His lips touched her neck, brushing her skin lightly. He tugged her closer, and she could feel his erection pressing against her stomach. His very large erection. Her own immediate reaction surprised her. Her pulse quickened and she could feel color beginning to bloom on her cheeks. She inhaled sharply.

The instructor cleared his throat, and Noah stilled against her. Slowly, his head rose from her neck, and his dark eyes met hers. Need so strong hit her that she didn’t care they weren’t alone, or what her family might think. The obvious desire in his eyes made her instantly wet.

And something was wrong with his mouth. The skin looked stretched around his teeth. Oh, God, his teeth. Were those his fangs? The thought of him sinking those sharp teeth into her skin suddenly didn’t seem frightening at all, and her knees grew weak at the thought. She shuddered softly against him, knowing he could see it in her eyes, see how much she wanted him.

The class seemed to be emptying around them. People were talking. Saying things. Asking her questions. She couldn’t hear them.

“Good night,” Noah called over his shoulder, breaking their eye contact. Then they were moving. Walking—somehow she was walking—out of the room.

If there hadn’t been a crowd of Alice’s family members at the salsa dancing lesson, Noah wasn’t entirely certain he could have kept himself from pushing her down onto the dance floor and taking her right there. Dancing had been bad enough, but when she’d doubted him, anger had pulsed through him. Anger that quickly morphed into passion as soon as he’d pulled her close.

Half-dragging her down the hallway, he was silent all the way to the room. To his surprise, so was she. And when the door clicked shut behind them, her wide eyes met his in a room lit only by the moonlight streaming in from their balcony.

He stopped and stared at her. She was so beautiful, even now, with an almost grim expression on her face. Slowly, she kicked off her dancing shoes, and her eyes didn’t shy from his. He opened his mouth, not sure what to say, but somehow, he needed to break the silence surrounding them. She stopped him with a finger to his lips and a shake of her head.

He wanted—needed—to touch her, but she stepped back again and pulled her blouse over her head. A thin bra covered her breasts, and he could see the outline of her beading nipples through the fabric. The swell of her breasts was pale in the moonlight. He hadn’t thought his cock could get any harder, but it did at the sight of her. And he couldn’t just stand and watch anymore.

He closed the distance between them, and then took her mouth ferociously. The taste of the red wine they’d enjoyed with dinner filled her mouth. He wanted—ached—to sink his fangs into her skin. Vampire bites could give pleasure, and he needed so badly to give her every pleasure he could imagine.

But he couldn’t bite her. So he forced away the urge and kissed her, expertly avoiding revealing his fangs with his possession of her mouth.

He slid his hand down and palmed her soft breast. She moaned, his lips capturing the sound, and then he pulled away from the kiss.

She was just as he’d imagined her to be—far more times than he’d like to admit. Her lips were swollen and her eyes heavily lidded with passion. He slid his thumb over her nipple and could feel it so tantalizingly close under the thin fabric.

A warning flickered in his mind. This wasn’t the control he’d promised himself. He wasn’t supposed to make love to her. It wasn’t the logical thing to do. Hell, he was pretty damn certain it wasn’t the right thing to do. But he didn’t care. He’d never wanted anything so badly in his life.

“Noah,” she said, voice weak.

He closed his mouth over her nipple, the material of her bra still between his lips and her sensitive skin. She gasped, her fingers tangled in his hair. With his tongue, he stroked her through the fabric and was rewarded with breathless words. He sucked and licked at both of her breasts and then stepped back to remove her bra. He needed to see her, all of her.

The bit of light in the room revealed her bra, now wet and translucent, with her dark nipples stark against her pale skin.

“So fucking sexy,” he growled.

He met her eyes, and something behind the passion startled him enough to form real thoughts. Fear. Or uncertainty, at least.

“Are you all right?” he asked. “We don’t have to, I mean—”

She shook her head and chuckled. “Oh, we’re doing this. We are so doing this.”

“You just looked—” he started. She unclasped her bra and let it fall, and he lost his train of thought. While he gaped at her, she dropped her skirt as well.

And there was not one bit of material beneath it.

Magnificent. That was the only word he could think of as he raked his gaze over her body. Perky breasts and smooth hips, she was the most perfect picture of a woman he could imagine. He met her gaze and quirked an eyebrow at her.

She shrugged, a hesitant grin on her face. “Didn’t want a panty line.” When he couldn’t seem to move, she closed the gap between them. Slipping her hands inside his shirt, she slid them up and over his chest, exploring his body as he ached to explore hers. She pulled his mouth down against hers and kissed him. Soft, testing.

Then, quite insistently, she tugged his shirt off. Her soft touches all over his skin were laced in fire. And when her lips nipped down his neck, it was all he could do not to toss her on the bed and take her like an animal.

“Minx,” he said, instead. He traced his way down her body, caressing her softly, exploring. As he slid his hand down her stomach and teasingly touched her thighs, she gasped.

And the second he touched her soft wetness, the urge to toss her down and have his way with her surged again. She was so ready. So hot and wet and perfect.

Shit. He had to move slowly. Had to make this as good for her as he knew it would be for him. He nudged her toward the bed and helped her lie down.

“Not fair,” she muttered, tugging at his pants.

“All’s fair in war,” he said, then his mouth found her breast again.

She chuckled, low and sexy. “Is that what this is? War?”

He didn’t reply with words. Instead, he kissed her, then slipped his hand down to touch her again. She bucked against him, but he touched her slowly, languidly. Exploring her. Learning how she needed to be touched.

When she moved against him, seeking her pleasure, he palmed her. Only when she relaxed did he continue his exploration.

She moaned and writhed beneath him. “Fuck, Noah. Please.”

He nuzzled her neck, enjoying that he’d pulled such a naughty word from the mostly proper Miss Shepard. She smelled so fucking sweet. The urge to bite her overwhelmed him. Her fruity shampoo, the wine on her tongue, the smell of her arousal. He pushed away from her and took a haggard breath. Air. He needed air. Air that didn’t smell so fucking tempting.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he managed. His teeth ached for her. His dick ached for her. One need he had to ignore, but the other—

He got up from the bed and yanked his pants off. Alice watched him silently from the bed, her expression hidden in the darkness. He reached into the side pocket of his bag. She didn’t know he was a vampire. Didn’t know he couldn’t give her a disease or impregnate her. Thank God he had left that package of condoms in his bag after his last vacation.

She pulled him to her as soon as he leaned over her on the bed. Her tongue slid against his. Her hand found his cock, and the urge to bite receded, replaced by an urge just as great. She stroked him and kissed him, and all he could think of was burying himself in her heat.

The desire to thrust into her, take her with abandon, overwhelmed him. But he forced himself to slide in slowly, working to ease himself into her. Giving her body a chance to adjust. But she was so fucking warm and wet and—he rocked forward, pushing most of his length into her.

Her body wrapped around him, and she thrust her hips forward, pulling even more of him into her body. She cried out his name, and her fingernails dug into his ass.

He pushed himself the rest of the way into her tightness, and then forced himself to stop moving. She writhed against him. He held her still with his weight. Her scent enveloped him, and the urge to bite her hit again.

He nuzzled her neck. So close. He sucked on her neck. His teeth slid against her skin.

No. He yanked his face away from her neck. No. He wasn’t going to bite her. Her hips pushed against him and brought back the other hunger. Yes. That was a hunger he could sate.

He moved, thrusting in and out slowly.

“Oh, Noah,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. She pulled his face back to hers, and she kissed him. Her body welcoming him. So tight, warm, and wet. He thrust harder. Her tongue slipped between his teeth, scraping against his extended canines.

Blood. The taste filled his mouth as he shoved himself into her harder. Had to be careful. Could hurt her. Why was there blood on his lips?

And then he couldn’t think. He could only feel her. Smell her. Hear his name calling from her lips. Feel her moaning against his mouth.

He slipped a hand between them. He was so close. But couldn’t go there. Not without her.

“Come for me,” he said, voice harsh and low.

He touched her, stroked her. Pumped in and out of her. So fast. Had to slow down.

Then she yelled. Something. His name maybe. He couldn’t hear because the blood rushed through his ears as her body contracted around him, shaking with her orgasm. She shuddered and cried out again. Her blood was on his tongue.

He thrust into her again. Then the world exploded.

Alice stared into the relative darkness of the room, so warm and comfortable, her back snuggled into Noah’s arms. But she couldn’t sleep. Despite the comfort. Despite the perfection of the moment. Despite the mind-blowing orgasm.

Her thoughts raced.

She’d slept with Noah. And it had been terrifyingly wonderful. Despite every logical part of her brain insisting it had been a mistake, she couldn’t regret it.

It had just been too darn good.

Not that she hadn’t had good sex before. She had. She’d thought she had. But sex had never been so…mind-blowing. She took a deep breath and Noah’s arms tightened ever so slightly around her.