I’m in writing mode. Head down. Fingers cramping as they tap the keyboard. I’ll come up for air sometime this weekend when I finish the story I’m working on. In the meantime, here’s a little vampire fun. From the pic below, you know there are several stories in this series. I’ll be writing another very, very soon. If you haven’t already read all of them, catch up! 🙂

And to help you do that, here’s your chance to win a free copy of one of the stories! Let me know if you’ve read any of the Night Fall series, and if you have, who is your favorite character? A “no” answer is just fine, and just as valid an entry as a name, because I will be using a random number generator… So get set, ready…go!

Comment for a chance to win one of these stories!

Knight in Transition

“Vampires, werewolves, and babies — oh, my! [Knight in Transition] is a sensual and thrilling ride into the world of the paranormal.” ~ Romance Reviews Today

“Ms. Devlin knows how to use her words to draw you into her story. She has created characters that are easy to fall in love with. When you combine her excellent characters with the great plot, this story becomes a must read.” ~ 5 Angels, Fallen Angel Reviews

A member of an elite police unit sworn to hunt vampires, Joe Garcia’s life is turned upside down when he’s transformed into one. On a quest for a cure, Joe’s search brings him to New Orleans in a last ditch effort to recover his humanity.

Professor Lily Carlson, a renowned expert in vampire lore, has a condition of her own. Her sexual libido has been in hyper-drive for months. Her only defense is to hide behind her glasses and tweed suits and stay as far away from men as possible. However, she’s thrilled to discover vampires really do exist when Joe shows up on her balcony.

Although Joe deflects her attempts to make him a case study and confirm a few vampire statistics, he is drawn by her powerful allure. When werewolves join the chase and track her through New Orleans, Joe’s cop instincts tell him there’s a mystery to solve. Intent on protecting her, he must seek help from the last vampire on Earth he wants to ask.

While his hopes for deliverance from his fate dwindle, Lily’s life is forever altered by an unexpected inheritance.

It had taken Joe half an hour and a quarter pint of blood to find her apartment in the long, white two-story stucco building in the center of the French Quarter. The super led him straight to the door, then walked off, his eyes glazed under the influence of Joe’s suggestion he give his wife a tumble.

It took another half an hour to feed from the man who lived in the apartment next to the professor’s until he slept, just so Joe could climb out on his ironwork balcony and make the leap to hers.

Finally, he stood hidden in the shadows while he watched her through lacy curtains. Her French doors were opened to the sultry night air. With only light from the streetlamp outside to chase away the darkness, Joe could discern every detail of her bedroom. She lay not five feet from him atop pale pink sheets. Naked. Her knees bent; her creamy thighs splayed. So close he could smell her ripening scent.

She was pleasuring herself.

Joe’s cock stirred and unfurled, lengthening by the second as he watched her.

A fan pulsed from the ceiling above her, lifting the gold-brown hair curving over her breasts to tangle with the fingers tugging at her nipples. When her hands moved down her rounded belly, his gaze clung hungrily to the turgid points surrounded by their pale rose circles. His mouth watered, imagining the velvet-soft flesh surrendering to his kisses. Succulent morsels yielding the sweetest gift—her blood from the heart of her femininity.

She truly sealed her fate when one hand glided past the fur at her mons to cup her sex. Joe’s cock pressed insistently against his jeans, tightening when her fingers stroked between her outer labia to caress the thin folds within. Moisture glistened as she rubbed it over her lips, long sliding strokes that dipped inside and swirled outward.

Then her other hand entered the play, and her fingers parted the swollen labia, pulling them back to expose her engorged clitoris. She touched the shiny nub once and shivered as though the spot were too sensitive, and then her fingers glided away.

She circled the mouth of her vagina, dipping her fingertips into the well and spreading her moisture. Liquid seeped to coat her hand, and she brought her fingers to her mouth and licked the tips clean. Soft appreciative groans broke from her throat.

Joe sweated. He’d never seen a woman enjoy her own essence like this one. His body was gripped with the need to shove his cock deep inside her juice-filled channel.

Instead, he braced an arm against the window casing and his other hand went to the hard bulge at the front of his jeans. Desperate to take the edge off his need, he flicked open the button on his waistband and eased the zipper down, shoving his briefs beneath his balls, enjoying the way the elastic constricted. His hot flesh escaped its prison, filling his hand. He encircled his shaft and stroked it, letting urgency fill his loins as he watched her.

Her hand slid beneath her pillow and pulled out a long, flesh-tone object that she caressed like a man’s cock. She sucked the head of the dildo, wetting it with her spit while she closed her eyes. Did she imagine a man shafting into her mouth?

Joe did. His cock pulsed and a pearl of pre-come beaded at the tiny opening atop the crown of his sex. He rubbed the moisture around the tip with his thumb.

She fingered the base of her symmetrical shaft and it hummed, just like his body, triggered by her sexy moan at the first touch of her vibrator to the tips of her breasts. Her mouth opened around a gasp.

Joe’s breath drew in sharply, imagining her taking his cock into her mouth. He squeezed himself, gliding the skin stretched tight as a rubber band over his cock, back and forth, faster.

She circled the dildo on one tit while her free hand massaged the other, the nipple winking between her fingertips. Then she placed it between her generous breasts and squeezed them around the dildo as her body writhed on the bed, her hips lifting, pulsing in the air.

Joe’s hips answered, pushing his cock through his clenched fist, faster now, building heat and friction. He dropped spit onto his shaft and worked it with his fist, gliding easily, imagining the woman’s undulating body convulsing along his cock.

Abruptly, the woman rolled onto her stomach and came to her knees, planting them wide apart on the bed, letting her chest fall to the mattress. Reaching between her legs, she spread her lips and coaxed the vibrator into her pussy, working it inside her, inch by inch, twisting it in her cream to lubricate its length and push deeper.

Joe’s grip nearly strangled his cock. The sight of her pale cheeks quivering in the air, the dildo clutched in her fist pumping in and out, pushed him over the edge. He felt the pressure build in his balls.

Her chest rubbed on the sheets and her hips circled on her hand-held cock, until she cried out and shoved the dildo deep, cramming it inside as far as it could reach with the flat of her palm. She moaned and bucked; her soft whimpers carried on the air. When the pulsing of her hips stopped, she sobbed and fell to the blanket, turning to her back, her legs askew, her hair a tangled cloud on her pillow.

Looking at her quivering belly and the dildo that peeked from inside her body, Joe groaned and spent his seed in a hot stream on the floor of her balcony.

Too late, he realized he’d cried aloud.

UPDATE: The winner is…Wulfie!

* * * * *

When I was growing up, vampires weren’t pretty, sparkly-in-the-sun beings. They were dark and evil creatures steeped in European mythology. They were inspired by the Strigoi, Vlad the Impaler and Bram Stoker’s Dracula among others.

The vampires I knew of fed on the blood of hapless victims and slept in coffins. They were walking corpses that preyed on the living intent on death and destruction. Interesting for sure. Lovable? Nope.

I’m picky about what appeals to me when it comes to bloodsuckers. Some of my favorites in modern fiction include Louis and Claudia (Interview with a Vampire), Xan Marcelles (Crooked Fang) and Eli (Let the Right One In). These vampires all represent beautifully that essential struggle in balancing the monster they’ve become with what’s left of their humanity. They’re likable despite what they are. They invoke emotion and feeling which is essential to any good character but is especially effective with vampire characterization where you’re taking something that is inherently bad and making it into something people can relate to and even see a little of themselves in.

My vampires don’t shine like diamonds when exposed to daylight and, in fact, will burn up like a sparkler on the Fourth of July. They fight, love and fuck like humans but are always battling the monster that lurks just below the surface. Sometimes they win that fight and sometimes they don’t.

Some say vampires have had their day and are out of fashion. I call bullshit. In my opinion, vampires will always be relevant in fiction. As an author, you have creative license to build your world however you like. It’s up to you to lay down your lore and make it believable and engaging. At the end of the day, or night, vampires can be written any number of ways as long as their journey is a real one.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, subscribe to my newsletter here http://eepurl.com/bPAbOL and then tell me who your favorite vampire is! I’ll pick a random winner from the comments on March 27, 2016.

If you like vampires, check out my new release Love Voodoo.

After a chance tarot card reading in a New Orleans voodoo shop, vampire Luca is intrigued by Collette, an alluring woman with an uncanny intuition. Getting intimately involved with a human is the last thing Luca has in mind, but Collette wins his trust and their friendship grows into something deeper. When Luca’s clan learns that he has asked Collette to perform a spell to bind his psychotic sire, a deadly chain of events unravels that will change their lives.

Love Voodoo is available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CO27BZI

Alyssa Breck is an award winning author of horror/urban fantasy, paranormal romance and erotic fiction. She grew up reading Stephen King and V.C. Andrews. The Shining changed her life and sparked a love of all things scary, spooky and spine-chilling. Add some romance to that and she found her niche weaving paranormal and erotic romance stories. Alyssa hangs her hat in the South with her family of humans and fur-babies.

You can learn more about Alyssa by visiting her website www.AlyssaBreck.com and by following her on Twitter @AlyssaBreck and Facebook.

Can you believe the first month of 2016 is almost over? Yeah, it’s all over except the weeping. I blew my goals for January. And I’m not sure why. I felt good after December’s little health hiccup. But February presents a new challenge and a chance to catch up!

What did I accomplish in January?

1. I wrote 1/2 of one book.
2. I wrote the opening chapters of another then put it away because I hated it.
3. I revised an older title and published it.
4. I compiled a short story collection of my own and published it.

And that was freaking it.

Just so you didn’t miss those newly published titles, here’s a reminder…

January Releases

Bent on catching her cheating fiancé in the act, Frannie Valentine got sidetracked by a little thing like dying. When she awakens, Frannie learns her pampered life will never be the same, so she turns to the man responsible for her undeadness and demands he take on the responsibility of giving her a little job training—in the PI biz.

Niall Keegan never intended to make himself a mate, but Frannie’s string of minor disasters, which ended with her dying in his arms, took the decision right out of his hands. While the mating part isn’t bad, making the disaster-prone Frannie a PI may just be the death of him.

Purchase here!

* * * * *

From New York Times bestselling author, Delilah Devlin, comes her third naughty collection of bedtime stories–enough for a week’s worth of sexy inspiration!
Included in this volume are… 

Big Brass Buckle — Caught in a sudden thunderstorm on a lonely stretch of Texas highway, I pull into a dingy little diner to wait out the rain, never dreaming the cowboy of my dreams would follow me inside…

Pitch Black — Passion lights the way for an ex-marine corrections officer rescuing a female CO trapped in a prison block during a blackout…

The Pleasure in Surrender — After the lady of the keep bars her gates to the barbarian the king commands she wed, the half-Viking knight scales the walls of her heart…

One-Track Cowboy — After tracking two lost hikers, a park ranger and a local rancher lose themselves to a wild passion…

How to Train Your Skjaldmaer — A Viking jarl tricked into marrying a shieldmaiden sets out to tame his fiery bride…

Johnny Blaze — A firefighter moonlighting as a male exotic dancer gives a librarian a birthday spanking she’ll never forget…

Red Dawn — A colonist living on a lonely Martian plain receives her new mate, a man culled from among the newly transported convicts…

Purchase here! And remember, RIGHT NOW, it’s just $0.99!

What’s coming in February?

Contest

Answer this to win a small Amazon gift card…

What story are you most eager to see from me next? The next SEAL? Another fireman? Cowboy? Werewolf? Witch? Stepbrother?

I’ll be sending out a new newsletter later today and announcing this month’s winner of a gift from me. If you aren’t already a subscriber to my newsletter, go here: Sign up for Delilah’s Newsletter!

UPDATE: The winner is…ButtonsMom!

* * * * *

I have a new-old story out! One of the stories returned to me by a former publisher. I’ve been working hard to get them all revised/expanded/refreshed so that I can share them with a brand new audience.

This time, it’s Frannie and The Private Dick! If you’ve read the rest of the Night Fall stories, then you know what to expect—humor, some suspense, and lots of sexy bits. Frannie has an extra pinch of humor. I’m sharing the first chapter here for you to sample. I hope you enjoy it—my gift to you!

For a chance to win a free copy of one of Frannie’s prequel books,
tell me how you plan to spend your Saturday!

Hope you enjoy this peek inside! ~DD

Frannie and The Private Dick

Bent on catching her cheating fiancé in the act, Frannie Valentine got sidetracked by a little thing like dying. When she awakens, Frannie learns her pampered life will never be the same, so she turns to the man responsible for her undeadness and demands he take on the responsibility of giving her a little job training—in the PI biz.

Niall Keegan never intended to make himself a mate, but Frannie’s string of minor disasters, which ended with her dying in his arms, took the decision right out of his hands. While the mating part isn’t bad, making the disaster-prone Frannie a PI may just be the death of him.

FREE FOR KINDLE UNLIMITED SUBSCRIBERS!
Get your copy here: Frannie

Chapter One

Francesca Valentine had died and gone to hell. No other explanation made sense. She swam back to awareness through a molasses-thick void to find herself suddenly spat out from a dark womb into a cold, hollow space. Blind, and so still she knew she didn’t breathe, her mind turned over like a sluggish engine before revving into high gear.

Quickly, she assessed what she knew. She lay on a hard surface, covered with a scratchy square of thin fabric, unable to move a muscle. A low whine, like that of an air-conditioner, came from the opposite side of the space. Harsh light shone from above, warming her face, but hurting her closed eyes. So, she probably wasn’t blind after all. But she was definitely dead. Stone-cold. Her chest wasn’t moving in and out, but she didn’t feel starved for air.

She knew who she was and what had killed her, but hadn’t a clue what new fix she’d landed herself in. From nearby came the scrape of footsteps and a tentative humming, then… Read the rest of this entry »

It’s nearly Christmas, and of course, the twelve days of Christmas comes to mind, and with that, here are Twelve Things a writer most dreads (Sing to the tune of “A Partridge in a Pear Tree”…).

1) Rejection letters from agents.
Even if the note is just a simple “No thank you,” we see this:
“Dear Author,
Please stop sending me your hackneyed prose. Your stories suck. I hope you have another job, because writing just ain’t it. If I sold writing like yours, I’d be the laughing-stock of my profession. Please, for my sake and yours, stop querying me. “

2) Rejection letters from publishers.
Again, our imagination tends to see things in a darker light…
“Dear Author,
Just because we publish several of your online writing buddies, and just because your favorite author in the whole world is in our stable of authors, that doesn’t mean you are welcome. As a matter of fact, if it were Christmas eve and ours was the only stable in town, and you were pregnant and riding on a donkey – we still wouldn’t take you. Do us and the publishing world a big favor – take up bird watching.”

3) Typos in submission letters.
Dear Agnet,
Dare Agent,
Deer Anget,
I’d like to submit my story, “Angles on Crusade…”
I’d like to sumbit by story,
Sincely yours,
Sincerey yours,
Jenfiner
Jennifre

4) Typos in our finished and FINALLY published books:
Page 34: Instead of the Gulf of Mexico, it reads the Golf of Mexico…

5) Readers picking up on our little typos.
“Dear ex-favorite author. I read your latest story. Where the f%*@! is the Golf of Mexico? Do you mean the one in Tijuana, the Golf del Sur? Or did you mean the one in Cancun – the Country club and Golf Verdez? In any case, it makes no sense. I’m through reading your books. An ex-fan.

6) Having nobody read our books.
“Dear Author – here is your royalty statement for the year 2006 / 2007:
You sold 0 copies
Your royalties are 0.00$

7) The Advance that Just Won’t Go Away.
“Dear Author. Your advance was 1000$. You sold 0.00$ this year. You still owe us 1000$ on your advance against royalties. It will be a cold day in Hell before we sign another contract with you.

8) A Negative Review:
“The Tell Tale Tart by Jennifer Macaire – ZERO STARS! Where to begin? Well, it was hard enough to get into, and I barely got to the end – I only threw the book against the wall 86 times, and it’s a novella, folks. The heroine, Janice, who is an ex-prostitute, makes having the stomach flu seem fun, and the hero, Mike, the man who tries to “save” her, really should be locked up somewhere in a maximum security prison for eternity. The good news is, it’s practically a short story. The bad news is it cost me 4.95$ as a used book on Amazon. This was the worst piece of trash I’ve ever read. Don’t even bother taking it out of the library.” Nancy the usually really Nice reviewer for Rarin’ to Read Reviews

9) Trying to find a quote to use from a negative review.
“The Tell Tale Tart…The heroine Janice…fun…the hero Mike…eternity. Good News.”

10) Plagiarism
Finding out someone has plagiarized your book, taken your characters and given them slightly different names, changed the title a bit, but kept the plot! “The Whole Hale Heart” by M. Desforges, a love story about Jane, and ex-call girl and Mark, the man who wants to give her a new life.

11) Finding out the ‘OTHER’ book gets a five-star review and lands on the NYT best seller list.
“…I can’t say enough good things about Ms. Desforges new book. Her fresh new writing makes the wonderful characters come to life. I want to spend my entire life reading more books about Mark and Jane. Fabulous. Highly recommended.” Nancy the really Nice reviewer for Rarin’ to Read Reviews

12) Success. Because then you have to write another book just as good!

 I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! I just got some great news – “Murder and Mayhem” just won the Reader’s Choice award for the best urban fantasy 2015 at Evernight Publishing. It’s a mystery tale with a dose of romance and a zest of humor. If you liked Buffy the Vampire slayer, you’ll enjoy May, the vampire killer.

Meet May, the vampire killer. She’s quick, clever, and deadly, and she takes life very seriously having been killed once before by a mob of rogue vamps. Her father, a powerful necromancer, brought her back to life. She’s M.U.C.I.’s (Mutant and Undead Criminal Investigation) best man, er, woman, well, zombie actually, for catching and killing rogue vampires, so when two kids show up with all the signs of having been killed by a rogue, May gets the case.

Clues lead straight to a certain Bartholomew Aelfrith, a vampire, whose sense of humor and tall blond good looks are enough to convince May he needs killing, even if he’s not the killer. If he makes one more joke about her chop-sticks, she’s going to stab him through the heart with one. The problem is, Bartholomew is probably the only person who can catch the real killer, so May has to put up with his insouciance and his wise-cracks, and his penchant for picking up strays of all kinds.

But if he says, “I’ve got a plan” one more time, she’s going to scream.

Buy the book at Evernight Publishing

May’s traditional zombie stir fry recipe: Honey Lemon Chicken and Asparagus

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons soy sauce (reduced sodium)
1/4 cup chicken both – (May uses chicken bullion cubes)
1 teaspoon chilli sauce or a pinch of cayennne pepper
1 clove garlic, grated
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:

– Mix honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, broth, chill sauce, lemon zest, garlic, ginger and set aside in a bowl.

– Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken and stir fry until cooked through and browned a bit.

– Add the asparagus and stir fry until it turns a brighter green, about 2 minutes.

– Add the honey, lemon juice mixture, stir

– Whisk the water with the corn starch, stir in to coat and cook until the sauce thickens, about a minute.

Serve over rice. (May likes to drink ginger beer with this, and finish up with lychees and her father’s smoky moon-shadow tea.)

Jennifer Macaire’s website
Email Jennifer

Guess who’s in the December issue of Penthouse? Pretty cover, sexy pics, and my smutty little story, “The MILF Man“, right there on page 116. Ain’t my mama proud? She is, actually. I know. We’re not the typical family living in the Bible Belt—and this is my third appearance in that esteemed publication. Look for it in the stores NOW!

And there’s the second cause for celebration, the release of the next story in the Night Fall series: Night Fall on Dark Mountain.

After the death of one of the members of the super-secret police unit aligned with the Vampire Council in southern Florida, werewolf Max Weir becomes the chief suspect. Sure a greater villain has used a were-clan’s hatred of vamps to strike against the unit, Max travels to the mountains of North Carolina to seek the truth and hopefully renew the centuries-old truce between the weres and vampires.

Alec Weir has a problem on his hands. The new sheriff on Dark Mountain must walk a fine line between upholding were-clan laws and saving his vamp-loving brother from certain death. Alec must find the traitor in the clan responsible for the attack on the vampires or watch his brother die. If that wasn’t enough, his chosen mate, Stasia McGwyre, seems to still hold a candle for Max.

FREE FOR KINDLE UNLIMITED SUBSCRIBERS. Find it at Amazon.com!

I hope you’ll give both a try. I’d love to hear what you think. 🙂

I’ve lived with vampires in my life for a long, long time. I know how strange that sounds, but let me explain.

All my life, I’ve felt as though I live in alternate worlds. The waking one and the one I slip into eagerly as often as I can get away with it—when I’m bored, in class or work, when I walk or swim, when I crawl into bed. My daydreams are vivid, and they often run with a “story track” of several weeks before I finish one and move to the next.

And I thought everyone dreamed as vividly as I do until I asked my then-husband, “What do you daydream about?” and discovered some people don’t—at all—unless it was to run through a scenario for work or practice a speech in their head.

I can’t imagine not having those other places to go to when I’m still or can act on “auto-pilot”. What about you? Are your daydreams like other lives? Or do you daydream rarely or not at all?

I hope you’ll catch up on the Night Fall stories! If you happen to read one, think about leaving a review. Other readers do pay attention to what you say.

Comment for a chance to win one of the prequel books:  Sm{B}itten, Truly, Madly…Deadly, Knight in Transition, Wolf in Plain Sight, or Silent is the Knight. Plus, I’ll give away a $5 Amazon gift card to another lucky winner! 

Sidney Coffey, Seattle’s “News at Nine” girl, uncovers the scoop of a lifetime and her ticket into serious journalism. The only problem is—without proof—no one’s going to believe the victims of recent gang killings are in fact “undead” and vampires!

With her gut telling her there’s an even bigger story lurking beneath the surface, she decides to beard a reclusive vampire master in his den for an interview. But meeting the master only complicates things. For a woman with a voracious sexual appetite, the tall, dark and gloomy vamp proves an irresistible challenge.

When a reporter trespasses on his estate, Navarro is at first amused then annoyed that the little baggage is close to putting together the pieces of a dangerous plot involving an old enemy and a group of murdered geneticists. To keep her safe, Navarro issues an invitation he won’t let her refuse.

“Miss, are you all right?”

Sidney had already decided the evening couldn’t get any worse. Now Lurch was leering at her tits.

Unfortunately, she’d fallen in the only patch of light cast by the streetlamp on the other side of the wall. She sat up and crossed her arms over her chest. “I think I’m all right—the grass is soft,” she said, fighting to keep irritation out of her voice. She’d hoped to reach the front door before being escorted off the property.

“I brought you a blanket.”

Sidney stared at the folded bundle he held out then glanced up at his face. It was really a rather kind face—if a little cadaverous. White, bristly hair stuck up around his head, and bushy eyebrows, looking like fluffy white beetles, shadowed his deep-set eyes. And he was alarmingly tall.

Sidney grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. Then she struggled to her feet, assisted by his dry, bony hand. “Just point me to the gate,” she muttered, hoping he’d let her walk out with what was left of her dented pride. If a squad car showed up to take her to the station, she’d never hear the end of it.

“If you don’t mind my saying so, climbing over the fence was a very foolish thing to do.”

“It seemed like a plan at the time,” she said under her breath. “Of course, my Plan Bs always suck.”

His lips twitched. “Well, I’m glad you weren’t seriously injured.”

“Nope, I’m right as rain. I fell on my head—the hardest part of my body.” A chill wind picked up, and she gathered the blanket closer around her. “I’ll be on my way.” With a grimace of a smile, she turned toward the gate. Best to make a quick getaway.

“Ah…miss!”

Sidney grimaced. Shouldn’t she have known her escape wouldn’t be that easy? Murphy was running the show.

“You’re shivering. How about I make you a hot cup of tea before you leave.”

Sidney shot him a glance. What was he up to? She’d recognized his voice. He was the one who had turned her away at the gate. Was he planning to keep her here until the cops showed up? Or was he really offering her a kindness?

Her mama had never accused her of exercising an ounce of common sense. “I am cold. Tea would be lovely.”

The old man led her around the side of the house, through a darkened fragrant garden, and into the kitchen. Warmth embraced her, and Sidney was sure steam rose from her damp hair and skin.

He pointed to an inviting alcove in the corner of the kitchen. “Have a seat at the table while I rummage for the pot.”

As she sat at the cozy wooden table, Sidney couldn’t help thinking how ironic it was—this domestic little scene playing out in a vampire’s den.

“While the pot is boiling, I’ll search for something you can wear,” the elderly man said, then left through another door.

She counted to twenty before following.

The door led down a hallway, which opened into a large room with cream-colored walls and heavy, dark oak furnishings. She’d bet her paycheck the paintings gracing the pale walls were original, Old World art. Despite numerous overhead electrical fixtures, candles were lit in wall sconces and on the mantle above a massive fireplace.

“A little old fashioned, aren’t you, Mr. Navarro?” Sidney muttered. Where was he? And did she really have the courage to seek a lion in his den? She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was nervous.

Moses had said the master was a civilized vamp, but in the end, weren’t they all ghouls?

She hitched the sagging blanket higher and chose another door, which led into a dark, paneled study. A fire crackled in a hearth, but the room appeared empty. Perhaps the master wasn’t at home after all.

But his desk might reveal answers to some of her questions.

With a quick glance back at the living room, she quietly closed the door behind her.

“Miss Coffey, I think you’ve taken a wrong turn,” a deep, lightly accented voice said.

Sidney whirled toward a leather armchair hidden in the shadows. Firelight flickered to reveal the outline of a man seated there. She didn’t need two guesses to figure out who he was.

She drew a deep breath, racking her brain for a good excuse for her presence. “Um…Mr. Navarro. I was looking for you.” She stepped deeper into the room—but the blanket didn’t come with her.

She grasped frantically for the edges as it parted over her shoulders, but in her nervousness she stumbled forward. The blanket pulled away as she righted herself.

Her hands flew to her breasts. Good lord, can this evening get any worse? “M-mister Navarro,” she stammered, hoping the dim lighting hid her burning cheeks and everything else. “Um…I seem to have caught my blanket in the door.”

“Lovely though your breasts are, I think they should leave,” he said, his tone lacking inflection.

The flatness of his voice, and the fact she couldn’t read his expression in the shadows, left her unnerved. She hadn’t thought through her plan past getting onto the property. Confronting the vamp himself, she realized just how precarious her situation was. He was a bloodsucker after all. Still, he’d asked her to leave—not become a dinner entrée.

Humiliated and more than a little scared, Sidney decided a hasty retreat was her best option. She turned back to the door and tugged at the knob, but the door didn’t budge. She cursed under her breath and tugged again. Then her shoulders slumped in defeat. “I, uh…I’ve wedged the door closed. Could you help me?”

He sighed behind her, and leather creaked as he rose.

Sidney covered her breasts again and stepped aside.

As he approached, his features were revealed in candlelight.

Her breath left her lungs in a whoosh. She’d heard the master vampire was handsome—but not one of her sources had mentioned he was downright beautiful—or that his dark gaze could pierce like a skewer.

She fought the urge to step farther away, but then her fear aroused anger within herself. Sidney Coffey was no mouse. She lifted her chin.

One black, perfectly arched brow rose, mocking her show of courage. He reached past her and easily pulled open the door. “I trust you can find your way out.”

The silky tone of his voice sent a shiver up her back, and her nipples drew tight and pointed beneath her palms.

From terror, she told herself. Certainly not from any sensual awareness. Never mind that this close his height and lean, muscled frame made her feel very small and vulnerable. A sensation that never failed to stir her libido.

And the goose bumps lifting on her skin couldn’t be caused by the midnight-colored hair that brushed the tops of his broad shoulders, or the olive complexion that contrasted darkly with his snowy cotton shirt.

Her gaze lifted. Black, fathomless eyes glittered back in a slightly narrow face, saved from appearing effeminate by his square jaw and the masculine shape of his mouth.

She lingered over that mouth. Perfectly symmetrical, not too wide, or too narrow—and firm.

Sidney swallowed and slowly returned to his unblinking stare. With her own mouth dry as a desert, she swallowed. It was now or never. She wouldn’t get a second chance. She lowered her hands from her breasts and extended one sweaty palm. “Mr. Navarro, I’m Sidney Coffey, and I’d like to ask you a few questions.”