Her Vampire Lover. Caridad Pineiro
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more about yourself.”
Sunny hesitated and examined his features. Ruthlessly handsome would have been a good way to describe him. His face was all strong, powerful lines, but as he smiled and cocked his head to the side, the boyishness returned and his dark brown eyes glittered with amusement.
Did he find her humorous somehow? she wondered and called him out on it.
“Do you find me funny?”
He shrugged and the blue-black wool of his suit stretched tight against those wide shoulders. “I guess you could say I’m used to women who won’t shut up about themselves. You’re a refreshing change.”
His candor tempered her anger. “Maybe you should stop hanging out with all those princesses.”
His grin broadened, awakening that delicious dimple on one side, and he brushed his thumb across the knuckles of the hand he continued to hold. “Maybe. So tell me more, Sonja from New Jersey.”
“Not much to tell. I teach. Work out on occasion. Visit with my friends and family.”
“No boyfriend?” he asked with an inquisitive arch of his brow.
“Not right now,” she admitted, unsure of why she had. Although she had considered she might find a little romance on this trip, she wasn’t sure the count was what she had in mind.
“American men must be quite foolish not to snatch up such a beautiful woman.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Does that pickup line work often?”
To her surprise, he laughed as well and shook his head. “Poor Sonja. Sometimes a compliment is just a compliment.”
His chastisement stung a little, but then he leaned forward until his warm breath spilled against her lips and her heart did that funky flip again. In a low, sexy whisper that sent a wave of heat through her, he said, “When I seduce you, believe me, you will know.”
Before she could respond, he released her hand and picked up his wineglass, urging her to do the same. “Close your eyes and open your senses,” he said and she watched as he did so while taking a sip of the wine. After he swallowed, that engaging smile returned to his lips and he focused his gaze on her as he waited.
Sunny brought the glass to her lips and Gregori held his breath, imagining his lips there instead. She closed her eyes as he had asked and took a sip, holding the wine in her mouth a moment before swallowing. When she opened her eyes and faced him, her lips were moist and smiling.
“Delicious.”
He couldn’t resist. He tucked his hand beneath her chin and swiped his thumb across those luscious lips.
She drew back, but barely. A brighter flush erupted on her cheeks and her eyes darkened to nearly purple. As he slowly withdrew his hand, he touched his thumb to the small indent in her chin in a final caress. Maybe even as a promise of what could come, if she let it.
A second later, Henri and a waiter approached. The waiter set the covered plates before them and then whisked away the lids with a flourish. Henri immediately stepped in and poured a glass of another wine for each of them.
Sunny shot Gregori a questioning glance, but he quickly explained. “The foie gras is in a reduction with bits of pear. This Sauternes is on the sweet side and will mesh well with the fruit.”
Sunny stared down at the grilled piece of goose liver delicately drizzled with a brown sauce. Toast points and more sauce with bits of caramelized pear completed the presentation on the plate. Not knowing what to expect because she had never eaten foie gras, she followed Gregori’s lead, cutting off a small piece to taste.
As soon as she closed her lips over the morsel, an assortment of flavors exploded in her mouth. The sweet of the fruit and the slight tang of the sauce. The buttery smoothness of the liver, like nothing she had ever tasted. She couldn’t quite hold back the slight moan of pleasure.
“I guess you like it,” he teased and took a sip of the Sauternes. She did the same, experiencing the perfect balance of the slightly sweet wine against the earlier tastes.
She polished off the foie gras and Sauternes way too quickly, almost greedily, caught up in the sheer luxury of it and the decadent feeling it had roused in her.
Gregori was slightly slower, and when he had only a bite left, he lifted his fork and offered to share it with her.
As her gaze met his beyond the tempting tidbit, she understood he intended for them to share that, and more.
Closing her mouth over the morsel, she tasted all of the earlier flavors and one more.
She tasted Gregori.
Between her legs a low throb pulsed with each chew and after she swallowed, her mouth was dry with want. She reached for her glass, but it was empty.
Instead of refilling it, Gregori offered up his own, turning it so that she would drink from the exact spot he had. As he tilted the glass and she sipped it, the wine was still sweet, but the taste of him was far more enticing.
After he moved the glass away, she licked her lips, wanting more. Determined to take the leap, she decided to explore this unexpected adventure that had presented itself.
She leaned forward, prepared for another taste of him. Bringing her lips to within an inch of his, she asked, “Would you mind sharing something else?”
Chapter 3
Gregori sucked in a breath and rethought his earlier statement about seduction. If anyone was being seduced, it just might be him.
“Not at all,” he whispered and closed his eyes, expectant.
Her mouth skimmed over his, soft and warm. Mobile, as she traced the edges of his lips, sipping like a bee might sip nectar, before she opened her mouth on his, tasting him with a quick lick of her tongue.
He groaned and tangled his fingers in the silky strands of her hair, holding her close as the kiss deepened.
Remnants of the wine lingered, sweet, but beneath that was the subtle flavor of Sonja, clean and welcoming. Inquisitive, as she responded to him with a hesitant touch of innocence that was so at odds with the sensuality he sensed deep inside her and the daring that had initiated the kiss.
They broke apart at an abrupt and almost-condemning cough from beside them, both breathing heavily.
As Gregori turned slightly, he realized it was Henri. For a moment, he considered ripping out the man’s throat for interrupting such a delicious interlude. He restrained himself, especially when fear crept into the host’s eyes. It occurred to Gregori that his desire for Sonja had allowed a bit of the vampire to become visible.
“What is it, Henri?” A low rumble tinged his voice, confirming that the demon had to be controlled.
Henri glanced down at the tray in his hands. “Just some lemon ice to clear the palate.”
And hopefully to cool him down, he heard in the subtle condemnation of the other man’s tone.
Gregori nodded and the host placed the ices before them along with some clean spoons. As refreshing as the ices were, he regretted that they did cleanse him of the taste of Sonja. As he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, he wondered if she felt the same.
They had barely finished when the waiter returned with a cart loaded with the fixings for the Caesar salad he had ordered. When Sonja craned her head forward to watch, Gregori shifted, draping his arm across her shoulders and tucking her tight so she might have a better view.
A mistake, he realized as her hand dropped to his thigh and the side of her breast brushed against his chest. Between his legs, arousal clawed into him, making him so hard that it was almost painful. He sucked in a breath and fought it, fought the demon who wanted to come out and slake that desire in any way it could.
Beneath Sunny’s hand, Gregori’s body trembled