Desire After Dark: Lords of Pleasure Read Online Free PDF Page A

stranger’s bedroom plenty of times—but never as an invalid.
    “Fucking hell,” he muttered, struggling to his hands and knees.
    With great effort, he crawled until he gained the doorway to the bathroom. Using the door frame as a support, he stood and made his way inside, bracing himself on the wall, then the vanity, and the wall again, all the way to a group of built-in cabinets, where it took him several tries before he found one containing towels.
    Fluffy terry cloth in hand, he turned and gazed at the shower. Obviously he hadn’t thought this out very well. As badly as he longed to wash off the blood and werewolf slobber, he was still as weak as a newborn baby. He could fall in the shower, hit his head, and knock himself out cold. While he’d heal faster than a human, the added injury would delay his recovery. The bath wasn’t a much better option—if he passed out, he could drown just like anyone else. He was a vampire, not a damned fish.
    “Shit.”
    Making his way to the tub, he lowered himself to sit on the side, wincing at the cold marble on his bare ass. Now he was naked, dirty, hungry, cold,
and
stranded. Things had to start looking up. Right?
    He wasn’t sure how long he waited before he heard Kassandra calling his name from the bedroom. “I’m in h-here,” he answered, teeth chattering.
    She appeared in the doorway and halted, eyes widening. “What are you doing out of bed?”
    Shooting her a tired grin, he waved a hand at the towel on his lap and then at the shower. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m filthy, but…” He shrugged. No point in stating that he’d been too weak to accomplish the task on his own.
    Hands on her hips, she pinned him with a glare. “Odin’s balls, you’re a stubborn one, aren’t you?” She stalked toward him.
    “How do you figure? You don’t even know me.”
    “You survived an attack that would’ve killed just about any being, and now you’re wandering about when you should be resting.”
    “Good point.”
    She didn’t sound too put out, though. In fact, he could have sworn he’d detected a hint of admiration in her tone. Crouching next to him, she leaned over the edge of the tub, plugged the drain, and turned on the spigot. As she tested the water’s temperature, Luc took a few moments to study her.
    Yes, she was every bit as beautiful as he’d thought—his pain-filled haze hadn’t skewed his perception at all. Tall, with long blond hair, she had a killer body and big brown eyes set in a face that could start a war over such a prize. But there was something about her, something compelling that went beyond her fantastic looks.
    It’s the way she moves.
    Satisfied with the water, Kassandra stood and went to a cabinet, and his eyes drank in her every movement. She walked with feline grace, almost glided, hips swiveling, round ass swaying back and forth in the snug black pants. As she fished in the cabinet, located a jar, then sauntered back to the tub, he admired how she moved with confidence, easy in her skin, even when performing a mundane task.
    Removing the lid from the jar, she poured a generous amount of what appeared to be bath salts into the flow of water, then recapped it. Never once did she offer mindless chatter as many women did, nor did she seem to be aware of the lengthening silence between them. This was a woman in complete control of her world and its inhabitants. Strong. Self-assured.
    Sexy as fucking hell.
    His cock twitched in interest and despite his injured state, rose to half-mast. And for once in his long life he felt like a wide-eyed whelp playing at being a man instead of the experienced, carefree lover he was reputed to be. When she turned off the water and took his arm to help him into the tub, he had to resist the urge to cover his rapidly filling cock.
    He was
not
embarrassed or shy, he reasoned. Simply off balance.
    Letting the towel fall to the floor, he accepted her assistance and stepped in. As she steadied him and he settled