Léopold's Wicked Embrace
Immortals of New Orleans, Book 5
Seductive
and lethal vampire, Léopold Devereoux, returns to the Big Easy to find a
killer. His search leads him to a
beautiful and mysterious woman, who awakens desires and emotions that he’s long
fought to keep buried. After centuries
of self-imposed solitude, the billionaire philanthropist struggles to restrain
his growing thirst for the intriguing, lovely female who’s captured his
attention.
Laryssa
Theriot, an antiques proprietor in the Vieux Carré, agrees to help the
commanding yet debonair stranger, who seeks her assistance. She withholds her secret abilities, afraid to
trust the man who threatens to unleash her darkest fantasies. All the while, Léopold consumes her thoughts,
testing her erotic limits and bringing her to new levels of ecstasy. As the menacing force that has stalked
Laryssa for years finally catches up to her, she submits, putting her life into
the hands of the dominant vampire who offers his protection.
Deep
in the heart of New Orleans, they embark on a perilous adventure, forced to
search for an ancient sacrificial relic that they hope will save their
lives. As they face formidable
challenges, Léopold and Laryssa surrender to the passionate intimacy that
possesses them. After hundreds of years
of denying himself love, will Léopold bond to the woman who has begun to crack
the impenetrable shell around his heart?
As evil draws near, will Laryssa survive the demon that has come to take
her soul?
Warning: This book contains
several erotic love scenes and is intended for adult readers only.
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/426356
Excerpt
Laryssa had
heard the customer behind her, but the damn mirror wire wouldn’t seem to catch
right. It kept slipping and she cursed
under her breath, hoping she wouldn’t drop it.
If she could just hold it up a minute longer, she could get it to hang
squarely on the wall. She fingered the
hook that she’d just renailed into the wall and then moved her thumb over to
the thin metal string. With a final
shove upward, she attempted to flick it into place. But as the wire caught, it sliced into her
flesh. A sharp sting threw her off
balance, and her pumps began to waver. Shit.
Not again.
“Oh my God!”
Laryssa squeaked as she fell backwards, fully expecting to crack her head open
on one of the many sharp-edged desks that sat adjacent to where she’d been
working. As she felt strong male hands
slide up under her ribcage, grazing her breasts, she gasped. She wasn’t sure whether to thank the stranger
or call the police, but as she turned her face to try to see him, she
immediately recognized her rescuer.
“It’s you,”
she stammered, clutching his arms. Laryssa giggled nervously, realizing how
once again she’d foolishly fallen in front of the sexy vampire. And like last night, he’d caught her. She couldn’t believe how clumsy she’d all of
a sudden become. She tried to relax and
find her footing, but her heart was beating so fast that she could barely
think. What is he doing here in my shop?
How did he find me?
Like a story
book flipping pages, her mind whirled until she remembered what she’d done last
night at the club. She’d fought off the
asshole who’d grabbed her at the bar.
The feel of his hands around her throat had forced her fear into
overdrive. The knife had only been a few
inches away, but still too far.
Desperation had taken over as her power surged, calling the blade to her
fingertips. Jamming it into his neck was
as instinctive as breathing. Kill or be
killed, she’d always choose the former.
She’d run into the alley, refusing to discuss it with management. The only one who knew her was Avery and there
was no way her friend would have divulged her identity to the vampire. She’d be more likely to turn him into a three
horned sheep before she’d squeal. The
only way the vampire could have found her would have been if he’d followed her
home.
A brush to
her breast reminded her that she was still being held upright by him, and
Laryssa felt her face grow red. Arousal
licked over her skin. Cautiously, she
rooted her shoes on the floor and turned around, steeling her nerves.
“I’m so
sorry,” she said.
“My
pleasure, mademoiselle, but I suggest you avoid heights in the future.”
Surreptitiously,
she stole a glance at him, which reminded her how incredibly handsome he
was. His short dark hair was perfectly
coiffed. His white dress shirt hung
casually over the waistband of his jeans.
Laryssa forced herself to look away, trying not to stare at the
masculine features of his face. Straight nose, square jaw and perfectly
kissable lips… lips that were smooth talking and way too articulate, teasing
her with every word he spoke. Beads of
sweat broke out across her forehead. It
felt as if someone had turned up the heat, her skin was on fire. She noticed his eyes were no longer on hers
and had dropped to her chest. They
lingered only a second, and then he met her gaze and smiled. She looked downward and noticed that several
buttons had come undone in her fall, revealing the edges of her white lace
bra. Could
this day get any more embarrassing? Laryssa’s
fingers shook as she buttoned her sweater.
“I’m so
sorry. I just…you just…I just…” Great,
first I’m a klutz and now I can’t speak.
She bit her lip, paused and then took a deep breath before starting
again. “Thank you for catching me.”
“Again.” Léopold watched her as she adjusted her
clothes, wishing to rip the rest of the pearly buttons from their fragile
seams. But he refused to let the beast within take what it wanted. No, he’d find out what the hell she was
before showing her his true nature. “Yes, thank you…again.” She smoothed down her skirt, trying to
pretend she hadn’t just fallen into his arms and let him feel her up in the
process. Business, think business.
Her pulse slowed and she willed herself to appear nonchalant.
“We met last
night, remember?” he pressed. Léopold smiled and ran his hand over the colorful
marquetry in rosewood that scrolled through a seventeenth century
secretaire. Interesting that she could
deliberately control the flow of her blood.
It further piqued his concern about her species. What was she?
Laryssa’s
eyes met his, widening at the confirmation that he knew exactly who she was.
“Yes, yes I
do. But I’m afraid I didn’t catch your
name.” Vampire. Big bad vampire. Laryssa watched intently as he fingered the
furniture, trailing his thumb over the symmetrical scenes as if he was
caressing a lover.
“Lovely.” Léopold flashed his eyes to hers.
“What?” Laryssa realized that he was toying with her,
purposefully trying to make her
nervous.
“I said,
it’s lovely. The neoclassical
architectural structures. The white
marble top. Doré bronze mounts.”
“Is there
something specific I can help you with?”
“You get
directly to the point?” Léopold had
intended to play with her a bit, throw her off her game. Yet his little rabbit wasn’t frozen in the
field like he’d anticipated. No, she
rebounded nicely, and now stood confidently like a wildcat, poised to
attack.
“I don’t
really have time to waste. So yeah, I’d
like to know why you followed me from the club.
And I really want to know what you are doing in my shop.”
Léopold merely
laughed and crossed the room to admire a chair and matching settee.
“Circa
1775?”
Laryssa
walked over and placed her hand on the elegant Louis XVI chair. “Yes.
How did you know? It’s a very
special piece. It has the mark of
Versailles Palace on it.”
“Indeed.” Léopold sat in the chair, wrapping his
fingers around its arms. “Nothing but
the best. Fit for a king.”
“And I
suspect you’d like being a king.” She put her hands on her hips, waiting for
him to respond.
“Ah, a king
I never was. But I’ve dined with kings,
and I can assure you that while they enjoy the extravagances of the rich, they
often lose their heads. Easy come, easy
go.”
“Why are you
here?” Laryssa brushed her hair back, attempting to regain her composure.
“Are
you looking for something specific?”
“Oui,
pet. But not an antique. While I do enjoy shopping, this is hardly the
time.” Léopold lost the smile, allowing
his eyes to pierce hers. “So I shall get to the point. What are you?”
Laryssa lost
her ability to rein in her pulse and her heart began to fiercely pump hot blood
through her veins. Her lips tightened,
and she clenched her jaw. How dare he
ask about her? What the hell did he want
from her anyway? Dear God, she had enough issues with the darkness on her tail
and now he was asking about her origins.
“What do you
mean, ‘what am I?’ I’m the owner of this store.
Does that answer your question?”
Laryssa asked, her voice growing louder.
“Who are you?”
“Léopold
Devereoux. That’s who I am. I can be your angel or nightmare, depending
on the day. So listen up. What. Are. You?” Léopold didn’t make a move. He sat completely still, anticipating her
answer.
Author Bio:
Kym Grosso
is the author of the erotic paranormal romance series, The Immortals of New Orleans.
The series currently includes Kade’ s Dark Embrace (Immortals of New
Orleans, Book 1), Luca’ s Magic Embrace (Immortals of New Orleans, Book
2), Tristan’s Lyceum Wolves (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 3) and Logan’s
Acadian Wolves (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 4).
In
addition to romance, Kym has written and published several articles about
autism, and is passionate about autism advocacy. She writes about autism at
PsychologyToday.com and AutismInRealLife.com. She also is a contributing essay
author in the book Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum.
Kym lives
with her husband, two children, dog and cat. Her hobbies include autism
advocacy, reading, tennis, zumba, traveling and spending time with her husband
and children. New Orleans, with its rich culture, history and unique cuisine,
is one of her favorite places to visit. Also, she loves traveling just about
anywhere that has a beach or snow-covered mountains. On any given night, when
not writing her own books, Kym can be found reading her Kindle, which is filled
with hundreds of romances.
Connect with Kym:
Website: www.KymGrosso.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KymGrossoBooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KymGrosso
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