Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 47359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 237(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 237(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
He sat in the chair close to where she sat on the couch, though he leaned forward, looking almost as if he was about to pounce. “A little levity may help to lighten this unusual situation.”
Lara quickly drew back even though he wasn’t that close to her, she felt as if his move had brought him nearly on top of her. His musky scent drifted around her like an alluring aftershave that men wore to bait and hook a woman. Only his scent was lethal, add to that his intoxicating dark eyes and he would have a woman surrendering in no time.
“Tell me about yourself,” he said.
A sense of loss descended over her as he eased back in his chair, and she wondered if he manipulated her emotions. Didn’t vampires manipulate people as a way of controlling them? But then she knew some human males who were talented manipulators. She hadn’t fallen prey to them, and she wasn’t about to fall prey to Michael Valaine—vampire or not.
“Let’s start with you. When and how did you become a vampire?” she asked.
“It’s in my blood.”
“Very funny. Vampires are bloodless creatures.”
Again, he moved forward fast, though this time he reached out and took hold of her hand. “And yet I am warm just like you.”
Lara snatched her hand out of his, thinking how he had felt cold and hot when he had kissed her, and yet he felt so warm now. She was relieved when he moved away from her to settle comfortably in his chair. She didn’t like admitting it, but his touch and that damn enticing scent of his stirred her libido and, worse, he knew it. But there would be no surrender, no matter how much her clitoris begged for more.
“One nail in the coffin, excuse the pun,” she said with a grin, “in proving you’re not a vampire. You’re warm-blooded.” His sly smile had her saying, “Don’t tell me, a vampire misconception?”
“Vampires aren’t warm-blooded creatures, but we have the ability to draw the warmth of the person we touch back onto them.”
Naturally, her need to wade through the bullshit had her saying, “Prove it.”
“Give me your hand.”
Why did it feel as if he was saying let me bite your neck? And, of course, she felt compelled to do so, though she wondered if it was her own stubborn curiosity or his magnetism that provoked her.
She slid to the edge of the couch and extended her hand to him. As soon as he took hold, she gasped. He was ice cold, and the shock sent a shiver racing through her. In the next instant, his hand turned warm, and he was rubbing warmth back into hers with his lean, strong fingers. His thumb pressed firmly into her palm while his fingers massaged the back of her hand. She hadn’t realized how tense her muscles had become, and she closed her eyes as her whole body began to relax.
His touch gradually turned slower and lighter until his thumb faintly caressed the palm of her hand in an ever-expanding circle. It was when a soft sigh escaped her lips that her eyes finally shot open, and she yanked her hand away from his and sunk back against the couch. He not only skillfully manipulated; he skillfully seduced.
“As for when and how I became a vampire,” he said returning to her original question, “I was born one.”
Her eyebrows shot up questioningly.
“Vampirism began as a curse, morphed into a condition and eventually became a way of life.”
“Now that’s a new one to me, and it certainly makes for an interesting theory.”
“It isn’t as if vampires can shout it from the rooftops. We need to be selective as to who we invite into our group.”
“Invite not bite?”
“I know all this is difficult for you to comprehend since you were raised with the belief that vampires are pure evil that we don’t have a single redeeming quality about us.”
He had caught her interest. It was such a different take on vampires, one she had never heard and one that seemed possibly plausible, and so she asked, “Then you’re not an evil creature?”
“If I am pushed too far, I am far more deadly than the average human.”
“How far is too far?”
“Why? Do you plan on pushing too far?” he asked with another teasing smile.
“No plans, but my curiosity can irritate to the point of being pushy.”
“I find your curiosity quite appealing and your natural beauty even more alluring. You do realize how rare your auburn hair and green eyes are, don’t you? Not to mention your pale, silky complexion and exquisite bone structure. And your perfect body tempts not only the man in me, but the vampire as well and that is not easily done. Many men must pursue you.”
She wasn’t sure if she should be flattered or frightened, though she had to smile at his last remark. “Pursue me?”