Page 31 of Stolen Hours

Penny’s eyes widened, and her cheeks flamed. “O-on you?”

“If you have other toys that are safer, yet stake-shaped, I’d be happy to share, so we can both be nice and full while I’m fucking you through the mattress, darling.”

Penny swallowed hard. “We can get some?”

Brax nodded, fingers flexing on the wheel. “Okay. I’m tryin’ to be good. Tryin’ not to think about how badly I’ll be wanting to sneak you into the bathroom, or your old bedroom, or the linen closet, and bend you over and put my cock inside of you—or just bend you over and lick your sweet little slit until you feed me your juices again.”

Penny’s knees jumped and knocked together. Her breath was fogging up the cold interior of his car. “Stop it,” she whispered, but her scent was screaming that she’d much prefer he keep going.

“Oh, but honey,” he purred, “you own me. I’m your very own vampire. If you have me out of the house all day and I can’t bite you, you’ll have to give me my other favorite food. Penny Pussy.”

Penny suddenly jerked her head towards him. “You are so bad. Very, very bad.”

Brax smirked and cranked up the heat. “I’ve got a thousand ways you can punish me later, lover.”

THE PRESENT...

For a vampire who is currently gainfully employed as an ER phlebotomist (a professional blood-sucker, how funny is that?), Brax isn’t good at saving money.

I shouldn’t complain, though, because all the money is spent on me.

Like this hotel room. And the little silky black bag he dangles from one curved alabaster finger. “This isn’t jewelry, is it?”

Brax’s face falls. “Oh. No. It isn’t.”

God, he’s trying so hard to be good to his little human girlfriend. Me. “I was kidding, Brax! I don’t need jewelry—I need just what you’ve given me, a vacation, a place far from annoying neighbors.”

“At least the witch wannabe who was too stupid not to try a spell sent via an anonymous text moved out.”

I swing the black bag on my finger, now, after taking it from his grasp. “I kinda miss the occasional talking mouse.”

“But not the noisy neighbors?”

“You’rethe noisy neighbor,” I point out.

Brax licks his lips. My heart tenses up.

He’s going to ask me to move in. Or for us both to move out of our respective one-bedroom basement apartments. We can get a bigger place.

Although as I look out at the night sky in warm, tropical Del Dulce, Florida, I don’t think we need too much more than this little bungalow with its valiantly cranking AC, its pink palm tree curtains, and its giant bed and seashell-shaped soaking tub.

“Do you—know what’s in the bag?” Brax asks.

I try not to look disappointed. I’m not, honestly. My body is twitching with excitement, excitement of the sort that makes Brax’s nostrils flare and step closer to me. He wraps his arms around my waist so he can watch me open the bag and take out the smooth wooden object, so smooth it might be glass. “They make woodensex toys?”

Brax nods. “Well, it’s borosilicate glass with a wood-grain pattern. Safer than playing with a stake—but I thought we might have a little fun. I know you’ve been aching to put a certain vampire in his place.”

I swallow. So, yes, I have had thoughts of putting bad vampires in their place—the inside of a vacuum cleaner. But Brax is reformed, so... “I definitely want to tell you to behave, but you’re so good at being bad. I think you want some cute little blonde human to push you to that bed and warn you that you’d better play nice or you’ll be on the receiving end of this ‘stake.’” I turn to face him, wooden toy jabbing him in the chest, down under the ribs.

Brax moans and leans down, kissing me hard. “I want to be so good for you, Pen. Do anything you want me to.”

The bag is still heavy in my hand, so I stop myself from kissing him again, knowing I’d get carried away in his arms and his embrace in seconds. “I get the feeling you want me to do certain things for you, too?” I say, breathless as I pull out a lumpy-feeling pouch from inside the pouch. It’s thick at the base and tapers to the tip, a series of little balls or bubbles.

“I think my princess deserves to get as good as she gives. I’ll make sure it feels amazing, Pen, or we don’t have to. We don’t have to play with any of these things, not if you don’t like it.”

His words are sweet, and I know they’re sincere, but he also knows I’d be lying if I said I just want to cuddle or play vanilla games. We’ve already been dipping farther into the dark, and it’s the only sort of badness I love about him.

Brax waits for my refusal, and when it doesn’t come, he kisses me again, harder, pushing me back to the bed this time, pushing his hand under my short denim skirt so he can reach my pussy.