Free Night's Surrender by Amanda Ashley

murmured, “you tempt me almost beyond reason.”
    â€œDo I?”
    â€œYou are so incredibly lovely. And you smell so damn sweet.” Lifting a lock of her hair, he let it sift through his fingers. “Your hair is like silk.” His knuckles brushed her cheek. “Your skin is soft and smooth.” His gaze moved over her, lingering on her breasts, her narrow waist, the flare of her hips. “Do you have any idea how much I want you?”
    Incapable of speech when he was looking at her like that, as if he were a starving man and she his next meal, she could only stand there, mute. Waiting.
    â€œTell me what you want, Abbey.”
    She curled her hands into fists to keep from reaching for him. “I want you, but . . .”
    â€œGo on.”
    â€œHow do I know what I’m feeling for you is real? My Mom told me vampires have an innate allure that’s hard for mortals to resist. How do I know you’re not manipulating me in some way? Making me feel something that doesn’t really exist?”
    Nick blew out a breath. Damn, how was he supposed to answer that?
    â€œNick?”
    â€œIt’s true,” he admitted. “I have the power to compel you to do whatever I want. I also have the power to attract you. It’s part of being a predator. But I’ve never compelled you or used any preternatural power to attract you. Whatever you feel for me is real.”
    â€œI want to believe that, but we hardly know each other. It doesn’t seem possible that I could care for you so quickly.”
    â€œHaven’t you ever heard of love at first sight?”
    â€œOf course.” Hadn’t she admitted as much to her father? “But I don’t want to end up like my mother.”
    Taking her by the hand, Nick led her to the small wooden table in the corner. He held out a chair for her and when she was seated, he took the other one. “Tell me about her.”
    â€œHer father was fascinated with magic when she was growing up, and with one magician in particular. That magician happened to be my dad. She saw him several times through the years as she was growing up. And even though he used a lot of different names, she always recognized him. Eventually, she became a reporter, and being the curious type, she was determined to find out why he never aged. She started waiting for him outside his dressing room. One night, she finally met him and the rest, as they say, is history. When I turned eighteen, my dad turned my mom.”
    Abbey paused. “I always thought my mom liked being a vampire, but we had a talk the other day and it seems she’s not as happy about it as I thought.”
    â€œBeing a vampire isn’t for everyone,” Nick remarked. “I take it you’ve given it a lot of thought.”
    â€œWhat do you think? I grew up surrounded by them. My mom was always warning me that I couldn’t tell anyone the truth, plus she was very protective of me. I had to come straight home from school. I wasn’t allowed to spend the night at my friends’ houses. I know she worried about me, always afraid that I’d say something I shouldn’t, or that some hunter would find out who I was and use me to get at my dad.”
    Abbey sat back in the chair, hands tightly folded on the table. “Sometimes I think I should ask my dad to turn me, but then I think of all I’d be giving up, and . . .” She blew out a sigh. “Once it’s done, it’s done.”
    â€œI don’t imagine it’s an easy decision for anyone who’s given the choice.”
    â€œWhat made you decide to become a vampire?”
    â€œI didn’t.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Someone decided for me.”
    â€œWould you undo it, if you could?”
    He nodded. “In a heartbeat.”
    â€œI always wished I could have all the preternatural perks—without actually becoming a vampire. I mean, it would be great, being