Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

skin.”
    The tops of my breasts were straining against my push-up bra. Sergio grinned, showing a crooked front tooth he’d managed to conceal at the bar.
    “Stop doing that, little pussycat, or I won’t be able to drive. How about we go to my place instead of that club I told you about?”
    Warning. “No,” I breathed, getting an angry look in return. Clearly he didn’t expect to be disagreed with, but there was no way we were doing that. Thinking fast, I caressed his arm. “I don’t want to wait that long. Pull off somewhere. Kitty needs a tongue bath.” Ick , my mind protested, but as incentive I rubbed my hands across my stomach and down to skim my outer thighs.
    He bought it, hook, line, and sinker. Too well.
    Sergio kept one hand on the steering wheel and reached over to run his other hand along my leg. It climbed higher up my thigh and toward his goal with relentless determination. As instructed, I wasn’t wearing any underwear. The thought of his fingers touching me there sent a wave of revulsion through me. Quickly, I grabbed his hand and stuck it in my cleavage instead. Better there than the alternative.
    “Not yet.” Anxiety made me breathless. Hopefully he would think it was desire. “Pull off. Pull off now.”
    The sooner I had a stake in him, the better. His hand seemed happy where it was, but just in case, I unfastened my seat belt and climbed over the seat.
    He gave me a surprised look. I wrapped my arms around him from behind, licking the side of his ear. Double ick. “I’m waiting, Roberto. Come and get me.”
    The car swerved to the shoulder of the road. Damn, we weren’t even in the woods yet. I hoped someone wouldn’tdrive by while we were decapitating him. That would be hard to explain.
    “I’m coming, pussycat,” Sergio promised, and then his teeth clamped on my wrist.
    “Motherfucker!”
    The word flew out of my mouth in a yelp as he bit me savagely.
    “You like this, pussycat?” he snarled, sucking at the blood pouring from my forearm. “Slut. Whore.”
    Furious, I unsheathed my stake with my free hand and plunged it into his neck. “Didn’t your mother tell you not to talk with your mouth full?”
    A howl escaped him and he let go of me to grab the stake. I yanked my arm out of his mouth, tearing it more, and went for my other stake.
    In a flash, he was in the backseat. Sergio loomed over me, but I kicked out hard and scored a direct hit to his groin. Another pain-filled bellow shook the car.
    “Bitch! I’m going to rip out your throat and fuck your bleeding neck!”
    Not wanting him to get anywhere near my neck, I brought my knees up as a barrier when he flung himself on me. With my boots so close, I managed to extract the other stake and then ram it in his back.
    Sergio flew out of the car, smashing through the doorframe as though it were paper. I charged after him, needing to retrieve one of my weapons. A blow knocked me sideways as soon as I cleared the door. I rolled to avoid the kick aimed at my head and sprang to my feet.
    Sergio lunged at me again—and then was yanked backward by the vampire who seemed to materialize behind him. Bones held him roughly, one hand on the stake in his neck, the other gripping the one in his back.
    “About time,” I muttered.
    “Hallo, Sergio!” Bones said cheerfully, giving a vicious jerk to the stake in Sergio’s neck.
    There were a few sickening gurgles before Sergio spoke. “Filthy bastard, how’d you find me?”
    It amazed me he could talk at all with half his throat laid open. Bones tightened his hold on the stake in Sergio’s back next, digging it deeper until it must have been grazing the other vampire’s heart.
    “I see you’ve met my friend. Isn’t she just wonderful?”
    Blood was running in rivulets down my arm. I ripped off one of my sleeves and wrapped it around the wound, which throbbed in accordance with my pulse. Even with that, I managed to get a grim satisfaction out of the look on Sergio’s face when his