Page 1 of The Vampire's Mate

Chapter 1

With a smile,I ushered out the last pair of customers. Liz had officially reopened a month ago, and people flocked to the pub, wanting to see the famous bar that rose from the ashes. Despite the long, exhausting shifts, I was happy to be back in business—I didn’t do well with idle hands. But even I was ready to admit we could use some extra help. There was just too much for the two of us to handle on our own, which led to minimal alone time—and I was certainly feeling the effects.

We fell into our usual roles easily enough: James was in the office tending to paperwork, and I started cleaning the bar. I filled a basin with dishes and moved toward the kitchen, stopping in my tracks when the sound of soft, twangy country music filtered through the speakers.

Luke Combs.

James rounded the corner into the front of house, and my stomach did a flip. I set the basin down and ducked my head to hide the flush creeping up into my cheeks. “What’s this about?”

He came to a stop in front of me. His black hair was disheveled, as if he’d been running his fingers through it. “You could use a little Luke Combs time.”

He placed a hand on my hip and tugged, closing the space between us. “I could use a littleyoutime.”

My arms found their place around his neck as we started swaying in time to the music. My tongue darted out to wet my lips and his eyes tracked the movement.

I kissed him, feeling him smile against my mouth. Tension melted from my body, and I relaxed into his touch, welcoming his tongue when it prodded for entry. His hand flattened on the small of my back and pulled me closer, sliding under the hem of my shirt. I moaned, the contact tingling my skin. Goosebumps trailed after his fingers, my heartbeat skyrocketing.

We stayed that way for ages, swaying to the soft rhythm of the music, trading lazy kisses and shameless touches. The twang of the guitar and Luke’s smooth baritone combined with the soft buzz I had lulled me into a sense of comfort that felt… dangerous. I didn’t often let my guard down, but trapped between the warmth of James’s palm on my back and the way he heated his body to warm us both—well, I was drunk off those sensations alone.

I rested my chin on his shoulder, letting him tuck me in closer. One song faded into another until I no longer recognized the words. I turned my head, nose grazing along the cleft of his ear. “Come home with me.”

James’s reaction was little more than a slight twitch of his fingers. He pulled back, giving me a glimpse of that intoxicating red swirling around his beautiful brown eyes—a dead giveaway that hereallyliked that idea. With a raised brow, he asked, “Is that an invitation or an order?”

I held him tighter. “Does it matter?”

He snorted. “Fuck, no.” He whispered his next words in my ear.“You’ve got me wrapped around your little finger, you know that?”

“I’d rather have you wrapped around something else.”

He laughed, the sound warming my chest, then pulled back and held his hand out. “Keys.”

I fished them from my pocket and dropped them into his palm, then yelped as he snatched my fingers and pulled me along behind him. James led me to my car sparing no chivalry as he opened my door and closed it behind me after I was safely buckled in. A year ago, those small acts would’ve made me feel nothing short of smothered. They would have made me run for the hills. Now though…

As he drove, I found myself tugging on his hand, wanting him closer.

James was on me the second we stepped out of the car, grabbing my waist and moving in close. His lips trailed up the back of my neck as he rolled his hips, letting me feel the hard bulge against my ass. He fumbled with my keys to find the one for my front door. When it finally swung open, the unmistakable sound of a sassy Husky rang out through the dark house.

“Do something with that beast,” James growled, taking away any ability to do so by pinning me against the doorframe and sealing his lips to my neck.

“The sooner you move, the sooner I can.”

With obvious reluctance, he pulled away and paced the length of the living room while I freed Carlos from the kitchen, where he was restrained by a baby gate. In a lucky turn of events, I’d adopted a Husky thathatedthe cold, so he did his business quickly and snuggled under his blanket.

Five minutes later I was leading James down the hall to my bedroom. There was something different about our dynamic tonight. Normally, we’d be furiously ripping at each other’s clothes and fumbling toward the bed, eagerly chasing release.

Tonight, we were content to take things slow. As I turned and locked the door, James approached me and wrapped his arms around my waist. A soft kiss to my lips, then he was on my neck. My head fell back, my lips parting in a sigh. He sucked, pulling blood to the surface. I think I’d had a permanent hickey since the first time he bit me. Not that I minded. I treasured having that physical memory stamped on my skin every time I looked in the mirror.

Fangs tickled my flesh. I speared my hand through his hair to hold him in place. He licked and nibbled, waiting for permission to drink. “Do it,” I whispered.

The words had barely left my lips when I felt the sting, then I was floating. With one short draw, he licked over the bite to seal it shut, then popped off my skin. “I want you to do something for me,” he whispered against my mouth. He stole a quick kiss, sharing a hint of my own metallic taste. “But you can say no.”

“What is it?”

James hesitated. He was nervous, vulnerable. He pressed his forehead against mine, and his skin shimmered in the moonlight streaming through the window. “Take me,” he finally said, voice quivering. “I know we’ve never done it that way before, but I?—”

“Hey.” I felt a sudden need to comfort him. “You don’t have to explain. If you want to take me for a ride, I’m here for it.” My smirk faded as I brushed his cheek. “Is everything okay?”

He nodded. “I want you, love. All of you.”

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