Once Bitten, No Longer Shy by Julie Steimle (chrome ebook reader txt) 📕

meals. She then said, “I’d like to apologize. Our server, Miranda has a condition that occasionally makes her excitable and—”

“No worries,” Troy replied. “She’s an old classmate of mine. I think I upset her and triggered something.”

Nodding appreciatively, the waitress still said, “We’d like to give you a dessert on the house, all the same.”

Troy looked to Nicole. “Anything you want?”

Grinning, Nicole then ducked her head. “Would it be bad if I ordered one of those gelatos? They looked really good.”

Chuckling, Troy nodded. “The same. I’ll take the peach one.”

“Chocolate for me,” Nicole said.

She asked questions about the school, and Troy obliged, though he did not tell her anything crucial about it. He did not tell her about Tom’s imp ancestry, or about Randon’s or Chen’s witch problems, and he did not let her know about pyro-girl or the chameleon kids or anything about elves or demons. But rather he stuck to the ESP kind of things, like JJ being able to see ghosts and Miranda’s precognition. It seemed best to stick to those things which were not ‘supernaturally’ related and most certainly not threatening. He told her nothing of the fire-starter and definitely nothing about werewolves. The vampire thing was as close as he wanted to come.

As the sun was setting, by habit Troy looked to the sky and said, “We better to get indoors.”

“My place or yours?” Nicole said.

Looking at her, Troy laughed. He was speechless for a moment. Setting the money for the tip on the table, he said, “Uh, I’m going home to finish research. My experiment with the infused oils did not work and I have to find out why.”

“Well, let me help you,” she said. She rested her hand on his arm. It was like electricity went from her into him, charging him.

He hesitated. His eyes turning to her, he thought a moment wondering if Art was back home. It was possible Hanz was there. They could drive her home after the work was done. They could call her an Uber. No problem.

“I’m the one who gave you the infused oil suggestion,” she said. With an innocent eye-lash flutter, she added, “Maybe I can find out what went wrong.”

Troy nodded, as it would not hurt. “Alright. It’s not far from here.”

They walked together, more in a stroll, and talked. It was mostly about what he read off her business card. It was an essential oils shop card. She was an essentials oils salesperson. It had interested him, but he wondered how much she truly knew about the subject, or was all her talk BS. He got the impression she was more of a consumer, propagandist and fan, but not an actual maker. During their dinner chat, he had learned she had moved to New York City to try a new sort of life with a bit of excitement, and she was broke. He wondered what she would think when she saw the apartment.

“Uh, this is a friend’s place,” Troy said when they were walking up the stairs to enter the building. “I don’t own it or pay rent.”

Her eyes widened on him. “Wow.”

They strolled to the elevator in an anticipatory silence. If his blood pumped, his heart would have been thundering. When they stepped out onto his floor, he led the way to his door, and unlocked it.

Her eyes widened more when she stepped into the room with him. Art was not there. Neither was Hanz. When he walked to the kitchen area, he saw a note from Hanz on the counter. He picked it up to read the small printed handwriting.

 

I’m at Will’s and Jane’s house. They invited me to dinner. Don’t wait up.

Hanz

 

Troy checked his phone for a message from Art, listening also to the apartment for any human sound. There was no noise, but a message was on his phone.

 

*I got held up by Henry. I have my key. You have reign of the apartment. I don’t know what time I will get back tonight.*

 

Both were gone. Troy wondered if he ought to summon an Uber for Nicole. He checked over his new phone for the app. He was still unfamiliar with it as it was not like his last phone. It was one of the new Tristain Industries Tech prototypes that was made for the Seven and their friends.

“So… this is where you make your remedies?” Nicole strode around the kitchen island, the curve of her body almost swaying as she walked.

“No,” Troy said, distracted with his phone, swiping to examine all the apps. There was one for contacting the Seven’s website on it. It also had an automatic VPN. “I’ve got a lab somewhere.”

She picked up the tiger balm bottle he had left on the counter, examining it. Screwing open the lid, she sniffed then pulled back. “Woah, that’s pungent.”

Chuckling, he took it from her hands and put the lid back on. “I got this because I think it might be the reason Dalton did not get the itch. I have to test it.”

“Do you want to test it on me?” she asked, gently taking it from his fingers again, coming in closer. She undid her ascot, dropping it onto the counter, but she did not peel off her bandage.

Troy swallowed. Wetting is mouth, he said, almost breathless, “There’s not much to do right now. Do you want me to call you an Uber?”

 Giggling as if this amused her, Nicole leaned into him, rubbing her hands against his chest as she nearly stood tiptoe to get close to his face. “You can call me anything you want. Just kiss me.”

She then planted one on him.

A rise shot though Troy as her soft lips engaged his, working to open his mouth for an ever deeper kiss. He obliged. She smelled so delicious. Everything in him wanted to take a bite, but he bit his own lip to prevent himself.

“What are you afraid of?” she asked in such a soft whisper. Her fingers undid the top button to his shirt. Then the next one.

Something stirred wildly in him. It was not his heart, but it felt just as powerful. It wasn’t hunger for her blood either. And he gave into it. Embracing her more passionately, enjoying the taste of her lips and skin, they made out against the kitchen counter. When he broke from her for air, breathlessly he asked, “Are you trying to seduce me?”

Nicole smiled at him, licking her full lips before gently pressing them against his once more, tasting the inside of his mouth with the deepest of kisses that said so much about what she wanted to do with him. When she pulled back for a breath she whispered, “What if I am?”

Her pheromones were strong in his nose and her heart boomed in his ears. He could even smell she was getting excited, giving off an inviting aroma that said take me to bed. He kissed her hard, deeply, tasting her, enjoying her. He resisted the urge once more to bite her, knowing it would ruin everything, though his entire body wanted that as much as he wanted to tear her clothes off and make love to her.

Their hands were soon all over each other. She took off his shirt and pulled his face into her chest, kissing his head and neck, the same time his hands slid up her legs and underneath her skirt, pulling her silky under things off and letting it fall to her ankles. She stepped out of it then slid one leg around him, drawing closer into him. Her fingers on his waistband, she popped off his pants button and fiddled with his zipper, drawing it down. Her soft moans grew stronger as he felt up her back, unclipping her bra while she unzipped his pants. Her breasts fell free against his face, no longer held in. Kissing them, he lifted her onto the counter, getting in even closer to give her what she clearly wanted. He kissed her mouth deeply, pulling her other leg up and around him as he closed the distance. But then the notion that Art or Hanz walking in on them at any time shot into his mind. A panic whipped through Troy.

“I have a roommate,” he whispered breathily between passionate kisses, hesitating to engage her entirely.

 She rubbed into him, hissing back, “Where’s your room? Do you share it?”

“Upstairs,” he breathed out. “And it’s just mine.”

With another deep kiss, her hands letting go of the edge to his briefs which she had been drawing down lower with his pants, she said, “Let’s go then.”

Thrilled with passion, Troy grabbed her, hiking his pants up to go at a jog. As she laughed, he carried her up all those stairs into his room. He shut the door and locked it quickly, making sure it was secure. As soon as he set her down on her feet they resumed making out, removing the rest of their clothes. They hastily took it to the bed.

Troy had never felt such a passion as they made love. He never wanted this so much, either. Nothing ever felt so good. Her moans were like music. Her gasps and squeals were divine. And when the final bursts of energy went through them and they lay together panting, he stared at the ceiling, entirely blown away. His first time.

And he wanted to do it again. He looked to her and her heaving breasts, wondering if he could, or if he had worn her out.

“Are you tired? Should I call you an Uber?” he whispered, hoping she would say ‘no’.

Nicole giggled, rubbing her hand over his bare chest. “It’s too late now.” Then she kissed, him, rubbing into him again. “You’re not tired already, are you?”

“Not at all.” And he kissed her, climbing on top of her for more.

She laughed, clutching his head in her arms.

As they continued into the night with passion, he admired her lovely form. Nicole was a beautiful specimen, the kind he wanted to endlessly touch and feel. The shape of her body was that of a goddess. And even better, she loved being touched. He loved the sensation of her legs in his hands. He loved lying between her thighs, feeling them react as they moved in rhythm together. How her toes curled. How her back arched. And while causing Nicole call out his name begging for more, his overly perverse mind asked him if Rick’s experience with his she-wolf was anything compared this. Making love to Nichole was like nothing he could have imagined. Was this euphoric experience the norm? Or was it something unique to vampires. Troy knew from thousands of records that vampires were oversexed, but he had always thought it was just an attitude, not a biological advantage such as a huge libido and an ever larger stamina. And he never thought it would be something that would apply to him physically.

It felt absolutely thrilling.

After another intense round between them, she finally exhausted herself and slept against him, her soft skin pressed alongside his cold skin, snuggling as if she enjoyed sex with a vampire more than anything in the world. A funny notion came into his head as he finally nodded off—if perhaps she had come on to him out of pure curiosity about vampires and it wasn’t about him at all. Her Tinder date had been a vampire after all. Clearly they had sex and were not just making out. Her only objection to the vampire had been that he had bitten her when the sex got rough—something that had been difficult for him to resist, to be quite honest. What if she was testing a theory?

And though it was a rather shallow reason to hook up, he realized he did not mind being her test subject. It had been amazing. And it had also been his first time. She was experienced. She knew how to make him feel powerful, and had taught him a thing or two. She made it feel natural. Maybe it