Authors: Melissa Schroeder
Desire by Blood (33 page)
He nodded. “The moment I thought I lost you, that I might
never see you again, I wanted to die. I knew that living without you was not an
option. I needed you.”
“Oh, Nico.” Tears clouded her vision.
“I would like to bond with you.” He shook his head. “I need
to bond with you.”
He slipped onto the floor in front of her, taking her hands
in his. He kissed them.
“Yes, Nico, I will bond with you.”
“You do not know everything. By doing this, you bind our
life forces together. I will only feed from you for eternity. And, if one of us
dies…the other will too.”
“I know, and I don’t care.”
He smiled, that smile that always curled her toes.
“No turning back now, Cordelia.”
She shook her head. “Never.”
Nico pulled her up off the bed, then turned her around. He
made quick work of her clothes and she soon found herself back on the bed, both
of them naked.
“You have the most luscious flesh.”
She sighed as she felt the scrape of his teeth against her
skin. It felt as if he would devour her any minute, but he kept nipping at her,
teasing her.
“I do not know how I will ever be able to resist you.”
He slid down further, taking first one nipple, then the
second into his mouth. They were sensitive to the touch, and she gasped. He
paid no attention. Instead, he kissed her stomach and then looked up at her
with a smile. Without breaking eye contact, he kissed her again. Her heart felt
as if it would burst. Then, he continued on, and she lost herself in the
pleasure he gave her. With his mouth and his hand, he took her over
the edge into erotic bliss again and again.
By the time he slipped up her body again, she felt spent. He pulled himself up
to his knees.
“Cordelia, look at me.”
It took all her strength to open her eyes. When she did, she
found him holding a dagger.
“We are to become one, until the ending sun,” he said as he
cut his index finger. He placed it on her lips. Without taking her gaze from
his, she sucked the blood from him. The sweet, salty taste of it filled her.
He did not wait then. He entered her forcefully, thrusting
so fast and hard the massive bed shook. Soon, she felt another release explode
within her, and he shouted her name as he poured himself into her.
*
*
*
*
Hours later, they still lay in bed, embracing. Satisfaction
filled him. Nico now knew what his father had talked about. Having a mate, a
bonded mate, was what a man needed to be complete.
“Nico, how long have you known I was carrying?”
“A week.”
Her head shot up, smacking his chin. Even in the dim light
he could see Cordelia’s eyes narrowing. “What do you mean a week?”
“It might have been more.”
“Nicodemus Blackburn, I cannot believe you did not tell me.”
She turned to leave him in the bed alone, but he grabbed her
and pulled her back into his arms. He kissed her on the neck as she struggled
against him.
“Please, you have to forgive me, Cordelia.”
“Why should I?” she asked grumpily, but she did move her
head to the side to give him better access to her neck.
“Because I love you.”
“Hmpf.”
“And you love me.”
She sighed. “There is that.”
He quickly switched their positions. She was under him,
giggling, as he kissed her neck once again.
“Say you forgive me or I will torture you until you do.”
“Alright, I give up. I forgive you.”
He pulled back and looked down at her. Her curls were a
tangled mess across the pillows. Her eyes were still filled with laughter and
heat, and she was smiling at him.
“Say it again, Cordelia.”
Her smile turned coy. “I love you, Nico.”
“I love you too, Cordelia. I will spend the rest of our
lives making sure you know just how much.”
“Really?” she asked as she grinned up at him. “How are you
going to do that?”
“Watch me,” he said as he moved down her body.
It was the last coherent words either of them said for
hours.
THE END
Coming in 2013
Seduction by Blood
All of the London is convinced Jack the Ripper has returned
to London, but Malik knows better. He knows the familiar scent of a Made, one
that has survived longer than he should have. But, while he is pursuing the killer,
he cannot keep his mind on it completely. Mrs. Diana Simpson has become too
much to ignore. From her haughtiness, to the simmering passion he sees lurking
behind the pain in her eyes, he recognizes his mate.
Diana has accepted this new part of her life, but she is not
ready to bind herself to any man, human or vampire. Her first marriage left
much to be desired and she is not ready for that disappointment again. Still,
each time they are together, the passion they feel explodes and neither of them
are ready for the repercussions of their actions. Especially when the new
killer sets his eyes on Diana.
Enjoy this unedited excerpt from Seduction by Blood:
His breath feathered over the fine hairs of Diana’s neck.
The scent of him wrapped around her, teasing her senses, tempting her. In this
moment, he could ask her to do anything and she would follow his command. How
could this man do this to her?
“I have tried to stay away from you,” Malik said, his voice
deepening over every syllable. He has an upper crust English accent, but there
something else there. Something that hinted at dark desires and forbidden
needs. Two things she should not even think about.
She did not turn around, could not. If she did, she would
definitely make a fool of herself.
“Oh?” she asked.
A beat of silence and she continued to look out over the
street but not truly seeing anything. She closed her eyes the moment she felt
his finger against her shoulder. She shivered.
“Yes. I am not good for you.”
No man was. No man would be. She had given up on the idea of
happily ever after the night of her wedding.
“You have decided you are no good for me, so nothing will
happen?”
Why did she ask that? She didn’t want him. Not truly.
“Nothing should happen. Not between someone like me and a lady
like you.”
Of course not. Men did not want her, not really. At least he
was honest.
“I understand.”
“I do not think you do, Diana.”
He slipped in front of her. When she continued to look only
at his chest, he gently placed his finger beneath her chin and raised it until
her gaze met his.
His light green eyes were brilliant with need, one she had
never seen in a man before. Not for her.
“I said that is should not happen,” he said leaning closer.
His breath feathered over her lips. “I did not say it would not happen.”
He brushed his mouth over hers. She closed her eyes as he
slid his hand around her waist and pulled her closer. His body heat surrounded
her as he deepened the kiss. She trembled, not from fear but from the lust that
pulsed through her blood.
About Melissa Schroeder
From an early age, Melissa loved to read. First, it was the
books her mother read to her including her two favorites,
Winnie the Pooh
and the
Beatrix
Potter
books. She cut her preteen teeth on
Trixie Belden
and read and reviewed
To Kill a Mockingbird
in middle school. It wasn’t until she was in
college that she tried to write her first stories, which were full of angst and
pain, and really not that fun to read or write. After trying several different
genres, she found romance in a Linda Howard book.
Since the publication of her first book in 2004, Melissa has
had close to fifty romances published. She writes in genres from historical
suspense to modern day erotic romance to futuristics and paranormals. Included
in those releases is the bestselling
Harmless series
.
In 2011, Melissa branched out into self-publishing with
A
Little Harmless Submission
and the popular military spinoff,
Infatuation:
A Little Harmless Military Romance
. Along the way she has garnered an
epic nomination, a multitude of reviewer’s recommended reads, over five Capa
nods from TRS, three nominations for AAD Bookies and regularly tops the best
seller lists on
Amazon
and
Barnes & Noble
.
Since she spent her childhood as a military brat, Melissa
swore never to marry military. But, as we all know, Fate has her way with
mortals. She is married to an AF major and is raising her own brats, both human
and canine. She spends her days giving in to her addiction to
Twitter
, counting down the days
until her hubby retires, and cursing the military for always sticking them in a
location that is filled with bugs big enough to eat her children.
You can connect with Mel all over the web:
facebook.com/melissaschroederfanpage
www.facebook.com/groups/harmlesslovers/
www.facebook.com/groups/harmlessbookdiscussion
Or email her at: [email protected]
Other Books by Melissa Schroeder
Harmless
A Little Harmless Sex
A Little Harmless Pleasure
A Little Harmless Obsession
A Little Harmless Lie
A Little Harmless Addiction
A Little Harmless Submission
A Little Harmless Fascination
A Little Harmless
Military Romance
Infatuation
Possession
Surrender
The Harmless Shorts
A Little Harmless Fling
A Little Harmless Kalikimaka
A Little Harmless Surprise
A Little Harmless Gift
Once Upon An
Accident
The Accidental Countess
Lessons in Seduction
The Spy Who Loved Me
Leather and Lace
The Seduction of Widow McEwan
Leather and Lace—Print anthology
Texas Temptations
Conquering India
Delilah’s Downfall
Hawaiian Holidays
Mele Kalikimaka, Baby
Sex on the Beach
Getting Lei’d
Bounty Hunters,
Inc
For Love or Honor
Sinner’s Delight
The Sweet Shoppe
Her Wicked Warrior
Connected Books
Seducing the Saint
Hunting Mila
Saints and Sinners—print of both books
The Hired Hand
Hands on Training
Cancer Anthology
Water—print
Stand Alone Books
Grace Under Pressure
The Last Detail
Her Mother’s Killer
A Calculated Seduction
Telepathic Cravings
Coming Soon
A Little Harmless Fantasy
Southern Sins
Craving
A Little Harmless Ride
Relentless
A Little Harmless Secret
Rereleases Coming
Soon
The Sweet Shoppe: Cowboy Up
The Sweet Shoppe: Tempting Prudence
Going for Eight
Chasing Luck
Please enjoy the first chapter of Melissa Schroeder’s
compelling paranormal series, The Cursed Clan.
CALLUM: THE CURSED CLAN
As Laird, Callum Lennon feels he has always failed to
protect his cousins. Callum’s impulsiveness caused the death of his father and
the experience has scarred not only his body, but his soul. From that point on,
he made sure to always go with the more logical choice in every matter. When
his younger cousin Angus finds clues that might help break the curse, Callum
begrudgingly hires Phoebe Chilton to investigate. Callum doesn’t like bringing
outsiders into their family affairs. Their life would become fodder for the
tabloids if anyone were to find out about the curse. It doesn’t help that the
instant he meets Dr. Chilton he’s attracted. But, he doesn’t really have a
choice because she might be their last hope.
An expert in archeology, Phoebe has always been dwarfed by
her parents’ shadow. Their high standards had her in college by thirteen and
earning a second PhD by twenty-two. But her career and her broken marriage have
left her needing something more than just diplomas and degrees. She wants to
prove that her interest in legends, especially Celtic legends, is as important
as her parents’ work. When the Lennon family contacts her, she sees the
opportunity to win a massive research grant. With a long-time rival breathing
down her back, she jumps at the Lennons’ offer her, hoping it will ensure her
the grant. But uncovering the Lennon family secrets, and her attraction to
Callum, could prove more than she can handle.
