His words made Charlie shiver with desire. She’dhad a secret vampire fetish since she was a teenager and had read her firstAnne Rice book. After that, she had devoured anything vampire related and thefact that her man had fangs was a huge turn on for her. Still, she tried toremind herself that he was only healing her, giving and receiving comfort, notlooking for sex.

“Sure,” she said, trying to smile. “As long asyou’re gentle.”

“You know I will be.” Bending over her, he kissedher hurt thigh lightly. “Sometimes I wish I still had my Curse—just so I couldfeel any ache or pain you might have and heal you right away. You should havetold me you were hurting earlier, Charlotte.”

“I don’t want to bother you with every little acheand pain I ever get,” Charlie protested.

“But I want you to.” He was nuzzling herthigh gently now, rubbing his scratchy cheek against her tender flesh. It was aKindred thing, Charlie had learned—a way of scent marking their partner. Sincethe Kindred sense of smell was so much stronger than what humans possessed,scents were very important to them.

“Well then…heal me,” she whispered. The feel of hishot breath and his rough cheek against her inner thigh was driving her wild.

“It will be my very great pleasure, Falinda,” hemurmured, kissing her thigh lightly. Then he opened his mouth, letting hisfangs extend to their greatest length.

Charlie shivered to see the long, curving doubleset of fangs on either side of his mouth with the blue droplets of essencealready beading at their tips. I have to try not to come when he bites me, shetold herself. It’s not about sex this time—it’s about healing and comfort.

At that moment Stav sank his sharp points deep intothe tender flesh of her thigh. As he had promised, it was a smooth, almostpainless entry. Though Charlie tried to steel herself for the effects of hisessence, she was helpless to stop the lust and need that overwhelmed her. Awhip crack orgasm raced through her, turning her nipples to hard little pointsand making her pussy liquid with desire.

She bit her lip, trying to hold back the moan thatfilled her throat and grabbed fistfuls of the bedspread on either side of herto stop from threading her fingers through Stav’s hair. Oh God…so good…sogood! The pleasure went on and on, racing through her, stroking her like abig, warm hand that had somehow found its way under her very skin to the coreof her desire.

After what seemed like an eternity of breathlesspanting and silent moaning on her part, Stavros withdrew his fangs, slidingthem out of her thigh as smoothly and painlessly as he had slid them in.Charlie breathed a sigh of relief as the pleasure coursing through her ended.God, she hadn’t known how much more she could take before she started begginghim to take her! Normally it wouldn’t be a problem but she was still trying tobe sensitive to his needs.

“My, my,” Stav murmured. He was still between herthighs and he seemed to be frowning at something.

“What…what is it?” Charlie asked uncertainly. Theplace he had bitten her was already healed, sealed when he licked her to ridher of the small wounds. So what was he staring at?

“Well, it seems that healing your thigh had anunintended effect.” He ran one long finger down the slit at the center of herpussy. “Your panties are soaked, Charlie.”

Charlie bit her lip as she looked down to where hewas pointing. It was true that the burgundy silk of the panties she wore wasdamp and clinging to her mound. The thin, wet material clearly outlined her wetpussy lips and even the little bump of her clit which was peeping out frombetween them.

“God,” she whispered and had to fight the urge toclose her legs. For years she’d felt self conscious about the way she got sowet when she was aroused. The first man she’d ever slept with had beendisgusted by it and hadn’t been shy about letting her know how he felt. Charliehad developed a real complex about the way her body reacted to pleasure—so muchso that she’d never allowed another man to taste her pussy. That is, untilStavros came along.

Like all Kindred, he not only loved to go down onhis female—he needed to. And as a Blood Kindred, he had a specialaffinity for women who got especially wet. There was even a word for a girllike her—numala or “liquid pussy” in the Kindred tongue.

“Beautiful,” Stavros breathed, his warm breathghosting over her wet pussy. “So beautiful the way you get so wet, Falinda.”

Charlie squirmed and bit her lip. Knowing that Stavloved how wet she got helped her get over her fear of being tasted, but therewas still a lingering discomfort in realizing how obvious her desire was.

“It seems to me you might be ruining these littlepanties,” Stav murmured, stroking over her slit with one fingertip again.“Perhaps I should slip them off and clean you up a little with my tongue.”

“Do…do you want to?” It was still a minorrevelation to Charlie how much he loved doing this. Probably because her firstboyfriend had been so vocal in his dislike of it.

“How can you ask me that?” Stav was alreadyreaching up to strip the clinging panties down her legs. Charlie lifted herhips to help him get them off. “I always want to taste you, Falinda,”he murmured, looking into her eyes. “I think about it all the time.”

He got the panties off and tossed them aside beforeturning his full attention back to her naked pussy. Charlie had just recentlyhad a wax and she was completely bare—a fact that made her feel even morevulnerable than her excessive wetness.

“Gods,” he muttered hoarsely. “You’re so gorgeouslike this—naked and wet and spread open for me. And I don’t think I’ve everseen you completely without hair.”

“I wanted to try something different.” Charlie shruggeda little. “You like it?”

“I like anything to do with tasting your pussy, youknow that,” Stav growled softly. “But right now I need to clean you up. You’vegot honey everywhere.”

“I…I know.” Charlie looked down at her plump, nakedpussy lips and bit her lip. They were swollen with need and shiny with herjuices. “I can’t help it,” she whispered. “When you bit me and injected youressence…”

“I know. I felt you coming.” Stav looked up at her,his eyes half-lidded with desire. “I felt your pleasure as my own. You don’tneed to be ashamed of it.”

“I…” Charlie wasn’t sure what to say. But just thenStavros shut her up by bending his head and licking her pussy in a long, slowstroke using the flat of his tongue. “Ohhhhh,” she gasped, her head fallingback as his warm, wet tongue dragged over her sensitive flesh.

“Relax, Falinda,” she heard him say. “Justopen your thighs and let me taste you.”

“Stav!” she moaned as he licked her again and thenagain. At first the strokes were broad and long, covering the entire length ofher pussy slit, bathing her outer pussy with warmth. But then Stav put his bighands on her thighs and parted her with his thumbs.

“Gods, your little clit is so perfect,” hewhispered hoarsely. Then he ducked his head again and sucked the throbbing pinkpearl between his lips.

Charlie moaned as she felt him circling hersensitive bud with the tip of his tongue. Stav was always so gentle when he didthis and yet he somehow managed to convey great urgency—as though he loved hertaste and couldn’t get enough.

Unable to hold still, Charlie wove her fingersthrough his thick, wild mane and pulled him closer, bucking her hips upshamelessly to meet his mouth.

“Stav,” she heard herself babbling. “Oh God,Stav…don’t stop…don’t stop!”

And just at that moment he stopped.

“Stav!”she wailed, opening her eyes and looking down athim. “What the—”

“I think you’re all cleaned up now.” He looked upat her, his indigo eyes teasing. His entire mouth and jaw were wet with herjuices and as she watched, he slowly licked his lips as though savoring hertaste.