One Sinful Night Read online

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  The Wild Rose Press

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  Copyright ©2006 by Jalena Burke

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  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

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  One Sinful Night

  by

  Jalena Burke

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  One Sinful Night

  COPYRIGHT ©

  2006 by Jalena Burke

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by R.J.Morris

  The Wild Rose Press

  PO Box 706

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0706

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  Scarlet Rose Edition, October 2006

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  To my husband, for his constant support, and to Lisa Byrne. Thank you.

  Kerri Sullivan didn't know a damn thing about condoms anymore. There were just too many brands to choose from. Extra sensitive, climax control, studded, or glow in the dark? And what in the hell was a female condom? She grabbed all of them. So the cashier would probably think she was crazy. If she didn't use them all, she'd give them to Darla, who would no doubt use them within the month.

  Or why not wrap trees with them instead of using toilet paper? She owed her next-door neighbor from last Halloween. He'd not only wrapped her trees, he wrapped her mailbox and car. Or she and her friends could go on an ex-boyfriend rampage and wrap houses with latex.

  She chuckled at the thought. Brian would be the first.

  She and Brian had been in what she thought was a serious, monogamous relationship where they didn't feel they needed to use condoms. She was, after all, on birth control and they were supposed to be exclusive.

  Brian hadn't been as serious as she. He hadn't been as exclusive as she.

  It'd been six months since they'd split up—six months since she'd had sex. That wasn't bad, considering before that she'd been celibate over a year. But it was Halloween weekend, she was horny, and she was looking for a good time with a male. Have condom, will have sex. No worries. Wipe Brian out of her memory once and for all. It wasn't like he'd been that good anyway.

  She'd never, ever had a one-night stand, and she was ready. Sex with a total stranger was something she'd usually only dreamed about. Tonight was a night for change.

  Unless she wanted to remain celibate for another year. Sure, she could have sex with a stranger anytime she wanted, but Halloween seemed like the best time. A sinful time. A time she could pretend to be something she wasn't.

  She grabbed a bottle of wine and a six pack of beer to go along with her condoms. She needed something to make her brave, something to make her relax. Something to make her a smidgen wilder than her normal self.

  On unsteady legs, she made her way to the counter. Just as she suspected, the cashier eyed her, his lecherous grin causing her stomach to flop to the floor. He scanned her purchases. Tall, male, lanky. He'd do if she drank about half of the wine with no food.

  He leered at her as she seized her bags, and she walked away with as much grace as she could muster. Fuck him. He probably wasn't getting any tonight, but she would make sure she did.

  Being single sucked. Next time, she'd buy condoms over the internet, and have enough that she wouldn't have to do this again, for a very long time.

  Not that she'd need many. These would probably last her the next two years. Was there an expiration date?

  The phone rang as she walked in the door to her house. She recognized Darla's voice at once. “Where are you girl?"

  Kerri flicked on lights and sat her bags on the floor. “I just have to get dressed and put on the rest of my makeup. I'll be there in an hour. Besides, it doesn't start for another thirty minutes, and you know how parties are. Later is better."

  Darla was holding a huge Halloween bash at her house. Earlier, Kerri had helped her stream decorations and brew a big pot of green punch. Darla would look as spectacular as ever as a fantasy fairy. Kerri, whose creativity skills bordered on following directions but not in creating fabulous costumes, donned her black witch's hat, a knee length black dress—why couldn't she have found something shorter?—with long black boots, and managed to draw a dot on the side of her cheek.

  A witch was not sexy. Or at least, not her witch costume. She should've opted for a shorter skirt and a cleavage enhancing blouse. What was she thinking when she picked this? How could she expect anyone to be interested in her as a witch?

  She applied blood-red lipstick and smacked her lips together, checked her teeth to make sure nothing was hiding there, and grabbed her purse full of condoms.

  Creatures roamed the streets. There was Minnie Mouse, Captain Jack Sparrow, and Princess Lei in one group. Vampires, goblins, and Chewbacca in another.

  Kerri walked the quarter mile to Darla's house. Stars sprinkled fairy dust through the air. The moon hung bright and low, its roundness cut off by a brooding cloud. A chill sifted through the night like goblins whipping their way through town. She shivered. Some people thought Halloween was ominous, but she loved it. It made her feel childish again, when she actually had good memories.

  Adjusting her hat, Kerri stepped up to knock on Darla's front door. Her friend lived in a cove by the bay where the ocean carried away the noise of the party and brought forth novelty scents of warmth and freshness. Lucky bitch.

  She knocked again, then realized there was no way in hell anyone would hear her knock and opened the door to let herself in. A scream pierced the air, making her smile. The sound effects they installed earlier created the exact setting they'd hoped for.

  Eerie white streamers fell from the ceiling like ghosts, their fingers reaching out as Kerri stepped through them. Blood splatters on the wall. Smoke pouring out from crevices. A bat whizzed past her, screeching and, though she'd hung it on the wall herself and knew to expect it, she jumped.

  "Whoa.” A man's low, guttural voice in her ear caused chill bumps to erupt on the back of her neck. She tried to step forward, but teetered on her heels and fell backwards into his arms. He caught her and pushed her upright.

  She giggled. “Sorry about that."

  She turned to offer him a smile and faltered. Her smile faded, her heart nearly burst in two.

  This was the man. This was the man she wanted to go to bed with. Tall, eyes blazing blue smoke with a hint of a crease under them as his lips turned up. Blood-red lips, ripe for tasting. Dark, black hair hung thick to his neck. He was dressed all in black with a vampire cape.

  She looked into eyes that swallowed her whole. Her body ignited into a smoldering fire, as her mind swam through a muddle of self-doubt and fear that she'd make a total fool of herself. The velvet dress she wore irritated her skin, as if she needed to take it off, and now.

  "Nice costume,” she said, for lack of anything else to say. Her face flamed hot. What an idiot. If she kept acting like this,
she'd never have sex again.

  "You, too."

  He grasped her elbow and guided her through the entryway.

  Kerri thanked the heavens she hadn't put on green makeup. She had thought about it but if she wanted to get laid, green makeup wasn't a good thing.

  "There you are.” Darla, looking just as beautiful as Kerri feared, grabbed her hands and pulled her towards the table of punch. He would forget she existed now that he'd had a glimpse of Darla.

  Kerri glanced behind her, and her heart gave out. The man she wanted to sleep with wasn't looking at Darla. He was looking at her, his eyes potent and magnetizing, as if he liked what he saw.

  "I need your help,” Darla said, wrenching Kerri's attention from the gorgeous vampire. “I'm almost out of punch, and I can't remember how you made it."

  "I'll make more.” She glanced behind her again, afraid the guy would leave. Too late, he was already gone. She walked into the kitchen to make the punch, and lingered. Her hands shook. Her heart thudded. The stranger had done a number on her. She waited until her breathing slowed before carrying the punch out to the crowd. All she needed was to trip and spill it on the floor.

  The living room was hazy, lit by low lamps. Coming from the bright kitchen, which was the only vivid room in the house, Kerri had to stop and adjust her eyes. She stepped around masked men and fairy princesses as she carefully carried the punch out and set it atop a table. She recognized a few people, smiled, laughed at what they said though not really hearing them. People mingled, laughing, talking, eating.

  French doors were open to allow the outside in. In the den, a few doors down, came loud, saucy music. The furniture had been moved aside to allow room to dance.

  Kerri walked to the doors that led outside, but didn't step out. Darla had strung white lights across trees and the top of her decking. Smoke from the smoke machine billowed over the bay, like apparitions waltzing across the water. The wind whistled across the waves.

  For a moment, Kerri actually thought she saw spirits on the water. She wrapped her arms around herself.

  "Do you want to dance?"

  Startled, Kerri whirled around. The vampire man. The one she thought she'd lost.

  "I'd love to."

  She accepted his hand, and he led her into the den. His hand was like molten wax, smooth and warm, and her limbs began to shake from the inside out. She hadn't even drunk anything yet, and if this was going to continue, she'd have to imbibe something with alcohol in it to relax.

  "I'm Blake Donnelly,” he said, his breath teasing her ear.

  "Kerri Sullivan. Nice to meet you."

  The music was slow, sexy, moody and dangerous. Just the kind of music she shouldn't be listening to, when she herself was feeling reckless. They'd barely spoken a few words and already she was ready to go to bed with him. If love at first sight existed, she'd definitely be in love right now.

  They moved across the floor. He was a good dancer and, for some strange reason she couldn't analyze right now, her feet moved exactly where they were supposed to. She normally had two left feet, and couldn't keep rhythm to save her life.

  Her pussy ached. She'd been thinking of sex all day long, and now this man was here, holding her, making her feel feminine and sexy. Something she hadn't felt in a long time.

  She shifted closer to him. If she could just feel that touch between their pelvises, she might be able to forget the ache between her legs. Or at least ease it somewhat.

  His hands pressed against the small of her back. Her hands rested on his shoulder as she swiveled her hips, almost begging him to cup her ass.

  "Do you know Darla?” Kerri asked. She'd never seen him around before.

  "No. I came with Kenneth, a friend who works with Darla."

  "Oh, yeah, I know Kenneth."

  Kenneth had the hots for Darla, but then again every male with a dick that still worked usually did.

  She glanced up at Blake. Those dark blue eyes pulled her, drawing her away from reality. Reality was, even though she'd bought about four boxes of condoms today, she didn't sleep around. Especially with strangers. One-night stands may be a fantasy, but fantasies usually didn't go anywhere in her life.

  But wait. She was changing her life tonight. Remember?

  And oh, his body was hard. She wondered what she'd find underneath his shirt. She smoothed her hands down his chest. Her pelvis glimpsed his, and she felt his cock, sprung and ready. Flames lashed through her pussy.

  Damn, if she could just have one Tequila shot, she might have the nerve to do what she really wanted, which was to kiss those blood-red lips.

  "Where are your teeth?’ she asked then groaned. Could she think of nothing better to say?

  "My what?"

  "You know, the fangs to go with your vampire costume."

  His chuckle reverberated against her breasts. “That only happens during extreme circumstances."

  "Extreme circumstances?"

  "Fight or flight situations. Life and death. Or something so heart wrenching I have no control of my emotions."

  "Oh?” she asked. “You mean like this?” She threaded her fingers through his hair, stood on her tiptoes, and drew his lips to hers. He tasted like cherries and chocolate. Wine and roses. Sin.

  He opened his mouth to take her in deeper. She explored his tongue with hers.

  Heedless to anyone around them, he pushed her up against the wall. If there was, in fact, anyone around them. She wasn't sure anymore. Hooking a hand at the back of her knee, he lifted her right leg up and wrapped it around his hips. She opened wider to give him easier access to where she really wanted him to go. His hands stroked up under her dress and found her thong. Moving it aside, his finger plunged into her.

  "Oh God,” she cried. She opened her eyes. This wasn't normally something she'd do in a roomful of people. The room spun. There was no one but them. She sucked in a breath and tried to push him away. This wasn't Darla's house!

  "Where are we? How did we get here?"

  Blake looked at her. “You don't remember?” She shook her head, and he stepped away. “Maybe you need to sit down a moment."

  Kerri glanced around the dark room. Candles flickered, dancing across the walls in shadows of illusion. A fire was lit in the fireplace, stoking her skin to a heated fervor. Despite the darkness, she was able to see everything. Her feet thudded against a wood floor, personifying the strike of her heart against her ribs. She sat on a red couch and placed her head in her hands.

  "What's going on?” she asked. She hadn't had anything to drink that she could remember. Then again, she didn't remember coming to his house, either.

  "I can take you home.” He reached out his hand. She clasped it, but pulled him to sit on the couch beside her. His chivalry unnerved her, but she wasn't ready to go home yet.

  Kerri looked into his eyes, questioning but withholding, perhaps to make sure she knew what she was doing before she did it. Deep, dark blue, like the bottomless depths of the ocean. They made her feel as if she were sinking, but it wasn't a bad feeling. Contradictory, they made her feel stable.

  "Who are you?” she asked.

  "Blake Donnelly."

  She knew that. He'd told her before. She just needed to know more. But why? Wasn't she supposed to enjoy having sex with a stranger? Changing her life and not asking a lot of questions? She didn't need to know about his parents, his childhood, where he came from. That's what made him so appealing. She shouldn't even know his name.

  "The man of my dreams?"

  "I'd love to be.” His voice was deep and rich, like dark chocolate comforting her on one of those nights she most needed it. “Right now, you're the woman of mine."

  Kerri laughed. “Good line.” She smoothed her hand across the couch in between their bodies. It was velvet, like her dress. The firelight jumped across his face, wrenching her heart. She moved in closer to him.

  Thunder boomed. She flinched. Lightning shrieked across the sky, tapping on the window. The candles recoiled, as if
frightened.

  She placed her hand on her heart. “Scary."

  "Could be a warning,” he said.

  "What kind of warning?"

  "Not to get mixed up with me."

  She trailed her finger across his lips. His mouth opened. He still wore the vampire cape, and the way the lightning and the candles flashed across the room made him mysterious and sexy. But for some reason, she trusted him. He wouldn't take what she didn't offer.

  "I doubt it.” She drew him to her, closed her eyes, and kissed him again. Deep, soul-binding, if only for one night.

  Rain began to pelt across the roof. Thunder vibrated through her body. She opened her eyes. They were now in his bedroom. She was sitting on the bed with Blake kneeling in front of her.

  His cape and shirt came off, revealing the hard, chiseled body she expected to see. He unzipped her boots and slowly drew them down her leg. Fire streaked up her body and into her pussy. He sustained that fire with the heat of his tongue. He drew the lips of her wet heat apart and stroked inside and out until she throbbed.

  His lips trailed up her body. He paused to yank her dress over her head then lowered his mouth to her breasts and ripped her bra apart with his teeth.

  Kerri's head spun, as if she were drunk. She thought of the condoms, all four boxes, in her purse and muttered, “I have condoms."

  He raised his head. His eyes glittered. “Do what?"

  "In my purse. Condoms."

  "Oh. Right.” Blake grabbed her purse from the floor and sat on the bed, spilling the contents from her purse. He laughed when he saw all four boxes. “We going to use all these tonight?"

  "I hope so."

  His hands shook as he tried to open the package.

  "Fuck.” He threw it across the bed and grabbed another one.

  Kerri's heart picked up its cadence. She slid towards him. She spread her legs open near his face. He dropped the package. “What's the matter?” she asked coyly. “You nervous?"

  He looked at her, his eyes blazing, hands still shaking. It made her feel so sexy. Like she never had before. Bold even.