Holiday Bites: A Collection of Vampire Paranormal Romances by Michele Bardsley Page A

grandmother. “Are you sure you don’t want to come to Steven’s house? We’ll have plenty of food and alcohol. He bought every Christmas movie ever made. It’ll be fun.”
    “Three’s a crowd.” Val flashed a tired smile. “But thanks.”
    Eve gave her friend a hug. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
     
    AS EVE STEPPED onto Steven’s porch, she withdrew the house key from her purse. She was still worried about her friend, and the fact Val had planned to review Midnight Mask . Steven didn’t deserve Val’s rancor. He was the kindest man she’d ever known. He could be a tender lover, and a demanding one. Their sex life was off-the-charts. If The Blog Bitch was Val’s crack, then Steven was Eve’s. Mmm. He was one sweet addiction.
    She opened the front door and shut it behind her, automatically turning the deadbolt. Tossing her purse onto the halltree, she walked upstairs to Steven’s office. He wasn’t behind his messy desk typing furiously on his laptop, so she went across the hall to his bedroom.
    “Hello, darling.” Steven lay on the bed wearing a ragged pair of jeans and nothing else. He held a page in one hand and a blue pencil in the other. A pile of papers covered his lap.
    “Are those the copy edits for Swelter, Too ?” she asked. Her mood lifted instantly. As the author’s girlfriend, she’d gotten to read the sequel to Adora’s most popular erotic romance. She loved Swelter , but the sequel, which continued the story of the three lovers, Derina, Robert, and Warick, was hotter and better than the first one. She couldn’t wait to hold the published book in her hands.
    “Yes, it’s Swelter, Too … the novel I wrote for you , my biggest fan.”
    “Funny how you wrote it before you met me.” She crawled onto the bed and nuzzled his shoulder. “How was your day?”
    “Better than yours, I suspect.”
    “Why?”
    “Didn’t you say you were going to visit Val?”
    “Yeah.” She sighed. “I’m really worried about her. I think she’s using her blog as an excuse to lock herself away from the world.”
    Steven put down the page and the pencil, moved the manuscript onto the nightstand, and then drew her into his embrace.
    “She bought Midnight Mask ,” said Eve. “Even if she enjoys it, I don’t think she’ll say anything nice. She used to love to read romance novels. Now, she takes pleasure in ripping ’em apart.”
    “We all have our pleasures, darling.”
    Eve sat up and looked at him. His eyes were gold-green—tiger eyes. He was gorgeous. Nearly six feet tall, he was lean and muscled. He had longish tawny hair and face that belonged in GQ . He listened to her rant, his expression one of comfort and concern. His fingers sifted through her hair. “I love the new style. Did you add red highlights?”
    “Yes. You notice everything.”
    “I can’t stop looking at you.” He cradled her face and nibbled on her bottom lip. He pressed her into the bed and slowly unbuttoned her blouse. “Let me love you.”
    “Always.”
    Steven’s long fingers stroked the skin revealed by the vee of her silk shirt. Eve nearly purred when his hand dipped inside her bra to cup her breast. He pinched her nipple, chuckling at her murmured request to do it again.
    He undid each button, kissing each sliver of revealed skin until the blouse fell away. He pressed his face against her belly and whispered, “I’ve missed you.”
    “It’s been a whole day. And it was a very boring day where I answered phones and took messages and looked cute behind a really tall desk.”
    He laughed; his breath ghosted across her navel. “You don’t need to work. You have me.”
    Hmm. But for how long? Eve felt the familiar dance of butterflies in her belly as Steven helped her wiggle off the skirt.  She kept her legs waxed and tan—suffering any beauty torture necessary to avoid wearing panty hose. He plucked at her panties and she wiggled those off, too. Next, he made short work of the bra and blouse.
    Side-by-side,