Free Expiez: Redeem Your Blood Lust by Cd Hussey Page B

guy. To get crazy. Julia was cool, but she was enough of a fuddy-duddy that Clare doubted she'd approve if she made out with a random stranger.
    Besides, flying solo was just the freedom she'd been craving—no arguing, no drama, no restrictions. She could go to whichever bar she wanted, leave whenever she wanted, talk to whoever she wanted… And as she walked down Royal toward the Square, she felt a rush of exuberance. Free. She was finally free.
     
    * * * *
     
    By about eleven p.m., Darus needed to take a break from his latest work in progress—a post-apocalyptic graphic zombie novel. Since the artwork was mostly complete, he was working primarily on the text. Being a graphic novel, there wasn't much of it. He was shocked it was giving him such a hard time.
    A little inspirational break was what he needed. Fifteen minutes later he was lounging in the private room at The Cell, watching dancers get sweaty on the dance floor and sipping on a Gin Rickey, one of the few classic cocktails this bar had the ingredients to make. That was one of the things preferable at Luxure . Slade was an excellent mixologist.
    He would never admit that to his face, of course. But the man who could body double for Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Conan days was one of the best bartenders in New Orleans. And there were a lot of bartenders in the city.
    He was about midway through his cocktail when one of the dancers caught his eye. She was a hot little number, with short, dark purple hair and a skirt that covered her ass and not much more. In spite of her attire, she was dancing alone and appeared perfectly content that way. He couldn't see her face but her body language said it all. She was dancing for herself and no one else, and that made it damn sexy.
    When she finally turned to face him he nearly choked on the liquid in his mouth. That was Clare dancing with her eyes closed and a blissful smile on her pretty face.
    Two coyotes were circling her, trying to figure out how to slip in for the kill. He wasn't about to let them. Tossing his drink on the end table, he bolted through the door. Squeezing through the crowd, he slipped into the tiny empty space between her and one of the coyotes, placing one hand on her shoulder and matching his body's rhythm to hers. Her eyes flashed open and registered shock when they saw him.
    "You changed your hair," he said before she could say anything. "I like it."
    "I needed a change."
    "I understand. You look absolutely gorgeous." Her smile was both sassy and shy. "You know you have a couple stalking predators," he told her, indicating the coyotes sulking at the edge of the dance floor.
    She turned to look at them. "And you thought you'd rush in to protect me?"
    His body rolled with the music and she mimicked him perfectly, keeping her hips close to his. "Something like that."
    "Because you're less of a predator?"
    His hand moved from her shoulder to the small of her back, pulling her in closer. "For you, I'm the good kind of predator. T rust me. You'll like it when I eat you."
    She laughed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. The gestures might have been dismissive; her body language was anything but. She closed the miniscule distance between them, keeping her body pressed against his as she took control of the dance with a suggestive sway of her hips. She moved like liquid silk, luring his body to forget it had bones and follow her. It was easy to do and he would have happily given up his bones to do it.
    As the song shifted to more aggressive tune, she took his hand and led him from the dance floor. "Come on. Let me buy you a drink."
     
    * * * *
     
    Clare felt like the most powerful woman in the universe as she guided Darus toward the back bar. Sure he was full of swagger, and probably had a dictionary filled with pickup lines, but there was something about the way he looked at her made her feel sexier than she ever had. And despite what Julia said, at this moment she felt like he would do anything for