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  This was a male marking his territory.

  He cupped the back of her neck in one hand, and his other arm tightened around her hips to gather her closer until his attention-grabbing arousal pressed into her. He rubbed back and forth, and immediately, she wanted him to ease the ache he was causing between her legs. She’d never felt so empty before.

  When he left her mouth, she whimpered from the lack of his warmth and taste. She opened her eyes to see why he’d stopped when he moved to kiss her jaw. She felt him kiss his way down her neck and onto her chest. His hands moved up her hips to her shoulders. He linked his thumbs under her dress straps and glided them halfway down her biceps, exposing the upper swells of her breasts.

  For a second, she worried that he would continue to uncover her, and her buzz of arousal faded slightly. But he simply paused to drink in her cleavage, and when his eyes flicked to hers, the look on his face stopped her breath. He could strip her bare, and she wouldn’t care.

  He smirked as if he knew her thoughts, and she moaned. His eyes bore into hers as he kissed the top of one breast and then the other. Thinking he was done, he shocked her when his warm tongue dipped under her dress and stroked the tip of her nipple. Just a fleeting caress, but it was enough for her to suck in a breath as she closed her eyes. No one had ever been this brazen with her before.

  She met his gaze, expecting him to be wearing a satisfied smile. Instead his stare blazed with intensity. Simply knowing he was as affected as she was made her feel like the sexiest woman in the club.

  He broke eye contact and brought her dress straps back onto her shoulders before pulling her close, his mouth once again on hers.

  Her eyes drifted shut. She’d never experienced anything this carnal in her life, and she reached for him, weaving her fingers through his hair and holding on to him, as she shivered from the power of his touch.

  He gently ended their kiss, and despite the loud club she heard him mutter, “Jesus,” under his breath.

  She gradually opened her eyes and glanced around. Her senses jumbled, she barely noticed that the drunk had finally received the message and left.

  She turned her head back to the male and slowly looked up into his face.

  “Hey there, I’m Vaughn,” he said when their eyes met.

  “Naya.”

  The corners of his mouth tipped down as he brushed his thumb over her cheek. “Are you okay? Did that guy scare you?”

  She wondered if he was really asking if he had scared her.

  She shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said with a smile. “In fact, I’m more than fine.”

  His gaze heated as he looked down at her body. “God, I want you,” he muttered more to himself than to her. He probably didn’t think she heard him, and if he knew she had, he’d most likely worry that he’d offended her. Instead, his words had a stimulating effect. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and her blood was rushing through her body. Something about Vaughn made him seem much more than human. Upon first impression, she’d thought he wasn’t human, but she knew he wasn’t a vampire, so that made him the most magnificent human she’d ever met.

  VAUGHN LLEWELYN WAS staring down into one of the most beautiful faces he’d ever seen. Naya had chocolate brown hair, full red lips, and violet eyes, along with a strong jaw line and a nose that could be described as broad. He appreciated it, though, since it fit her face and gave it character. Besides, he didn't care about her nose when she had a curvaceous body wrapped in a little black dress that would tempt any man.

  She’d first caught his eye when she walked into the club, and immediately he’d known he wanted her. Finding female companionship never posed a problem, but it had been a while since he was with a woman. Easygoing, he loved the softer of the two sexes and wasn’t terribly picky about who he shared his time with. After he’d spotted Naya, he knew she was the one he craved, and no one else would do.

  There was just something about her.

  From his vantage point upstairs, he’d observed as she neared the bar, and when she’d paused for a second and glanced up, he’d worried that she sensed him. Thankfully, a clumsy waitress had drawn her attention away, and he had been able to blend in with the crowd before she looked up again.

  He had planned to approach her, but he hadn’t wanted her to catch him spying on her like a stalker. That would have probably sent her running. He’d figured he would give her some time to relax first, and he could finish up with what he’d come to the nightclub for. He could tell she was edgy, and he hadn’t wanted to be one more thing she would have to deal with tonight. He’d been around women long enough to know which ones were easy and which ones weren’t. She was definitely one of the latter, so he’d decided to leave her alone for moment. His idea had been to let her hang out with her friend, drink a few cocktails, and hopefully loosen up. Then, he would have made his move.

  Besides, he’d liked watching her. She moved with grace and elegance. Almost regal. Yet, he could tell she wasn’t a snob. In the past, he’d met other women like her. They always knew they were pretty, so they thought they were better than others just because they had been blessed with good genes. But not her. She would smile politely at others, and when someone had bumped into her, he didn’t think she’d even noticed.

  He’d arrived tonight with his friend and coworker Sawyer in hopes of getting a feel for the new club. Technically, they had the night off, but they had already planned on coming, so they had been told to check it out. Thankfully, nothing had struck them as odd, and Vaughn had been ready to unwind when he noticed Naya heading to the bar for the second time.

  And that had been when the visibly intoxicated man hit on her. It had pissed Vaughn off. One, he hadn’t wanted anyone to bother her—which was funny because he hadn’t even met her yet—and two, the drunk had ruined his well-laid plans. He’d guessed he would either have to pull the drunk away—which might have made him look like a bully and gotten security involved, turning the whole thing into one big mess—or convince her to move to a different area with him, which might have made her think he was just another guy trying to seduce her. Okay, so in an ideal world, he would take her home, but he hadn’t wanted to be lumped into the same category as the lush who obviously couldn’t see she didn’t want anything to do with him.

  Considering his choices, he’d descended the stairs, moving closer to her and forcing himself to make a decision about what to do when he reached her. As he’d neared, he’d heard her say she arrived with someone tonight even though he knew she was alone. Of course, the loser hadn’t taken the hint, and then Vaughn had known he had a third choice. That was when he’d advanced toward her and pretended to be the someone she’d claimed to be with.

  It had also given him an excuse to touch her, something he assumed he would have to work up to.

  Now, here she was, in his arms. He’d gone further with her in the last ten minutes than he had with some of his past dates. To say he was surprised was an understatement. But it wasn’t a turn-off. It only made him want her more. He was stiff as iron in his pants.

  He leaned in to put his nose in the crook of her neck, and she sighed. She smelled as good as she looked. Like vanilla. Her rich scent had a rare, underlying sweetness. He’d suspected there was something special about her, starting with her unusual purple eyes, and now, he knew for sure that no one in the club was like her. Grateful that her chocolate brown hair was up and out of the way, he rubbed his lips across her neck as he breathed her in again. Her scent amplified, and he smiled. His actions had aroused her. He liked arousing her.

  He opened his mouth, tasting her hot skin against his tongue, and she whimpered. He wanted to suck hard enough to leave a mark, telling others she was his, but he restrained himself. She wasn’t his.

  Where in the hell did that possessive thought come from?

  Turning his thoughts back to her, he noted that she tasted as sweet as she smelled, and he wanted to bite down to see if she would like that, too. Instead, he pulled back
and looked into her eyes. They were filled with lust, and he groaned. It seemed impossible, but she caused his testicles to tighten and his cock to get harder. At this point, if he didn’t get inside her by the end of the night, he would have blue balls for a week. Since he had a certain fondness for his balls, he hoped the night might end with the two of them together.

  Despite what she had let him do to her earlier, Vaughn knew Naya wasn’t the type of girl to leave with a guy she barely knew. He wanted her, and he was hoping he could take her home but not at the expense of her self-respect. Guys who forced or coerced women into having sex should be used for firearm target practice, and if it came down to Naya feeling uncomfortable with him versus leaving without him, he would go home alone.

  He was hoping to spend more time with her before that possibility could be brought up, and when the music slowed down, he took it as a sign. “Do you want to dance?”

  She smiled. “Yes.”

  Vaughn tilted his chin toward the bartender, letting him know they no longer wanted anything, before grabbing her hand and leading her to the edge of the dance floor. Eager to be close to her again, he gathered her into his arms.

  Naya was stiff at first, but her body loosened after a few seconds. He caught her eyeing his shoulder and nudged her head down his hand. She rested her cheek against him, and soon, she was drawing small circles on his back. Her breathing slowed while he struggled with having her near him because he liked the feel of her, and so did his dick.

  As the second song neared the end, he was practically holding her up because she was so relaxed.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Mmm…” She nuzzled his chest with her nose. “God, you smell good,” she whispered.

  “So do you.” He smiled against her ear. “Are you going to fall asleep on me?”

  She lifted her head, her eyes half-closed, as she wore a peaceful smile. “No, but I’ll admit I haven’t felt this relaxed in a long time.”

  He’d noticed how stressed she was when she’d first arrived, and he felt pride that he had been able to calm her.

  Suddenly, her relaxed posture stiffened as her eyes opened wide. Her gaze was directed over his shoulder, so Vaughn turned and saw Sawyer walking toward them. It was no wonder why Naya was slightly alarmed. Sawyer was not a small man.

  “Hey, man. Are you ready to get out of here?” Sawyer said, practically ignoring the fact that Vaughn was with someone.

  “Naya, this is Sawyer.”

  “Hello,” Naya said.

  Sawyer smiled politely. “Hello, Maya.”

  “Dude, it’s Naya with an N,” Vaughn corrected him.

  Vaughn could tell Sawyer didn’t give a rat’s ass, so Vaughn shot him a look, telling him to apologize.

  “Sorry about that, Naya.”

  “That’s okay. It happens all the time,” she said.

  Vaughn looked down at Naya. “So…would you like to get out of here?”

  Her eyes rounded, and her eyebrows rose. “Yes?” she said with hesitation.

  He chuckled. “Are you sure?”

  She sucked in a deep breath and then the corners of her mouth turned up. “Yes,” she said with a nod.

  Vaughn took Naya’s hand, and they walked toward the door.

  “Wait.” She pulled on his arm. “I came here with my friend, and we never leave without checking with each other.”

  Smart girls. Vaughn looked at his friend. “Sawyer will make sure your friend gets home safe.”

  Naya looked around Vaughn. “Is that okay with you, Sawyer?”

  Sawyer stood silent, curling his lip, and Vaughn shot him another look. Sawyer really needed to work on his attitude.

  Sawyer grumbled, “I’ll do it.”

  Naya’s eyes darted to the dance floor and back to Sawyer.

  Vaughn mouthed silently, Don’t be an ass. Sawyer sighed. “I promise, I’ll get her home safely if it’s the last thing I do tonight,” he said with more conviction and less irritation this time.

  Vaughn knew Sawyer would bitch and moan tomorrow about taking the girl home, but Vaughn also trusted him to look after Naya’s friend.

  “Let me talk to her first,” she said. “I can’t send some strange man over to take her home without telling her what’s going on.”

  Vaughn tried to hide his smile. Sawyer narrowed his eyes behind her, but he understood. Naya didn’t know he was a good guy, and she was simply watching out for her friend.

  Kenzie Swanson looked away from the guy she was dancing with to watch her best friend—and vampire princess—walk toward her with two guys she’d never seen before. They were both huge and muscular, and she told herself to close her mouth before she started drooling.

  While they were both attractive, the guy with the scowl on his face was the one she couldn’t take her eyes off of. He was freaking gorgeous. He was well over six feet, with clean cut golden brown hair that hit his neckline. His ripped frame showed off wide shoulders with a slim waist and hips. He was by far the hottest man she’d ever seen. If he would wipe the grim look off his face, he might be even hotter.

  Naya and the grumpy one came closer while the dark-haired guy stood on the edge of the dance floor. Naya motioned Kenzie off to the side, so Kenzie gave her dance partner a hold-on-one-minute finger and walked over to the two.

  Up close, she could see Mr. Grumpy’s eyes were the color of amber, matching his hair. She’d never seen anything like them.

  “Kenzie, this is Sawyer,” Naya introduced them. “Sawyer, Kenzie.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. Remembering the character with the same name on the show Lost, Kenzie concluded his name fit him, attitude and all.

  “Hi, Sawyer. Nice to meet you.” She held her hand out to shake, but he just stared at it with his jaw clenched.

  Okay then. She shrugged, dropped her hand, and turned to Naya. “What’s up?”

  “I’m leaving…” Naya paused and let out a nervous laugh. “With the guy over there.” She pointed to the other guy she’d walked over with. “His name is Vaughn.”

  Although Kenzie tried to hide her look of shock, she wasn’t sure she pulled it off. Naya never went home with guys. That was more Kenzie’s specialty. Naya’s past had consisted of only one semi-boyfriend, and he was the only one she’d ever slept with.

  Despite Naya being absolutely beautiful, Kenzie sometimes thought Naya didn’t realize how attractive she was because she was reserved when it came to the opposite sex. Kenzie didn’t know if it was Naya’s personality, the stuffy vampire culture, her role as a princess, or a combination of all three. But Kenzie knew if anyone deserved to get laid, Naya did. Lately, she had been more uptight than usual. Maybe this Vaughn guy would help her loosen up.

  Kenzie took Naya’s hand and squeezed. “Good for you. It’s about time.”

  Naya smiled uncertainly, her gaze darting to Sawyer then back to Kenzie. “Yeah. Nonetheless, I wanted to make sure you would make it home safely.”

  Even when Kenzie had taken the occasional guy home, the two of them always watched out for each other.

  “Sawyer is going to stay with you until you’re ready to go home. Is that okay with you?”

  Sawyer’s arms dropped, and his mouth opened as if he were about to protest. Then he glanced at Vaughn, and he closed his mouth without a word. His frown deepened from obvious annoyance as he narrowed his eyes at Kenzie.

  Wow. He wasn’t even trying to hide his hostility. Maybe he didn’t want to wait to take her home. Maybe he didn’t want to take her home at all. If he saw her as some babysitting job, he shouldn’t have volunteered in the first place. It wasn’t like she was forcing him to stay behind. And with that attitude, hot or not, she didn’t want to be stuck with him either.

  But Kenzie had a bratty streak. Since he was choosing to be a dick to her, she decided to make him wait to leave, even though she would rather go home at that point, especially since she had lost interest in the man she was dancing with. She didn’t want Sawyer to k
now that though. He needed to work on his behavior. He might be hot, but he was also acting like he had a stick shoved up his ass.

  Kenzie turned her attention to Naya. “Okay. As long as you’re sure, go have fun.”

  Naya walked over to Vaughn as Kenzie looked at Sawyer.

  She resisted the urge to mockingly bat her eyelashes at him. “I’d like to stay for another hour, two at the most. Where can I find you when I’m done?” she asked him with just a hint of too much sweetness.

  He stared at her for half a minute. “I’ll be upstairs,” he finally said through clenched teeth.

  Kenzie looked down at her nails as if he wasn’t important enough for her to pay attention to. “Sounds good. I’ll come find you when I’m ready.” With a grin on her face, she spun around, looked over her shoulder, and gave a little finger wave before sauntering back into the crowd.

  She strolled back over to the guy she’d been dancing with before—she thought his name started with a B—but she was watching Sawyer out of the corner of her eye. He paused by Vaughn and Naya, and the two men spoke for a minute. Vaughn grabbed Naya’s hand and led her out the door while Sawyer went upstairs to sit in the area above the bar. He positioned himself with a view to see Kenzie through the glass opening beneath the handrail.

  She turned away and pretended he wasn’t up there, watching. She leaned in close to B-Something. Even though she tried not to be, she was aware of Sawyer’s eyes on her.

  B-Something, oblivious to Sawyer scrutinizing them, must have seen her friend leave because it only took him less than five minutes to make a move on her. He swooped in for a kiss. It was a nice kiss, but it didn’t do anything for her. She annoyingly recognized that she probably would feel differently if this had happened before she met Sawyer.

  Sawyer was a jerk. Why did she find herself attracted to him?

  Still, she gave B-Something the benefit of the doubt and wrapped her arms around his neck to get closer, but someone yanked her away. Dazed, she found herself staring at a broad muscular chest, and her arm tingled where he was touching her.