Page 63 of Once Bitten, Twice Mine

“I don’t want you to kill anyone.”

“Luckily for your human morals, this is not a situation that would be improved by murder.”

“Are you incredibly wealthy all of a sudden? Have you been holding out on me?”

“No, but I can be incredibly persuasive.”

She leaned back into the chair, one leg pulled onto the seat while the other remained on the floor. One arm was hooked around her leg while the other drummed on the armrest. She looked as enticing as always, but the sparkle in her eye was a little dull.

“I don’t need your help either.” The last thing she needed was to get caught up in any of her vampire trickery.

“Is there nothing you could think of that you would want my help with?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?” Valeria got up and stalked over to her. She picked up the lace and tossed it before sitting beside her, Valeria’s body moulding to hers like water.

“If you’ve ruined my lace, I’ll be very cross with you. I’ve been working very hard on it.”

“I know, you’ve been giving it all your attention when you could have been paying attention to me.”

“All I do is pay attention to you.”

Valeria ran a finger down the column of her neck, her pulse hammering away in response as the other woman’s finger traced her lace collar. “I don’t think you pay me nearly enough attention.”

Caroline grabbed her finger before she could go further. “Lucy caught me in your bed this morning.”

“And?”

“We can’t afford to be caught again! I brushed Lucy off, and I think she believed me when I said it was nothing, but she will get suspicious if it keeps happening.”

“That hurts my feelings,” Valeria frowned, the expression looking so out of place on her face. “But I trust her not to say anything. She’s your maid after all, and she’s incredibly loyal.”

“She’s a terrible gossip. I fear this will spread through the town like wildfire.”

“Then I can go to your bed. I’ll make sure to leave before dawn.”

It was on the tip of Caroline’s tongue to refuse. To tell Valeria no, that it meant they shouldn’t be seeing each other like this. That Caroline was engaged. Valeria was a vampire, and they were both women on top of that, but instead Valeria kissed her, and all sense went out the window as she kissed her back.

“I do like that you stayed with me through the night,” Valeria said between kisses. “Should we move to your bed?”

Caroline nodded, too dazed to speak as they stood and somehow stumbled to the bed in a mess of lips and tongues. Shaking fingers fumbled as she undid the knot on Valeria’s dressing gown until she was able to push the heavy garment from her shoulders, revealing the nearly transparent shift that haunted her dreams.

The only difference was she could finally touch her.

“I don’t know why you bother wearing a shift at all because this one is see-through.”

“I wear it because every time you see it, your heart races.” She ran her fingers over Caroline’s throat. “I can see your racing pulse as you desperately try not to look at my body. Then when you finally can’t look away any longer, your cheeks flush a delicious pink.”

“I can’t believe you go to such lengths to tease me.”

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

This time Caroline grabbed her and kissed her, both of them tumbling to her bed, but Caroline kept control for once. Desperate hands ripped away Valeria’s shift because, while it was transparent, she still wanted bare skin. Her body was lean, but with soft breasts that fit perfectly in the palm of her hand, a rounded belly, and thighs that quivered under her touch. She was Venus made flesh, and it was time for Caroline to worship her goddess.

Grabbing her right leg, she bent Valeria’s knee and placed her foot flat on the bed in the exact position she wanted before doing the same to her left leg. Valeria’s eyes flashed with heat, and she propped herself up on her elbows to get a good view as Caroline started kissing a slow line down her thigh.

“I can’t imagine what I’ve done to deserve such treatment.”