He’d hoped that maybe once he met Julianna that same fire he’d felt for Felicity Shaw would be there. He’d thought that maybe, just maybe, he’d been so long without a bedmate that his lust-filled mind had overtaken him.
But then he and Julianna sat and talked quite genially over a glass of blood and he’d never been more bored. She was not passionate. She did not fire his blood. She didn’t even capture his interest. He’d rather read an encyclopedia on insects than talk to her. It had been that bad. Of course, it didn’t help that all he’d wanted to do was go after Felicity. He had been unable to stop replaying their short time together.
Julianna did nothing for him.
He certainly did not have fantasies of pulling her expensive dress up, touching her wetness, then filling her over and again with his cock.
Nope. Not at all.
Even the thought of doing such a thing with the doll-like Julianna made his skin shrivel like a prune.
But he had to do it. His mother was right. He needed a bruid before he ran for office and there wasn’t much time for that. He needed one famous enough that everyone already knew her and would accept her graciously. Julianna would fit the part perfectly. Even her father was ready with his constituents to back his political campaign. All he had to do was mate with Julianna.
He’d been thinking it through since last night and could only come up with one decision. He must take Felicity as his mistress.
A slow smile curled over his lips.
“What’s that look?” his mother asked warily.
He flicked his gaze to hers and smiled for real. “It’s nothing. Just making plans. Let’s get back to our guests now, shall we?”
He turned for the door but his mother grabbed his arm and tugged. He turned back to her, one questioning brow raised.
“Son, you will mate with Julianna, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
Another unwanted mate to be saddled with. He’d done it before for five hundred years. He could do it again. Anything for his people. Anything to keep the weres, especially Zeke, from taking over. That would put three weres against two vampires on the council. He couldn’t have that. Not when his father had taken that seat for more than four hundred and fifty years.
“What about Ms. Shaw?” she asked. “I don’t have to give her the job. I can make this all go away. You know it’s for the best.”
Dominic regarded at the door, envisioning Felicity sitting on the sofa wearing that dress made to drive a man wild and looking nervous, sweet, and sexy all at the same time.
“She’ll be mine,” he said with finality. “Let her keep the job. It’ll matter not.”
“But—”
“That’s enough!” He said it with quiet menace and his mother nodded, her eyes falling to the floor.
Dominic entered the receiving room to find Felicity smiling up at his brother as if he’d just said something to make her laugh. A knot formed in his chest and he started for them with only one thought in mind—killing his brother—when Julianna stepped in front of him.
“Mr. Blackmoore,” she said softly and bowed her head. “If it pleases you I’ll take my leave to the bedroom now. I am very satisfied with the planner. Thank you.”
Shit. Dominic had almost forgotten about her. New bruids always moved into her soon-to-be mate’s home before the ceremony. It was a period for them to get to know each other better.
He inclined his head. “I’m glad it pleases you.”
She smiled again, somewhat stiffly, and though her looks were in abundance, nearly perfect, nothing in him stirred for her. Nothing at all.
She left and then Lucas started speaking. Dominic didn’t like several things about this.
For one, he didn’t like how close he stood to Felicity.
For two, he didn’t like how his brother used his charming voice to get into women’s beds. Which was exactly what he was doing right now.
For three, he absolutely wanted to slam his fist into his brother’s face at what came out of his mouth.
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll get you two tickets for my show tomorrow night. It’s a smaller gig down at the Coyote Theater. You can bring your friend you were telling me about.”
Felicity looked like she’d just been notified she’d won a large sum of money. Dom closed in on them.
He couldn’t keep the growl out of his voice. “What’s going on here?”
Felicity jerked at the sound of his voice and he instantly cooled it, not liking the unease flashing in her eyes.
“Lucas was just inviting me to a concert of his tomorrow.” She turned back to Luc. “I’d love to go. I mean really, I can’t even tell you how excited I am! Beth is going to go nuts.” She had a bright, captivating smile and even her eyes glittered when she smiled.
The fact that Lucas put that look on her face sent another growl from his throat.
Lucas sent him a real look this time. Not one with a stupid grin. “Ne yanlish?” he asked in their native tongue of Turkish. They rarely used it anymore but in times of discretion, it worked nicely.
“O benim.” She is mine, answered Dominic.
Lucas straightened slowly from Felicity, his eyes darkening. “Dikktali Olmak.” Take care, he said in Turkish, a gentle warning.
“I will,” he answered in English.
Lucas left and the door closed locking him and Felicity in the room.
She noticed it at about the same time as her eyes widened then darted about the room realizing they were alone.
His body started to burn as he breathed in her feminine scent. He liked it best this way. Her scent, not mixed with the others’. It saturated the room with its soft femininity. The pulse at her throat thumped faster and all he wanted to do was wrap her hair around his fist and plunge his fangs into her neck. Taste her. Drink her. She would like it. He knew it somewhere deep inside him. Her sexy little fangs would drop as her blood grew warm and her sex wet as her blood coated his tongue.
His cock grew hard in his slacks.
“Ms. Shaw,” he said, loving the way she shivered. “You got the job.”
“I-I think I’ll just be going.”
She tried to dart to the side but his hand shot out and curled over the shawl on her shoulders. Her chest rose and fell in hard waves. She felt this too. This incredible connection that existed between only them. He could howl his joy to the world. It wasn’t his lust-clogged mind, devoid of sex for so long that felt this longing. They both felt it. And it was real.
“What are you doing?” she breathed, her eyes skidding longingly to the door.
He took a step closer and she backed up. This went on several more steps until her back hit the brick fireplace.
“Something I’ve wanted to do all day,” he said honestly.
Her eyes locked on his—bright, wide eyes he could stare into all day.
“What’s that?” she said, whispering.
Dom leaned into her, loving the way her body cradled his so well. As if they fit. He wanted to savor this moment, to savor her. It was a fierce need starting to boil inside him that urged him to touch her everywhere, to learn her, to run his lips across her body, to taste her warm skin, and to breathe in her luscious scent.
He curled her into his body. She made a soft noise in the back of her throat. He wanted to hear more of those sensual sounds and to be the one making her do it.
Using his nose he pushed her wavy hair off one shoulder then buried his face in her neck. Her body shuddered against him, her rapid pulse beating against his lips revealing her excitement. He breathed in her sultry mix of musky woman and sweetness. God, how good she would taste. His mouth watered and he didn’t hesitate to run his tongue up the column of her neck.