She nodded, wanting to come again. His hand released her a.s.s and he bent over her, bracing his arm on the bed next to her rib cage. His mouth took hers in a kiss that was so tender, so pa.s.sionate, that she wished she could cling to him. Her wrists strained against the handcuffs and she whimpered in protest.

More of his weight came down on her, and his fingers brushed hers before she felt a hard jerk on the chain. Her arms lowered after he snapped the restraints, and her fingers delved into his hair, holding his mouth closer while she kissed him back. His hips rocked them into another shared o.r.g.a.s.m and he broke the kiss when they both cried out.

"Love me, Matty. Allow me to love you, la.s.s."

She opened her eyes to stare into his. "This is totally not fair."

He smiled. "Love isn't fair, but it sure feels amazing, doesn't it? We're right for each other. I'll keep convincing you."

"I'm never going to win an argument with you, am I?"

He chuckled. "I'll let you win sometimes. I like the idea of you restraining me to a bed and convincing me you're right."

The idea of him tied down at her mercy excited her.

He smiled. "I hear your heart racing. Like that, do you? I'd allow you to do anything to me you want. I'd welcome it. We'll be happy together."

Her life flashed inside her mind. She'd become a recluse, no life outside of her home, and she'd been lonely. Blaron was offering her a life with him.

She trailed her hands down to his cheeks, staring into his eyes, and knew she didn't want to lose him. It might be scary to face an unknown future but at least it was one. He gave her such a look of longing and hope that she truly believed he wanted to be with her.

"Will you have to hurt me?"

"I'll love you always, and make you happy. There'll never be pain in my arms."

"I mean turning me into what you are."

He grinned. "No. I will let you drink from me while I drink from you. It's not the way you've seen in movies. We'll sleep after, both of us tired, and when you wake you'll feel the same. You'll just need to drink blood from a bag."

She grimaced.

He chuckled. "For you, I'll drink from the bags and you can drink from me. Way more pleasurable, and it's what a good man does for his woman."

"It sounds gross."

"You know how it feels when I lick your little p.u.s.s.y? The fangs feel almost as good when you sink them into my skin and drink from me. It's s.e.xual, and I'll f.u.c.k you while you do it. I promise you're going to love it. I just may have to turn the club over to my friend Lethal, since we won't want to climb out of bed for a few hundred years."

She took a deep breath. "I wish you'd give me a little more time. This is a huge decision."

Blaron saw the fear in her eyes and nodded, even though he wanted to sink his fangs into her and give her his bleeding wrist. "I understand."

"You'll give me time?"

"I'll show you what you're getting into first. How about that for a compromise?"

She seemed to debate it. "Okay. I'm not sure exactly what that means."

"We're going to get dressed and go upstairs to the club. I'll show you my world and even feed in front of you, so you aren't afraid of bagged blood." He just hoped it didn't turn her away from him.

"Thank you."

"I'm worried you'll run from me, Matty. It would break my heart. Don't do that." He didn't mention that Lethal wasn't going to be happy with him, but it was half his club. His friend could stuff it. It was more important that his woman was comfortable with accepting what he was offering her. He wanted her completely at peace with the decision.

"Let's shower and I'll go get you clothing." He'd sent a team to her house. They'd have brought her personal belongings to be stored in the club by now. He'd just have to break it to her that he'd moved her out of her home already. She'd probably be angry but so be it. He wasn't allowing her to return to danger.

Chapter Seven.

Matty felt nervous as she dressed. She'd been to dance clubs before but it had been a while. Of course, back then she hadn't been scarred. People tended to gawk at her and openly stare. It always left her feeling angry or sad, depending on their reaction. She tended to avoid putting herself on display for those encounters.

"Are you still angry with me?"

She turned, holding Blaron's gaze. He'd dressed in the bathroom while she'd done so in the bedroom. She liked him wearing the blue long-sleeved shirt with a blue and black kilt. He'd exchanged his sword for a small sheath that looked as if it held some kind of hunting knife. It was attached to a belt with a pouch that covered the front of his groin area. Black boots and matching socks adorned his feet. He'd braided his hair again, looking super s.e.xy and exotic. He stared back at her and she remembered that he'd asked her a question.

"No. I'm starting to understand that you're just a take-charge type of man. I shouldn't have been surprised that you sent strangers into my house to pack my clothes. At least they put them in those nice hanger boxes so nothing in my closet got wrinkled."

"Werewolves are very efficient. They've had a lot of practice, unfortunately. Any time humans begin to suspect we are different, we need to move."

"Werewolves." She swallowed hard, running her hands down her skirt in a nervous gesture. "I'm almost afraid to meet them. You said a lot of them work for you here at the club?"

He nodded. "You'll be safe, Matty. None of them will harm you. They aren't ravenous beasts as portrayed in your horror movies. They actually watch them and laugh, so I've heard. 'Tis very amusing for them to see how humans view them."

"That's a bit comforting to know they have a sense of humor."

"You'll meet Chase. He's in charge of them, and a friend."

She felt compelled to warn Blaron, since he'd never been out in public with her before, and he was being nice enough to lessen her fear of the werewolves. "Um, don't get mad when we go into the club."

"What do you mean? Are you planning something? Don't try to run from me, Matty. Please. You said you'd give us a chance."

"It's not that." She walked up to him and appreciated how he peered at her face without staring at the scars. "Some people are rude enough to ask what happened to me."

He reached up and tenderly traced the largest scar. "You're beautiful."

She searched his gaze, believing he really meant the compliment. "I didn't leave my house much and only went shopping when I had to, always in the middle of the night to avoid people."

"There will be no more hiding as my woman. Wear your scars with pride, Matty. They are a part of you, and no one would dare offend you." His expression hardened. "Not twice."

She laughed. He was a big man, intimidating, and she could see how he'd discourage anyone from saying a word to her that might hurt her feelings. "You'd beat them up for me?"

"I would." He lowered his hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "I'd do anything for you."

She was falling in love with him even more. "Thank you."

"It's my honor to defend you. Even from blind, petty fools with no brains."

She laughed again. He had a way of making her happy and amused. "My hero."

"I aspire to be that, now and forever."

"I appreciate it."

He leaned in and she held her breath, heart pounding as he brushed his mouth over hers. She closed her eyes and opened her hands on his chest. He pulled away too fast, making her long for a deeper kiss than the teasing one he'd given.

"We should go upstairs. I'll introduce you to everyone and then take you to the feeding room."

"That sounds ominous."

He chuckled. "Never. One of the biggest difficulties I faced after being turned was knowing I'd need blood to survive. It's a different time now. I shall make it easy for you. We acquire our blood by buying it from humans. The werewolves run a truck that collects it a few times a week and we store it in the feeding room. We provide a little money for those who donate; they give us what we need."

"You said I could drink it directly from you, though, right?"

"Aye. It will be highly enjoyable for us both. Plastic will never need touch your bonny lips."

"But I have to give up food?"

"You could eat it, but that means you'll still have to deal with body functions."

She arched her eyebrows, not certain what that meant. She could guess but it would be better if he spelled it out.

"Your digestive system works differently for food and other drink than it does for blood. The bathroom, Matty. Once you stop eating food, the toilet only collects dust. Is that a delicate way to put it? My body absorbs blood without causing waste."

"I understand." She didn't have to give up chocolate after all. It would just come at a small price. One that she was already used to as a human. "Let's go and see what you want to show me."

He took her hand, placing it in the crook of his arm. "My pleasure."

She took a deep breath, allowing him to lead her out of the bedroom and into a living s.p.a.ce. There was no kitchen in his apartment. She guessed he didn't exactly need one since he didn't cook. They exited through a solid door into a well-lit hallway. The bas.e.m.e.nt seemed pretty large. Another st.u.r.dy door blocked the end of the hallway, behind which they came to stairs.

"Why so many doors?"

"Protection in case the bas.e.m.e.nt is ever breached by hunters."

"Is there an escape route?"

"Of course. There's an old sewer system we could flee through and stay underground until the sun set. Lethal is all about survival."

"Why did you move out of here again?"

"No matter how much soundproofing we tried, the music is still audible to our kind. I grew tired hearing it every evening while the club was open."

"Ah." That made sense to her.

Blaron led her through the club's kitchen, smiling at the werewolves who worked for them. They gave Matty pleasant glances and a few waves.

One of the cooks stepped into their path, looking at Matty. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Velma. Just let me know if there are any specialty foods you enjoy, and I'll be happy to provide them."

"Thank you. That's so nice." Matty flashed him an uncertain look.

"Velma is a werewolf."

Matty's eyes widened, then fixed on Velma. "Wow. You look so normal. I never would have guessed. I mean, I'm sorry. That was so rude of me."

"Don't worry about it. I'm not offended. We hide in plain sight. We're just glad one of the masters found a companion."

"Masters?"

"That would be me and Lethal," Blaron stated. "It's a polite way to refer to us older-than-dirt vampires."

Velma laughed. "Both of them gave us jobs where we could be ourselves. We're grateful. It's difficult to work for humans. We have to watch our every move and word in case we reveal too much. The club also doesn't require drug testing. That's a great thing."

Matty's eyebrows arched. "Um, is that a problem?"

"They aren't human," Blaron explained. "A simple blood test can be dangerous if the results come back as odd. At the very least, misunderstandings happen, like a.s.suming they purposely messed up the test to hide something."

"As if we might take drugs, when in fact only a moron would," Velma added. "They don't have the same effect on us as they do on humans. Give a werewolf cocaine and he'd puke his guts up for days. It's like food poisoning to our kind."

"Oh."

Blaron cleared his throat. "We must be going. Thank you, Velma."

She stepped out of the way. "Have fun."

He led Matty out of the kitchen and behind the bar. Chase waited there, playing bartender. He introduced them. Chase bowed, shook her hand, and winked.

"It's nice to meet you, Matty. Nice job this morning. The Barlo brothers filled me in. You tied up a vampire hunter. That was very courageous of you."

"Don't flirt with her." Blaron narrowed his eyes, glaring at his friend. "She's mine."

Chase chuckled and stepped back. "She's a beauty. You'd better keep her close, lest someone try to steal her away." He grinned at Matty. "You're with a man who wears a skirt. Not everyone could pull that off."

Blaron relaxed, realizing Chase was just being friendly. "'Tis a manly kilt. You're just jealous that you have k.n.o.bby knees and feel the need to cover yours."

"Aye," Chase mimicked him. "'Tis manly since you terrify anyone you glower at."

He tugged Matty out from behind the bar. Some of the regulars had arrived already but it wasn't crowded yet. Some couples were dancing but most were sitting at tables, grouped in numbers of two to four, chatting. He immediately held the gazes of some of the vampires who picked up Matty's scent, silently warning them to think twice about approaching her. She wasn't an unattached human they could attempt to seduce and take a sip of blood from in the heat of the moment.

"Would you like to dance with me?" He wanted to hold her.

"It's eighties music. I grew up listening to my mom play this stuff. Do you know how to dance to New Wave?"

He turned his head, caught the attention of the DJ, and made a hand signal. The music abruptly ended, a slow song coming on next. He gripped Matty's hand, faced her, and then placed her other hand on his shoulder. Smiling, he put his arm around her, turning them in a circle.