Instead, he lowered his face to her breasts and captured one hard nipple in his mouth, sucking on it, making Lilo shiver under his touch. Yes, that was how he would help her decide: by showering her with passion and pleasure, with tenderness and care. And with love. He froze. Love? Was the feeling that was controlling his body and mind, love? Could it be? Could it even happen after so short a time? How would he know for sure?

Her voice made him snap his attention back to her.

“Oh, yes, Blake, please, just like that,” she said, riding him faster now.

He helped her by gripping her hips and lifting her up whenever she rose onto her knees, then drawing her down when she sank back onto him. Despite the plentiful lubrication from his semen and her juices, the friction was increasing, and he felt his next orgasm approach.

He continued sucking her breasts, alternating between her nipples, while he plunged his cock deep into her.

“Yeah, ride me hard,” he mumbled against her firm flesh.

He lifted his head to look at her face, a face that glistened with passion. Their gazes met, melting into each other.

Lilo suddenly lifted her hand and brushed her hair away from one side of her neck, tilting her head to the side. He stared at the delicate skin and could see the vein beneath its surface pulse in the rhythm of their lovemaking. How many more temptations would he have to resist?

Lilo bent closer, then let one hand trail down the exposed side of her neck, as if to show him the way.

He groaned out loud. “Damn it, Lilo. This is hard enough.”

She didn’t break eye contact. “I know. I can feel it.” As if to emphasize her statement, she drove down fast, practically impaling herself on his rock-hard cock.

He moved his head back, touching the headboard. “If you don’t stop teasing me—”

She cut him off by crushing her mouth to his. Her tongue licked the seam of his lips, and he parted them, unable to resist her. When she licked along his teeth to entice his fangs to descend, he knew he’d lost.

A ringing sound drifted to his ear. Was he already delirious from the knowledge that in a few seconds, he’d be piercing Lilo’s skin and driving his fangs into her? Was he that far gone already?

The ringing didn’t stop. Finally, he realized what it was: his cell phone. It lay on his nightstand. And the ringtone was one he couldn’t ignore.

He ripped his mouth from Lilo’s. “Sorry, Lilo, but I need to get this.”

A disappointed mewl came over her lips, but she stopped moving up and down on him. He reached for the phone, but before he answered it, he said, “Trust me, I’m more disappointed by this interruption than you.”

Her eyes sparkled at his words, and he squeezed her hip in reassurance while he connected the call.

“John?”

“Glad to hear you’re awake,” his colleague answered. “Are you fully recovered?”

Despite the fact that his shoulder still felt a little sore, he answered, “I’m a hundred percent.”

“Good, because we have a solid lead.”

Lilo who was leaning closer to hear what John was saying, sucked in a breath. “Oh my God!”

“Let me put you on speaker. I’m here with Lilo.” He pressed the speaker button.

“Hi, Lilo. So, here’s what we’ve got: we found Hannah’s dog at an animal shelter. And listen to this: who do you think dropped off the dog there the night of Hannah’s disappearance?”

“Who?” Lilo asked.

“Ronny.”

“Why would he—”

Blake cut her off. “Are you sure it was him?”

“Positive. The clerk on duty that night recognized him from the photo we showed him.”

“Did he also see how he left? On foot, by car? Was anybody waiting for him outside?”

“No,” John said. “But guess what: there’s a gas station kitty corner from the animal shelter. And they have surveillance cameras. One of them caught Ronny getting into an old pick-up truck.”

“A pick-up? I thought the car we were looking for was a Toyota Corolla.”

“Correct, but he wasn’t driving that car.”

“Please tell me the camera picked up the license plate.”

“It did. We already traced it. Looks like it’s registered to an address in Napa. We looked it up on Google Maps. Pretty remote area, deep in the woods. Ideal for hiding an illegal operation.”

“Let’s get a team together, now,” Blake ordered.

“Already done. We’re just waiting for you.”

He checked the digital clock on his nightstand. Not only did it show the current time, it was also programmed to count down to sunset and sunrise. “Sunset is in an hour. I’ll be at HQ before that.”

“Good. We’ll be waiting.”

Blake disconnected the call and looked at Lilo. “I wish I didn’t have to cut this short, but—”

She put a finger over his lips. “You don’t have to explain anything. We’ve gotta go. Let’s get dressed.”

“We?” He shook his head. “Oh no, you’re not coming with me this time.”

“But—”

“No but! We don’t know what’s waiting for us there. You must be crazy if you think I’d let you put yourself in harm’s way.”

She braced her hands on her hips, scoffing. “You’re calling me crazy?”

“Only in the best possible way.”

“There is no fucking best possible way.”

He gripped her hips. “While it does turn me on when you swear like that, I’m afraid you’re not going to win this argument. You’re staying put. And to make sure you do, I’m going to ask my family to keep you company.”

“You can’t do that!”

“I can and I will!” Furious that she wasn’t obeying, he thrust his hips upward, ramming his cock deep into her.

Her eyelids fluttered and he could hear her pulse race. Well, maybe he’d secure her submission by other means. He wasn’t above a little manipulation. And nobody would get hurt by it.

Sliding his hand between their bodies, he found her clit well lubricated by their combined juices and rubbed his finger over it.

“That’s not fair,” she ground out and dropped her head back.

“Life isn’t fair. Now be a good girl and come for your big bad vampire.”