and called to the wildness inside of her. “The moment is now, not later, sugar.”

She wanted to say yes. She wanted it so badly that her entire body trembled. A reaction that both scared and excited her, and Cody couldn’t wait to see which emotion would win out.

She licked her lips and he stiffened. His groin tightened and he shifted his stance. Her attention dropped to the very prominent erection pushing against his jeans and she swallowed.

“Okay,” she finally murmured. “Let’s do it.”

“Atta girl.” He grinned.

And then he swooped her up into his arms and headed for the nearest feed store.

M
IRANDA STARED UP AT THE
John Deere 400 front loader and wondered what sort of drugs Ray McGuire had been smoking when he’d added
this
to the
Hottest Sex Spots
list.

While the huge green scoop bucket attached to the nose could easily hold two people, it didn’t look even remotely comfortable, much less a prime rendezvous spot.

Ditto for the other pieces of farm equipment that crowded the back lot of Jimbo’s Feed and Farm. The gigantic red metal building perched on the far edge of town, along with a handful of other businesses, all of which had closed up shop much earlier that evening. There was Skull Creek Stables, a boarding facility for cattle and horses, The Handy Dandy Lumber yard, Jimbo’s Feed & Farm Equipment and the Happy Tails Pet Resort.
A
few acres separated each establishment, affording plenty of privacy for tonight’s rendezvous.

Sort of.

A
twelve-foot chain link fence enclosed the back lot behind Jimbo’s where the machinery was kept. Beyond the fence, pastureland reached toward a distant patch of trees. Several horses being boarded at the stables grazed in the far distance, instantly alert to the man who stood
behind her. They stomped and whinnied in response to the danger lurking close by.

Miranda didn’t blame them.

Not that Cody would ever hurt a defenseless animal. Vampire or not, he wouldn’t. She wasn’t sure how she knew, except that she did. It was a certainty that sat deep inside, along with the knowledge that she wanted him. That she couldn’t help but want him.

Raw power radiated from his body. A fierce magnetism that made her want to turn and throw herself into his arms even though her precious list mentioned nothing about getting it on next to a chain link fence.

Desire welled inside her and made her hands tremble. She drew a deep, shaky breath and fought for control as his smooth, deep voice slid into her ears.

“I can see the appeal.”

“Are you kidding me?” She focused her attention on the front loader and tried to ignore the fact that his chest kissed her shoulder blades. He was so close.

Not close enough.

“That thing will barely fit two people,” she blurted, eager to distract herself from the wanton thought. “There’s no room to move.”

“There’s always the tractor seat.”

“It’s one seat.”

“That’s the point, sugar.” His lips fanned the outer shell of one ear and her stomach hollowed out.

Anticipation ripped through her, so strong and fierce that her reservations kicked in and she blurted, “It doesn’t matter anyway because there’s no way we’re getting in there. The gate is locked. I told you we should
wait until tomorrow—” The words stumbled into a loud squeal as he scooped her into his arms.

Effortlessly, they sailed up and over the barrier. A heartbeat later, he set her on her feet next to the John Deere. Her body did a slow glide down his and her heart stopped when she felt his arousal against her belly. He was thick and hard and the temperature outside seemed to kick up at least ten degrees.

“Superheroes aren’t the only ones who can leap fences in a single bound,” he murmured, his voice gruff. Sexy.

She swallowed. “That would be
tall buildings
.” She licked her suddenly dry lips.

“I can do those, too.” A grin tugged at his sensuous mouth and then, just like that, he disappeared.

She blinked, staring at the empty spot in front of her.

“Up here.” His deep voice drew her attention and she glanced up to see him standing in front of the tractor seat. The moonlight outlined his tall, powerful frame and made him seem almost surreal. His gaze brightened, the edges turning a bright, brilliant purple as he reached down a hand. “Your turn.”

She stared at his long powerful fingers and a very real image rushed at her—her body straddling his, his mouth suckling her nipple, his strong hands playing up and down her spine. Heat zapped her and the air stalled in her lungs. She hesitated.

A startling reaction considering the fact that he was calling the shots, bending her to his will, filling her with an uncontrollable lust.

He was the reason she was obsessed with the list.
He’d walked into her life and bam, all she could think about was the two of them getting it on at each and every sex spot. Only when he waltzed out of her life and took his vampire mojo with him would she stop walking around like some sex-starved zombie.

He was the one making her feel so wild and reckless and desperate.

It certainly had nothing to do with her legacy or the fact that she might be more like her mother and sisters than she wanted to believe.

Him.

Holding tight to the thought, she slid her hand into his and let him pull her up onto the riding deck.

He turned her so that her back was to him and then he sat down. Pulling her after him, he settled her onto his lap, his crotch nestled against her buttocks.

He was rock hard.

The realization sent a rush of electricity to every major hot spot—her nipples, her belly button, the tender insides of her thighs, the backs of her knees, the tips of her toes. Her body tingled and a wave of heat swept through her.

Cody slid his arms around her waist and cupped the undersides of her breasts, and her heart stopped completely.

Miranda stiffened against the warmth that unfurled inside of her and swept across her nerve endings. She opened her mouth and drew a steady breath.

The air lodged in her lungs when he swept a hand down and touched the vee between her legs. She felt the pressure of his touch through the denim of her shorts
and electricity skimmed up and down her spine. He rasped her, back and forth, making her head spin and her lungs fight for air. The sensation was overwhelming. At the same time, it wasn’t enough. She wanted more.

A
surge of longing welled inside and she had the sudden urge to stand up and strip off every piece of clothing. She wanted him to see her naked. She wanted to see him naked.

She wanted it really,
really
bad.

Too bad for a woman who’d prided herself on
not
being a slave to her lust. Her head ruled. Nothing else. Even in this situation.

Especially in this situation.

She braced her hands on his thighs and dug her fingers into the hard, corded muscles and held on tight to what little self-control remained. She might be powerless, but she wasn’t losing herself completely.

Not for Cody Braddock.

Not for anyone.

Man or vampire.

S
HE WANTED TO MOVE
.

Cody wasn’t staring into her eyes, but he knew it anyway. He could feel the need vibrating inside of her, hear the frantic thud of her pulse and smell the heady, sweet scent of her excitement.

He slid her zipper down and dipped a fingertip into her panties, between her legs. When his fingertip made direct contact with her clit, she gasped.
A
violent tremor shook her body. Her breasts trembled. Her shoulders
quaked. But she didn’t turn and press herself against him. She wouldn’t. No matter how much she wanted to.

Because
she wanted to.

Need twisted at his gut and his own hunger stirred. He stood them both up then and stripped her bare. Her shorts hit the ground first, followed by her panties. Her T-shirt. Her bra. Then he turned his attention to his own clothes. He tossed his shirt and peeled off his jeans and underwear.

When they were both naked, he settled back down onto the seat and turned her. Catching one leg, he urged her to straddle him.

Her wet heat surrounded his cock in one downward glide that robbed him of his thoughts and stirred a ferocious growl. He stiffened, his hands holding her tight for a long moment as he relished the incredible warmth.

The sensation took her breath away, as well, and melted the resistance inside of her. She grasped his shoulders and braced herself as she finally succumbed to the desire swamping her. She rotated her hips, her inner muscles contracting, sucking at him, teasing the beast, stirring the hunger.

He grasped her buttocks, his fingers sinking into her flesh, soaking in her sweet heat. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted back as she rode him. A fine sheen of perspiration covered her skin. Her breasts bobbed, her nipples hard and rosy and so damned mouthwatering.

She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

And for a brief, crazy moment, he had the distinct feeling that he would never meet another like her. No one as beautiful. As wild. As different.

She was it. She was
his.

He shook away the notion and focused on the clenching in his gut. He tightened his pelvis and thrust upward at the same time that she pushed down. He went deeper only to urge her back up and thrust again. And again.

Miranda caught her bottom lip against the sensation spiraling through her. The pressure built, getting sharper and sweeter until she couldn’t take anymore. Heat exploded, rushing through her body at an alarming pace that sucked the oxygen from her chest and made her head spin. Her muscles clenched. Her nerves vibrated. Her brain buzzed.

“Look at me.” The command whispered through her head and despite the fireworks going off, she forced her eyes open in time to see Cody’s eyes fire-blue then purple. His nostrils flared. A hiss worked its way up his throat. His lips drew back and his fangs glittered and she could feel the hunger pushing and pulling inside of him.

It tore at him, demanding sustenance despite the fact that he was already feeding off her climax. She felt it in the draw of his hands where he touched her, the pull of his erection still full and throbbing inside her.

She knew what he needed and staring deep into his eyes, she couldn’t deny him. No woman could. He was a vampire weaving his magic, mesmerizing her with a glance.

A vampire. That explained the way she rode him with such abandon. The way her skin flushed hot when he looked at her and her knees went weak at his touch. It explained the way she became acutely aware of the pulse at her neck that seemed to keep time with the throbbing between her legs.

It was him.

His charm.

His magic.

His desperation.

She felt it as intensely as she felt her own climax and she couldn’t help but try to ease his pain.

She slid her hands around his neck and drew him to her. Her head fell back and she closed her eyes as she guided his lips to her pulse beat.