He was an obsession. Like an addict, Lydia craved Dominic’s touch . . . . until the day she died. Now, the memories of her time with him are more like nightmares. As Lydia pieces together the events of the past several months, the man who nearly destroyed her will stop at nothing to get her back under his control. After all she has gone through, can she put her trust in another vampire to keep her safe?
Distant and cold, Roman has gone through the motions of life for more than four centuries. No woman has been able to break through the ice encasing his heart . . . . until he saw her. Roman is captivated from the moment he sees Lydia fighting for her life in a hospital room. When his energy mingles with hers, the psychic vampire in him instantly recognizes her as his perfect mate and he will do anything in his power to keep her safe.
Lydia blew out a frustrated breath. “Let’s face facts. Most
people could find excuses to say they had a fucked up childhood. What the hell
were we talking about? That’s right; the reasons you shouldn’t use me as an
example. Not one relationship I’ve been in would be considered normal.”
“You haven’t given up on the idea of love, have you?” he
asked.
There was no quick answer to that question. Had she given up
on love? Was that the real reason she’d never had what one would call a real
boyfriend? Looking at the stack of romance novels, Lydia knew the answer. “No,
I haven’t given up on love. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not some hopeless romantic
waiting for Mr. Right to sweep me off my feet. Hell, I’ve been with more toads
than princes. Doesn’t mean I don’t believe there’s a perfect guy for me.” Her
eyes sparkled with mischief. “Of course, I don’t see any reason to avoid having
fun until then. Yeah, I totally danced around that question.”
Roman set the book down on the sofa. “No, you answered it
very well. You are a very passionate woman. Do you have any idea how much I
want you? I want to lose myself in all of that passion you exude. Not for
release. Not in an anonymous detached way. Will you let me take you upstairs
and bury myself inside of you?”
Those words made her achy and wet in a heartbeat. A breathy,
“Yes,” was all she could manage.
Roman stood and walked toward her, as if fearing she might
change her mind. “Are you sure? This will change everything. I don’t know how
long you’ll have to stay here, but once you let me inside of your body, I won’t
be able to stay away.”
Her nipples were so hard that the lacey bra made them ache.
“I’m fine with that.”
“Okay, let’s try this role playing thing.” Stepping forward,
he jerked her to her feet. “You are my wife which means you belong to me.” He
paused and looked a little uncomfortable. “How was that?”
“Good. Just keep that up.” Her voice shook slightly from the
combination of nerves and excitement. She started twirling her hair and
frowned. The last thing she wanted was to get tied up in her hair.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” she said quickly.
“Then why are you frowning?”
“I keep twirling my hair and it would totally ruin this if I
had to spend ten minutes trying to free my hand,” she explained with a blush.
“Would it help if I tied you to the bed?” he asked with a
playful grin.
Despite the obvious teasing twinkle in Roman’s eyes, his
words got her more than a little hot. “Maybe we could try that later. No one
has ever tied me up, and it’s kind of exciting.”
“The idea is pretty arousing for me too,” he said and his
eyes were filled with promise. “Now where were we?”
Lydia worked hard to look angry. She stepped away from him
and tossed her head back in a dramatic gesture. “I will never belong to you!”
“Obviously, you need a reminder,” he said and stalked her.
Lydia backed away. Her entire body was alive with anticipation. When her back
hit the doorframe, she waited breathlessly. Roman gripped her upper arms and
brought his lips to within inches of hers. “I look forward to reminding you
that you belong to me over and over again.”
Lydia was thankful for the firm grasp on her arms because
her legs were a little shaky. Roman was a natural at role playing. “So you’ll
force yourself on me? Will that make you feel like the big strong man?”
“Force you?” he said with a chuckle. “You’ll beg me to
possess your body in every way imaginable.” Without giving her a chance to
reply Roman scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his room. After
laying her on the bed there was the awkward moment of trying to get her hair
out of the way.
The hair thing was so ridiculous that it made her giggle.
“Am I doing this wrong?” There was an endearing
vulnerability in Roman’s voice.
“No,” she said with a smile, “I’m laughing about this hair.”
“Yes,” he said and joined her on the bed, resting his head
on one hand. “Beautiful,” he said as his fingers stroked the exposed skin where
her shirt had ridden up. “Now, where was I?”
“Making me beg you to take me in every way imaginable, if I
remember right.”
About the Author
Cassandra Lawson is an author and homeschooling mother of
three from the San Francisco Bay area. She has always had a very active
imagination and loves making up stories. When she is not writing she enjoys
baking, spending time with her family, listening to music, or curling up with a
good book.
Connect with Cassandra Lawson
Blog: http://cassandralawson.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7103612.Cassandra_Lawson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassandralawsonauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Author_C_Lawson
Vampires Prefer Blondies
Bake time: 25-30 minutes
Preheat: 350ºF (175ºC).
This recipe was inspired by Lydia’s baking in Vampires Prefer Blondes. When creating
this recipe, I tried to keep Lydia’s personality in mind. I used parchment
paper to line the pan because Lydia is the type of woman wants a quick clean up.
She is also a woman who enjoys a sinfully indulgent treat.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Ingredients:
1 cup butter softened
¼ cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Small package vanilla instant pudding
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 ¼ cups flour
1 bag mini chocolate chips
Directions:
Mix butter with brown and white sugar until it has a nice
creamy consistency, around 5 minutes. Add eggs, pudding, ¾ cup brown sugar and
vanilla extract. Mix until well-blended. Add baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix
until well-blended and stir in chocolate chips. Take about 40 1/4-1/2 inch
chunks of cookie dough and put them in a container to freeze for a couple of
hours. This will leave you with extra cookie dough and I highly recommend you
drop some larger balls of cookie dough on a cookie sheet and bake them at 375ºF
for 11-13 minutes.
Blondie Batter
Ingredients:
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 box of yellow cake mix
½ cup milk
1 egg
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. This batter has
a very thick consistency. Add in the frozen cookie dough. Spread this into the
bottom of an 11x7 baking pan. You can oil the pan or line it with parchment
paper. Bake 25-30 minutes. The edges will just be turning brown when it’s time
to remove it from the oven. Allow it to cool for 30 minutes before cutting it
into squares and serving.
Giveaway
3 ebooks copies of Vampires Prefer Blondes
Excerpt, Chapter 4
“It is kind of hot hearing you say it. Nicholas wouldn’t have been caught dead saying that word,” she said, even as she cringed.
“Nicholas the former fiancé?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. Now is not a very appropriate time to talk about him.”
Xander nudged her chin so she would look into his eyes. “Anytime you need to talk, I’m here. Okay?”
“Okay.” She barely paused before continuing on a sigh. “Nicholas was one of my professors when we met. Brilliant, extraordinarily caring. He helped me figure out exactly what I wanted to do with my career. Too bad that didn’t also translate with my life.”
“You may not think so now, but I believe you will eventually figure out how to navigate life’s milestones without anyone else telling you how to do it.”
“But there has to be some give and take as you move together in the general direction of married life, right?”
“Who are you asking? I didn’t do it right the first time, remember.” He tucked her unruly hair behind one ear.
“That’s a cop-out. I distinctly recall you broaching the c-word.”
“C-word? I don’t call women bad names.”
“Not that c-word, you dope. Compromise.”
Xander laughed. “But you notice I’ve managed to resist entanglements since that failed attempt.”
She side-eyed him playfully. “Not for lack of strange women—myself included—throwing themselves at you, I’m sure.”
“I’m alone half by necessity and half by choice.”
“How’s that?”
“I work so much I don’t have a lot of time for dating. And my ex was a piece of work, so I’ve been in no particular hurry to figure out if the first time was just a fluke.”
“I hope I can be as flippant about Nicholas in a few years.”
“You mentioned he was older. Would that be my age older, or...ancient?”
It was her turn to laugh. “Just a decade, or what one considers about a year shy of a classic May/December romance.”
“Or, a decade shy of being a dirty old man.” Xander swooped in and nibbled her bottom lip. Sabine straddled him. The heat of her core igniting renewed desire in his loins.
“I think I’d rather do something else, other than talking about aging and bitchy exes now,” she said.
