Blood Rites: (Royal Blood #3) (5 page)

“What is it?” he murmured, lowering his lips
against my ear.

“I, ah… I’m just self-conscious.”

“You don’t need to be,” he said and I could
hear the frown in his voice. “You’re beautiful.”

I glanced up and saw his brow was furrowed.
“It’s just…I don’t like being the center of attention.” I shrugged,
feeling silly for even saying it.

He glanced around the room and his
expression softened. “Come.” He let me go and folded his hand in
mine, pulling me from the dance floor.

“They’re insufferable,” he said as he led me
through dancing couples. “They’re just fishing for gossip. Pay them
no mind.”

And finding me inadequate. “I know.”

“I have a place where we won’t be bothered,”
he said, smiling down at me.

Oh… Shit, I was flushing again. I really had
a bloody problem with that.

We left the ballroom and
emerged into a dining area, where a few couples here in deep
conversation, but they didn’t glance up at us as we passed. Vaughn
led me toward the large windows at the side of the room and pushed
aside the curtains before opening the door to the balcony.
Oh, that kind of
private
. I
stepped through, the sounds of the party behind us drifting into a
dull murmur.

The balcony was empty, the
curtains hanging the length of the windows inside hid us from the
rest of the party. It felt daring, risky…and sexy as hell. Clear,
white fairy lights were entwined through the wrought iron bannister
with garlands of little white flowers and greenery, lighting the
scene with a soft, romantic hue. This side of the house opened up
onto the square, the private garden shielding most of the view from
the neighboring properties in the row.

Vaughn let go of my hand,
closing the door behind us, and I walked forward to clasp the iron
balustrade, casting my gaze out into the night. People milled
below, drivers and cars lined the streets and none of them were
looking upward. It was busy down there, but up here we were
alone.

The way Vaughn looked at me,
and the way my body reacted to his, it was something else. I was
having a hard time believing it was real. After a lifetime of being
a pawn, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was another of those
moments.

No man could make a woman feel
like that…it was a myth. Instant knicker soaking, instant love,
instant attraction…it was all an elaborate ruse to make single
woman feel inadequate.

“Do you like it?” Vaughn asked, coming to
stand beside me.

“The decorations are lovely,” I mused,
brushing my fingers against the flowers.

“As are you.”

I laughed to cover my embarrassment.

“I’ve been wanting to speak with you ever
since the other day,” he murmured, brushing his hands against his
tuxedo jacket.

I’d been fantasizing about the exact same
thing and I flushed. “You have quite the reputation.”

“I consider that fact moot where you are
concerned, Miss Lansford.”

I frowned. “Moot?”

His eyes narrowed. “Moot.”

What did he mean? That he wasn’t like that?
That he wanted something else? I was completely thrown.

“My father is in Corporate Resale,” I said,
fishing for a reaction.

“Yes, I know of your father,” he
replied.

“I thought you might’ve invited me because
of him,” I said, glancing away.

Vaughn sucked in a deep breath. “No, not at
all.”

“
I mean, I understand if you
did. I’m used to it. The business deals. I would just like you to
be up front about it, is all.”

“Lorelei,” he said firmly. “That’s not why I
invited you.”

I glanced up at him, my heart suddenly
beating a mile a minute. “Then why did you?” I whispered.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked, his expression
darkening.

I shivered as he stepped
closer, my body tingling in anticipation. I felt his hands slide
across my waist and he tugged me forward gently, making me fall
against his chest. He lowered his head and I stared up at him,
entranced. I was caught in his bad boy web, but I wasn’t sure that
that side of him was real. He’d been nothing but a gentleman since
I’d arrived.

“This is all for you,” he murmured.

“
Me?” I
gasped. The party? This whole thing…it was for
me
?

“
You
.”

His lips brushed against mine
and I squeezed my thighs together as his touch mainlined right into
my privates.
Bloody hell
.

“Lorelei,” he murmured, his voice all kinds
of sexy and husky.

Vaughn’s fingers traced a path
along my back, then against the curve of my neck before he cupped
my jaw in his hand, his thumb stroking my cheek. Suddenly, I wanted
all of him–right here, right now.

“
Vaughn,” I sighed in some kind
of desperate plea for him to take me.

His lips met mine and my body came alive. I
slid my hands up his chest and into his hair, his hand dropping
back to my waist. The tip of his tongue teased my skin and I parted
my lips to allow him access and he took it, sliding into my mouth
with a groan. Oh, he tasted just as beautiful as he looked…

Our tongues twisted and our
kiss deepened, my hands tugging at his hair, his fingers biting
into my skin through my dress. The whole thing was unbearably
passionate and I found myself wet between my legs and pressing
against him.

His hand skimmed my waist,
pushing between us and trailing over my stomach. There was no way
he could touch me there without pulling my floor-length dress up to
my waist, but he was obviously going to have a go.
Don’t
stop
. His
fingers brushed along my lower abdomen, skimming gently across the
red silk, down, down until...

There was a cough behind us and just like
that, a preverbal bucket of ice water was thrown over my head. I
jerked backwards, breaking our embrace and blinking hard. Vaughn’s
eyes narrowed in annoyance and he turned. It was his beefy friend
from the other day.

Vaughn sighed, running a hand through his
hair. “Would you excuse me for one moment?” he asked me, his voice
calm and even. How could he be so together after that?

I nodded, falling back against the
bannister, my clit aching from his almost-touch.

Bloody hell indeed.

Seven

Vaughn

The moment I held Lorelei in my arms, I knew
this was going to be different.

The moment I kissed
her…
fuck
.

It was like a switch had been flipped in my
head and my world had been tipped on its axis just like that. It
was an odd sensation.

I strode toward Hawkes,
thoroughly pissed that he’d interrupted our interlude. The ache had
become almost unbearable and she was so
responsive…
did I feel it too?

“Mr. Sykes is here,” he murmured and my eyes
widened.

“
He’s
what
?”

“He turned up twenty minutes ago. I’ve kept
him comfortable, but he’s demanding to meet with you.”

Fucking
asshole
. I
squared my jaw, I knew he was going to be a motherfucking handful,
but to turn up at my home uninvited? The man had some fucking
gall.

“Don’t allow him to see me with her,” I
hissed.

Hawkes’ gaze flickered to Lorelei. “He
already has, Sir.”

My jaw tensed and I scowled.

“This one is different?” he asked, keeping
his voice low.

I felt Lorelei’s gaze on my back. Knowing
that I had to let her down made my skin crawl. I snarled at Hawkes
before turning and striding back to stand before her.

“I have to apologize, Lorelei,” I said,
eliminating the anger from my voice. “I have some urgent business
to attend to. Unfortunately, it’s unavoidable.”

She smiled, the disappointment
in her eyes clear as day. Well, if it was any consolation, my cock
felt the same way.

“I understand,” she murmured.

“Please, enjoy the party.” I hesitated, her
big brown eyes searching mine. “It’s for you, after all.”

Before she could worm her way underneath my
skin anymore, I strode from the balcony, Hawkes hot on my tail. I
felt the void opening up between us and I felt cold. Instant
attraction was one thing, my cock knew all about that, but I didn’t
know what the hell this was.

The moment we stepped into the dining room,
Hawkes opened his trap, laying down the score. “He’s upstairs in
the study. He brought two men with him, possibly armed.”

“Most likely,” I murmured. “Not possibly.”
Better to assume they were.

We wove our way through the
ballroom, people parting to let us through like they sensed we
meant business. The foyer was mostly empty, apart from staff, we
were the only ones here.

“Do you have your sidearm?” I asked as we
began climbing the stairs to the second floor.

“Yes.” Hawkes lifted the edge of his tuxedo
jacket and I caught a glimpse of the butt of his gun. “He’s going
to try and play you,” he went on. “He’s not exactly…refined.”

Great, it would be exactly like
hick cousins coming to visit from the country. He was a
biker
after all, no
matter his aspirations to be more than the petty filth he
was.

“If he’s aiming to take a step up into our
circles, he’s got a lot of work to do,” Hawkes mused as we climbed
the stairs.

“He can burn his own bridges, but not before
I’ve made my money’s worth out of him,” I retorted. “If he wants to
play, then he’s picked the wrong person to try and fuck over.”

“I’ve alerted security,” Hawkes replied. “If
he tries anything, they’re on standby.”

“If he tries something in my home, Hawkes,
he’ll be leaving here deader than fucking dead, guests or no
guests.” I glared, casting my gaze down the stairs, my thoughts
going to Lorelei. “I will end him myself and that will be the
ultimate message to the Necromancers, Royal Blood and anyone else
who thinks they can try to intimidate me. Nobody fucks with what’s
mine.”

Hawkes grimaced and nodded. He knew the
score.

Striding down the hall, I drew in a deep
breath, schooling my expression into steel. This wasn’t a social
event, this was darkness and had to be treated as such. I'd met
with a lot of dangerous businessmen in my time, but none as
unpredictable as Sykes. In a way, I was slumming it by even
contemplating this deal.

I nodded at Hawkes and he opened the door to
the study. I stepped into the room and instantly all eyes were on
me.

Two bottles of liquor were on
the table, one scotch and one whiskey, and they were already well
past half empty. My gaze settled on Sykes and I had to force myself
not to wrinkle my nose in distaste.

His appearance was just a slimy
as his voice was over the phone. He wore a cheap suit with a white
shirt, open at the collar, with no tie in sight. His dark hair was
slicked back and shiny, his beard unkempt. If this was his idea of
dressing up, then he was a few IQ points off the mark.

I eyed his men, who looked pretty much in
keeping with their boss. Their jackets bulged on the right hand
side, giving away that they had guns holstered. Strike fucking two.
Mutton done up as lamb.

“Mr. Sykes,” I said curtly as Hawkes closed
the door behind us.

“
Vaughn,” he said, not bothering
to stand or to shake my hand. “So, we finally meet. Forgive me, but
I was expecting someone a little…older.” He waved his hand absently
and one of his thugs snickered.

Motherfucking children.

“
I was
expecting someone a little more…
refined
.” I wanted to say intelligent, but I
wasn’t five years old. I sat in the armchair opposite, regarding
him with as much disdain as he deserved. He was crude, offensive
and wouldn’t get far in this business with his
attitude.

“It’s quite the affair you have downstairs,”
he drawled, leaning back on the sofa.

“Thank you.”

A lazy smile appeared on his face. “Who was
the woman?”

Lorelei. Fucking hell. “She’s just a woman I
was considering fucking for the evening, Mr. Sykes. I’m not even
sure of her name.”

It stung, but I didn’t allow it to show in
my expression. Lorelei had to remain off limits to my after hours
business associations. She wasn’t a gift to be handed out for
casual fucking.

I wanted him gone, sooner rather than later,
and without incident. “What can I do for you, Mr. Sykes? When we
spoke earlier this evening, everything was in order.”

“I thought my invitation must’ve got lost in
the mail.” He smirked.

“It wasn’t lost at all. I keep my two lives
very separate,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

Sykes kicked his feet up onto the coffee
table, a smirk on his fucking ugly face. “I’m well aware of
that.”

“
You are not a part of this
life, Mr. Sykes.” He picked up the bottle of scotch and pressed the
end to his lips, downing three mouthfuls before placing it back
onto the coffee table. “We will schedule our meeting for next week
and until then, I would like you to respect that.”

“
I understand
completely,
Mr. Vaughn
.”

So, he was trying to intimidate
me by showing up here uninvited? It was his way of showing his
power so he could come out of this deal on top. Well, it wasn’t
going to fucking work with me and I wasn’t about to let him walk
out of this impromptu meeting without his tail between his legs. He
was a small-time thug, I was the big leagues.