Free Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf

beside him, her eyes closed and her breathing even slower than his.
    “Not at the moment, though I’m sure you’ll hook me up should the urge ever strike.”
    “You know it.”
    “Do you regret what we just did?”
    “It’s not what I want,” she muttered. “I hate you.”
    “I wasn’t getting the hate vibe when I was pumping inside of you, sweetness.”
    She tapped a finger against his torso. Nikolaus sucked in a breath. No one had touched his scars, save Gabriel, and that had been purely for restorative purposes.
    “If I say yes, I do regret it,” she said on a sigh, “I’m not sure if I’d be lying to myself. The sex was good, there’s no denying that.”
    “I figured after about the third orgasm you were pretty pleased.”
    “Call it surprised that a man would even care to give a woman such attention.”
    She traced a fingertip from his ribs to just below his armpit. Nikolaus couldn’t feel the entire journey, for some of the scars were simply too thick. “I did this.”
    Not a question. Was she admiring her handiwork?
    “The first few weeks you could see organs,” he said, leaning in to kiss her on the forehead.
    “And you can lie here now, calmly kiss me on the head, and forget the pain?”
    “You got it, sweetness. Can we do it again?”
    He nudged a leg between hers to clue her into his growing arousal.
    Following the heat scent of her blood, he licked a trail across her neck and gave her a hard—but toothless—bite on the thick carotid artery.
    “Hey, vampire, be careful. No teeth.”
    “I won’t bite. But if I did, there’s nothing to worry about.”
    Her shove did little more than zing one of his nipples, for Nikolaus wasn’t going to be pushed away. “Maybe not for you, but being bitten hurts, you know. My neck still aches.”
    “It’s supposed to be pleasurable.”
    “Eventually, sure. You ever get bitten by a wolf?”
    “Almost.” He was faster than the loping weres that were more bark than bite.
    “Well, it’s the same. Teeth cutting through flesh and muscle, and oftentimes tearing. Very painful.”
    “Sorry.” He rested his chin upon her diaphragm, tilting his head to nudge his cheek against her breast. “Forgive me?”
    Her sighs made him wonder about her regrets. She had them, but maybe she just didn’t know how to deal with them. He intended to waylay her concerns for as long as physically possible.
    “A vampire is asking forgiveness for biting me?” she wondered.
    “Couldn’t have been any more painful than receiving these dreadful marks.” He traced the lowest of the three tally lines that were nestled across the bottom of her rib cage. “I wish I could kiss away the pain.”
    “Yeah, and I wish I could kick you out of my bed. Here I am, lying naked, allowing a vampire to make love to me. Not even allowing, more like…”
    “Participating?”
    “Yeah, what you said.”
    “Denial is usually a cry for more experience, sweetness. If I have to make love to you another eight hours, I’ll do so.”
    She giggled as the touch of his tongue sent a shiver of thrill through her system. “Oh, I can’t believe I did that.”
    “Laugh?” He moved lower, drawing a glistening trail in his wake as his tongue marked out a path on her stomach. “I bet that’s something you haven’t done for years.”
    “Try decades, maybe longer. Never had much to laugh about.”
    “Your other lovers not make you laugh?”
    “Oh, no, you’re not getting details. Ooh…yes.”
    “Do that again—that moan,” he said against her belly. “Let me hear how much you like what I’m doing to you.”
    “Drake, I—” Ravin surrendered to the giddy sparkle of sensation as Nikolaus moved lower.
    Intent on a gentle stroking cruise of her inhibitions, he vanquished them quickly. He loved to feel her fingers rake through his hair, grip it tight, then tug as her body arched and surrendered to yet another no-holds-barred orgasm.
    Spreading his hand across her stomach, he closed his