Better Off Red Read online

  He and Samantha had made themselves comfortable on the couch.

  I wouldn’t have handpicked her for him, but toward the end of the

  night, she actually had him talking and laughing. I’d take that over

  the helpless desperation I’d faced on the porch.

  The whole night, I felt Camila’s eyes on me. It drove me nuts.

  I made up my mind to ignore her. She may have been the reason for

  the slow, aching burn between my thighs, but I wasn’t going to let

  her know that. The power of her kiss didn’t negate Benny’s warning.

  I refused to be another one of her meaningless, semi-nutritious

  hookups. I enjoyed the rest of the night with the satisfaction of

  knowing she wouldn’t get another crack at me, in bed at least.

  A little before one a.m., Rodrick started sending the boys back

  toward their house. Soon, Micah was the only one left.

  “Micah, the young ladies need their rest. Miss A.J. will still

  attend the university in the morning,” Rodrick said with a gentle

  grin.“All right. I’m coming.” Micah leaned closer to Anna-Jade.

  “I’ll hit you up later,” I heard him whisper. Her cheeks turned bright

  red, and at least two other girls had to hold in their “aws” as she

  waved a bashful good-bye.

  Camila employed a maid service who would be there first thing

  in the morning. Still, a bunch of us pitched in for a preliminary clean

  up. The other sister-queens and a handful of the girls had returned

  to the bottom floor. I had no idea where Camila had gone, but she

  must have completed her Ginger surveillance for the night because

  I didn’t see her anywhere.

  I was the last one up the stairs, openly mocking Cleo for her

  use of the word credenza, when I heard Camila call my name.

  “Ah, teacher’s pet,” Cleo coughed. The other girls bit their

  cheeks to hold in their comments. Gritting my teeth, I slowly turned

  around. I felt like I had been caught sneaking back into my parents’

  house after a late night of drinking in the woods.

  • 96 •

  Better Off red

  Camila was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. The telling look

  on her face didn’t make things any better. I carefully inserted my

  foot in my mouth and decided to accept Camila’s offer before she

  made it.

  “Let me just grab my stuff,” I told her. We both ignored Cleo’s

  snicker.

  “I’ll be waiting in the pantry.” Camila gracefully strode away.

  I cursed then walked to get my bag. I was sure to flip off Cleo and

  Amy as I went.

  ❖

  We made the trip to her place in silence. She watched me

  the whole time, that sly grin glued to her lips. I excused myself to

  change and take off my makeup. I nearly threw a hissy fit when she

  made a move to stop me. I just wanted a second to get my mind

  together. Good thing I’d bit my tongue because she’d only meant to

  unzip my dress for me.

  “Just leave it on the counter. I’ll have it dry-cleaned.”

  I murmured my thank-you before slinking away.

  I closed the bathroom door and considered banging my head

  against the sink. How in the hell did I end up back in her room? I

  was so spineless. I hadn’t even attempted to say no. Not a maybe

  later or a not tonight. I stuck the apple in my own my mouth, right

  beside my foot, then started basting myself for Camila’s amusement.

  And after I changed, I’d wished I brought different pajamas.

  I’d been anxious to try out my new ABO boy shorts and cami. I

  turned to the side, looking at myself in the mirror. She hadn’t even

  touched me and my nipples were straining under the stretch cotton.

  The simple kiss she’d given me during the party had left me so wet

  I could almost wring out the thong I’d been wearing.

  I turned to the other side and ran my fingers over my stomach.

  “I’d kill for a snowsuit or a chastity belt,” I muttered to myself.

  “Now why would you do that?”

  My heart jumped up into my throat. Camila stepped behind me

  in the dimly lit bathroom. She had changed into another black tank

  top/lace panties combo. She looked so good.

  • 97 •

  reBekah WeatherspOOn

  “You have to stop doing that,” I said when I started breathing

  again.“What? Coming into the bathroom?”

  “Sneaking up on me.”

  “I like that little noise you make when you’re surprised.”

  “What noise?” I scowled at her.

  “Don’t worry about it, Red. I want you to tell me something.”

  I watched her hips as she walked over to me. Her smooth gait

  reminded me of the shocking power hidden in those feminine curves.

  When she reached me, she gently gripped my waist and placed me

  on the counter in one effortless motion. Her strength took me by

  surprise again, and it left me breathless.

  “See. You made that noise.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  The lump in my throat went down hard as I looked at her full

  lips. She had gotten rid of the lipstick, but her lips were still tinted

  pink and they shined with some sort of unscented gloss. I wanted to

  kiss her.

  Slowly, her hands slid up my ribs. She gently guided my arms

  up and around her shoulders. Her skin was so soft and warm it was

  hard to believe she was the spawn of some demon race. She was too

  gentle and so accessible. She tasted too sweet.

  Camila slid in a little closer and my legs automatically wrapped

  around her hips. I knew right then I was screwed. My body was

  holding hers captive, but she had all the control. She had me. I

  wasn’t going anywhere.

  Her lips parted slightly as she looked me over. I caught a

  glimpse of her sharp teeth.

  “So tell me, why do you seem so embarrassed to be spending

  the night with me?”

  “I’m not embarrassed.”

  Her head dipped and she gently nipped me on the shoulder.

  My hips shifted all on their own, chasing some friction from

  Camila’s body. Her arm wrapped around my back and she pulled

  me closer, rubbing her stomach against my slit. I whimpered,

  arching my body.

  • 98 •

  Better Off red

  “I just want to fuck you again. I loved watching you come. I

  don’t believe that’s something to be embarrassed about.”

  “No,” I moaned. “It’s not.”

  “You’ll stay with me tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. I’ve been thinking about your taste all day,” she said.

  “Come to bed with me.”

  She didn’t wait for my reply before she helped me slip off the

  counter. We walked back to her bedroom, and I didn’t pull away

  from her when she tried to hold my hand. There was no will to resist

  her. I wasn’t thinking clearly at all. There was no use in denying

  what I wanted. Camila got me so worked up, there was no flicker of

  logic sparking in my brain. I wanted to touch her and I wanted her

  to touch me.

  When she laid me down on her bed, I pushed everything I’d

  wanted in terms of a relationship, and everything Benny had told us,r />
  out of my head. I’d focus on tonight and Camila and worry about

  everything—school, Greg, my affected DNA—tomorrow. Now I

  wanted the beautiful vampire queen to take the pleasure between

  our bodies where we both wanted it to go.

  Her deep gaze held mine as she prowled over my body. When

  we were eye to eye, she kissed me. Her perfect tongue slid in and

  out of my mouth with slow, penetrating strokes. Her cinnamon scent

  surrounded me. If I could have lived off the flavor of her lips and

  the juices from her tongue, I would have. The words I wanted to tell

  her, the confessions of how she was making me feel, were lost in the

  swirl of my senses. I couldn’t have ended the kiss to share them with

  her, so I moaned deep in my throat. She smiled against my lips then

  kissed me even deeper.

  My body started to grind against her stomach. Camila took that

  as her cue to pull away. I watched her, licking all trace of her off my

  lips. She rose to her knees and hooked her fingers into the fabric at

  my hips.

  “Did you have fun today?” she asked softly.

  I nodded in reply.

  She pulled my underwear down my thighs and off my feet.

  • 99 •

  reBekah WeatherspOOn

  “Well, I’ll say.” She ran her fingers over my newly styled pubic

  hair. “Very pretty.”

  She gazed between my legs. Her lips parted again, and this

  time her growing fangs kept her from closing them. A low purring

  sound rumbled in her chest and my pussy clenched, soaking, aching

  for her. Her nostrils flared and the purring grew slightly louder.

  “God, Red.” Her palm came down on the juncture of my hip

  and thigh, and she slowly ran her finger down the length of my slit.

  My mouth fell open and I did my best to keep from arching off the

  bed. My pussy tingled like crazy, dripping even wetter with each

  gentle stroke.

  Camila took her time driving me insane. I could hear myself

  panting. I wanted her to hurry up and bite me. The sweet crushing

  orgasm that came with the cool sting of her fangs was better than

  any orgasm I’d ever given myself, undoubtedly better than any

  orgasm anyone else could give me. But then there was the other part

  of me that wanted Camila to go slowly. When I had the time and the

  privacy, I liked working myself to the point where my clit ached and

  throbbed. Finally giving in and letting myself come again and again

  had always been the best reward for my patience. Camila made the

  torture so much sweeter.

  She dipped her thumb into my dripping pussy then drew my

  juices up, spreading them around my clit. She was purposefully

  avoiding the tip.

  “And Cleo and the girls took good care of you?” she asked.

  “Yes.” I bit my lip and moaned to keep from finishing my

  sentence. The words but I still missed you almost tumbled out. I

  was completely freaked out that the thought had even popped into

  my head. It was true that I hadn’t experienced anything better than

  Camila’s seductive touch, but the time we spent together was very

  limited, and as I’d been reminding myself all day, meaningless.

  Plus, I’d only known her for a little over twenty-four hours.

  Saying I missed her just made me sound like a total nut bag. I

  wouldn’t even bother considering whether it was true.

  Camila had no problem fucking me, so I could fuck her and

  go about my business. I wasn’t attached to anyone else, human or

  • 100 •

  Better Off red

  vampire, and no one but Camila had caught my eye, so why couldn’t

  I enjoy the time we spent together?

  Her thumb swirled over my clit once more and my hips jerked

  off the sheets. Enjoying wouldn’t be a problem.

  “Red,” she whispered. I peeled my eyes open and stared at her

  beautiful face as she slid onto her belly between my legs. “I’m going

  to go slow.” All I could do was nod, swallowing a gasp as her thumb

  pushed back inside me.

  She worked my body at a brutal pace, taking her time as she

  moved through different motions with her fingers and her palm. I

  fought to keep my hips still. The moment I pushed back or tried to

  ride her hand, I knew I would come. I wasn’t ready yet.

  Finally, she lowered her head, her shoulders bunching. This

  time she didn’t have to bite me. The moment her lips locked on to

  my pussy, I came.

  • 101 •

  • 102 •

  Better Off red

  Chapter six

  Instead of a sexy naked vampire, I woke up next to a tented

  piece of white stationary. I grabbed the note Camila had left

  me and I rolled onto my back. The sheets on her side of the bed were

  cold. I shivered and rolled back into my pocket of warmth before I

  opened the note.

  Red, I’m right next door.

  Her handwriting was swirly and feminine. For some reason, I

  expected something more angular or maybe even typed. She didn’t

  sign the note. A small heart was etched on the paper in the place

  of her name. I stared at the little symbol for love, and my chest

  fluttered a bit. I was in trouble.

  Our second night together had been perfect. Better than the

  first. I didn’t know it was possible to let yourself go that way, leave

  yourself completely at the will of someone else. Every ounce of

  resistance fell to the side. Camila took over, took every inch of me,

  twice before we fell asleep and once more in the middle of the night.

  There were sensations I never thought existed, positions I’d

  never considered. And then there were the emotions, ones I wasn’t

  ready to feel for anyone, ones I should never feel for her, that grew

  stronger and stronger with every kiss and every touch. I was so

  fucking screwed.

  I was in love with Camila.

  There was no falling about it. I’d packed my bags sometime

  during the week, and last night I’d changed my address and moved

  into the You’re Insane Manor.

  • 103 •

  reBekah WeatherspOOn

  I looked at the note again and imagined receiving hundreds

  more like it, hopefully with heavier meaning and more thoughtful

  or x-rated content. As if she would slip little pieces of paper in my

  locker after study hall. I needed to get a grip. Before long, I’d be

  imagining myself with her last name, if she had one.

  I rubbed my neck where she’d bitten me. She had kept her

  word. There was never any pain, and even now as I brushed my

  fingers over the healed skin, my clit tingled. I wanted to equate that

  feeling to the amazing sex Camila and I had, but it was more than

  that. It was the way Camila made me feel when she kissed me, the

  smile that touched her lips every time she called me Red. So many

  things about her that I loved.

  “You are mental,” I muttered. Then I got out of bed. I pulled

  one of my new ABO shirts and a pair of sweats out of my bag. My

  sanity kept her opinion to herself when I slipped Camila’s note in

  the side pocket.

  After I pulled my hair up, I went looking
for Camila. I heard

  her voice off to the left, from the one room of her underground

  apartment I hadn’t seen. The door was open. I peeked around the

  jamb and saw Camila pacing around, talking on her cell. She was

  back in her uniform: the black tank top and undies. Bedhead never

  seemed to affect her perfect black spikes that I had yet to run my

  fingers through. Her lips looked soft and perfect.

  She held out her hand, beckoning me across the room. My feet

  carried me over to her immediately. I wanted to throw my arms around

  her and nuzzle my cheek against her shoulder, the kind of stuff you do

  first thing in the morning when you see someone you love.

  Instead, our fingers intertwined and I felt her warmth spread

  through me. My stomach flipped and I could feel the heat rising up

  my face. Unless we were actually having sex, holding hands was

  pretty much all we did. But I loved when she touched me, so I didn’t

  see any reason to complain.

  “No. I told him that was not okay…No. He cleans himself up

  or he’s done,” she said. She held the phone away from her cheek and

  kissed me softly on the lips. While we touched, I could faintly hear

  some guy muttering on the other end. She took a small step back,

  • 104 •

  Better Off red

  looking at our feet. I could tell she was pretty pissed at whoever she

  was talking about, but there was still a gentleness to her tone.

  “He’s useless to me in more ways than one, and there’s no way

  I’m sending him to someone else…No, I took him off Faeth’s hands

  as a favor on the terms that he wouldn’t feed again. I’m not running

  a rehab.”

  There was more muttering on the line. She shook her head with

  a quick laugh then kissed me again.

  “I’m not yelling at you. Don’t worry about it. This is not your

  problem. Thank you for telling me, and I’ll handle it. How was last

  night?”

  I finally peeled my eyes off her gorgeous face and gave my-

  self a chance to look around the office. She let go of my hand,

  and I strolled across the cool hardwood floor. There were shelves

  and shelves lined with books, everything from old leather-bound

  volumes to brightly colored paperbacks. There were trinkets on

  every available surface.

  Figures of round-bellied fertility goddesses in different stones

  and sizes lined the top of her bookshelves. Between her volumes of