Love at First Bite (Book 1 Just a Little Taste Series)

Scarlett Jade

Just a Little Taste: Love at First Bite

Copyright 2013 © Scarlett Jade

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Prologue

“For Christ's sake, Jeremy, I am so sick of your bullshit. You disappear for two or three days each month, come home looking like a mess, no explanation of where you've been. It's obviously not work related. What the hell am I supposed to think? Who is she? How long has it been going on?” Her voice kept going up in pitch with each question.

He winced, and glanced at his watch. That was his second mistake, he realized with a sigh, when her voice hit glass shattering stage. “Am I taking up your time? Obviously this relationship means nothing to you! It's been a total waste of my time! Everyone told me that you were a mistake, but I held on. And for what? I have no ring on my finger; no nothing! I am done, Jeremy Parks, do you hear me? Done!” With that, she snatched up her Prada handbag and stomped to the door, Jimmy Choos clicking on the floor, and her incredible ass twitching. She paused at the door and looked back with tears in her eyes, as if she hoped he would ask her to stay. When he made no move to stop her, she choked back a strangled sob and left.

As the door slammed shut, Jeremy winced again. She'd never understand. They just weren't meant to be; regardless of the incredibly hot sex. She'd been more than willing to entertain his fantasies, but was not willing to accept anything else in his life. She wanted Prince Charming, and he was anything but that. He ran a hand through his slightly shaggy brown hair and glanced at his watch again. Four thirty.
Damn,
he thought.
Too close to nightfall to do anything now.

He rubbed his temple. He needed to get out of the city. The forest was probably the safest place for him right now, anyway. “Damn full moon,” he muttered under his breath, not that JJ was here anymore to hear him, he realized with a smirk. He grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and his keys off the counter, before heading out the door. Once on the street, he winced again at the shockingly bright light bouncing off the sidewalk, hurrying to the dark interior of his car. With the windows tinted nearly black, he breathed a sigh of relief. His head always hurt more this time of the month. “Damn full moon,” he muttered again.

Turning the key in the ignition, he pulled the smooth black Jaguar out on the street. Heading north on I-95, he headed for the solitude only the forest could provide. He actually owned a cabin up here, just off the Canadian border, middle of nowhere. Took about two hours to get there from the city, putting him at about six thirty; just enough time to get comfortable before the sunset.

He hated the full moon, almost as much as he hated his pathetic life. He was a self made multimillionaire, charm and good looks getting him into as many business deals as company owner's wives beds. He just was never satisfied. He knew if he crooked his finger he'd have at least half a dozen women drooling over him and more than willing to do as he bid, but he just wasn't interested in the casual bullshit anymore. JJ had been great, he mused. A curvy body, with plenty of sex appeal. Funny, but detached just enough not to snoop. Except, for the last six months, when she suddenly started noticing his monthly disappearances. He knew that he had stopped being careful. Stopped making up elaborate tales and spending thousands of dollars on presents. She assumed there was another woman. He certainly wished there had been, instead of the bane of his existence being the cause.

With another sigh, he sped along the highway, making the necessary turns to get to the cabin. The beauty of the place did nothing for him. Maybe he was too damn jaded to care anymore. Several large windows overlooked his own personal lake, trees, flowers, but he just saw nothing. He slammed the Jag into park and turned the key off in the ignition. He laughed as all the wildlife stopped making noise the second he opened the car door.

You see, he wasn't a normal rich, devilishly handsome multimillionaire. He was too damn messed up to be normal.

Chapter One

“Son of a bitch!” She beat the steering wheel with a vengeance. Her raggedy old Honda had finally given up, in the middle of freaking nowhere, with the hot August sun blazing overhead. She pulled her cotton top away from her sticky skin. The AC had gone out years ago. Now, with no wind coming through the windows, she knew she would be one fried chick before long; extra crispy. She looked at her bottle of water, realizing it wouldn’t last long in this heat. “Damn,” she muttered. She knew she should have gotten more water. Or maybe listened to her mother on getting a roadside kit, or a cell phone, or AAA; something. But no, she wanted to be Miss No Strings, Miss I-Don't-Need-A-Cell-Bill-or-AAA. She sighed. “Dumb ass,” she muttered to no one in particular, especially not herself.

Leaning back, she weighed her options. She could stay in the car, roast, and hope someone came down the road, which seemed unlikely; she hadn't passed anyone in the last two hours on this godforsaken road out of Canada. She could hike out- surely there was a house or cabin nearby- and maybe she'd see someone along the road. At least air would be moving and she could stay in the shadows of the trees. Rummaging under her seat, she found an old, dented can of bug spray.
Last thing I need is a tick on my twat,
she thought with a smirk. Grabbing her bottle of water, she flung the door open and looked ruefully down at her sandal clad feet. This wasn't going to go well, but it was her only option. She slammed the door, hard, and set out down the road.

***

He paced in front of the windows of the cabin, watching the sunset. Even after years of this, he wasn't prepared for the absolute rush of power and almost insatiable lust that overcame him on the full moon. The sun set and the horizon exploded in the last rush of color before nightfall; warm golds, oranges and pinks. He calmly pulled his shirt off and felt the last rays wash over his skin, which was starting to prickle in anticipation. He watched the colors bounce off the walls in silence.

Rolling his shoulders back, he took a few slow breaths. It usually helped calm the racing thoughts in his mind, but not tonight. He always tried to wait until it was totally dark to head into the forest. That way he had no chance of any overzealous hunter catching him in the twilight and shooting his ass off. That had happened once, and he wasn't too keen on it happening again. His mouth was aching, like the worst kind of toothache, as his canines begged for release.

Finally, as the night came on, he opened his door and stepped out into his playground. All of the animals were silent, from what his keen ears could pick up. His pulse was drumming in his ears, the ache in his mouth more than he could handle. Opening his mouth wide, he allowed his canines free rein in his mouth, the ache easing as they lengthened and sharpened. His eyes sharpened as well, catching movement in the shadows. He wasn't about to sprout fur or wag a tail. He wasn't the big bad wolf. Well, not quite. He was an anomaly, so he'd been told. Not quite enough werewolf to turn completely. You see, his mother had been a vampire. So, that made him a mixed breed mutt. He didn't turn wolf on the full moon. He didn't crave blood 24/7. He had a strengthened sense of smell and sight, along with blood craving only on the full moon. The rest of the time, he was human.

He'd never been a fan of snacking on humans, which estranged him from his mother's people, and since he didn't turn into a pup on the full moon, the wolves didn't want him either. He'd run on his own since puberty, when he'd attempted to lure a vampire temptress to his bed and she'd promptly rebuffed him, leaving his manhood aching in the process. His mother's people kicked him out on his ass and it still rankled him that he wasn't wanted anywhere. Maybe it had been the thing that drove him to accomplish all he had in his thirty years.

His eyes zeroed in on something in the grass a few hundred feet away. His pulse picked up. He was ready for the chase. He moved slowly at first, moving in an ever tightening circle toward his prey. No need to scare it off, just yet. He didn't want to run too long. He could smell the earthy blood of the deer pulsing through its veins. He went in for the kill. He felt his teeth sink into the animal's neck and the smell of blood filled his senses. He was lost.

***

She was pretty sure that she'd finished off the damn can of bug spray two hours ago, yet the mosquitoes found her absolutely delicious right now. Could be because she was sweating like a hooker in church, and had melted most of it off? She felt like a used dish rag and she hadn't come across a damn soul in the two hours she'd been going. Her water was nearly gone, which totally sucked. In this heat, she felt like she could drink a gallon of water, but she only had few sips left. Only God knew how far she had walked. She knew she was screwed, and not in a fun way right about now.

She swore she saw a light up a small road.
Maybe it is a mirage in the forest.
She laughed, or tried to. Her throat was so dry barely a puff of air came out. Hell, it might be an ax murderer in a cabin up here. Right now, she couldn't care less, as long as the ax murderer gave her water before killing her. Climbing the hill toward the cabin, her oasis in the darkness, she tripped over a stick and fell, hitting her head on a rock. The last thing she saw was the full moon hanging in the velvet sky, before it disappeared, like someone had flipped a switch and turned the overhead lights off, plunging her in to darkness.

***

His fangs had stopped throbbing and the dry ache in his throat was gone. He gently patted the deer, going back to the cabin and getting a shovel. He couldn't stand the thought of wild animals tearing his prey apart, so he always buried them. Made no sense, he knew, considering he had just hunted the poor thing down like the wild animal he so detested, but it made him feel a little better.

On his way back to the cabin, he swore he heard something breathing shallow in the darkness; very shallow.
An animal must be hurt,
he thought, letting his senses find the poor thing in the dark. Suddenly, he smelled one of the best smells he'd ever smelled. It was no common animal, that was for sure. This smelled like the finest wine; rich, dark, sinfully sweet, a little tart, and flowery. His pulse picked up a few notches.
Mother of God, what is that smell?

He slowed his movements, slipping along, little more than a whisper of the wind. He saw the creature on the road to the cabin, and began slipping ever closer, doing all he could not to spook the exquisite smelling creature. He came within a few yards and the smell was almost his undoing. His mouth watered and his throat ached.
Why isn't it moving? It should sense me by now.

Taking the last few yards in a dead run, he wrapped his arms around the softest damn thing he'd ever felt. “Holy shit!” he exclaimed, in total shock.

It was a woman.
Not just any woman,
he realized, when his cock caught up with his brain then took over. The most incredible smelling woman he'd ever been around. His jeans were becoming way too uncomfortable. Trying to muster rational thought, before he plunged his fangs into her neck or his dick inside her, he came to the sudden realization she was not moving or resisting.

He lay her back on the ground and stepped back quickly, trying to clear his head and get his blood back in places it needed to be. This girl showed up on his property, and was bleeding. Was this some kind of sick joke from his mother's people? He sneered. If the bitch was a pawn, he'd be glad to rough her up and send her back.
She must be brainwashed by vampire dick
, he mused. He could totally dickmatize her and send her back from where she came. He assumed one of the vampires had nicked her jugular and left her here to torment him. Sadly, they missed out on his first feeding, but he'd be glad to make her his second and maybe third. A small voice in the back of his head told him that this was wrong, but the thump of blood lust quickly drowned the sound out. He was all animal, all predator, and this luscious girl was his prey.

He started back toward her with a feral growl before picking her up, flinging her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carrying her to the cabin. He kicked open the door and flipped on the light, grimacing at the brightness. He kept right on carrying her up the stairs to the bathroom, where he dropped her in the tub and turned on the water to ice cold, before kicking on the shower head. She didn't move and the blood froze in his veins as some human emotion kicked in. Something was seriously wrong with her. He gently shook her shoulder.
Nothing
.
He checked her pulse.
Way too damn slow. Plus no blood seeping from her jugular.
His heart skipped a beat. She was hurt.
Would those bastards send someone hurt?
He put nothing past them. He turned the knob, the water becoming a little warmer, his heart deicing slightly for her. His dick was still incredibly uncomfortable, especially with her naked body clearly visible through the thin clothing she wore, but he tried to focus on the task at hand.

He went over her arms and legs, not finding any cuts. He quickly ran his fingers through her thick, dark curly hair, and his fingers came away bloody. He resisted licking his finger, really, he did. He failed. He nearly came undone at the taste of her blood. It was the most incredible thing he had ever tasted, even though there was a slightly acrid taste on the back note. It reminded him, vaguely, of bug spray. Taking a slow deep breath, he remembered the vampire bastards had dropped a hurt girl on his door step on the full moon and this was wrong. She was possibly the enemy; this was no time to lose his head over the first human he'd ever wanted to drain dry. Plus, she was hurt and he wasn't that cruel.

He lifted her gently, and started stripping her wet clothes off. He gently washed her from top to bottom, taking great care not to probe her head too hard, finding only a small cut on her scalp and a goose egg forming. Once she was clean, he wrapped her in an oversized towel. He tried not to focus on her absolutely incredible curves. “God, if you were coherent,” he groaned, grinding his teeth together. He certainly wouldn't be nurse maid right now.

He put her in his bed, trying to keep his brain on the task at hand and not the thought of her naked body between his sheets. He ran downstairs, grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and put it on her head. Then, he sat in a chair near the edge of the bed. He checked her pulse again in her wrist. A little faster than last time. She looked exhausted, with dark circles beneath her eyes, the blue hue standing out vividly against her honey mocha skin. Either the vamp dicks had been using and abusing her, or something else was going on. He knew he'd be getting to the bottom of it. Whether that was before using her body for his pleasure or after, he couldn't decide.

Her smell seemed to have magnified since her skin had warmed in the bath. He was going to end up with the 'if you have an erection for four or more hours go to the Emergency Room' issue if he didn't get her out of his system.

“Wake up,” he told her.
Nothing. He rubbed her wrist gently with his thumb. “You gotta wake up. I need to know who you are and why you are here.”

***

She felt this tug at her inner core, like waves crashing on the shore, back and forth. It felt so incredibly good. She wanted to lay like this forever, the waves crashing over her and sleeping. But it wasn't happening. Consciousness came to her like a car hitting a brick wall. She sat up abruptly, before puking and passing out again from the white hot pain that burned through her body.

***

“Son of a BITCH!” he yelped, as puke went everywhere. He dropped her wrist and went to the bathroom to strip down to his boxers. Dropping the muck covered clothes in the shower, he grabbed some cleaner from under the sink and some rags. He quickly cleaned up the mess that was all over the floor. The chair, however, was beyond help. He took it downstairs and pitched it out the door.
What was a $600 chair anyway?

He gathered up his clothes and hers, tossing them in the washer. Then he snagged a pair of shorts out of the dryer and pulled them on quickly. Once the laundry had started, he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and went upstairs. At the top of the stairs, he paused, hearing movement.
She must be awake,
he thought as he slipped down the hall and paused outside the door. He could hear her pulse fluttering quick now. His mouth and cock throbbed in tandem.

“Shit,” he muttered.

He pushed open the door and watched her face. Her eyes widened, her breath caught, and a cloak of panic covered her. “Where am I?” She squawked, her voice sounding dry and distant. She spotted the bottle of water in his hand, and pleaded with her eyes. He handed it over, watching her.
Predator,
he told himself. She drained the bottle, before taking a slow breath. “Where am I?” She asked again, her voice honey smooth now.

His pulse kicked up a notch.
Damn, that voice,
he thought. “I don't know, Cupcake, you tell me where you are? Who are you? Where did you come from, and why the hell are you on my property?” He crossed his muscular arms across his chest and knew he was being ten kinds of an asshole. She couldn't help but notice the bulge of muscle and her pathetic brain tried to memorize it, but her ire was rising.

“Who the hell am I and how did I get here?” Her voice rose as she mimicked his questions and answered with one of her own. “How about you tell me why the hell I'm sitting here, buck naked, in your bed?” She stopped and glared at him. “Furthermore, who the hell are you?”