Blonde & Blue (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #4)(7)

“When did you start killing again?” I focused on my irritation, ignoring the honey sweet, coercive vibe that called my power to him.

“Does it matter?” Crossing his arms, he leaned back, against the wall opposite me. The weight of his gaze unnerved me.

“There’s no point in talking to you right now, is there? I have to get going anyway. I’m going home.”

“Already? But, I just got here.” His smile was more than a little evil. The last time he’d looked at me like that, the bastard had bit me.

I regarded him warily. “I’ve tried calling your phone for hours. Now I see why you were ignoring me. What you do is your business, Kale. I can’t stop you. But, this stuff shouldn’t be happening in here. You’re f**king looped, and you know it. We should talk when you come down off this high. Not now.”

“I can tell you right now those two dead hookers are likely among the tamest things you’d find in here tonight if you could see behind every closed door.”

I wasn’t in the mood to argue. “Hey, it’s your club. You own it, and you can do whatever the hell you want here. I’m sure you want to deal with this before sunrise so I’ll just leave you to it.”

“What’s the rush?” Kale stepped away from the wall, blocking my way past him. “You know I won’t hurt you.”

“I know you want to. Have you forgotten that I’ve heard this before?”

He reached a hand out towards me as he pulled on my nervous energy. “I won’t hurt you. Not unless you beg me to.”

The memory his words conjured up brought a flaming hot blush to my cheeks. Not so long ago, the intoxicating allure of power had led me and Kale into an unplanned intimate encounter. He’d taken my blood, and I’d all but begged him to bang me on the desk in my office. It hadn’t happened, thanks to Jez’ interruption, but it had come damn close.

He chuckled and took a step that brought him into my personal space. “You’re adorable when you blush.”

I refused to let him intimidate me. The heady wave of energy that surrounded him like an intoxicating perfume teased my senses. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was doing it on purpose, trying to force me to react to him. That wasn’t going to happen. To react would be dangerous, and he knew it as well as I did.

I was tongue-tied as I tried to muster a response. “I got nothin’.”

He was quiet for a minute, regarding me with that dark gaze. His power called to me, reminding me of why Kale and I were rarely alone together anymore. It was dangerous. Forbidden fruit always was so much sweeter. I hated how I reacted to him. Combining our power resembled the worst chemistry experiment possible; our uninhibited impulses exploded as my sensuality made me weak.

Nope. Not happening. If I gave in to the luscious way our power felt, even for a moment, I’d find myself begging Kale to bleed me … and Lord knows what else.

“You don’t trust me, Alexa?”

Might as well be honest. “I guess that depends what you mean exactly. You’re a cold-blooded killer that’s had himself on a tight leash for many years. You’re about as unpredictable as they come.”

“Yeah there’s that. But, you think I might try to kill you, don’t you?” He took that extra step. My skin grew hot at his proximity, and I drew in a deep breath. Stepping away would only provoke him.

“Can you really blame me for that?”

“Yes. I can.” Kale ran a hand through his hair. “Are you going to hold that one time against me forever? It was once. Yeah, you’re mortal. You smell and taste so damn good. But honestly, I’d rather make love to you than kill you.”

Oh hell. My lungs deflated, and I struggled for air. Stunned didn’t begin to cover it. “Oh don’t go there, Kale. I don’t even know what to say to that.” I’d almost prefer it if he wanted to kill me, at least I’d know how to react.

“Stop with the awkward tension. We should be beyond this.” In a bold gesture, Kale danced a hand down my body, careful to never actually touch me.

I could feel the waves of energy as they pulsed under his manipulation. A shiver ran down my spine, and I had to resist the urge to scratch an itch that wasn’t physical. He wasn’t wrong; I was the one that made things weird with us. I was still carrying around some personal shame for offering myself to him during a moment of extreme weakness.

“How can I not feel awkward? You’re practically f**king me with your mind.”

His chuckle didn’t put me at ease. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“You’re going to regret saying that after you come down from this little high you’re on. It can’t last forever you know.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“You’re impossible.”

I had to admit, Kale was enchanting when influenced by the power of the kill. It brought out the true nature in every vampire, the killer that always dwelled within each of them. It was delightfully powerful and seductive, and because of that, it was also deadly.

I felt immediately when the atmosphere began to pulse. He was influencing it, trying to coerce a response from me. His expression was carefully neutral, but his eyes were watchful and mischievous.

“I never missed the rush of the kill much until recently. Besides, you got me thinking about what I was starving myself of.” Kale’s voice dropped in tone. He continued to trail his fingers through the energy surrounding me. It gave me chills.