We’d have time for pleasantries later, I decided. “James…”
He chuckled. “It’s okay, love. You’ve done so good for me.”
He stamped a kiss to my stomach, then worked his way to my boxers, pulling the fabric down with his teeth before removing them completely. No longer confined, I spread my legs to give him more room to work. I was panting, desperate to have James’s mouth on me.
He gave me what I wanted.
My eyes rolled back into my head as my cock entered his mouth. James chased the path of his hand, taking me straight to the back of his throat. As the high from the bite faded, my pulse shot up. I could hear it in my ears. He hummed around me, lips vibrating against my skin. I moaned, sinking into the warmth surrounding us. I peered down my body at the sight of him between my legs.
Big mistake. “Oh, fuck,” I groaned. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. James’s cheeks hollowed out, and he took me down again. He looked up, eyes meeting mine, and I caught the mischievous sparkle in them—he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
Before I completely lost it, I shut my eyes and threw my headback on the pillow. I let my body take control: my hips moved on their own, and though I desperately wanted to watch my dick disappear between his beautiful lips, another glance would send me right over the edge.
To my dismay, James released me from his mouth with a pop. His hand quickly got to work, but I protested anyway. I wassoclose. “I wish you could see yourself,” he said. “You look so good right now…” His voice trailed off, mimicking the act of being breathless. “So gorgeous. So perfect.”
I gritted my teeth as my imminent orgasm raced through my body. “Oh my God, shut up!” I strained, forcing his mouth over my cock again just in time to come all over his tongue—I didn’t make it far enough to spill down his throat. I gasped with each pulse, the relief washing over me almost too much to bear. I relaxed into the mattress, releasing my grip on James and swallowing against a dry mouth.
James grabbed a glass of water on the nightstand and offered it to me.
“When did that get there?” I asked gratefully.
“When you were sleeping. Sit up.” I obeyed, pushing up enough to take a drink without spilling it all over myself. James rested his chin on my hip, thumb tracing my birthmark again. “Who’d have thought?” he muttered. “Ryder Clark has a praise kink.”
I inhaled the mouthful of water, coughing and sputtering. James laughed as I composed myself.
“I donothave a praise kink,” I said, ignoring the fluttering in my belly that returned at the memory of his words. When he didn’t respond, I looked down to find mischievous eyes looking back at me. “What?”
“So that’snotwhy you exploded before you could make it into my mouth?’
I rolled my eyes, deciding to dodge the question. I toyed with the rim of my glass as I asked, “What’s it taste like?” James cocked a brow and glanced down at my lap. “My blood! You infuriating man.”
“Well, everyone tastes different,” he said. His chin rested on his palm, his free hand tracing paths over my stomach. “You taste sweet, like dessert. Like strawberries and cream.”
I laughed. “You’re making that up.”
“Perhaps you’ll find out for yourself someday.” James stood. “But for today,” he said, before gently kissing my lips, “I need to go. Erin’s about to knock on your door.”
I blinked. “What?”
A knock sounded from downstairs. I glanced in the direction of the hallway, then back to where James had already dressed himself next to me. He knelt on the bed and delivered another kiss. It was a strange feeling, needing to be… coddled. I’d never really been a clingy kind of person. What was I supposed to do here? Did the normal dating rules apply to a vampire?
Vampire.
“What about the sunlight?” I asked. “Won’t it hurt you?”
James cupped my neck. “Sunlight can’t hurt me, love. It’s fire that makes us vulnerable—that’s where the myth comes from.”
“Isn’teveryoneweak to fire?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t say it was a good myth. Besides, we’re exceptionally susceptible to flames: They don’t need to even touch us. Just being around flames can be lethal.”
“Note to self: don’t invite you over for a barbecue.”
“I’m not that fragile—a barbecue would be fine.”
I flashed him a grin. “Trust me, you don’t want to let me near a grill.”
His dimple popped out again. “I’m assuming you’ll still be in for your shift tonight.”
