Page 79 of Blood Mosaic

“That’s excellent news.”

“—to bother me,” she continued, “while I’m just trying to have a drink.”

“Hmm.” He nodded. “So you’re saying that if I kissed you right now, it would be… convenient?”

“It would be for show. To keep others away. Would that be enough?”

“For me? Of course not.” He glanced to the side. “For them? Yes.”

She was already his. Not a single vampire in that club would touch her; everyone knew that Zara’s bookkeeper belonged to Oleg Sokolov now. No one would attempt to bother her, and only a fool would try to get near her while Oleg’s scent was even a hint on her skin.

But she didn’t need to know that.

He could smell her arousal and her resistance. The combination was heady. His cock was hard and wanting, but he ignored it for now, focusing on the delicate flesh at her neck where he could see her pulse fluttering.

“A single kiss…” He bent down and brushed his lips against her pulse, his amnis touching her skin and spreading near-burning heat. “…would be enough.”

Not too much. Just enough to excite her senses. Her hand lifted to his shoulder and her fingers dug in, drawing him closer even as the rest of her body was frozen with indecision.

“Do you like that, Tatyana?” He could feel her soften, could sense her surrender as her body grew wet and heated for him.

So tempting. He could have her alone in seconds.

“Shall I give you more?” he murmured against her neck.

Oleg lifted his head, meeting Tatyana’s hooded eyes in the dim light of the corner booth. A single candle flickered on the table. One hand gripped his shoulder, and the other dug into the smooth velvet of her seat.

“Do you think” —she swallowed hard— “a kiss like that will be enough?”

She wanted more.

Oleg lowered his head, sliding his hand to the small of her back, letting a single finger trail lower to the curve of her ass. Her breasts arched up and touched his chest as her lungs pumped air into her heated body.

She was on fire. Bending to her neck, he trailed the tip of his tongue along her collarbone, letting his fangs scrape along her skin without breaking the surface.

If he tasted her blood, he’d try to take her in the club. And in the state she was in, Tatyana might let him.

Oleg didn’t like to share.

He lapped up her neck, and the hand that was at his shoulder moved to his nape, stroking the hair that fell over his collar and pressing into his skin.

In a single movement, he circled her wrist in his fingers and brought her hand to his chest. It wouldn’t do to let others in the club see her hand at his neck.

Other than fire, the only way a vampire could be killed was to take their head off. That made the neck a singularly vulnerable position, and no vampire was going to see Oleg with Tatyana’s hand on his neck.

She didn’t seem to notice the gesture, because her fingers gripped the front of his sweater and her head fell back.

He felt the flame under his skin, his element aching to release.

Enough.

Enough.

Oleg pulled back from teasing her neck with his tongue and fangs. He put both his hands on her cheeks, framing her face before he angled her head to the side and bent down, placing a firm, closed-mouth kiss on Tatyana’s lips for a few long seconds.

Then he pulled away and glanced around the rooftop club.

Every immortal eye was on them along with those of quite a few humans.

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