Forbidden Hunger by R.L. Kenderson

Twenty

Ram had been actingweird since they’d gotten back from the movie. He had gone to his room and shut the door as soon as they walked in, and after he’d come back out, he had been keeping his distance from her. Yet he hardly let her out of his sight.

He was overly worried about her being hurt by Monica but unconcerned with the fact that he was practically acting like they hadn’t slept together last night.

And people think women are confusing.

It was feeling like the night he’d rejected her again, but this time, it was worse because they’d done more than kiss.

Siya tried to ignore Ram and his brooding, instead focusing her attention on Demi, but as soon as the sun set, Ram got up from his seat and started pacing.

At first, she thought that it was because he was worried that none of the sentinels had checked in, but when they finally reported that there’d been no sign of Monica or her brother, he didn’t let up.

“Why don’t they keep looking?” Siya asked.

“Because they went on every floor, asking questions and digging around for information. They covered every inch of that place. It’s one thing to do it during the day, but it’s another to do it at night. That’s when the police are more likely to get called for suspicious activity,” Saxon explained. “Besides, there wasn’t anywhere else to check. She wasn’t there.”

“Did they knock on every door?” Siya asked.

Saxon looked at her like she was nuts. “No. Again, the police would have been called.”

“Then, how do they know?”

Off to Saxon’s right, Demi tapped the side of her nose.

“Ohhhh,” Siya said. “They couldn’t smell her.”

“Exactly,” Saxon said.

“But how do they know what she smells like?” Siya asked.

Saxon curled his lip and looked at his mate. “Your friend asks too many questions.” He pushed himself off the couch. “I’m going to bed. I’m getting a headache.”

“Rude,” Siya muttered as Saxon left the room, and Demi laughed.

“They get items that belong to her,” Demi said. “That’s how they know what she smells like.”

“How do they—”

Demi’s hand flew up. “Don’t ask. You don’t want to know because it’s probably not legal in the eyes of humans.”

Siya pursed her lips together to keep from asking anything else.

Ram’s phone rang, and Siya almost jumped in her seat. She’d forgotten that Ram was still there.

He checked the number on the display and answered with a firm, “Ram.”

Siya wasn’t a shifter or a vampire, but phones weren’t the best at keeping the other side of a conversation quiet. She couldn’t make out what was being said, but it sounded like it was a female.

“Yep. Two minutes. Got it.”

He hit End on his phone, and Siya waited for him to tell her who had called, but he shoved his phone in his pocket and didn’t even look at her.

Two minutes on the dot, he walked to the door. Right before he left the house, he stopped and pointed at Demi. “Watch her. Call your mate if you need help.”

And with that, he was out the door.

“What the hell happened between you two?” Demi asked.

Siya threw up her hands. “I don’t know. Nothing. He was kind of weird at the movie, but I thought it was because he was worried. But he’s been weird all afternoon and evening.” She rolled her eyes. “You would have no idea that he went down on me this morning.”

Demi’s eyebrows almost touched her hairline. “You did not tell me that part.”

“Yeah, well, does it matter?”

“Kind of. He was talking to a woman.”

“I know. I could hear.”

“Could you tell what she said?” Demi asked.

“No.” Siya sat up in her seat. “Could you?”

She didn’t answer.

“Tell me.”

“I hate this. Here, I thought he’d changed.”

“Tell me,” Siya said firmer this time.

“She said she would be outside in two minutes. That’s when he said, ‘Two minutes. Got it.’ ”

As much as she hated it, Siya’s heart sank, and her instinct was to run again. She didn’t need to be with someone who didn’t want her. But she was stuck.

“Go out there and confront him,” Demi said.

“No way.”

“Siya, he had sex with you last night, and now, he’s meeting some girl. You need to let him know it’s not okay to do that in front of you.”

Siya gritted her teeth. “I hate that you’re right.”

Demi smiled reassuringly. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Siya pushed herself off the couch.

“I’m going to go in my room, but call, text, whatever if you need me, and I’ll come back out. The others will probably be home soon, so I would go talk to him while you have a little privacy.”

“Thanks.” Siya squared her shoulders as she headed outside.

It was dark, and there were no lights on in front of the bunkhouse. There were some around the main house, and while they were farther away, they gave her enough light to see Ram standing next to a car with a woman.

At first, she thought they were talking, but as her eyes adjusted, she could make out Ram’s hand holding the base of her skull. The lady’s head was tilted to the side, and Ram had his mouth on her neck. The worst of it was, Siya was pretty sure this was the same woman she had seen him with after she tried to kiss him, the night he’d rejected her.

Jealousy and anger coursed through her body like someone had lit all her nerve endings on fire.

Ram’s eyes flew open, and he made eye contact with Siya through the darkness.

The person who, moments ago, hadn’t wanted to confront him now stood her ground and wasn’t going to leave until she told him off.

Except watching him with this woman as he kept his eyes on her was also making her hot. She was mad at herself for feeling any sort of sexual excitement, but she couldn’t help it. Ram did things to her. And even though he seemed aroused as he watched her, he didn’t touch the woman anywhere but her neck and the back of her head.

She had no idea how long she stood there, but eventually, Ram pulled away and licked his lips. He ran his tongue over the lady’s neck once and backed away. He nodded to her, and the woman got in her car and drove away.

As soon as the taillights were a couple hundred yards away, Ram turned back toward Siya and stalked in her direction.

His head was down, his shoulders up, and determination was all over his face. He looked like the predator most humans thought vampires were, and she shivered.

But she didn’t back down.

Not until he reached her anyway. Then, she took several steps back until she hit the house, but Ram kept coming.

“What the fuck are you doing out here?”

She threw her hair over her shoulder. “I came to tell you…”

“Came to tell me what?”

She didn’t know what to say exactly.

He stepped closer and put his hand on her neck. “Did you come to watch me feed while you fucked me with your eyes?”

“No.” She really hadn’t.

He put his mouth to her ear. “Then, why did you?” He kissed her jaw and her neck as he pulled his hand away.

“I don’t…know.”

“Yeah, you do.” She could hear the smile in his voice, and she was shocked when he picked up her hand and put it on his very hard dick. “You want me to fuck you.”

She might have gasped. She might have squeezed his cock. But she most definitely turned her face toward his and kissed him.

Ram growled into her mouth and pushed her arm away. She heard his zipper fall, and then her own pants were attacked. As soon as he got them undone, she was helping him push them off her hips.

She only had one leg out, but it was enough for Ram to lift her up and slam into her. Her head fell back against the house as she cried out at how good he felt. Ram put his mouth on her neck and fucked her with such force that her back was going to hurt tomorrow, but she didn’t care. He felt magnificent inside her. He might have fed from that other woman, but he was inside her, and that fact was hotter than it should have been.

Just when she didn’t think it could get any better, he lifted his head. He met her eyes as he thrust in and out of her. She thought she might come from the eye contact alone, but then he did the unexpected.

He lifted a thumb to his mouth and used a fang to cut himself.

She only had a second to be worried before he shoved the tip of his thumb into her mouth. At the same moment, he bit down on her neck. As he sucked her blood from her neck, the taste of his hit her tongue. It was like an electric current had zapped her. The blood from his thumb traveled straight down to where their bodies were connected, and she exploded into a million pieces.