Good, the Bad, and the Vampire by Sara Humphreys

altogether. He was picking at old scars that would never fully heal.
    â€œCareful, now.” His voice, almost a soothing as his touch, was quietly commanding in the darkness of the woods. “It’ll get better in a blink, but I’m sure it stung like hell. See? Now if I could add one more perk to being a vamp, it would be no pain. I mean, it’s real nice that we heal fast and all that, but gettin’ shot or stabbed still hurts like a bitch. Especially silver. That sting sticks around for too damn long.”
    Trixie swallowed hard and dropped her hand to her side but Dakota didn’t let go. His fingers threaded through her hair and fluttered along her scalp, the movement tender and seductive. Had anyone ever touched her with such reverence and gentleness?
    The answer was a resounding no.
    She’d had sex since being turned vamp and plenty of it. But it was all flesh and bone. Quickies with willing human men in the darkest corners of the city, with men who never knew her name or even cared to ask. It was about satisfying an urge, scratching an itch with quick furious strokes.
    Sex in Trixie’s world—human or vampire—had never been tender.
    Even though she and Dakota weren’t having sex right now, and they were both fully clothed, he was touching her more intimately and seductively than anyone had in her entire existence.
    â€œIt’s fine,” she whispered shakily. “You can let me go now.”
    â€œIt’s not fine.” Dakota’s hand slid along the nape of her neck as he shook his head slowly. “And I don’t think I want to let you go. Not even a little bit. In fact, I’m just gettin’ started with you.”
    â€œWhy?” Her voice trembled as a storm of confusion swirled inside her. “What do you want from me, Dakota?”
    â€œI’m not entirely sure.” He cupped her face gently and swept his thumb along her cheek. “But let’s start with gettin’ to know each other. I’ve been here for almost two years, and until a couple of weeks ago, you’d barely said three words to me. And now that we know we’re…you know…”
    â€œDon’t say the B word. Please, this whole situation has me totally freaked out.” Trixie studied him closely, looking for any sign of deception, trying to see if he really was the good guy he claimed to be. “I-I’m not good with men. My track record sucks.”
    â€œMmm-hmm.” He ran his thumb over her lower lip and the whisper of friction sent a shiver up her spine. “I had a hunch that was the case. You strike me as a woman who’s been burned more than once. But lucky for you I’m stubborn as a mule. I want to know you, Trixie. I want to know who you are…who you really are. Is that so bad? Forget the bloodmate stuff for now and let’s just get to know each other.”
    When Dakota’s mouth covered hers, the world around her erupted in an explosion of color and light. His lips, warm and firm, melded over hers and his tongue gently but persistently sought hers. Trixie moaned and opened to him, her hands instinctively curling around his leather coat, tugging him hard against her.
    He tasted like cinnamon, sweet and hot. It was those lollipops he was always sucking on. It had to be. No one could just taste like this. Or maybe he could. Damn. Whatever the reason, Trixie didn’t care. All she could think about was getting more.
    He grasped her face with both hands and groaned as he tilted her head, deepening the kiss, taking full control. His tongue lashed along hers, the intensity growing with each passing second. And with her body crushed between him and the tree, every nerve ending beneath her skin flared to life.
    It was like being hooked up to an electrical current.
    No live feed or any drug she’d taken as a human could compare to the taste and feel of this man. She held him against her, matching his greedy kiss