Free Games Demons Play (Mystic Isle, Book 3) by Selena Blake

tightened her grip on the collar of his
shirt, feeling completely unbalanced. After she’d settled into the
life of a vampire, she’d forced herself to meet a man and end up in
his bed. Facing the fear had been the best medicine and the
handsome vampire had helped erase some of the pain. After that, sex
had been fun and recreational.
    This felt like something more. Like she could
forget to keep her heart locked away. Like he could make her want
more than a night or two.
    Her body’s reaction to him was off the
charts… sensitive, hyperaware, and wet. Very wet.
    It was a good thing he tightened his grip on
her because she was quickly becoming a melty pile of vamp. While
she normally didn’t mind if a man could make her forget time and
place, longed for it even, something told her to keep her wits
about her. Shade wasn’t her average lover. And she needed to be on
top of her game for the tournament.
    But knowing what was best and being able to
tell him to stop were two very different things. She didn’t want to
stop. Not one little bit.
    His grip loosened on her chin and slid down
her jaw. Fingers spearing into her hair, he trailed his thumb over
her cheek. Her breathing became shallow and slow.
    “Izzy…”
    She licked her lips and he groaned. If she
was smart she would back away from him now. He was a complication
she did not have time for. But oh, how she wanted to make the time.
Needed to feel the urgency in his kiss.
    For the first time she understood what Coco
had meant when she expressed how drawn to Grayson she was. How much
she’d needed to see where things went. How complete he made her
feel.
    Unlike Coco and Grayson, who met a century
ago on a battlefield, she’d known Shade a day or two. But that did
not alter how drawn to him she was. And she had never felt this way
with anyone else, demon, vamp, or human.
    She’d closed her eyes and shook her head,
unable to say the word he wanted to hear. She did not want to stop.
Not now.
     
    Shade couldn’t stop thinking that she didn’t
know what she was getting herself into. And he felt guilty for
getting her hopes up. Guilty and… pleased that as long as she was
here for the tournament, he could have her to himself. Luc was
right. He was a bastard.
    She was so small in his arms. Petite and
feminine, her curves fitting against him like cheese melted over a
hamburger. And cold. He relished that. Again he found himself
thinking that she was the perfect foil for him. Small to his large.
Cold to his hot. Sweet to his savory.
    Tell me to stop, sweetheart. Just say the
word. Give me the strength I can’t find on my own.
    But she didn’t utter a word. Didn’t do
anything more than breathe. Shade groaned. She was sexy even as she
sucked air into her lungs. Perhaps that was the problem. Maybe she
was stealing every last bit of the oxygen from the room. That would
explain his lack of backbone. The crazy, overwhelming desire for
her. The fact that he was entertaining thoughts of chaining her to
this bed until she agreed to spend eternity with him.
    She was so unlike any woman he’d ever met.
Not unnecessarily glamorous, but beautiful just the same. A perfect
combination of fire and ice, sweet and sassy, loud and quiet,
strong and soft. Sure. She was impulsive. Young. And she didn’t
think everything through. But that was part of her charm.
    In that moment, he wondered if the novelty
would ever wear off. What if it did? More importantly, what if it
didn’t?
    The anticipation between them was as thick as
molasses. He switched their positions, rolling her onto her back.
She was like a drug and he couldn’t say no. Couldn’t pull away.
    So tempting. She stared up at him with those
beautiful pale aqua eyes, expectant. He brushed his lips across
hers ever so lightly.
    She didn’t move. Didn’t even breathe.
    He leaned in again to deepen the kiss, heard
her suck in a breath, felt her tighten her grip on his shirt.
    A bell rang softly through the suite but