Chapter 11
Kaleb and Grayson parked their Harleys near the entrance to the Rave. Thursday being ladies’ night, the parking lot was filled to overflowing. He was sure Murphy’s Bar used some of the space. But by the noise spilling into the parking lot, he’d bet a big share of the vehicles belonged to those at the Blood ‘n’ Rave. Normally, the Sons were all regulars on ladies’ night, with the exception of his brother, who had become a bit antisocial the last decade. Kane would show up every few days, find his donor, and head off to Draven’s office for a private meet and eat, rarely sticking around to hang with his brothers. After Ion had been murdered, Kane changed, no longer much of a partier, preferring his life more low key.
Not Kaleb.
There weren’t enough women in the world to satisfy him, the Rave never had a shortage. He’d take his pick of the ladies, find a back table, dark corner, bathroom, hallway—anywhere convenient—and fuck them like there was no tomorrow. Later, he’d hypnotize the non-donors into forgetting the change in his features, but not the sex. Kaleb was far too vain to allow them to forget the down and dirty. And he definitely liked the dirtier side of sex, dirty talk, dirty fucking—no prim and proper missionary style for him. So why the hell did one little brunette have him by the balls and swearing off all others now that she had walked back into his life?
To hell with that!
Once he found Suzi and took his communion, he’d hunt up another lady or two—and get busy. He’d do Grayson proud if he for once decided to take on two. Kaleb had always been a one-at-a-time kind of man, where the VP often had two ladies on his arms at any given moment. No one liked the ladies more than Grayson. And he never seemed to have a shortage of them with his longish deep-brown hair, pulled back from his face with a pair of shades. He’d no doubt look just as at home on a surfboard as a Harley. Kaleb smiled. It wouldn’t surprise him a bit to see Grayson on the beach, heading for the surf with a board tucked under his arm. He had that laid back-vibe going on that a lot of surfers did. Stepping over his bike, Kaleb hung his skull cap on the handle and looked at his VP.
Grayson pushed his sunglasses up on his mussed hair and grinned as big as the night. He rubbed his hands together. “You ready, P? Let’s go find us some action,” he said, grabbing his crotch.
“Communion first for me, Gypsy. Can’t have my little donor getting cold feet and disappearing on me.” Kaleb laughed. “But save me a lady or two, will you?”
“Then don’t take all fucking night with a little bitch who doesn’t deserve your time.”
Kaleb grinned, slapped Grayson on the shoulder, then headed for the front of the club where a doorman nodded in greeting, opened the door and indicated for them to go ahead of those still standing in line waiting entrance. The line curled around the building. Packed house. He sure as hell hoped Suzi made it past that line. Normally the doormen were trained to let the donors in before all other women, regardless of the length of the line. But the bald giant at the door seemed new as Kaleb hadn’t recognized him on sight. If his donor hadn’t made it inside, he’d make sure the man never worked another day at the Rave. Kaleb wasn’t in the mood to be denied. That included his donor. After tonight, he planned to know the name of the man who thought to marry her and where the hell she laid her head. He had a vested interest in keeping an eye on her. If need be, he’d keep a prospect on her at all times, reminding him it was time to bring on new prospects now that they’d lost Steven.
The DJ spun records at near deafening levels, but with his acute hearing, Kaleb could still easily pick up the din of conversations. Gravers and ravers filled the dance floor, gravers being those with more of a Goth type appearance. Glow sticks swung about the floor as dancers waved them overhead and they hopped and swayed damn near chest to chest and chest to back. A good share of the them were probably already high on X and would be easy pickings once Suzi finished her obligation and fled into the night. Suzi had done her damnedest to convince Kaleb that she hated him, when in truth she wouldn’t have sought him out once she had heard he’d almost been beheaded if she didn’t care for him at least a little.
But what the hell did he care whether she did or not? Kaleb wasn’t about to forget that she once belonged to his nephew, or what a cold-hearted bitch she had been when he had been murdered. When the rest of the family mourned the loss, she couldn’t bother herself to approach Kane and give her condolences. She had simply stared coldly at Kaleb, after he had delivered the news, and turned and walked away. Not even a sorry for your loss had left her lips that had once kissed Ion in passion.
Kaleb planned to make her life a living hell for that alone.
He believed that karma came back to bite you in the ass, and Suzi was about to get bitten. Skirting the dance floor, Kaleb hung to the edge and out of the way of the tables surrounding it, filled with those trying to converse as they shouted at one another to be heard over the beat of the music. His gaze took in several hopeful donors, but he continued past them and headed for the main bar, hoping to find Suzi there. Grayson had long since left his side, already trolling the room for tail. With his dark good looks, Kaleb bet he’d have a woman on each arm before he even located Suzi.
A large man wearing a white sweater, stepped back from the bar and bumped into Kaleb. He glanced up at the easily six-foot-eight man who seemed to tower over him and outweigh Kaleb by several pounds. His brown hair cut short around his ears and he looked to be a little old for this crowd, making Kaleb wonder exactly why this man patronized the Rave when he seemed more suited for Murphy’s Tavern next door.
“I’m sorry,” the man quickly apologized. “I can be incredibly clumsy at times.”
“No worries,” Kaleb grumbled, skirting past the big guy’s arm, holding a vodka and tonic. The scent of the vodka and lime gave way to what the glass held. At least the big ox had kept a firm hold on the glass and Kaleb wasn’t now reeking of vodka.
Just as Kaleb cleared his way around the man, the short brunette on the barstool caught his attention. Suzi smiled up at him, one brow raised, making Kaleb immediately suspect her intentions. No way was she that happy to see him. His nostrils flared as he breathed in her unique scent. Blind, he still would have easily recognized her. His groin tightened, making him none-to-happy at his reaction to her. He’d prefer his body would cooperate with the hatred running through his brain. If that were the case, he wouldn’t have gotten himself in this situation in the first place.
“Hawk,” she greeted, her smile widening. “There is someone here I’d like you to meet. My fiancé who just nearly tripped over you. Lyle, meet an old friend of mine, Kaleb Tepes.”
Lyle held out the beefy hand not holding his drink and smiled. Kaleb bet that hand would be great at knocking out most guys with a single punch. Fortunately, he wasn’t most guys.
Kaleb ignored the outstretched hand. He tilted his head up and leveled the guy with his black gaze. “So you’re Suzi’s fiancé. Since when?”
Lyle cleared his throat. “Excuse me?” He shoved his ignored hand back in his pocket, not looking the least bit affronted by Kaleb’s brush-off.
“How long have you and”—his hand indicated Suzi—“Miss Stevens known each other?”
“It’s been—”
“A few months,” Suzi quickly finished for him, capturing Kaleb’s gaze.
“Really?” Her rescuing Lyle from having to answer the question didn’t go unnoticed by Kaleb. “Six months ago when I kissed you, you and Lyle weren’t yet an item?”
“Nope,” she said with a big smile. “I didn’t meet Lyle until after I left Pleasant.”
Kaleb looked back up at Lyle. “You certainly work fast. I don’t know if congratulations are in order, though. Do you also know she’s a cold-hearted bitch?”
Lyle’s face reddened as his large chest puffed out. “Now wait one damn minute.”
Suzi quickly laid a hand on Lyle’s forearm, wisely silencing the man but further pissing off Kaleb, saving the big guy a serious ass-beating, which at the moment Kaleb wouldn’t mind handing out.
Lyle stood easily a foot and a half taller than Suzi. Hell, at six-foot-two Kaleb towered over her five-foot-two frame. They must look completely ridiculous walking down the street holding hands. Talk about a mismatched couple. But why that rankled his ire, he wasn’t about to examine. No, that would give purchase to the green-eyed monster trying to take up residence in his gut.
“Must be awfully easy to get blow jobs.”
Suzi jumped from her barstool, coming between both men, probably hoping to diffuse a likely all-out war. Kaleb almost laughed at the thought. Hell, he’d welcome a good fight right about now. Unfortunately, Lyle wouldn’t be it. Where was the fun in whipping someone’s ass who didn’t stand a chance in the fight in the first place?
Suzi poked her pointy index finger against his sternum. “You’re out of line, Hawk.”
He raised one of his brows. “You brought the fiancé to the soiree, piccolo diavolo. This is on your shoulders.”
“What did he just call you?” Lyle’s deep voice rumbled up from his gut, which probably cowered most men. “I’ve had about enough of your foul remarks and attitude, buddy.”
Kaleb ignored Suzi and instead focused on the man behind her. Funny, she thought to shield him from Kaleb. It was like bringing a Chihuahua to a dog fight. “And what exactly do you plan to do about it?”
“I’ll take your ass out—”
“Hawk,” came from behind the bar. Draven stood, back ramrod straight, glaring at him. “The last time you came to blows in my bar it cost a fortune.”
Not even glancing at the barkeep, he said, “And the Sons paid for it.”
“It took a month to repair the damages. Damn it, take it outside!”
Suzi shoved at Kaleb’s unmoving chest. He barely felt her nudge. “No one here is throwing a punch, Draven. Got that, Hawk?”
He ground his teeth. The ache in his gums spoke of his lengthening fangs. If he didn’t control his anger, her fiancé would witness something he had no intention of trying to explain. Kaleb took a deep breath and tamped down his rising ire.
“Let’s get this over with, piccolo diavolo.” His heated gaze landed on her. “Then you and Romeo here can be on your way. I don’t give a fuck what you do, or with whom you do it, once we’re finished.”
Kaleb turned, passed the bar, and swung the curtained covering over the doorway to the side, then took the stairs two at a time. Once in Draven’s office, he walked over the cut glass whiskey decanter and poured himself two fingers, then took the crystal rock glass to his lips and downed the amber liquid in one swallow. Jesus, his emotions had gotten out of control. He normally prided himself at having unbreakable composure when it came to humans. He ought to send her packing, forget about his ridiculous request, and find one of the willing donors downstairs. But instead, bullheaded as ever, he’d rather piss her off instead.
Suzi walked into the room as if on cue and slammed the door so hard that the picture frames bounced off the adjoining wall. Guess he accomplished what he had set out to do with his little tirade downstairs. Good enough for her ass. She should’ve known how he’d react if she brought her fiancé to the bar when she was supposed to be here to feed him. The big ox fit in with this crowd about as well as a cop at a biker rally.
“What the hell was that about, Hawk? Explain yourself.”
“Fuck you,” he said, his voice rising as his teeth elongated.
Suzi took a step back in reaction to his features becoming more prominent, his heated gaze becoming black as coals. He allowed himself to fully turn. To Suzi’s credit, she didn’t run from the vampire now standing before her, nor did it soften her mood. Only she wouldn’t be threatened by his animalistic side.
“Could you have been more rude?”
“Could you have been more stupid? You knew I would be here to feed.”
“Yes, and I am here fulfilling that duty.”
“So why the hell bring lover boy?”
Suzi rolled her eyes. “It’s what engaged couples do. We spend time together.”
“Does he know about me?” Kaleb poured himself another couple of fingers and downed it as quickly as the first, trying to stave off his gnawing gut. “Why you’re up here?”
Her mouth gaped. Kaleb knew she would tell no one of their existence. It was the number one rule of the donor society. To do so could mean her death.
“Of course not.”
“Then what do you think you’ll tell him we’re doing up here, piccolo diavolo? Fucking?”
She sucked in breath. “Absolutely not.”
Kaleb slowly approached her, gripping her wrist and pulling her flush against him. She couldn’t mistake his erection, hot and heavy against her abdomen. “Are you so sure about that?”
Before she could utter a protest, he gripped her short bob and tilted her head to the side, sinking his fangs into her carotid artery. The sweet tang of her blood flowed over his tongue as her slight gasp filled the room. She shuddered within his embrace. He could smell the scent of her desire. Hell, he caught the scent long before she followed him up the stairs. Suzi could deny her desire for him all she wanted, but Kaleb knew better. She was just as hot for him as he was her. He may not like her much, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to bury himself to the hilt. His balls tightened at the thought of it. It was no secret he wanted her in a bad way.
Suzi’s heart beat heavy against his chest as he held her tightly against him, the sound barely detectable over the heavy bass of the dance music filtering through the club. Draven’s walls had been sound-proofed, but nothing seemed to filter out the sound of bass played at deafening levels. The sound beat against his sternum along with that of her heart. Suzi leaned into him, aligning them from hip to chest as he continued to feed. Her hips arched into him ever so slightly, telling him of her own weakening resolve.
Kaleb palmed her sweet ass and lifted her off the floor so that her center rested intimately against his cock as she wrapped her legs about his waist. His jeans became incredibly uncomfortable as his erection strained against the zipper fly. He resisted the urge to reach between them and unbuckle the front of his chaps and slip the button free of his Levis. The more barriers between them, the least likely he’d be to do something he’d no doubt regret in the light of day. Kaleb refused to allow his desire to rule his actions. One side of his brain said there would be no harm in taking his due, the other reminded him whose dick had already been there. He’d do well to remember who she had first belonged to.
“Hawk,” she whispered, her breath feathering over his ear. “Please.”
Had his fangs not been artery deep in her neck, he might have chuckled at the idea she pleaded for him to take what his own body begged for. Her blood was like an aphrodisiac. Feeding was in itself sexual. Couple that with someone you coveted, and the combination could be explosive. Kaleb wanted his fill. He neared the stopping point of feeding, much more and it could put her at risk of anemia. Even as much as he disliked the woman in his arms, he’d never dream of putting a donor in peril. Kaleb’s lust teetered excruciatingly close to giving her exactly what she had pleaded for. His cock pained him as she rode the length of him, trying damn hard to reach the pinnacle she desperately sought. He gripped her hips, undoubtedly hard enough to cause bruises, to still her actions before she caused them both to climax prematurely. He’d much rather be buried, her walls milking the pleasure from him.
Should he give into that hunger they both longed for, he feared not getting her out of his system, but desiring her that much more. And the last thing he needed at the moment was to think with his dick. He needed his head on MC business and finding the asshole who had tried unsuccessfully to take his head. Women … this woman … was a distraction at the moment he couldn’t afford. He’d much rather save himself the frustration and drama.
Her fiancé was barely out of hearing distance and yet she clung to him as if her next breath depended on him. Maybe, he ought to throw caution to the wind and take another taste of what he had had all those years ago, and brag to the bastard on his way out the door. It would serve Suzi right for bringing the poor schmuck into his territory. His willpower wavered at the breaking point. If he didn’t stop now, there would be no turning back.
Kaleb withdrew his fangs and licked the wounds closed, then trailed his tongue up her neck to the fleshy part of her ear where he nipped the tender skin. Her breath caught and he stifled a groan. How much could one vampire take? Kaleb was used to finding pleasure in the opposite sex damn near nightly. Now that Suzi had walked back into his life, he had hit a dry spell, one he desperately wanted, needed to end.
Suzi whispered his name again as he backed her against the closed door, anchoring her against the solid surface. His black gaze held her bright blue ones, waiting for the denial sure to come to her lips.
Her breath hitched. “God, help me. Either let me go, Hawk, or end my torture.”
He pressed his steely erection against her center. He didn’t have to touch her to know she was wet. The scent of her damn near finished what the taking of her blood had nearly accomplished.
“Is this what you want, piccolo diavolo? Tell me you want me to fuck you and I will.” Kaleb leaned in, breathing in her scent, his lips grazing hers. “Tell me how bad you want my cock inside of you,” he whispered against her lips.
“You know I want it, Hawk. God help me, I always have.”
“Kaleb,” he corrected. Her admission momentarily stunned him. Surely, she meant after Ion’s death. “Know that it is Kaleb who fucks you against this door with your fiancé a hairbreadth away. Not Hawk.”
He licked the crease of her lips. She gasped, opening for him. But before he kissed her, he needed to hear her say what very few called him. “Say my given name, piccolo diavolo.”
Instead, she gripped the hair at his nape and pulled him forward and kissed him, shoving her tongue into his mouth and taking control. And just that easily his willpower snapped like an over strung guitar string. He lowered her to her feet and flicked open the button of her black pleather pants with his thumb and forefinger, then slid the zipper down. Sliding his hand inside, his palm cupped her sex, feeling how incredibly wet she was. A moan escaped her lips as he slipped one finger across her slick clit and into her heat. Her walls gripped him and her breathing quickened. Kaleb knew much more and she’d tumble over the peak, but he wanted to be inside her when that happened. He needed to feel her walls tighten around his cock like a silken glove, squeeze his own climax from him. He knew they were both at the point it would take neither but a matter of seconds to reach the common goal.
Kaleb withdrew his hand, hearing a whimpered protest. But he had no intention of stopping now. His hand found the buckle to his chaps when she stopped him, placing her hand atop his.
“Allow me.”
Without waiting for his compliance, she slid to her knees, her small fingers deftly undoing the buckle to his leather chaps. The tip of her pink tongue slipped to the corner of her lips as she then worked the fastening of his jeans and slid her palm inside, her small hand fisting him. Kaleb was none too quiet with the growl that followed. His hooded gaze watched her with enthusiasm as she withdrew his rock-hard erection and looked at it with heated interest. Her tongue darted out, capturing the drop of pre-cum from the tip. And before he could stop her, she wrapped her pink lips around him, taking him into her mouth. Another growl escaped his lips as he bared his teeth and continued to watch the erotic scene. Jesus, where had she learned to give head with such fucking skill? Her lips and tongue worshiped him, giving him pleasure like never before.
Kaleb arched his hips toward her mouth, wanting … needing to finish. He wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer and if he didn’t stop her now, he’d lose his chance to get inside her. Just as he grabbed the sides of her head to pull her to her feet, a knock sounded on the door that startled them both. Kaleb cursed a blue streak as her wide gaze swung to the closed door. He knew his window of opportunity had closed at the sound of her fiancé’s voice.
“Suzi? Are you all right in there?”
Kaleb grit his teeth. When he left this room, he’d find Draven and beat the stupid bastard to a bloody pulp with his bare hands for allowing Lyle anywhere near the office door for Christ’s sake. Suzi stood, righting herself and smoothing down the wrinkles now in her blouse. Kaleb tucked his penis back into his jeans, leaving them hanging open as he stood glaring at her, hands on his hips.
“I’m fine, Lyle,” she said. “I’ll be right down, sweetie.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Give me a minute.”
Kaleb wasn’t sure what kept him from opening the door and throwing the ox down the stairs. But at the moment, nothing would give him more pleasure. He heard the heavy footfalls as they retreated down the steps. The only thing that kept him from murdering the bastard was the look on her face as she refastened her pants. The same look she had when he had seen her a few nights back, the one that made him think she might care he had almost lost his head.
“Go,” Kaleb groused. “Before I change my mind and fuck you anyway.”
A slight smile played at the corner of her lips. “My loss, Kaleb Tepes. Something tells me I’m the one who’s going to regret missing out. I may not like you much, but you look fucking hot in those chaps. Any woman would be a fool to deny you.”
Hand on the doorknob, she turned back to look at him, raising one of her delicate brows. “See you in three days?”
Not waiting for an answer, she opened the door and left the room, leaving him with another hard-on to contend with. The bright side? It wouldn’t take near as long to finish the job this time. He was already on the verge of exploding.
“Motherfu—” he let hang, letting out an ear-piercing growl instead.