A Promise of Passion Read online

  So he was incredibly handsome and attentive, and she knew he could come good on those promises his lips and eyes made, but it didn’t erase the fact he was a vampire.

  Would his undead status matter so much if she wasn’t a vampire hunter? If a gorgeous man had kissed her, protected her, saved her life, would she have cared? She would have been all over him in either case. If he were human, or if she weren’t a hunter. If only.

  The door opened and her eyes widened when something touched her shoulder but nothing was reflected in the mirror. Strong hands turned her on the spot and his lips claimed hers in a blinding kiss that sent her heart thundering and chased all sensible thought from her head. Reason had no place here. This was about blood and connection. It was about desire and attraction, and the voice in her heart that said Kassian would never leave her. Only a vampire was strong enough to love a vampire hunter. Only he could accept her strength and her calling.

  Kassian’s lips played against hers. Their tongues tangled as their arms wrapped around each other, her hands coming up to hold his shoulders. His hands locked tight against her lower back, hard enough to tell her without words that he wasn’t going to let her go again. This time there was no escape. She sighed into his mouth, compliant in his arms. He kissed her harder, desperate for the sweet taste of her lips and her warmth. She’d driven him crazy tonight, teasing him with kisses and then running away. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t Alice. Alice was gone and was never coming back. Alicia was here with him, beautiful and passionate and strong.

  He guided her backwards, fearing interruption and wanting to get her somewhere less open. Her hands pressed against his chest when he turned with her. Her eyes were wide and she cast a glance over her shoulder at the bathroom stall.

  “What are you doing?” she said in a trembling voice.

  It wasn’t fear making it shake.

  It was desire.

  She was breathless, her chest rising and falling in quick succession, her lips parted and open to him. Her eyes told him everything. Ignore her words of protest. They were only meaningless words. She wanted him. She needed him as badly as he needed her. He captured them again, delving deep with his tongue and stirring a need inside him that demanded to be satiated. The moment he was clear of the bathroom stall door, he kicked it closed and flicked the lock without looking. Sweet cherry lips danced against his, so light but with so much passion. He growled low in his throat when she playfully bit his lower lip and turned with her, pressing her back hard against the tiled wall of the stall.

  Small hands pressed against his chest and then pushed upwards. They caught the collar of his jacket and pushed it off his shoulders, dragging it down his arms as far as it could go. He relinquished her lips and stripped it off, placing it down on the closed toilet seat.

  His eyes rolled closed when she leaned into him and pressed hungry kisses to his throat, open mouthed and exploring. Her tongue laved his skin, hot and wet, pushing his restraint to the limit. His desire escalated, consuming him and controlling him. He grabbed her around the back and dragged her up to him, until her breasts pressed against his chest and his erection pushed against her stomach. He backed her into the wall again and placed his hands either side of her head. His eyes locked with hers, searching. Her pupils widened and eyes darkened when he ground his hard-on against her. She bit her lip and moaned.

  Fire, furious and greedy, swept through him. His tongue plundered her mouth, his hands grasping her hips as he thrust against her, desperate to be inside her. Her fingers loosened the band around his hair and it fell down. She ran them through it, bunched it up so tight it hurt and then held his mouth against hers. There was need in her kiss and an urgency he loved. He smiled against her lips.

  Alicia couldn’t help herself. It was too intense to ignore and she’d lost all control the second she’d felt the hardness of Kassian press into her stomach. She had to have him, regardless of who and what he was. Right now, she didn’t give a damn. Tomorrow was for regrets.

  Tonight was for passion and need.

  He groaned when she pressed her hands against his shoulders and hopped up, wrapping her legs around his hips. Firm hands gripped her backside and he slammed her hard enough into the wall to knock the wind from her. She didn’t stop kissing him. She couldn’t stop. Her tongue delved into his mouth, tangling with his. Their teeth clashed. Her fingers buried deep into his hair, holding his mouth to hers, never wanting to let him go.

  One hand left her backside and she marvelled at the strength of him. He could hold her weight with one hand. What else could he do that other men couldn’t? A brush of his thumb over her breasts chased her sanity away and brought the inferno of desire back. She arched, pressing her breast against his hand in a silent plea for him to touch her.

  His fingers skimmed upwards, pausing to touch her throat in a caress that sent a thrill of danger through her. Her heart beat harder, thundering against her ribcage, and she closed her eyes. Would he bite her? He always returned to her neck. Did she want him to bite her?

  The thought of it made her kiss him harder, until her tongue was stroking his teeth. He made a low noise in his throat and tackled her tongue with his own. It was a deliberate attempt to stop her. He’d have to try harder than that.

  He did.

  He slid the strap of her black top and her bra down, pushing them both over her right breast and exposing it to the cool air of the bathroom. It tingled, nipple tightening, and she moaned into his mouth when his hand covered it. His hips thrust against her, his erection rubbing her groin. Damn she wanted him. She rubbed back, grinding her hips into his and cursing her jeans.

  It seemed he hated them too because he lowered her to the ground and in a matter of seconds they were gone along with her shoes. The chill air of the bathroom made goose bumps chase over her skin. He could’ve chosen somewhere a little more sanitary and warm for this. She supposed she’d chosen it really. She’d run here. If she’d run outside, would they be on the verge of having alley sex instead right now?

  He chased her thoughts away, his lips closing around her nipple and sucking it hard into his mouth. The twinge of pain only heightened her desire, sending sparks along every nerve in her body and warmth to her abdomen. She pressed the back of her head into the cold tiles behind her and screwed her eyes shut when cool fingers grazed her inner thigh. They travelled upwards, dragging shivers in their wake, and she mentally pleaded him to touch her and put her out of her misery. He skimmed his fingers over her panties and up to her stomach. Damn him. She was burning up, on fire, couldn’t he sense that? She needed him. She needed release.

  He suckled her breast, tongue swirling around her nipple, sending wave after wave of tingles racing outwards from it. She arched into him and pushed her hips forwards, so only her head was touching the wall. His hand slid lower. Elation filled her. Lower still and it was verging on touching her where she needed him most. His other hand left her back, running over her buttocks and then down her thigh. He caught the waist of her panties and took them down. She stepped out of them and looked at him where he knelt before her. There was such fire and darkness in his icy eyes. She could feel the need within him, resonating through her and mixing with her own until she had to do something to sate it. His jaw muscles tensed, his eyes narrowing. She lowered her hand and ran it over his hair and down to caress his cheek. His look softened but lost none of its hunger. Strong hands ghosted up her thighs in a barely-there touch that made her tremble.

  Her gaze slipped to his red shirt and she frowned. How come she was the only one getting naked? She grabbed his tie and tugged. He straightened up. It was time she remedied that.

  Her fingers made fast work of his tie and shirt, stripping them off to reveal a pale toned torso that made her abdomen tighten and caused a new rush of arousal. Hard compact muscles delighted her hands as she skimmed over them, moulding her fingers to follow the shapes of his body. She explored his chest and roamed down to his stomach, guided by the line of his abdom
inals to his navel. A dark streak of hair tempted her downwards from there and her fingers followed it until they hit his belt. They made deft work of it and she undid the button of his black trousers. He opened his mouth to speak. Her finger against his lips silenced him.

  Heart pounding in her throat, she turned her hand and pressed the flat of it against his stomach. She slid it downwards, into his trousers, and groaned when she felt the silken shaft of his hard length. Intense need made her rub her thighs together and tense her muscles to make the most of the feeling of arousal growing there. His zip came down as her hand ventured onwards, stroking the length of him and loving the way she had him moaning with each caress.

  He growled low and threatening, adding adrenaline to the fuel in her veins and making her blood ignite.

  In the blink of an eye and with a speed that made her head spin, he’d lifted her and slammed her into the wall. Her breath left her on impact and her legs instantly locked around his waist. His mouth claimed hers again with a kiss so fierce she could barely breathe. His fingers pressed into her backside and he moaned as he ground his erection against her warm vagina. Her answering call was a breathy groan and the scraping of her fingernails over his bare shoulders.

  She writhed against him, encouraging and eliciting another trembling moan.

  He entered her swiftly, filling her so completely that a sting of pain accompanied their coupling. His mouth left hers and trailed kisses along her jaw to her throat. Her eyes closed and she leaned her head back, her breath leaving her in time with each hard thrust he made into her. It was raw and needy, passionate and consuming, a race towards release that burned through both of them, driving them on. She clung to him, leaned her forehead against his neck, and screwed her eyes shut. Her knees clamped his waist, hips riding each deep plunge of his length. She couldn’t contain her moans, regardless of the part of her mind that was aware they were in public. His kisses against her throat became more persuasive and a trace of his teeth over her flesh accompanied them. He wrapped his lips around her jugular, licking and suckling it, sending her out of her mind on an illicit combination of arousal and fear. It was better than any drug. It was the perfect drug.

  He drove deeper into her, forcing her hard against the wall. She panted into his neck, clenching him and digging her fingernails into his back. More. She needed more.

  The feel of sharp teeth barely grazing her neck sent her over the edge, her heart thundering beyond impossible and her mind lost in the warm haze of her climax. His grip on her tightened and she collapsed into him, limp and letting him take her. He groaned into her throat, suckling the single point over her jugular. He wanted to bite her. It would be one step too far and thankfully he seemed to know that.

  His mouth left her neck to reclaim her lips and she kissed him hard. Her hands clasped his shoulder and her feet pressed into his buttocks, encouraging him towards his own climax. He came with a long growl that shuddered through her body, sending her thighs shaking against him.

  Everything slowed.

  A strange sense of calm after the storm filled her. Their kisses became soft and unhurried, their bodies still locked together intimately. She wanted to stay in his arms, wrapped up and warm, safe and protected from the world, floating on a cloud of bliss.

  The cold of the room slowly came back, until she felt numb where her back pressed against the tiles. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recapture the warmth she’d felt and the sense of heaven. Reality was coming back swift and fast, leaving her as breathless as Kassian’s kisses had done.

  Kassian.

  She opened her eyes and looked into his. He was watching her as always. Her cheeks blazed. She buried her face against his neck, unable to look at him. Fear returned and this time it had brought reinforcements—anger and panic.

  What had she done?

  ****

  Chapter 5

  Kassian leaned against the bar of the club in a prominent spot, hoping to get noticed by as many of the gathered vampires as possible so he could leave. The club was full of vampires tonight, not a human in sight. The owner had closed it for Seth’s celebrations. He wondered how long he’d have to stand here for before he could make his exit. He didn’t want to hang around and wait for the human sport to begin. It disgusted him. He longed to return to Alicia.

  She had been quiet last night after their moment in the bathroom but she’d allowed him to walk her home. It was a start. He wasn’t sure where this path they’d stumbled onto led, but he was willing to walk it if she would be there with him. Last night had shown him that no matter how much he’d wanted her to be Alice, she wasn’t. Alicia was different to Alice in so many ways. Only in body and voice were they similar. There was such strength and passion in Alicia, such grim determination that set her apart from his old love.

  He’d never look at bathrooms the same again.

  A lazy smile arched his lips when he thought about what they’d done. Her strength and passion had been a perfect match for his, and she’d risen to meet every challenge. The feel of her warm soft body against his, around his, had been divine. It had been centuries since he’d felt anything similar, and even then it didn’t come close to how things had been with her.

  He sipped his martini and rested one elbow on the bar. The people in his line of sight blurred as he thought about Alicia. His mind was constantly on her, constantly working. He hadn’t slept a wink today. He’d lain on his bed all day, stretched out and naked, thinking of her.

  There’d been a glimmer of fear in her eyes when he’d said goodnight with a kiss. He wouldn’t push her. In the bathroom after they’d made love, she’d made a wonderful attempt of hiding her panic. It was nice of her to try and pretend that what they’d done hadn’t frightened her but pointless all the same. He could sense her feelings after all.

  Ashton nodded to him from across the room. He raised his glass with a smile and wished he were away from here, somewhere with Alicia. He needed to be close to her now, so she knew that he wouldn’t leave her, and so he could try to convince her to make the right decision and not leave him.

  The doors at the far end of the dance floor opened and Seth entered, as confident and brash as always, calling to the crowd to get their attention. They all gave it willingly, every one of them but him.

  He looked down at his drink, not interested in seeing Seth parade his chosen victim. He could already smell their fear. That disgusted him enough. Human sport was barbaric, unfitting for his species. It was time they moved past the thought that humans were nothing but food and began to co-exist with them in a more peaceful manner. There was no longer any need for them to kill their victims or even have a victim in the first place. Blood could be acquired as easily as a human could be hunted. Still, it lacked the thrill that came from biting and connecting via blood to your victim.

  His thoughts returned to Alicia. The temptation to bite her last night had been overwhelming. It was a step too far though. No matter how enticing the taste of her blood had been, he couldn’t surrender to his hunger for it, not when things between them were hanging in the balance. He had to wait with a patient heart for her to make a decision. If it was the wrong one, he’d have to convince her. He couldn’t live without her now that she was in his system, a drug that drove him out of his mind with the need to touch her and feel her against him.

  Seth shouted something over the noise of the crowd. He looked up to see that the elder vampire was staring straight at him. At this distance, he couldn’t read the intent on his face, but he knew that the shout had been directed at him. Seth moved forwards, the vampires around him parting to allow him through.

  Kassian pushed away from the bar and set his glass down.

  It was time he left. A showdown with Seth wasn’t what he’d come here for. He’d outstayed his welcome.

  “Leaving so soon?” Ashton said close to his ear and he instinctively raised his arm to defend himself, pushing the younger vampire away to a more reasonable distance. Ashton laughe
d, revealing extended fangs. “The game is only just beginning. You don’t want to miss this.”

  “Kassian,” Seth said, voice deep and as accented as his own. There was a command behind it, a surge of power intended to make him obey. He resisted, unwilling to submit to Seth. He never would. It was time Seth learned that. What little trust had been between them, had been shattered two centuries ago. He took a step towards the exit. “Do come and play.”