Hot Vampire Next Door: Season Two (Midnight Harbor Book 2)

I am distantly aware that storming off in search of Bran in Duval House is more than a little reckless.

I am distantly aware that Sky’s admission is as good as her striking a match and lighting the wick of a bomb.

And I’m the bomb.

But right now, I don’t care about any of that. There’s a knotting in my gut that feels a lot like betrayal.

“Bran!” I yell as I stalk down the hallway. All of the vampires and pledged humans give me a wide berth. “Bran Duval!”

“Jessie.” Jimmy is suddenly beside me. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to see Bran.”

“Okay. But if you’ll just—” She cuts herself off, her gaze going distant as if she’s listening to something out of range of my hearing. “Bran said to follow me.”

“Oh, he did, did he?” She guides me down the hall, then down another and finally shows me into an office where Bran is sitting on the edge of a giant desk. His brother is at the window, a glass of liquor in his hand.

“What’s wrong, mouse?” Bran asks, only a slight edge of concern in his voice. “Did someone touch what’s mine?”

He means me.

I come to a stop in front of him. Slouched as he is against the desk, we’re nearly the same height and the intensity of his stare at eye level causes me to pull to a stop.

“Mouse,” he coaxes.

I take in a breath. “Did you leave Duval House because of me?”

His gaze cuts over my shoulder to Jimmy and his face sharpens to a look of reproval.

“It wasn’t me,” Jimmy answers.

“It was Sky,” I say. “And the fact that you’re doing that thing with your face tells me all I need to know.”

He pushes off the desk and rises to his full height. It makes me feel small and immediately I second guess myself. But no. No.

“Mouse,” he says with warning.

“Why?” I shove a finger in his chest. “Why haven’t you told me? And why would you do that? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“That’s what I told him,” Damien says to the window.

“Why, Bran?”

“That’s a very long story.” His voice is low and throaty.

“I have time.”

“Mouse.”

We face off silently and stoically for several long seconds. Bran is stubborn. But I can be too.

“You promised me you’d always tell me the truth. Last chance.”

He still says nothing.

Decision made, I swivel on my heel and turn to Jimmy. “Could you please show me the way to my car?”

Her eyes dart to Bran and then, “Sure. Of course.”

I can feel Bran’s attention on me as I leave the room. He doesn’t try to stop me. Good thing too, because I’m this close to punching a vampire in the face.

Jimmy walks me across the Duval property and shows me to my car. The keys are tucked in the visor—a very obvious place for keys to be. No one would dare steal a car from Duval property, though, so I suppose I’m not miffed about it.

“Thank you,” I tell Jimmy as I slide in behind the wheel.

She comes into the open driver’s side door and says, “Try not to be too hard on him. He often does what he does out of love.”

I snort. “I think what you mean is he does it because he thinks he’s better than everyone else and he thinks he can get away with doing whatever he wants.”

She doesn’t argue that. “Be careful, okay? Bran would lose his shit if something happened to you.”

I roll my eyes. “I don’t think that’s true.”

“Just…promise me, okay?”

“Fine. Sure. I will obey all traffic laws.”

She steps back and I slam the door shut and crank the engine over, feeling just slightly guilty for taking out my annoyance on Jimmy.

I roll down the window and say, “Thank you.”

She nods and, in an instant, she’s gone.

I half expect to find Bran on my front porch when I get home, but he isn’t there.

I park in the driveway and go inside. The house is dark and quiet. Kelly still isn’t home? I go upstairs and find her bed made and unrumpled so I shoot her a quick text.

Where are you?

Locke House comes her quick reply.

Not that long ago, talking to my sister about my Pledging and my childhood seemed like the most important thing, but now? Shit is piling up and I don’t even know where to start anymore.

Why the hell would Bran leave Duval House for me? Clearly Damien knew about it. Which explains why I heard the rumor they got into a fight over him leaving.

I decide the best thing to do is take a shower, scrub the night and Bran from my skin, and then try to sleep somewhat normal hours. But as I’m padding down to the kitchen for a bottle of water in nothing but my robe, I hear a knock on the back door.

I know who it is before I pull it open.

I find Bran with an arm propped on the door frame, leaning into the open doorway as much as the magic of invitations will allow.

I don’t know what that strange magic is or what governs it, but it works better than any charm.

Bran will never be able to cross that threshold without being invited by myself or Kelly.

“What do you want?” I ask.

“I came to explain.”

“I’m listening.” I cross my arms over my chest and Bran watches as the silk material of my robe rides up on my bare thighs.

“If I tell you,” he says, his gaze finally returning to my face, “it might change things between us.”

“You not telling me has clearly changed things between us.”

I can feel the power shifting. He’s treating this whole thing like a scale of justice. One wrong move and the scales will tip. Right now what we have going on is a delicate balance of control, a synergy of give and take. If I’m being honest, I’m afraid of the scales shifting too, but I need to know.

“Invite me in,” he says, “and I’ll tell you.”

I laugh, but it’s more derision than humor. “I’m not doing that.”

“Mouse.”

“Tell me.”

“I’m not telling you when I can’t get to you.”

“Why?” I cock out a hip. The robe slips again. “Because you know that if you can just touch me, tease me, control me, maybe the truth won’t be so bad for me to hear?”

He doesn’t answer, but the sharpened edge to his expression tells me I’ve nailed it.

I exhale, uncross my arms. He watches the robe again.

And an idea comes to me.

It’s as much about me taking back some control as it is about getting revenge.

I go upstairs.

“Mouse!” he calls.

I come back a minute later with my favorite bunny vibrator. It’s a deep violet shade made of silicone with an innie and an outie point of contact so I can fuck myself and hit my clit at the same time.

It’s gotten me off more times than I can count.

Bran’s gaze sinks to it in my hand and then he narrows his eyes.

“Mouse.” His voice reverberates with warning.

“Last chance.”

“I’m not playing games,” he says.

Well, I am.

And I’m about to take this one home.

I settle myself into the doorway just this side of the threshold and prop my foot on the other side. The robe parts, exposing me, and Bran’s nostrils flare.

I am a responsible owner of toys and always wash mine after use, so when I pop it in my mouth, I know it’s nice and clean.

Bran growls in the back of his throat as I close my eyes and fuck my mouth with it, getting it nice and wet.

When I pull it out, I let my lips pop around it.

Bran’s eyes are glowing now.

I readjust, hit the ON button and the toy vibrates in my hand.

Bran’s breathing intensifies as I drag the toy over my pussy. I might have been anticipating the sensation, but the way Bran leans in, teeth gritted, makes the pleasure sink a little deeper.

I arch against the doorframe and slip the vibrator inside my slick channel.

“Oh fuck,” I moan for dramatic effect but when I increase the pace and Bran puts his hands on his side of the door frame and the wood groans around his grip, the pleasure pounds through me like a summer storm.

I keep fucking myself, the soft nubby end hitting my clit with every thrust.

The tie on the robe slips open and my nipple hits the cool air, beading to a peak.

Bran bites at his bottom lip, drawing blood. His dark brow is sunk into a deep V as he mops up the blood with a swipe of his tongue.

I moan again.

“Mouse,” he says, his voice low and throaty.

“I bet you wish it was you inside of me.”

Whoa. Where did that come from?

But I immediately see the teasing has hit him exactly where I intended.

There’s a very clear bulge at the front of his pants.

I fuck myself a little harder and hit the button for more intense vibration. The sensation pulses through me and there’s a very distinct wet sound coming from my pussy now.

I groan and pant and groan again as the orgasm rises, rises, the nub hitting my throbbing clit just right.

“Oh…fuck…” I pant out and then capture my nipple between two fingers, rolling it for a stroke of pain.

As the orgasm takes hold and I cry out, the doorframe groans beneath Bran’s grip and the wood cracks.

The pleasure roars through me like a forest fire, consuming my veins, pulsing and thrilling every hollow corner of my body. My thighs quiver and I arch, knees trembling as I hold the toy deep inside, the nub tight against my clit as several aftershocks pound through me.

When I come down and refocus, I find Bran staring at me with two eyes like embers.

I’ve never seen so much pain and anguish on his face before.

The doorframe groans again, his knuckles white.

I pull the vibrator out, and then drag my tongue over my juices glistening on the violet shaft.

“Mmmm,” I say. “So sweet.”

“You’ll pay for this one, little mouse.” The rumble is gone from his voice. Now he is cold and distant.

It sends a shiver down my spine and a new pulse through my pussy.

I know I will. But for right now, I’m high on the orgasm and the victory. I needed to take back some of my own power just to prove to him and myself that I could.

“Stop fucking keeping shit from me,” I say, and grab hold of the back door, “and maybe next time you can join me.”

Then I slam the door in his face.