Night's Pleasure by Amanda Ashley Page B

helped her out. He felt the tremor in her hand and cursed himself for putting it there. He smiled, hoping to put her at ease, when he wanted nothing more than to drag her into the shadows and inhale her very essence.
    The Midnight Sun was a hangout for the under-thirty crowd. A typical pick-up place, it had a live band, a large dance floor, and a lot of dark, intimate corners.
    Rane found a table for two near the back, and after seating Savanah, he went to the bar to order their drinks—a strawberry daiquiri for her, a dry red wine for himself.
    A willowy brunette clad in skintight jeans and a low-cut T-shirt sidled up to him while he was waiting.
    â€œHello,” she said in a breathy voice. “I don’t think I’ve seen you in here before.” Her smile, the tone of her voice, the come-hither look in her eyes, all proclaimed that she was his for the taking.
    Rane glanced over her head to the table in the back. Had he been alone, he would have taken what the brunette was so blatantly offering, but Savanah was waiting for him.
    â€œMaybe some other night, darlin’,” he murmured.
    â€œWhy not now?” she asked with a pout.
    â€œâ€™Cause I’m not alone.”
    She raked a dark red fingernail down his cheek. “I’ll be here until closing if you change your mind.”
    â€œI just might,” he replied. “You look good enough to eat.”
    He wondered if she would have smiled so smugly if she had known he meant it literally. Picking up the drinks the bartender set before him, Rane returned to Savanah.
    â€œIs she a friend of yours?” Savanah asked, glancing at the brunette sitting at the bar.
    With a shake of his head, Rane dropped into the chair across from hers. “Never saw her before.”
    â€œReally? She certainly seemed to like what she saw.”
    He shrugged. “Can I help it if women like me?”
    â€œI don’t know. Can you?”
    In truth, he could, if he put his mind to it, but for the most part, he didn’t bother. All Vampires possessed an aura that was almost irresistible to mortals. He could subdue it if he chose to, but why bother when it made hunting so much easier?
    Savanah was watching him, waiting for an answer.
    Rane shrugged again. “I like women. They like me.”
    â€œCould you try liking them a little less when you’re with me?”
    He grinned, amused by the spark in her eye and the jealousy in her voice. “Yes, ma’am, I’ll do my best.” He jerked his head toward the dance floor. “Wanna give it a whirl?”
    Savanah took a sip of her drink, wondering if being in the arms of a man she found so attractive was really a good idea, and then shrugged. What was there to worry about? They were in a public place, after all, and she very much wanted to be in his arms.
    Rising, she put her hand in his, felt a familiar tingle as his skin touched hers, and then he was leading her onto the dance floor.
    He drew her into his arms with the ease and assurance of a man who knew how to please a woman. The music was like the man—dark, sultry, and sensual. Her body reacted immediately, to both the music and the sheer masculinity of the hard male body pressed intimately against her own. He held her close, so close she knew which way he was going to move before it happened. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach; her heart pounded like thunder in her breast. When she risked a glance at his face, his heavy-lidded gaze captured hers, making her think of sweat-sheened limbs tangled in cool silk sheets.
    Time seemed to slow as he guided her around the floor. Caught in the seductive web of his gaze, surrounded by the music, it seemed as if her feet never touched the floor. She wasn’t aware of anything else, anyone else, only Rane, his strong arms holding her close, his breath fanning her cheek, his voice whispering in her ear. As the music ended, she glanced up at him. What had he said to her? She