Bittersweet Blood (The Order #1)

She put the phone away and glanced up to find Christian watching her, amusement glinting in his eyes.

“What?” she asked scowling.

“He sounds more like your father than your boyfriend.”

“I told you he’s not my boyfriend, but I met him soon after I came to London. He sort of sees it as his duty to make sure the country bumpkin doesn’t do anything stupid in the big city.”

“No doubt a difficult job.”

He turned to Graham. Something passed between the two men and Graham got up without a word and left the room. Tara stared after him then back at Christian. He was still half-naked, and he was still a vampire and he was sitting on the edge of the bed as if he had every right to be there. She inched away. He inched right after her.

“Is your head okay?” he asked.

“It’s fine, just a little sore.”

She fidgeted. She wasn’t used to scenarios involving half-naked vampires and beds. Hell, she wasn’t used to half-naked men and beds. Or even half-naked men and Christian was hard to ignore. There was so much of him.

“Right, I’d better get up and go meet Jamie.”

His lips twitched. “You have half an hour.”

“You could hear that? Don’t tell me—some sort of vampire powers.” She was quite proud of herself for saying the word without succumbing to hysterics. “Even so, I should get up.”

He stroked down the line of her jaw. His fingers were cool now, but her skin burned where he touched. “Don’t I get a reward for rescuing you? A kiss perhaps?”

Another kiss? She stared at his mouth. His lips were beautiful, but it wasn’t his lips she was worried about, it was what was behind them.

“I’ll write you a check,” she mumbled.

He smiled as if he could see what was going on in her head. “You have no need to fear me,” he said. “I’ve fed tonight.”

“I know, I saw.”

She shuddered at the memory, but it wasn’t from horror. She remembered the expression on Graham’s face as Christian fed. Heat flared again, low in her belly. She wasn’t used to desire, but she could recognize the signs, and they terrified her. What she should be doing was running as fast as she could in the opposite direction. Instead, she stared, mesmerized as those lips lowered slowly toward her own.





Chapter Five


Tara didn’t protest as Christian’s hands slid into her hair, angling her face toward him. He kissed her, his tongue sweeping along the line of her closed lips.

“Open your mouth, Tara. Let me taste you,” he whispered.

For a moment, she resisted, but she wanted his kiss so much. Maybe this was another vampiric power and he’d cast a spell on her. Then his lips were on hers again, and it didn’t matter.

She opened her mouth, and the kiss hardened. His tongue thrust inside and without thought, her hands went up to tangle in his hair. His huge body came over her and pressed her onto the bed until she could feel his hardness through the layers that separated them.

Breaking from the kiss, he raised his head and held her gaze as he ground his hips into the softness of her belly. Heat flooded her, pooled at her core, and her eyes widened. Christian shifted lower, until he pushed against the junction of her thighs, and her whole body went up in flames.

“Oh.”

He smiled, lowered his head, and kissed her again. She lost herself in that kiss, only coming back when he went still against her. Opening her eyes, she followed his gaze.

She closed her eyes again and pretended she was home and there was no six-foot-plus of half-naked vampire on top of her. And no six-foot-plus of fully dressed vampire lounging in the open doorway.

Piers watched them, an expression of amused curiosity on his face.

She shoved at Christian and tried to wriggle from under him.

“Don’t move for a moment,” he murmured into her ear.

She stilled.

Sighing, he rolled off her. He lay for a moment staring at the ceiling then sat up and pushed off the bed in one fluid move.

“Just wondered whether you were ready to have that shoulder stitched yet,” Piers said.

Christian turned toward him. For the first time since she’d woken, Tara felt real fear. She shivered as she watched him stalk toward the other man. He moved slowly but every step radiated menace. He stared at Piers through narrow silver eyes. If the look had been directed at her, she would have shriveled up in fear.

Piers just grinned. “Well, at least you don’t seem bored anymore.”

Christian stared at him for a moment longer, and the tension drained out of his body.

Tara scrambled to her feet. She wanted out of there now—way too much testosterone pounded through the room.

Someone had removed her boots and coat, but she spotted them on a chair. Christian watched her, a slight frown on his face, but he didn’t protest as she pulled them on.

“Right. I’m off,” she said.