Page 16 of Pleasantly Undead in Dark River

The vampire in question nuzzled my neck. “I only like it when you swallow, Love. Doesn’t apply to the big lizard over there.”

Alexander’s eyes narrowed and it was time to save X from himself. I threw Judge a desperate look and he chuckled under his breath. “Come on, Alexander. Let's go sit out back. The sunrise from there is something to behold.”

Tex kissed my cheek on the way out the door and I held X’s hand as he went to follow. I dragged him towards the kitchen. “Ah, Love, you’re meant to be dragging me toward the bedroom. Though I’m good to eat you on the table too. I like my buffet spread far and wide.”

The brief flash of X’s smug grin between my thighs momentarily made me trip over my feet, but I shook it off. Now was not the time to indulge in all the dirty fantasies that floated around my head.

No one told X that though. He leaned forward, lifting me onto the table and sliding his tongue over my pulse point. An involuntary moan echoed around the kitchen and my thighs squeezed around his waist. He nipped the corner of my jaw with his teeth and I considered how fast we could have sex on the kitchen floor and if anyone would notice. Then I remembered everyone was a supernatural and they probably already heard me moan embarrassingly.

“Dammit, X. Now is not the time. Tex’s maybe-grandpappy is out there and you are in here trying to make me spontaneously come on the table,” I hissed and I’ll be damned if he didn't just look more smug. When he grinned, I was fucking helpless to resist. “One more kiss and that’s it, okay?”

He dragged his lips over my cheek until he could dip his tongue into the corner of my mouth. “I make no promises, Love.” Then he kissed me hard. I avoided his fangs with my tongue. Yeah I hadn’t forgotten the orgasm venom. You didn’t forget that kind of all-consuming pleasure. I pushed him away and he took a step back, his eyebrow raised like he could read my mind andknewthat I wanted to drag him into the nearest bedroom.

Instead, I pointed to the fridge. “Make a salad.”

He bit the tip of my finger. “Are you getting all dominant on me, because I’m not sure if that makes me hot or not?”

My tongue darted out and wet my lower lip. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. When he was inches from my face, I whispered, “Get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich.”

He made a happy rumbling noise low in his chest. “Yes, Mistress.”

We stood there for another moment, staring, this electric thing pulled tight between us. Then laughter bubbled up in my chest until I was twisting my lips to stop myself from smiling.

“Fuck me, girl, you are so fucking cute I just want to eat you,” X grumbled, and stepped away toward the fridge. He pulled out a limp cucumber and some lettuce that had shriveled and died in my crisper.

“Unless you want to convert this to vampirism, I think it's dead, Love.”

Damn. There was no way I could pretend I remembered Alexander was coming for dinner now. I wondered if I had time to make macaroni and cheese?

Nico knocked and then let himself in, and with his arrival came the heavenly scent of lasagna.

“Nico,” I groaned. “You’re a lifesaver.”

I helped as he juggled all the food into the kitchen, then wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed. “You are legitimately my savior right now.”

X made a rude noise behind me. “Food is cheating, Old Man.”

Nico just gave him a crooked smile and then kissed me. “I’ve got you, Raine. One day you’ll trust in that.”

For the next fifteen minutes, X and Nico helped me set the table and lay out the food; it was beautiful and domestic and scary all at once. I was officially the pied piper of hot guys. They snarked at each other, and I sometimes forgot that they both had their own histories. Along with Judge, they all had ancient history with Lucius too. That might be the insurmountable obstacle right there, and I had to remind myself that I didn’t owe Lucius a damn thing. In fact, if I was smart, I’d say no and send him on his way.

But I couldn’t.

I sighed as I set down the last knife. That was a problem for tomorrow. Tonight, I was going to try and impress Brody’s super boss, and Tex’s actual blood relation. No pressure though. I missed Brody, who seemed to be a calming influence on them all. Maybe it was his natural Alpha aura, or maybe he was just a super nice guy who was personable as fuck. Either way, I wish he was with me, helping me navigate this weird shifter dynamic.

X kept eyeing the ring on my rafter, and every time my gaze drifted up to that shiny gold ring, I had a vivid flashback that set my body on fire. I was beginning to think it was on purpose. I gave him the stink eye, and his cocky look told me it was definitely on purpose.

Such an asshole. A sexy, psycho asshole. Apparently, I had a type.

When everything was laid out and pretty, I called the guys back in from where they’d been grilling on the back porch. It smelled like cooked meat and summer heat, and if I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine I was back home, human and a carefree teenager again. I could see my parents and my brother chatting around the big old picnic table. Tex’s family would come over from next door and his mother would make that truly awful potato salad that we were all forced to eat just to be polite.

I looked at Tex, and his eyes were on me, unseeing without his python vision, but he didn’t need to see my face to know what I was feeling. He didn’t say anything as he came over and wrapped a tattooed arm around me.

We all took our places, and Alexander poured out shots of Fireball. I grinned at the irony, but I was fairly sure he did it on purpose. He raised his glass.

“To long lost family,” he said as we all saluted and I swallowed back the burning liquid. “And to the newly discovered succubus that enchanted my grandson.”

Alcohol sprayed all over the table as I snorted it out my nose, and when it hit the candle in the center of the table, it lived up to its name as it went up in a fireball. Alexander patted the spots of burning tablecloth in front of him, his face amused. Shit. Was I going to have to run? X looked casual as he took another sip of his drink, but I could see how tense his freehand was where it rested on his thigh.

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