Page 3

My concerns dissipated, and I relaxed, lowering my arms. Of course, he wouldn’t hurt me. The undead cherished living vampires. Why was I getting so worked up?

The immortal’s gaze raked over my face, then dropped lower, to my neck, where his eyes lingered. “You are exquisite,” he murmured, dragging his stare up to my eyes. He brought his hand up to his mouth and slipped his thumb between his lush lips and sharp teeth. When he pulled his thumb out again, crimson blood beaded and welled on the pad.

I licked my lips, my salivary glands tingling as I fixated on that ruby droplet. Immortal blood. It called to me, clouding my mind further, and tunneling my focus. All of existence centered on that droplet of blood. Of life from the undead.

The vampire moved closer, blocking me in between the paper towel dispenser and wall, but I no longer had any desire to run. I had no clue why I had ever felt the need to flee. I couldn’t look away from the stranger’s blood.

“Open for me,” he said, his other hand settling on the curve of my waist.

I whimpered, my lips parting. Never in my life had I wanted to do anything more than I wanted—no,needed—to obey this man. Thisimmortal. I had no idea who he was or how he had found me. I didn’t care.

His hand slid behind my back, and the front of our bodies pressed together as he raised his bleeding thumb to my mouth. He slid the pad of his thumb along my bottom lip, coating it in his blood.

My tongue darted out involuntarily, and the instant the tip made contact with his blood, I let out a low, throaty groan. My eyes drifted shut and the flavor of him exploded across my tongue, making me see stars against the backs of my eyelids. Ihad never tasted anything so rich, so decadent, so delicious. So oddly familiar. My hands flew up, gripping the stranger’s wrist, and with no further coaxing, I sucked his thumb into my mouth.

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Good girl.”

Every nerve ending in my body lit up. Every synapse in my brain fired. I felt like I had been sleepwalking through life for years, but I was finally—finally—awake.

Too soon, the flow of blood from the vampire’s thumb waned. I sucked harder, wanting more.

“That’s enough for now,” he said, pulling his hand away from my mouth.

Eyes squeezed shut, I still clutched his wrist in a tight grip, my chest rising and falling with each heaving breath. “More, please,” I begged, licking my lips. I couldn’t open my eyes. Couldn’t look at him. I was too embarrassed by the all-encompassing need I felt, not just for his blood, but forhim.

The stranger leaned in until our breaths mingled. “Not yet,” he said, his whispered words a caress. A promise.

His hand slid over my hip, his fingers dipping into the front pocket of my jeans. His lips brushed against mine, and the gentle kiss sent a jolt of pleasure straight to my core. It wound tighter and tighter within me, blossoming into a needy ache. I squeezed my thighs together, seeking to relieve the mounting tension, and groaned, practically panting.

“The first taste can elicit an intense response,” the stranger said, then purred against my mouth. “Go ahead. Touch yourself.”

I shoved my hand into the front of my jeans so fast and hard that the friction burned the skin on the back of my hand, butoh my god,I didn’t care because release came the instant my fingertip made contact with my aching clit. I gasped, pressing my fingers into the wetness drenching my sex. My toes curled,and I closed my eyes as I rode an unexpectedly violent wave of ecstasy.

The climax seemed to stretch on for an eternity. As it faded, I released a shaky breath and enjoyed the waning pulses of pleasure. When I opened my eyes again, I was alone.

I dazedly peered around the restroom, looking for . . .

Hadsomeone else been here?

How had I ended up in the restroom, and why was my hand stuffed down the front of my pants?

Brow furrowing, I shook my head and pulled my hand free. I pushed away from the wall and moved to the sink to wash my hands. I couldn’t recall coming into the restroom. I glanced at the stalls. I must have just come out of one, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember.

While I lathered the soap, I looked at myself in the mirror over the sink, my focus immediately drawn to the brown liquor staining the front of my white blouse. The spilled drink. I had come in here to clean up. Right. Duh.

I grabbed a handful of paper towels from the dispenser and turned on the faucet to wet them. Staring at my reflection, I dabbed the stain on my shirt. “This is hopeless,” I muttered, raising my eyes to meet my reflection’s gaze.

I froze, pleasantly surprised by what I saw. My eyes appeared brighter than usual, closer to blue than gray, and my lips and cheeks were unexpectedly rosy. I felt like I was staring ten years into the past, to a time when I had enough of Javier’s blood tincture to take it every other day. I smiled at my reflection, thinking maybe Lily was right and getting out and around peoplewasgood for me.

I looked down at my shirt and sighed, giving up on removing the stain. It was a lost cause. I glanced back up at my face. But maybeIwasn’t.

2

Ipulled the bathroomdoor open, still feeling slightly dazed, and almost ran headlong into Bastian.

“Oh!” I stopped so suddenly that the door smacked into my backside as it swung shut. “Hey,” I said, stepping forward to let the door close all the way. “Do you need to—” I pointed over my shoulder with my thumb and sidestepped awkwardly, feeling like a complete idiot. It was the ladies’ restroom, after all.

“No,” Bastian said, his brows drawing together as he studied my face. “I came up here to check on you. I thought I saw—” He shook his head slightly. “Are you all right?”