And how she could taste even better than she smelled, he didn’t bloody know. But she did.

  “You look so freaking sexy doing that,” she whispered, her brown eyes wide and bright, glittering with passion.

  “You taste incredible,” he growled when he finally pulled her fingers free, his voice thick with lust. “Now tell me to touch you.”

  He didn’t have to instruct her twice. “Yes. Please, Nick. Touch me. Touch all of me.”

  He shoved his hands into the back of the shorts, over her lush ass, and gripped the soft globes in a tight, possessive hold. Then he jerked her up onto her toes and bent down, taking one of those slick, pink-tipped breasts into his mouth, and nearly died. Her nipple was small and sweet on his tongue, the sounds she made as he sucked on her damn near turning him inside out. He moved his mouth to her other breast, hungry for the feel of her…the intimate taste. Slipping one hand between her legs, he touched tender female flesh that was swollen and wet, and wanted so badly to thrust his fingers into her snug, delicate opening, feeling her from the inside. Wanted it more than anything in the world. But…he couldn’t.

  Shit! I can’t do this!

  With each thundering beat of his heart, Nick could feel a dangerous aggression surging within him, the powerful force constantly fed by his craving for this fragile human. His deadly fangs were only seconds away from dropping, his fingertips burning for the release of his razor-sharp talons, his pulse raging as scenes from a nightmare played out in his mind. Ones that showed him completely losing control with her, fucking her like an animal while he gorged himself on her blood, until her life slowly ebbed away and he’d drained her dry.

  Need to get the hell away from her… Now! Before it’s too late!

  “Nick! What’s wrong?” she gasped as he stumbled back, then turned and staggered into the main room, his ragged breaths coming hard and fast. He could feel her come up behind him as his frantic gaze darted around the room, searching for an answer. For a way out of this. He needed to leave, but he couldn’t! Needed to get as far away from her as possible, but there was nowhere to go!

  “Nick! Answer me, damn it!”

  “I’m losing control.” When his narrowed gaze skimmed over the bed and the manacles lying there, he growled, “You need to use the chains on me.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me,” he barked, heading for the bed as he reached into his pocket for the key that she would need to lock them. “Do it,” he snapped, careful not to look at her as he laid down and clamped the manacles around his thick wrists. There was just enough room inside the adjustable shackles for them to fit, but he needed her to lock them.

  Edging closer to the bed, she shook her head as she wrapped her trembling arms across the front of her body. “No, Nick. I won’t do this to you. I trust you.”

  “Fuck trust!” he roared, glaring up at her. “Lock the damn manacles and then tighten the fucking chains!”

  Tears tracked down her cheeks as she shook her head again, then took a step back, refusing to help him save her. Stubborn, infuriating, beautiful woman. She was going to be the goddamn death of him.

  Or the other way around – which was exactly what he was trying to avoid.

  “If you won’t do it, then I will,” he snarled, cursing viciously as he used his knees to hold each manacle in place while he locked them with the key. When he had both wrists imprisoned in the steel, he reached up, struggling to tighten the chains until his arms were stretched over his head. Then he tossed the key across the room, watching it bounce over the metal floor until it finally came to a stop beneath the table.

  Closing his eyes, Nick breathed a ragged sound of relief.

  “Will they hold you?” she asked softly, the direction of her voice telling him that she was now standing at the foot of the bed.

  He hoped to God they would.

  Then he felt the mattress dip near his feet. When he opened his eyes and saw her crawling onto the end of the bed, Nick bellowed with fury. “Lainey?!”

  “Shh,” she whispered, the determined glint in her luminous eyes making him shudder with terror. “It’s okay, Nick. I have a plan.”

  “What the fuck are you doing?” he demanded, shaking so hard it nearly tumbled her to the floor.

  Crawling over his legs, she said, “Last night, when you got…on edge, you calmed down when I touched you.”

  “For maybe a split second. That doesn’t mean a damn thing. So stay the hell back!”

  “No,” she argued, “because I honestly think I can help. You just need some TLC, Nick. You just need to be…soothed.”

  “Damn it, Lainey!” Completely ignoring his protests, she straddled his waist and leaned over, placing a soft kiss against his chest, right above the furious pounding of his heart. He was breathing so hard and deep he was practically panting, and that was before she dragged her pink tongue across one of his nipples. Nick’s back arched as if he’d been struck by a violent jolt of electricity, a guttural shout on his lips as he strained against the bonds. And his urgency didn’t have a single thing to do with the bite on his arm.

  Christ, maybe she was right. Maybe she had gentled the beast, mesmerizing it, because in that moment all he could feel was a pure, overwhelming, mind-shattering need for connection that he’d never experienced before. But he was drowning in it now, and if he didn’t get to have at least this one moment with her – this one stolen fucking moment – he thought it might literally kill him.

  He didn’t need to connect with just anyone. He needed her. Lainey.

  Nick was still struggling to understand what was happening to him – inside him – when she scooted higher, putting her beautiful face right above his, her soft hands cupping his jaw as she smiled and said, “Prepare yourself, Nick. I’m going to kiss you now, and it’s going to be our first kiss, so try not to curse at me when it happens, okay?”

  He wanted to tell her that this was a bad idea – that she should stay away from his mouth in case he couldn’t hold back his fangs – but there wasn’t time. He was already groaning with hunger and bliss as her hands moved through his hair and she leaned closer, the tender brush of her soft lips against his making him tremble. He opened his mouth, flicking his tongue against her lips, and she responded by rubbing her clever little tongue against his. He made some kind of raw, animal sound in the back of his throat, thankful as hell that it didn’t scare her away as he tilted his head, going in for a deeper angle. She moaned, clutching his hair tighter, her gorgeous breasts pressed hard against his chest, and they were off, their lips and tongues moving together with wild, desperate need, as if they were addicted to the taste of the other’s mouth. And, damn it, he was.

  When she finally had to break away for air, Nick lifted his head and drew in a deep breath at the base of her throat, where her pulse was fluttering like mad. “God, Lainey. You smell fucking amazing.”

  “You really think so?” she asked, a glowing look of pleasure on her face as she sat up, straddling his stomach.

  “Mmm,” he moaned, wishing she was completely naked so he could feel her against his skin. “You still wet for me?”

  She blinked down at him, the color in her face getting brighter. “What?”

  “Between your legs,” he growled, straining against the bonds until his corded muscles were showing in sharp relief. “Are you still wet for me?”

  “Y-yes.”

  His nostrils flared. “Then show me.”

  “Show you?” she whispered, looking shy…but intrigued.

  Breathing in rough, uneven bursts, he said, “If this is going where I hope to hell that it is, and you’re going to touch my cock, then I want you naked. So get rid of the shorts, honey. Let me see you.”

  She pulled that plush lower lip between her teeth, then blurted, “I’m not skinny, Nick.”

  “Thank God,” he said with a heartfelt groan, “because I fucking love your body. I love your tits and your hips and those round thighs. And I’d be willing to bet my life on the fact that I’m going to love what’s between them even more, along with that sweet ass. So lose the damn clothes, Lainey. Now!”

  A blush covered almost every inch of her skin, but she shifted to his side and slipped the shorts over her hips, working them down her legs. When she moved to straddle him again, his gaze locked in sharp and tight on the pale ringlets glistening at the top of her mound, his mouth watering as her warm, lush scent drifted to his nose.

  Voice thick and graveled with lust, he said, “Now brace yourself on your knees, arch back a bit, and use your fingers to part your pussy for me. I want to see how pink and wet you are. How swollen your little clit is.”

  She shivered against his abdomen, her delicious scent only getting richer. And because Nick already knew she tasted even better, he had no doubt he could happily live out his days with his face buried in that sweet little cunt and never get his fill of it.

  Drawing in a deep, unsteady breath, he muttered, “Do it, baby. The wait is fucking killing me.”

  “I will, but I… I think you should lose some more of your clothes first,” she told him, sounding adorably excited. “Fair is fair, Nick. If you get to look at me, then I want to be able to look at you.” She scooted down his legs, her dark gaze landing hungrily on the ridge of his hard, thick cock. The damn thing looked like it was trying to bust its way out of his jeans, but she didn’t appear worried. Instead, she licked her plump lower lip again, and said, “You have no idea how badly I’m dying to taste you.”

  As Nick’s breath hissed through his teeth, his torso went so rigid, Lainey could see each hard, delineated muscle. Her sexy-as-sin vampire was perfectly ripped, and damn, but the guy was impressively hung. So much so that she would have been seriously concerned about the fit, if she wasn’t so freaking turned on.

  “You should know that if you put your mouth on me,” he warned in a raw, guttural voice, “I’m coming in it.”

  “Mmm. Sounds good to me,” she murmured, leaning over and licking the tight skin just above the waistband of his jeans. He cursed in Spanish, and she smiled, drunk on the pleasure of knowing he wanted her. Badly. It was the headiest feeling she’d ever experienced, momentarily cushioning the pain of Ryan’s loss that was buried inside her heart. Yes, the pain was still there, but these stolen moments with Nick were proving that she didn’t have to let it destroy her. That she could still love and laugh and enjoy something good when it found her. And right now, she was going to enjoy the hell out of Nick Santos.

  Breathless with anticipation, Lainey knelt beside him and started working the buttons on his fly open. A low, continual growl rumbled up from his chest as the backs of her fingers brushed against the rigid length of his cock. Only a thin pair of boxers separated her flesh from his, his heat stunning, the warm, mouthwatering scent of his body ramping up her need to a feverish pitch. She was so desperate for the feel, sight and taste of him that she was shaking as she told him to lift his hips, wrenching his jeans and boxers down his legs, and his erection sprang up against his ridged abs, hard and brutal and shockingly beautiful. Licking her lips, she noted that he was even bigger than she’d guessed, and while she knew it wasn’t going to be easy to take him, she honestly didn’t give a damn.

  “Lainey!” he shouted, making her jump. She blinked, surprised to realize she’d just been kneeling there, staring down at him in a daze, undone by his erotic pose: hands shackled over his head, muscles bulging, his cock breathtakingly long and thick, rising up from its dark nest of curls, his heavy testicles in perfect proportion to the rest of him. He looked like one of those gorgeous male models that people would post sexy photos of on their social media feeds.

  No, scratch that. He looked even better. Nothing she’d ever seen had come anywhere close to this kind of heady masculine perfection.

  “Sorry I spaced out there,” she whispered, tossing his clothes on the floor. “You just took my breath away.”

  He swore, writhing a bit, then parted his knees for her when she asked him to. Deep, guttural curses continued to rip up from his chest as she knelt between his muscular thighs and took his cock in her hands, squeezing and stroking the heavy, vein-ridged shaft. And when she leaned over, licking her tongue across the broad, slick crown, tasting him for the first time, he shouted so loudly it echoed off the walls.

  The wolves started to howl out in the tunnel, but they both ignored them.

  “God, Nick. You taste so good,” she moaned, loving the rough sounds he made as she took him between her lips and started to lick and suck as if she was starved for him. She tried to fist her hand around the swollen inches at the base that wouldn’t fit in her mouth, rubbing her tongue against the veins pulsing beneath his velvety skin, his flavor salty and warm and completely addictive. This was something she’d only ever done in the past because she’d known it was expected. She’d never craved it – never needed it – but that was exactly how she felt with Nick. She couldn’t get enough of him and told him so the next time she stopped to draw in a ragged breath.

  “You’re fucking wrecking me,” he growled, shoving deeper into her mouth when she took him back in. His body was burning hotter, the tremoring of all those powerful muscles beneath his dark, sweat-slick skin making the bed shake. She gripped his hips to steady herself, sucking him a little harder…faster. Suddenly there was a terrible groaning sound, followed by a sharp snap, and then his strong hands were curving around her head, holding her to him as he arched and blasted his sizzling cum into her mouth, a ragged shout on his lips as he came hard and long, the wrenching pulses going on…and on…and on.

  Oh wow. Just holy freaking wow!

  Swallowing one last time, Lainey lifted her head when he was finally spent, then pressed a tender kiss to his glistening crown, surprised that he was still so hard and thick. She wanted to ask him if that was normal for his kind, but before she could catch her breath, she found herself lying on her back, more than 200 hard-muscled pounds of hungry, aggressive vampire holding her down. Then he settled his big, god-like body between her legs.

  “Payback,” he husked, and the look on his rugged face as he slowly lifted his head was the sexiest damn thing she’d ever seen. She gripped handfuls of the bedding to anchor herself, not wanting to miss a single second of what came next. And when he lowered his head and growled, burying his face against her hot, swollen sex as he spread her with his thumbs, it was even better than she’d imagined.

  His mouth was insatiable, doing things to her body that Lainey had only read about in books – and a few she’d never even heard of. He went at her with his lips and tongue and teeth, feasting on her as if the explicitly intimate act gave him even more satisfaction than it gave her, which should have been impossible. But it was like he was starved for the taste and the feel of her, eating at her with a carnal desperation that had raw cries climbing up her throat. And when he replaced his thrusting tongue with two long, thick fingers and hungrily latched onto her clit, bone-melting waves of pleasure slammed into her with stunning force, and she screamed so loud she wouldn’t have been surprised if people could hear her out on the beach.

  He pulled back some the instant her orgasm hit, watching her pussy pulse as she came. Then he gave another one of those low, rumbling growls, and put his mouth back on her, ravaging her drenched flesh in a way that was deliciously wild and savage. He knew just where and how to touch her to prolong the spasms, making the climax go on and on, until she was limp with exhaustion, every cell throbbing and sensitized.

  His mouth was shiny and wet when he finally looked up at her again with eyes that were a pure, molten gold, the crooked smile on his lips so wicked it nearly sent her into another mind-shattering orgasm. He’d just started to crawl over her – the flexing muscles beneath his tight skin reminding her of a sleek jungle predator, his rock-hard cock somehow looking even bigger than it had before – when he suddenly froze, that primal, glowing gaze cutting sharply toward the broken chain connected to the manacle on his right wrist.

  “Oh shit,” he croaked, as if only just realizing what he’d done. The shackles were still on his wrists, but he’d snapped the chains and was now free to do whatever the hell he wanted.

  Reaching up to cup his hot face in her hands, she said, “Don’t worry, Nick. It’ll be okay.”

  He slowly brought his gaze back to hers, the look in those hooded eyes making her breath catch.

  “I mean it,” she told him, trailing one of her hands down to his chest and pressing it against the heavy beat of his heart. “I’m not afraid of you.”

  He exhaled a jagged breath as he bent his arms, lowering himself until his rugged, beautiful face was right above hers…

  Then, in a voice that was far more animal than man, he growled, “You should be.”

  Chapter 6

  Before Lainey could ask him why, a deafening screech of sound came from the kitchen area of the bunker.

  “Son of a bitch,” he snarled, climbing off her so quickly she’d barely seen him move. One second Nick was braced over her, looking like sin personified, and in the next he was standing beside the bed, buttoning his jeans, his muscles hard and his expression tense, looking more than capable of taking something apart with his bare hands. Even if it was a bloodthirsty werewolf.

  As another horrific sound came from the kitchen, he ran over to the table and bent down, grabbing the key he’d tossed there. A handful of seconds later, he had the manacles, with their broken chains, unlocked. He left them lying in a heap of metal on the table as he headed toward the large cabinet that sat against the opposite wall from the bed, his fingers rapidly keying a combination into the numeric lock. When the door gave a soft pop, he wrenched it open, walking back to her with a heavy handgun that he put in her shaking hands.