Vampires Need Not…Apply? (Accidentally Yours #4)(42)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

She rounded the corner into the living room and nearly tripped. A freshly lit log crackled in the fire pit, and white candles sprinkled every corner of the room with warm, flickering light. A pile of neatly folded, white, fluffy towels had been stacked next to an overstuffed armchair placed near the fire, along with a steaming metal tub of water that beckoned to her feet.

He’d done all this for her? None of this had been on the list.

Okay. Breathe. Breathe. You’re a goddess. You can make him listen. You are strong. You are strong. You are… so lame! Stop acting like a child.

She sat in the chair and carefully dipped her toes in the water. The smell of roses instantly penetrated her nostrils, and she threw back her head. Every woman should be given the gift of immortal groveling. At least once a year. And with a man like Antonio—fiercely masculine and obscenely handsome. Who is completely peeved at you!

“Enjoying yourself?”

Ixtab looked up, but didn’t see anyone.

“Down here, Oh Divine One,” Antonio said petulantly.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, call me Ixtab.”

“Yes, Ixtab,” he said with a slow, deliberate pronunciation of each letter of her name and then flashed a fiercely carnal look her way.

She swooned right then and there. How could she say anything coherent when he looked at her that way?

She swallowed. “Antonio, I know you don’t trust me, and I keep making a huge mess of everything, but I-I…” She fumbled with her words and tugged at her neckline. It was getting very hot in there.

Without breaking his raw gaze, he dipped his head, fished her feet from the tub, and pushed it aside. He wrapped the left foot in a warm, soft towel and firmly grasped the right. “Close your eyes.”

“No. Wait,” she protested. “You don’t need to do this…” Her words trailed off as she became lost again in the sensation of his touch. Her nails dug into the padded arms of the chair. His hot, rough hands gently stroked her heel, but it felt as though he stroked her entire body. Is this why so many human women get pedicures! Wow. Have I been missing out.

“Close your eyes. Relax,” he repeated briskly. This time she noticed his low, scratchy voice. Ummm. There was that itch again.

“I don’t want to close my eyes. I want to…” Oh, gods, that feels incredible. What was I saying?

“Whatever pleases you,” he said coldly, his strong fingers began gently working each toe. Oh, this was too much. Not only was he touching her, but also the sensuality of his hands was a sultry bliss. She stared down at his bare chest with its chiseled definition, the firelight behind him illuminating his muscular biceps—large biceps that flexed while his hands caressed and massaged her foot. The sight of him was more erotic than she could bear.

An unintentional groan escaped her mouth.

Antonio froze and looked up at her veiled face.

Dammit. She was making a fool of herself. He’d been tricked into this groveling scheme, forced to touch her. That’s not what she wanted. She wanted real. She wanted… him.

Okay, it was time for that talk. She snapped her foot away. “That’s enough. Antonio, there’s something—”

He swiped her foot and placed it firmly between his two hands. “I’m not done yet,” he growled.

Again, she snapped her foot away. “No. I think you are.”

His eyes lit with fury. “What? Not good enough for you? Is a disgusting vampire defiling the sanctity of your toes?” Again, he grabbed her foot.

“What? No. I only want to—”

He rose up on his knees, placing himself firmly between her thighs, and pushed her back in the seat. “I flew all the way down here to grovel for your pompous, arrogant ass over something that was an accident. So, I dare you to insult me again. I dare you to move another inch, Oh Divine One, before I’ve completed this foot rub.”

Why wouldn’t he let her speak, for gods’ sake? And why was he making her own immortal groveling so damned hard?

“Or what?” she seethed.

His eyes said, I double-triple dare you to find out!

Dammit, she didn’t want to fight with him. She wanted to talk. She wanted to know if her heart, her soul, should dare to dream that Antonio might be the Universe granting her wish.

Let him finish the foot rub. Maybe he’ll calm down and then you can talk. She grumbled like a petulant child and relaxed in the chair, signaling her submission. He sank back on his heels, grabbed the bottle of oil to his side, coated his hand, and spitefully jerked her foot directly in front of him.

He slathered each toe and then her heel and ankle. When his strong hand reached the lower calf muscle, he looked straight up the line of her leg and froze. She watched as his eyes zeroed in, right on her.

Oops. She snapped her legs shut as his gaze turned from a deep olive green to charcoal black.

Uh-oh. A vampire with black eyes only meant one of three things: hungry, angry, or inconsolably horny.

In her case it had to be… Well, it had to be… He just looked at your womanly pride and joy. But he couldn’t possibly…

She tried to retrieve her foot but it was in vampire lockdown.

His head dipped and he placed his warm mouth forcefully over her pinkie toe. A tiny squeal involuntarily escaped her mouth followed by his groan.

“You liked that, did you?” he said in a gravelly voice. His mouth moved to her ankle and sucked. “You like having a disgusting vampire touch you, don’t you, Ixtab?”

Chest heaving, hands gripping the armchair for dear life, she replied, “I don’t think you’re disgusting—” She felt the faint scrape of a fang brush her lower calf as his hot tongue and mouth massaged their way up another inch. “I think you’re—Oh, gods.” Every touch, every miniscule point of contact felt like exquisite, little convulsions rocketing through her body. After thousands of years of being deprived of physical contact, every inch of her skin lit up with sensual explosions. She gripped the chair even harder.

“Say it. You think I’m what?” he asked with that heavy voice saturated with sex. One strong hand slid its way up her inner thigh while his mouth and tongue slowly worked their way up the inside of the other leg.

“Very… very…” She clamped her eyes shut and felt his sharp teeth scrape their way a little higher.

“Very what?” His hot breath bathed her inner thigh. Then one hand moved another inch and then another until she felt their roughness brush over her sensitive flesh between her legs.