She gasped at his ear, making him shudder. She'd seen a glimpse. How would she react? What would she do next?
She leaned in closer, until the side of her face was touching his. Her lovely unmasked face. Skin to skin. Panting, she eased forward even more. When the corners of their lips were flush, his parted in surprise.
Though it was torture, he went motionless. What will she do next?
He held his breath. His c*ck pained him as never before. His body began to quake-
Then came one sly dart of her little tongue . . . the lightest dab at the edge of his mouth, just inside his parted lips.
Thought fled.
With a roar, he traced to his feet to seize his prize.
The vampire's hands shot out for her.
"Wait!" Bettina cried as she tumbled from her knees to one hip.
He froze. Gradually, he straightened. Between ragged breaths, he said, "I'd never hurt you, Bett. Never."
She frowned up at him. That thought hadn't crossed her mind. If she'd feared him, then she wouldn't have been trying to tease him to distraction-so he'd thrust his h*ps and show her his erection again.
Her one fleeting glimpse as it'd breached the surface of the water left her beset with curiosity. With desire.
In lieu of thrusting, his standing completely na**d in front of her worked too.
Oh, my gold, how this works.
He must've realized she had no fear of him because he put his shoulders back, must've realized that she'd craved this view because he lifted his chin.
"You want to see your male?" he grated, masculine pride suffusing his tone.
"My male?" A male. This male . . .
I'm staring up at a na**d, fully aroused vampire. Blooded and in his prime.
She felt giddy, as drunk as she'd been during their first encounter. The sight of him like this not only aroused her, it delighted her.
The fire was to his right, illuminating his glistening skin, shadows and light at play. Under her gaze, every sinew of muscle contracted, rippling. Water streams licked over every mighty rise, over every rigid fall.
Drops sluiced down his chest to his navel, meeting at that dusky trail of hair leading down, down.
When her gaze followed, he said in a gravelly voice, "This is what you do to me, Bett." His accent was thicker than she'd ever heard it.
She was transfixed by his erection-again, giddy. Her peek had been just the tip of the iceberg. So to speak. At the thought, a laugh escaped her.
Which made him scowl and cross his arms.
Had she actually tried to convince herself that she would view him as a subject of study?
Uh-huh. For my art.
She couldn't even think that with a straight face.
"Strange little sorceress," he suddenly murmured in a wondering tone. "You're . . . happy."
She gave an absent nod and began lovingly taking in every detail of his manhood.
Crisp black hair circled the base. Just below it, his heavy sac tightened before her eyes. The shaft was veined, the skin so taut. The engorged head strained toward her, as if toward her parted lips.