Page 3 of Hot Blooded

She nodded, swallowing audibly. She lifted her bag from her shoulder, setting it on the floor beside the settee. She sank down against the curve of the backrest. Her gaze flicked to the blood-red roses before looking up at Amos expectantly. “Where will you bite me?”

Gah. The question went right to his fangs. He had to swallow another mouthful of saliva before he could answer her. “Your neck is easiest.”

She nodded tensely. “Okay.”

Moving slowly, cautiously, Amos came to stand before her. When Tessa didn’t cringe away, only watched him steadily, he bent down over her, bracing one knee on the seat cushions, gripping the top of the backrest for balance. Caging her with his body sent a hunter’s thrill across his nerves, but he kept his posture easy, relaxed. Tessa didn’t recoil, didn’t flinch or grimace, so he leaned closer. With his free hand, he swept her hair aside, baring her throat. He allowed his fingertips to graze gently over that delicate skin, heightening his anticipation. Tessa drew in a stuttering breath, though whether it was from fear or something else, Amos was too far gone to tell. Her scent was filling his head now, the heat of her body pulling him closer. He could see her carotid artery ticking in her throat, a hypnotic beat.

He cupped the back of her head, brought his mouth to her pulse, and bit.

Her flesh parted easily beneath the points of his fangs. Distantly, he heard her gasp again, felt her body tense beneath him. But then the first taste of her blood hit his tongue and he was gone, lost to the ecstasy of Tessa’s hot, rich taste flooding his mouth, overwhelming his senses. He groaned, his arms going around her, cradling her body tightly against his as he angled his head to draw more deeply from that rich well.

Amos drank, and drank, and drank—long, languorous draughts that he savored as one would the finest of wines. When he’d drawn enough to sate the sharpest edges of his hunger, he began to regain his senses. He became aware of Tessa, clinging to him as tightly as he held onto her. Soft little gasps escaped her mouth as her hips rocked against his, grinding against his stiffened cock.

An erection! He hadn’t had one in over a century—couldn’t get one without live blood. The urge to put it to use was almost as overwhelming as the blood hunger, but despite her gasping, writhing, clinging embrace, Tessa had only consented to share blood. Tamping down the sexual hunger, Amos shifted his hips back so that his cock wouldn’t rub against her.

Even if he wouldn’t be getting any sexual gratification, he was more than pleased to witness Tessa’s. He drew another sip of her blood, and she cried out, arching against him.

What an unexpected pleasure. He could’ve happily drunk from her all night, listening to her come with each steady pull, but unfortunately, even with the accelerated healing of his venom, she wouldn’t replenish her blood supply quickly enough to survive that. Grabbing hold of his self-control, Amos eased his fangs from her throat, licking at the wounds he’d made until the blood stopped welling. She trembled in his arms, gasping for breath. When he eased her back down to the settee, she stared up at him with flushed cheeks and wild eyes.

Energy and vigor like Amos hadn’t felt in decades rushed through him, making him feel suddenly lightheaded. He sank down onto the couch next to Tessa, trying not to swoon.

Tessa blinked. She blinked again. Suddenly, she hauled in a ragged gasp, her eyes going wide and stricken. She scrabbled to sit up, pushing away from Amos.

Dismay cut through the wild rush of live blood coursing through his system. He twisted to look at Tessa. As he met her horrified gaze, his stomach dropped. Something had gone wrong. He’d messed up, but he didn’t know how.

“What did you do?” she demanded, staring at him like he was a monster.

Well, he was a monster. “Did I hurt you?”

“No! You—you made me—” Her flush deepened until her whole face was rosy, and suddenly he realized what she was upset about.

“Ah, no. That wasn’t me, that was you.”

“What?” She looked appalled, humiliated.

Shame, regret, dismay churned in his gut, squeezed his chest. “Didn’t they explain anything to you at this goddamn agency?”

She flinched at the anger in his tone.

Ashamed of himself, Amos strove for control, softening his voice. “They should have explained to you that this happens sometimes. It’s not usual, but it’s not shockingly rare, either. Some people react to a vampire’s venom in a, well…” He pressed his lips together, picking his words carefully so that he didn’t mortify her any further. “Everyone feels a sort of ‘high’ from our venom. For most people, it’s a mild euphoria. Some people become significantly intoxicated by it. And some people…”

“Come,” she said faintly.

Amos nodded. He didn’t tell her that his kind had a term for people like her—B&B, as in “bed and breakfast,” a smirky reference to getting sex and a meal. He didn’t tell her that her sensitivity to their venom made her a prize beyond reckoning to most vampires. She clearly would not be pleased by it. Instead, he tried as best he could to allay her discomfort.

“I thought you knew it could happen.” He held her gaze, hoping she would see the sincerity in his. “I would have stopped if I’d known you hadn’t expected it.”

“Okay.” She let out a shaky breath and straightened, pushing her hair back from her face. Some of the flush had faded, leaving only a bloom of red across her cheeks. “Okay, um, no, they didn’t tell me. I mean, they gave me this huge waiver that I had to read through. It was probably in there, but it was all written in legal-speak, so I hardly understood half of it.”

Amos frowned. “And you signed it anyway?”

“I knew someone else who had signed up before I did, and she said it was great. And I needed—” she pressed her lips together. “I figured it’d be fine.”

He felt a flash of irritation at her carelessness, but before he could say anything about it, her gaze dropped and her eyes grew wide. She jumped up from the settee, springing away from him. “Look, I know I just, uh, basically came all over you. But, I’m sorry, I’m not returning the favor.”

Amos glanced down to where her eyes were pinned. The front of the gray merino trousers he’d worn to make a good first impression were tented by his raging erection. Fresh off of feeding from live blood, he was very capable of blushing. His face heated—a strange feeling after decades without it. He had to be as red as Tessa was. Grimacing, he turned his back and adjusted himself to a more discreet position. “I don’t expect you to.”

Tessa relaxed. “Alright. Uh, sorry for, you know…” She gestured uncomfortably at his crotch.

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