The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo (Love at Stake) by Kerrelyn Sparks Read Free Book Online Page B

turned her back. Damn, was he that scary to look at? Her abrupt movement had caused her hair to swing back and forth. It was cut bluntly across, the ends right below her shoulder blades.
    A vision popped in his mind with him flat on his back and her sitting astride him, riding him, with her hair swaying wildly. And when she leaned forward to kiss him, her hair fell forward to sweep gently across his face. He would be immersed in her softness, her sweet fragrance. Just imagining it made his groin grow—
    “ . . . tight,” Laszlo continued. “Very tight schedule. So much to do and so little time.”
    “Aye,” Dougal muttered. So much he would do. He would caress her all over, explore every inch of her creamy skin, make her moan and writhe and scream with pleasure. He adjusted his sporran to conceal his hard—
    “ . . . staff,” Laszlo said. “We have staff meetings every night.”
    “Every night, aye,” Dougal mumbled. He would pleasure her every night.
    “Oh God, no,” Laszlo whispered.
    Dougal followed the chemist’s line of vision and spotted Gregori coming toward them. He was carrying VANNA in his arms. Who would bring a life-sized sex toy to a birthday party for bairns? Obviously, she wasn’t intended to be a present for the children. That meant . . .
    “Bloody hell,” Dougal growled.

Chapter Five
    H ow many times had she caught him staring at her from across the room? About as many times as he’d caught her doing the same. Leah’s face grew warm. What was it about him that kept her eyes gravitating toward him?
    First of all, he was probably a vampire, so it was crazy to look at him at all. But she was. Over and over again. And that, unfortunately, provided more proof that she was no longer firing on all her synapses. Just one step away from going completely bonkers.
    He was handsome, but then, so were most of the men in the room. Because of her Irish grandfather, she’d always had a fondness for men in kilts, but there were other kilted men in the room, and she wasn’t gawking at them. And it wasn’t as if he made her feel safe. Quite the contrary. Laszlo looked a lot safer. So did the cheerful men holding babies.
    Was that the difference? Everyone looked happy except the guy in the doorway. Was it her own frazzled nerves that caused her to be drawn to the one person who appeared as agitated as she did?
    She could feel his stare, the heat of it prickling her back. The last few times she’d glanced at him he’d seemed grim and angry. Intense. As if a roiling fire inside him was threatening to erupt like a volcano.
    She glanced at him again and froze. So much hunger in his eyes. And pain. It shook her, grabbing onto her heart.
    There’d always been a strong need inside her to fix people who were suffering. As if that could somehow erase all the pain she’d suffered in silence. It was why she’d insisted on going to medical school in spite of the awkwardness she felt around others.
    But this was no ordinary man. She couldn’t let herself get drawn in. Not with him. Deep in her heart she knew he had the power to devastate her more than any other man on the planet.
    She turned her back to him. “Who is he—the man next to Laszlo?”
    Abby narrowed her eyes. “That must be Dougal. Dougal Kincaid. Haven’t seen him around much lately. He’s been guarding the Echarpes in Texas.”
    “He’s security?” Leah sipped some punch and swallowed hard when Abby nodded her head. Of course he was security. He’d been watching her all evening. Even now she could feel his sharp emerald eyes burning into her back. “A vampire?”
    “Yes.”
    Single? Leah stopped herself from asking. She had to be out of her mind.
    “He’s always struck me as a bit shy,” Abby continued. “A quiet kind of guy.”
    Quiet until the volcano erupts . Leah wondered if she was the only one who sensed he was about to blow.
    “He’s a musician.” Abby stepped closer, smiling. “You want to hear a funny story? Lara