His Captive Mortal A Vampire Romance - Renee Rose Page 0,50

run out to the living room, dialing my work number on the phone.

“Hello, Edith?” I try to sound feeble. “Hi, It’s Aurelia. I’m so sorry, I was up puking all night, and I just now woke up. I don’t know if it was food poisoning or the stomach flu, so I think I’d better stay away from the kids today.”

“Okay,” Edith sighs. “I hope you feel better.”

“Thanks. And I’m sorry, I should’ve called and left a message last night when I first got sick.”

“Yes, I would’ve appreciated that. It will be hard to find a sub now.”

“If I feel better this afternoon, I’ll come in,” I offer, guilt eating at me.

“No. You’re right. If you have a flu bug, we don’t want all the kids getting sick. Stay home and keep me posted.”

“Okay, will do. Thanks.”

I end the call and walk back into the bedroom, worrying the inside of my cheek as I take in my sleeping vampire. He probably won’t wake for hours. So technically, I could get away with putting on some clothes and then taking them off again before he wakes. Plus, he said I had to be naked inside the house, which meant I could get dressed and work in the garden, and if he caught me in the house with clothes later, I could say I’d only just come inside.

But no, the idea of being sneaky didn’t appeal. And obeying him felt naughty in the best possible sense of the word. I want to play our game… to a point. I leave the towel wrapped around my body, reasoning that it doesn’t qualify as clothing.

I return to my study of magic, finishing one of the books and starting on another. So far nothing clued me in on how to rid Charlie of the terrible curse.

“What are you wearing?”

I look up from my reading to find Charlie leaning in the doorway, looking relaxed. His face still holds the color from feeding the night before, and I realize he didn’t sleep so long, either.

“Not clothes,” I insist, lifting my arms to show him.

“Stand up.”

I stand, holding the towel in place with my arms pressed against my sides.

“Drop the towel.”

I hide a smile because I knew the command would come, and a frisson of excitement runs through me. I lift my arms and allow the towel to fall in a heap at my feet.

Charlie folds his arms across his chest, surveying me with a critical eye. I know by now it’s all an act--his way of playing master. He’s not really the prick he pretends to be.

He makes a circling motion with his index finger. “Turn around.”

I slowly rotate, looking over my shoulder as I do. I’m already wet just from his seemingly critical gaze, as if he were measuring my attributes like a piece of meat.

“You like showing off for me,” he notes, the corners of his mouth lifting in a smirk.

“What makes you think that?” My voice isn’t as steady as I attempted to make it.

He strolls forward, flicking first one nipple, then the other. “You’re pointing at me,” he observes smugly.

I note the bulge of his cock in his jeans, and a wave of guilt washes over me. How can I look him in the eye when I know I was Anka?

Charlie grasps my hair and pulls my head back. “You wore clothes today,” he accuses.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Don’t lie to me, I sense your guilt.”

The hairs stand up on my arms as a pang of even deeper remorse plows through me. “You-you can feel that?”

“Mmm hmm. I’ve had your blood, little mortal. There’s no hiding secrets from me now.”

My mind whirls. “You’re right,” I lie. “I’m sorry. I just felt so uncomfortable naked.”

He cocks his head to the side, studying me, as if he can also sense the lie.

I force myself to think of something sexy, to distract him with amorous intentions before he ferrets out the truth. “Are you going to punish me?” I use my best innocent school girl voice. I don’t know whether it turns him on, but I get slick between my legs, warming at the thought.

He must detect the scent of my arousal because he slides a finger there, just brushing my outer lips.

My entire body jerks in response.

“Mmm...sensitive.”

“Charlie…”

“Yes?”

I don’t know what I meant by uttering his name with such appeal. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I want to fix this. I close my eyes. Even pleasure’s too barbed with the pain that he can’t share it.

Because of me.

My eyes