Broken Heart 05 Over My Dead Body by Michele Bardsley Page A

swept inside and joined mine. He tasted like peppermint. And faintly of coffee. (I missed coffee so much, darn it!) His tongue dueled with mine (because love is a battlefield). He was tender but relentless, and oh, so good at this kissing thing.
    He thrilled me all the way to my toes. I felt like I was having my own personal earthquake.
    He drew away, a centimeter or two, took a breath, went in again. Every nerve ending in my body tingled. My nipples hardened and poked into Brady’s broad chest.
    He noticed.
    Brady groaned, drawing away yet again, his breathing harsh, his lips wet and swollen, his eyes glazed. I imagined I looked the same way. I sure felt like I’d been set on fire from the inside out.
    His heartbeat was frantic, his muscles tensed. And I think his erection had gotten bigger. Hoo, boy. Even if we could have sex, I wasn’t sure I could ride that monster.
    Yowzer.
    “We better stop,” I said. “I need a cold shower as it is.”
    He grinned, man pride etched all over his face. “Me, too.” He loosened his hold enough for me to step off his boots. He didn’t let go of my waist.
    “What’s it gonna be, Simone?” he asked. “Will you give us a chance?”

Broken Heart 5 - Over My Dead Body

Chapter 10
    Sunday, June 16
    From the moment I awoke, Brady’s questions circled my thoughts. What’s it gonna be, Simone? Will you give us a chance?
    I’d said yes. Was it a lie? A hope? An actual beginning? I didn’t know. But I felt lighthearted. And dare I say . . . happy? Yeah. Happy.
    Even though daylight savings time meant that the sun didn’t set until eight or so, I usually popped awake by seven p.m. My vampire self recognized night as night even though the sun didn’t do us the courtesy of going away for another hour. I couldn’t go outside until it did. And we’d made sure all the windows were covered with thick curtains. Gran lived in the dark, anyway, and Glory didn’t seem to mind the adjustments we’d had to make. She understood I was different now. I wish I’d been able to accept all the changes as easily as she seemed to have.
    When I entered the kitchen, Flet was sitting on Glory’s shoulder and watching her scratch a brown crayon across a page in her SpongeBob Squarepants coloring book. Glory was very precise, using only the colors that matched the characters on the cartoon itself and always staying within the lines.
    To my surprise, Flet had taken instantly to Glory and she to him. He didn’t seem to care that she didn’t talk; in fact, he probably enjoyed having the full run of the conversation.
    A bear-shaped honey bottle and plate drizzled with its sticky goodness sat on the table. Flet shot over to the plate, shoved a handful into his mouth, then zoom, back onto Glory’s shoulder.
    I leaned down and kissed my daughter’s head. “G’morning, sweetheart.”
    She looked up at me and smiled.
    “Hello, Flet,” I said.
    “ ’Tis evening, you know,” he said in response. “You vampires sleep far too much. And pixies are day creatures. I can’t live a life in the dark. I need the sun, for the love of Brigid!”
    Glory looked at her new friend and put a finger to her lips. Flet shut up. Well, I’ll be damned.
    They returned their attention to coloring. I joined Gran at the stove. She’d already started dinner preparations. Rick would be here soon, so I could get my pint. I’d enticed him into the Sunday arrangement by loading up some GladWare with Gran’s cooking.
    Man, oh, man, I wanted to swipe a finger through those mashed potatoes. The roast beef was in the oven, stuffed into a plastic bag with onions, carrots, celery, and spices. The smell of cooking meat drove me crazy. It seemed cruel that being a vampire took away your ability to eat, but not your desire for food.
    Being blind hadn’t slowed Gran down, not even in the kitchen. She’d figured out everything she needed to know to put together meals, and off she went. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and kissed