Extraits

Every muscle in his body went rigid. Then he rolled toward her, not stopping until she was on her back and he loomed over her. He shoved a muscled thigh between hers, parting them and making room for himself. Then, his eyes as bright as the damned sun, he ducked his head and claimed her lips, devouring her and stoking the flames until she moaned and arched up against him.

YES. This was what she wanted, what she needed. It had been soooooo long since any man had touched her. And Nick wasn’t just any man. He was the one who frequented all of her illicit sexual fantasies.

She moaned a protest when his lips left hers and trailed kisses across her cheek to her ear. His warm breath sent more sensual shivers through her before he raised his head and stared down at her.

Dragging his lips from hers, he buried his face in her neck. His arms tightened around her almost to the point of pain.

Frowning, wanting those lips on hers again, she hugged him back. “Nick?”

“You scared the hell out of me today,” he murmured, his deep voice hoarse.

Her heart turned over. He would only have such a reaction if he cared about her. How had she not realized that before? “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “Just let me hold you a minute.”

Smiling, she snuggled against him.

Eliana clapped her hands together. “So. What’s the plan? I think the men should go hunting as usual while Dana and I stay home and have a girls’ night in with Kayla.”

Aidan shrugged. “Works for me.”

Nick hesitated. Dana and Eliana could certainly keep Kayla safe, but . . .

He sent Eliana a squinty-eyed look full of suspicion. “You aren’t going to pump her for information about our relationship, are you?”

She assumed an exaggeratedly innocent expression. “Who me? Would I do that?”

“Hell yes.”

She grinned. “Then I guess that’s a great big maybe, baby.”

Aidan and Dana laughed.

Nick groaned.

“Can I talk you into sharing a snack with me while we watch a movie or something for a bit? I know you need to go to bed soon, but I’d love to spend some time with you first. I promise to keep my hands to myself.”

Stepping back, Kayla shook her head with mock disappointment. “I was going to say yes… but then you blew it with the hands thing.”

Kayla froze and looked at her neighbor’s fence.

A low masculine chuckle floated on the night, doing funny things to her insides. Grass crunched as footsteps approached the five-foot fence.

When a handsome face appeared above it, butterflies filled her belly.

Nick Belanger smiled at her, his brown eyes glinting with amusement in the ambient illumination cast by the floodlights. “Everything okay?”

Straightening, she returned his smile and held up the snail. “Yes. Just stopping this little bugger. He and his buddies keep devouring my pepper plants.”

He grinned. Damn, he was handsome. Not in a pretty-boy way, but in a ruggedly masculine way. His short black hair was slicked back from his face, still wet from a recent shower. His strong jaw bore a five-o’clock shadow. His straight white teeth provided sharp contrast to the dark stubble that coated his cheeks.

She’d been attracted to him ever since she had moved next door to him six years ago.

“Oh sure. You can laugh,” Eliana grumbled as she took it. “You have Kayla.”

He winced. “Not yet, I don’t. There’s a goodly chance I’m going to bungle things with her. Badly.” He gestured to the vampires on the ground around them. “She doesn’t even know about this aspect of my life. And I don’t know how to tell her. What woman wouldn’t flee from a man who claims he hunts and kills vampires for a living?”

“A strong one,” she retorted, the words a little muffled as she wiped her face clean. “And Kayla is ballsy. I knew it as soon as I met her.”

He smiled. “She is. Strong women are so hot.”

Smiling, Kayla leaned back and gave his shoulder a shove. “You are SO bad!”

“It’s your fault. You bring it out in me.”

“Uh-huh. Sure I do. How red is my face right now?”

He grinned. “You’ve passed raspberry and are rapidly approaching full-blown strawberry. It’s adorable.”

She laughed.

He buried his face in her neck. His arms tightened around her almost to the point of pain.

Frowning, she hugged him back. “Nick?”

“You scared the hell out of me today,” he murmured, his deep voice hoarse.

Her heart turned over. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “Just let me hold you a minute.”

He nodded toward her house. “Can I talk you into sharing a snack with me while we watch a movie or something for a bit? I know you need to go to bed soon, but I’d love to spend some time with you first. I promise to keep my hands to myself.”

Stepping back, she shook her head with mock disappointment. “I was going to say yes… but then you blew it with the hands thing.”

He chuckled. “And if I promise not to keep my hands to myself?”

Crossing to the back door, she opened it and offered him a dramatic bow. “Step inside, my dear sir.”

Those soft, full lips of his stretching in a smile, he did as ordered.

Some of the hunger in her gaze receded as uncertainty crept in.

“What is it?”

She bit her lip. “My breasts aren’t what they used to be.”

He glanced at her gorgeous breasts, then met her gaze again. “What did they used to be?”

She laughed, some of the sudden awkwardness leaving her. “Perkier. Pregnancy and breastfeeding changed them.”

He stared at her breasts. “Then thank you, pregnancy and breastfeeding. Because I love your breasts.”