Free Enticed By Blood: A Sweetblood World Vampire Romance by Laurie London Page B

.”
    When he finished, he healed the tiny punctures and erased her memory that he was a vampire. If he’d been smart and had followed the laws of his people, he would’ve driven her home at that point and never seen her again. But like many French men, he let passion guide his actions.
    Although he’d temporarily slaked his thirst for her, he was still captivated by Juliette in every other way. Her intelligence. Her confidence. The sound of her laughter. Her kindness and devotion to her father. She was a remarkable woman.
    As they spent time together, he found himself falling deeply, madly in love with her. It felt like home when he was with her. Like they were two, very different pieces, that fit together perfectly to make one complete whole.
    But he couldn’t allow that to happen. Relationships between humans and vampires didn’t work. He’d seen that first hand with his childhood friend who’d fallen for a human woman who killed herself after learning the truth about him. The man had never been the same since. Andre couldn’t risk the same thing happening to Juliette. His broken heart wasn’t worth that.
    After things were over between them, maybe he shouldn’t have contacted Bishop Millwork, but the moment he’d seen their work, he knew he couldn’t hire anyone else.
    Their attention to detail and beautiful craftsmanship were unlike anything he’d seen in hundreds of years…and certainly never in the New World. Renovation on the hotel had been halted for reasons other than a few ill-fitting cabinets, and he tried telling that to Mr. Bishop, but the man had been distraught about what had happened. Andre assured him the cabinetry would still work, but Mr. Bishop insisted that since he couldn’t come himself, he would send their best person to assess the situation.
    Except that Andre had no idea that person would be Juliette. He would never have guessed she had anything to do with her father’s business. She worked at a brokerage firm, pour l'amour de Dieu!
    Holding her chair for her now, he caught a faint whiff of her scent—jasmine—and drew it into his lungs. His gaze dropped to her throat where he saw the flicker of a heartbeat. Her blood—it still called to him.
    Although she wasn’t an actual sweetblood—a human whose rare blood is highly addictive to vampires—she was plenty addictive to him.
    No. He wouldn’t succumb to her again.
    Ignoring the ache in his gums where his fangs were hidden, he sat opposite her and took a long drink from the Tanqueray and tonic Jeffery had waiting for him. He would take Juliette to the hotel where she could see for herself that everything was fine, then he’d put her on the next plane back to San Francisco.
    After he ordered for them, Juliette cleared her throat. “Before we start talking business, I want to make one thing perfectly clear.”
    “And what is that?” he asked, even though he had a pretty good idea what she was going to say.
    She dropped her voice. “I would never have slept with you, let alone spend all that time with you, had I known you were married.”
    “I know, and I’m sorry.”
    “Sorry?” Her eyes flashed with anger. “ Sorry is something you say when you accidentally step on someone’s toe. Or bump into someone while waiting in line. It is not what you say after getting caught in a lie of that magnitude. Does your wife know you do that sort of thing when you’re away on business?”
    “I…uh…” He wasn’t sure what to tell her. Activity on the other side of the room drew his attention. A couple was getting up from their table and looked to be in a hurry to leave. He frowned and turned back to Juliette. “Does who know what?”
    She made a sound of exasperation. “Your wife. Does she know?”
    He glanced around the room in an effort stave off the guilt rattling around in his gut.
    Diners at another table were leaving quickly as well. And they hadn’t touched their dinner either. How odd.
    Juliette frowned. “What’s