Free Date with a Vampire by Raine English

savor this closeness with her. And smelled blood. To his horror, his mouth began to water and his fangs cut through his gums.
    How could this be happening? He’d taken the potion first thing this morning. Blakesley had told him to take it only once a day. Yet, it appeared to be not enough, for he was becoming a monster.
    With her neck just inches from him, he could almost taste her sweetness. He moved his mouth along the velvet skin of her throat. His pulse throbbed in his temple, and his desire to sink his teeth into her flesh was almost too much to bear. Oh, why was this happening? He wasn’t supposed to have these urgings. Not when he appeared human. And why in hell did he smell blood?
    A growl started deep in his belly and threatened to escape his mouth. He gritted his teeth and pressed his lips firmly shut, then took Melody by the elbows and held her out at arms’ length. Blood trickled from a cut on her shoulder.
    He swallowed hard, the saliva building up in his throat. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not here. He sensed they had an audience, and from the corner of his eye, he spotted the other bachelors along with the boat’s captain staring at him and Melody.
    The crowd’s noise and the sound of her voice jarred him back to reason. “Guy? What’s wrong? You look awful.”
    He kept his mouth clamped shut and waited for his fangs to recede, before speaking, then focused his gaze on her injured shoulder. “You’re hurt.”
    She looked at her cut. “Oh, that’s nothing. I must have gotten it while climbing into the boat. Could have been a whole lot worse.” Her cornflower-blue eyes sparkled with gratitude.
    “I guess the sight of blood made me realize just how close a call that really was,” Guystof said, trying to make an excuse for his bizarre behavior.
    “Well, thanks to you, I’m okay.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek with lips warm and petal soft.
    A burning desire to take her back in his arms raged through him. Before he could make a move, though, the professor came over and clapped him on the back.
    “Hey, hero. Guess what? That shark was a dolphin.” A round of laughter and applause followed Johnny’s announcement.
    Guystof’s back stiffened as he watched a playful dolphin trail their boat. When his gaze shifted back to Melody, her face had turned a vivid scarlet. It seemed he wasn’t the only one humiliated.
    “I guess I’d better go clean this cut up and put some dry clothes on. With that kind of scare, I don’t think I’ll be going back in the water anytime soon.” She glowered at him and walked away.
    — : : —
    Melody held tight to the railing as she went below deck. The dim lighting of the cabin was a sharp contract to the bright sunshine and it took a minute for her eyes to adjust. She sank onto a sofa and buried her face in her hands.
    She’d never been so frightened in her life. Just thinking she might have been eaten by a shark sent prickles of fear up her spine. And it hadn’t even been true. What a fool she was! She’d known Guy was melodramatic and would do anything to gain her attention, but she’d never imagined he’d stoop so low as to scare her with a phony shark attack. Yet, he seemed as shocked as she when Johnny pointed out the dolphin. Maybe he hadn’t been acting… Oh, she was so confused. She didn’t know what to think. But she knew she didn’t belong here. She wasn’t sophisticated, or worldly, or even brave. She was a meek little mouse who belonged back home in Hope.
    A gentle touch to the top of her head startled her, and then she was enveloped in a comforting embrace. She buried her face against Guy’s chest. A mix of emotions ran through her. Should she be angry or grateful? If he’d made an honest mistake…
    Oh Lord, she did want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Could she be falling for him? But she barely knew him? And he was a count. He could have any woman he wanted. Why her? Could it be that he just wanted to win the