Page 14 of Kentucky Nights (Dead Man’s Ranch #1)

She tests every ounce of my self-control.

I have a fire building inside me, crackling with furious rage as it becomes hotter.

I cage her in with my arms, each hand gripping the edge of the tailgate on either side of her legs.

The metal crunches in my grasp, leaving indentations of my fingers and palm.

I’m fighting every urge not to steal her lips in a heated kiss. If I do, I’m not sure I’ll be able to control myself any longer. I’m afraid of what I’ll do. I’ll want to bite and feed off her blood.

I know the moment I taste the sweet nectar, I won’t be able to stop. I’ll want more. I’ll want her to clutch onto me while sliding my cock deep inside her, pumping into her in tandem with every long drag I take from her vein.

What would her blood taste like during an orgasm? Would she beg for more? Would she like it if I fed from her?

I can’t believe I’m entertaining the idea of having her in the way I’m dying for, but if I don’t allow myself to indulge for even just a second, I might lose my mind.

With nervous, trembling fingers, I dare to risk any progress we have made to touch her legs.

I wish I could feel the softness of her skin, but the material of the sweatpants she is wearing stops me.

The barrier only makes me hungrier. We both inhale from the electric shock pulsating between us, the gravity of Fate pushing us together.

My head becomes dizzy with need. I can no longer hide my want. My cock is hard and aching beneath my jeans, the ridge pressing against her leg. I know she can feel it. Whether she realizes it or not, she presses herself harder against me.

I hang my head, closing my eyes to hide my nature. This isn’t fair to Dru. She shouldn’t be fated to me, not after what she has been through. All I can do is prove I’m not like him. I’m not a vampire who loses control. As long as I can do that, I might be able to earn her love.

I might be able to get her to stay.

Our breaths become heavier the more we deny the inevitable.

The space between us sparks as we fight the gravity pulling us together.

I can’t resist. My palms drift up, traveling to her arms, goosebumps pebbling her flesh.

What a gift to know she reacts to me in such a way, even though it goes against everything her mind is telling her.

I lift my head, allowing her to see the real me, the one who’s constantly hungry for her.

It’s only been one day. One day of having my fated mate near me, and it’s like a million fireflies lighting up my soul.

I’m nervous, excited, and I wouldn’t be the kind of man I aim to be if I didn’t admit I’m also afraid.

I’m afraid of what this love means for me. How it changes everything I’ve had planned. How I want it to change everything I’ve had planned. How I can’t even see my future without her being the center of it. This had to be what Lorcan meant by going mad. I don’t know if I can take this for a week.

I want Dru bound to me. I want her claimed with my mark. I want her blood in my veins, giving me life.

Her palm rests on my cheek, her eyes darting across my face to try to make sense of what is happening. Her heart rate increases, the beat becoming faster as I lean in a slow, careful motion.

“Kentucky,” she whispers my name in uncertainty.

And that’s when I smell it again. Underneath all the lust, there’s a small bitter twinge of fear.

Closing my eyes to regain some self-control, I push away from my beloved to get some needed space.

I can’t look at her. If I do, I’ll break.

I’ll throw caution to the wind and kiss her the way she deserves.

Long, slow, and deep with hints of tongue.

The kind of kisses that last all day and leave their mark.

Anyone would be able to tell what we were up to by our swollen lips because we wouldn’t be able to get enough of one another.

The scent of her being afraid of me hurts more than any challenge this world has given me. It hurts more than Audrey’s betrayal and even more than Daphne’s death. I’m not sure what kind of man that makes me admitting that, but this is my fated mate, someone meant for me.

“Kentucky, I?—”

I lift my hand to stop her. “—It’s okay, Darlin’.

The last thing I want when I kiss you is for you to be afraid.

” I inhale a deep breath, gaining control of my body.

The red tint fades from my vision, and my fangs sheath themselves.

Even my claws retract. “But make no mistake, Dru. It isn’t if I kiss you, but when . ”

“When do you think that will be?”

I hope in less than a week. The truth is on the tip of my tongue, wanting to break free, but I swallow it. I don’t want her to kiss me because she feels doomed. I want her to come to me because she wants to feel me against her. That will mean more than the seven-day timeline ever will.

“I can’t believe you almost kissed her in front of me. Yuck.”

I cut my eyes to Romeo, who is staring daggers at me. “Mind your business.”

“I couldn’t if I tried since you’re in the barn.”

“I don’t have time for your attitude right now, Romeo.”

Romeo huffs, stomping his left hoof onto the ground as he begrudgingly accepts the harsh tone of my voice.

“I should go.”

I spin on my heels, watching as she slides off the tailgate. Even in clothes that are three times her size and with the wariness of her expression, she’s breathtakingly beautiful.

Even when she fears me.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” I bring my fist to cover my mouth as I clear my throat. “Go rest. I won’t be in until later. I still have a lot of work to do.”

She nods, opening her mouth to say something, then decides against it.

“Dru?” I stop her before she leaves.

“Kentucky?”

I take her hand in mine, wrapping my fingers around her hers to pull her knuckles to my lips, and kiss them softly. “Have a pleasant evening.”

Her smile threatens her lips, suddenly a bit shy. “I hope you do too, Kentucky.”

Against every urge and want piling inside me, she takes her hand away, her fingers slipping away from me.

Turning around, she bends down to pick up the umbrella. The rain is unforgiving at this point, coming down in punishing bullets. Lifting the black canopy above her, Dru walks out of the barn into the storm.

Lightning sparks across the sky, and she jumps from the loud, audible crack.

“Come on, Darlin’. Turn around for me, let me have a little hope,” I mumble to myself, never taking my eyes off her. “Come on, come on,” I beg the universe.

I’ve never asked for anything from this world other than to leave me alone to die, but now, I’m desperate like a drought thirsting for water.

As if I’ve summoned hope itself, Dru stops, her shoes becoming ruined with mud. The rain beats against the umbrella, mimicking a drum that fills the silence between us.

She peers over her shoulder, her brows furrowing together in thought. That hazel gaze graces me while she nibbles on her bottom lip.

“You’re going to let her go?” Romeo asks.

“I have to,” I reply, wincing in pain as if she’s slapped me across the face when she removes me from her sight to continue towards the house.

“Go get her!” Romeo nudges his nose against my shoulder, shoving his vampiric strength into my shoulder, and it sends me forward.

“I can’t,” I snarl. “She’s afraid of me. I won’t kiss her knowing that. She’d be kissing me because she’d have to because she felt coerced.”

“Or maybe you’d show her there is no reason to fear her fated mate,” he says.

“Life ain’t a romantic comedy, Romeo. It doesn’t work that way.”

“How would you know? You’ve never tried.”

“Maybe tomorrow.”

“There are good vampires and bad ones. It’s the same for humans. There are ones with morals and ethics, and then there are ones that thrive off pain and fear. You are still a man, Kentucky. A vampire, yes, but a good man. They are one and the same.”

I give Romeo a pat on the side of the neck with a forced, tight-lipped grin. “Thanks. I appreciate that, but it’s only been a day. She deserves her space. She deserves to make the choice to come to me after what she has been through.”

“Don’t let her leave or you’ll be signing your death certificate.”

“This isn’t about me, Romeo. It’s about her and if she’d rather die than be with me, then I need to respect that.”

He shoves me again. “How would she know those are her options when you haven’t even told her?”

Guilt settles in my gut. I know he’s right. I need to be forthcoming, but that’s hard to do when dealing with a human mate, especially one who was kidnapped and tortured by someone who is a vampire.

Somehow, I need Dru to fall in love with me in seven days and decide this is the life she wants. Forcing her to accept me won’t do either of us any good.

“Don’t be so complacent or accepting of this situation. Are you still hoping to die? Is that why you aren’t running after her in the rain? I hear that’s romantic.”

“What do you know about romance?”

“Enough to know that Dru isn’t the only one with fears they are holding onto.”

I cock a brow at my horse. “You’re sounding more like my therapist. I don’t need you giving me life lessons.”

“Apparently, you do, considering you don’t know what you’re doing with your extended life. You’re waiting to wither away when a chance of happiness is knocking at your door.”

“Don’t make me use silver on your shoes,” I mutter.

I want to clarify that I would never do that. I only like to give him a hard time.

He exhales through his nose. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Alright, jokes aside, it’s time for a trim. Give me your leg.”

“No.”

I sigh, a throb building in my temples from annoyance and hunger for Dru’s blood. I have to push that aside. Her blood is something I might not ever have the pleasure of tasting, and the sooner I wrap my head around that, the better off I’ll be.