Vampire Romance Series - Coffee And Vampires 1-7 (Vampire Romance Bundle) by S L Hartley Read Free Book Online Page B

was staring but also trying to see everything she could. She wanted to learn everything there was to learn about this strange, beautiful young man.
    A twitch had started at the corner of Nicholas’s mouth. He tried to smile to hide it, but there was still a faint hint of desperation in his blue eyes. He spread his arms wide, taking in the kitchen as well as the large main room. “This is it.”
    “ You’ve never brought anyone here, have you?”
    Nicholas shook his head. “I keep to myself, mostly. There hasn’t been a human in here at least since I started leasing. Years ago.”
    Page pulled his face down to her level and kissed him firmly on the mouth. “I know what you are, Nicholas.” The statement, matter-of-fact as it was, seemed to come almost like a blow to Nicholas. He turned his head away. “And I don’t care.”
    He looked back at Page, mouth contorted in an expression somewhere between anger and shame. “Do you, though?” With one fluid motion, he threw the door of the fridge open.
    Inside was nothing except rows of bags of blood, neatly labeled and stacked. It should have been macabre, but instead Page found something terribly desolate about the sight. She pulled out a bag and handed it to Nicholas.
    He seemed startled until Page pointed out that he hadn’t eaten anything that day.
    “ You really don’t care, do you?” His voice was touched with wonder. Page nodded, meaning it. She watched him closely as he emptied the bag into a large mug, which he popped into the microwave. “Cold blood’s awful.”
    “ Have you ever fed, um, directly?” Page asked.
    Nicholas shook his head. “Closest I’ve gotten is sucking on a drip hooked to a volunteer’s arm.” He removed the mug from the microwave and stirred the contents briefly before tossing almost all of it back in one go. Page fancied she could smell it, a sharp iron smell that pricked the hairs on the back of her neck.
    When he’d finished, Page pulled him into another kiss. This time, he tasted faintly of blood, but also of need and loneliness. He pressed into her urgently, eventually pushing her against the wall. His kisses became steadily more passionate, his tongue dancing with hers and even tracing lines over her neck. She leaned against him in turn, feeling his taut body vibrating against hers.
    She didn’t really remember laying down with him, but all the same before long his weight was over her, his kisses leaving trails of heat over her skin. She could feel his hardness pressing against her hips, and she burned, too.
    Nicholas pulled away suddenly, his breathing harsh. When he spoke, his voice was ragged.
    “ I’m not,” he said haltingly. He tried again. “I want you. But I’m not ready.” His eyes were pleading. “Do you understand?”
    Page smiled as gently as she could. Someone hurt this boy , she thought, stroking his pale face. His glasses had been knocked askew and she adjusted them.
    “ Of course,” she said. “I don’t mind waiting.”
    He did, happily, consent to sharing his bed with her that night instead of leaving her to the couch. Page slept soundly beside him, reassured by the strength of his innocent arms and the sound of his breathing.
    ****

Chapter 5
    Page resisted the urge to scratch the bandages on her arm. She was at a work, after all, and didn’t exactly need to draw attention to her injury.
    She still felt that the bandages were overkill, but Nicholas had insisted. He’d apologized, for crying out loud. It wasn’t even his fault. The roller skating had been her idea.
    Nicholas usually planned their dates, but Page had decided to turn the tables on him for an afternoon. There was a park a short walk from the coffee house, and the sign for skate rental had piqued her curiosity. She still reveled in the grin that had split Nicholas’s face when she told them what they were going to do. She always loved when he smiled, but when she was the one responsible, it seemed that the joy infusing her being