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Authors: Tiffany Allee

Tags: #romance series, #vampire, #romance, #Don't Bite the Bridesmaid, #neighbors to lovers, #Tiffany Allee

Don't Bite the Bridesmaid (15 page)

BOOK: Don't Bite the Bridesmaid
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Flushed, she worked on the lasagna with Noah’s help. Halfway through the prep, they moved almost silently, side by side. He started handing her things before she even asked for them, and they fell into a comfortable harmony.

She spread the first layer of sauce in the pan, and he watched her, his chest flush with her back.

“Smells good,” he murmured in her ear.

The noodles went on next, a thin layer. “Hand me the ricotta?”

He reached to the side and then slid the bowl to her. She grabbed a handful of the mixture, while his hand caressed her bare shoulder softly.

She shivered. “That’s not helping, Mister.”

Soft, his lips brushed the back of her neck. “I can’t help it. The lasagna smells so delicious.”

“Then why are you smelling my hair?” Her voice was breathy and weak, but she didn’t care. Not if he’d just keep doing that.

“You smell even more delicious.”

She threw the rest of the layers together in a warm daze, barely noticing if they were in the right order. She pushed the pan into the oven and then went to the sink to rinse off her hands. The clock hanging above the stove revealed that there wasn’t a lot of time before dinner. An hour, which was just long enough for the lasagna to cook.
Dammit
. No time to run back to the room. It was at least a ten minute round trip, and she really needed to stay by the oven, just in case.

Noah disappeared into the living room. A few moments later, his arms came around her again, and his body pressed even closer than before. His frame lined her body, barely close enough for her to feel him, all of him. He pressed a kiss onto the bare skin of her shoulder.

“We don’t have time to run back to the room,” she said, her whole body screaming at her to make the time. “I have to take the foil off in twenty-five minutes or so.”

His body pressed closer, and she could feel his erection on the small of her back. “Who said anything about the room? I locked the front door.”

She felt her hair slide off to one side, and then his lips and tongue traced their way up her neck. His touch was so soft, but it sent shocks through her body, and her stomach clenched in need.

“But—”

“I need you. Now.” His teeth nipped the muscle between her shoulder and neck softly and she couldn’t remember what she was going to say. She shuddered against him, and his hands traced her sides. With one quick motion, he spun her around, and then his mouth was on hers.

When he’d kissed her before, there had been a hesitancy, at least at first. But now, all uncertainty was gone. He kissed her with force and passion. His tongue dipped into her mouth and warred with hers. His clever, clever hands roamed over her body, massaging and caressing. Pinching and grasping.

Every thought that tried to form kept slipping from her. This wasn’t right, part of her mind insisted. People make food in here. But somehow, the location, the knowledge that someone with a key could easily interrupt them, stoked the fire within her even more. Brought her to the point of desperation.

One of his hands slipped under her shirt and bra, and he slid his thumb over her nipple roughly. His other hand gripped her ass, pulling her hard against his body. She slid her hands up to his neck, then to back of his head to tug on a handful of his hair. His hunger infected her, and she writhed against him, feeling herself already slick with need.

He set her on the counter, which still held a few ingredients she hadn’t put away. But she ignored them as his hands roved over her again. One slipped between her legs, and she was so glad she’d worn a skirt.

“Noah,” she gasped out when he touched her heat.

He leaned back in and kissed her, softer this time, as his hand stroked her. He slipped under her soaked panties and pushed a finger into her.

“Oh,” she cried out against his lips. It was all almost too much. Too erotic. Their almost public location. His roughness and obvious need. His disregard for anything but being with her, right then and there. Her body cried out with need.

Noah stepped back, taking her underwear with him. He tucked them into a pocket and gave her a wicked grin. Then his hands were on her again. She pressed her hands onto the counter behind her, supporting herself, as he pushed down her shirt and bra with one hand, revealing her right breast. His other hand slipped down to stroke her again, and she felt herself at the brink so quickly it was almost embarrassing.

He watched her as he touched her, and she closed her eyes and threw her head back, unable to meet his intense gaze for too long. It was like he could see her—really see her. Every weakness she tried to hide, every insecurity beneath her surface. And it left her feeling open and raw. Disconcerted, but so needy she almost didn’t care.

He leaned in and nipped her neck again.

“You’re so wet, Alice.” He shuddered against her as his lips brushed the vein in her neck.

Suddenly, she could practically feel it. His teeth sinking in her neck as his cock thrust into her body. She yearned for it so painfully. The words were on the tip of her tongue. Not an insult. A demand.

Bite me.

The urge to sink his fangs into her thrummed in his mind, so powerful he had to pull away from her neck, even as he pushed two fingers into her body and pinched her nipple before rubbing away the sting.

Her mouth was slightly open, and her eyes wide, filled with passion. Her lips were swollen from his kisses. And there was such want in her expression that he could almost fool himself into thinking she knew what he wanted from her neck.

She moved as if to speak, but stopped as his rhythm increased, moaning instead. He needed to see her, needed to make her come. Needed to watch her break apart around him, even more than he needed to taste the sweetness of her blood.

He leaned down and licked her, sucking on her sex even as he fucked her with his fingers. She yelled out and he reached up with his free hand to cover her mouth automatically. No matter how much he wanted her here, in this very nearly public place, he didn’t actually want anyone to walk in on them.

The orgasm shook her body, and she bit his hand, hard. He glanced up, and seeing her teeth sunk into his skin almost pushed him over the edge.

He yanked the condom out of his pocket and then pushed her back onto the counter, knocking off a container of ricotta and a mostly empty can of tomato juice. Her hands moved over his body and gripped him through his pants. Fire shot through him and he groaned against her lips.

He wanted so badly to sink his fangs into her. Could almost taste her blood, so sweet on his tongue, mixing with the taste of her arousal. Her blood rushing into his mouth as he fucked her.

Damn
.

He’d nuzzled her neck again, but pulled away as she tried to tug him closer. With her help, he shoved his pants down, just far enough to put the condom on. Then he crawled onto the counter with her. She pushed his pants down farther so she could grip his ass.

“Fuck,” he muttered, trying to get his cock into place.

“A little more challenging than a bed.” She chuckled and kissed him.

She wrapped her legs around him and he pushed into her. Two thrusts, and he could feel her tightness wrapped around him. So warm. So wet. So tight. Fucking paradise.

He stopped there, taking a moment for the sensation to sink in. Reveling in how perfectly they fit together. He’d been so fucked up after that phone call. After he’d decided there was no way out of the wedding. And that not telling Alice the truth of it all would be leading her on. Lying to her. But when she looked at him with her face so full of concern and caring, he came to a realization.

He needed her.

Not just for the short term—during this cruise—but as a real part of his life. Her smile filled the dark corners of his heart in a way he’d never experienced, not once in his very long life. And if you couldn’t take a chance on someone like that, what the hell could you take a chance on?

It was all too soon, he knew that. Too soon to talk about forever. Too soon to make promises. Too soon to spout his feelings like a lovelorn teenager.

But part of him wanted to.

And he knew, no matter what else happened, he wasn’t going to lose her. He would get out of the wedding. Somehow.

She moaned beneath him and urged him on, her hands gripping his ass and her body writhing against him. He moved, thrusting and touching and coaxing more from her. And with her abandon, she pushed him to the edge.

“Come for me, beautiful,” he gasped out, his thumb moving on her most sensitive place while he drove himself into her, barely able to hold on enough to remember she was human. That he could hurt her if he wasn’t at least a little careful. His mouth closed over her breast, and he bit her nipple. Not hard. Not nearly as hard as he wanted to.

She broke apart, crying out his name while her body convulsed around his. The orgasm hit him violently, and he drove himself into her hard, reeling from the power of it. Then he collapsed onto her, his body spasming. Her scent surrounded him, and he found his face in her hair, his mouth open against her, and his fangs a millimeter away from her skin. One little movement was all it would take. So fucking close.

He took a shuddering breath, and pulled away.

C
hapter Nine

T
he heavenly smell of lasagna in the air roused her from the half-trance kitchen sex with Noah had put her in. They’d both put back on the bit of clothing they’d lost in the heat of passion, and then Noah held her against him for a few minutes. Silence hung over them, so heavy she feared breaking it.

But finally, she couldn’t resist the urge. He still held her on the counter—an oddly comfortable position.

“This probably broke at least five laws.”

“Laws?” he said.

“Kitchen cleanliness laws. Or food handling ones. Or something.”

He laughed into her hair and stroked her cheek lightly with the back of his fingers. “Well, I don’t remember handling any food while we were—”

“Yes, but food is definitely handled here.” She snickered. “I’ve never—”

“Me either.”

She forced herself onto an elbow and looked up at him. “Really? No crazy locales for you?”

“Nope. Well, none so publicly kitchen-oriented. I can’t say that lasagna’s ever had this effect on me before.” He smiled and kissed her softly. “Guess it must be the chef.”

“I am an excellent chef,” she lied. Lasagna was her only real forte when it came to cooking. But now that she’d found the kitchen so versatile, she could imagine spending a lot more time in it.

“You’re thinking evil thoughts.”

“Am not.” She rolled off the counter and then shot him a wicked grin. “You can’t prove a thing.”

He chuckled and followed her, grabbing her before she could go far. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“The lasagna—”

“Can wait.”

He kissed her then, so tenderly that she couldn’t help but melt against him. They were both breathing hard when she finally pulled away, and her whole body was hot and achy. How could she want him so much only moments after she’d felt so satisfied?

“Crap!” She stepped away from Noah, regretting the loss of his heat. She avoided his eyes, which were still dark with passion. Maybe if she didn’t look directly at him, she’d be able to resist. Concentrate. It was worth a shot. “Do you smell that? God, is it burning?”

She didn’t wait for a response, instead, she ran for the oven. “Oh no. I forgot about the foil.” She pulled the lasagna out of the oven and set it on the stove. Hands still in the oven mitts, she tugged off the aluminum foil and stared at the lasagna in disgust.

“It doesn’t look badly burned,” Noah observed.

“It’s not too bad, I guess. Just a little around the edges. But it’s definitely not going to have any texture now. All mushy. Which is okay for lasagna, I just hope it didn’t get too much moisture.” She tossed the oven mitts onto the counter and sighed heavily. “And there’s no time to really do anything about it. So I guess it doesn’t matter anyway.”

Quickly, they straightened up their clothes and hair as well as they could without a mirror, relying on each other for feedback. Then Alice had Noah help her scoop lasagna onto plates.

“Only feeding eight people tonight?” he asked.

“Yes.” She counted off on her fingers. “You and me. Mom and Jake. Cindy, Robert, his cousin…oh I can’t think of his name, and his wife.”

“That’s only six.” He leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the nose. “Has amazing sex overrun your ability to count? Too many orgasms?”

She giggled and slapped at him. “Brent and Kristen. They’re the last two.”

A darkness fell over his face and the amusement there faltered. She punched him in the arm. “You can’t honestly be worried about Brent after—”

“No, of course not,” he said, too quickly. “Just makes things a little more tense is all.”

She debated telling him about Brent’s apology, if only to clarify why she wasn’t feeling as annoyed as he was about the man joining them for dinner. But that was a long conversation, one that would no doubt require delving into her past and dredging up details she didn’t feel like thinking about, let alone discussing with Noah. Not right this second anyway, when everything felt so perfect. Besides, they didn’t have that much time to talk much before dinner.

A loud knock pulled her from her thoughts.

“Oh no, the salad,” she exclaimed, holding a plate of lasagna in each hand.

“I’ll take care of the salad. You get out there with the lasagna before it cools and let them in before they break the door down,” Noah said.

She gave him a wary glance, but he approached the romaine with confidence and actually started washing it in front of her, so she headed out into the dining room. She dropped off the first couple of plates, then went to get the door. And for the first time, she was thankful her family was nearly always late to everything, or just barely on time. If they’d come early…. Her cheeks burned at the thought.

The dinner guests were all waiting on the porch, standing around a mat that proclaimed they were welcome, with the waves crashing onto the beach behind them. They chattered happily as they piled in and headed for the table. Alice swallowed hard at the thought of them all waiting out here while she and Noah had…well thank goodness no one had knocked. Unless—no, they would have heard a knock, right? Thank God the door locked.

Her mom got up as soon as she approached. “Let me help you.”

“If you want to go to the kitchen and grab some plates, that would be great.”

Her mom nodded and headed for the kitchen. Alice dropped off the first two plates and declined further help from her sister and Brent. “Not much else is coming, just lasagna and a salad,” she said.

“Don’t need anything else with your lasagna,” Cindy replied, her eyes fixed on the plate in front of her.

She gave her sister a smile and then spun around and headed for the kitchen. Her mom appeared with a couple of plates, and Noah was right on her heels with a salad that looked oddly professional. He carried a stack of bowls in his other hand.

“Thanks,” she murmured as she passed him. His eyebrows moved up in acknowledgment.

With the lasagna delivered and the salad on the large oak table, they sat to eat. Alice felt surprisingly good, considering the near disaster she and Noah had averted. And everyone murmured over how delicious the lasagna was. Thank goodness her family was okay with casual dinners, no one even seemed to notice she didn’t serve anything in courses, and she’d completely forgotten appetizers.

The house felt homey, with its light tile floors and bright, festively painted walls. And other than a few pieces of furniture that had been swapped out for more modern choices, it looked largely unchanged from the old pictures her mom still kept on her mantle. The table looked like it had been around a while, as did the matching chairs. The oak was nicked and a bit outdated, and the chairs had small pads tied to them to make them more comfortable, but the idea that her father might have actually eaten there was comforting.

“Is this a new thing you’re doing?” Cindy asked, halfway into her lasagna serving.

Noah’s hand stilled over his lasagna

“What’s that?” Alice asked, keeping her voice nonchalant. Her mother watched her with interest, and Robert seemed to be having trouble keeping his expression serious.

“It’s not as…I’m not sure what.” Cindy looked like she was searching her thoughts, but Alice knew what her sister looked like when she was making mischief. And something was definitely up. “Not as much texture on the top, I guess. Like you forgot to take off the foil.”

Look innocent. No one will be able to say anything if you don’t give them the bait.
“Must not have taken the foil off fast enough, I guess.” She turned her gaze to the chandelier above them. The pieces of cut glass forming the light fixture were plain, but pretty. “Is that the same chandelier, Mom?” she asked, desperate to change the subject.

“So unlike you to miss a detail. Strange,” Cindy said, then shoved a mouthful of the lasagna between her lips.

Alice glared daggers at her sister. “Doesn’t seem to be bothering you much.” She mentally dared her to say something else, but Cindy just grinned as she chewed. Robert coughed into a napkin, his sudden fit sounded suspiciously like muffled laughter.

The attack came from a new direction.

“Is that ricotta in your hair, dear?” her mother asked.

Alice’s eyes widened and she resisted the urge to swipe madly at her hair while Cindy half-laughed, half-choked into her cloth napkin. Her mother’s face remained a picture of virtue and concern. But then, she had more practice at feigning innocence than her daughters.

Kristen smiled widely while Robert gave up on hiding hid laughter. Brent stabbed at his lasagna like it had done something to piss him off.

She started when she felt something touching her hair, and then gave Noah a grateful glance as he plucked a chunk of cheese out of one of her curls. Their eyes met, and his darkened. She drew in a quick breath, and a slow grin overtook his face while she watched.

“Must have been flinging the cheese around back there.” He turned to their very interested audience. “She was in a rush to make sure the lasagna was done in time and perfect.”

“Of course,” her mom agreed, but mischief danced in her eyes.

“I’m quite the chef, you know,” Alice said, playing along with Noah’s story.

Cindy laughed outright then, almost choking on the bite of lasagna she’d been chewing. Robert, his expression a mix of amusement and concern, patted her back as she struggled.

“More tea?” Alice asked sweetly once Cindy had her coughing fit under control. She held out the pitcher. Cindy shook her head, but an evil look still danced in her eyes.

“Are you all right, dear?” Her mom asked.

Cindy nodded and shoved another bite of lasagna in her mouth.

“Of course, Noah made the salad.” Alice picked out a grape tomato and bit into it, relishing the flavor as it exploded in her mouth. “It’s great.”

“It’s wonderful, dear,” her mother assured him. Noah nodded in thanks.

“You are a very good chef, Alice,” her mother continued. She leaned in and whispered so only Alice could hear her. “And that cheese flinging explains the mess in the kitchen, too. Would you believe it looked like a half-full container of ricotta got away from you? I found it on the floor.”

Heat rose to overtake her face, but she couldn’t find a reply, so she forced a bite of lasagna between her lips and pretended her mother hadn’t said a thing.

Through it all, Brent was quiet, his attention fixed on the food in front of him. But Kristen had observed the jokes with a smile. “Well, I know one thing Alice isn’t the best at. And luckily for those of us who aren’t such fantastic cooks, that’s what we’re doing tonight. Have to keep things even.”

Alice searched her mind for what Kristen was talking about, and dread filled her. She shook her head. “No.”

“Yes,” Kristen said, a big smile on her face.

“No—no. Let’s do something else. Anything else,” Alice begged. She turned to Cindy. “Aren’t you and Robert staying in the bungalow tonight?”

“Oh, no. We just wanted to use it for dinner. We’ll head back to the ship tonight,” Cindy said.

“That seems wasteful,” Alice muttered, but she couldn’t really argue. That Cindy and Robert didn’t want to stay the night here wasn’t really odd. And her mother surely wouldn’t want to stay, especially not with her date.

“What’s going on?” Noah asked.

“We’re all doing karaoke tonight,” Kristen announced.

Alice glanced at Noah, expecting him to tease her about it as well. But the vampire’s face was serious, and his skin pale.

“B
etter make it a double,” Noah told the bartender. The man nodded and turned to make their drinks. Noah looked back at Alice, and hoped he didn’t appear as sick as he felt.

The flashy karaoke bar glowed with brightly colored lights that did little to actually reveal the space. Instead, the room was both dark and glaring, and full of small groups of people who crowded around bar-height tables strewn around the room, or who clung to the bar itself, which lined one of the walls. And central to it all was a stage set only a couple of feet higher than the main floor.

The hum of the revelers was low enough for the karaoke singers to be heard clearly when they sang—unfortunately. He’d have had a much easier time getting on stage if no one would actually hear him when he got there.

“Are you all right?” she asked. So much for not looking sick.

“I’m fine,” he said curtly. “I’m just not big on…singing.” He crinkled his nose against the smell of bodies and alcohol.

“You don’t like to sing?”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. What could he say to that? Who really hated singing? Sure, a lot of people didn’t like to sing in public, but Alice was so free, so confident. With her bright attitude at life, he was surprised she didn’t constantly sing a happy tune to herself. The woman did nothing halfway, and she lived life to the fullest extent. How did you explain a fear of singing in public to someone like that?

And he’d be damned if he admitted being scared of anything. He was turning two hundred years old, for fuck’s sake. He wasn’t afraid to get up in front of her whole family—not to mention her ex—and sing so awfully and horribly that she’d probably never talk to him again for fear of associating herself with such an embarrassment.

She watched his expression, her eyes wide with fascination.

“I’m not much of a singer,” he finally said.

She grimaced. “Me either.”

He stared at her, shocked. But she watched her prettily manicured toes. The bartender interrupted with their drinks, and Noah downed his scotch and waved for another.

“Get me another, too,” Alice called after the bartender. Then, she drank the appletini in two long drinks.

Noah blinked at her. “Are you all right?”

“I fucking hate singing in public. And they’re totally going to make us do it.” She waved her empty martini glass toward her family. Edna and Jake had accompanied them, sitting across from Cindy and Robert. Brent and Kristen took up the end of the table opposite of the chairs they’d saved for Noah and Alice. “Wow.” She shook her head. “Strong drink.”

“Maybe you should slow down.”

“I will. After I’m a little more certain I won’t remember this tomorrow.”

BOOK: Don't Bite the Bridesmaid
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