“Sure.”
He returned a minute or two later with two glasses, his with a red tinge that had to be blood.
“Champagne?” I asked.
“Yes.” He grinned. “What did you have earlier—a Vampire’s Kiss?”
I had indeed, in more ways than one. Heat suffused my cheeks. “Yes.” Shadow jumped down to the rug and attacked one of his toy mice. I crossed my legs. “I think mine had grenadine to give it color.”
“The real thing is better.” Diego’s arched a brow.
Kissing a vampire was one thing. Drinking blood another. “I’ll take your word for it.”
After I took a sip of the champagne, I glanced over to my aunt’s apartment.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I flashed a sheepish grin. “Just wondering if I can work up the nerve to go sleep over there tonight. Or, if I should go back to Gianna’s.”
Diego cupped my chin and tilted it up. “Don’t do either.”
My breath caught in my throat as I stared into his bright blue eyes. They’d darkened a shade, capturing me with intensity.
His focus lowered to my mouth. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine. “Stay with me.”
Chapter 9
Diego
When my lips met Nova’s, the electricity zinged me. The chemistry was undeniable.
“Yes,” Nova said.
Excitement roared through me. All that yearning that had built up in me from that night, burst forth when she said that one small word.
I hadn’t planned to seduce her. What I had promised to do was keep her safe. Two witches had been killed in Salem. I didn’t want to let Nova out of my sight if she’d let me watch over her.
As I kissed her, we moved up the stairwell. I drank in her sweet fragrance, almost tasting it on my tongue. The dance, the kiss, and all the heightened tension of the night had built up, and I couldn’t stand another second without touching her. She stirred feelings in me I didn’t think possible. The yearning to protect her drove me to predatory levels. I’d destroy anyone or anything that tried to harm her. I never felt so vulnerable as when I was around her.
Once we entered my room, I kicked the door closed and led her onto my bed. Her auburn hair tumbled over the bedspread, and she gazed up at me from under hooded eyelids. She looked incredibly hot tonight, but never so much as with her lips swollen and parted from our ravenous kisses.
I kissed her again and ran my hands over her body. My fingers traced over the exposed skin of her slim neck, her upper chest, and then over the fabric covering her breasts. A rumble stirred inside as I rubbed her nipples. They hardened beneath my touch. My nostrils flared as I scented her rising desire.
“Nova, you’re so beautiful.” I slid my hands down over her dress, slipping them beneath the hem to caress her soft thighs. “All I want to do is make you feel good. Bring you pleasure.”
She sighed and encouraged me to continue with a small smile. “No arguments from me.”
As my fingers edged up her thighs, I kissed the hollow of her throat. Her blood thrummed beneath her skin, drawing my fangs forward. It had been over a year since I drank fresh from a human, yet never with such sensual desire. Not only did I long to pierce her flesh and taste the sweet ambrosia, but I needed to thrust deep inside her.
Forcing myself to ignore the compelling song of her blood, I continued to follow the other urgent drives instead. My erection strained against my zipper, burning with the raging urge to enter her.
I kissed down over the top of her dress, trailing my tongue on the slight mounds of her breasts. They’d tantalized me all night, especially when we danced.
“Let’s get this off you,” I murmured.
When she arched her back, I unzipped her dress. We worked together to pull it over her head, leaving her in nothing but a black lacy thong.
I ran a hand over my mouth to regroup before I erupted right then. It had definitely been too long.
