Read Online Hunter by Night by Elisabeth Staab - Free Book Online Page B

legs. She’d drunk Lee’s blood once before, after being attacked by a wizard. The experience of putting her lips on his skin and sucking his blood had been startlingly erotic.
    She wasn’t sure if it was the blood itself, or the two hundred and fifty pounds of alpha male that she’d been sucking the stuff from, but day-um. Doing that again? Not a good idea, not in the slightest. Not if she wanted to keep her dignity. She’d decided unequivocally since then that staying far away from the emotionally unavailable, bad-guy-slaying vampire was the best idea ever. Especially since he clearly viewed humans as a subpar species.
    But Lord, that vampire had been tasty…
    “The best thing,” he said, “would be to have you remove your wet clothes. But we need to be ready to move again soon, and it seems your pack was left at the car.”
    Killing her. Absolutely killing her. Her fingers dug deeper into the dry, prickly straw. She shivered again, this time not so much from the cold. “Sorry.”
    “It’s okay. Let me finish.” He touched gently around her nose, then swept his tongue over her jaw, her chin, and her neck. He lingered there, and she couldn’t be certain, but gentle huffs gave the impression that he was… sniffing. She indulged for a moment in a fantasy of him biting her, drinking from her. Pulling her body against his while he— No. She swallowed.
    Why would he even want her? He’d made it clear: humans weren’t good enough for a fighter like him. He needed someone with stronger blood. Why do you want to be with someone who doesn’t like you as a person, anyway? Get over him, Lexi.
    Except right then, it was so easy to get lost in the considerate way he held her. In the near eroticism of… Oh. Heaven. His tongue brushed the corner of her mouth. It wasn’t a kiss. Not a kiss. He’s cleaning off the blood . But so nearly something, almost, if she closed her eyes and pretended.
    “Ow.” Her arousal cooled when the solid grip of his hands left her arms and went to work prodding at her nose. “ Owww .”
    “That hurts?”
    Were all vampire guys so dense? “Holy fuckingheimer, are you kidding? Yes, it freaking hurts.”
    “I’m trying to help,” he said. “And your bastardization of the word ‘fuck’ would make some of my soldiers blush.”
    A gust of wind brought a fresh round of teeth-punishing shivers. “I totally feel that fact, and thank you. But you know, I fought some freak back there in the woods. I’m pretty sure my nose is broken, and I’m soggy and cold. My apologies for being cranky.”
    He huffed a breath, and in the dark of the loft all she could see was the shadowy outline of his body. Tough to tell if he was happy or pissed or somewhere in between.
    It was also tough to stay mad with his body pressed so close.
    “Here,” he said. “Drink.”
    Something warm and wet pressed to her lips. The familiar tang of his blood, salty with hints of anise, slid over her tongue. She wrapped her lips around his wrist, sucking tentatively at first, then harder. His blood was thicker than human blood; it reminded her of drinking warm bisque. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed the taste. Maybe she’d blocked it out for the good of her sanity.
    The last time she’d drunk from him, she’d hardly sipped much before he put on the brakes. So she pulled away after a few moments, surprised and secretly thrilled when his hand pressed into her hair. “Take more.” When she hesitated, he said, “You’ve got a broken nose. Go ahead.”
    More warmth flowed into her mouth, leaving her little choice but to gulp and swallow. Alexia’s blood hummed, and desire spiraled through her insides. Forgetting all restraint, she dug her fingers into his arm and sucked harder, eliciting a murmur from Lee and a tightening of the hand in her hair. In the quiet dark of the barn, his warm body pressed against hers. His breath puffed against her ear.
    Alexia’s blood flew through her veins. Her body pulsed head to