Free A Vampire's Promise by Carla Susan Smith Page B

came at me again, the voice filling my head, trying to shake free a memory that lay buried inside. Only I didn’t know who the memory belonged to, or what it might do to me once it was recovered. So I tossed the voice out of my head, smiling a little at the sense of frustration that it left behind. Yeah, you and me both, buddy.
    Turning my attention back to Gabriel, I concentrated on the strength I could feel pulsing through him, a strength woven with a desire that shattered any doubts I had about reciprocal physical attraction. Whatever was flowing through Gabriel went beyond the uninhibited need to possess me bodily. Stronger than anything I had ever known, it was something deeper. The breath caught in my throat, and my legs trembled, the wetness between them a release of my desire, my need for him. Shamelessly I rubbed myself against him, letting him catch the scent of my arousal, feeling him respond with a thrust of his hips.
    If I thought my need of him was intense, it was nothing compared to how he wanted me. Every thick, gloriously hard inch of him throbbed impatiently, demanding to get inside me and show how any hunger I had would be satisfied. I gasped, sucking in a great mouthful of air, wanting nothing more than to feel his lips against mine, wanting his tongue inside my mouth, taking everything I had to give him before he—
    â€œRowan, are you all right?”
    The sound of his voice, along with the stroke of his fingers across the back of my hand, jerked me back from the edge of the sexual mirage I had stepped into. Snatching my hand away, I sent my empty coffee cup spinning wildly across the table while I blinked frantically and looked around me. My mouth was open, I was practically panting, and I could feel perspiration on my upper lip. My breasts felt achy, my nipples hard, and a wave of longing throbbed at my core. What the hell had just happened?
    A wild glance showed everything was just as it had been before. The table between us remained bolted to the floor with the plastic menus neatly stacked behind the sugar and ketchup bottle. Reaching for my spinning cup, Gabriel set it back on the saucer in front of me. My mouth felt dry and I licked my lips. Noticing, he signaled to the waitress to bring me a glass of water.
    â€œWhat happened?” I asked, staring intently across the table. Were his pupils ringed with gold? I shook my head and blinked. The gold disappeared, and I realized I was still caught up in my fantasy.
    â€œI think you zoned out on me for a moment,” he said gently, knowingly.
    â€œReally?” I pulled at my lower lip with my teeth, not realizing his focus had shifted until I heard an unrecognizable noise coming from him. Whatever it was, it was highly sexual. “That’s never happened to me before,” I said quickly, wanting to shift his focus away from my mouth.
    â€œMe either.”
    He sounded normal, so I told myself my ears had been playing tricks, fueled, I was certain, by my wanton imagination.
    â€œWhere did you go?”
    â€œI have absolutely no idea,” I told him truthfully.
    â€œWhat do you remember?”
    â€œNothing. I must have blacked out or something—can you do that sitting up?”
    I was babbling and convinced Gabriel knew I wasn’t being a hundred percent truthful. But how could I admit I was so attracted to him that my brain had sent me off into fantasy sex land? He gave me an odd look, one that said I didn’t need to explain. He knew exactly where I’d been.
    â€œAre you sure you’re okay?”
    â€œYes.” I gave him what I hoped was my most reassuring smile. “Probably just too much caffeine.”
    The waitress brought over my water, and I gulped down half the glass before stopping to take a breath. Gabriel raised an eyebrow and gave me a thoughtful stare, and then signaled for the check. The flirty waitress looked positively heartsick that we were leaving together.

CHAPTER 9
    â€œA