A Wicked Hunger (Creatures of Darkness 1) by Kiersten Fay Read Free Book Online

she kept as still as possible, focusing on the floor. Mace paused for only a second before he went to work on the rest of her garments. The micro mini fluttered to join her coat. Desperately, she wrapped her arms around herself, protecting the partly see through bustier that barely covered her breasts.
    Mace let out a deep sound. She couldn’t decide if it was a growl or a groan. Neither would bode well for her.
    “Alright. I suppose you can keep the rest on, if you’re so inclined.” Again, he held his hand out for her, then led her into the bathroom. The tub was filled nearly to the top. Steam skimmed the surface.
    “I don’t need your help for this,” she insisted.
    “That cut is in an awkward place,” he said. “You can’t clean it properly by yourself. Besides, I owe this to you.”
    She dared a quizzical glance at him.
    “I promised you would come to no harm, and that promise was broken not fifteen minutes later.” His features contorted into an angry mask, but swiftly melted back toward repentance. “Please let me care for you.”
    Figuring he would only persist in carrying out whatever he planned no matter her protests, she dipped one foot into the warm water, then the other, and sank down. The material of her outfit clung to her skin, but she was grateful for the small amount of modesty it offered.
    A tingling sensation permeated over her skin. On the counter sat an opened container of bath salts and other products, one of which was probably responsible for the bouquet of floral-mint in the air.
    Had Mace hat time to stop by a store? How long had she been unconscious?
    Sitting on the wide, flat edge of the tub was an array of items: soap, shampoo, tweezers, a plastic cup, and a sponge.
    Was she really about to get a sponge bath from a vampire?
    The concept was irreconcilable in her mind.
    He dipped the cup into the water. “Tilt your head back,” he commanded gently.
    When she did, he drizzled the water over her forehead. There was a tiny sting, probably from where the liquid met her wound. He dampened the sponge next, running it over her face with an almost feather touch. Then he reached for the tweezers. She went tense.
    “It’s for the glass,” he said. “My blood in your system has already sped the healing process. I need to remove any glass or your skin will heal over it.”
    She relaxed a bit—well, as much as one could relax while being half-naked and bleeding in front of a vamp. She was the picture of a tasty meal to one such as he.
    “Forgive me if this hurts.” His expression became serious, his brows furrowing as he methodically worked. With the tweezers, he pulled a glistening shard and dropped it into the now empty cup. It made a dull thud.
    Cora counted twelve more dull thuds before Mace set the tweezers aside, dumped the glass in the trash, and then returned to rinsing the excess blood.
    Next, he drizzled shampoo into his palm, lathered, then folded his fingers through her hair. She couldn’t help but close her eyes as he massaged her scalp, all the while thinking how surreal this was.
    His hands moved to her shoulders, and he applied a slow gentle pressure with his thumbs. She had to suppress a groan. The warmth of his skin matched the temperature of the water, and for a second, she imagined him touching her lower.
    She stiffened at the thought, and he paused.
    “You alright?”
    “Mm-hm,” she said, not trusting her voice. Her body remained tense, however, even as he continued rolling his thumbs between her shoulder blades. 
    What was wrong with her, conjuring up such a scene? Had rational thought been crippled by that accident?
    And yet, she couldn’t stop sensual pictures from invading her brain.
    An internal thrumming started a low beat inside her, steadily growing stronger. She cursed her body’s wayward response and fought to get it under control, clenching her muscles. 
    He must have assumed his actions were bothering her, because he stopped the massage and grabbed