Page 24 of Sassy Embrace

He had a heartbeat. She had known it the moment they'd met.

“What about this?” she whispered.

Claude lifted her hand from his chest and kissed each finger.

“Some vampires are born, not created. Those born aren’t dead, like Aria and me. We descended from the original Queen of the Night, Miralla Abarca. We are pure-blood born. Those who are made through the bite, their hearts don’t beat."

Leigh was intrigued, her own heartbeat wild and mad inside her chest.

“That's similar to wolves. Many are born, but some like Jordan, Emma, and Nic became shifters after mating with a wolf. Maybe we have some things in common after all."

Claude showed off those sparkling teeth again. He placed Leigh’s hand back on his chest. She could feel the thudding of his heart as he laid his own hand over hers.

“I will never hurt you, sweet Leigh. I promise you that. You have nothing to worry about."

When Leigh’s stomach grumbled again, both burst into laughter. Claude implored her to order food, and while they waited, she taught him how to play the board game laid out in front of them.

The food arrived not long after. Leigh picked it up from the lobby, then returned to her apartment. Seeing Claude there, smiling at her, once again gave her that aching feeling of home. Then, for a flicker of a moment, she thought about all the wrongness that she had been so anxious about before.

It poked its head out like a terrible monster, kicking the door down. She pushed it back in and ate her dinner while the game went on.

Only an hour later, it seemed like Claude was going to go away as the victor of the game. He teased her about it, but Leigh wasn't having any of that.

“You must have cheated!” she exclaimed.

“I literally just found out about this game today,” he said with a chuckle. “I guess I’m just a natural."

They were sitting close on the couch when Leigh gave him a playful snarl. When he returned to the game, she slid her hand along his thigh, edging the spot where his jeans bulged.

When he noticed, she bit her lip, then began to tease the bottom of her T-shirt.

“It’s sounfortunate,” she said, drawing out her words. “…that you have to beat me like this. It really, really,really,is unfortunate."

The dark hazel of his eyes went wide as she raised her T-shirt slowly up and over her head, exposing the lilac bra he had seen earlier in the day. Her breasts were plump, and she ran her fingers along the mounds of her cleavage, relishing in the way his eyes explored her.

“Hmm,” he groaned, leaning back on the couch and lowering his mouth to her flesh. “I suppose I will have to forfeit this one.”

“Sublime,” she whispered, grinning madly.

“You’re naughty,” he murmured, his lips tracing her collarbone.

Leigh leaned her head back against the couch and waited agonizingly for him to finally get to her hardened nipples.

“You have no idea,” she muttered into the ceiling.

TWELVE

RODEO

CLAUDE

Claude had decided that from that point forward, he would gladly forfeit any game they played together as long as it promised the opportunity of seeing Leigh naked and aroused. He grabbed her breasts and rubbed his thumbs across her nipples. They were alert and ready behind her lacey bra that he considered ripping off with his teeth.

“Someone enjoys being a little tease, don’t they?” He growled into her neck as he peppered kisses down her throat to the tops of her swollen breasts.

“Maybe so.” She sighed as she began to grind herself against his raging erection.

He was already close, thinking about their encounter earlier in the club, and how he could get used to having her sweet pussy multiple times a day.

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