Page 13 of Every Bite You Take (Midnight Siren Supernatural Cruises #1)

CHAPTER 13

KYLIE

D amien and I made our way across the crowded deck, surrounded by chatter and laughter as other passengers sought entertainment. We started at a game show, breaking off into teams where we had to participate in silly challenges like transferring a balloon from one person to another without using our hands. After the show, we cut through the casino and were surrounded by the clinking sound of slot machines and flashing lights. Although neither of us gambled much, we played a few games.

Several minutes later, I turned to him. “I’m done here. I seem to be on a losing streak. How about you?”

His eyes darkened, turning smoldering. “I might be losing at the games but most definitely won tonight.” His gaze raked down my body and back up. When they met my eyes once more, he flashed a naughty smile, one that drew heat to my cheeks.

He moaned. “Don’t do that, Kylie.”

“Do what?”

“Blush.” He stepped closer, wrapped an arm around my waist, and moved in to nuzzle my neck. “You don’t know what it does to me.”

The brush of his lips on my skin sent a delicious shiver through me, reminding me of the night before in his room. Damn, that had been incredibly hot, putting any other encounters before him to shame. What surprised me most was how his fangs and the wild, hungry gleam in his eyes turned me on. His hunger for me. Through my wariness, a part of me wondered what if?

“Not here, rock star,” I said in a breathy voice as I pulled away. “Or else this will turn R-rated very quickly.”

“I was hoping for X,” he murmured in a husky tone.

I smiled. “Later.” I tipped my head. “Let’s move on.”

Our next stop was the Celestial Lounge on a higher deck. We ordered drinks and listened to a woman sing as the piano played “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Older couples in fancy dresses and suits danced.

Damien offered his hand. “Come on, let’s dance.”

He pulled me into his arms, and his heat, his scent, immediately enveloped me. He wove us around others, and I lost myself in our little bubble. Being so close to him, feeling him, sent my senses into a frenzy.

He bent closer to my ear and said, “I’ve never met anyone like you, Kylie.” His voice was low and barely audible.

Tingles of excitement spread through me, making it hard not to fall deeper.

“Someone who gets freaked out by blood,” I joked, a light attempt to keep the moment light to offset the increased pounding of my heart. The voice inside me that warned not to get too close to someone who would soon be part of my past piped up, but it wasn’t as vocal as before and far less convincing.

He chuckled, a low rumble that did things to me. “No. Someone who…” He paused, as if searching for the right word, “…makes me feel alive, in a way I haven’t in such a long time.”

Damn, he was good, finding a way to bulldoze through my walls.

“You are one smooth vampire.” I tipped my head and smiled. “Throw in the rock star appeal? Who can resist?” Would it be so terrible if I just threw myself into whatever this was between us for a few more nights?

A voice whispered yes—it was foolish to think of whatever was building as anything other than a vacation fling. As long as we focused on that, no one would get hurt, right?

“It’s not an act,” he said, glancing down and fixing his intense eyes on me.

My words vanished. My mouth felt parched. I swallowed. I didn’t know what to think, but I knew what I wanted at that moment. Reaching up to my tiptoes, I whispered in his ear, “Let’s get out of here.”

A throaty growl rolled out of him.

“Yesss,” he murmured.

As he steered us out of the lounge, he moved with vampire speed.

I chuckled. “Human pace, please.”

He paused. “Sorry, got a little excited.”

“Good.” I smiled at him. “Me too.”

He held my hand as we descended the staircase at a more reasonable pace while my pulse raced with anticipation.