Forever Touched (Touch of Vampire #5)

CHAPTER 6

6

ADALYN

I’d barely settled against the satin pillows when I heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I called, situating my robe so that only teasing hints of flesh were visible. It was my routine with new clients. They focused so hard on catching glimpses of my naked body that they gave me all the control—at least long enough for me to make the first move. I couldn’t always predict what happened after that, but the sooner I got them to feed on me, the better.

Two new clients tonight. Mistress was definitely going to be pleased.

I’d been disappointed that the green-eyed vampire had kept his distance while I danced, but I’d done everything I could to lure him in. Instead of focusing on him, I’d ignored him completely, setting my sights on other males. Guess he wasn’t the jealous type after all. I thought for sure he would be.

Oh well. He’d watched me the entire time, which had to mean something. Maybe he wasn’t a complete lost cause yet. I’d have to beg Mistress to let me have another chance at him.

Something told me that he would make an invaluable client, even more than Viscount Le Blanc. My mouth puckered in disgust when I recalled the oral job I’d given him last night. He’d left happy as a clam, promising to return soon, but I’d spent the next fifteen minutes gargling mouthwash .

As I heard the door of my suite open, I adjusted my mask and replaced the disgusted look with a small smirk.

You’re Star, not Adalyn , I reminded myself while I listened to the approaching footsteps. They can’t touch you. Not the real you .

The footsteps stopped at the open bedroom door, and I lifted my gaze to greet the new client. When I saw who it was, the words died on my tongue.

Recovering swiftly, I masked my shock and purred, “Well, well, well. Look who the cat dragged in. I knew you couldn’t stay away.”

I lifted a hand to touch my collarbone, gratified when his gaze followed the movement. Slipping my fingers beneath the edge of my robe, I shifted the material to reveal more of my breasts. Heat flared in his pale green eyes.

Smirking wider, I crooned, “Come in. We can pick up where we left off. You never got to finish last night, poor thing.”

His nostrils flared as I slowly dropped my gaze to his pants where a noticeable bulge already strained against the dark material. I straightened from my relaxed position, allowing my robe to flutter open. His eyes hungrily devoured my flesh, just like I wanted them to. Rising onto my knees, I exposed the rest of myself to him, pleased when he greedily took in every inch.

You’re mine now , I thought to myself, giddy that I’d managed to right the wrongs from last night. I wouldn’t fail again. All I had to do was seduce him into drinking my blood. One glance at the starved look on his face, and I knew I could do it.

As I crawled to him on my knees, I decided to go all out and give him the full show. With a little shrug, the robe slipped from my shoulders and fell to the mattress, leaving me completely nude before him. I heard the air rush from his lungs. Brushing my hair back so there was nothing obstructing his view, I watched as his eyes began to darken. Within seconds, they were a deep red, the color of blood.

He was losing control. Good. This would be easier than I thought.

When I reached the foot of the bed, I slid off and slowly approached him. My hips swayed with each step, making his eyes practically go feral.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, shushing him softly. “I’m going to make you feel so good.”

As I stopped just short of touching him, his hands balled into fists. Like last time, I boldly reached out to cup his manhood. Before I could make contact, he had me up against the nearest wall with a hand wrapped around my throat.

Startled, I flailed against his grip, which only made his hold tighten. “Let go ,” I croaked, hating how panicked I sounded. How helpless .

In a split second, he’d stolen all of my control.

There was nothing I could do against his superior strength. Not even my magic could help me.

He abruptly released my throat, and I slumped against the wall, gasping for breath.

“Get dressed,” he said, the clipped words laced with venom. “You won’t be touching me tonight.”

When all I did was gape at him, he left the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

“Hey!” I protested, lunging for the door. I grabbed the handle and yanked, but it wouldn’t budge. “Let me out of here!”

“Get dressed, and I will,” he said through the door.

I continued to yank on the handle, but there was no way I could muscle it open. Knowing he was completely in control of the situation now, anger flushed through me. “What the hell is your problem anyway? ”

“You,” he muttered, but I managed to catch the word.

“ Me? I’m the one being held prisoner in my own bedroom. I didn’t force you to come up here. If you don’t want my services, then leave.”

“I can’t ,” he hissed, clearly upset, which made no sense. Why was he even here?

I stopped pulling on the handle and stepped back to calm myself. After a moment, I quietly entreated, “Look, just let me out, okay?”

“Are you dressed?”

“No.”

“Then you’re going nowhere.”

Biting back a frustrated scream, I stomped to the bed and grabbed my robe. “Fine, I’m dressed . Let me out.”

As I jerked on the robe, I heard him release the handle. In a flash, I was at the door and yanking it open. Expecting him to be gone, I was surprised to find him sitting on the couch in the living room.

At the sight of me in my open robe, his lips pulled back in a silent snarl. “ Close it.”

I grabbed the belt and tied it with a snort. “Since when did you become a prude?”

“Since I discovered you were a witch.”

I openly scoffed, not bothering to hide my irritation. What was with this guy? “You didn’t have any complaints a minute ago while you watched me strip.”

“A momentary lapse in judgment.”

“I’ll say. Make up your mind already.”

“I already have.”

“Oh?” I mockingly raised an eyebrow. “So if I strip right now, you won’t watch?”

Even from across the candle-lit room, I could see his eyes darken with lust behind his mask. “Don’t.”

I flirted with the idea of doing it anyway, just to see what he would do. This scenario was playing out just like my dream this morning. A little strip tease in return for revealing his identity. If I couldn’t get him to drink my blood, I’d have to get creative.

Instead, I waved a hand dismissively and turned toward the kitchen. “Fine. If you’re not interested in me, I’m going to eat my dinner. I have a whole hour to kill.”

“Four.”

Confused, I peered at him over my shoulder. “Huh?”

“Four hours. I paid to spend the whole night with you.”

I blinked at him, trying to mask my shock. He’d done what? “Why would you do that?”

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees before answering. “I recognized one of the males you chose tonight. His name is Benjamin Osborne, and he’s very possessive with females. His impulse control is weak, and most of the females he feeds on wind up dead. Not clean deaths either.”

I tried to suppress a shiver, but couldn’t quite manage it. To hide my reaction, I turned and opened the fridge to grab the sandwich I’d ordered earlier. “I know how to handle possessive males. It’s part of my job. You shouldn’t have stopped him from coming up here. I need new clients.”

“I paid triple. You’ll be compensated for the loss.”

I froze, staring blankly into the open fridge as I quickly did the math. He’d paid over a hundred thousand dollars to spend the night with me? Who was this vampire?

Straightening, I carefully closed the fridge and made sure to wipe all emotion from my face before turning toward him. He probably thought he’d done me a huge favor by buying me out for the night. Maybe even thought he’d saved me. Not that my safety should matter to him. He’d made it abundantly clear that he loathed my kind.

Knowing that I’d never see a single cent of that money nearly brought tears to my eyes. I could barely hold them back, desperately wishing I could release them in a torrent and scream at the misguided vampire for ruining another day. Not only was that money out of my reach, but I’d probably lost two more clients as well.

I’d tried so hard today. So hard . But I’d failed again.

It was all I could do to keep a straight face while my world came crashing down. I was suddenly exhausted. My bones felt encased in lead, and I quickly sat at the table before I could collapse.

The vampire studied me for a moment, then said, “You don’t seem thrilled with the news.”

My lips tilted into a sardonic smile. “On the contrary. You’re my knight in shining armor, my lord.” I bit into my sandwich, chewing thoughtfully before adding, “Or is that title too informal? How about earl? Duke, maybe?”

No reaction.

Hmm . . .

“My employers won’t be pleased with this little arrangement,” I went on, gesturing between the two of us. “I’m not being paid to sit on my butt all night long. My back , maybe, but—”

“Get to the point,” he interrupted, clearly annoyed with my little joke. Jeez. The guy needed to release some of that pent-up frustration. Not that he would let me help him.

“The point is, they’re expecting us to be intimate.”

“Not happening.”

I set my sandwich down with a huff. “You didn’t let me finish.”

“Don’t need to. You’re not coming anywhere near me.”

“Now hold on. You’re here for a reason, right? Something to do with me?”

No reaction. He had a good poker face, I’d give him that. Almost as good as mine.

“Well, here’s the deal,” I went on, undeterred by his silence. “If we don’t get cozy soon, they’ll become suspicious. And when they get suspicious, they’ll ban you from their club. We’re talking forever. So if you don’t want to end up on their blacklist, then I suggest you let me join you on that couch.”

The faintest of sneers twisted his lips. I tried not to be offended.

After a long moment, he said, “How many are there?” At my confused look, he sighed impatiently and added, “Cameras.”

I licked my lips, trying not to look nervous. He knew we had cameras in here? They were well hidden. Like really well hidden.

Deciding to throw him a bone, I replied, “Three. Two in the bedroom, and one out here. The one out here is video only, though.”

He snorted in disgust, probably remembering the moment we’d shared last night. Yep. We hadn’t been alone.

He was silent for another long beat, probably wishing he’d never tried to “save” me. That made two of us. Still, I was going to make the best out of this situation. He just had to take the bait.

Finally, he blew out a sigh and said, “So, if you join me on this couch, they’ll leave us alone?”

“Yep.” Hopefully. We’d have to make it look convincing, though, which wouldn’t be easy.

“Fine. But keep your hands to yourself.”

At the long-suffering look he gave me, I nearly rolled my eyes. What a baby. Before he could change his mind, I rose from my chair and sauntered into the living room.

A scowl pulled at his full lips. “What are you doing?”

This time, I did roll my eyes. “Joining you on the couch. Did you already forget?”

“No, but why can’t you walk normally?”

“Normally?” I glanced down at my legs. “I’m just walking.”

“No, you’re sashaying.”

A laugh burst from me. “Sashaying? Is that what this is?”

I gave him a mocking little twirl, then froze when I saw his face. He looked like lightning had just struck him.

“What?” I asked, making sure all my bits were still concealed by the robe.

He cleared his throat and sat up straight. “Nothing. Just hurry up and get over here.”

I shrugged. “Your wish is my command.” Picking up the pace, I beelined for the spot next to him. Before I could take a seat, though, he snagged my waist and deposited me on his lap. Horsey style, with my front facing his and my legs straddling his waist.

My body immediately tensed, unprepared for the move. Every instinct demanded I pull away, but I forced myself to remain where I was. “What are you doing?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice even.

“You said we needed to get cozy.”

My heart beat a little too fast, panicking at how close he was. His hands were still on my waist, and I could feel their heat through my thin robe. Swallowing roughly, I replied, “Yeah, but I thought you didn’t want me to touch you.”

“I don’t. But if you keep your hands off my cock, we’ll be fine.”

I choked back a nervous laugh, caught off guard by the blunt statement. “Fair enough. Where do you want them then?”

“My shoulders will do.”

“Okay.” I raised my hands to his shoulders and lightly rested them on top, then airily exclaimed, “Oh, wow. What broad shoulders you have, my lord.”

He really did. He was built like a tank, every inch of him hard muscle.

He looked at me like I’d lost my mind. Sure enough, he grunted and said, “No witch in their right mind would work in a place like this.”

“You’re right,” I glibly replied with a smirk. “I’m not in my right mind.”

He shook his head, but I didn’t fail to notice how his gaze rested on my mouth a little too long.

Hmm . . .

“Tell you what,” I said, keeping my tone casual. “I’ll make sure my employers aren’t suspicious of you if you tell me who you are.”

He lightly scoffed as if I’d said something funny. “I have a better idea. Tell me about the secret operation you’re running here, and I’ll tell you who I am.”

I nearly swallowed my tongue.

Before I could compose myself, he said, “You flinched again.”

“Flinched? I didn’t flinch. I just didn’t expect you to say that. If that’s why you came back, I hate to disappoint you. My employers work very hard to keep everything at Dreamscape legal. You could even check the cameras.”

Please don’t check the cameras, please don’t check the cameras .

I didn’t think it was possible for me to get embarrassed anymore, but the thought of him seeing footage of me being intimate with countless other males was mortifying.

He abruptly reached up to touch my cheek, and I definitely did flinch this time. Silently cursing, I commanded my body to hold still. But it was too late.

“Your pupils are dilated. You’re scared. ”

“Scared?” Breaking into a cold sweat, I desperately tried to steer the conversation to safer waters. “How do you know I’m not just turned on? I’m straddling your lap, after all.”

He slowly cocked his head to the side, the predatorial move rattling me more than I wanted to admit. “I can find out easily enough.”

He let go of my waist, only to place both hands on my upper thighs. I stiffened all over, unable to stop my reaction. A wicked gleam entered his eyes, all challenge and no mercy. Before I could prepare, his hands began to move. Inch by inch, they trailed up my widely spread thighs. I knew exactly where they were headed, and there was absolutely nothing blocking their way. My robe easily parted, allowing him to carve a path toward my quivering center.

“Does this turn you on?” he said in hushed tones, watching me closely with those piercing amethyst eyes.

“Mmm,” was all I managed to say, gripping his shoulders a little too tightly.

“You pleasured me last night,” he went on, torturing me with a slow smirk. “Maybe it’s time I repay the favor.”

Spirits save me. There was no way out of this one. He meant business, and I had no choice but to play his game.

“I’m a witch,” I reminded him, hating how nervous I sounded. “You think I’m disgusting.”

“True, but I’ve done far more terrible things than have sex with a witch.”

The confession should have terrified me, but it somehow spoke to my own darkness. I’d done some pretty terrible things too.

Still, I needed to deter him. The farther up his hands went, the more my body trembled.

“Maybe you should let me finish what I started first,” I said, struggling to breathe. His thumbs were skating up my inner thighs now, inches away from their goal.

His smirk grew, the tilt of his mouth decidedly bitter. “No. Ladies first. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do, even though I’m anything but a gentleman.”

My heart jackknifed inside my chest.

“Well, I’m not a lady, so—”

His thumbs found my center and pressed on the bundle of sensitive nerves, stealing the words from my mouth. My hips bucked, and he gripped my thighs to keep me in place. I squirmed against the hold, squeezing my eyes shut as he began to rub my clit with both thumbs. While he did, a feeling stirred low in my belly, one that I tried hard to deny.

Pleasure.

I was experiencing pleasure at the hands of a vampire .

Shocked by how unexpected and good it felt, I arched my spine and breathlessly cried out like a brazen hussy. Which was what I was, I supposed.

His mouth was suddenly on my neck, nuzzling the throbbing vein there as if dying for a taste. This was my chance. I arched my neck back even more, encouraging him to bite me. He groaned against my skin, massaging my clit harder. I bucked against his thumbs again, quivering as a familiar sensation rushed through me.

Euphoria.

I’d only ever experienced it through venom, not touch. This was . . . this was bad. Really bad. I should not be feeling like this right now.

“Please,” I whimpered, trying to pull away, even as I dug my fingers into his shoulders.

Misunderstanding my plea, he stopped rubbing to slide a finger into my entrance. As he pulled it out, now wet with my arousal, I gasped. There was no denying it now. I was turned on. Majorly turned on. My body had never reacted this way to a client before. Not once.

At the discovery of how wet I was, he bit out a curse and fumbled to undo his pants. My normal instinct to recoil didn’t come as he pulled out his hard erection and positioned himself at my entrance. In one smooth thrust, he was deep inside me. We both moaned at the same time, struggling to breathe as we adjusted to the intimate position. He filled me up completely, stretching my walls to capacity.

I usually hated the feeling. Hated knowing that something was invading my body against my wishes.

But this. This almost felt better than venom in my veins.

As he began to thrust in and out of me, though, I swiftly changed my mind. This was better than venom. I had no idea sex could feel like this. Like my very essence was being merged with another’s. It was terrifying. Utterly terrifying, yet thrilling. For once, I didn’t want to fight the feeling of being intimate with a stranger.

He didn’t feel like a stranger at all right now. He felt . . . he felt like a part of me. Like a missing piece of my identity.

I suddenly needed to know more. Know everything about him. It was essential. Life or death. I couldn’t go another second without knowing.

“Please,” I gasped, pulling his head down to my neck once more. “Bite me. Please bite me.”

He hissed, as if disgusted by my plea. But the hiss ended in a groan, one that sounded a lot like defeat. Still thrusting inside me, he gripped my hair and tilted my head to the perfect angle. He struck fast and true, burying his fangs deeply into my flesh.

I stiffened at the pain but was already anticipating the sweet rush of . . .

With a sigh, I melted like butter against him, the hit of venom turning my world to rapture. My mind blanked for an endless moment as the high spread throughout my system, leaving me wholly compliant in the vampire’s arms. But as I felt him begin to feed, I struggled to regain some sense. Some control .

At the first taste of my blood, he blissfully groaned into my neck. I allowed him to fully swallow it, then made my move. It was only a suggestion, really. A faint thought. I didn’t push too hard, gently coaxing him into giving me what I wanted. Whispering into his mind the words that would be his undoing.

Reveal to me all that you are.

Your secrets are mine, willingly so.

What you have hidden shall now be unveiled.

Like a winding river, your secrets shall flow .

I cringed at my poor rhyming attempt, but the spell sank into the vampire’s consciousness all the same. Barely reacting to the spell, too fixated on consuming my blood, he unwittingly began to spill his secrets. Just as my thighs tensed, the need to orgasm whipping through me, he gave up his name.

Everett D’angelo.

The name didn’t register at first, but as pleasure exploded through me, a torrent of information flooded my system.

I rode the endorphin high, a victorious smirk stretching my lips.

Well, hello there, prince. Nice to meet you at long last .