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The last thing I expected to see when I woke up was a massive Christmas tree looming over my head. I remembered everything more clearly than I wanted to, but at least the nausea and disorientation had passed. I was a vampire. Things couldn’t be clearer. It wasn’t the path I had expected, but I couldn’t imagine anywhere I’d rather be than with Arie.
Where is Arie?
“You’re awake.”
I sat up slowly, turning my head toward the voice. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
Victoria stood in the kitchen beside the fridge, closing its door before she walked across the airy expanse of the loft and sat next to me, on the arm of the leather sofa. “I called, but I wanted to stop by even though Arie told me not to. He wanted you to rest. You were out cold while he was putting the tree up. I helped decorate. Then he asked me to keep an eye on you in case you woke up and were still out of it,” Victoria said. “You sleep like the dead.”
“Aren’t I?” I asked sarcastically.
Victoria laughed and took a sip from the bottled water she had grabbed from the fridge.
I rubbed at my temples and winced. My head still hurt, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as before. “Where is he, anyway?”
A sly smile curved the corners of her mouth. “He said he had to pick something up. You know it’s Christmas Eve, right?”
“Christmas had kind of slipped my mind with everything going on.”
In fact, the holiday didn’t really mean that much to me. It never had. Frankly, I thought it was a bunch of commercialized bullshit. My adopted parents weren’t overly religious. And before they took me in I had been bounced around so many places—some I’d rather not remember—that this time of year always made me feel envious of others who had a family to spend it with. I made a mental note to call my godmother, now that I knew I actually had family I could call.
I looked again at the Christmas tree and thought it seemed odd and incongruous considering what we were. Night Walkers, blood drinkers. The earthy smell of pine filled Arie’s loft, reminding me of a winter forest. Moonlight streamed through the glass wall that opened onto a balcony overlooking the Chicago River. The one thing I liked most about Christmas was the lights—red lights lit the tree, making the pine needles glow, and they shimmered off the silver bulbs that dangled from its limbs. It made me smile despite the empty memories that the holiday held for me.
“Well, I guarantee that this Christmas will be one to remember,” Victoria said.
I bit my lower lip. Something about the way she said it, and the look in her hyacinth-colored eyes, made me wonder what she knew that I didn’t.
“I’m not sure if I like the sound of that.”
Victoria smiled. “Holly, I promise that tonight will be full of surprises.”
“What if I don’t like surprises?” I asked with a sigh.
“You’re going to love this one, I promise.” Victoria glanced at her watch. “But it’s almost time, and I have to get going.”
“Time for what?”
“For me to give you this.” Victoria rose from her perch on the edge of the sofa and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a plain white envelope and set it on the coffee table in front of me. “Don’t open it until after I leave. I’m glad you’re okay. You should both stop by the club once you’re feeling up to it.”
I was still getting used to things. My senses were on overdrive, and the sound of the city drifting up from the streets below was almost too much to take in. I hadn’t tried to leave the loft yet, and I wasn’t sure if I was up to the hustle and bustle of so many people—so many voices. I had planned on going to the club once I could block out the stimuli that my hypersensitive vampire senses sharpened like a tack. They drowned out my thoughts, making it impossible to focus. Even though I hated to admit it, I was still a complete wreck.
“We will. Thanks for stopping by, and Merry Christmas.”
Victoria squeezed my shoulder before bending time. In the blink of an eye she was gone, the door to the loft banging shut behind her. It was as close to a hug as I could expect from her. She didn’t strike me as the hugging type. Sometimes it seemed like Victoria held the people around her at a safe distance. It reminded me of the one set of foster parents that I had been placed with who dragged me to their church every Sunday. People murmured, “Peace be with you,” a hollow acknowledgment, with a distant nod rather than reaching out to touch you. When you were with Victoria you knew that you could count on her to be on your side, but it was a reserved kind of friendship. It wasn’t that she was unfriendly, but her cool aloofness felt like it was rooted in something so much deeper. Still, she was unbelievably loyal to the people who mattered most to her.
“He’ll be good to you, no matter how you may judge him. I consider him family, and by extension you’re included.”
The memory of her words made me smile. After not having a family for so long, I suddenly found myself surrounded by a family that was linked by blood, just not in the way you’d expect. I eyed the envelope on the table with both nervous apprehension and excitement. What do you have planned? That someone had taken the time to plan a surprise for me was something completely foreign. It was both new and exhilarating. It aroused my mind and sent a familiar twinge straight to my pussy.
I slid the envelope across the table and tore into it like a wide-eyed child on Christmas morning. It contained elegant stationary with perfectly scripted handwriting that I recognized instantly.
Go to the fridge and open it. —A
Smiling to myself, I made my way to fridge, doing exactly what he said. When I opened it, there was an envelope on the top shelf. He’d placed it in front of a wine glass filled with burgundy liquid. I didn’t need to open it to know what he wanted me to do, but I still broke the seal and pulled the stationary out.
Now drink it. You’re going to need it. Then go upstairs to the bathroom. Don’t open the bag. I’ll know.
“Oh, Arie—sending me on a scavenger hunt.” I giggled like a silly schoolgirl, glad that there was no one around to hear me.
I grabbed the wine glass but couldn’t seem to get it down, even though I was hungry. Arie was so thoughtful, knowing intuitively what I wanted, what I would need to be able to follow his lead. My mind raced with the possibilities that could be waiting for me upstairs as I made my way to the polished white marble bathroom.
The fragrant smell of roses and lavender drifted through the air as soon as I opened the door. The tub was filled with steaming water. Bubbles and rose petals floated on its surface. Candles surrounded the bathtub, and another envelope sat on top of a fluffy towel which he’d laid next to the tub. Next to them was a gold gift bag stuffed with white tissue paper, with gold sparkles that were spilling out of the top. It was complete torture not to open the bag. I wondered how he would possibly know if I cheated. But I did what he told me to anyway, opening the envelope for his next set of instructions.
After your bath, open the bag. You’ll know what I want you to do. Once you’ve completed the task, go to the bed and look under your pillow. Don’t pleasure yourself while you’re in the tub.
What was waiting for me under my pillow? I couldn’t imagine, but my breasts tingled in response to the erotic images that filled my head. My vivid imagination combined with anticipation stoked my desire unlike anything I’d ever felt before. He wasn’t here and hadn’t even touched me, yet my body already felt like it was on fire. I pulled my sweatshirt over my head and let my sweat pants drop to the floor. Before sliding into the warm water I piled my chestnut hair on top of my head, using a hair tie to hold the unruly mass in place.
The water felt good and soothed away the tension from everything we’d been through in the past few weeks. I tilted my head back and rested it on the back of the tub, letting the water lap at my breasts. Don’t pleasure yourself while you’re in the tub. Damn it if I didn’t want to reach through the suds and find my clit. I could feel the pressure build as it inexplicably throbbed without any external stimulation. Perhaps I wanted to touch myself even more because he’d told me not to. A bar of lavender soap rested on a wash cloth on the edge of the tub. I groaned, frustrated that he wouldn’t allow me to do anything to ease the desire that had built between my legs from nothing more than my own tempting thoughts, put there by Arie’s demands.
I washed my face, breathing in the lavender. The rough friction of the washcloth felt sensual as I ran it across my overheated skin. I eased out of the water slightly and the cool air pricked me. I slid the cloth down my neck, down my arms, and when I reached my nipples they were hardened by the brisk air and rough texture of the washcloth. Rubbing soap over my breasts and across my stomach, I continued south. Hesitant to reach between my legs and be tempted to do exactly what Arie had told me not to, I washed my legs first. I’d saved my pussy for last; finding its folds, I savored the feel of the cloth cleansing me and let out a moan as it brushed across my clit. Still, I did as I was told and didn’t linger, no matter how much I wanted to insert a finger or two. As I washed my ass, it puckered from the cloth brushing its entrance. I leaned back into the warmth, letting the water wash away the soap, and took a few deep breaths to calm me before I got out of the tub.
Towel drying and then wrapping the white folds of the towel around me, I opened the bag Arie had left. I’d been dying to see what was inside and eagerly pulled out the tissues, tossing them on the floor.
I gulped.
Inside the bag were three things. A bottle of lube, a dildo, and nipple clamps. You’ll know what I want you to do. Oh, yes. I knew exactly what Arie wanted me to do. My mouth felt like a desert. The calm from the warm depths of the bath was gone as I felt my pussy clench at the sight of his erotic gifts.
I dropped the towel and ripped into the packaging of the dildo. I squirted a generous amount of lube into my palm and used it to make the dildo slick, then massaged the rest into my folds. Slowly, I slid the dildo into my pussy. I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to fit the whole thing, but as I eased it in, my body took its entire length. Now I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to walk to the bed without it falling out. I’d worry about that after I completed Arie’s next task. Nipple clamps. I bit my lower lip as I attached one and then the other.
As I clenched my thighs together so the dildo wouldn’t fall out, I could feel its width stretching me, and I let out a moan. I was completely turned on by Arie’s preparations for whatever he had in store for me. Somehow I managed to waddle to the bed without the dildo slipping out. As I sat on the edge of the bed the angle and the pressure from sitting made my muscles contract around the toy. I moved the pillow to discover one of the red silk scarves that Arie had once used to tie me to the bed, along with another envelope.
Use this as a blindfold. Lay on top of the bed. No covers. Keep your legs closed and cross your ankles. Put your hands behind your head. Then I want you to stay that way until I tell you otherwise. Do not get up or change positions. Do not pleasure yourself. I’ll be watching. —A
I looked around the loft as if I expected Arie to suddenly materialize, but I was alone with my nipples clamped and my pussy filled by the dildo, unable to slake my lust by using it like I wanted to. Then I looked at the wall of glass adjacent to the bed, which matched the view in the living room below. I wondered if Arie was perched somewhere outside—just waiting, watching, listening for me to mess up. After all, he was a vampire, and I could see him doing something like that to make sure I followed his instructions to a tee. How long would he make me stay like this? And how would he punish me if I gave in to the lust pulsing through my pussy? I could feel my ass tingle as I imagined him spanking me if I disobeyed. Sometimes not being obedient had its benefits.
Apprehensively, I took the scarf and tied it around my eyes and settled onto the bed. I crossed my ankles and put my hands behind my head, which made my breasts jut out. The blindfold blocked out all light, and with my sense of sight gone, every sensation was heightened. It was agony to lay there and not be able to do anything to ease the throbbing of my clit. I bit back a moan. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been lying there. Was it ten minutes? Twenty? Maybe thirty? I didn’t know. All I knew was that I could feel the rush of blood coursing through my undead veins. I could hear a pin drop in the quiet solitude of the loft, that’s how still it was. Wetness soaked my thighs as they clamped around the dildo. Pain pinched at my nipples.
-You’ve done well.-
Arie’s surge of telepathy hit me. I heard a footfall toward the right and I knew he was in the room with me. My pussy clenched at the thought of him standing there looking down at me, naked on the bed, blindfolded, with my hands behind my head and my nipples clamped at his command. -You can relax your arms. Touch yourself. But don’t come. I want to watch. If you feel like you’re going to come, say ‘close.’- Something about him directing me telepathically, without ever saying a word, was hotter than if he’d spoken out loud.
With one hand I rubbed my nub and used the other to slowly slide the dildo in and out. I moaned. My movements quickened and it was hard to hold back. I had anticipated my orgasm for so long that it made it even harder to control. But I knew if I waited, if I held back just a little longer, that it would intensify my release. And it gave me immense pleasure to give Arie what he wanted. Performing for him, pleasuring myself in front of him, and picturing the satisfaction on his face as he watched me, was such a turn-on. In and out, I stroked myself with the dildo while I rubbed in a circular motion on my clit. I was getting close. Too close...
“Close,” I yelled.
-Don’t stop. But don’t come.-
I groaned. It was agonizing, and I was on the brink, but just when I thought that I would come, I screamed out in pain as blood flowed back into a nipple when Arie unexpectedly released one of the clamps. -I said don’t stop.- Arie tweaked the nipple he’d just released, before releasing the other clamp. I felt tears sting my eyes. It had happened so fast—and unexpectedly, since the red silk blinded my vision—that I had forgotten to masturbate as Arie had directed. I continued to play with my clit and stroke my pussy with the dildo. Arie grabbed the hand that was holding the dildo, replacing it with his own. He slowed the pace, gliding it in and out so leisurely that it was excruciating. Still I continued to stroke my clit.
-Hands behind your head.-
I did as Arie instructed and tried not to cry from the tension of holding back the orgasm welling up inside of me. Arie continued to stroke in and out with the dildo. Then I felt his fingers rim my ass with something cold and wet. I remembered the lube. He must have grabbed it from the bathroom before ordering me to masturbate in front of him. His finger teased my ass and I whimpered from wanting him to slide his finger inside. He pulled the dildo out of my pussy.
-Get on your hands and knees.-
I got on all fours and felt Arie spread my ass cheeks, the dildo nudging its entrance. Slowly, he eased it inside. At first there was stretching, but the pressure and fullness felt incredible. Zip. When I heard that sound I knew without a doubt it had to be the zipper on Arie’s pants. With the patience and experience of a lover who knew what he was doing and knew my body even better, Arie gently slid inside of me, waiting for me to adjust to the intense feeling of fullness before he began to move.
His pace increased as he pumped in and out of my pussy, and then he reached around and massaged my clit. My body ached with need as my hips rocked back into him, meeting each thrust. I was panting and whimpering—vaguely I thought it was fitting, considering my current position. But then I couldn’t think. All I could do was feel every inch of him inside of me, the fullness of it all and his fingers toying with my clit. If I couldn’t come soon... -Come for me.- As if he’d sensed my desperate need and that I was barely hanging on, he ordered me to come on the spot, and my body responded like a well-oiled engine that was revved and ready to go.
I screamed my release, digging and clawing into the bedspread. Arie thrust harder and faster, finally spilling inside of me, and I held on as he met his own climax. Just before falling on top of me, he gently slid the dildo out. We lay in a heap on the bed, both of us breathing heavy. I closed my eyes, even though it didn’t matter because I still couldn’t see anything. Gradually, our breathing slowed and I felt satiated and languorous lying on the bed. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Had I dozed off for a few minutes? Then I felt my hand move—something encircling my finger. When I opened my eyes, I realized that Arie had removed the blindfold.
He was lying on his side next to me, propped up on his elbow. “That’s your real Christmas gift.”
I looked down at my finger. Speechless. On my right hand was a ring with an infinity symbol edged with black diamonds on one side.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmured.
“Like you.”
He reached forward, brushing a chestnut strand away from my face. “After almost losing you, I realized exactly what I could lose. This is what I can give. I hope you understand what this means to me.”
It wasn’t the right finger or the kind of ring I’d imagined or wanted, but its symbol meant more to me than any vow. Its promise of forever meant more when there was no mortality. This was a huge step for Arie, for us, and it brought tears to my eyes.
I smiled. “I do know what it means. I can’t begin to tell you how happy you’ve made me.”
“This week is ours...no one else’s, and we’re not leaving this loft until I’ve done this to you at least twenty times.”
I laughed.
“Maybe more.” He teased.
“You’re a fiend.”
“Only for you.”
“Promise?”
He grabbed the hand where he’d placed the ring, bringing my knuckles to his lips to brush them with a kiss, and I knew he meant it. I’d worry about how fast things were going later and treasure this moment for what it was—a promise of a new beginning, the promise of love. I was starting to think that I just might be able to get used to this holiday after all.
The End
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HAVING AN ETERNITY to figure things out is a really long time. It seemed like a good advantage to have, since I was only twenty-two, but that was before things got messy. Really messy. On the other hand, adjusting to being a vampire and everything that went with it would have been more difficult if not for the fact that I’d dealt with having the Sight my whole life. Freakish, supernatural occurrences were an everyday thing in my world long before I met Arie Cush.
The afternoon sun filtered through the bedroom window of the loft as I shifted in Arie’s arms. It had been a week since Katarina’s death—a week since I’d become a vampire through some strange twist of magic that I still couldn’t wrap my head around. Killing Katarina had killed us both, except now I was a vampire. Not a small side-effect.
I studied Arie’s face while he slept. He had a face that I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of looking at. A dark curl fell across his forehead; I wanted to reach out and brush it back, but I didn’t want to wake him. His eyes, had they been open, would have been a somber gray, and his lips did unimaginable things to me. Just thinking about it made my thighs tingle. Throughout the week he’d been patient as I adapted to my new life as a vampire, as a Night Walker.
Or at least that’s the ancient term that Victoria used, even though bloodstone made it possible for vampires to withstand the sun. I could walk in the daylight as long as I wore the ring that Arie had given me. But he’d explained that ‘Night Walker’ had been a superstitious term that villagers used in Victoria’s time. I twisted the bloodstone wrapped around my ring finger. One day I hoped Arie would give me a different sort of ring, that I’d wear on an entirely different finger. I sighed. I doubted that would ever happen, given his tumultuous history with Katarina.
Katarina is dead. And I’m here now.
But I wondered how he felt about me killing the woman he once loved. Still, it was self-defense and she had terrorized the entire city. She was a whole different kind of crazy. I hoped her memory wouldn’t haunt us, but it had me thinking maybe we should slow down. We’d been thrown into a living situation that neither of us was ready for. Now that my life wasn’t at stake and I could protect myself, there wasn’t any reason to rush. My heartbeat quickened at the thought of disappointing him. I couldn’t help feeling just a little bit guilty over killing his crazy-ass ex, even if I didn’t have a choice. It was me or her. And I chose her.
His chest rose and fell with the steady rhythm of his breathing. “Holly...you know it’s not polite to watch someone while they’re sleeping.”
His eyes were still shut but the hint of a smile curved his mouth. God, he was sexy as sin and twice as wicked. The word for Arie was hot with a capital ‘h.’
“How did you know I was watching you?”
Arie’s eyes fluttered open. “I could hear your pulse quicken. I can only imagine what dirty thoughts are running through that pretty little head of yours. What are you thinking?”
Warmth flooded my cheeks and my pussy clenched just from the sound of his raspy voice. “I was thinking it’s Saturday, so it’ll be busy at the club.”
I lied rather than deal with a subject that would be difficult for him to hear. That insecure part of me wondered whether we’d stay together, because we’d been tossed into a dangerous situation and he’d only wanted me in first place because I looked like her. But that was over now. Besides, the world didn’t stop spinning just because Arie and I had been wrapped up in one another, cocooned in the loft since the night of the gala. The night I’d killed Katerina and everything had changed.
“Holly,” Arie said in a stern voice. “You know Tessa said to take all the time you need.”
“I know. It’s just that I need something that resembles normalcy after everything that’s happened. A distraction might be good for me. Besides, I can’t stay in bed with you forever.”
Arie laughed. “And what’s wrong with that? You really think going to the club will bring you a sense of normalcy? You’re joking, right?”
I couldn’t help but grin back at him.
The Hellfire Club operated as an underground BDSM sex club upstairs and a Goth club downstairs. But that was the very normal, very human part, that hid Chicago’s playground for the supernatural right in plain sight.
And lying there with the sunlight streaming down on us, everything felt right. It felt natural, almost, after the nightmare that filled the previous months. Katarina had killed so many innocent people, and it took all my strength and embracing a magic I didn’t understand to stop her. Somehow I didn’t think the calm would last, and I wanted to enjoy every minute of it while it did.
Reaching out, I grazed Arie’s cheek with the back of my hand. He caught the back of my knuckles with a kiss that made my breath catch in my throat. “I want to see how Victoria is doing. I haven’t seen her since the night of the gala. You said she’s been asking about me.”
Every detail of the night of the gala, the night that I died, would be etched in my memory forever.
“Did you forget? She stopped by and helped me decorate the tree—helped me plan the scavenger hunt?”
I blushed. “Oh, right. I forgot she stopped by, but I had a good reason to be distracted.”
Arie’s eyes darkened with desire. After he’d almost lost me, it didn’t take much to get the blood pumping in our cold, dead veins. A look or a touch, even one as chaste as brushing his cheek or kissing my knuckles, could end with us falling into bed. Then we’d make love until the sun came up and sleep until noon.
But I’d died.
Arie didn’t bring me back as a vampire. Some strange mystical exchange happened. Maybe because Katarina drank my blood and then I’d used Rue’s words to summon magic and by some lucky accident I’d defeated her—like Dorothy dropping a house on the Wicked Witch of the West. The happy accident had worked out. Well, mostly, if you ignored the fact that I was a real-life-blood-sucking-vampire.
Death had drawn us closer together. Gone was the moody and brooding vampire I’d fallen in love with. We were both mad about each other. I got under his skin almost as bad as he got under mine. His sexy scavenger hunt over the holidays had ended with a multitude of mind-blowing orgasms and Arie giving me a promise ring. I could wait for more, because I knew what that meant to him—what a huge step it was. In that one gesture he promised me forever. It made me feel happy and scared all at the same time.
If I could stay in bed with him all day, I would, but we’d done exactly that for the past week. Arie’s phone never stopped ringing. I wasn’t even sure how my godmother had tracked down Arie’s number, but with her anything was possible. First Tessa, then Victoria, and then Luna had called, but it felt good to have friends worrying about me. They were more like family, and considering that I’d never really had one, I loved feeling like I belonged—even if the family that I belonged to was a dysfunctional, supernatural hodgepodge of vampires and faeries and witchcraft.
“How can I say no to you?” His sexy look melted me.
“Then don’t,” I said with a smile. “Don’t say no to me. Just be with me...always and forever.”
Arie sighed. “I’m yours for eternity, but I don’t think you realize what forever means—at least not yet. But someday you will, and I wonder how you’ll feel about it then.”
“What? Do you think I’ll get sick of you or something after a few hundred years?”
I couldn’t help teasing him. It felt good to be lighthearted and free. Things had been so tense between us, but now we could put Katarina behind us and just focus on our relationship. God, I never realized how looking like his ex would make me feel. Like I was somehow less than the psycho-vamp-tramp, and I knew it didn’t make any sense but that didn’t change the way I felt about it.
He pushed a stray chestnut strand away from my face. “No, I think you’re young, you’re beautiful, and you have no idea about the implications of this life.”
His suggestion insinuated that I didn’t yet understand what it meant to be a vampire. And maybe I didn’t, but part of him still worried about how I’d deal with the Sight now that I’d turned. Katarina had the Sight too, and it had driven her to madness once she’d been turned. Now that she was out of the picture, it might be a good idea to let us get used to the idea of our relationship. Our lives had completely changed over the past few months. I loved him with everything I had, I just didn’t want to screw it up by moving too fast. Nagging, useless insecurity and guilt dug into my conscience.
“Arie. Let me...” I brushed my lips over his mouth. “Let me love you.”
“Please,” he whispered, his fingers linking with mine. “Don’t ever stop.”
“Never. I can’t.”
And no words were ever truer.
His love drove me like an addiction, and I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to. Not now. He closed his eyes and pulled me close. Unbidden tears ran down my cheeks. Why was I crying? Was it my heightened senses and emotions from being turned? Lifting my head, I took his mouth, our kiss flavored with the salt of my tears. Arie wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me so tight I almost couldn’t breathe. Not that I depended on it anymore. It was a good thing, too, because it felt like dying, the way air was being sucked from my lungs by my hot vampire boyfriend kissing me senseless.
As much as I loved our week together, it would be fun to hang out at the Goth club downstairs at HFC. Tonight a Euro-Goth band called Defiance promised to bring out the vampires—both the wannabes, or fang-fakers as Victoria liked to call them, and the actual undead. Tessa had surprised me by not making demands of me this week. Still, a change of scenery would be nice, since we hadn’t left the loft.
Not that I could complain about the scenery. Arie’s tongue explored my mouth with a hunger that seemed insatiable, and the air filled with a charge of awareness. In an almost dreamlike state, I pulled him closer. It could be the apocalypse and I wouldn’t care—probably wouldn’t even notice—because whenever Arie kissed me the whole world fell to pieces. All I could focus on was his tongue brushing against my teeth, and I realized now that I’d never noticed the details of his mouth before. At least not like this. The swirl of his tongue, the sensuous textures, contrasts, and each finite detail that made my finely tuned senses nearly explode. Anticipation made my skin tingle. My breasts pressed against the hard wall of his chest, his hand fisted in my curls as he pulled me deeper into his mouth. God, kissing Arie now that I was a vampire, with every sensation amplified by about a billion, was so fucking hot.
Seriously, I could get used to waking up like this. We’d never be the normal couple that went to picnics, movies, and hikes in the woods, growing old as we held hands and kissed. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We’ll never have children, either. Or grandchildren that I can spoil rotten. I only started living with him when my life was at stake. It’s all too fast.
I pushed the thoughts aside as I met his tongue with mine. The possessive yet gentle meeting of our lips left me breathless and reeling. He thrust his muscular thigh between my legs. His hands dropped to my lower back and he pulled me toward his knee, rocking his leg against me. The pressure felt incredible, and I knew without a doubt that if he kept it up I could come like this. Easy. Or tear his clothes off and forget all about meeting up with Victoria and Luna at the club. I groaned.
Maybe I should. The pleasure streaking through my core overwhelmed me, and I arched into him without him pulling me forward. I took what I wanted, rocking against...
Arie pulled his knee away.
He broke off the kiss and threw me a smile, that cocky curve that lifted his mouth in a way that made me want to either kiss him again or smack him. Or maybe both.
“Shouldn’t you start getting ready, if we’re going to the club?”
Unquenched desire and irritation at both his cockiness and my own weakness tangled into a conflicted knot at my core.
“Arie! I know what you’re trying to do, and it won’t work.”
I threw off the sheet and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. “No matter how sexy you think you are, you can’t seduce me into staying in bed with you. I swear. We’re going to the club—I really mean it.”
But it didn’t sound very convincing—even to me.
Arie sighed and reached for my underwear. He managed to grasp the string side of my bikini, pulling me back into bed and into his arms. I tumbled into them less reluctantly than I let on.
“You don’t mean that,” he said, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips, where he nipped the pad of my finger. “But I want to give you something to think about...for later.”
He knew me so well, and of course he was right, which was irritating, especially when he looked completely amused.
I jerked my hand away playfully. “Fiend!”
Definitely the wrong thing to say—the erotic light in his eyes became hotter and more intense. He looked like he might pull my underwear down and plunge into me with one stroke. The sheer fabric of my bikini happened to be the only layer of clothing between us; I’d discovered that Arie preferred to sleep naked most of the time. But his preference kept us from doing a whole lot of sleeping. His lust-filled look could have burned a hole through the material, and there wasn’t much to my underwear to begin with. He stared at me the way a lion might look at an antelope right before the chase. And my first thought was that, like the antelope, I should run for my life. My second thought was that I really wanted to get caught.
“Only when it comes to you—you’re mine, Holly,” he said, his husky voice a penetrating caress.
“Yes, yours.” It was a promise I intended to keep.
His chest was smooth, the thick pads of muscle rolling beneath pale skin. And his abs, dear Lord, those ripped eight-pack abs could be cut from steel. Oh god. Arie’s gaze trailed to my naked breasts. Warmth spread to my chest as my nipples tingled and hardened under his gaze. I tried to cover up, but Arie grasped my wrists, raising them above my head.
“Never hide your body. I want to look at you.” He brushed his lips across mine, kissing a trail down my neck. “You’re so beautiful, Holly.”
I trembled under the assault to my senses. Bare and open to his hungry gaze, a mixture of vulnerability and desire shot straight to my thighs. Wetness pooled in the folds that lay between them. Everything was intensified. Arie had always turned me into a puddle of sensation, wrung me out with his expert touch that he’d undoubtedly honed over the centuries. But I’d never experienced anything quite like this. Each sensation felt drawn out, overwhelming, and excruciating in a way that verged on painful. His mouth left a trail of fire that burned into my ultra-sensitive nerve endings—one of the perks of being a vampire. At the moment it left me squirming as I tried but failed to adjust to the thrum humming down my neck, to my thighs, and through my entire body.
“I’m going to suck on those,” he whispered as he looked at the hardened pebbles of my nipples, which betrayed my need to feel him inside of me. “Touch, taste, nibble, and bite...”
“Yes. Please, yes.” I writhed beneath him, needing him to do what he described.
His mouth moved further down my throat, and I shuddered at the scrape of his teeth over my skin. Slowly, his mouth descended, nipping and licking as it trailed lower. The desire that flamed in my breasts and between my legs only eased when he finally took one nipple between his teeth. But my relief was only temporary. His tongue flicked over the hard nub while his hand massaged my other breast and pinched my taut nipple. I gasped for air, wriggling beneath him, needing to feel him touch my pussy.
God, I want this man.
I clutched his shoulders, digging my nails into his skin as I let out an animalistic growl that I almost didn’t recognize. His mouth trailed lower, between the valley of my breasts, over my ribcage, across my navel...
He stopped just above the mound of curls between my legs.
“Are you sure you want to go to the club? We could stay here, have some fun, order some delivery.” When he spoke, his breath tickled the coarse hair at the apex of my thighs.
I laughed and groaned almost at the same time. “No more pizza. No more Chinese.”
“We could order Indian.”
“You’re impossible.”
He grinned. “And you’re wet.”
Heat spread across my cheeks from his erotic but not inaccurate taunting. Arie was skilled. Devious. And I wanted it all and then some. I tried not to squirm, because then he’d know for sure that what he said was true.
“Maybe,” I said, licking my lips. “You might care to find out for yourself, and then we can get ready to go to the club.”
Arie groaned before rolling onto his back. “Not a chance. You want to go out, then you get me later.”
The power struggle rippled between us, sexy and hot as hell.
A little payback was in order. My lips parted as I straddled his waist. His intake of breath, an audible hiss, made me feel triumphant as I lowered my breasts until they pressed against his chest. Tracing the shell of his ear with the tip of my tongue, I stopped at the lobe, tugging on it with my teeth. He hardened against the crotch of my underwear. Kissing his neck, his collarbone, his chest—I dropped to his nipple and flicked my tongue across it.
“Are you sure you don’t want to spare ten or twenty minutes before a shower?” I asked in the sexiest voice I could manage and looked up at him through my lashes.
“Holly, if you don’t stop now I’m going to pound you into the bed from now until closing and you can forget about going to the club.”
I leaned up and planted a kiss on his forehead, then used my newfound supernatural speed, or time-bending as Arie called it, to spring off of him before he could grab me.
“Suit yourself. If you change your mind you can join me in the shower.” I had a feeling he was going to need a cold one.
He kicked the rumpled sheets to the foot of the bed. -You’re going to regret that later. -
I smiled at his telepathic threat, which was more of a teasing endearment, even if it was a sexually frustrated one. I laughed. -Do you promise? -
Vaguely, I heard him mutter a curse. Before I could make it to the shower, he had wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me toward him and backward until we were both on top of the bed. When I landed on him, he rolled me onto my back and pinned me to the bed.
“You know, I really wish Tessa would have taught you a little bit more discipline.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. I never knew until I’d met Arie that a little bit of bondage and the smack of discipline could do wonders for my soul. It kept my visions at bay during sex and allowed me to orgasm. Well, either that or the supernatural bond we shared even back when I was human made it possible to block out everything except for the skillful swirl of his tongue.
Arie believed that like attracted like, and supernatural beings shared a bond. And I didn’t mind the idea of being bonded to Arie one bit. In truth, I didn’t mind the semi-dozing post-coital state with the taste of come in my mouth and his body wrapped around me like a blanket, either. From the look in his eyes I had a feeling that was exactly where we were headed.
“Well why don’t you show me some discipline?”
“That wasn’t on the menu. I was planning to go easy on you since your ass took quite a pounding last night.”
I blushed. I couldn’t help it.
-But I want you to spank me.-
I gasped.
It wasn’t my intention to blurt out what I wanted telepathically, and it was frustrating not to be able to control my new supernatural powers. Arie didn’t laugh at me when I looked away. Instead, he leapt from the bed and began rooting around underneath it.
I bit my lower lip. “What are you doing?”
“Fulfilling your request.”
He grinned as he pulled an oddly shaped object from under the bed. It looked like it had a rattan handle, and it reminded me of a fly swatter, but the end had a woven design that almost looked Celtic. I regarded the object with a wary look as he palmed it in one hand while holding the handle in the other.
He brought it away from his hand and brought it down again to thud in his palm. As I heard air whistle through it, desire shot down my spine. I licked my lips. I could almost feel the tingling warmth on my ass as I imagined how it would feel smacking against my heart-shaped derriere.
“What is that?” I asked.
“It’s a carpet beater. Quite the appropriate name for it, don’t you think?”
My underwear became damp.
“Cute.”
I knew better than to ask what the hell a rug beater was doing under the bed when the loft didn’t have any carpets. He kept plenty of creative things in the bedside table, and HFC hosted an array of toys to satisfy just about any fetish or fantasy.
“No, I’d say useful. The Dutch liked to use it when their children were naughty. Such a shame it had to be replaced by the carpet sweeper. But I can think of better things to do with it than beat rugs.”
I couldn’t resist the opening and walked right into it with a smile playing at the corners of my mouth. “Such as?”
“Stand beside the bed, bend over, and I’ll show you.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I pushed off the bed and bent over it, holding myself up with my arms to brace for the sting of the carpet beater. Arie slid my underwear down my legs, where they bunched around my ankles.
“Spread your legs.”
I obeyed his gruff command but could only spread them as far as my underwear would stretch. I waited, but it was hard to be patient as he drew out the anticipation, which was almost hotter than what came next. I knew that I had to stand still and wait. He massaged my ass, moving lower, and barely brushed my pussy. I almost couldn’t take it anymore. It was always the tease, that moment right before the first blow, that made me feel like I would jump out of my skin. I flinched when I heard a whoosh, but when its rattan head met my ass in a resounding smack, I let out a yelp. At ten strokes I lost count as the hefty thwacks kept coming. But the woven design wouldn’t leave an imprint for more than a minute, with my newfound healing ability.
Then he stopped. His hand spanned the warmth that flooded my ass as he massaged and cupped me, then dipped lower.
He slid two fingers into my pussy. “You’re drenched.”
I moaned.
The erotic motion of his fingers sliding in and out of me was almost more than I could take. I needed him, wanted him—had to have him inside of me. The spanking would be enough to keep the visions away long enough to climax. Skin to skin contact usually brought them on, and whether it was submitting to Arie or our supernatural bond that kept them away, he was the first person who had ever made me orgasm. Well, besides orgasms that I had given myself. I moaned as his thumb circled my clit. He knew every inch of my body and what turned me on. These past few months had been surreal.
Without warning his cock was inside of me, stroking me, urging me with its length. His fingers gripped my shoulder while his other hand dug into my hip as he hammered into me.
Yes.
This was what I needed, and I needed him in every way imaginable. Sex was just the icing. His thrusts rode deep and hard with me bent over the bed. Arie’s hand left my shoulder and he reached around me to stroke my swollen clit. The circling pressure on my clit, and his long, hard thrusts drove me over the edge.
I let out a scream and my muscles clenched around him. He followed me over that edge, his cock pulsing as he spilled inside of me. We collapsed on top of the bed, his face buried in my neck, our breathing heavy. It would be hard to stick to my original plan of going out and paying everyone at the club a visit, but everyone had been so worried about me.
And I had a decision to make.
I didn’t have to be a vampire—not if I didn’t want to be.
Continue reading this story or turn the page for a special note from the author...
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading, Winter Promises. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! It would mean a lot to me if you could leave a review, even if it’s just a line or two. Reviews help readers find the books that they’ll like. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.
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Happy Reading,
A.C. James
P.S. I’ve included a preview of my Ride Series in case you like sexy shifter romance. Just turn the page ;)
P.S.S. I was also invited to write in Milly Taiden’s Paranormal Dating Agency world. So if you like HAWT shifter romance with alpha males and curvy women then you should check out my book Finding Her Bearing. Turn the page for a little taste...
First love + mistaken identity + one BBW Latino and a sexy bear shifter = one smoking HAWT romance.
If you liked GEEK BEARING GIFTS from the Paranormal Dating Agency you’ll love FINDING HER BEARING.
Trigger Warning: This book was written to shine a light on domestic violence and may be difficult for survivors.
CHAPTER ONE
CARI SMOOTHED HER HAIR, sucking in one last breath before knocking on the door. This was stupid-crazy, and the last thing she needed right now. How she let Jess talk her into it, she’d never know.
The door swung open to reveal a small woman, a shock of white hair framing her smooth features in a stylish bob. She was short, but her wide smile made her seem larger than life.
“Hello, dear. I’m Gerri, and you must be Cari. Why, you’re even lovelier than Jess described. Come on in. I was just about to have some tea.”
Cari smiled at the spitfire of a woman and stepped into the apartment. Gerri closed the door and led her into a small kitchen.
“Have a seat. Would you like some tea?” Gerri’s shrewd, knowing eyes measured her movements as Cari pulled back a chair and took a seat at the kitchen table.
“Sure.”
The woman poured two cups from the kettle on the stove, placed one in front of Cari, and sat across from her.
“Thanks,” Cari said, taking a tentative sip from the oversized cup.
“So, how’s your sex life?”
Cari choked, trying to keep a mouthful of tea from spewing across the table. Jess hadn’t been kidding when she warned that Mrs. Wilder was a bit blunt. That seemed like an understatement.
Cari straightened her shoulders and met her inquisitive, no-nonsense look with bold caramel eyes. “Nonexistent.”
She hated to admit it, but it was true. She hadn’t been with anyone since her ex. That disaster had ended eight months ago, and she’d moved back here. It wasn’t where she’d grown up—Cari moved here with her grandmother in the ninth grade—but she always considered it home. When she inherited her grandmother’s old, ramshackle house two years ago, she hadn’t known what to do with it. Now it was the perfect escape, a place her ex had no idea even existed. Cari had been on her own fixing it up for the past eight months.
“Do you want it to be?” Gerri asked.
Cari thought for a moment. This whole thing was Jess’s crazy idea. They’d been friends since high school; everyone else had been standoffish to the new girl living in the rundown house on the edge of town, but Jess hadn’t cared.
She was enjoying the hell out of her newfound independence, but a woman had needs. She was comfortable with her curves, her plus-size hourglass shape, and her sensuality. Cari licked her lips. Didn’t she deserve to live a little? Besides, she needed a date for her ten-year reunion.
“I’m not sure I’m ready for a major commitment, but no-strings-attached sex is something I could handle. And I need a date for my high-school reunion.”
Gerri pursed her lips. “Is that so? I may have a shifter in mind, but are you certain all you want is sex?”
Cari frowned. She really wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore. It’d been a long time since anyone even asked her. She was just getting to know the smart, sexy, self-assured woman she’d forgotten. Her ex had really torn her down. Then she thought about the only guy who ever made her feel like a goddess: her high-school crush. It was a like a lightbulb went off. She’d been too scared to say anything back then. Maybe all this reunion business was bringing back old memories, but he was definitely the definition of what she wanted in a mate.
“I just got out of a really bad relationship,” Cari explained. “I’m not sure I can make any promises.”
Gerri studied her for a moment. “You don’t trust yourself.”
Wow. Gerri really knew how to read people, in a spooky, second-sight sort of way.
Cari swallowed. “That’s exactly it.”
Gerri’s eyes lingered on her, and Cari made an effort to keep herself from fidgeting.
“Honestly, I’m not sure I’d know what to do if someone was nice to me. I have an uncanny way of attracting assholes,” she admitted.
Gerri let out a full-belly laugh, and her whole face lit up. “I can see why you and Jess are such good friends! Shifters can get their alpha egos in a twist sometimes, but I can assure you I’ll find you one who isn’t an asshole.”
Cari laughed too. She really liked Mrs. Wilder’s candor, a refreshing change from polite, superficial exchanges. “Hopefully you can find one before the reunion next week.”
“I think we can manage to find you a date. What kind of man are you looking for?” Gerri asked.
Her hunky high-school crush popped into her head again. He’d been sweet, lanky, and easy on the eyes. She squirmed in her seat and cleared her throat.
“I want someone who’s smart, fun to be with, trustworthy, a good friend, and someone who makes healthy choices. I need someone who shows up, and calls when he says he will,” Cari said, her gaze reflecting in the large cup in front of her. “I deserve someone who makes me feel good and accepts me.”
She swallowed against the lump in her throat. She couldn’t believe she was telling Geri all the hopes she’d pinned on relationships that always ended badly. That’s what she wanted, but she attracted men who were all wrong for her. She’d been cheated on, put down, and put up with shit when she should have walked away a helluva lot sooner.
Gerri grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You leave it to me.”
Cari couldn’t imagine anyone could measure up to her crush. They’d met painting scenery for the high school drama club. He always made her feel safe and comfortable. Cari could really be herself around him. He was her best friend besides Jess. They’d talk for hours about everything and nothing. She’d always regret not telling him how she felt about him, but it wasn’t until college that she’d embraced her curvaceous Latino body. If only Liam could’ve met the version of herself that was bold, fearless. She wasn’t sure that girl existed anymore.
She wasn’t sure that that Gerri could find someone who met her qualifications, either. Cari smirked. “Well, it’s a pretty tall order.”
“Honey, what you want in a man is what every woman deserves, and I assure you it does exist,” Gerri said, her eyes twinkling.
Continue reading this story or turn the page for a preview of RIDE...
Chapter 1
A SMILE CURVED FELICITY Forrest’s mouth when her cell phone rang and she saw the name that flashed across the screen. “Hello.”
“Are you ready for tomorrow night?” Cyn asked.
Felicity was taking the Tube back to her flat in London to get ready for a weekend with Cyn. Her friend planned to celebrate her birthday by getting utterly pissed and then getting laid. She’d encouraged Felicity to find someone too, regardless of her nasty break-up six months ago. Felicity wasn’t really over it, and didn’t plan on opening herself up to getting hurt again, but after all it was her best friend’s twenty-fifth birthday. The two of them had been friends ever since attending university together, so for her sake, she’d try to sound energetic and positive. Cyn kept going on and on about being a quarter of a century old, to which Felicity just rolled her eyes.
She wanted to grab a pint or two and go dancing, but Felicity had never been comfortable on a dance floor. On the outside, she projected a false confidence about her curves—she’d come to terms with the fact that she’d never be a tiny little tart—but dancing made her more aware of her size. And gyrating would only draw attention to her lack of rhythm.
“Right, it’ll be smashing.” Just because Felicity didn’t enjoy her way of celebrating didn’t mean she’d ruin it for her friend. She wasn’t an out-and-out liar, but little white lies were always good for sparing the hurt feelings of a friend, weren’t they?
“Rubbish! Don’t lie to me.”
Felicity sighed. Unfortunately, Cyn almost always knew when she wasn’t telling the truth. It defeated the purpose of filtering those little nuggets that Felicity knew would sting. She wondered why she hadn’t learned by now that it was easier to be honest, even when it hurt like hell.
“It’s just... You know that I don’t dance.”
“How long have I known you?”
She could see where her friend was going with this. They’d had countless conversations about Felicity letting her hang-ups get in the way, but right now an emotionally draining break-up was making her edgier than usual.
“For a long time, and you know I bloody love you too, but I don’t relish the idea of bouncing my bum around and making a fool of myself.”
“Felicity, you’re stunning. I really wish you could see that. You sparkle on the inside and there’s nothing more beautiful than that.”
Felicity smiled even though Cyn couldn’t see her through the phone. She’d always hated that ‘beauty comes from within’ bollocks, but it didn’t sound so cliché when Cyn said it. And Cyn was the only one who knew how vulnerable Felicity could be about her body. It was easier to be a bitch to anyone else who made her feel like crap.
“I promise we’ll have fun,” Cyn said. “Besides how long has it been?”
“How long has what been?”
“How long has it been since you’ve been shagged proper?”
“As a matter of fact it was just the other night,” she fibbed. No need telling her she’d helped herself in the shower. Cyn would argue that it didn’t count at all.
“Right,” Cyn said, sounding totally unconvinced.
Felicity could picture Cyn rolling her eyes. “All right! Not since I broke up with William. Satisfied?”
“No, and neither are you. We should remedy that this weekend.”
Felicity wasn’t ready. Not bloody likely she’d be prepared to let someone into her bed, or anything else for that matter. She and William had been together nearly four years, and they’d lived together for three of them. She’d been the one to break it off with him, but that didn’t make it any easier. When you’re with someone you’ve grown comfortable with, sometimes you overlook the bickering and fighting, because at least you have someone to take to weddings or introduce at parties. Someone who’d put up with your crazy family on Christmas. Although, he had made a total arse out of himself at the last family gathering.
And William never understood her job as a paranormal investigator and blogger for Everyday Supernatural. He’d called it a tabloid rag that wasn’t worth her time or talent. Most of the pieces she’d blogged were about cases that turned out to be anything but supernatural, but the few times she’d come across something that couldn’t be explained by a very real and human element were moments she’d never forget.
Felicity loved to discover the truth. Her job was certainly never boring, and the blog gave her an opportunity to travel. But her constantly being on the go wasn’t why they’d split up.
They’d been together long enough for him to see the vulnerable side that Cyn knew all too well. Except William used it to fight unfairly. Especially when he drank too much, which was more often then she cared for. Felicity could hardly stand to look at herself toward the end of their relationship, and to maintain any sort of self-respect she decided she wouldn’t stick around and let him make himself feel better by tearing her down. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she remembered their last fight—the one that had ended it once and for all.
“Felicity?”
“Sorry, I was distracted.”
“No you weren’t. You were thinking about that good-for-nothing shite that broke your heart. I swear I could kick him right in the teeth.”
Felicity laughed. Cyn always spoke her mind even if it wasn’t entirely appropriate, but at the moment she was glad her friend lacked a filter. “Then you’d be sitting in jail for your birthday, and what would be the fun in that?”
Cyn let out an overly dramatic sigh. “Right you are.”
“Is your sister coming out with us tomorrow night?”
“I asked her, but she and Jack are having dinner with his parents this weekend. It’s the first time she’s meeting them, so I forgive her lapse in sisterly duties.”
Felicity raised an eyebrow. “Sisterly duties?”
“Yes, getting me pissed for my birthday, of course.”
Felicity laughed, just as her phone buzzed with an incoming call. It was her boss. Cool air wafted past as the tram stopped and the door slid open at the stop before hers. A stream of people fled the crammed compartment while another multitude pushed past to take the place of the ones who’d departed.
“I’m going to have to let you go. I have a call coming in,” Felicity said.
“Speak to you later,” Cyn said before the phone clicked and Nathan’s voice sounded in her ear.
“Felicity?”
“Yes.”
“I have an assignment for you,” Nathan said around what sounded like a mouthful of food.
“Can it wait until next week? I’m taking Cyn out for her birthday. Remember?”
“I’m afraid not, and I’ve already made accommodations for you.”
“What’s the assignment?”
Felicity couldn’t help the excitement she felt bubbling in the pit of her belly. The adrenaline spike was a familiar sensation that always rippled through her whenever there was a new mystery to solve.
“There’s rumours of a púca haunting on Inis Mór. There’s a local priest who seems to be at the root of the story, and some real estate developer is building one of those golf resorts that are so popular on the mainland. I reckon he’s trying to take advantage of the island’s spectacular ocean view and the tourists that visit, but recently there have been accidents on the construction site,” Nathan said. “And it appears that a púca is to blame.”
She could hear the amusement in his voice. Likely it was some local behind the whole thing. There was usually a reasonable explanation, but their blog readers loved watching the story as it unfolded. Felicity would have to research this one. They’d received tons of reported ghost sightings, a fair share of vampires, and even claims about the true location of the Loch Ness monster, but she’d never heard of a púca.
“What’s a púca?”
“They’re shapeshifters that can take the form of horses, rabbits, or goats, but they always have black fur and glowing eyes. They can bring good luck, or they can be quite mischievous. I think this one is of the mischief-making variety, given the accidents that have been reported.”
“Accidents?”
“It’s harmless, really—just some missing tools and minor injuries—but it leads me to believe that someone really doesn’t want this resort to be built.”
Felicity sighed. That had been exactly what she was thinking as he relayed the story. Some of the initial excitement at the prospect of her new assignment deflated.
Not so supernatural after all.
“Why send me to investigate then?”
“The priest has been quite insistent about the local legend, and he sent an interesting photograph taken by one of the locals.”
“That’s nothing new. Isn’t there always some dubious photo that surfaces?” Felicity asked.
Everyday Supernatural had photographs sent to them all the time. Usually you could easily tell they’d been tampered with because of the sloppy photo editing.
Nathan laughed. “Right, but after examining this one we couldn’t prove that it was a fake.”
“I think I’ll take Cyn with me. We had plans, but she won’t be sore with me if I tell her we’re going on holiday.”
“I don’t know about that. I don’t think taking her to a remote fishing village for her birthday is quite what she has in mind.”
Felicity imagined he was probably smiling that goofy grin he always got anytime he talked about Cyn. He’d always been sweet on her, and although Nathan was her boss, he was also a friend. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that Cyn didn’t see him as anything other than a brother, so she changed the subject instead. Besides, Felicity had been to Ireland, but she’d never been to the Aran Islands and really didn’t know what to expect.
“So there’s not much for her to do while I’m investigating?”
“I suppose Cyn could sit at the pub and get pissed there just as well as she can here, but the island is only a few kilometres and about eight hundred people occupy it.”
Felicity wouldn’t mention that was plenty of people for Cyn carry out her birthday shagging mission.
“Well I won’t need to rent a car then.”
“No, you can cover most of the island on foot or rent a bike. You’ll fly into Shannon and from there take the ferry in Doolin to Inis Mór. I’ll make arrangements for Cyn too and email you the details later.”
“Thank you, Nathan.”
“Or I could always entertain her while you’re gone.”
Felicity loved her friend to pieces, but she also knew Cyn confused love with a lot of other things, like sex, or having a few good laughs. In their university days, sex seemed like an expression of rebellion. Pity the man that finally turned her head, because Cyn wouldn’t know what to do with love if she even tried. Poor Nathan had been in love with her since the moment he’d laid eyes on her, but she would only ever think of him as a friend. Felicity had tried to tell him gently. He just didn’t want to hear it, and so she side-stepped the issue whenever it came up.
“I’m sure you could, but I’d best start packing and tell Cyn I’m stealing her for the weekend.”
“Call me when you get there. Or after you talk to that priest.”
“I will.”
“Speak to you later,” he said before hanging up.
She immediately rang Cyn.
“Hello.”
“I know you had a different idea, but would you like to go to Ireland with me tomorrow? A holiday is a much better way to spend your birthday.”
Silence hung as Cyn considered her proposition.
“Why the sudden change in plans?” she asked.
“I have an assignment, but I promise that we’ll still have fun.”
“Will there be dancing?”
“It’s Ireland.”
“Mmmm. Then there’ll be hot Irish men that I can fu—”
Felicity cut her off. “Precisely my point. So what do you say?”
“I’m sure they’ve got plenty of pubs and I have no doubt that I could find someone I like well enough to bang.”
Felicity laughed. She knew Cyn almost as well as Cyn knew her. That had been exactly what Felicity had figured her friend’s response would be when Nathan mentioned the remote locale. “Okay, so it’s settled then.”
“Quite. What’s the assignment anyway?”
“Apparently, there’s a púca haunting.”
“What’s a púca?”
Déjà vu.
“Some sort of shapeshifting horse.”
“A horse? I see.”
Felicity could tell she was trying really hard not to laugh. And in truth, if she ever had to tell anyone other than Cyn that she was going to Ireland to look for a shapeshifting stallion, they’d probably look at her cock-eyed. Finally she arrived at the Shoreditch High Street station, which marked yet another unlucky piece of real estate that had been hipsterised and filled with a tribe clad in skinny jeans that would never look good on her. But at least the rent was affordable.
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FOR A FULL LIST OF Books by A.C. James click HERE.
Paranormal Romance
Ride (BBW Paranormal Romance Shape Shifter Serial)
Reading Order:
Felicity & Niall – Episodes 1-4
Ride: Felicity & Niall Box Set
Cyn & Fallon – Episodes 5-8
Ride: Bad Hangover – Episode 5
Maeliosa & Sage – Episodes 9-12
Ever After Vampire Romance Series (Erotic w/BDSM)
Winter Promises – Book 1.5 Short Story
Stand Alone Paranormal Romance
Contemporary Romance
Non-Fiction
NEW YORK TIMES and USA Today bestselling author A.C. James writes paranormal romance and erotica, including Eternal Ever After which was featured in the bestselling Spice Box anthology. She pounds out sexy scenes at her keyboard where romance is laced with horror in hot stories of vampires and bad boy werewolves. Her stories feature strong heroines and alpha heroes, with plenty of action, twists, and turns that will keep you turning pages. A.C. resides in northeast Pennsylvania where she entertains her husband with her imaginative yarns and quirky sense of humor. She spends her time drinking large vats of coffee while taming kids by day and writing by night. Recovering video game beta tester and tech geek who grew-up going to cons and watching SmackDown. There's probably some cosplay pictures around somewhere of her dressed up as Bloodberry from Saber Marionette J. Just don't tell anyone.
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This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.
ISBN: 978-1-948684-02-6
Copyright © A.C. James
Swoon Worthy Imprint
WIP Publishing & RAS LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means; electronic or mechanical including photography, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
