Once Bitten, Twice Burned (Phoenix Fire #2)(19)
Author: Cynthia Eden

“I feel like I’ve been frozen for the last thousand years.”

Thousand? There was no way she’d heard that part right. Ryder couldn’t be that old.

Duh, Sabine. Vampire. He could definitely be that old.

“And when I tasted your blood, for the first time in so long, I felt warm again. You did that. Your blood . . . hell, it seemed to make me live again.”

She wasn’t sure what in the heck to say in response to that.

“You taste like spice. Heat and honey. Pleasure.” He leaned toward her. Her hands curved under the edge of the desk. “You taste like everything I had while I walked the earth as a man, everything I wanted, and I f**king crave you.”

His hand caught her chin. Tipped her face back up. “The bloodlust—the lust—consumed me when I tasted you. I didn’t have control. There wasn’t time for control. I needed you too much.”

She wet her lips. Her heartbeat was racing in her chest, the wild thunder echoing in her ears. The too-aware tension in her body seemed to be a normal occurrence when she was around him. “And now?”

The hunger in his eyes was her answer. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the desk. She was so far out of her element here. “Don’t eat me.” The words jumped from her because Ryder looked as if he wanted to devour her.

One blond brow rose even as his cheeks seemed to hollow, to sharpen with a predatory appearance she hadn’t noticed before. “So very tempting.”

The alarm was still ringing, muted since they were in the office, but she still heard it easily. “They’re looking for us.” So you don’t have time for a bite. Keep those teeth away from me.

“Let them look. The longer we stay in here, the more the guards will disperse as they break up and search the facility.”

His gaze had focused on her mouth.

Her own eyes kept dropping to his mouth, too, and it was only partially out of fear.

“I’m prepared now,” he told her. “I swear, I won’t ever lose control with you again. I give you my word.”

She didn’t exactly want to test that theory. And she didn’t exactly believe him. “Get me out of this place.”

His eyes rose. Met hers.

“Please,” she whispered.

He could do it. She knew he could. With his enhanced senses and his speed and strength, Ryder could get her to safety. He could easily avoid the guards, find the exit, and get her away from Genesis.

Only the guy wasn’t moving.

His mouth kicked up in the faintest of smiles. “What will you do for me, lovely Sabine, if I do?”

What? The guy was trying to barter over her freedom? Now?

“Perhaps a kiss,” he said. That smile of his was still there—still a bit predatory. “Surely that’s not so much to ask?”

No, not so much. Not in the big life-or-death grand scheme of things. Since she’d been expecting him to request a pint or two of blood, a kiss seemed fair enough. “Get me out, and I’ll give you the best kiss you’ve ever had.” An easy promise.

Ryder shook his head. “Give me the best kiss I’ve ever had . . .” Was there a taunt in his words? Yes, there was. “And then I’ll get you out of here.”

She didn’t have time for this crap. Her hands flew up. She grabbed his shirt front and fisted her fingers around the material. “Fine.” Then Sabine jerked the vamp toward her. His lips had parted in surprise. Didn’t think I’d do it, did you?

He should have known better than to challenge a New Orleans girl.

She pressed her mouth against his. Thrust her tongue past his lips. Back in high school, she’d been the first-base queen. Her too-protective older brother had made sure she didn’t get to round third base too much, but kissing . . . oh, she’d had plenty of practice on those hot Louisiana nights.

Ryder stiffened against her. She figured the guy hadn’t expected such a fast response from her. Good. She liked catching him off guard.

Her tongue licked across his lip, then slid back into his mouth. A growl built in his throat and his hands wrapped around her hips. Then his tongue was stroking hers. The kiss grew rougher, her heart beat even faster, and she stopped worrying so much about her perfect technique and just kissed him.

Hot. Wild. The kind of kiss that made her toes curl.

She sucked his tongue.

His hands jerked her h*ps toward him. Since she was on the desk, he was right between her legs, and there was no missing the thick bulge of his arousal. The vampire came with all the right equipment. So very right.

And big.

“We . . . have enough time . . .” He muttered the words as his mouth tore from hers.

Sabine blinked up at him. She wanted his mouth back on hers. He could kiss even better than her eleventh-grade boyfriend of choice, Leo Rouchoix. Leo the Lips . . . that had been his nickname back in high school.

Ryder’s hands went to her waist. To the top of her sweats.

Wait, hold up, he’d said they had enough time?

She grabbed his hands. “No.” Sabine shook her head, trying to shake away the lust. Trying to, and failing. “We’re getting out of here.” The alarm still beeped, and though Ryder seemed to think this room was a safe hiding spot, she didn’t want to risk being discovered right in the middle of sex.

Not that she was ha**ng s*x with the vamp. Not on the desk. Not in the middle of their escape.

Just not.

A muscle flexed in his jaw. “Do you know how much I want you?”

Um, she could feel how much. Impressive. But the vamp needed to prioritize. “I gave you the kiss.”

His gaze dropped to her lips. No missing the heat in his green stare.

“Now you get us the hell out of here.”

His head tilted. He didn’t speak.

“Ryder . . .” They’d had a deal.

He lifted his hand. “The hallway outside is clear now. We can go.” Ryder stepped back.

Just like that. Her heart was about to burst out of her chest, and Ryder was suddenly as calm as you please. Well, hell.

Had he just been trying to distract her? Keep her quiet until the guards outside had left? He could have just said “Quiet” instead of asking for her kiss.

His finger smoothed over the line between her brows. “The kiss was more fun.”

Her heart froze. “You can read my mind.” Her voice emerged as a horrified whisper.

Those sensual lips of his—lips she could still feel against her own—quirked briefly. “No, love, not yours.”

Did that mean he could read the minds of others? She had to learn more about vampires. When she’d started to hear the whispers about them in New Orleans, about all of the supernatural creatures, she’d ignored most of the stories. Because most of them were BS. Huge exaggerations. Scary stories to frighten children.