Bitten: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance Read Online Free Page A

Jared.”
    I shoved the bills into his chest. His cold fingers curled over my palm, pressing it to his chest. No… don’t…. I tried to snatch my hand away.
    Steel bore down, trapping me. I could feel the heat of his gaze. “You are a problem. Ms. Flynn. A very big problem. Go home to your boyfriend. Run while you still have a boyfriend left to go home to.”
    I stumbled as he let me go. The thud of my boots rebounded in the hallway, blending with the gun-fire of my heart.
    You are a problem ….
    I hit the door with my shoulder and ricocheted. Agony tore through the side of my body as a hiss filled the corridor behind me. “What the hell are you doing here?”
    The white-washed walls blurred. Shadows melted into one, sharpening as the young woman came closer. Because she was a woman, not a shadow, even though she looked like one: black lips, black eyes and pasty white skin. Her spiked inky hair shone like a raven’s back.
    I shrank away as she reached for me.
    “Christ sake, I’m not going to hurt you. I’ve just never seen anyone bounce like that. You know, you really shouldn’t be here. This isn’t a place for the likes of you.”
    The likes of me? That’s twice someone had made a comment like that. I stared at the Goth looking woman and muttered, “What’s wrong with me?”
    Her brow furrowed. She glanced away, then turned back. “If you’re talking about yourself in general, then I’d have to say you’re an Alice who’s stepped through the looking glass. And this place is full of Mad Hatters and screams of, ‘off with their heads’ . You don’t want to be in that world. You look nice. I bet you’re really nice—so go, be nice. Go have a nice life with a nice guy and have lots of nice kids.”
    She slid a leather strap from around her neck. Footsteps behind her in the hallway ended. Kol watched me from the corner of the hallway.
    Sweat beaded on the back of my neck. My high-collared blouse clung as I moved. My blood hummed through my body at break-neck speed under the weight of his gaze.
    The click of the lock sounded. I fought the temptation to run as she threw open the steel door. I stumbled into the light, sucking in the cool autumn air until my thrashing heart slowed.
    What the hell was I thinking? Walking into a place like that, flirting with danger . Never again… never again.

Kol
    T he hallway reeked of the heady scent of lust. It coiled, unfurling like a serpent of dark desires ready to strike—yet this beast of need would go hungry—for it was my own.
    I braced my hand against the wall as the steel door slammed shut.
    Nova Flynn was gone, running for her life, no doubt—and I wanted her to run.
    She should run and never look back.
    She’s nothing but food. A human.
    My fangs nipped the lining of my mouth. Blood slipped over my tongue, the need for food was so close to the surface and yet, I wanted nothing more than to stay here inhaling the only thing that pretty little human left behind. Her scent.
    The torture was deliciously cruel. My cock twitched, drawing my focus to another need. Her nun-like clothing only prodded the demon inside me. She tried to hide her body, her scent, and her fear. The woman couldn’t have been more mistaken. I wanted to pluck the buttons from her pretense. I wanted to expose every delicious curve and lick the heat from her skin.
    The hired help turned from the doorway and caught my stare. Black pupils widened to swallow the brown of her eyes. Her pulse sped. The sluggish thud picked up pace. I could almost feel the clench of that pulsing muscle in her chest, almost feel the heat of the blood driving through her veins.
    The hollow cavern of my own was barren. I was a monster—hated and feared and that’s exactly how I needed to stay.
    “I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t realize you were there. Please… don’t hurt me.”
    The bartender froze and dropped her gaze. Chrome shimmered, leather shone, the sickly scent of perfume filled my nose, erasing the sweet