The Pixie Prince (3 page)

Chapter Three

Pain radiated outward from his bones through his whole body. It felt like he’d gone ten rounds with the heavyweight champion of the world. Max stumbled from his bed and reached for a pair of sweats. As he did so, he noticed that his reflection in the mirror revealed a wealth of small bruises all over his body. Great. He had a photo shoot in two days. He couldn’t show up covered in bruises when the only thing he’d be wearing for the camera was underwear.

Restless and tired, he debated trying to sleep sitting up on the couch. The idea didn’t appeal. Bliss Wilde’s bed dominated his thoughts and if he was honest with himself, she did too. His body ached to fuck her.

Finally, Max gave up and got dressed. He didn’t know if he stood a snowball’s chance in hell with Bliss, but the way his cock was bitching at him, he knew he’d have to try.

The lines to get into Carpe Noctem were long. The VIP line roped off in red was much shorter. Max decided that was the line for him. However, the instant he got in the queue, one of the bouncers recognized him and beckoned to him.

“Yo! Max Fever!”

Max winced slightly at the nickname and went to the head of the line where the bouncer stamped his hand and let him inside. Rock music blared and Max shook his head, not used to his new sensitivity to sound. At least they weren’t playing hip-hop, he thought as he headed toward the bar. All that bass would have killed him.

He found an empty spot at the bar and leaned over, yelling at the bartender, “Gimme a Guinness.”

The barkeep nodded and took down an ale glass. Moments, later a glass of dark chocolate-colored liquid sat in front of Max, the head forming as the stout settled. Max leaned on the bar and looked around at the patrons. Most were vampires, but a lot of other species were represented as well, including humans. He sipped his stout and crowd-watched, his eyes on the look out for Bliss.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

The scent of caramel reached his nose at the exact same moment her smoky voiced words reached his ears. Instantly, his cock reared its head and made its demands known. Surreptitiously, Max rearranged himself so Bliss wouldn’t notice that he was already half hard. Then he turned to face her.

“I tried. I really did.”

She smiled at him sympathetically. Then she tilted her head toward the hidden door. “C’mon upstairs. Bring your drink.”

He followed her through the crowd, wishing there weren’t so many people. He would have liked to watch her ass as he had earlier in the day. She held the door open and he slipped in. She locked it behind them and led the way up the stairs.

Max could have sighed with pleasure. The sight of her taut ass in plain black slacks did something to him. In his head, he had visions of bending her over while his hands stroked over those full curves and his lips teased her neck.

Suppressing a shudder of lust, he stepped into her living room, watching as she tossed her keys onto the coffee table. She walked into the tiny galley kitchen and opened the refrigerator, taking out a bottle of water. She leaned against the stove, sipping the water and looking at him as he took a seat at the breakfast bar.

“I have two brothers. I love them dearly, but sometimes, I can’t live with them,” she said on a sigh. “I escape here when that happens. It’s really no hardship for me if you’d like to sleep here while you’re waiting for your mattress to arrive.”

Max shook his head. “I don’t want to imposition you.” Inside, he was thinking,
Fuck, yeah. Let me in your bed, baby. Maybe then I can persuade you to join me there…

Bliss chuckled. “I just told you it wouldn’t be an imposition. I rarely stay here as you can tell by the layer of dust on everything.”

“I’m a stranger. What if I’m some kinda pervert or axe murderer?” He fingered the rim of his glass as he watched her.

She laughed. “I could use a healthy, normal pervert in my life. I get all the drunk, obnoxious perverts who want me to suck their blood.” She grimaced. “And I’ve known Marty a couple of years now. He’s a good judge of character and a good person. He wouldn’t have brought you here if he thought you were dangerous.”

Max pondered her words for a moment. Healthy, normal pervert? Did she mean what he thought she meant by that? Because if she meant that she needed someone to jump her bones, he was definitely her man.

Before he could work up the nerve to ask her that, she pushed away from the stove and walked into the bedroom. Heart thumping painfully, Max got up and followed her. She turned back the bed. His head spun with erotic ideas.

“The sheets are freshly laundered. There are towels in the bathroom.” She straightened and gestured toward an open door. “There’s food and drink in the refrigerator. You can even call Marty at the restaurant, and he’ll bring you something if you’re hungry. He does for me all the time.”

Deciding that it was time for him to stop being a nice guy who never asked for anything he wanted, Max reached out and wrapped a hand around her upper arm. The feel of her warm, silky skin beneath his fingers sent his lust soaring up a notch.

“Bliss,” he murmured, staring down at her pink lips. “What I want has nothing to do with eating…”

Those cool, electric blue eyes dropped to where his hand held her arm. Goosebumps rose visibly on her skin. When she raised her eyes to his again, the startling blue irises were hotter than Hades. “Are you sure about that?” she asked in an even voice that gave nothing away. Still, her eyes glowed with desire.

“Am I sure that what I want has nothing to do with eating?” The pads of his fingers stroked the inside of her arm. “You know, maybe I’m not so sure anymore. Are you on the menu?”

Her lush, pink lips curved up in a smile. “Alexa is not your lover.” It wasn’t a question. Her eyes asked him to confirm her statement.

“Oh, hell, no!” he exclaimed on a laugh. “Do I look insane to you?”

A low chuckle emerged from Bliss’ throat. “She’s a little too sharp for you, eh?”

Max shuddered. “A lot too sharp,” he joked. Then he sighed and said, “She’s my best friend. There’s no one I love more than her. However, she’s deep and dark and just a little too anal for me. She’s uptight. I’m laid back. We’re chalk and cheese, and as friends it works. If I slept with her, she’d want to kill me.”

Bliss reached up and stroked a hand over his t-shirt clad chest, causing his heart to thunder. “But you wouldn’t want to kill her?”

Max’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me? Of course, I would. It’s just that she would beat me to it. I’d be sitting there thinking about it, trying to decide if I should go through with it. Meanwhile, she’d picked up a skillet and bash my brains in.”

Bliss began to laugh. At first, it was just a soft little amused laugh. Then it grew until she held her stomach, suffused with giggles. “I’m sorry!” she gasped. “It’s just that visual of you sitting there thinking about killing her while she creeps up behind you and does the deed… It’s too funny!”

Max’s lips twitched into a grin. “Well, it’s the truth. Ask her. She’ll tell you the same thing. We’re so wrong for each other on that level.” He reached out and trailed his fingers over her collarbone. “Now, you, on the other hand… I can’t find a thing about you that is wrong.”

Bliss looked up at him, her eyes glowing like a neon sign. Max bent and took her mouth in a fierce kiss. The moment her lips parted, and the tip of his tongue touched hers, it felt like a lightning bolt struck him. Heat coursed through his body, and his cock was instantly so hard it hurt. His tongue swept into her mouth, taking possession of it. She tasted like a caramel sundae, her sweetness filling his mouth and nostrils until he shook with the need to strip her clothes from her body and lick every inch of her.

A moan escaped the back of his throat as one hand cupped her head, holding her still while he ravished her mouth with a series of deep, tongue swirling kisses. She kissed him back, sucking on his tongue and emitting little growls of pleasure. Max couldn’t close his eyes, couldn’t look away from the sight of her bright eyes burning with desire.

He shuddered. Never had he wanted a woman so quickly and so much. He knew now why her name was Bliss, because kissing her was heaven.

The fingers of his free hand boldly slid beneath her silk camisole top, unerringly finding her nipples. They were already tight with arousal, something that made him flush with pleasure. It was evident that she wanted him too. He cupped one breast, thinking how perfectly its round weight fit in his broad palm. He moaned again, then froze as her fingers rubbed the zipper of his jeans.

Max thought he would explode. All the visions he’d had of getting her naked, of touching that exquisite ivory skin, of watching her eyes as he spread her thighs and licked her slick flesh…all those fantasies were coming to life and he could barely breathe from his mounting excitement. He backed her toward the waiting bed, thinking to himself that he might just get to be on the bottom tonight after all.

The moment she sprawled on the sheets kicking off her shoes, something beeped. Max started to follow her down onto the mattress, but she groaned loudly, as if in pain.

“Hell,” she muttered, her expression apologetic as she sat up. “My phone. They need me downstairs.” She got up and pulled on her shoes.

Max just stood there feeling bereft. One moment he was about to have sex with a woman who turned him on more than anyone ever had, and the next he was watching her prepare to leave.

“Its okay,” he said lamely, not knowing what to say. He felt stupid standing there at a loss for words, while his erection painfully strained the front of his jeans.

Bliss grabbed a fistful of his t-shirt and pulled him closer. He bent his head to hers, and she kissed him quickly, her tongue flicking at his briefly. Then she walked toward the door, saying over her shoulder, “Take a nap and rest up. When I come back, I’ll see what I can do about wearing you out.”

She smiled and winked at him, then he heard her footsteps heading down the stairs. With a sigh, he pulled off his clothes and got in the bed. The mattress felt amazing. So amazing that as soon as he closed his eyes, he fell asleep.

Chapter Four

Bliss couldn’t believe Max Fever was in her bed. She’d had the biggest crush on him from the moment his very first underwear ad had hit the fashion magazines five years ago. Of course, her brother Lucien had teased her unmercifully every time he found her sitting at the breakfast table drooling over one of the magazines. Olivier would just glance at the ad and grunt, saying, “My ass looks better in those briefs than his does.”

And really, Olivier did have a great body, and he probably would look just as good as Max in the briefs, if not better, but he was her brother so there was no way she could judge such a thing fairly. As far as she was concerned, Max Lefevre was the hottest man on the planet. And now, the hottest man on the planet was sleeping in her bed.

As she stepped behind the bar, to enter her office, Bliss wondered if the baby bear had been as excited to find Goldilocks in his bed as she was to have Max in hers. Then she realized she was mixing up her fairytales. Max had a mattress issue which made him the Prince and the Pea, not Goldilocks. Smiling to herself, she sat down and picked up the call that waited for her.

Hours later, as the club closed, Marty showed up. She looked up from wiping the long bar counter and smiled. “You look like the cat that ate the canary,” she said.

He pulled up a stool and sat down, leaning his elbows on the bar. “I do? That’s funny because Alexa Harte still hasn’t met your brother,” he told her with an arch lift of his brows.

Bliss tilted her head to one side. “Yeah, but you got her to come in here today. I thought that was your first step in this whole matchmaking scheme of yours.”

Marty shook his head. “Since when was this just my idea? You’re the one who said she would be perfect for Olivier,” he protested.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” Bliss wagged one slender finger at him. “Don’t lay that at my door. I said someone
like
her would be perfect for Olivier. Not necessarily her.”

Marty rolled his eyes. “There is no one else like her. She’s the only one to ever lose a bonded mate and survive, except for your brother. They are two of a kind. Don’t you think that means something?”

Bliss shrugged. “Maybe. Look, I agree that it seems entirely possible that they both survived because they’re the ones who are meant to be together. However, the whole fabric of our existence as vampires tells us that we have but one mate in our lives and without that person, we die. Olivier feels like some kind of freak of nature. I don’t know what Alexa feels, but whatever it is, it’s not happy.” A worried frown creased her brow. “Now that I’ve met her, I’m not sure this is something we should interfere with, Marty.”

Marty stared into her serious blue eyes for a long moment. Then he sighed. “Okay, I see your point, although this was a good idea when we first thought of it.”

“Maybe it still is. I don’t know. I just know that shoving two people together, when they aren’t looking to be matched up, could really backfire on us. My brother is a very volatile person, Marty. Bending him to our will isn’t an option.” Her frown deepened. “I mean, I don’t think he even believes in the whole bloodmate thing anymore.”

Marty pursed his lips thoughtfully. Then he said, “But you do, right?”

Bliss’ brows snapped together. “What do I have to do with this?”

“It’s just a question, Bliss. You do believe you have a bloodmate out there somewhere, don’t you?” Marty asked slyly.

Taken aback by his question, she pondered it for a moment. As a little girl, she’d always dreamed of the day she would find her bloodmate. As she’d grown older, and the years had passed, turning into more than a century, she’d wondered if there really was a mate out there for her. Apparently, she and Lucien had none. In all their years of living, neither of them had ever found their mates. Olivier had, but then he’d lost her. It seemed the whole Wilde family was doomed to be single. Then she thought of Max Lefevre upstairs in her bed, and her heart thudded.

She blinked, realizing that Marty was smiling smugly at her, as if he knew her thoughts. “What the hell does that grin mean?” she asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Marty stood up, his smile widening. “Think about it, Bliss. Maybe this isn’t about Alexa and Olivier at all. What if all my machinations were about you?”

Her mouth dropped open in shock. “No way. What the hell are you, Marty? Some kind of fairy version of Cupid?” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. “You are fae, aren’t you?”

He laughed and backed toward the door. “Even if I told you the truth, you wouldn’t believe me. I’ll see you, Bliss. Sleep well!”

Bliss stared at the empty stool, thinking about what Marty had said. For weeks, they’d been talking about how Alexa Harte and Olivier were alike, how that must mean something in the grand scheme of life. They’d wondered what would happen if the two mateless vampires met. Then they out-and-out schemed to make it happen, except that Marty didn’t have a way to get Alexa to the club.

Now, Bliss wondered if something more was at work. After all, even though Alexa had been to the club today, there was no guarantee that she would ever return and certainly no guarantee that Olivier would show up while she was there. However, the big blond pixie currently lying in her bed might just be there for days…

Shaking her head, Bliss left the rest of the cleanup and lock-up to her staff and headed toward the stairs. She hoped Max’s mattress took its sweet time arriving. She’d even be happy if it never arrived.

Max Fever made her hotter than any man ever had. The moment he’d walked in the door she’d scented him. He had a unique smell like bay leaves. She’d never met a man with such a strong scent before. It tickled her nose and made her stomach feel funny. Keeping her poise in the face of the instantaneous lust that washed over her had been difficult.

When Max returned to Carpe Noctem, Bliss had been overwhelmed with desire. Even in the crowded club, she’d smelled his distinctive bay leaf scent, homing in on him instantly. She’d recognized the desire in his turquoise eyes and knew he felt as she did. Knowing he was upstairs sleeping in her bed had both tormented her and made her feel tinglingly alive.

As she climbed the stairs, her heart pounded. Thinking about the possibility of having sex with Max Lefevre sent her temperature through the roof. When she entered the dark, silent bedroom, her vampire gaze went straight to his motionless form. Sprawled on his back, arms thrown wide, the pale sheet twisted around his lean hips, and one tanned leg extending out from beneath the covers, he was completely passed out. And completely hot.

She smiled ruefully. He must have been struggling to sleep for several days. Disappointed, she quietly made her way into the bathroom and shut the door. She stripped off her clothes, thinking about how he hadn’t even twitched when she came in the room. He was really very soundly asleep.

The poor, beautiful man, she thought as she reached for the shower gel. He looked so peaceful sprawled in her bed. Too bad looking at him didn’t give her peaceful feelings.

The sight of his broad naked chest taking up half the space and his long golden hair spread across her pillow had heat pooling between her thighs. She turned the shower cooler, hoping to cool off her libido.

Bliss showered and towel-dried her short hair. The fine, straight strands usually dried with no fuss. She opened the bathroom door as quietly as possible and tiptoed toward the closet clutching her towel around her.

“You’re wearing way too much,” a soft, husky voice said.

Bliss jerked in surprise, her eyes flicking toward the huge bed. Max’s blue green eyes burned in the darkness, turning her knees weak. Holy shit! He was awake. Despite the cold shower, her body flared with heat. Feeling bolder than she ever had before, she let the towel drop to the floor. She heard a hiss as Max sucked in a breath.

“Did I tell you that I’ve never had sex with a vampire before?”

She walked slowly toward the bed, her respiration erratic. “I’ve never had sex with a pixie before, so I think we’re even.”

Max’s eyes held hers in the darkness. “Not quite. There’s a reason I can no longer sleep in my bed. My father died last week, which means I’m now the Pixie Prince.”

Bliss seemed to recall some sort of legend about the Pixie Prince, but she couldn’t remember the details. Her senses were overwhelmed with the scent of bay leaves. “Will your inheritance keep you from making love to me?”

Max chuckled, the deep sound seductive. It sent shivers down her spine. “Not a chance,” he replied, holding out one hand to her.

She slipped her fingers into his, feeling that immediate electric charge that went through her body at his touch. He set her senses humming and her arousal spinning out of control. As she knelt over him, his hands skated up her thighs to her hips and she shuddered. It was crazy how close she was to orgasm, and he’d barely touched her!

“Good,” she whispered, leaning down to kiss him lightly. “Because I’ve been thinking about this from the moment you walked in today. Even if Alexa had been your girlfriend, I still would have wanted you.”

Max stroked his hands up over her back, making her shiver. “You smell like a caramel sundae to me. How could I not want to lick you for hours?” he murmured, his eyes bright with desire. Then his hands cupped her head, bringing it down to his. He took her mouth possessively, his tongue gliding against hers.

Bliss felt like she couldn’t breathe. She was so excited, so aroused, her senses clearly on overload. Max punctuated long, drugging kisses with strokes of his hands over her naked skin. She felt dazed and dizzy, so much so that when she heard him say, “Fuck, I want to eat her like a peach,” it took her several moments to realize that he hadn’t said the words out loud.