The Vampire’s Mate (Neon Moonlight #2)

Chapter 1

With a smile, I ushered out the last pair of customers. Liz had officially reopened a month ago, and people flocked to the pub, wanting to see the famous bar that rose from the ashes. Despite the long, exhausting shifts, I was happy to be back in business—I didn’t do well with idle hands. But even I was ready to admit we could use some extra help. There was just too much for the two of us to handle on our own, which led to minimal alone time—and I was certainly feeling the effects.

We fell into our usual roles easily enough: James was in the office tending to paperwork, and I started cleaning the bar. I filled a basin with dishes and moved toward the kitchen, stopping in my tracks when the sound of soft, twangy country music filtered through the speakers.

Luke Combs.

James rounded the corner into the front of house, and my stomach did a flip. I set the basin down and ducked my head to hide the flush creeping up into my cheeks. “What’s this about?”

He came to a stop in front of me. His black hair was dishev eled, as if he’d been running his fingers through it. “You could use a little Luke Combs time.”

He placed a hand on my hip and tugged, closing the space between us. “I could use a little you time.”

My arms found their place around his neck as we started swaying in time to the music. My tongue darted out to wet my lips and his eyes tracked the movement.

I kissed him, feeling him smile against my mouth. Tension melted from my body, and I relaxed into his touch, welcoming his tongue when it prodded for entry. His hand flattened on the small of my back and pulled me closer, sliding under the hem of my shirt. I moaned, the contact tingling my skin. Goosebumps trailed after his fingers, my heartbeat skyrocketing.

We stayed that way for ages, swaying to the soft rhythm of the music, trading lazy kisses and shameless touches. The twang of the guitar and Luke’s smooth baritone combined with the soft buzz I had lulled me into a sense of comfort that felt… dangerous. I didn’t often let my guard down, but trapped between the warmth of James’s palm on my back and the way he heated his body to warm us both—well, I was drunk off those sensations alone.

I rested my chin on his shoulder, letting him tuck me in closer. One song faded into another until I no longer recognized the words. I turned my head, nose grazing along the cleft of his ear. “Come home with me.”

James’s reaction was little more than a slight twitch of his fingers. He pulled back, giving me a glimpse of that intoxicating red swirling around his beautiful brown eyes—a dead giveaway that he really liked that idea. With a raised brow, he asked, “Is that an invitation or an order?”

I held him tighter. “Does it matter?”

He snorted. “Fuck, no.” He whispered his next words in my ear. “You’ve got me wrapped around your little finger, you know that?”

“I’d rather have you wrapped around something else.”

He laughed, the sound warming my chest, then pulled back and held his hand out. “Keys.”

I fished them from my pocket and dropped them into his palm, then yelped as he snatched my fingers and pulled me along behind him. James led me to my car sparing no chivalry as he opened my door and closed it behind me after I was safely buckled in. A year ago, those small acts would’ve made me feel nothing short of smothered. They would have made me run for the hills. Now though…

As he drove, I found myself tugging on his hand, wanting him closer.

James was on me the second we stepped out of the car, grabbing my waist and moving in close. His lips trailed up the back of my neck as he rolled his hips, letting me feel the hard bulge against my ass. He fumbled with my keys to find the one for my front door. When it finally swung open, the unmistakable sound of a sassy Husky rang out through the dark house.

“Do something with that beast,” James growled, taking away any ability to do so by pinning me against the doorframe and sealing his lips to my neck.

“The sooner you move, the sooner I can.”

With obvious reluctance, he pulled away and paced the length of the living room while I freed Carlos from the kitchen, where he was restrained by a baby gate. In a lucky turn of events, I’d adopted a Husky that hated the cold, so he did his business quickly and snuggled under his blanket.

Five minutes later I was leading James down the hall to my bedroom. There was something different about our dynamic tonight. Normally, we’d be furiously ripping at each other’s clothes and fumbling toward the bed, eagerly chasing release .

Tonight, we were content to take things slow. As I turned and locked the door, James approached me and wrapped his arms around my waist. A soft kiss to my lips, then he was on my neck. My head fell back, my lips parting in a sigh. He sucked, pulling blood to the surface. I think I’d had a permanent hickey since the first time he bit me. Not that I minded. I treasured having that physical memory stamped on my skin every time I looked in the mirror.

Fangs tickled my flesh. I speared my hand through his hair to hold him in place. He licked and nibbled, waiting for permission to drink. “Do it,” I whispered.

The words had barely left my lips when I felt the sting, then I was floating. With one short draw, he licked over the bite to seal it shut, then popped off my skin. “I want you to do something for me,” he whispered against my mouth. He stole a quick kiss, sharing a hint of my own metallic taste. “But you can say no.”

“What is it?”

James hesitated. He was nervous, vulnerable. He pressed his forehead against mine, and his skin shimmered in the moonlight streaming through the window. “Take me,” he finally said, voice quivering. “I know we’ve never done it that way before, but I?—”

“Hey.” I felt a sudden need to comfort him. “You don’t have to explain. If you want to take me for a ride, I’m here for it.” My smirk faded as I brushed his cheek. “Is everything okay?”

He nodded. “I want you, love. All of you.”

Something lingered in the air between us, a lilt to James’s voice that told me he was hiding something. But now wasn’t the time to overthink.

My vampire needed me.

I stroked his cheek with my thumb. “Lay down on the bed for me, gorgeous.”

I pushed him back until he collapsed onto the mattress. I pounce d, capturing his mouth once again. His lips parted, inviting me in for a deeper taste as he slid back, allowing me space to crawl onto the bed between his legs. With a knee grinding against his thick length, I lowered myself on top of him.

He bucked against my thigh, thanking me without words. I deepened the kiss, hands mapping out every ridge and groove of his toned body. If the sweet little sounds and quiet pleas for more were any indication, he approved.

I knew what it meant for James to hand control over—to submit to me. The act triggered something deep within me, something primal that had been lying dormant. His hands glided down my back, cupping my ass. The drag of his cock against mine pulled a growl from deep in my chest.

I slid my fingers under his hoodie, working the fabric off and tossing it aside. My hands worked his belt open with a satisfying sound. I popped the button, and his zipper fell down easily. I yanked the rest of his clothes off all at once, and paused to admire his form. Moonlight poured in through the blinds, playing across his pale chest and highlighting his abs. He watched closely as I undressed over him. First my hoodie went flying to the floor. I kicked my shoes to the side, then started to work at my jeans. They were so tight I practically had to peel them down my thighs, but James’s intrigued eyes never left mine.

Silently, I nudged James into place: on his back with his head on the pillows. As he shifted into position, I climbed back onto the bed. My heart was racing like it was our first time again, and I fought like hell to keep my breathing under control. He had a way of bringing out the things inside of me that I never knew were there—like nerves.

But as I knelt between his legs and his eyes raked over my body, I shoved it all aside. I’d never seen such uncertainty in those eyes, such insecurity. He needed me to be the strong one right now.

“You’re sure about this?” My voice, though barely a whisper, was loud in the quiet room.

James gripped the mattress above his head, shifting his hips to allow me better access. Electricity crackled in the air. Every hair on my body stood on end. He nodded. “Please, love. I need you.”

Fuck .

The lube fell to the bed. I leaned over, swallowing his moan as our bare cocks met. James released the mattress, tangling his fingers in my hair. He tugged and I hissed, my cock jerking at the sharp sting.

I loved it.

With expert finesse, I snatched the lube bottle and drizzled cool liquid over my fingers. James blessed me with another beautiful sound when I paused long enough to share the lube with him. I rolled his balls softly in my palm before feathering my touch lower. Finally , I slid between his cheeks.

He warmed beneath me, heating the lube for both of us. I broke the kiss, ducking out of the way when he chased me for another. “Do you know what I need you to do?” He nodded quickly, and I circled his hole with the pad of my finger, feeling his skin twitch under my touch. He eased back into the pillow and his muscles relaxed more with each passing second. “That’s it, baby. Let me in.”

James sighed and adjusted his hips. A drop of precome glistened in the moonlight on his belly. I pushed into him, coaxing him open with one finger and adding a second when he begged for it. He grit his teeth and bore down, impatient, and I felt the ring of muscle squeeze around my fingers.

I chuckled, reaching for the bottle and drizzling lube over my cock. “Touch yourself for me? ”

He surprised me by shaking his head. “If I do, I’ll lose it and— ah !”

I’d curled my fingers, grazing over his prostate. “Come on, vampire,” I coaxed. “Let me see it.” I watched him, a shuddering breath escaping as I finally fisted my own aching erection. I smeared lube and precome over my shaft and waited.

One of James’s hands crept south. He cried out and I added a third finger, squeezing the base of my cock to stave off my own orgasm. Now with my fingers fully submerged to the knuckle, I settled between his legs. “Are you ready?”

“Yes. Ryder, fuck. Fuck me .” His hips jerked, pushing his cock through his fist. “Please.”

I withdrew my fingers and lined myself up, pausing to cool myself off a notch. James rocked over my cockhead, and I clenched my jaw. I wouldn’t be able to take my time with him the way I wanted to. It’d been a long time coming—for both of us. Desperate, I pushed through and nearly lost it when James’s hole fluttered around my shaft. I paused, but his hand quickened, spurring me on.

With gentle rocks of my hips, I worked him open inch by inch. His warmth enveloped me, his body the right kind of tight. I bottomed out, forcing my eyes open. He thrashed, hand pumping furiously. “Ryder,” he moaned, sheer desperation coating his voice. Each pass of his palm over his shaft milked clear, delicious liquid onto his stomach. My mouth started to water.

I stretched out, fitting us together. “I won’t last long,” I warned.

“Me either. Move!”

He punctuated his plea with a cry, my cock punching into him. I’d fantasized being inside him more times than I could count, but even the wildest dream couldn’t hold a candle to the real thing. I wanted to savor it. I wanted to pause time, capture that f eeling and store it away in my memories to cherish forever.

But James keened, solidifying my imminent climax. His hips worked, fucking himself on my cock. I cursed and brought my mouth to his. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ve got you.”

I pinned his hands beside his head, letting our fingers twist together. James couldn’t touch himself, but before he could protest, I snapped my hips back and caught his sweet spot again as I rocked forward. He grunted into my mouth before breaking our kiss, sputtering and crying. I picked up my pace, each thrust timed with the beats of my heart. Sweat drenched my hair and trickled down my temples.

The knot in my stomach tightened, my spine tingled, and my pace became uneven. “I’m close.”

“Fuck!” James threw his head back against the pillow. Hot, sticky spurts of come splashed his chest and stomach, slickening our skin.

I eyed the mess, drooling so much that a drop of saliva fell and mixed with his release. With a smile, he swiped two fingers through the small puddle and brought them to my lips—which I accepted like I hadn’t eaten in days. His venom altered the flavor, and I hummed as the now familiar sweet taste of honey spread over my tongue.

That tipped me over the edge. James gasped as my cock pulsed and erupted, spilling inside him. I groaned around his fingers. I knew what he was feeling right at that moment, and my heart warmed knowing it was me who was making him feel that way.

I rode out my orgasm, holding myself in place until my arms threatened to buckle. I wasn’t about to move until he signaled he was ready. When he finally gave me a nod, I pulled out of him and rested back on my knees, shaking feeling into my arms before climbing off the bed .

I froze when he captured my hand with his. Pleading eyes looked back at me. “Stay . ”

“I’ll be right back,” I promised, sealing it with a kiss to his knuckles.

Reluctantly, he let go. I went to the bathroom and returned with a warm, wet cloth. When he saw what I was holding, he looked bashful. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.”

I kissed him again, wiping him clean as I did so. I discarded the cloth before climbing under the blankets. He curled into my side and half on top of my chest, tracing lazy circles around the crescent-shaped birthmark on my ribcage.

I squirmed. “What is it with you and that mark?”

“I was actually hoping we could talk about that. How does tomorrow afternoon sound?”

I raised a brow. “Tomorrow afternoon? How… specific.”

“Well, yeah.” He rested his chin on my chest, giving me a lazy smile. “The morning after is your favorite, after all.”

Fuck.

My heart hammered against my ribcage.

I was tired. Scratch that; I was exhausted . But as I looked into those sparkling eyes of his and fumbled for something—anything—to say, one phrase balanced on the tip of my tongue.

Three words that could change everything.

Three words that scared the shit out of me.

Three words I wasn’t entirely ready for.

So instead of uttering those three words, I clenched my hand in his hair and hauled him into a blistering kiss as I went in for round two.