STORY EXCERPT

Harley was aggravated as hell. It had been days since he’d seen Lester and it didn’t look like he was going to get a break anytime soon. The weather was warm, and the Manacle was packed. There was a mile-long line of people waiting to get into the club.

When a human male exited the club, Harley lifted his hand to scrub the man’s mind of any knowledge the guy might have of vampires. But instead of waving his hand over the human’s head, Harley accidentally smacked the guy in the forehead.

“What the hell?” the guy asked as he rubbed his head.

Harley shrugged. “My bad.” He lifted his hand again and was successful this time. Harley just wasn’t here. His mind was on Lester and what the human was doing right now.

“If you have pent-up aggression,” Christo said as he joined Harley outside. “You can always go to one of the back rooms.”

Harley knew why Christo was out here. With things still on edge in the paranormal world, everyone watched their surroundings. After Dante’s coven had been wiped out, no one was willing to take any chances. The demon realm had somewhat settled back into the norm once Panahasi returned, and Brac Village was no longer flooded with Vampire Hunters. But the air around them still whispered of chaos, and Harley’s coven was being extra cautious.

“I’m cool,” Harley replied. “It was just a slip of the hand.”

Christo leaned against the brick wall. “He probably deserved it anyway. Most of the people who come here are twisted fucks.”

“What does that say about us?” Harley waved a hand, allowing the next two people to enter the club.

“We’re not one of them.” Christo nodded toward the line waiting to get in. “Our tastes have always run a little on the strange side.”

Harley rolled his eyes. “That’s putting it mildly.”

Standing there looking over the crowd, Harley nearly swallowed his tongue when he spotted Lester in line. What was the human doing here? Harley wasn’t sure how Lester even knew where to find him, but he was happy as hell to see the guy.

Harley crooked his finger at Lester.

To his amusement, Lester glanced around at the people in line with him, as if Harley could possibly be gesturing to anyone else. God, the man was too adorable. Harley shoved his finger at Lester and then pointed to the ground in front of him.

Lester shoved a finger into his own chest, as if asking, “Who? Me?” Harley rolled his eyes and then walked down the line, grabbing Lester under his arms and hoisting him over the red velvet rope. The human wasn’t light, but wasn’t heavy enough to where Harley struggled.

Once on his feet, Lester turned, gazing up at Harley with those stunning green eyes. “Hi.”

“Hello to you, too, handsome.” Harley grabbed Lester’s hand and pulled him toward the door.

“Hey, what about me?” someone yelled from down the line.

Harley turned and growled. “You’re not the hottest guy in line.”

The man’s face soured. “And he is?”

Harley pinned the man with a hard glare before turning and walking away.

Lester kept pace, his head bobbing around, his eyes everywhere. If Harley had to guess, the man had never been to a club a day in his life. Lester was in for a wide awakening when it came to the Manacle. Harley was just going to have to watch his mate. There were too many risky situations the human could get into.

Like wandering back toward the BDSM rooms and finding a game of adficio venatus taking place. Harley would kill anyone who played the draining game with Lester.

“Is it okay that I’m here?” Lester asked. “I know you’re at work, and I don’t mean to—”

“It’s all good.” Harley stopped at the door and maneuvered Lester until his mate was standing at his side. He lifted his hand, scrubbing the next person who vacated the club.

“Why’d you do that?” Lester asked.

Harley wanted to tell his mate that he was a vampire, but not while they were outside the club with so many ears around them. “It’s an Italian thing.”

“Oh.” Lester nodded. The next time someone left the club, Lester lifted his hand and said, “Salute.”

Harley burst out laughing as he scrubbed the partyer’s mind. The guy was too comical. He didn’t correct Lester. Why should he? The man looked like he was having too much fun.

“Salute,” Lester said to the next guy who exited the club.

The partyer turned to Lester and glared. “Screw you, too.”

Harley had the man by his throat in seconds, shaking his scrawny ass. “Apologize or I give you an extra hole to breathe out of.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Lester let the water run over his body as he closed his eyes, trying to push the images from his mind. He’d nearly died, yet all he could think about was where Harley was at this moment.

What if the man was hurt or in serious danger? He couldn’t bear the tension that had his muscles drawn tight. The only thing Lester wanted was for Harley to come back to him. He felt a bond with the man unlike any Lester had ever experienced before. The closeness of their connection sang deep into his bones. Lester hugged himself. Part of him feared for Harley’s safety, but the other half was smiling with joy at how much he’d fallen in love with the guy.

But Lester was also ticked. Harley could have died rescuing him. Though Lester didn’t want to die, it had been a foolish move—one that he would forever be thankful for.

He was just messed up in the head. Lester didn’t know whether to be angry or happy. Was this what being in love was like? His emotions were all over the place.

The curtain slid back and Harley eyed Lester from head to toe. “What a pleasant surprise to come back to.”

Lester felt as if he were dreaming. This couldn’t be real. Harley was standing there fully naked, his cock erect and looking so inviting that Lester could only stand there and hold his breath.

Harley stepped into the shower and grabbed Lester’s chin between his fingers, tilting it back before Lester melted under the liquid fire of Harley’s mouth. He was breathing harder now, his cheeks flushed as he shook in Harley’s embrace.

“I love when you breathe out,” Harley said.

That was a very odd thing to say. “Why?” Lester asked, their lips still a mere whisper apart.

“So I can breathe you in,” Harley answered as he leaned his head to the side, sealing their lips together, deeply inhaling at the same time. Lester bucked, his body bowing as Harley’s hands trailed over his wet torso. He was hungry for Harley’s touch, craved it like his next breath.

When Harley began to kiss lower and lower, his lips touching Lester’s neck, chest, abdomen, Lester’s knees began to shake. “I love every part of you,” Harley said before placing another kiss on Lester’s navel. “I’m going to have you begging to be fucked by the time I’m done with you.”

Weakness flooded Lester, taking his breath, his senses, and turning them into one hard ache. The threat made his cock grow thicker and his pulse race harder. He had no doubt that Harley would follow through on his promise. The fingers of one hand trailed around Lester’s thigh, then slid slowly, so slowly, with destructive results, over his balls to wrap around his cock.

“Harley,” Lester breathed, his fingers sliding to Harley’s hair as Harley’s head dipped to Lester’s stomach again. Harley’s hands stroked over Lester’s rear, between the crease, and teased the flesh there as he worked his tongue over the head of Lester’s cock, circled the tiny slit, and sucked at it erotically, stealing Lester’s mind.

He was in an agony of sensation now. Harley’s hands were silken heat, his nails rasping, his mouth… Sweet heaven, his mouth was like ecstatic fire licking over Lester’s flesh.

He couldn’t allow Harley to steal his mind. Not yet. Lester needed to stroke the man, touch him. He needed to pour his fear of dying, of losing Harley, into every touch. Then Lester wanted Harley to take him as he had dreamed of being taken. Riding them both into ecstasy.

Before Harley could stop him, not that the man tried hard, Lester swung away, lifting himself from the man’s lips despite Harley’s growl of displeasure and Lester’s own aching regret.

“The bed,” he said as he hurried out of the shower. Lester stood there and stared at Harley’s body, and he was strung tight with the most incredible pleasure. “The bed,” he repeated, reminding himself of why he was leaving the shower and Harley’s sensual touches.

Harley cut the water off and followed. Lester waved for the man to get into bed. Taking a fortifying breath, Lester climbed between the man’s legs. He’d only done this once before and wasn’t even sure he had done it right the first time. He sucked greedily at Harley’s cockhead. His hands stroked the shaft of his lover’s erection and Harley’s balls as they drew up tight at their base.

Lester lost himself in each touch, in each taste of Harley’s hard body. As though he had been born for this, to belong to his vampire. Drawing back, he licked the hard crest one last time before allowing tongue to taste the thick shaft.

Heated iron met his lips, silken heat stretched tight. Heavy veins throbbed with anticipation just beneath the flesh, and with each lick, Lester swore Harley’s cock grew stiffer, pulsed harder.

“You’re killing me.” Harley’s voice was gravelly, thick and rasping as Lester kissed the base then licked the tightly drawn sac below.

Harley flinched, jerked, and moaned hard and low. When Lester opened his eyes, he saw the grimace of pleasure, the raw lust that transformed Harley’s face.

“Suck it deeper.” Harley’s voice was dark, his hands moving, edging lower along Lester’s body. “Suck it harder.”