STORY EXCERPT

Emma worked in the emergency department again, but not in triage. She stayed behind the scenes today, taking care of patients admitted until the doctor saw them. Dressed in pale blue scrubs, her hair braided down her back, she cleared one of the makeshift rooms separated only by drawn mint-green curtains.

“You’ve got one heading in,” said Greg, peeking in the curtains. “Nasty cut, but I think it’s more superficial.”

“Thanks.” Emma pulled back the sheets on the bed and hooked a bag of saline on the IV pole.

A minute later Greg came in with another man. He towered over her coworker and held thick gauze to his side. It did look bad. His upper body was soaked in blood. Emma swallowed, pushing away her natural response to the sight and smell.

“Help him onto the bed,” she said, reaching for the surgical scissors to cut away his T-shirt. After assisting the patient onto the bed, Greg left to his own duties. Emma pulled the curtain shut to ensure privacy.

“Okay, I’m going to have to cut your—” Emma looked up at her patient’s face. Javen. “What are you doing here?” she whispered harshly, looking behind her to guarantee they were alone.

“This is a hospital, isn’t it?” he asked. Then gazing down to his side he said, “And I’ve got an injury. I think you better get to work, nurse.”

She could tell he held back a smile the way his lips stayed pinched together, twitching slightly. He was playing with her. This was her job, her life, and he had the nerve to play some stupid game that could get her fired or worse. She kept her identity a safely guarded secret. As far as humans and demons were concerned she was one hundred percent Homo sapien. Did he know the truth now? Did she dare not play along with this charade?

“Right.” Two could play this. If he wanted to be a patient, then fine. Of course, demons didn’t come to hospitals. Immortals healed at an impossibly fast rate. She glanced at his wrist. No trace of her bite marks. Good.

“Yes…the bite.” He noticed her gaze lingering on his wrist. “I should have come here just for that. I hear human bites are full of bacteria.” He was enjoying this way too much.

“I’m sure you’ll live. Lie down please.”

Javen swung his long legs up onto the hospital bed, the plastic mattress crinkling under his weight as he leaned back onto the pillow. Emma started to cut away his shirt, not realizing how much blood she was dealing with.

“What did you do to yourself?” she gasped.

“I fell on something.”

“What? A chain saw?”

“I don’t remember. Is it important?”

Emma rolled her eyes in exasperation and peeled the gauze held to his side away. Her heart rate increased. Her mouth salivated. She remembered the flavor of his blood, and so much of the precious liquid was being wasted. It oozed out of his wounds into the gauze she held, when it would be better spent on her lips.

As she irrigated his wounds, she couldn’t help but notice his chiseled chest and the lean muscles outlined over his stomach. He had the perfect male form, and though unethical from her position, she couldn’t help but admire the sight of him. The things she could do with a mate like Javen. She would lick him from head to toe, and in return, he’d offer her some of his potent blood. She shook her head, becoming fuzzy with lust.

When her hand brushed his broad shoulder, reaching for a towel, she gasped in pain. She had inadvertently touched his tattoo, which started at his shoulder and worked its way down to his wrist. Black markings and symbols in some ancient language, beautifully detailed. She pulled away with a quick jerk and tried to clear her head, now swimming with visions and pain.

“Something wrong?” he asked with amusement.

“No, nothing.”

“Is my manliness too much for you? Should I put on one of your standard-issue gowns? I’m flattered really, but it’s not very professional of you to ogle me like that.”

“Whatever.” She ignored him and continued to disinfect the wound. “The doctor will be here soon to stitch you up.”

He grabbed her by the wrist before she could leave. He sat up, leaning toward her.

“I’m on to you, Emma. Play innocent all you want, but I will find out whatever it is you’re hiding.”

He stared at her with an intensity that sent chills up her spine. That killer body of his covered in blood became her ultimate temptation. A lethal attraction, but didn’t everyone desire what they couldn’t have? What wasn’t healthy for them?

“You’re crazy. I think they gave you too much morphine.”

He yanked her closer, until she could practically taste him on her tongue. “They didn’t give me any painkillers.”

No painkillers? That wound would be excruciatingly painful. “Oh right, no pain either.”

“Either?”

Oops. She pulled herself free from his grasp and backed away from him, knocking over a metal cart, her eyes still locked on his. He mesmerized her. His eyes seemed to glow bluer, and she was terrified of what he was capable of.

ADULT EXCERPT

“You realize you’re still in your undies?”

Javen glanced down at himself as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

What he wore wasn’t his concern. He really needed Emma’s clothes off and her beneath him.

“Take your shirt off,” he commanded.

She held back a playful smile, trying to go along with his game. He needed her compliance. That’s all that mattered at the moment. Pulling her damp shirt over her head, she dropped it heavily to the ground beside her. She stood in front of him as if waiting for further instructions. Goose bumps covered her exposed flesh.

“Bra too.”

Emma reached behind her and unclasped the bra with one hand and it fell off of her on its own and her beautiful, soft breasts released. Now he noticed the heavy movement of her ribs as her breathing increased. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep this up without grabbing her and tossing her on the bed.

With a jerk of his head he motioned her to lose the pants, and a few moments later she stood in red lace panties, her entire body smooth and pale and perfect. Her white-blonde hair hung down around her. She was an angel. An angel and a demon, how appropriate. Who better than to tame him?

With the same jerk of the head, she motioned for Javen to lose his boxers. He shrugged his wide shoulders and stepped out of them in seconds. Her eyes moved down to his aroused cock, then back up to his face.

Javen tapped a finger on his neck as he tilted his head to the side. Emma smiled and, with a quick run, threw herself up into his waiting arms and wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck. Javen held her tight and, gripping her ass, walked them to the bed. They didn’t make it there before she sank her teeth deep into his neck. He almost lost his footing from the wave of erotic energy that shot through his body making him weak.

He rested her on the bed, leaning over her as she clung to him. Bracing his arms on the bed, he allowed her to have her fill of him and basked in the beauty of it.

“Why do you taste so good?” Emma’s head fell back onto the bed, her eyes lust-drunk.

“Because I was made for you.” Javen hoisted Emma, carried her to the en suite, and rested her on the vanity counter.

He leaned over the shower and set the temperature. Within minutes a hot steam began to fill the space, exactly what he wanted. He wanted Emma warm and comfortable, to erase the chill and memories of the past day.

Javen stood in front of Emma. She sat, kicking her feet back and forth restlessly. Her hands braced the edge of the counter as she leaned forward with parted lips. He only meant to give her a single kiss. He should have known it would never be enough. Emma hooked a leg around him, pulling him closer. The air grew thick and humid and he became lost in Emma’s taste. Her lively tongue assaulted him. Her lips were so soft and full. He really had to get her in the shower because soon nothing else would matter but making love to his woman. After stroking his hand down the length of her back, he took her chin in his hand.

“Come on, shower’s ready.”

Before entering, she tossed her red panties behind him. Did the heat and pressure of the water ever feel good against his chilled flesh. He grabbed the soap upon entering because this needed to be the world’s fastest shower. After lathering some suds, he ran his hands down Emma’s arms. She stood still, looking up at him as he washed her. God, was she ever beautiful. Swallowing hard, he soaped her breasts and massaged the firm peaks. Her skin was smooth and silky. Her nipples were tight, pink buds. He no longer washed, but caressed, feeling every inch of her. The electricity created just by touching her skin was unreal. No female had ever affected him this way.

When he reached her stomach he stopped and dropped to his knees. Emma ran her hands through his wet hair as he washed her legs from ankles up. When he reached her thighs, she twitched and her breathing became labored. She lifted one leg and set it on his upper thigh. He couldn’t help himself but leaned in to kiss the soft white flesh. She trembled in response. Javen couldn’t be more ready for her, his groin burning with the need for release. He bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. He had to keep his cool, take things as slow as possible.

He stood to lather his hands with soap again. This time, Emma ran her hands from his shoulders down to below his belly button. Her feather-light touch was so gentle and tentative. The slippery suds made everything she did feel more erotic. His eyes rolled back in his head. With one hand, he reached his arm around Emma’s waist and pushed her back against the cool ceramic wall behind her. With his other hand, he reached down to the triangle of blond curls between her legs. She jerked away, but the wall and his firm grip kept her in place. He entered her with two fingers and she whimpered, speaking his name. Her pussy felt wet, hot, and pulsed against his invasion. He could scent her lust, her desire, as sure as could the rest of the house. She arched against him, seeking more, and he complied. Massaging her clit with his thumb, he thrust into her with his fingers over and over, mimicking the sex act. The desperate sounds she made, the way she gripped his shoulders and tugged at his long hair, forced his fangs to the surface.

Her breathing came in shallow gasps as he continued to pleasure her. She seemed incapable of speech, but nodded an invitation to him, somehow aware that he needed to bite her. An invitation he didn’t need, but was glad to receive nonetheless. Without removing his fingers from her depths, he leaned in low and bit her neck. She thrashed about as he pinned her firmly to the wall.

“Javen, I can’t wait. Please.”

He didn’t remove his fangs. He barely took any of her blood, but reveled in the feel of her, the taste, and the connection. She needed him though, needed him to fill her, no more playing. He didn’t disagree.

Gripping her backside, he hoisted her up high and she immediately wrapped her legs tightly around his hips. The water continued to flow across Javen’s back, the steam rising around them.

* * * *

Emma bucked wildly against Javen, not able to think of anything but his huge, hard cock entering her. He was built for pleasure. She needed him, ached, was ready to beg if she had to. He took his time, biting her neck and kissing her. She loved his kiss, but he brought her to the brink with his fingers and she needed release that only he could grant her.

“Javen,” she moaned into his mouth.

“What do you want? Tell me.”

What was he doing to her? This was agony. If she could force herself on him, she would, but he held her against the tiles. “You know what I want.” She squirmed, so close to orgasm, just hovering in the plane of sweet torture.

He drew patterns down her neck with his tongue, and he nuzzled her ear, his breath hot and erotic. “Tell me.”

“I want you inside me, not your fingers, your cock.”

He kissed her now, deeply. Adjusting his grip on her, he teased her swollen center with his dick, but didn’t enter her.

“Javen!” she squealed. Her frustration bubbled up, but before she could act, he took her, plunging into her core, filling her until all of him embedded deep inside her pussy. She moaned in relief, singing his name over and over as he thrust into her.

“Harder!” she cried.