Page 6 of Hot Blooded

Her face flushed hotter, but she held herself still as he braced one knee on the cushions beside her thigh, gripped the backrest just above her shoulder. His other hand rose alongside her face, gently brushing her hair back. She suppressed a shiver as his fingertips grazed her jawline.

And then his head was dipping down towards her, so much like the choreography of a kiss that she instinctively tilted her face up to his. Realizing what she was doing, she caught herself and quickly turned her face away, baring her neck. Amos’s breath puffed against her skin as he paused, hovering close, but not yet touching. He inhaled deeply—was he smelling her?—and then his lips touched her skin.

Goosebumps ran from her neck down her arms. Her head would have lolled back, but Amos was cradling the back of her skull ever-so-gently as he simply breathed her in.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, eyes sliding shut.

“Shh…” That gentle admonishment skirted over her skin on a cool breath, followed by the stroke of his tongue. Tessa drew in a staggered breath.

And then his fangs were sinking into her. The piercing was a sharp pinch, but then it was gone, replaced by the stroke of his tongue and the deep, persistent suction of his mouth. A tingling pleasure spread from the site of his bite, filling her body, growing more and more intense with each beat of her heart, with each deep pull from Amos. In seconds, the pleasure condensed and exploded, launching Tessa into an earth-shattering orgasm. Her whole body arched up against his, her arms going round his neck. She lost all sense of propriety, of dignity, of self-control as she rolled her hips against his over and over, grinding her throbbing core against the hard length of his erection, driving her pleasure higher and hotter.

Amos growled against her throat, pulling long, steady draughts from her that seemed to spike her pleasure higher with each one. Tessa’s mind blanked, void of all thought. She was just physical sensation—the pull of Amos’s mouth, the occasional pinch of his fangs reopening her skin, and the vibrant, almost unbearable pleasure that ran through her body like a tidal wave.

Slowly, the pleasure eased, releasing her body into sated limpness. She became aware, in subtle degrees, that she was no longer sitting upright. That she was sprawled on her back across the fancy little couch and that Amos’s broad bulk was draped over her. That his erection was jutting against her hip as he lapped gently at her healing throat. That her thighs were wrapped around his hips, heels digging into his ass.

“Amos?” she whispered hoarsely.

“Hm?” He drew back, gazing down at her with a wild expression. His pupils were blown so wide, she couldn’t see any of his red iris, just inky black moons. His cheeks were flushed with hectic color, his pallor less deathly than it had been before. His hair, which had been neatly combed when she’d arrived, was mussed and sticking up in several different directions. Tessa could only assume that she had done that to him while she was lost in the throes of orgasm.

It’d been so long since she’d felt the intimate pleasure of a man’s weight bearing down on her. She had to force herself to relax her body, letting her thighs unclamp from his hips, loosing her arms from around his neck. Her instinct was to cling to him like an octopus, to rock her hips against his and see how much more fun they could have together.

“Are you alright?” Amos asked, expression growing serious.

Tessa cleared her throat, giving herself a mental slap. “Yeah. Just…” She puffed out a gusting breath.

He pushed himself up off of her, then extended a hand, helping her to sit up.

“Whoa.” She slumped against the backrest. “Dizzy.”

“Just light-headedness from blood loss. Stay here.” Amos got up and left the sitting room.

Tessa listened to his footsteps padding away to a different part of the house. A minute later, he returned with an armful of packages and bottles. He spread them on the coffee table as he sat beside her again. Snacks. Fancy snacks. And expensive drinks.

“You should always eat after I feed from you. My venom accelerates your healing, but you still need to elevate your glucose levels. The dizziness should pass quickly.”

Tessa smiled faintly. Years ago, when she’d worked for a blood center, she’d been the one pressing cookies and juice on lightheaded donors.

Amos fussed with the snack packages, straightening them so that they were all at right angles. “I apologize for last time—I didn’t take care of you properly, afterwards. It’s not an excuse, but I’ve never had a willing blood donor, and it’s been over a century since I’ve had live blood, so I was a bit overwhelmed by the experience. I won’t make that mistake again.”

Tessa froze, her hand clenching on some sort of artisanal energy bar. “You’ve never had a willing blood donor, but you have had live blood before?”

Amos went inhumanly still. “Yes.”

“You attacked people?”

“Yes.”

“Did you kill them?”

He hesitated. “I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?”

He let out a small, recriminating laugh. “I didn’t exactly see them safely home and tucked into their beds, Tessa. I was a hunter and they were prey. I didn’t intentionally kill because I don’t take pleasure in inflicting harm. But I hunted to survive, and I didn’t see my victims as anything other than meals.” His eyes were still black moons, his pale face taut with suppressed wildness.

She let out an unsteady breath. “Wow. Way to soften it.”

Amos’s gaze intensified. “Would you rather I lied to you?”

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