Vampire Romance Series - Coffee And Vampires 1-7 (Vampire Romance Bundle) (7 page)

“
Hello, Page,” Van said cheerfully. Page froze. A lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed it down and forced an empty smile.

She toyed with the idea of calling Armand, but something in the flinty stares from a handful of the seated customers told her that she already had people ready to help.

“
Can I help you?” she asked cheerfully, affecting not to recognize Van and hoping that he couldn’t hear her heart pounding.

He smiled – or, at least, he showed all his teeth. The effect was less than reassuring, but Page managed to continue meeting his gaze. “Large coffee,” he said, his voice practically a purr.

“
To go?” Page asked.

“
No, I’d like to stay.”

“
I’m afraid you’ll have to take it to go,” Page replied. The Styrofoam take-out cups were kept just under the counter, but she had to turn her back on Van in order to fill one.

The cup was nearly full when Van reached over the counter and grabbed her bandaged forearm. He squeezed down, making Page flinch with renewed pain from the fresh scrape. She wheeled around as best as she was able.

“
Let go,” she said, struggling to keep her voice even. One of her patrons – a regular, she remembered, who took two pumps of blood in her latte – stood and began walking toward the two of them.

Page was beginning to feel a little tired of being rescued. When Van didn’t relinquish his grip, she threw the only thing she had in hand at him.

Of course, Armand insisted that they keep their coffee
very
hot.

Van yelped as the hot liquid splashed over the front of his shirt, releasing Page’s arm as he jumped back. “You little—!”

“
What did you expect, startling her like that?” the other patron interrupted. She smiled at Van. Page had a feeling
her
teeth were showing too, and felt a small surge of triumph when Van visibly checked his temper. “Maybe you should just pay for your coffee and go.”

“
She didn’t
give
me my coffee,” Van half-snarled. “She made me wear it.”

The patron shrugged. “You
were
getting it to go,” she said, sounding almost bored. She picked at an imaginary speck of dirt under one fingernail, though Page could see that the woman’s shoulders were taught underneath her blouse, ready to strike.

Van ground his teeth and shot a final glare at Page, but finally made his retreat, disappearing out the door. Page and the patron both let out small sighs of relief.

“
You okay, dear?” the woman asked, turning to Page. She appeared to be somewhere in her mid-thirties, with flecks of grey catching the light in her auburn hair. Faint laugh lines had begun to form around the corners of her mouth and brown eyes. “Want me to get Armand?”

Page shook her head. “Thank you,” she said earnestly. “I’ll be okay, though.”

The patron smiled. “Not a problem. My name’s Emily – I work with your boyfriend sometimes. Nicholas and I go way back.”

One of the other nurses,
Page realized. “I’ll tell him you said ‘hi,’” she said.

“
Sounds good,” Emily said. “Is he picking you up at the end of your shift?”

“
We hadn’t made plans,” Page said uncertainly.

“
Text him when you get the chance,” Emily suggested. “I’m thinking maybe you shouldn’t walk home alone tonight.”

“
It’s just a few blocks,” Page protested, but the rest of her excuse was cut short by a single raised eyebrow from Emily. The woman certainly knew how to deliver a pointed look. “I’ll text him,” Page promised.

“
Good,” Emily said, seeming satisfied. “I’ll just stay in my corner with my laptop until he shows up.”

“
Thank you,” Page said again. Her heart had finally begun to slow down, though she didn’t realize her hands had been trembling until Emily returned to her seat. Aware of the woman’s piercing eyes on her, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and sent a quick text to Nicholas.
Van showed up. Could you walk me home tonight? Emily says hello.

She had almost finished mopping up the spilled coffee when her phone buzzed with Nicholas’s reply.

Would you mind staying at my place again? Might be safer.

Page shifted the mop to rest in the hollow of her shoulder in order to reply.
Not at all.

She had taken to carrying a toothbrush and a stick of deodorant in her purse. Page didn’t often stay at Nicholas’s without having a chance to stop by her apartment to pick up the essentials, but they had discussed the possibility of Van showing up during one of her shifts many times, as well as potential plans to keep her safe. Shuttling her over to Van’s apartment or back to the spare room in the back of the coffee house had been their primary arrangement.

Packing her toiletries had been as much a protection for her sanity as the escape plans were for her bodily safety. It wasn’t much, but knowing that she wouldn’t have to brush her teeth with her fingers helped Page feel like she still had some measure of control over her life. It seemed that she spent far too much time feeling helpless since Donovan had returned.

The rest of her shift went quietly, with Page only once mixing up a custom order and giving someone chocolate instead of blood. The customer was luckily very understanding, as she’d erred on the side of caution, and refused to take a refund after she remade his drink correctly.

Nicholas showed up about twenty minutes before Page was scheduled to clock out, waving to Emily as he entered. He approached the counter immediately, blue eyes wide and concerned behind his glasses. Leaning over the counter, he gave Page an awkward half-embrace that nevertheless managed to be reassuring.

“
I’m so sorry,” he said quietly. “I’d hoped he wouldn’t come in here.”

“
It’s not your fault,” Page replied. “And better here than when I’m halfway home or something.”

Armand reappeared shortly after Nicholas arrived, and the taller man quickly filled him in on what had happened. Armand’s normally placid face grew cold and stern, though he smiled briefly when Page told him about Emily’s intervention.

“
Staying with Nicholas tonight’s a good idea,” Armand said. “Van’s probably feeling a bit bold tonight.” Page and Nicholas stared at him blankly. “Full moon,” Armand said pointedly. “Gets the blood up. That’s why I’ve spent the day in the basement. Helps me forget about it for a while.”

Armand grew quiet and sullen after that, barely looking up as Page and Nicholas left the shop. Nicholas tried to explain en route to his apartment, all the while looking anxiously about them and peering into the shadows intently.

“
They’re tied to the moon,” he said. “Their emotional state waxes and wanes, following the natural phases. During a full moon, werewolves tend to be rather volatile.”

Page nodded, her hand tight in Nicholas’s.

“
Armand makes an immense effort to keep himself in check,” Nicholas continued. “So don’t take it personally if he sometimes seems a bit taciturn.”

“
I won’t,” Page said, wondering if the moon phases had been wholly responsible for Van’s violent behavior.

Nicholas almost seemed to catch her thought. “But that’s exactly it: it’s perfectly possible for a werewolf to control himself. It’s not fun, and it’s not always easy. Sometimes they’re still going to lose their tempers, but any halfway decent werewolf can tell when there’s going to be trouble, and removes himself from the company of people who could get hurt.”

“
Like Armand did?” It wasn’t really a question.

Nicholas nodded firmly. “That’s part of why he tends to hang out with vampires more than humans. We’re a bit tougher.”

With that, Nicholas unlocked the front door and led Page to the stairs to his basement apartment, this time remembering to turn the light on before they began to descend.

She pulled him into a long kiss as soon as he’d closed and locked the door to his apartment, her tongue meeting a moment of resistance on his lips before he gave in.

“
Page. . .” he said softly, pulling away. “You don’t have to do anything. I want you here because you’ll be safe here.”

Page gripped his shoulders firmly. “And
I
want you.”

Nicholas looked almost like he might still resist or even insist on another chaste night, but Page kissed him again, her tongue dancing with his. His hands tightened around her then, fingers digging into her skin even through her clothes.

Page moved her hands back and downwards, beginning to pluck at the buttons of Nicholas’s shirt. She paused once the shirt was halfway open, running her hands over his smooth pale chest. Her mouth followed suit, leaving a trail of soft kisses over his neck and down his chest until her tongue could gently tease one of his nipples until it hardened under her lips.

“
You,” Nicholas said raggedly. “Are going to get yourself in trouble doing that.”

Page grinned up at him. Without taking her eyes of his, she slowly and deliberately ran her tongue around his nipple again.

Without warning, Nicholas scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom, blithely ignoring her entirely unconvincing mock-protestations.

“
I would utterly hate it if you pinned me down and kissed me,” she teased as they entered the room. In response, Nicholas tossed her onto the bed and finished shedding his shirt, casually throwing it aside. Page sat up long enough to kick off her shoes and shove them under the bed, but then Nicholas moved forward, locking his hands onto her shoulders and pushing her roughly back down onto the lavender-scented pillows. 

He kissed her roughly, nipping her lower lip before plying her tongue with his. When Page pulled her head back for breath, he immediately moved on to her neck, tongue leaving hot trails over her skin that left her squirming and shuddering.

“
Don’t worry,” he breathed into her ear. “I won’t bite.”

Page turned her head and looked at him inquisitively.

“
Not unless you ask me to,” he said. “There’s other things I like doing more.”

His hands moved over Page’s breasts, cupping each one almost reverently before lifting her halfway upright in order to unhook her bra. She helped him then, slipping her shirt over her head and discarding the undergarment. His mouth found the swell of her right breast, gently moving over her sensitive flesh in slow, teasing circles. Page moaned, willing herself to stay still and endure the agonizing pleasure. He moved on to her nipple, gently sucking at it while his hands moved further downward, stroking her ribcage and stomach gently until they reached the waistband of her jeans.

He unbuttoned her jeans deftly and sent his fingers to caress her through her underwear, mouth still wandering over her chest.

“
Already wet, dear?” he asked softly, stroking her damp panties with one finger.

Page groaned again in reply. “You
tease
,” she managed.

At that, Nicholas pulled his hand away from her and kissed her deeply on the mouth again, moving upward to grind his hips against hers. She could feel him hardening in his slacks against her, his erection rubbing against her skin.

“
I want you,” Nicholas said.

“
Good,” Page replied, and in a single fluid motion, she shoved him sideways off of her. She struggled out of her jeans and socks but left her black underwear on before rolling over to straddle him.

Their hips ground together as she kissed him savagely, sucking on his lower lip and running her fingernails over his ribs. He mumbled something against her mouth, and she pulled away.

“
Bite me,” he whispered. “Please?”

“
Isn’t that a bit backward?” Page asked, lightly stroking his neck with one finger. He shivered.

“
Right there,” he said hoarsely. “Please, Page.”

Page decided to tease him more, first kissing him again on the mouth before resuming her attentions upon his neck, licking and sucking gently until his breath came loud and he was fairly squirming at her touch. With a last soft kiss, she closed her teeth on the skin of his neck.

Nicholas moaned and dug his fingers into her back. Page leaned backwards to look at him more directly, admiring his tousled black curls and lean body. She gently removed his glasses, folded them, and set them on the bedside table.

“
Do you want to be inside me?” she asked.

“
Please
,” Nicholas said fervently. She ground against him, and his next words were interrupted by stutters. “There’s, there’s condoms in the top drawer.”

“
Can you even get me pregnant?” Page asked. Nicholas shrugged, so Page reached over to the drawer, pulling out a single wrapped condom. She tossed it on his chest and worked on removing his shoes, trousers, and boxer shorts until she finally pulled his hard cock free of its fabric confines. She slipped out of her panties last of all.