Page 28 of Kentucky Nights
Kentucky chuckles. “This is Romeo.” His horse bucks his head, shoving Kentucky’s shoulder. “And he really didn’t like you saying he was Lucifer’s pet and”— he quiets as if he can hear what Romeo is saying—“and wants you to take it back. Are you kidding me, Romeo? You’re acting like a child who didn’t get his way. You have better manners than that.” Kentucky scolds Romeo, and the horse’s ears flicker left and right in response. Turning to me, the vampire grins. “He apologizes, Dru.”
“I-I don’t even know what just happened. You’re talking to him like he can understand you.” My words are glazed in confusion. “I might need to sit down, actually.”
Kentucky’s grin fades. He drops the rope in his hand, blurring to drop the tailgate. My cowboy swings me into his arms and sets me down on the truck. The second his arms fall away from me, I miss the safety his embrace brings. My soul awakens the loneliness in the marrow, and I yearn.
I yearn to the point of hurt, to the point of despair, that if I don’t feel his touch, I’d beg Death for peace.
What is wrong with me?
“You doing alright, Dru?” Kentucky asks, peering inside my soul with how deeply his gaze penetrates. It’s as if he feels what I feel.
“Yes. I’m so sorry.” I hide my face in my hands, wondering when this nightmare will finally end. I’m making a complete fool of myself.
Large hands wrap around my wrists, tugging my arms down. “Don’t be sorry. Romeo’s appearance can be terrifying if you don’t know him. He’s twenty-five hands tall and a thousand pounds. He’s a vampire. If you weren’t afraid of him, I’d be worried, Dru.”
I peer down when his thumb drifts over the top of my wrist, trying to soothe the panic. “He won’t hurt me?” I ask, choosing not to ask him to remove his hold on me.
The more I’m near him, the more I find myself in need, and his touch, his grip on me, it satisfies the craving that’s building for him.
“He won’t hurt you. I promise. He’s gentle until he is in a situation that causes him not to be. I know it’s shocking. Even in my world, vampire horses aren’t common. I saved him because he asked me to.” Kentucky scratches Romeo behind the ear. “He’s been by my side for a very long time, and he will protect you.”
I hold up a finger. “Okay, I have a few questions. What do you mean, he asked you? And why would he protect me? I’m someone new to him.”
“When I was turned, I was told sometimes vampires get a gift. Mine is talking to animals. I don’t know how it works or why. To answer your other question, he’ll protect you because I told him to. What’s important to me is important to him.” He takes my hand. “Come on. Let’s start slow, Darlin’.”
“You know I only have more questions now, right?”
He scratches his chin, smiling. “If you didn’t, I’d be worried. We can talk about it later if you like. For now, take my hand. I’ll never guide you to anything that will bring you pain.”
With Kentucky by my side, we reach for Romeo, and he moves to be closer, wanting us to rub his neck. He is softer than I thought he would be. His tail flicks, and a muscle on his back twitches when I graze it.
“See? He likes you. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Kentucky grins at me from the side of his mouth. “I admire how you push through your fears, Dru. I like that a lot. You still trusted me when you had no reason to.”
“You make me realize that maybe there’s nothing to be afraid of,” I say so quietly, I can barely hear myself over the harsh beat of rain coming down on the roof.
The barn darkens as the grey clouds thicken, the red hues of Kentucky’s eyes glowing in the shadowed barn.
“What’s the meaning of the color of your eyes? Why red?”
He growls, the twin flames brighter the closer he gets to me. My heart hammers against my chest, beating like a wild drum when he becomes so close, I can smell his scent over the rain.
“Hunger.”
She tests every ounce of my self-control. I have a fire building inside me, crackling with furious rage as it becomes hotter. I cage her in with my arms, each hand gripping the edge of the tailgate on either side of her legs. The metal crunches in my grasp, leaving indentations of my fingers and palm.
I’m fighting every urge not to steal her lips in a heated kiss. If I do, I’m not sure I’ll be able to control myself any longer. I’m afraid of what I’ll do. I’ll want to bite and feed off her blood.
I know the moment I taste the sweet nectar, I won’t be able to stop. I’ll want more. I’ll want her to clutch onto me while sliding my cock deep inside her, pumping into her in tandem with every long drag I take from her vein.
What would her blood taste like during an orgasm? Would she beg for more? Would she like it if I fed from her?
I can’t believe I’m entertaining the idea of having her in the way I’m dying for, but if I don’t allow myself to indulge for even just a second, I might lose my mind.
With nervous, trembling fingers, I dare to risk any progress we have made to touch her legs. I wish I could feel the softness of her skin, but the material of the sweatpants she is wearing stops me. The barrier only makes me hungrier. We both inhale from the electric shock pulsating between us, the gravity of Fate pushing us together.
My head becomes dizzy with need. I can no longer hide my want. My cock is hard and aching beneath my jeans, the ridge pressing against her leg. I know she can feel it. Whether she realizes it or not, she presses herself harder against me.
I hang my head, closing my eyes to hide my nature. This isn’t fair to Dru. She shouldn’t be fated to me, not after what she has been through. All I can do is prove I’m not like him. I’m not a vampire who loses control. As long as I can do that, I might be able to earn her love.
