Rednecks 'N' Roses (7 page)

Because he’d flattened the neck, the opening was completely closed.

“Jesus H. Christ. Now what?” He glanced at the gray dust in the dust pan. Sure looked a lot like the stuff in that damn cat’s litter box.

A door closed upstairs. Now or never.

Far more quickly than any human, Rusty slipped into the laundry room, emptied the dust pan into the litter box and returned to the other room. There he picked the urn up off the floor and set it back where it had been. With a little luck, Amber would never notice.

“I’m ready if you are,” Amber said from the doorway.

Rusty turned from looking out the window and smiled. “Let’s go then.” Taking her arm, he led her through the living room and out the door.

Amber pulled into an empty parking space. Neon lights of various colors shone through dusty windows of the rustic log building. How quaint. “What a great idea, Rusty. A bar. The perfect place to hunt your first human. Most of them will be drunk and won’t realize what you’re doing.” He shrugged as he slid out. “If you say so. Personally, I could use a beer first. What about you?”

“Sure,” she answered as she opened her door and slid out. “You probably need to relax a little anyway.”

“Yeah,” Rusty answered with a grin. He glanced down at his crotch.
You hear that buddy? Relax.

Amber tucked her hand under Rusty’s arm and dragged him toward the door. “Come on.” They were about five yards from the door when it slammed open and a man stumbled out. The door bounced closed and the man staggered toward them, singing a somebody-done-somebody-wrong song totally off key at the top of his lungs.

Amber jerked Rusty to a stop. “There. Him. He’s so drunk, he won’t remember a thing.” A look of shock and disgust appeared on Rusty’s face. “You want me to bite him? A guy? Are you fucking nuts?”

Frowning, Amber jerked her head around and stared at Rusty. “What are you babbling about?” He took a step back, shaking his head. “No way am I gonna suck on a guy’s neck. What kind of man do you think I am?”

Amber allowed her mouth to fall open for a moment. Then she snapped it shut. “You have got to be kidding me.”

He continued to shake his head. “Nope. Not kidding. I like women, not men. I ain’t nibbling no guy’s neck and that’s final.”

“Vampires don’t care who they bite.”

“This one sure as hell does. I like women, not men.”

Amber stamped her foot. “Fine. Stick to women. Just make sure you bite somebody!” Spinning on her heel, she stomped to the front door and jerked it open.

Blue cigarette smoke billowed toward her along with the scents of cheap perfume, stale beer and old grease. Every pair of eyes in the place turned toward her. Conversations died. Even the song on the jukebox ended.

A short, squat man sitting at the table closest to the door spit tobacco juice onto the floor, smiled a gap-tooth smile and shoved his chair back. “Hello there, honey. What can we do for you?” Amber’s gaze was still glued to the gob of tobacco spit on the dirt floor. Dirt floor?

A hand cupped her elbow and pushed her into the room.

“Hello, Dave. How ya been?”

Dave’s smile broadened. “Rusty? How the hell are ya? Where you been hidin’? Haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays.”

“I been around,” Rusty answered as he steered Amber toward two empty stools at the end bar. “Just keepin’ to myself.”

Dave slapped him on the back as they passed him and snickered. “Keepin’ to yerself, huh? I can see why.” After another louder snicker, Dave sat back down and laughed with the other men sitting at his table.

Amber slid onto an empty stool and looked around. This bar was certainly…rustic.

As Rusty settled in beside her, the big-bellied bartender ambled over. “Hey Rusty, the usual?” Rusty nodded.

“Beer for you too, honey?”

Amber whipped her head around and glared at the bartender. Honey?

The bartender was smiling innocuously. He was only missing three teeth.

“I’ll have a margarita,” she snapped.

His smile disappeared. “A what?”

“A margarita. You know, tequila…”

He started shaking his head before she finished. “We don’t have none of that. We got beer, whiskey, and bourbon. Which do you want?”

Amber blinked. Just how far out in the sticks was she? “Okay, I’ll have a light beer.” Bartender shook his head again.

“Fine. Just give me what Rusty is having.”

The bartender smiled. “Sure thing. Two drafts.”

Gritting her teeth, Amber looked around. An old man and woman sitting at a nearby table stared at her. When the old man grinned, the woman screeched like a banshee and hit him over the head with her purse.

Amber quickly turned away. Good God. She was in redneck never never land.

“Here you go, Rusty. That’ll be two bucks.”

Lights flashed in a dark corner and a Johnny Cash song blared from the jukebox.

Amber stared at the beer before her. “Is that a Mason jar?” Rusty lifted his and took a long swallow. “Yep,” he finally answered. “Josh got tired of everybody always breaking his glasses. These jars are harder to break. Of course, they hurt a lot more if you get hit on the head with one.”

“Get hit on the head…”

Before she could finish, a deafening boom reverberated around the room.

Grasping the edge of the bar, Amber swung her head around. “That sounded like a gunshot.” Rusty continued to sip his beer. “It was. Josh has a shotgun he’s been trying to sell for three years now. He let’s anyone interested shoot it out the back door.” Amber sputtered then grabbed her beer and gulped half of it down. Never never land? Hell, she was in redneck crazy land.

A female voice screeched across the room. “Rusty! Rusty Nipple! Where have you been, honey?” A buxom, bleached blonde with her bright yellow hair teased and sprayed into a towering bouffant grabbed the back of Rusty’s stool and spun it around. Then she threw her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers.

Amber brightened. If this woman was this eager to kiss Rusty, she’d be perfect for his first victim.

As the kiss dragged on and Rusty slid his hands down her sides and rested them on her plump hips, heat began to crawl up Amber’s neck and face. Who did this slut think she was, anyway? Rusty was her vampire.

Finally, Rusty raised his head and pulled the woman’s hands from around his neck. He moved his jaw back and forth. “Hell, Jolene. You ‘bout sucked my tongue right out of my mouth. How ya been?” Wiggling her plump ass, she stepped closer between his spread legs. “I could suck a couple other things, too, Rusty,” she said in a low voice. Her hand slid down his stomach to his thigh.

“Ahemmm.”

Smiling, Rusty glanced at Amber. “Jolene, honey. This is Amber. Her granny and mine are old friends.”

Jolene glanced at Amber, smirked and turned her full attention back to Rusty. “Let’s say you and me get out of here and go somewhere nice and quiet.”

Rusty’s smiled widened.

Amber’s temper flared. Bleached-blonde slut.

Rusty chucked Jolene under the chin. “Sure thing honey. Just let me finish my beer.” Her hand slipped between his thighs and cupped him. “Sure thing, Rusty. Gotta go powder my nose first anyway. Be right back.”

He squeezed her ass cheek. “Meet me outside, okay honey?” She squeezed his groin. “Sure thing, honey.” Turning, she zig-zagged between the patrons, chairs and tables.

Almost gagging on all the ‘honeys’ that had been flying around, Amber grabbed Rusty’s arm. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Eyes wide, an innocent expression on his face, he stared at her. His voice was low. “I’m doing just what you want me to, finding my first victim.”

Damn it. That was what he was supposed to be doing. Amber wanted to wipe his bemused smile right off his face.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her from her seat. “Come on. You watch and make sure I’m doing this right.”

Watch him. Was he nuts? “Are you crazy? She’ll get suspicious if she sees me.” He snorted. An audience never stopped Jolene before. He stopped behind a beat-up pickup truck.

“You said you were going to watch and make sure I did this right. You can stay here, behind this pickup. I’ll be right over there. If I’m doing something wrong, you can signal me.”

“If you’re doing something wrong! But…”

He shoved her behind the truck. “Shhh. Here she comes. Now stay there and be quiet.” Rusty pushed Amber against the back of the pickup and sauntered to where Jolene could see him. He hoped to hell he was right and Amber was a lot more interested in him than she let on. Earlier, the combination of fish and cigarettes on Jolene’s breath had almost gagged him. Only the irritation that had quickly changed to anger radiating from Amber had kept him locked in that kiss.

“There you are, honey. Thought you left with that skinny-ass bitch.” Rusty smiled. He was sure Jolene thought he was smiling at her but he was really smiling at Amber’s reaction to being called a skinny ass bitch. Jolene could learn a few new curses if she had hearing good as his.

“I’m right here like I said I’d be.”

Jolene grabbed his hand. “My car’s over here. We can go back to my place. Daddy’s gone off with his fishin’ buddies.”

He pulled her back into his arms. “Let’s just stay here, honey.” She looked up at him. “Here?”

Rusty pushed her up against the front of a car and cradled her hips between his legs. “Come on, honey. I remember when you used to like the thrill of almost getting caught.” He squeezed her breast.

“What do you say?”

Caressing his upper arms, Jolene laughed low in her throat. “Why, Rusty, honey. Didn’t think you had it in you anymore. You ain’t been the same since you came back from that fancy college.” Then she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. Her bra disappeared just as quickly. She cupped her breasts, her thumbs twirling around on her nipples. “Bet you didn’t see tits this nice at that fancy college, did you?”

Amber leaned back against the truck.
College? Rusty went to college? Rednecks don’t go to college.

Wrapping her brain around that bit of information, Amber shook her head and peered back around the side of the truck only to be greeted with the sight of Jolene’s naked, melon-sized breasts. That Jolene woman was standing half-naked in her vampire’s arms! She stiffened. The slut didn’t have to be naked for Rusty to bite her.

The sound of a zipper ripped through the air and Amber gasped as Rusty wiggled his hips and half-turned toward her. She saw his cock spring free of his jeans. His cock! Just what the hell was going on over there? Rusty was supposed to bite her, not hump her. Enough was enough.

She exploded from behind the pick-up. “Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Rusty let his forehead fall forward onto Jolene’s. Thank God. Just the thought of biting Jolene much less making love to her had his stomach roiling. Only the picture of Amber he held firmly in his mind had kept him from gagging. He wanted blood. His body craved it. But not Jolene’s. He wanted Amber

—both blood and body.

No reason to let her know that, though, at least not yet.

Beneath him, Jolene was moaning and squirming, frantically trying to unbutton her tight jeans. As Amber reached him, he stepped away from her.

Without his support, Jolene slid off the hood of the car and landed on her ass at his feet.

Amber grabbed his arm and spun him to face her.

Eyeing the angry pulse at her throat, Rusty let his fangs drop. Damn, but he wanted her.

Passion-filled anger and heat radiated from her body. “What are you doing?” He made no attempt to hide his cock as it jerked. He bared his fangs in a toothy grin. “I’m doing just what you told me to.”

“All you have to do is bite her. I didn’t say anything about sex.” He stepped closer and loomed over her.

The pulse in her throat jumped erratically.

“The first day you met me you asked if biting people made me horny. Guess it does.” She jerked her chin up and spat. “How would you know? You haven’t even bitten anyone yet.” Rusty stepped closer.

Her distended nipples brushed against his chest.

His voice was low. “Not for lack of trying. You just stopped me. Why?’

His cock brushed her belly.

She sucked in a breath and didn’t let it out.

“Hey. Rusty, honey. What’s going on? We gonna do it or what?” Spinning, he glared at Jolene.

She was reclining against the hood of the car behind her, cupping and fondling her breasts, her jeans unbuttoned and unzipped, a splash of white cotton displayed by the vee of the folded back flaps.

Rusty stepped closer and let her get a good look at his face.

When her gaze drifted to his fangs, the blood drained from her face.

“Are you sure you want to hang around, Jolene?”

A small squeak escaped from her throat as she darted away. A minute later a car roared to life. Gravel flew as the car squealed out of the parking lot.

Rusty turned to face Amber again. “You chased my victim away.” She raised her chin. “I did not. You did.”

Grabbing her upper arms, he pulled her toward him.

She didn’t resist.

“I’m a vampire. I need blood.”

She shivered in his grasp. “There’s a whole bar full of people over there.” He rubbed his cheek against hers, slid his tongue along her ear, carefully scraped a fang along her neck. “I don’t want any of them.”

She moaned.

“I want you.” Pulling her against his chest, he reached down, cupped her ass and pulled her against his aching cock. “Kiss me.” He covered her mouth with his, forced her lips apart, stabbed his tongue into her mouth.

She slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. She moaned and twirled her tongue around his, shuddering slightly whenever she grazed his fangs.

A drop of her blood slid from her tongue to his. Need more powerful than he had ever experienced exploded in his body. He pushed her back against a car. “I need you. I need to take you here. Now.” Fire and desire raced though Amber’s body. She was locked in Rusty’s arms, pinned against a car by his hard body and there was nowhere else in the world she’d rather be.

“Yes, now, please. I ache.”

Buttons popped as he ripped her shirt from her. Her bra followed. When his head dipped to her breasts, she buried her hands in his hair, releasing it from the ponytail. The silky strands fell forward against her breasts, teasing and caressing whichever nipple Rusty didn’t have in his mouth. She arched into him. “Oh God, yes.”

His hand slid down the front of her jeans and yanked them. The material parted like wet paper. His voice was tight with command. “Off, get them off.”

As she hooked her thumbs under the waistband, he jerked at them again. More material ripped and her jeans slid down her legs.

In a flash, he was on his knees before her, kissing and lapping her stomach and navel, being careful not to scratch her with his fangs. “Fuck, but you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” He ripped her black panties away and buried his face between her legs.