Fireworks for July: A Holiday Bites Vampire Paranormal Holiday Romances Read Online Free PDF Page A

His come splattered against her ass and back. It was beautiful, painting her flesh like that.
    Carter placed a kiss on her shoulder after she collapsed to the bed. Her satiated panted breaths warmed him. “You were wonderful,” he said, knowing on some level she needed the reassurance.
    When he stood from the bed, she murmured, “Where are you going?”
    “Shh,” he told her. “I’ll be right back for you.” Carter went into the bathroom. He took a quick shower, and then ran a hot bath for July.
    She drowsed on the bed, her smile sleepy when he came to scoop up her up and carry her into the bathroom. Steam rose off the water, fogging the mirrors. Gently, he lowered her into the tub. Soaping a washcloth, he rubbed it across every inch of her skin. He relished every moment spent touching her, cleaning her, and…loving her. The truth of his feelings for her surprised him.
    After he finished, he helped July out and dried her thoroughly with a towel. He carried her back into the bedroom and placed her on the bed then crawled next to her. Her beauty, her tenderness, and her innocence awoke a fierce emotion in Carter. Yes, he wanted to possess her, but even more, he wanted to protect her.
    “July.” He stroked her cheek. “I need to tell you something about myself.”
    She blinked at him, her gaze firming his resolve as he gathered his courage to share his truth. He moved onto his side and brushed her hair away from her face. She needed to know. Her necklace bore the mark of his maker, Chance, and even worse, it was the key that had stolen his freedom. And if Chance was aware of July and the key’s presence in Vegas, she was in real danger.
    “Don’t be afraid of me.”
    She smiled at him. “Why would I be afraid?”
    “Because,” Carter said. “I’m a vampire.”

Chapter Five
    J uly blinked . “Vampire.”
    “I want you to know the truth.” He took her balled fist and uncurled her fingers. Then he flattened it against his chest. “No heartbeat, July. No breath.”
    July pressed her fingers against his cold, firm flesh. Why hadn’t she noticed before? And his chest wasn’t rising and falling. There was no beat of a heart beneath his solid, muscled chest.
    Was this a trick? Could Carter be dead?
    Or rather, undead.
    How was it even possible?
    “How are you making your body like this? It wasn’t like this when we were making love.” She felt strangled by her own words. They’d made love. It hadn’t been just sex. Right? But he hadn’t been cold or dead. He’d been very hot and very much alive.
    His confused expression must have mirrored her own. “You must know about vampires, right? You have that necklace.”
    “I’ve read about vampires,” corrected July, “in fictional novels. Like Adora LaFortune’s Swelter . That’s not real.”
    “The story is based on something that really happened,” said Carter. “And Adora LaFortune is the pen name for a vampire.”
    “Either you’re taking a practical joke way too far,” said July, her fingers pressing harder into his skin, “or you really are a—” She looked at his face and gasped. His blue eyes were tinged red now, and his smile showed off a shiny pair of white, sharp fangs.
    In the blink of an eye, Carter’s face returned to its human form. She saw pain in his eyes along with a sliver of hope. Okay. So, he’s a vampire. She should have been afraid, but she wasn’t. If he’d wanted to harm her or kill her, he’d had plenty of opportunity during their evening together, and he hadn’t done anything other than bring her the greatest pleasure she’d ever experienced. But what did Aunt Grace’s gift have to do with vampires?
    “What do you know about my necklace? Why do you think it means I know anything about vampires?” she asked.
    “With one vampire,” Carter corrected. “His name these days is Chance. You see, I was a young man in the 1950s, falling for a gal who was pretty and smart. But I was rube. Grace didn’t want me. She