Last Resort

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Last Resort ISBN # 1-4199-0746-8 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Last Resort Copyright© 2006 Sally Painter Edited by Sue-Ellen Gower. Cover art by Syneca. Electronic book Publication: September 2006

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 443103502. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

Content Advisory: The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. This book has been rated S-ensuous by a minimum of three independent reviewers. Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (Erotic), and X (X-treme). S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination. E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature. X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

LAST RESORT

Sally Painter

Sally Painter

Chapter One “I want you, Emma,” he said. Firm lips covered hers, possessing her mouth as his tongue played and teased for entry. She loved to be overpowered and ravaged by him. Trembling, she relented and opened her mouth. His tongue plunged deep inside and claimed her mouth, lashing his tongue, twirling it about hers. Excitement drew her breath in sharp gasps. She couldn’t get enough of his kiss and welcomed complete possession. He tasted fierce and hot. Sizzling kisses set her blood pumping harder, driving the hunger in undulating waves through her. He tugged her close. Male fingers dug into her flesh, gathering her body against his. He folded strong arms about her, and she molded her body against his. Tender flesh burned where his flesh pressed into hers. Electric sensations tingled over her. Still not close enough. It wasn’t enough. She needed all of him. Emma ground her hips against the growing bulge beneath his jeans, desperate to find that touch. A touch that would bring sweet release of the building heat. She shivered under warm hands. Hands that stroked and kneaded a path along her curves like a sculptor molding form. Heat surged then undulated with the roll of her hips. Her breath was labored, puffing hot against his kiss. The scent filled her nostrils—his scent—a mixture of sea and tanning balm. Suddenly, the darkness surrounding them turned bright. White sands caressed by lapping waves and swaying palms encased them. Their bodies entwined and wiggled to the lashing rhythm of need and fire. The beach blanket spread beneath them was askew. They lay underneath the shade of a palm grove lost to the world, isolated and safe. “My love,” he breathed with hot breath against her ear. She pulled from him so she could see his face. His dark hair lifted in the ocean breeze, revealing a smooth forehead, angular nose and broad cheekbones all balanced by a square strong chin. The vision of him against the tropical setting, seagulls calling out to them from the bluest sky she’d ever seen took her breath away. Lilting Hawaiian music drifted from a hotel a few 4

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yards behind them. She gasped for breath between his kisses. Tropical blooms warmed by the afternoon sun released seductive scents into the air. He embodied the island— wild, exotic and intense with a taunting rhythm all its own. Oh she wanted more. She must have more! Addicted to each teasing stroke and tender kiss, she whimpered as his fingers trailed down her spine. More. He lifted onto one arm, dark hair tumbling over a perfectly arched brow. Her breath latched in her throat at the sexy vision he created poised over her, unaware of the effect he was having on her. Or was he? She met the fiery look in his brown eyes. “You are so sexy,” Emma panted, lifting her hand to brush the stray hair aside. It was soft against her fingertips, such a contrast to the raw masculine power that rippled beneath those bulging muscles. His power was deeper than mere physique. It was as though his very soul were the core of all energy and strength. Letting her fingertips trail down the length of his jaw, she was rewarded with a lazy, sexy smile. A smile that sparked a wildfire in her. For a brief moment, it felt as though her heart stopped beating. “My beautiful love, I can’t get enough of you,” he whispered so softly, it took a moment to understand what he’d said. Her nostrils filled with the scents of sea and man. “I want you,” she gasped and caught his lips with hers. She ached to feel him inside her. Electricity streaked through her in anticipation with a tightening around her nipples. Erect and tingling, they needed to feel his lips close over their rosy buds, as she writhed against his half-naked body. He was the only man who had ever made her feel so complete. The only man who drove her beyond all barriers that had protected her from being hurt ever again. She had only one thought—him. “You are mine,” he whispered and slipped his hand between their bodies. The sound of a zipper releasing sent her pulse into an erratic pounding. He shifted onto one arm, lifting from her just enough to strip the jeans down his legs. She heard the jeans

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fall to the sand. Her silk dress rode up her thighs and the shock of his legs brushing against hers pulsed to her clit, sending moist heat rushing from her pussy. She looked into his eyes. Fire raged in the depths of dark eyes. She dragged her gaze from his stare, letting it travel over his torso, defined by taut muscles as though sculpted into his flesh. Her heart slammed against her rib cage. Touching her tongue to her lips, she licked her lips, letting her gaze trace the dark narrow hairline that trailed from his navel and disappeared beneath dark briefs. A muscular leg wedged between her thighs and nudged her to open her legs. Heartbeats pounded in her ears as the strong hand stroked up her leg. She tilted her hips, eager to meet his probing fingertips as he spread her moistened lips just enough to slip his finger between them and find the swollen nub. She moaned. “How bad do you want it?” His deep voice glided over her like a sultry island breeze. She tingled all over, writhing to the rhythm of his fingers digging into tender heated flesh. “Bad,” she said, running her tongue over her lips, eager to taste his kisses once more. Lowering his head, he closed those lips over a nipple protruding through the thin material. Slowly, he suckled her nipple, drawing the fire through her body to her lips. She released it in a heated pant. His pelvis tilted with his cock now thick and hard, still cloaked by his cotton briefs, pressing into the heat between her legs. Her moistness clung to the material as she rolled her hips, needing him to enter her. The wait was excruciating. She must feel his thick cock slipping between the folds of her pussy and plunging deep inside. She gripped his buttocks and tried to press him deeper into her, but he was determined to tease her a little longer. Each breath pulled from her in the same rhythm of his caressing fingertips, massaging the soft, pliable flesh and stroking the hardening nub once more. She needed more. She needed all of him. The wet silk clung to her erect nipple, left tingling with fire as he released it to seize the other nipple. Expectant of the sensation of his lips closing

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over the nipple, aching for his lips to cover it, tug and suckle the hardened bud, she pushed against his fingers, grinding her hips to the blazing heat. “Do you want me to beg?” Her voice trembled. “Because I will. I’ll do whatever you ask.” She lifted her gaze to his and received the response she sought. Naked fire flamed in his dark eyes. Wet heat released from her womb, drenching his fingers. A deep groan vibrated in his chest as his gaze traveled to her shaven pussy. The sucking sound of his fingers plunging into her set a new wave of urgency quaking in her. He pulled her to him with strong fingers digging into her bare shoulders. Tugging against the spaghetti straps, he grumbled something about fashion designers and the delicate material ripped under his grip. “I want you to fill me—” The phone’s melodic tune interrupted. Emma tightened her arms around him, struggling against the fog clouding her mind. Where was she? She pushed through the haze and opened heavy eyelids, but they fluttered closed. She opened them once more. Brilliant light seared the world and she shuttered her eyes once more. The cell phone rang again. Emma groped for it, sending the TV remote clattering to the floor. Stretching her fingers, she slapped against the tabletop until the familiar shape, cold and metal, greeted her fingertips. “Hello?” she yawned, holding the phone to her ear. The voice on the other end, a perky female, blasted against her ear. “Emma Trent?” “Yes?” She tried to focus on the bedside digital clock. The numbers ten, zero and three glared at her. The dream clung to her mind, beckoning her to return. The female voice cracked through the haze once more. She rubbed her eyes, still feeling his fingers against her wet heat. “This is the Trade Agency. I’m calling about a job.”

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“What?” Her eyes widened and she struggled to sit up in the bed. Remnants of her dream lover’s caresses covered her like the sheet she pulled around her. How could a dream be so real? Her body still throbbed with the need to feel him inside her. Kisses still wet and hot tingled against her lips. She rubbed her lips with trembling fingers. “Did I wake you? Look, I have a job for you.” The voice pushed past the dream fantasy. “It’s on a private island resort. I’m getting a beep. Hold on.” There was a click on the other end. Emma’s mind was still trapped in the sex haze. She sighed and rested against the pillows, longing to go back to sleep and rejoin her dream lover. She wondered why the dreams had grown more powerful over the past few months. Who was this wild passionate lover? She had no name for him other than the nickname she’d dubbed him, phantom lover. But he was more than a dream. He seemed so real. She felt his presence even when she wasn’t asleep. Sexy dreams filled with fiery lovemaking held her captive even when awake, but there was more. After the passionate sex, they’d lie in each other’s arms, snuggling and talking about their hopes and plans—plans to be together in the real world, emerging from dreamland and finding each other in the awake world. She’d never heard of anyone having that kind of dream. Yet, in all those pillow talks, he’d never once revealed his name and oddly enough she’d never asked. The dreams went beyond— The phone clicked again and the perky voice was back. “Let me call you back, my client’s on the other line. Can you be ready to leave in an hour?” “Leave? In an hour?” “Okay, make it two, but that’s it.” “Where?” “Are you awake, Emma? This is really important. I need a yes from you. Can you commit to this assignment? My client’s willing to pay you three times your normal fee. Do you know what that translates to in annual salary?” 8

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“Is this a temporary job?” “It’s temp to hire, Emma. Wake up! Listen to what I’m telling you. This is a once-ina-lifetime opportunity. It’s knocking on your door right now. It won’t come your way ever again. Clear the sleep from your head and get with me here.” “Where did you say this job was? Three times pay?” “On a tropical island. A private resort.” “Wow, this sounds like a dream,” she said with the woman’s words seeping past the fog. “A job on a tropical island?” Emma was suddenly wide-awake. Had she just said temp to hire? “So are you agreeing to take the job? I can’t keep my client on hold much longer. I need an answer. Do you have a passport? “ “I have one,” she said. Her mind raced with all the details of what she’d have to do before she could leave. “Is it current?” “Yeah. When did you say I’d have to leave?”

***** “What do you mean you don’t have a masseuse? We open tomorrow. We had three yesterday.” Alex Masters glared at the resort manager, noting the way the man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I had three hired, but they were destroyed last night in a raid. Their rival clan hit the spa and destroyed everyone.” Felix Andent, a short wiry man with dark hair and a closely cropped goatee, shrugged. “We need a masseuse in the spa and ready to go come morning.” Alex stepped closer, knowing how intimidating his height and muscular form could be. “I’ve placed calls to agencies. I might be able to get at least one, but there’s just one thing, the masseuses they’re calling aren’t like us.” Felix looked about the vacant lobby as though seeking a way to escape. 9

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“Mortals? You can’t be serious.” Laughter burst from Alex and bounced off the expensive Italian marble floor, echoing past the magnificent arches some ten stories high all the way to the glass dome. A brilliant Caribbean blue sky filtered into the lobby through the special ultraviolet film. “She won’t be the only mortal here. I mean, we have feeders,” Felix said, trying to sound as though it was acceptable. “We pay them to be feeders and they know what the resort is about. They want to be around vampires. You can’t expect the average person to accept this island.” “Vamp masseuses aren’t easy to come by,” Felix explained. “I tried bribing two away from a New York spa this morning—” “And?” Alex impatiently crossed the lobby, staring through the open archway to the pristine beachscape beyond. The afternoon breeze drifted through the screened walkway. “They’re too afraid of, you know, all that tropical stuff—sunlight.” “Didn’t you explain the screening deck? The special patent I own on the UV window film? Did you let them know they’d have a personal feeder?” Alex’s stare centered on him. “Most of these vamps are ancient and don’t take to new ideas real well.” Alex slammed his hands down onto the polished rosewood counter. “We’re only booked for the next three weeks.” He lowered his voice and leaned in closer. “I had to give the guests half-price incentives to even get them to try VBR. So you can understand how badly the grand opening needs to be perfect.” “I know, but they just don’t trust—” “Vampires are suspicious by nature. You are. I am. I know when it comes to taking risks with sun and surf, they act like a bunch of old women. So triple the wages if you have to, but I expect at least one vampire masseuse by eleven o’clock tomorrow. Understand?”

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“B-but—” “No excuses! You’re the manager. So make it happen.” Alex turned on his heel with his sandaled feet slapping the stone floor as he started back to the office on the main floor. It had been his longtime dream to bring the daytime pleasures of a tropical island to his kind and nothing was going to ruin tomorrow. He walked the hall length, marveling at the row of tall windows as he passed. He was protected from the harmful ultraviolet rays, affording him the luxury of enjoying the beach scene in daylight. His senses peaked, coming to life as they’d not done in nearly five hundred years. Alex knew if he was still intoxicated by the ability to experience daylight then his guests would be astounded. To feel warm sand beneath their feet for the first hour of the day just after the dome was extended along the beach would be only one of many tropical daytime experiences VBR offered. Once the first wave of guests reported to their friends and family about their unique experiences at VBR, he’d be booked years in advance. Vampires around the world would descend upon the newest, hottest vampire retreat on the planet. And having a full spa for those achy vampire neck muscles was a must. He expected Felix to resolve the issue by tomorrow morning. Nothing was going to ruin opening day. Alex rubbed the sudden pain that cramped his neck muscles. Maybe he could take advantage of his own spa and get a good neck rub. He certainly needed it after the past few days of last-minute details. And now he was without a single masseuse. Well, that was Felix’s problem now. He started toward the office but paused to look out on the ocean. Brilliant sunlight sparkled over clear blue water and white sand. Even now it seemed incredible that a vampire could enjoy such simple things in life again. He’d created the impossible. Vampires at the beach! It had been too long since he’d felt the sun in any way much less hot sand between his toes. If only she were here to share it with him. The unwanted thought dampened the moment. His dream lover had been plaguing him for the past months but over the last few weeks the dreams had become more

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intense. Just this morning they were interrupted and he could have sworn he’d heard a cell phone ringing. Could that be what ripped her from his arms? And who was this mysterious lover? Where did she hide in the awake world? The dreams held him a hostage to sleep. Even when he tried to avoid sleep or attempt a dreamless night, he was unable to escape her. His need for her had grown too powerful. The longing had seized him from the very first dream and carved a place into his heart, deepening with every passing night. When would he meet this dream lover? Would she recognize him? He balled his hands into hard fists. When would fate allow them to meet in this realm? In time, came the whispering response. He released a deep breath between clenched teeth. He must be patient. Not a virtue he possessed, but there was no choice. The finding of one’s mate could not be rushed. It was a process that unfolded upon its own will. He groaned. No one had ever told him how painful a process it could be. In all the stories he’d heard about the finding not one had spoken about the waiting. The cell phone rang and he retrieved it from his pocket, flipping it open. “Yeah?” “I found one.” Felix’s voice on the other end vibrated with relief. “She’ll be here in time to open the spa tomorrow afternoon.” “That’s excellent. Do you think one masseuse can handle the entire resort alone?” “Not long term, but the recruiter assured me there would be more on the way by the end of the week. I had to triple the pay—” “I told you to do whatever you must to get the spa up and running. Good work, Felix.” Alex snapped the phone closed and felt the tension leave his neck. One less crisis to deal with among many. He turned the cell phone over in his hand. At least he’d managed to work out that issue of phone service. His mind filled with the technical issues that one service had created. Between now and opening day there would be no sleep, which meant no dreams. Not the kind of escape from the dreams he’d

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contemplated, but the break would be healthy. Wouldn’t it? And what would she do? Would she miss him and wonder what had happened to her dream lover? A pang of remorse and longing gripped him. It was impossible to avoid the dreams as much as he had tried. And now when faced with a night without them, he longed to find a way to join her. So when had he become obsessed? Alex ran a hand through his hair and looked past the swaying palm trees to the ocean waves pounding against the pristine sands. If only he knew who she was or how to find her. Where was his eternal mate?

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Chapter Two Emma Trent crossed her legs, smoothing the pants’ leg with a sweaty palm. She sat back in the leather seat waiting for the private jet to take off. Funny how life could change in a split second. The morning sun was as brilliant as she felt her new life was. The cell phone tune cracked the silence and she fumbled for the purse, digging inside for the slim, familiar shape. “Emma? I got your message, honey. What are you doing? What’s this job about? It all sounds suspicious. I can’t believe you’d leave on such short notice. Are you sure you know enough about this resort?” “Mom. Take a deep breath. I got the job through an agency I’ve worked with before. It’s legit. I’m not being kidnapped and forced into white slavery.” “I just have a very nervous feeling about this, Emma. If your father were alive, he’d tell you to turn down the job. I don’t like you being so far away and on a remote island. I mean, Emma, anything could happen.” “I’m twenty-six years old. I’m capable of making the decisions in my life. Okay?” “It’s just that I love you so much. I worry about you.” “I’ll be fine. I’ll call you when I get there.” “Please take care of yourself. Don’t trust anyone.” “Thanks, Mom.” She flipped the phone closed, tossing it into the purse. Her mother had every reason to be concerned. The past year had been uncertain and it had been her mom who had seen her through the worst time in her life. When Tim, her boyfriend, had died in the car accident, Emma had thought her life was over too. Her mom had rescued her from depression and allowed her the time needed to mourn. Would her mom ever rest easy or would she always be waiting for the next tragedy to strike Emma? 14

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Granted, this job was short notice but it was triple pay. How could she turn that down? Nine months’ pay for only three months’ work with a temp to hire option was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If it were actually an upscale resort and only a puddle jumper away from the mainland, then it would be the best thing to happen in her life since— A deep pain jabbed her chest. Tears threatened her calm composure and she bowed her head, brushing them from her cheeks. It had been over a year and the wound had yet to fully heal. She had loved Tim, but their relationship had mellowed into more of a friendship love rather than the hot, romantic kind of love she’d found in her dream lover. She took a deep breath. The tragedy had left her scarred, but she was healing. Tim’s death would remain a painful place in her heart, but she now had the tools to cope with it. After some brief counseling, Emma had turned her sadness into a new career. She’d renewed her massage license and gone back into the world. She straightened in the seat. This was the beginning of a new life. Her thoughts drifted back to the man in her dreams. If only she had a man like her dream lover then her life would be perfect. Could the dreams just be part of her subconscious mind trying to heal? She was reluctant to share the dreams with anyone so kept them secret. She didn’t want to worry her mom or her roommate. Besides, who talked about their fantasies whether they were dreams or daydreams? Remnants of that morning’s dream still clung to her like flimsy fabric flowing and billowing in a constant breeze. Emma cleared her throat. She’d never had a hot romantic love like the one in her dreams—dreams that were growing stronger and stronger every night. How could a dream be so powerful that it brought her to orgasm? Many times she awoke in the middle of a climax only to feel as though she’d been ripped from her lover’s arms. Loneliness would then rush in, replacing the joy and contentment she found only in her lover’s arms. The need for her lover masqueraded as the same pain she felt over Tim’s death. It tore down all walls and threatened to undo the therapy she’d worked through.

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Her cell phone rang again. The name Marti flashed on the LED window. “Hello, Marti,” she greeted her roommate. “Emma! I still can’t believe you just left like this. I’m sitting here eating my cereal feeling so abandoned.” “We had this discussion, Marti.” “I know, but I just got off the phone with your mom and she’s worried.” Marti’s voice sounded small. “I’ll be back before you know it.” She tried to reassure her childhood friend. “I’m worried about you. I think you’re running away, Emma.” “Not so.” She released a deep sigh and closed her eyes. The jet engines began to whine. “I don’t blame you for wanting to get away from all of this,” Marti insisted. Was Marti right? Had she accepted this job out of desperation? Was she still trying to run away from the past? She forced her frantic mind to slow. The jumble of thoughts calmed. Reason eased past the fearful imaginings and she released a deep breath. “First of all, I’ve dealt with Tim’s death. It’s been over a year, Marti. I need to get on with my life. Something you and Mom just don’t seem to get.” “Yeah, but do you feel safe? I mean, Emma, you’re going to a fricking island in the middle of, well, we don’t know where. I worry about you, girl.” “It’ll be fine. I promise.” “I know you think that. I mean, I know you will be but I also know you’re worried about that hex that old woman in the park put on you. She’s just crazy, Emma. You don’t really believe she cursed Tim and you, do you?” “Of course not,” she laughed. “Tim’s car was sideswiped. Okay, granted the steel beam the truck was carrying fell off and crushed— Look, I know accidents happen every day and it’s just coincidence that the bag lady’s curse was the day before.”

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“Exactly. And to think Tim gave that witch five dollars in the first place shows what a great guy he was and didn’t deserve to be cursed. God would never allow a guy like him to be cursed. If you ask me, it was five dollars more than he should have given her. What an ungrateful creature to have demanded he give her twenty. I tell you she’s just crazy and probably why she’s out on the streets in the first place. You know they turn them out of those mental hospitals way too soon—” Her voice broke off. “Thanks for reminding me about all this.” “Oh, Em. You know what I mean. I know that fear’s still there. I see it in your eyes.” “It’s a lot to cope with, you know, but I’m dealing.” “I know, sweetie. I just want you to rethink this move. It’s a big one. Just make sure you aren’t trying to escape.” “I need an adventure. And the money,” she laughed. She was not escaping. She was moving toward a new life. “I’m going to be on a private resort island. What could be more wonderful?” “You won’t know anyone. I just want you to be happy and safe.” “I deserve this, Marti. And I’ll be safe. What could possibly happen?” “I just wanted to make sure you had your head on right. That’s all.” “It is.” The engines grew louder. “I’ve got to go. We’re starting to taxi out onto the runway.” “Call me when you get there. I assume your cell phone will work out there. If not, call from the hotel. Hell, I don’t even have the hotel name or the number. Do you?” “I’ll give it to you and my mom when I get there.” “VBR. What the hell does that stand for?” “Look, I’ve gotta go!” She flipped the phone closed and tossed it back into her handbag.

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Settling back into the seat, she shoved Marti’s worry and her mom’s fears aside. They were not hers. She was going to embrace a new life. An exotic island adventure awaited her. Emma’s pulse quickened. Dare she hope there might be a passionate romance awaiting her as well? If her dreams continued, she’d just continue to be lost in her dream lover’s arms at night and working during the day. She tried to still the anxious throbbing of her heartbeat. She’d never been on a five-star, private island resort. Well, she’d soon find out if VBR was as exotic and romantic as the agency had claimed.

***** Alex Masters surveyed the dining room. Nearly fifty table spaces defined by thatchroof huts gave an intimate and very tropical flavor to the Tiki Room. The Polynesian name for the mythological first man seemed to fit the atmosphere of the room. Each sectional was graced with colorful gauzy curtains, tied back to create a grand entrance into the private nooks complete with gas-fueled bamboo torchlights on either side. Of course, the menu served in this dining room was more exotic than the typical resort. Their feeders were from all around the world and would offer delightful tastes for his guests. The vast room accommodated the mini rooms with a gently flowing three-footwide plant-banked river meandering through its length. Decorative pots and containers held lush plants. Tall, bending palms stretched toward the forty-foot-high ceiling. “We’re ready, Mister Masters. Just need the guests to arrive. The last group of feeders arrived this morning. Guests will have a wide menu to taste,” the maître d’ said, clasping his hands behind his back. He was a short man with white hair. He’d said he’d been turned on his deathbed but was quite comfortable being an older vampire. Alex nodded his approval and left, walking toward the lounge, which was the final room for inspection. The all-too-familiar longing pulled at him as he turned down the wide hall. He squared his shoulders against the unwelcome emotions. Why was he

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compelled to create such romantic settings? Was it because love was the one thing he’d never experienced? That is until the dreams had begun. This resort project had occupied him for the last two years and now it was drawing to an end. The compulsion to find something else to create threatened to ruin the pleasure of opening day. He refused to lose interest and turn to yet another new and exciting project. This time he would stay with this one for at least a year. He’d promised himself he’d enjoy VBR and remain on the island to see that it got off to a perfect start. If only he had someone to share it with. He shoved the longing away, refusing to embrace it. He dared not hope to meet her in this world. He started across the expansive lobby, mentally debating the motives behind his creations, recognizing the eternal need for his perfect mate drove him to create the next romantic project. The cascading water fountain in the center of the open area drew his attention and he sat down in one of the hidden sitting areas, secluded by jungle-like plants and tall palms. He studied the loveseat tucked beneath the large leaves with its bright red, yellow and green fabric reminding him of lush beach towels and lounge chairs that now even vampires could enjoy. The familiar pang seized him, gravitating to his chest and moving to the pit of his belly. It was perfect, yet so very imperfect. He had created it all for a woman. The woman from his dreams, only he didn’t know who she was. When would he finally meet her? There had been many women in his life, but he’d never found his mate. It was an instinctual longing. A sense of urgency grew stronger each day. It was as though time were running out. Of course, that was absurd. He was immortal. He had eternity to find a mate. Over the past year, however, it was as though an inner mechanism had released, timed to go off at that exact moment he decided to build the resort. He’d been driven to seek out psychics and witches in an effort to find her. Once he’d even hired a vampire hunter and given him instructions on the kind of scent to seek out. Sweet and nurturing—not the typical vampire scent. It filled his nostrils every 19

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moment be he awake or asleep. He would be able to recognize her by the scent alone. All those efforts and all those people had not been able to find his intended wife. With each prospect being yet another failure, he’d grown anxious and short-tempered. It began to show in all he did. Alex wanted things to happen quicker than possible, like when the construction crew could not dig fast enough or erect the building quickly enough. Delays and problems only brought the emotions to a peak. It was like a disease growing inside him, driving him to grasp for the next challenge, make this project a creation unto itself. Paradise. The unfounded impatience drove him beyond any other power in his life. The resort grew into the physical manifestation of his effort to channel that energy. Soon her presence grew beyond the dreams. She felt so close yet might as well be living on the moon. She was out of his physical reach. His only salvation from insanity was the dreams. In them he could possess her, touch her, make love to her and tell her how much he loved her. And while he knew her so intimately, not once had he been allowed to see her face. It was a cruel existence doled out to him by fate. Alex balled his hands into hard fists. He needed her in the physical world by his side. Parrots cawed and flew from one palm tree to another. He glared at the pair sitting on a nearby frond, resenting their pairing. Loneliness overwhelmed him so much he gritted his teeth against the frustration that rose from deep inside him. He locked the yell inside his chest, pushing it down, refusing to release it. He stared at the rock and plant waterfall some twenty feet away where it fell down the manmade mini-mountain, splashing into a pool that fed into the meandering flowing river. The river sliced through the lobby. It represented his hopes and how they crashed into the mirror of water constantly cascading into the flow that took him further from his perfect mate. To the guests, it was a perfect creation. To a vampire, this was paradise. He imagined it would seem like the Garden of Eden to his guests. And he felt forbidden to enjoy it, any of it. Not until the woman from his dreams was there to share it all with him.

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“Our first guests have just landed, Mister Masters,” Felix spoke as he moved to stand in front of him. “The protective gates for their passage from plane to limo worked without any issues?” “Perfect. The feeders handling the luggage have been trained to do whatever tasks are needed of them. But their first directive of course is to protect our guests from exposure and to serve them when needed.” “What about the masseuse?” He brought his hands together, tapping his fingertips against each other. “Her plane just landed. She’s on her way.” “Excellent. Any luck with the other two positions?” “It may be the end of the week before they join us. I’m paying this one triple the normal fees. She can schedule the massages further apart if necessary.” “Good work, Felix. I knew you were the right one for this job.” Felix’s pensive frown softened and his rigid body seemed to relax. “Thank you, Mister Masters. There’s just one thing I need to tell you about the masseuse—” The double doors flew open and the hotel echoed with laughter and chattering guests. “We’ll talk later.” Alex stood to greet VBR’s first guests.

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Chapter Three Weak-kneed, Emma descended the steps to the tarmac. The tropical air stirred around her, pushing the heat from the black asphalt to blast against her face. The smell of tar mixed with ocean filled her senses. A uniformed hotel employee unloaded her luggage, handing the suitcases to the uniformed limo driver. She let her gaze travel past the private runway to the white sand and aqua ocean. It looked like an advertisement for a romantic tropical getaway complete with swaying palm trees. She glanced back at the two men, noticing their pallor. How could they live on such a lush paradise and be so pale? She reminded herself that the resort was new and today was its grand opening. Perhaps the men were also recent arrivals. Her hands were pale in the bright sunlight. After a few weeks on the beach, she’d have a super tan to show off. The driver held the back door open for her and handed her a small box as she climbed inside. Holding the bold box with the elegant VBR logo scrolled in lavender, she removed the lid and found an expensive cut glass atomizer nestled in a bed of purple velvet. The red liquid glistened in the bottle. “Island Salvation,” she read on the embossed label. Curious, she sprayed the fragrance into the air and sniffed. The scent of fresh ocean breeze and tropical flowers filled her nostrils. She pressed another puff of the delicious scent over her and then slipped the atomizer into her purse just as the limo slowed. Peering out the tinted window, she noted Greek-style arches and domes complete with swirled columns painted in colors that reminded her of Bermuda. The limo parked underneath a covered area and she emerged from the air-conditioning into the heat. A warm ocean breeze whipped her long blonde hair around her face.

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Her attention fell on the thin wiry man walking briskly toward her. Dread replaced awe when she looked into his dark eyes. A chill shuddered through her. Her nipples drew taut against the shivering. She pulled the linen jacket closed over her silk blouse with a sinking feeling settling in her stomach. Maybe she had acted too hastily after all. “Welcome, Miss Trent, I’m Felix Andent, the resort manager, but you may call me Felix. The staff is on a first-name basis,” he said, gesturing for her to walk with him toward the entrance. “Your flight was good, I trust?” He glanced over his shoulder at the bellhop. “Take her luggage to room one-seventy.” He turned back to her. “That’s your room number and here’s your card.” He handed her the electronic key. “I’m sure the agency explained that in addition to your salary, we provide room and board?” “Yes, they did. The resort is gorgeous! I got a good view of the layout before the plane landed. It’s much larger than I expected. I was curious about the dome on the beach.” “Just additional screened area for our guests. Now about your pay, for the first three months you’ll receive triple pay.” He paused and sniffed. “I see you tried our signature perfume.” “I love it.” Emma looked at the large walkway, noting it was screened. “Are insects a problem?” She nodded at the screening. “Can be,” he smiled and continued with his instructions. “You’ll be expected to keep the spa open from eleven a.m. until midnight. Now that’s long hours, but until the other two masseuses arrive, you’re it. Once they arrive, the spa will remain open 24/7.” “I had no idea I’d be pulling this all by myself.” “The agency was instructed to explain it to you.” “They didn’t. That’s a long time to be on my feet. Massage is a very physical and tiring job.” “I’m sure you can manage. After all we are paying you the rate of three people.” Felix gave her a brittle smile.

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“I-I guess I will,” she forced a smile, regretting her haste in accepting the position. Those hours were insane. She prayed for few customers. She would have to build in a rest period between the massages. That might work. Dread overwhelmed her. She knew how demanding a typical day could be on her body. Well, she’d work it out. Even if it meant several thirty-minute breaks, she would find a way to do the job. It was too great an opportunity to get cold feet now. “You’ll have a thirty-minute lunch break and another one for dinner. That should help with the long hours,” he spoke as though reading her mind. “I’ll try to make it doable, Mister—ah, Felix.” Once the other two employees arrived, she could cut back on her hours. “We ask that once the other masseuses arrive you do not discuss your pay since you are being paid significantly more than they due to the urgency of our situation.” “I wouldn’t discuss such a thing.” She was slightly insulted that he’d think her not professional enough to know such things. “The staff lives in the west wing where your room is. We have our own kitchen and facilities such as a gym and pool. We’re not allowed to mingle with the guests and are instructed to take a servant’s attitude at all times where our guests are concerned. We’re here to serve their needs and wishes. We are the ones who’ll make this either an enjoyable vacation or—” “I’ve worked at resorts before, Felix, granted none were on a private island, but I know how to do my job.” “I’m counting on it. One other thing and this is very important. You are to wear the perfume I gave you at all times. You’ll reapply it at each break, once in the morning, once at lunch and once at dinner. Do you understand?” “May I ask why?” “It’s spa policy. We sell the scent and want our customers to purchase spa products.”

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“I’ll be sure to wear it.” “And wear only that which I gave to you. Do not sample from the supply.” “I would never do that,” she spoke, with indignation edging her voice. “It’s not enough to use it just once in the morning. Do you understand? You’ll be fired if you don’t use it three times a day.” “I understand.” She bristled, thinking he was a bit controlling. She was getting paid big bucks and living in a five-star resort, so wearing their perfume, especially one she liked, was easy. The double, carved doors stood wide-open, revealing marble floors and tile walls. The sound of splashing water and a cool breeze greeted Emma as she followed Felix into the lobby. A volley of laughter and chattering as the guests lounged about the huge lobby echoed around her. Her stare bounced from one corner to another. Virile, handsome men and gorgeous, curvaceous women lived up to the jet-set image she’d conjured when first told about the job, but they all appeared in dire need of some sunbathing. Why were they hanging out in the lobby instead of the beach? “Is this our masseuse?” the deep masculine voice spoke behind her. A tingling started at the base of her spine and inched its way up as each syllable fell over her like the water cascading from the large waterfall in the center of the lobby. “Mister Masters, this is Emma Trent.” Felix nodded and Emma turned to follow his stare. Her pulse spiked as she came face-to-face with the man from her dreams! The room closed in on her. Dark, almost jet-black hair curled slightly around his temples and at the base of his neck, framing a strong, masculine face. Brown eyes widened and then glinted with unmasked lust as his gaze slipped down her neck to her breasts and down the length of her slacks. He drew it back up to settle on her mouth. Emma pressed her tongue between her lips. How could it be? There he stood in front of her, just like her dreams. The introduction, the sound of the waterfall and him! The man in her dreams! How was it possible that she was standing in front of the man who made wild 25

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passionate love to her every night? A stranger, yet she knew him so intimately. Her body throbbed under his intense regard. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Miss Trent. You’re a lifesaver to my resort. I am forever in your debt.” He took her outstretched hand and clasped it firmly but with a sensuality that was almost as heady as the heated perfume wafting from her cleavage. Her senses tingled alert, racing in a fiery jolt to her pussy. She pulled from his handshake and clasped her hands together in front of her. “It was an offer I couldn’t refuse, Mister Masters.” Was he real? His touch certainly felt real. The quivering gravitated to the pit of her stomach. She took in his deep green polo shirt with the VBR logo and his khaki-colored shorts, revealing strong muscular legs. “Those are the only kind of offers I make.” His fine lips slid into an easy, disarming smile and her earlier tension burst into flame. The arousal was so powerful she had to steady herself by grasping the nearby marble counter. How could a simple look, an easy smile, send her into such erratic and fiery needs? Hot moisture rushed from her and dampened her panties. She looked up at him. The burning tightened in her throat and stole the words she started to voice. Instead she bobbed her head in a short nod. “Since you have a lot to handle today, Felix, I’ll show Miss Trent to her room.” “Emma,” she corrected. “Felix said we were all on a first-name basis, Mister Masters.” “That we are. And it’s Alex.” “Alex,” she said his name. Finally, she had a name for him. “I-I really don’t mind, Alex, I have—” “I’ve got it covered,” Alex smiled at her, dismissing Felix. “You know today is our grand opening. I hope you’re prepared to start work immediately.” He motioned toward the wide hall off the lobby.

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“I am,” she breathed and tried to steady herself as she walked beside him down the thickly carpeted hallway. She stole a glance at him and was surprised to find him looking at her. Fire rushed to her cheeks. “Here we are,” he smiled and extended his hand for the key. She placed it in his palm, noticing how her own hand trembled. She watched him slip the card into the slot and pull it out in one smooth motion. His hands were strong and masculine. Absently, she wondered what it felt like to have those hands touching her. Would it be like her dreams? He opened the door and stood aside so she could enter first. Emma slipped past him, quaking when her breast brushed against his arm. Electric currents shot down her. The room greeted her with a warm breeze stirring from the open louvered doors. She discovered a wonderful private terrace beyond the room complete with a dining table and chairs and a pair of rocking chairs. The sound of the pounding surf drew her attention to the beach about fifty yards away. She squinted at the unusual building that ran dangerously close to the water with a wide screen walkway leading back to the hotel. The dome-shaped building, covered in dark screen, resembled the same screening that encased her patio. It looked much larger than it had from the airplane. “What’s that?” she asked and glanced over her shoulder at her new employer. “That’s the beach dome,” he said matter-of-factly. “What’s it for?” “Our guests,” he chuckled. “You wouldn’t want them going out on the beach unprotected, would you?” His stare captured hers and her knees turned to water. His scent was a mixture of tropical aromas. She frowned slightly, noticing that he too didn’t have a tan. Surely living in such an island paradise he’d be on the beach as often as he could. Perhaps building this elaborate resort had left little free time. “What?” she asked, trying to remember what he’d said.

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“It wouldn’t be good business sense not to protect my guests. Your luggage will be delivered in a few minutes.” He looked at his wristwatch. “Do you think you could be ready in an hour? Say around twelve-fifteen?” “I think so.” She glanced about the room, noticing the bamboo-design, queen-size bed, sofa and desk. The floor was terracotta tile with a thick beige rug underneath the bed and other furniture. The bathroom was near the hall door. “You have a one o’clock and a two o’clock already scheduled.” “Can you show me the dining area? I’m starved.” “Do you have certain flavors you prefer?” “Excuse me?” “We offer tropical flavors for our guests and employees.” “I don’t understand. A salad’s all I need.” “A-A salad?” The lines in his brow deepened. “A chef’s salad?” she laughed nervously. His face stretched into an amused grin and his laughter filled the room, encircling her in its rich baritone melody. She stared at him, wondering if he was one of those eccentric millionaires. At her lack of response, his laughter muffled into silence. He stared down at her. “I’m not sure I understand.” He moved closer and sniffed several times. “What?” she asked, unsure what his problem was. What was to understand about a salad? From the look on his face, salad was a bad word at the VBR. “You’re serious?” “Is that a problem?” “I’ll have a word with Felix and have one sent to you. I’ll talk with you later this afternoon.” He left quickly, closing the door behind him. “Oh great!” Emma fell back onto the bed. “What have I gotten myself into?” she sighed, wondering if Alex Masters, the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on, was going to turn out to be an eccentric millionaire. How could she have dreamed 28

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about him for nearly four months and then come face-to-face with the man from those dreams? It wasn’t possible, but he’d stood in front of her, talking and laughing. Her pulse still pounded.

***** Her luggage arrived while she was on the phone with her mother. Afterward, Emma unpacked hastily, finding the room spacious enough for all her belongings. She had just finished connecting her laptop when a knock on the door interrupted her. “Miss Trent?” Felix’s muffled voice sounded distressed. She hurriedly opened the door and found the manager holding a large tray with a salad and a drink. He rushed inside. “Oh I didn’t expect room service. I was going down to the employee dining room, only Mister Masters didn’t tell me how to get to it.” “We need to talk.” Felix’s thin face darkened and he set the tray down on the table. “What’s wrong?” she asked, impatient with the funny looks and uneasy feeling creeping down her back. “Something I was hoping I could manage, but now that Mister Masters knows, well, we need to have a confidential talk.” “Okay.” Emma sat down. She didn’t like the sound of this and motioned for him to take the chair. Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back and paced in front of her. “First, I offer my sincerest apologies, but I was in a real bind and needed a qualified masseuse. I hope you understand.” “I’m trying—” “My job was on the line, Miss Trent. I had to have someone here today or else— I just want you to understand my reasons for what I did.” “Just what did you do?” Her heart pounded harder. “Have you noticed anything unusual, even strange about this resort?”

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Fear paralyzed her. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think much less respond to such a question. Dread filled her veins and took her breath. “I worry you’ll think I’m insane, but you’ll realize soon enough that I’m telling you the truth.” Nervously, she sat waiting for him to get to the point. She wanted him to just spit it out, yet a deeper part of her cringed and wanted to run, not wait to learn the dark secret he had come here to reveal. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. The old woman’s curse echoed in her mind. She’d been a crazy old woman, nothing else. “You recall the perfume I insisted you wear at least three times a day because it’ll lose its potency if you don’t.” Felix’s voice interrupted her mental panic. “Uh-huh.” She should have known any job that paid this much had some kind of hidden agenda. How could she have been so stupid? There was no escape. She was trapped on a remote island. She watched the emotions contorting Felix’s face. They matched the ones cascading through her. “The reason I wanted you to make sure the perfume didn’t wear off was to protect you.” “Pardon?” Her blood pressure must have shot up because her ears rang with the last words. “You see, Emma…” She swallowed the dryness in her throat. “This is not a typical resort. It’s run and operated by and caters to a very unique group of people.” “Millionaires?” she tried, hoping this was all about the protocol of the rich and famous. “It’s more than that—”

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Her breath latched in her throat. She didn’t want to hear this. Her dream job was turning into something she wanted no part of—even if she didn’t know what it was yet. It was not good! Short, loud beeps pierced the room. She jumped, trying to still her rapid heartbeat. Felix lifted the beeper from his belt loop. “I need to use your phone,” he announced and hurried over to the desk. Picking up the telephone, he punched in a few numbers and glanced back at her. “How could that have happened?” he spoke and ran his hand through his hair. “Don’t do anything until I get there.” He slammed the phone down then turned to her. “You need to get to your spa ASAP. Your first appointment is waiting.” She glanced at the clock. “He’s fifteen minutes early.” She was too unnerved to do a massage. “It’s opening day. We need to accommodate the guests as much as we can. I have an emergency that’s going to get out of hand. As to what I was trying to tell you, that’ll have to wait. I wanted to give you the tour but that will need to wait also. Just use the perfume again before you go to the spa and keep it with you at all times. This has to be done, do you understand? I’ll explain when I get a break. “Eat your salad then get to the spa. When you leave here take a left, go all the way to the end of the hall and turn right. You’ll see the signs on the wall, just follow them. The spa is unlocked but I’ll give you the key card later. I apologize that things are so confusing but,” he shrugged, “opening day.” With that said, he left the room in a mad rush. Emma sat staring at the salad. How could he expect her to do this now? He had started to reveal some mysterious need-to-know information about the resort and then just left her hanging. She stared at the salad and her stomach pitched. How could she eat? She’d been a bundle of nerves before arriving at the resort. Now she was a riot of fear. How was she supposed to be a calming conduit for her clients? She tried to compose herself while changing into the work clothes she found hanging in the closet. 31

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The pair of violet slacks and a floral silk tunic with oriental styling and the VBR logo embroidered on it were a perfect fit. As she left her room, the dreaded feeling began to grow with each step she took. Her dream job was quickly turning into her cursed job. No! There was no such thing as a curse. She was not cursed. This was just opening day jitters. Once she arrived at the spa and got into the routine, things would be different. Besides, Felix was just nervous and probably only wanted to make certain she didn’t do anything out of place. That was it. Emma repeated it over and over like a mantra and, by the time she arrived at the spa, had nearly convinced herself. That is until she met the pasty-faced man waiting in the spa lobby. She clutched the bottle of perfume between clammy fingers and plastered her best smile on her face. She greeted the older man with what she hoped was a professional yet pleasant welcome and then quickly excused herself. Turning down the hall to find the supplies and check out the massage rooms, she reminded herself that the client was early. The panicky feeling of being rushed with no time to adjust to being on the island and starting a new job threatened to crumble her newfound composure. She recognized how important it was to Alex Masters that the spa open and the guests be happy. The agency had not let her know exactly how important this position was probably because they feared she’d refuse. She took a deep breath. She might have. The supply room was near the back. She began pulling out what she needed for this one client, deciding to wait on the other rooms once finished with his massage.

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Chapter Four Alex Masters entered the spa, pleased once more its luxurious décor had turned out better than the original concept. Recessed lights gave a relaxing and seductive feel to the island theme. A large plasma TV on the opposite wall just behind the receptionist’s desk played a continuous stream of the beach with the constant pounding of the ocean against the pristine shore. He looked around the vacant reception area. Enticing scents tumbled toward him as he moved around the receptionist island, making a mental note to transfer an employee to man the desk. Being understaffed was not acceptable. Melodic music drifted from the massage room at the end of the wide corridor and he paused in the hallway, listening to the male groans. Frowning, he moved to the door and just as he was about to reach for the knob, it swung open. Emma gasped with wide-eyed surprise, softening into a look of recognition. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He looked past her to the man, draped with a towel, lying on the massage table. The darkened room was lit by several candles. Their vanilla scent drifted past her into the hall. A seductive, meditative melody set the mood and stirred thoughts of her in his arms. He tried to push the images from his mind and focus on why he was there. She wore a crisp smock with the lavender VBR logo embroidery and a name badge pinned to one side. Her blonde, wavy hair was gathered into a low ponytail that fell to her back. “Can I do something for you, Mister Masters?” she whispered and closed the door quietly. “I wanted to see how it was going,” he whispered back, enjoying the sexy way her lips formed his name. An overpowering urge to feel their fullness pressed against his left a lingering sensation of raw need in its wake. She looked so similar to the woman in 33

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his dreams, he was startled that she didn’t recognize him. Of course, dreaming of her didn’t necessarily mean she had shared those same dreams. It didn’t always work that way. Still the excitement he’d first felt upon meeting her had not left him. He was drawn to the spa to see her as though hypnotized. His attempt to resist seeking her out had failed and now he was here, so close all he had to do was bend down to taste those luscious lips. He mentally shook himself. There was the urgent matter he’d just discussed with Felix. How could he have brought a human masseuse? The rage he’d felt over the discovery of her non-vampire status quickly melted under the stare of those gorgeous eyes. “It’s going well. The first massage is finished. I always allow my clients time alone afterward. They like a few moments to continue relaxing.” Her breath carried her words in a soft brush against his face, arousing images of her lying naked beneath him. The unwanted desire coursed to his cock and he dug his hands into his pockets, trying to prevent the steel hard-on from bulging beneath his pants. He had no control over the way his body responded to her. He clenched his jaw tighter. “You told him about the steam room?” He leaned in closer to get another whiff of her perfume, trying to grasp any scent that might be lingering beneath Felix’s concoction that would give her away. “I imagine he’ll do that next. And of course the hot tub in the garden outside.” “Excellent. So you’re not having any problems?” “Should I?” “I must say I’m amazed at how calm and poised you are about all this.” Her composure was exceptional. Most human women would be in a panic after learning they were among an entire island of vampires. “I’ve been a masseuse for nearly four years and learned when I was just a kid from my mother. It’s pretty routine for me.” He laughed and followed her into the reception area.

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“Well, as long as you aren’t panicky and wanting to leave we’ll be just fine, I think. Did Felix instruct you on using the perfume?” She stopped by the counter to retrieve a few towels and stared up at him. “Please excuse me, I don’t mean to sound rude. I know you want to sell your products, but there seems to be a real…I don’t know how to put it…almost an obsession about wearing it.” “What?” He stared down at her and realization pumped angrily through him. Felix had not told her. “Do you have any more appointments?” “Just one.” She glanced at the clock. “In ten minutes. Unless there’s a walk-in.” “Would you schedule me for your next open slot?” “You?” Her face flushed red and she fumbled with the towels, placing them on the counter, smoothing them with her hands. “Is that a problem?” he asked, leaning in closer, longing to let his tongue slip along the slender column of her neck. He straightened and tried to clear the fog from his mind. Was knowing that beneath the perfume block throbbed a pulse the reason he was excited, or was it something else that aroused him to the edge of all self-control? He tightened his fists. “Of course it’s not a problem. Just unexpected.” Her voice trembled slightly. The pull of her nervousness tantalized him. “I like to test all services I offer to my guests.” He breathed in the perfume and still was unable to detect a human scent. He knew it lay there just waiting for the rich texture of the perfume to wear thin and then it would emerge more pungent than any scent he’d ever craved. She tapped the computer monitor and keyed in his name. “Three o’clock then.” She looked up at him with blue eyes almost a perfect match to the sky on the plasma screen behind her.

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The worry lines in her face made him want to hold her and reassure her that her concerns were unwarranted, but in truth, they were more than warranted. She should be very worried, even afraid. He nodded and left the spa with his hands plunged deep in his pockets, hiding the hard erection. Emma tried to shake the nervousness but it plagued her during the next appointment, a young woman with really tight neck muscles. She’d never worked with anyone so tense and the woman’s tension only made her uneasiness worse. By the time the massage was over, she needed a break and slipped outside onto the spa patio. The same screening that covered her private patio covered this one. It was too bad because it effectively blocked out the nice afternoon sun. What was up with all this screening? Didn’t these people know the point of a tropical paradise was to enjoy the sun? Unable to relax, she returned to the spa and set about preparing the room for Alex. Her stomach pitched as she lit the scented candles, choosing a lavender scent for him. He was a very controlled man. Perhaps the aromatherapy of the scent would calm him down a bit. She dreaded the massage, knowing his muscles no doubt housed all those pent-up emotions. It was usually easy to assess her clients’ bodies by their personalities and with carefully asked questions. She rubbed her hands together. Alex Masters was a different matter. She felt a teenage nervousness when near him. The way he looked at her made her feel as though she were the only woman in the world, especially when those dark eyes devoured every inch of her. She took a deep breath. He had behaved very professionally up until now. Her pulse quickened. Hopefully, he would continue to do so. The last thing she wanted was to let him know how badly he affected her. It was impossible to react any other way, though. He was the man in her dreams. It was too weird. She couldn’t explain any of it, but she was determined to keep everything on a professional level. What if he’d had the same dreams? Her heart skipped a beat. And what if they weren’t dreams at all, but something astral or even time travel? The thought of such possibilities sent electric pulses down her spine. Her nipples stood erect. Heat shot to

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her clit. She would absolutely melt under any advances from that sexy hunk! After all, she made love to him every night in her dreams. She consciously tried to slow her rapid breathing. She’d tried all afternoon to reason how it was possible she’d dreamed of him and, finally mentally exhausted, abandoned the attempt to find an explanation. She needed to clear him from her mind. She shouldn’t think about him and her dreams. It would be career suicide to get involved with anyone in management, much less the owner. Even if he were the real-life manifestation of her dream lover. She smoothed the fresh linen over the massage table and placed a folded sheet on top of it along with a towel. She preferred to give her clients the choice. Some people became chilled easily and needed layers of covers while others opted for just a towel. The image of Alex’s muscular body spread out on her table sent a new series of excited throbs to her pussy. “Enough of this,” she scolded herself out loud and rushed from the room. Turning the corner, she nearly collided with him. “Good afternoon,” he smiled, giving her that lopsided, sexy smile that melted her into a pool of need at his feet. Emma took a deep breath and jerked a nervous nod. “Am I too early?” he asked, letting his stare move over her face slowly, almost like a caress. She touched her tongue to her lower lip and cleared her throat. “Not at all.” She turned for the massage room with him on her heels. She entered the room and hurried over to the cabinet, fumbling through the CDs. “What kind of music do you prefer?” “Anything eastern influence is nice.” His breath fell warm against her neck and her knees weakened. “I have several nice selections.” She placed the selections onto the countertop.

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“Your choice then,” he spoke, and turned to look about the room. “These rooms really are perfect for the spa.” He seemed to be talking more to himself than to her. “They’re the best I’ve ever worked in.” She popped in the CD and the slow, lilting music swirled around them. “I’ll let you get undressed,” her voice quivered. “Back in about five minutes.” He reached for the bottom of his shirt and Emma darted from the room, closing the door snugly behind her. She leaned against it, panting. Her pulse throbbed harder and harder as she tried to still the excited fluttering in her stomach. No man should be that handsome! She could still see his face, framed by black hair. She’d never seen hair so dark. She sought the outside patio, needing a gulp of sea air to clear the vision of him from her mind. Her dream lover was here and she was about to administer a massage on him. God help her! The sound of laughter and chatter coming from the large dome caught her attention. Guests dressed in swimsuits sat in lounge chairs and around tables, sipping on straws in tall glasses. It was the oddest thing she’d ever seen. Typically, the guests would be stretched out on beach towels and lounge chairs, enjoying the late afternoon sun. What was wrong with these people? Was it because they were rich and didn’t feel they needed a tan? It just didn’t make any sense. Somewhat calmer, she reentered the spa and hurried down the hall to the back area, stopping in front of the darkened glass door. She peered outside into the hot tub nook. Her gaze swept the room. The sauna was to the side then the rooms for changing just beyond. The entire area, covered in a mesh screening, filtered out all light, just like everything else around here. She turned about, searching the interior room for a tanning bed, certain she had just overlooked it earlier in her rush to get started. Perhaps it was disguised or was in a separate room. Every spa she’d worked in had at least one tanning bed. She must ask Mister Masters about this and the general idea behind the screen dome.

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But first she had to give him a massage. She trembled outside the door and took a deep breath, steadying herself. Mentally she reviewed the various massage oils she could use on him. Her pulse sparked at the thought of running her hands over his hard body just as she had in her dreams. She swallowed against the giddiness the mere thought of him caused. How could the man she’d dreamed about these past months be waiting in her massage room? Her hands trembled and she clasped them together as the memories of the dreams cascaded on top of each other. Kisses, strokes, flicks of his tongue against her clit—she shook her head, but the visions were unrelenting. He was an adept lover who knew exactly how to tease her until she begged for him to take her. How could she go inside and act professional when in those dreams he had made love to her in so many different ways? Only dreams, she told herself. No, they were more. Was it possible that somehow she had connected with him on a dream plane of existence? And if so, had he dreamed about her as well? “Get a grip,” she whispered and reached for the doorknob. The room was as she’d left it, with numerous lavender-scented candles flickering against the pale walls and the large jar of decorative marbles. The anxious, jittery feeling in her stomach matched the erratic heartbeat pounding in her chest. He’d folded his clothes and laid them on the nearby chair, placing his sandals properly beneath the chair and out of the pathway. She focused on the massage table and gulped. He lay naked with only the narrow towel he’d drawn across his buttocks, which stopped midthigh. The sight of his long muscular legs sent a new blaze of heat roaring through her. She took a deep breath and one step forward. “Are we ready to start?” His muffled voice struck her, sending a wave of excitement streaking through her. “Yes.” She managed to keep her voice level and retrieved the bottle of massage oil from the cabinet. “Do you have a preferred style of massage?”

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“What kinds of massage do you know?” he challenged and suddenly she felt as though she were being interviewed. It was a disturbing switch from his earlier seductive manner to this very managerial tone. “I’m a registered MT, Mister Masters. I’ve been studying massage since I was twelve. My mother taught classes. I know Craniosacral Therapy, Deep Tissue Massage, Esalen Massage, Swedish Massage, Pfrimmer Deep Muscle Therapy, Neuromuscular therapy, Jin Shin Do, Hakomi, Trager Psychophy—” “Damn,” he interrupted, speaking from the face cutout with his voice falling to the floor. “I guess we’re more than getting our money’s worth with you. I’ve heard of most of those, had a few of them, what do you recommend?” “Where are you having pain?” she asked. His chuckle left no doubt in her mind where his pain was located and she quickly poured the warmed oil into her palms, rubbing them together. Donning her most professional manner, she waited for him to answer. “My neck is very stiff,” he breathed. “Yours and the other two before you.” She splayed her oily fingers over his back. Hard muscles flinched beneath her initial touch then relaxed. His skin warmed against her hands as she worked the oil across his back, kneading into the resistance. “Just take several deep breaths and try to breathe with each stroke I make. That’s better. I can tell you work out regularly. Exercise is a great tool for coping with stress. I imagine you’ve had a lot of stress preparing for today.” She tried to make her voice lower than normal, blending into the atmosphere of the massage room. She was a professional and used to men becoming aroused during the relaxation and tactile sensations of a massage. It was normal, but she also knew how to prevent it from becoming a problem. With Alex, she wasn’t so sure she could because the arousal was mutual. “So which did you choose?” his deep voice bounced from the floor. “Deep Tissue Massage,” she breathed and moved her hands in long slow strokes, applying direct pressure across the grain of his back muscles. He moaned and she 40

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pressed harder, finding the stiff areas and probing into the deeper layers, working the muscle tissue slowly and deliberately. “Breathe through any discomfort. If it becomes painful, tell me. I don’t want to give you pain, just release—ah, from the stress,” she said, and clamped her mouth shut, realizing how her words could have been interpreted. She worked along his upper back and shoulders, applying various hand positions and strokes to help manipulate the muscle tissue until it grew more pliable beneath her fingers. “Deep breath, hold and now release.” She breathed with him and felt the effect of his breath immediately as the muscles relaxed. He sighed as the tension in his back released. “You have hands of liquid warmth.” “Thank you.” She dipped the bottle, poured a dab of oil directly onto his back and worked it up the center, massaging his spine in circular motions all the way to his neck. With long slow strokes, she pulled the muscles down into his shoulders. Instantly a heated excitement slipped past her control and rushed over her abdomen, trailing anxious quivers to her pussy. He was a client, she reminded herself. Focus on the muscle groups. Neck muscles. His muscles became rigid against the kneading. “Does that hurt?” she asked. “Yes.” “I’m sorry,” she sighed and relaxed the pressure of the strokes. “You seem tender right here. Just breathe with the strokes. Long, deep breaths. Hold. Release,” she breathed with him once more and again the tension drained from him. “Ah,” he sighed heavily and relaxed with a deep groan. It was a sexy, satisfied groan, like the groans he made in her dreams when he came. He groaned again, rich and deep, filled with male satisfaction. Her clit throbbed and she squeezed her legs together, trying to relieve the pulsing, but it throbbed harder. Her breath was a sharp intake. “Is something wrong?” His words were muffled.

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“N-No.” She decided they both needed a distraction and conversation was usually the best way. “May I ask you a question?” “Certainly,” he groaned again. “I’m curious about your hotel.” Her hands glided over his muscles, massaging his flesh, cupping it between her hands and then releasing. “In what way?” “Well, I notice that you have all the patios screened off and the big dome building on the beach appears to be constructed of the same kind of screening.” “Yes?” “I just find it odd that a hotel in a tropical paradise would block the sun from its guests. I haven’t seen anyone lounging on the beach. And not one person with a tan. I don’t think there’s even a tanning bed in this spa.” His muscles constricted and he rose up on his arms. Emma took a step back. Okay, so questioning him was a huge mistake. “I think we need to talk. I was hoping to put it off until my massage was finished, but you deserve an answer to your questions.” “I was just curious.” She looked away as he sat up, drawing the towel over his lap with his legs dangling over the edge of the massage table. Once more, she was amazed at how immodest men were. Vignettes from her dream flashed through her mind. Alex making love to her, pounding his thick cock into her—it was impossible to look at him without seeing him kissing, stroking or fucking her. The need to press her lips against his threatened the rigid control she held over her body. Every nerve ending responded against her will with heated pulses cascading over her. She tightened her fists by her sides and took another step back. “Please understand it wasn’t that I asked Felix to deceive you, although I did give him permission to hire someone like you. But he should have told you upon your arrival so you would be prepared and protected.” He clasped his hands in front of the

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towel wrapped around his waist. The movement pulled the material taut and his hard cock protruded against the terry cloth. She forced herself to look away with the sexual hunger coiling up her spine, sending so powerful a heated need to her pussy that she leaned against the cabinet and crossed her legs once more, trying not to squirm against the throbbing. This was not going to work. He looked just like the man in her dreams and she wanted him. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” she trembled. The soft sensual flute music breathed across the room as though pulling the delicate scent of lavender with it.

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Chapter Five “I ask that you remain calm. For your own safety. What I have to tell you is more than alarming and I image you will…well, you’ll probably panic.” Alex slid from the table and took a step towards her, holding the towel about his waist. “You’re making me very nervous, Mister Masters.” She uncrossed her legs. The fiery need fell away, replaced by a coldness. She stiffened her spine. “Can you just get to the point?” “It was Alex. Why Mister Masters?” “I-I…” she stammered. “I had hoped a massage would make it easier to discuss. But there’s no easy way to cushion the truth.” “I’m fired. Right?” Her dreams of a new start shattered. She was cursed! She’d done something that displeased him. “What?” His brow arched high above dark eyes. “You’re trying to fire me.” She knew the job had been too good to be true. “N-No. Not at all. You’re very good.” His strong face softened with an almost sympathetic look centering in his eyes. Oh that was not a good sign. But he’d said she wasn’t fired, so what was he trying to say? “As you said, this resort is different from a typical resort. For example the screens you mentioned—” “And no one being on the beach, at least in the sun.” She relaxed a little. Not fired. Okay, that part was good, but a feeling of dread slammed to her stomach. “You see, Miss Trent, Emma, all of our guests are unable to be in direct sunlight. Any sunlight for that matter.”

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“Oh!” Relief washed over her. “I’ve heard of that disease. I had no idea it was so prevalent that an entire resort could cater to—” “It’s more than—” He cinched the towel about his waist and took a few more steps so he was just a few feet from her. His erection was impossible to hide. Laughter caught in her throat. His stomach muscles rippled under each movement and her gaze followed the thin line of hair from his navel, traveling up and fanning across his broad chest. Hot, hungry desire scorched her. “I was beginning to think I was on an island with a bunch of vampires,” she laughed and met his cold stare. She tried to avoid his stare, but it latched onto hers. There was no humor in the dark depths of his eyes. “I was just kidding. I mean, there’s no such thing as vampires.” The words tumbled from her quivering lips. “I assure you, Emma,” he spoke, taking another step toward her. “There are such things.” “Now this is not remotely funny, Mister Masters.” She shook her head. Her heart pounded harder as he took another step toward her. “Think about it. Why do you think Felix brought you the salad instead of just telling you where the employee dining room was? We do have other mortals on the island, but they are paid feeders. So we have food on the island for them, but we can’t risk our guests knowing their masseuse is human. I’m afraid the temptation would be too great and you’d either end up drained of all your blood or transformed into one of us. Neither are fates any human would desire.” She half-laughed, half-gulped. Was he serious? He was teasing her. Perhaps it was his idea of foreplay. Whatever it was, she was going to take the first plane off this weird island. “I’m not kidding around. I’m telling you the truth. Why do you think no one goes into the sun?” “Oh my God! You’re serious.” She took a step back, but there was nowhere to go and she bumped against the cabinet. “I mean, are you?” Panic seized all thoughts. She 45

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had to get out of there. Her dream lover had just turned into a monster. He was insane. She cursed fate. Just her luck to end up on an island with a kinky hotel whose owner thought he was a vampire. She looked from him to the door, trying to gauge the distance and if she could outrun him to exit. It might as well be miles away from her. “Why do you think Felix wanted you to wear the perfume?” “T-To sell it?” She inched toward the door. “To cloak your human scent. It’s a special blend we use on the feeders to allow them rest and see that they aren’t overextended. We sell the real blend to our guests.” “W-What exactly are feeders?” she asked, knowing the answer but needing to hear it from him yet not really wanting to hear it. She turned her head slightly, cringing as though expecting a physical blow. “Feeders are humans we pay to let our guests feed on them. Drink their blood.” “Oh my God!” The room spun from her. “I can’t believe this is happening. This is a nightmare!” It couldn’t be real, yet she could not come up with any other explanation for the things she’d witnessed so far. Not that she believed for one moment any of these people were real vampires. But she did believe they might be a cult of some sort that had rituals such as drinking blood and God knows what else. She must stall him, throw him off guard so she could escape. Somehow. “VBR stands for Vampire Beach Resort, Emma. I’ve created the first tropical paradise where vampires can enjoy the beach in the daylight. For some it’s been hundreds of years since they’ve enjoyed the beach during the day. It’s so different than night. That’s the purpose of the beach dome. We have long extenders that are open along the ocean side. It allows them to actually wade into the water or stroll along the shore and pick up seashells. They love it! So much that we went from a few weeks’ reservations to being booked for the next year.” “I can’t believe this.” She ran her hand over her neck, panicked he would decide to bite her and try to suck the blood from her. She took a step back, eyeing the door. How was it possible? Vampires weren’t real, but psychos were and he was clearly one major 46

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psycho to have built a resort catering to weirdoes! Her mind rejected the other possibility. Vampires? It wasn’t true! “Please don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. I don’t use feeders.” “Well, that makes me feel so much better!” She backed into the door with her hands flattened against the hard panels. She groped for the doorknob, watching him close the space between them. “There’s no place to go, Emma. You’re on an island. You need to calm down.” He stepped closer. She screamed, clamping her hand over her mouth. He stopped midstride, towel still about his waist, and ran his hand through his hair as though trying to figure out a way to calm her. “I-I want to leave. You understand? I want to go home. Now!” “I can’t let you do that.” “This is kidnapping.” “Please. Just listen to me,” he spoke with his hands in front of him, palms facing her. “Felix is trying to find some vampire masseuses, but he’s having a difficult time.” “V-Vampire masseuses? Surely you didn’t wait until the last moment to arrange for masseuses.” “No, the ones hired met with untimely ends.” “Oh God! I want to leave.” She turned and fumbled for the doorknob, desperate to get out of the room and, well, she didn’t know where but at least away from him. Before she knew what happened, he was on her, pressing his body against hers, one hand flattened against the door and the other wrapped around her waist. “You can trust me. I’m not going to hurt you and I’m not going to let anyone on this island harm you. I promise.” “Let go of me!” She struggled against him. Part of her melted under the contact of his body against hers while another part cried out to run. Then she looked into his eyes. She stopped struggling. It was difficult 47

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to think. What was she trying to do? She pushed past the fog clouding her mind. Flee! No, there was no need to run. No need to panic. His words soothed as though literally entering her body and calming her panic. Realization thundered through her. This was her dream—this setting, the candles and the music. She knew him. Recognition enveloped her in the warmth of his strong arms. Everything about him was identical, except he thought he was a vampire! His dark stare seemed to penetrate beyond the physical and pierced her very thoughts. As if drugged, she didn’t care if he were telling her the truth or not. She just wanted to feel his kisses trailing over her like he did every night in the dreams. Her rational mind screamed to flee, but her heart insisted she stay. “I can’t let you go right now,” he said. “You can trust me. Relax.” She watched his lips form the words. The fire in his eyes was the same urgent need raging through her body. His hard muscles flinched beneath her fingertips when her hands brushed against his thighs. “Please listen to me.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and jerked her against him. His eyes blazed with a raging inferno. Quivering under the rapid electric jolts throbbing to her clit, Emma gasped. “If you run out of here upset and crying, no amount of perfume will cloak your fear. I can’t vouch for my guests’ reactions. Do you understand what I’m saying? Fear is like a drug to my kind. Human fear is especially arousing.” She felt the bulge of his cock against her abdomen. Whatever foreplay effect the massage may have had on him, her own panic was pumping his arousal higher. She willed her breath to slow and closed her eyes, trying to calm the frantic thoughts, trying to reason past the drugged effect he had on her. “That’s better. Now come sit down.” He guided her to the nearby chair and stooped down beside her. “I don’t know how I can cope with all this. I’ve never believed in vampires.” Emma brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and then clasped her hands together in her 48

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lap. Could he be telling the truth? Was it possible? Vampires? She tottered on the edge of panic again, but his rich voice practically poured over her frazzled nerves. “It’s not something we want the public to know. We’ve spent a lot of money to make sure we’re believed to be a legend.” “Money?” “For centuries we’ve supported rumors, books, even become silent partners backing film productions. All designed to perpetuate disbelief and romanticize the legend.” “Oh,” she sighed. Somehow it made sense. Did she really believe he was a vampire? Her mind screamed at her as though trapped inside a cage and looking at herself from a distance. Alex watched her perfect mouth form a fetching circle. His body responded with an urgent streak of need traveling from his abdomen to his already hard cock, swelling it tighter until he released a groan. Her lips were full and when she ran her tongue over them, his desire nearly slipped past all self-control. He longed to taste the sweetness of those lips and explore her mouth. God, she was beautiful. But now was not the time. He must reassure her, not put her on greater defensive. She needed to view him as a friend, as someone who could protect her. “I’m sure it’s shocking,” he said, and gently lifted a curl that had fallen back over her eye, tucking it behind her ear. The feel of her under his touch was familiar. He knew her. Her massage had been the most blissful touch he’d ever experienced and he longed to feel her hands on him again. All over him just like in his dreams. Could she be the woman in his dreams? She felt like the same woman. “So because of the perfume you thought I was a vampire? I mean, that’s why during lunch you asked me which flavor I wanted?” She looked up at him. Apprehension and uncertainty were still huge in her eyes. “We have blood supplies shipped in each week for our guests and employees. The company flavors them.” He tried to keep his voice steady and matter-of-fact. “I can’t believe this. You’re putting me on, right?” 49

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“Why would I do that?” “You’re serious? You? All the others? Are vampires?” “I can prove it to you if you like.” “H-How?” “Well, I’m a vampire.” He smiled down at her, keenly aware her earlier panic had begun to slip past the perfume veil. “You would harm me?” She jumped up and rushed for the door, but he was in front of her blocking the exit. “Let me go.” “I can’t.” He grabbed her by the arms, but she struggled against him. He wanted to hold her captive in his arms, unable to resist his lovemaking. He wanted her to feel the same energy, the same deep arousal she had stirred in him. He could bring her such erotic pleasure if only she could get past all this. Alex lifted his hand to her cheek and stroked the fine jawline, trailing the backs of his fingers around her chin, stopping just beneath her lips. Her skin was the smoothest he could recall ever touching. Soft and warm. He sensed her arousal—the way her legs trembled and her heartbeat quickened. The warm liquid fire rushing between her legs set his senses ablaze. The heat rising in him was mirrored in her eyes. Every sensation he felt, she felt. Yes. That was how he wanted her. He brushed his fingertips lightly against her trembling lips. A small moan escaped her, falling in a scorching breath against him. Alex lowered his face to hers, envious of his fingers, longing to taste what they felt. “Do you know how I feel about you, Emma?” he asked. “N-no,” her voice trembled. “I feel as though I know you. It’s absurd, I know, but this moment, standing here with you feels familiar. As though we’ve done it hundreds, even thousands of times.” “Perhaps in our dreams,” she whispered.

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He sensed her quickened heart rate. Her breath latched in her throat every time he stroked his thumb over her lower lip. “We must explore these feelings. I never get involved with employees, especially mortals, but you, Emma, you’re different—” “I-I can’t.” The words tumbled past her lips and she wondered where they’d come from. It was an instinct, a need of survival that took control. She had to leave. Now! “I can’t stay on this island.” She seemed to pull free of the confusion gripping her. “Surely you understand. My very life’s at risk.” She was a jumbled contradiction of emotions. She wanted to be with him, yet vampire or not, he was dangerous. If he was in fact a vampire, then he was the epitome of the one thing she feared most in life—death. “I can see you’re frightened and I apologize for making you feel so uneasy. I hope you now see the need to wear the perfume three times a day. I know you’re thinking cross, garlic, maybe some holy water. You won’t find any of those things on this entire island. So you must trust that Felix’s concoction will continue to work.” “You aren’t listening to me,” she spoke louder and pushed against him, slipping underneath his arm. She backed away from him until she came up against the opposite wall. “You just told me that this island is crawling with vampires. I’m not staying!” She crossed her arms over her chest. “There’s no need to panic, Emma. Vampires, the majority of us, are nothing like we’ve been portrayed in movies or TV. Just as I’m sure the same could be said for your profession.” She jerked her head, not wanting to hear what he had to say, just wanting him to let her go. “You must stay. I have no one else to manage the spa. I’ll give you six times the salary.” “It’s not about money—” “No it isn’t, Emma. It’s about this overpowering attraction we feel for each other. It was immediate. The moment you walked into the lobby. You felt it too.” 51

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“I can’t stay here.” Tears stung her eyes and she fought against them. She didn’t want him to see her cry. She must be strong and demanding. No fear. “What’s your fear, Emma? Is it really vampires or is it something else?” “Are you reading my mind?” she asked, wondering why she’d think such a thing as possible, but she could feel him inside her head. He shrugged. “That’s an invasion of privacy. Get out of my mind. I’m not staying because I don’t want to be the special of the day.” “Your two clients today didn’t suspect you were a mortal, did they?” “N-No.” “Then I would say Felix’s perfume blend works.” He closed the distance between them. Emma’s heart pounded harder. The seductive image he struck with the towel wrapped around his trim waist only accentuated his perfect male body. “You must stay, Emma. At least until the other masseuses arrive later this week. Can you do that, please?” His voice was smooth, rich velvet. Its melodic tone was like an addictive drug and once more her fears receded. There was only him. Would he turn her into a vampire? To no longer exist…to be forgotten… Her pulse throbbed in her ears. She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “How can I reassure you that you’re safe?” “I don’t think you can.” She struggled to maintain her composure. He was insane. How could an entire island of people believe they were vampires? Vampires couldn’t be real. “If what you say is true and everyone here is a vampire, then I don’t think I have any chance of surviving this job.” Her voice quivered and a tear slipped past her lower eyelid. She hated being weak, being afraid, but she was terrified. She thought of her mother’s warning and wished she’d been more cautious. “I’ll protect you,” he said and took a step closer.

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“How—how can you do that?” she asked, nearly laughing in his face. She needed someone to protect her from him! “I own the resort.” He shrugged as though her question had been absurd. “Can you monitor who’s near me all the time? 24/7?” “My guests are not monsters, Emma. Try to put aside your prejudices. Preconceived ideas based on false assumptions. You only know about vampires based on fictional representations. We are not like that.” “I-I didn’t mean— This is just my first encounter.” “We live among your kind never detected. Do you know how we do that?” She shook her head. Wanting to say it was because they were locked up in mental hospitals as he should be if he truly believed he could protect her. “No, we are not in mental hospitals,” he laughed. Emma gasped. “I can read your mind, sweet Emma. We live undetected by acting like humans. We have a code we live by.” “What code?” She stared up into his dark eyes and was momentarily lost in them. “We don’t hunt or attack as we did hundreds of years ago. We don’t want the attention and we don’t need to hunt when we can hire feeders.” “Like the ones here?” “Some guests bring their own with them because they have very specific tastes. We accommodate their servants as guests.” “Servants? Is that what feeders are called?” “Yes.” “So everyone honors this code?” “There are always rogues and criminals like in your world.”

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“Do you have a way of screening criminals to keep them off the island?” she asked with fire leaping in her throat. She spoke the words, but all the while longing to taste his lips. Instead, she licked hers. “I want you to feel comfortable working here. If you use the perfume, there should be no problems. But if you act nervous and scared, then your fear will be sensed. It will override the perfume and—” He took another step closer. His nearness was like a magnetic pull. Had her dreams been precognitive? Was that possible? Had she been dreaming about him and this resort all along? “Your perfume is failing because of your panic. When a vampire smells fear, it triggers—” “The need to suck my blood?” she asked, reaching for the bottle of perfume. She sprayed it generously over her. “It’s arousing first and foremost,” he bowed his head, looking sideways up at her. He sniffed. “So you feed off fear as well as blood.” “Something like that.” He straightened. “I don’t know how not to be afraid. I’m on a remote island with vampires who want to eat me!” “I want to eat you, Emma, but not as a vampire. As a man.” His bold words hit her in a wave of heat. It scorched her face, searing a path to her pussy. Her legs would no longer support her and, before she realized what happened, found herself in his arms. “You dreamed of me,” he said, moving his face closer to hers. “Oh my God! You can read my mind?” Fire blistered every nerve ending. “Only because your thoughts were about me or directed towards me.” “So other vampires can read my mind too?” “If your thoughts are about them. Yes. You’re a gorgeous woman,” he sighed.

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Heated waves flashed over her like the heat of an open flame. His hands moved up her back in a slow, sensual motion. Her breath quickened. He moved a hand over her shoulder and down to her breasts, massaging and then pinching a hardened nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Excited pulses pounded to her clit, rising in urgency until her pussy contracted under a small orgasm. Her stare lifted to his knowing one. “I can give you even greater pleasures.” She gasped, feeling more embarrassed than she ever had. The tantalizing flush that followed the release escalated, building into a fiercer need. “I can give you all kinds of orgasmic pleasures that only a vampire can give a mortal.” “Mister—A-Alex. You’re my employer. This is all very inappropriate.” Somewhere the last wisps of her rational mind questioned her own sanity and then disappeared. There was only him and she wanted him. “You’re right. As your employer, I should maintain proper decorum, but it’s just that you’ve been dreaming of me and I’ve been dreaming of you too, Emma. That has special meaning to my kind.” “What meaning?” she blurted out before she could stop the words. She didn’t want to know. It probably meant she was the next meal in his immediate future, although judging by the way he’d responded to her, it could mean what she’d hoped—the man she was destined to be with. Only she’d not wanted to conjure a vampire of all creatures. At that moment she wasn’t sure if he were vampire or psycho. And at that moment, she didn’t care. He tightened his arms around her as though her question was an invitation. Emma pressed her hands against his bare chest. Her oily hands slid across his massive chest. Dark eyes glazed with the same hunger that roiled up her spine and caressed her. All reason deserted her under his regard. She was acutely aware of his power and the fact only a thin towel separated his naked body from hers.

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“For a mortal to dream of a vampire means they are destined to meet. The dream content determines the kind of relationship they shall have.” Her gasp was audible and she longed to snatch it back inside her mouth, but it was too late. Wildfire leaped in his eyes and spread to her, driving her heartbeat into a rapid drumming. “Just because I dreamed of us, of you…” she paused. “This is so embarrassing. I can’t talk with you about this.” She tried to push from him, but his arms tightened around her. “You don’t really want to leave, Emma.” She quit struggling, aware his erection pressed harder into her belly. “Kiss me,” he commanded and she tilted her face to his. His lips were tender and soft against hers. The shock of his touch traveled through her in a powerful wave, bursting through the secret places of her innermost fantasies. He was real. His kiss melted all her fears and deepened. He tasted just like he did in her dream. Hot and sultry. His tongue parted her lips and she welcomed his entry, greeting him by curling and twisting hers in an erotic mating with his tongue. She needed more and when he pulled her harder against him as though he couldn’t get close enough to her, Emma welcomed his caresses. Running her hands over his bare back, she delighted in the sensation of his flesh beneath her fingertips, only this time when touching him, she didn’t have to resist the natural urge to caress. She molded her hands around the rigid muscles in his neck and threaded her fingers through his hair. She shuddered with an overwhelming feeling that somehow all the dreams had been real. Just as he was real. Was it possible that he was a vampire and that was how he’d come to her in a dream state to introduce himself? The questions jumbled together in her mind. She didn’t want to think about it. She just wanted to be with him. Alex picked her up effortlessly and carried her to the massage table where only moments earlier she’d attempted to maintain a professional discipline while massaging 56

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his back. That effort was long gone. She lay down on the table as his hand slipped between her thighs, separating them and gliding beneath the smock. She trembled. The zipper on her pants tugged with the sound lost beneath the low, lilting music still playing. She ached for his touch. His tongue plunged in and out of her mouth, teasing her as his fingers worked the opening of the pants. At last, they fell open and she arched, needing the pressure of his fingertips against her pussy. She longed for him to spread her, slip his finger inside the moist slit and claim her. Writhing, she tried to meet his touch against her clit. Instead, he taunted her with slow strokes, using the back of his hand to caress the two soft mounds. She wiggled and attempted to guide his strokes between the lips of her pussy, but he refused to let her find the pressure she craved. Moaning under his kiss, she moved her hand, covering his, urging him to press harder, but again he resisted. He released her lips and she gasped for breath as he placed tender kisses down the column of her neck. Her breath latched in her throat, half expecting him to bite her, but he continued to the deep cleavage exposed above the v-neck of the smock. His tongue lashed against the valley between her breasts. She arched higher. Her breasts pressed against the material, hardening into expectant nubs sensitized and burning with the need to feel his lips sucking them. She recalled in her dreams how he’d roll his tongue around the rosy orbs until she begged for him to take her. Fire licked her throat and his hand left her pussy to slip underneath the smock and over her bra. He pulled the fabric from a full breast and dipped a determined finger between it and her flesh. Her nipple tingled with wild currents streaking to her pussy. She moaned under the raging need for more. “Will you get naked for me?” he asked. His words were like flames fanning her face and she half-nodded, half-groaned a response. Sitting on the edge of the table, Emma unclasped the bra. Her hands shook against the relaxed material. Alex lifted the smock over her head and deftly slipped the bra straps down her arms. The bra fell free and her breasts tumbled from the lacy cups.

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“You’re so gorgeous.” He groaned with the lust in his eyes sending a new wave of anxious urgency and heat through her. He cupped her breasts in his hands, lowering his head. They tingled under his touch. She held her breath in anticipation of his lips closing over the hardened nipples. When he finally took one nipple into his mouth a deep moan vibrated in her throat. She arched back, lost in the rhythm of his lovemaking. He kissed and suckled her nipple, tugging on the hardened nub tenderly at first. He nibbled short quick bites before releasing it, wet and hard, and moved on to the other nipple. Frenzied hot pulses throbbed to her pussy, sending a rush of fiery liquid racing between her legs. Her juices surged when his lips closed over the other nipple and the walls of her womb spasmed. The orgasm took her by surprise and she shuddered, longing to feel his hard cock inside her. “You will have many more of those before I’m finished with you, my love,” he promised, lifting his head long enough to deliver a sexy, wicked grin. “Lie back, baby,” he instructed and tugged on her slacks, pulling them down the length of her legs. A rush of cooler air stirred over Emma and raced to her pussy in a trail of goose bumps. She lay with only her panties between her and his fingertips. She writhed under his touch as he teased her through the lacy fabric. He cupped her breasts one more time then planted a stream of kisses over her flat abdomen toward the vee dip of her panties. She held her breath, her belly quivered as he tugged on each side and slid her panties to her knees then down her legs until she was free of them. She watched him as he stared down at her, letting his gaze linger on her shaven pussy. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered as though entranced and dipped his face between her legs, parting them with his hands. Her breath was a sharp intake when his lips covered the fleshy mounds of her pussy, sucking them into his mouth. He kissed her as though he kissed her mouth with 58

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his tongue parting the moist lips. Her legs were rigid. Anticipation trembled in her. His tongue slipped past the pink slit, finding the hardened clit. Flickers of his tongue gave her instant relief to the raw edgy longing. Her breath escaped between trembling lips. She needed more and thrust her hips to greet the teasing flickers of his tongue. She must have more. She cried out, longing for him to possess her the same way he did in the dreams. It was no longer impossible. She didn’t care how it had happened or what he was. All she knew was he had what she needed. The pleasure she knew he’d bring to her was greater than any fears. His touch consumed her, driving her to heightened desires so strong she grasped his head, thrusting her pelvis with each new barrage of sensations. He licked her, flicking his tongue repeatedly against her clit, driving her beyond all control. “Please,” she huffed, begging him to take her. He moved in one fluid motion from standing by the table to hovering above her. His towel was gone and his erection throbbing. Emma looked at him, wanting to burn the memory of this moment forever in her mind. She reached down and grasped him between her hands. He was huge! Excited pulses shot through her. She gripped his cock and guided him toward the building heat between her legs. The hot tip of his cock pressed against her opening. She needed him to fill her, bring her to that molten place of sweet, wild release. The world was fluid and warm, dreamlike yet so much more. He thrust deeper inside her and she relaxed against his entry. The walls of her pussy grasped him snugly. Her breath rushed past her lips as she whispered his name in soft, low cooing against the slow rhythm as he ground deeper into her. She opened her legs, drawing them around his waist, locking her ankles so she could lift her hips to receive him better. He plunged his cock into her. Hands planted on either side of her head, he moved in and out of her, grinding out the urgent need consuming them. Faster. She matched his rhythm. Hot, fiery passion rocked with each thrust. Knowing that she and only she drove him toward the edge of abandoned need as fierce as her own excited Emma.

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“Alex!” she gasped, clutching him, pulling him to her. He groaned and his muscles flinched. “Take me now, Alex, please don’t wait. Now,” she panted in his ear, nibbling the lobe, sucking it between her lips, twirling her tongue around the outer rim, plunging into its circular depth. His response was immediate. His breathing was hard and labored. With quickened strokes, he fucked her harder, driving his cock deeper into her. Sweat beaded along his back and somewhere in the dark recesses of her mind, she marveled at her misconceptions about vampires. They breathed and they sweated and they certainly knew how to make love. He captured her lips with his and all thoughts died. She moved, needing release yet longing for the intense sensations to last a little longer. Undulating and snaking up her spine, the fire scorched through her, driving her into mindless movements under his skillful lovemaking. Intense waves of pleasure rose, tottering on the jagged edge of release, then slipped from her only to rise higher. Like a rolling wave it uncurled then lashed back more intense than before. He reared back, pounding his cock into her so hard his balls slapped against her. Her juices eased past his thrusts and the walls of her pussy clamped around his hot shaft, clutching him deeper. Spasms jerked her and she cried out, melting into the warm sensations. Incited, he rammed his cock faster and faster until he tensed, jerked and spasmed, spilling hot inside her. A low, deep groan vibrated between his clenched teeth. His muscles, taut and steely in the climax, released with his breath. He bowed his head to capture her lips with his, the kiss slow and sultry, full of molten heat and satisfied pulses. He lifted his face, leaving tiny kisses in the wake of his withdrawal, and trailed kisses along her neck. Her flesh slipped between his lips and then he released it to plant another slow kiss along her neck. He kissed her breasts and she cradled his head as he suckled a tender nipple. Her breath tore from her with the electric sensations rushing to her clit.

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“How is it possible, Alex?” she panted. “How can you be real? Just like my dreams?” He raised his face and captured her lips in a slow, deep kiss that left her breathless. “Because I’m a vampire, love. Dreams are just another dimension for us. I didn’t realize you lived in this world as well. So often dream lovers are astral beings. And now that I’ve found you, Emma, and made love to you in this world, you’re mine. You can belong only to me. No other man can touch you, possess you or make love to you.” His cock throbbed hot inside her and she moved under him, feeling the heat resurging through both of them. “Come here, Emma. Let me show you how vampires do it.” He turned over with her in his embrace and she cried out, worrying they would fall to the floor. Instead, they floated in the air. She peered around. His laughter was soft and sexy. “Here,” he lowered them back to the table and pulled her forward so she straddled his lap. His erection was immediate and she wiggled onto him until he was completely inside her. Leaning back, he pulled her with him and before she knew what had happened, they were airborne again, this time with his legs unfolded so she could ride him, straddling his lap. “Don’t be scared, Emma. I won’t drop you. I promise.” She wrapped her arms around him, lifting slightly from his lap so his thick hard cock slid from her. His hands gripped her hips and he tugged her back down his length. As though sensing her fear of falling, he lowered them back onto the table and she settled over him, straddling him and rocking her hips. He rested his hands on her hips as she rotated them, moving him in and out in a steady building rhythm. “You are so beautiful, Emma,” he whispered and moved with her. “I’m going to make love to you all night.”

*****

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Leaving the spa through the main doors, Emma hurried to her room. He was sleeping when she’d slid from the table and gathered her clothes, grateful there were no other clients for the day. Her hands trembled so badly when she tried to insert the key to her room that it slipped from her grasp. Picking it up, she jammed it into the slot and pushed the door open, slamming it behind her. She locked every lock, including the safety bolt, and collapsed against the door with tears welling in her eyes. They rolled down the back of her throat and burned a path as she swallowed and tried to contain the conflicting emotions tumbling inside her. What was she going to do now? She paced the length of her room and stopped in front of the phone. She wanted to call her mom. How she needed to hear the reassurance only her mother’s voice could give. Feeling foolish and reminding herself that she was a mature woman and capable of handling this without involving her mother, Emma resumed the pacing. She wrung her hands together and once more resisted the need to pick up the phone and dial the international operator. What could her mother do? Send in the military? She snorted and released a laugh created from the depths of desperation. No one would believe her. Her mom would think she was suffering a breakdown. It had been difficult enough getting over Tim’s death. She couldn’t bear the thought of her mom thinking she’d stepped into yet another ill-fated love affair. After all, who would believe her? What would she say? “Hi, Mom, guess what, I’m living on an island of vampires. And by the way, my boyfriend is a vampire, but don’t worry, Mom, he’s not going to bite me.” Right. She shook her head. How could she expect anyone to believe her when she still had a difficult time accepting it? She still had some doubts that Alex was a vampire. Oh God! What if it were true? What would she do? She could demand to be taken back to the mainland one more time but— Her mind raced. Alex Masters would never let her go. She knew too much and even if no one believed her, there was the possibility someone would. Someone could masquerade as a vampire and book a vacation at VBR. Video. That’s what she needed.

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Video of…what? People on vacation? What if it were true vampires didn’t show up in photos? The footage would be of an empty resort. That wouldn’t work either. The desk phone rang, startling her from the tragic scenarios running through her mind. “Hello?” “Emma.” She recognized his seductive voice. Her body tensed. An excited flutter jumped in her stomach. “Why did you leave me like that? We must talk. May I come to your room?” “I can’t see you.” “I’m right outside the door. Would you let me in please?” “I can’t.” “Just open the door, don’t make me have to use the master key.”

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Chapter Six Chills traced the length of her spine. Emma knew there was no place for her on the island. She didn’t belong in a world of vampires and certainly not with a vampire for her lover. Shaking, she walked to the door, reminding herself of movie clips she’d seen depicting women unable to resist the seductive powers of the vampire. She had been more than seduced. She’d been possessed. Without hesitation, she threw back the safety lock. Before she could turn the deadbolt, it moved and the door swung open. He stood, staring down at her with his shirttail halfway tucked into his pants. He must have dressed while running to her room. Her heartbeat quickened. “Emma,” his voice was low. The look in his eyes told her that the rest of her dreams were about to become very real. “Alex,” she breathed and allowed him to enter. “You can’t run away from this, from me, from what is so clearly between us.” He closed the door and drew her into his embrace, pulling her tighter against him as though he feared she’d disappear. Her heart pounded out ecstasy, panic, pleasure— “Don’t fight it, Emma,” his words interrupted her thoughts. “I can’t and I know you can’t. Kiss me.” He lowered his face to hers. Lips firm yet soft drew her deeper and deeper into his kiss. She loved the way he tasted so sultry and tropical. His tongue teased her lips open and plunged into her mouth, flickering around her tongue and capturing it with a fiery, frenetic need. She moaned against the kiss and encircled his neck with her arms, tugging him to her. His passion demanded more and she lifted onto tiptoes, pressing her body into his, grinding her hips, feeling his cock hard against her. Electric shocks coursed down her. His power controlled her. A power to make her want him more than anything. It was 64

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greater than her fear. She no longer cared if she understood what was happening. Right now, all she wanted was to make love to him. She pulled against her smock, her pants. His hands were everywhere, helping, slipping beneath material, groping, tugging and stroking as she freed herself of her clothes and rubbed her naked body over his fully clothed one. The contact of his clothes against her tender flesh stimulated a new barrage of erotic sensations. Hot juices rushed between her legs as she dragged against the hardened bulge trapped within his shorts. Strong, big hands slipped over her, moving down her back, cupping her buttocks. Fire shot through her, blasting open all doors of resistance with a wave of raw need to feel him inside her again. Alex tightened his arms around her, pressing his hard cock against her pussy. Slowly, she broke from his kiss, planting small kisses along his neck while sliding her hands over the soft fabric, helping him peel off the shirt. Her fingertips tingled against the strength of hard muscles. He held her head between his hands. Strong fingers threaded through her hair as she sank to her knees. She ran her hands over firm, tight buttocks. Trailing her hands to the front, she rubbed his erection, finding the zipper. The sound ripped through the quiet room and she hurriedly pulled the metal tab down the length of the tight bulge in his shorts. She slipped her fingers beneath the elastic band, stretching the briefs, anxious to free his erection. Buoyant, it bobbed free of the confining clothing. Emma rubbed her cheek against the hard length. His cock felt silken, warm with a pearl droplet seeping from the pinkened slip. She dropped his shorts and concentrated on pushing the briefs down his long legs. He stepped from the discarded clothing. “Not so fast.” She stood and pushed him against the wall, letting her breasts rub over his abdomen then chest, ever so lightly with the hardened tips of her nipples touching him, drawing his breath from him in sharp, rapid intakes. She sank to her knees once more. Cupping his balls, she took his hot, throbbing cock into her mouth.

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Sucking the fleshy, rigid shaft into her mouth, she moaned, finding intense pleasure in his taste, and pulled him from her mouth to taste the tip of his cock. He was hot and pulsating as she flicked her tongue around the pink slit, catching the tiny drop of milky juice that spilled from his arousal. She rolled her tongue around his hardness, flicking her tongue over him. He groaned and pressed harder into the wall as she pulled him in and out of her mouth, taking him deeper, holding the base of his shaft with one hand while moving her other one behind his balls. She fingered the sensitive place between his legs. A place she knew when stimulated would heighten his arousal to a scorching, mindless need. She found it and massaged the area tenderly. His groan grew louder and she pressed harder, moving her finger in slow, circular rotations, feeling the pulse throbbing beneath her touch. He pumped his cock into her mouth, holding her head between his hands. Emma gently massaged his balls and a deep growl vibrated in his throat. His heat stoked hotter under her expertise. She could sense the liquid fire coursing through him with each stroke, each thrust. Her touch drew Alex closer to the peak and he longed to feel his cock plunge deeper inside her warm moistness, but he couldn’t move. He didn’t want to break the rhythm of the intense pleasure her touch gave him. Her lips closed around the tip of his dick and drew harder against the sides of his shaft. He strained against the urgency building in him and released another groan, long and deep, watching her take him into her mouth. He cupped the back of her head with his hand so he could thrust deeper. His swollen cock slipped in and out of her perfectly formed mouth, exciting him beyond reason and thought. “Emma!” he choked and eased his cock from her, pulling her to her feet, with his thick dick pressed against her flat belly. His mouth found hers. Fierce passion stoked from her lovemaking drove him. He wanted to possess her fully as he had only minutes earlier in the spa. He craved to taste her and claim her 66

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tongue. Her firm buttocks soft beneath his kneading motions fit him perfectly as he spread her legs enough to press the tip of his cock against the tight opening of her pussy. She wrapped her legs around his waist while he supported her in the cradle of his arms, lifting her hips so he could enter. Tight, moist, pliable heat stretched then gripped him tighter. The air sucked from his lungs as he plunged into her molten softness. His sigh was hot, fanning in her ear. Long, silky legs encircled his waist. Hands firmly planted on his shoulders, she lifted and slowly pulled along his thick length as though she were dismounting only to rotate her hips just enough to work him back into her. His control slipped and he thrust deeper. Emma nibbled on his ear, marveling at his raw strength as he bent his legs slightly so he could fuck her standing up. His power aroused her further. He spun from the wall and pressed her back against the cool plaster. He pounded his cock into her, driving her up the wall with each thrust. Sweat beaded and trickled down his back. She caught the rivulets with her fingertips and glided the wet, oily juice over his sinewy, smooth skin, kneading and pressing the points she knew would further heighten his arousal. He was hot—hot for her. The thought sent her pulse pounding out a fierce excitement. He wanted her and could barely restrain the feverish need. He growled low with it vibrating deep in his chest as he lifted them slightly from the floor, taking her by surprise. “Oh my God!” she gasped, looking about them. “H-How—” “Don’t stop.” He cupped her face in his hand and pulled her down to his kiss, leaning back so she could ride him. Emma released his lips and rocked forward, pressing her flattened hands onto his chest. It was a slow, easy floating as he moved them toward the bed. All thoughts except him fell from her. They settled gently onto the mattress. She lifted her hips. His cock slid from her and she sat back down, taking his length inside once more. Again she

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moved slowly, just enough that his cock pulled from her, with the tip just inside her opening. His hands clasped her by the hips and guided her back onto him. Fire lashed against the rising, snaking current of want and heat. It traveled up her spine in excited tingles. With him, there was passion and need. The earlier danger had fled and in its place was lust. He was her dream lover. She knew his moves before he made them. They fit and melted into one. He pounded his cock into her. She rolled her hips, driving him to the edge of frenetic desire. She quickened her rhythm, reaching the edge of orgasm, but it slipped from her. Panting, she planted her hands on either side of his head and licked his jaw, drawing her tongue down his neck. Molten pulses sparked fiery shocks against her clit. The sensations shuddered up her spine to her head and her body spasmed, clamping the walls of her pussy around his cock. She cried out, moving slower and more deliberately. Waves released and throbbed in the wake of the fire. “Emma!” he called out and jerked hard against her orgasm. His body was rigid. Sweat popped up along the curve of his powerful back and she grasped his buttocks, pushing him harder into her as his liquid heat rushed inside her with his release. He shuddered and pushed his cock deeper into her, whispering unintelligible things that were like sweet words of love to her. “I love you, Emma,” he sighed, rolling onto his back and drawing her into his arms. She lay silent, not quite sure she’d heard him. He smoothed back her hair. “I have made love to you, fucked you, completely possessed you in my dreams and I have done so in this realm. I loved you then and I love you now.” He planted a kiss on her forehead.

*****

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The night’s passionate ecstasy still lingered with her during the next day. She awoke alone yet felt his presence all around her. Even when she opened the spa for the day, her body still pulsed and tingled from the remnants of his ardent lovemaking. She kept the bottle of perfume and the panic beeper in her massage holster at all times. When the first client arrived around noon, she quickly ushered the woman into one of the rooms and set about her work. The massage was normal as long as Emma focused on the music and not the fact that the client was possibly vampire. By the fifth client, she was feeling more comfortable but probably had used the perfume more than she should, just in case they really were vampires. Her mind clouded with images of Alex so strong her pulse would race and she’d even gasp. She relived every moment of the intense pleasure he’d given her. She moved through the day as though drugged. Her nervousness about being surrounded by people who thought they were vampires was overshadowed by her intoxication with Alex and the jittery feeling in the pit of her stomach as she waited for the moment she’d be with him again. She felt addicted. If he were to come through the door, she’d have stopped her work and dragged him into a vacant massage room and fucked him until he begged for mercy. Finally, it was time to close for the night. The feeling in the pit of her stomach lurched, sending an achy need tingling to her groin. Soon she’d be with him. She was slightly hurt that he’d not come to visit her at all that day but knew running a new resort was demanding. Still, he’d come for her soon. She hurried toward her room, cutting through the lobby. A steel band playing calypso music drifted from the open doors where hundreds of guests danced their way through the lobby onto the screened patio and beyond. She glanced out the window and saw a multitude of torches complete with several bonfires dotting the beach where a large crowd was partying. Her heart pounded and the giddy high-school-girl feelings of the day melted from her, replaced with a gripping chill that snaked up her spine. For a brief moment, she wondered if they really were vampires. How could so many people be psychotic and

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believe in a vampire fantasy? She’d yet to witness anyone drinking blood or acting like a vampire. Perhaps Alex was right and vampires were different from movie portrayals. She certainly had felt her clients today were like normal people who came to her for a massage. What would happen if she didn’t use the special perfume? Would she still think they acted like normal people? She licked her lips and scooted past the lobby desk. Could using the perfume have given her a false sense of security? She had not seen any vampire in that true state—the state of being vampire and feeding on humans. And she didn’t want to see those things if they were real. She wanted to avoid them and pretend they were not vampires, just quirky resort guests. She fumbled with the keycard and couldn’t open the door fast enough. Pushing the door open, she was greeted with a dimly lit room. She leaned against the door. Taking a deep breath, she flipped the security lever. The aroma of spicy food struck her. Sweet. Hot. Where was that coming from? She ventured farther into the room and noticed the bedside lamp was on and someone had placed a covered tray on the dining table. Her stomach rumbled as she carefully lifted the warm lid and the teasing sweet aroma of pineapple chicken wafted up in a puff of steam. Alex! The pulsing tone of the phone made her jump and she dropped the lid back over the plate. Reaching for the phone, she noticed the bouquet of colorful flowers on her desk. She pulled the card from the holder as she answered the phone. “Hello?” “Did you find your dinner?” Alex’s deep sexy voice seemed to come to life and caress her ear. “I just did. Thank you. It looks delicious.” “Would you like some company while you eat?” “Don’t you want to eat with me?” “Emma, you still don’t believe, do you?”

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“If you can’t eat with me, then perhaps afterward. A glass of wine on my patio?” she offered, testing him further. “I’ll bring my own.” His chuckle was so close to her ear, it almost felt as though he were beside her. She slid the card from the envelope. Good luck on your new job, Mom and Marti. It was a gesture of support that drew tears to her eyes. If only they knew the real circumstances surrounding her new job, they’d both be on a plane to get her, or worse sending the military to extract her ASAP. While she knew the sooner she left the island the better it would be, the thought of leaving Alex sent a sharp pang through her like a knife. Could she be falling in love? She sat down at the table to enjoy the meal. She wasn’t falling, she’d already fallen months ago in her dreams. This was just the physical reenactment of all those nights she’d spent making love to him in her dreams. Her stomach felt as though it fluttered. What was she going to do?

***** “How was your day?” Alex asked and entered the room, wearing a crisp, white dress shirt and casual navy slacks. He didn’t wait for a response and gathered her into his arms, lowering his face to catch her kiss. Desire roared through her. Emma drew her arms around his neck, telling herself she was playing with danger, but she’d used the perfume right after her shower, just in case, and felt safe from any possible vampire nature. She was interested in the man, not the part that believed he was a vampire. He groaned and plunged his tongue into her mouth while sweeping her into a slow dance, releasing her kiss, planting several short ones on her lips. “My day was okay. And yours?”

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“Days for vampires are typically quiet, however, having access to the beach during the day is making daytime unusually loud and full of activity.” He reached for the wine bottle and opener. “But that’s what you wanted, right?” she asked, knowing she was insane to go along with the whole charade, but she couldn’t stop herself. It was as though he was a drug and she was so deliciously addicted! “We’ve had so many referrals that we’re now booked for two years and new reservations are coming in almost hourly. Some of our guests have booked another stay with us. The resort is a huge success.” He grinned widely while pouring the wine. He handed her the goblet. “To your success.” She raised it and he nodded, producing another bottle, which he used to fill his goblet. She noted the thick texture and looked away, not daring to know what he was drinking. It would make her gag if she thought about it. “To you, Emma.” He raised his glass. “You look so beautiful tonight.” He smiled, letting his stare move over her low-cut dress. “I love blue.” His stare slid down the silk dress that clung to her curves. She’d chosen the dress because it was the sexiest one she had. The hem stopped mid thigh and was perfect for a tropical resort. Perfect for a romantic interlude. “To us, Emma.” He clinked his glass against hers. She gave him a slight nod and took a sip of wine. The bouquet filled her nostrils and the warm, delicious liquid rolled down her throat. “I don’t know what it is about you, Emma.” He took her glass from her and set both goblets on the desk. “But from the first moment I saw you, I knew you were the woman I’ve waited for all my life. And that,” he stroked her face with his fingertips, tilting her head back to receive another kiss, “is a long lifetime.” Firm lips covered hers, and once more, Emma was awakened to an urgent frenzy of need. The need to feel him inside her. He tasted like wine and oranges. She tightened her arms around his neck, pressing

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against him, curving into his hips until his erection pressed hard against her stomach. Anticipation rose hot and trembled across her belly to her groin. He broke from the kiss and pulled her slightly from him. “I have a surprise for you.” He led her to the outside patio, bathed in the full moon’s light. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light and immediately she heard the bubbles before seeing the hot tub. “A hot tub?” she giggled and rushed over to it. “I had it set up for you earlier today.” “How wonderful!” He came up behind her and nuzzled her neck. “I’ve dreamed about making love to you in it all day.” His erection, trapped within his shorts, pressed into her back. She was aware of his height and strength as she molded against him. He moved with his hands slipping around her over her abdomen, fingers splayed to cover the soft mound of her pussy. He pulled her against him, harder, grinding himself into her ass. “So what do you think?” he panted in her ear. “I think you’re one virile vampire.” She let her head fall back onto his shoulder so he could kiss her neck while his fingers gathered the material, searching for the moist slit. “Hmm. No panties,” he whispered in her ear as his fingers found her heat. With a forefinger, he parted the lips of her pussy, slipping past the slit, and opened her to his touch. Emma gasped when his finger brushed against her clit. Undulating, she ground her hips into his, arching to meet the teasing strokes of his fingers. She curved against his chest, rubbing her head deeper into his shoulder as his tongue drummed a hot beat

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against her ear. His other hand traced the length of her arm then dipped between her breasts. “It seems you forgot another undergarment,” he chuckled in her ear as he teased an erect nipple between thumb and forefinger. He squeezed it firmly then released only to tighten the pinch once more. Her breath caught in her throat. Her clit pulsed with jagged streaks each time he clamped his fingers closed over her nipple. He rubbed his finger against the throbbing nub. She moaned and rolled her hips, pressing into the pole his finger created. She ached for harder strokes, faster friction to ease the urgent aching, but he teased her, withholding the gratification only a climax could grant. He drew out the foreplay, driving her to faster attempts to satisfy the need. His finger moved away and she groaned. Disappointment replaced the building climax. Frustration drove her to grind her hips into him, but he moved from her, gathering the hem of her dress, and pulled it over her head. He tossed the dress to the floor and stood, admiring her nakedness. “You’re so gorgeous,” he said. Even in the soft moonlight, she could see the hunger in his eyes. His hands were everywhere. Stroking, probing, following her curves only to retrace each one. Slowly, he bent her over the rim of the bubbling hot tub, massaging her shoulders. The night breeze rushed around her as she waited, naked, leaning over the tub. The heat from the water flashed against her face. Tender kisses against her buttocks caught her by surprise. Her breath came in short, fast puffs expectant of his next touch. His hands closed around her thighs as he pressed kisses into her flesh, slipping his tongue down the tender crease, licking the length of the curve. He separated her legs and placed his hand on the small of her back, tilting her forward. His tongue flickered over her anus, circling it, then moved to the opening of her pussy, slipping inside just enough to tease before plunging deeper. Short, fast finger

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taps against her clit matched the rhythm as he tongue-fucked her, pressing a finger into her anus, driving new sensations to her clit and the sensitive outer rim of her pussy. She gasped for air, writhing under the volley of sensations. She steadied herself with one hand, using the other to tweak a nipple, making her arousal hotter. The coiling energy released and rose in shuddering waves up her spine. She cried out and his hard cock plunged inside her just as the first clamping wave gripped her. Spasms throbbed against her. Incited beyond control, Alex fucked her harder, his arms wrapped around her. The pounding ocean roared in her ears as a new wave of desire stirred in her. Alex pulled from her, shaking, but in full control of his orgasm. “Slip into the tub.” His tone was low and full of desire. Before she could move, he lifted her into his arms and climbed into the tub, slowly letting their bodies sink beneath the bubbling water. Heat encased her as he turned her to face him. Emma moaned, drawing her arms around his neck. The jets thrust powerful streams of water against her buttocks. Alex parted her legs and plunged back into her. “Alex,” she breathed against his kiss. Their movements were slowed by the water, but the sensations were heightened with the pulsing jets blasting against her ass. His hands stroked her back underwater as he lifted her closer to the jets, grasping her buttocks, separating them just enough for the powerful stream to blast against her anus. The sensation was intense pleasure, firing rapid pulses to her clit. She came fast and hard, grinding into him, unsure which sensation was more sating. She leaned back and gasped. The orgasm continued to grip her with her muscles clamping hard against his cock. He pulsed and throbbed each time she gripped him. “My sweet Emma, I want to make love to you under the full moon and on the beach.” His hands moved up her neck and he held her face between them.

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Emma’s heart pounded so hard she could barely hear his sexy voice. The sultry baritone drifted into her mind. “Grab a towel and we’ll go down to the beach,” he whispered hot in her ear. Still in the fog from his lovemaking, she slapped her hand against the hot tub and missed the towel. She reached for it just as he lifted them from the water, one arm underneath her legs and the other supporting her back. She squealed as he soared from the tub, carrying her through the patio door into the night. Emma tightened her arms around his neck. The towel flapped about them as he lifted from the ground. “Oh my God!” she yelled. “You can fly! You really are a vampire, aren’t you?” Her breathing rasped from her in rapid pants. “Oh my God!” The realization made the world spin around her. There really were such things as vampires! “There are so many things I can show you, Emma,” he said and brushed his lips against her forehead, still rising above the ground. The resort grew smaller as they ascended into the night sky. She could see the entire island, bathed in the soft moonlight. “This is too high.” She tried not to sound frightened, but she’d never flown like this before and being naked her first time was more than outside her comfort zone. A distant shape flying a few yards from them glinted in the moonlight and she recognized it as a man and a woman, flying side-by-side, holding hands. “Oh…my…God!” She tightened her arms around his neck, trembling with disbelief but knowing it was true. It was all true. “Don’t worry, they don’t want us bothering them any more than we do. I have a place picked out for us.” He changed directions and descended so they were just above the rolling ocean. The power of the ocean filled her with excitement and at the same time terrified her. It was so dark and never ending, swelling and rolling toward the shore, where it

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crashed against the sand. Alex’s arms flexed and tightened about her. Had he sensed her emotions? Her feet dipped into the water and she stiffened, afraid he was going to drop her. “I’ve got you, Emma. I won’t let anything happen to you,” he spoke in her ear, “unless you want it to.” His breath was warm against her flesh. Her pulse pounded harder. “So would you like to swing?” “I-I don’t understand.” “Let me show you. Trust me. I won’t drop you.” His words had a calming effect on her. “Okay.” “I won’t drop you, I’m just going to swing you and dip, okay?” She nodded, surprised at her reaction and immediate trust. He sailed closer to the water and swayed sideways in a swinging motion and her buttocks and legs dipped into the warm water. She cried out, clinging tighter to him. Her bare breasts pressed against his chest, sending a mixture of sensations rampaging through her as he dipped her one more time into the salt water. Her fear quickly transformed into laughter as they skipped along the water, dipping then rising just above the surface. They sailed farther down the shoreline, away from the resort to the end of the island and past the airport. “When you feel safer, we can try the trapeze.” “What is that?” she asked. “Like a circus. Only I’m the one who would pitch you and the one who would catch you.” She thought about the possibilities and decided she would need to be pretty drunk to indulge in that kind of play. “Maybe later,” he offered and turned toward the bend in the island. “You now believe me, don’t you?” 77

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“About being a vampire?” She shivered under the cooling air. “Oh yes.” “I have a private cottage—I built it for you.” “Me?” she asked. “You did? When?” “I’ve known you in my dreams too. I told you this.” “It’s just so hard to believe any of this is real. That it’s all happening.” He lowered them to the beach, just beyond the waves. Her feet sank into the wet sand, cool and giving under her feet. She hastily wrapped the towel around her shoulders, shivering from the night breeze. With his fingers beneath her chin, Alex tilted her head back to receive a tender kiss. His lips were chilled by the wind and warmed against hers. Slipping his hands beneath the towel, he tugged her against him. She drank his kisses, losing herself in them, feeling intoxicated. His body was hard and powerful against hers. When he broke from the kiss, she felt drained, weakened by his touch. “Come.” He turned with his arm around her shoulders, guiding her toward the building. As they drew closer, golden light peeked through shutters and grew brighter. A covered porch wrapped around it the bungalow. “It’s gorgeous,” she breathed as they stopped in front of the wide wooden steps leading to the porch. The house was built on stilts and stood nearly a story above the ground as in typical beach construction. Alex watched her reaction, anticipating her questions and trying to ease her into accepting they were destined to be together. This house was a symbol of his belief in that destiny. “You’ll be surprised, I think.” He clasped her hand and led her up the steps. Opening the glass door, he allowed her to enter first. Her eyes widened on the room, so familiar. She’d been here. “Alex!” She spun around just enough for him to glimpse the tanned skin beneath the towel. “This is exactly like my dreams!” She rushed over to the bedroom and spun

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around, so lost in the exuberance of the realization that her dreams were real, the towel fell from her. Seeing her standing there naked with the light shining behind her set Alex on fire! He wanted to feel her beneath him. To feel his cock plunge deep between the moist folds of her pussy and take her in the bed just like he had in their dreams. “I just don’t know how this is possible, but this room…” She let her fingers trail over the velvet coverlet draping the bed. “This is our bed. The one we’ve made love in.” The ocean pounded out the same rhythm of his desire. Fierce and building. “I built this bungalow a year ago just for you. It was the first thing I built on this island. I slept here until the hotel opened. I had no idea at the time it would draw you into my dreams. Had I known, I’d have built it long ago.” “So that’s it? That’s how we connected in the dreams?” She turned to face him. Her breasts rose high with the sharp intake of her breath as her gaze fell on him, dropping to his cock. He followed her gaze and encircled his fingers around his cock, stiff and throbbing. The same hunger scorching his blood rose in her eyes. “It’s the only explanation I have for what has happened. I used to sleep here, dream of the woman I wanted to share my bed. Listening to the waves crash on the beach, longing to have you here, like this. This is my gift to you, Emma. The first of many.” He closed the distance between them and drew her into his arms. Her body pressed into his, a sensation he would never get enough of. He kissed her long and hard, keeping the natural instinct to let his lips slide from her mouth to suck the ivory column of her next. Gently, he released her and turned her so he could enter her from behind. He lifted her slightly from the floor, onto the bed, and pressed his cock deep into her heat. Silky warmth closed around him and he growled. He would take her hard and fast this time. Next time, he would torture her with how long and drawn out his lovemaking would be.

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Chapter Seven The next morning, Emma had barely opened the spa when three walk-ins entered all wanting a massage, and that was how her day went. Now aware they really were vampires, she was determined to keep the perfume by her side at all times, but the day didn’t let up. It was so busy she didn’t have time to eat and by seven that night, she was feeling lightheaded. She had just finished a deep tissue massage on a male vampire when he sat up, growling at her. Emma jumped back from the table, her pulse an erratic drumming in her ears. “You’re not a vampire. What are you?” He rose slowly from the table, the towel falling from him to the floor. Emma tried to find the beeper then remembered she’d left it on the desk. She’d been careless in her exhaustion. She struggled to control the fear, but it was impossible not to be terrified when she met that cold, dark look of a hunter on the prowl. And he was truly enjoying the scent of her fear. “You aren’t a feeder. What ‘s going on?” “Let me call Mister Masters.” She started for the phone, but the creature moved so fast that he was now standing between her and the phone. “You aren’t going to call anyone. I’ve missed the chase these past days. That whole fear scent is working on me.” He took a deep breath through his nostrils. “You smell so scared, Miss Trent. Have you ever been tasted before?” His lips parted into the most evil grin she’d ever seen. Her heart pounded harder against her chest. Could he hear it? “Never tasted. Good. It can be a very sensual experience, even for the vict—ah, you.”

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“You don’t want to touch me, my boyfriend will kill you or destroy you.” “Boyfriend? Here? I doubt that.” “He owns the resort.” “What?” His laughter distracted him long enough for her to grab the large jar of marbles. “Alex is slipping if he’s involved with a mortal and worse yet trying to disguise her in a vampire resort. That’s too rich! It must be some kind of new game he’s playing,” he laughed and took a step toward her. Emma screamed. “Stop making so much noise. This doesn’t have to be loud.” His eyes glinted with desire but not the kind she’d seen reflected in Alex’s eyes. She couldn’t ignore that erection either. It was as menacing as the beast in front of her. She gripped the rubber lid on the apothecary jar and pulled it open. Wasting no time, she turned the jar upside down, spilling its contents onto the floor. The marbles rolled across the floor, under the chair and even underneath the massage table. The vampire stopped midstride, glaring down at the hundreds of colored orbs then back at her. “Why did you do that?” he growled and stooped down. “Son of a bitch!” He picked up one of the marbles. Emma darted past him and fumbled with the door. “One, two, three, four…” his voice followed her as she ran out the door and across the reception area. Two clients sat reading magazines as she darted past them and out of the spa toward the main office. She didn’t slow down when she entered the offices and followed the signs to Alex’s office. “Miss Trent?” the administrative assistant greeted her when she burst into the room, but Emma dashed past the woman toward Alex’s office. “You can’t go in there.” The young perky brunette was on her heels. “It’s okay, he’ll want to see me.” “I don’t think so.” She ran behind her, but Emma was already at the door. She threw it open.

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The room was dark, dimly lit by recessed ceiling lights. Several people sat in front of his desk. Alex was half sitting, half leaning against the front of his desk, arms crossed over his chest. The look on his face changed from surprise to anger. Her pulse pounded in her neck. She had interrupted something very important. The two women sitting in the chairs turned to angle their indignant looks on her. Emma’s eyes adjusted to the lack of light and the sounds coming from the corner drew her attention. She gasped. On the long sofa lay a woman, naked and writhing, with a man crouched over her. He lifted his head, blood trickling down the side of his mouth. She looked down at the woman. Two puncture wounds on her neck oozed with blood. Two other bite marks along her thighs made her wonder just what was going on. What was Alex doing here with these people? Why was this woman naked? Emma was a mixture of shock and disgust. She looked back at Alex. Anger pumped in her chest. It was his office, so he was the instigator. “What’s going on?” he asked, uncrossing his arms and taking quick strides to her. He nodded to his assistant and turned briefly back into the room. “Please excuse me a moment.” “Alex,” she breathed as he closed the door and ushered her down the hall into a vacant office. “What’s the meaning of this, Emma? You can’t just barge into my office when I have a sampling going on.” “S-sampling? Other than the blood, what else is being sampled?” “Whatever my guests want to sample. What’s wrong?” He held her by the shoulders and sniffed. “Your perfume is too weak, Emma.” His fingers dug into her flesh. “Ouch!” she jerked from him. “Why aren’t you wearing the perfume?”

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“Look! I did. I am. I just, well, forgot when I came back from lunch. Alex, my client tried to bite me!” “Oh shit, Emma, where is he?” “I left him in the spa picking up marbles.” “You what?” “I read somewhere that vampires are compulsive and if objects are thrown down in front of them—” “We have to count them. Come on. Who else knows about this?” “No one. I-I don’t know. I had two clients in the reception room.” “Where’s your perfume?” “In the desk.” He dragged her by the arm until she jerked free as they passed his assistant. “I’ll be back in ten minutes. Take care of our guests. I think they want more Italian for the next sample.” “Yes, sir.” They hurried out the door toward the spa. She walked beside him, trembling, worrying that everyone they passed could smell her human scent. He stopped by a secluded nook hidden by large plants. “Stay here,” he instructed. “I’ll be right back.” Still shaking, she moved into the nook and stopped when her legs bumped up against the loveseat. What exactly had Alex been doing in his office? The image of the naked woman lying on the couch and the man, well, vampire sucking her blood sent shivers down her spine. She wondered what it felt like and if it was like most movies depicted or if it were truly a sensual feeling. What would make a person want to be a feeder? Alex had been carrying on a conversation with the two women. Had the women been the ones who’d left the bites on the feeder’s thighs? There was only one reason for

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the human to be naked. She shuddered. Had Alex fucked her as well? Her mind was a jumble of questions with no answers. Alex returned and motioned for her to follow him. She emerged from the plants. He lifted his hand and before she knew what had happened, he sprayed her with the perfume, not once but twice. “I’ve told him that he misunderstood. I want you to go in there and explain to him that you are not human. I can’t have rumors flying around the hotel.” “He’ll bite me.” She shook her head and took a step back. “No he won’t. If you don’t do this, the whole resort is going to know you’re a mortal.” Reluctantly, she followed him, noticing one of her appointments had left while the other, a man, sat reading a book, oblivious to his surroundings. Alex entered the client’s room and she followed, finding the vampire sitting in the chair, holding the jar of marbles. “Mister Reese, I think we can clear this up quickly.” He motioned for her to close the door and join him in front of the vampire who glared up at her with angry eyes. “I apologize if I frightened you,” he mumbled. “Well, you did. I’ve never had a client try to ah—” “Drink her,” Alex supplied. “Rest assured. I believed you to be a human, not a vampire.” Alex’s laughter was deep and infectious. She smiled stiffly at him and the guest. “I swear I smelled human fear.” “Take a sniff if you still believe that,” Alex challenged. The man stood, holding the ends of the towel wrapped around his waist, and moved closer. Her heart thudded in her chest as he drew closer, sniffing. Alex motioned for her to turn her head so her neck was exposed to him. 84

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She refused and Alex came over and grabbed her head, positioning her so the male could sniff her. The vampire lowered his face until it was only an inch or less from her flesh and sniffed several times. She wanted to scream and run from the room, but Alex held her steadfast. Why wasn’t he beating up the vampire for attacking her? Why was he subjecting her to this further humiliation? Anger rose in her and burst white-hot. She trembled under its wake. “Hmm,” he sniffed again and moved from her. “I only smell vampire.” He bowed his head and turned to face Alex. “You explain a few things to your girlfriend, Alex. I don’t care if she’s a newly made vamp, she should know how to keep such a mistake from happening.” He handed Alex the jar of marbles. “We all make mistakes,” Alex nodded as the man gathered up his clothing and left the room. “Where’s he going?” She jerked free from Alex, moving to the other side of the room. “The sauna to calm down.” Alex looked at her and shook his head, but his eyes softened with a look of love that melted all her natural defenses against him being a vampire. “That was too close a call. Because he’s a young vampire I was able to convince him that you had been feeding just before the massage and that he smelled the feeder on your clothing.” “Oh that’s disgusting.” She looked away. “We don’t find it disgusting. Now I have to get back to my office. I have a new customer—” “Just what was going on in your office, Alex?” she asked, sounding a little more demanding than she knew she had a right to sound. “Taste test, my love. Some guests like to sample the food before they order.” He brushed his lips against her forehead.

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“That’s not all they sampled, was it?” “What?” “Well, the woman was naked, Alex. I assume there was some sample sex too?” “You sound jealous,” he said and moved closer. “I’m not jealous. I’m disgusted. You were sitting there while that man was biting a naked woman sprawled out on your couch. And it looked like those two female vamps had done a little tasting themselves.” “I told you that was what was going on. That is how a sampling is conducted.” “And you, Alex? Were you tasting too?” “Emma,” he reached out and brushed his hand over her cheek. “Baby, why would I want to taste a diet drink when I have champagne waiting for me?” “But if I weren’t here, you would have, wouldn’t you? I mean it’s part of the whole, isn’t it?” “What?” “Sex. You drink a little, fuck a little and drink a little more. Right?” “I swear you are so damned cute when you’re jealous. I have to get back and you still have a client in the waiting room.” “Don’t leave me. I don’t want to be left alone with him still in here, Alex,” she whispered. “Then I’ll send Felix down. Will that make you feel better?” “Y-Yes.” “Good.” Alex cupped her face in his hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips, unlike his passionate possessive ones. “Now behave yourself and I’ll come for you once I’m finished with my guests.”

*****

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Felix came into the spa just as she was going in to her massage. He nodded that he’d take up post in the reception area. Emma spent the remainder of the night going through the motions, splashing perfume on herself every hour, nervously waiting until she would be in Alex’s arms once more. The day’s unsettling events had left her traumatized and more than jumpy. Every look, every word spoken was gauged against the earlier incident. The scene she’d burst in on in Alex’s office replayed over and over in her mind. It was one thing to be told she was living among vampires but quite another when faced with the reality that there were actually vampires in the world and all of her clients were vampires. Alex called her around nine and apologized that he had yet another sampling to oversee. Anger pumped into every cell of her body. She didn’t say a word as Felix escorted her to her room. When she unlocked her room, she murmured a thank you and hurried inside. Showering, she hoped to wash away the worrisome remnants of the day. She was toweling her hair when the rap on her door sounded. She jumped. Trying to calm her jangled nerves, she peered through the peephole and recognized the strong tall body and dark hair. He was wearing a crisp white dress shirt, dark slacks and a dark jacket. What kind of evening did he have planned? “Come in. I’ll be with you in just a minute, Alex,” she said and unlocked the door and then sprinted back into the bathroom, hastily applying makeup and pinning her wet hair on top of her head. Slipping the silk Hawaiian print dress over her head, she emerged from the bathroom to find him uncorking a bottle of wine. His eyes mirrored her own immediate need for him and he swept her up into his arms. Lips melted into each other. Emma wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him into a hungry kiss. He stiffened. His lips curled back from the kiss, hissing against her lips.

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“You aren’t wearing the perfume,” he growled and pushed her from him, turning his back to her with fists clenched by his sides. The emotions of the day washed over her. “I-I just got out of the shower. I’m sorry.” Fear gripped her. Emma rushed over to the dresser. Where had she put the bottle of perfume? She was usually so careful knowing where it was at all times. How could she have been so careless to forget to use it after her shower? “Please hurry, Emma.” His voice was strained and she dared not look at him lest she see the same look she’d seen in the client’s eyes when he’d turned on her. “Emma? I can’t control this much longer.” She ransacked the dresser and found the bottle beneath a towel. She splashed a generous amount on her neck, between her breasts and even on her thighs. She sprayed it on her wet hair and turned to him. “There,” she said, and watched as he turned hesitantly at first. A surprised excitement flamed in the depths of his eyes. “You’re so beautiful, Emma. I’m going to fuck you like you’ve never been fucked.” “Oh-h,” she leaned against the dresser, trying to act nonchalant, but her heart pounded so hard in her chest, she knew he could hear it. “I bet you say that to all the women.” “I never have, Emma. You’re the first woman who’s ever made me feel so hot. You’re all I can think about. Today when you came barging into my office, I was worried you’d been bitten, and the thing that bothered me the most was that it wasn’t me who’d made you.” “Is that what you want, Alex? To bite me?” “I did just now, smelling your sweet human scent like a budding gardenia. Yes. I want to bite you, Emma, to suck your blood into my body and share everything I am with you. But not until you’re ready.”

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“And if I’m never ready?” “Then I don’t care. I’ll be with you however I can, Emma.” He closed the distance between them and before she could react, Emma found herself in his embrace once more. His kiss consumed her. She managed to break from him long enough to gasp for breath. “I-I don’t want to be a vampire, Alex. I can’t see ever wanting that.” Her voice trembled in spite of her attempt to sound sophisticated enough to handle the whole vampire thing. She couldn’t. “I-I want to go home, Alex. I can’t stay here.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. Her own words surprised her. She’d not rehearsed telling him those inner feelings, they just burst out of her mouth. He held her tight against him. “I can’t let you go, Emma.” His breath fanned down her neck. “You promised. You said once the other masseuses were hired I could go.” “They won’t be here until morning.” “I have to go home, Alex. I don’t belong here. I’m scared. I’m surrounded by vampires. What I saw today— I’ve never seen a feeder until today. It was awful. I can’t get that image out of my mind.” She buried her face into his chest and sobbed. Pent-up tears spilled freely down her cheeks. “I want you happy. Whatever it will take. I’ll see that you are on the return flight come morning.” She lifted her head and looked into his eternal stare. Leaving him would be the hardest thing she’d ever done. “I don’t want to leave you, Alex. You know that.” He nodded his head slowly. The same pain ripping through her heart was mirrored in his eyes.

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“I don’t think I’ll have the strength to let you go. It’s good you’ll leave during the day so I can’t follow.” His voice dropped off and he bowed his head. “I want you so much. I just can’t trust myself to let you go. You understand?” “And you understand that if I stay here, I’ll eventually become something I don’t want to become—a vampire.” “I know.” “And it could be by a stranger like what nearly happened today. I know he’ll rethink the situation and then start talking and soon everyone will know I’m human and, well, he said something about enjoying the chase. I don’t want to be hunted, Alex.” “I wouldn’t let that happen.” He drew her to him. “You couldn’t prevent it if they all came after me. And you know they will. I know they will, eventually. I saw it in his eyes.” “Oh, my beautiful, Emma. I’ve waited hundreds of years to find you and now I must give you up. I can’t do it.” He pulled from her. “Then come with me, Alex. Surely you’ve lived in other places in the world.” “I have, but I need to stay here at least the first year, Emma, to get this project on solid ground. Everything I own hangs in the balance of its success.” “I could wait for you, Alex.” “A year for a human is a long time and the issue of you being in danger won’t ever go away. Not as long as you are with me and not as long as you are human.” “I won’t be a feeder. I don’t want to be a vampire.” “And I don’t want you to be one if it’s not your choice. To have you as a vampire mate would be my dream come true. I’m selfish enough to wish it for myself but not selfish enough to wish it for you.” “Oh, Alex,” Emma tightened her arms around him. “Make love to me again, Alex. This is our last night together, let’s make it memorable.”

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“I had planned on proposing to you tonight,” Alex admitted and thrust his hand into his pocket, retrieving a deep blue velvet box. “I still want you to have it.” He opened it. A large diamond glinted from the velvet bed. “Alex! I’m stunned. I didn’t expect— It’s gorgeous, Alex.” She fingered the pearshaped stone. Its multi-facets caught the light in a prism effect. “I can’t accept it. Not if I can’t promise to marry you.” “I want you to have it—no commitment necessary. Keep it and in a year, if you still feel that you can’t be with me then you can give it back. A year from today I’ll come for you. At that time you must decide if you will spend the rest of your life as a human or if you wish to join me in my world and be with me forever.” “Oh, Alex. It’s an unfair choice.” She ran her fingertip over the diamond. “It’s the only choice. Take the year to decide.” “I have a widowed mother. I couldn’t leave her.” “I’d never ask you to. I can live wherever you want to live, Emma. Those things are not issues. The only issue you must deal with is if you can live in a vampire world with me.” Emotions tumbled over each other. The love and passion she’d found in his arms was powerful, but so was her fear. She must leave. How could she ever marry Alex? There would always be that fear between them. There was no choice. She must go home. Emma looked up at him, longing to make it a perfect world where it didn’t matter that he was a vampire and she a human. He didn’t wait for her to respond. Instead, he grabbed her and claimed her mouth with a deep kiss. She drank his kiss, finding the security she’d longed for all day in his arms. Slowly he tugged from the kiss. “Can you give us a year?” His hands moved over her body, lifting the dress from her. He stared down at her body, his gaze lingering as though he were trying to create a mental picture that he

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would recall in the lonely nights ahead. Her heart felt as though it shattered into a million pieces. She condemned herself for not being able to embrace a life with him. To be with Alex meant she’d have to die. It was the one thing she’d run from all her life. To ask her to run toward it was too much to ask of her. It would be their last night together and she wanted it to be special. “Can we go to the cottage for the night?” she whispered. His lips spread into a wide grin and before she knew what had happened, Emma found herself lifting from the floor. The patio doors opened by themselves and they drifted out onto the patio. “Hang on.” His voice was hoarse and deep with emotion. The moonlight glinted in his eyes and she could have sworn she saw tears, but he turned his head and they lifted from the ground. Emma clung to him, burying her head in his chest, sobbing.

***** Emma looked for Alex as she entered the lobby. She followed the bellhop as he pushed the luggage dolly. Alex wasn’t there. Several of the guests turned around as she made her way toward the exit. Their low murmurs assured her the rumors had already started circulating around the resort. Her heart pounded harder. The lobby grew crowded and by the time she reached the doors, the vampires were closing in on her. She pushed the doors open and rushed through them. The ocean breeze whipped her hair about her face. “The jet’s been refueled and is waiting.” Alex stepped from the shadows and glanced back into the lobby. The crowd froze. A few mumbled and then turned back into the lobby and began to disperse. “You were right, Emma. It’s good that you’re leaving.” She nodded and leaned in to receive his kiss. It wasn’t the kind of kiss she’d shared with him last night. It was reserved and the kind of kiss one gives a friend. Emotionless. Safe. If she were to fully kiss him, her resolve would crumble and she’d stay. Her heart 92

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longed to stay with Alex, but her instincts for survival won out over the momentary weakness. She pulled from his embrace and looked up at him. “I’ll see you next year,” she whispered, slipping her hand from his clasp. It required all her willpower to turn from him. How could she be leaving the man she’d dreamed about and fallen in love with long before she’d ever arrived on VBR island? Each weighted step was more difficult than the last. She took a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder. He stood in front of the entrance—watching. His face was drawn in the saddest expression she’d ever seen, sadder than any mourner at a funeral, sadder than any jilted lover, sadder than sad. Emma closed her eyes and turned away. The limo door was open and the smell of leather filled her nostrils as she settled into the seat. She glanced out the window as the door slammed closed and saw Alex running toward the limo as it sped from the covered driveway. She looked out the back window. He halted where sun and shadow met and lifted his hand in a final wave of goodbye. The sob jerked from her chest and Emma collapsed in a torrent of tears.

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Chapter Eight The calendar reminder flashed on her monitor and Emma sat staring at the date and the message. “One year’s up. Will Alex remember?” she asked aloud, knowing Alex would never forget the significance of the date. He’d just sent her an email the day before reminding her. A small smile teased her lips. She clicked dismiss and the message disappeared. Grabbing her purse, she hurried from the apartment. It was after nine o’clock and she was late for work. The elevator dinged and the door opened. An overweight man nodded at her as she joined the crowded car. The new spa was only three blocks from her apartment and the morning walks always invigorated her, setting the pace for the rest of the day. “Good morning, Emma,” Marti greeted her with a bigger smile than usual. Emma nodded a greeting and headed for the back room to prepare for the day. Marti had purchased the spa only with Emma’s promise to be the masseuse. It had been an easy arrangement and had made the year less challenging when it came to work. “Those came for you this morning,” Marti, a short, petite redhead, spoke behind her. Emma halted inside the doorway. “What the—” “I didn’t have any place to put all of them. God, Emma, this guy really loves you. Why aren’t you married to him?” Marti asked. The door buzzer interrupted them and she turned back down the hall to greet the customer.

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Emma stared at the room full of roses. Their scent filled the room. Vases and vases of red roses covered every surface and every square inch of floor space. She reached over and removed one of the cards. “I will see you tonight,” she read aloud. Her pulse stopped. Tonight! Emma turned around the room, noticing each vase of roses had a card. A small giggle vibrated in her throat. The thought of seeing Alex again sent rapid pulses coursing through her. She’d lived on the memories of his lovemaking for the past long year. Much to her disappointment, the dreams had stopped when she’d met him in person. But tonight she’d finally get to see him again, feel his touch and drink his wild, passionate kisses. Pain rushed in between the ecstasy and anticipation. Living without Alex had been excruciating. At first they’d talked on the phone, sent emails and even used a webcam, but Emma realized she would never know if she could embrace his lifestyle if she didn’t at first try to live hers to the fullest. So she’d refused to read his emails, answer his calls, and finally broke off all contact with him. He’d begged her to visit, but she knew if she relented she’d become a vampire. To be with Alex meant only one thing. She must convert to being a vampire. So she had remained strong and refused his invitations. She got on with her life. And she’d tried to forget him, but in truth, she had counted each day, each passing hour she’d been separated from him. She unpinned another card. “Emma, I can’t wait!” She held the card to her chest. Over the past year she’d read everything she could find on vampires. She’d discussed good and evil with her priest. She’d attended online chats about vampires and visited sites purported to be the host for real vampires. At best, the majority were role players, at worst, delusional people who believed they were a new modern type of vampire. She knew some were genuine, but as in all things on the Internet, one had to be very careful that people were who they claimed to be. She quickly abandoned the online attempts to understand vampires.

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Her own short time spent with vampires aided her in being able to distinguish between real vampires and humans pretending to be vampires. The underlying trait she discovered was the same she still had nightmares about, the overwhelming need to hunt. Needing blood was worse than an addiction because unlike an addiction, vampires could not kick their habits. If they did, they ceased to exist. She read about substitutes used for human blood. The commonality with those who attempted synthetic blood was malnutrition and the onslaught of the weakening vampire bodies. She could not marry Alex and remain human and she didn’t want to be a vampire. She unpinned another card. “Emma, I love you.” She jerked another card free. “Marry me tonight!” Her heart felt as though it would shatter into a million pieces. She wanted to marry him more than anything. Well, almost. She wanted to live. And if she could get past the whole death issue, how could she get past the lifestyle—a lifestyle she’d be committed to for all eternity. When faced with such a stark reality, somehow growing old and dying seemed merciful in comparison. And what if Alex grew tired of her after a hundred years? Certainly now, while it was all new, he would swear his undying devotion, but what if she began to bore him? Then what would she do? Her family would be gone. Her friends would all die and then she’d be alone, and that was the biggest reason she must tell Alex no and return his ring. She twisted the white-gold ring. The light from the diamond pierced her eyes as though stabbing her for the betrayal. She moved around the room gathering the rest of the cards. They all had a different message on them. Remember me? My heart still waits. Come home to me. Share my life. I’ll love you forever! By the time she’d removed all the cards, she was sobbing uncontrollably and ran into the bathroom to try to compose herself before the first appointment arrived. She’d been foolish to think that she’d be able to work today of all days. “Want me to get the guys next door to take those to our apartment? They could use a break from building those yummy bods.”

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“I’m donating them to a nursing home.” Emma turned around to face her friend. “I can’t work. I was crazy to think I could.” “Go,” Marti nodded. No explanation was needed. Marti knew the truth, although it had taken a great deal of convincing. Emma still wasn’t sure Marti believed her wild story of a beach resort just for vampires. She didn’t care. She had told her best friend everything and at least one living person knew the truth of her short-lived adventure. “Thanks, Marti.” She swallowed the burning knot in her throat and hurried from the spa. Her mind replayed the days she’d been on the island. Everything so perfectly preserved in memories because she’d lived them over and over during the past year.

***** “Don’t do this.” Felix frowned as he held out the tuxedo jacket for Alex. “You worry like an old woman,” Alex laughed and pulled the coat over his shoulders. “You’re gambling with your very life.” “I have faith that she loves me, Felix.” “I hope you’re right. The Council warned you not to see her again, Alex. If she fails you…” “There will be no more chances. I know.” “She ran from you once, Alex. What makes you think she won’t run again? Her fear’s too great.” “Her love for me is greater. Now have the limo brought around.” Alex straightened his silk tie. “Is your life worth the gamble? If the Council finds out before you have a chance to persuade her, they’ll destroy you. If you don’t persuade her, then you’ll be devastated. You can’t win against this disaster you pursue.”

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“The truth is, Felix, if I can’t have Emma in my life, I don’t want an eternal one.” There he’d finally admitted it—Emma was his life. “You’re making a mistake, Alex.” “And you’re making me late.”

***** Emma stood staring at him in the hallway. Her hand gripped the doorknob harder. She was frozen, unable to move. Her stare drank in his handsome face. He was so handsome her heart ached that she had left him. Was she crazy? “Do you still wear my ring?” he asked, still standing in the hallway. He watched the mixture of emotions play over her face as she threw the apartment door open wider “Alex!” she finally squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. His lips found hers and didn’t let go. He walked them inside the apartment, kicking the door closed with his foot. “Emma. I’ve missed you so much!” he whispered and held her face between his hands, titling her chin so she could receive his kiss. Her lips trembled in anticipation of his tender touch. She melted against him, molding her body into his as she parted her lips to receive his tongue. He kissed her slowly, tenderly at first, until his tongue plunged deep into her mouth and possessed her. She moaned and luxuriated in every sensation rampaging through her. Heat, desire, need…her arousal was complete. Hunger consumed her and she tore at his shirt, struggling to free him of it, to feel his flesh against hers once more. How could she have been so stupid as to deny herself, deny both of them such pleasure? Regret incinerated in the burning need to feel him inside her again. She groped at his clothing and he pulled against hers. His kiss deepened with the shared passion, rising hotter and more urgent with each second of delay. She tugged on his shirt, her fingers trembling against the material as she pulled it over his head. He pulled

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against the zipper and his trousers fell to the floor. She craved to feel him naked against her. Her mind reeled with his taste. At last, she could mold her naked body against his. Hard muscles flexed and moved under her touch. Emma ran her hands over his back and around his arms, flattening her hands against the rocklike, muscled arms. Wave after wave of sensations cast a frantic spell over her and she moaned against his kiss, needing more. She wanted to touch him, feel him possess her. What had she been thinking when she’d left him? The nagging thought wiggled from the back of her mind. Vampire. She pulled from him, panting, searching his dark, lust-filled eyes. “What?” he asked and reached to draw her back against his chest, but his stare dipped to her heaving breasts and his eyes flashed with the same fire lashing her. “W-We can’t,” she gasped. “We have to,” he breathed in her ear. He cupped her buttocks in his hands and drew her up his body, spreading her legs to receive him. He lifted them from the floor. Emma’s excitement flashed to the memory of the first night he’d levitated them and the pleasure he’d given her. Hot puffs of air fanned against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, letting all protests fall from her as he twisted them through the air, positioning her so his cock teased her opening. Hot juices rushed from her, drenching his cock, and he slid inside. Emma moaned, shifting her hips to receive him better. He moved in and out of her, letting the tip of his cock tease the inner rim of her opening, only to thrust deep once more. “Oh, Alex,” she gasped. He moved, and suddenly she found herself on her back suspended above the floor and floating toward the dining room. “I’ve missed you, Emma.” He held her tight and pounded his cock into her.

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She wanted the release but wanted to prolong the teasing sensations cascading over her, driving her to wrap her legs around his waist. He lowered her to the dining table, settling onto it, pulling her legs above her head and pounding his heat into her faster. The fire stoked and roared, consuming her in its urgency for fulfillment. She moved, letting her legs return to the comfort of his waist, and rolled her hips, matching his movements. Sweat tingled down her back, slipping around the full curve of her breasts. He lowered his mouth and caught a nipple between his lips in a brief, strong suckle, then lifted onto his arms, thrusting deeper into her pussy. The world melted into hot, juicy sensations that rolled up her spine then receded like the ocean along the beaches of his resort. She could smell the tropical breeze and feel the warm sun against her face. How she’d pined for him over the past year. “Emma!” he breathed between clenched teeth as she came. Her release excited him further and he moved harder against her. Her clit brushed against him, stimulating her into new, frantic thrusts. She ground herself into him and the wave of excitement crashed in a burst of release as she came again, this time he climaxed with her. The involuntary spasm gripped his hard cock, making him throb harder. He rocked her in his arms, planting kisses over her face and neck, murmuring how much he loved her.

***** “Emma, marry me.” He brushed his lips over her forehead. She snuggled against his chest as they lay in the bed. Their passion spent several times, once in the dining room, once on the couch and at last in her bed. “There’s only one way I can marry you, Alex, and that’s as a mortal,” she sighed and trailed her fingertips down the length of his muscled arm. “The Council, the ones who govern my clan, would never accept that, Emma.” She nuzzled his neck and took a deep breath. “So to marry you means I must transform and become a vampire?” 100

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“Yes.” “I can’t do that, Alex. Would you transform me against my will?” “Of course not.” “But if you don’t transform me then one day you could become overpowered by my human scent and kill me or force me to become a vampire against my will.” “I wouldn’t.” He picked up her left hand and fingered the engagement ring. “There must be a way for us to be together, Emma.” “I’m going to grow old, Alex, and you won’t. Where’s the future in that?” “There can be a future, Emma. You just need to see it.” “You can’t marry a mortal?” “I would be hunted and destroyed.” “And me?” “You too.” “Then we are no further to finding a solution that we were a year ago.” “Oh, Emma, being a vampire isn’t a bad thing. Forget the movies and fantasies created about vampires. There are great advantages to being immortal.” “I imagine so, Alex, but living forever, wouldn’t life become boring?” “Boring? Emma, only small minds grow bored. There’s too much to learn and explore in this world. It’s always changing and offering new experiences. I have the money and the time. We could go everywhere.” “But only at night.” “That’s part of what I wanted to discuss with you, baby. In the past that was true, but I have a new invention. Created just for you! I’m just about to launch it in a few months. It’ll end the need for screened domes and walkways.” “How?” She sat up.

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“My research team has created a pill that emits a hormone that protects vampires against the sun. They discovered the absence of this hormone is what makes vampires vulnerable to daylight. This simple, tiny pill will change vampire lifestyles forever. It’s all been very hush-hush. It’s something I’m going to give to my people. I’ve set up a foundation to finance it. I won’t be charging them for it. It will be a birthright for every one of them.” “Alex!” She pulled from him. “That means—” “We could live a normal life in day and in night.” “Alex.” She wrapped her arms around him. “That will be great for you.” “It is called Alexem. I named it after us, Emma. We’ve also created an entire sunblocking line of clothing that gives additional screening as well as a lotion that gives an instant tan effect so my kind can strut about with what appear to be suntans.” “If only you could have found a cure for the need to die in order to be a vampire or that eternal instinct to hunt.” “The dying part is part of being a vampire, but there are others who are making great strides in the areas of dependencies. In the meantime, there’s no reason to hunt unless the vampire so desires.” “I just can’t envision myself drinking tropical flavored b-blood.” She could see his momentary hope crash around him. Had he thought living at night was the reason she refused to be a vampire? Emma fell back into his arms. “As a vampire, Emma, it won’t be disgusting to drink blood. It’ll taste wonderful to you. The way your body craves water now is how you will crave blood.” “I never could, Alex. I’m afraid of the life you offer. I’d have to watch everyone I know die. I-I don’t want to change, Alex.” She stood from the bed, dragging the chenille bedspread with her. “But do you want me, Emma? That’s the real question.” He followed her to the tall window overlooking the city.

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“Of course I do, but to have you, I must give up who I am, Alex.” “No, my love, you merely have to embrace a new way of life, with me by your side for all eternity.” “And when you grow tired of me?” Tears filled her eyes and she looked away from him. “Emma, that doesn’t happen with vampires, only humans. Vampires are like geese. We mate for life. The sharing of ourselves with each other binds us in ways humans can only long for.” Strong arms came around her and stilled her anxiousness. “I so want to believe you, but I’m terrified of the thought of being a vampire, Alex.” “I know you are. I don’t mean to pressure you, but I don’t have much time, Emma.” He planted a kiss on the top of her head. “Why?” “I can’t stay. I must return to the island. There are some pressing matters.” “More pressing than us trying to find a solution?” She turned around in his arms and brushed his face with her hand. “There are many things I must share with you and explain to you if you choose to be my mate, but if your answer is no, then I can’t.” “I don’t understand.” “I know, but I must leave.” “No!” Her heart pounded frantically. “If you had embraced my life, a life together, then I was going to take you back with me tonight. I love you. I can still make you my mate. All you need do is say yes. You’ll be accepted into the clan, but only if you are truly my mate. Do you understand?” “If I don’t agree, then I lose you, Alex.” “And I lose you.” “But I’m afraid, Alex. I’d have to die first. Wouldn’t I?” 103

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“Yes, but it is a short death, not like what you see in the movies. You will not feel much of anything. I will ensure you are without pain.” Death was the one thing Emma feared the most and it was the one thing her lover needed from her. She wanted to be able to join him and be with him forever. The thought of immortality had its appeals, but the process to attain it was too big a price. Her fear was too great. “Emma? Please marry me, be my true mate. I can’t stay here much longer,” he whispered as they stood in front of the window overlooking the busy downtown bathed in moonlight. “If I must give my answer this minute, then I’m sorry. I can’t. I wish I could be as selfless as you, but I’m not, Alex. I can’t give up myself. I can’t die just to be with you.” “Then you do not love me as deeply as I love you, Emma. You are the reason I sought to create the Alexem pill. You have been my inspiration to continue in this world.” The emotion in his voice sliced through her. If only she could push the words past her lips and say them. “Alex, forgive me, please,” she sobbed. “I had hoped this year of separation would bring the loneliness and longing to you as it did me.” “And it did, it did!” She buried her head in his broad chest, moving her forefinger in circular patterns against his chest hair. “My love knows no fear, Emma. There’s no sacrifice too great.” “I-I’m sorry, Alex.” She wanted to be as brave as he and prove her love was fearless, but it wasn’t. She was unworthy of such pure love. “My sweet Emma. I love you.” “Oh, Alex, I don’t think I’m capable of selfless love. I wish I were. I want to be with you so much! Isn’t there some other way? A compromise?” she begged.

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“Not for my kind.” He touched his lips to hers in a rose-petal softness that broke her heart in two. “Here,” she cried, “take your ring back.” She pulled it from her finger and handed it to him. “I bought it for you, Emma. It belongs to you.” He put it back on her finger. “In my clan, it’s preferable to make your own mate if she’s not already vampire. I came prepared to make you vampire, Emma.” He held her face between her hands. “I thought you could overcome these fears if you realized how much I wanted to be with you. I don’t fault you, Emma. I love you.” “Alex!” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I wish I could! I want to so badly. But being something other than human, other than what I am. I can’t do that even for you. You want me to face my greatest fear—death, but to do that I must die. I would have to watch everyone I know die while I remain. Don’t you see? I can’t be who you want me to be. I can’t be a vampire.” “I know, my precious love. I know.” He captured her lips with his. It was a tender kiss, a mournful kiss. A sob rasped from her chest when he released her and gathered his clothes, quickly donning them. She wanted to tell him not to go, that they could still be together, but he had made it clear what she must do in order to be his wife. Alex stood in the open doorway and turned back to her. “I shall always love you, Emma. If you ever change your mind—” “I can’t, Alex,” she cried with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please don’t go.” He gave her a slight smile then turned. Emma felt her heart would rip from her chest as she stood in the doorway watching him walk to the elevators. “Alex,” she whispered, standing as though cemented to the floor, watching the only man she’d ever loved enter the elevator. She wanted to run after him. Scream for him to come back. She wanted to be with him, but she couldn’t. The elevator door closed and

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her knees buckled under her. She crumbled to the floor, sobbing.

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Chapter Nine At length Emma pulled herself from the floor and went into the bathroom to wash her face, trying to stop the bitter tears spilling uncontrollably down her face. The melodic ringing of her phone filled her with hope. “Alex!” She ran into the den where she’d left her purse. She didn’t recognize the number, but maybe he was calling her from a phone booth. She pressed the button. “Miss Trent, Emma?” The familiar voice on the phone alarmed her. “This is Felix Andent. I must see you! It’s urgent.” “Felix? What’s wrong?” “Please, can you meet me at the coffee shop on the corner?” “You’re in Riverdale?” “It’s most urgent.” “What’s wrong? Has something happened to Alex?” “Meet me at the coffee shop, Emma. Hurry.” The sound of Felix’s voice filled her with a cold dread. What had Alex not told her? She couldn’t get dressed quick enough. Her flats slapped the pavement as she ran down the sidewalk, dodging people strolling, enjoying the nice summer evening. She saw Felix emerge from the shadows and quickened her stride. “What is it? Where’s Alex? Is he okay?” she insisted as Felix grabbed her arm and pulled her into the darkened doorway of the gift shop. “Where’s your car?” he asked, refusing to answer her questions. “What has happened, Felix? Tell me!” “Not until we are inside your car. Where is it?”

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She nodded to the street. “Come then.” Felix grabbed her hand and led her back down the sidewalk. “Felix, you’re scaring me.” “You should be scared. Do you have the keys?” She jerked from his hold and unlocked the car. “Get in and drive.” She did as he told her and once on the road, she turned to him. “What’s going on?” “Alex was kidnapped leaving your apartment. He’s been taken before the Clan Council. They were waiting for him as soon as he left you, Emma. They are going to destroy him.” “No!” she screamed. “Alex loves you, Emma. More than his own life. He risked everything to come to you tonight. He told the Council they were wrong, that you loved him and because of your love you would choose to transform, but it appears he was wrong. We have to get to the airport. Do you know the way?” “Oh God, why didn’t he tell me all this? He came here for me and I failed him. Now he’s going to die because of me.” “Had you just let him take you as his mate, they would have respected your union and accepted you into the clan.” “Why didn’t he tell me?” “He wanted you to come to him because you loved him, not because you wanted to save him. Don’t you understand the kind of love Alex has for you?” “I do now. He’s sacrificed his life for me.” Tears streamed down her face. Her heart pounded harder. “No, Emma. He sacrificed his life for a life he wanted with you.” “My fears kept me from accepting him.” She gripped the steering wheel. “I need your help in stopping the Council.” 108

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“That means I must become vampire?” “Yes.” “If you were to make me vampire, Felix, would it stop the Council?” “It’s too late. Alex must be your maker if you are to be his mate.” In spite of her attempt to be brave, Emma was ashamed that she was relieved by his answer. Why hadn’t Alex told her of the Council’s mandate? The answer stabbed her as surely as if it had been a knife. If she’d turned him down after that revelation, Alex would have been crushed. It was one thing to refuse to be his wife, but quite another to refuse to transform in order to save him. Did she love Alex enough to sacrifice her life? That was the question. “What are you thinking?” Felix asked. “I’m thinking that I’ve been a fool. I’ve allowed my fears to rob me of the man I love more than anything in life. My fears have dictated my decisions. I’ve made all my choices from a place of fear. If I take that fear away, there’s only one choice—to be Alex’s mate.” Scenes of the times she’d spent with Alex flashed through her mind. How could she have refused such a pure love as he offered? She was still frightened over the prospect of being dead and transformed into a vampire, but she was not going to let that fear paralyze her any further. She was going to take action. “Can you get us a flight to the island?” “I have a small plane standing by at the airport.” Emma turned onto the freeway and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. She guided the car into the traffic and toward the airport. “The Council’s going to be surprised to see you!” Felix laughed. “No more than Alex will be.”

*****

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“You had your chance, Alex, last year. You were forbidden to see her again and yet you defied the Council. The mortal made her choice. Now you must pay the price for your gamble,” the chairman with brown hair gathered in a ponytail at the base of his neck spoke from where he was seated behind the long table. “I’m prepared.” Alex stood before the gathering in the hotel lobby. The guests had been escorted to the pavilion at the end of the island for the duration of the proceedings. The lobby was quiet with only the constant rhythm of the pounding surf penetrating the hearing. A warm breeze drifted through the hotel and stirred past him. How could he have been so wrong? Why had he believed their love, his love, could conquer her fears and steel her to embrace a life with him? He smiled at the men and women sitting at the long table. “You smile, Alex,” the woman on the end spoke, her dark, short hair lifting as a new breeze whisked through the lobby. “Why do you smile when faced with your own destruction? A man so talented. A true genius among our kind. And yet you have thrown it all away for the love of a mortal. I ask what is there to smile about?” “I smile because I knew love. I possess a love great enough to make such a sacrifice for it.” “But your lover didn’t possess the same kind of love for you—” “That’s not true,” Emma spoke from the open doorway. Alex spun around. It couldn’t be true. “Emma!” “I’m so sorry, Alex,” she cried, swiping the tears from her eyes. “I’ve been a fool. I’ve let my fears hold me back. All my life, but especially where you were concerned. I was afraid to believe in you. All I could see was the vampire. It prejudiced me against the one thing I know is real. You, Alex. Your love is real. I’m so sorry I didn’t understand before now.” “Emma,” he smiled and rushed over to her, holding her to him.

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“I get it now, Alex. I understand the kind of love you give to me. You didn’t coerce me to be with you. You respected my feelings and my decision even at the unfair expense of your own life. Can you forgive me?” “My Emma,” he kissed her forehead. “There is nothing to forgive.” “This proceeding is no concern of yours, Miss Trent,” the woman challenged. “This proceeding has everything to do with me!” Emma took a step closer and glanced at him, as though making sure he was unharmed. “I love Alex—” “Get this mortal out of here!” The councilwoman stood from the table, motioning one of the guards near the door. He approached her, but Emma held up a wooden cross. The vampire stopped midstride. “I’ve about had enough of these dramatics,” the female vampire screeched. Emma turned full force on her. “I apologize to the Council, but I’ve been a fool. I didn’t realize how much I loved Alex until I knew his life was in danger. I was afraid. But,” she turned to Alex and smiled, “I’m not any longer. I’m here to tell you that I want to be his wife, his mate.” “Get her out of here,” one of the male vampires slammed his hand on the table and stood. “Please just hear me out,” Emma pleaded. “You’re out of order,” the female vampire seethed. “No human has any right being part of this hearing.” “While that may be true, I am here to defend Alex. I am prepared to stand by him. If you destroy him, then you must destroy me with him. I am his mate.” “Emma,” Alex whispered, worried she had no idea who she was talking to. “In a sec, baby. I want them to understand what they are about to do. There is no cause for this tribunal. I’ve agreed to transform and be Alex’s mate.” “Ohh,” the vampire hissed.

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“This Council certainly has a right to hold a hearing. I understand the proceedings, but the circumstances have changed.” Emma moved closer to the table. “You have no right to be here.” The chairman slammed his fist onto the table. “Alex and I are in love.” “Someone shut this disgusting creature up!” The female vampire’s face scrunched into a wicked scowl. “Don’t touch her,” Alex yelled, trying to free himself from the strongholds the guards had on him. “Did you know that Alex is just about to introduce a cure for your inability to be in the sunlight?” The gasp was loud. The man sitting in the middle of the table motioned for the guards to release him. Alex rushed over to her. “Emma.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her brow. “Is this true, Alex?” The chairman looked over at them, motioning for the female council member to return to her seat. “I hadn’t planned on it being revealed like this. We were set to announce it in two months. I’m giving it to our kind. A gift. As a birthright of sorts.” “How? Alex, how?” another member asked. The wave of excitement swept over the room. “Simple really, but very complicated. We have a pill that will inhibit the effect of sunlight. We are perfecting the time-released version so only one pill is all it will require for a twenty-four-hour effect.” “That’s impossible!” the councilwoman hissed. “Damn, that would be a miracle!” “And to think you were about to destroy this man. A man who can give you a freedom you’ve never known as vampires. Alex could choose to sell these pills to a select few. He’s wealthy and doesn’t need the revenue they’ll generate. But if he’s 112

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destroyed, the pills are destroyed and never will be produced.” Emma winked up at him. “Baby, you’re amazing.” He brushed his lips over her forehead. “I can take it from here.” “I think a demonstration is needed,” the female challenged. “Agreed!” came several responses. “Do you have one with you, Alex?” “I do.” He reached into his pocket and produced a bright red pill. “Alex?” she asked with a nervous quiver in her voice. “Trust me.” He popped the pill in his mouth and swallowed. “It takes a few minutes to work. But you know it’s working because suddenly you have an overwhelming desire to go into the sunlight.” He moved toward the exit. The sun was just beginning to rise. “Alex,” she whispered. He turned back to her and winked. “And I now have a burning desire to feel the warmth of the sun shining down on my face.” He walked toward the side door. The Council all stood from their chairs, anxious expressions replacing angry scowls. Feeling confident, Alex looked over at Emma one last time. “You know I love you, Emma,” he spoke and then threw open the double doors. Sunlight spilled into the room, cascading over him. The vampires yelled and stood poised to shield against the flames they knew would consume him, but Alex laughed and stepped through the doorway into the brilliant sunlight. “See? It works!” He walked toward the edge of the patio, holding his arms out. “Damn!” “I don’t believe it.” The vampires hurried from the table and peered through the sun-screened windows. “It works!” 113

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“Son of a bitch, he did it!” “Alex is a hero!” Emma spoke. “If the mortal world knew about vampires, they’d give him the Nobel Prize for this discovery. But you want him dead. Don’t you think you can make an exception for the vampire who’s going to give you back your lives? The vampire who can lead you out of darkness forever!” “I move that the Council declares Alex Masters exempt from all vampire decrees for all eternity.” Alex started back toward the door. “I second,” someone else spoke. “All in favor?” A unanimous “aye” followed. “Opposed?” The room was silent. Alex reentered the room, closing the doors behind him. He was immediately engulfed by the Council and he proceeded to dispense a pill to each of them. Soon, the entire council was outside in the sunlight playing on the beach like children. “So when do we get married?” he asked, nodding to Felix as he drew Emma into his embrace. “I think right now is a good time.” Emma trembled, still a bit shaken by the overwhelming fear she’d had entering the Council’s meeting. “And you and Emma can be together any way you wish,” Felix laughed with obvious relief in his eyes and turned for his office. “Felix,” Emma disentangled from Alex’s cuddling and hurried over to the vampire, planting a grateful kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.” He nodded, blushing a bright reddish hue before hurrying from the room.

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“So do you mean it? That you’ll be my wife?” Alex embraced her, tugging her against him. “And I’ll transform but just not today. Okay?” “Okay, baby!” His lips covered hers. He swept her into his arms and twirled them about the room. “You were brave, Emma. I’m so proud of you.” “I had no choice, Alex. I couldn’t let them murder you!” “I think we should start the honeymoon before the wedding, and you haven’t seen my living quarters yet.” He carried her to the elevator and punched the key, still holding her cradled in his arms. “I imagine it’s the penthouse with a three-sixty view.” She glanced at the light as the elevator rose past the fortieth floor. “You know me so well,” he chuckled just as the doors opened. “Once I’ve shown you my gratitude, we’re going to go play on the beach!” he laughed. Stepping into the elevator, he released her, letting her slide down him full length. He caught her lips in a passionate kiss. Heat pulsed to her pussy. She needed him and she didn’t care if it were in an elevator. The cold steel handrail pressed into her waist and, as though reading her mind, Alex lifted her onto it, spreading her legs apart. “When you transform, you’ll be able to assume more positions midair, my love.” He lifted the hem of her dress, probing the thin veil of her wet panties with his fingers. “Are you starting without me, love?” he rasped and lifted her from the railing with one arm while he helped her remove the panties. Emma giggled as she found herself seated once more on the hard handrail as the elevator continued to the top floor. Alex bent down and pressed his lips to her pussy, kissing and sucking, slipping his tongue between the smooth mounds, flicking against her clit.

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“Alex,” she murmured, and the elevator dinged followed by the doors opening. “Come on.” He grabbed her by the waist, hoisted her from the rail and carried her into the large, high-ceiling room. “It’s gorgeous.” She glanced about, still in a daze over what had happened and aroused by his quick lovemaking. He carried her to the outside patio and the endless view of ocean and sky. “And now we’re going to christen my patio in the daylight.” “Is it safe for you?” “Oh yes, baby, it’s safe, anywhere with you is safe.” He covered her lips with a demanding kiss. “We’re going to christen the entire fucking island for starters.” He released her legs and Emma’s feet touched the terracotta floor. Alex guided her into the brilliant daylight to the corner of the massive patio. The view was breathtaking, but her attention was on him. Alex was stripping as he led her to the covered cabaña and the suspended bed swing inside. “Come here.” He pulled her dress over her head and released the clasp on her bra, pulling her onto the soft bed. “Did you plan this just for me?” she asked, nibbling on his ear. “I did. I was sure you would be here with me right at this moment.” “Cocky vampire, aren’t you?” “Hmm.” He seized her lips and probed her mouth with his tongue. “I can’t wait, Alex, I need you now.” “My impatient vampire-in-training.” He spread her legs wider and lifted into position. “I want to fuck you slowly, Emma. I want to make love to you all day and all night.” “One quickie first.” She moved under him, anxious to feel the building heat of her clit satisfied. He entered her and thrust deep, grinding his hot cock into her. She couldn’t wait. The climax was near, teasing her, driving her to a faster rhythm.

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“Alex!” she cried out as the waves of ecstasy seized her, gripping her uncontrollably in powerful spasms. Electric pulses of pleasure throbbed and released with an urgency that incited him to drive his cock into her harder. Emma held on to him, fingers digging in his back, never wanting to let him go. He was the man she loved. He was now hers forever. She could be immortal and live as his wife for all eternity whenever she wanted. The End

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About the Author The paranormal has haunted Sally all her life. The native North Carolinian lives with her husband, daughter and cat, Bow, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Growing up just outside Charlotte, NC, meant summers along the Carolina beaches and “shagging”—a form of beach dancing. Sally knows a lot about ghosts since she's lived with them all her life, very much like the film “Sixth Sense”. Born in the South into an Irish/Scottish family where everyone was a storyteller meant all those North Carolina ghost stories were retold and new scary ones created! Invited to participate in a three-year paranormal research project, Sally at long last embraced her Celtic seer heritage. Soon she was conducting a paranormal workshop and before she knew it, in July 2005 was LIVE over the air waves. When she’s not writing for Ellora’s Cave, Sally can be found conducting her online monthly workshops and broadcasting a paranormal talk radio show, Sally’s Midnight Hour, featuring paranormal authors and research professionals.

Sally welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Also by Sally Painter All I Need All I Want Fated Mates anthology To Kiss a Gargoyle

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

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