Truly, Madly...Deadly.

Delilah Devlin.

Just this once...

On the trail of a serial killer, vampire Quentin Albermarle is mistaken for the killer by a police special task force. Once the smoke clears, Quentin finds himself in a delicious position-atop one of the unit's crack officers, Darcy Henry. In need of Quentin's access to the vampire sub-culture, the task force leadership invites Quentin to join the crime unit as a special advisor, much to the chagrin of the men in the unit, and especially, of Darcy.

Caught between opposing forces, vampire and hunter...

A no-nonsense cop with no time for romance, Darcy suddenly finds herself embroiled in a steamy love triangle between her mortal partner, Joe, and the handsome vampire. Going from abstinence to wantonness, she is unable to resist the two men's relentless seduction or her own sensual curiosity about a vampire's special "kiss".

A hunger like no other...

When the real killer threatens the life of someone close to her, Darcy makes a choice that forever binds the three of them together.

Note: This book was previously published as Love Bites, but has been revised and expanded. Be warned-the s.e.x is molten-hot and includes m/f/m menage, exhibitionism, and a.n.a.l play.

From the Author.

To those of you who've read me before-h.e.l.lo, friends! To new readers, welcome to my world!

From the very first time Quentin appeared, he's been a fan favorite. There's something about his dry wit, great looks, and true loyalty that we all love. Finding a female strong enough to handle him was the trick to writing this book. Darcy's well able for any mischief he can dole out. They have hard times in front of them, but don't lose hope they'll find their way...

I love hearing from readers, and have a very active blog and Facebook friend page. I run contests, talk about my favorite TV shows, what I collect, what drives me crazy. I tend to ramble a bit. I'm doing it right now. But if you'd like to learn more about me and what I'm doing or writing about, be sure to check out the "About Delilah Devlin" page after the story.

And if you enjoy this story, please consider leaving a review on your favorite retail site or simply tell a friend. Readers do influence other readers. We have to trust someone to tell us whether we'll have fun when we open a new story!

Sincerely, Delilah Devlin.

Chapter One.

"He's coming in. Get ready."

Joe's voice jerked Darcy Henry to wakefulness. Berating herself for dozing off during a stakeout, she fumbled for the switch on her night vision goggles. Instantly, the landscape before her was awash in shades of luminescent green. She scanned the water's edge. The crests of the ebbing tides rolled onto the beach, unbroken by any sign of "Bat-boy." Had she already missed her opportunity?

"Where do you see him?" she whispered into her headset, glad the roar of the incoming surf masked their voices.

"Ten o'clock. Get c.o.c.ked."

She reached for her crossbow, drew back the linen cord with both hands, and latched it in the spring clip. Then she slid a steel-tipped arrow onto the track. Sighting down the shaft, she braced the bow in her left palm and dug her elbow into the sand. With the stock snug against her shoulder, she slid her right forefinger around the trigger and turned her sights back to the water's edge-just in time to see a tall figure stride out of the surf.

He fit the description she'd purchased from the barman at the "blood bank" of the new vamp in town. Only, the barman hadn't filled in all the details. Darcy stiffened against her body's sudden surge of attraction and firmly reminded herself the vamp's body was like any other man's. Yeah, right.

Her gaze flickered over him, inventorying his characteristics-for my After Action Report, of course. Broad-shouldered, leanly muscled, just over six feet tall. Blond, she could tell, despite the fact his hair was plastered to his head. Handsome, too, with broad, prominent cheekbones, a longish straight nose, and lips that appeared permanently curved in a smirk.

Unable to resist the temptation, she adjusted the lenses of her goggles to zoom, and her gaze slipped lower. His package was as fine arriving as his a.s.s had been going into the water. His long, uncirc.u.mcised c.o.c.k dangled between his legs. Something else not mentioned in the barman's description-and definitely not something that would make it into her AAR.

"Hold up!" Impatience clipped Joe's words. "A civilian's in your line of sight."

Darcy lowered the bow, cursing under her breath. "Where? And how the h.e.l.l did we miss that?" she whispered angrily.

"She had to have been here when we arrived," Joe replied. "If I hadn't seen her hand rise above the dune..."

Nothing was ever as simple as it seemed. A vampire spotted on Vero Beach just happened to meet the description of a suspected killer they'd circulated that day.

This night's stakeout might be a bust, after all. They'd have to track him to his lair and try to take him out while he slept. Dusting a sleeping vampire never sat well with Darcy. Too unsportsmanlike. Asleep, even a probable serial killer like this one who wore an innocent face.

She burrowed deeper into the wet sand at the bottom of her shallow foxhole, prepared to wait it out. This time she wouldn't doze, no matter how balmy the November night grew. Too many late nights and too little sleep were taking their toll on the whole team. Instead, she concentrated on how uncomfortable she was with damp sand working its way into her clothing and the smell of rotting seaweed all around her.

Having a target to observe helped. Hopefully, the vamp wouldn't make a meal of his host and force Darcy to intervene. Hand-to-hand with a vamp was a last resort. Humans almost always lost to their superior strength, no matter how many degrees of black belt one had earned.

Joe let out a low whistle. "d.a.m.n! How'd a ghoul like that get such a fine piece of a.s.s?"

A woman sat up near the top of a dune, her arms outstretched, revealing a slender back, rounded hips and a cascade of long, dark hair.

The vamp went down on his knees and leaned over her.

Darcy tensed, ready to spring to the woman's rescue at the first sign of fangs.

Instead, the woman's back arched to offer her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to her lover. His mouth closed over a beaded tip, and the woman's loud groan of approval was discernible over the rumble of the incoming tide.

Joe's soft laughter sounded in Darcy's ear. "Better take notes, Da.r.s.e. See what you're missing?"

Darcy knew better than to answer her partner. Any response would only add fodder to the ribbing she'd receive at the Special Unit's morning briefing. Her lack of social life was already a favorite topic. As it was, she was glad the guys weren't wired in to her goggles.

Joe's fed the monitor in the van parked farther down the beach.

Maybe she'd get even luckier and the vamp would move his tryst indoors.

Instead, he released the woman's breast. With his hands braced on either side of her, the tops of his shoulders rippling as he "walked" down her body, he circled his head as he kissed a path across her belly. Then he moved lower.

Darcy squirmed. When was the last time a man had buried his face in her p.u.s.s.y? G.o.d, had it really been three years since Manny transferred to Miami-Dade?

The woman's hips lifted, and her hands dug into the sand. His face reached the juncture of her thighs, and she shouted and thrashed her head from side to side.

Darcy wished she could roll to her back and give the couple their moments of privacy-and herself a reprieve from an unwanted rush of desire. Tight as a spring, the yearning wound inside her belly. She was helpless to stop the flush of heat that swept from her face to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and thankful for the darkness so no one on her team would see her blushing.

When she saw the suspected vampire rise to kneel between the woman's legs, Darcy's heart thudded dully in her chest and increased in tempo. His c.o.c.k fell onto the woman's belly, engorged and enormous, just before he hooked his arms beneath her knees and lifted her b.u.t.tocks off the sand.

The woman reached for his c.o.c.k and guided it to her p.u.s.s.y.

Then his hips slammed forward, hard.

The woman arched into the sand and shouted again.

No man had ever made Darcy shout, a thought that niggled her feminine pride while it aroused her curiosity-although, with his super-sized hardware, the shout might not have been one of ecstasy. The thought cheered her for the moment, until she noted the woman slamming her hips upward to meet the vamp's thrusts.

From Darcy's angle, she had a perfect view of the long, gliding action of his hips as he pumped into the woman's body. Darcy's legs widened, and she dug her knees into the sand, shifting her hips to relieve the itch between her legs.

"I'll bet you twenty she comes before he does," Max's voice broke in.

"You're on," said Joe. "What man wouldn't come all over a woman like that?"

"Ahem. Just a little reminder, guys," Darcy said, hoping to cut off this particular line of conversation. "Captain will be reviewing this feed, too. Joe, you better not have on your zoom."

Soft chuckles sounded from the guys, but they soon quieted and hunkered down to wait-and watch.

Darcy's attention returned to the couple farther down the beach.

The woman's legs straightened, her toes pointing toward the moon, and her long moans indicated she was fast approaching the big O. The vampire ground his hips into hers, and the woman screeched.

Joe groaned.

"You owe me twenty," Max said.

"d.a.m.n," Phil whispered. "Wonder if the wifey will be up for a little tickle in the morning."

"I'm telling Bets you called her that." Darcy's mouth was so dry the words almost cracked.

The woman's legs jerked up and down.

The vamp flung back his head and thrust faster. Suddenly, he stopped, his nose lifting into the breeze.

Realizing the wind had shifted, Darcy hugged the sand and held her breath.

The vamp turned his head and stared straight at her.

Darcy froze, hoping he hadn't really seen her. But a grin stretched across his face.

"f.u.c.k, Darcy!" Joe shouted into her headset. "You're made. Get out."

Darcy couldn't risk a shot with the woman downrange. She ditched her crossbow, ripped off her goggles, and sprang from the foxhole. Running straight for the road a hundred yards in front of her, Darcy felt the world slow. Her feet mired in the sand. Her heart drummed loudly in her ears.

Then she heard bare feet pounding in the sand and knew he was gaining.

"I'll try to get off a shot," Joe said, his breaths coming short and fast, "but he's moving in on you. Pick up your feet. You're running like a d.a.m.n girl."

Anger and a spurt of adrenaline increased her pace. She leapt over a hummock of tall sawgra.s.s and hoped it sc.r.a.ped his b.a.l.l.s. The road was fifty yards away. The headlights of the approaching van swept the beach in front of her.

"He's too close. I can't get off a shot," Joe said. "Hold him off. I'm coming."

Twenty-five yards and uphill now, she strained, her boots sinking ankle-deep as she climbed a dune. She reached the top, and then her feet left the ground as a heavy weight knocked her through the air.

They rolled to the bottom of the dune in a jumble of twisting limbs. When they stopped, his long, hard body stretched over hers, anchoring her to the ground.

Darcy opened her eyes, expecting a vampire's mask and a row of jagged teeth. Instead, the vamp's handsome face hovered only inches from her own. She drew a deep, shuddering breath.

"Well, well, well," he said, his voice a low, rumbling purr. "A she-cop. A dangerous species, indeed."

"You're English," she blurted. Something else not in the report. Was he even a vampire? Despite the layer of clothing separating their skins, Darcy burned from his heat. She struggled against his restraint.

He stretched and hooked his ankles around hers, and his hands held hers easily to the ground above her head.

Finally defeated, she let her head fall back in the sand. "So, how'd you know I was there?" she asked, already knowing the truth, but needing to distract him. His teeth were too close for comfort.

His face lowered, and he sniffed along her neck and the collar of her shirt. "My dear, I could smell your arousal. Delicious."

Darcy jerked. That hadn't been quite the answer she'd expected. Up close, he smelled of the sea and the other woman's perfume. But there was also an underlying aroma, something spicy-his own male musk. And though she didn't want to admit it, he smelled lovely himself.

Noise from a half-dozen pairs of booted feet hurtling down the dune filled the air around them. When the sand settled, the clicks of rounds chambering inside weapons sounded loudly.

The blinding glare of multiple flashlights trained on Darcy and the vampire lying in the trough of the dune, fully illuminating his features. His wary gaze locked with Darcy's; intelligence showed in those narrowed eyes.

"Get off her, now!" Joe shouted.

"Now, gentlemen," the vamp responded, his voice calm. "Why would I give up my only advantage?" He leaned close.

Darcy forced herself not to flinch. Christ, he's going to bite me. Expecting teeth to sink into her neck, she was surprised when his warm, rough tongue lapped her instead. So that's what their tongues feel like!

"Just in case," he whispered.

When she could organize her scattered thoughts, she realized he'd prepared her skin-used saliva from the special glands in the back of his throat to deaden the nerves. Why bother?

"I give you my word. We won't harm you if you let her go," Joe continued.

"And our long-standing relationship a.s.sures me your word to a vampire is your bond?" Wry humor laced the blond creature's words. "No, thank you. I'll stay right where I am. Besides, it seems a fair trade. I have an interesting piece of woman-flesh beneath me to replace the juicy bit you chased away."

Joe cursed.

The vamp's gaze drilled her into the sand. "I'm sure you've all wondered what it's like, lying atop your friend. From where I'm laying...it's pretty d.a.m.n sweet."

Which reminded her that his s.e.x nestled between her legs. Awareness stiffened her belly and thighs. Darcy glared at him-vampire or not-her anger rose swift and sharp.

"You son of a b.i.t.c.h," her partner growled.

"Joe," Darcy said, trying not to strangle on her words. "Let's not p.i.s.s him off. Remember, I'm the one with a naked vampire squashing the breath out of me."