Sara Humphreys - Vampire Trouble

“While I appreciate your offer, I will politely decline.” Shane looked at Maya lovingly. “I have all I desire right here. You are dismissed.”

The brunette flounced out of the room, giving Maya a withering look on the way out. Rita moved in silently and sat next to Maya. Giving her a shy smile, Rita shrugged and said, “Where would you prefer to feed?”

“I’m sorry?” Maya blinked with surprise and shifted her body so she could look the girl in the eye. With her back nestled against Shane’s strong form, she found it difficult to concentrate, and feeding was no longer high on her list of priorities. “What do you mean?”

“Neck?” Rita pointed to her throat. “Wrist?” she asked before extending her arm onto the table, palm up. “Just tell me what you like.”

“Oh.” Maya tucked her hair behind her ear and sat up, feeling silly for not understanding what Rita was asking. “Wrist, I guess.”

“Okay.” Rita leaned back against the seat, getting comfortable, and held her arm out for Maya. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

Her fangs bared, Maya took the woman’s hand in hers. She ran her thumb over the pulse that beat strong and steady in the girl’s wrist, but as tempting as the woman’s blood was…Maya hesitated.

“What’s wrong, youngling?” Shane asked quietly. He kissed her head and ran his fingertips along her arm. “I thought you wanted to have a live feed.”

“I—I did.” Her hands quivering, Maya released the girl’s arm and folded her hands in her lap. “But…I’ll get her blood memories.” Maya looked at Rita and then turned her wide eyes to Shane’s, allowing the weight of what that really meant to sink in. “And I don’t want them.”

“Did I do something wrong?” Rita asked in a shaking voice.

“No,” Maya added quickly. She took Rita’s hands in hers and looked her square in the eyes. “I promise you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s me. We’ll be sure to tell Diego and Sebastian how lovely you are.”

“Agreed.” Shane’s brow furrowed with confusion. “Thank you, Rita. You are dismissed.”

“O-okay.” Rita slipped out of the booth and scurried out the door without looking back.

“You’ve had plenty of live feeds before, Maya.” Shane followed Rita to the door and locked it behind her. Folding his arms over his chest, he studied Maya closely. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Ever since I was turned, I loved the hunt.” Maya slid out of the booth and sat on the edge of the seat, watching the river scene as she spoke. “I fed on men that I knew were bad, and their blood memories always confirmed what I suspected. I saw the pain they inflicted on other people, and toying with them allowed me to feel some satisfaction in revenge. But now…everything’s changed,” she said quietly.

“Maya,” Shane whispered. Closing the distance between them, he took her hands in his and pulled her to her feet, urging her to look at him. “Tell me, youngling. What has changed?”

“Me,” she whispered. Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at him. “I don’t want anyone else’s pain or memories. Maybe getting blood memories from others helped fill that void that I had, but now that my own memories are coming back, I don’t want anything to get in the way.” She swiped at the tears with the back of her hand and laughed. “If Olivia could see me now, she’d be so proud. She always hated that I liked live feeds and would lecture me about the dangers. I didn’t really understand why she felt that way until right this minute.”

“Bottle feeds would not give you others’ blood memories. Would you be satisfied with only bottle feeds from now on?” Shane asked with a hint of doubt. “Your appetite is sated?”

“Well,” Maya purred, stepping closer to Shane so that their bodies brushed against one another, “maybe not all of my appetites.”

A slow grin spread across Shane’s face as Maya’s hands found their way up to the buttons of his shirt and began to undo them one at a time.

“In fact, I doubt I’ll ever get enough, at least as far as you and I are concerned, but I have one problem right now.”

“What’s that?” Shane asked on a growl. His body hummed with tension, and his hands settled over the curve of her hips. “Tell me.”

Maya popped up on her toes and murmured against his lips, “You’re wearing too many clothes.”

With the scene of the river flickering around them, Maya ripped Shane’s shirt open and exposed his broad chest as she captured his lips with hers. She sighed contentedly as their tongues tangled and grinned when his strong hands slipped beneath her skirt before skimming up her thighs. They divested each other of the rest of their clothing, and Maya tangled her fingers in his hair as he gathered her nude body against his.

Shane’s mouth paid thorough attention to hers, and when his arms encircled her possessively, Maya knew she was no longer lost. With every touch, kiss, and caress, he discovered her and branded her as his. This must be what love feels like, Maya thought, with Shane trailing kisses down her throat.

But was it? Was this love she felt in his touch, or was it merely desire and lust?

Maya tangled her fingers in his smooth locks and stared up at the sunny sky.

The sky that wasn’t really there.

“Is all of this a mirage?” she whispered in a quivering voice. Shane lifted his head and his dark, passion-filled gaze settled over her, his fingers drifting lightly over her sensitized flesh. Her body shook with anticipation and the genuine fear that perhaps what Shane felt for her was as false as the river scene that surrounded them. “Is any of this real, Shane?”

“It feels quite real to me.” A wicked grin cracked his handsome face. Shane’s hand slid over the damp flesh of her hip, and his other arm tightened around her waist, holding her tightly to him. He kissed the corner of her mouth. “This feels real.”

“Yes.” Maya gasped when Shane’s hand drifted down and cupped the hot, swollen juncture between her legs.

“And this,” he rasped. She gripped his shoulders and held his heavy-lidded stare as one finger slipped into her slick folds and stroked the tiny nub gently. “Tell me, Maya. Tell me what you feel.”

Maya wanted to answer him, to scream how right it all felt. When another ripple of pleasure surged and stole her breath, talking was out of the question. Clinging to him, she held his gaze and cried out from the orgasm that started to coil deep inside.

“Not yet,” he growled. Shane hoisted Maya up and placed her on the table. Kissing her deeply, his strong hands running up and down the length of her thighs, he spread her wide and tugged her hips against his. The thick, hot length of his cock pressed between them, and it would have been so easy to help him slip inside. Maya reached in between to satisfy the throbbing ache between her legs, but Shane linked his hands around her wrist, preventing her from going further.

“If you put me inside of you, this will be over far too quickly.” Shane suckled her lower lip and brought her hands to his mouth. “First, I want to taste you.”

He stood between her legs in all his gorgeous, naked glory. Maya shivered and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. Heat pressed enticingly against heat, and all she could think about was having him inside her. The muscles in his chest flexed and he grinned before releasing her wrists. Shane ran his hands over her thighs, stepped back, and spread her legs wider before dragging her bottom to the edge of the table.

Maya reached behind herself and grabbed the edge of the table, staring up at the blue sky flickering across the ceiling. Her body was taut with desire and anticipation.