Forbidden Blood (16 page)

“
That’s better,” Vaughn said.

He
hauled her into his arms. Welcoming his familiar scent, she breathed in the smell of spiced cloves.

He pulled back and looked at her.
“Now, what’s wrong?”

Here was this tough, strong,
and dominant man, such an alpha male, yet he liked her, and he wasn’t afraid to show it. He made her feel special, like she was the most important person in the room. Tonight, he’d dropped everything the moment he saw her, knowing something was wrong.

And
it was killing her that she couldn’t be with him.

Naya
burst into tears. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. She never felt this sensitive. She usually looked at things rationally rather than emotionally. Whether it was the type of person she was or her coping mechanism, it usually worked for her. But tonight, it had failed. Maybe she’d hit a breaking point.

Vaughn hugged her close again and let her cry. He handed her a tissue
that he’d pulled from somewhere in the room. He rubbed her back and told her everything would be okay, yet he didn’t push to find out what was wrong. He just held her and let her cry. Now, she had to add kind and patient to the list of great things about him, which only made her cry harder.

When her crying neared the end, she blew her nose
and cleaned the tears off her face. She decided it was time to tell Vaughn about her mess at home. Although he never expressed the desire to have an exclusive relationship or ever referred to her as his girlfriend, he deserved an explanation. If their relationship continued on the path it was on, it would only grow more serious.

But when she looked up into his eyes and saw his concern and affection, all thoughts of talking flew out the window
. She stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed him. This was most likely the last time she would see him, and she burned with the need to be with him again. Her parents, Emerson, the Vampire Council—everyone be damned.

Naya
put all her desperation into the kiss. She consumed it and turned it into passion. He licked and nipped at her lips. Their kiss was hot and wet. She had a fleeting thought that she should end this before it went any further, but she pushed it away.

She reached for his belt, praying he wouldn
’t stop her. It had been almost two months, and she wouldn’t—no, she couldn’t wait until the two of them were somewhere else. She was desperate to feel him inside her one last time.

Vaughn
didn’t hesitate, and he ripped her shirt over her head. He pulled down her bra straps and freed her breasts. He cupped them as he drew one of her nipples into his mouth. He moved from one breast to the other, sucking hard. When she started to whimper, he released them. He pushed her skirt up over her hips, tore her underwear off, and picked her up to set her on the edge of the dryer.

He tunneled his fingers through her hair, grasped her head, and looked her in the eyes. H
e studied her face as he stared at her. He rubbed his thumb over her lower lip, and she drew it into her mouth. He groaned and kissed her again before inserting two fingers inside her core to prepare her for him.

She
moaned, and he withdrew his hand. His lips moved to her neck, and he bit down. His hands held her in place as he pressed his way inside her. She sensed he liked her neck since he nipped and sucked on it often when they were together. Tonight, he’d bitten down so hard that she wondered if he’d broken the skin, but it hadn’t hurt. In fact, it’d felt incredibly good. She also forgot how big he was until he stretched her almost to the point of pain. Both his bite and his push into her body were a sweet ache, causing her to come right away.

He released her neck and began to thrust. He felt wonderful
, moving inside her, and being this close to him triggered her need to feed again. He shifted his neck nearer to her, and he smelled incredible. She knew how perfect his blood tasted. Until Vaughn, she never understood how sex and feeding could go hand in hand. Along with the bond it created, this was probably why unmated vampires fed from the wrist of someone of the same gender. Even during her previous relationship, Naya and her lover hadn’t fed from one another.

Yes, Vaughn was special.

He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. His neck was within her mouth’s reach. His artery pulsed, and she couldn’t control herself. She bit him in the vein. She put one hand on his hip, feeling him pump inside her, and the other hand in his hair as she pierced him with her fangs. The first time she had fed from him was good, the second time had been better, but now, his blood had become an addiction, and she had to have it. No one else’s blood would do.

This time,
she prepared herself for his reaction when she bit him. He drove hard into her and let himself go with a loud growl. Feeling his hot release deep inside her and knowing her feeding from him had sent him over the edge pushed her along with him. She withdrew her fangs and barely licked his wounds closed before she came so hard that she almost blacked out.

A
FTER
N
AYA LEFT her at the door, Kenzie wasn’t sure what to do with herself. She’d stayed late at work, and she would probably still be there if Naya hadn’t called. Kenzie had already had a long day, and now, she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was go home and sleep.

She headed to the bar for a pop, hoping the caffeine would energize her. She got her drink, paid the bartender, and looked for a table
, so she could sit down and relax. She searched off to the side, not watching where she was walking, when she ran into someone. She turned to apologize and realized it was Saxon, Vaughn’s and Sawyer’s friend.

“
Hey, beautiful.”

Saxon
made her smile despite her fatigue.

She
’d met Saxon a few weeks ago, and she could already tell he was a great guy. He was handsome with blond stripes streaked though his brown hair and a soul patch somewhere in between the two colors. He was huge with broad shoulders, a muscular chest, and slender hips, making her feel tiny. He also had piercing green eyes that sometimes made her feel like he could look into her soul and see all her secrets.

“
Hey, Saxon. How are you?”

“
Good. You?”

“
Tired. I feel like I’m going to fall over.”

“
You here with Naya?”

“
Yeah. She went to find Vaughn.”

“
I saw her meet up with him.” Saxon scanned over her shoulder before looking back at her. “I’m not sure where they went, but they’ll turn up eventually.” He put his arm around her and let her lean against him. “Until then, come back to the bar with me while I get a refill. Then, you can sit with us.”

She immediately wondered if one of those
us
included Sawyer. In the eight weeks since she’d met him, Sawyer hadn’t changed. Or, more accurately, his attitude toward her hadn’t changed. He still treated her like she’d kicked his dog or something, and she couldn’t figure out why. She had even gone out of her way to be nice to him. She’d laid on the sweetness extra thick, like she would do with a difficult customer at work.

Normally, she wouldn
’t care if one guy disliked her—or in this case, hated her. Plenty of other men were out there, many just as good-looking and probably nicer. For some reason though, when he was around, her body responded to him. Apparently, it wasn’t getting the message that nothing would happen between them. She blamed her attraction on the fact that she hadn’t gotten laid in five months. She should really do something about that, but when she thought of sex, she would think of Sawyer.

As
Saxon guided her toward the bar, she asked him, “Who are you here with?”

“
Vaughn, Sawyer, and Camden.”

She didn
’t recognize the last person, but she’d met other coworkers, Zane, Phoenix, Reid and Tegan before.

“
Camden?”

“
He doesn’t come out with us a lot. He’s the baby of the group.” Saxon tilted his head to the side. “He’s kind of reserved and quite possibly a virgin. Hmm…maybe you could bring him out of his shell,” he teased.

Her wantonness in the past was not exactly a secret.

“Ha-ha. Jerk,” she said playfully.

Saxon got his drink while she threw her empty cup away, and
then they walked to his table. He put his arm around her again, and with the crowded nightclub, they were pushed together. She never considered Saxon as more than a friend, but now, she noticed he smelled good. While her body might not want him the same way it wanted Sawyer, Saxon was very attractive, and she bet he knew his way around the bedroom.

She wasn
’t sure what inspired her next actions. Maybe because she was stupid tired, stuck at the club while waiting for Naya, or thinking about her sexual drought, but she figured she had nothing to lose by hitting on Saxon. She knew he wasn’t looking for anything serious, which was perfect since all she craved was a little orgasmic relief. It had been almost half a year since she’d had sex, and her body would have to accept the fact that it wasn’t going to get who it wanted. Also, a small part of her—although she’d never admit it out loud—hoped Sawyer might notice if she went home with Saxon.

Sometimes it sucked being a girl.

Saxon pointed to a booth about twenty feet away. “We’re sitting there. The blond guy is Camden.”

Kenzie put her hand on the arm he had around her shoulders
, and she stopped them before they got too close to the table.
It was now or never
. She turned to face him completely. She trailed her hand up his wrist to his chest and placed her other hand on his lower back. He furrowed his brow, simply watching her, as he started to raise his glass to his lips to take a sip.

“
Saxon, as soon as I find Naya, would you like to get out of here?” she asked.

His eyes widened slightly, and his hand paused midair. She leaned up and placed a light kiss on his lips.
He blinked and then brought the glass to his mouth. He threw his head back and swallowed the contents of his glass. He lowered his cup, moved his arm from her shoulders to her waist, and pulled her close. She was now near enough to feel his arousal. He rubbed himself back and forth against her to make sure she was aware of its presence, not that she could miss it. She could feel how large he was, and her anticipation grew.

“
Kenzie, just so there is no confusion, I think you should know that I like you. You’re hot and fun.” He leaned over, so they were face-to-face. “I’d love to take you home and fuck you.”

He straightened and stepped back, forcing her arms to drop as his arm fell from her waist.

“But are you kidding?” He threw his head back and laughed. “Sawyer would put my balls in a vise. Sorry, babe, but no woman is worth that.” He kissed her on the forehead and then walked toward his table. He shook his head, still laughing, as if the whole situation was the funniest thing he’d heard all night.

Kenzie stood there, frustrated and completely confused. Saxon
had said he liked her, and his erection had told her that he wanted her. But then, he’d just walked away.

And why the hell would Sawyer care? He hated her.