Dark Seduction (Vampire Royals of New York #2) - Sarah Piper Page 0,51
raw desire, a deep and desperate look that nearly undid him. His cock bulged obviously against his thin running shorts, battling his brain.
Just one more time.
Don’t be daft.
What’s the harm in giving each other a bit of dark pleasure?
She was plotting to rob your estate, you bloody idiot...
“Charlotte,” he said, finally forcing out the words, “I meant what I said last night. We can’t—”
“Play Midnight Marauder?” She grinned again, deftly steering them away from a topic she clearly found as uncomfortable as he did. “Yeah, I figured you’d say no. That’s why I waited until you were gone, and asked Aiden to set me up down here. Had I known you’d erased me from existence—”
“Virtual existence. And what did you expect?” He raked a hand through his hair. “You damn near broke my bloody heart, woman.”
Fuck.
He hadn’t meant to say that out loud, to open himself up again. Quickly, smoothly, he hit the button on the wall to raise the second platform and booted up his Bone Crusher avatar, not sparing her a glance.
The media room at Ravenswood was significantly smaller than the game room in Tribeca, but no less well-equipped, and soon they were both situated on their platforms, helmets and face shields in place, ready for a rematch.
“There’s only one way to settle this,” he said, scanning Charlotte’s new stats. In the few hours he’d been gone, she’d done pretty well for herself, racking up a dozen KOs. Dorian was impressed. “Let’s go, Miss Demeanor.”
“Oh, Bone Crusher. Sweet, sweet Bone Crusher.” Charlotte laughed. “Miss Demeanor’s dead. You killed her, remember? The name is B.O.B. now. Guess what it stands for.”
“I can only imagine.”
“Breaker of Balls.” She crouched into position, cracking her knuckles. The she-elf onscreen followed suit. “Bring it, vampire king.”
Ignoring the sight of her long, toned legs, the T-shirt hiding nothing as she crouched on the platform, Dorian nodded brusquely. “Oh, I shall bring it.”
“Oh, I shall bring it,” she mocked. Her English accent was bang on. “Shall you bring a spot of tea and biscuits as well? Perhaps a bit of jam from your pantry?”
Dorian turned to say something witty, but the moment his eyes left the screen, she threw a sucker-punch. He tried to duck, but he was a beat too slow. Bone Crusher took a direct hit to the balls.
Dorian groaned. “Living up to the name, I see.”
“That’s what you get when you sleep on B.O.B.”
“Noted,” he said. Onscreen, Bone Crusher regained his balance, faking her out and landing a solid right hook that sent Breaker of Balls skittering backward.
Charlotte huffed out a curse.
“Do you know what your problem is, Breaker?” he asked.
“Lack of decent competition?”
“No, love. You fight dirty.”
“Gets the job done, doesn’t it?”
“In Midnight Marauder, yes. But you lack technique. In a real fight—”
“I’d just grab your broom handle. And no, that’s not a euphemism.” She crouched low and kicked, trying to sweep Bone Crusher’s legs out from under him, but he evaded the move with a quick hop, responding with a fierce kick to the chest that knocked Breaker flat on her back.
He could’ve ended it right there—pounced on her and gone in for the kill. But suddenly he pictured Rudy—that greasy, despicable thug—jumping her in an alley, catching her totally unaware. He pictured Duchanes, biting into her neck. He pictured those other two vampire fucks, batting her around like a cat toy.
Rage boiled up inside him.
“Listen to me, Charlotte,” he said urgently. “In a real fight, you might not get a second chance—the other man won’t look away. You’ve got to stay cool under pressure. Smart. You’re not a large woman, so chances are you’ll have to outthink rather than out-fight your opponent.”
Charlotte removed her helmet and turned to face Dorian, her eyes somber and serious. The fact that she hadn’t taken advantage of his momentary distraction told him she understood the gravity of his warning.
Suddenly, their little skirmish was no longer about a video game vendetta. It was about reality—Charlotte’s reality. And the moment either of them forgot about that, the moment her life—or Sasha’s—could end.
Yes, Dorian could and would—with a fucking smile on his face and a song in his heart—rip out throats and crush skulls and behead anyone who so much as breathed on her in his presence.
But she wouldn’t always be in his presence. Especially once they dealt with her uncle and eliminated the threat of Duchanes.
After that, Dorian realized with a sick twist in his gut, he’d likely never see her again.