Free Marked: a Vampire Romance by Kate Rudolph Page B

that if he hadn’t been a vampire, he doubted that he could have heard her.
    “Why?” She knew he was a vampire, knew he had to feed. That he hadn’t been able to think of feeding on anyone but her was beside the point.
    She held her hand up but then pulled it back and grabbed onto her opposite elbow. “Because I can't just let a vampire go around eating people.” She threw up the arm she’d been moving. “It's not right.”
    “What do you suggest? That I drink only from you?” He meant it in jest, more or less.
    Gold put her knife back into its sheath, silently admitting that they were no longer on a hunt. And that she wouldn’t hurt him. “What's it like?” She tried to sound casual.
    “What?” Adam could have tripped on a pebble at that moment. He’d been sure that they were playing a game, that his feelings would never—could never—be reciprocated. He hadn’t really let himself believe that she might be struggling with the same attraction.
    “I've been having these… whatever.” She trailed off again, giving up on trying to explain. “I don't know. Never mind.”
    He’d been given his inch, and he wasn’t letting it go. “I can give you a taste. Just a sip.” Adam took her hand and brought her knuckles up to his mouth. He brushed his lips against her warm skin, his fingers sliding down until he felt her racing pulse. He could see the dark lines of the mark on her skin creeping out from the sleeve of her shirt.
    “I'm sure that's what you tell all the girls.” She tried to sound flippant, but there was a catch in her voice.
    “It will feel good, I promise.” He’d had centuries to perfect bringing pleasure to his lovers. A feed, to be truly enjoyable, needed to be a decadent experience for the woman he took. When done right, it was more intimate than sex. “You're the only person I've wanted since we met.” The thought of drinking from another woman repulsed him. Gold was the focal point of all of his desires.
    Gold flipped her hand over, clasping his hand. She pulled him off the path and pushed him down onto the stone bench beside one of the crypts. They were already alone in the cemetery, but now they were also out of sight if anyone did walk by. “Do it before I change my mind.” She said it quickly, but her eyes were bright with fear and excitement. Anticipation.
    This was not how he’d expected the night to go. To taste Gold, straight from her veins, to have her offer herself up to him. This felt too real to be a dream, but it was almost impossible to believe that it was reality.
    She was staring down at where their hands were intertwined. Adam flipped her palm up and stroked his thumb against the faint veins beneath her skin. Her fingers curled in instinctively.
    This wasn’t just about blood.
    He looked up at her and reached over with his other hand to tilt her head up by her chin. A million words raced through his mind, warring for what to say to her. She could get scared at any moment, so he had to make this good for her. He had to be worth it.
    And yet, he’d give up the taste of her blood for just one kiss.
    Those dreams had turned him into a maudlin fool. He’d survived for centuries by acting quickly and taking what he needed, ignoring what he wanted until he was sure he’d survive.
    Screw survival.
    Adam leaned forward and swiped his lips against hers, tasting the chemical berry flavor of her lip gloss and the alluring feminine flavor of her underneath. Her mouth opened under him, tongue cautiously peeking out, taking her time to savor him. He felt her hands bury themselves in his hair, casually undoing the tie he’d used to hold it back, and Adam groaned, pulling her close.
    She was soft against him, her chest flush against his. This was life, this was why he’d sought her out. Kissing her in the flesh was so unbelievably better than it had been in the dream. How had he ever mistaken that for pleasure?
    Already his cock stirred, hard for her. He couldn’t explain