Dance of the Dragon Read online

  When Seth’s kitty comes out to play, Paxton realizes she’s been stupid to deny herself this man. And when he puts his life on the line to protect hers? All bets are off.

  Warning: Let’s be realistic here people; there’s sex. Who doesn’t want to be coerced into bed by a sexy, God’s-gift-to-women vampire? And when they can be undressed and on you before you can blink—hello. Even if said vampire faints at the sight of his own blood…

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Tooth and Claw:

  Paxton dropped her head to Seth’s shoulder. How long had they been in here? Five minutes? Ten? Would Gutiérrez come looking for them? Shit. He would find them half naked and her with a vamp’s cock riding snuggly in her nicely satiated pussy.

  She so should have done this sooner. Why oh why had she listened to her brain and done her best to stay away from Seth? Her next thought? Why on Earth had she done this?

  Seth snorted in her ear.

  “Okay, dammit, if what we’ve done just enabled you to talk in my head or…or, read my mind, or whatever, you better just stop right now.”

  “It’s not necessarily sex that makes me able to talk in your head. I just can with certain people. Those open to it. Others are closed up tight. Sex can help open those doorways, though. Frees the mind somehow.”

  His tongue lapped at her earlobe. She mewled. Mewled! Like a freakin’ cat getting her head scratched.

  “Meow…”

  “Oh, for God’s sake.” She reared back and smacked her new lover upside the head. Her new lover! A freaking vampire lover. Oh, she had sunk low.

  This made him laugh harder. “I am sorry, Princess. You are an open book right now, broadcasting everything. This is so new to you, it will be impossible for me to keep out for a short time. It gets easier.”

  Something nagged at her, and she thought about what he said for several heartbeats.

  “So if sex is one way to open the doors…how is it that you and Cap can talk? Please God, don’t tell me you’re bi or something, cuz if you’re doing the captain—”

  He put a hand over her mouth, effectively shutting her up.

  “I am not doing your boss, nor am I bi. I told you. Some people are naturally receptive. Quinn happens to be one of them. It’s not something he tells anyone, we just sort of happened across it one day and we use it to our advantage. That’s all.” He grinned and lifted her, which allowed his penis to slip free from her body.

  She bit her lip and swore not to protest at the movement, at the sadness of not being filled by him anymore. She was not sad, dang it.

  Seth set her on her feet and steadied her with his hands on her shoulders. The cool air of the cage against her skin made her shiver as she looked for her clothes.

  “We have to get out of here. Jesus, I am so gonna get talked about,” she muttered, thinking about her partner and all the other detectives razzing her. As if that were worse than giving herself to a vampire. Hello, notch on the bedpost.

  “No one will know,” he said in all seriousness.

  “Oh yeah?” Her panties were still stuck in the waist of her pants and she pulled both garments on while Seth zipped his luscious—yes, she admitted to herself, the man was hung nicely—cock back away. She almost said goodbye to the damn thing and watched it longingly as it disappeared behind the denim.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you going to wipe their memories or something?” She reached for the edges of her bra to reconnect them only to have her hands swiped away. Seth did the job, lingering a tad and brushing his thumbs over her still very-sensitive nipples.

  “You are beautiful,” he murmured.

  Paxton swallowed at the heat she saw in his eyes and suddenly hated her job. All she wanted to do was take Seth home and make love to him all night long.

  Oh God, she didn’t. She didn’t want that.

  Did she?

  He smiled again.

  “All right, you bastard, you have to stop that.”

  “I am sorry.” He wrapped his hand around her nape and nuzzled the side of her neck with his nose. She swore he inhaled her.

  “Mmm…” he hummed against her throat.

  “Oh Jesus. You must have taken too much blood because there is no way I should be enjoying this.”

  “Are you weak?”

  “N-no. Not yet.” She angled her head for him. “Are you going to bite me again? Cuz then I’m thinking I might like to get a little weak.”

  “I won’t let you faint, Princess.”

  She stepped back out of his reach, yanking the silk shirt together to cover her breasts. Wasn’t she just a fountain of contradictions? One minute she hated the man, the next she was ready to graciously offer herself as a snack. Fucking vampire mojo making her do things she didn’t want.

  “Why do you keep calling me that?” she grumbled, doing her best to get back on level ground.

  Seth sighed, which only served to fill her with dread. She wasn’t going to like what he had to say, she knew it.

  When she finished buttoning the shirt, he took one of her hands in both of his and kissed each fingertip. “I promised we’d talk about it. But here”—he glanced around the dim cage—“is not the place for it. Besides, we’re late and Luke will be waiting for us. I’m sure you know how impatient he can be.” He grinned once more and Paxton was astonished to see his wicked incisors shrink into regular teeth.

  “Fine. Later.” She whipped around, not wanting him to see how he affected her. Not that he couldn’t pick her brain and discover all of her dirty little secrets if he wanted to, apparently. “You still need a vest.”

  She shivered at the strange snarl at the back of her neck.

  “For you, I will wear one.”

  “Christ, you idiot.” She slapped his chest. “You’re going to get me demoted from detective to beat cop if you don’t wear the damn thing. Granted, we’re going into a woman’s house to see the damage done to her underwear drawer, not staking out Al Capone. Do I think you’ll get shot by anything other than a possible errant mothball? No, but too fucking bad cause it’s policy. P-O-L-I-C-Y. Take the fucking thing and shut up or I’ll shoot you myself.” She was steaming. Her face had to be an angry red, based on the heat she felt there. His defiance was pissing her off.

  Slippery when wet…

  Tidal Wave

  © 2009 Vivian Arend

  Forces of Nature, Book 1

  From her first kiss to her first sight of dolphins dancing on the waves, Alexia Colten has always held a special place in her heart for Jaffrey’s Cove. Now that she’s back to help her grandmother settle into a home, she discovers this place has lost none of its remembered magic. In fact, it seems more magical than before—and more erotic.

  After she’s gifted with a beautiful, dolphin-etched medallion, she finds herself surrounded by the golden boys of summers past. Her body is filled with longings she can’t explain and dreams of blue lights that turn into lovers.

  Joshua Marley and his cousin Anthony are merfolk, a people capable of living beneath the waves as either dolphin or human. Alexia holds the medallion that marks her as the next in line to lead their people—if she can prove she can transform. Working in tandem, they’re sure they can arouse her passion and protect her from those who would use her simply to gain power.

  But their strength alone may not be enough to help her face the challenge of her new position…

  Warning: This title contains a conniving granny, naked men in the surf and shifters who take fun in the water to new depths. Snorkels not required.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Tidal Wave:

  Alexia wondered briefly what she was doing in Anthony’s arms while Joshua wandered the room behind them. It was so different from anything she’d experienced before, the need welling from deep within calling her to keep these two men at her side. More than called, demanded. She longed for Joshua, a heady all-out desire that shocked her to the core, but she wanted Anthony as well. Alexia had never been one to fool around indiscrimi
nately, always keeping sex in the context of long-term relationships. But there was no denying the urges sweeping through her now, harder and hotter than she’d experienced before.

  It had to be something to do with the medallion, with the dolphins.

  Did she want to be out of control like this? She’d accepted the medallion as a gift from her Gram. A trinket. Not some life-changing “now you are one of us” commitment. Yet here she stood in Anthony’s arms. Her hand throbbed from the smack she’d delivered to Michael’s face. Her body tingled from head to toe with the need for…something.

  Kissing Anthony felt right. Sweet, tender kisses that turned her inside out. Anthony’s touch teased. Tentative at first, his lips on hers like a brush of the ocean on the shore at its very calmest. She stroked his lips with her tongue, and he drew a hand around her neck to adjust the angle of their mouths to bring them closer together. He nibbled on her lips, along her cheek to the V of her neckline and a shiver ran through her. Anthony was softness and intimate caring.

  Then Joshua returned and the heat skyrocketed. Twisting her in his cousin’s arms Joshua took possession of her mouth and controlled her. Tongues met, teeth bit. This was what she’d been longing for and she urged him on, her lips hot and moist on his. She wrapped an arm around his neck to lock him in place, the fingers of her other hand still tangled with Anthony’s.

  Three bodies close together, the rough fabric of their jeans brushed the bare skin of her legs and made her want more of their touch everywhere. Joshua’s hands held her hips firmly to his groin, his erection a hard ridge against her belly.

  Anthony nipped the back of her neck, then lapped to soothe the pain away. He pulled the zipper on her dress inch by inch to release the garment from her body. A trail of kisses flowed downward, laving her bare skin with his tongue.

  “She’s not wearing a bra,” Anthony whispered in awe as a finger brushed softly over the exposed skin of her back.

  Joshua pulled away and Alexia restrained herself from following him, chasing his addictive taste. His hands pushed the straps of her dress aside and the top pooled around her hips. Anthony stroked her shoulders and down the curve of her breasts. He cradled her in his palms, lifting the firm globes to Joshua like an offering. The heat of Joshua’s stare hit her full on, and she forced her eyes shut to avoid going up in flames.

  Then she was covered with caresses as her dress was lowered to the floor, and lips and hands touched her body again and again. She didn’t know who kissed her neck, didn’t care who caressed her breast. Skin to skin, moist kisses after searing hot touches. One of them flicked the pearled tip of her nipple, and her womb flooded with moisture.

  “We want you, Alexia. All of you,” Joshua said before his tongue slid along the edge of her soaking wet undies. She opened her legs voluntarily, wanting more. Offering more. He pressed a kiss to her heated core, his teeth snagging on the fabric covering her. Hot breath on hot moisture combined and whirled together into a flammable danger zone. He leaned in harder with his lips, licking the length of her slit over her panties and she shivered.

  Take them off, please.

  She wanted his mouth on her, no barriers. Joshua sucked the fabric again, the crotch sopping wet between her juices and his mouth. Alexia tilted her hips, attempting to make him touch her more intimately, and he laughed. His hands traced over her thighs, thumbs rubbing along the inside toward her tender core. He pushed into the material, his fingers probing her pussy ever so slightly.

  “Oh sweet mercy,” Alexia moaned. It was torment, the lightness of his touch on super-sensitized tissues.

  Her panties slid away, and she rocked on suddenly shaky legs until Joshua’s hands steadied her. One hand reached behind her to clasp her ass, his fingers dipped into the crease between her cheeks. The other stroked her slit, fingers dragging through the moisture to settle where her clit pulsed in time with her heart.

  Then his mouth descended and his tongue claimed her again.

  All this time Anthony worshipped her breasts, his fingers rolling the tips between thumb and forefinger before he suckled, one side and then the other until both tingled with need.

  “You’re beautiful, Alexia.” Anthony pulled back, his eyes glittering with golden flecks. She watched in fascination as he palmed her, lowering his mouth slowly to suckle. She was quivering with anticipation before the moist heat of his mouth lit her on fire. He raised his head to stare at her again. Stars swirled in the depths of his gaze.

  “Your eyes. They’re alive with lights.” Wonder and delight filled her heart.

  Anthony rose and moved to the side, allowing Joshua more room to settle intimately closer as his tongue lapped at her. Sensation built, pleasure rising. One man between her legs and one caressing her torso became an exquisite form of torture.

  “You see the fire rising in my eyes, don’t you? It only shows in our human bodies when we feel extreme emotions,” Anthony whispered, dropping a kiss over her heart tenderly. “I’d do anything for you.”

  A sensation like an electric shock hit her, pure energy settling on her body like a winter coat. Heavy, but comforting. She closed her eyes and still the haze of blue light surrounding them lit her vision. It was familiar and reassuring even as it sent her arousal through the ceiling.

  Joshua flicked her clit with his tongue, two of his fingers buried in her sheath. He slid them in and out slowly compared to the extreme pace of his tongue, the contrast forcing her further toward nirvana. Anthony sucked a nipple into his mouth and his touch sent her over the edge. Her pussy convulsed, another flood of moisture dropped to cover Joshua’s fingers. She moaned, a long, low satisfied sound, and Joshua chuckled. He planted a final kiss on her pussy before he rose to drop one more on her lips. He tasted of her juices and his own unique flavor, his mouth firm against hers before he stepped back and stroked her cheek.

  A thrill shot through Alexia as she watched Joshua’s expression. His face reflected the things she felt in her heart. Desire, hunger, yes, but also a deeper longing for companionship, for love. She lifted her hand to touch his face, letting her own emotions show. Their gazes locked and something sweet passed between them.

  Anthony settled her carefully on the pillows and cushions gathered in front of the fire. The hard edge of desire that had ridden her all day had dulled slightly with her orgasm, but her body still called for them. Needed them intensely. She stared in amazement at the pale blue light hovering around the men, not so much above them but a part of them.

  “We’ll take care of you, Alexia.”

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