Kiss of the Night Read online

  The seductive promise in his gaze and wicked grin had riveted her, causing her pulse to leap to attention just from the sight of his pilot’s photo. She should have known the reality would be so much better—after all, who looked good in their license picture? Alexei Night, that’s who. And the damned thing was, it had been a bad photo.

  Briana had wanted him on sight and when his expertise had been proven, it had given her the excuse to have him. She’d dressed especially for their first meeting, choosing her attire and hairstyle to be more appealing. Her mission was vital and her primary focus would remain on its successful completion, but in the downtime she wanted to be seduced. Truly, completely awash-in-lust seduced by a master lover. She wanted, just once, to experience the sort of mind melting pleasure she’d read about in erotic romance e-books and Alex Night was more than enough vamp to give her what she wanted. The question was, would she be able to give him what he wanted?

  She was damn well prepared to try. As many times as necessary.

  He’d had centuries of experience while she, a mere human, had only a dozen or so liaisons in her lamentable sexual past. None of them had been extraordinary. Thankfully, the vampire was interested, but she wanted him more than interested. She wanted him panting and hungry for her. Desperate to fuck her. She wanted to unleash his animal side and leave a memory behind that he wouldn’t soon forget.

  That would take more than a quick capitulation. Alex would have to earn the right to take her. He was going to have to work for it. Then he would appreciate it, which in turn would make her more appreciative.

  The powerful engines rumbled to life and snapped Bree out of her reverie. She turned to find another room and ran headfirst into soft pseudo-skin covering solid titanium alloy.

  “Damn it, James!” she complained. “You scared me half to death. How can you walk so silently when you weigh so much?”

  He smiled with endless charm. The only way one could tell he wasn’t human was by the lack of matching warmth in his blue eyes. “Your thoughts are naughty, Mistress.”

  Bree wrinkled her nose and muttered, “You don’t know the half of it.”

  “Not true. I detect your rapid pulse and quickened breathing. Those physical reactions are not due simply to the recent danger.” He shook his head. “When will you learn that you cannot hide things from me?”

  “It’s an archaic expression, James darling,” she explained with a sigh.

  “Your father will be fine.”

  Her throat tightened. It still disconcerted her to realize how deeply James could read into her thoughts.

  “It’s all my fault he’s in danger,” she said bitterly. “I knew my position on vampirism would make me plenty of enemies.”

  “But you never knew it would come to this.”

  Bree arched a brow. “But you did. Anyone using logical reasoning would have known that if they couldn’t get to me personally, they’d go after my family. Being shot at, being hunted… Hell, I’m used to that. I even expect it. I accepted the inevitability of my early demise long ago. But my family…?” She shuddered.

  “Your family is the reason you are doing this, Mistress. They knew the risks and they support you completely.”

  “Because I swore they’d be safe. I told them I would protect them.”

  Three years ago, when her younger sister Stella married a vamp, Bree had known something had to be done to further the rights of vampires. They were banned from certain sectors, denied jobs and provided the bare minimum of health care. Sure they had healing skills that were far beyond human capability, but the virus that infected them also prevented them from bearing children and some humans wanted to keep it that way, afraid vampires would take over and the human race would become extinct.

  James circled her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “You did the only thing you could think of to help your sister have the children she wanted. As the Delta Quadrant Representative your power is almost limitless.”

  Like any politician worth their carbon, she’d lied, cheated and deceived her way into the position. Basically, she’d played the dumb blonde role to perfection. She’d allowed the powerful lobbyists who could have kept her from winning to think she’d be easy to control and too stupid to make her own decisions. Then, once she’d won the election by a landslide, she did whatever she wanted. She did what was right.

  So many of her peers started their careers with such high hopes, but eventually the need for reelection campaign funds drove them to sell their votes to the highest bidder. Briana was lucky that vampires, her largest contributors, had a tendency to be very wealthy. Based on firsthand historical knowledge, vamps were highly cognizant of monetary forecasts. They could almost predict changes in the market and adjusted their finances accordingly.

  Kneading her tense shoulders, James murmured, “With the massive financial support behind you, Mistress, you are not susceptible to bribes. You are untouchable, unbeatable and determined as hell to get your way.”

  “I’m determined all right, determined not to let my family suffer because of vamp haters. They want to hit me where it hurts? I’ll hit them right back. Twice as hard.”

  “And you will succeed. I have no doubt.”

  She sighed. “I wish I could be as sure.”

  “You are tense,” he purred in her ear, “which makes it hard to think clearly. Would you like me to relieve you?”

  Closing her eyes, she let her head fall forward to better enjoy the magic of his massaging fingers. “Ummm… That sounds divine.” She knew how good his hands felt all over her body.

  Alex may not like the idea of turning a sex droid into a personal assistant, but there was no way a PA droid could offer such comforts. It just wasn’t in their rigid programming to learn ephemeral pleasures. Sex droids, however, were built to please and if that meant handling communications and data in addition to their other duties they did so with only a minor adjustment to their processors.

  Bree stepped away from James and moved down the corridor to find another room.

  “How about these quarters, Mistress?” he asked behind her. “They look comfortable and spacious.”

  She paused, thinking she didn’t much care where she slept. If she had her way, she’d be sharing the captain’s quarters before too long and Alex Night could make her forget, if only for an hour or two, that the choices she’d made to help her family had now put them in danger.

  As the ship lifted from the private landing bay and began its two-week journey to her homeworld of Tolan, Briana undressed and began to plan her lines of attack—one against the yummy Alex and the other against the forces that wanted his kind eliminated.

  Chapter Two

  Alex glanced around the dining area one last time, making sure that everything was as perfect as possible. He’d dimmed the cabin lights, turned on soft music and prepared Briana’s favorite meal. The last had been the hardest. Since he couldn’t sample the food, he had no idea if he’d cooked it right or not. It smelled…edible. However, if it was really bad, he’d purchased enough space rations to keep her alive.

  He shrugged. He could always seduce her into forgetting about his questionable cooking skills. Hell, he planned to seduce her anyway. A long, slow seduction. Keeping Briana on edge was the best way to stay in control, which was a necessity. Regardless of the lust he felt for her, he had a job to do.

  Her work in the Council was of unparalleled importance to the entire vamp race and he was charged with the task of keeping her safe until the threat against her family could be resolved. It was an assignment he took seriously. The mistakes of his past hadn’t faded and they never would, but he could lift himself above them if he worked hard enough. He’d been given a second chance and no matter what, he would prove himself worthy of it.

  Still, he didn’t see the harm in enjoying her. If he called the shots.

  With a multitude of tantalizing thoughts in mind, Alex moved down the corridor to Briana’s quarters, his senses coming to a heightened aware
ness as he drew closer. It had been a long time since he’d felt this kind of attraction. He’d forgotten what a rush it was. It flooded his mind with decadent pleasure, like warm hands coursing across his skin, kneading his flesh, making his spine arch…

  Oooohhhh… Harder, James…deeper…

  Alex stumbled to a halt.

  What the hell?

  The sensations he was experiencing were not lustful imaginings but feelings radiating from Briana.

  He swore as his fangs descended. There wasn’t another woman in the universe like Briana Michaels. Physically she was no more or less than any other female he could have, but who she was inside was completely and beautifully unique. She laid her life on the line for a cause that wouldn’t benefit her at all simply because it was the right thing to do. Correcting an injustice and fighting prejudice were all she cared about and because of that, Alex cared about her. It was a potent combination, her unwavering convictions, the power she wielded so easily and her passionate nature. Quite simply, Briana was one of a kind.

  These next few weeks were all the time he would ever be allowed to have with her. His work and hers were literally worlds apart. After this mission he’d never see her again, so having his fill had to happen now. No way was he getting usurped by a droid. Not after all these months of waiting and planning and dreaming.

  Within seconds Alex was standing inside the door to her quarters watching with possessive eyes as the blond droid straddled his naked woman.

  A snarl was the only warning he gave before leaping into action.

  * * * * *

  Bree drifted into a state of half-awareness, imagining hypnotically dark eyes and erect fangs attached to the hands that were presently moving all over her back. The chip in her mind signaled her preferences to James, whose motions went along with her thoughts, facilitating the massage until she was completely relaxed.

  Then suddenly he tensed, his body becoming a crushing pressure against her thighs. She felt him pitch forward and she screamed, knowing the droid’s heavy weight could kill her.

  But before that could happen, the burden was snatched away with a snarl. She rolled over, confused, and barely caught sight of James’ bent legs moving horizontally out the door.

  “Hey!” she yelled, leaping from the bed and dragging the sheet with her. She covered herself as she ran out to the corridor. Alexei was already halfway down the hall, her droid tucked securely beneath his arm. Bree gaped. James weighed a ton, but the vamp carried him as if he weighed nothing.

  Her bare feet slapped against the cool metal floor as she gave chase. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  “This thing’s got to go,” he muttered.

  She studied the odd stillness of her droid. “What did you do to him?”

  “Shut it off.”

  “You can’t do that!” she protested.

  “I just did.”

  Alex rounded the corridor and entered the cargo hold. Finding a neglected corner, she heard him drop James unceremoniously to the ground.

  “You’re going to break him,” she complained, stumbling blindly into the darkness behind him.

  He rounded on her, dark eyes flashing red in the unlit interior. “If only I could be so lucky.”

  Bree scowled. “What’s your deal anyway?”

  The laser brightness of his gaze grew more intense, signaling that he was moving closer. She stood her ground and lifted her chin even as her heart raced with excitement.

  “I’m not sharing you with a droid. Got it?”

  She blinked in surprise and then bit back a smile, grateful he couldn’t see it.

  “I love your smile,” he purred, moving closer. “Even when it comes at my expense.”

  Choking, she took rapid backward steps. Damn! She’d forgotten he could see in the dark.

  “No need to make me jealous,” he said softly, the foreign inflection in his words making her nipples hard. “I’m easy.”

  At the reminder, she snorted and spun on her heel.

  “Hey!” Now he was chasing her.

  “Go away, Alex.”

  She shrieked as her feet left the deck and she was swung up into his arms.

  “Don’t be mad at me, sweetness,” he said, nuzzling her throat. “I can service you much better than a droid could.”

  “No doubt,” she said petulantly. “With your experience.”

  He moved down the corridor, walking straight past her room. “Isn’t my experience something you want?”

  Bree glared at him. “Stay out of my head, captain.”

  “Call me Alexei, like you do in your thoughts.”

  “Listen…” she began, but then fell silent as they entered the dining area. Turning her head, she gazed around the room and her mood switched from irritation to blossoming pleasure. The mess hall, normally a stark utilitarian space with metal bulkheads, chairs and tables, was transformed. “Wow,” she breathed.

  A small table set for one was draped in a multitude of colorful scarves and softly lit by dimmed overhead lights. She inhaled the luscious scent of curried Tolan fowl and her mouth watered.

  “Do you like it?”

  Looking up at him, she was arrested by his boyish, hopeful smile. Black, silky hair fell across his forehead framing his exotically handsome face with its sensual lips and thickly lashed eyes. She was suddenly aware of the way her right breast was pressed against his chest and how her hip rested against the rippling expanse of his abdomen.

  “Oh yeah, I like it.” She wasn’t talking about the food. And he knew it.

  “Good.” Alex carried her to her seat and set her down.

  “Shouldn’t I change?”

  “Unless you’re offering to lose the sheet, the answer is no.”

  Holding back a grin at his arrogance, Bree admired the seductive grace with which the vamp took the seat next to her. Dressed in a deep red torso-hugging vest and loose flowing pants, Alexei Night was the epitome of flamboyant male sex appeal.

  “Drakish,” he said in answer to her unspoken question about his heritage. “On my mother’s side.” Lifting the lid on the warming pot, he ladled her food into the shallow bowl in front of her before relaxing.

  “That explains your coloring. I’ve never seen such beautiful skin on a vampire before. It’s very appealing.”

  “Would you like to see more of it?” he asked solicitously, his long fingers reaching for the single button that held the flaps of his vest together.

  She gave a breathless laugh. “Behave.”

  “Why?” Sprawling loose-limbed in the chair, he reached for the glass in front of him and then draped the arm that held it over the backrest, canting his body toward her. The pose caused one side of his vest to gape open, affording her an unhindered view of his powerful pecs. The air around them was thick and humid with his blatant sexuality. Her mouth watered.

  Swallowing hard, Bree forced her gaze away. She had a goal and she was sticking to it, even if her pussy disagreed by throbbing and growing damp. “Curried fowl is my favorite.”

  “I know.” The deep tone of his voice swept across her skin and left goose bumps in its wake.

  “Did you read that in my mind too?” she asked, reaching for the spoon.

  “No, I read it in your bio in the Council database.”

  “Really?” She stared at him. “It has such personal stuff in there?”

  “Really.” He took a sip and wrinkled his nose. As he righted his goblet, she watched the way the viscous liquid clung to the side of the glass.

  She had yet to meet a vamp who didn’t dislike the taste of stored blood. “No groupies?”

  Alex chuckled at her irreverent reference to the vamp followers that offered their blood in return for sexual pleasure. Most vamps had one or two with them at all times. Highly sexual beings by nature, vampires relished the opportunity to have fresh blood and easily accessible orgasms. “Not on this trip, no.”

  “You’re either a masochist or awfully sure of yourself where I’m concerned.�
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  “‘If one believes strongly in a cause, one should dedicate themselves to it fully. By leaving room for failure, you invite it to occur.’”

  Briana stared. She’d given that speech last year at the dedication of the new vampire embassy built adjacent to Council headquarters. “I’ve never had someone quote me to my face before.”

  “Does that bother you?” he asked, twirling his goblet by the stem.

  She shook her head. “No. Actually, I’m really flattered.” Scooping up some curry, she brought it to her lips. The richly spiced broth exploded with flavor in her mouth and she moaned her appreciation. “You’ve got a great cooking unit. Most can’t get the curry ratio right.”

  “I don’t have a cooking unit.”

  She frowned. “You don’t?”

  “What would I do with one?”

  “Oh yeah…”

  He must have cooked the meal himself then. After researching her favorite foods. Her stomach fluttered and she set her spoon down. “What do you want from me, captain? Blood? Sex? Both? And why go to all of this trouble?”

  Alex studied the contents of his glass with undue attention. “Does my occupation bother you?”

  Bree tucked the sheet tighter between her breasts and avoided his question as he’d avoided hers. “Does my occupation bother you? Considering what I do for a living, does it make you uncomfortable to have me on board?”

  “No.” He took another drink. “I admire you, Briana. I respect you and the strength of your convictions. Even if you championed a different cause I would still feel the same.” The quiet dignity of his tone told her he was serious.

  She bit her lower lip before asking, “What do you transport? Usually.”

  “Illegal aliens, contraband goods, Council Reps.”

  “Ha ha. Funny. What about drugs? Weapons?”

  He was silent for a long time, so long she wondered if he was going to answer. Standing, Alexei drained his glass, set it down and moved to the window. “Would smuggling those items affect your decision to take me to your bed?”

  “Yes.”