BittenandDefiant

Barbara
Huffert

Frankie’s life is over. Her family is gone and she has
nothing left but the desire for revenge against the person who destroyed
everything. But to accomplish that she needs help. And who better to enlist
than the hottest vampire around?

Kellen doesn’t know the woman who is stalking him, but he
sure wants to—intimately. He’s allowed her to watch him feed, something that simply
isn’t done. Even with all his senses heightened he still can’t tap into her
thoughts. Maybe after indulging their insatiable hunger for each other she’ll
loosen up enough to share her secrets.

Inside Scoop:
The book opens with a very brief sexy
scene between a male vampire and another male.

A
Romantica®
paranormal erotic romance
from Ellora’s Cave

Dedication

For Lori, the sister I always wanted.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the staff at the World Famous Pike Café for taking
such good care of me while I worked on this book.

“Mmm,” the pretty blond moaned. “Fuck, yeah,” he whispered,
arching his groin against the one pinning him firmly against the stacks. His
eyes drifted closed as an expression of pure bliss settled on his soft
features. The young man, barely older than a boy, tilted his head, allowing
complete access to his delicate neck without seeming to realize what was going
on.

The boy’s essence was as sweet as expected when the vampire
zeroed in on him. Feeding from him was extremely satisfying. Still, it wasn’t
exactly what he wanted. No, ever since he noticed he was being watched,
followed, all his prey had lost a little something. And it was all her fault.
He’d hoped that altering his routine, choosing a male, might draw her out but
so far, it hadn’t.

Where was she? Usually he felt her presence, scented her,
soon after he led his morsel into the far reaches of the library. Tonight,
nothing. Had his choice backfired, repulsing her instead of luring her closer?
Or had she simply lost interest in pursuing him? Perhaps something had
happened. Could it be that she wasn’t following him at all? Was it pure coincidence
that she tended to appear soon after he secured his hosts? Idle curiosity that
had her stopping to watch him feed so frequently? He didn’t think so but he
could be wrong.

With that thought his hands clenched. The boy’s ecstatic
moan was punctuated with a gasp. Almost instantly the vamp willed himself to
ease up, loosening his grip so as not to bruise as he coaxed the young man back
into silence. His other hand caressed the silky flesh covering the boy’s ribs.
It wouldn’t do to break anything.

Much better to leave his victims willing, wanting more, even
though he made a point not to tap into the same source more than once. After
all, he never knew when unexpected trouble might rear its ugly head, leaving
him in need of a fast meal. Yes, it was always good to have those who sustained
him ready for another round, just in case an emergency happened.

The young man squirmed. Damn it. He had to focus on what he
was doing. What was wrong with him? He didn’t even know her. Or what she
wanted, for that matter. Maybe she didn’t want anything. Maybe it was an
old-book fetish that had her in the forgotten volumes area when he was feeding,
more often than not lately. He concentrated on the boy in his grasp.

Suddenly he felt her. She was there. Watching. Closer than
usual. The knowledge that tonight would be the night they finally had contact
thrilled him. His jaw worked, tightening his hold on the neck his fangs were
sunk into. He could practically feel her vibrating. More so than ever before.
Gods, if only she were the one in his arms.

The boy trembled as he came and nearly swooned, as if
sensing the vamp’s growing pleasure at her presence. It took everything to ease
away from the boy’s neck in order to release him. The vampire licked the
punctures, sealing them with his saliva, before kissing the young man deeply
and sending him on his way.

Then he turned, facing the spot where she waited in the
shadows. “Well?”

“Well what?” she countered.

“Don’t you think it’s about time you explained your
continued presence? Or do you just make a habit out of lurking in the dark
basement with the forgotten volumes where very few ever venture?”

“No.”

“No? No what?”

“No, I don’t do this all the time and no, I’m not quite
ready to explain.”

“Ah. So you are here for me then and not just the smell of
aged leather book covers?” When she didn’t respond he added, “You owe me that
much at least.”

“Oh. I guess.” She shrugged.

“Come closer,” he requested. “Into the light.”

“You can’t see in the dark?”

He chuckled. “Somewhat. Better than you can but not enough
to see you as clearly as I want to.”

When she complied he felt as if he’d been punched. She
wasn’t what he’d been expecting, not that he had a clear image of her formed in
his mind. For some reason he’d crafted the impression that she’d be more Goth
than she was. Oh the clothes were almost right. Black skirt, black hoodie over
a dark-purple shirt, black tights, black Doc Martens. Her hair was dark, short
and he guessed naturally straight. And her eyes, her eyes were the oddest shade
of gray. Violet almost. Huge. Without the aid of makeup. No, definitely not a
Goth girl up close. So who was she?

“What’s your name?” He began with something simple. If she
failed to respond to that there was no way he’d learn her purpose.

“Frankie Morgan. You?”

“Kellen.”

“Kellen? Kellen what? Or is that your last name?”

“Just Kellen.”

She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Just Kellen? Like Madonna or
Usher? Do you sing too?”

He laughed. “Occasionally but never professionally.”

“Hmm.”

So much emotion in such a tiny sound. “You’re not afraid of
me,” he stated, stepping closer so there was no need to speak above a soft
whisper. Gods, she smelled incredible. Her scent made his mouth water even though
this was so not the time for that.

“No.”

“Well, you don’t impress me as a typical groupie.”

“You have groupies?” The idea seemed to amuse her.

“Unfortunately. Wannabes who think being a vampire is cool.”

“It isn’t?” she asked quietly, apparently understanding the
need to converse as softly as possible.

“Not in the ways they think it is. Sure, there are
advantages to it but it’s not nearly as romantic as they imagine. That’s why I
don’t haunt the clubs looking for my next meal. Less of a chance of being spotted
by them here than there.”

“Hmm.”

Again that sound. Usually he had no trouble reading people
but Frankie Morgan was the exception.

“Why don’t you fuck them? They obviously want you to. Don’t
they?”

“Yes. It’s not the way I work.”

“Oh? You don’t want them?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“They seem to enjoy it when you, ah, suck their blood. After
all, they do come. Are you inside their heads?”

“As a rule, no. Look, the ones I choose to feed from are
very open and obvious in their desires. I don’t need to read their thoughts to
know what they want. I do project a little so no one freaks out if they realize
exactly what I’m doing.”

“I suppose that would make things messy if library security
came running into the middle of it.”

“To say the least. I prefer not to draw attention to
myself.” He paused. “Yet you seem to have noticed me anyway.”

“Yes. But then I’ve spent a lot of time searching for
someone like you.”

He couldn’t figure her out. She truly wasn’t intimidated.
She brought out something in him that had him talking about things he rarely
discussed, and when he did it certainly wasn’t with a virtual stranger. Still,
there was something about her that made him believe it was okay to do so.

“You doing some kind of survey here, Frankie? Gathering a
study group when you didn’t find what you wanted in a book?”

“No. Sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“I can’t explain yet.”

“But you will? Eventually?”

She hesitated. The expression on her face turned serious.
“Probably.”

“What’s wrong?” A surge of protectiveness hit him out of nowhere.
Frankie sighed as she shook her head. Clearly he would learn little from her
this time. At least they’d spoken. Later, when he replayed this
less-than-satisfying conversation he told himself he would hold on to that.

“You really are very handsome in a rugged sort of way. No
wonder people want you.”

“Um, thank you. I think.” Without pausing to consider what
he was about to say, he asked, “So what about you? Do you want me?”

Frankie gasped. In surprise? He saw something flicker in her
eyes. She did want him. Was that what she was interested in? He hadn’t thought
so but maybe he was wrong. Kellen stepped closer. He used a finger and tipped
her face to his.

“Is that what you’re after?”

“I, uh…” She trailed off.

Kellen laughed. She’d been so self-assured. Now she was
obviously thrown by the turn in the conversation. “Frankie?” he questioned just
before his lips claimed hers. He’d meant the kiss to be simple. He hadn’t
intended for it to be involved, but before he knew what was happening his mouth
was devouring hers. His tongue invaded, his teeth nipped though not hard enough
to draw blood. Much as he wanted to, he forced himself to resist. Gods, she was
sweet. Sweeter than anything he’d ever tasted and he really wasn’t tasting her.
Yet.

“Is that it, Frankie? You want to fuck a vampire?”

“No, I…” Her words trailed off as she grabbed his shirt
collar and dragged him toward her so she could reclaim his mouth. This time, it
was she who controlled the kiss and it was every bit as feral.

He growled softly, fascinated by the change in her demeanor.
He molded her tightly against him and his fangs lengthened but he retained
enough of his mind to know how dangerous it would be to bite her. If he did he
wouldn’t quit until he’d drained her dry. That was something he could not let
happen.

“Oh God,” Frankie gasped, wrapping her leg around his,
undulating against him with her damp crotch riding his thigh.

“Fuck.” Kellen tried to resist. He knew better than to give
in to his baser desires in such a public place, especially in the one where he
chose to feed. But there was something irresistible about this woman. “Stop now
or I won’t be able to.”

“No,” she said clearly as her hand covered the bulge of his
cock straining against his jeans. When she met his eyes all the desire he felt
was reflected back at him.

“Then say it,” he demanded, deliberately pushing her.

“I want you. Now. That good enough for you? Fuck me!”

With that, he spun them so her back was to the
floor-to-ceiling books. His hand went under her skirt as hers grasped his belt.
He smiled against her lips. She was wearing thigh-highs, not tights. Her
panties were soaked. Apparently watching him with the boy had turned her on.
That thought had his already-hard cock throbbing. Her long, delicate fingers
were soft yet surprisingly strong as she wrapped them around him, squeezing his
rod. Damn, she was hot. If he didn’t get inside her wet core soon he’d
embarrass himself just from her stroking. Thank goodness her panties were
easily yanked out of the way. Otherwise she’d be going home without them.

When he lifted her to gain better access to her slit,
Frankie wrapped her legs around him instantly. Her moans echoed in the silence
when he thrust his stiff cock into her dripping pussy. Gods, she was tight. He
barely fit. The sensation of her velvety flesh stretching around his engorged
shaft had him harder than he remembered ever being. He wondered briefly if he
was too much for her and tried to slow down.

“More, dammit! Fuck me harder, Kellen!” she demanded.

When he gave her what she wanted a soft cry escaped her
lips. He covered her mouth with his, swallowing her sounds. Her tongue caressed
his fangs as his hands found her breasts. Her nipples hardened at his touch.
Twisting them through the fabric was definitely not enough. One day he would
explore them thoroughly. But not now. No, now was for hard and fast fucking.

Animalistic was the only way to describe it. Out of control.
Hot as hell. As if his nonexistent life depended on it. Thank goodness he held
her to the shelving against the wall. Had they been in the middle of the room
where the shelves were open back-to-back he knew books would have gone flying,
which would not have been good. No way would he be able to interrupt things no
matter who came running at the noise that would have made.

She jammed her hands under his shirt to clutch him to her,
urging him to be even more wild. He could feel her nails digging into his
flesh. The slight pain was exquisite. Her legs were clasped around his waist,
her pussy clenched as he pummeled her with his bulging cock. It had been far
too long between encounters of this sort, something he hoped to rectify. With
her.

Her body went rigid, then dissolved into trembles in his
arms. The spasms in her pussy as she came took him with her. He couldn’t have
held off another second, not that he wanted to. He buried his cock deep inside,
pumping his hot cum into her tight, velvety core His liquid heat filling her
triggered another orgasm. By the time she finished coming he was drained.

Kellen held her, pinned between his slumping body and the
shelving. Her features were unfocused. Beautiful. Somewhere in the back of his
mind it registered how tight a hold she’d had on herself during their
discussion.

“Hey,” he said, kissing her softly. “You okay?” he asked as
he finally let himself slip from her body.

Frankie’s face went from dreamy and soft to panicked in an
instant. “Oh my God. What have I done? We didn’t even use a condom.”

Kellen trapped her with his body as he quickly rearranged
his pants. “It’s okay. Vamps don’t carry diseases. Nor can I impregnate you so
you’re safe all around.” He didn’t know why but he had the feeling that the
condom issue was the least of the things going on in her mind. For some reason
he couldn’t latch on to her thoughts. Perhaps it was because they were racing
and too scattered for him to get a handle on. “Calm down, Frankie. Talk to me.”

“No,” she cried, straightening her clothes. She looked at
her watch. “Damn.” She glanced at him, her expressive eyes too full for him to
decipher. “I have to go.”

“What? Wait? Go where?”

“I can’t. I’m sorry.”

More than anything, Kellen wanted to hold on to her, protect
her from whatever was going on. But he knew he couldn’t. He had to let her go
until she was ready. He also couldn’t follow her as every instinct told him to.
Without a doubt that would be a sure way to lose her.

“It’s okay,” he assured her, touching her cheek. “Be safe.
And come back.”