Hunger Embraced (The Hunger Series) Read Online Free Page A

Bodily if need be.
    I grabbed the jelly beans and took a handful out, gnashing them into submission. Who hangs around after a feed and steals most of the candy? So rude.
    I cranked the hot water up as high as possible and ignored the squeak of my irritable faucets.
    The water ran cold over my tension-filled shoulders. I emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, wrapped in my old bathrobe. The ratty pink and black plaid killed the avenging goddess look, but I didn’t care. Vampire food and sex queen I may be, but flannel is where it’s at. The soft material didn’t make me think of anything more titillating than cocoa and chocolate chip cookies, and I hoped the effect would transfer to my unwanted guest. Especially if he was waiting for a two-fer.
    “It’s you and me, bathrobe. As long there are hungry vamps tracking me down, I’ll need a cuddle, and baby, you’re all I got.”
    I think if the fabric could have whimpered it would have. We were both tired. The dark circles under my eyes and too-thin look to my skin hadn’t been anything new in the mirror. I’d considered staying in the bathroom even longer, but my stomach had other ideas. Besides, avoiding the problem wouldn’t solve it. A vamp had invaded my kitchen, and he needed an eviction notice. I had to get him out of my domain and get redressed for my day—half day now—of torture in corporate lawyer hell.
    Maybe if I ate the food, he’d go. It did smell pretty good.
    Daniel stood with a hip propped against the counter, arms crossed, and peered at me from beneath hooded eyes. The casual posture lied. The simmer of his magic teased my senses, tickling my nose with a static buzz reminiscent of the precursor to a thunderstorm.
    A covered plate rested to his right with a cup of tea beside it. My toes curled against the cheap tile as I took him in, hesitating in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. He was huge—over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a pair of the thickest arms and legs I’d seen in a long time. The vampire would be at home in any NBA lineup.
    Now that I was no longer in my “uniform,” I didn’t quite know how to act around him. I should take the robe off. It’s easier to deal with them that way.
    I toyed with the belt and discarded the idea. I didn’t want him getting ideas about more sex right now. In a few days my energy levels would return to normal, and I wanted to keep things that way. He hadn’t drained me as badly as others in the past, but I knew if I gave him another go round, I was going to be flat on my back in bed.
    Screw it.
    I held my hand out for the food, which he passed with that same smirking curve to his lips. I wanted to wipe the look off his face with a sarcastic crack about him trying to cover up a lack of intellect with his snotty smile, but I let it go when I saw the plate. Toast, eggs, bacon, fresh slices of cantaloupe, and hash browns all competed for space on my crappy, chipped china. I plucked a piece of the fruit up and took a healthy bite. The sweetness of the melon exploded against my tongue and I moaned, swiping at the juice dribbling down my chin. Daniel seemed to take my eating as a sign I wasn’t about to start in on him again about leaving, and his shoulders relaxed a smidge.
    OK, so I’d give him until I finished. Then I was kicking his ass out.
    He followed me into the living room and hovered three feet away. Maybe I’d get lucky and he’d leave on his own.
    He took a deep breath, dropped his gaze to the floor, cracked his knuckles, and shifted his weight around.
    Nope. No such luck.
    I munched on my bacon with enthusiasm. It was cold since I’d been in the shower for so long, but still delicious. I would have gotten a half-stale doughnut from the ever-present box at the office if left to my own devices. The eggs were next, scooped up on the toast. Well, at least my tummy was happy. In fact, I felt better than I usually did after being breakfast for one of the big, fangy,