Addicted Ch. 01

Peter frowned deeply. "Are you going to let her talk about me like that, little one?"

Candace laughed as she replied, "Yes, but only because you deserve it."

Peter looked put out until Candace motioned for him to bend over. She whispered something in his ear when he was close enough and whatever it was, it pulled him right out of his bad mood and put a smile on his face.

"So, who's ready to eat?"

*****

Kody knew that he was staring at her lips. Every crevice in those lips were his to explore, seeing as she was his woman, but it was hard not to do so at the dinner table. His mother really did teach him better, it was just becoming overwhelmingly impossible to act the way he knew he should.

Paul leaned over and whispered in his ear conspiratorially, "If you don't stop staring, she's liable to spontaneously combust."

Kody growled low in his throat, but turned his eyes elsewhere. He wouldn't openly acknowledge that Paul had a point, but he would stop staring. He needed to distract himself from the lovely woman across from him at the table.

His gaze slid to Candice and Peter, laughing at some inside joke that they were sharing. He focused on the twin heartbeats coming from Candice's body, noting their speed and relative strength. Both the mother and the baby were fine. He listened to the others at the table. He could tell that Justin had yet to feed for the night, the sluggish pumping of his heart giving it away. Jasmine's heart beat strong and true, accelerating slightly when his eyes landed on her again.

Did he just make her heart skip a beat? No, but her breathing was definitely affected. The catch was minute, but he heard it and knew that it was for him, because of him. Her body let him know that she was as affected by him as he was by her. The way her nipples had pebbled underneath her t-shirt, the slight differences in her breathing, the tempo of her heart, the way she licked her lips, and the smell of her arousal...it all called to him on a primal level. One so basic that the only reaction it would validate was to sling her over a shoulder and carry her off to fuck her until she screamed.

He had to tamp down on that desire, but it was difficult. The need to be with his mate in every way rode him hard. If she moaned quietly one more time, he would no longer be responsible for his actions.

Jasmine had tried so hard to ignore Kody throughout dinner, but he kept worming his way into her thoughts. The man sat directly across from her, making her acutely aware of him. She watched his movements, which were elegant, graceful even, for someone his size. He was handsome, but in a down-home, country boy kind of way. If he told her that he developed all those muscles from hard work on a farm, she would believe him, but she knew better.

He was Candace's doctor, but she didn't think that he was only an obstetrician. From what she had been told, Jasmine knew that he also practiced adult medicine, performed surgeries, and was a pediatrician on the side. She didn't think that one guy should be able to practice so many different types of medicine, but Candace assured her that he had the degrees and know-how to go with each of his specializations.

She wished he would examine her body with those meaty hands and maybe that tongue that he had tried to stick down her throat earlier. As she shook herself from yet another fantasy, she came to the conclusion that she was going to stay as far away from Kiran as possible.

After dinner, they split up. Paul and Justin had driven Peter to the dress shop, but Peter planned on driving Candace's car to their home. That left Jasmine in a lurch, but Kody was quick to offer her a ride home. Jasmine frowned at the obvious setup, but said nothing as she followed Kody to his luxury sedan.

She slid into the leather seat and buckled up, determined not to look at Kody, because if she did, she would jump him right there in the driver's seat of his nice car. She gave him her address and the directions to her house while gazing out of the window. He didn't say too much during their drive, and for that she was also grateful. She really didn't want to leave a wet spot on his leather seats and his voice turned her pussy into a geyser.

Kody struggled not to pull the car over and take his woman right there in the backseat. She deserved much more than a romp in the backseat for their first time. He was going to romance her as best he could. It had been a long while since he tried to woo someone.

Many women threw themselves at him and he was never one to turn down an easy lay or an easy meal. They were usually thin, tall model types, batting their eyelashes and hoping that he would part with his money as easily as he had parted their legs. Most were disappointed when the next morning rolled around and he was gone.

A few were worth the effort, so he got to know them better, but it never worked out. They weren't his mate, never would be, so he stopped wasting their time when he sensed that they were becoming overly attached to him. He was a playboy, a womanizer, but now he would be the ultimate lover for his quintessential woman.

Jasmine was the last woman he would ever be with. She would be the only recipient of his thick cock, his dexterous tongue and his wicked fingers. She would bear his children and accompany him into eternity at his side. This was forever and there was no turning back.

He drove silently, focusing on getting his woman to her destination safely. He pulled into the driveway behind a cute little dark blue hybrid car and turned off the ignition. Jasmine turned and looked at him, startled, but said nothing.

"I'm going to walk you to your door and make sure your house is safe before I take my leave, if that's okay with you, Jasmine."

She nodded and got out of the car. She brushed her hands against the front her jeans and walked to her door with Kody trailing behind her. She ignored Kody's soft moan as she climbed the stairs to her front door.

He gently took the key from her and told her to stay put as he entered her house. Normally, she wouldn't let a man she barely knew into her house and surely not alone, but she knew who Kody was and who he was related to, so by default, she knew where to find him if need be.

She waited patiently until he emerged from the house. "You know, I was thinking. What if someone attacked me while I was standing on the porch waiting for you to come back?"

Kody grimaced. He hadn't thought of that. "They would no longer be living, lovely. I would kill them for even thinking to harm a hair on your head."

Jasmine laughed. "Like you would have gotten back in time to stop them. Next time, we'll go in together and save us both some time. You can search and I'll stand just inside the door."

Kody frowned, but conceded the point. If he were a normal human being, he might not have been able to save her, but seeing as he was a vampire, a pretty powerful one at that, he would have ripped whoever thought to harm her to shreds without breaking a sweat. He gave her a nod and a quick peck on those full lips before returning to his car, smiling because she had said that there would be a next time. A plan took form in his head and he grinned. By Valentine's Day, she would be his.

From the driver's seat, he watched her enter her house and close the door. He idled in her driveway for no longer than a minute before he was out of the car and ringing her doorbell.

She answered it, confusion written all over her face. "Can I help you, Kiran?"

His cock made him aware of just how sexy his name sounded as she said it in that melodious voice of hers. He swooped down and claimed another, far more satisfying kiss before releasing her.

"Want to go out this weekend? Dinner and a movie, my treat?"

Jasmine smiled, absently running a few fingers over her swollen lips. "I was wondering when you would ask me out. Hmm...Sure, let's go out this weekend, but I'm in the mood for sushi and dancing."

"Okay, lovely, what about Saturday at 8. I'll pick you up then and we'll get sushi and go dancing."

Kiran's lopsided smile gave her goosebumps. "Alright then. Eight it is."

Kiran nodded and leaned in, whispering to her before his lips devoured hers, "Lovely Jasmine, Saturday is just the beginning."

Jasmine took one look at her secretary, Missy, and laughed. She could barely get herself together to get her messages.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Ms. Ward. Your one o'clock appointment is in your office."

"You should have seen your face! What's got your panties in a twist?"

"Your one o'clock," Missy replied, deadpan.

Jasmine quirked a brow, casting a glance at the closed door of her office before she spoke, "I don't remember having a one o'clock appointment."

"Well, you have one now. Let me know when you're sending them out so I can take my lunch. I don't want to deal with them again."

Jasmine frowned. Here she thought that maybe Kiran was paying her an afternoon visit as he had many days in the past couple of weeks, but it seemed that her appointment would be far less enjoyable, if Missy's reaction was anything to go by.

With a heavy sigh, Jasmine turned and trudged towards her office. She cracked open her door and growled. Of course. She should have been expecting their visit.

She walked in and sat at her desk, frowning at the three women that sat across from her. She chuckled as she took in the way the sun seemed to glimmer in their long, flowing red manes. Their eyes were the same piercing blue as Kiran's, but she found that she enjoyed staring into his eyes much more. Their skin was flawless, beautiful by society's standards, but the expressions of pure dislike marred their features and made them extremely unattractive to Jasmine. She wanted to pick up their dainty, size 2 bodies and throw them out of her window.

"Ladies, welcome to Johnson and Hicks, how may I be of service?" Jasmine gave them her best work voice and smiled brightly, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Simple. Stay away from Kody," Kameron stated, as if informing Jasmine of the weather.

Jasmine was partly intrigued but mostly infuriated. Did they really come to intimidate her? Because they had another thing coming if they thought that was going to fly. "Bitch, you better back the fuck up. I know you didn't come to my place of business to threaten me," Jasmine stated.

"You're not his type. Before you, there were models, actresses, and millionaire heiresses. You're nowhere near the caliber of woman he used to date and nowhere near their dress size," Kylie said. She motioned with her hands to illustrate her point.

Jasmine smiled. She and Kiran had this talk before. They had covered past relationships, what made them work and not work. They had talked about family, friends and many things of a more personal nature over the past two weeks. Kiran told her that she was the one, he was playing for keeps and as such, he wanted to be completely open and honest. It was her security in his love for her that kept her from flying across her desk at the heifer. He would be upset with her if she beheaded his sisters.

Obviously, the sisters underestimated their brother and just how serious he was about her. She decided to throw in some of the words that Kiran had spoken just the day before to illustrate her point.

"Keywords there: used to date. He's moved on to better things. I am the one he comes to see daily. I'm the one he showers with flowers and love. I'm the one he begs for release. And I'm the one he has chosen to spend his life with. Get over it. Those floozies before were nothing. I am everything to him."

'Wow, that sounded self-important and kind of crazy,' Jasmine thought. 'Maybe I should think a little more before I speak...'

Kristina smiled, sitting back in her chair. "His everything? Wow, he really has you, hook, line and sinker. Do you know how many times we've heard that fall from some hapless girl's lips right before he dumped them?"

"No, but I'll be the last one speaking them...ever."

Their eyebrows raised and as they tilted their heads to the side in unison, Jasmine wondered just what she had gotten herself into.

Kylie began, "The last...so that means he's told you everything about himself? His heritage? Where he comes from? What he is?"

Jasmine schooled her features. She had no idea what Kylie was talking about, but she wasn't going to let her know that. "Yes."

"So if we said that he's a vampire...a powerful vampire from a very prestigious family, you wouldn't be surprised?" Kameron questioned.

Jasmine didn't laugh. She could tell they were serious and that the question they were asking was real. If Kameron's tone didn't tell her, the fangs hanging out of Kylie and Kristina's mouth would have. It explained a lot of things. Why Candace wouldn't let her beat the 'three bitches' asses, why Kiran was so opposed to long daytime dates, and why Kiran could practice so many types of medicine. If he was a vampire and what they said about vampires were true, he had years upon years to get all those degrees...and look damn good doing it too.

The trio smiled, their elongated canines flashing in the light. If Jasmine weren't terrified of being ripped apart, she would slap those smiles right off their faces. She smiled back then.

"No, I wouldn't be surprised. But I can tell you this, if you ever come at me wrong again, I am going to enjoy the hell out of beating your undead asses. I am going to whoop that ass from sunup to sundown. Now, get the fuck out of my office."

The look of shock written across their faces told her all she needed to know. If they thought showing some fang was going to have her run screaming from her office, well, they had another thing coming. She had trained herself to steel her reactions because in the business world, some mistook those reactions for weakness. There was no way she would appear weak in front of Kiran's sisters. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

So, even as her heart broke from the knowledge that as honest as she had been with Kiran, he was hiding something that major from her, she smiled. With a perfectly manicured finger, she reached over and pushed her intercom button.

"Missy, my one o'clock is leaving now. Leave a note with security on your way out. I never want these three to set foot in this building again."

With a heavy heart, Jasmine stood, palms on her desk, leaning forward as she spoke. "It's been a pleasure, ladies, I'm sure. But like, I said before, get the fuck out of my office and do not come back. If you do, you won't be leaving unless it's on a stretcher."

The three women stood and glared at Jasmine. "If you weren't under my brother's protection..." Kameron started.

"Then your asses would already be staked," Jasmine growled through clenched teeth.

With a harrumph, they turned collectively and stomped out of the office. Jasmine sat back in her chair and waited for the phone call that she knew would be coming. Every day, at two p.m., if Kody hadn't already come by, he would call.

The phone rang right on cue.

"Hello, lovely, how are you today?"

"I'd be better if I hadn't just had a surprise visit from your bitchy sisters," Jasmine replied.

Silence.

"Kiran?"

"Shit. Did they upset you?"

"Yeah, I'd say so."

"What happened?"

"They made me realize that I've been a monumental fool in believing that you were being completely honest with me. I mean, I expect you not to tell me some things right off the bat, but what they let me in on was...umm, I don't know. HUGE!"

"Wh...what did they tell you?"

"Are you a vampire?"

"Uhh...I'd rather talk to you in person about this."

"Tell me the truth. Now."

A sigh. "Okay then, yes. I am a vampire."

"Does Candace know?"

"Yes."

"Is Peter a vampire too?"

"Yes. We are vampires, me, every other Channing you know, and Candace. Peter turned her the night they met."

"WHAT!?! That long ago? Are you shitting me?"

Kiran grimaced. He left his house and got straight in the car while trying to talk Jasmine out of her rage. His destination was clear, but by the time he had arrived, she had instructed security not to let him in. He growled, but relented. He hated being kept from his woman, but he wouldn't cause a scene here at her job. He would wait until she got home and then cause a scene because there was no way he was going to spend his immortal life without his woman...He was addicted to her and he was not giving her up.