Taken by a Vampire (Vampire Queen) - By Joey W. Hill Page 0,117

on her bottom lip. When she licked it off, she caught the pad of his finger at the same time. She sucked the rest off his skin. His other fingers settled on her throat as he watched her. “Your pulse is still rabbiting,” he observed in a low rumble. “It’s okay, lass. You’re all right.”

For now. “If something does happen, I want to say . . thank you. To you and our Master. I don’t know if he was compelled by Lady Lyssa to take me into his service, or if it was his choice, but you’ve both been . . . I’m glad I’ve had this experience.”

“He approached her, lass. The moment ye calmed under our hands. The way you’re calming now.”

He was right. His other hand had been stroking her arm, her hip, caressing her thigh, and she’d stilled beneath that possessive, soothing stroke.

“As far as the chocolate, Brian said there’s something in it that would help if you missed an injection and had a bad reaction. It makes sense. Just like my clever hands, it calms most women down.”

He was teasing her, but she couldn’t smile yet. When she looked down, his hand slid along the length of her thigh. She parted her legs farther, caught her bottom lip in her teeth as he stroked between them, a methodical caress of her pussy beneath the denim.

“That can calm a woman down as well,” he noted in that throaty growl. “As well as stir a man up.” Taking his hand away, he brought it back to rest on her knee, but kept his weight forward, his grasp firm, telling her he liked her legs spread for him. His attention swept over her burning cheeks, the moistness of her lips. “Time to finish our shopping. Much as I’d like tae pursue that dressing room fantasy, we’ve caused enough drama for now.”

Relief swept through her. “You’re not taking me back?”

“You’d have an aneurysm if Evan’s list wasnae finished,” he noted. “If you’re up to the groceries, we’ll do that as well. But ye get more color in your face in the next thirty minutes, or we’re headed back, no matter what. You can rest in the car at the shops where I can see you from the storefront. Plus, there’s no reason to drag ye into the hardware store for the ropes and clips he’s wanting.”

“Ropes?”

Niall grinned. “No wild ideas, muirnín. He has a couple cliffs he’s wanting to scale. Even a vampire doesnae relish falling off a mountain.” He cocked a brow, glancing down at her open thighs. “However, I like the idea of tying ye on our bed and tasting ye until you’re writhing like a captured soft rabbit. Or”—his gaze came back to her, a little more ominous—“tying some knots in it and applying it to your ripe arse. I’m going to do my best to put it in his head, since ye nearly scared the rest o’ my life off me.”

“And because you’d like doing it.”

“Some vampire preferences tend to be contagious.” Giving her a wicked look, he helped her to her feet. Despite his teasing, she noticed he kept a strong arm around her. “Let’s go finish our chores.”

Finishing Evan’s list left her with a false sense of satisfaction, because Niall had to do a lot of it. Her color had improved, but it took time for her strength to return. She requested a brief stop at a shoe store, however, where she found a suitable pair for the gray dress, as well as some pretty matching baubles for her ears and throat. Niall frowned at her choices, but he paid for them, shaking his head when she asked him if there was a problem.

As they pulled into the grocery, their last stop, her curiosity motivated her to ask again. “Did I offend my Master or you with the jewelry? Were they too excessive?”

“Hardly. They were three for fifteen dollars. Evan isn’t as wealthy as Council vampires, lass, but he does have enough money to buy you decent jewelry.”

When he put the Rover in park, she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter if the Council assigns me to the most wealthy and powerful, or to the poorest. I am still only a servant, Niall. Our Master’s money is not mine, and I would never act as if it was. From what I know of your lifestyle and the infrequency of formal events, the costume jewelry I bought is sufficient.” As well as how long I