Page 8 of Every Bite You Take
CHAPTER 5
KYLIE
When Damien wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close, a bolt of excitement shot through me. My pulse quickened as he twirled me around. The heat of his body met mine, and tingles pranced along my skin. We quickly found a rhythm, moving together as if our bodies recognized each other. How strange to feel this way—and in the arms of avampire—especially after the cringeworthy moments from last night.
But as we danced, all traces of that awkward encounter vanished. Mr. Blood-Spewing-Machine faded away and Hotty-McHotty-Pants returned, his movements entrancing me.
Although I swore I’d kill Piper for pulling Damien and me together like this before pulling a vanishing act, a part of me wanted to hug her. She’d teased me earlier about Damien, when I couldn’t seem to shut up asking questions about him.
“You’re into him, aren’t you?” she’d asked.
“No, of course not,” I’d denied. “I simply thought he was a good guitarist.”
“With a devilishly handsome face and hot bod,” she added with a chuckle.
That was true. Damien was entirely mouth-watering from his dark, roguish hair to his black leather boots.
After her prodding, there was no way I’d reveal the incident with the blood in the hallway. That was too horrifying to remember, let alone repeat.
As the song died down, my spirits slumped. I didn’t want this dance to end as that meant I’d no longer have a reason to touch Damien this way.
The band began the next song, “Is This Love?” Rather than letting me go, Damien pulled me closer to him. My body yearned to scream in jubilation. With our bodies only inches apart and my heart beating fast, I was sure he could hear it pounding.
What was going on? I’d danced with plenty of guys before. I’d met plenty of supernaturals. I’d gone on plenty of dates. But nothing ever felt likethis.
And he was a vampire. The undead. An immortal.
A freakin’ blood drinker!
I stole a glance at him and studied his profile. He had a chiseled jawline and the slightest bump on his nose, which suited him. His dark hair fell over one of his eyes. He caught me staring and his lips turned up slightly, making my insides churn. He fixedthose intense green eyes on me, and I was lost. My lips parted and my brain was instantly devoid of thought.
Everything inside me turned hot and squishy, and my breath came hard.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently.
Was I? I assessed my body. We were both barely moving now, as if we were caught in each other’s orbit.
“I’m—uh—really hot.” That was true.
“Do you want to get some air?”
I nodded, not sure I could even form words.
Damien took my hand and led me out of the lounge to the dragon pool area. We climbed the stairs to the highest deck, called the Gargoyle’s Perch, where we were alone, save for the moon and stars overhead. The waves rolled below us in a lulling motion that soothed my overheated body. I inhaled, taking in the salty scent.
We walked along the rail, the dim lights of the ship illuminating our way and the ocean breeze lifting my hair.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve danced with anyone like that,” he said. “That was fun.”
“Yes, it was,” I agreed. I bit my lip before I mentioned how good it felt—and how my body already missed him.
“I was hoping I’d see you at my show earlier.”
“Umm…” I was about to give some excuse about Piper and the art auction, but we both knew that it was more likely thatI wanted to avoid him after last night. After my iceberg and impalement comments, I was keeping my mouth shut.
“I get why you didn’t come.” He turned to me. “I’ve been kicking myself since it happened. Can we start over?”
I blinked, wondering what he meant. “Sure.”
