Marked: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance (7 page)

“Perhaps,” he hedged.

I refrained from rolling my eyes. “Why did you buy my contract?”

“Excuse me?”

My stomach tightened with fear. Perhaps this had been the wrong question to ask, but rather than recant, I repeated my question. “You rarely attend those type of events, right?”

Ethen’s dark brow furrowing into a tight knot. Still and silent as the grave. Seemed the man had a taciturn side as well.

“From what I understand, you are one of the few who does not hire courtesans. So, why me?” When his eyes hardened, I sat back and held up my hands. “I didn’t mean to offend, I only—”

“I didn’t like the way the others watched you.”

My mouth parted. He’d chosen me as his courtesan because he didn’t like how the others had looked at me? What did that even mean?

I opened my mouth to inquire further, but Ethen chose that moment to down the rest of his wine and stand. “Come,” he said, offering me his hand once more.

“Where are we going?”

“I believe a tour of my home is in order.”

A love of architecture, indeed. I chuckled under my breath and followed after him. Guess that was the only answer I was going to receive. The man clearly disliked answering personal questions, not that it would stop me from delving further.

He led me through the brownstone room by room, pausing only now and then to inform me of the room’s purpose and whether or not I was permitted to enter. To my utter surprise, his permissions extended only to the drawing room—
yes
, a drawing room—kitchen, gardens, and my own personal room. The other five bedrooms were off limits, especially his own. I didn’t bother to question him on that. It didn’t matter to me which room we fulfilled the contract in.

After a full lap of his home, he escorted me back to my door. “I hope you sleep well tonight.”

Wait, what? I pivoted toward him. “Are you…I mean, didn’t you intend to…?”

“The first bite is a precarious thing,” he commented, answering my apparently gauche question. “It should be reserved for moments of passion or tenderness. Not as a form of sustenance. I can wait, if you can.”

I had to take his word on that one. As far as I was concerned, blood was blood… “When, then?”

He lifted his gaze from the carpet and met mine, his eyes aglow in the darkest of shadows. But it wasn’t until his mouth crooked that my body erupted with chills. “All in due time.”

His hand grazed my side as he reached around me. My breath caught, and all the blood rushed from my head. The slightest touch, and I was reeling. He turned the doorknob and opened the door for me.

Neither of us moved. Ethen hovered over me, his gaze wavering between my lips and my throat. My eagerness stunned me, my damned heart racing in my chest as I waited for him to close that final inch between us.

Instead, he swallowed and stepped back. “Good night, Winter.”

I meant to return his sentiment, but all that came out of my mouth was an incoherent and slurred response. Flustered, I slipped through the opening and closed my door before resting my head against it.

Well, the good news was that I was attracted to him.

Unfortunately, that meant I was
attracted
to him.

Chapter 8

Clad in denim shorts and a thin tank top, sitting cross-legged on the floor with a bowl of cereal on my lap…that was how Ethen found me the next evening. I’d woken to a silent house and had ventured out on my own, too antsy to remain in my room until summoned. Afraid of messing up his kitchen, I’d taken my ‘breakfast’ to the courtesan-approved balcony off the drawing room. Here, I’d watched the sun set behind the cityscape. The view was spectacular, the thick brushstrokes of rosy pink and orange light sliding through the buildings as the sun dipped behind the horizon.

“Evening,” Ethen’s rough voice rose from the doorway.

I turned, my breath catching at the sight of him. He was clad in dark slacks and a pristine, royal blue button-down shirt, half open to the wind. I caught a small glimpse of a sculpted chest marred only by a thin scar that ran adjacent to his heart. Though curious, it didn’t feel right to question its source. At least, not yet.

I swept my tongue across my lips and cleared my throat. “Hi.”

“I trust you slept well?”

“The room is fantastic, thank you.” Not to mention the feather-soft bed. I’d never slept on anything like it. “And you?”

Amusement curled his lips, as though sharing in some private joke. “Well enough.”

And there went the pleasantries. I pressed my lips together and cut a glance back toward the horizon. The last of the sun’s rays had vanished, relinquishing the city to a dusky haze. Prime time for vampires, or so it appeared.

“Have you been awake very long?” he asked.

“Only an hour or so. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sleep in the daylight, but those windows…”

“Smart glass,” he informed me. “By now I’m sure you’ve noticed the many skylights and windows adorning the house.”

I chuckled under my breath. “I’ve noticed. You have a lot of windows for someone with a severe allergy to sunlight.”

Even he smiled. “The glass is tempered and controlled by a sensor. As the sun rises, the glass darkens. Much like tinted windows in a vehicle. We have shades if needed as well, for those particularly bright days that might reduce a vampire to ash. Some vampires can walk under the sun. Day walkers, we call them. I, however, am not one of them. So smart glass it is.”

“Clever.”

“I’m glad you approve. Now, I believe we have some business to attend to.”

Ah, the true reason he’d ventured out onto the balcony. Dusting my hands off against my legs, I grabbed my bowl and pushed to my feet. Time to sign the contract and put in motion what I’d dubbed Operation Coffin Bait.

I re-entered the house to find Ms. Doyle standing next to the nearest chair, her hand extended toward me. “If you’d please, Ms. Winter.”

Blinking, I glanced between her and Ethen.

“The bowl,” he confirmed.

“Ah. Sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” he commented before starting down the hallway.

“Oh, and thank you for stocking the upstairs kitchen with food,” I murmured to Ms. Doyle as I skirted past her.

“Of course, dear.”

Ethen took the next right into his office. I paused at the door and studied the interior, unsurprised to find it comprised of the same cherry wood as the rest of the house.

“Come in.”

I did as he asked, then eased into the high-backed chair across from his desk.

“Madam da Silva sent over the contract this afternoon.”

Though I’d expected her to do exactly that, my heart skipped a beat.

Ethen glanced up from the papers with an arched brow. “Is something the matter?”

I shook my head, unsure how to calm my nerves. He didn’t realize what exactly this meant to me, and, right now, I wasn’t sure if he needed to know. His reaction to the news that my blood was untasted made me wary regarding my sexual inexperience.

“Would you like to read it over before I sign it?”

“Do I need to sign it?” I asked.

“Yes. You’re employed by the company. Therefore, Madam da Silva does the negotiating on your behalf, but you are still required to sign. So, I would prefer if you read it over. If anything feels unseemly to you, I will request a modification before signing.”

“You…you would do that for me?”

“This is as much your contract as it is mine.”

Speechless, I leaned forward and accepted the proffered pages. Then I settled back into the chair and started to read.

“You may read anywhere else,” Ethen commented after a few moments.

I almost smiled, completely aware of the unease in his voice. Clearly, his office was his own personal space. I recognized the dismissal but chose not to acquiesce. Instead, I crossed one leg over the other and faked a look of concentration. “I’m good.”

“You mean to remain in here, then?”

This time, a grin did cross my face before I parroted back a version of his words from last night. “It isn’t often I get the chance to read a contract in Ethen Rune’s office.”

His silence was a touch uncomfortable before he laughed under his breath and shook his head. “Touché.”

I hadn’t made it a full paragraph in before my head snapped up, and I stared at him as he typed an email out on his computer. “Three nights? I thought these courtesan agreements were usually for a single night?”

“It is for the length of time bid by the client,” he responded without so much as glancing at me.

“You…bid for three nights?”

“Why do you suppose your contract was the highest grossing?”

Truth be told, I hadn’t considered it. The past few days had been non-stop excitement and drama, and none of it the right kind. “I don’t understand…”

“What’s there to understand?”

“You don’t even know me.” I stared down at the contract as though I could find some hidden meaning to the intricately typed words. “You spoke to me for five minutes, if that. But you negotiated a three-night contract?”

The chuckle that rolled off his lips was not necessarily a pleasant one. “What does speaking to one another have to do with anything?”

How quickly a few words could shut me down. As though finally understanding the weight of his implication, he lifted his head, a line of concern wrinkling his brow.

“I see,” I responded before he could backtrack. Pushing to my feet, I signed the contract, then handed it over and slipped out of the room.

His meaning had been clear enough. He hadn’t chosen me for
me
. To him, I was a body. Blood and sex. Nothing more.

Fine. I could accept that. It wasn’t as though he meant anything to me, after all. Merely a tool to secure the funds needed to pay off Alexei.

Quid pro quo.

***

“Winter. Open the door.”

With a sigh, I glanced up from my phone. “It’s your home,” I called back. If he wanted the door open, he could damn well do it himself.

I knew better than to let his words upset me. He was correct, after all. What
did
it matter if we were friends or not? Except, apparently I
wanted
him to like me. Not that it mattered what I wanted. The contract needed to be fulfilled regardless of my personal desires. Emotions couldn’t hold sway here. The entire gala had been brought together not only for charity but for the purpose of bidding on the courtesans. Some of the women had been lucky enough to know their clients, but I wasn’t one of them. That Ethen had chosen me even though he never bid on a courtesan meant little, or so I kept telling myself.

The door swung open and on the other side stood Ethen himself, a perfect blend of man and beast. He leaned against the frame and dragged a hand through his hair. “Please accept my apology. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

I offered a blithe shrug, reminding myself that it didn’t truly matter what he thought. “You weren’t wrong.”

“Perhaps not, but it was hardly polite to point it out.”

A tiny smile tugged at my lips. We’d met less than twenty-four hours ago, and although I knew very little about him, I
had
learned a few interesting tidbits. Namely, that manners and appearance meant a great deal to him, not to mention he was an entirely different creature in his home versus public. And most importantly, it seemed he wasn’t the monster my family had painted all vampires. I wasn’t so naïve as to believe there weren’t any out there in the real world…I simply knew Ethen was not one of them.

“So…” Brushing my hair over my shoulder, I turned that smile toward him, determined to put aside my feelings and get the deed done with. “Three nights, hey? Sure you can put up with me for that long?”

“Your presence has been far from arduous,” he commented. “I’m convinced we’ll survive our time together.”

Coming from Ethen, I took that as a compliment. I knew we’d survive our time together—the question was whether or not I’d survive the
afterward
. If Tessa’s situation had taught me one thing, it was to not, under any circumstances, fall for a vampire. I knew it would be a cold day in hell before I
ever
fell in love with a vampire, but it had me wondering…how did a girl
not
develop an emotional attachment to someone she was intimate with? I rubbed the crease in my brow, utterly discomfited by the question.

“Are you all right?”

Maybe I
needed
to be upfront with him about this. His reaction last night suggested otherwise, but perhaps in this instance, it was best to be honest with him. Chewing my bottom lip, I glanced up at him and considered my options. So far Ethen had been nothing but kind to me. Perhaps I owed him the same courtesy.

My mind decided, I forced myself to swallow. “You already figured out that I’m a novice at all this…”

He nodded.

“The thing is…I’m not just a novice at being a courtesan.”

“What exactly does that mean?”

Holy crickets
, this was embarrassing to admit. It wasn’t as though I could explain to him the reasons either. Mentioning my family seemed unwise. “I’m…well, I’m not a virgin per se…but I’ve only ever been with one…well, just the one…before this.”

Surely he caught my drift? How the hell did you tell a vampire you’d only had one sexual partner before him without explicitly speaking the words? I met his gaze and silently pleaded for him to understand.              

His eyes grew wide and his mouth parted. “I see.”

Relief rounded my shoulders. “I felt you should know, in case this affects the contract. I’m hardly a skilled courtesan, and…” My words drifted off into silence.

He pushed away from the doorframe and entered the room. This was it. The moment of truth.

“And what?” he asked in a gruff voice.

He offered me his hand. Nibbling my bottom lip, I paused and stared at his palm as though it might bite me. “Are you asking me to leave?”

A chuckle rumbled from his lips. “No, Winter. I’m not asking you to leave.”

Relieved, I took his hand and rose unsteadily to my feet. “Then…you want me to stay?”

He curled a finger beneath my chin and guided my head up until our gazes met. “Very much.”

Delight uncurled in the pit of my stomach. His fingers brushed across my jaw before threading through my hair. My eyes fluttered shut as the softest breath escaped my mouth. I’d run my hands through my hair countless times before, but it’d never felt like this. With a contented sound, I leaned into his touch, savoring every shiver that puckered my skin.

“I don’t have enough clothes for three days,” I whispered.

“That won’t be a problem. I don’t foresee a need for clothing anytime soon.”

Part of me wanted to scoff at his confidence, and maybe I would have had I not agreed with him. Who needed clothes anyhow?

His lips ran along my jaw until they settled against the side of my throat. “I told you the first bite should be reserved for moments of passion or tenderness.”

I nodded, speechless.

“I’d very much like to show you now,” he murmured.

Excitement rolled over me, my nipples tightening beneath my scant tank top.

“Would you like that?”

My knees buckled when his fangs scraped against my skin. Only the strength of his arms kept me upright.

“Winter?”

I nodded again, incapable of mustering a single word. Yes, I wanted that very much.

My sexual fantasies had always been fairly standard. Never had a vamp’s bite so much as tickled the radar. But there was something about Ethen. Something I couldn’t ignore. And I now wanted his teeth on me more than anything. I wanted to feel my skin give way beneath them, as he took from me something no one else ever had.

“Tell me what you want,” he said. “There will be no games between us.”

My tongue swept across my lips. “I want you to taste me.”

“Thank God,” he murmured, his desire palpable.

He eased me against the nearest wall, his knee bracketed between my legs. Not a moment later, he ran his mouth down the thin column of my neck, nibbling my skin as he went. The arms that held me trembled, his breath fluttering with every exhalation. I took comfort in his reaction, that I made him feel something.