Born in Chains (Men in Chains) by Caris Roane Page B

change that vampires killed them.”
    “No. It doesn’t.”
    “Why are you staring at me?”
    “I’m trying to understand you, that’s all.”
    She shrugged and cut a chunk of cheese, sliding it onto her tongue from the back of her knife. “What’s the plan from here? I’m not sure I’d trust Rumy again, if I were you.”
    “He wouldn’t have known what Hardesty was up to, but a casino in Arizona?”
    “Your world seems hell-bent on exposing itself to my world. And it sure doesn’t seem to like you very much.”
    “No, not much, at least not the parts intent on illegal and reprehensible transactions.”
    She snorted.
    “Oh, that’s right. We’re vampires, so there can’t be anything decent about my world.”
    “Pretty much.”
    “What do you base that on?”
    “Oh, let’s see. Your pal Daniel, who’s been selling off property that belongs to your kind, Hardesty is a real peach, and you’ve already said that Rumy knows every slimy element to be found between Italy and Shanghai and all the way to New York. I have yet to meet a vampire I could admire. Then there’s you, happily demanding my blood like it belongs to you, but that’s a quality I’ve come to expect from your kind: Take, then maybe ask questions later.”
    He cut another slab of cheese, planted it on more sourdough, and shoved it in his mouth. After chewing and swallowing he said, “You screamed a few times, if I remember, and you weren’t exactly in pain.”
    She offered a half smile as she said, “Just like a man to make a big deal about his cock when he hasn’t got much else to offer.”
    He rounded the bar and before she knew what he meant to do, he’d hauled her off her seat and pulled her against him. She tried to push out of his arms, but he was too damn strong. He started sucking on her neck and grinding his hips into her.
    Damn the vampire!
    The chain vibrated heavily against her throat. She could feel his desire like flames against her skin, and his lust ignited her own. But she struggled against all the sensations—of her incomprehensible desire for him, her lust, her need, which seemed to be multiplying as each hour met the next.
    When he kissed her, she bit his lower lip, drawing blood.
    He drew back, but his eyes had darkened and instead of releasing her, he settled in on her neck again, suckling and plucking, licking along her vein.
    At some point her hands stopped pushing at him and instead her fingers kneaded the flesh of his arms, tugging at his biceps that flexed at her touch. He plastered himself against her, his hips undulating slowly. Her breathing grew shallow and her eyes closed; maybe they rolled back in her head.
    When he kissed her this time, she let him, despite the blood on his lips.
    His tongue dove deep as he rocked his pelvis against hers, the hard length of his cock rolling over her flesh, working her into a frenzy. Her moans filled the air.
    She hated him, but she wanted him desperately.
    She was about to suggest they return to the bedroom when he let her go. She fell back, almost making it onto the stool, but because her limbs had loosened she slid off and fell to the floor, landing on her butt.
    She sat there, looking up at him.
    He lifted a harsh eyebrow. “And sometimes, human, a cock is the only thing a woman wants.”
    He rounded the bar. As she rose to her feet, she watched him slap another slab of cheese on yet another slice of bread and stuff the whole thing in his big fat mouth.
    Damn vampire.
    *   *   *
    Adrien washed up the plates, packed up the fruit, cheese, and bread, all while Lily sat on her stool and glared at him.
    He ignored her. He hoped he’d made his point that for all her complaints about his kind, she wanted him.
    The trouble was, he ran hot for her as well, hotter than made any logical sense despite the blood-chains they shared. If she glared, he responded in kind, because the last thing he wanted was to desire his captor.
    The chains, essentially, had become a