He dragged a breath into his lungs, his eyes riveting to her lips as he bent his head. He was going to kiss her. A fierce ache descended and took over, making her body pliant as she lifted her lips…
“Shit.” The expletive was short and sharp as the pair were shoved from behind.
Instantly, Cass was wrapped in a strong hold as her “protector’s” free hand shot out to brace him against the wall, shielding her with his larger body. “Fucking idiot, watch where you’re going,” he snarled at the group who had almost knocked them sprawling into the shadowed booth.
“Oh hey, sorry, man, didn’t see you there,” one shot back, his tone flippant until he turned and caught sight of Tiny. He paled and turned tail to disappear into the crowd.
“Young. Human. Male,” she commented. “So, handsome, where were we?” She turned in his arms to look up at him, an inviting expression on her face.
His eyes, an azure blue like a tempestuous sea waiting for a storm to break, met hers. “You were playing with fire, as I recall.” He eased closer to her to get out of the way of another group of club-goers, but stayed there instead of moving back again. The heat of his body burned through her clothes, warming her skin. It was like basking in front of a hot fire, and all Cass wanted to do was wrap herself around him like a cat.
Were all demons like this, this warm and intriguing?
They weren’t though, she knew that. On a normal day she couldn’t stand to be in the same room as a demon. Their very presence, their aura, set her hackles to rising and she couldn’t get comfortable until she put some distance between her and them. But this one was different. The normal unpleasant buzz was more of a pleasant whisper across her skin, like a teasing caress.
“I’d like to play with something else…” she trailed off suggestively and ran her hand up his chest. Solid muscles met her fingers as she pushed his jacket open to explore. Hell, the guy was built like a brick shed.
Hard fingers closed around hers, like a striking snake, and stopped her explorations. “You would, would you?”
Her gaze shot upwards. A muscle in his jaw pulsed and the expression in his eyes… a battle royal raged there; lust and need warring with something else, something she couldn’t identify.
He scanned the club. “We need to move.” His tone was uncompromising.
Cass shivered again, a dark thrill slithering along her spine and pooling in her loins. Oh, she had no doubt he didn’t intend to turn her on, but there was just something about a man who took charge that, to her disgust, turned her on… turned her on big time.
He hurried her ahead of him, hand firm in the small of her back as he propelled her towards the nearest exit. At the last minute a huge figure loomed in Cass’s peripheral vision. Her demon friend swore under his breath and yanked her into one of the alcoves along the walls, spinning her around to haul her close. She had barely a second’s warning before his lips crashed down onto hers, claiming hers in the hottest kiss she could recall.
Her lips were soft and oh-so-sweet. A rumble sounded in Tiny’s chest as he pressed her back against the wall in the darkened alcove and took what he wanted, what he’d been wanting since he’d seen her in the alley kicking ass.
God, she tasted good, her lips softer than silk under his. A siren’s temptation that enticed him, called out to him, even though he knew this was wrong. He shouldn’t be kissing her, touching her… Hell, he should be hustling her out of the club before Knuckles got a look at her and even then, if the gargoyle knew what he’d done, he’d rip Tiny a new one. He should stop. Tiny knew he should stop. He would stop. Just one more kiss and he’d…
She wriggled to get closer, and the sexy little moan in the back of her throat blew the last of Tiny’s control. Grabbing a handful of her autumn-colored hair, he pulled her head back to bare her throat -- a submissive position for a vampire and a vulnerable one. She stiffened, but the wariness in her body melted as he leaned in to blaze a trail of hot kisses down the delicate skin.
Tiny’s response was near frenzy. A deep need drove him so he forgot where he was, who he was with and the danger they were still in. He couldn’t get enough of her, moving back up to claim her lips again. His tongue swept out and brushed her lower lip to request entry. As soon as she granted it, he deepened the kiss ruthlessly, seeking -- no, demanding -- a response. One she gave easily as her tongue flirted with the thrusts of his, teasing and tormenting him.
Tiny growled a warning in the back of his throat. The hand in her hair tightened to hold her still as the other slid around her waist to press her h*ps against his. He was hard, rock hard. All he could think about was pulling up that little skirt she was wearing, shoving her panties aside, and burying himself balls deep in her softness.
“Hey, man, get a freaking room!”
Chapter Three
The rebuke snapped them both back to reality. Tiny tore his lips from hers.
Christ, he’d been ready to free his c*ck and take her right there, up against the wall of the club. Heat chased over his body as he realized just how dangerous the situation was. Any moment now someone could catch them and realize his companion was a vampire. Then all kinds of shit would hit the fan. Vampires did not venture into Moonlight & Magic -- not if they wanted to live.
“We need to get out of here. Come on,” he told her roughly, scanning all the exits. All but one, the one to the offices, were covered. Misty he could see over the other side of the club with Knuckles, the huge gargoyle’s figure easily picked out.
They were running out of time. It wouldn’t take Knuckles long to pick up the trail, even with the Valkyrie distracting him, and Tiny needed to get his companion out of here before he did.
His hand still in the hair at the nape of her neck, Tiny urged her across the crowded club, turning her around his body in a move as complicated as a dance routine as another of the security team passed them, also on the lookout for the vampire.
“All right?” the guy mouthed, his voice lost in the heavy music. Tiny jerked his thumb towards the toilets, indicating he was heading there to check. Relief filled him as the other bouncer nodded and carried on the way he was going. They might actually make it.
They reached the dubious sanctuary of the corridor. The music dropped to a dull roar as the door swung shut behind them. Rather than carry on down towards the toilets, Tiny hung a sharp left and bundled his companion through the door there. Half hidden by the opening of the first, it was cloaked by a similar aversion spell to the one she wore around her wrist, albeit a larger, more powerful one embedded in the doorframe. Pushing her ahead of him, he threw the lock with a quick gesture and leaned back with a sigh.
“What the fuck? Was there a particular need to assault me and haul me in here in such a highhanded manner?”
Her voice broke through his little reverie and Tiny sighed. Why was he doing this? She was a vampire; he was a demon. A demon about to get his ass kicked and lose his job if anyone found out he had her in here.
Lifting his head he fixed her with a direct look. “I risk my ass to save yours and I’m the f**king bad guy? You need to get your priorities straight, lady.”
Cassia stood in the middle of the small office with an angry demon and wondered why she wasn’t worried. On a normal day, this kind of situation would have her reaching for any available weaponry and looking for the nearest escape route. But it didn’t because she wasn’t worried. Hopping mad, yes… and still shaken up from that hotter-than-all-hell kiss.
“My… I need to get my priorities straight?” she spluttered, going from blazing mad to furious in the blink of an eye. Of all the f**king cheek! First the place discriminated against an entire species. Then they had the balls to make her feel like the criminal here? She half threw her purse on the scarred desk and advanced on him. “You listen to me, buddy. If you lot weren’t so f**king anal about vampires in the first place… If you all climbed down off your high horses for a second, we wouldn’t be having this problem.”
Each word took her one step closer to him until she was mere inches away, glaring up into his face. For some reason his good looks irritated her all the more.
Frustration and fury boiled over, and she substituted jabbing him in the chest with every word instead of her earlier steps. “You do realize I could sue for species harassment?”
He stood, looking down at her, one eyebrow raised a little, which made the silver ring through it catch the light. “Harassment?” His voice was deep and rough as hunger flooded his eyes, taking Cass’s breath away. In an instant, the mood in the room changed from tense to erotic, from highly charged to supernova. He laughed, a harsh sound of amusement. “Sweetheart, that was nowhere near harassment…”
His hand quickly closed on her wrist, and he twisted her around into a lock with her arms crossed over her body. Cass squeaked; he was faster than anything she’d ever seen. Hell, she’d never seen anyone move like that. His lips found the skin of her neck as she struggled, and trailed gentle kisses along her throat as his thumbs stroked the insides of her captured wrists.
“How’s this for harassment, hmm?” His voice was a low rumble just below her ear. A hot, sweet ache joined the sudden panic flaring in her core and moved outward.
She didn’t speak -- she couldn’t. Despite the domineering hold, the soft brush of his lips back and forward over her throat was hypnotic. Wariness drained away, leaving pure need. She tilted her head to the side a little to give him better access, and his lips found the sweet spot behind her ear. Oh, yes, she needed this…
“You like that.” Not a question, but a statement. His lips curved against her skin at her response. Then her hands were free and his moved over her, one sliding up to close around a breast. He located her nipple through the thin fabric and pinched lightly, rolling it between his fingers before pulling.
Each soft pinch and pull shot straight through her to where her cl*t throbbed in response. She shifted her weight, moving her feet further apart, and lifted her arms. Her hand slid to the nape of his neck, holding him to her as she turned her head to seek his lips.
Her moan lost in his mouth, he parted her lips and took what he wanted. His fingers on her n**ples kept her off balance as he explored her, plundering the softness of her mouth, and then, just when Cass was ready to beg, he upped the ante.
His hand covered her soft belly and pulled her back hard to grind his h*ps against hers. Heat swept through Cassia again when his c*ck pressed against her ass, fitting into the valley between her cheeks. God, he was huge… surely he wasn’t that big? It must be some trick of sensation. Then he rotated his h*ps and she almost passed out. Yeah, he was that big. Nerves and excitement filled her. She wanted -- no -- she needed his c*ck inside her. Right now… in fact, the quicker the better.
“More,” she whispered against his lips, thrusting her ass back and trying to hurry things along. There was only so much teasing a girl could take before a guy had to make good on the promise.
His hand slid lower. He hauled her skirt up as he ran his hand up the inside of her thigh. Anticipation filled her as his finger danced along the lace edge of her thong.